Chapter 46: Overtime Workers, Overtime Souls

Deep in the night in Shinjuku, Toru Amuro walked through a dance floor swirling with the scent of perfume, pulled down the brim of his hat, and took a seat at the bar.

"Is the plan proceeding smoothly, Mr. Furuya?" Yuya Kazami, sitting in the adjacent seat in a suit, asked in a low voice, using his cocktail glass to cover his mouth.

"A glass of Scotch," Amuro said, raising a hand to the bartender before glancing at Kazami. "Everything is going smoothly for now, but the plan to relocate Akira Karasawa must be accelerated."

Kazami was momentarily startled, asking with some tension, "Has something unexpected happened?"

"He might actually possess critical technology." Amuro recalled the demeanor with which Karasawa had spoken that evening, his fingertips tapping rhythmically against the countertop. "Even though I am merely an 'intermediary' to him, he still avoided discussing the contents of his parents' research. That in itself speaks volumes."

Kazami swirled his drink and sighed dejectedly, "However, the investigation's progress on the case is very slow. We've only managed to track down a few peripheral small-time thugs, and the information from the higher-ups remains unclear. With the headquarters already understaffed in Kyoto, starting the relocation now carries a very high risk of exposure."

Amuro took the drink he had ordered, his expression far from relaxed. "As for Rye, I managed to get wind of their recent operational schedule. He is going out on a mission with Gin in a few days, which will create a gap in the surveillance around Akira Karasawa. This is the absolute best window for relocation, and it will be fleeting."

Having worked overtime all day, Kazami clutched his forehead, feeling as though he would essentially be living at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for the next few days.

One moment it was anonymous online communication, and the next it was a constant stream of news about solving cases and saving lives. This guy was simply too restless. Now, whenever he saw the name Karasawa, Kazami would reflexively feel heart palpitations, plagued by an ominous premonition that he was going to be worked to death.

Yet, faced with the piercing gaze of his demonic superior, he could only grit his teeth and reply, "Understood. I will begin execution as soon as possible."

"How is the search of the ruins of the Karasawa estate going?" Amuro showed no mercy to his subordinate, immediately moving on to the next task.

"No useful items were found. Before the fire broke out, the house had practically been cleared out."

"Furniture, personal belongings, books, and documents—these things aren't small in volume. Didn't their removal attract the attention of the surrounding neighbors?"

"During those days, a construction accident occurred in the vicinity. Workers reading the wrong blueprints severed the residential cables, and municipal trucks were driving in and out of the entire neighborhood. No one noticed the sound of the moving."

Seamless execution. Amuro's expression turned grave as he tried to guess whose handiwork this could be.

To mobilize such vast personal connections and go to such great lengths just to crush a minor was far beyond the scope of a simple plot to acquire technology. Behind these operations, it was likely not merely the demands of the Organization, but rather the personal inclination of the person in charge. The responsible member might harbor a personal grudge against Karasawa's parents and was utilizing the Organization's resources to torture Akira Karasawa through various means just to vent their spleen.

The more he thought about it, the more perilous Akira Karasawa's situation appeared.

He stopped talking with Kazami, and the two silently finished their drinks.

Amuro stood up first, left the payment and tip for the drinks on the bar counter, and turned to leave.

Only after Amuro had completely departed did Kazami reach under the bar counter where he had been sitting, pull out a folder containing documents, and stuff it into his briefcase.

This was the audio recording of the conversation between Mr. Furuya and Akira Karasawa after dinner, along with a rough compilation of the suspect profiles based on Karasawa's descriptions. The thin folder did not feel heavy in his hand, yet it made Kazami's spine slump.

Why did the amount of work keep increasing? What a painful life of mandatory overtime...

---

While the two nocturnal workaholics were meeting up at a bar, the soundly sleeping Karasawa was within his own bar.

He stared directly into Leon's face with an unfriendly gaze, gritting his teeth as he said, "I'm Shuichi Akai's cousin and Shiho Miyano's cousin. What a wonderful surprise, huh?"

Leaning against the bar counter, Leon laughed so hard his shoulders shook continuously. "Isn't this rather nice? You don't even need to go out of your way to court trouble—your Tarot cards are flying toward you one after another."

"Well, thank you so much for that!" Karasawa slapped the table in annoyance, steadied his breathing, and turned slightly more serious. "It looks like you know a great deal more than I do. So, as expected, I am not the one who possesses the power of the Persona; the original 'Akira Karasawa' possessed the innate talent to awaken it, and my parents' research actually worked, didn't it?"

Although Leon claimed he only knew what Karasawa knew, it was obvious that his Velvet Room attendant definitely possessed some information he was currently unaware of.

It might be memories of Akira Karasawa that hadn't surfaced yet—things Karasawa couldn't remember, but which Leon undoubtedly knew like the back of his hand.

Even more, Leon might not have simply appeared after Karasawa transmigrated; perhaps, ever since Akira Karasawa possessed the "Wild Card" trait unique to protagonists, Leon had been watching him all along.

"There's no need to always think of yourself as a transient guest who has usurped someone else's nest. Perhaps the overburdened 'Akira Karasawa' voluntarily gave up and chose you?" Leon poured him a drink, speaking as casually as if making small talk. "Being a guest of the Velvet Room is no easy task either. Just like you now, my guest, you have no qualification to dream."

"Trading one's life for a pleasant dream, is it?" Karasawa looked at the whiskey-filled glass and sighed. "Speaking of which, Velvet Room attendants must have Tarot cards as well. What is your Tarot, Leon?"

Leon, standing behind the bar, turned around and lowered his gaze to look at Karasawa.

Karasawa looked up into those dazzling golden eyes. At that moment, Leon somewhat resembled Toru Amuro, who had worn a mask during their daytime conversation—smiling on the surface, yet carrying a sense of cold detachment upon closer inspection.

"You are a player familiar with these rules, standing completely outside the game. What do you suppose my Tarot is?"

"If I guess wrong, will you refuse to deal me a Tarot?" Karasawa asked with a smile.

Leon merely said, "Just take a guess."

Karasawa rested his chin in his hand, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "'Judgement'. I'm guessing you are 'Judgement'."

This was an extremely crucial Tarot card, often signifying major turning points in the plot and critical nodes in life, as well as serving as the final chapter of the Fool's Major Arcana journey.

Yet right now, Karasawa could not find any character within the Detective Conan cast who could exert a profound impact on the plot and serve as such a turning point. If so, who else was suited to hold this indispensable card?

Leon smiled and bowed slightly toward Karasawa.

The contract incantation, which usually echoed directly in Karasawa's mind like a whisper, was spoken aloud by Leon this time.

"I am thou, thou art I..."

"Thou hast acquired a new vow."

"It shall become the wings of rebellion"

"that break the yoke of thy captivity."

"With the birth of the Judgement Persona, I have been blessed with a wind that shall blow toward the end..."

"To lend further aid in soaring toward the finale..."

[Cooperation: Leon]

[Arcana: Judgement - Rank 1]

[......]

[Learned Ability: "Third Eye"]

Karasawa rested his chin in his hand, watching the blue Tarot card leap out from between the two of them and float in the air, spinning slowly.

"As expected, those commentary remarks for the confidants were all written by you, Leon, weren't they?" Karasawa pointed mockingly at the description consisting solely of an ellipsis.

"I couldn't be bothered to make it up. Deal with it yourself; you can write whatever you want if you'd like," Leon replied unconcernedly as he collected the empty glass Karasawa had finished drinking from.

Karasawa tapped the six dots, erased them from the box, traced circles in the air with his fingertip for a moment, and shrugged. "Considering that the skill you provided is quite useful."

Leon glanced at the crookedly written line of text, uttered a disdainful "Tch," but made no move to alter it.

[Then I thank you very much, Leon.]