Chapter 176: Chapter 176

"Brother, there's news from Bourbon!"

"He said he can't sabotage the place. It's too heavily guarded, and he can't handle it alone. But he found out there might be important servers at the center of the eleventh floor."

"The center of the eleventh floor?"

Inside a hidden room in Osaka, Gin frowned.

Spread out before him were photos of a modern office building—the supposed base of the hostile organization. On the surface, it looked nothing like a fortress.

"I need more precise intel."

Gin grabbed the headset from Vodka.

"This kind of vague information is useless to me."

"You're so demanding." Bourbon's voice crackled through the earpiece. "I'm risking my life here. You're lounging around in a safehouse—of course, you're calm."

"Fine… I can't confirm it 100%, but that server likely contains their assassination platform data. If you can stir up a big enough distraction, I might be able to steal something from it."

He weighed the value of such a move. He was curious about the opposing organization's database—but if the risk outweighed the gain, it wasn't worth it. Maybe blowing up the entire floor was a better option.

He ended the call with Bourbon abruptly.

"How far along is the intel gathering on their personnel?"

"Only a few profiles so far, Aniki." Vodka answered honestly.

They hadn't put all their trust in Bourbon. The organization was also collecting data through its own channels.

"Keep going. Then send the data and maps to Cointreau for review."

"Send it to Cointreau?"

Vodka's surprise was natural.

After the last incident, Gin had to admit that Hayashi Yoshiki's talents might be useful—for planning escapes or laying traps... it was possible Cointreau could provide insight.

Vermouth, lounging nearby, elegantly flicked ash from her cigarette.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, the emotional atmosphere was very different.

After Ran Mouri regained her memory, the most excited person—unsurprisingly—was Sonoko Suzuki.

Being her usual loud and expressive self, Sonoko sobbed and wailed:

"Unforgivable! You actually went to Dorobika Park alone with Hayashi-nii while you were amnesiac!?"

"Agh! Maybe I should lose my memory once too!"

She clung to Ran and cried, completely lacking any teenage girl's dignity. Ran could only raise her hands in defeat, smiling awkwardly.

Watching from the side, Haibara Ai quietly glanced at Hayashi Yoshiki, who was standing with his usual gentle smile.

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I was just wondering... are you happy?"

Haibara's voice was as calm as ever.

But as she looked at Ran—surrounded by caring parents, close friends, and even a doting "brother"—Ai couldn't help feeling a tinge of envy.

She wouldn't complain. But deep down, she wished for a moment .

Yoshiki gently reached out and patted her head.

"I'll say it again. With a cute face ..."

He gently shaped her expression with two fingers into a smile but didn't finish the sentence.

Only in front of Yoshiki would she allow this much. When he withdrew his hand, she went back to being stoic.

"Good news though—Gin and the others aren't in Tokyo right now. So you're safer than usual."

"...How do you know?"

Hearing that name, Haibara instantly tensed.

"Because I'm heading to Osaka."

Yoshiki smiled faintly.

Haibara made a mental note.

"...Are you inviting me along?"

"Would you like to come?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

He grinned playfully. She didn't budge.

Yoshiki poked her side gently.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just confirming that you're ticklish."

Nearby, Sonoko had recovered from her crying fit and was once again bursting with energy.

"Let's celebrate Ran getting her memory back—let's go to the beach!"

"Hayashi-nii, you'll come too, right?"

"If it's soon... I might not be able to. I have to head to Gunma Prefecture."

"Sorry. A case came in this morning."

He smiled apologetically.

Haibara tilted her head. Didn't he just say he was going to Osaka?

Yoshiki wasn't lying entirely—he was just playing safe.

He had already arranged for Asami to go to Gunma on his behalf, to gather receipts, take photos, and even buy souvenirs. A minor detail, but every layer of cover helped.

"You're not coming…" Sonoko deflated.

"So how long will you be in Gunma, Hayashi-nii?" Ran asked.

"Not sure. Maybe ten days. Maybe two weeks."

"Well, summer's long. We'll wait for you to come back before we go."

Sonoko's mood perked up again.

Yoshiki looked at Ran's warm smile. He blinked—just a little surprised—but then smiled back.

"Then we'll talk about it when I return."