Chapter 4: Definitely a Girl...
Beihu Town, High-Class Apartment Building, 303.
Chi Feichi carried Haibara Ai through the door.
Kitagawa Adachi followed behind, nagging, "Mr. Chi, we should still take her to the Hospital and notify her Family, right? I don't know what her Guardians are thinking, letting a Little Girl run around barefoot in the Rain..."
Chi Feichi carried Haibara Ai into the Bathroom and placed her in the Bathtub.
Kitagawa Adachi: "Even if she's fallen asleep and we can't contact her Family, we should still contact the Police. Maybe her Family is anxiously searching for her right now..."
Chi Feichi took out a large Bath Towel.
Seeing that Chi Feichi didn't say anything, Kitagawa Adachi simply took action, taking out his Mobile Phone, "Huh? A Phone Call from Senior Fukuyama..."
Chi Feichi placed the Bath Towel by the Bathtub and looked up.
Kitagawa Adachi suddenly had a bad premonition, "Chi..."
A Knife Hand.
The world became quiet.
Chi Feichi supported Kitagawa Adachi with one hand, took the Mobile Phone with the other, and calmly answered. Imitating Kitagawa Adachi's voice, his face was expressionless, but his tone was full of apology, "Senior Fukuyama, we've run into a little trouble, no... *cough cough*, we encountered a lost Little Girl on the Street, she was caught in the Rain, has a fever, and has fallen asleep. We're just about to take her to the Hospital, *cough*... Yes, maybe I accidentally got caught in the Rain just now, I also feel a bit of a Cold... Please rest assured, Mr. Chi is fine. I've already contacted the Little Girl's Parents, they're not in Tokyo, but they'll rush over... Yes, we'll go back once they arrive..."
Hanging up the Phone Call, he continued dealing with the Little Lori who looked like a drowned chicken. He helped her take a bath, wrapped her in a Bath Towel, and tossed her into the Bedding.
Later, he still needed to buy two sets of Clothes for the Little Girl, and by the way, pick up the Books that the Bookstore delivered and were being kept downstairs. He had Cold Medicine at home, but no Food Ingredients, and he still needed to buy two Bentos to bring back... Quite a few things to do.
...Two hours later, the Rain outside gradually stopped.
The lights in the Living Room and Bedroom were on. Chi Feichi sat at the desk, browsing the Webpage displayed on the Computer screen.
Taking advantage of this rare opportunity to freely access the internet today, he checked information on the Deep Web.
Bounty Hunters exist in this world, but there is no International Search Bureau.
If you want to take on a Bounty, you need to contact the relevant departments of a certain country, register, and obtain Permission Approval before you can act. In America, it's the FBI or CIA, and in Japan, it's the Police Agency Security Bureau...
There are two ways to register.
One is to go directly there. The identity of a Bounty Hunter is not necessarily confidential. There are many flamboyant Bounty Hunters in the world. After going there, the other party will just ask about the Situation, test your skills, and then register you.
The other way is to find the other party's Webpage Portal on the Deep Web, contact the Administrator, and register. Both parties use Anonymous Accounts, and you can even contact them online without meeting.
Chi Feichi used the first method in his previous life.
Without much consideration, Chi Feichi abandoned the first registration method.
He is still a Mental Patient now, and even after being discharged from the Hospital, he will still have a Psychiatric History. It's better to keep a low profile, to avoid being dissuaded because of it...
He found the Public Security Web Portal and sent a message to the Administrator: [Bounty Hunter registration, Scope of Activity: Japan]
The other party replied quickly: [Have you conducted Bounty Missions in other countries before? If so, please provide your Code Name and Practice License Number]
Chi Feichi: [I have not conducted Bounty Missions before]
The other party: [There are very few Bounty Hunter activities in Japan. Why choose to be a Bounty Hunter in Japan?]
Chi Feichi: [Because I am in Japan.]
This... makes a lot of sense!
The other party replied almost half a minute later: [Provide a Code Name]
Chi Feichi: [July]
The other party: [What kind of Bounty Payment Method do you choose?]
Chi Feichi sent his Anonymous Bank Account from abroad: [2219...]
The other party: [Provide Contact Information]
Chi Feichi registered a new Email Address: [8781...]
The other party: [Do you understand the Scope of Activity for Bounty Hunters?]
Chi Feichi: [Understood.] As long as the Reward is appropriate, Bounty Hunters will do basically anything, even delivering takeout is not out of the question.
In addition to that, there are also Commissions like treasure hunting and information gathering. It looks similar to a Detective, but compared to a Detective, there will also be high-risk work such as arresting dangerous criminals, or illegal work such as attacks and assassinations.
The difference from Mercenaries is probably that Mercenaries mostly operate in groups and emphasize Discipline, while Bounty Hunters are all Rogues, and there are many who operate alone. Even if they team up to compensate for their own shortcomings, it will not exceed five people.
The other party sent the Rules of Conduct and a Data Package, [We need to evaluate your level].
Chi Feichi opened it to check. The Rules of Conduct were roughly—harming innocent people or causing the death of criminals will result in no Bounty payment and accountability. If you are arrested for carrying out illegal Tasks they assign, they will provide some assistance depending on the Situation. However, if you are arrested for personal illegal acts or illegal acts due to Commissions from other parties, they will not provide any support.
In addition, there are basic regulations such as keeping Tasks confidential, providing your own 'rice bowl' tools, and bearing your own action expenses. It was not beyond Chi Feichi's expectations, similar to his previous life.
But help and the like, forget about it. Sometimes it's better to give up a Task than to take risks. If you expect others to help clean up your mess, you might find in the end that they were just being polite.
The Data Package contained three Bounty Missions—a Task to collect Criminal Evidence of Violent Gang members, a Task to arrest a Serial Killer, and a Task to protect a Goal.
Collection, capture, protection, three directions, considered initial assessment and evaluation. If he can't complete even one, the other party may still keep his registration information for a while, and he can also find Bounty Board to operate on his own. But before proving his strength, the other party probably won't contact him proactively again.
The truly challenging and high-paying Bounties are often Internal Contacts... The protection Task is only for three days, but the Bounty is the highest.
The search Task and the capture Task have no time limit. Logically speaking, the order should prioritize completing the protection Task, and the search Task and capture Task can be done slowly.
Especially the capture Task, the other party only provided Photos and simple Personal Information. Who knows where the Goal is hiding? Finding the person will take some effort.
But the Goal of this capture Task is a bit special... Numabuchi Kiichiro! He has some impression of this plot. Who wouldn't want to easily gain some Money and Reputation?
Just find Numabuchi Kiichiro before Conan... But judging from the timeline, Haibara Ai has already defected, and Numabuchi Kiichiro's capture is probably just a matter of these few days. Time is a bit tight. Should he take this opportunity to go rogue for a bit?
Chi Feichi looked at Kitagawa Adachi, who was asleep on the Sofa. He had managed to deceive the Mental Hospital for now, but when Kitagawa Adachi wakes up and he goes back, he's afraid he'll be under close observation and psychological counseling again.
Some movement came from the direction of the Bedroom. The half-closed door was pushed open, and Haibara Ai looked at the Living Room, standing at the doorway.
In fact, she had woken up a long time ago, but when she woke up, she found that she had been changed into a set of well-fitting, brand-new warm brown Pajamas, with a black round ball tail on the pants, which made her mood instantly complicated.
What's with these cutesy Pajamas? No, the problem is, who helped her change her Clothes?
She remembered encountering two men, and mistakenly thought they were from the Organization, almost despairing. After one of them picked her up, she passed out...
Before coming out, she had comforted herself: maybe after those two men brought her back, their older sisters, younger sisters, or Friends... In short, a girl bought Clothes and helped her change, yes, only a girl would choose these Pajamas, and only a girl would be so considerate, and even remembered to buy her... matching Brown Bear Slippers... matching Panties...
Then, opening the door and seeing that there were no girls in the Living Room, her heart sank.
"Awake?" Chi Feichi looked up, temporarily locked the Computer screen, and got up to go to the kitchen to boil Boiled Water. "There's Bento on the table, eat first, and take your Medicine later."
Haibara Ai stared at Chi Feichi as he went into the kitchen, suppressing a bellyful of words. She silently walked to the table, picked up the Bento box, sat on the Sofa, and lowered her head to eat.
The other party was so calm that she didn't know what to say at all. Moreover, if the other party asked about her Family Situation, she would have to think about how to cover it up.
However, Chi Feichi didn't ask... After the Water boiled, he poured a cup and placed it on the table along with the Cold Medicine he had found earlier, then turned back to sit in front of the Computer.
Haibara Ai ate while secretly glancing at Kitagawa Adachi, who was sleeping on the Sofa opposite her. The sleeves of his outer Clothes had traces of dried Rainwater, but he hadn't taken them off, and his tie was also pressed under his shoulder, not like he had fallen asleep naturally.
However, looking at the rise and fall of his chest, he was breathing and still alive... Looking at Chi Feichi again, he seemed to be using the Computer to connect to his Mobile Phone and download something, with no intention of speaking at all.
For some reason... Haibara Ai felt that it was so quiet here that it was as if she was the only one, "I'm staying at my Relatives' House. If I don't go back, they'll worry."
Chi Feichi: "I'll take you there after you take your Medicine."
Haibara Ai: "..."
Silence.
One person ate, and the other looked at the download progress on his Mobile Phone.
About a minute later... "Did you help me change my Clothes?" Haibara Ai asked.
"Yes," Chi Feichi admitted, "I also helped you take a bath."
"You bought the Clothes too?" Haibara Ai looked a little uncomfortable.
Chi Feichi didn't even look up, "Yeah, besides the Pajamas, I also bought you two sets of Clothes for everyday wear. You can choose a set you like to change into when we go out later. Underneath your White Coat, you were only wearing an ill-fitting T-shirt, nothing else, and it was all soaked and dirty from the Puddle..."
Haibara Ai's ears instantly turned red. She lowered her head and shoveled two mouthfuls of rice. After she shrank, she definitely couldn't fit into her old Clothes, but why was a grown man so meticulous, even buying her Panties...! She could have bought them herself when she woke up...
Another minute or so of silence passed.
Haibara Ai recovered, "Thank you..."
Chi Feichi: "You're welcome."
Haibara Ai: "..."
Yet another minute or so of silence passed.
Haibara Ai: "What's wrong with him?"
Chi Feichi: "Ether."
Haibara Ai: "..." Is it so hard to say two more words? Luckily, she understood. It meant he used Ether to knock someone out...
Fortunately, this time, Chi Feichi added another sentence, considered an explanation, "It's better for him to sleep for a while."
Haibara Ai remembered hearing vaguely before that these two people seemed to be going somewhere, "I seem to have caused you trouble..."
"It's not considered trouble," Chi Feichi said, "It just so happens I have something to do."
Seeing that Chi Feichi didn't elaborate, Haibara Ai didn't ask further, and looked at Chi Feichi, "Aren't you curious why I ran out to the Street alone on a Rainy Day?"
Chi Feichi: "Nothing to be curious about."
Haibara Ai: "Nothing you want to ask?"
Chi Feichi: "No."
Haibara Ai: "..." Speechless stare.
Chi Feichi: "..." Calmly stared back.
Haibara Ai lowered her head and continued eating.
She had lost!
(End of Chapter)