Seeing Vermouth's silence, Toru knew he had guessed correctly.
For a while, Vermouth's attitude had been a bit strange. She often looked like she wanted to ask him something but couldn't bring herself to say it.
At the time, Toru was a little puzzled, but after thinking about it, he figured out the reason.
In the original situation, it was because of Kudo Shinichi and Ran that Vermouth didn't make a move against Haibara.
But here, Vermouth had completely pretended not to see Haibara, her enemy, because of him.
"When did you figure it out?"
"At the aquarium that time, I was originally looking for Curacao's whereabouts. After I found you, I also saw the little girl beside you."
Vermouth closed her beautiful eyes and said, "…I saw what Sherry looked like as a child, so I recognized her at a glance. And before that, Pisco also told me about Sherry."
"You might not know who Pisco is. He was the chairman of the car company who committed murder at the Beika Hotel last time."
Toru suddenly understood. So it was Pisco who told her.
But after thinking about it again, even if Pisco hadn't said anything, it would only have been a matter of time before Vermouth discovered Haibara's identity.
After all, Haibara had always been by his side, and Vermouth would definitely investigate the people around him in detail. Discovering her secret was inevitable.
The reason he didn't care about this was because he believed that for his sake, Vermouth would never harm Haibara.
Thinking about it this way, he had actually used Vermouth.
Toru sighed softly in his heart.
He felt guilty toward her.
Vermouth loved him deeply. Her feelings were at full intensity, and her love would never change. She was even willing to betray the Organization for him.
But what about him? Whether he truly loved her or not, even he didn't know.
Perhaps he did, but he was definitely not the kind of person who would sacrifice everything for love.
Moreover, because there were too many women around him, this feeling had already been divided into countless parts. Compared to Vermouth's devotion, his own was always much less.
"I'm a bit curious. Why do you resent Sherry so much?"
"I don't know why you can maintain your current appearance, Vermouth, but that shouldn't have anything to do with Sherry."
Toru voiced his confusion.
Unexpectedly, Vermouth smiled charmingly. "You like Sherry very much?"
Toru was instantly speechless.
Damn, he had forgotten how women think and said the wrong thing.
Vermouth chuckled. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore."
"The reason I became like this is because of Sherry's parents. Back then, I was one of the test subjects for that batch of drugs. I was just lucky enough to survive, while all the others died."
Vermouth spoke lightly.
Toru's heart turned cold.
Given the success rate of APTX4869, it was truly not easy for her to survive.
Toru even suspected whether Vermouth might be related to Haibara by blood.
The main component of APTX4869 that maintains youth came from Haibara's parents' research, so the initial dosage should not differ much in probability from the current version.
And based on what was known, those who took the drug and survived, besides Kudo Shinichi, were Haibara and Mary, both of whom were related by blood.
Thinking of this, Toru told Vermouth about Mary.
These two would definitely meet again in the future, so it was better to inform her in advance.
Hearing this, Vermouth said in surprise, "Mary isn't dead?"
Her expression turned grim.
Mary was someone she had personally killed. It could even be considered one of the highlights of her life.
Mary was a top MI6 agent, and it was extremely difficult to kill her through normal assassination methods.
Vermouth had disguised herself as Mary's husband. In the moment the other party was stunned and unable to react, she administered poison mouth-to-mouth, killing her in one strike.
If given another chance, Vermouth would most likely not succeed again.
She just hadn't expected that Mary was not dead.
"APTX4869… it seems I can't use this drug anymore."
Her expression was grim. A drug that could shrink a person at any time was no longer suitable as a poison. Instead, it would expose too much about the Organization.
"You're cooperating with Mary?"
"Yes, Vermouth. You don't need to worry about her. Mary is a realistic person. With enough benefits, she won't hold a grudge against you. The only person she truly hates is Rum."
Toru paused, then continued, "…Mary is also human, a very normal person. She cannot resist the temptation of eternal youth and immortality."
"Especially as an MI6 agent who has seen too much darkness in this world, she understands even more that without a powerful Organization behind her, without holding power, someone like her cannot survive."
"If it were just her, it would be one thing. But she also has children, and that is her greatest weakness. Therefore, Mary will become our excellent partner."
Vermouth hugged Toru and said softly, "Boy, no matter what you do, I will support you. You don't need to worry about my feelings."
Toru's heart warmed, and he hugged her back.
"Actually, I'm still very curious. Why do you resent Sherry and her parents? Eternal youth is something countless people dream of, yet you don't care?"
Toru voiced the question in his heart. Can someone really resist that kind of temptation?
"I've never been interested in what the Organization pursues. To me, the meaning of life lies in the social connections around you."
"But this drug forced me to abandon the relationships I built over decades. The person called Sharon Vineyard has already died socially. There is no difference between being alive and being dead."
"Moreover, I barely survived after taking that drug, so naturally, I feel resentment."
Vermouth gently held Toru's face, making him look into her eyes.
"…But now I don't resent them. In fact, I'm even grateful."
"If it weren't for that drug, how could I have waited for you, Boy? If I can enjoy eternal youth with you, then I understand those who pursue immortality."
Toru hugged Vermouth tightly, and the two shared another passionate embrace.
After a long while, Vermouth, breathing lightly, lazily reached into her clothes and took out a beautiful and unique brooch, handing it to him.
Toru took the brooch and examined it. It was shaped like a ginkgo leaf, and on the back was engraved "Fusae Fashion Design Company."
His eyes showed curiosity.
"I investigated Rum, and many of his financial transactions are connected to this company."
Vermouth said softly.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)