Haibara Ai walked in from outside. She ignored the tension hanging in the air, turned around to close the door, and then calmly put on her slippers.
Hayashi Yoshiki gave her a gentle smile.
"Didn't I say to wait five minutes before coming in?"
"It's been five minutes," Haibara replied in her usual detached tone.
Looking at the pale expressions of Conan and Dr. Agasa—especially Conan—she allowed herself a faint, almost invisible smile. Then, she turned her eyes to Gin.
That man was like a living nightmare to her.
She studied him quietly for a few seconds, then commented in a soft voice, "Although they look very similar… the feeling is different."
"Really? You've never been very good at keeping track of time, have you?"
Gin glanced sideways at Hayashi Yoshiki, his cold voice suddenly sounding younger—almost annoyed. "I was two seconds away from pulling the trigger."
Bang!
He fired.
But instead of bullets, colorful ribbons, and fireworks burst from the muzzle of the gun.
Conan and Dr. Agasa were instantly showered in brilliant colors, their stunned expressions frozen mid-fear.
"…I didn't think she'd be that punctual," Hayashi Yoshiki muttered, expression unreadable.
"Th-this… what's going on, Ai?"
Dr. Agasa's voice was hoarse with shock.
Conan, having mostly pieced it together, glanced back and forth between Gin, Hayashi Yoshiki, and Haibara Ai. His expression was so conflicted it was impossible to tell whether he felt relief, anger—or both.
Finally, he exploded:
"YOU!!!"
Judging by his tone, anger won.
At that moment, Gin casually flipped his long windbreaker around in one smooth motion—turning it inside out. In an instant, the terrifying Black Organization killer transformed into the flamboyant figure of—
Kaito Kid.
"Don't blame me," Kid said with a shrug. "That annoying detective over there forced me to help act out this little drama."
"I don't know who enjoyed it more," Hayashi Yoshiki commented without giving him any face.
Kuroba Kaito lowered the brim of his iconic white top hat. To be honest, he was rather pleased with himself.
And I even got some juicy intel on Hayashi Yoshiki. What a day.
Conan, teeth grinding in frustration, shouted, "So what the hell was this all about?!"
"This," Hayashi Yoshiki said coldly, walking forward, "was a preview of what would happen to you if you keep acting so recklessly."
His tone was sharp. The smile was gone. He looked down at Conan with a face that was, for once, devoid of warmth.
The words stung more than Conan expected. His anger shrank under Hayashi Yoshiki's piercing gaze. He looked away, suddenly uneasy.
"You have way too much confidence in yourself, Conan-kun."
"You thought you could investigate the Black Organization on your own? You even snuck around under the noses of Gin and Vodka. What did you think you were, bulletproof?" Hayashi's voice was biting. "Did Dr. Agasa create some magical invention that lets you rebound bullets? Or maybe one day, he'll just turn you into a Kamen Rider so you can go around eliminating evil."
He clapped slowly, expressionless.
"Amazing. Masked Hero Conan-kun, thank you once again for saving Beika Town and the precious lives of its innocent citizens. You're truly a savior."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Even Kuroba Kaito, watching from the side, winced inwardly.
This guy's sarcasm level is lethal…
Dr. Agasa tried to speak up. "Ahem… Turning someone into a Kamen Rider, that's just something from TV shows—"
"Please don't speak yet, Dr. Agasa."
Hayashi turned his eyes on him. The doctor fell silent immediately.
Conan's scalp tingled.
Still, he couldn't help asking, "…So, you are actually with the Organization—?"
"Cointreau. That's my code name," Hayashi Yoshiki said calmly.
"Do you know how dangerous your situation was yesterday? Did you really think you hadn't been discovered? If I hadn't known, do you think I'd be standing here today?"
"…"
Conan was speechless.
It was true. He thought he'd gotten away with it—that Hayashi Yoshiki didn't realize he'd been exposed. But now, it was obvious he had been caught last night.
"…How did you know it was me?"
"You and Dr. Agasa went out in the middle of the night. The person tailing you reported that a child entered the station basement around 4 a.m. Is that hard to guess?"
Hayashi's tone was flat. "You left too many clues. If I hadn't made preparations in advance, you'd be dead."
"…"
Conan slowly nodded.
He remembered now—the way Hayashi had warned them about the safe possibly being rigged, the precise sniper shot that took out the tail Gin had planted.
It had all been Hayashi's doing.
"…I understand. I was too reckless this time."
Hayashi's eyes darkened. "If you want to die alone, that's your choice. But don't drag others down with you. Did you even think about Professor Agasa being nearby at the time?"
"…"
Conan lowered his head, guilt washing over him.
Watching his dejected figure, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled slightly, inwardly satisfied.
Good… now everything is in place.
Revealing his true identity on his own terms had always been part of the plan.
Instead of waiting for Conan—a Red Side heavyweight—to stumble upon it and be blindsided, it was far better to craft a moment like this. A moment that created doubt, created space for justification.
Was Hayashi Yoshiki truly an enemy?
If he were, why would he risk exposure to save them?
Why would Haibara Ai—a former Organization member—stand by him?
The seeds were planted now.
By choosing the right time and method to "expose" his secret, Hayashi Yoshiki had not only preserved the trust of Conan and his allies but made it stronger.
It was time to stop hiding in the shadows.
Now, even Conan would begin to question:
If he was truly one of them, why does he keep saving us?
After all—
"Cointreau" might be his code name,
But what truly matters… is whose side he's really on.