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Steven glanced up and immediately knew what it was: a trap set by the killer. In a moment, Mouri Ran would get slightly injured trying to save the victim.
Looks like a classic "hero saves the beauty" moment.
But spoiling things and blurting out the truth had never been his style.
"That's a stage costume," Yukiko said calmly. "It takes up too much space, so it was hoisted up there."
Despite the dim lighting, her years of stage experience let her recognize the object by its shadow.
Crack!
Just as she finished speaking, a faint snapping sound rang out.
Whoosh!
The object on the ceiling dropped straight down in free fall.
"Watch out!"
Ran cried out, warning everyone to get away.
"It's the armor!"
"What?!"
"No!"
Everyone scattered in panic. Everyone except the actress in orange. Her costume had gotten snagged on a signboard, leaving her stuck in place.
The heavy suit of armor was about to smash down on her head. She screamed in sheer terror.
Ran, who had already dodged clear, turned back without hesitation and rushed to save her.
Now!
Steven knew the timing was perfect and moved at once.
Bang!
At the exact moment Ran threw herself over the actress, Steven launched a clean, powerful flying kick, sending the falling armor flying off to the side.
"Wow! That kick was amazing!"
"That was way better than anything on stage!"
"He's my new idol!"
"So manly. If only I could marry someone like him…"
The actresses nearby gasped in awe, their eyes full of admiration.
"Steven, I never expected your assistant to be hiding skills like that," Yukiko said, still shaken. "With moves like that, he could totally switch careers and become a bodyguard."
She couldn't help feeling envious. Steven had really struck gold.
Hire one assistant, get a bodyguard for free. No matter how you looked at it, it was a great deal.
"It was nothing special," Steven said lightly. "Just average."
If Steven was impressive or not, she knew better than anyone.
A monster who could fight all night without getting tired. Ordinary people wouldn't last five minutes.
"Ran, are you okay?"
After kicking the armor away, Steven turned and walked over to her, reaching out to help her up.
"I'm fine," Ran said softly. "Thank you for saving us."
The warmth in his hand made her heart race.
When she came back to her senses, her cheeks flushed red and she quickly pulled her hand away.
Conan watched the two of them, clearly unhappy but powerless to do anything about it. He could only stand there feeling dejected.
After all, right now he was Edogawa Conan, not Kudo Shinichi.
"I knew it!" the rescued actress cried, slumping to the floor. "Someone's been trying to kill me this whole time!"
"You're overthinking it," Gisu said after checking things out. "The rope was just old. That's why it snapped."
"That doesn't make sense," another actress argued. "Who would even hang something that heavy from the ceiling?"
The theater never suspended things like armor overhead.
"At least it's a blessing in disguise," someone else said. "If it had fallen a little to the side, that huge mirror would've been done for."
"Exactly. That mirror's our guardian spirit!"
What a bunch of weirdos.
Steven was speechless listening to them.
Even with low emotional intelligence, they should know the priority right now was the person who almost got crushed, not celebrating that a mirror survived.
"Are you kidding me?" Steven snapped coldly. "The ones you should be thanking aren't some mirror or some god. It's Mouri Ran and Steven."
The rescued actress finally snapped out of it and hurried over to Ran.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Oh, it wasn't just me," Ran said quickly. "You should thank Steven. If he hadn't kicked the armor away, we'd all be hurt."
She looked at him with genuine gratitude.
That armor had to weigh at least twenty pounds. If it had hit someone, serious injury would've been guaranteed.
"Thank you, Mr. Steven!"
The actress turned and bowed deeply.
"It was nothing," Steven replied casually.
If Ran hadn't been in danger, he wouldn't have bothered lifting a finger.
Only people worth saving deserved to stay alive.
"Steven, do you practice karate?"
Ran had noticed the move he used. It was a textbook karate flying kick.
Finding a shared interest made conversation come easily.
"I've trained a bit," he said, scratching his head. "But I'm not very good."
That was rare modesty from him.
With Wolf Brother's card boosting his strength and combat skills, his power had long surpassed human limits.
Even against Kyogoku Makoto, the so-called ceiling of combat power in this world, he might not lose.
"Oh, come on," Ran said with a smile. "I was the national high school girls' karate champion. I can tell at a glance. Your kick was perfectly executed, clean and controlled. That's not something a beginner can pull off."
Outsiders watched for spectacle. Insiders saw the details.
Ran was an expert. Whether Steven was skilled or not, she knew very well.
"Who's lying to you?" he protested. "I'm still unranked."
"That just means you're too lazy to take the exams," she laughed. "It doesn't mean you're weak. I happen to need a sparring partner. Would you like to practice together sometime?"
"I'd love to," Steven said readily. "I've been wanting someone to train with and really study karate, help it grow and evolve."
"… "
The two of them grew more and more absorbed in conversation, their chemistry quietly heating up.
Karate, originally known as "Tang Hand," was a martial art that originated in China and spread worldwide, centered on sparring and forms.
Promoting Chinese culture was something Steven was more than happy to do.
As for whether "studying karate" with Ran would stay strictly about martial arts or drift into something more… that depended on the situation.
Crunch.
Seeing the way Ran looked at Steven, Conan ground his teeth in frustration.
He tried several times to cut in, but the two of them completely ignored him.
"We need to get ready to go on stage," Gisu said, checking his watch and reminding the four actresses.
"See you backstage later!"
The actresses waved goodbye and headed off to prepare for the performance.
"Okay!"
"Hey… my hand's scraped."
Ran raised her hand and finally noticed a cut on her wrist.
"Bandage! Bandage!"
Seizing the chance, Conan hurriedly rummaged through his bag.
But Steven beat him to it, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Ran.
"See?" she said coolly. "There's no such thing as gods."
"If there were, you wouldn't be hurt right now."
Ran froze for a moment as she took the handkerchief.
"Yukiko, I'm heading back to the hotel," Steven said, turning to leave.
"Huh?" Yukiko blinked in surprise. "You're not going to watch their performance from the audience?"
She had come all the way to Okinawa and wasn't even going to see the musical. That was strange.
"I was planning to," Steven replied. "But something just came up. Tonight might be… a storm like never before."
"Besides, Steven's staying to watch. He'll record it with the camera and bring it back. I can enjoy it later just the same."
"I've got things to do. I'm leaving."
A storm?
Steven immediately understood. Steven was going off alone to complete the organization's mission.
In the original storyline, she would be in mortal danger.
Save her, or not?
After only a brief moment of thought, he had his answer.
"....."