Sonoko?
Suzuki Sonoko?
Akai Shūichi took a moment to realize who Conan was referring to when he exclaimed in surprise, and his eyebrows rose as he looked at the screen again.
After being swallowed by a layer of lens, the surveillance is actually very distorted compared to the real person. Even so, the blonde woman on the screen is also very beautiful. Her appearance is actually quite gorgeous, but her cat-like eyes and lively and cheerful expression abruptly reverse this mature beauty, making her as cute as a red panda innocently stretching out its palm to ask for an apple, especially dazzling.
That's why Akai Shūichi was the first to pinpoint this client; he hadn't had much contact with Belmode, but every time he did, this member of the organization would disguise herself as a gorgeous, beautiful woman.
Probably to emphasize to someone, in a reserved yet attentive manner, that they're human, really human, and not to try to play with themselves as toys...
But, like Suzuki Sonoko?
Thanks to the fact that he had survived a month in the hands of Ichijō Mirai without suffering any persecution, Akai Shūichi was very serious when he first came into contact with Conan. He not only carefully investigated Conan, but also investigated other people. Naturally, he knew clearly what the lively and lovely Miss Suzuki looked like. It can't be said that she is exactly the same as this foreign guest, but it can only be said that they are completely unrelated.
But upon further examination, he realized that it was probably because of the cuteness of the guest.
...Right?
It was difficult for someone who hadn't spent any real time with Suzuki Sonoko to immediately recognize the aura that was spilling out of her eyes and expression, so before Akai Shūichi could think about it, Conan took the initiative to explain: "Uh, have you found anyone who looks like Belmode, Mr. Akai? I think it's going to be the blonde woman who seems to be traveling with her grandfather."
His voice lowered a bit more, "She strikes me as very similar to Sonoko... probably because she knows that Mr. Mirai likes Sonoko..."
When he said this, he felt quite frightened: Belmode knew that Ichijō Mirai liked Suzuki Sonoko, what did this mean? It meant that she knew Ichijō Mirai's recent whereabouts very well, even if she didn't know it 100%, she probably knew about 80% of it.
And what does the almost lifelike imitation of Suzuki Sonoko's look and demeanor mean?
It means that even if she didn't see Suzuki Sonoko in person, she must have seen photos and videos of her, and Suzuki Sonoko was with Mouri Ran for more than 10 hours a day.
"She could be threatening Mr. Mirai," Conan added, ''I've been watching you', that's what she's saying, using Sonoko as a silent warning to Mr. Mirai to think about betraying the organization, threatening that 'if you betray the organization, I'm going to clean up your little girlfriend as well'."
Is that so?
Akai Shūichi's eyes were still on the blonde on the monitor screen, he narrowed his eyes at the words, and it took him two, three, four seconds before he responded, "...Little girlfriend?"
What?
Did some word come up that has absolutely nothing to do with Ichijō Mirai?
"Yes, little girlfriend, why," Conan affirmed naturally, glancing up and then urgently sounding the alarm, "that woman is heading towards Mr. Mirai!"
On the surveillance video, the blonde turned around in style to retrieve her luggage once she had settled the old man, she walked briskly past the clusters of people, oblivious to the eyes of the crowd as they lit up, but soon enough, her footsteps stopped for a split second and her pale green eyes curved up happily, "Hi."
She reaches out to greet Ichijō Mirai, "Wow, are you a Japanese? Are you from here? I'm so sorry, I'm stuck at the airport with my grandfather, we don't know much about the area, can I ask for your help?"
"Please."
The camera was pointed at the blonde's front, so her mouth and expression were clearly shown on the screen.
This was obviously a playful blonde sweetheart, and an unsuspecting one, who had the audacity to talk to anyone who suited her tastes.
Ichijō Mirai's back was the only thing on the monitor, and Akai Shūichi could only see his back as he slowly raised his head, unable to see the expression on his face or what he was replying to.
But even if he did, he probably wouldn't have been able to process the message in the first place, and would still be in shock: 'Little girlfriend'?
...Not that humans can't fall in love, just...
It's just that Ichijō Mirai is clearly not a thing, right?
To give him a little credit, Ichijō Mirai is a real thing.
Can such a thing fall in love with a human being?
Did the victim, Suzuki Sonoko, know that she was in a cross-species relationship?
While asking himself and respecting Suzuki Sonoko, a brave woman who dared to become the dragon's girlfriend, Akai Shūichi catches a slight change outside of the confrontation on the monitor: Gin.
Gin, seated behind Ichijō Mirai, slowly looks up, takes a deep breath, raises the brim of his hat, which he has been pulling down, takes another deep breath, and then slowly turns his head sideways to meet the grinning Belmode.
Belmode notices, winking playfully at Gin before apologizing to Ichijō Mirai, "Oh dear, have I embarrassed you? I'm so sorry!"
Gin looked at her steadily.
After ten seconds or so, he turned his head back, and as his face came back into view, he lowered his head back down, resuming his previous state of silent, reduced presence.
Only this time, he raised his hand and nodded his forehead and shoulders in turn.
It was a gesture of prayer, which could be used in any situation, and could also represent mourning for the dead.
"..." Akai Shūichi affirmed, "That woman is Belmode."
Conan, whose view was invisible to Gin, who was intently observing Belmode, trying to add some support to his suspicions, immediately perked up at the sound of his voice, "What, you're sure already? Why?"
Nothing but familiarity.
As a victim of Ichijō Mirai, while other people might not have understood Gin's meaning, Akai Shūichi had no trouble reading Gin's astonishment as if he'd seen a ghost.
To be honest, Gin was actually quite calm.
If Akai Shūichi had seen a guy imitating Ichijō Mirai's girlfriend and had provoked him to his face, after double-checking, he would have gotten up and gone to sit somewhere else to avoid the unfortunate incident.
Conan, who had obviously spent a lot of time with Ichijō Mirai but had not become a victim, did not understand this kind of time that only the victim could understand, so Akai Shūichi thought about it and translated it into layman's terms, "They've matched the security code."
"Next..."
On the surveillance video, Ichijō Mirai stood up, and he and Belmode turned around together with the typical Neon look of someone who isn't very enthusiastic, but has been forced by a blonde sweetie who can't read the air to eagerly help with the luggage.
As they walked, Belmode boldly took Ichijō Mirai's arm.
The camera caught them in profile as they walked and talked.
Akai Shūichi: "..."
Intellectually, he knew that Belmode was trying to be intimate with Ichijō Mirai in order to exchange organizational secrets for fear of being overheard.
Emotionally, he was once again in awe.
If Jodie had to choose between 'taking Ichijō Mirai's arm' and 'working 24/7 for three days', she'd choose the latter without blinking an eye.
"They've gone to pick up their luggage, they should be exchanging more details about the mission, remember to keep an eye on your cell phone to see if he'll message you," Akai Shūichi said after a brief moment of speechlessness, "I'll keep an eye on them, you keep an eye on the guy who's traveling with Belmode."
Conan: "Okay."
"Do you think that's the chief?" He hesitates, "I don't think so."
How can the leader of a mysterious organization be a plain old man?
"But there weren't any other people as noteworthy as Belmode among the passengers who came off the plane, could it be..."
It was a detective's instinct to be paranoid, one that Akai Shūichi also possessed, but he knew better and dismissed it, "No, he must have been one of the passengers."
If it had been another member of the organization on the special mission, then Akai Shūichi would have been just as uncertain as Conan about whether the leader was there in person or throwing out a big enough piece of meat to be used as bait, and would have wavered when there were no more suspected targets, figuring that there were no other members of the organization, and that the only gain would be Belmode.
But it was Ichijō Mirai who carried out the mission, and he made sure that the leader would come in person.
Because he is not a normal human being, but a successful drug user who has survived, even his blood has incredible restorative properties, making him a special member of the organization.
And...
Akai Shūichi's eyes swept over the screen and reached out to light up his hand, which showed a message forwarded by Conan.
The message was the details of Ichijō Mirai's mission, the gentleman's whereabouts were unknown, and there was a reason for his sudden appearance in Neon: a breakthrough in the drug.
The organization has been working on the drug in batches, setting up classified laboratories all over the world and recruiting scientists from all over the world to work for the organization. The progress of these laboratories is not interconnected, and the direction of the research varies according to the ideas of the person in charge, but they all have the same goal, which is to turn back the tide of time.
This time, a laboratory in Tokyo made a breakthrough in the experiments, the head of the laboratory is a science geek who is not bound by ethical constraints in the eyes of the results, in the project for a long time after the card has not progressed, finally anxious to break the boat, a whole laboratory as a bargaining chip for a few dangerous experiments.
After the success of the experiments, he contacted Mr. Frankenstein with great joy and reported the progress of the project, and showed the different reactions of the subjects after taking the different stages of the drug.
The gentleman was equally ecstatic.
But before he could be happy, a cold shower of water hit him: the lab was lost.
In the final stage of the experiment, there were not enough staff members to serve as subjects, so the head of the lab simply took the plunge and tested the drug on himself, and the successful subject was not him, but an ex-staff member, so the head of the lab passed away shortly after the news was reported, and the successful subject had no authorization to contact the outside world, and had to activate the emergency help device.
However, for the sake of secrecy, the emergency device is equipped with the function of destroying secrets, and even if it is stopped at the first time, if it is not authorized by that person, it will still activate the second self-destruct after a period of time without pause.
If the rescuer doesn't arrive in time, the successful subject and the successful drug will disappear.
Of course, that gentleman made an emergency appearance.
After all, he's the same Mr. Sneaky and Fearful who never shows his face, and instead of flying to Neon at such a time of crisis, he discreetly gathered his trusted organization members first, and without even applying for a private jet route, he quietly blended into a regular plane disguised as a tourist.
Moreover, he would only stay in Tokyo for two hours.
After two hours, he would leave Tokyo with his medication, blend in with the cruise ship as a tourist, and disappear again only to be found on his cell phone.
Conan believed most of these mission details when they were sent out, but was still a bit skeptical due to Ichijō Mirai's claim that the organization didn't trust him and his detective instincts.
Akai Shūichi, on the other hand, was mostly convinced.
He doesn't really believe Ichijō Mirai's statement that 'the organization doesn't trust me so they basically won't let me go on missions'.
Who the hell is Ichijō Mirai... he's not a person, and he's in a special position, so it's only natural that the organization wouldn't let him go on a dangerous classified mission, right?
The reason they didn't put him in a transparent case like a fragile object and let him carry it with him is because he's too much of an asset for him to handle.
It's only natural not to give him a mission so that he doesn't get himself into trouble, but it's also unspeakable.
But it's the same unspeakable thing.
Saying 'Ichijō Mirai is a twin', and then saying 'Ichijō Mirai is not a normal human being because of the drugs he's been taking', isn't that just asking for revenge that will make your blood pressure skyrocket?
Ichijō Mirai just doesn't play with Conan, it's not like he's really kind and generous.
As for 'Ichijō Mirai is so bad that the organization can't stand it'...
Conan won't believe that.
If he wasn't the victim, he wouldn't understand how bad Ichijō Mirai was.
This was already evident in his double standard behavior of not saying anything when he learned of 'Messiah's' actions in Tokyo, then facing up to the possibility that Ichijō Mirai was 'Satan', and then ignoring it again after realizing that Ichijō Mirai could be 'Satan'.
After a moment's thought, Akai Shūichi could only say, "He'll show up, so you can watch again after everyone's finished picking up their luggage."
Conan was skeptical.
He was keenly aware that Akai Shūichi seemed to be too sure that there was some information he wasn't reporting, but after a moment's thought he didn't say anything, and just paid closer attention.
Soon, he saw the passengers finishing their luggage.
The plane had almost run straight into the rain and was stuck at the airport, Belmode's cheerfulness was an exception to the rule, the normal passengers were tired and restless, they could have left everything behind and fallen asleep if a bed had appeared on the floor.
Passengers with children were especially distraught.
But the most distraught was a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man's figure and face were square and white, but not as white as the one-sided blindfold on his face or the incisors protruding from between his lips.
His whole body was kind of gray, and his face was weirdly white and gray, like a dead spirit that had wandered into the world, or the kind of earthbound spirit that doesn't know it's dead.
This earthbound spirit opened his eyes but did not look at anything, his expression was blank, his eyes were straight, he went to an empty seat and sat down, and began to wait for death.
Some are still alive, but already dead.