Chapter 181: Taking the Initiative
Vermouth crossed her arms, a single manicured finger tapping against her elbow. She was one of the few within the Black Organization who understood the barest details of Cointreau's situation. The fact that the Wanderer—a boy who couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen—could hold his own against him for so long was a clear demonstration of his extraordinary abilities.
She hadn't forgotten Cointreau's earlier comment, either—that the Wanderer's mother had abandoned him because she deemed him too fragile.
Vermouth's gaze drifted to the boy, a strange expression on her face. As he sparred with Cointreau, a faint, almost mocking smile played on his lips. If this was considered fragile, then what did that make her? She, who likely wouldn't last a single minute against Cointreau's relentless assault.
The thought sent a cascade of implications through her mind. Just how powerful was the person in charge of the Inazuma Department? Could it be that even Cointreau was no match for her?
The more she considered it, the more mysterious and unfathomable the Teyvat Organization seemed. As she had suspected, they were not a group to be provoked, at least for now.
Gin casually stubbed out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray, his gaze fixed on the two combatants. "That's enough," he called out, his voice cutting through the air and bringing the spar to a halt. There was no point in letting it continue.
He shifted his attention to the Wanderer. "It just so happens that Kir has gone missing recently. Once we track her down, you'll join the operation," Gin stated flatly. "If you perform well, you can receive a codename ahead of schedule."
Though his face remained an impassive mask, Vodka, standing silently behind him, could sense his boss's satisfaction with the boy's performance.
"Tch." The Wanderer clicked his tongue, utterly dismissive of the codename Gin offered. He turned his sharp gaze on Cointreau, who was calmly straightening his disheveled clothes. "Cointreau, it seems your little organization isn't all that impressive. Its members can't even protect themselves—getting caught alive by outsiders. This Kir person… could she have betrayed you already?"
The words were laced with a biting sarcasm, a clear retaliation for Cointreau's earlier loose talk about his past.
"Gin, since you have your new helper, I won't be participating in the operation concerning Kir." Cointreau didn't even bother to rise to the Wanderer's taunts; the boy's words were like water off a duck's back, failing to affect him in the slightest.
He gave Gin one last perfunctory instruction. Seeing that the test was effectively over, he called out to the boy and turned to leave.
The Wanderer clicked his tongue again, clearly dissatisfied with Cointreau's indifferent attitude, but he fell into step behind him still.
Vermouth watched the boy's retreating figure, a sense of complete bafflement washing over her. How on earth did someone develop such an arrogant, 'second-to-none' personality? Given what little she knew of his experiences, it hardly seemed like the kind of environment that would forge such a loathsome character.
"Gin, are you really going to let him join the operation?" she asked, her voice smooth as silk. "This Wanderer doesn't look like the type to follow orders. If he acts on a whim and ruins the plan, Kir might not be rescued…"
"So what if he participates?" Gin's voice was devoid of warmth. "It's a good chance to see if he's actually fit for the organization. Besides, if Kir isn't rescued, that's just her bad luck. If she betrayed us and told the FBI something she shouldn't have, then there's no need to save her. We'll simply eliminate her."
With that, Gin stood, walking around Vermouth as if she were little more than a piece of furniture in his path. He and Vodka departed without another word.
This time, it was Vermouth's turn to watch a retreating back. An unreadable smile touched her lips. "How truly cold-blooded," she murmured to the empty room.
The next day, on the way home from school.
The Detective Boys, fresh off of solving another case involving a missing classmate, let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Conan had just mentioned that Klee wouldn't be able to go out and play for a while.
Genta's shoulders slumped. "Aww, what a shame. I was planning to invite Klee to go camping this weekend."
"Yeah," Ayumi chimed in, her earlier triumphant mood deflating like a popped balloon. "We just saw a really cute kitten, and I wanted to ask Klee to come see it with me later. I was even going to ask if she wanted to keep one."
Mitsuhiko pushed up his glasses thoughtfully. "Klee lives in a hotel with Big Brother Kaeya, so they probably can't have cats."
"I guess so," Ayumi sighed, her head drooping.
Haibara shot a pointed glance at Conan, who had managed to crush the children's spirits with a single sentence. Her look clearly signaled him to find a way to change the subject before they all spiraled into a state of melancholy.
Conan felt a pang of indignation. He was the one who said it, but it wasn't really his fault.
But it was clear Haibara wasn't in the mood for logic. Helpless, Conan forced himself to rally, turning to the others with a bright smile. "Everyone, cheer up! Klee has to wait for her brother, so she can't come out for a little while. It can't be helped, and it's not like we'll never see her again. Besides…"
Conan paused, his mind suddenly blank. He couldn't think of anything to distract them, so he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Besides, we, the Detective Boys, can take action on our own!"
"Conan, you're right!" Ayumi immediately brightened at his words.
Seeing her perk up, Conan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. But Ayumi's next sentence made him realize he had relaxed far too soon.
"Conan's right! We, the Detective Boys, can take action on our own. We can take the initiative to go find Klee!" she declared, flashing a brilliant smile.
'Wait, that's not what I meant…' Conan was dumbfounded. He never, in a million years, expected Ayumi to interpret his words that way.
"That's right! If Klee isn't coming out, we can go to her. Conan, you're so smart!" Genta boomed, clearly on board with Ayumi's idea.
"Yeah, I heard Klee mention her hotel room number before. We can go straight to her then," Mitsuhiko added, already starting to formulate a plan.
Before Conan could even begin to explain himself or talk them out of it, the trio had already set a time to execute their grand Klee-finding mission.
Ayumi tilted her head. "Should we notify Klee in advance?"
Genta put a finger to his chin. "Hmm… let's not tell her for now. How about we give Klee a surprise?"
'Heh, a surprise? More like a shock,' Conan thought grimly.
Mitsuhiko nodded repeatedly, fully endorsing Genta's idea. "Sounds good!"
And just like that, while Conan was still reeling from his monumental blunder, Ayumi and the others had finalized their plan.
Seeing the expectant, hopeful looks on the three children's faces, Conan couldn't bring himself to say a single word to stop them. He could only go along with it, his heart sinking with every enthusiastic cheer.
After saying their goodbyes to the other children, only Conan and Haibara were left on the quiet road.
Haibara slanted a cool look at him. "Is that how you change the subject? Klee is a good kid, and it's fine to interact with her outside. But now, we're going to deliver ourselves right to their doorstep."
She lowered her voice, a serious edge to her tone. "We still don't know if that mysterious organization Kaeya belongs to is friend or foe. And you haven't forgotten that Kaeya has connections with the Black Organization, right? What if we accidentally run into them…?"
"Then that's perfect," Conan said with a grin, lacing his hands behind his head. "It'll be a good chance to gather more information."
Haibara shot him a glare filled with exasperation.
Just as they reached the intersection, she let out a sharp "Hmph!" and turned abruptly toward Dr. Agasa's house, leaving Conan to walk the rest of the way alone.
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