Inside the gas chamber of the Organization's research institute, Shiho Miyano had now endured four hours of silence and isolation.
All she could hear was her own heartbeat and shallow breathing.
Her face was pale—hollow. Her lifeless eyes stared forward, devoid of light.
She was handcuffed to a gas pipeline, kneeling for so long that her legs had gone numb.
But it no longer mattered.
I'm going to die anyway.
In these four long hours, her thoughts returned again and again to one face:
Her sister, Akemi Miyano.
The warm smile, the comforting presence—it haunted her now like a phantom limb.
Shiho had learned of her sister's death two days ago.
At first, she only felt unease. Her sister had missed their regular call, and no messages were being answered.
When she confronted Gin, he confirmed it with chilling indifference.
That's all he said—cold, unfeeling, and final.
When she asked why, he didn't even look back.
Since then, everything had collapsed.
The research team she led fell into chaos.
Then, in defiance, Shiho ceased all research—her form of protest.
But the Organization tolerated no disobedience.
Gin had her imprisoned.
The verdict was clear: disciplinary execution.
At that moment, Shiho Miyano understood the truth.
Unless I beg, I'll die just like Akemi.
But she wouldn't beg.
She thought back to that last moment with her sister—and with nothing left to lose, she made a choice.
She retrieved a small, concealed capsule—APTX4869.
A researcher, now dying from her own creation.
The transformation came immediately.
Agony flooded her body—her muscles spasmed, her bones felt like they were breaking from the inside out.
Her body began to collapse.
The sky that night was ink-black. Not even the moon could pierce the thick clouds.
Then came the rain—first a drizzle, then a torrent.
Drenched, shivering, and now child-sized, Shiho Miyano stumbled through back alleys, her oversized white lab coat dragging along the wet ground.
She was burning with fever.
Her head throbbed, her breathing shallow.
Even though she knew of the side effect, she couldn't believe it.
She'd shrunk. Just like Shinichi Kudo.
But the rain soaking through her skin reminded her—this was real.
She gasped, breath visible in the chill. Her body was overheated, fragile.
Is it the drug? Or am I just sick?
She hadn't eaten in days.
I need to go… Kudo's house… He'll understand.
No one was out tonight.
Thanks to Gin's heightened surveillance, no one from the lab was allowed to leave.
That worked in her favor.
She trudged toward Shinichi Kudo's home.
He was the only one who might know what she was—what she had become.
Encounter in the Rain
As she turned a corner—
There it was: a silver Mercedes.
She didn't think much of it—
Until the door opened.
And out stepped a man.
To her, it felt like death had returned.
A gentle voice, polite and calm:
"People caught in the rain… look rather pitiful."
Shiho Miyano's blood ran cold.
Her mind screamed: Cointreau!
The aura around him seemed black. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and his figure flickered with the lightning.
Fever, fear, and exhaustion blurred everything.
No… I'm smaller now. He won't know me… Right?
And his eyes—like scalpels.
She tried to step back.
She fell, soaked and trembling, into the cold puddles.
Hayashi Yoshiki didn't speak.
And lowered his umbrella.
He reached down and gently touched her forehead.
She stared up at him like a frightened child.
He picked her up in silence and carried her to his car.
In the passenger seat, she said nothing.
He wrapped a towel around her head, trying to dry her hair.
But her clothes were soaked through.
She stayed quiet. Curled up. Terrified.
He started the engine.
When she saw the car heading toward the research facility, panic overtook her.
But just before reaching it, he turned.
He avoided even passing by the lab.
Hayashi Yoshiki knew how thorough Vodka was when reviewing surveillance.
As the car continued down unfamiliar roads, Shiho Miyano slowly felt her panic ease.
The heater warmed the cabin.
Safe… at least for now.
And finally, between exhaustion and fever—