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

Chapter 556 A Gift for Yusaku (2 Updates)
Inside the sanatorium at the Miyano residence, soft sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire room in a warm golden glow.

The expensive medical equipment emitted a soft hum as Akemi Miyano focused intently on operating the rehabilitation equipment, providing muscle stimulation therapy to Elena Miyano, who was lying in the hospital bed.

"So, Mr. Mori and the other two have all recovered successfully?" Akemi asked as she adjusted the electrodes on her mother's wrist, listening to Shiraishi E recount what happened last night.

Her long hours of nursing work have made her movements gentle and skillful.

“Yeah, except for that kid Conan.” Shiraishi leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Ai said it’s because of different versions of the drug.”

Ai stood to the side, holding a tablet computer, looking at the latest experimental data.

Upon hearing this, she added without looking up, "The structural differences between version 1.0 and version 4.0 are too great; the existing antidote is ineffective for him."

Akemi sighed softly, a hint of pity in her eyes: "That child must be very disappointed, right?"

She carefully combed her mother's long hair, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a fragile treasure, and asked, "Ai, can Mom use those medicines now?"

Ai shook her head, her short brown hair swaying gently with her movement: "Not yet. The overall sample size is too small, and the experimental data is not sufficient."

Akemi nodded thoughtfully, saying nothing more. She didn't really understand experimental matters, but she trusted her sister's judgment.

Shiraishi E suddenly spoke, breaking the brief silence: "Should we hand Tokugawa Masahiko over to Kudo Yusaku? Have him submit him to the organization, so those guys can get involved in the experiments too?"

Tokugawa Masahiko, the same celebrity who was accidentally impregnated by Hoshino Terumi, is currently being held in custody and investigated.

This suggestion made Ai thoughtful, and she said, "You want Yusaku Kudo to get involved in the matter of the medicine?"

“Yes, let them fight amongst themselves.” Shiraishi smiled and said, “It’s perfect for us to use the organization’s resources to expand our research! Otherwise, it would be very difficult for us to develop the drug on our own.”

The sanatorium was silent for a moment, except for the regular "beeping" sound of the medical equipment.

Mingmei unconsciously grasped her mother's hand; she didn't really want to have any more contact with the organization.

However, in order to develop a medicine to wake her mother up, she knew very well that she would have to rely on the organization's resources.

Ai pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Okay. Anyway, I've already figured out most of it."

Her gaze fell on her mother on the hospital bed, and her voice softened: "Now that other people have shrunk, he's not so indispensable anymore."

“Make the best use of everything,” Shiraishi E replied, a hint of appreciation flashing in her eyes.

The two quickly finalized the details: how to hand over the work, how to ensure the organization wouldn't suspect anything, and how to use this opportunity to obtain more experimental data.
Their conversation was calm and efficient, as if they were discussing an ordinary piece of experimental equipment rather than a person's fate.

After Shiraishi E left to fetch people from the lab, Ai, unusually, didn't immediately follow. She stood there, her gaze fixed on her sister's busy figure.

"Sister," she spoke softly, her voice tinged with uncertainty, "don't you think what I'm doing is cruel? That I'm indifferent to human life?"

Akemi was clearly taken aback, almost dropping the towel in her hand. She turned around and looked at her sister in surprise—this was the first time Ai had asked for her opinion on her own initiative.

The sunlight shone on the two sisters, adding a touch of warmth to this somber moment.

Seeing her sister's tense expression, Akemi suddenly smiled.

She stepped forward and gently took Ai's hand.

“No.” Mingmei’s voice was gentle, but her gaze was firm: “You did this so that Mom would wake up.”

She turned to look at her mother on the hospital bed, her eyes shining with hope: "I haven't read as many books as you, and I don't understand the ethical issues of biological experiments."

She looked at her sister again, her eyes hardening: "All I know is that you deal with bad people! They've done so many bad things, they deserve this punishment."

This answer made Ai very happy; she hadn't expected her sister to understand her like that.

The heavy burden that had been weighing on her heart for so long seemed to lighten, and she felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice almost inaudible.

Akemi smiled and ruffled her younger sister's hair, just like she often did when they were little: "We're family. Whatever decision you make, your older sister will support you."

Ai took a deep breath and looked at her mother on the hospital bed again. Elena's peaceful face looked especially serene in the sunlight, as if she were just asleep.

—I will definitely wake you up.

She made a silent vow in her heart.

But I will not resort to extreme measures.

Ai turned and walked towards the door, her steps much more determined than when she arrived. Akemi watched her sister leave, a relieved smile on her lips.

She sat back down next to Elena Miyano and said softly, "Mom, Ai has grown up. She seems to look more and more like you, but... she's not as lively as you!"

—————————————————————

A luxury villa in the port area.

This is Yusaku Kudo's secret villa, used specifically to handle and deal with the organization's affairs.

The dazzling night view of Tokyo Bay was visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but he had no heart to appreciate it.

He stood by the study window, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of a wine glass, the amber liquid shimmering under the light.

A week has passed since he took the antidote and returned to human form.

For the past week, the first thing he did every morning when he woke up was to check his body, fearing that he would turn back into that childlike state.

But strangely, everything remained the same—which only made him more uneasy.

"This is too smooth," he muttered to himself, his brow furrowed. "This doesn't make sense."

As a mystery novelist, he knew better than anyone that there was no perfect cure in the world.

Especially since drugs that can reverse cell age will inevitably have side effects.

But now, his body is not showing any abnormal reactions, which makes him feel extremely uneasy.

—If it suddenly shrinks during an important meeting.
—If you are meeting with the boss.
--if.
He shook his head, unwilling to think any further, and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't extinguish the anxiety in his heart.

The trial in Ireland went exceptionally smoothly, which was quite gratifying for Yusaku.

He was also a little worried that the other party was too stubborn to talk back.

But unexpectedly, after taking a stimulant, this tough guy confessed everything.

"I've already said, I really don't know the boss's true identity."

"Members at our level all have single-line contact."

"I don't know anything about the experiments on the gambling ship. I'm just an assassin; I can't understand the principles behind them!"

"I was only in charge of guarding the place; the other researchers were responsible for... but they've probably already been killed by those ruthless thugs."

"........."

This made Yusaku realize once again the difference between a professional agent and a wild assassin.

These recruited wild assassins are okay when things are going well, but when things are going badly, they surrender very decisively, without hesitation for even a second!

The resistance was merely symbolic; there was no torture or psychological warfare, just a simple injection, and Ireland answered almost every question without any qualms about betraying them.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. After all, these assassins joined the organization only for the money and didn't want to risk their lives.

The vibration of her phone interrupted Yuzuo's thoughts.

The screen displayed an encrypted number—an email from the boss.

Mr. Kudo, I hope to see the investigation report on the gambling ship incident as soon as possible — BOSS.

Upon seeing this, Yusaku replied: "Understood. I'm investigating further. Give me a few more days."

After replying to the email, he rubbed his temples, turned around, turned on his computer, and pondered how to create a PowerPoint presentation to fool the other party.

After some thought, he began to meticulously fabricate his "investigative activities": fake contact records with informants, carefully photoshopped surveillance screenshots, and a seemingly serious analysis report.
Just then, the phone rang again.

Yusaku looked at the caller ID and found it was from Emi Shiraishi.

He looked on with curiosity, wondering why the other person would suddenly contact him, since it was usually the other person who would reach out to them.

After answering the phone, he laughed and said, "Shiraishi-kun, did you call me... because you've run into some trouble?"

"No, I'm here to give you a gift," Shiraishi E said with a smile on the other end of the phone. "A gift that will absolutely surprise you."

(End of this chapter)