The Bank Robbery
Suddenly, Genta clutched his stomach and crouched down on the floor, his face twisted in misery. His gluttony had caught up with him — he'd stuffed himself far too full, and now his stomach was paying the price.
Watching him writhe in discomfort, Haibara felt a flicker of concern. She decided the best thing would be to go buy some medicine to ease his pain, so she turned to the Professor and said, "Professor, why don't we step out together and pick something up for him?"
But just then, Baizhu called out to stop them. "Hold on a moment! As it happens, I have a way to make Genta feel better. When it comes to children, it's best to avoid medicine whenever possible."
With that, he walked over to Genta, crouched down, and gently pressed his fingers against the boy's stomach a few times.
"Whoa! It really doesn't hurt as much anymore!" Genta stared down at his own belly in astonishment.
"That should just about do it. Now all you need is a trip to the restroom and you'll be right as rain." Baizhu withdrew his hand, rose to his feet, and looked at Professor Agasa. "Professor, would you mind holding our place in line? I'll take Genta here to the restroom."
"Wait! We're coming too!" The moment the words left his mouth, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi grabbed Conan, Haibara, and Qiqi and trailed along after them.
"Eh? There's really no need for everyone to tag along just for a bathroom trip, is there?" Professor Agasa scratched his head in mild exasperation as the children marched off one after another.
Outside the men's restroom.
Baizhu looked down at the group. "I'll take Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Conan inside. Qiqi, Ayumi, Haibara — you three can wait by the door."
While Genta was using the restroom, the others chatted idly and waited patiently for him. Then, without warning, a tremendous noise shattered the calm.
Haibara's whole body went taut. Her instincts told her at once that the sound had almost certainly been a gunshot. Without a second's hesitation, she grabbed Ayumi and Qiqi and darted straight into the restroom beside them.
Conan, too, grasped just how serious the situation had become.
When he saw Haibara usher Ayumi and Qiqi into the bathroom and regroup with them, he let out a small breath of relief, then announced without a moment's delay, "Hide in the stalls, all of you. I'm going to check what's happening out there."
The words had barely left his mouth before he found himself frozen in place — the only adult present had planted a hand squarely on his head. "What on earth are you thinking? There's no way I'm letting a little boy wander off into danger all by himself."
With that, Baizhu had Qiqi clamp onto Conan, and then slipped silently out of the restroom.
Conan couldn't wrap his head around it. Qiqi looked so small and frail, yet her grip was iron. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free, and all he could do was watch helplessly as Dr. Baizhu walked away.
Before long, Dr. Baizhu returned to the restroom.
"It's a bank robbery — five gunmen. You children stay hidden in the stalls here for now. In a little while, I'll go out and see if I can..."
He broke off mid-sentence, his eyes flicking toward the door. He seemed to have caught some movement outside. Raising a finger to his lips, he signaled the children to keep absolutely quiet — someone was coming.
He herded the kids into the stalls to hide, then positioned himself behind the restroom door.
Moments later, two sets of footsteps approached the entrance, one trailing the other. Baizhu slowed his breathing to a whisper.
Then, to his surprise, a vaguely familiar figure stepped through the doorway of the men's restroom. Though the woman's eyes and mouth were sealed with tape, Baizhu recognized her at a glance — Agent Judy of the FBI.
Now was hardly the time for reunions. Right on Judy's heels came a robber, a gun pressed against her back.
"Get in there!" The robber shoved Judy hard. Blinded by the tape, she stumbled forward several steps.
Noticing that one of the stall doors stood open, the robber moved to shove her toward it — completely unaware of the figure gliding soundlessly up behind him.
Baizhu waited behind the door, watching in stillness as the robber and Judy came in. The instant the man moved to push Judy into the stall, Baizhu found his angle and struck — a savage blow to the back of the robber's neck.
The man didn't even have time to cry out. He crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Judy, still blindfolded, heard the sudden thud of a body hitting the ground behind her, and her heart clenched. Then a familiar voice sounded at her ear. "Miss Judy — don't move just yet. I'll get that tape off for you."
"Ms. Judy, are you okay?" By now the children, hearing that the danger outside had passed, emerged from the stalls.
"Dr. Baizhu? What are you doing here? And... how do you two know each other?" Once the tape was peeled away and she confirmed it really was Dr. Baizhu from Haido Central Hospital, Judy couldn't hide her astonishment at this unexpected encounter.
As she recalled their previous meetings — back when Shuichi was still around, when Baizhu had even treated Shuichi's wounds — a trace of sorrow brushed across her heart.