give it all to miss machima

But soon, a news report on television caught their attention.

"...So, regarding the fans' claim that you and Ms. Sadako go to a mysterious location together every week, meaning it's not a rumor—that you two are being kept by a mysterious tycoon?"

"Fake news! It's all fake news!"

In the video, Tomie Kawakami is so angry that she almost slaps the microphone out of the reporter's hand.

"What's wrong with me going out for tea with my best friends to relax in a quiet place? Some people are actually saying we're being kept! I'm warning you unscrupulous media outlets, don't talk nonsense! Otherwise, I'll sue you for defamation!"

"But... as far as I know, your relationship with Ms. Yamamura Sadako doesn't seem to be good. Rumors in the industry say that your initial collaboration with her was forced, and the two of you had quite a few conflicts because of it..."

"It's fake news too! My family and Sadako's family... well, anyway, we're like sisters!"

"Really? Then, between you and that powerful figure behind the scenes, who is more favored?"

"Nonsense!" Tomie tossed her head confidently. "Of course it's me! I met her much earlier... Wait! You're trying to trick me!"

"Sorry, recording is prohibited!"

Conan and Ai, watching the interview interrupted by their manager, exchanged bewildered glances in front of the television.

“That Tomie… I remember she was Machima’s mistress… I mean her subordinate, and… she also found out about your shrunken identity and even wanted to kill you.”

"……Correct."

As Shiho watched the follow-up news on TV, her expression grew even more somber.

That wretched Machima! Now there's another Sadako involved. How many girls has this guy ruined lately?

Conan pondered:

“You’ve always said that Tomie is a dangerous person, and that it might be risky to investigate her rashly. But… it’s been a while since the hotel case, and judging from the follow-up, she hasn’t found anything. Perhaps… it’s time for us to start investigating her?”

"No...no way!"

Ai instinctively shouted—the image of Pisco being instantly decapitated by the wire flashed through her mind.

"That guy...is dangerous, extremely dangerous..."

"But since we have no other leads, we can only try to investigate her, right?"

Conan, however, felt that the risk was worth taking.

"Besides, she only knows what you look like, she knows nothing about me. Judging from the news just now, she should be going to see Machima soon. If we can find her by following this lead..."

At this point, Conan suddenly paused for a moment.

Because he discovered a problem he had been overlooking all along—what if Makima and Ai met? And then what?

After Makima loses her memory, her attitude towards Ai is completely unknown.

How much Ai Haibara still holds in her heart... only heaven knows...

Perhaps after discovering Ai, he might kidnap her without a word and keep her as a pet, then conveniently eliminate any potential obstacles he might encounter...

Even if you look at it in a positive light, and the other party really cares about Ai, but... do you expect an even more terrifying criminal to help him fight the organization?

Thinking of this, Conan couldn't help but look at Ai and ask seriously:

"Haibara, assuming... you successfully meet Makima and your sister... assuming Makima is willing to comply with your wishes, what... will you plan to do?"

This guy also stumped Ai.

Will Machima comply with her wishes?

The answer is yes—almost impossible.

From the conversation she overheard between Machima and her sister at the hotel pool that day, it's clear that the bastard was definitely after the sisters!

If she catches me, I'll most likely be kept like a canary by her side—just like before, not exactly imprisonment like an organization, but not true freedom either…

Then they have to face Machima's relentless attacks.

It was precisely because of her experience that Ai knew that once someone was entangled with Machima, even the straightest woman could be bent by that guy's incredible charm and his skills that could almost crush any will...

Who knows... that guy's endless tricks might actually make me succumb—and from then on, I'll become one of those idiots who can't live without Machima, just like my sister...

The thought of such a future sent a shiver down Shiho's spine.

So... is her goal to find a way to take her sister and completely escape from the control of Machima and the organization?

Ai really wanted to say yes.

But a voice inside her seemed to sneer, "Is that so? Is this really what you want? Can you really forget that bastard and pretend nothing ever happened?"

"..."

In the end, Ai remained silent for a long time, but still didn't answer Conan's question. Instead, she curled up on the sofa and hugged her knees.

"Don't investigate... Kudo, believe me, you have no idea how dangerous Machima is. She is a more terrifying being than the organization."

Conan wanted to ask more, but seeing Ai's dejected look, he ultimately didn't press the matter.

Just as the two were about to forget about it, Sonoko, a few days later, went to the Mouri Detective Agency and found her best friend Ran:

"Xiao Lan~ Do you want to come to the masquerade ball with me? I heard there are tons of rich people and even tycoon families going, and they've invited a lot of celebrities too~"

Conan, who was reading a comic book nearby, thought to himself without turning his head—as if Sonoko, the young lady, wasn't from a wealthy family...

A masquerade ball?

Kogoro Mouri, who was reading a newspaper nearby, curled his lip in disapproval.

"Rich people really do have a lot of leisure time..."

"Uncle Mori, I heard that Yoko Okino will be going too!"

"What?!"

Kogoro Mouri jumped up from his chair and looked at Sonoko excitedly.

"Really? Hehe... Well... Sonoko, how many guests can you bring?"

Sonoko shrugged:

"You can go anytime you want. This is a rare opportunity. Lots of celebrities are coming, like Tomie, who has a lot of scandals but is inexplicably popular, and that one..."

"Tomie!? She's going too!?"

Conan jumped up from the sofa in excitement, only to find that the others were looking at him with strange expressions.

Sonoko looked at him with disdain: "Conan, I remember that party last time. You seemed particularly interested in that Tomie. You're so young and you already like that type of celebrity. Tsk tsk... that's just old man taste..."

Kogoro Mouri was immediately annoyed: "What do you mean by 'old man's taste'? I don't like that woman named Tomie at all. That kid is just a lecherous brat!"

Even Ran looked at him with some trouble: "Conan, if you're going to be a fan, at least be a fan of celebrities with good character."

Conan, whose reputation had been damaged, could only laugh it off and try to smooth things over.

Chapter 257 Vermouth's Resolve

That night, Makima, who had just returned from Tokiwadai Academy and had temporarily replenished her Kikyo energy, learned from Miss Hound that Vermouth wanted to see her.

Machima pretended to revert to her younger self and then met with Vermouth, whose mood was clearly not good, only regaining its composure after seeing her.

"Is this... also your script?"

Although Vermouth concealed her emotions well when she said this, she was still suppressing some kind of emotion.

"what?"

Looking at Machima's nonchalant expression, Vermouth couldn't tell whether she was pretending to be stupid or genuinely didn't know.

Taking a deep breath, she explained:

"The woman you're raising, Tomie Kawakami, once tried to kill Shiho Miyano."

Machima nodded:

"I know about this matter, and I have given her the punishment she deserved."

"And now... Shiho Miyano... and that kid next to her, they're planning to investigate Tomie—probably because they saw your gossip about you and her in the news."

Vermouth simply couldn't believe that Machima, who was already fully aware of the effects of APTX4869, wouldn't be unaware of what was going on with Conan, who was always around Shiho Miyano—Shiho Miyano may seem free now, but in reality, she was completely under her control.

But... Makima doesn't seem to care much about Conan. The biggest contact she's had with him so far was when Ran lost her memory. She seems to be more interested in Ran.

The problem is that Vermouth can't accept this situation—Makima seems to be using Conan for fun now, but what if she gets annoyed with Conan one day and decides to kill him?

Or what if she becomes interested in Xiaolan and wants to defile her pure angel?

Within the organization, she could still use her identity to cover for Conan and Ran, but with Machima, she herself was already in dire straits.

Especially in situations like this... what if Makima really didn't care about Tomie, and Tomie hurt Conan?

"Can you...control your subordinates? That Tomie...she might..."

"How did you find out about this?" Machima interrupted her.

“...I recently installed a listening device at Shiho Miyano’s residence.”

Vermouth hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Also... it seems that someone at the FBI... to be precise, it's Shuichi Akai, who has probably already guessed Shiho Miyano's identity. After all, she's Akemi's sister, and it's easy to make the connection just by looking at her..."

"Hmm, so?"

"So... if you want to bring her back, you'd better act quickly, otherwise the FBI might put her into the witness protection program, give her a completely new identity, and send her to live in another country. In that case, if you want to find her again, it might be..."

Vermouth couldn't continue speaking—because Machima kept looking at her with a mocking gaze that seemed to say, "Go on, I'm listening."

Vermouth felt a sudden pang of bitterness.

Too……

She didn't care about any of that at all...

Vermouth said this because she wanted to get Shiho Miyano away from Conan as soon as possible—the longer she spent with Conan, the more likely she was to bring him danger…

Okay... let's think of a way to quickly bring Shiho Miyano back to Machima's side and end all this as soon as possible...

Vermouth paused for two seconds, then said sincerely:

"Considering the involvement of the FBI and even the CIA, the already complicated situation has become even more complicated. If you have any scripts, please be sure to tell me—whatever you want Shiho Miyano to experience, or whatever you want to feel from her, I will help you as much as possible."

As long as... it doesn't hurt anyone else, especially...

In the unsettling silence that Vermouth found deeply disturbing, Machima smiled and observed her for a long while before asking:

"Is this what you wanted, Vermouth?"

"..." Facing Machima's gaze, Vermouth always felt that everything about her was seen through by the other party.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a script this time. I want to see what happens when the story unfolds naturally."

Machima gently beckoned with her finger, and a few strands of hair, barely perceptible to the naked eye, instantly tore Vermouth's clothes apart. The latter instinctively covered the tattered fabric that was about to slip off.

"--you!?"

“I don’t care what you want to do, my dear Vermouth…”

Machima hooked her finger again and pulled Vermouth into her arms without saying a word. Vermouth instinctively wanted to resist, but after a slight tremor, as if she remembered some lesson, her stiff body yielded.

"Considering how much joy you've brought me, I'm going to give you a little reward this time—I'll allow you to be a little willful."

Makima played with the other's smooth, long golden hair, while her other hand gently stroked the smooth back. Vermouth instantly felt a chill run down her spine from fear—every time Makima touched her, she had a feeling that the seemingly lovely girl in front of her was not human, and that beneath that beautiful exterior lay a more terrifying being.

But as Machima's hand moved lower and lower, some deep memories left on her body made this discomfort disappear, and she even... began to tremble slightly with excitement.

Just when Vermouth thought tonight was going to be another sleepless night, Machima simply hugged her, sniffed her neck a few times, then slapped her bottom and let go.

"Alright, go ahead, I look forward to your performance."

"...?"

Is this yet another of her new tactics, a game of playing hard to get? Or what?

Vermouth looked at Makima hesitantly: "You...don't need me tonight...?"

The latter was slightly taken aback, then his eyes turned truly dangerous:

"If Vermouth wants it... I can certainly grant your wish..."

"No...no!"

Vermouth quickly stood up to take her leave, her heart filled with growing fear—just moments ago, she had even felt a pang of disappointment…

This is absolutely terrifying!