Chapter 7: White Dove Pharmaceutical
"Which research institute are you conducting this exchange with?" Natsume asked, tilting her head as she studied Alhaitham.
"White Dove Pharmaceutical," he replied, his tone as flat and unbothered as if he were reading a grocery list.
"Eh?" Natsume blinked, her posture straightening. "I remember that name. Isn't that institute connected to the Black Organization? Won't you be walking right into danger?"
Despite her words, she didn't feel a spike of panic. She knew Alhaitham's personality too well. He was the embodiment of rationality; he never stepped onto a chessboard without already calculating the endgame.
"It's fine," Alhaitham said, adjusting his sleeves. "It is merely a standard academic exchange."
Sensing the absolute stability in his emotions through their shared mental link, Natsume let the matter drop. Though a fragment of her consciousness resided within him, Alhaitham operated as an independent entity. He knew exactly what he was doing, and his capacity for self-preservation was second to none.
Still, she couldn't help but add one final, motherly instruction. "If you run into trouble and need backup, remember to speak up."
Alhaitham offered a single, curt nod.
With his departure settled, Natsume turned her attention inward, preparing to manifest Lisa.
A soft hum of energy filled the room. Before her materialized the elegant librarian. Lisa wore a flowing purple dress that hugged her curves, her rich brown hair swept elegantly over one shoulder. Resting against her collarbone, an Electro Vision gleamed with a faint, violet spark.
Natsume carefully divided a wisp of her consciousness, guiding it into the newly formed vessel.
A heartbeat later, Lisa's vibrant green eyes fluttered open. She paused for a fraction of a second, organizing the influx of memories, before her lips curved into a languid, knowing smile.
"Little cutie," Lisa purred, her voice dripping with honeyed amusement. "Long time no see. Hmm... wait, I suppose that isn't quite right. We were just looking at each other in the mirror, but experiencing it from this perspective? My, it's quite fascinating, heh~."
Natsume felt a sudden rush of heat to her cheeks. It was the first time she had ever been teased by such a breathtakingly mature woman—even if, technically speaking, she was teasing herself.
Lisa caught the reaction instantly. She leaned in closer, the faint scent of roses and ozone drifting from her clothes. "Oh? Is our little cutie blushing?"
Natsume quickly averted her gaze, clearing her throat to forcefully pivot the conversation. "Ahem! Lisa, what is your assigned identity in this world?"
Seeing Natsume's genuine fluster, Lisa gracefully let the teasing slide. She tapped a slender finger against her chin, feigning deep thought. "Let me see... Ah, yes. Your big sister here just submitted an application to be a librarian at the Beika Library. I officially start work next week."
Natsume's eyes widened slightly. Beika Library. Another identity deeply intertwined with the core plot of Conan Edogawa's world. It seemed the system was deliberately weaving their personas into the narrative fabric. At this rate, every member of their organization would inevitably cross paths with the little detective.
Since both Alhaitham and Lisa had their own designated living quarters, Natsume didn't keep them lingering in her space. They could always communicate instantaneously through the system interface if an emergency arose.
Just as the room fell quiet, Paimon materialized with a soft pop, enthusiastically pulling up the holographic daily commission board. It was time to grind for Primogems.
Over the next two days, Natsume threw herself into the grueling life of a freelance errand runner. Between the daily commissions and the occasional refreshing side quests, she quickly realized that the tasks in modern Tokyo were painfully similar to those in Teyvat. She spent her hours chasing down stray cats in narrow alleys, hauling heavy delivery boxes across districts, and filling in as a temporary cashier at convenience stores.
The physical toll was manageable thanks to her Traveler physique, but the payout was abysmal. By the end of the second day, she had barely scraped together enough Primogems for three pulls. She was still painfully far from the coveted ten-pull milestone.
She needed world quests. Wiping sweat from her brow as she handed a rescued tabby cat back to a tearful schoolgirl, Natsume sighed. The organization currently consisted of exactly three people. If they were going to survive in the shadows of the Red and Black factions, they desperately needed more manpower.
While Natsume was busy sweating over spare change, Alhaitham's scheduled day at White Dove Pharmaceutical finally arrived.
He stepped out of a cab precisely at the agreed-upon hour. The imposing, sterile white structure of the research institute loomed ahead. Waiting anxiously by the sliding glass doors was the facility's Person in Charge, a balding man in a crisp suit who practically tripped over his own feet to greet the Sumeru scholar.
After a brief, painfully one-sided exchange of pleasantries, the Person in Charge wisely deduced that Alhaitham had zero interest in corporate small talk. He promptly escorted the scholar past the security checkpoints and directly into the heart of the laboratories.
Throughout the tour, Alhaitham remained a man of few words. He observed the bustling scientists, the bubbling centrifuges, and the glowing monitors with a detached, critical eye. Yet, whenever he did choose to speak, his observations struck like lightning. A single, casually delivered critique from him instantly unraveled experimental bottlenecks that had plagued the researchers for months.
The initial polite respect of the scientists rapidly morphed into outright awe. Whispers broke out across the lab benches. By the end of the scheduled tour, the lead researchers were practically begging Alhaitham to review their semi-finished projects—the sanitized, non-classified ones, naturally—desperate for his insight.
As Alhaitham stood before a complex chemical diagram, offering a dry but brilliant correction to their formula, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled.
A gaze. Heavy, cold, and thoroughly mechanical.
Without breaking his rhythm, Alhaitham let his eyes drift naturally across the room, his peripheral vision locking onto a microscopic camera lens concealed flawlessly within the corner ventilation grate.
His expression didn't shift a millimeter. He simply continued his lecture, his voice steady and calm.
Deep within the bowels of the facility, in a windowless monitoring room bathed in the harsh blue light of dozens of screens, two men sat in silence.
Gin leaned back in his leather chair, a lit cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. Beside him, Vodka adjusted his sunglasses, his bulky frame tense.
White Dove Pharmaceutical was officially under Gin's jurisdiction. Given the organization's paranoid nature, any outsider granted access to the labs required strict surveillance. It was meant to be a boring, routine babysitting job to ensure the scholar didn't wander into restricted zones or pocket any proprietary data.
But Gin's sharp eyes caught the microscopic pause in Alhaitham's movement. He saw the subtle, almost imperceptible shift in the scholar's gaze toward the hidden lens.
A low, dark chuckle rumbled in Gin's throat. "Interesting."
Vodka immediately leaned forward, his hands resting on the control console. "Boss? Is this outsider trying to pull something sneaky? Say the word, and I'll go down there and take care of him."
Gin raised a single, gloved hand, cutting Vodka off instantly. His green eyes remained fixed on Alhaitham's stoic face on the main monitor. "No. He simply noticed the surveillance."
"Ah?" Vodka blinked, staring hard at the screen. "But that monitor is top-tier tech. It's hidden perfectly. How the hell did a bookworm discover it?" Vodka didn't doubt his boss for a second—if Gin said the guy noticed, then the guy noticed. He just couldn't fathom how.
Gin took a slow drag of his cigarette, the cherry burning a bright, angry red in the dim room. "Heh. Find a few peripheral members. Send them to test him."
"Understood, Boss," Vodka grunted, already reaching for his phone.
Gin exhaled a thick plume of gray smoke, his lips curling into a cruel, predatory smile. He stared intently at Alhaitham's calm, rational features.
You had better not be a rat sent by some rival agency, Gin thought, the anticipation pooling dark and heavy in his chest. Because if you are... watching that arrogant, rational mask shatter into terror, watching that pretty face get stained with blood... that would be quite exciting.
An hour later, during a brief intermission in the academic tour, Alhaitham excused himself to use the restroom.
The corridors in this section of the facility were stark, silent, and cast in harsh fluorescent light. As Alhaitham handled the hallway, his sharp eyes continuously mapped the architectural layout, committing every exit and blind spot to memory.
Footsteps echoed against the linoleum.
A young woman rounded the corner, walking in the opposite direction. She wore an oversized white lab coat over her clothes, her short, reddish-brown hair framing a pale, exhausted face. In her hands, she carried a ceramic coffee mug, likely heading toward the breakroom sink.
Alhaitham's gaze swept over her. He instantly cross-referenced her features with the data Natsume had shared from the anime.
Shiho Miyano. The brilliant scientist, still trapped within the gilded cage of the Black Organization.
Shiho paused, her steps faltering as she noticed the unfamiliar man blocking her path. Her posture instantly stiffened, a wall of cold vigilance slamming down over her features. "Who are you? You aren't from this institute."
"Alhaitham," he replied smoothly, his tone perfectly neutral. "A scholar invited here today for an academic exchange."
Shiho's eyes narrowed slightly as she processed the name. She recalled hearing passing mentions of a visiting academic, though she had been too buried in her own toxic research to care. Realizing this man was merely a civilian with no ties to the organization's true nature, the tension in her shoulders fractionally released.
Seeing that she had no further questions, Alhaitham didn't waste breath on pleasantries. He stepped aside, preparing to walk past her.
"Wait."
Alhaitham paused.
Shiho turned her head slightly. She took in his youthful appearance—he looked like a college student, barely in his twenties, completely oblivious to the den of vipers he had walked into. A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes before she spoke, her voice low and tight.
"If you don't have anything absolutely critical left to do here... you had better leave early."
She didn't wait to see his reaction. Without another word, Shiho turned her back and continued down the sterile hallway, her footsteps fading into the silence.
Alhaitham stood alone in the corridor. He slowly raised a single eyebrow.
Not a single muscle in his face betrayed his thoughts. Adjusting his collar, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the facility.
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