Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Rena Mizunashi tapped her fingertips lightly on the sofa armrest, making a rhythmic "tap, tap" sound.

She looked at Conan's still-childish yet deliberately serious face and said:

"Hattori Heiji?"

Rena Mizunashi leaned back slightly: "That high school detective who's famous in Osaka?"

"That's right!"

Conan keenly sensed a slight softening in her tone and immediately pressed his advantage.

"Even though Heiji isn't in Tokyo right now, we're still the best duo."

"Furthermore, we have Professor Agasa providing technical support, and Uncle Mori, although... he is also a detective in name only, which can serve as a cover."

As Conan spoke, he secretly observed Rena Mizunashi's expression.

He knew that with his status as a primary school student, it would be difficult to make this CIA undercover agent take him seriously.

But with Heiji Hattori and the "brand" of Kogoro Mouri's Detective Agency, the weight is different.

Rena Mizunashi remained silent for a moment.

She had observed Kogoro Mouri, a detective who was somewhat overrated.

The child he adopted is more like a brilliant detective.

So all those cases were solved by this kid?
Rena Mizunashi rubbed her temples, feeling somewhat irritated.

She was a CIA member who had infiltrated the organization, and now so many people know her identity.

"Does Hattori Heiji also know who I am?" Mizunashi Rena asked.

“I haven’t told him yet,” Conan said. “But I’ve discussed your situation with him, and he has a general idea.”

Rena Mizunashi felt a headache coming on.

It seems like she failed a bit as an undercover agent.

She glanced at Conan.

Conan already knows too much; having him investigate secretly in the shadows could easily become an uncontrollable factor.

“Cooperation…” Rena Mizunashi began slowly, her voice rising slightly at the end.

“Okay,” she finally nodded.

"Since you've put it that way, I can't very well refuse the little detective."

She extended her hand in a handshake gesture: "It's a pleasure working with you, Detective Edogawa."

Conan's eyes lit up, and he immediately reached out his chubby little hand and firmly grasped Rena Mizunashi's hand: "Pleasure doing business with you!"

Although I know that Rena Mizunashi's attitude is somewhat perfunctory, it is still a good first step.

He had a partner lurking within the organization.

It will be much easier to deal with organizations in the future, and we will obtain a lot of information about them.

“However, I have one condition.” Rena Mizunashi did not immediately let go of Conan’s hand, but looked at him and her tone became serious.

"Any action must prioritize one's own safety."

“If anything happens to you, or if something happens to Yingyou, this cooperation will be terminated immediately.”

"No problem!" Conan agreed without hesitation.

Rena Mizunashi forced a smile.

She actually wanted to cooperate with the FBI and have them protect Eung-woo, who came to find her.

But it's too dangerous for her to contact the FBI; it would alert the organization to something amiss.

Kogoro, whom she considered a bridge to the FBI, truly disappointed her.

In the end, he could only cooperate with Conan.

However, compared to Conan...

She spoke up, "Isn't Zheng Yi in cahoots with you?"

She believed in Zheng Yi more.

A powerful zaibatsu in Japan could easily protect Eisuke.

Conan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

He had just begun to doubt the identity of the first brother.

“If I ask Masakazu for help, he will always help,” Conan said.

It doesn't matter if you say they're in cahoots.

Rena Mizunashi said, "Then can I ask him to protect Eisuke?"

"This..." Conan couldn't very well agree on behalf of Masakazu.

Rena Mizunashi continued, "The organization has been smearing Shoichi's reputation. I am an undercover agent within the organization."

If he wants to take action against the organization, I can offer my assistance.

"I'll ask Zheng Yi for you," Conan said.
"However, Brother Zhengyi is a kind-hearted person. Even if you can't offer him any help, he will still help you."

Rena Mizunashi blinked: "Is that so?"

"Yes."

Conan learned a lot more about the organization from Rena Mizunashi and left his contact information.

He stood up and said, "Alright, I won't disturb you two siblings' reunion any longer."

He waved goodbye to Rena Mizunashi and Eisuke.

……

After Conan left Rena Mizunashi's house, his pocket vibrated.

Conan took out his phone, and the screen displayed Hattori Heiji's name.

He pressed the answer button.

"Hey! Conan! Where are you?!"

Heiji's anxious and noisy voice came from the other end of the phone, and there seemed to be the sound of a Shinkansen train arriving at the station in the background.

"Any news? I'm coming to find you now."

“She’s a CIA agent, infiltrated within the organization. Her codename is ‘Kir’,” Conan said.

Heiji said with some surprise, "Then you've investigated quite thoroughly."

They even found out her code name within the organization.

Conan is holding his phone.

"Heiji, there's no need to come. I already know the truth."

"What truth?" Heiji asked.

“Zhengyi is not a member of the organization,” Conan said.

Heiji remained silent for a long time.

Is this all the truth you're looking for?

Or is this all the truth you want to tell me?

"Will there be any problems?" Heiji asked.

Conan said seriously, "There won't be any problems. Masakazu has no connection with the organization."

"You haven't been brainwashed by that woman, have you?"

“I haven’t been brainwashed,” Conan said. “Eisuke’s sister is indeed Rena Mizunashi, and she is indeed a CIA undercover agent.”

She was the one who revealed everything about Brother Zhengyi.

“Well…” Heiji paused.

Conan spoke up before he could, saying, "Don't hold such grudges against Zheng Yi. It's just that he punched you when we were kids."

"Stop emphasizing how I got punched by Shoichi when I was a kid!" Heiji said, somewhat annoyed.

"I had long forgotten about this matter."

Conan curled his lips.

Have you already forgotten?
Then why are you reacting so strongly?
Conan said, "Alright, alright, you've already forgotten..."

Conan then told Heiji everything that Rena Mizunashi had said.

It explained how Zheng Yi became the organization's scapegoat.

After hearing this, Heiji remained silent for a very long time.

Conan listened to the noise on the other end of the phone and said:
"Are you at the train station? Why don't you come to Tokyo? We can go to Zheng Yi's house and discuss the organization's affairs?"

“No, I’m not at the station,” Heiji said.

"what?"

Conan blinked.

But the sound coming from your place is from the train station.

Heiji said, "I have to go to school tomorrow, so it's not convenient for me to go to Tokyo." Is it really not convenient?

Conan didn't ask directly.

He probably doesn't want to see Brother Zhengyi.

The thought of being completely manipulated by the organization made me realize that I had truly misunderstood Brother Zhengyi.

If Heiji were to meet Masakazu after learning the truth, he would probably be so ashamed he would want to disappear.

“If you don’t want to come, that’s fine. We can contact each other by phone,” Conan said.

"it is good."

Heiji gave a few perfunctory words and then hung up the phone.

Is the organization framing Zheng Yi all along?

Why is Heiji so skeptical?
Hattori Heiji rubbed his temples. He trusted his own findings more than what Mizunashi Rena had said.

He'll have to investigate.

Let's see if there really is someone who has been smearing Zhengyi.

Leaving aside the investigation that Heiji is about to begin.

In Tokyo, Conan is on his way to Shoichi's house.

He felt refreshed after learning the truth.

Everyone was framing Zheng Yi, but thankfully I remained clear-headed and believed that Zheng Yi was a good person.

Everyone else is drunk, but I am the only one sober.

No, my resolve has wavered too.

The reason he didn't ask Masakazu for help this time and investigated Rena Mizunashi's matter on his own is because he has become suspicious of Masakazu.

There's no need to make excuses like Heiji misleading people or the organization being behind it; if you have doubts, you have doubts.

Trust is not absolute; it is absolute distrust.

"I need to apologize to Brother Zhengyi," Conan said quietly as he walked.

He saw a small tree branch by the roadside.

Conan paused, thought for a moment, and then picked up the branch.

……

"Ding dong~"

The door opened, and Conan, holding a tree branch in both hands, bowed deeply and said very sincerely, "I'm sorry, Brother Zhengyi!"

However, his brother Zheng Yi did not reply.

Only the sound of the wind outside the door answered Conan.

Conan bowed for a while, then felt a little awkward.

He looked up and saw Ai looking at him with a twitching mouth.

"What's wrong with you?" Ai couldn't help but ask.

"what?"

Conan was stunned for a moment, then his face quickly turned red.

"Why you? Where's Zheng Yi?" Conan asked.

Xiao Ai curled the corners of her mouth and said in a sarcastic tone, "Why would Young Master Zhengyi come to open the door himself? Of course, he would have me, the servant, open the door."

Conan doesn't pay attention to what Ai Haibara is saying.

All I know is that I did something stupid in front of a child.

Furthermore, this child is himself, the one who is Shinichi Kudo.

"I'm going in to find Brother Zhengyi." Conan entered the room with a stern face.

After Conan entered, Ai closed the door and pouted.

She glanced at the branch Conan was holding.

So, is Conan here to apologize?

If you're going to apologize, then apologize. Why come up with this whole mess of nonsense?

I really can't understand these guys' thought processes.

"Conan, what brings you here?"

Zheng Yi was lying on the sofa watching TV, with a fruit plate on the chair next to him.

Conan, holding the twig, was embarrassed and didn't know how to start the conversation.

Should I just say that I've come to apologize with a bundle of thorns on my back?

He had already realized his 'stupidity' when he was at the door, and he simply couldn't apologize a second time.

Zheng Yi's gaze swept back and forth between Conan and the withered branch, his eyebrows slightly raised, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"What?" Zheng Yi slowly picked up a slice of apple, took an elegant bite, and asked indistinctly:
"What kind of mysterious gift is this? Are dead tree branches from the roadside now the most fashionable souvenirs among elementary school students?"

Conan's face flushed red and then turned pale, his grip on the branch tightening and loosening repeatedly.

He had already rehearsed his lines on the way here.

She even planned what would happen if Zheng Yi got angry because of her distrust.

He used the righteous excuse of "I was investigating the organization" to evade the issue, and then sincerely apologized.

However, he had already apologized to Ai first.

Looking at the branch in my hand now, I feel like I'm being a bit childish. Why is that?

"Ahem!" Conan cleared his throat. "This isn't an ordinary tree branch! This is... is..."

He stammered for a long time, but couldn't come up with any impressive reason.

Are you suggesting that you just picked it by the roadside and planned to stage a self-inflicted injury to apologize?
"Is this for hitting people?" Shoichi suddenly asked, "Conan, you're not thinking of using this to hit me, are you?"

"Of course not!" Conan almost threw the branch away.

"What is that for?"

Just then, Ai leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and delivered a cool, scathing blow:

"I think he probably watched some period drama on TV and tried to imitate the 'bearing thorns to apologize' act, right?"

"It's a pity, though, that this is Japan in the Heisei era, not China in the Warring States period."

"Haiyuan!"

Conan was so ashamed and angry that he wished he could disappear into the ground.

He clearly came to sincerely apologize, so why does he look like a circus clown now?
Finally, Conan reluctantly revealed how he had suspected Shoichi.

Then she talked about Rena Mizunashi, saying that if it weren't for her, she would still have doubts about Shoichi.

He earnestly begged Zheng Yi to forgive him.

Ai Haibara always looks at Conan like he's an idiot.

Doubt? Misunderstanding?

Zheng Yi has always been closely connected with the organization, right?
This is not a misunderstanding!
Then Ai looked at Masakazu with suspicion.

Did you really not bribe that host named Rena Mizunashi to talk nonsense in front of Conan?
“It’s okay, Conan,” Masakazu said magnanimously. “Don’t even mention it. Sometimes, I can’t help but doubt myself.”

Xiao Ai felt disgusted by Zheng Yi's hypocritical attitude.

vomit~
shameless.

Zheng Yi patted Conan on the shoulder and said, "I just didn't expect that the force that has been framing me is actually an organization."

"Their purpose was merely to cover up the organization's actions; what an undeserved disaster."

Conan nodded.

It was indeed an undeserved disaster.

Especially when I heard Brother Zhengyi say it so casually, I couldn't help but doubt myself.

Conan's hatred for the organization deepened.

When everyone doubted Zheng Yi, even though he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, he couldn't help but doubt himself.

It's hard to imagine how Zheng Yi managed to get through it.

Conan said to Shoichi, "Don't worry, Shoichi-nii, we'll definitely solve this problem with the organization."

"At that time, let everyone know that you, Brother Zheng, are innocent."

"Okay." Zheng Yi nodded.

Shoichi and Conan stood side by side. Without needing many words, a single glance was enough for them to understand each other's resolve.

The awkwardness and estrangement from before vanished, replaced by an unbreakable tacit understanding.

"Ugh~"

"Ai, what's wrong? Did you eat something bad?" Masaru asked expressionlessly. (End of Chapter)