A quiet moment. A rainy day. A temporarily peaceful daily life. In this idle time, it felt as if all the tension had faded, leaving only car
A quiet moment.
A rainy day.
A temporarily peaceful daily life.
In this idle time, it felt as if all the tension had faded, leaving only carefree serenity.
"The sunlight is so nice."
"The wind feels good too."
"If things could stay like this forever… it wouldn't be so bad, would it?"
In a quiet corner of Beika Park, Hayashi Yoshiki sat leisurely on a bench.
Next to him was Haibara Ai, unusually dressed in a cute skirt.
Haibara looked up at the clear sky.
It had been sunny for a while now—something she truly appreciated.
She didn't like rainy days.
After all, it had been during one such gloomy, stormy day that she had escaped from the Organization's poison gas chamber by taking the drug.
That torrential rain had matched her despair perfectly.
Even though she had found salvation since then, she could never forget the feeling she had when she removed the capsule back then.
But still...
The sunlight really is nice.
With her small hands resting on her knees, a faint smile curved her lips.
She quietly glanced at the man sitting beside her.
In the relaxed, lazy air of this quiet afternoon, Hayashi Yoshiki—dressed in a simple gray sweater—looked so naturally radiant and composed that simply by sitting there, he seemed to draw everyone's attention without trying.
When Hayashi looked toward her, Haibara quickly shifted her gaze away.
But he smiled and said, "Your skirt looks really cute today."
"My sister made me wear it..."
Her ears flushed a light red.
With her usual personality, wearing something too cute was a rare occurrence.
Although Akemi Miyano had bought her many adorable outfits, Haibara Ai rarely wore them.
"Then I suppose Miss Akemi has excellent taste."
"Do you want to go anywhere today?"
"Just basking in the sun like this is enough."
She shook her head and added with a childish tone:
"I went to see Dr. Narumi again yesterday."
"For Hiroki's bloodwork?"
Haibara nodded.
"That kid's been saying he wants to see you. Dr. Narumi also mentioned that he's been locking himself in his room after school and working on the computer nonstop. He's probably going to need glasses soon."
Hayashi Yoshiki fell silent.
Sawada Hiroki—or perhaps it was more accurate now to say Asō Hiroki.
Hayashi hadn't seen him in what felt like forever.
From what Haibara and Narumi said, Hiroki had been working on developing a new Noah's Ark from scratch.
Even though he had experience from the previous project, the progress was slow due to limited equipment.
"I'll find time to visit him."
"More importantly..."
Haibara Ai's tone shifted slightly.
"There's been progress on the APTX4869 antidote."
"Really?"
"Thanks to the drug samples you gave me, the materials that accidentally ended up with Professor Hirota, and the blood samples from Edogawa, Hiroki, and myself—the development's going faster than I expected."
She smiled faintly, and Hayashi Yoshiki took note.
"Is it just me, or did you used to be much more anxious about creating the antidote?"
"Of course I was."
Haibara replied,
"After taking that drug, both Edogawa and I stopped growing altogether. At a child's rate of growth, a few months without changes is passable—but over time, people will start noticing something's off."
APTX4869 didn't simply shrink its users—it froze them in time, locking their bodies into the form they had taken when they consumed it.
She looked at Hayashi Yoshiki again.
This man had always treated her like a true little girl.
And while part of her was okay with that... she couldn't live like that forever.
Meanwhile, Hayashi was thinking about another drug—one different from APTX4869, the one Vermouth had taken.
He wasn't afraid of his lifespan's limit, but he was curious about a drug that could preserve youth.
Ding-a-ling ding-a-ling.
His phone suddenly rang.
It was Amuro Tōru.
The man on the other end explained that an invitation had arrived at the agency and asked Hayashi to return.
"A new case?"
"No, just an invitation letter."
Hayashi explained briefly, then smiled.
"Let's go. How about we get some jam sandwiches, and then I'll take you back to Dr. Agasa's place?"
"Right now...? Can't I go to your office instead?"
"The office isn't very convenient at this time of day."
He gently patted her head.
Although Amuro Tōru was technically an undercover agent, Haibara's instincts always set off alarms around him.
Still, being patted on the head left her uneasy.
Why wouldn't it be convenient?
After all, when she had first escaped the Organization, it was his office where she had spent the night.
Why was it convenient back then and not now?
"...Don't tell me you're hiding a woman in your office?"
!?
In that instant, Haibara Ai showed a sharp, dark expression.
She looked at Hayashi Yoshiki's refined, handsome face, speechless—wanting to say something but unsure how.
...
A man like him having women around shouldn't be surprising, right?
In fact, it's probably to be expected.
Though her expression didn't change much, her energy turned sullen.
Then, she heard Hayashi Yoshiki say:
"Two pure-hearted girls, two seductive women, five who'll ask me whether I want to shower first, eat first, or… 'eat them' first... and ten mature older-sister types..."
While Haibara's expression turned increasingly incredulous, Hayashi kept a perfectly straight face.
"And finally... one hundred adorable girls just like you, Ai-chan."
"All of them hidden away in my office."
Where did this absurd, delusional otaku idiot come from?
Haibara Ai was at a loss for words.
"You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you?"
"Shhh. It's a secret. Keep it between us, okay?"
"No way. I'm definitely going to run outside and announce it to the world."
Caught off guard by her bold reply, Hayashi Yoshiki looked surprised.
Even Haibara probably didn't realize how brightly she was smiling just then—cheerful and assertive.
And just like that, Hayashi ruffled her hair and picked her up in his arms.
"Eh?"
Completely unprepared, Ai-chan found her small frame sitting on his arm.
Her expression turned confused.
"Put me down this instant, Cointreau!"
(君度 being a teasing form of address.)
"Oh? Is that really what you should be calling me right now?"
Haibara's face flushed with embarrassment.
But what truly embarrassed her wasn't the name—it was being held like this.
After all, she wasn't a real little girl.
"Alright, no squirming."
Hayashi gave her a gentle pat on the backside.
Her face immediately turned crimson.
She had already decided—
She could no longer let him keep seeing her as just a child.
That conviction had only grown stronger.
And yet…
All she could do for now was lower her head and whisper:
"...Yoshiki-nii..."