Chapter 121: Miyano Akemi
Kuroba Kaito was living his best life.
Terai Kinosuke's teachings posed no challenge whatsoever.
This was the burden of genius—nothing seemed difficult anymore.
Even taking on the mantle of Phantom Thief Kid felt almost too easy.
After all, his main opponent was Aoko's father.
It wasn't that he looked down on Inspector Nakamori Ginzo.
It was simply that compared to him, Nakamori Ginzo couldn't keep up. The inspector wasn't much of a strategist, and when it came to mobility, Kaito could literally fly. Where was the challenge in that?
Plus, he knew Nakamori's patterns inside and out.
Two words—child's play!
He had so much free time that he could even browse online forums and chat rooms.
And then there was Aoko—teasing her every day had become his favorite pastime.
He had both father and daughter figured out completely, which made him feel slightly guilty. Maybe he should get Aoko something special for her birthday to make up for it.
Right now, there were only three things occupying the mind of this newly minted Phantom Thief Kid.
First, who exactly was Natsukawa?
After reviewing everything from that night, he was convinced that the person who'd left the notice at his house was also Natsukawa!
So how did this guy know his identity?
Could he also know about his father's death? Or worse—was he involved in it?
Second, who was that man in the police uniform?
Knowing his father's identity, possessing military-grade firepower, and even using a helicopter for extraction—this wasn't the work of some ordinary criminal.
And those assault rifles—this was Japan, not America where guns were everywhere. The fact that an entire group showed up in black coats carrying automatic weapons was seriously concerning.
These guys had to be connected to his father's death.
This was the main reason he continued playing the role of Kid. If he could figure out this organization's true nature, he might finally discover the real reason behind his father's death.
That organization seemed obsessively interested in gems.
He needed to find an opportunity to investigate what they were really after.
Third, on the night he'd reunited with Grandpa Terai, he'd seen a suspicious figure.
Right after leaving the skyscraper where they'd met, on the rooftop of another building, someone had been standing on a high-altitude crane, watching.
The figure was blurry, but the faint silhouette of a cape and the courage to leap between buildings reminded him of his father.
"This is getting more and more interesting!"
Meanwhile, Natsukawa had been dealing with contraband dealers for several days straight.
While Twilight was known for espionage, he was utterly ruthless when it came to eliminations.
Combined with the twenty targets each that Chianti and Korn had handled, Tokyo's mortality rate was spiking dramatically!
Because of these murders, Inspector Megure worked three consecutive all-nighters before collapsing from exhaustion and being hospitalized.
Different methods of death, different victims, no connections between cases, many with no clear suspects—the usual "pick one of three" detective work was impossible here. A serious investigation would be like finding a needle in a haystack; millions of people in Tokyo could potentially be suspects.
This situation nearly drove Inspector Megure to a mental breakdown.
Adding insult to injury, Kogoro Mori was also methodically "encountering" murders as usual, pushing the First Investigation Division to its absolute limit.
Even Inspector Nakamori Ginzo from the Second Division was called in to assist.
And it didn't stop there—Yor wasn't spared either, being temporarily requisitioned to help take witness statements.
Dozens of murders within a single week, requiring statements from nearly a thousand people—the sheer volume of work was unimaginable!
Yet!
Even so, Tokyo's residents continued their normal lives, eating and drinking as usual, showing no fear whatsoever.
Don't ask why—it was just habit at this point.
The investigation ultimately went nowhere.
The Metropolitan Police Department concluded the killers were professional assassins.
These types of cases were the hardest to solve; unless caught in the act, there was virtually no chance of arrest.
So these cases were filed away in the archives, waiting to gather dust for twenty years before being shredded.
Why shred them?
Sorry, but even though the cases weren't solved, the statute of limitations would eventually expire.
[nervous laughter]
As for Yor, she'd just started dating Natsukawa, but he'd been unavailable for an entire week, which left her feeling rather dejected.
However, there was nothing to be done about it; every single one of these cases was connected to Tequila's activities.
Which meant, indirectly, they were connected to him. So he felt somewhat guilty, as if he were the one who'd caused Yor to enter overtime hell.
On the bright side, this situation gave Natsukawa the opportunity to finally meet Miyano Akemi and Sherry.
In a coffee shop in Beika District, 5-chome.
Natsukawa, wearing his Tequila disguise, was sipping freshly brewed black coffee.
Across from him sat a young woman in a business suit.
She had delicate features and an elegant bearing, giving an initial impression of tranquility and gentleness, but there was a hint of melancholy in her expression, as if some deep sorrow had taken root in her heart with no outlet for release.
She placed her hands on her knees, gripping her skirt tightly, letting the coffee in front of her grow cold.
The two sat facing each other in silence for some time, with Natsukawa leisurely drinking his coffee, showing no intention of speaking first.
The woman finally broke.
Compared to the indifferent Natsukawa, Miyano Akemi was extremely anxious.
Since the bank robbery plan had been announced, she hadn't seen her sister Shiho once. Every time she suggested meeting, Gin always said they could only meet after the plan succeeded.
They'd clearly agreed to let her and her sister leave the Organization after the bank robbery, so what was the point of preventing them from seeing each other now?
Miyano Akemi asked anxiously, "Why won't you let me see my sister? Did you do something to her? Did something happen to her?"
She couldn't help but worry.
The Organization was always ruthless; some members could be executed by Gin without warning—she'd witnessed it before.
Besides, participating in that kind of research was far too dangerous. Working day and night, and she was only seventeen years old!
Still a minor, still unaware of the wonders the outside world had to offer.
Her miserable life would continue uneventfully, living under the Organization's constant surveillance.
Like livestock.
"Sherry is fine. She's an indispensable research asset for the Organization. Even if you die, she won't. Don't worry," Natsukawa smiled at Miyano Akemi reassuringly.
Miyano Akemi: "..."
Now that you've said it like that, I'm even more worried.
Although the explanation was harsh, Miyano Akemi couldn't refute it.
"Yeah, compared to my sister who inherited our parents' research abilities and became a genius scientist, I feel like I was adopted.
"I didn't inherit any useful genes. Otherwise I could have helped my sister share some of the burden."
"Then why won't Gin let me meet Shiho?"
"I'm not Gin, how would I know what he's thinking? Why don't you just ask him yourself?"
Natsukawa displayed the professionalism of a master conversation killer, shutting down every topic with surgical precision. It was a good thing this wasn't a romantic relationship, otherwise every sentence would be a classic line that gets you blocked.
Miyano Akemi felt the conversation dying in real time. This new Tequila was a bit off—the old Vodka was much easier to deal with.
But Vodka was Gin's loyal lapdog, following his orders without question, which was why she hadn't been able to see her sister for over a month.
Finally, she got a new contact person, but he turned out to be a conversation assassin.
What kind of people does the Organization recruit? Are there no normal members at all?
Actually, now that she thought about it, there weren't.
All the Organization members were disturbingly unhinged in some way.
Gin was always scheming or killing traitors, paranoid all the time, seeing everyone as a potential spy.
Vodka was a heavy drinker whose execution skills were impeccable, but he couldn't think for himself; he was basically Gin's attack dog.
Chianti, that sniper, was a psychopath who killed for the sheer pleasure of it. After working with her once, Miyano Akemi had been terrified.
Thinking about this, she suddenly realized why she hadn't received a codename yet.
Perhaps it was because she wasn't crazy enough.
[End of Chapter 121]
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