Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

Four p.m.

Morofushi Kagemitsu was awakened by the vibration of his cell phone in his pocket.

He opened his eyes, only dazed for a second before quickly becoming fully awake. Grabbing his phone, he scanned his surroundings: "How long have I been asleep?"

After completing the check-up, Morofushi Hiromitsu first called Furuya Rei, and then planned to return to the Metropolitan Police Department. He originally wanted to drive, but suddenly felt very tired, so at the urging of his colleagues, he leaned back in the back seat and closed his eyes for a short rest.

I didn't expect to fall asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

"About half an hour," the colleague driving in the front seat replied.

Looking out the car window, Morofushi Kagemitsu saw the sign for Beika Park ahead, confirmed his current location, and then answered the phone.

The call was from another public security officer from the Metropolitan Police Department. As soon as the call connected, the other person's voice boomed through the phone: "Hey, Morofushi, where are you right now?"

"We've completed the inspection and left Tokai Village. We've just arrived in Beika Town." Morofushi Kagemitsu estimated the distance. "We'll be back at the Metropolitan Police Department in about 20 minutes."

The manager on the other side grunted in agreement, then suddenly said, "Let Nojima come back. You should go back and rest for a while today."

Zhu Fujingguang was taken aback.

"Actually, I called you half an hour ago, right after you finished the inspection and got in the car. You didn't answer then, so I had to call Nojima. He said you fell asleep as soon as you got in the car and didn't wake up when he called you."

The manager sighed, and the faint sound of documents being turned over could be heard from across the room: "I'm looking at the report you submitted when you returned to work last week, and I noticed that a psychological evaluation is missing. Didn't you have it done then?"

Morofushi Kagemitsu paused for a moment before explaining, "At the time, I was injected with an unknown drug, and the doctor only performed a physical examination on me. The scheduled psychological check-up was two months later."

Some jobs require regular psychological checkups. It's okay for ordinary police officers to skip one occasionally, but for him, a former undercover agent, it was a yearly checkup without fail.

“Take some time to do it in the next couple of days,” the manager said.

Morofushi Kagemitsu frowned, and he, who always obeyed his superiors, began to argue: "Commander, the organization took action today, and even kidnapped a colleague to livestream the killing. The impact is too bad. I cannot leave my post to rest at a time like this."

"I know, I know, don't get agitated."

The manager reassured him twice.

“I’m swamped here. Besides Eto, I’ve also heard from Shibuya that a bunch of bombs have been planted near the station, and there was just a shooting that almost caused panic among the people. I have to send people to investigate… But even though I’m busy, I have to consider whether you’re in the right condition to continue working.”

“Especially you, Zhufu.”

The person on the other end sighed again.

“I know you hate that organization and that member codenamed ‘Aniset’ to the core. But look at your work performance today. To put it bluntly, you’re not only not helping, you’re probably dragging others down.”

"..."

Morofushi Kagemitsu realized something and turned his gaze to his colleague who was driving in front.

The colleague who truthfully reported his day to his supervisor avoided his gaze. The car's speed gradually slowed down without him even noticing.

"Zhufu?" the officer shouted, "Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," Morifushi Kagemitsu replied, his eyes lowered. "I'm sorry, I'll adjust myself."

He knows his current state.

From the moment he learned of Eto's disappearance and saw the signature on that note, he became more agitated than usual.

First, in the detention center, he was so focused on asking more questions that he neglected to carefully observe the reactions of the person being interrogated, which is the responsibility of an interrogator.
Then in Donghai Village, when they heard the alarm sound, the two people in charge ran away as their first reaction, but he instinctively tried to rush inside, forgetting even his protective gear. It was his colleagues who desperately pulled him back.

—Because he realized that since the danger had just occurred, the person who caused it might not have gone far. If he rushed over immediately, he might be able to catch her.

In his impulsive moment, he almost forgot where he was. If there had been a trap, he would probably be dead, and he would have also endangered his colleagues and the two ordinary people who had been called to help.

This was a serious dereliction of duty on his part.

Upon hearing Morofushi Kagemitsu's reassurance, the officer on the other side comforted him again, "Take a good rest, Morofushi. I'll let you know if there's an emergency."

……

Morobuchi Kagemitsu got off the bus at the street.

He usually lived in a somewhat remote place, and the hospital wasn't on the way back to the Metropolitan Police Department, so he didn't ask his colleagues to take a detour to send him there; he planned to take the train himself.

Just before heading to the station, he somehow slipped and ended up in the nearby Mihua Park.

The heavy rain started this morning and has been falling for almost the entire day, only now gradually subsiding. While large commercial streets and scenic spots may still have many tourists, parks like this one built near residential areas are not so crowded.

Morofushi Kagemitsu walked slowly alone, without an umbrella.

He didn't go far and soon arrived at the lakeside, where he noticed a pavilion. The pavilion wasn't large, only able to accommodate four or five people, and had stone benches for resting. Seeing that no one was inside, he went in and sat down.

He was only half-sitting, and his posture was not relaxed; it was a position where he could get up at any time to attack or dodge.

From a distance, Morofushi Kagemitsu gazed at the lake not far away, quietly watching the ripples spreading across its surface in the rain.

In such a peaceful and serene atmosphere, his hands, which were resting on his knees, slowly tightened. Everything that happened today was similar to what happened three years ago, yet different.

Three years ago, on that day, Morofushi Kagemitsu and Furuya Rei were separated in two different places, both facing a huge crisis.

At that time, Morofushi Hiromitsu fell into the organization's trap and his identity was exposed. After getting off the car in Anise, he was almost shot by a sniper who was lying in ambush nearby. He was chased by various members all the way until he was rescued by the Public Security Bureau.
Rei Furuya didn't reveal his identity to the organization members at the time, but his situation wasn't much better.

At the time, he was in Moscow, surrounded by ordinary students, without any help. He was confronted by international bombers like Pramiya, and backed by Curaçao, a trusted confidant of the top leader. The headquarters of the Russian intelligence agency was right next to him. Under these circumstances, he received an emergency evacuation order.

Three years later, they are still separated by distance and have encountered different crises.

Morofushi Kagemitsu's junior colleagues in the Public Security Bureau were kidnapped, murdered, and even had their stories recorded and broadcast as live, threatening to be shown on television stations so that the whole of Japan could see it.

During his investigation, he learned about the sordid past behind the junior's glamorous facade, the superior's past favoritism and protection, and how the junior even risked his life to enter a dangerous nuclear-contaminated area.

As for Furuya Rei, he concealed it well during that phone call, but he couldn't hide it from his childhood friend, Morofushi Kagemitsu.

Since it involved a police department mission, and Furuya Rei still had the energy to answer the phone, it proved that the problem was still within a manageable range, so Morofushi Kagemitsu did not pursue the matter further.

So what is Anisette's purpose this time?
If her target three years ago was the two undercover police officers, what is her purpose this time?
Morofushi Kagemitsu tried to figure it out, but he had too few clues, and he wasn't sure if those were all the clues he had.

Anisette is different from Gin. Gin will immediately raise his gun when he encounters an enemy, his malice and killing intent are very straightforward; Anisette is different. She can maintain an unchanging attitude towards her enemies until the very last second, and in the end, she smiles as she leads them to the muzzle...

Morofushi Kagemitsu tried to force himself to calm down and carefully review the events of the day. But he found that he simply couldn't calm down.

When it comes to Aniseth, he always loses his usual composure.

He didn't understand why she wanted to find Jiang Teng.
Shouldn't she be the primary target, the undercover agent who escaped from the gun and wasn't caught for three years? Why is she targeting Jiang Teng instead?
If her aim is to attack the Public Security Bureau and incite public hatred towards them, then she should also hand over Eto Daizo's past crimes to the television station and broadcast them simultaneously with the video.

That would have been a better way to stir up public opinion, but she didn't.

Conversely, due to the death of Daizo Eto, the media announced the failure of the rescue operation and released his obituary.

Many people recognized him as the police officer who stood up to reassure the public during the embassy bombing. The voices attacking the police subsided, and more people felt that the perpetrators this time were terrifying.

And why is she looking for Kadoya?
So many people have grudges against the police, and there are quite a few involved in organized crime or with power. Most of them are more capable than Kadoya. Why would she choose Kadoya, who is only seventeen years old and has just been released from a mental hospital?

"Because people like that are easy to control."

—A voice suddenly drifted lightly into Morofushi Kagemitsu's ears.

He froze, then slowly turned around.

A figure dressed in black and holding a black umbrella walked slowly down the path behind the pavilion.

The umbrella obscured his upper body, preventing him from seeing the other person's face.

"The same goes for bombs. Instead of cleaning up traces one by one, it's better to plant a bomb and solve the problem once and for all. An explosion in the crowd can also cause panic, making it easier to escape in the chaos. It's perfectly normal for those who don't like the police to do this."

The voice, indistinguishable between male and female, came through, and at the end of the sentence, the speaker even chuckled.

The low laughter mingled with the sound of rain, striking Morofushi Kagemitsu's heart like a heavy hammer, making his mind tremble.

In a daze, his mind went blank, and his body reacted before his brain. He suddenly stood up and chased after the figure that had already walked into the woods.

"Are you done with your work?... No, I'm fine. I left a while ago. I was just a little bored. The person I was supposed to meet had other things to do, so I had to ask someone else. If you're not available, then... um?"

Zhu Fujingguang extended his hand towards the other party.

The man seemed to have heard his footsteps approaching, and turned around a second before Morofushi Kagemitsu's hand touched him.

The umbrella swirled lightly between the two, and along with it, the person's long, flowing hair rose into the air. Raindrops splashed and pelted down, and in the darkness, Morofushi Kagemitsu finally made out the other person's face.

"Boom!!"

A loud bang was heard.

—As Morofushi Kagemitsu approached, the opponent not only turned around but also kicked out.

Just as the two made eye contact, the attack, which was originally intended to kick the person, was abruptly deflected and landed on an innocent tree next to them.

The tree, more than half a meter wide, shuddered from the kick, and the raindrops accumulated on its leaves poured down like a torrential downpour. The thick trunk slowly tilted to the side along the fresh break, and finally collapsed with a loud "thud."

It seemed to have hit a car parked on the side of the street. Morofushi Kagemitsu heard the piercing car horn and then suddenly stopped.

Aoyagi Akimitsu glanced at him, then turned his head to look at the spot where the tree had fallen.

"...It looks like my car was smashed," he said slowly.

Zhu Fu Jingguang: "..."

His gaze fell on the cell phone in Aoyagi Akihiro's hand.

The call didn't end; Morofushi Kagemitsu heard the person on the other end ask warily:
"What's wrong, Aoyagi? What happened to you?"

It was Shuichi Akai's voice. (End of Chapter)