Chapter 32: The Gin and Vodka Duo
'Damn it! Damn it!'
'It's all because of those men in black. It's their fault for making me swallow that freak drug.'
'If not for that, I'd still be Kudo Shinichi. I probably would've confessed to Ran ages ago, and we'd already be together.'
'The man lying on Ran's lap right now should be me!'
Conan walked on, head down, storming forward.
Tears welled in his eyes, blurring his vision.
Then…
"Thud!"
He'd walked right into something.
Conan landed flat on his backside.
But before he even had a chance to apologize, his face went dead white with fright.
"Hey, kid. You looking to die?"
Silver hair, long and flowing. A gaze cold as ice.
Black coat, black hat, black shoes—black from head to toe, like a man on his way to a funeral, his face locked in perpetual indifference.
It was him!
That man!
"Boss, want me to—"
Beside him, the hulking man reached a hand inside his coat.
He looked ready to draw and open fire at a moment's notice.
"Tch. He's just a kid. Leave him alone."
The corner of Gin's mouth twitched as he grabbed Vodka's hand to stop him.
Could the guy maybe not reach for his gun every single time something didn't go his way?
"Ha ha ha... sorry about that, mister!"
Conan scratched his head, grinning awkwardly as he apologized.
But once the two black shadows had walked far enough away, his eyes went wide and he started gasping for breath.
It felt like he'd just walked out of the gates of hell, his whole body ready to collapse.
Killing intent!
Overwhelming killing intent!
Those two just now—they really would kill someone.
Anytime, anywhere, without a second's hesitation, they could kill anyone at all!
"It's—it's them!"
"It's them!"
Conan's throat had gone bone dry, fear written all over his eyes.
"Conan, what's wrong?"
Ayumi leaned her head over, curious.
"Look at him, all wrung out like a limp noodle. Some detective he is."
Genta sneered, full of disdain.
"You can't say that!"
"Maybe Conan's just sick!"
Mitsuhiko, meanwhile, felt his forehead, checking for a fever.
"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine."
"I just didn't go number two this morning. I'll be right back after the bathroom."
Conan gave an awkward laugh and dashed for the restroom in a few quick strides, locking the door behind him.
'A detective!'
'That's right. I'm a detective—the great high school detective, Kudo Shinichi.'
'Why would I be scared of guys like that!'
Conan tightened his shoelaces, adjusted his glasses, and felt his confidence return.
His body might have shrunk, but his mind was just as sharp as ever.
And this time, he had Dr. Agasa's leg-strength-boosting shoes and his tech glasses fitted with a hidden microphone.
'Even against them!'
'Even against those two!'
Taking a deep breath, Conan stepped out of the restroom and made his way back to his seat.
But this time, his eyes stayed fixed on the two men in black not far away.
Across from him, Makoto suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
'What the hell...'
'Following the Grim Reaper Elementary Schooler around never ended well.'
'Of all the bullet trains in a country this big, he just had to run into this pair of demolition experts—Gin and Vodka.'
'And in the same car, no less.'
"Makoto, don't—people will see."
Ran, blushing, gave him an embarrassed warning.
She'd assumed Makoto had been sniffing her.
"Fair enough."
Makoto sat up with a half-hearted excuse, his mind still fixed on the two men in black.
'The Shinkansen. The men-in-black duo.'
'No surprise there—this had to be The Shinkansen's Bomb Case.'
'In the anime, they'd swapped this episode's culprits for a pair of bootleg liquor dealers.'
'But in Aoyama's original manga, the real deal showed up here—the genuine Gin and Vodka!'
'Plot-relevant location. Main cast member present.'
'Perfectly meets the Check-In conditions.'
Without a moment's hesitation, Makoto hit [Check In].
'Come on, give me some godly bomb-disposal skill!'
'Or interdimensional teleportation. Or an indestructible body, even.'
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: Check-In successful aboard the Shinkansen. Reward: one deluxe bullet-train bento box.]
Makoto: "..."
'What the hell!'
'What kind of reward is this?'
'Am I supposed to bribe Gin with a bento box or something?'
"Higashino Makoto-san, congratulations on being this month's lucky passenger!"
"Here's your super deluxe bento!"
"It's on the house!"
A uniformed attendant came over pushing a food cart, all smiles.
With gentle care, she set before him a super deluxe bento—three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, plus soup and fruit.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Ran said, surprised.
"You really do have good luck!"
Kogoro said, a touch envious.
"He won! Big brother Makoto is so amazing!"
"There's eel—so much eel! I want some too!"
"That's the legendary ten-thousand-yen deluxe bento! What incredible luck!"
...
The three kids leaned their heads out, chattering away without pause.
"Higashino Makoto?"
Gin's eyes cut sideways.
His icy gaze swept toward the young man—and, in a rare moment, softened with something almost gentle.
"What is it, boss?"
Vodka asked, curious.
His right hand reached inside his coat on pure reflex.
The instant his boss gave the word, he'd fire without hesitation, hitting whatever he was told to hit!
"That's the boy from Tropical Land!"
The corner of Gin's mouth curled into a smile, as if he thought rather highly of the young man.
…
…
Edogawa Conan — Shinichi's alternate identity. Series: Detective Conan.
Gin — Silver hair, Black Organization. Series: Detective Conan.
Higashino Makoto — Protagonist. Transmigrated.
Mouri Kogoro — Ran's father. Series: Detective Conan.
Mouri Ran — Shinichi's childhood sweetheart. Series: Detective Conan.
Vodka — Black Organization. Series: Detective Conan.
…
…
Translated by CheapBiscuit.
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Throw those power stones here, lemme catch them!
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