Chapter 250: Heron Princess
"Whether it can be done is not something proven through mere talk. Besides, that isn't a problem you should be concerning yourself with."
Alhaitham leaned lazily against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He cast an indifferent glance at Murata Yoko before continuing, his voice a low, steady monotone. "As far as I know, your job description is simply to prepare the stage according to the contestants' specifications. Unless their requests are fundamentally unreasonable, you have no grounds for refusal."
Murata Yoko flinched under his piercing gaze, a slight tremor running through her frame. She forced herself to stand her ground, her voice tight with feigned composure. "I am well aware of my responsibilities, but the scale of this competition is immense. If we accommodate Mademoiselle Nilou's requirements, it could compromise the quality of the stage for the entire event."
"Then, permit me to ask," Alhaitham straightened up, slipping his hands into his pockets as he began a slow, deliberate walk toward her. His green eyes, devoid of any discernible emotion, pinned her in place. "Is there anything unreasonable about Nilou's requirements for the stage setup?"
Murata Yoko hesitated, her eyes darting nervously to the staff members beside her before she answered cautiously, "N-no, there's nothing unreasonable, but..."
"Then that settles it," Alhaitham cut her off, his tone final.
At that moment, Kamisato Ayaka, who had been standing silently to the side, finally spoke. She moved with an innate elegance, a gentle smile gracing her features as she posed her question softly, "In that case, why can't you set up the stage according to Nilou's request? Even if the effect she desires proves difficult to achieve, shouldn't you discuss it with the director instead of unilaterally rejecting her plan?," she added, her voice still gentle but now laced with an unyielding firmness, "you haven't even confirmed whether Nilou is truly incapable of making the flowers bloom, have you?"
Her words, though softly spoken, left no room for rebuttal.
"Exactly! The Heron Princess is right!"
Just as Ayaka's reasoning had the crowd nodding in subconscious agreement, an excited male voice suddenly sliced through the tense atmosphere.
Every head turned towards the source of the outburst. A young man stood in the crowd, dressed in impeccable clothing, his face flushed with a mixture of enthusiasm and excitement. His gaze was locked on Kamisato Ayaka, his eyes shining with pure adoration and admiration.
The onlookers exchanged looks of curiosity and surprise.
Kamisato Ayaka herself was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly recovered, offering the young man a faint, polite smile and a graceful nod of gratitude.
Receiving a direct response from his idol, the young man became instantly overjoyed, waving his hands with even greater fervor.
"Takano... sir?" Natsume murmured the name, her voice tinged with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
Honestly, she had rarely seen Takano Hideki ever since his obsessive focus had abruptly shifted from her to Noelle. Later, she'd heard from Noelle and Lisa that he seemed to have found a new target—some kind of princess, they had said.
Hearing Takano Hideki call Ayaka the "Heron Princess" now, Natsume immediately put the pieces together. His new target was, without a doubt, Ayaka.
Natsume stared at him with an indescribable expression, utterly at a loss for words.
Even Paimon couldn't help but chime in with a mental retort. 'Does this silly young master have a special hobby of latching onto people from Teyvat and causing a scene?''It certainly looks that way,' Natsume speculated internally.'Maybe the next time we run into him, he'll suddenly be swarming around someone else from our organization.'Paimon was speechless.'Heh...'
Prompted by Natsume's quiet utterance, Conan and the others finally recalled Takano Hideki's identity. Recognizing that he was completely irrelevant to the day's events, they collectively chose to ignore him.
"So, does this Mr. Alhaitham truly have a way to make plants bloom ahead of schedule in such a short amount of time?" Okiya Subaru mused, his eyes fixed on the newest member of the Black Organization, observing him with subtle intensity.
Alhaitham really didn't fit the mold of a frail researcher. He was tall, with a lean, powerful build that clearly indicated long-term physical training. It was impossible to gauge his combat proficiency from a glance, but in terms of sheer presence, he seemed more suited to one of Gin's action teams.
Silently, Okiya Subaru heightened his vigilance.
Alhaitham paid no mind to Okiya Subaru's question. He simply turned, retrieved a small glass bottle from his pocket, and walked over to Nilou. "This is the potion you wanted," he said, handing it to her.
Afterward, he turned his head and scanned the assembled crowd. His eyes swept over the police officers present, recognizing that most of them were currently operating under someone else's command.
He raised a single eyebrow, his gaze landing on Heiji Hattori. "I've only just arrived. This incident has no bearing on me, correct? It's far too crowded in here, so I'm going outside to read. Don't call for me unless it's an actual emergency."
Without waiting for Heiji's reply, he turned and walked away, his departure as crisp and decisive as his words.
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