"We're not at that point yet, Sherry."
The cool, clear voice carried a gentleness that hadn't existed in the past. It was Macallan's voice, the voice of the idiot who had meant so much to her.
But hadn't he been killed by that detestable FBI agent two years ago? Why was he here again?
Haibara couldn't help but smile bitterly. Did people see the deceased when they were about to die?
If that were true, would she get to see her father and mother too?
Masuyama raised his pistol warily and aimed it toward the stairwell.
Why was someone else here? Who was this person?
Was he one of the Organization's members? After all, he had just called Shiho, Sherry.
'...Wait. Could this be the man who had helped Sherry escape from the Organization?'
The thought instantly lifted Masuyama's spirits.
This operation had turned out to be an incredible success. Not only would he capture Sherry alive, but he'd also catch the traitor who had helped her escape.
Two birds with one stone.
"Pisco, there's no need to be so tense. I'm not planning to resist. After all, you found Sherry before I did."
Standing at the top of the staircase with the light behind him, Ritsu smiled as he raised both hands in surrender. The cross-shaped scar beneath his left eye stood out prominently.
His voice, however, struck Masuyama as both familiar and unfamiliar. He was certain he'd heard it before. He just couldn't remember whose voice it belonged to.
After all, very few people bothered memorizing the voice of someone they'd only met once, especially someone who was supposed to be dead.
Haibara's ice-blue eyes widened in disbelief.
'Augier... Why was it him?'
Wearing an innocent smile, Ritsu lightly tapped the stair beneath his polished shoe.
"Pisco, mind letting me come down? I'm tall enough already. Standing up here lets me see every strand of that thinning hair on top of your head. It's honestly a little unpleasant."
Pisco sneered, stepping back two paces as he trained the gun directly at Augier.
"I never imagined the one helping Sherry escape would be you. I almost fell for your trick. Luckily, I had the foresight to keep an eye on Sherry while you were away. Otherwise, I'd be the one at a disadvantage."
Ritsu leisurely descended the stairs and stopped in front of Haibara, shielding her from the gun. Shrugging helplessly, he replied,
"I didn't want you getting ahead of me either. Gin called me away, so I was delayed."
"Heh. Augier, I truly never expected you to betray the Organization. I've changed my mind, I don't want to kill you anymore. I want Gin to learn who you really are. I want to see what kind of expression you'll make while being tortured to death."
"Betray?"
Ritsu seemed to find the word amusing. The smile gradually vanished from his face.
At this moment, he was neither Onizawa nor Augier. He was simply himself again, Sasajima Ritsu, the man who had struggled through the mud for years to successfully infiltrate the Organization.
"I was never one of the Organization's people. So where exactly would this 'betrayal' come from?"
Pisco frowned in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Despite having the upper hand, he still couldn't shake his uneasiness.
Augier was the kind of man who could lie without batting an eye. No matter how much effort you put into understanding him, every answer he gave felt like another deception.
For some reason, Pisco had the strange feeling that Augier was still acting.
'Did he have another trick up his sleeve?'
While Pisco's attention remained entirely focused on him, Ritsu quietly moved his left hand behind his back and made a subtle hand signal to Haibara.
His expression remained emotionless as he calmly revealed his identity.
"My name is Sasajima Ritsu. I'm an officer with the Public Security Bureau. Seven years ago, I was ordered to approach Miyano Shiho and join the research division to begin an undercover operation. Does that make things clear enough?"
'An undercover agent? Augier was actually an undercover police officer?!'
Only then did Pisco realize something was terribly wrong.
Why would he reveal something so important just before killing him?
Unless...
After forcing himself to calm down, Pisco finally noticed the sound of a helicopter outside the window.
Before he could even turn around—
Bang!
A heavy gunshot echoed from behind him. The bullet pierced straight through his heart.
Hovering outside the window was a helicopter. The man holding the AWP sniper rifle was none other than Gin.
The taunts Ritsu had deliberately thrown at Pisco on the rooftop had all been intended to deepen Gin's hatred for the old man.
Even the suggestion of using a helicopter to eliminate the fleeing Pisco after he escaped downstairs had been Ritsu's idea.
—
"You even planted bombs on the skybridge connecting the forty-fifth floor. Judging by how the fire should spread, I'll tell him you'll be waiting on the forty-ninth floor."
"Heh. You want to watch him die with your own eyes? Is this one of your twisted hobbies, Augier?"
"Perhaps. But I think it'd be even more entertaining... if I switched back to Macallan's voice and gave him one last scare."
—
The final weapon Ritsu had kept until the very end today was Gin's complete trust in him.
And by borrowing Gin's own hand, he had eliminated the greatest threat to both Shiho and Shinichi.
Ritsu took out his phone and called Gin. The moment the call connected, he switched back to Augier's voice.
"Gin, get out of there immediately. If you stay any longer, the police will track you down. I'd rather not have to visit you and Vodka in prison."
"You're not coming with us?" Gin asked.
"If I disappear as well, the police will become suspicious. I still need to disguise myself as Onizawa, so it's not convenient for me to leave with you."
"...Fine. Remember to take care of Pisco's residence. I've got another mission to handle, so I'm leaving."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Ritsu watched the helicopter disappear into the distance before immediately turning around.
Spotting Haibara hiding beneath the staircase, he dropped all pretense.
"Shiho, let's go. Hurry."
"...Everything you just said... was it true?"
"Of course. Whether it's Onizawa or the Macallan you knew... they're both me."
Ritsu bent down, lifted Haibara into his arms, picked up the suppressed pistol Pisco had dropped, and sprinted upstairs.
As if suddenly remembering something, he chuckled.
"I just realized... I still owe you an apology."
"What do you mean?"
"When I first infiltrated the Organization, I used you to get in. I'm sorry."
Haibara blinked twice.
Thinking back to the guilt she had carried seven years earlier, she realized she had also been using him.
Getting close to him had made it easier for her to see her older sister.
"You don't need to apologize... But I'm still not forgiving you for making a fool out of me."
"...You're really holding a grudge over that? I'm risking my life to save you right now."
"You were alive this whole time and never told me. Was it fun pretending to be dead, you liar?"
Faced with Haibara's accusation, Ritsu opened his mouth... only to find he had no answer. In the end, he simply remained silent and quickened his pace toward the rooftop.
As long as he made one phone call, the MPD could send the helicopter back. But neither of them expected what happened next.
The moment he carried Haibara onto the skybridge on the sixtieth floor, a series of deafening explosions erupted from above.
Ritsu's expression changed instantly.
Practically grinding the words out through clenched teeth, he spoke with unmistakable resentment.
"That idiot Vodka actually set the bombs to detonate automatically!"