I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 373 Sending Ai back to her room and meeting Vermouth (1st update)
"Get some rest!" Shiraishi E gently closed Akemi's door and went down the corridor to the first floor.

He stretched and was just about to leave when he saw a sliver of light still shining from the direction of the laboratory.

"It's so late, Ai is still awake?" He frowned, turned and walked towards the laboratory.

Upon entering the laboratory, one is greeted by test tubes, beakers, and densely packed data reports scattered on the lab table.

In front of the slightly messy lab bench, Ai was sleeping peacefully, her head resting on her arm. Her short, light brown hair was slightly disheveled, covering half of her face, and her breathing was even and shallow, clearly indicating that she was extremely exhausted.

Shiraishi E was a little troubled by this; she had become like a child again, yet she was still working so hard.

That makes me feel a little ashamed!
With a sigh, he tiptoed over, bent down, and whispered, "Ai?"

no respond.

Shiraishi E reached out her hands, one hand under her knees and the other supporting her back, lifting her up completely.

Ai's body was lighter than he had imagined, like a tired kitten, softly curled up in his arms.

Perhaps the movement was a little too abrupt, for Ai frowned slightly, her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was still somewhat unfocused, but upon seeing Shiraishi's face, her tense body instantly relaxed, and she even subconsciously leaned closer to him.

"...It's you." Her voice was soft and hoarse from just waking up, completely different from her usual coldness.

"Hmm, why don't you go back to your room to sleep?" Shiraishi E replied softly, her steps still steady as she walked towards her room.

Ai rubbed her eyes, her tone tinged with helplessness: "I didn't expect my stamina to drop so much after turning into a child... I got sleepy after working for only a short while. I thought I'd lie down and rest for a bit, but I ended up falling asleep."

Shiraishi E couldn't help but chuckle, glancing down at her and saying with amusement, "You're still a primary school student, don't act like a researcher."

Ai pouted but didn't argue. She just leaned lazily against his chest and let him carry her away from the lab.

As soon as she left the lab, she instinctively snuggled closer to him, as if she were a little cold.

Shiraishi E noticed her movement, tightened her grip slightly, and reminded her, "Please adjust your work hours in the future, don't stay up too late, your health is important!"

Ai was silent for a while before giving a soft "hmm" in agreement.

Upon arriving at Ai's room, Shiraishi E gently pushed open the door with her foot, walked to the bedside, and was about to put her down when the little one in her arms suddenly struggled.

“Wait a minute…” She frowned slightly, her tone stubborn: “I haven’t changed into my pajamas yet.”

Shiraishi E was taken aback, then chuckled: "You're so sleepy, why are you still being so particular?"

Ai looked up at him, slightly annoyed, and said, "No, it's uncomfortable to sleep without pajamas."

Shiraishi E frowned, then placed her on the bedside and turned to rummage through the closet for pajamas.

The closet was crammed full of clothes.

If it's Shiho Miyano's clothes, then forget it.

The problem is, all of these clothes are Ai Haibara's.

She's only shrunk a few days ago? And she's already filled her wardrobe?

While praising the depth of a girl's shopping desires, Shiraishi E found a set of light blue cotton pajamas.

"Here you go." He handed it over, intending for her to change it herself, but Ai just lazily stretched out her hand, as if to say, "You help me."

Shiraishi E raised an eyebrow and said, "...Are you sure?"

Ai yawned and said matter-of-factly, "I'm a child now, my arms and legs are short, it's a hassle to change clothes."

Shiraishi E: "..."

Okay, anyway, she does look like a primary school student right now.

He resigned himself to his fate and helped her change into her pajamas.

Ai kept her eyes closed the whole time, looking like she didn't care what anyone did to her. She only frowned slightly when Shiraishi accidentally touched her ticklish spot, but she didn't say anything.

After finally changing into her pajamas, Shiraishi E breathed a sigh of relief and was about to tuck her into bed when Ai spoke up again: "Your hair... isn't dry yet."

Shiraishi E was taken aback, only then noticing that her hair was still a little damp, probably from a shower before bed. He shook his head helplessly, picked up a towel from the bedside table, and gently dried her hair.

Ai closed her eyes, letting him do as he pleased, but a barely perceptible smile curved her lips.

Finally, after everything was tidied up, Shiraishi E tucked her into the bed and carefully tucked the blankets in.

Ai curled up in the soft bed, almost sinking into it, with only her small face showing, looking even more innocent than usual.

"Alright, go to sleep," Shiraishi E said softly, reaching out to gently ruffle her hair.

Ai mumbled a sleepy "Mmm," turned over, and faced away from him, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "...Goodnight."

Shiraishi E quietly left the room and closed the door.

In the darkness, Ai opened her eyes again and looked at her thin arms and legs.

If she were still Shiho Miyano, how would she ever have a chance to sleep?
If he doesn't stay up until dawn, then it's considered that he's not in good shape today.

But now...

She sighed softly, and closed her eyes, feeling depressed.

The Tokyo night sky was dyed a dark red by neon lights, and a cold wind howled over the tops of the skyscrapers.

Wearing a bandit mask, Shiraishi E stood on the edge of the rooftop, admiring the Tokyo night view.

The crisp sound of high heels clicking on the ground came from behind me, the rhythm elegant and unhurried.

Shiraishi E didn't turn around, but simply said, "You're late."

Vermouth chuckled softly and walked to his side, her long golden hair fluttering in the wind.

Today she was wearing a form-fitting black leather jacket that accentuated her perfect figure. With a slight smile on her red lips, she shrugged and said, "There's nothing I can do, there was a traffic jam on the way. This is exactly the time when office workers are going home after working overtime."

She paused for a moment, then said with a playful tone, "I never imagined that one day we would actually be working together."

Shiraishi E ignored her teasing and said in a low voice, "Children only talk about right and wrong, adults only consider advantages and disadvantages. There are no eternal enemies, only common interests."

“That’s true.” Vermouth’s red lips curled into a meaningful smile upon hearing this. “In that case…”

She leaned forward slightly, her voice seductive: "If I can offer enough incentives, will you hand over the Miyano sisters to me?"

Shiraishi E's gaze remained calm, without even the slightest fluctuation: "That's true."

He slowly turned around and looked directly at Vermouth: "But I feel that you can't offer me anything that will win me over."

Vermouth chuckled, her fingertips lightly tracing her collarbone, her tone ambiguous: "Use me to exchange for those two sisters, is that a suitable bargaining chip...?"

Shiraishi E paused for a moment, then looked her up and down, first nodding, then shaking her head.

Vermouth narrowed her eyes slightly: "You mean?"

Shiraishi E said calmly, "Changing one is fine, but changing two is not."

Vermouth raised an eyebrow and said without hesitation, "Fine, then I'll switch to Shiho Miyano."

Shiraishi E shook her head: "No, you can only replace Miyano Akemi."

Vermouth curled her lip, her tone slightly disdainful: "What's the point of replacing her with Akemi Miyano? She's just an outsider who knows nothing!"

Shiraishi E said calmly, "That's your problem then."

The two stared at each other for a moment, and the air seemed to freeze.

Finally, Vermouth gave a soft snort and looked away first: "Forget it, it seems we can't reach an agreement for now."

Shiraishi E didn't reply, but simply asked, "What about the intelligence?"

Vermouth dropped her joking expression, took out a cell phone from her pocket, and pulled up a map: "Gin is being held in a sewage treatment plant in Ota Ward."

She tapped the screen with her fingertip, zooming in on a certain area: "There are joint guards from the FBI and the Public Security Bureau inside. There aren't many people, only about thirty, but they are all elite agents."

Shiraishi E's gaze swept across the map, silently noting down the key locations.

Vermouth continued, "Furthermore, they have installed a great many security systems. If any strangers enter within a one-kilometer radius, they will begin to observe them. If things go wrong, they will take Gin and evacuate."

She paused, her tone slightly sarcastic: "Those people don't want Gin to fall into someone else's hands."

Shiraishi E nodded: "I understand."

Vermouth put away her phone and looked at him with interest: "What are you planning to do?"

Shiraishi E didn't answer, but simply said, "Send me the specific address."

Vermouth chuckled, her fingers flying across the screen before sending the message. She looked up, a hint of expectation in her eyes: "When you take action, take me with you."

Shiraishi glanced sideways: "Reason?"

Vermouth smiled slightly: "I want to see how the infamous bandit Azu saves people."

What's so interesting about this? All we do is blast him with our weapons.

There are no operational skills involved, only pure numbers.

Thinking about this, Shiraishi E felt that Vermouth hadn't told her the truth.

But he didn't mind and nodded, saying, "Okay."

"So when do you plan to make your move?" Vermouth brushed her wind-blown blond hair aside.

"I'll let you know when I'm going to make my move," Shiraishi E said before turning and leaving.

"You're just leaving like that? I finally managed to get away to meet you, you should at least buy me a drink, right?" Vermouth said with a slightly complaining tone.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi immediately bought a can of ice-cold beer from the Bandit Mall and tossed it to Vermouth, saying, "This is for you... I was planning to drink it myself, but you're lucky."

Vermouth caught the can of ice-cold beer and froze... Wait, why did he bring this up here? To see the scenery?

After regaining her senses, she wanted to say something, but found that the ruthless bandit had already left.

Vermouth looked at the ice-cold beer in her hand, thought for a moment, and finally tore open the tab with a "plop" and started drinking while looking at the Tokyo night view.

(End of this chapter)