Chapter 127: Dusk Pier

"'Be careful about Hirota Akira'... what does that mean, Kudo-kun?" Inspector Megure scratched the back of his head while standing at the door of the police station. "He's been discharged from the hospital and is now in our custody. The cause of his coma is exactly as you suspected—he was knocked out by a rubber bullet. But he still refuses to talk and is resisting hard. There's no new information, and we haven't found any sign of Hirota Masami."

Conan, riding his skateboard through the cool evening breeze, had the voice changer held up to his mouth and spoke into the phone. "I've studied the case and I think the three robbers are connected to a larger organization. One is dead, one is missing, and only Hirota Akira has been arrested. Be careful, the people behind them might take extreme measures."

"I understand what you mean, but Kudo-kun, the man is already in police custody. I've ordered my officers to increase the pressure during questioning. Even so…" Inspector Megure sounded troubled.

At this point, there was no concrete evidence to support Kudo Shinichi's theory.

It was true Hirota Akira may have used a false identity, but all of his documents were in order. The Yamagata Prefectural Office was still verifying his household records and hadn't responded yet. Even if the Investigation Section took Kudo Shinichi's opinions seriously, they couldn't accept everything without question.

"Don't worry, the household registry department in Yamagata is already assisting us. There should be progress tomorrow. I know you're keeping a close eye on this case, so I'll inform you the moment anything changes. Don't worry too much." That was all Inspector Megure could say.

Conan hung up heavily, looked at the message sent by Joker again, and clenched his teeth, unwilling to give up.

His sources of information came mainly from his own reasoning and Joker's secret support. He had no solid evidence and found it hard to convince the police. He couldn't even properly explain the existence of the organization.

Even for someone like him—if he hadn't personally seen Gin and Vodka and gotten shrunk by the drug—how could he have believed such a powerful criminal group was hiding in the shadows, manipulating people's fates?

"No choice... I'll just have to track down the stolen money and see where it went. Maybe I can find something." Conan looked down at the room card, confirmed the hotel address, shifted his feet, turned the skateboard, and sped off toward the hotel where Miyano Akemi had been staying.

At that same time, at his destination, Miyano Akemi pushed a luggage cart stacked with six or seven suitcases to the hotel front desk.

She held the room card tightly and calmly said to the receptionist with a smile, "I may not come back for them myself. If someone brings the room card for room 205, please give these to them. Or, if anyone named Mouri or Edogawa visits, please tell them my belongings are stored here... Thank you."

Hirota Akira had probably already been taken away by the police. The ones most likely to have the room card now were the police.

If everything went smoothly, she would take the money and trade it for her and Shiho's freedom. If not, at least the money wouldn't fall into the organization's hands…

She had already hidden the most important items. What needed to be handed over had also been prepared.

Only one thing remained...

Miyano Akemi took out her phone, typed each word slowly, and sent the message to a secret email address:

[Today, everything will be revealed.

Shiho, when you read this email, I may already be gone.

Take care of yourself, don't grieve too much, and protect what Aunt and Uncle left behind.

If you ever read this...

Separation is just the heartless wind and snow of autumn and winter. It takes many things away, but it also brings spring.

Don't mourn for me, Shiho.]

If the organization kept their word, she would soon be reunited with Shiho and leave with her. In that case, the contents of this email wouldn't matter.

But if things didn't go as planned…

Her fingers hovered over her sister's name, as if she could feel Shiho's soft, smiling face through the screen. A smile formed on her own lips as well.

"Bless me, Shiho." Taking a deep breath, Miyano Akemi brushed her fingers against the gun in her sleeve, lifted her head, stepped outside the hotel, and walked into the golden light of dusk.

Kazawa withdrew his gaze from the last traces of sunlight and blinked, keeping his beautifully patterned contact lenses from drying out from staring too long.

"Can we move yet, senpai?" In the back seat, he shifted his posture out of boredom and adjusted the direction of the sniper rifle in his arms. "You rushed me over, but I've just been sitting here. Hasn't Miyano Akemi arrived yet?"

"Be patient, Kumail." Gin snapped his lighter shut. "She'll be here."

"Well, at least the mission's finally ending." Kazawa yawned, looking tired. "You guys work me harder than Bourbon. It's scary."

"Still don't understand your position?" Gin glanced into the back seat. "You should know why the organization granted your request."

"Of course I do." Kazawa didn't drop his lazy attitude but held the sniper rifle tighter. "I'm a tool, a vicious dog that bites when told. I get it~ So when will I get a satisfying reward? A dog can't bite without being fed."

Here we go again. Vodka tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He didn't interrupt but clearly understood what was happening.

To think Goro Akechi didn't know how to navigate the world would be an underestimation. He fooled the media and the public—he definitely wasn't some clueless kid.

Ever since he received his codename, he and Bourbon had stirred up constant noise. Probably to pressure the organization in this very way.

As long as Tunkou Shigehiko was still alive, this maniac wouldn't stop. Even the way he used to provoke his brother—it was hard to tell how much of that was deliberate.

Gin seemed to realize this too, and his brow furrowed.

Talented young people were worth cultivating, but their temperament was awful—lacking the calmness of adults.

...Then again, Bourbon was an adult. Why was he also getting involved in this mess?

"I already told you. Follow the arrangements." Gin's eyes grew colder as he looked at the people around him. "Don't act rashly."

"If I had, Tunkou Shigehiko would've been dead years ago. No one would've saved him." Kazawa sneered coldly. "At least give me a deadline, alright? Don't blame me for losing patience. I've waited eight years for this."

"Alright, enough. It's just Tunkou Shigehiko. Stop overreacting. Your life is worth more than his." Gin snapped irritably, though there was some intention to calm him down. "Don't waste energy on small fry, Kumail."

Okay, that's enough. Any more and it'd break character.

Kazawa snorted, closed his mouth, removed the sniper's stabilizer, and began reassembling it. For a moment, the car fell silent, filled only with the clicking of metal parts.

"She's here." Vodka looked up after fiddling with the laptop on his knees. It seemed he had received a message. "She's arrived."

"Pick a good spot, Kumail." Gin pointed toward the port outside, filled with container stacks. "Remember, try to keep them alive."

Kazawa looked up with a smile, slung the sniper rifle behind his back, waved in a playful manner, and winked mischievously.

"Got it~ Leave it to me."