Chapter 102: An Unforgettable Summer Night
The last of Natsume's words faded into the chirping of the forest. A tense silence followed, stretching for a long moment before a figure detached itself from the deep shadows of the woods ahead.
It wasn't until the person shuffled a few steps forward, into the ethereal glow of the fireflies, that the group could make out his appearance. A man, gaunt and thin, with long, matted hair clinging to his face. His hands were bound together by a pair of metallic handcuffs.
The sight struck Conan like a physical blow. His pupils contracted, his expression twisting in stark recognition. A phantom ache flared somewhere on his body, a ghost of a past injury. But now was not the time for memories. He had to warn Natsume—to get her to restrain the man before he could act.
"Natsume, he's an escaped convict! Catch him!" Conan yelled, his voice sharp with urgency.
He needn't have bothered. The moment Natsume had spotted the glint of steel on the man's wrists, she was already moving.
Though her opponent was surprisingly agile, weaving and dodging with desperate speed, he was no match for her. The confrontation was brutally short. A blur of motion, a sharp, decisive strike, and the man crumpled to the forest floor, unconscious.
Only when the convict was completely still did Conan allow himself to exhale, the tension draining from his small frame.
'Natsume really isn't an ordinary person,'he thought, a familiar sense of awe mixing with relief.'This man is Kiichiro Numabuchi… he's formidable, but being near her… it feels safe.'
He quickly explained the criminal's identity to the others. The realization that Conan not only knew this man but had been injured by him in the past sent a wave of protective fury through the group.
As the others crowded around the unconscious form, Conan noticed something was wrong with Haibara. She stood slightly apart, her gaze fixed on Numabuchi, her face a mask of deep shock. It was the look of someone seeing a ghost.
While everyone else's attention was captured, Conan slipped over to her side. "You know him?" he murmured, keeping his voice low.
He learned that Kiichiro Numabuchi was, at one point, connected to the Black Organization. Recruited for his natural agility, he was meant to be trained as an assassin. However, he washed out of the program. His failure marked him for a different fate: a test subject for the Organization's developmental drugs. But before he could be handed over to Sherry for experimentation, he had escaped.
The only reason Haibara recognized him was from his file. The Organization's records had included his photograph and basic information, a face she had memorized and now saw before her in the flesh.
A flicker of excitement lit Conan's eyes. A direct link to the Organization! But Haibara, ever the pragmatist, was quick to douse his hopes. "His involvement wasn't deep," she stated coolly. "Before he escaped, he was just a peripheral member. That's why the Organization didn't care whether he lived or died after the police caught him."
As expected, disappointment settled over Conan. He had anticipated as much, but the confirmation still stung. He didn't let it linger.
Just then, Ayumi's cheerful voice called out to them. "Conan! Haibara! Come on, hurry up!"
It seemed the rest of the Detective Boys were planning something. Leaving the grim topic behind, the two of them ran over to rejoin the group.
They arrived to find that Natsume, having promised Mitsuhiko's sister she would take pictures, was gathering everyone for a group photo.
Of course, it wasn't just one. Against the magical backdrop of the swirling, dancing fireflies, Natsume had them pose for a multitude of shots. She took individual photos of everyone, but it was Natsume herself who ended up with the most solo pictures. Fortunately, Nahida was there to act as photographer; relying on the clumsy skills of the others would have never produced such beautiful images.
Conan watched, a little puzzled. 'Natsume doesn't usually seem like someone who enjoys having her picture taken this much, does she?'
After the impromptu photoshoot, Natsume took her phone back from Nahida. She flipped through the gallery, a satisfied smile gracing her lips. She stopped on one particular image, her fingers tapping the screen as she sent it to a number that had become quite familiar to her over the past few days.
Meanwhile, within the sterile confines of an Organization base, Cointreau felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket, and the sight of the sender's number instantly smoothed the hard lines of his face. His mood visibly lifted.
He opened the message. This time, it was only a single photo—a self-portrait taken in a forest, her figure illuminated by a cloud of shimmering fireflies. He stared at it for a long, quiet moment, his expression unreadable but soft. Then, with practiced care, he saved the image, moving it to a hidden, encrypted folder on his phone where it joined the picture of her in the cute little witch outfit. He then carefully deleted every trace of the original message.
Though he was confident no one could ever access his phone, caution was a deeply ingrained instinct. This way, in the unlikely event his phone fell into the wrong hands, there would be no evidence of his connection to her.
"Cointreau, what message has you so captivated?" Bourbon's smooth voice cut through his thoughts. He was sitting across the table, a picture of casual curiosity. Having worked more frequently with Cointreau lately, he was beginning to test the boundaries of their professional relationship. "What, did your sweetheart send you a text?"
"No," Cointreau replied, the slight curve of his lips vanishing as he offered the single, cold word.
Bourbon's smile didn't falter. "Then why do I get the feeling your messages have increased recently? And your mood always improves when you get one. Are you sure you're not in a relationship?"
"That is none of your business." Cointreau's gaze turned sharp, a clear warning. He held the look until Bourbon raised his hands in a placating gesture, feigning surrender.
Though Bourbon asked no more questions, his mind was already filing the observation away. Cointreau's uncharacteristic behavior was a signal. It was a vulnerability. It didn't seem related to the Organization—who smiled when receiving mission intel? He wasn't Gin. So, it had to be something external. And if he could find out what it was, he might just find a weakness to exploit.
The more time he spent with Cointreau, the more wary Toru Amuro became. The man's mind was brilliant; the plans he orchestrated were nearly flawless. His skills were… 'not bad' was an understatement. They were terrifyingly good. From what Amuro had observed, Cointreau had never once gone all out. He'd even heard that Cointreau had recently fought that FBI agent, Shuichi Akai, and that even Akai had been no match for him.
While a part of Amuro was pleased to hear of Akai's defeat, Cointreau's immense power was a far more pressing threat.
Back in the forests of Gunma Prefecture, the children and adults had finally had their fill of fun and photos. Just as they were packing up, the wail of sirens grew louder, and the police, alerted by their earlier call, arrived on the scene.
They took the unconscious Kiichiro Numabuchi into custody and arranged for several patrol cars to escort the Detective Boys, Dr. Agasa, Nahida, and Natsume home.
For each of them, in their own way, it had been a satisfying and truly unforgettable summer night.
At Dr. Agasa's house.
"Doctor, what did you say? Miss Ningguang is coming back to Japan soon?"
Conan's head snapped up, his voice sharp with surprise. He had assumed that after Ningguang left, she wouldn't be back for some time. He'd all but given up on getting any information from her. For her to return so quickly after leaving… was she planning something?
"Yes," Dr. Agasa confirmed with a nod before launching into the details. "Shinichi, you mentioned before that Miss Ningguang went back to the US for a project, right? She even handed over her branch office's affairs to her subordinates. Well, I did a little digging to see what kind of project it was. It just so happens that the Sindora Group contacted me to provide some technical assistance for their new 'Cocoon' project. That's how I found out. Miss Ningguang is also involved in this project, and from the sounds of it, her position is quite high up…"
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