"So, you're saying... they are behind this robbery case?"
Conan pondered for a moment, stroking his chin, and then furrowed his brows, denying his own judgment.
"But something doesn't seem right. If Miss Masami Hirota is one of them, why would they leave behind the lipstick-mask at the scene and then frame her for the murder of two accomplices after silencing them?
From this perspective, it looks more like they're against each other..."
"I speculate that she might be just a peripheral member," Senichi looked at Conan meaningfully. "Although I didn't hear it clearly at the front desk. But when she turned to leave after ordering coffee, I saw her mouth form the word 'sister'!"
Senichi's words hit Conan's heart like a bomb, causing a storm of emotions within him.
The news was too shocking, to the point that when Conan heard it, his pupils contracted sharply, demonstrating his inner turmoil.
"They are sisters!?" Conan furrowed his brows again. "If that's the case, the current situation should be even more unusual. The younger sister seems to be an important researcher..."
"So, now we need to analyze the situation between them. I suspect there's a gap between the sisters and the organization they belong to," Senichi guided and reasoned. "If not, they wouldn't take actions specifically targeting Masami Hirota. Even if it's for her sister's sake, they would want to maintain a good relationship unless they violated some taboo.
And this taboo is probably Masami Hirota's desire to leave the organization, even taking her sister with her.
Naturally, they wouldn't allow such an important researcher to leave, so they want to eliminate Masami Hirota, who has a significant influence on her sister, and make her sister obediently become a pawn."
Senichi started to unravel the mystery. "So, the current situation makes sense. They probably proposed the condition of robbing a billion yen as the price for the two of them to leave the organization.
But in reality, they had no intention of fulfilling the promise. Instead, they planned to use Masami Hirota to obtain the billion yen and then shift the blame onto her, then silence her!"
After hearing Senichi's analysis, Conan nodded in agreement. Based on the current situation and the actions of the other party, this explanation was the only one that made sense.
Unless the organization no longer intended to continue the research, they would naturally take measures like this.
Putting himself in their shoes, this approach not only solves the trouble caused by Masami Hirota but also "utilized pawn" to obtain a billion yen and kept the sister under control, allowing the research to continue. It was killing two birds with one stone!
Killing Masami Hirota, who might affect the research, and then using delaying tactics to keep her sister in check and continue the research.
If she sensed something, they would resort to intimidation, deception, or appeasement. They had plenty of means to control a vulnerable woman.
Killing Masami Hirota could also serve as a warning to others.
For the organization, any of these outcomes would be more beneficial than letting Masami Hirota take her sister away directly.
And the worst-case scenario would be she no longer cooperates with the research, which would simply bring them back to square one.
The longer they dragged it out, the more they profited. At worst, they would just waste another bullet.
In this way, they maximized the utilization of "pawn" and ensured the maximization of their own interests.
"Yes, that makes sense. If that's the case, everything falls into place. Based on the current information, this seems to be the most likely scenario."
After a wave of "spoiler-like guidance analysis," Conan nodded in a serious tone agreeing with Senichi's viewpoint. "Based on the current situation, it is likely that Miss Masami Hirota will encounter danger, and the next person to be silenced might be her!"
At this point, Conan couldn't help but become anxious. This is a valuable clue that he had finally obtained, and her sister is a core researcher.
If he wants to pry the secrets of the organization from her mouth, he has to seize this opportunity!
And Masami Hirota is currently the key figure in his plan!
Moreover, with her help, he could find a way to rescue her sister, obtain detailed information about the drug that turned him into a child, and even the antidote!
Fortunately, Conan still had the necessary calmness. He knew his goal was to save her, but he couldn't act recklessly, or as Senichi said, he would be throwing himself into danger.
They are dealing with criminals who had no qualms about killing.
No matter how Conan's brain worked, based on the current information and available resources, he couldn't guarantee Masami Hirota's safety with the plan he had constructed.
Even if he could figure it out and convince Masami Hirota to live on for her sister's sake, they wouldn't be able to evade the subsequent pursuit.
"Damn... I still have too few trump cards..." Conan frustratedly scratched his head. "And I'm a kid now, many things are complicated..."
For Conan, the saying "Empty hands can't build a house" was the most appropriate metaphor at the moment. A good plan also required anything to execute it.
Just like in the original work, apart from the mismatched intelligence, he was just a child who couldn't do anything, could only watch as Masami Hirota walked towards her demise.
"So, do you want to hear my plan?" Senichi looked at Conan with a smile. "And sometimes, being a child can be an advantage."
"Senichi-san, you have a plan?"
Upon hearing Senichi's words, Conan abruptly looked up at Senichi with anticipation, but then hesitated. "If you mean arresting Masami Hirota in advance, then it's too risky."
Of course, Conan had considered such a plan, but in doing so, Senichi would be exposed and could face danger. Furthermore, even if Masami Hirota ended up in prison, her safety couldn't be guaranteed.
Senichi also rejected this plan. Wasn't it better to play it safe? He didn't want to become a thorn in the side of the Black Organization and end up being targeted by a sniper rifle one day.
"No, I have a better plan, but it may require you to pay a small price."
"Small Price? What is it! As long as we can save Miss Masami Hirota, what does a small price matter!" Conan said decisively upon hearing that.
Senichi looked at Conan with a face filled with a mysterious smile and reassured him, "It's not as serious as you think, and it's not a significant price. But it depends on whether you can accept it."
Then, Senichi outlined the general plan to Conan and finally revealed the price that Conan would have to pay.
"What!!!"
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