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

Karasuma Mochizuki discovers that his daughter is very fond of Artemis.

In their daily phone calls, Karasuma Sakura no longer only mentioned what rehabilitation training Hina had done that day; she also mentioned the boy more and more often.

“Raising boys and girls is really different,” Karasuma Sakura remarked.

"...What did he do?"

Karasuma Mochizuki knew that Artemis also had an organization codename, and was even more aware that the other party had killed people at a young age, so he was subtly wary when questioning him.

"Well... when I first got home, he didn't like me much. He always gave me a cold look. When I showed him the room, invited him to dinner, or asked him if he wanted to go out on the weekend, he barely responded to me."

Karasuma Sakura said in a relaxed tone.

Karasuma Mochizuki frowned. She couldn't reveal the child's true identity, so she could only say vaguely, "He's fourteen years old after all, which is the most rebellious age. Don't be too strict with him. If there's anything, talk to your brother."

“No, Mom,” Karasuma Sakura denied immediately. “We’ve already gone through the adoption process, and he’s officially my child. As his mother, how can I abandon him?”

The daughter's firm and sincere tone gave Karasuma Mochizuki a headache.

“Actually, he was only cold-faced for the first day or two after he arrived. Once we got to know each other, he was quite well-behaved.” Karasuma Sakura smiled. “We…”

Karasuma Mochizuki listened expressionlessly as his daughter rambled on about her relationship with this nephew and adopted son.

After hearing her say, "I introduced him to my work at the TV station," "Your dad said that Hina's health can be gradually improved," and "Your uncle is very busy with work, so don't go into his study casually," Karasuma Mochizuki fell silent.

This naive daughter had no idea that she had been tricked into revealing information. Artemis probably deduced from her words that she was completely unaware of the organization and the other side of her brother and husband.

“He even helps take care of Hina!” Karasuma Sakura said happily. “I took him to see Hina. At first, I thought he would be impatient with this little girl who wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t expect him to be so gentle. He carried her on his back and read stories to her.”

Karasuma Mochizuki: "..."

She probably misses her brother. The younger twin is healthy, but the older twin has the same genetic disease as Hina. He is currently able to walk with some medication, but he is getting weaker and weaker.

However, this isn't so bad.

Karasuma Mochizuki comforted himself in this way.

Artemis cared about his twin brother, and perhaps he would be willing to treat his cousin, who was in a similar situation, kindly.

Her daughter, however, remains innocent and kind, untouched by the organization's harmful influence, and she will love her as unconditionally as she would her own child.

That should at least move him a little, right?
After Rum arrived, Mochizuki Karasuma was less busy and was able to visit her daughter in the United States regularly.

One time when she came to their house, Artemis wasn't there; he was currently attending boarding school and would soon be applying to university. This relieved Karasuma Mochizuki, who had always been unsure how to face him.

"Mom, can you stay a few more days this time?" Karasuma Sakura asked her.

Karasuma Mochizuki thought about what she wanted to do on this trip. In addition to visiting her daughter, she also planned to check on Miyano Shiho, a girl who was born into the organization and was currently studying in the United States.

“I’ll be staying for a week this time,” she replied, her gaze shifting to a corner of the living room before suddenly pausing: “The piano?”

Karasuma Sakura turned her head and looked at the grand piano that occupied a considerable area: "This is a fifteenth birthday present I gave to Binguang. He loves music."

Aoyagi Akimitsu, that was Artemis's name after he was adopted.

Karasuma Mochizuki didn't know why he chose such a Japanese name, and she had never paid it any mind. If her daughter hadn't mentioned it, she would have forgotten about the pseudonym altogether. "Not long ago, he said he wanted to apply to a music academy and showed me information from several universities. We discussed it for a long time," she sighed. "Unfortunately, Perrin wouldn't allow it; he told him to either apply to a military academy or study law."

"What a pity. He has an absolute musical talent; if he had been accepted, he would definitely have become an outstanding musician..."

Karasuma Sakura sighed with regret, while Karasuma Mochizuki remained silent.

She was looking at a photo on the coffee table. It was a group photo, with her daughter and granddaughter in the center, and two other people standing beside them. They looked very alike, one over forty and the other in the prime of their youth.

This was the first time Karasuma Mochizuki had seen Artemis's appearance.

The boy in the color photo is extremely handsome. He is smiling, with long, slightly curly black hair draped over his shoulders. His light brown eyes look directly at the camera, almost gray in the sunlight.

"..."

Even if Karasuma Mochizuki didn't like it, she had to admit that Peren and his half-sister were both so good-looking that it was no wonder they were able to win over both of her children.

Karasuma Mochizuki dismissed these thoughts, and just as she was about to ask her daughter what her plans were for the day, she suddenly noticed that her daughter was also staring blankly at the photo.

"Sakura?" she called softly, "What's wrong?"

Karasuma Sakura snapped out of her reverie and glanced at her apologetically. "It's nothing, I was just thinking about something."

She paused for a moment, and Karasuma Mochizuki watched her without urging her. Sure enough, after a while, she started to speak on her own: "Mom, I feel like... my brother, Perrin, and Binguang, it seems like the three of them are hiding something from me."

Karasuma Mochizuki sat up straight instinctively, and asked casually, "Are you in a relationship? Trying to hide it from you?"

“No.” Karasuma Sakura shook her head in denial. “Binguang is different from boys his age. He never attends any parties and rarely stays out overnight. Even if he has to stay out overnight sometimes, his father will call me to let me know.”

It's definitely different. Sixteen or seventeen-year-old boys might date at parties and play with guns or illegal drugs in private, but he's carrying out an organization's mission and actually carrying a gun to kill people.

Karasuma Mochizuki swallowed his thoughts and continued, "Is there something wrong with Peren?"

She was very worried. Peren and Artemis were special cases. They didn't usually have much contact with the organization's missions, but after so many years, her naive daughter might have noticed something.

“I don’t know.” Karasuma Sakura shook her head. “That night, my brother came over, and the three of them were arguing in the study. The door wasn’t closed properly, and I happened to be passing by the door. I didn’t hear clearly, but Bin Guang found me.”

"The way he pushed the door open was terrifying." She said, her voice trembling as if recalling the scene. "I had never seen him look like that before. He seemed really angry... but when he saw me, he immediately apologized and explained."

Karasuma Mochizuki pressed, "What did he say?"

"He said Anatoly will soon be unable to stand up, and at most he can last two more months. After that, he will only be able to move around in a wheelchair."

Karasuma Sakura lowered her eyes. "He wanted to take Anatoly out to see other places, but Peren wouldn't allow it. My brother, however, agreed, saying it would be good for them to go out and relax, since they wouldn't have as much time after they started working."

"This is perfectly normal, isn't it?... But for some reason, Bin Guang seems even angrier."

At this point, Karasuma Sakura looked at her mother with concern, her fingers twisting together in unease.

“Mom,” she asked hesitantly, “do you know anything?”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I didn't expect this chapter to drag on this long. The next chapter will conclude this chapter. (End of Chapter)