GOAL BONUS CHAPTER #6
The playboy froze. "...!!!" The little brat had overheard him chatting with his friends on the phone!
You can talk like that to your friends, but never to your prey. The corner of the playboy's eye twitched as he was questioned. His guilt was apparent, and without thinking, he rushed toward Conan, trying to shut the nagging kid up before he could run his mouth to Suzuki Sonoko.
However, before he even got close, Conan suddenly took off. Jiang Xia grabbed the back of Conan's collar and yanked him over to the other side.
The playboy, startled, stumbled forward but hesitated when his eyes met Jiang Xia's. He froze in place, momentarily paralyzed by the look in Jiang Xia's eyes.
And then, just as the tension hung in the air, a sharp slap echoed.
Suzuki Sonoko, who had never seen a pig run but certainly eaten her fair share of pork, understood the implication of Conan's words all too well. Furious, she slapped the playboy in full view. Her expression was one of pure disdain. What was this so-called "mature and charming" adult? Shameless! Anyone who went as far as holding hands on the first date was a hooligan! This wasn't at all what she envisioned for a romantic encounter.
Feeling embarrassed by ever trusting such a scumbag, Suzuki Sonoko couldn't bear to stay any longer. She turned and stalked off, fuming.
The playboy, still rubbing his stinging cheek, looked at her retreating figure, his expression darkening. However, before he could act on his anger, a chill shot down his spine. He turned to find Jiang Xia's eyes still fixed on him, silently observing. There was no obvious threat in Jiang Xia's gaze, but there was an unsettling look of expectation, as if he were silently searching for something.
The playboy's skin prickled, and his face paled. He snorted coldly and hurried away.
Jiang Xia, disappointed, watched him leave. After searching his face for a while, he sighed. It seemed some people were just too timid. Sometimes, that wasn't exactly an advantage…
With a regretful shake of his head, Jiang Xia dropped the stick he had been holding and walked away indifferently.
Today, a murder had occurred at the store, which canceled his part-time job for the day. Jiang Xia returned to the office to tackle some odd tasks instead.
Normally, Akemi Miyano would find a place to relax and spread out, but today, she seemed unusually restless, pacing back and forth like someone on edge.
The further away a ghost was from the psychic, the more energy was required to maintain them.
If Akemi Miyano were to stay close to Haibara Ai, most of the ghosts would be left starving in the near future.
In situations with limited survival materials, it was better not to get involved in unnecessary distractions. As they say, "rarest is the most expensive," and instead of watching Sherry every day, seeing her every other day would be more likely to produce surprises. And it would be more sustainable too.
Thinking about this, Jiang Xia felt somewhat relieved.
Turning around, he picked a direction where Akemi Miyano couldn't see him and sat back down to his task with renewed focus.
When work ended, Jiang Xia headed home. He decided to take Akemi Miyano to the doctor's house to check on things, and, while he was at it, perhaps remind Haibara Ai not to "tear his vest."
Of course, he couldn't just go there directly.
Usually, Dr. Agasa would come to him with some new invention or drag him to his house to show it off. Jiang Xia rarely took the initiative to visit.
If Haibara Ai had just arrived, he could have gone there for no reason, but that seemed like it would create an awkward situation down the line. It might eventually lead to a "clue" that "Jiang Xia knew members of the Black Organization and knew that she was now at the doctor's house."
Though this would never be solid evidence—and it would be hard for normal people to make the connection—it was still a clue.
Dr. Agasa likely wouldn't notice, but with Conan around, who was exceptionally good at picking up on clues, it would be even more troublesome if Conan suddenly started stripping "vests" for a living.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Xia went to the basement, picked up a random soldering iron, and started fiddling with it, creating a reasonable excuse for himself.
Before leaving, he grabbed a box of hardcover instant noodles as a gift and headed straight for Dr. Agasa's house.
Dr. Agasa, the renowned tech nerd, was indeed at home. He was currently discussing a new invention with Haibara Ai.
Haibara Ai looked a little absent-minded. After narrowly escaping death yesterday, she was still recovering and feeling exhausted.
She patiently stayed with the doctor to watch the new invention, partly because Dr. Agasa had always been kind to her. Secondly, when she woke up yesterday, she had been so frightened by the memories before she passed out that when she saw Dr. Agasa enter the room, she threw a decorative piece at him in fear.
Though she missed him completely, the ornament shattered instead, and Dr. Agasa, covering his face in distress, bent down to collect the broken pieces, tears welling up in his eyes as he did so.
Sherry watched all of this warily. But after a while, her conscience started to bother her.
She remembered what Xiaobai had threatened her with before she fainted: "When you wake up, don't mention me to anyone" and "If you run away, I'll kill anyone you come into contact with."
Those words were clearly threatening. However, now that Xiaobai wasn't around, she felt a little less on edge as she remembered his face.
Still, that allowed her to think more clearly.
Based on Xiaobai's threats, since he didn't want to be mentioned, it meant Dr. Agasa wasn't an accomplice. If he were, Xiaobai wouldn't have warned her.
So why did Xiaobai give her to this old man? What was special about him besides his strange choice in ornaments and his overly sentimental tears?
As Dr. Agasa busied himself picking up the pieces of the ornament, he asked Haibara Ai how she was feeling, then handed her a piece of coffee candy.
"Xiaobai asked me to remind you," he said casually, "Don't forget what you promised."
In Dr. Agasa's mind, it was just a cute little exchange between two kids—nothing to think too much about.
Sherry took the candy with a look of reluctance, examining the broken package. She thought for a moment.
Xiaobai had asked Dr. Agasa to remind her not to run away. That was somewhat considerate. But a piece of candy… and a broken one at that? Could it be a message? Maybe he was trying to show that if she disobeyed, she would end up broken like the candy?
Or was he so childish that he thought candy could be used as a threat?
None of it seemed that threatening, really.
Even if he was part of that mysterious organization, even if he secretly injected her with anesthetic or threatened her with harsh words… she still saw Xiaobai as just another kid suffering from "middle school syndrome."
With a sigh, Sherry cursed the mysterious organization in her heart.
She hadn't eaten in a while, and now that hunger hit her, she tore open the candy wrapper, tossed the broken pieces in her mouth, and chewed.
...It tasted sweet.
But she was still hungry.
Dr. Agasa, noticing her actions, quickly reacted.
"I'll go get you something to eat!" he said and hurried out of the room.
Sherry, left alone, nodded weakly. She slumped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Forget it. She had nowhere else to go. At least this place was better than the gas chamber of that mysterious organization.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 3/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:0/10*