give it all to miss machima

"That's Vermouth? And the woman next to her... is that the Tamiya Ryoko you mentioned?"

Haibara looked at the two getting along harmoniously and nodded stiffly.

That's really terrible...

Conan immediately realized how bad things were going—their original plan was to try to make contact with Ryoko Tamiya if they could find her, whether directly or indirectly.

But judging from the current situation, could it be that... Ryoko Tamiya, who leads the remnants of Machima, has already reached an agreement with the organization?

Or perhaps, at least temporarily, they have reached a truce...

If Haibara were to approach the other person again at this point... what would be the consequences?

It's Makima who likes Ai Haibara, not Ryoko Tamiya. Would Makima spare her out of consideration for her former master, or would it be more in her interest to keep her under her control...?

Or even... hand it over to the organization as leverage?

"What do you think of the current situation? If we go to see Tamiya Ryoko, what do you think her reaction will be?" Conan asked.

"I..." Haibara remained silent for a long while, finally shaking her head, "I don't know..."

Shiho's impression of Tamiya Ryoko has always been that of a cold and aloof person, almost like a machine. If she really did inherit Makima's legacy, how would she treat her now... Haibara really can't tell.

Just as the two were thinking, two hands suddenly appeared from behind, pressing them down on the left and right.

"—!?"

Chapter 169 Reunion (Part 2) What a joy this is!

"Hey, you two little devils, why aren't you taking this opportunity to grab a bite to eat? What are you doing sneaking around here like this?"

Sonoko looked down at the two little ones—these two little brats always gave her the feeling that they were precocious for their age, and she always felt that something bad would happen wherever Conan was.

Sonoko! You're going to scare people to death!

Conan patted his heart and looked at his old classmate with annoyance.

Of course, on the surface, he still had to continue playing his role, so he could only smile and scratch his head:

"No... I didn't do anything, Sonoko-neechan."

"Oh? What were you hiding here watching just now? You ran away the moment I wasn't looking. Are you hiding something from me?"

You idiot Sonoko! Why are you so smart at times like this?!

Conan's eyes flickered as he looked around, trying to find an excuse, and that glance actually gave him one.

"We...we were just looking at that older sister!"

He quietly pointed to a haughty black-haired girl on the other side of the field.

"Isn't she a celebrity? I've seen her on TV, and Uncle Mori often mentions her! We're thinking about whether to ask her for an autograph!"

"Oh?"

The garden looked around and found that it really was true.

"That... isn't she that super popular star, Tomie Kawakami?"

Sonoko pursed her lips, and her gaze towards Conan carried a hint of disdain.

In the Japanese entertainment industry, Tomie Kawakami is currently a top star, and also a disruptive force in the industry.

A big star of her caliber, even if she has some negative news, must at least have some outstanding qualities—or rather, at least have some real skills, whether it's acting, singing, or something else.

Tomie Kawakami, however, has received virtually no positive news.

Her acting skills can't be described as superb, but they're better than nothing. Apart from the villainous heiress role, which was a perfect and lifelike performance, she can't convincingly portray any other character.

Moreover, according to numerous tabloid reports, she has an extremely bad temper and always acts like a diva, with news reports on more than one occasion about her bullying other actors and even directors...

Her backer is relentlessly promoting her, pouring resources into her like they're free. It's fair to say that she's been created into a top star through money and connections.

But what's amazing is that this star, who has nothing to offer except for her looks, quickly gained a large number of die-hard fans. If the internet hadn't been so widespread back then, people would have realized just how incredible the dedication of Tomie's fans was.

Sonoko patted Conan's head in an annoyed tone:

"Hey Conan, you're so young, you wouldn't be chasing after such an frivolous celebrity, would you? As far as I know, most of Tomie Kawakami's fans are greasy middle-aged men!"

That's not entirely true—Tomie has already restrained herself as much as possible because of Machima's orders, and with the media's coverage, her allure has weakened even further. Therefore, only those with relatively strong desires are more likely to be captivated by her.

This has led to the general perception that Tomie Kawakami's fans are mostly energetic young men, greasy middle-aged men, and otaku.

Conan could only give an awkward smile, and after Sonoko walked away again, she noticed that Ai Haibara was indeed staring intently at Tomie Kawakami.

"Hey, you don't need to act anymore, Sonoko's already gone."

But Haibara ignored him. Conan raised an eyebrow and then realized that Haibara was staring at the girl next to Tomie Kawakami rather than at Tomie.

Tomie, who had just been coldly mocking and ridiculing those who tried to strike up a conversation with her, had completely lost her arrogant demeanor.

The big star spoke to the girl in an almost fawning manner, while the girl seemed indifferent and unresponsive.

This dramatic reversal made Conan take a closer look at her.

The girl had short, silver-white hair and beautiful, handsome features. She looked about sixteen or seventeen years old and had just started high school. Because she was sitting in a wheelchair, she had the appearance of a porcelain doll.

Although she was wearing a light gray dress, bandages could be seen wrapped around her in many places, as if she had recently suffered some kind of injury. She clearly did not care about other people's opinions and made no attempt to hide it. Combined with her unique temperament, she was indeed unforgettable.

Of course, the most striking feature was the other person's golden pupils, and the way he looked at everyone around him carried a hint of indifference and mockery.

Wait, those eyes... what's that feeling...?

Before Conan could react, he saw Haibara, as if possessed, staring intently at the girl as she walked step by step toward her.

"Hey!? Haibara?"

Shiho ignored Kudo's calls.

There's no mistake, that face, and that hair color... it's exactly like the look of "Kwanghee" back then!

And those eyes and that look... they're totally Machima's...

So... it can't be wrong!

Why did she become like this? Why did she pretend?! Why didn't she come to find me?!

If it were her, I could have found her so easily! Why... did I leave her out there alone for so long!?

Despite having too many questions, Shiho could barely control her emotions, which were on the verge of spiraling out of control. She walked quickly toward the other person, almost running away.

Just then, Makima, who was listening to Tomie's words out of boredom, seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her gaze toward Shiho.

Immediately, Machima was slightly taken aback. A faint smile appeared on her face, which had previously seemed uninterested in anything, and her eyes seemed to light up.

She slowly opened her arms, as if waiting for Shiho to rush into her arms.

At that moment, Shiho felt all her resentment, grievances, and anger vanish instantly. She stood frozen for two seconds, then, with tears in her eyes, she ran towards Machima, about to throw herself into her arms...

But... a figure appeared from the side, and before she could, very naturally hugged Machima.

"...!?"

Shiho stood there, stunned.

She stared blankly at that familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

Machima's gaze also focused on the newcomer...

No... to put it another way, from beginning to end, the other person was never looking at her.

"Is it...okay?"

Akemi Miyano shyly let go of Machima, but the other person still held her hand, pointing to her face with her other finger:

"Kiss."

"Here...here!?"

Akemi Miyano looked around like a startled fawn, then pleaded in a low voice:

"So many people are watching! No... not here. When we get back... you can do whatever you want... okay?"

Because of Machima's cat demon illusion, she did not see a dazed figure not far behind her that looked exactly like her younger sister when she was a child.

Machima smiled happily and pointed to her mouth again:

"Kiss."

"..."

In the end, Akemi Miyano could only close her eyes and quickly give Machima a light peck on the lips.

"Is...is it okay now?"

"It's ready."

Machima smiled happily.

They were laughing very happily.

Chapter 170 Bad Women, Bad Women, and Good Women

Shiho Miyano felt as if the world had suddenly lost its gravity, and everything around her was fading rapidly.

The feeling was as if she had been thrown into a dark spaceship without warning, or as if she had been suddenly thrown onto an absurd stage and forced to play the role of a clown.

She wanted to grab onto something, but she couldn't reach out her hand.

The two familiar figures in front of her still didn't notice the little girl; their hands were still clasped together, and their eyes seemed to be only on each other.

Machima's eyes were as familiar as ever—powerful with a hint of domineering, her lips slightly upturned, displaying her signature, seemingly mischievous smile.

This gaze used to be fixed on Shiho every day and every night, but now it is focused on her older sister.

As for Akemi… her shy expression carried a hint of happiness, a look Shiho had seen before—back when the two were still in the organization, her sister would show that look whenever the rye whiskey was mentioned…

Now, the object of that smile is Machima.

Countless thoughts surged into Shiho's mind at that moment, and many of her previous questions seemed to have been answered.

Why didn't Machima come to find her? Why didn't her sister come to find her?... Everything seemed to make sense now.

but why……

Shiho still couldn't understand.

One was her only family member in the world, her beloved older sister, and the other was someone who would give his life for her, yet...

How could they do this?

How could they do this!

Just as Shiho's heart was gradually filled with anger and she wanted to rush up and confront the two of them, another figure appeared in front of them.

"Gentlemen, I hope I haven't disturbed you?"

Vermouth approached Machima, glanced briefly at Akemi, and then squinted at Machima.

The latter smiled and shrugged:

"No, you've come at just the right time."

Machima extended her other hand, and Vermouth instinctively bent down to kiss it as a sign of submission.

"What are you doing here? There's some good food over there, come on, I'll take you there!"

As she stood up, Vermouth heard what sounded like children talking not far behind her. She turned around and saw a boy pulling a dazed girl with her head down away.

They seemed to be just two very ordinary children—so ordinary that there was nothing about them that she should care about or pay extra attention to… right?

But when Vermouth turned around and looked back at Machima, she found her wearing a strange smile.

Vermouth was very familiar with this smile—it was the wicked smile Machima wore whenever she had a bad idea while she was imprisoned and tormented…

Is this guy... up to something bad again?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she almost involuntarily squeezed her legs together.

Fortunately, the other party didn't say anything like "come find me tonight after you've changed your clothes," but instead started talking about serious business.

“Come on, tell Akemi about Shiho, Vermouth.”

Vermouth breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Akemi, whose eyes were filled with complex emotions, trying her best to hide the pity in her gaze.

The poor fellow, not only himself, but also his beloved sister, became playthings... or rather, pets in Machima's hands.

This despicable guy, despite having tracked down Shiho Miyano, pretended to be oblivious to her amnesia, then took advantage of her and ravaged her... even making her do it willingly...