How to Survive With a Death-Flag Character Setting in Detective Conan - Chapter 26

Hatori Yuiichi’s smile faded as he carefully put the gift box away, slipping it into his coat pocket.

He turned around to face the woman behind him. Silver hair, green eyes—the infamous “Witch with a Thousand Faces,” Vermouth.

Seeing his subtle action, Vermouth couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Was it from that kid just now?” she asked.

Hatori Yuiichi replied coldly, “What are you talking about?”

Vermouth tilted her head slightly, blinking with a playful gleam. “Oh? Isn’t he your boyfriend?”

Hatori Yuiichi’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Vermouth chuckled softly. “Let’s get in the car first.” With that, she turned and walked toward the sleek sports car parked nearby.

Once they were inside, Vermouth noticed how awkwardly Hatori Yuiichi’s long legs were bent in the cramped passenger seat. “Sorry,” she said, smiling apologetically. “I came in a rush and forgot to switch cars.”

Fastening his seatbelt, Hatori Yuiichi said indifferently, “It’s fine.”

The engine roared to life, and the car began to glide smoothly along the road.

“Do you know why I came here?” Vermouth asked.

“You have your reasons,” Hatori Yuiichi replied quietly, turning his gaze toward the window. “Just like last time, you showed up out of nowhere then, too.”

Last time, at least, Vermouth had gone through the trouble of wearing a disguise. This time, she came as herself, which meant something serious was going on.

Vermouth tapped her index finger lightly against the steering wheel. “Someone told me you killed a man.”

Hatori Yuiichi’s brow furrowed. He turned toward her, disbelief flickering across his face. “What?”

“You went to Gunma Prefecture not long ago, didn’t you?” Vermouth continued. “The criminal from that case suddenly died. Someone told me you were the one who did it.”

Hatori Yuiichi scoffed, leaning back in his seat. “So your people collect information just by running their mouths now? No one bothers to check the facts?”

“That’s not it,” Vermouth replied with a faint smile. “It’s just that Gin’s been investigating undercover agents a bit too zealously lately. Everyone’s on edge. The moment something even slightly suspicious happens, they report it right away to prove their innocence.”

Hatori Yuiichi gave a cold, humorless laugh. “And what does that have to do with me?”

“I said it wasn’t possible,” Vermouth answered, glancing at him with an amused sparkle in her eyes. “Gin never taught you to use poison, after all.”

Hatori Yuiichi pressed his lips together in silence.

“But, if possible, I still hope you don’t get involved with those things. Since you’ve come out to attend university, you should enjoy college life properly. Make a few friends, fall in love…” Vermouth said meaningfully, “Even if it’s a boyfriend, I won’t stop you~”

Resting his chin on one hand, Hatori Yuiichi said flatly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no such thing.”

Vermouth shrugged. “If you say so.”

The car pulled up in front of the Haido City Hotel. She asked, “Do you want me to arrange another place for you to stay? Living in a hotel for too long might draw your friends’ suspicion.”

Hatori Yuiichi shook his head. “No need. It’s not like anyone will come here anyway.”

He opened the door, ready to get out, but Vermouth called after him.

“Ara~ You haven’t called me that today!”

Hatori Yuiichi turned back helplessly. “Thank you for coming to see me, Auntie.”

Vermouth smiled in satisfaction. “Good boy~”

As he shut the door, Vermouth rolled the window down again and said, “It’s okay to be selfish once in a while, you know!” Then she drove off, her car disappearing into the night.

Hatori Yuiichi watched the sports car vanish into the distance, then lowered his gaze to his wrist. He murmured to himself, “I can’t even make decisions for my own body… What right do I have to be selfish?”

* * *

Higashino Hiromu lay in bed, tossing and turning like a pancake, unable to sleep no matter how he tried.

Every time he closed his eyes, he recalled Hatori Yuiichi smiling at him under the moonlight.

He pondered deeply. What did Hatori-kouhai mean? Why did he smile so happily just for receiving a gift? Why were his eyes so gentle? And he even said he would treasure it… What did he mean by that?

Higashino Hiromu’s eyes suddenly flew open. Wait… Could Hatori-kouhai be… gay?!

No, that couldn’t be right. If Kouhai were gay, how could he be so indifferent to his body?

He wasn’t bragging, but with his looks and the system’s enhancement effect, there was no way anyone, man or woman, could resist being drawn to him. If Hatori Yuiichi really liked men, he would’ve shown some reaction when he saw him naked. But Hatori Yuiichi had seen everything, even helped him bathe, and hadn’t so much as blushed! So he couldn’t be gay.

But then, as Higashino Hiromu kept thinking, his thoughts suddenly took a strange turn.

Wait… Why do I care so much about whether he’s gay or not?

What does his sexual orientation have to do with me anyway? Even if he does like men…

Tsk. If he likes men, then he’d definitely like me, right?

That ridiculous thought flashed across his mind, and Higashino Hiromu shot up in bed, eyes wide.

Damn, why would I think that?! Since when did I become so narcissistic?! Don’t tell me… I’ve fallen for Hatori Yuiichi?!

He grabbed his face with both hands, letting out a silent scream.

No way! I can’t really have fallen for Hatori-kouhai, right?!

The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, sending him collapsing backward onto the bed again.

Oh god… I… I’m gay now…

He stared blankly up at the ceiling, utterly stunned. But beyond the shock, there wasn’t much else he felt.

And honestly… if the person he liked was Hatori Yuiichi, it kind of made sense. The guy was tall, handsome, gentle, attentive, and had an amazing body…

To be honest, where could one even find a boyfriend of that quality?!

After a few moments of stunned silence, Higashino Hiromu gradually calmed down.

Liking someone excellent was perfectly normal. If he’d fallen for someone full of flaws instead, that would’ve meant something was wrong with his brain.

But… it seemed like Hatori Yuiichi didn’t feel the same way about him. Even when faced with his naked body, he hadn’t blushed, so maybe he really didn’t stand a chance.

Higashino Hiromu sighed deeply again.

He had just figured out that he liked someone of the same sex, only to realize that person didn’t like him back.

Sigh… Feelings really are too complicated!

He spent the entire night replaying every detail of his interactions with Hatori Yuiichi, jumping back and forth between “Does he like me?” and “Maybe not?” until he finally reached a conclusion that Hatori Yuiichi didn’t seem to dislike him. Which meant, maybe there was hope.

Higashino Hiromu decided he would maintain their current relationship and slowly deepen their bond. When the timing felt right, he’d confess.

In short, he’d start by being friends.

So, he picked up his phone and sent Hatori Yuiichi a message to say good morning.

After all, good friends start with a “Good morning,” right?

Unfortunately, his morning and Hatori Yuiichi’s weren’t quite the same. By that time, Hatori Yuiichi was already deep into his training and never even saw the message.

By the time he replied, the morning was nearly over!

Hmm… Guess that approach doesn’t work very well.

As Higashino Hiromu was pondering other topics to text about, he suddenly received a message from Professor Yasuda.

[The Ogawa Research Institute’s clinical trial report on the new anesthetic is out. Go and pick it up for me.]

When Higashino Hiromu checked the navigation app, he sighed. Of course, it was on some remote island again. Just the round trip alone would take at least two days.

He never expected that the biggest obstacle in his path to love… would turn out to be his sensei!

There was nothing he could do about it, though. He had to put his pursuit on hold for now.

Still, he sent a message to Hatori Yuiichi letting him know he’d be away, adding casually, [I won’t be around the club for a while. If you need anything, you can ask Adachi Shizuku.]

Hatori Yuiichi typed a few words into the chat box… but after a moment’s hesitation, deleted them all.

Sakusa Shinta watched as Hatori Yuiichi typed a few words, deleted them, then typed again, only to erase everything once more, ending up sending nothing at all.

He looked puzzled. “Is it really that hard to reply?”

Hatori Yuiichi lifted his gaze to him, then pressed the button to turn off his phone screen.

“You’re not going to reply?” Sakusa Shinta asked in surprise. “Did you two have a fight?”

Hatori Yuiichi didn’t answer. He set the phone down, picked up the volleyball beside his feet, and walked back onto the court to resume practice.

Sakusa Shinta was completely confused.

Weren’t things fine just last night? How did they end up on bad terms today? As expected, relationships were troublesome no matter the gender!

* * *

The Ogawa Research Institute was in a remote location with no regular transport routes. To get to the island, Higashino Hiromu had to pay a fisherman to take him there.

“Never thought that place on the island was really a research institute,” the fisherman said. “We always thought it was some kind of shady organization.”

Higashino Hiromu asked curiously, “Why would you say that?”

“Because that island’s way too isolated. What kind of research institute would build there?” the fisherman explained. “And we’ve never seen anyone from that institute. They always travel using their own boat. Sometimes we even see strange-looking people going to the island. After a while, rumors started spreading that they were doing illegal experiments in there.”

Higashino Hiromu gave an awkward smile. He also found it odd; building a medical research institute on a deserted island really did seem strange. Even without mentioning whether any patients would go there, just the island’s humid environment alone wasn’t suitable for recovery.

“There, you can see it now.” The fisherman pointed toward a building perched near the edge of a cliff. “That’s the institute.”

Higashino Hiromu raised his hand to shade his eyes and took a look, genuinely feeling that there was something wrong with that place.

Built so close to the cliff, one slip from a window and you’d fall straight into the sea! That was way too dangerous!

The fisherman dropped him off at the island’s pier and asked, “Do you want me to come pick you up later?”

Higashino Hiromu glanced at his watch. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take. Can you wait for me a bit?”

The fisherman said, “I can wait up to half an hour. I have to get back before the tide rises.”

Higashino Hiromu thought for a moment, then said, “Alright. If I’m not back in half an hour, you can head back first. Come again tomorrow morning to pick me up, okay?”

The fisherman agreed readily. After all, it was easier to make money from picking people up than from fishing.

Higashino Hiromu slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking toward the institute.

There wasn’t much vegetation on the small island, mostly bare rocks. Only near the research institute did low shrubs start to appear.

The path from the pier to the institute was rough, made only from stacked stones forming uneven steps, making the climb exhausting.

By the time Higashino Hiromu reached the entrance, he was completely out of breath.

This was even more tiring than mountain climbing.

Despite the crude path, the exterior of the institute looked remarkably high-tech.

Higashino Hiromu searched for a while but couldn’t find where the doorbell was.

Just then, an electronic voice suddenly sounded from above the doorframe, “Visitor’s name.”

Startled, Higashino Hiromu quickly answered, “I’m Higashino Hiromu, a student of Professor Yasuda from Tohto University. I’m here to collect the clinical trial report.”

“Verifying… Verification complete. Welcome to the Ogawa Research Institute, Higashino-san.”

With a click, the door automatically slid open.

“Whoa…” Higashino Hiromu stepped inside in awe.

The entrance led to a ten-square-meter space, red lights glowing from above. The walls were lined with rows of spray nozzles.

Immediately, he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the next second, all the nozzles sprayed disinfectant in perfect synchronization, covering every inch of his body.

“Disinfection complete.” The red light turned green, and another door opened automatically.

Higashino Hiromu wiped the droplets from his face in silence.

Well… At least the level of sterilization here truly lived up to the name of a research institute.