"Ran! Yoshiki!!" Hearing gunshots, Kogoro Mouri rushed in like a storm. He burst through the door ahead of all the bodyguards. What he saw w
"Ran! Yoshiki!!"
Hearing gunshots, Kogoro Mouri rushed in like a storm.
He burst through the door ahead of all the bodyguards.
What he saw was Ran, with teary eyes and trembling hands, frantically trying to bandage Hayashi Yoshiki's arm after they'd been moved to another room.
"...A-Are you alright?"
His voice cracked a little as he stepped closer.
"It's nothing—just a scratch. No big deal,"
Hayashi Yoshiki said with a smile.
Ran was about to speak when Count Keith entered the room.
"I've heard what happened. I didn't expect someone to act so soon... I deeply apologize."
"You bastard! Still making light of things at a time like this!?"
Kogoro Mouri stormed forward, grabbing Keith by the collar. "My daughter and Yoshiki were shot at! And you called this place safe! If anything had happened to them, I would've made you pay!"
Keith didn't argue.
He looked at Kogoro Mouri, whose rage made the veins in his neck bulge. Only after the latter calmed down a little did he respond, "I sincerely apologize... I will make compensation."
"Who the hell wants your compensation!?"
"What exactly happened?"
Keith ignored Kogoro and turned to one of the maids.
The maid hesitated.
"Just now, Miss Roy opened the curtains in the room... and then the sniper attack happened."
"Roy?"
Keith's expression darkened. "Where is she now?"
"Roy...? She's gone!"
The maid's face went pale.
At that moment, voices came from the bodyguards.
"Lord Keith! We found Miss Roy unconscious in the bathroom of the next room! Looks like she was drugged with a sedative!"
"What?"
Soon, the confused and groggy Roy was brought in.
Upon hearing that opening the curtain had nearly caused Ran to be shot, she nearly collapsed in fright. She quickly explained that while she was out preparing tea, someone had covered her face with a cloth and knocked her out... the finished tea was spilled, scalding her foot.
Seeing the burn on her foot, Keith's expression grew grim.
Kogoro Mouri was quick to make a deduction.
"I know who did it—Lupin!"
"What!?"
"It's said that Lupin has a thousand faces—he can imitate anyone with ease. He must've disguised himself, drugged this maid, and opened the curtain to target Ran! His goal was to create chaos in the palace and steal the Queen's Crown!"
It sounded plausible.
But veteran inspector Koichi Zenigata, who had pursued Lupin for most of his life, shook his head.
"No... Lupin would never stoop to such despicable tactics. That's not his style."
Hayashi Yoshiki didn't join the discussion.
Once his arm was bandaged, he stood up to leave.
"I just remembered something I need to investigate. Don't worry—I'll be back soon."
He smiled gently at Ran, who gripped the hem of his shirt in worry.
Then he walked out.
Once he reached a deserted area, a man in a bodyguard uniform and sunglasses followed.
"What's the situation?"
"The Organization has its eyes on this country's mineral resources. They want to help Gerard ascend the throne."
Vermouth stepped forward, removing her disguise.
Her gaze fell on Yoshiki's bandaged arm. "Your hand?"
"Just a scratch."
Vermouth let out a sigh of relief.
Right now, she was filled with gratitude.
If Ran had really died because of her—because she opened the curtain—Vermouth wasn't sure she could handle it. Ran was the only light left in the darkness in which Vermouth lived.
"Good thing you were there..."
"Good thing I was there?"
Hayashi Yoshiki's eyes turned cold as he stared at her. "Are you an idiot, Vermouth? You knew Ran looked exactly like her—why didn't you investigate properly before taking action?"
"I..."
Vermouth had no excuse.
For once, guilt surfaced in her heart, and she could only lower her head.
"If Ran had been hurt..."
Then you'd be dead.
Such a heartless man.
But Vermouth actually didn't mind.
She wasn't some naive teenager. She never believed that just because a man had slept with her, he'd fall in love.
On the contrary, the fact that Hayashi Yoshiki cared this deeply for Ran made her happy, for Ran's sake.
"How many people were involved in this operation?"
"Me, Gin, and some other higher-ups you don't know... the sniper Grappa, the driver Yao Qinlei, and a few peripheral members."
...Names he had written in the Death Note.
Hayashi Yoshiki glanced at the time without being obvious.
Due to the situation, he hadn't been able to monitor things closely, so the content he'd written in the Death Note was vague and imprecise.
But the time of death—that part was exact.
Which meant Gin and the others might be in serious trouble right about now.
"You must be carrying a bug, right?"
Without hesitation, Vermouth handed over the listening device.
It had been wrapped tightly, so Gin hadn't overheard their previous conversation.
Not that Gin had time to worry about her at the moment.
Three vehicles were racing down the road.
Gin sat in the passenger seat, his gaze sharp in the rearview mirror as he watched the black car tailing them.
"Take him out, Grappa."
He gave the order through the radio.
Immediately, in the black sedan one car-length behind, the passenger window rolled down.
Grappa pulled out two grenades, removed the pins, and timed their release before tossing them backward.
As the smoking grenades arced through the air, Daisuke Jigen, one hand on the wheel and the other holding a gun, raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
He didn't slow down at all. With steady hands, he simply aimed and fired.
Bang! Bang!
Two clean shots.
The grenades were hit mid-air and bounced upward—
BOOM!
The next second, Jigen's car surged forward through the smoke like it was nothing.
He even leisurely exhaled smoke from his cigarette as he slammed the accelerator and chased down Grappa's car.
Conan, riding shotgun, watched in awe. It felt like a shot of adrenaline hit him.
If they kept this up, it might work.
If they could just intercept Gin and hold him off until the soldiers of the Vespania Kingdom arrived—
They might actually catch him this time.