Ten Minutes Earlier
Shiho sat in her prison, staring at the dull, lead-blue walls as a deep sense of resignation settled over her.
Sure enough—
No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't escape.
This is my fate.
Hadn't she accepted it long ago?
How dare she expect anything else?
But something felt different. A shift.
Why?
Had she been exposed?
Or worse—had Bacardi been exposed as well?
Either way, she had to be careful. She couldn't afford to slip.
Fortunately, her sister and that guy had managed to escape.
At least a part of her would live on.
When she lifted her gaze once more, her blue eyes held an eerie calmness—
The stillness of someone prepared to die.
But just then—
A voice echoed from the direction of the ceiling exhaust fan.
"Shiho, what the hell are you waiting for?"
Her head snapped up.
Through the metal grating, a pair of dark eyes met hers—
Brimming with amusement.
A slow blink, followed by a teasing smirk.
That voice—
It pulled her back from the void.
"Didn't you promise to move as soon as it started raining? Don't tell me you don't trust me?"
With practiced ease, Akashi unfastened the exhaust fan and set it aside, opening the narrow passageway.
The space suddenly looked much larger.
And there he was—Akashi—his youthful, almost cherubic face now fully visible in the dim light.
Cute. Handsome. Deadly.
His voice was casual, but his eyes gleamed with sharp intent.
"You've seen the effects of the APTX firsthand, haven't you?"
"No need to hesitate. Take it. You'll be fine."
And if something did go wrong—
Well—
He'd simply drag her back from the clutches of death himself.
Akashi was confident. Too confident.
If it came to that, they'd fight their way out with blood.
A true gamble.
But Shiho… smiled.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a flicker of trust.
"Of course, I understand my own research."
Her voice was steady, but there was a teasing lilt in it.
"But I'd love to see how you plan to carry me out after I shrink."
"You do realize—you're just a kid, right?"
Akashi let out a chuckle.
Without another word, the Lv1's 『Retractable Bandage』 unfurled.
A white strip of fabric materialized out of thin air, coiling around him like a living entity.
With a flick of his wrist—
The bandage shot down and snapped against Shiho's ass.
Pwack!
"You doubt the ingenuity of the mountain people? Foolishness."
Shiho's eyes widened.
A flush of heat crept up her cheeks as she stared at him in stunned disbelief.
What the hell did he just do?!
But—
There was no time to question it.
They had an escape to execute.
Without hesitation, Shiho pulled out the APTX pill she had prepared and swallowed it in one gulp.
She said nothing more.
Her fate was sealed.
The only thing she could do now—
Was stare at Bacardi.
Her life, her death—everything was in his hands.
Bang bang! Bang bang!
Her heartbeat spiked.
Shiho's pupils dilated.
Pain crashed into her like a tidal wave, knocking her to the floor.
Her body curled in on itself as intense heat surged through every fiber of her being.
She bit down hard, refusing to let a sound slip.
Sweat poured from her skin.
A storm of fear threatened to consume her—
Until—
A small, warm hand grasped hers tightly.
Suspended in midair by his bandages, Akashi hovered just above her.
His grip was firm. Reassuring.
His dark eyes, filled with concern, locked onto hers.
And just like that—
Her fear receded.
Even if she died—
At least she wouldn't be alone.
Then—
It began.
A rush of steam rose from her body as she shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Shiho clenched her teeth, trying to endure—
But the sheer force of the transformation sent an involuntary whimper past her lips.
And the moment the sound escaped—
Soft warmth covered her mouth.
Her blue eyes widened in shock.
Bacardi—
Was kissing her.
His lips pressed against hers in a swift, deliberate move.
But it wasn't affection.
It was tactical.
A method to silence her—
To keep the guards outside from hearing anything.
Under Akashi's kiss, Shiho's body continued to shrink.
Her delicate features softened into childhood, her once-proud curves flattened, and her long legs shortened—until she had regressed to the form of a seven or eight-year-old girl.
At this point, Ai Haibara was officially online.
Akashi remained vigilant, always prepared to act.
If anything went wrong, he could instantly draw his gun or administer emergency treatment.
There was no way he'd let the poison take its toll.
But—fortunately, everything proceeded smoothly.
Just as in the original timeline, Shiho had successfully transformed.
Yet even as Shiho became Ai Haibara, Akashi who was still kissing her could still sense a wave of Yin energy coming from her.
Huh.
Even in a child's body, Shiho still exuded the aura of a high-value woman—something even the system recognized.
When the effects of the drug subsided, Shiho's consciousness returned.
As soon as she registered what had just happened—
Her face flushed, and she shoved Akashi away.
"Pervert! Why were you kissing me?!"
The boy merely shrugged. "Don't flatter yourself. I just didn't want you making noise."
A single sentence—
And a vein twitched on Shiho's temple.
This guy…
He had a way of getting under her skin so easily.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch him.
"Fine. Let's go."
Akashi didn't waste time. He grabbed Shiho's small hand.
With a flick of his wrist, his white bandages—seemingly sentient—wrapped around the little loli's body, securing her gently.
Then, the two of them ascended, heading toward the exhaust fan's exit—
A narrow opening measuring only 30 centimeters in both height and width.
They turned sideways, aligning their shoulders diagonally to fit through.
Smooth.
Effortless.
Once inside the exhaust pipe, Akashi reached out—
Reattaching the fan with precise, practiced movements.
Throughout the entire operation—
He never even set foot inside the room.
Not a single trace was left behind.
By the time he secured the exhaust fan back into place—
A loud metallic clang echoed below.
The iron door was opening.
Without hesitation, the two retreated deeper into the ventilation shaft, pressing themselves into the shadows.
A wave of strong, simmering anger swept into the room.
Vermouth had arrived.
Shiho's eyes flickered toward Akashi.
And her expression?
Pure, unfiltered disdain.
Before either could react, an alarm blared through the pharmaceutical facility.
Loud. Piercing.
Moments later—Gin and Vodka entered the room.
Three of the Organization's top operatives had assembled in one place.
Now—
Neither Shiho nor Akashi could afford to make a single move.
A single sound—
And it would be over.
From their vantage point, they had a clear view of everything below.
They watched as Gin issued a series of orders—
And Akashi memorized every word.
Even as Gin barked commands for his subordinates to search the entire facility, Akashi remained eerily calm.
The irony wasn't lost on him.
It's always darkest under the lamp.
Finally—Gin, Vodka, and Vermouth left the room.
Only then did Akashi exhale.
Turning toward Shiho, he whispered:
"Time to move."
With that, the two of them began crawling deeper into the shaft—toward freedom.