"Huff... huff..."
Conan ran breathlessly to the front of the Nichibei TV building.
He looked around, scanning the crowd, wanting to find the guy who snatched his skateboard.
But there were too many people in front of the building now, and the police had already arrived to maintain order. After searching for a long time, he couldn't spot the suspect.
Vroom—
The roar of a motorcycle engine and the sharp screech of tires cut through the noise not far away.
Conan looked over and saw a familiar face.
He immediately ran over. "Hattori!"
"Kudo? What are you doing here?"
Hattori Heiji took off his helmet, surprised to see a grade-schooler rushing toward him.
Conan's mouth twitched. "The school organized a spring outing, and I happened to tag along."
Heiji burst out laughing, thinking it must be miserable for a high schooler to babysit a bunch of elementary school kids.
Conan's expression quickly turned serious. "What's going on? That explosion wasn't a gas pipe. The force was way too strong."
Heiji's smile vanished. "I just got word from my old man. It was a bombing."
"Not long ago, the Kyoto Metropolitan Police received a threat from the suspect. They took it seriously, but didn't expect the explosion to come so quickly. There wasn't enough time to react."
He paused, then added, "Kudo, you've heard about the serial murders in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, right?"
"The killer struck again yesterday in Kyoto. I've been following the case and had some leads... but then this bombing happened."
Hearing there was another mystery to solve—and a double case at that—Conan's eyes lit up.
Just then, they heard a few people shouting nearby.
"There are still people trapped inside? And quite a few?"
"What do you mean someone rushed in to save them? What kind of nonsense is that? You're saying a guy jumped from the ground to the fourth floor with a thin wire? What is he, Spider-Man?"
"If he really were Spider-Man, maybe he could save them all."
Conan and Heiji exchanged looks, both frowning.
There were still people trapped?
They turned to look at the burning building but fell silent. In this kind of situation, they were powerless.
All they could do was hope the ones inside had found a safe place and could hold out until the firefighters reached them.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the side of the building.
The two didn't hesitate and ran over.
As they rounded the corner, they saw a figure leap from the fifth floor, carrying two people, then shoot a thin wire to the wall and use it to slow his descent, landing safely on the ground.
So that's who the bystanders meant when they said "Spider-Man."
"...It's him. Fujiwara Toru?"
Conan whispered.
He finally realized why the voice of the guy who snatched his skateboard felt so familiar.
"You know him?" Heiji asked, surprised.
Conan clicked his tongue. "You could say that. He's kind of a celebrity in Japan right now. How do you know him?"
"He's the young master of the Fujiwara family. I attended Old Master Fujiwara's birthday banquet yesterday. He was there."
"Kudo, that guy's nuts. Could you pull off what he just did?"
Heiji's eyes were practically sparkling.
Conan thought for a moment, then shook his head.
That kind of landing from the fifth floor wasn't impossible, but using that much force on one arm? His arm would probably tear apart.
But Toru looked completely fine. Not even a strained muscle. The guy wasn't human.
Well, that part didn't surprise Conan. He'd already seen plenty of non-human feats from him.
He glanced toward the rescued girls. They were likely people Toru knew. But there were still others trapped, and he could only sigh.
Right now, the best thing he could do was solve the case as fast as possible and bring justice for those who died.
"Got any leads on the bombing?"
Heiji shook his head. "Nothing solid yet. It just happened, so the police need time to investigate."
"But I've got leads on the serial murders. There's just one thing I can't figure out. Since you're here, we can talk it over."
"Alright. We'll talk later. For now, let's see if we can help here."
Heiji nodded.
...
"Kaguya-sama!"
On the riverside near the Nichibei TV building, Kaguya and Hayasaka finally arrived.
Hayasaka, panting heavily, pointed toward the building. They had just witnessed Toru break through a window and jump from the fifth floor.
"It's Toru-kun and Chika."
Kaguya was bent over, one hand on her waist. Running three kilometers non-stop was absolutely brutal for a sheltered lady like her.
But seeing that scene, she clenched her teeth and pushed forward, hurrying across the bridge toward the front of the building.
"Make way! Emergency responders coming through!"
"Everyone, stand back! There might still be explosives in the building. It's too dangerous!"
Medical staff and security were shouting, while firefighters battled the flames. The plaza was in chaos.
"Doctor, over here!"
Toru called out after landing.
Several medics rushed over with stretchers.
Toru gave a light pat to Momiji's thigh. "How are you holding up?"
She shook her head gently.
As the medics arrived, Toru said, "Be careful with her leg. It got hit by something heavy. Might be fractured."
They also noticed the condition of her leg and gently moved her onto the stretcher with care.
Seeing how concerned Toru was, Momiji felt a warmth in her heart, almost forgetting the pain.
"Chika, how do you feel?"
"I'm fine, Brother!" Chika said, shaking her head hard.
"Even if you're fine, you're still going to the hospital. You might have inhaled some toxic gas. Your lungs need to be checked."
With that, Toru gave her a push onto the ambulance.
Chika's face twisted. She looked like she was about to cry.
I don't want to go to the hospital. I'll probably get a shot...
Then several medics surrounded Toru. A pretty young nurse began examining his arm.
"Sir, you should get checked, too."
"Oh, are you Fujiwara-kun?"
"Wow, it really is! You saved people again!"
As soon as the rescue workers realized who he was, they got even more excited and swarmed around him.
Toru had no choice but to sit in the ambulance.
Seeing that he was going too, Chika smirked.
"What's that look for, Chika?" he asked, annoyed.
"Hehe. You're going to get a shot too. You'll get a shot~" she teased proudly.
"I'm not afraid of shots."
Toru's calm reply made Chika's face freeze. She pouted. "So unfair!"
Momiji, lying on the stretcher, covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
Chika scooted over and hugged Toru's arm tightly, rubbing her soot-stained face against it.
"I feel safest when I'm with you. Hehe... I really thought I was going to die just now."
Tears rolled down her smudged cheeks.
Toru gently wiped them away. "It's alright now. I'm here."
"Mm..."
Chika closed her eyes, and finally, her body relaxed. The exhaustion hit her all at once. She slowly drifted into sleep.
Momiji watched the warm moment from the side, a little envious. If her leg wasn't hurt, she might have climbed over to lean on Toru's other side.
Toru pulled out his phone, first sending a message to let the Fujiwara family know he was safe.
Then he contacted the CIA team in Kyoto.
[Investigate the Nichibei TV building explosion. This much high-grade explosive isn't easy to get. I want a preliminary report by tomorrow.]
In bombing cases like this, the fastest way to track the suspect was to trace the source of the explosives.
There were only so many suppliers that had access to explosives strong enough to take down a building.
Once they tracked the source, they could follow the trail and identify who bought them.
Looking for crime scene clues or puzzle pieces left behind by the bomber? That was just nonsense.
Unless the culprit was deliberately provoking the police, no sane criminal would leave a trail just to make it fun for detectives.
...
Outside the building, Kaguya finally reached the scene, panting heavily, only to see that Toru, Chika, and the others had already left in an ambulance.
"Kaguya-sama?"
Hayasaka looked at her nervously.
Kaguya clenched her fists. "Call a car. We're going to the hospital."
She gritted her teeth. Why did it always feel like she was one step behind?
Hayasaka started making the call while glancing at Kaguya from the side.
In her heart, she couldn't help but complain.
Kaguya-sama... you really do have a talent for being a loser.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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