Chapter 32: Intelligent Mission System
Natsume watched the boy from the corner of her eye. Good grief, was Conan Edogawa's acting really this atrocious? The kid was practically sweating, his eyes darting everywhere except her face. His guilt hung in the air, heavy and obvious. This simply would not do. If he planned on surviving the shadows of this world, he would face far more dangerous interrogations than this. If he could not even keep a straight face in a bridal lounge, his secret identity would be exposed the moment a real threat looked his way.
Consider this a favor, Natsume thought, nodding slightly to herself. I am doing this for his own good. Building his tolerance. Refining his espionage skills. Truly, I am far too kind to him.
Across the room, Conan felt his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. The moment Natsume casually dropped the theory that Conan Edogawa was Shinichi Kudo, the blood had drained completely from his face. He had stopped breathing entirely.
It was only when she delivered her final, dismissive conclusion that the invisible hands around his throat finally loosened. He sucked in a quiet, desperate breath. Logically, he knew the chances of Natsume guessing the actual truth were incredibly slim. Normal people did not jump to the conclusion that an experimental drug had shrunk a high school detective into a first-grader.
Yet, ever since he met her, Conan had learned the hard way that Natsume possessed an unnerving intuition. She accepted the bizarre with zero hesitation and saw through lies with terrifying speed. For one agonizing second, he genuinely believed she had cracked his greatest secret.
Thankfully, the reality of his situation was simply too absurd. She had settled on the much safer, far more logical assumption: that he and Shinichi were merely blood relatives.
"Yes! That is exactly it!" Conan forced out a high-pitched, childish laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Shi- Shinichi-niichan and I are distant relatives! That is why we look so much alike, ha, haha!"
Natsume crossed her arms, her expression turning thoroughly unimpressed. "Ah, what an irresponsible boy. Dumping a young relative onto his childhood friend without even showing his face to explain himself. Take note, Miss Matsumoto. When choosing a life partner, a childhood connection is not enough. You must keep your eyes wide open and choose someone who actually takes responsibility."
She smoothly used the detective as a stepping stone to warn Sayuri Matsumoto. Natsume still found the impending wedding highly suspect, and the groom had yet to even make an appearance.
Meanwhile, Conan gritted his teeth, his fists clenching at his sides. This is not how I wanted things to be! It is all the fault of those Men in Black! One day, I will hunt them down, find the antidote, and return to being Shinichi Kudo.
Just you wait, Ran, he vowed silently.
The lounge door suddenly swung open. A man in a pristine white tuxedo was practically shoved into the room by someone in the hallway. He stumbled forward, his face flushed a deep crimson. Standing up straight, he awkwardly adjusted his collar, scratched his cheek, and looked at the bride.
"Sayuri," he breathed out, his eyes softening. "You look absolutely beautiful."
So this was the groom. Sayuri Matsumoto's first love. He gave off the aura of a mild-mannered, gentle man, but Natsume kept her gaze fixed on him. Did he truly love her?
Natsume watched in silence as he approached his bride. He gently took the bottle of lemon tea from Sayuri's hands, offering a soft, teasing scolding about her drinking such sugary, unnutritious beverages right before the ceremony.
Natsume narrowed her eyes. Wait.
What did his fingers just do?
Her vision, enhanced far beyond that of a normal human, caught the microscopic shift in his movement. The angle of his thumb. The subtle flick over the open rim of the bottle. He had dropped something inside.
Slowly, deliberately, Natsume shifted her gaze from the groom to the bride. From this angle, Sayuri had a clear view of his hands. She had to have seen it. So why was her smile still so warm? Why did she not say a single word?
Standing near the sofa, Conan noticed the sudden shift in Natsume's demeanor. Her brow had creased, her eyes locked onto the groom with a chilling intensity. Why is she staring at him like that?
Conan immediately followed her line of sight, stretching his neck to see. But all he found was the back of the groom's white suit and the bottom edge of the lemon tea bottle. Frustration bubbled in his chest. This was the absolute worst part of being trapped in a child's body. His line of sight was pathetic. Every crucial detail was always blocked by an adult's waist or a piece of furniture.
Natsume continued to study Sayuri's serene expression, a dark suspicion taking root in her mind. Wait. Does she know the tea is poisoned, and she plans to drink it anyway?
Why?
Natsume pinched the bridge of her nose. Sometimes, she genuinely could not comprehend the psychological wiring of the people in this world. Whether they were the murderers or the victims, their thought processes defied all logic.
Conan watched Natsume's face cycle from intense scrutiny to absolute disbelief. His curiosity flared into burning annoyance. Damn it! What exactly did she just see?! Why is she looking at the bride like she has lost her mind?
He was standing right here in the exact same room, yet it felt like they were watching two completely different realities. Was he really falling this far behind her?
No, Shinichi Kudo, stop doubting yourself. It is only because this tiny body restricts my vision. I just missed a visual clue. I will figure out whatever she just discovered.
The door clicked open again, breaking the heavy atmosphere. Sonoko and Ran burst into the room, holding up a fresh pack of batteries for the video camera.
Sonoko stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening as she took in the groom's face. "Wait a second! You are the heir to the Takasugi Group!"
The groom blinked, recognizing the loud teenager instantly. He offered a polite bow, identifying her as the youngest daughter of the massive Suzuki Conglomerate.
As the two exchanged pleasantries, Sonoko leaned close to Ran, her voice dropping into a loud whisper. "He is totally indecisive and completely unreliable. Word on the street is that the Takasugi family empire is going to crash and burn under his leadership."
Sonoko thought she was being discreet, but with Natsume's heightened senses, the gossip rang loud and clear.
Ignoring the whispering teenagers, Sayuri suddenly lunged forward, throwing her arms around the groom's neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. In the same fluid motion, she snatched the bottle of lemon tea right back out of his hands.
Natsume watched the exchange with a heavy, complicated gaze. Her previous theory solidified into absolute certainty. The bride knew exactly what was in that bottle, and she was going to drink it anyway.
A staff member poked his head into the room. "Excuse me, the ceremony is about to begin."
Sayuri smiled brightly, waving her hand. "Go on ahead," she told the groom and her students. "I need to fix my makeup. I will be right behind you."
The groom nodded, leading Sonoko, Ran, and Conan out into the hallway.
Natsume trailed behind the group, but just as she crossed the threshold, she stopped. She pulled the heavy wooden door shut, sealing herself inside the lounge with the bride.
Out in the hallway, Sonoko and Ran exchanged confused glances. The heavy silence stretched for several seconds before the brass handle clicked. The door swung open, and Natsume stepped out.
Through the gap, Conan caught a brief glimpse of Sayuri standing frozen in the center of the room.
Natsume looked back at the bride, her voice low and steady. "Do not forget what you promised me."
Sayuri offered a slow, solemn nod.
Natsume pulled the door shut completely, cutting off their view.
Sonoko immediately leaned in, her eyes sparkling with nosy curiosity. "Natsume! What kind of secret girl-talk were you whispering about with Matsumoto-sensei? What did she promise you?"
Natsume kept her expression perfectly neutral, walking past the heiress. "You will find out soon enough."
They had barely taken five steps down the carpeted hallway when a heavy, sickening thud echoed from inside the lounge.
Ran gasped, spinning around. Panic flashed across her face. Fearing the worst for their beloved teacher, the group sprinted back and shoved the door open.
The sight inside froze the blood in their veins.
Sayuri Matsumoto lay crumpled on the floor, her beautiful white dress pooling around her. A thin, terrifying trail of dark blood leaked from the corner of her pale lips. Beside her outstretched hand, the shattered bottle of lemon tea lay in a puddle of yellow liquid and broken glass.
Before anyone could scream, a familiar, high-pitched voice chimed directly into Natsume's mind.
[Traveler, the world mission has been refreshed!] Paimon announced cheerfully.
Natsume blinked, momentarily distracted from the chaos unfolding around her. It was highly unusual for a world mission to trigger this late. But as she analyzed the timing, it made perfect sense. The crime had not officially occurred until this exact second. Usually, she arrived at crime scenes long after the bodies were cold. Triggering a mission upon direct contact with the victim and the active crime felt like a natural progression.
With a mental command, Natsume pulled up the glowing blue interface. The text floating across the screen was structured entirely differently from her past assignments. Previously, the system demanded she solve the case and catch the culprit. This time, the parameters had shifted.
[World Mission: The June Bride Murder Case]
[The bride, about to welcome the happiest and most deep moment of her life, fell just before the wedding. Of course, the clever Traveler intervened in time to prevent an absolute tragedy, identifying the culprit long before the poison touched her lips. But did she truly prevent the tragedy entirely?]
[Mission Requirements: Uncover the full truth behind the case and witness the bride's final choice.]
Natsume read the glowing text twice, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
I did not realize this system was actually this intelligent, she thought, dismissing the screen. It is actively adapting the mission requirements based on the choices I make in real-time.
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