Chapter 255: "Protecting" Alhaitham
Haibara glanced around, scanning the equipment in the vicinity, trying to work out why Barbara's singing had been able to sway her mood the way it had.
Whatever the case, with a scientist's knowledge to draw on, she simply refused to believe that a person's singing alone could influence someone's emotions. Her instinct told her some kind of device had to be involved.
Yet she hadn't found a single suspicious piece of equipment on the scene, and in the end she could only chalk it up to the Teyvat Syndicate's mysterious methods.
Since there was still some time before Nilou's performance, Amuro excused himself, telling the others he was going to step away and use the restroom for a moment.
The moment Conan heard that, he chimed in, saying he needed to go too and that he wanted to come along with Amuro-nii-san — then, feigning a desperate urge, he grabbed Amuro's hand and tugged him off.
"Mr. Amuro, is it true? Did Alhaitham really hold a position as impressive as Acting Grand Sage?" As soon as they reached a corner near the restrooms, Conan fired off the question, barely able to wait.
"Hard to say." Amuro shook his head, his tone tinged with regret. "That country is simply too far away, and the information there is locked down tight. There's no way to learn the truth in a short amount of time. That said — the post of Grand Sage at their research institute really was changed hands recently."
"Then what Miss Nilou told us is very likely true. Which means Nilou herself..."
Nilou was one of the Teyvat Syndicate's people. If she could take part in an operation like this, could she — beyond that identity — be hiding some other, secret one as well?
"As far as my investigation goes, Miss Nilou is nothing more than an ordinary dancer from that country."
Amuro found it a little hard to square, too. Granted, the investigation had been brief, but Nilou was, after all, merely an employee at a theater — unlike Alhaitham, whose ties to the research institute had gotten his records buried. Because of that, Amuro had been able to dig up her history from childhood without much difficulty.
The information was fairly exhaustive, and judged from that record, Nilou was an ordinary person through and through.
And it wasn't just Nilou. Xiangling, Noelle — even Diluc and Lisa — their births, upbringings, and life histories were all crystal clear, with no trace of fabrication whatsoever.
If not for the identical Vision accessories they all carried, there would be nothing to suggest that these people from different countries, with such different lives, were connected at all — let alone that they belonged to the same organization.
Which was precisely what bothered him. Looking at some of their life stories, they had absolutely no motive to do any of this...
Amuro's curiosity about the Teyvat Syndicate only deepened. He genuinely wanted to know how their boss had managed to find all of these supremely capable, multi-talented, wildly individual people — and brought them into the organization without any fear of betrayal.
"So then..." Conan was just about to say something when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a vaguely familiar figure passing by not far from them.
It was someone who had no business being here. Conan's face went rigid with shock, his eyes snapping wide open.
Amuro noticed Conan's unusual reaction at once and knew something was wrong. He turned to follow Conan's gaze — and a flicker of surprise crossed his own face a heartbeat later.
"That boy who showed up out of nowhere at the hospital back then..." Conan lowered his voice, warning him.
"Mm." Amuro nodded. "One of the Black Organization's." He put the faintest extra weight on the words.
But why on earth would one of their people show up here?
At that thought, Amuro and Conan exchanged a glance. Each knew the other was thinking exactly the same thing; they gave each other a small nod and, softening their footsteps, tailed the boy together.
The boy — the Wanderer, as they knew him — behaved contrary to both their expectations. He made no effort to avoid the crowds at all; instead, he strode forward with a furrowed brow, as though searching for someone, and he carried himself nothing like a man on a mission.
"What is he even trying to do?" Conan murmured.
Amuro shook his head — he had no idea. All they could do was keep following the boy and see what he was actually up to.
After walking some distance, the Wanderer came to a stop, and Amuro and Conan halted their tailing in step, using the surrounding crowd to screen their figures while they looked for a chance to edge closer.
"Someone like you has an interest in a cultural performance like this?" the Wanderer asked, his expression laced with mockery.
"I was simply lending a hand where it was convenient." Alhaitham answered offhandedly.
It was at this point that Conan and Amuro finally got a clear look at the person standing beside the boy — Alhaitham.
Astonishing, certainly — but on reflection it made a certain sense. They were all Black Organization operatives, after all; it would hardly be strange for them to know each other.
But for two of them to appear together at the venue of the idol competition — that was another matter entirely. That was out of the ordinary.
Alhaitham arched an eyebrow. "And why did you come?"
The Wanderer gave a cold snort. "Hah. A researcher like you can hardly go wandering out of the organization's base on a whim. Naturally, someone from the operations division has to keep an eye on you."
Then the Wanderer swept his gaze over Alhaitham from head to toe, turned his head away with a dissatisfied click of his tongue, and said, "Empty formalities. Certain someone hardly needs an escort from the operations division, I'd say."
Alhaitham's expression didn't shift an inch. "You mean surveillance, don't you?"