Chapter Seven: An Unfortunate Reunion! The Bullets - and the Mafia - Begin to Fly!
CHAPTER SEVEN: An Unfortunate Reunion! The Bullets - and the Mafia - Begin to Fly!
Conan trained his wristwatch on the black-clad woman, just as Vermouth sighted at him with her pistol.
「Well, isn't this a coincidence, Cool Kid?」
「Vermouth. What are you doing here?」
「I have business with these two thieves,」 Vermouth replied casually. She flipped her hair back. 「So if you would get out of my way.」
「Not a chance. Why does your organization want them?」 Conan demanded.
Vermouth smiled cattily. 「Now, if I told you that, it would be no fun for you,」 she said.
Isaac and Miria, meanwhile, stood in the background, rather confused. "What are they saying, Isaac?" Miria asked.
"I don't know, Miria," Isaac replied. "But I was right - she does speak Japanese."
"She does!"
Isaac smiled smugly.
"But Isaac... why is she pointing a gun at Mr. Conan?"
Isaac thought for a minute. "Well, my dear, they must be acting! Here in the Orient they are very famous for their plays. In fact, I've heard stories about the famous Japanese playwright Gao Wehzhong, who wrote tragic love stories that surpassed Shakespeare. They were so great, they even starred Irene Adler!"
"A play! How wonderful!"
"So you see, Miria, that isn't a real gun at all! It's just a prop!"
Isaac and Miria jumped aside frantically as Vermouth fired her gun seconds later, at a distracted Conan, who dodged to the side. He shot a dart from his wristwatch, and trained his watch on her again. Vermouth's hand went to her neck, where she had been grazed by the dart. The blonde woman grit her teeth, and backed up toward the elevator from whence she had come, still aiming her pistol.
Isaac and Miria, at that same moment, gazed at the bullet hole left in the wall of the hotel. "That doesn't look like a prop bullet, Isaac!"
"Well what do you know? It was real, Mira. I think it might be dangerous in this hallway."
"Dangerous? Then we have to grab Mr. Conan!"
Miria opened the door to their hotel room, and Isaac grabbed Conan by the collar of his jacket. Moments later, they were in their hotel room.
"Oi! What was that for?" Conan demanded.
Isaac and Miria smothered the boy detective in a hug. "We're so glad you're alright!" Isaac wailed.
"So glad!"
"I'm fine," Conan responded, irritated. He wriggled out of their embrace, just as the hotel phone began to ring. "Don't answer that!" he yelled to them, but Isaac had already picked up the phone.
"Miria! It's Ennis!"
"Ennis!" Miria said, with a clap of her hands.
Conan raised his eyebrows. "Who's Ennis?" he asked.
Miria smiled. "She's a good friend of ours who lives in New York~!" she said. "She and the Gandor brothers paid for our trip to Japan!"
Isaac, over the phone, was saying, "What postcard was that, Ennis?", just as Conan grabbed the phone from him.
"Hello? Ennis?" he demanded.
A woman responded. "Yes, what is it?"
"You need to get your friends out of Tokyo, right away!" Conan replied.
Ennis was silent for a moment. "May I ask why?" she asked.
Conan sighed. "A Japanese crime syndicate - known as the Black Organization - is targeting them. They're very dangerous, and have influence all over the world."
"If they have influence all over the world, why would returning to New York help?" Ennis asked, sounding both skeptical and very calm.
"I don't know, but it's better than staying in Tokyo. They won't hesitate to kill your friends - or worse. And I don't know why the Organization wants them."
Ennis sighed. "Can I talk to Isaac and Miria?" she asked.
"Of course," Conan said, and he handed the phone over.
--
"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Ennis said, as she entered the Gandor Brothers office. Inside the office sat the three Gandor Brothers, Firo, Czeslaw and Maiza, all of whom she had called on short notice.
"What is it, Ennis?" Firo asked, concerned.
"Isaac and Miria have run into some trouble in Japan," she said, figuring it was best to state outright. "Apparently, a Japanese crime syndicate is after them."
"A crime syndicate? Then we have to go, right away!" Berga Gandor said, slamming his fist on his desk.
"Let's not be too hasty," Maiza cautioned. "Isaac and Miria are immortal, they can handle themselves."
"I'm afraid their immortality is the issue," Ennis said calmly. "It seems they were in an accident, and I believe that they were discovered."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Firo demanded. "Let's round everybody up and help them!"
"I agree with Firo," Luck replied, his expression calm, calculating. "Isaac and Miria are our friends, and they deserve our help."
Maiza sighed. "If it's necessary, I suppose we must," he said. "Still, I don't want this to be an arbitrary decision. We should talk to the other Camorra."
"Okay," Firo replied. "I'm good with that. Ennis?"
"Sure," Ennis replied.
Czeslaw nodded. Luck smiled a small smile. "It's settled, then," he said.
--
"So... you're saying that that lady..."
"Vermouth."
"Yes, Vermouth. That she is a part of a Japanese gang of some sort."
"Yes, exactly."
"Then where are her tattoos?" Isaac asked.
"Tattoos?" Conan repeated, nonplussed.
"Don't all Oriental gangs wear intricate tattoos of dragons and fish and money symbols, so they can be rich and lucky?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah, don't they?" Miria repeated.
"They're not the Yakuza," Conan said, irritated.
"The Ya-who-za?" Isaac asked.
Conan sighed. "Nevermind," he said. "Look, they're very dangerous. You can't mess around with them. I did, and look where it got me!"
"Well, you met us! That can't be a bad thing, can it?" Miria asked.
Conan was starting to wonder. "But I am stuck in the body of a kid," he said.
Isaac stroked his sideburns. "So let me see if I understand," he said. "You're telling us that this Black Group wants to hit us with shrink rays so that they can do tests on our bodies, aren't you?"
"No, I think he's like Czes. Where he looks like a kid, but he's not really a kid, but is actually a kid inside!"
"Hmm. Maybe you're onto something there, Miria."
Conan decided that he did not quite care if they knew the basics of his condition. Perhaps it would be easier to just let them believe what they wanted to believe.
"Anyways," Conan said, hoping to keep this conversation on something like a track. "If your friends are really coming to Tokyo to get you, I'd like to make sure you're safe until they get here." Besides, it would make it easier to keep track of them in case the Black Organization decided to show up again. "I have a friend who you can stay with for a couple of days, if that's alright."
"Well, sure," Isaac said.
"We always like to meet new friends!" Miria responded.
--
When, about an hour later, they reached Professor Agasa's house, Conan knocked on the front door. A young, brown-haired girl opened it a moment later.
「Who are these people, Kudo-kun?」 Haibara asked.
"Hello, little girl!"
To Haibara, who was now wrapped in a double-sided hug by both thieves, Conan said, 「They would be Isaac and Miria.」
--
Kaitou Kid ducked in through the window and into the hotel bedroom. The maids had cleaned it earlier, and the room was completely vacant - he had not seen the two whom he had tracked here all day.
Frowning to himself, and hoping that this was not some kind of trap, he moved further into the room. Nothing on the beds, nothing underneath them, or in the closet or bathroom. No luggage, even, simply a vacant room. But according to the hotel records, Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent had not checked out.
Well, there was definitely something going on here.
Kaitou Kid smiled his signature confident grin.
He'd just have to figure out what it was.
--
NEXT TIME: Kaitou Kid: Showdown With the Black Organization! What is This Thing Called Okonomiyaki?
"A showdown! Do you think it'll be like a Western, Isaac?"
"Perhaps it shall be like the silver screen - guns blazing, and explosions, and..."
"And helicopters?"
"Yes! Exactly!"
"What are helicopters again, Isaac?"
"Hmm, that's a good question. But whatever happens, I'm sure it will be exciting!"
Conan trained his wristwatch on the black-clad woman, just as Vermouth sighted at him with her pistol.
「Well, isn't this a coincidence, Cool Kid?」
「Vermouth. What are you doing here?」
「I have business with these two thieves,」 Vermouth replied casually. She flipped her hair back. 「So if you would get out of my way.」
「Not a chance. Why does your organization want them?」 Conan demanded.
Vermouth smiled cattily. 「Now, if I told you that, it would be no fun for you,」 she said.
Isaac and Miria, meanwhile, stood in the background, rather confused. "What are they saying, Isaac?" Miria asked.
"I don't know, Miria," Isaac replied. "But I was right - she does speak Japanese."
"She does!"
Isaac smiled smugly.
"But Isaac... why is she pointing a gun at Mr. Conan?"
Isaac thought for a minute. "Well, my dear, they must be acting! Here in the Orient they are very famous for their plays. In fact, I've heard stories about the famous Japanese playwright Gao Wehzhong, who wrote tragic love stories that surpassed Shakespeare. They were so great, they even starred Irene Adler!"
"A play! How wonderful!"
"So you see, Miria, that isn't a real gun at all! It's just a prop!"
Isaac and Miria jumped aside frantically as Vermouth fired her gun seconds later, at a distracted Conan, who dodged to the side. He shot a dart from his wristwatch, and trained his watch on her again. Vermouth's hand went to her neck, where she had been grazed by the dart. The blonde woman grit her teeth, and backed up toward the elevator from whence she had come, still aiming her pistol.
Isaac and Miria, at that same moment, gazed at the bullet hole left in the wall of the hotel. "That doesn't look like a prop bullet, Isaac!"
"Well what do you know? It was real, Mira. I think it might be dangerous in this hallway."
"Dangerous? Then we have to grab Mr. Conan!"
Miria opened the door to their hotel room, and Isaac grabbed Conan by the collar of his jacket. Moments later, they were in their hotel room.
"Oi! What was that for?" Conan demanded.
Isaac and Miria smothered the boy detective in a hug. "We're so glad you're alright!" Isaac wailed.
"So glad!"
"I'm fine," Conan responded, irritated. He wriggled out of their embrace, just as the hotel phone began to ring. "Don't answer that!" he yelled to them, but Isaac had already picked up the phone.
"Miria! It's Ennis!"
"Ennis!" Miria said, with a clap of her hands.
Conan raised his eyebrows. "Who's Ennis?" he asked.
Miria smiled. "She's a good friend of ours who lives in New York~!" she said. "She and the Gandor brothers paid for our trip to Japan!"
Isaac, over the phone, was saying, "What postcard was that, Ennis?", just as Conan grabbed the phone from him.
"Hello? Ennis?" he demanded.
A woman responded. "Yes, what is it?"
"You need to get your friends out of Tokyo, right away!" Conan replied.
Ennis was silent for a moment. "May I ask why?" she asked.
Conan sighed. "A Japanese crime syndicate - known as the Black Organization - is targeting them. They're very dangerous, and have influence all over the world."
"If they have influence all over the world, why would returning to New York help?" Ennis asked, sounding both skeptical and very calm.
"I don't know, but it's better than staying in Tokyo. They won't hesitate to kill your friends - or worse. And I don't know why the Organization wants them."
Ennis sighed. "Can I talk to Isaac and Miria?" she asked.
"Of course," Conan said, and he handed the phone over.
--
"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Ennis said, as she entered the Gandor Brothers office. Inside the office sat the three Gandor Brothers, Firo, Czeslaw and Maiza, all of whom she had called on short notice.
"What is it, Ennis?" Firo asked, concerned.
"Isaac and Miria have run into some trouble in Japan," she said, figuring it was best to state outright. "Apparently, a Japanese crime syndicate is after them."
"A crime syndicate? Then we have to go, right away!" Berga Gandor said, slamming his fist on his desk.
"Let's not be too hasty," Maiza cautioned. "Isaac and Miria are immortal, they can handle themselves."
"I'm afraid their immortality is the issue," Ennis said calmly. "It seems they were in an accident, and I believe that they were discovered."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Firo demanded. "Let's round everybody up and help them!"
"I agree with Firo," Luck replied, his expression calm, calculating. "Isaac and Miria are our friends, and they deserve our help."
Maiza sighed. "If it's necessary, I suppose we must," he said. "Still, I don't want this to be an arbitrary decision. We should talk to the other Camorra."
"Okay," Firo replied. "I'm good with that. Ennis?"
"Sure," Ennis replied.
Czeslaw nodded. Luck smiled a small smile. "It's settled, then," he said.
--
"So... you're saying that that lady..."
"Vermouth."
"Yes, Vermouth. That she is a part of a Japanese gang of some sort."
"Yes, exactly."
"Then where are her tattoos?" Isaac asked.
"Tattoos?" Conan repeated, nonplussed.
"Don't all Oriental gangs wear intricate tattoos of dragons and fish and money symbols, so they can be rich and lucky?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah, don't they?" Miria repeated.
"They're not the Yakuza," Conan said, irritated.
"The Ya-who-za?" Isaac asked.
Conan sighed. "Nevermind," he said. "Look, they're very dangerous. You can't mess around with them. I did, and look where it got me!"
"Well, you met us! That can't be a bad thing, can it?" Miria asked.
Conan was starting to wonder. "But I am stuck in the body of a kid," he said.
Isaac stroked his sideburns. "So let me see if I understand," he said. "You're telling us that this Black Group wants to hit us with shrink rays so that they can do tests on our bodies, aren't you?"
"No, I think he's like Czes. Where he looks like a kid, but he's not really a kid, but is actually a kid inside!"
"Hmm. Maybe you're onto something there, Miria."
Conan decided that he did not quite care if they knew the basics of his condition. Perhaps it would be easier to just let them believe what they wanted to believe.
"Anyways," Conan said, hoping to keep this conversation on something like a track. "If your friends are really coming to Tokyo to get you, I'd like to make sure you're safe until they get here." Besides, it would make it easier to keep track of them in case the Black Organization decided to show up again. "I have a friend who you can stay with for a couple of days, if that's alright."
"Well, sure," Isaac said.
"We always like to meet new friends!" Miria responded.
--
When, about an hour later, they reached Professor Agasa's house, Conan knocked on the front door. A young, brown-haired girl opened it a moment later.
「Who are these people, Kudo-kun?」 Haibara asked.
"Hello, little girl!"
To Haibara, who was now wrapped in a double-sided hug by both thieves, Conan said, 「They would be Isaac and Miria.」
--
Kaitou Kid ducked in through the window and into the hotel bedroom. The maids had cleaned it earlier, and the room was completely vacant - he had not seen the two whom he had tracked here all day.
Frowning to himself, and hoping that this was not some kind of trap, he moved further into the room. Nothing on the beds, nothing underneath them, or in the closet or bathroom. No luggage, even, simply a vacant room. But according to the hotel records, Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent had not checked out.
Well, there was definitely something going on here.
Kaitou Kid smiled his signature confident grin.
He'd just have to figure out what it was.
--
NEXT TIME: Kaitou Kid: Showdown With the Black Organization! What is This Thing Called Okonomiyaki?
"A showdown! Do you think it'll be like a Western, Isaac?"
"Perhaps it shall be like the silver screen - guns blazing, and explosions, and..."
"And helicopters?"
"Yes! Exactly!"
"What are helicopters again, Isaac?"
"Hmm, that's a good question. But whatever happens, I'm sure it will be exciting!"