A Gift Freely Given
"Ah, forget it — better to leave all this for later." It was Kudo Yusaku who finally let the topic drop. He turned to Conan instead. "So, that Miss Ganyu just now — like Miss Ningguang, she's one of that elusive organization you told me about, the one you couldn't even be sure existed. I took the liberty of observing them a moment ago; they were indeed wearing similar beads. And I'd wager Miss Keqing in America wears them as well."
At that point, Yusaku couldn't help but marvel. "That mysterious organization of yours is remarkably rich in talent."
Conan: "......"
He mentally ran through everyone he'd met so far who wore a similar accessory. They really did span every walk of life — and without exception, each one was extraordinarily capable and strikingly presentable. He had to admit his old man wasn't wrong.
Sometimes Conan genuinely couldn't fathom how people scattered across the globe, whose stations in life differed so wildly, had ever formed connections in the first place.
"Shinichi, from now on, be even more careful around people like them. Granted, by your own account, some of the ones you know are kind-hearted and simply live like ordinary people — but you can't deny that others really are tangled up with the Black Organization, and what ties them all together remains unclear. In any case, stay alert whenever you cross paths with them. Don't let them suspect who you are."
Yusaku truly was uneasy about his son. The fact that Shinichi had already crossed paths with the Black Organization, a transnational criminal syndicate, was worry enough — and now another mysterious organization, one even Yusaku had never heard of, had surfaced around him...
From the few names Shinichi had shared alone, Yusaku could faintly sense how considerable their influence must be. He could only hope their entanglement with the Black Organization was slight — otherwise, Shinichi's position was about to become a great deal more dangerous.
Conan nodded and gave a soft "mm" of assent.
Though the agreement came easily enough now, whether he could actually follow through when the time came was another matter entirely.
Glancing at his watch, Yusaku saw that it had grown late and decided against prolonging the conversation. With a final word of caution — "Take good care of yourself" — he made to bid Shinichi farewell and take his leave.
Suddenly, Ningguang's voice rang out from the loudspeakers of the press conference hall.
Conan looked up to see her standing at the center of the stage, composed and serene, holding the microphone as she addressed the crowd below with gentle, unhurried poise.
"Good evening, everyone. First of all, allow me to apologize for this evening's unexpected incident..."
After offering her apologies to the assembled political and business dignitaries, Ningguang informed them of the truth: she had now taken over the Sindora Group.
As a murmur of discussion rippled through the audience, Ningguang — seemingly oblivious to the undercurrents of discontent and doubt below — continued:
"At the same time, in gratitude to the police for apprehending the man who harmed Kenmura in so short a time, and for the tireless devotion they have shown in protecting Beika — in protecting all of Japan — I have decided to donate the DNA Tracking Program developed by the Sindora Group to the Japanese police, free of charge. I hope it will lend some assistance to their pursuit of criminals and resolution of cases... Thank you all!"
With those final words, Ningguang offered a slight bow.
Inspector Megure and the other officers, once the meaning of her closing remarks sank in, burst into applause at once.
Megure and his colleagues knew from previous cases just how powerful the DNA Tracking Program truly was — above all for locating people. Harumaki, the man who had invented it, could honestly be called a genius.
When they later learned that Sindora had hounded the man to his death, Inspector Megure had felt a profound sense of loss.
They had coveted the program, of course, but knowing there was no conceivable way the police could ever obtain it, they'd dismissed the thought after a moment's reflection.
To suddenly hear Miss Ningguang announce she would hand it over to the police free of charge — Megure and his men were overjoyed beyond words.
That single decision sent her standing among every officer present soaring. Should problems arise in the future, so long as principles weren't compromised, these policemen would surely not hesitate to lend Miss Ningguang their help.
The other political and business notables in attendance, watching the reaction of the police around them, took a while longer before grudgingly adding their own applause.
Truly worthy of someone who had built Jade Chamber Corp into this behemoth in so short a time — her reflexes were razor-sharp. Everyone had assumed that, with a disaster like this, merely avoiding a loss would count as a win; who could have guessed she'd end up swallowing the Sindora Group whole?
Some had hoped to snatch a share of the spoils themselves. Too slow, alas.
And now she'd cemented her ties with the police as well. Unless someone went out of their way to make trouble, her expansion in Japan would face essentially no obstacles from here on.
To give away something as valuable as the DNA Tracking Program without a moment's hesitation — decisive, fearless business. What a formidable merchant.
Word had it she was rather close with the Suzuki Group. Perhaps it was worth sounding Suzuki out for information later, then deciding the next move — court her favor, or...
A thousand schemes whirled through the minds of the audience below, yet every face wore the same uniform smile, praising Ningguang's support of the Japanese police.
Off to one side, Haibara clapped along absentmindedly with the children around her. When she saw Conan return from wherever he'd slipped off to, she remarked, "Welcome back, Mr. Great Detective. Well? Manage to eavesdrop on anything interesting?"
When Conan had wandered off earlier, Haibara had noticed the direction he headed — straight toward Miss Ningguang — and needed no further clues to guess his intentions.
Conan shot her a helpless look. "...How did you know I was eavesdropping?"
Haibara rolled her eyes, deeming the question barely worth answering. "Isn't that your specialty? Or are you telling me you didn't eavesdrop just now?"
Conan wavered for a moment, then protested anyway. "I just happened to walk in on Miss Ningguang talking with my dad, that's all. It would've been rude to interrupt, so I waited off to the side for a bit..."
Besides, his true specialty was deduction, thank you very much — not this. Haibara was simply slandering him for sport.
Despite his grumbling, he gave her a quick rundown of what had just happened.
"Miss Ningguang really is every inch the qualified businesswoman," Haibara murmured when he finished.
Her reaction struck Conan as odd. "You sound almost... like you don't disapprove of what she did?"
Haibara glanced at him sideways. "'Disapprove' isn't quite the word. She was the first on the scene, and she saved Kenmura in time — that tells me she wasn't indifferent to his life. And thanks to her help, he actually survived. Isn't that enough?"