The Tennis Match
Sora didn't dwell on it for long. After leaving that place, he went straight to see Neuvillette, and the two of them discussed their plans for what came next.
"The plan is sound enough. But how exactly do you intend to make the Black Organization shift the center of gravity of its European operations to Fontaine?" Neuvillette asked.
Sora considered it carefully. A large-scale personnel transfer was simply impossible to conceal from the Organization's boss for any length of time.
Worse still, until recently he himself had been the Organization's man in charge of Europe. If any trace of this was ever discovered, he would be the prime suspect without question.
Which meant the safest path was for the boss himself to issue the transfer order. Only then would the risk be tolerable.
Under ordinary circumstances, though, that was nothing short of impossible. The Organization's European operations had settled into stability, and the boss — that old man — had grown visibly more conservative with age. Unless there was profit enough to justify it, he would never willingly act in a way that increased unnecessary exposure.
So the task now was to make the boss believe that moving the European center of gravity would be worth his while.
In truth, that part was easy.
The boss's goals had always been crystal clear — rejuvenation, and the restoration of life itself.
Which meant the answer was simplicity itself...
"All we need to do is let that old man learn of a plant that grows only in Fontaine — one that would aid his experiments. He's always placed enormous importance on that research. He won't be able to resist."
"I understand. I'll see to the arrangements myself," Neuvillette said with a nod.
Meanwhile, on the other side of things, the case had come to a close.
The culprit was in custody, and the rest had little to do with onlookers like Mouri Kogoro — Kudou Yusaku and his wife would handle the explanations on their behalf.
Before departing, the couple did hand over the provisional APTX4869 antidote that Haibara had entrusted to them, passing it along to Conan.
As for Lyney and Lynette, they still had performance-related matters to attend to, so they took their leave as well.
And Conan — who, having sensed that the Professor was onto him, had been pinned under that unwavering gaze and unable to make a single move — could only watch their departing backs with regret and let out a sigh.
"Haaah. They're long gone already. You can stop watching me now, right?" Conan said wearily, squinting up at Professor Agasa. "Come on, have a little faith in me, okay? Ran's right here — I'm obviously not going to do anything dangerous that would drag her into it."
Professor Agasa, looking a touch sheepish, scratched his head and chuckled. "Ha ha, sorry, sorry. It's just that Ai said if you get worked up, who knows what you might do. She specifically asked me to keep an eye on you."
Conan looked away. "I-is that so."
"Conan, what are you and the Professor whispering about over there?" Ran asked as she came over, conversationally.
Before Conan could answer, she thrust up the several tickets in her hand, eyes shining. "Look! Tickets to the Wimbledon tennis match! Miss Minerva Glass just gave them to me — we can all go watch together tomorrow, and they're for the front rows, too!"
"It's just a shame Shinichi had to leave suddenly for something. He won't get to come along."
"Y-yeah, that's right," Conan managed, feeling a stab of guilt. "A case came up out of nowhere, so Shinichi-niichan couldn't exactly help it. Ha, ha." He finished with two awkward laughs.
......
Time slipped by, and soon it was the next day and the match was beginning.
True to her title as the "Grass Court Queen," Minerva Glass seized control of the match's tempo from start to finish, drawing round after round of cheers from the surrounding crowd.
Mouri Ran and the others found their eyes locked onto that small yellow ball, heads turning left and right as it flew back and forth between Minerva and her opponent — until at last it landed on Minerva's side of the court.
"Out! Point, Minerva Glass!"
"Miss Glass!" Ran clapped with all her might.
Relaxing now that the point was over, Ran smoothed her hair back a little and let her gaze wander idly across the stands opposite. Suddenly something caught her eye, and she tugged at Mouri Kogoro's sleeve in surprise. "Dad, look! Isn't that Lady Diana sitting in the royal box over there?"
"What?!" Her words startled Kogoro, and he immediately craned his neck to look in the direction she was pointing.
At the same moment, Conan, sitting beside them, turned his head over in curiosity, following Ran's gaze toward the royal box. To see more clearly, he even adjusted the focus of the glasses Professor Agasa had invented.
"No doubt about it — that's Lady Diana," Conan concluded after studying the box carefully, then couldn't help marveling. "To think Lady Diana was actually a member of the royal family..."
Still curious, Conan swept his lenses across the people seated around Lady Diana.
Though he recognized hardly any of them, a handful of faces he'd glimpsed on television in the past was enough to convince him that these were, almost without exception, political and business dignitaries from nations around the world.
Then, suddenly, a figure he had seen only yesterday came into view.
Neuvillette!
Why on earth was *he* sitting in the royal box?!