Chapter 423: Legal Issues
After delivering a sharp, thinly veiled verbal lashing to Toru Amuro, Cointreau slowly turned his head. The icy edge in his eyes melted away the moment his gaze landed on Ran and Sonoko. The corners of his mouth curved into a warm, genuine smile. He spoke softly, praising the bond between the two girls, likening their enduring friendship to something as brilliant and unyielding as spun gold.
Then, shifting his attention back to Natsume, his expression grew even softer. "You are entirely correct," he murmured, his voice carrying a quiet sincerity. "The scenery along the way is just as vital as the destination itself. As long as you earnestly experience every fleeting moment of the journey, and cherish the time spent with those who walk beside you, I believe you won't harbor any regrets in the end. Perhaps..." He paused, his eyes locking onto hers with a deep, hidden depth. "...the person you have been longing to find is already waiting for you, standing silently at the very end of this road."
Conan's jaw tightened. He stole several pointed glances at the man from behind his oversized glasses.
Playboy, the miniature detective thought, grinding his teeth. He had noticed it from the start—Cointreau treated women drastically better than men. It was the same honeyed tone he used with Natsume now as he had with Ran just moments ago. Treating every girl like royalty... he's clearly a smooth-talking scoundrel! Ran, don't let yourself be fooled by this Black Organization snake!
Of course, Conan's judgment was heavily clouded by a thick fog of jealousy. While Cointreau's tone was undeniably gentle when addressing Mouri Ran, it was all a matter of comparison.
Look at Amuro and Conan. To Cointreau, one was a dangerous operative approaching his precious sister with hidden motives, and the other was a walking disaster zone who constantly dragged her into life-threatening trouble. Frankly, Cointreau felt his current restraint was a monumental display of mercy; the fact that he hadn't physically thrown either of them out a window was proof of his gentle nature.
When it came to Ran and Sonoko, Cointreau simply viewed them as his sister's dear friends. Naturally, he treated them with the polite warmth owed to guests.
But Natsume? She was his actual sister. Though he had to keep his true identity carefully concealed beneath his Black Organization persona, the way he looked at her was fundamentally different. It was steeped in an unconditional, quiet tenderness. He had never once refused a single request she made.
Conan, however, had his hyper-focused radar locked entirely onto his beloved Ran-neechan, completely missing the subtle shift in the executive's eyes.
Touched by the unexpected comfort in Cointreau's words, Natsume offered him a bright, appreciative smile before picking up the threads of her story—specifically, the highly embellished tale of how she and Raiden Ei first clashed.
"After the situation with Zhongli finally settled down, I packed my things to head to Japan and continue my journey," Natsume explained, leaning forward slightly. "When Lady Ningguang caught wind of my travel plans, she arranged for a friend's armed fleet to give me a lift across the sea. It was aboard that very ship that I crossed paths with Kaedehara Kazuha, a wandering samurai who had fled his homeland."
She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze growing distant. "It was Kazuha who first told me the name 'Raiden Ei' and the bloody history surrounding her. At the time, Ei had enacted a decree to confiscate all Visions across the nation. To many, a Vision isn't just a tool; it is the physical manifestation of their greatest ambitions. Naturally, they refused to surrender them. Kazuha's closest friend was one of those people."
"His friend believed he could change Ei's mind through a duel before the throne. Unfortunately... he failed." Natsume sighed softly. "According to the absolute laws of the land, the loser's Vision belonged to Ei. But Kazuha couldn't bear to watch his friend's burning, dying wish be embedded into the cold, unfeeling stone of a statue. So, he snatched the dying Vision from the execution grounds and fled Japan."
"This time, he returned aboard Beidou's fleet—oh, Beidou is the captain, Ningguang's friend—hoping to finally confront Ei and force her to end the decree."
Sonoko blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Wait, why would this Miss Raiden go to such extreme lengths just to seize Visions? Natsume, didn't you say they were basically just glowing glass ornaments?"
"They are, essentially," Natsume nodded. "So, on the surface, Ei's act of confiscating them doesn't seem like it physically harms anyone."
"But," she continued, her tone dropping into something far more solemn, "some people pour their entire souls into those stones. Losing a Vision is akin to having your life's purpose ripped from your chest. Those who lose them often become... hollow. Listless. Like empty shells."
"As for why Ei did it..." Natsume paused, letting the heavy silence stretch for a moment. "It was because she was sick. Her heart was sick."
She looked down at her hands. "A Vision represents human ambition. With ambition comes the drive for fulfillment, and that drive inevitably sparks change. But with every change, something is left behind. Something is lost." Natsume's expression twisted with genuine sorrow. "Ei had already lost too much. She lost almost all her dearest friends, and eventually, her only remaining relative. The grief broke her. She became terrified of change. She locked herself away, yearning to forge an unchanging, unyielding 'Eternity' for her nation, free from the pain of loss. That is why she sought to strip away the very ambitions that cause change."
Across the table, Amuro's expression shifted into something incredibly complicated.
When Natsume mentioned that Raiden Ei had lost her only relative, a strange, indescribable knot tightened in his chest. Amuro generally harbored zero affection for the Inazuma Department Head known as Glenlivet—in fact, he actively disliked the man's ruthless methods. Yet, in this fleeting moment, a sudden wave of pity washed over the undercover agent.
He recalled Glenlivet's perpetually cold, eccentric, and abrasive personality. It makes sense now, Amuro thought, piecing together a tragic mental puzzle. It seems Miss Raiden truly never viewed Glenlivet as family. No matter how much agonizing grief she suffered back then, to the point of completely withdrawing from the world, she never once considered Glenlivet's existence. Even a close confidante like Natsume doesn't seem to know that Raiden Ei has a child. She treats him as if he were entirely invisible.
Framed in that tragic light, it meant Glenlivet had grown up utterly starved of maternal warmth, receiving nothing but cold indifference from his only living blood.
Is that why he can't communicate like a normal human being? Amuro mused, his eyes darkening with complex sympathy. Is that why he's always so sharp-tongued, aggressive, and utterly closed off?
However, Amuro's analytical mind quickly snagged on another detail. To enforce an "unchanging, unyielding eternity for all generations," one would need an unnaturally long lifespan.
Did that mean Glenlivet's outrageous claim—that Raiden Ei had lived for several centuries—wasn't just a petty, spiteful lie meant to call her an old hag? Amuro shook his head slightly, refusing to accept such an unscientific, supernatural absurdity.
Deliberately ignoring the renewed, hostile glare Cointreau was currently drilling into the side of his head, Amuro leaned forward and looked at Natsume.
"I have a question," Amuro said, his tone perfectly serious. "Even if a Vision is just a glass ornament and lacks significant market value, it still qualifies as personal property under the law. Miss Raiden using her authority to forcibly confiscate them from citizens... wouldn't that constitute the illegal seizure of private property?"
Natsume's face went completely blank.
She stared at the blonde man, her brain temporarily short-circuiting. She had expected questions about elemental powers, samurai duels, or tragic backstories. She absolutely did not expect Amuro to hit her with a legal property rights dispute.
Should I praise him for truly living up to his role as a Public Security officer? she thought, utterly bewildered. Natsume herself wasn't exactly a shining beacon of law-abiding citizenship, but Amuro's sheer dedication to dragging magical fantasy politics into a modern courtroom setting was truly an eye-opener.
"Uh..." Natsume stammered, her confident storytelling persona crumbling into awkward hesitation. "That... that probably doesn't count..."
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