Chapter 211: Not Up to the Task?
also, Kir harbored a sliver of doubt. An assignment as critical as infiltrating an enemy organization was typically reserved for the cautious and composed, wasn't it?
Had Teyvat truly sent the wrong person?
Gin, ignoring the farce unfolding beside him, fixed his gaze on Kir. "Hmph. Only you know when you truly regained consciousness, and we have no way to verify that. But it doesn't matter. You need only do one thing to prove yourself to us..."
A knot of dread tightened in Kir's stomach. "What do you mean by that?"
"Oh~" Wanderer's voice cut in before Gin could elaborate, his tone light with amusement. "Gin, are you planning to use Kir to lure out Shuichi Akai and kill him?" He had guessed the entire plan in a single breath.
"Still, why make Kir do it?" Wanderer tilted his head, his expression a perfect mask of innocent curiosity. "Since you despise this 'Rye' so much, why not kill him yourself? What's the matter? Not up to the task?"
A single vein pulsed at Gin's temple. He stared at Wanderer, his eyes narrowing like a predator locking onto its prey. "Shut. Up," he ground out, each word a block of ice.
Wanderer rolled his eyes. 'Seriously,'he thought with a sneer,'that's all he ever says when he can't win an argument.' He truly despised these people.
Seeing that Wanderer finally intended to close that mouth of his—which, in Gin's opinion, shouldn't exist in the first place—Gin turned his cold gaze back to Kir and laid out his demand. "Find a way to kill Shuichi Akai. That will prove you haven't betrayed the Organization."
It took a monumental effort of will for Kir not to glance instinctively toward Wanderer. Her outward composure was a fragile shell, barely containing the storm of thoughts raging within.
Shuichi Akai and that boy… they had predicted Gin's move perfectly and were already prepared to play along.
And Wanderer—no, the Teyvat organization standing behind him—saw it all. Kir felt a deepening chill; this group, Teyvat, was far more mysterious and formidable than she had ever imagined.
Though her mind was racing, her face only registered a moment of stunned disbelief. Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. "Are you joking, Gin?" she demanded, her voice laced with anger. "How could I possibly kill Shuichi Akai on my own?"
She paused, then let her eyes drift toward Wanderer, a meaningful smirk touching her lips. "It's just as Wanderer said. Why don't you do it yourself? The probability of success would be far greater than mine, wouldn't it?"
Before Gin could retort, Wanderer spoke again. "Hey, hey, why does everyone in this organization love to talk down their own side while hyping up the enemy?"
He waved a dismissive hand. "The opponent is just a person, no superpowers or anything, right? I really don't understand why you're all so afraid of him. What was it? A 'Silver Bullet' that can pierce the Organization's heart...?"
Wanderer shook his head, a look of pity on his face. "Using such dramatic metaphors for your enemies… that old, ahem..." He caught a glimpse of Gin's hand twitching near his Beretta, rolled his eyes, and casually amended his phrasing. "...that boss of yours has quite the literary flair."
Kir realized she had been wrong. Wanderer wasn't just targeting Vermouth and Gin. He didn't even seem to care about the boss. He was targeting everyone.
"You can get lost."
Hearing Wanderer so casually critique the boss was the final straw. Gin's patience snapped. He turned his head, pointed a rigid finger toward the door, and glared. "Get out," he snarled, his voice a low growl. It was clear he couldn't stand another second of Wanderer's sarcasm.
Wanderer didn't want to linger anyway. Hearing Gin's order, he stood up with a simple shrug and headed for the door, muttering just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I really don't understand the point of asking me to come. Does an underground organization also engage in this kind of pointless formalism?"
The others in the room had little reaction. Chianti, in fact, felt a pang of envy. She wanted to leave, too, but she lacked the nerve to openly defy Gin the way Wanderer did.
With Wanderer gone, most of the room's occupants felt as if they could breathe again. The air suddenly seemed much fresher.
Finally free from the disturbance, Gin stated his arrangements. Under the crushing weight of his pressure, Kir reluctantly agreed to his request.
The next day, Dr. Agasa took the Detective Boys and Klee out for a buffet.
"So, Rena Mizunashi is a CIA agent," Haibara sighed, processing the information. On the way there, once things had settled, Conan had given her a carefully edited version of the recent events.
"By the way, Edogawa," she added, a thoughtful look on her face, "you've been mentioning that Shuichi Akai a lot lately. I'd actually like to meet him."
"Wh-Why?" A bead of cold sweat traced a path down Conan's spine.
Haibara's eyes narrowed, her sharp senses picking up on his strange reaction. "What's wrong? Is there some reason we can't meet?"
"Ah, no." Conan averted his gaze, a wave of guilt washing over him. 'Of course there is,'he thought desperately.'I can't just tell Haibara that Shuichi Akai deliberately got close to your sister, used her to join the Organization, and indirectly caused her death… and now it turns out they're cousins!'
The thought of their blood relation, however, gave him pause. He hesitated for a moment before turning back to Haibara, carefully observing her expression. "Um… Haibara, let me ask you a question…"
She rolled her eyes. "If you want to ask, just ask. Stop being so hesitant."
"Oh… it's just… if someone accidentally hurt an important relative of yours, and you hated that person, but then it turned out that person was also your relative… how would you treat them?"
Haibara stared at him, her face a blank canvas. "What kind of weird question is that? You already know I don't have any relatives left…"
"Um… it's a hypothetical," Conan pressed. "If that situation happened, what would you do?"
"Ah—you two are whispering again!" Ayumi turned her head and saw Conan and Haibara huddled together, her voice full of dissatisfaction.
"Yeah, what are you talking about? Can't we listen in?" Genta trotted over to them, echoing Ayumi's complaint.
"That…"
"Klee heard it just now~" Before Conan could invent an excuse, Klee, who had wandered over at some point, raised her hand high. "Just now, Conan was asking Haibara: If someone accidentally hurt an important relative of hers, and it turned out that the other person was also her relative, how would she treat them?—Um, that's the question."
Klee nodded firmly, confirming she had remembered it correctly.
"Eh?" Mitsuhiko blinked. "What a strange question."
Genta scratched his head, a conflicted look on his face. "Yeah… the person who hurt your relative is also your relative. What are you supposed to do?"
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