Chapter 6
The Young Soldiers' Confusion
"Kudo, what's wrong? Have you run into trouble again?"
Sitting next to Conan Edogawa, Ai Haibara yawned and frowned as she looked at Conan, who seemed restless and worried about something ever since he entered the classroom.
"It's not like you've run into the organization again..."
"No, it's not an organization matter."
Shaking his head, Conan Edogawa thought for a moment, then quickly recounted Jonah's situation.
Ai Haibara, like herself, was an adult who had taken APTX-4869, and was also her comrade-in-arms in the fight against the organization. She should be able to tell Jonah that there shouldn't be any problems.
"A teenage soldier? Why are you encountering such dangerous people again?"
After listening to Conan Edogawa's account in surprise, Ai Haibara also felt a bit of a headache.
Although she had never met any child soldiers, the organization was not lacking in members who had received training from a young age. Ai Haibara had seen some by chance, and those children were more like machines than humans.
"Ah, you don't need to worry about that. Jonah may be a bit dangerous, but he's really a very good boy."
Just as Conan was about to recount how Jonah intervened to protect Kogoro Mouri, he noticed that their homeroom teacher, Sumiko Kobayashi, had already entered the classroom with a broad smile.
"Everyone, please return to your seats. I have something to announce."
......
School life was somewhat novel for Jonah. It was the first time he had ever seen so many children his age, all carefree and happy.
Through Conan Edogawa's introduction, Jonah also met some of his good friends. The three children, Genta Kojima, Ayumi Yoshida, and Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, were very enthusiastic towards him, constantly chattering around him and insisting that he join a team they had created called the "Junior Detective League".
Compared to the three children, Ai Haibara, who looks quite cute, is rather indifferent. Although she greets me politely, she always seems uninterested in anything.
Jonah felt that Ai Haibara gave him a similar feeling to Conan Edogawa; she was also the kind of child who was particularly mature, and perhaps another child prodigy.
"Thank you, Jonah."
You're welcome, Doctor.
Jonah helped Professor Agasa load the things into the car, blinked, and looked at the shiny, obviously new Beetle in front of him, wondering what the chances of survival would be if such a car were to cross a line of fire.
"Hehe, Jonah likes cars too? This car is brand new, what do you think? Isn't it great?"
Noticing Jonah's gaze, Professor Agasa happily began his explanation, starting with how he liked the Beetle and how he made up his mind to buy it.
He wanted to tell the other kids in the Junior Detective League about this, but they weren't interested. Jonah, on the other hand, listened quietly to him finish, which finally gave Professor Agasa the satisfaction of showing off his new car.
Professor Agasa also heard Conan Edogawa recount Jonah's story. He felt very sorry and sympathetic for the child's plight. After seeing Jonah in person, he found that Jonah was indeed very well-behaved and sensible, and he couldn't help but like this quiet child even more.
Actually, it wasn't just Professor Agasa; the other kids in the Detective Boys also really liked Jonah, this quiet, somewhat mysterious new friend who was genuinely kind to them. In Conan Edogawa's words, Jonah miraculously became everyone's darling shortly after meeting them.
Even the aloof Ai Haibara would feed Jonah some delicious snacks, and then smile at the happy expression that Jonah unconsciously showed.
Of course, Conan Edogawa has no right to judge others. He often uses his own allowance to buy snacks for Jonah on his way home from school. He always wants to help make up for the child who had such a tragic childhood.
"Children, we've arrived!"
We drove to our destination, Dongdu Valley Campsite. The moment the car stopped, the children ran out excitedly and cheered as they watched the fish in the river.
Jonah was also very curious, but he wanted to help Professor Agasa move his things down before he could play properly.
"Doctor...where is the tent?"
"what?"
Jonah's question made Professor Agasa's smiling expression freeze instantly, and he quickly went to the storage box to rummage through it.
"Doctor, you're not going to tell us you left your most important camping item, the tent, at home, are you?"
With his hands covering his head, Conan Edogawa stared with dead fish eyes and weakly uttered words that made Professor Agasa chuckle.
"Haha, yeah, I think I forgot to bring it."
"Really?!"
Without tents, camping was definitely out of the question, and the children sat back in the car looking dejected. On the way back, Dr. Agasa got lost because he wasn't familiar with the roads, making everyone's mood even worse.
Fortunately, as dusk fell, they discovered a huge blue castle in the forest. With the idea of staying overnight, Professor Agasa drove over, asked around, and received permission from the owners. Happily, he led the children into the castle, intending to rest for a while before leaving the next day.
Unlike Conan Edogawa and the Detective Boys, who were interested in the chessboard in the courtyard, Jonah walked expressionlessly down the second-floor corridor of the castle, constantly observing his surroundings.
After learning that Kogoro Mouri's job was that of a detective who often encountered danger, Jonah also seriously looked into the detective profession.
Yes, the source was the detective novels that Conan Edogawa enthusiastically recommended to him.
Jonah wasn't very familiar with the various plot points and characters' emotions, but he clearly identified many scenarios that would inevitably lead to trouble in detective novels.
Castles deep in the forest are always the most likely to be the source of trouble, so Jonah dared not let his guard down.
After spending some time learning about the city he lived in called Mika City, Jonah had a lot of questions in his little head.
Jonah really didn't understand why so many people were dying every day in a city that wasn't in a war zone. Was this really the right thing to do?
"Jonah! Jonah!"
The reconnaissance operation was interrupted by Kojima Genta's shouts. Jonah quickly ran to everyone's side and then heard news that he couldn't help but pay attention to.
Conan Edogawa has disappeared.