Chapter 716 Akai Shuichi: Still so Cruel, Bourbon

"I won't participate."

Facing the small frame stretched out in front of him to collect watches, Conan touched the watch strap on his hand and waved his hand to refuse.

In addition to being a prop specially made for him by the doctor, his watch also plays an important role as a locator for the Phantom Thieves. In this venue shrouded in the shadow of the Phantom Thieves, it brings an unparalleled sense of security.

The organizer of this banquet had an impure purpose. It was still unclear what kind of medicine was being sold in the gourd. Handing it over recklessly was not a good choice.

"I don't need it either." Haihara Ai also shook his head, standing side by side with Conan, quietly watching several people from the Young Detective Team grab the small flag and walk to the center of the field.

"Yeah, kids, you can move forward a little to avoid not being able to see clearly your movements of raising your hands." Mio Tokiwa smiled and controlled the process, not showing the hysterical look in the background a few minutes ago. "I'll be counting down the time later. After starting, we will press this stopwatch, and you can count silently in your mind, and when you count to 30 seconds, raise the flag in your hand to signal. "

It's a very simple rule, and everyone in the field has no objection.

"Come on Ayumi!"

"That's right. You counted 30 very accurately before. There was no error at all. It's up to you!"

"Uh, um..." Yoshida Ayumi hesitated for a while and looked around at Conan and Haibara Ai, who were standing by but not coming over, and then looked around a little helplessly.

She is actually not very good at counting seconds. She was able to count 30 seconds so accurately before because she found that her heartbeat was as high as 120 beats per minute when she was standing next to Conan. She could accurately estimate it by counting her panicked heartbeats. out for 30 seconds.

But now that Conan is not with her, how can she find this feeling of rapid heartbeat... To be nervous, she is really nervous, but now her heartbeat is fast and slow, making it impossible for her to do anything. judge.

Just as she was hesitating, a piece of straight and smooth fabric brushed against her hand.

"Need help, kid?"

Shrouded in a condescending shadow, Yoshida Ayumi raised her head blankly and saw Kitagawa Yusuke looking down at her, and realized that she had subconsciously grabbed Kitagawa Yusuke's kimono because of nervousness.

The formal kimono worn layer by layer according to the shape is very close to the body. Her behavior is similar to pulling someone's T-shirt directly, and it will naturally attract others' attention.

"Brother Kitagawa, I'm sorry..." She quickly let go of her hand and apologized softly.

"It doesn't matter." Tangze, who understood her mood, was very tolerant and generous. He glanced at the little girl's lost head and suggested kindly, "Are you feeling uneasy? There is no Conan-kun around."

"Huh? Eh?" Ayumi Yoshida, who didn't expect her mood to be revealed in one word, turned red instantly.

"If you want to find that mood when Conan-kun is not around, I can teach you a trick." Karasawa, who looked down at her kindly, suggested sincerely in a tone that suited her current character, "You just need to turn your right hand outward. Then hold your left hand... Yes, just like that, you can pretend that you are holding another person's hand. Isn't it very effective? "

Ayumi Yoshida who really did as she was told: "..."

Conan and Haihara Ai, whose ears are very sensitive, can hear clearly: "..."

Walking nearby, Toru Amuro, who planned to exchange a few words with Karasawa depending on the situation, said: "...Pfft."

"Get ready-" Taking the computer from Mio Tokiwa, Secretary Sawaguchi stood under the stage and raised the computer in his hand, "Start!"

Ignoring the suggestion of complaining about Kitagawa Yusuke, Yoshida Ayumi immediately concentrated on it, squeezed the flag in her hand, and started counting.

I don't know whether it was because of Kitagawa Yusuke's interruption, or because the other party revealed her subtle little thoughts with one word, Yoshida Ayumi's sweaty palms were clasped tightly, and she actually found a little bit of the rhythm of a fast heartbeat.

Not just her, everyone who participated in the game closed their eyes tightly and counted in a low voice one after another.

"1, 2, 3..."

Akai Shuichi bit the lollipop stick that had melted in his mouth bit by bit with his teeth. There was no expression on his face, and there was no deliberate counting action.

From the moment he joined the FBI, he decided to participate in the most dangerous investigations and projects, participated in front-line combat training, and underwent many rigorous reviews. It was easy for him to do this in just a few seconds.

Rather than raising the flag accurately, he planned to wait and see before deciding whether to make any move. Making it too conspicuous was not his original intention.

At this moment, a group of people gathered around the stage, closing their eyes and counting nervously, which made it easier for him to observe the situation in the audience.

He came alone this time, not only because some intelligence he obtained told him that the organization would take some actions tonight, but also to investigate some things clearly.

His eyes slowly swept over the faces of Amuro Toru, Conan and Haibara Ai on the sidelines, as well as Mouri Kogoro and Kitagawa Yusuke standing in the court.

"11, 12, 13..."

Toru Amuro moved his gaze away from the faces of Conan and the others, paying attention to the basket full of watches that he had just handed over from his hand.

There are everything from toy-like plastic watches costing several thousand yen to priceless luxury goods.

After linking the Joban Group with Rum, he now feels that they have ulterior motives when looking at all the actions of this group of people.

Why did he take away the watches? To tamper with the time on the guests' watches? To install some eavesdropping and surveillance equipment to monitor specific people? Or to investigate something, and then...

Thinking of this, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Conan, who had his hands in his pockets and was not concerned.

...To catch some detectives who have too many interesting little things on their watches?

"21, 22, 23..."

Tang Ze rubbed the small stick of the flag in his hand back and forth with his fingertips, and did not close his eyes. When Tokiwa Mio looked over and looked at him, he even looked back with a calm face. After only four or five seconds, he saw that the other party turned his eyes away first.

Of course, he didn't need to count the seconds seriously. Oh, although his ability to judge time has always been strong, but with the plug-in, his brain can be properly disabled.

As we all know, or perhaps not, the game system panel of P5, strictly speaking, actually integrates functions such as a smartphone with a different world navigation, special records under the wild perspective, and a portable notebook, etc., and strives to combine the system with the protagonist's daily life props.

Therefore, as long as he opens the system interface, he can easily tell the time, just take a quick glance.

More importantly, he now has to pay attention to the status of his teammates.

For the show effect, to attract Gin's attention, and to maximize the achievement of the action goal, the current Phantom Thieves are divided into several groups and are busy in different halls and subways.

Shimabukuro Kimie, who has a relatively outstanding personal strength, is on standby with Noah's Ark in the subway, and has made a detailed route plan for tonight's target. After waiting for Tang Ze to give the accurate name, the effect linkage will be completed immediately.

The rest of the people, including Zhu Fujingguang, who has just grown a different world navigation and has not yet awakened, stayed near the venue and concentrated on sniping the guests present who are highly related to the twin towers.

For people like Oki Iwamatsu and Tokiwa Mio, who are already highly tied to the interests of the Twin Towers, the location of the palace is naturally inseparable from these two high-rise buildings, and so is Kisaragi Minemizu.

And now, the old man with a hard mouth and a soft heart has persuaded himself very well, and they are working non-stop to deal with other people.

Always paying attention to the health bars and combat status of his teammates, Tang Ze's narrowed eyes flickered slightly.

Wherever he is, the Phantom Thieves are there. Even if he does not join the real battle, he has many ways to provide support for everyone.

"27, 28... Uh!" Maori Kogoro was still counting intently when he was suddenly bumped by the guest behind him.

He turned around in astonishment and saw that the one who hit his head was a baby who looked only about half a year old. The guest holding him was still apologetically whispering sorry, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

At the moment when he was interrupted, because it was close to 30 seconds, people began to raise their flags one after another.

Maori Kogoro, who was not sure how far he had counted, closed his eyes and raised his hand.

"Oh! That..." After confirming the time, Tokiwa Mio opened her mouth and was about to point out the closest guest. When the secretary's meter just reached 30, several people in the venue suddenly raised their hands at the same time.

Tokiwa Mio's smile froze for the nth time, and she felt that she was extremely unlucky tonight.

She shouldn't have chosen such an unlucky day!

It's all the fault of the Phantom Thieves. Why did they target her, a poor person who had finally won a living space for herself and was in a dilemma, so that she had to force the banquet tonight under the coercion and inducement of the mastermind behind the scenes.

Of course she was afraid, and of course she didn't want to, but she had noticed too many things wrong in the cooperation and knew that if she said no, she would not live tonight.

It's all my father's fault, it's all Oki Iwamatsu's fault, it's all... Maori Kogoro!

Mio Tokiwa glared at Kogoro Mori who was holding the flag, trying to restrain her expression.

"Oh, I can't believe it. Four guests raised their hands almost at the same time. There are really many hidden talents at the banquet tonight."

Upon hearing this, Tang Ze, who knew very well who was in the room, couldn't help but look at Mio Tokiwa with approval.

It is said that a wise man will make mistakes even if he makes a thousand plans, and a fool will make a thousand plans even if he makes a thousand plans. Look, isn't this very sharp?

————

"Beautiful attack!"

"Hold your breath, senior, I'm disturbing the opponent's spirit."

"Aim at the weak point——!" Zhu Fujingguang, who couldn't tell whether his teammates were helping him or making trouble for him, shouted, "Open fire now!"

"Yes, the leader has given the signal."

"Okay, then hold on tight!" Zhu Fujingguang took a deep breath, grasped the hook in his hand, and jumped straight out from the high rooftop.

The moment his feet left the ground and leaped into the air, the monster made of flesh and blood, crawling all over the hundreds-meter-high building, turned its cold pupils towards him.

And Zhu Fu Jingguang was waiting for this moment.

"Bang——"

Sparks flew out of the muzzle of the sniper rifle.

————

"Bang——"

As the four winners were invited to the stage one by one, the employees who had prepared the salute still looked at each other in confusion, but instinctively pulled open the paper tube filled with ribbons.

Colorful streamers fell from the stage. Mio Tokiwa smiled and clapped. She looked at the four people who lined up to walk onto the stage and took a deep breath.

In the past, she felt that she was strong enough and unyielding enough, and was a captain who could lead the group through all kinds of storms.

Tonight, she realized that her past self did not understand what real suffering was.

Thinking of the threatening calls made through the voice changer, the distrustful gaze of Kogoro Mori, and the dazzling watch of Sonoko Suzuki, she spent a few seconds adjusting her vocal cords before she dared to raise the microphone.

If she didn't do this, she was afraid that she would not be able to help but let out a cry of grief before she opened her mouth.

"They are some very impressive people. There are famous detectives, and more importantly, there are children with great prospects." Mio Tokiwa described it this way, and she even admired her own calmness. "Now, I'd like to ask you to play rock-paper-scissors in pairs to decide who will be the first. As for the others, please rest assured that in addition to the grand prize and mountain bikes, we also have cash coupons and other gifts from the group, so don't worry about going home empty-handed."

The guests applauded and praised the generosity of the Tokiwa Group, and the relatives and friends of several people made a series of cheers.

"I knew Ayumi could do it! Wow!"

"Mountain bike, great!"

"Your father has this talent, Xiaolan? I can't tell."

"I don't know either... Well, maybe, because he is a policeman after all?"

"Tsk, Yusuke..."

"Huh, let alone Karasawa, even the eldest cousin is... How old is he..."

"Ah? What did you just say, Haibara?"

"I said, so boring."

Karasawa, who was standing on his stilts and was almost as tall as Akai Shuichi, glanced at his brother who was dressed as Iwai Munehisa and wore a baseball cap even at the party, and shook his head in his heart.

If Amuro Toru was not there, Akai Shuichi might not even participate in the game.

Ah, the strange competitive spirit of adults.

Having said that, when Karasawa turned around and prepared to play rock-paper-scissors with him, he took a breath, took out his utmost seriousness, and began to observe the other party's micro-expressions.

Since Iwai Munehisa's character closely matches Akai Shuichi, the disguise mask he made for Akai Shuichi is relatively suitable.

Although it is a little difficult to see the direction of the other person's facial muscles, considering that he is also wearing a disguise mask, everyone is on the same starting line, which is fair, just and open.

With an inexplicable seriousness, the two raised their hands to play rock-paper-scissors.

On the other side, Maori Kogoro looked at the elementary school girl who was not even waist-high, blinked, and had to bend down slightly to destroy his image.

There was no way, otherwise it would be like bullying a child.

"Okay, get ready--"

Mio Tokiwa was about to give another order when a cry from the crowd sounded first.

Her mood was already fluctuating violently. When she heard the commotion, her wrist shook and the microphone fell heavily on the stage floor.

A harsh buzzing noise came from the speaker, as if dubbing the unexpected scene in the field.

Mio Tokiwa turned her head sharply, and her heart finally died.

From the height of the stage, the situation of the whole audience can be clearly seen. Oki Yansong, with a cold sweat on his face, was covering his chest and sat on the ground with a pale face.

As if he couldn't breathe, he opened his mouth and breathed in and out hard. Despair was constantly oozing out of his bloodshot eyes, and all kinds of complicated emotions were intertwined on his face.

Although he was panting, he didn't say a word, as if different wills were fighting for the right to speak.

The Phantom Thieves must be the Phantom Thieves of Hearts——!

Tokiwa Mio covered her mouth and suppressed the equally desperate cry.

"Mr. Ohki, Mr. Ohki, are you okay?" Toru Amuro, who was guarding the crowd, squeezed through the wall of people around him, bent down first, and grabbed Oki Yansong, who was about to fall to the ground, without saying anything, "What's wrong with you? Are you having difficulty breathing, or is there something else?"

Oki Yansong, who was already terrified, was grabbed by his cold leather gloves. When he saw his face, he rolled his eyes with a creak, as if he was breathing out more than breathing in.

"Everyone, please spread out a little, don't gather here! Councillor Ohki may have a sudden respiratory disease!" Toru Amuro, who was pretending to be anxious, raised his voice, "Please come a few more people, take Mr. Ohki to Building B first!"

As the office building of the Tokiwa Group, Building A does not have complete emergency evacuation passages and emergency equipment like Building B, which has stronger commercial functions. In order to facilitate emergency treatment, it is indeed a better choice to drag the suspected sick person to Building B first.

No one, including Tokiwa Mio, thought there was anything wrong with his statement. Two or three waiters quickly pushed a dining cart over as a temporary flat bed and carried the person on it.

"Um, I'm a doctor--" Someone among the guests quickly stepped out and wanted to check on Oki Iwamatsu, who was starting to twitch.

Amuro Toru, who had been prepared, calmly raised his hand to stop the other party from approaching: "But we are not in the hospital now, do you have a special first aid certificate?"

The guest who did not expect to be blocked from first aid was stunned: "Well, no..."

"Then I can't let you contact him. You know, the medical practitioner certificate has a scope of practice. If you perform first aid here, everyone will face some ethical risks." Amuro Toru smiled apologetically, very professionally, "Building B has a first aid technician prepared by the hotel, so I won't bother you."

The doctor naturally stopped talking and quietly retreated into the crowd.

The reliable Amuro Toru and two other waiters pushed Oki Iwamatsu towards the elevator. At the same time, the first list that had been edited long ago was sent out with the click of his finger.

[Oki Iwamatsu has been changed by the Phantom Thieves. 】

"Still so cruel, Bourbon." In the chaos, looking at the back of the blond walking away, Akai Shuichi shook his head slightly.

Hearing his sigh, Tang Ze nodded in agreement.

Oki Iwamatsu, this fat guy, seems to be experiencing a wave of physical first aid failures.