Late at night, in Mihua Town's 2nd District, Dr. Agasa's house.
The dimly lit room was cluttered with various lab equipment and scattered reports.
It wasn't hard to tell this was an old man's laboratory.
And the kind that often had accidents.
"Xiao Ai, are you sure there's no problem?"
Dr. Agasa stood at the lab's doorway, his tone tinged with worry. "The antidote's effects still aren't clear. If you test it recklessly, it could…"
"I know that, obviously. Since I developed this antidote, it only makes sense for the developer to test it herself…"
Inside the lab, Haibara Ai cut him off, her back to him.
She was wearing a white t-shirt and black sweatpants—the same outfit she'd had on when she first showed up at Fujino's doorstep.
"I get it."
Dr. Agasa knew pressing further wouldn't help. Instead, he shifted gears. "Is there anything I can do to assist?"
"No… Well, actually, there is one thing."
Haibara paused, still not turning around. "If it fails, could you come up with an excuse for him? A car accident, or maybe I got adopted overseas—anything works."
"Got it."
Dr. Agasa glanced at her back and sighed. "If something happens… though I'm sure it won't, I'll tell him you were taken in by relatives abroad. No need to worry."
"Thanks."
Haibara's tone was as calm as ever, though a faint hint of gratitude slipped through. "Close the door, please."
"Call me if anything comes up. I'll be right outside."
Dr. Agasa shook his head, gave her a quick heads-up, and shut the door.
Their first meeting hadn't exactly been warm, but after spending time together—two science nerds bonding—their relationship had softened quite a bit.
It almost felt like he'd gained a granddaughter who didn't visit often in his old age.
Uh… suddenly, a chill ran down his neck. That didn't feel quite right… Daughter, maybe.
---
The door clicked shut, plunging the room into darkness.
"Phew…"
Haibara Ai let out a long breath. She leaned against the wall, raised her hand, and slowly unclenched her fingers. Resting in her palm was a small red-and-white pill.
Calling it an antidote might be premature, though. She didn't know if it would break APTX4869's curse—or drag her into endless darkness as a poison.
"Let's leave it to fate. Is it an antidote… or a poison…?"
Haibara stared at the pill, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "Escaping the Organization and surviving this long should've been enough. So why do I still feel unsatisfied?"
That rainy night she fled the Organization, she'd planned to seek out Kudo Shinichi. But after leaving the Kudo house, she'd realized she had nowhere left to belong.
Later, in a daze, she'd stumbled somewhere—a place that felt like a home, with someone who could protect her.
She'd thought that was her fate. But then Kudo's situation jolted her awake again.
As she'd once said herself:
"If I can keep hiding behind this identity, fine. If I suddenly disappear one day, it could be brushed off as 'she went home.' But if my real identity gets exposed, he'll dig into the Organization with everything he's got."
That's why someone like her, even if she found a place to belong, would only bring disaster to those who sheltered and protected her once she was exposed.
She didn't know why she felt this way—just that her eyes stung a little.
Swallowing it meant a fifty-fifty chance of death.
Back then, she might've done it without hesitation…
But now, she was lost. And a little unwilling.
Selfish as she saw herself, she wanted this life to go on.
Yet she didn't want her identity's exposure to drag everyone into the abyss of being hunted by the Organization…
"So I really am selfish. I was ready to die, but when it comes down to it, I can't let go…"
Haibara wiped her eyes, clenched her shirt hem, and took a deep breath. She glanced at the adult clothes set aside nearby.
Lost as she was, she decided to leave her future to fate—to the pill in her hand.
If it worked and she turned back, it'd mean her life wasn't meant to end. From the research sample Baijiu's effects, this antidote was temporary—she could revert later.
But if something went wrong, well, that'd be fine too. At least she wouldn't drag everyone around her into the Organization's mess.
If she could… she didn't want to leave.
After a moment's thought, her gaze hardened. She swallowed the pill.
---
Late at night at Fujino's house.
Fresh off dinner, Fujino flopped onto the sofa in his room.
Normally, he'd come home to a meal cooked by Haibara Ai.
But lately, with her gone, no one was around to cook…
"It's weird how I'm not used to this anymore…"
Fujino sighed. He figured she'd be back in a few days and brushed it off.
Instead, he pulled up his system interface to check his balance:
**[14,580,000 yen]**
"Fourteen million. Even after one draw, I've still got over five million left… That's a decent chunk."
Fujino eyed the interface, rubbing his excited hands together.
With this much saved up, it was time for a big draw!
He opened the system's job orb exchange interface.
But as he stared at the ten-draw button that'd cost ten million yen, his hand hovered—and then stopped. Something clicked.
"With my luck—or lack of it—I'd probably blow up on the spot if I went straight for it, right?"
Fujino frowned. "Gotta stack some buffs…"
He dug into his inventory and pulled out his divination sticks and lucky coin.
He wasn't sure if the lucky coin could affect system draw results.
But buffs were buffs—better safe than sorry.
Fujino tossed the lucky coin high.
*Buzz!*
With a crisp sound, the silver coin glinted under the moonlight, flipping midair.
It tumbled a few times before dropping.
Fujino caught it and checked—heads.
At the same time, a system prompt chimed in his ear:
**[Lucky Coin Effect Activated!]**
**[Cooldown: 168 hours]**
"Next up, let's see my fortune…"
Fujino pocketed the coin, grabbed the wooden bucket nearby, and shook it reverently, praying for good luck today.
*Clack!*
A stick shot out of the bucket, hitting the floor with a sharp sound.
Fujino bent down, picked it up, and read: **[Great Luck! All things align, blessings and fortune unite, the Eight Immortals descend together]**
"What's that mean?"
Fujino squinted at the odd text, puzzled.
It didn't make much sense to him.
This was a first for a fortune like this.
But since it was "Great Luck," it couldn't be bad, right?
That's what he told himself.
With that, he opened the job orb exchange interface and started an intermediate ten-draw.
**[8,900,000 yen deducted from host]**
As the system's prompt rang out, the draw results popped up:
**[Congratulations, host has obtained: Blue Job Card (Orator), Soap Set (Purple), All-Class Point x1, All-Class Point x1, Shennong Oral Solution x1 (Blue), Advanced Strength Enhancement Card x1 (Purple), Customer Attraction Charm x1 (Purple), Otaku Happy Water x1 (Blue), Vespania Ring (Gold), Advanced All-Purpose Enhancement Card (Purple)]**
**[Congratulations, host has unlocked sub-class: Orator (Beginner)]**
Fujino barely glanced at the new job. His eyes were drawn to a flash of gold.
As the light faded, an item emerged—a ring.
"Vespania Ring?!"
He froze, letting out a surprised yelp.
Not that he recognized it off the bat.
The name was right there in the description.
"I think Vespania's some small country in this world…"
Fujino murmured, picking up the ring, curiosity piqued. "But why's this ring named after it?"
It was a silver ring with a pink gem embedded in it.
"Just a plain-looking ring… Why's it a gold item? Usually, gold stuff from the system is insanely powerful."
Fujino muttered, then rubbed his chin, speculating.
Since it was gold, based on past items, it had to be something extraordinary.
He opened the system interface to check the gold item's details:
**[Vespania Ring: A mysterious gem that makes the world tremble**
*Ore from the Kingdom of Vespania, an advanced EMP disruption device capable of upsetting global military balance—a Pandora's gem that terrifies nations.*
*Effect: Carrying this gem renders your radar-equipped vehicle undetectable by any radar. Enhanced by mysterious power, this ring can be activated directly to disable all electronic devices within a certain range. In extreme conditions, it can temporarily knock out radio signals and various communication channels.*]**
"Holy—!"
Fujino shot to his feet, staring at the system screen.
He even let slip a rare, ingrained expletive.
"This thing's nuts…"
He glanced at the gem ring in his hand, suddenly feeling its weight.
Sure, in practical terms, it wasn't *that* useful to him—just a reusable high-end EMP to mess with electronics.
But its potential went way beyond that.
If he stuck this ring on an intercontinental ballistic missile…
Well, imagine a nuke dropping out of nowhere on a certain white house or imperial palace, no warning at all.
*Latest novels at 69 Book Bar!*
And afterward, no one could trace who fired it.
Talk about thrilling.
"Gold items really live up to the hype. This is bonkers."
Fujino shook his head with a wry smile. "The system's right—this could shift the world's power balance."
He decided not to wear it. Even he couldn't be sure some freak out there wouldn't recognize the gem.
Something this dangerous? If anyone spotted it, it'd spell trouble—lethal trouble.
"Better keep it in my inventory for now. I'll pull it out when I need it."
With that, Fujino stashed the ring and shifted his focus to the new job on his class interface:
**[Orator: Beginner (0–100)**
*Special Cadence: Grants you an unmatched speaking tone, boosting your persuasiveness slightly.*
*Speech Ground: Beginner (Gain extra persuasiveness when speaking at a designated location. Location can be changed—24-hour cooldown—Current location: Beer Hall)]**
"Uh…"
Fujino stared at the skill description, momentarily speechless.
Beer hall. Orator.
Why did those two things feel oddly familiar…?
Wait a sec.
This "I'm-so-mad-I-could-cry" job's previous owner… it couldn't be *that* Führer, could it?
"Still, the skill looks decent. At least I'll sound more convincing bullshitting the media…"
Fujino smirked, glancing at the description. "But this beer hall thing… yeah, gotta change that pronto. Feels kinda off."
After checking the big ones, he turned to the rest of his haul.
A gold item already made the draw worth it.
Plus, he got two purples, two blues, and a job card.
The Customer Attraction Charm, Oral Solution, and Otaku Happy Water he'd seen before—no surprises there.
But what was this Soap Set?
Curious, Fujino opened his system inventory and pulled it out.
The Soap Set came in a black briefcase.
He unzipped it, revealing several colorful soaps.
They even smelled nice…
Fujino didn't dare lean in too close. Something about them gave him a bad vibe.
Given his past with gum bombs, he had a hunch these soaps might explode too.
He opened the system interface to check the Soap Set's details:
**[Soap Set: High-tech product, origin: Northeast XXX**
*I'm sellin' soap, yo! One bar, four vibes—front, side, back, all different. Don't believe me? Sniff it—perfect for home, travel, murder, arson, scams… a must-have.*
*Effect: Makes anyone who smells this soap pass out fast, and it smells real nice.*
*(Note: Works if you lick it too, even with a stuffy nose.)*
*(Note: Please don't use this for shady stuff—not a hard rule.)]*
Fujino: "…"
Well, damn. Scamming much?
They even threw *this* into the draw?
That Northeast vibe felt oddly nostalgic.
And the description adapting to the local flavor? Wild.
Oh no, it was rubbing off on him!
His DNA was practically buzzing.
He took a deep breath to calm down and reexamined the soaps.
These were probably meant to knock people out with a couple sniffs—stealthier than his bat darts.
But why did he feel like they paired perfectly with the Orator job?
Use the speech skills to hustle the soap, knock someone out, and then… do whatever.
*Ahem.* Of course, Fujino wouldn't use it for anything bad.
Maybe just some harmless mischief.
---
In the dim lab, Haibara Ai curled up in a corner, letting out a pained whimper.
Her heart pounded wildly, her skin flushed red, and her muscles burned like they were on fire.
Suddenly, wisps of transparent steam began rising around her.
Her heart skipped a beat, stopping for a split second.
Then, the steam thickened.
Amid the haze, her small frame started growing. Her clothes stretched, then tore.
But it didn't stop there.
"Ah—!"
The pain didn't let up. The burning in her muscles sharpened into a stabbing ache, mixed with a strange, fluttering sensation.
Moments later, the mist cleared.
"Haah…"
Haibara gasped for air.
No, "Haibara Ai" wasn't quite right anymore.
Her body had grown to an adult's size.
She'd reverted to Miyano Shiho.
"Did it work?"
Miyano Shiho stood shakily, lifting her hand weakly…
That slender, pale hand felt both familiar and foreign.
Pulling her gaze away, she glanced at the ripped clothes hanging off her and felt a pang of regret.
"Looks like fate… doesn't want me gone just yet…"
Miyano Shiho changed into the clothes she'd prepared, a quiet thought settling in her mind.
The confusion in her heart melted away.
Honestly, she didn't want to leave.
Since she'd survived, she'd keep going.
She didn't know how long the antidote would last, but she'd transformed.
Back into her real self.
If that was the case, she could head back tomorrow as herself…
She couldn't reveal her identity, sure, but she wondered what he'd think seeing her like this.
A faint smile crept onto her face, the earlier pain fading like it'd never been there.
---
The next day, Teitan High School's festival.
Teitan High was pretty well-known.
Part of the Teitan system—Teitan Elementary, Teitan University, and Teitan High—it churned out talent left and right.
The school festival was buzzing.
Tons of locals and students from other schools flocked in.
Classes and clubs had set up stalls and performances.
"Class 1-A, huh?"
Strolling down Teitan High's halls, Fujino's eyes locked onto the maid café listed in the pamphlet, narrowing slightly.
A maid café…
Honestly, in two lifetimes, he'd never been to one.
Yeah, he was curious. Totally not for the maids.
Fujino was a proper guy, after all.
"Um… excuse me…"
A voice broke his thoughts.
Fujino looked up and saw a tall girl standing in front of him.
Miyano Shiho?!
*(Chapter End)*