The CIA has a major operation? Mary knew about it, but he didn't?
That possibility did exist.
As Mary had said, his biggest disadvantage was that he was too young, lacked experience, and had too few connections. In terms of networks and resources, he was far inferior to an old hand like Mary.
"How did you get this information? The CIA isn't that easy to leak intelligence."
Mary laughed. She knew Toru was already tempted. She said confidently, "Nothing is completely airtight. Even the CIA has loopholes."
"If the CIA had no weaknesses, how could it have been infiltrated and had its data stolen this time?"
Toru remained silent, signaling her to continue.
"Even though MI6 and the CIA cooperate closely, they are still two separate organizations. It's impossible for them not to guard against each other."
"There are CIA people embedded high up in MI6, and likewise, MI6 has people in the upper ranks of the CIA."
Mary spoke with certainty.
Toru pondered briefly and asked, "Even if your rank in MI6 was high, you weren't the one in charge. How did you know something this confidential?"
"Fujiwara, this is where connections matter, especially for people like us. The older you get, the more you fear death, the more cautious you become, and the more tightly you cling to power."
"Because you know very well that once you know too many secrets without sufficient protection, you become nothing more than a target to be eliminated."
Mary's tone was calm and deliberate.
"Someone in MI6 was working for you?"
Toru chuckled softly. "...No wonder your superior wanted to get rid of you. Turns out he couldn't fully control the people under him."
Mary coughed lightly. "So, do you want to work with me? My goal is simple. Investigate that Organization, find a possible antidote, and conceal my current condition."
Mary understood better than anyone that if her shrinking were exposed, too many people would become restless, and too many would betray her.
When the interests involved became too great, human nature could not be trusted.
She couldn't gamble.
"Ms. Mary, what is the CIA planning?"
Toru's question made Mary quietly sigh in relief. The fact that he asked meant he had accepted her reasoning.
Mary shook her head. "No matter how careless the CIA is, they wouldn't reveal the plan in advance. But their recent covert movements show they're preparing something."
"What kind of movements?"
"Recently, the CIA secretly sent several agents to Japan, yet you, the head of the Japan branch, knew nothing about it. Doesn't that seem suspicious?"
Mary's rhetorical question made Toru's heart tighten.
He slowly nodded. "Then let's have a pleasant cooperation, Ms. Mary."
"A pleasant cooperation, Fujiwara."
"And as Akai Shuichi's mother, I don't believe he ignores you completely."
Toru's words carried an underlying meaning.
"If there's a suitable reason, I can persuade Shuichi to do certain things for you."
Toru smiled. This woman really did keep some cards hidden.
To have survived her entire career in MI6 without fully retreating into management or politics, her ability and resilience were not to be underestimated.
Because of that, Toru could trust her a little, but only a little.
If Mary were a pure politician, he would be even more cautious.
"I still have things to handle, so I'll take my leave. When I need you, I'll contact you. We should exchange contact details."
"You can contact my daughter. She's always with me."
"Then Ms. Sera Masumi, shall we exchange Line IDs?"
Masumi took out her phone and exchanged contacts with Toru without hesitation.
Before leaving, Toru added, "Ms. Sera, you're welcome to visit my café anytime."
"Is there a discount?"
"When Ms. Sera comes, I'll give you twenty percent off."
"Only twenty percent? That's a bit stingy, isn't it?"
Masumi sounded dissatisfied.
"It's a small business. Please understand."
Toru bowed politely, put on his hat, and left the hotel.
As soon as he was gone, Masumi asked nervously, "Mom, should we change where we're staying?"
"You want to hide from him?"
"Yes. He feels too dangerous."
Although Toru appeared carefree on the surface, Masumi's instincts were sharp, and her thoughts were meticulous.
"It's useless. If he found us once, he'll find us again. Running now would destroy the little trust we just built."
"We're staying here because your brother arranged it. If Toru can find us, he can also find your brother. Don't believe in the CIA's morals. They can do anything."
Mary coughed again, took a sip of water, and continued.
"He might threaten Brother to find us?"
Masumi said angrily.
"Not threaten. If necessary, he'll kill your brother, or capture and torture him. Laws and morals don't restrain people like that."
"Masumi, you're still too young. There are things you don't understand. In front of you, I'm a dignified mother, but in the past, I've done things no different from him."
Mary smiled self-mockingly.
Masumi punched the wall in frustration.
Mary comforted her gently. "This is already the best outcome. My condition was discovered, but not exposed. We avoided the worst-case scenario."
"This man's ambition is more terrifying than I imagined, but I still can't see his true goal. Masumi, be careful around him."
"Should I avoid him?"
"No. You should get closer. Running won't solve anything. You have to face it."
"I understand, Mom. What about Big Brother…?"
"Your brother is already in danger. Don't drag him into more trouble."
Mary warned her.
Masumi's expression fell.
"Whatever Toru's purpose is, for now, our interests align. That's enough."
...
"You're back early."
At the Western-style house, Haibara heard the car pull into the courtyard. Soon after, Toru opened the door and walked in.
She stopped typing and watched him hang his coat on the rack.
"I went to see your great-aunt."
"My great-aunt?"
Haibara froze.
When did she have a great-aunt?
"Do you know your mother's original name?"
"I remember it was Elena Sera."
Haibara recalled that surname from before her mother married.
"That's right. Your mother had an older sister named Mary Sera."
"Impossible."
Haibara spun around on the high stool, rapidly typing on the keyboard. Soon, her parents' basic records appeared.
"My mother had no siblings. I personally reviewed their files to investigate my parents' deaths," Haibara said, lips pressed tight.
"That's because Mary joined MI6 young. With her exceptional ability, she entered Department 00 directly. MI6 erased her past records long ago."
"And she and your mother never met again. You were too young when you were separated, so it's normal not to remember."
Toru explained calmly.
"No, I vaguely remember Mom mentioning something like this when I was little, but I was too young to recall details."
Haibara smacked her head lightly, frustrated at herself for missing such a crucial memory.
"Stop hitting yourself, you'll break your head. It's normal not to remember things from that age."
Toru walked over and grabbed Haibara's slender wrist.
"What did you say to her?"
Haibara asked, her expression complicated.
She never imagined she still had relatives, not just a great-aunt, but also cousins.
Toru briefly summarized his conversation with Mary.
"You don't trust her?"
Haibara hit the key point.
"How could I fully trust someone who's survived that long as an agent? Precisely because I'm in this line of work, I trust people like us the least."
Toru sighed.
In other industries, colleagues are competitors. In this one, colleagues can be enemies who kill each other.
Haibara said calmly, "You're right. Mary is untrustworthy. Still, I didn't expect she also took APTX4869 and shrank."
"I thought you'd acknowledge the relationship immediately."
"Heh. Don't lump me in with naïve women. If you don't trust her, I trust her even less. Right now, I only trust you."
"Haibara, I'm so touched. Should I cry?"
"Go ahead. I haven't seen you cry before. Wait, what are you doing!"
Haibara panicked, struggling, but Toru still held her wrist and kissed her cheek firmly.
She rubbed her cheek in disgust. "Are you a dog? It's all saliva."
She turned her head slightly, not letting him see the shy flush on her face.
He… he kissed the corner of my mouth.
Haibara secretly licked her lips.
She quickly suppressed the embarrassment and changed the subject. "Kudo Shinichi alone is too small a sample. Now that there's Mary, this is good news."
"No, I think I've realized something. Mary and I both shrank, and we're related. Could the effect of this drug be linked to a specific gene? When my parents developed Silver Bullet, they likely used their own genes as samples."
Watching Haibara plunge back into research with excitement, Toru shook his head and smiled.
Girls in science really were cute.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)