APTX 4869.
Hearing the name of the drug, mixed with English letters and Roman numerals, spoken aloud on the cassette left Ritsu stunned.
He sat back down in his chair, his brows tightly furrowed as he listened carefully to the rest of the recording.
He had often wondered if the mastermind behind the Organization had never changed, then just how old was that person?
Logically speaking, establishing such a massive international organization would require an unimaginable amount of wealth. More importantly, it would require exceptional leadership. After all, if the chairman of a company were a complete fool, that company wouldn't survive for long.
Because of that, Ritsu had always assumed that person was at least in his sixties or older, and that he had probably taken the same first-generation APTX 4869 that Ritsu had.
But after hearing what came next, he discarded that theory.
—
"I was born inside the Organization. During an MI6 operation, however, my father, your grandfather, entrusted me to an MI6 agent. I was successfully smuggled out of the Organization's laboratory and secretly sent to London, England. It was there that I met your mother."
"I still remember leaving the Organization. It was twenty-two years ago, and I was only ten years old. But fate has a cruel sense of humor. In the end, the Organization found me again, forcing us to continue researching the second-generation APTX 4869."
—
'The second generation? So the A-drug that he and Vermouth had taken wasn't the first generation?'
But...
His father had escaped the Organization twenty-two years before the recording was made. That meant forty years had already passed since then.
And since his father had been born inside the Organization; working backward, the Organization had existed for at least fifty years.
That completely threw off his calculations.
There was no way that person had founded the Organization at the age of ten. Even assuming he had been twenty years old when he created it, he would now be at least seventy!
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Ritsu suddenly felt that the man's age was probably far greater than he had originally imagined.
At the very least, he could now infer two things.
First, the first-generation APTX had failed to achieve the ultimate goal of rejuvenation. If it had succeeded, there would have been no need to keep recruiting researchers to continue developing the drug, they could have simply reproduced it.
Second, the first-generation APTX also lacked the second generation's ability to permanently halt aging, nor did it possess the miraculous property of eliminating necrotic cells through "fighting poison with poison."
Which meant the first-generation drug was likely a combination of both effects; successfully reversing age, but accompanied by severe side effects that marked it as an incomplete product.
Ritsu recalled the first time he had met that person.
Although the crow mask concealed his face, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had been enough for Ritsu to estimate his approximate age.
Young people rarely longed for immortality. They still had their youth to enjoy.
Which meant that when the Organization was founded, that person had almost certainly been older than a young adult.
Forty? Fifty? Or perhaps even older.
Then another memory surfaced.
After becoming Augier, he had once read an email from that person stating that he wasn't in any hurry to obtain the results of APTX 4869. Yet only a little over a year later, his attitude had changed dramatically.
Had something happened?
'Looks like there are still many mysteries waiting to be uncovered.'
—
"Ritsu, your mother and I are actually creating a dream medicine. Atsushi was the one who first proposed the idea. We've combined the medicine he envisioned with APTX 4869, and it's still in the experimental stage. But if it succeeds... it'll become the greatest achievement in history."
"So remember this, your mother and father were never creating a deadly poison. We're creating a medicine that brings hope to those living in despair."
"We've named it... Silver Bullet, a bullet filled with justice."
"So we hope you'll be like the Silver Bullet as well. Never stop believing in what's right. Live freely, with your feet firmly on the ground... and become the light that shines within the darkness."
—
A dream medicine? A medicine that could bring hope to those in despair?
Silver Bullet...
Influenced by Gothic fiction, a silver bullet was often portrayed as the weapon capable of slaying supernatural monsters like werewolves and vampires.
If every necrotic, diseased cell were considered such a monster, then wouldn't the true purpose of the Silver Bullet be to eradicate every one of those cells, allowing terminally ill patients to be reborn?
If such a medicine were ever completed, it would shake the entire scientific world.
Ritsu suddenly remembered the second-generation APTX he had taken. Back then, in Rum's laboratory, he had been moments away from death.
It was Vermouth who had forced the A-drug into him, preserving his life. The research conducted by his parents and the Miyanos had actually succeeded.
If not for the unintended side effect of eternal youth, it could have been mass-produced, freeing countless people from suffering caused by disease.
"...Silver Bullet..."
Ritsu placed a hand over his chest and quietly listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
So his very life had also been saved by his parents.
Somehow... that realization filled him with warmth.
A silver bullet filled with justice. Piercing through the darkness and allowing the world to see the light again.
He stood up and pressed the stop button on the cassette recorder. A faint smile appeared on his face as he whispered softly enough that only he could hear.
"...Maybe it's okay to be a little chuuni once in a while. Becoming the Silver Bullet that's constantly chasing after the Organization doesn't sound so bad."
Of course, one Silver Bullet alone would never be enough.
There had to be many more.
.
In the living room, the Miyano sisters were leaning comfortably against one another when they heard the bedroom door open.
Akemi turned her head in surprise and noticed that Ritsu hadn't even changed into his pajamas.
"Is the TV too loud? Couldn't you sleep?"
"No. I just wanted to give the two of you a hug after listening to the recording."
"...Huh?"
Neither sister had expected such an embarrassingly sentimental statement to come from Ritsu's mouth.
Shiho frowned immediately, her tone stiff.
"Hey... don't tell me you've been possessed by something weird. Suddenly wanting to hug us—mmph! Hey! Let go of me!"
Without another word, Ritsu wrapped both sisters in his arms. Smiling gently, he said,
"I'm just... really happy. I never thought I'd find a place where I truly belong."
"A place where you belong? Isn't this your house already?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"I mean... family. You two are my family."
After briefly explaining most of what he'd heard on the tape, the Miyano sisters were equally astonished to learn that he truly was their first cousin.
The world really was a small place.
Shiho had once believed that, after losing everyone else, only her sister remained. Now... she had suddenly gained an older cousin.
Well, she technically still had a few other relatives. She simply wasn't willing to acknowledge them yet.
After all, that annoying long-haired guy who copied Gin's hairstyle, Akai, had not only tried to steal her sister away, but had also stolen Ritsu from her.
Fortunately, he had come back.
"Oh, right. Where's that little detective?" Ritsu looked around but couldn't find Conan anywhere.
"I was going to thank him. If he hadn't remembered the cassette tapes, I probably still wouldn't know the truth about my own family."
"Kudo-kun?" Akemi smiled. "He's already fast asleep, right behind you."
Ritsu turned around in confusion. Only then did he notice Conan curled up like a stray kitten in the narrow gap beside the sofa.
Since Ritsu usually only sat on the very edge of the couch, he hadn't noticed him. Otherwise, he probably would have sat right on top of him earlier.
"He can stay with me tonight. None of the guest rooms have been cleaned."
"Good night."
"Mm, good night."
With one hand, Ritsu effortlessly picked up the tiny Conan.
Seeing that the boy was sleeping soundly without the slightest sign of waking, Ritsu could only toss him into his own bed with a look of utter disgust.
At the same time, he silently reminded himself,
'Tomorrow, I need to wash all the sheets.'
As for why? Because the little brat hadn't even taken a bath.