After the police escorted—oh no, carried—the criminal away, the reunion between mother and daughter continued without much disturbance. Seeing that the mood was harmonious, Kazawa smoothly stuffed Conan back into Mōri Ran's arms, hinting for her to quickly take him away.
"Eh? Wasn't Conan here to study with Kazawa-kun? If he just goes back like this…" Mōri Ran felt a small bit of guilt toward the neighbor who had been helping take care of the kid.
"It's fine. I just wanted to sneak out and have some coffee… Actually, Conan-kun is picking up kanji pretty fast. He should be able to finish this book on his own." Under Conan's worried gaze—his eyes clearly screaming "Where did that book come from? Am I going to get exposed?"—Kazawa reached into his bag and actually pulled out a book.
Conan took it and saw that it really was a detective novel, one suitable for young readers—Edogawa Ranpo's The Fiend with Twenty Faces.
Conan couldn't help staring at Kazawa's thin commuter bag for a moment.
…Just what exactly is inside Kazawa's bag? Ever since he met him, the things Kazawa has pulled out of that bag include—but are not limited to—water, glasses, a notebook, books, bandages, a change of clothes… The hoodie Kazawa wore earlier was brought by himself, and just now, he even gave the police his dirty pants…
Kazawa, are you Dora○mon or something?
Kazawa obviously noticed Conan's shocked gaze, but he only smiled and said nothing.
As for the book? It was originally The Great Thief: Arsène borrowed from Shujin Academy High School's library in his archive. But for some reason, once he took it out, it turned into The Fiend with Twenty Faces. Still, it was enough to fool someone.
"Have fun," Kazawa raised his still half-full latte as a gesture. "I'll continue enjoying my coffee."
Watching the unwilling Conan get dragged away by Mōri Ran, Kazawa put away the gentle smile on his face and once again locked eyes with the man silently watching him from across the street.
Kazawa normally wouldn't leave these core plot characters behind, but while waiting for the police to take away Tonomine Jūzō, he had suddenly noticed—out of the corner of his eye—a long-haired man who wasn't hiding at all, staring straight at him.
Once again, Kazawa saw Akai Shuichi following behind him, and from the man's posture—calm, unmoving, completely unafraid of being noticed—Kazawa could tell he wanted to talk.
Previously, Kazawa had already mostly figured out that Akai Shuichi hadn't exposed his undercover identity yet, and that his current mission was related to Kazawa Akira. But getting approached directly like this was still unexpected.
Unless something had changed—something serious enough to force him to take the risk and approach Kazawa in person.
Kazawa calmly finished the last of his coffee while slowly organizing his next steps. He quietly glanced at the map in his system to check on his Tarot group. Confirming that Amuro Tōru hadn't followed and Conan had already walked far away, he finally stepped outside and walked toward Akai Shuichi.
Already certain that Kazawa had spotted his tail, Akai Shuichi wasn't surprised by his choice. He turned early and walked into the parking lot, waiting for Kazawa to follow.
"How should I address you?" Kazawa asked the moment he stopped in front of Akai Shuichi.
Akai Shuichi didn't answer right away. Instead, he carefully examined Kazawa's face.
Kazawa hadn't inherited his mother's blonde hair and green eyes. He looked more like the Miyano sisters—his eyes were perhaps even lighter, showing a cold icy blue in the sunlight.
Under the gaze of those eyes, Akai couldn't help but smile.
"You can call me Rye. Or you can call me... Akai Shuichi."
Kazawa tried hard to keep a straight face and not let his surprise show.
He had actually said his real name—and even his codename from the Organization. Kazawa had expected at most to hear something like "Moroboshi Dai."
But Akai Shuichi's next sentence completely broke Kazawa's composure.
"Or, you can also call me onii-san—big brother," Akai Shuichi said, carefully watching Kazawa's reaction as he delivered his final opening line. "Your aunt and uncle—your parents—passed away a little over two months ago."
Kazawa instinctively took half a step back. His mouth opened slightly. His pupils trembled.
Huh?! Big brother?!
Wait a minute—bridge beans*—this doesn't make sense. This script is wrong. Let him think for a second. It's a bit much.
His dad definitely didn't have the surname Akai. And Akai Shuichi just said "aunt and uncle," which means...
...Kazawa Akira's mother, Kazawa Leona—her maiden name was Sera?!
Good grief. No wonder this poor high school student suddenly got hit with everything and his life went off the rails. Turns out he's part of the Sera family line. What a cursed family!
What Akai Shuichi understood and what Kazawa was truly shocked about were clearly different things. But Akai, thinking he had explained it clearly, didn't give the trembling Kazawa much time to react before continuing:
"Your parents have been working in a hidden Organization research facility for the past eight years. They were under long-term control. For your safety, they had no choice but to leave you in Japan alone.
"They always held back against the Organization. They hid the core results of their research, and from the beginning of the project, they built strong patent protections through a dedicated lawyer. By the time the Organization noticed, it had already lost its monopoly on several formulas and technologies…
"That bought your aunt and uncle—and you—eight years of time. But now, things have changed. Akira, you're in great danger."
Akai Shuichi quickly stated his real purpose: "Come with me. Japan is the country where the Organization has its deepest roots. You're in danger every moment you stay here. I can get you out. Come with me, the sooner the better."
One lightning strike after another had left Kazawa nearly unable to respond.
Why are researchers always being persecuted? And why is it always the Sera family who gets targeted?
This stitched-together world now had another sister from the Sera family. She's also a researcher. Also targeted by the Organization. And now also… dead…
Kazawa covered his eyes with a shaking hand.
Maybe he should try to get on good terms with Dr. Agasa now. He's really scared that one day soon, he'll get drugged too, end up in a child's body, and be forced to knock on Dr. Agasa's door—proudly joining the first grade class of Teitan Elementary…
"…I guessed it already." Though Kazawa's heart was in chaos, his trembling voice wasn't entirely acting. "I should've guessed two months ago."
The death of the Kazawa couple was something he had already basically concluded. The original Kazawa's memories were like locked cabinets—only unlocking when certain keywords were triggered. But even based on what fragments he had so far, the trial of Kazawa Akira was clearly full of suspicious points.
The Kazawas weren't emotionally close due to years apart, but their love for their son was obvious. They hadn't chosen to miss out on his childhood—they had no choice.
Something as serious as a trial, there's no way they would've just left it to a lawyer without keeping track.
Now, with Akai Shuichi's confirmation, it was likely that the two events were connected: the Kazawas, who had been deep inside the Organization, died. Then, without protection, Kazawa Akira quickly got framed and was isolated from everyone, handed over to two members with Organization codenames.
As for those two being counterfeit alcohol... well, even the Organization didn't expect that—what a mutually chaotic surprise.
Kazawa dropped his hand and asked, "Rye—what does that mean? What is that Organization? How did they die? And how do you know about my parents?"