Chapter 254: Haibara Ai’s Organizational Aura

Conan didn't notice the two people behind him.

He was staring intently at the hotel lobby, eyes flicking from one black-clothed figure to another like a fashion judge with trust issues.

Among the people he scrutinized, however, Toru Amuro standing by the counter wasn't included.

—Unlike the eternally turtlenecked Gin, who looked like he spawned from a noir film on loop, Amuro had a more casual wardrobe. Bright colors. Relaxed style. The kind of man the Organization's dress code committee would quietly scold over Slack. (TL: Slack app for office comms)

Thanks to that, he slipped under Conan's usual "Black Outfit Suspicion Radar."

…

Meanwhile, Jiangxia Tongzhi had quietly pulled Haibara Ai into a blind spot at the end of a corridor.

He remembered that Amuro knew Sherry. Sure, Amuro didn't know that adults could shrink (yet), but a kid who looked like Sherry and had the exact same hair color? That was the kind of detail even Amuro couldn't miss.

Haibara Ai adjusted her collar and looked at Jiangxia, confused: "?"

Jiangxia gave her a similarly puzzled look.

Wasn't Haibara supposed to have a built-in Organization Radar™? The kind that made her break out into cold sweats every time someone from the Organization got within ten feet? Why was she so chill right now?

He hesitated, decided not to bring up the "aura" stuff, and simply said, "You were right. The Organization sent someone. They're in the lobby."

Haibara Ai froze. Her eyes dimmed, and she shrank into herself like a vampire noticing the sun.

Jiangxia silently watched her. Yep. That's the normal reaction when she senses a member of the Organization nearby.

So… her calm demeanor earlier wasn't because she'd suddenly become fearless. It was just that she hadn't sensed anything.

Makes sense. Human radar is a bit much. Maybe in this version of the Detective Conan universe, Haibara didn't come pre-installed with that weird feature...

While Jiangxia thoughtfully analyzed his former colleague, Haibara Ai was panicking for her own reasons.

Unlike Jiangxia's theory, she had sensed something. She could still smell that familiar, unsettling Organizational breath.

Jiangxia had it too.

But the breath itself wasn't inherently good or bad. It was all about who was exhaling it.

Before she defected, Haibara only found her colleagues' aura mildly annoying. Then came her sister's death and her own narrow escape. After that, the scent of the Organization became a trigger: nausea, fear, the urge to hide in the nearest fridge.

But lately… most of her contact with the Organization boiled down to one specific ex-member who regularly showed up at her house around dinner.

Jiangxia.

And he came by a lot. Like, sitcom-neighbor levels of frequent.

So over time, her reflexive reaction to the Organizational aura had shifted from "panic and hide" to "Oh, Jiangxia's here."

It had even become kind of useful—she could tell the moment Jiangxia stepped into the lab or raided the fridge.

But now, hearing Jiangxia's words, she suddenly realized—wait. He wasn't the only one with that aura in the hotel.

And that was bad.

She began to panic.

Luckily, she had come prepared. After all, she'd half-expected the Organization to send someone to investigate the Dark Baron case.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she gave Jiangxia a serious look, opened her tiny travel bag, and pulled out a bottle of high-tech black hair dye (courtesy of Dr. Agasa), a baseball cap, and a cartoon face mask.

Jiangxia: "…"

Okay, that's… impressively thorough.

…

Conan finished scanning the lobby, but didn't see any suspicious men in black.

So he relaxed a little and walked over to the counter, planning to talk to Amuro.

They'd met a few times before. Amuro was technically Jiangxia's boss, so by Conan-logic, that made him a safe enough adult to interrogate for clues.

He'd also just heard Amuro say "Izu Mystery Tour," which meant their goals might overlap. Maybe Amuro had useful intel.

Conan walked up to Amuro's leg, about to speak—when Amuro looked down and startled.

Then he looked around and asked in surprise, "You came alone?"

"No, I—" Conan turned around and froze.

…Where were Jiangxia and Haibara Ai?

Did someone from the Organization pass by, see Haibara's familiar hair, and just yoink her off-screen? And then Jiangxia dashed after them?

Every time Conan bumped into something Organization-related, his persecution complex kicked into overdrive. Maybe Gin had hit him too hard. Maybe APTX4869 had lingering mental side effects. Either way, trust issues were part of the package now.

Amuro, watching Conan's expression darken, didn't think much of it. He just assumed the kid was slow on the uptake and only now realized his guardian was missing.

He took out his phone kindly. "Did you come with Jiangxia, or that high school girl?"

He didn't have Ran's number, so he figured he'd ask Conan.

But when he looked down again, Conan wasn't answering. He was deep in thought, face tense, a drop of sweat trickling down his temple.

Amuro sighed internally. Poor kid. So young, so lost, so emotionally constipated. Still, impressive he hadn't cried yet.

But clearly, asking him for phone numbers was a bust. Better to just call Jiangxia directly.

He was just about to dial when—out of the corner of his eye—he spotted a familiar figure.

Jiangxia, walking over, holding a little girl's hand.

…Another kid?

Jiangxia? Taking care of children? Two of them??

Unreal. Did someone cast a spell on him?

Conan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them.

One glance at Haibara's current outfit told him exactly what had happened.

So she hadn't changed on the way here—she'd waited until she saw someone from the Organization in the lobby, then dragged Jiangxia away to help her change her look.

Jiangxia was chatting with Amuro now.

Conan took the chance to quietly scoot over to Haibara, keeping a little distance from Jiangxia. In a low voice, he asked, "There's an Organization member here? Why didn't you tell Jiangxia?"

"No," Haibara lied smoothly.

She appreciated Conan's protectiveness. The more he tried to shield Jiangxia from the Organization, the easier it was for her to keep Jiangxia's secrets hidden under her own various vests.

That said, ditching Conan just now to go put on a disguise without explanation could look pretty suspicious. She'd need to make up an excuse.

*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.

Progress: 34/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS

Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.

Progress:2/10*

Glossary:

Organizational breath / aura – A strange, aura-like feeling certain characters give off due to their connection to the Black Organization.

Vest – Slang for an undercover identity or secret. "Wearing many vests" = hiding many truths.