Just as Kurosawa Hoshino was weighing how to handle the situation, the two men in black stood up. After only sitting briefly, they retrieved their suitcases and left the carriage.
"I need to use the restroom," Hoshino announced.
He rose naturally and followed them out.
He remembered from the original plot that they were headed to the dining car to complete their deal. Quickening his pace, he overtook them and arrived first.
Once inside the dining car, Hoshino ordered an iced milk tea at the counter.
Pretending to choose a seat, his gaze swept the room and quickly locked onto a woman who had placed a black briefcase on a table.
That's her. The one making the deal.
"Sigh…"
Hoshino let out a soft, world-weary sigh and sat down at the table behind her. He looked like any other passenger with ordinary worries, drawing zero attention. His acting was flawless.
A short while later, the two men arrived.
They sat across from the woman and began speaking in low tones. Even from directly behind her, Hoshino could only catch fragments of their hushed conversation.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was the black box containing the bomb.
A few minutes later, just as his iced milk tea was served, their transaction concluded. The two men left with the briefcase the woman provided, leaving behind the black box they had brought.
Phew… Hoshino let out a soft breath. Now it's my turn—
He turned his head and nearly jumped out of his seat.
A pair of bright, beautiful pale purple eyes were staring right at him.
"R-Ran… When did you get here?" Hoshino asked, keeping his voice low.
"I came looking for Conan," Ran whispered, looking exasperated. "You hadn't been gone a minute before Conan ran off after you. So I came to find him, and while searching, I saw you sitting here spaced out. Hoshino, did you really come all the way here just for milk tea?"
"No."
Hoshino shook his head. He turned toward the woman behind him, who was gathering her things to leave, and called out, "Miss, please wait. There's something you need to know."
"Hmm?" The woman looked at him, her guard instantly rising as she recalled the just-completed transaction. "I'm sorry, I don't know you. I'm returning to my carriage."
"It's fine if you don't know me. But if you leave now, you'll die."
"What did you say?" The woman's eyes flashed with anger.
"Hoshino, saying something like that is terrible!" Ran was startled, tugging at his sleeve.
"Don't worry." Hoshino's voice remained calm. "Miss, there is a bomb inside the box you just received."
"A… bomb?" Ran was utterly confused. How had the conversation turned to this?
"You…" The woman wanted to retort, but her eyes drifted to the untouched black box on the table. A seed of doubt took root.
"Hoshino, what is going on?" Ran hid slightly behind him, nervously peeking at the ominous box.
Hoshino understood.
Time for the cover story.
"Ran, earlier in our carriage, two men walked past us. I overheard them muttering words like 'deal' and 'bomb.' When they left their seats, I followed to see what was happening. After realizing their target was the dining car, I came here to wait. Then they completed the transaction with this lady."
He looked at the woman, whose expression had shifted from suspicion to alarm, and continued gravely.
"Since the deal is done, I don't need to explain further about the 'bomb' I mentioned, do I?"
Hearing this, both Ran and the woman stared at the black box.
Hoshino stepped forward. Recalling the scene from the original story, he inspected the box and pointed to a specific spot on its side.
"Look. There's a light here. They've obviously watched too many movies—they even installed an indicator light on the bomb."
The woman was now completely convinced. She was only trading information on recent international gold price fluctuations. Why would that require a box with an indicator light?
Clearly, what she was meant to receive wasn't inside. Something else had been placed there instead.
"Hoshino, what do we do now?" Ran asked, worried the device might explode at any moment.
"Notify the train conductor, then call the police," Hoshino said softly. "The best move is to report a 'train malfunction,' stop the train, and have the bomb safely removed. That way, when those two are apprehended later, even if they have a remote detonator, they can't blow us all up due to a mistake or panic."
Ten minutes later.
Kurosawa Hoshino and Ran returned to their seats as if nothing had happened.
"Where did you two run off to?" Kogoro Mouri asked, seeing them return.
"Dad, where's Conan?" Ran frowned. She'd been gone a while, and he still wasn't back.
"Who knows with that kid? He's been running up and down the carriage. Probably hiding in some empty seat," Kogoro grumbled.
"Oh." Ran nodded, then sat in Conan's vacant seat. She leaned close to her father and whispered, "Dad, there's something you need to know. It's like this, Hoshino, he…"
She recounted the story in a hushed tone.
Kogoro Mouri's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Hoshino.
Hoshino didn't speak, merely offering a helpless shrug.
You and Conan are both walking disaster magnets, aren't you?
"Hiss—" Kogoro sucked in a sharp breath. Vivid images of the train exploding flashed through his mind. A chill ran down his spine, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
"Hoshino, is your plan going to work?" he asked urgently.
Hoshino nodded. "It'll be fine, as long as no one tipped them off."
His gaze casually drifted toward the two men in black, who were now smoking casually in the distance.
Just then, the train's announcement system crackled to life.
"Dear passengers, we apologize for the interruption. Due to an unforeseen mechanical issue, and for your safety, the train will make an unscheduled stop ahead for inspection. The fault has been identified, and repairs are expected to take approximately one and a half hours."
"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience to your journey. During this time, please remain in your seats and avoid unnecessary movement. Further announcements will follow."
Meanwhile, in an empty seat not far from the two men…
Conan, using the new miniature listening device Professor Agasa had given him that morning, had just overheard something horrifying. His expression was grim.
But upon hearing the train announcement, a spark of hope ignited in his eyes.
Perfect! They just confirmed there's a bomb in that traded box. With the train stopped, it'll be much easier to track down who made the deal with them.