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

The chaotic night finally passed, and by the time Conan Edogawa woke up, it was almost noon.

He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and got out of bed. Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open from the outside, and Kogoro Mouri stood in the doorway.

"You finally got enough sleep?" He looked him up and down. "If you're awake, get up and wash up quickly. We're going back to Mihua right away."

Conan Edogawa picked up his glasses from the side and put them on. He watched as Kogoro Mouri finished speaking and turned to leave. A few seconds later, he realized what had happened.

He returned around 4 a.m., briefly recounted his experiences that night while concealing the existence of the organization, and was then sent to rest.

Since Aoyagi Akimitsu hadn't returned, he stayed in the Mori father and daughter's room. He had originally planned to wait for Aoyagi Akimitsu, but unexpectedly, he fell asleep as soon as he lay down in bed and slept for seven or eight hours straight.

Conan Edogawa changed his clothes and left the bedroom. Sure enough, the Mori father and daughter were in the living room, but the police officers weren't there. Ran Mori was packing her backpack, and when she saw him coming, she stopped what she was doing.

"Conan, how are you feeling right now? Is there anything wrong with you?" she asked worriedly.

Conan Edogawa noticed the dark circles under her eyes and knew that she hadn't slept well all night, even after he returned. He felt a little guilty.

"I'm fine." He smiled brightly. "Inspector Morofushi and Mr. Aoyagi really protected me very well. I wasn't hurt by the thugs last night. Sister Ran, you don't need to worry."

Ran Mouri looked at him, her expression seemed to have relaxed a bit, but her brows were still slightly furrowed.

Conan Edogawa turned to Kogoro Mouri, who was standing by the window smoking, and asked, "Uncle, has Mr. Aoyagi returned?"

Kogoro Mouri took out his cigarette: "He came back an hour later than you, but he also got up an hour earlier. I saw him downstairs just now. He said there was no one at the hot springs at this time, so he went there to relax."

Conan Edogawa understood the implication in his words and was immediately taken aback: "He's not coming with us?"

“He needs to stay and discuss the follow-up with the local police.” Kogoro Mouri said impatiently. “Alright, Conan, hurry up and go back next door to pack your things. The police will take us back later.”

Conan Edogawa thought for a moment, then looked towards the door: "Please wait a little longer, I'll go down and say hello to Mr. Aoyagi."

He was the first one brought back last night, and he has no idea what happened afterward. He can't go back to Mihua with peace of mind unless he finds out the details.

……

This hot spring hotel already had few guests, and the sudden arrival of a large number of police officers last night made most people afraid to move around freely.

So when Conan Edogawa found Aoyagi Akimitsu, he was the only one in the huge hot spring pool.

Unlike the seriousness of the police and the unease of the hotel staff, the eyewitnesses to this series of events appeared quite relaxed.

Conan Edogawa glanced at the warning signs on the wall that read: "No tattoos allowed, no filming equipment allowed, no eating or drinking inside."

He glanced again at the large tattoo on Aoyagi Binko's exposed shoulder, the still-lit phone in his hand, and the wine glass on the rock next to him, and paused for a second.

Then the shrunken detective decisively ignored these blatant violations, changed into non-slip slippers that were convenient for moving around the outdoor hot spring, and headed towards the hot spring.

"Mr. Aoyagi."

Aoyagi Akimitsu turned around. He saw that the FBI agent had already removed his disguise, and his long black hair was completely tied up, with only a few strands hanging down beside his cheeks.

“You’re awake,” he said. “I just asked the police, and they said they’ll take you back right away.”

Conan Edogawa nodded. He walked to the edge of the pond and saw Aoyagi Akimitsu put down his phone because of his approach.

He had a lot of questions, but when he got closer and saw Aoyagi Akimitsu clearly, the first question that came out of his mouth was: "Mr. Aoyagi, is it alright for you to soak in the hot spring like this?"

It was fine when he was dressed in the early morning, but now that he's taken off all his clothes, Conan Edogawa can see obvious bruises on Aoyagi Akimitsu's shoulders, back, and arms.

Aoyagi Akimitsu followed his gaze to a scar on his arm and smiled nonchalantly: "It's just a minor injury. Soaking in a hot spring can even speed up metabolism."

As he spoke, a hint of fatigue appeared on his face: "However, I will apply for a week's leave after this matter is over. I was really too tired last night."

Conan Edogawa understands perfectly.

Last night, Aoyagi Akimitsu did a lot of exercise and encountered quite a few enemies. First, there was Ireland, then Gin, and then the group of police officers who mistook them for enemy police after he ran out of the base. He definitely needs to rest for a while.

"You came here because you have something to ask me?" Aoyagi Akimitsu asked again.

"Yes." Conan Edogawa, remembering why he had run down there, quickly asked, "How's the situation at the base? How is the police handling it?"

"Complete collapse."

Aoyagi Akimitsu sighed softly: "When I left the Nagano Police Headquarters, they had already started the cleanup. As for the progress... at least until now, we haven't heard any news of any survivors being dug out."

Conan Edogawa paused for a moment; this was within his expectations.

“You can rest assured.” Seeing his expression, Aoyagi Akimitsu comforted him, “The Public Security Bureau is very concerned about that organization, so unlike rescuing an ordinary old man who fell into a pit, which would take several months, they will definitely start the excavation work as quickly as possible. There’s nothing you can do to help with this, you can only wait patiently.”

Conan Edogawa vaguely felt that his words were somewhat sarcastic, but upon closer reflection, he realized that they were true.

"What about the organization's members?"

When the organization was mentioned, he subconsciously lowered his voice a bit, but spoke very urgently: "The Irishman you met first, and Gin you met later, did the police arrest them?"

Under his expectant gaze, Aoyagi Akimitsu shook his head.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “Gin has run away.”

Upon hearing this, Conan Edogawa's eyes, which had been filled with anticipation and excitement, instantly dimmed by half. "They ran away?" he asked dryly.

“I didn’t kill him.” Aoyagi Akimitsu was quite frank. “Conan, unless absolutely necessary, I will not kill or seriously injure or cripple someone. The situation was urgent at the time. After I made sure he was temporarily incapacitated, I quickly left and returned to the hotel.”

Conan Edogawa was very disappointed.

He could understand Aoyagi Akimitsu. In his view, catching criminals was important, but the safety of those around them was even more important. After all, if a criminal escaped, they could be caught again, but if someone lost their life, nothing could bring them back.

But he still wouldn't give up: "Were there any traces of blood or hair at the scene?"

“I handed the knife that stabbed him over to the police,” Aoyagi Binguang said.

That's fine too. Even though we didn't catch them, at least we got their DNA, which will make it much easier to find them and identify them in the future.

Conan Edogawa relaxed slightly and then asked the other person, "What about the other person named Ireland?"

This is also a codename member. Haibara said that people with codenames are basically of the same rank. If we catch this person, we might be able to get a lot of information out of him as well.

His eyes lit up with anticipation once more, but under his earnest gaze, Aoyagi Akimitsu slowly shook his head again.

“This person…” the person involved seemed helpless, “He was unlucky and ran into a bear.”

Conan Edogawa: "??!!"

He exclaimed, "A bear?!"

“The police encountered a female bear on the border of Gunma, and we don’t know if it was the one that triggered the machine’s sensor,” said Akimitsu Aoyagi. “Anyway, it was passing by with Ireland’s head in its mouth. The police shot it down, and after the autopsy, they found the remains of at least three people in its stomach.”

"This……"

It took Conan Edogawa a long time to find his voice: "Could it be that after you left, the bear found those people who couldn't move, and then..."

"Probably." Aoyagi Akimitsu sighed softly. "It's really pitiful. I should have been more careful."

His voice carried genuine compassion.

"Oh, and you too."

Under Conan Edogawa's puzzled gaze, Aoyagi Akimitsu raised his hand, and as he raised his arm, the wolf tattoo on his shoulder seemed to make a biting motion.

He gently touched his head with his wet hand and said helplessly:

"Given that you've been behaving very unlike a child at the base, Morobuchi might be suspicious of your identity. Be careful when the police come to question you about your drawings."

……

Conan Edogawa was still somewhat dazed when he left the hot spring.

They finally encountered members of the organization, including high-ranking members and codenamed members, but none of them survived and fell into the hands of the police.

And also their own identity...

Ran Mouri noticed his distraction and wanted to ask him several times, but hesitated to speak.

Kogoro Mouri didn't notice anything unusual about the child; he was carrying his luggage and following behind a policeman. Although he looked a little uncomfortable, he walked quickly, clearly wanting to leave as soon as possible.

When they arrived at the door, they saw someone standing at the front desk with a travel bag at their feet.

"Hmm? There are new guests?" Kogoro Mouri was a little surprised.

Hearing his words, Conan Edogawa looked up. He looked at the front desk, and when he saw who was standing in front of him, he felt that the person looked vaguely familiar.

The receptionist looked troubled, but when she saw them, especially a police officer, her face lit up: "Hello, how should we accommodate this guest?"

The police officer leading the three Mori members asked in confusion, "Just follow the usual arrangements, why are you asking me?"

The receptionist looked embarrassed: "Well, because he is..."

……

Behind the hotel, in the hot spring.

[Greed: The fake Rum has started working; someone is contacting him, and so far things are going smoothly.]

[Greed: I think it won't be long before I can move on to the next step.]

Aoyagi Akimitsu looked at the message on his phone, smiled slightly, picked up the glass he had casually placed on the rock, and drank the rum inside in one gulp.

Rum is dead.

He did it.

—And this was only one of the objectives of his operation.

……

The next chapter will begin the recap. The family background section has gone too long, and with exams coming up, I need to carefully organize my thoughts… (End of this chapter)