Conan: "..." If he could use something like "I missed" as an excuse to knock Miss Shirai unconscious with an anesthetic needle, then wouldn't he be able to get as much hair and as many fingerprints as he wanted?
Even if, to avoid drawing the Black Organization's attention, items from that source could not be shown or used directly, if he could use them to uncover Miss Shirai's true identity and secretly investigate along that lead, there might be a tremendous breakthrough in tracking the Black Organization.
Thinking like this, Conan moved around his two obstructive classmates and raised the hand he had just lowered.
He found a position—one where Miss Shirai and the hunter formed almost a straight line—then flipped open his wristwatch cover and, heart pounding with excitement, pressed the trigger hard.
Carrying an indescribable hope, the anesthetic needle shot through the air toward Curacao under his watchful gaze.
Yet, the very next second, just as it was about to hit her, Miss Shirai suddenly tripped over a stone, let out an "Eek," and staggered into the bushes beside her.
When she crashed sideways into it, whatever was in the bushes had no choice but to retreat. Jiang Xia held Bear in one hand and Haibara Ai in the other, took a step back, and silently watched Curacao roll over and theatrically sat down on the ground.
"Jiang Xia! We finally found you!" Suzuki Sonoko looked delighted, but only a few seconds later did she belatedly sense that something seemed off. "Wait, what were you doing in the bushes?"
Haibara Ai had suddenly been hit head-on by something carrying the aura of the Organization. Still shaken, she had yet to recover her senses.
Jiang Xia had heard the question, but he tilted his head and pretended not to