On a rooftop overlooking the Aoyama Pharmaceutical Plant.
The city below glittered like a sea of blinking stars, the headlights of vehicles painting streaks of neon across the intersecting roads.
A gentle night breeze rustled through the air, carrying invisible clouds across the sky, partially obscuring the distant, grain-like starlight.
The indicator lights atop the towering buildings blinked rhythmically.
Fujino stood beside a red rooftop light, the night breeze tugging at the white half-cape draped over the shoulder of his Assassin's Robes.
He gazed towards a cluster of buildings in the distance.
Above the complex, the white wolf formed from smoke still roamed the night sky, awaiting his command.
"Aoyama Bio-Pharmaceutical, huh?"
Fujino murmured softly, his eyes fixed on the prominent complex in the distance.
Following the white wolf, he had ridden his motorcycle all the way here.
It wasn't too far from Miyano Akemi's apartment, still within Beika City.
And Aoyama Bio-Pharmaceutical was the collective name for this cluster of buildings.
Honestly, Fujino couldn't understand why the name "Aoyama" was so prevalent in the Conan world.
The mental hospital was Aoyama, the pharmaceutical plant was Aoyama...
Perhaps it was just a certain Aoyama Gosho's will?
Lost in thought, Fujino adjusted the Vision Enhancement Glasses beneath his mask.
As the image in his glasses zoomed in by 50x, the details of the buildings gradually became clearer.
As its name suggested, the Aoyama Pharmaceutical Plant researched and manufactured pharmaceuticals.
It was a fairly well-known establishment within Beika.
He recalled that the cold medicine Ran gave him last time was manufactured by this very plant.
Staring at the Aoyama Pharmaceutical Plant, Fujino subtly raised his hand.
Across the distance, the white wolf circling in the sky seemed to sense his command. After a sky-piercing howl, it dove directly towards the interior of the plant.
The Vision Enhancement Glasses tracked the wolf's movements.
Quickly, the view focused on a room on the fifth floor of one specific building within the complex.
Zooming in to 100x,
Fujino could see through the partially open window and observe the room's interior.
The room was sparsely furnished, similar to Miyano Akemi's apartment.
Besides the simple furniture, there was a fair amount of laboratory equipment and even a refrigerator...
It looked much like any single otaku's room.
A young woman sat at the desk near the bed.
She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a dark red sweater, with long reddish-brown hair and ice-blue eyes. Her features were delicate, but her face wore a cold, distant expression.
This mixed-race girl was none other than Miyano Akemi's younger sister, Miyano Shiho.
"Why am I suddenly thinking about Onee-chan? It's always been like this, so little time together..."
Miyano Shiho stared at the photograph in her hand, murmuring with a slight smile.
"It has been a while... Maybe I should visit her sometime..."
A gentle breeze blew through the partially open window, ruffling her slightly wavy hair. The cool air brought a flicker of relaxation to her usually weary and cold face.
Collecting her thoughts, she glanced out the window.
The view outside was unchanged, but in the distance, on a faraway rooftop, she sensed a faint gaze observing her.
"Impossible..."
Miyano Shiho squinted at the distant rooftop, shaking her head.
From that distance, forget observing, even a simple reflection would be easily detected.
Was she just imagining things?
Sighing softly, she put the photo away in her desk drawer.
Taking off the red sweater, she revealed a white... she then changed into her pajamas and prepared for bed.
"Terrifying,"
Fujino muttered, observing from afar through his Vision Enhancement Glasses.
From his vantage point to the Aoyama Pharmaceutical Plant, the distance was at least three or four kilometers.
Normally, at such a distance, even a top-tier sniper wouldn't notice him.
The Vision Enhancement Glasses' magnification didn't produce any reflective glint.
Yet, Miyano Shiho seemed to have detected him just now.
And even made eye contact?
Was it some kind of materialist Conan-world-girl intuition?
Preposterous.
Having confirmed Miyano Shiho's safety, Fujino began observing the security presence within the pharmaceutical plant.
From his high vantage point, he estimated there were at least several dozen men in black patrolling the area.
Clearly, the Organization placed significant importance on this "Aoyama Pharmaceutical Plant."
Using the Assassin's Robes, he could infiltrate the complex relatively easily.
Getting out, however, would be a problem.
Based on the current situation, the security inside the plant was undoubtedly tighter than outside. Most likely, they were heavily armed...
Simply using the Assassin's Robes' [Nightstalker] ability to sneak in would be simple enough.
But the purpose of going in was to rescue someone.
Sneaking in, grabbing the target, and then fighting his way out... even for someone with his 'cheats', that seemed a bit too difficult.
Attempting such a reckless move would likely result in both that 'child' and this 'adult' getting caught.
Having concluded that the Aoyama Pharmaceutical Plant was a raid he couldn't solo, Fujino returned home.
It was late at night.
Lying in bed, Fujino took out the Soul Lotus Seed, now containing Miyano Akemi's soul, and examined it carefully.
Before absorbing Akemi's soul, it was red. Now, it had turned a vibrant cyan-green.
He could also faintly sense a life force emanating from it.
After pondering for a moment, he pricked his finger and squeezed a drop of blood onto the seed.
As his blood touched the small, cyan-green Soul Lotus Seed, light particles swirled and seemed to melt into the seed's surface.
And then... nothing happened.
"Failed?"
Fujino looked at the unchanged seed, slightly surprised.
But the seed quickly answered his question with a physical response.
[Current Soul Lotus Growth Progress: 1.001%]
[Hint: Placing the Soul Lotus Seed in water will promote its growth.]
The system notification sounded, and simultaneously, the Soul Lotus Seed began to vibrate.
After a moment, a tiny sprout emerged from within the seed's green shell.
"Looks like, just as the system described, this thing needs time to grow?"
Fujino murmured, observing the sprout.
He hurried to the bathroom.
Fujino filled the large, almost single-bed-sized bathtub with water. Murmuring
"Resurrect, my... cough cough," he dropped the Soul Lotus Seed into the water.
"This should do it, right?"
Fujino stared at the slowly growing seed in the water, stroking his chin.
"But, wait, putting it in water accelerates growth? What's the principle behind that?"
For a fleeting moment, he was reminded of a certain water-absorbing invincible gourd brother from his past life.
Luckily, he had control over the Soul Lotus Puppet's appearance, so there was no need to worry about some monstrous abomination being born.