The Obedient Little Brother
Morikawa Haku!
At the sound of that name, Conan's heart gave a violent jolt.
He whipped his head around, and there he was — the very man who had just been on his mind: the codename-bearing member of the Organization, Cointreau.
Why would he appear out of nowhere? Had he been standing behind me this whole time? How much did he hear? What does he want, showing up like this out of the blue? What exactly is his relationship with Vermouth? Is Morikawa Haku even his real name?...
The questions surfaced in Conan's mind one after another, an endless chain.
In the end, only one remained burned into his heart: had Cointreau managed to lift the fingerprints from the bug on Kir's shoe sole or not?
Conan's whole body had gone stiff as he watched Cointreau stroll unhurriedly toward Ran's side. He wanted to shout at her to get away from this dangerous man, but no sound would come out.
Aether looked at the blank-faced child beside Xia Yu staring at him, and arched an eyebrow, faintly amused.
Why such a big reaction at meeting him now? He hadn't seen the kid looking this terrified back at the harbor — hadn't he been brave enough to threaten Vermouth to her face, of all things?
Could it be because of Miss Mouri?
Aether shot a glance at Mouri Ran, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
"Ah — Haku came here with me just now. Sorry, I completely forgot to mention it."
Xia Yu gave Aether an apologetic look. She'd been so absorbed in her chat with Sonoko that she'd clean forgotten there was someone trailing along behind her.
Conan's head snapped around toward Xia Yu. Since when did Xia Yu know Morikawa Haku? He'd never heard her so much as mention him before.
"No worries." Aether hadn't given it a second thought anyway. Besides, seeing his little sister enjoying herself so thoroughly with her friend had put him in a good mood.
"Wow, he's a total hottie~" Sonoko, catching Ran's words, turned to look — and her eyes lit up instantly. She nudged Xia Yu with her elbow, diving straight into gossip. "Wait, is he the one who sent you that love letter? Are you two on a date?"
"Of course not." Xia Yu shot down Sonoko's wild speculation without a moment's hesitation.
She introduced the two of them to each other, then gave a brief account of what had happened back at Twilight Mansion.
"We just happened to run into each other today, and since it felt like fate, we ended up chatting for a while — that's all." Xia Yu explained to Sonoko.
She and Aether had already discussed this beforehand: if they ran into anyone they knew, they would say the two of them were friends.
After all, it was obvious Aether would keep finding ways to see her, and neither of them wanted to sneak around forever. Bumping into acquaintances was inevitable — so it was simplest to just present them as friends.
Even if Conan found out, there was nothing he could do about it. He certainly wasn't going to tell her anything about the Organization, which meant he had no real grounds to stop her from spending time with her own friend.
"Oh, I see." Having heard the explanation, Sonoko looked a little deflated, but she gave up on trying to pair Xia Yu and Morikawa together.
"Miss Suzuki, it's a pleasure." Aether greeted Sonoko formally, then looked down at Conan, his smile widening just slightly. "And this little guy, too. We meet again, don't we?"
"H-hello." Conan's body was rigid. He kept his eyes locked on Cointreau, tracking the man's every movement.
What on earth is Cointreau after?!
"Oh right — Sonoko, you mentioned a love letter? Xia Yu got a love letter?"
Girls seemed naturally sensitive to this sort of thing. Ran had pricked up her ears the moment Sonoko first brought up the letter, but it hadn't been convenient to ask until now. The instant the topic came back around, she pounced on it.
"That's right, Xia Yu, you never actually explained the whole love letter business!" Sonoko's attention swung straight back to the matter at hand — the one that actually interested her.
Pinned under the combined interrogation of Sonoko and Ran, Xia Yu had no choice but to give them a rough account of the letter.
"Wow! What if he's planning some kind of romantic surprise for you?" Sonoko's eyes sparkled as she finished listening, hands clasped to her chest, lost in a dreamy fantasy.
"I wouldn't count on it. That guy couldn't even be bothered to write your love letter properly, Sis — for all we know, he doesn't take you seriously at all." Conan shot Sonoko a look of utter exasperation.
Even with Cointreau looming right there like a hawk, Conan couldn't help letting his worry show after hearing Xia Yu's description of the letter. "Xia Yu, if you're really going tomorrow, at least take someone with you."
Perhaps his brain really had short-circuited under the pressure of Cointreau's presence, because just then he was treating Xia Yu like any ordinary girl.
But even with his wits about him, he'd have given the same advice — there were dangers in this world that no amount of martial arts skill could ward off.
"See? The little guy's got a point. I knew that man was up to no good." The suggestion landed squarely in his favor, and Cointreau couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle Conan's hair by way of reward.
Conan, naturally, did not take the gesture as praise. All he felt was the pressure of that palm on his head — heavy, deliberate, like a quiet threat. Under that hand he didn't dare move a muscle, holding his body stiff as a board and letting Cointreau do as he pleased.
Why is the little bract being so obedient all of a sudden?
Sonoko watched Conan sit meekly under Mr. Morikawa's hand — a far cry from his usual restless squirming — and couldn't help muttering to herself in puzzlement.
But she didn't dwell on it. Xia Yu's situation mattered more right now. You could never be too careful with strangers, and honestly, someone ought to tag along. "Then how about it, Xia Yu — I'll go with you?"
"......"
If you toned down that excited look on your face just a little, Sonoko, I might actually believe you volunteered out of concern instead of a craving for a front-row seat to the drama.
"Sure, why not."
She wasn't that invested in the whole affair anyway — if Sonoko wanted to come, the more the merrier. And even if the sender really did have designs on her, he hardly posed any real danger.
When he heard that Xia Yu had accepted Miss Suzuki's offer, Aether seized the excuse that two girls shouldn't go alone and insisted on coming along too.
By the time everything was settled, the party had grown and grown — until Mouri Ran and Conan had joined as well.
The group chatted a while longer after that.
Conan watched Cointreau deftly fishing for information from Ran without leaving a single trace, and fretted inwardly — though there was nothing whatsoever he could do about it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The sky had begun to darken. Cointreau had, in truth, been out far longer than he should have, and at last he bade Xia Yu and the others farewell.
He made his way to the parking lot and stopped beside his own car, one hand resting on the door handle — where it suddenly went still.
A soft laugh escaped him as he lowered his head. Then he let go of the handle and turned to look behind him. "Following me all this way — is there something you want? Lit-tle guy?"
The silence that followed stretched on and on. There seemed to be no one there at all — as if his senses had simply deceived him.
But Cointreau stayed exactly where he stood, his eyes fixed steadily on one particular direction, as if to say: I know you're there.