Scene after scene, string after string of information, name after name, and location after location were uncontrollably 'extracted' and 'peeled' from the depths of her consciousness, flowing rapidly before her eyes (and through Kanjuro's perception) like a movie on fast-forward—
The coordinates of the CIA Far East Bureau's secret safe houses in Tokyo and the surrounding areas, along with the access codes and backup plans... the code name of her single-line contact superior and the encrypted communication frequencies, the locations of dead drops for emergencies... the list of fringe informants she had secretly developed during her undercover period in the organization who might be useful to the CIA, along with the means to control them... the personality weaknesses and potential for defection of some middle-level cadres of the Black Organization known to the CIA... the aliases, physical characteristics, behavioral habits, and public or semi-public cover identities of all her CIA colleagues in Japan... even some vague information about higher-level CIA'strategic assets' and long-term sleepers she had only heard of by chance and never contacted directly... Kanjuro closed his eyes as if savoring a complex feast of information. Beside him, Vermouth had somehow acquired an encrypted tablet and was rapidly recording the key fragments Kanjuro occasionally muttered under his breath.
This process lasted for an unknown amount of time. Mizunashi Rena collapsed onto the floor like a hollowed-out doll, her eyes vacant and her clothes soaked in cold sweat. Her will to resist, her identity as an agent, and her independent personality as 'Mizunashi Rena' had all been washed away and shattered in that soul-level storm. Although her body was still alive, something internal had been completely 'opened' and 'reorganized.' Her fear and obedience toward Kanjuro were deeply branded into the bottom layer of her consciousness.
The purple light in Kanjuro's eyes slowly faded. He rubbed the bridge of his nose; it seemed this deep and precise manipulation had consumed a lot of his energy, but his face bore a satisfied expression.
"A bountiful harvest." He looked at Vermouth.
Vermouth handed over the tablet, which already displayed a clear summary of the intelligence: "The safe house network, communication chains, informant lists... they're all complete. There are also some unexpected surprises, such as several figures in the political and business sectors we hadn't paid much attention to before who have indirect contact with the organization; they actually have ties to the CIA as well."
Kanjuro browsed through it quickly, his gaze suddenly stopping on one piece of information. It was a record of cover identities for non-direct action personnel planted by the CIA in Tokyo; next to one entry, Vermouth had made a mark in red.
"Teitan High School... English teacher... Jodie Starling?" Kanjuro read the name aloud, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which then turned into cold interest. "This woman who is active around the Mouri Detective Agency and the police, always acting like a somewhat airheaded foreign teacher... is actually CIA?"
Vermouth nodded and added: "According to the information in 'Kir's' memory, this Teacher Jodie is a senior CIA field operative, skilled in intelligence gathering and personality profiling. Her identity at Teitan High School is a long-term cover, intended to observe individuals potentially associated with the organization at close range, such as... Kogoro Mouri (deceased) and those around him. She also seems to be paying attention to the'shrunken' victims of APTX-4869."
"Interesting." Kanjuro put down the tablet, his lips curling into a dangerous arc. "Hiding in plain sight, well played. Who would have thought that a foreign teacher who hangs around in front of potential targets every day would be a CIA elite?"
He stood up, walked over to the slumped Mizunashi Rena, and looked down into her vacant eyes.
"You did well, 'Kir'." Kanjuro's voice carried a strange gentleness that seemed to permeate the soul, but this gentleness was more terrifying than any threat. "You can 'rest' now. In the future, you will continue to be useful as my loyal 'intelligence consultant'."
Mizunashi Rena's body moved slightly, and a very faint light returned to her eyes, but that light held only submissiveness and blankness. She subconsciously gave an extremely slight nod.
Kanjuro stopped looking at her and turned to give instructions to Vermouth: "The intelligence verification and cleanup work can begin. Pull out those safe houses and contact points one by one. For the informants, absorb those who are useful and dispose of those who aren't. As for this Teacher Jodie..."
He paused, a calculating light flashing in his eyes.
"Don't touch her for now. Keeping her might be more useful. Monitor her, track her every move, and find out exactly how much she knows and who she's contacted. Perhaps through her, we can pass some information to the CIA that we 'want' them to know."
"Yes, Father." Vermouth accepted the order, her eyes also flashing with an eager light; cleaning up the CIA's clandestine network was clearly a game she enjoyed.
Kanjuro took one last look at this luxurious cage and the former CIA agent inside who had lost herself and become an intelligence extractor, then turned to leave.
Mizunashi Rena's value had been almost entirely squeezed out. The intelligence transformed from that value would become a sharp weapon for him to eliminate CIA influence in Japan and further his grand cause of 'unification.' From this moment on, that seemingly harmless Teacher Jodie at Teitan High School had also become a marked and interesting pawn on Kanjuro's chessboard.
The tentacles of darkness, along with the acquired intelligence, were silently spreading toward a broader area. Kanjuro's control over this island had taken another solid and cruel step forward. In the afternoon at Teitan High School, sunlight filtered through the cherry blossom trees (though not in bloom, the branches were still lush) beside the school building, casting dappled shadows. The campus was filled with the noise of recess, and students in uniforms walked past in groups of twos and threes, overflowing with the unique restlessness and vitality of youth, forming a contrast so sharp it was jarring against the cold, dark world of power and blood that Kanjuro had just left.
Kanjuro's current attire blended perfectly into this youthful atmosphere. He had changed into a well-fitting Sobu High School boy's uniform (it wasn't hard for him to obtain one with his methods)—a black suit-style jacket, a white shirt with the top button casually undone, a loosely tied necktie, and straight, dark trousers. He carried a simple messenger bag, his hair falling naturally over his forehead, and his face wore a perfect touch of the freshness and slight nonchalance typical of this age. At this moment, he looked like an exceptionally handsome and slightly lazy-looking high school student from a neighboring school; no one could possibly associate him with the Kanjuro who controlled the Black Organization and struck fear into countless people.
He mingled with several Teitan students who had just returned from the convenience store and naturally walked onto the campus, his gaze calmly sweeping over the playground and school buildings as if he were truly just there to visit a friend. His pace was neither fast nor slow as he headed toward the building where Class 2-B was located.
Right at the corner of the stairs, a figure carrying a thick stack of English homework notebooks hurried down from upstairs, appearing somewhat distracted.
"Oops!"
A slight collision. The homework notebooks scattered all over the floor.
"Sorry, are you okay?" A female voice with a clear foreign accent but quite fluent Japanese rang out, crisp and tinged with frustration and apology.
Kanjuro stopped, looked down at the notebooks scattered at his feet, and then at the beautiful foreign female teacher who had crouched down to hurriedly gather them—it was Jodie Starling, with her short blonde hair and fashionable framed glasses.
"No, it was my fault for not paying attention. I'm sorry, Teacher." Kanjuro immediately crouched down as well, nimbly helping to pick up the notebooks, his voice clear and carrying the politeness a student should have. As his fingers touched one of the notebooks, they seemed to accidentally brush against Jodie's reaching fingers.
For a split second, there was a brief, almost imperceptible freeze.
Kanjuro could clearly feel Jodie's body stiffen for a fraction of a second. Her gaze, through those fashionable glasses, swept quickly and sharply across Kanjuro's face, lingering for a moment on his lowered eyelashes, the bridge of his nose, and his naturally pursed lips. That look was by no means what a normal teacher should have when looking at a strange student; it was a near-instinctive, highly-trained agent's observation and assessment, mixed with an extremely subtle... suspicion?
Did she recognize this face? No, impossible. Kanjuro's true appearance was rarely exposed publicly; the CIA files might have vague profiles or candid shots, but it shouldn't cause a low-level undercover field agent to react so quickly. Was it her sharp intuition? Or was it some aura of the dark source within Kanjuro that even a perfect disguise couldn't entirely hide, triggering the alarm of this senior CIA operative?
Similarly, at this moment, Kanjuro was also "sensing" Teacher Jodie at close range. She had a faint scent of perfume on her, masking a slight smell of chalk dust; her fingers were long and powerful, and her movements in gathering things were quick and steady; her expression management was impeccable, her surprise and apology perfectly executed, but the sharp glint that flashed behind her lenses and the instant adjustment of her breathing rhythm did not escape Kanjuro's perception.
Interesting, Kanjuro thought to himself. As expected of a CIA elite, this near-instinctive alertness far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
"Thank you so much, student." Jodie quickly returned to normal, took the last few notebooks from Kanjuro, and stood up with a cheerful smile. Her slight foreign accent made her seem particularly approachable. "Which class are you in? I don't think I've seen you before."
As she asked, she inconspicuously sized up Kanjuro's uniform—the emblem of Sobu High School was very obvious.
"I'm from Sobu High School, here to see a friend." Kanjuro also stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his hands, his tone natural, even carrying a hint of the appropriate, slight bashfulness of a student being spoken to by a pretty teacher (the disguise was flawless). "I was spacing out just now and didn't watch where I was going, so I bumped into you, Teacher. I'm really sorry."
"Sobu High School, that's not far away." Jodie nodded, her smile remaining, but the investigative intent in her blue eyes behind the lenses had not entirely dissipated. "To see a friend? Is it one of our Teitan students? I might know them, you know." She seemed to be using small talk for further probing and intelligence gathering; it was her professional habit.
"Yes, that's right." Kanjuro admitted frankly, looking at Jodie with clear eyes. "I'm here to see Ran Mouri. She's in Class 2-B; we're good friends." He directly threw out the name "Ran Mouri," which was an extremely natural connection point and a clever probe—to observe Jodie's reaction to "Ran Mouri" and her social circle.
Sure enough, upon hearing Ran Mouri's name, Jodie's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly. Ran Mouri, the daughter of the deceased Detective Kogoro Mouri, was also one of her important targets for long-term observation (because of her father and certain figures appearing around her, such as the "sleeping" high school Detective Shinichi Kudo). This suddenly appearing neighboring school boy with such outstanding looks and temperament was a "good friend" of Ran Mouri? There seemed to be no such person in her previous intelligence.
"Oh, Ran-chan," Jodie's smile brightened a bit, appearing very happy for the student's popularity. "She's a very good girl. But it should be class time now; did you make an appointment beforehand? Or..."
"I didn't make an appointment; I just wanted to come by and give her a surprise." Kanjuro smiled somewhat sheepishly and scratched his head, playing the role of a simple-minded boy who might have a crush on a girl to perfection. "If she's in class, I can wait outside. Teacher, do you know what her next class is?"
"Well..." Jodie looked at her watch and then at Kanjuro, quickly weighing her options in her mind. Letting a male student from another school, especially one who gave her a "special" feeling, wander around the campus alone didn't seem quite right. Refusing him outright might appear suspicious. The best way was to take him there personally, observe him closely, and find an opportunity to notify Ran Mouri or someone else (like Suzuki Sonoko, who was always with Ran, or the homeroom teacher), naturally bringing this unexpected factor under control.
"How about this," Jodie picked up the reorganized homework notebooks and gave Kanjuro a warm, responsible smile. "I happen to be going to the office over there to drop these off, so I'll take you there. If Ran hasn't started class yet, or if it's just between classes, you'll be able to see her. Follow me... Classmate, what was your name again?"
She asked the question seemingly at random; it was the foundation of intelligence gathering.
"My name is Kanjuro." Kanjuro gave his real name without hesitation, his smile clean. Under this identity, his real name was actually the safest disguise, as Jodie would never associate the refreshing "Sobu High School student Kanjuro" before her with the "Kanjuro" of the dark world. This was a utilization of a psychological blind spot.
"Ye... Xiao?" Jodie repeated, her pronunciation a bit awkward, but she noted the name. "That's a very nice name. I'm Jodie, Jodie Starling, the school's English teacher. Well then, let's go, Kanjuro-kun."
"Thank you for the trouble, Teacher Jodie." Kanjuro nodded politely and followed half a step behind Jodie.
The two walked side-by-side down the corridors of Teitan High School, the sunlight through the windows stretching their shadows. As they walked, Jodie chatted with Kanjuro in her accented, lively tone, asking about Sobu High School, discussing Teitan High School's club activities, and occasionally mentioning a few anecdotes about Ran Mouri (all public, trivial information), trying to capture more details from Kanjuro's responses.
Kanjuro's responses were seamless. His words conveyed appreciation and friendship for Ran Mouri while maintaining an appropriate distance and a sense of youthful innocence, perfectly fitting the image of an outstanding student from a neighboring school. He even skillfully guided the conversation, causing Jodie to inadvertently reveal some information about Teitan High School's recent activities and the general situation of some students in Class 2-B (including Suzuki Sonoko).
Everything looked so natural and harmonious. The sunlight, the campus, the beautiful foreign teacher, the handsome boy from the neighboring school... it formed a picture full of youthful energy.
However, beneath this surface was a silent testing and contest between hunter and prey. Relying on her agent's intuition, Jodie harbored doubts about the youth before her and was trying to bring him under surveillance. Meanwhile, Kanjuro used his perfect disguise and precise information delivery (mentioning Ran) to not only successfully approach his target but also to reverse-collect intelligence on Jodie's behavior patterns, focus, and the current atmosphere of Teitan High School through their small talk.
He was like an elegant spider weaving an invisible web in the sunlight, while Jodie, for the sake of "duty" and "safety," was personally leading him step-by-step toward the center of the web—to Ran Mouri's side.
Soon, the classroom for Class 2-B was before them. The door was closed, and the faint sound of a teacher lecturing could be heard from inside.
Jodie stopped and made a shushing gesture to Kanjuro. She then gently pushed the back door open a crack, peered inside, pulled back, and said to Kanjuro in a lowered voice, "It seems they're still in class; it's a math lesson. How about you wait here for a while? Ran will come out once class is over."
Kanjuro's gaze, however, fell accurately through that crack in the door onto the back of a girl sitting in the front row by the window, wearing the Teitan High School girl's uniform with her purple-black long hair tied in a neat ponytail—Ran Mouri.
His "daughter," and also one of his "collectibles" who had been completely reshaped and controlled under his dark wings.
Looking at that silhouette, the corner of Kanjuro's mouth curled into an extremely subtle, cold, and playful arc at an angle Jodie couldn't see.
"Sure," he replied softly, his voice gentle. "Then I'll wait for her right here."
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