Chapter 36: For Your World, This is Actually Quite Benevolent, Isn't It?
The Kudo Mansion. The Library.
A heavy, suffocating silence had replaced the usual comforting scent of old paper and ink.
Tooru Amuro stood in the shadows of a bookshelf, his eyes scanning every person in the room. Shuichi Akai, Conan Edogawa, Kaito Kid... even that bumbling detective Kogoro Mouri, along with a few kids who looked like ordinary students. To think he would one day be standing in the same room as the FBI's Shuichi Akai, attending a meeting this... bizarre. The confrontation on Raiha Pass felt like yesterday, the death of his friend a chasm between them. But the intel Akai had shared since, and what he had learned from his own Public Security channels about the dangerous, greedy ambitions of both the FBI and his own government regarding these new "supernatural powers"... it had forced him to re-evaluate his position. He loved his country, but not like this. Protecting these kids, these "magical girls" who were fighting to protect others despite being dragged into this mess, was now his priority. It was a rare point of agreement between him and his former nemesis.
And so, he had accepted Akai's invitation.
At the long table in the center of the room, the tension was thick. Masumi Sera's eyes immediately locked onto the man in the knit cap standing by the window.
"Shu... Shu-nii?!" she blurted out, her voice filled with disbelief.
"You're here," Shuichi Akai acknowledged with a slight nod.
This, in turn, caught Conan's attention. Shuichi Akai's sister? These two are related? The pieces began to click into place in his mind.
Akai's own composure wavered when he saw the gentle, quiet woman standing next to Haibara. "Akemi..." he whispered, instinctively taking a step forward.
"Don't come any closer!" Haibara's voice was ice. She stepped in front of her sister, her eyes burning with a raw, undisguised hostility. "We want nothing to do with you!"
Akemi gently tugged on her sister's arm, a pained and apologetic look on her face, but she didn't contradict her.
Akai stopped, his expression complicated. "I'm sorry, Akemi. About what happened..."
"Sorry?" Haibara sneered. "You used my sister, and in the end, you couldn't even protect her! And now that she finally has a chance to live again, you want to come and disturb her? Is that it, Mr. Ace of the FBI?" She spat the acronym like a curse. "I hear you're quite close with that FBI agent, Jodie-sensei. Weren't you two lovers once? Don't even think about deceiving my sister again!"
The temperature in the room plummeted. Akai was silent, the pain evident in his eyes.
"Alright, this isn't the time for that," Conan said, breaking the tense silence. "I've called you all here because we are facing an unprecedented crisis."
He gestured to Kaito Kid, who started a projector. The first image was a world map, covered in red dots marking the recent "accidents." Next to it were blurry images and data analyses of the Witch Labyrinths triggered by the Organization's contractors.
"This is the Black Organization's 'Purification Protocol'," Conan explained, his voice heavy. "They are using the fact that magical girls eventually turn into Witches. They deploy their own contractors who are on the verge of collapse near their targets, inducing a Witch transformation to carry out indiscriminate, deniable assassinations."
The information sharing began. Akai detailed the FBI's secret program to capture and experiment on magical girls. Amuro confirmed that the highest levels of Japanese Public Security were also coveting this power. Akako Koizumi briefly explained the differences between her "Crimson Magic" and the contract-based magic. Vermouth, flawlessly disguised as an independent intelligence analyst, added her own speculations on the Organization's internal workings.
Masumi Sera listened, her world tilting on its axis. She looked at her brother, at Ran, at the little detective calmly laying out this insane reality. It all finally made sense.
When all the information was on the table, Conan took a deep breath and called out to an empty corner of the room. "Kyubey! I know you're here! Aren't you going to explain yourself?"
After a few seconds of silence, a small, white figure padded out and hopped onto the center of the table. "Is there a problem?" it asked, its red eyes sweeping over them.
"Is there a problem?!" Kogoro roared, slamming his hand on the table. "You mean to tell me that we're all going to turn into those... those monsters?! Why?! Why are you doing this?!"
Kyubey began to groom itself, its voice as calm and dispassionate as ever. "Before I explain, some context is required. Our civilization has undergone... certain technological advancements. We are now capable of observing the multiverse and have identified certain species, such as you humans, who exhibit a unique... 'cross-dimensional adaptive potential'."
It paused. "To ensure the success of our first trans-dimensional voyage and data collection, we employed a special 'anchor deployment' protocol. We injected a 'simulated personality sample' into the anchor."
"A simulated personality?" Conan asked.
"Yes. It allowed the anchor—that is, myself—to temporarily mimic 'human' responses and possess fabricated memories, allowing for a successful 'transmigration'. Once the voyage was complete and the contract system was established, this inefficient simulated personality was rapidly purged." Its gaze seemed to deepen for a moment. That the anchor had also accidentally bonded to a non-human chat group was an unforeseen, but interesting, complication.
"The goal of this," Kyubey continued, "was to achieve 'cross-dimensional adaptability' and pave the way for future voyages, which now only require a sufficient amount of energy. As for the final fate of a magical girl... if becoming a Witch that spreads curses is the inevitable result of hope turning into despair, then is it not fitting to call those who make contracts 'magical girls'? This is both a process of energy conversion and the core of our mission."
It hopped off the table. "After all, what can be observed can be interfered with. What can be interfered with can be controlled. Our civilization's goal is to explore, understand, and ultimately bring about the orderly management of the multiverse. This requires an immense amount of energy."
"So we're just... fuel for you?" Haibara's voice was a trembling whisper. "For your 'research' and your 'voyages'... we have to become monsters and be destroyed?!"
"You are not fuel," Kyubey corrected. "Your souls are converted into energy that drives the progress of civilization and the continuation of the universe itself. Is that not a wonderful thing?" It looked out the window. "Furthermore, after we have collected a predetermined 'quota' of energy from a world, we leave. This quota is the precise threshold needed to initiate the next dimensional jump. Compared to completely exhausting a world's potential, this is a relatively benevolent method. After all, you humans may one day wish to explore the multiverse as well. We are even using a portion of the energy to extend the lifespan of your own universe. For your world, this is actually quite a beneficial transaction, isn't it?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Ran cried out, tears welling in her eyes. "Because of your insane reasons, all those people on the train... they... This is... it's just too cruel!"