Detective Conan: Death Note

I was on vacation and forgot to program the chapters. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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Bang! A gunshot echoed deep in the woods. Along with the bullet, fragments of the windshield shattered and flew into the air. Gin fired his

Bang!

A gunshot echoed deep in the woods.

Along with the bullet, fragments of the windshield shattered and flew into the air.

Gin fired his gun.

The sudden gunfire beside the tense-faced Vermouth sent a sharp ringing through her ears. The warmth of the muzzle and the acrid scent of gunpowder made her heartbeat falter.

…

After a moment, Vermouth realized something was wrong.

"You—"

"Because I'm good at disguise, I tend to forget that others might use the same trick."

As Gin spoke, he reached up to his neck and peeled off the human skin mask.

What was revealed beneath it was the face of Cointreau.

"Cointreau—!"

"As I expected… you do care about Conan-kun's life."

Watching her grit her teeth, Cointreau smirked and waved the gun in his hand.

"You weren't at that party!?"

"Ah, well… with a little makeup to hide my face, a shift in posture, and a word to others that it was me attending… no one suspected a thing. It was child's play."

"Why…?"

Vermouth glared at him in utter confusion.

Why was he here? Why impersonate Gin? Why go through this elaborate act?

And the mysterious sniper at the dock… that puzzle was far from solved.

But most importantly—what was Cointreau's true purpose?

"Why?"

"That's exactly what I was wondering when you went out of your way to have Gin deliver that invitation to me."

"What was so important about that strange Halloween party that you'd go through all that trouble?"

"Until a few days ago, Gin gave me a mission: Investigate Kudo Shinichi.

Coincidentally, you contacted me not long after and gave me the APTX4869 report, along with the data on Kudo Shinichi's 'death' caused by the drug.

You became... very active after his disappearance. That alone raised alarm bells.

I started to suspect that maybe the party invitation was a diversion—a tiger-luring strategy."

"Hmph... I don't know if I should feel flattered being compared to a tiger," Vermouth muttered coldly.

Cointreau laughed heartily. But the smoking gun in his hand remained pointed directly at her.

Vermouth's voice trembled. "Is that all this is about...?"

"Of course not."

His smile vanished.

His black eyes locked onto hers.

"That day at the bar… you disguised yourself as Aunt Eri and called me Yoshi, didn't you?"

…

"It's strange… you knew how she addresses me in private. That tells me your investigation into me was far too thorough."

"Don't tell me it was just because you were curious about my abilities… or because of Rum's orders—"

"Of course I considered that," Cointreau interrupted, sharp and cold.

…

"Fortunately, you also sent an invitation to Kudo Shinichi. That confirmed it—you had uncovered his true identity."

…

"So let me guess. You discovered that Edogawa Conan is actually Kudo Shinichi.

And then… you started looking into me—a new organization member appearing near him—to see if I posed a threat."

As he finished, he noticed Vermouth's expression shift ever so slightly.

"And so," Cointreau continued, "I tested you today. When the sniper laser landed on Conan-kun, your reaction was... telling."

"Even when I pretended to kill him, your body was tense the whole time."

"So, why is that?"

"Why are you so desperate to protect him?"

Vermouth said nothing.

She had been completely exposed.

This man—this traitor—had planned everything before confronting her.

Had she not instinctively moved to protect the boy from the sniper's aim at the dock, she might never have reached this point—Cointreau might never have shown himself.

And even after that, he still disguised himself as Gin for a final test.

And yet… he still hadn't discovered that the one she truly wished to protect wasn't just Conan, but Ran.

No, even if he had… it probably wouldn't have mattered anymore.

Still, she forced a sneer.

"Who would've thought… Gin, so full of himself, would misjudge someone.

The one he thought so highly of… turned out to be a traitor."

"Same here."

Now fully in control, Cointreau chuckled softly.

"You discovered their secret and kept it to yourself. So what is your stance?

Let's stop pretending. Let's talk frankly."

Vermouth hesitated.

At that moment, Cointreau turned to Conan with a smile:

"Alright, stop pretending to be asleep, Conan."

The boy opened his eyes, frowning.

"You really went out of your way today, huh?"

"So you were awake?"

Cointreau raised an eyebrow in amusement. He pulled out a cloth soaked in a sleeping drug.

"Well then… kindly go back to sleep."

"Wait—Cointreau, what are you—!"

Before he could react, Conan fell unconscious once more, his mouth and nose covered.

"There are some things he shouldn't hear just yet."

Cointreau gave a calm smile as he confirmed Conan's sleep.

Watching their exchange, Vermouth suddenly let out a dry laugh.

So Cointreau was a traitor… a "good guy," even.

That… was good news for her.

But still—there were mysteries.

Who was he really?

And what was his connection to that other organization chasing immortality?

"Then talk. Based on your answer… I'll decide what to do."

"So confident you can defeat me?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have appeared."

Cointreau spoke lightly, raising his right index finger from time to time—on it, a ring shimmered.

Vermouth went quiet.

And then slowly… her tense muscles began to relax.

From the original series, it's clear:

She wants to protect Edogawa Conan, the one she calls the "Silver Bullet".

And she might welcome the organization's downfall.

So is Cointreau being a traitor?

That was fine with her.

Now that their secrets were out in the open… maybe, just maybe, there was room for trust.

"I just want… to live a happy life where no one gets hurt."

Cointreau scoffed.

"No one gets hurt? That's rich… coming from you."

"You don't believe me?"

"Not at all."

Vermouth exhaled, feeling oddly sentimental.

"Then talk. Just don't lie to me.

Because…"

Cointreau smiled darkly.

"I won't allow any risk… to my peaceful life."