Chapter 104: The "Cocoon" Launch Event, Part 2
The adults standing beside them had witnessed the entire exchange. Kogoro Mouri's gaze swept over the other children still chasing a soccer ball around the grand venue, a wry smile on his face. "These kids really have endless energy," he remarked. "But there are far too many of them here today, aren't there?"
He surveyed the sea of young faces, then poured himself a glass of wine. After taking a long swallow, he continued with a tone of grudging admiration, "The grandson of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Deputy Superintendent, the heir to a finance magnate, the son of a prominent politician… The second and third generations, the very children who will one day carry the future of Japan on their shoulders, are practically all gathered in this room."
"It's a condensed image of Japan's ugly hereditary system," Ai Haibara stated, her voice flat and devoid of any childish inflection.
The casual chatter nearby died instantly. Kogoro, Ran Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, Natsume, and the others all turned to stare at the small, strawberry-blonde girl, their expressions a mixture of shock and confusion.
"With a system like this, humanity's mistakes are doomed to be repeated," Haibara continued, seemingly oblivious to the sudden attention. She finished her thought with an air of finality, as if stating an obvious scientific fact.
Natsume's eyes lingered on Haibara, a peculiar glint in them. 'Wow,' she thought, communicating privately with her companion. 'Haibara really hit the nail on the head. She pinpointed the fundamental flaw in their entire social structure.'
[Paimon, she's absolutely right. But even knowing this, it's not like Japan is going to change, is it?]
[Traveler, why not?] Paimon's voice echoed in her mind, laced with genuine confusion. [If they know the system is bad, why wouldn't they fix it?]
Natsume offered a simple, cynical explanation. [Because this system benefits Japan's upper class, and they're the ones who control the allocation of all social resources. They have no intention of letting anyone else take a significant piece of their pie. The hereditary system is the perfect shield, protecting what they possess from being claimed by outsiders. So, of course, they'll never change it.]
She paused, shrugging mentally. [Besides, it's none of our business. As long as Japan's political structure doesn't interfere with our mission, we don't need to worry about it. In a way, this system even benefits the growth of certain… gray or black organizations. After all, when resources and power are concentrated in the hands of a select few, those few are generally… well, Paimon, you get it.]
[Traveler, are you saying they're usually more afraid of death? Or just greedier?] Paimon deduced. [You're right, that would definitely make them easier for an organization to manipulate.]
The silence in the real world had stretched into a thick, awkward blanket. Seeing the strained atmosphere, Conan leaned close to Haibara's ear. He whispered a gentle reminder that such deep, cynical observations weren't something an ordinary elementary school student would say.
Haibara's expression flickered for a fraction of a second before she adopted a look of wide-eyed innocence. In a cloyingly sweet, childlike voice, she chirped, "Oh, I just heard someone say that on TV!"
The tension immediately broke. The adults exchanged looks of dawning comprehension and turned away. Of course, how could a little girl possibly come up with something like that on her own?
"But has something like that really been on TV recently?" Ran Mouri mused aloud. She recalled other instances where Conan had claimed to learn some surprisingly advanced knowledge from television programs. Perhaps she ought to start paying more attention to what they were putting in children's shows these days.
Shaking the thought off, Ran turned to her best friend, who had made a rare effort to dress up for the occasion. "Sonoko, thank you so much for getting us and the kids in today."
"It's nothing!" Sonoko waved a dismissive hand, though her shoulders slumped with a theatrical sigh. "I could only get you into the venue to look around. There are only fifty official badges for the 'Cocoon' game project, and the organizer, the Sindora Company, only gave one to the entire Suzuki Group. Ugh, I can't even play the game with you and Natsume!"
"Um… Sonoko, if you're talking about this badge…" Natsume hesitantly held out her right hand, revealing the sleek, metallic emblem resting in her palm. "Then I think I have one."
"Natsume, how did you get that?!" Sonoko's eyes went wide with astonishment. If she, the heiress of the Suzuki Group, could only secure a single badge, how on earth did Natsume get one? She knew for a fact that among all the second and third-generation scions in the room, not everyone was so lucky.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Wait… did Miss Ningguang give it to you?"
Natsume simply nodded, confirming her guess.
"Ah! Miss Ningguang is so good to you!" Sonoko clasped her hands together, her voice thick with envy. "I wish I was that close to her, too!"
Conan just stood by, silent. At this point, he was completely accustomed to Natsume's seemingly endless network of powerful acquaintances. He'd be more surprised if she didn't know someone who possessed a Vision. 'Still,' he thought, 'isn't Sonoko usually more interested in handsome guys? It's rare to see her admire a woman this much.'
"Sonoko, what's the problem?" Natsume said with a smile. "Ningguang should be staying in Japan for a while. After the press conference, you can try to hang out with her more…"
Natsume's words cut off abruptly. Under the puzzled gazes of her friends, her head snapped to the side. In a single, fluid motion, she pivoted and threw a punch, her fist connecting with a soccer ball that had been hurtling silently toward her head.
WHUMP!
The ball shot back the way it came, a dark blur against the ballroom lights.
"Agh—that hurts!"
The sharp impact was followed by a child's cry of pain.
Everyone's head turned toward the sound. A slightly chubby little boy in a tailored suit, who bore a passing resemblance to Genta, was sitting on the polished floor. He was tilting his head back desperately, trying to keep a sudden nosebleed from dripping onto his expensive clothes. A soccer ball rolled to a stop nearby as three other boys rushed to his side, checking on his condition.
Conan understood instantly. The boy on the ground must have kicked the ball at Natsume, only to have it punched right back at him.
'He only seems to have a nosebleed, though; there shouldn't be any other problems,' Conan assessed. 'Seeing that it was a child this time, Natsume must have held back a lot.'
Of course, that was only Conan's perspective. His three friends from the Detective Boys clearly didn't see it that way.
Once their friend's nosebleed had finally subsided, the group of four marched over. After a brief, self-important introduction, they pointed an accusatory finger at Natsume and demanded she apologize.
It was then that the group learned the names of the four children who had been causing a ruckus with their soccer game: Moroboshi, Kikukawa, Emori, and Takizawa. Each one was the descendant of a famous political or business figure.
Hearing the boys righteously proclaim their own innocence while arrogantly demanding an apology, Natsume met their glares with a cool, unwavering gaze and flatly refused.
Just as Moroboshi, the apparent leader of the quartet, puffed out his chest to threaten her, a man's voice cut in. "That's enough."
Tadaaki Kashiwamura, the lead developer of "Cocoon," had appeared, his presence timely enough to halt the boys' posturing.
[Paimon, that should be Hiroki's father, right?] Natsume thought, her expression unreadable. [How is it? Is everything arranged?]
[Don't worry, Traveler,] Paimon confirmed. [Kokomi has been stationed near Kashiwamura. If it becomes necessary, she can definitely save his life.]
[Good.]
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]