Facing Kanjuro's seemingly gentle yet oppressive gaze, and the fact that her sister was standing right beside him, Ai Haibara (Shiho Miyano) forcefully suppressed the fear and disgust in her heart. With a cold tone that starkly contrasted with her young appearance, she looked directly at Kanjuro and said:
'You... are no good.'
She said this softly, yet exceptionally clearly, carrying a resoluteness and insight that didn't match her age. She couldn't pretend to be polite to Kanjuro while knowing his true nature, even with her sister present.
Hearing her sister directly confront Kanjuro like this, Akemi Miyano's face instantly paled. She hurriedly took a few steps forward, came in front of Ai Haibara, crouched down, placed her hands on her sister's thin shoulders, and spoke with anxious urgency and pleading:
'Shiho! How can you say that about Ye Xiao-niisan!' Mingmei's eyes were filled with the grievance of being misunderstood and a trace of panic. She desperately wanted to defend Kanjuro, while also protecting the belief she relied on for survival. 'Don't you know, the people in the Organization are all afraid of Ye Xiao-niisan now! Even people like Gin and Vodka don't dare act recklessly in front of him! I... I was able to escape the Organization's pursuit and stand here safely, all because of Ye Xiao-niisan's protection!'
She shook Ai Haibara's shoulders forcefully, her voice trembling with tears: 'Ye Xiao-niisan gave us sisters hope for reunion! I won't allow... I won't allow you to speak ill of Ye Xiao-niisan! Apologize to Ye Xiao-niisan right now!'
Akemi Miyano's words pierced Ai Haibara's heart like the sharpest needles. Seeing the unquestionable admiration and protection for Kanjuro in her sister's eyes, she felt a chill shoot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Her sister had been completely blinded. What she saw as 'protection' was nothing but a cage meticulously woven by a demon.
Ai Haibara opened her mouth, wanting to refute, wanting to tear off Kanjuro's disguise. But she saw the nearly pleading look in her sister's eyes, felt her sister's slightly trembling hands on her shoulders from agitation, and remembered they were currently at the Yoshida Residence, with Ayumi and Teacher Kobayashi present. If she completely angered Kanjuro, the consequences would be unthinkable... All reason and analysis told her that a direct confrontation now would be the most foolish choice. To protect her sister and avoid implicating innocent people, she had to endure.
Overwhelming helplessness and heartache made her close her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently. After several seconds, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze no longer meeting Kanjuro's but lowered to stare at her own toes. In a nearly numb, emotionless tone, she spoke with extreme difficulty, word by word:
'I'm... sorry.'
'Mr.... Ye... Xiao.'
These words seemed to drain all her strength. Each word felt like it was forced out of her throat, coated with ice shards. This wasn't an admission of fault; it was a temporary surrender under the pressure of cruel reality.
Hearing her sister apologize, Akemi Miyano finally relaxed, a smile reappearing on her face. She turned to look at Kanjuro, her eyes filled with the hope that 'the problem has been resolved.'
Kanjuro had maintained an unperturbed expression throughout. Watching Ai Haibara's forced submission that couldn't hide her stubbornness, the corner of his mouth lifted into a faint, satisfied curve. This was exactly the effect he wanted—he didn't need her genuine submission, only for her to learn to bow under absolute power.
'It's good to know one's mistakes and correct them.' Kanjuro said lightly, accepting this insincere apology. His gaze swept over Ai Haibara again, the meaning clear—this game had just begun. And he held absolute initiative. Ai Haibara's resistance, in his eyes, only added to the fun of the hunt. Under the intentional guidance and urging of Akemi Miyano and Sumiko Kobayashi, an extremely awkward yet superficially harmonious atmosphere spread through the Yoshida living room. To 'improve' Ayumi and Haibara Ai's views of Kanjuro, Teacher Kobayashi suggested they all play some games together.
Surprisingly, Kanjuro cooperated unexpectedly well. He didn't show any threat, just sat quietly to the side, occasionally participating in simple interactions at the invitation of Akemi Miyano or Sumiko Kobayashi, like building blocks or watching Ayumi show her drawings. His handsome face could even maintain a nearly gentle expression, though the smile never truly reached his deep eyes.
Akemi Miyano stayed by her sister's side the whole time, gently encouraging her: 'Shiho, see, Ye Xiao-niisan is actually very approachable, right? He's willing to play with us.' She tried to influence her sister with her own feelings, hoping her sister would let down her guard and accept what she believed was 'protection.'
Sumiko Kobayashi also tried hard to play the role of mediator. She said to Ayumi: 'Ayumi, Mr. Kanjuro isn't scary. Yesterday, teacher was too agitated. See, isn't he very friendly now?'
Ayumi Yoshida was still young and innocent. Watching this handsome older brother quietly playing with her and hearing Teacher Kobayashi's words, the fear and confusion in her heart gradually weakened. Children tend to trust authority, especially a teacher they respect and love. She began to waver, thinking maybe Conan and Shinichi-niichan were really mistaken? This older brother looked... not that bad?
However, Ai Haibara remained highly alert and clear-headed. She couldn't be blinded like her sister, nor could she be easily swayed like Ayumi. She clearly knew that the 'harmonious' scene before her was nothing but poison wrapped in sugar, meticulously crafted by Kanjuro. Beneath his seemingly gentle facade lay unfathomable darkness and danger that could erupt at any moment.
When Ayumi once again showed a hint of hesitation and curiosity because Kanjuro helped her build a block tower, Ai Haibara took the opportunity to pick up a fallen block, leaned close to Ayumi's ear, and quickly whispered in a voice so soft only the two could hear:
'Ayumi, listen, go along with him... but don't trust him.'
'He's dangerous... very dangerous.'
'Remember what I and Conan said.'
Hearing Haibara Ai's warning, Ayumi's body stiffened slightly. The slight fondness that had just risen was instantly suppressed. She looked at Haibara Ai's serious, tense eyes, then secretly glanced at the seemingly gentle Kanjuro. In the end, she chose to trust her close companion and the lingering fear in her heart. She lowered her head, no longer trying to interact with Kanjuro, just silently playing with her own fingers.
Kanjuro took in all of Ai Haibara's small movements but didn't expose them. Instead, he found it more interesting. Watching Ai Haibara's forced composure and secret maneuvering was like admiring a clever little bird trying to find a gap in its cage.
This 'warm' playtime continued in such an eerie atmosphere—on the surface, a harmonious scene of adults accompanying children, but underneath, undercurrents surged, filled with false laughter, deliberate guidance, reluctant compliance, and icy vigilance. Akemi Miyano and Sumiko Kobayashi immersed themselves in the self-deceptive 'harmony,' Ayumi wavered between fear and confusion, while Ai Haibara, in despair, waged a silent struggle for survival and to protect others.
Ai Haibara knew a direct confrontation was hopeless. A flash of determination crossed her ice-blue eyes. She had to create an opportunity for Ayumi! She took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress all hostility and coldness, and tried hard to put on a slightly stiff but noticeable expression of being 'moved,' as if softening. She even actively picked up a block, handed it toward Kanjuro, and said in a voice slightly softer than usual:
'This... is for you.'
This tiny, completely different action instantly caught the attention of Kanjuro and Akemi Miyano. A flicker of amusement appeared in Kanjuro's eyes, while Akemi Miyano immediately showed an expression of immense joy.
'Shiho! You finally...' Mingmei was so excited she almost cried, feeling her sister was finally starting to understand Ye Xiao-niisan's 'goodness.'
However, in that momentary shift of attention, Ayumi Yoshida, who had long received Ai Haibara's eye signal, sprang up from the floor like a startled fawn and Ran with all her might toward the direction of the kitchen from the living room! Her target was clear—the old but large enough fireplace chimney in the kitchen that a child could pass through!
'Ayumi!' Sumiko Kobayashi exclaimed, instinctively wanting to stop her, but her body hesitated half a beat due to fear of Kanjuro.
The joy on Akemi Miyano's face instantly froze. She watched Ayumi's fleeing back, then sharply turned to look at Ai Haibara beside her. Ai Haibara's feigned softening had completely vanished, replaced by a coldness of a successful scheme and deep worry.
Mingmei wasn't a fool; she instantly understood! Her sister's earlier'softening' was completely fake, just to attract Ye Xiao-niisan's attention so Ayumi could escape!
A surge of anger from being deceived and used by her closest person, mixed with incomprehension and heartache over her sister's 'obstinacy,' rushed into Akemi Miyano's heart. She grabbed Ai Haibara's shoulders, shaking them forcefully, her voice filled with tears and anger:
"Shiho! Why?! Why can't you understand?! Brother Kanjuro is protecting us! Why must you act like this?! Why won't you believe him and instead help others escape?!"
Haibara Ai bit her lip, stubbornly enduring her sister's shaking without saying a word. She knew explanations were useless; her sister was already deeply entangled in the web Kanjuro had woven, unable to see the truth.
At that moment, Kanjuro, watching Ayumi run toward the kitchen, showed no anger on his face. Instead, he revealed an even thicker, almost toy-like smile of interest. He didn't immediately give chase but leisurely stood up and walked toward the kitchen as if strolling in a garden.
"It seems the little kitten still wants to play hide-and-seek," his voice carried a hint of lazy pleasure.
Ayumi rushed into the kitchen and without hesitation crawled into the cold fireplace. It was filled with the smell of old soot, narrow and dark. She climbed upward desperately, using her hands and feet to grip the rough brick interior. Dust covered her clothes and cheeks, making her cough, but she had only one thought in her mind—escape! Tell Brother Shinichi and Sister Ran (she didn't yet know about Ran's change)!
Just as she struggled to reach the middle of the chimney, where she could see a small patch of gray sky above, a shadow covered the only exit below.
Kanjuro gracefully bent down, his handsome face appearing at the fireplace opening. With a chilling smile, he looked up at Ayumi struggling in the chimney like a trapped young animal.
"Caught you, little mouse."
His voice echoed through the winding chimney, like the whisper of death.
Ayumi Yoshida was easily pulled out of the narrow chimney by Kanjuro. She trembled with fear, her small face pale, eyes tightly shut, not daring to look at Kanjuro, as if she might be torn apart by this terrifying demon at any moment.
Kanjuro looked at the shivering, frightened little girl in his arms. Instead of getting angry or punishing her as others might expect, he asked in a tone completely different from before, almost sighing:
"Did... did Haibara say some bad things about me?"
Ayumi still kept her eyes closed. Fear made her nod along with his words, whispering tearfully, "Yes... yes... she said you're dangerous..."
"Sigh..." Kanjuro sighed again, this sigh seeming to contain a complex, indescribable emotion. He held Ayumi, making her face him, his voice becoming even softer, even with a hint of coaxing, "Ayumi, look, do I seem like a bad person? I haven't hurt you, right?"
Ayumi was forced to slowly open her tear-filled eyes, timidly meeting Kanjuro's gaze.
At that moment of eye contact, a rare, genuine shock and daze flashed in Kanjuro's deep, cold-pool-like eyes!
Ayumi's eyes... the shape of her pupils, the faint outline between her brows... especially the mix of fear and innocence in her expression now... fragments of long-buried memories, like disturbed ghosts, suddenly surfaced in his mind—
It was a night about ten years ago, with hazy moonlight. A bright-smiling, somewhat bold and clingy girl stopped him after the high school graduation party. She was his high school classmate, a girl from a wealthy family, lively in personality, even somewhat stubborn. She seemed to have held strong feelings for him for a long time. On that hazy night, she actively and passionately confessed her feelings to him, even with a hint of desperate determination... The subsequent events were blurry. Kanjuro only remembered something seemed to happen that night, but to him, it was just an insignificant, long-forgotten fleeting romance in his long life. He left afterward and never paid attention to news of that girl again.
Now, looking at Ayumi in his arms, the shadow of that girl from his memory strikingly similar in her brows and eyes, and a subtle sense from deep within his bloodline (perhaps some intuition from his own powerful strength toward a shared bloodline), made him instantly reach a conclusion that even surprised himself—
Ayumi Yoshida... might very well be his daughter! The existence left from that night, unknown to him!
This discovery made Kanjuro's cold, hard heart ripple unusually. His gaze at Ayumi instantly became incredibly complex. It still held the aloofness of control, but it seemed... there was also an extremely faint, perhaps even unclear to himself... scrutiny of a 'father' and a strange sense of connection.
The suffocating pressure around him unconsciously receded a lot. The strength in his arms holding Ayumi also instinctively became lighter and steadier, as if handling a fragile treasure.
"So... that's how it is..." he murmured to himself, his gaze still fixed on Ayumi's small face filled with terror. His usual, calculating and playful smile disappeared, replaced by a deep, unfathomable expression.
His tone when speaking to Ayumi became even gentler, even with a nearly clumsy attempt to soothe:
"Don't be afraid... I won't hurt you."
"In the future... I won't let anyone hurt you either."
This sudden change stunned Akemi Miyano and Sumiko Kobayashi, who were watching nervously from the side. They didn't understand why Kanjuro's attitude had changed so drastically. Ayumi, held in Kanjuro's arms, though still afraid, also sensitively noticed the change in this terrifying big brother's aura. The pure killing intent and malice seemed to have dissipated, replaced by a complex emotion she couldn't understand, making her tense nerves relax slightly, but fear remained deeply rooted.
Haibara Ai also watched this scene closely, frowning deeply. Kanjuro's abnormality made her even more uneasy. She didn't know what Kanjuro had discovered, but her intuition told her it was definitely not good. Ayumi's situation might not have become better due to temporary safety; instead, she might have fallen into another, more complex, harder-to-escape vortex.
Kanjuro gently stroked Ayumi's hair, his eyes deep. A daughter lost outside, possibly his only bloodline... this chess game seemed to be getting more and more interesting.
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