(Thud)
"What did you say?" It took Conan several seconds to come back to his senses. Shocked, he said, "What do you mean, meeting one of Haibara's father's old friends? You've had contact with people in her father's social circle?!"
Professor Agasa was startled by his intense reaction. "Why are you getting so worked up?"
Conan lowered his voice. "Didn't I tell you before? Haibara's parents were very likely members of The Organization—if you get in touch with their friends, won't that put you under the Black Organization's watch as well?!"
"Probably not." Professor Agasa scratched his head nervously.
"A while ago, when I asked around about Dr. Miyano, I heard that he had a childhood friend who was now working as a designer.
"When Dr. Miyano was young, he paid to publish a book. The cover was designed by that designer friend of his—although the book sold terribly, the cover alone left an impression on quite a few professors.
"Anyway, the two of them should have been quite close. Aren't you worrying about the Black Organization? If we ask Dr. Miyano's childhood friend, we'll definitely learn more about the Black Organization and Ai's parents."
Behind the door, Haibara Ai listened to this and coughed softly twice. "..." Her parents?
The kitchen was some distance away, and the noise from the stove and range hood was enough to keep Jiang Xia, busy in the kitchen, from hearing what was happening outside.
So when Professor Agasa said those things, he did not deliberately lower his voice—clearly, he was not afraid of her hearing the conversation, and planned to bring her along once she recovered.
"My parents..." Two somewhat blurry figures gradually emerged in Haibara Ai's mind. She felt both curious and wistful. "What kind of people were they?"
For a moment,