The color of the snow seemed a little gray, and the faces of the people walking along the road appeared unclear.
"It's very cold today."
She heard Hayashi Yoshiki say this.
Dressed in a black coat, and walking with steady steps, his tone was calm and reassuring.
"Go buy some bread, and then bring it to your sister."
Carrying a red schoolbag, having just finished school, she raised her hand a little higher for Hayashi Yoshiki to hold.
The wind was surely cold...
But being held by his hand felt warm.
They stopped at a nearby bakery. Haibara Ai bought some freshly baked bread. She watched him smiling as he held the bag in his arms, still holding her hand as they walked forward—
"As expected, the two of you are mixed up——"
A cold and teasing voice rang out behind them.
To Haibara Ai, that voice was unmistakably from her worst nightmare.
Her heart trembled. She turned back in disbelief.
There stood Gin, dressed in black, a sinister smile on his face and a gun aimed directly at them.
"I actually always believed in you, Cointreau… but unfortunately, your betrayal is intolerable."
In Haibara Ai's horrified gaze, a bright muzzle flash exploded.
The bread bag dropped to the ground.
She watched as Hayashi Yoshiki's body collapsed weakly, blood soaking into the snowy ground.
Her emotions spiraled—fear, disbelief—surging through her like a tidal wave.
Her heart clenched into a ball.
Haibara Ai suddenly sat up.
Panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat, her back soaked through her pajamas, she gasped for air.
She brushed back her damp hair and let out a breath of relief.
"How is Mr. Hayashi preparing? I'm downstairs now."
"Alright, I'll be down in a moment."
The weather had changed unpredictably.
Just a dozen days ago, it had been midsummer—ideal for beach outings. Now, winter had arrived abruptly, with snowflakes drifting down.
Hayashi Yoshiki's injury had already healed.
He headed downstairs and spotted his editor, Asamiya Nanae, waiting beside a car.
She greeted him with a bright smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, no, I just arrived. There's no wait at all!" she said, then added with admiration, "Teacher Hayashi, you look so handsome today too!"
"Thank you," Hayashi Yoshiki replied with a gentle smile.
It was chilly outside. He had wrapped a vivid red scarf around his neck for warmth.
Nanae opened the back door for him, sliding into the passenger seat as the driver started the car.
From the front, she passed an envelope to him.
"Teacher Hayashi, this is your invitation letter. You'll need it to enter the memorial service for Director Sakamaki later."
Hayashi Yoshiki took it.
The memorial service for Sakamaki Akira—
An internationally acclaimed film director. The event would be attended by prominent figures from the entertainment industry, as well as political and financial circles.
Even Hayashi Yoshiki had received an invitation.
Part of it was due to his fame. But another part came from the film industry's interest in adapting the Kindaichi series. Futaba Publishing had already mentioned that several directors were eager to meet him.
In the front seat, Asamiya Nanae began listing the names of potential directors.
Hayashi Yoshiki listened thoughtfully while opening a message on his phone.
Haibara Ai: "We ran into Gin and his friends! They're going to the memorial service at the Haido Hotel to kill someone. Kudo wants to take the risk—I couldn't stop him."
Efficient. Straight to the point.
He typed a brief response:
Hayashi Yoshiki: "I understand. Delete the message."
On the other end, in a small Volkswagen Beetle—
Haibara Ai narrowed her eyes at the message, deleted both the message and reply immediately, just as instructed.
She looked up at Kudo Shinichi—currently in his Conan form—sitting silently in the passenger seat.
He had a serious expression... but underneath, she knew he was itching to chase Gin down.
He didn't understand how truly dangerous this was.
Earlier that afternoon, Haibara and Conan had parted ways with Ayumi and the others after school. That's when they spotted Gin and Vodka's car parked nearby.
For reasons unknown, Gin had changed cars from the Porsche 356A.
Still, seeing their targets, Conan seized the chance to plant a bug and tracker inside.
Through the bug, they learned about Pisco, an operative ordered to kill a "target" at Haido Hotel's memorial service.
Even after the bug was inevitably discovered, Conan was determined to go anyway.
Unable to stop him, Haibara did the only thing she could: warn Hayashi Yoshiki.
Not out of selfishness—
But because if Kudo got exposed… if Gin realized the secret of APTX4869 and made the connection to her…
Then Cointreau—Hayashi Yoshiki—could be implicated.
And that… must never happen.
Her sister, Miyano Akemi, was still alive. Haibara Ai no longer wanted to self-destruct. She just wanted peace.
But messaging Hayashi Yoshiki without knowing what he might do next made her uneasy.
The nightmare she'd had that morning lingered in her mind like a curse.
She cast a resentful glare at Conan.
If he had just listened and stayed out of danger… we could have lived quietly.
She almost wished she had his tranquilizer watch—just one shot and this idiot would've been down.
She reached for her phone again and made a call.
On the other end, Hayashi Yoshiki, having just entered the back of the car, lowered his gaze and smiled gently as he answered:
"Please… I need your help now."