give it all to miss machima

Without realizing it, I had already succumbed to his skills. If it happened a few more times, I might really become his slave...

After leaving Machima's room, Vermouth went into the hallway almost naked and quickly found Miss Hound waiting outside, asking for a set of clothes.

As a result, whether intentionally or not, the latter only gave her a maid outfit that could be described as erotic clothing—the kind with a collar and a leash!

Not daring to linger there, Vermouth gritted her teeth, put on the suit, and prepared to leave immediately.

Before parting, Miss Hound said something that terrified her:

“Miss Machima asked me to tell you that if you can’t bring Shiho Miyano to her properly this time, then… as punishment, you will have to wear this dress and go shopping with her.”

Vermouth took a deep breath—she knew it! She knew that guy was up to no good!

Back in her car, Vermouth, who had reappeared as Dr. Araide and felt a sense of relief, gritted her teeth in anger.

This time, we absolutely have to get that Shiho Miyano back to Machima's side as soon as possible!

Chapter 258 Direct Confrontation with Machima – Movements of All Parties

"So... you've decided to attend that banquet tomorrow night?"

At 2-22 Beikacho, in Professor Agasa's house, Ai glared angrily at Conan.

"That's about right."

"Shinichi Kudo! You..."

"Don't be angry, don't be angry!"

Conan quickly comforted Ai.

"I went with Uncle Mori and the others this time, so we won't attract attention! At most, we'll just observe from a distance to see if Machima will appear."

Ai originally wanted to give Conan a stern scolding for acting on his own again, but because she was feeling unwell, she didn't have much strength and could only glare at Conan.

"...Whatever, but you'd better not try to be clever by placing any locators or anything like that. And I have to warn you, Makima's disguise abilities are extremely strong. What you see is likely a double, and if you attract the attention of that crazy woman Tomie...you...cough cough...you don't want to know what happens to Pisco."

"Don't worry, I won't be that careless... Oh! By the way, just in case, could you give me a pill?"

"Impossible, give up on that idea."

Despite Conan's persistent pleading, Ai Haibara ultimately refused to give him the antidote that would temporarily restore his health—it was a formula she created using the APTX4869 ingredient she remembered, combined with some ingredients from Lao Bai Gan liquor.

Unfortunately, this medicine still has an expiration date. The last time it was given to Conan was out of necessity—at that time, Ran was almost certain that Conan was Shinichi Kudo.

"There is still too little data on this antidote, and I'm not sure if it will cause any resistance in the user. Although you returned to your original body last time, but... Anyway, I won't give it to you, Kudo. This is for your own good."

After saying that, Ai went back to her room to sleep.

Conan, who failed to get the medicine, sighed deeply, but then smiled.

The doctor standing nearby looked at him, and couldn't help but feel a little worried:

"Shinichi, Ai knows more about Aphrodite... or rather, Makima. If she says there's danger, it's best to..."

"It's not just about her... no, in fact... this matter, if I'm not mistaken, has little to do with her."

Conan stopped smiling and took a letter out of his pocket.

"Look, Professor, this is the invitation that was delivered to my house—it's the same invitation to that masquerade ball, and the envelope is addressed to Shinichi Kudo… but the beginning of the invitation inside is…"

The doctor took a closer look and his pupils immediately contracted.

"Darling... Conan Edogawa!? Hey! Wait... doesn't this mean..."

"Ah...it seems things have been exposed..."

Conan, on the other hand, didn't seem particularly alarmed.

"The person who sent this letter... probably already knows that I am Shinichi Kudo, who shrunk my body after drinking APTX4869 and disguised myself as an elementary school student. Moreover, the sender probably also knows that Haibara is Sherry."

"Oh—but...this..."

The doctor was shocked to find his biggest secret suddenly known to the enemy and exposed to them.

"But if that's the case... isn't that too strange? If they already knew, why didn't they just come knocking on our door?"

"Well..."

Conan glanced at the door where Ai Haibara had left, then looked down at the name of the person who had invited him on the letter in his hand.

"The key lies with this Vermouth... Haibara mentioned this person before."

The doctor stroked his chin, recalling for a moment:

"It seems so..."

"The Thousand-Faced Witch, deeply trusted by the BOSS within the organization, also maintains an ambiguous relationship with Machima..."

Conan analyzed.

“If it was her, everything makes sense—she’s someone Makima trusts, so she must know a lot about the effects of APTX4869, and it’s not surprising that she could guess about me and Haibara…”

"Then... what should we do?"

"Well... I have a plan for now, Doctor... tonight, find an opportunity to cooperate with me and steal Haibara's antidote."

"Is this... not a good idea?"

"At this point, Doctor, just listen to me!"

What a load of rubbish about being trusted by Machima! What a load of rubbish about maintaining an ambiguous relationship!

That guy was absolutely...

The thought of failing the mission and possibly being paraded through the streets in that sexy maid outfit by Machima made Vermouth's teeth ache.

While listening to Conan and Dr. Agasa's conversation through the listening device, Vermouth dialed a number.

This operation involves Conan, and I obviously can't let Gin and his cronies know about it, so I don't have many people I can call upon...

"Hello? Calvados, I have a mission that needs your help with... yes, it's... a personal one..."

"Is Vermouth about to make a move?"

"Yes, I listened to her phone calls, and she has already contacted an organization that has a gunman named Calvados."

Who is the target?

Shuichi Akai received a call from Jodie, and after listening to what she said, he immediately drove to her place.

"It's not certain yet... but judging from the photos hanging in her room, it should be that girl, Shuichi... I'm talking about that one..."

"……I see."

Shuichi Akai frowned and fell silent.

So, the problem now is...

"Shuichi, should we... notify James?"

Judy's question was incredibly disloyal to the FBI—taking action on one's own is a serious violation of regulations, no matter which government violence department it's in, but... Judy still asked it.

Shuichi Akai knew the reason Jodie asked that question was because she cared about him—Shiho Miyano was Akemi Miyano's younger sister, and Akemi had once been his…

Do not……

More importantly, Shiho Miyano is suspected of possessing a crucial secret about longevity drugs.

These two points are currently unknown to anyone in the FBI besides him and Jodie—the FBI only knows that Vermouth is looking for someone who is very important to Aphrodite.

But... if "Ai Haibara" comes into the FBI's sights and the FBI discovers that she is Shiho Miyano, and that she knows about the drugs and the secret of her shrinking body... then in a sense, there is not much difference between her falling into the hands of the organization and falling into the hands of the FBI.

Vermouth's sudden action undoubtedly disrupted Shuichi Akai's plans. He originally intended to find an opportunity to contact Shiho Miyano and that detective kid, and then use his authority in the FBI to provide Shiho Miyano with a spot in the witness protection program, sending her to a place that the organization and Aphrodite's henchmen could not reach...

Although they were living under assumed names, at least their safety was guaranteed.

but now……

Shuichi Akai, recalling his last meeting with Akemi Miyano, finally made up his mind.

"Let's not notify James yet, Judy. Let's act together first."

“…I understand, Shuichi.”

Chapter 259 Direct Confrontation with Machima – A Gathering of Parties

"...Huh? So that kid didn't come with you guys?"

Downstairs at the Mouri Detective Agency, Sonoko looked at her best friend Ran and Uncle Mouri with a strange expression, somewhat surprised that Ran's little tagalong hadn't come along.

"Yes, Conan said he's going to Dr. Agasa's house to play video games with Genta and Mitsuhiko today, and we'll be staying overnight."

Sonoko shrugged: "I thought he was still hung up on that Kawakami Tomie, but he's still just a kid... Let's go, I've called a car."

Since it was a masquerade ball, everyone put on formal attire in advance. To make things easier, Sonoko called a taxi beforehand, and the three of them quickly arrived at a pier in Tokyo Bay—the banquet was to be held on a luxury cruise ship.

By this time, many guests were already queuing up at the gangway to enter, and the parking lot next to the pier was full of various luxury cars. In contrast, the three people who came by taxi seemed a bit out of place.

Feeling the stares from those around him, the competitive Uncle Mori couldn't help but complain to Sonoko, "Sonoko, you're supposed to be the young lady of the Suzuki Group, why didn't you borrow a car from your family?"

"Then you've become the driver, uncle? Let's go. Oh, and remember to wear your masks, Xiaolan too."

The three headed to the registration desk to board the ship, glancing at the other guests along the way. They noticed that this masquerade ball had all sorts of styles—from Jedi Knights to magical girls, from foreign princesses to surgeons, and some even wore various masks, making it almost impossible to guess their original identities.

Even those with relatively simple attire at least wore eye patches, or saucer hats that only revealed their eyes, or wore elaborate eye makeup.

Once aboard the ship and on the open-air deck ballroom, the three of them spotted what appeared to be some celebrities they had seen on television, but their makeup made it impossible to be entirely sure.

"Damn it... Does this mean Miss Yoko could walk right past me without me even noticing?"

Kogoro Mouri stared wide-eyed at the group of elegantly dressed women, his tone quite troubled.

"That's the fun of a masquerade ball, sir!"

Yuanzi had an air of being very knowledgeable.

"Wearing a veil and a headdress adorned with feathers, facing someone I know yet feel a strange mix of familiarity and estrangement... Ah! Speaking of Ran, it's such a shame that idiot Shinichi isn't here, otherwise this would be a wonderful date spot..."

"What...what are you saying, Sonoko..."

"Isn't that right? He really missed out on your beautiful outfit while he was away... Oh! That's right!"

As if remembering something, Sonoko suddenly moved closer to Ran:

"If any strange people try to chat you up later, just refuse them. That's just how the atmosphere is here."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Hmph, what else could it mean?"

Kogoro Mouri looked on with disdain.

"A masquerade ball, isn't it? Those rich and powerful people just use this opportunity—a chance where no one knows me or me—to cause some trouble?"

To put it more bluntly, Kogoro Mouri didn't say it directly to his daughter—otherwise, why would so many handsome men and beautiful women from the entertainment industry attend a ball? And why would he charter an entire cruise ship as the venue and provide the guests with luxury room service that continues until tomorrow?

"It's not that exaggerated, uncle..."

Sonoko retorted.

"I heard that many fashion photographers, stylists, fashion industry leaders, and heads of major clothing brands will be attending this ball. If you shine brightly enough, your outfit and styling might catch your eye and could even become a new trend in the fashion world!"

"Uh... well, let's forget about it then..." Xiaolan gave a dry laugh.

"Alright, alright, at the very least, the buffet here is top-notch in Japan. Let's go! Ran, I deliberately skipped lunch today, just for this meal!"

Uncle Mori sighed as he watched Sonoko push her daughter toward the buffet table—she didn't look like a typical rich heiress at all.

However, what Yuanzi said is right. No matter what others are here for, it's a rare opportunity to be in such a high-class place, so we can't treat ourselves poorly.

So Uncle Mori hurried over to the buffet table and immediately set his sights on the drinks there.

Unbeknownst to the three, a man and a woman were secretly observing them from a corner of the venue.

One was a woman dressed as a witch, and the other was a young man dressed as a phantom thief wearing a mask.

"Shinichi... is he really alright on his own?"

Hattori Heiji scratched his chin, and asked the other person in a low voice with some concern.

"That kid said he was confident, so let's trust him."

Yukiko Kudo swirled her wine glass.

"As for you, remember to act convincingly, so that Xiaolan doesn't see through your act and expose you in the end."

"Haha...I'll try my best..."