Chapter 132: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
However, Natsukawa was clearly disappointed. Shunian had already submerged into the deep water, and from above, his entire body was distorted by the rippling surface, making his expression impossible to read.
"Papa, Anya wants to see too!"
As he spoke, Natsukawa felt something pushing in from the right, and then Anya's head also popped through the skylight opening.
The skylight wasn't very large to begin with, and with all three of them squeezing in, their upper bodies completely blocked the opening.
"..."
Natsukawa sighed in exasperation, using his arm to shove Conan further into the skylight. With one person dangling inside, there was much more space now.
Conan: ...
I wanted to see what was happening down there, but leaving me hanging like this inside the meditation room is completely unnecessary!
If it weren't for the water below to break his fall, Conan would have been terrified. This place was almost ten meters above the ground!
"Conan, can you see what Shunian is doing?"
"Shunian?"
Conan peered down intently.
The water level had calmed considerably since the inflow had stopped, but without any lights, he couldn't see anything clearly. If it weren't for the bald head reflecting what little moonlight filtered in, they wouldn't have been able to confirm that the person below was one of Abbot Tennei's four disciples.
Although puzzled by how Natsukawa had identified the culprit so quickly, Conan knew this wasn't the time to ask questions.
He quickly activated his Detective Boys Badge's flashlight function, wanting to see what Monk Shunian was planning.
However, the flashlight's beam was insufficient, only penetrating a meter or two into the murky water.
"Natsukawa-san, let me go! I need to go down and check!"
Conan steeled himself, kicking his legs and trying to break free from Natsukawa's iron grip so he could drop into the water.
Natsukawa didn't answer and naturally had no intention of letting go. The water wasn't safe. Even though Conan had learned to swim in Hawaii, there was a murderer below. Who knew if Monk Shunian would panic and attack Conan in his desperation?
His Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes and Stun-Gun Wristwatch were useless underwater. Six-year-old Conan would be no match for eighteen-year-old Shunian in a physical confrontation.
Seeing that Natsukawa wouldn't budge, Conan struggled again, twisting his body. But his clothes were too well-made, and Natsukawa's arm strength was incredibly powerful—he couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried.
"Damn it!" Conan felt frustrated. He should have just jumped in earlier. Now, judging from Natsukawa's firm grip, he clearly had no intention of letting go.
"Master Shunian, stop struggling! Give up and surrender! We already know it was you!"
Of course, sound doesn't travel well through water, so Conan's shouting was completely pointless.
Soon, a muffled thud echoed through the chamber, followed by a sudden violent surge of water!
Conan's expression changed drastically.
A whirlpool quickly formed on the water's surface, and the level began dropping rapidly!
Shunian must have broken through the small drainage door at the back of the meditation room that had been sealed from the inside!
But!
With that much water pressure, he'd be swept away too!
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Conan heard a piercing scream.
The scream faded rapidly, as if someone were falling off a cliff.
Then the inflatable boat where Abbot Tennei lay began spinning in a spiral, and within seconds, it capsized with a loud splash, sinking beneath the surface.
"Come on out, both of you." Natsukawa, holding Conan in one hand and Anya in the other, pulled them both back through the skylight one at a time.
Immediately after, Conan heard the sound of rushing water coming from the outer wall on the first floor of the meditation room. A red inflatable boat, along with Abbot Tennei's body, was swept away by the powerful current.
Shunian's scream attracted the attention of the eldest disciple, Kannen. "What's going on?!"
From deep within the corridor, Kannen rushed to the entrance of the first-floor meditation room. He saw the waterline on the side wall, then spotted Abbot Tennei and the boat being swept away by the torrent.
"What the—"
Kannen stood frozen in shock. He glanced at Koizumi Akako and Ran, then at the meditation room still gushing water. He raised his arm slightly, pointing in the direction where Abbot Tennei had fallen, completely speechless.
This heir to red magic is absolutely terrifying!
The Abbot didn't want to give her the Tengu mask, so she actually killed him?!
Kannen's legs trembled violently. He took a step backward and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Y-y-you..."
Koizumi Akako sneered, crossing her arms beneath her chest. Even though she knew exactly what Kannen was thinking, she had no intention of explaining herself.
A witch wouldn't lower herself to argue with someone like that.
"Are you alright, Master Kannen?" Ran helped him up, explaining helplessly, "This has nothing to do with us. We only came after we finished using the bathroom and heard the commotion."
Kannen hadn't heard a single word. Seeing is believing—he'd witnessed everything with his own eyes. What was there left to explain?
"Let's wait for the police to arrive before discussing the truth. I've already contacted an inspector I know. They'll be here soon." Ran waved Natsukawa's phone, indicating she'd already made the call.
Kannen took a deep breath, his nerves completely frayed.
'An inspector I know'—those words were crucial! Was this guest implying that the inspector she'd called was also working with them?
Kannen's mind raced through countless conspiracy theories, imagining all sorts of dark possibilities, and his anxiety skyrocketed.
He shouldn't be here. He should be sleeping peacefully in his room. He should never have come out to investigate.
Should he cooperate with the police when they arrive? Otherwise, he might end up framed as the murderer!
They had so many people—even if one of them committed murder, they could create alibis for each other. But he was alone!
At this moment, he desperately wished his three junior disciples would appear. These guests weren't what they seemed—they were wolves in sheep's clothing!
The Abbot had only wanted to scam them out of money, but these guests wanted to devour them whole.
"Ran, what's all the noise about?"
At that moment, Kogoro Mouri shuffled in sleepily, looking at the water still draining from the meditation room with a somewhat bewildered expression.
How could the meditation room be flooding? Am I still drunk? Am I hallucinating because I need to use the bathroom? Maybe I should just go back to bed...
After thinking it over, Kogoro turned around, fully intending to return to his room.
This scene left Kannen completely stunned.
You people just killed someone! How can you be so casual about it?! These people don't value human life at all!
Instantly, he swallowed hard, suppressing his terror and forcing a confused expression onto his face.
"I-I was sleepwalking too! I didn't see anything! I'm going back to sleep right now—I promise I'll sleep until morning! Since it was sleepwalking, I definitely won't remember what happened tonight!"
"..."
The explanation was rather far-fetched, but it was enough to demonstrate his inner fear.
Ran, too tired to explain further, grabbed Kogoro's hand now that her pillar of support had arrived. "Dad, Master Shunian and Abbot Tennei just fell off the cliff!"
"What?!"
Kogoro immediately snapped to full alertness!
His eyes flew open, his mind clearing instantly. He waved his hand decisively. "Call the police! Mountain Mist Temple is still within Tokyo's jurisdiction—that means it falls under Inspector Megure's authority! Wait, where's the phone? I'll make the call myself!"
Kogoro turned to address Kannen, only to find that the monk had vanished from his spot.
"He ran off when he heard that Shunian had fallen too." Koizumi Akako yawned, looking bored as she prepared to leave. "I'm getting sleepy. I'm going back to bed."
The witch had no interest in such mundane matters. She'd only come out to see what Natsukawa and the others were doing, and to make sure retrieving the Mist Tengu Mask wouldn't cause her any trouble.
After heading downstairs, Natsukawa ran into Koizumi Akako, who was on her way back to sleep. He felt envious—he also wanted to go back to bed, but Anya was still bursting with energy. If he went to sleep now, who knew what dangerous activities Anya might get into with Conan?
Just sticking her head through that skylight had been dangerous enough.
"By the way, that person Ran saw at the temple entrance earlier—wasn't that you?" Natsukawa suddenly remembered that Ran had mentioned seeing a figure at the entrance to Mountain Mist Temple. That person might have been Koizumi Akako.
Koizumi Akako nodded, then seemed to realize something. Her expression suddenly became somewhat unnatural.
"What's wrong?" Natsukawa asked curiously.
"Nothing."
With that curt reply, she quickly hurried away.
Natsukawa had wanted to ask about the strange sound he'd heard outside Mountain Mist Temple earlier, but Koizumi Akako moved too fast, not giving him a chance to inquire further.
Still, it probably wasn't important, so Natsukawa shrugged and gave up on pursuing the question
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