Inside a quiet bar, the wall-mounted television played news about Kurosawa Hoshino.
The bar and its surrounding booths were filled with people dressed entirely in black, creating an atmosphere thick with tension.
Various weapons lay scattered across the tables—some being silently disassembled, others carefully cleaned.
"Heh." Vermouth chuckled softly, averting her gaze as the image of Kurosawa Hoshino carefully picking seashell fragments from her foot flashed through her mind.
"Tsk tsk~" Vodka clicked his tongue nearby. "Aniki, this kid's getting more and more famous. I've seen him on the news countless times now. His deductive skills are seriously impressive."
Gin's lips curled slightly—then quickly flattened. He swirled the red wine in his glass and said calmly, "Detectives? That's child's play. It has nothing to do with us."
"True enough," Vodka agreed. "People in our line of work don't waste time searching for clues. A single bullet does the job just fine."
Vermouth stood and slowly walked toward them. "Is it really just child's play? Or are you saying that because you couldn't solve a case to save your life?"
Vodka said nothing—clearly here to watch his older brother handle this.
Gin's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing within. "What? You know this high school student?"
"No. I'm just acknowledging his intelligence instead of making excuses." Vermouth smiled.
Gin lowered his eyelids. "What use is cleverness? Can it control your own destiny? If not, no matter how many cases you solve, it's meaningless."
"True enough. I'm leaving. Don't call me to these gatherings again if Rum isn't going to show."
"Watch yourself. There's a rat in the area lately."
"Heh. That's your problem."
In a corner booth, Amuro Tooru watched Vermouth leave, his hat pulled low.
Rum still hadn't appeared—a fact that left him feeling both regretful and relieved.
When he'd received Gin's invitation to the gathering, with word that the organization's second-in-command would be there, he'd been instantly excited. He'd even considered arranging for his men to capture them all in one fell swoop.
But then he'd thought better of it. Someone that important wouldn't announce their presence so casually. It smelled like a trap. So he'd held back.
His instincts had been right.
Rum never showed.
If his men had been stationed outside, everyone at tonight's gathering would now be a suspect.
"Heh. No rush. Take your time."
Amuro Tooru rose and left the bar.
With his departure, the men in black scattered throughout the venue also filtered out one by one.
Gin's cold gaze swept over them all, one after another. He said nothing—his calm was terrifying.
"Aniki, looks like the rat isn't here." Vodka lowered his voice.
"Not necessarily." Gin set down his glass and sneered. "Could be this rat's smarter than we thought. Saw through the bait and didn't bite."
The Next Day. Noon.
After lunch, Kurosawa Hoshino, Ran, and Conan—carrying a change of clothes—set off for the forest villa.
They didn't have the exact address, but they did have a map Sonoko had left at the café the day before.
"Wow, the air is so fresh!" Ran stretched her arms out wide as they walked along the forest path, her face bright with delight.
"Are you sure we just keep walking this way?" Kurosawa Hoshino asked abruptly.
"Yes! Sonoko told me multiple times before she left yesterday—we just follow this path for an hour and we'll get there." Ran's voice was full of confidence.
Kurosawa Hoshino rubbed his temples and sighed. "The road's not that bad. We could've taken a taxi. No need to walk for an hour."
Beside him, Conan nodded silently in agreement.
Walking for an hour was a lot harder on his small body than it had been back when he was a high schooler.
"Oh, what's the big deal? The air's so fresh—of course we should walk a bit!"
Spotting a small flower in the grass by the roadside, Ran laughed and ran over. She crouched down, picked it, and turned to show Kurosawa Hoshino. "Look, look! Isn't it pretty?"
"Ran, you're so cruel. You actually picked it." Kurosawa Hoshino looked heartbroken.
Ran pouted. "Hoshino, no wonder Sonoko's always arguing with you. You're always saying things like that."
"What kind of flower is this?" Kurosawa Hoshino stepped closer, studying it. White petals—like a wild chrysanthemum, but not quite.
"I don't know either. Hehe—here, let me put it on you!" Quick as a flash, Ran tucked the flower behind his ear.
"Haha! It looks so good!"
She took a few steps back, whipped out her phone, snapped a photo, and waved it triumphantly.
"Childish." Kurosawa Hoshino shook his head indifferently and slowly walked toward her.
"It's not childish at all!" Ran shot back, unconvinced.
"Why take pictures? I don't care."
"Really?"
"Of course..." He drew out the word, and once he was close enough, lunged forward. "—of course it's fake! Delete it!"
He grabbed for the phone in her hand.
"No way! I'm not deleting it!" Ran twisted away, trying to keep it out of his reach.
"Ran..." Conan called out softly, watching them tussle—hugging, grabbing, laughing—his heart aching so much he could barely breathe.
Ran didn't react.
Conan took a deep breath and tried again, forcing a childish lilt into his voice. "Hey, Ran-neechan? Hoshino-nii? Why are you two hugging?"
Ran froze.
Only then did she realize: Kurosawa Hoshino's hand was around her waist. Their bodies were pressed together. Their other hands were still entangled.
"Eep—!"
In that moment of stunned distraction, Kurosawa Hoshino snatched the phone from her grip and let her go.
"Hoshino! You can't just grab it while I'm not looking!" Ran stamped her foot anxiously, too flustered to feel shy anymore.
She absolutely could not let him see what was in that photo album. Things would get bad.
"Hehe, don't panic. I'll give it back once I delete it." Kurosawa Hoshino opened the gallery and found the photo he'd just taken.
Then his eyes landed on a thumbnail beside it. It looked... familiar.
He tapped it.
The image filled the screen.
Kurosawa Hoshino's eyes widened. His expression darkened. He looked up sharply at Ran.
She had already crept more than ten meters away—and was quickening her pace.
"Ran. Wait." Kurosawa Hoshino started forward, his voice disturbingly gentle. "Don't you want your phone?"
Ran whipped her head around, then immediately broke into a run. "I don't want it anymore! You keep it!"
"Why are you running? What are you so afraid of?"
"Don't chase me, and I won't be scared!"
What the hell is going on? Conan watched the two of them sprinting ahead, utterly bewildered, question marks practically floating over his head.
But he couldn't afford to be left behind. Gritting his teeth, he took off after them.