Chapter 278: Mr. Natsuki
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Conan Edogawa looked up, ready to voice his thoughts. Just as he opened his mouth, a familiar face, one they had just been discussing, flickered at the edge of his vision. He reacted before he could think, a name escaping his lips in a startled cry.
"Sister Natsume?!"
Unfortunately, though he whipped his head around to get a better look, the street was a swirling river of people. In the blink of an eye, the figure was gone, swallowed by the crowd.
Conan frowned, his gaze darting back and forth, scanning the throng of pedestrians with a desperate intensity. He found it almost unbelievable. Blonde hair was such a conspicuous color; how could someone with it vanish so completely in an instant? Had his eyes deceived him?
Besides, Natsume should be in Japan. It was impossible for her to suddenly appear in London, right?
Observing Conan's peculiar reaction and recalling the name he had just blurted out, Yusaku Kudo raised a curious eyebrow. "What is it? Did you see an acquaintance?"
"Huh?" Lost in his own whirlwind of thoughts, Conan didn't register the question at first. He blinked, turning to his father with a blank look before the words finally sank in.
"Was that Ms. Natsuki?" Yusaku prompted gently.
"Probably not... I think," Conan replied, his certainty wavering as he tried to process what he'd seen. "Sister Natsume is still in Japan."
He was sure of that much. Just a short while ago, Ran had called Sonoko to tell her about their situation, and he had distinctly heard Natsume's voice in the background. The person he just saw couldn't have been her.
Although it had been a fleeting glimpse, and he hadn't gotten a clear look, a detail now surfaced as he replayed the moment in his mind. That person… they seemed different from Natsume.
They both had blonde hair and golden eyes, yes, but the fact that Conan had been able to spot him in the crowd meant he wasn't short. At the very least, he was certainly taller than Natsume. And… he appeared to be male.
As that thought clicked into place, a spark of inspiration ignited in Conan's mind. Could the person he just saw be Natsume's mysteriously missing brother?
He couldn't help but look up at his father, a silent question in his eyes.
Evidently, Yusaku Kudo, who had just been investigating Natsume Natsuki's background, had arrived at the same conclusion. He met his son's gaze with a slight nod of his own. "Ms. Natsuki's brother," he mused, his voice low and speculative. "I believe his name is… Aether Natsuki. Could it have been him?"
Conan shook his head, a hint of frustration in the gesture. "It happened too fast. I didn't see him clearly."
"Perhaps," Yusaku suggested, his eyes glinting with the thrill of a new lead, "we can focus our investigation on this Mr. Natsuki later."
"Mm," Conan hummed in agreement. He had a growing suspicion that Natsume's brother was the one truly connected to the Teyvat Organization, and that his mysterious disappearance was likely tied to it as well.
The Kudo father and son stood side-by-side, both unconsciously striking the same pose—hands on their chins, rubbing them in deep, synchronized thought.
On the other side of the city, Aether, who had slipped into London while carefully avoiding the Black Organization's ever-watchful gaze, found himself nursing a rare headache.
He had come to London for a specific purpose: to reconnect with some of his old subordinates from his time running missions across Europe. He needed to meet with them, to feel them out and confirm who could still be trusted. It just so happened that Neuvillette was also on his way to London, which would provide the perfect opportunity to introduce him to the relevant personnel.
After that, Aether planned to find a way to subtly shift the Black Organization's focus in Europe toward France. He could either orchestrate it from the shadows or, if necessary, manipulate the Boss into issuing the order personally. With Neuvillette's assistance, he was confident he could seize control of the Organization's European network in short order.
Originally, Aether had believed his plan was sound. The protagonist of this world, the boy known as Conan Edogawa, was in Japan. Without a passport, he was effectively grounded. Feeling relatively safe in a city he was familiar with from past operations, Aether had allowed himself to relax. Constantly wearing a disguise was a suffocating affair, so he had been moving about London as himself.
Then, he received the news from Natsume: Conan and his group were coming to London. By then, he had already gotten off the plane. It was too late and too inconvenient to fly back to Japan and ask Vermouth for help with a disguise.
Still, London was a massive city. Aether had held onto a sliver of hope that their paths simply wouldn't cross.
And for the first few days, things had gone smoothly. He'd heard whispers that a terrorist incident might occur, but when he learned that the pint-sized protagonist had arrived, he had already mentally prepared himself. The news wasn't exactly a surprise.
What he hadn't expected was to walk out of the Organization's London base today only to run straight into a police investigation just down the street. He had only meant to take a quick look from the edge of the crowd, yet he had been spotted.
'Is this just how it is with protagonists?'Aether thought with a sense of weary resignation. He had immediately felt Conan's gaze lock onto him and had deftly melted back into the crowd to evade it.'To run into me even like this…'Fortunately, the boy probably hadn't gotten a clear look.'However,'Aether's thoughts soured slightly,'the man next to him was his father, Yusaku Kudo, wasn't it? That's another troublesome person to have on my tail.'
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