The brown-haired girl's face held an indifferent expression completely unfitting for her age. During the noisy break, she still held a book in her hand. The members of the Detective Boys around her were chattering about something, even letting out loud shouts at exciting moments.
The bespectacled boy beside her rested his chin, a forced smile on his lips, as he humored the children.
A week had passed since Shiho transferred to Teitan Elementary School. Everyone's initial impression of Shiho remained only on the day the brown-haired girl transferred.
A cold, brown-haired girl who looked like a model.
The classroom's noise gradually quieted down after the bell for class rang. As the classroom door opened, the homeroom teacher, Sumiko Kobayashi, walked in, followed by a silver-haired child, as delicate as a doll, wearing a pure black tracksuit, making it impossible to discern her gender.
Homeroom teacher Sumiko Kobayashi wrote "Lin Jianhe" on the blackboard, then introduced her to the students: "This is our new transfer student, Lin Jianhe. Please get along well with her, everyone."
The silver-haired girl bowed appropriately, "Please take care of me."
"Wow!"
"So pretty..."
Exclamations immediately filled the classroom. The girl still wore a wide smile on her face. Her gaze gradually swept towards her target, and her lips curved into a playful smile. The brown-haired girl was also looking at her, with an extremely terrified expression, as if she had seen a ghost.
Such an expression was extremely rare in Lin Jianhe's eyes. Someone who had teased and ordered her around like a bèn dàn (idiot) in the Black Organization actually showed such an expression upon seeing her one day.
Although she was a little smug, she was also a bit depressed.
The brown-haired girl's previously aloof expression changed. When that familiar smile appeared on her face, Haibara's heart felt as if it was gripped by a ghostly claw, and her fingers trembled.
Had she been discovered? People in the Black Organization usually had such twisted tastes. They must have discovered the secret of the drug during the time she disappeared, then made Aiba Yu shrink too, and appear before her.
If that were the case, those people must now be secretly enjoying her current predicament with perverted smiles.
As they wished, even though she herself didn't want to, her physical and psychological reactions had already reacted for her.
Was it over here then...? A week-long, brief normal life, was it ending here...? At this moment, Haibara was unable to use her usual calm and rational mind to think about the problem. Her mind was filled with her deceased older sister and the shadow the Black Organization cast upon her.
"Haibara, what's wrong?" Noticing her deskmate Haibara's abnormality, Conan covered his mouth with his hand and whispered, then he noticed that Haibara's fearful gaze was directed at the new transfer student. He suddenly realized something. Although three people shrinking at once was possible, Haibara had appeared before him a week ago. If another one came, it wasn't impossible... "No way, could it be..."
Even Conan's expression gradually became grim. Regardless of whether this person had taken the shrinking drug like him, anyone who could make Haibara show such an expression was no ordinary person. If the Black Organization knew that he hadn't died but had shrunk, not only would he be in danger, but even those around him, and even Ran...
Haibara squeezed out an ugly smile on her somewhat pale face, not answering Conan's words, but her expression had already responded.
"Am I that scary...?" Aiba Yu rubbed her silver hair, seeing Haibara looking at her like that. Ever since she started being Shiho Miyano's bodyguard, she had always been wary of her. Although, as Haibara thought, the bodyguard was just a gimmick; in reality, it was indeed surveillance.
However, that was just a one-sided order from the Black Organization. Although she carried it out, she hadn't actually agreed to it. How many times had she taken the blame for rule violations by herself... She slowly walked down from the podium. At this moment, the chubby boy Genta pulled out the chair next to him, "Come! Sit next to me! This seat is empty."
Aiba Yu's attention was entirely on Haibara, completely ignoring Genta. She looked at Haibara with interest. She had never seen her make such an expression in the lab before, and had once thought she was expressionless, but now it seemed not to be the case. And most importantly, little Miyano looked even more like a delicate doll, especially with that brown, slightly curly hair... "Hmph, everyone is so rude..."
Genta, ignored and extremely displeased, pushed the chair back in.
Aiba Yu stared at Haibara with great amusement for an entire class. The other party was clearly very aware of her gaze, and even very afraid, but Aiba showed no intention of looking away.
Haibara was tormented by this gaze for the entire class. She was already quite certain that this child was Famas. Both the constant smile on her face and her striking silver hair were proof of Famas.
Although there hadn't been much conflict between them in the lab before, and she hadn't been reported to the Black Organization due to Famas's surveillance, which proved that Famas had never done anything detrimental to her, the fact that she was sent by the Black Organization to monitor her couldn't be changed.
Aiba always faced her with that playful smile; she couldn't trust the truth of anything said by such a person.
Now, all she cared about was Aiba's reason for coming. Had the Black Organization discovered her, or... No, absolutely not.
The fear of the Black Organization prevented Haibara from calming down and thinking. Even though she was at school, surrounded by lively children, it felt more suffocating than being in the lab... The Black Organization might use an explosion to turn this school into her grave... Explosion... Explosion... No!
Haibara suddenly stood up from her seat and, without a word, quickly walked out the back door with her head down.
If there was going to be an explosion, she should go to a place with fewer people. More people couldn't get hurt.
"Eh?" Aiba was stunned for a moment, watching Haibara leave the classroom with a dark expression. Just then, a boy wearing glasses suddenly raised his hand.
"Teacher, teacher! I need to go to the restroom."
Saying that, Conan was about to get up and follow Haibara, but a very strong hand pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him back down.
"Sit down."
Deep blue eyes stared at Conan, a hint of indifferent amusement unconsciously in her eyes, looking like a challenge.
"Huh?"
Conan was full of questions, staring blankly as Aiba Yu walked out of the classroom.
"Wait a minute! Lin, you can't just walk out of the classroom during class!"
"Ah, sorry teacher, I guess it's my first day so I'm not quite used to it. May I lie down in the infirmary for a while?"
The silver-haired girl revealed her sharp canine teeth, somewhat shyly rubbing her soft hair.
"O-okay."
Leaving the classroom, Aiba found Haibara on the playground. The brown-haired girl was like an abandoned kitten, helplessly hugging her knees and leaning against the railing. She looked around but didn't see the familiar black car. To calm herself down, she decided to quietly stay away from Aiba Yu for a while.
But it seemed impossible... She watched Aiba Yu walk towards her from afar, curling up into a ball, like a cat seeing a stranger and bristling its fur.
"How are you here!"
Aiba Yu, with a matter-of-fact expression, spread her hands, "It's obvious."
"You took that drug?! The Black Organization..."
"The Black Organization didn't find out," Aiba Yu sat down close to Haibara, the other's wary gaze making her feel helpless. "I say, Sherry, you're usually so smart, why are you so bèn dàn (idiot) now?"
"What do you mean?" The brown-haired girl remained fully alert.
"Since I took the drug and shrunk, do you think I wouldn't escape that Black Organization?" Seemingly seeing what was on the girl's mind, she picked up a twig from her feet and wrote a beautiful string of English on the ground, muttering, "Sherry, even if the Black Organization knew about this, given my personality, would I let them obediently take the drug and then appear before you? And Gin and the others would be in the car observing your reaction? Please, how could it be so low-brow..."
Aiba Yu mercilessly mocked Haibara. Besides, who was she? Famas, one of the top ten assassins in the world. How could the Black Organization risk her life by making her swallow that poison for Gin's twisted amusement?
"Then you..."
Haibara was stunned. Since Aiba appeared, she seemed to have never thought in a positive direction, so much so that when she received this answer, she was still unable to react.
"That's hurtful, I thought we trusted each other enough, but it seems not," Aiba Yu wiped away the English words with her foot, then gave Haibara that familiar smile again. "The reason I did this was simply that I accidentally discovered the secret of this drug and repeated your actions."
This person completely omitted any mention of being hunted.
Saying that, ignoring Haibara's surprised gaze, Aiba patted her shorts and stood up, simultaneously extending a hand towards Haibara, "Besides, I've never experienced living a normal life. Thinking about it, it doesn't seem so bad."
Due to family reasons, Aiba was sent to a closed academy from a young age to learn various martial arts. Her daily schedule was filled with different fighting techniques. She experienced killing, separation, and death from an early age. Life in the academy was like a cold hell, where people were like death-seeking specters, and those who remained there would never see the sun again.
To be in a regular elementary school, like now, was something completely outside her cognition.
She also had no friends. Students from military schools like that usually ended up as assassins, and she didn't know how many of her peers had died. Most of them lived under assumed names, and their deaths might even go unnoticed.
In this profession, one must always be prepared to die. Even when resting, sitting in an ordinary cafe, a sniper might be watching you.
Aiba was born into a very famous assassin family, and it was precisely because of this that she was sent to such a place. It could only be said that she was born to be a killing tool; if she didn't kill others, she would be killed herself. Although she had come to terms with this, she was more bewildered and helpless about her current situation.
She had no choice but to be an assassin.
Once upon a time, she had also imagined, because of one person, what she would do if she had the chance to choose her own destiny?
She didn't know, and even now couldn't answer that question. But now, the chance to start over had suddenly arrived, and she wanted to seize it.
Looking at the hand extended towards her, Haibara returned to her original demeanor. Although there was some truth to Aiba's words, she didn't need to believe her completely. After all, this woman came from the Black Organization, and she no longer wanted to be involved with anyone from the Black Organization.
As for trust... she had indeed, for a period, due to an unclear mind, developed trust in this person. But after regaining clarity, she realized she had been utterly foolish.
From the very beginning, their relationship was one of surveillance and being surveilled.
Thus, Aiba's hand froze in place. The proud and indifferent brown-haired girl reappeared, walking past Aiba without a glance.
"How cold she is..."
Aiba was long used to it. After all, this way of interacting had lasted for many years. It was simply a regression in time, and both of them had shrunk.
It was just that the relationship she had worked so hard to maintain was now ruined, which was quite sad to think about.
Haibara returned to the classroom. Conan, seeing her, couldn't help but lean over, "Hey, are you okay?"
"You'd best stay away from me." Haibara held a book in front of Conan, separating him from herself.
"Hey..." Conan's face was covered in black lines, but seeing Haibara like this, she seemed to be fine... Although Haibara returned to class, her mind wasn't there. She kept replaying Aiba Yu's words in her mind.
Indeed, as she said, there was no need for people in the Black Organization to make her swallow that poison and shrink to find her. Such a roundabout approach was not like Gin.
So there was only one possibility... As Aiba Yu said, she stole a pill, took it, and then came to find her... No, it still didn't make sense. Why would she come to find her? Since she successfully shrunk, she could go anywhere and live the life she wanted. If so, why appear before her?
This was something she couldn't understand.
Aiba Yu didn't return to the classroom until after class. The moment she sat down, a group of people surrounded her desk in a circle.
"Hey, hey, how old are you, Lin?"
"Are you a foreigner?"
"Your hair is silver!"
Usually, when a transfer student arrived at school, students would enthusiastically gather around to show their friendliness and curiosity about the new classmate. Conan showed a completely perfunctory attitude, while Haibara ignored everyone, pretending not to see them.
Aiba Yu, however, was completely different from Conan and Haibara. She blended in well with her elementary school student identity, patiently and cheerfully answering various questions.
"I'm seven years old this year, and I'm French mixed-race. My mother is French..."
"Hey, Haibara, who exactly is she?!"
Conan finally couldn't hold back, especially after seeing Haibara's expression; his curiosity was unbearable.
"She's an assassin. It's not difficult for her to disguise herself as a child..."
Haibara seemed to be talking to herself, glancing at Aiba and muttering softly.
"Ah! What kind of assassin?!" Conan was already a bit frantic. He couldn't stand the aloof girl's enigmatic demeanor anymore.
Seeing that the Detective beside her was on the verge of franticness, she sighed and recounted the events.
"So she really is from the Black Organization!" Regarding Aiba's identity, Conan was more excited. After all, she was a top assassin, and she might know more inside information than Haibara. In that case... "I advise you not to do that." Seemingly seeing what he was thinking, the girl directly dashed his hopes. "She hasn't had access to higher-level secrets, and with someone like her, I advise you not to play any tricks, or one over-the-shoulder throw will be enough to make you suffer."
"I..." Conan was still a bit unconvinced. If the assassin was still in her adult form, he might be afraid, but with her current child-like physique, there was no need to be afraid, right... Through a gap in the crowd, the two saw Aiba staring at them, then she revealed two sharp canine teeth and even gave a wink.
Haibara's eyebrow twitched. She turned her head, pulling her book closer with a displeased expression, "Still as annoying as ever..."