GOAL BONUS CHAPTER #9
Jiang Xia was deep in thought, wondering which window he should sneak through at the doctor's house later that night, when the doorbell suddenly rang.
He opened the door and found Haibara Ai standing there, looking absolutely miserable. If there were a sign above her head, it would've read, "I'm here to die."
Haibara Ai glanced up at him, then whispered, "Don't tell them I'm here."
Jiang Xia blinked in confusion, quickly realizing what she meant — she was acting like Conan at KTV, assuming that Jiang Xia recognized her identity.
Jiang Xia: ...
...Why does it seem like one or two people keep trying to take off their vests in front of him?
Does he really look like the kind of guy who enjoys picking up discarded vests?
He stared at Haibara Ai, her face so serious, and sighed. The joy I just had... gone in an instant.
But whatever. Haibara Ai's cover would have been blown sooner or later, so it was only a few hours earlier than expected.
Jiang Xia rubbed Haibara Ai's head absentmindedly, replying to her request: "Sure. But in exchange, you'll have to pretend you don't know me — today is our first meeting."
With that settled, Jiang Xia walked back into the house, ready to get back to his relaxing ghost mint rolling.
Haibara Ai stared after him, shocked. Wait a second... something's not right!
Jiang Xia clearly hated her. And he had always taken the organization's mission seriously. The whole "Sherry's defection" business wasn't something to take lightly, and Jiang Xia would never let her off the hook. So why did he agree to her ridiculous request?
On the way here, Haibara Ai had mentally prepared herself to be a corpse dumped in the street. Now, she was far braver than usual.
She pushed open the door and followed Jiang Xia into the house, grabbing his arm. "You—"
"I haven't received a mission to catch you." Jiang Xia cut her off immediately. The moment Haibara Ai opened her mouth, Jiang Xia quickly stifled all her budding questions. He had already noticed the doctor walking by with something, and if Haibara Ai kept talking, she'd risk blowing the old man's cover.
He succinctly added, "Work is work, life is life. When I'm not working, I just want to enjoy my days like a normal high school student. So, if possible, please stop talking about the organization in front of me."
Haibara Ai stared at him, stunned.
That terrifying, cold-blooded organization, which seemed to have its hands everywhere — to Jiang Xia, it was just a job? Is that how it is?
Before... Jiang Xia had treated her with contempt, but it wasn't because he hated her personally. In his eyes, she was just another cog in a machine that could make him work overtime at any moment.
Thinking about it, Jiang Xia had helped her find things she'd lost multiple times.
Suddenly, Haibara Ai felt guilty, a little sorry for him. Jiang Xia probably hadn't viewed it like this from the start. His ability to detach himself from the organization and treat it like "work" was more like a healthy mindset. A calm after the storm.
Come to think of it, she thought, a year ago, Jiang Xia was still on the brink of death...
Her hand unconsciously loosened from his arm, and she touched his left wrist.
The scar was faint but still raised under his thin wristband. Haibara Ai's gaze softened as her fingers lingered there for a moment. Should I ask if it hurts? she thought.
But when she looked up, she saw Jiang Xia staring at her, an expression that said, I took you as a partner, and you actually molested me.
Haibara Ai: ...
She quickly yanked her hand away. "I didn't mean that!"
Jiang Xia nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, I get it. You just slipped and accidentally touched me." He sounded exactly like an honest man brushing off a rogue's refusal to pay up on the bus.
A vein popped out of Haibara Ai's forehead. "I…!"
"Ai-chan! You didn't bring the lunch box." Dr. Agasa's voice came from the door.
Haibara Ai froze. She remembered her promise to help Jiang Xia cover his vest. She took a deep breath, swallowing back all the words she wanted to say, nearly choking on her internal frustration.
In her mind, Jiang Xia was a strict workaholic, dedicated to the organization. He was without personal desires, without feelings, occasionally self-destructive.
But now... why?
Haibara Ai's mood was a whirlwind of confusion.
But then she realized — maybe this was a good thing. If Jiang Xia had been the person she thought he was, she would have been lying on a dissection table by now.
Dr. Agasa walked into the room, sensing the strange atmosphere.
He scratched the back of his head, unsure of what was going on. First, he placed the heavy lunch box down in front of Jiang Xia, then turned to Haibara Ai, giving her a puzzled look. "What was all that about? You suddenly rushed out of the door…"
"It's nothing." Haibara Ai turned her eyes away, immediately returning to her usual indifferent, calm demeanor.
She straightened her hair and said with perfect composure, "I just didn't expect someone to accept the idea of 'adults getting smaller' without batting an eye. I used to think my research theory would be hard for anyone to accept, so I got a little excited."
"Ah, I get it." Dr. Agasa miraculously connected the dots. He nodded enthusiastically. "It's like meeting a fellow enthusiast! As a quirky inventor myself, I completely understand. But…"
Dr. Agasa pointed to himself and softly said, "Well, don't I accept your theory too...?"
"You're different. You're old, so you're more open to this kind of strange power than others." Haibara Ai's eyes flitted past Dr. Agasa and landed on Jiang Xia, who was now engrossed in opening the lunch box.
Her expression softened. She turned and began walking out the door, pulling the doctor along with her while planting seeds of thought. "Young people are the trendsetters of this new era. If he can accept this, it shows that my research direction is promising... By the way, you haven't told Kudo Shinichi about me yet, right?"
Dr. Agasa, fully led by Haibara Ai's persuasive words, immediately forgot the previous topic. "Not yet," he replied.
Dr. Agasa had originally planned to tell Conan, but Haibara Ai had woken up faster than expected. The doctor, now enjoying the joy of taking care of this newly discovered "little girl," had temporarily put that thought aside.
"That's good." Haibara Ai turned around and gave Dr. Agasa a mysterious smile. "Don't tell him yet. I want to contact him myself, okay?"
*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*
Glossary:
Vest: Refers to a metaphorical "cover" or "identity" that people try to maintain. In this context, Haibara Ai is worried about her identity being exposed.
"Adults getting smaller": Refers to the condition caused by the drug that shrinks adults into children, a key part of the story.