"How is it? The Suzuki Tower, built with the full might of the Suzuki Financial Group — the view from here is pretty amazing, isn't it?"
At the towering building's peak,
Invited tourists marveled at the breathtaking panorama of Tokyo from the sky, pulling out their phones to capture the scene.
Among the invited guests was Mōri Ran.
Dressed lightly for the hot summer, her eyes shone brightly as she looked down at the view, happily saying,
"It's really amazing! Sonoko, thank you so much for inviting me."
"Heh heh~"
Sonoko looked a little smug.
Then she glanced at the group of kids beside her:
"You all better thank me properly! Otherwise, no outsiders would be allowed into this opening ceremony."
"Yes!"
"Thank you so much, Sonoko-neechan!"
"Thank you!!"
"Thanks, Sonoko-nee!"
A voice from among the kids made Sonoko's expression freeze.
She turned and saw Hayashi Yoshiki standing behind her, teasing shyly:
"Yoshiki-kun, what are you saying?"
Hayashi Yoshiki laughed and stepped forward, standing by the observation deck's railing as he gazed out the window.
This was the opening ceremony of the Suzuki Tower, which Hayashi Yoshiki and Amuro Tōru had seen recently from the agency.
Down below, TV stations interviewed politicians and businesspeople, while the visitors up here were a mix of Suzuki Group partners and lucky invitees.
Meanwhile, Mōri Kogorō was having a panic attack over his fear of heights.
Though he stubbornly insisted there was nothing to see, when he accidentally stepped on the transparent glass floor,
Conan reminded him to look down — revealing the seemingly endless drop.
In that instant, Kogorō's legs started trembling violently, his bladder tightened, and he let out a sharp scream before wildly rushing to the elevator, hammering the buttons in panic.
The elevator responded quickly.
"Welcome to this elevator. It will take you to the special observation deck. Please enjoy the world 460 meters above ground."
The screen inside the elevator showed the indicator rapidly rising from 350 meters.
At that moment, Kogorō's face turned an ashen shade of blue and purple.
"Noooo!!!"
His screams echoed as the elevator sped upward.
Hearing that anguished cry, Hayashi Yoshiki laughed and turned around.
Today, he wasn't wearing his usual suit.
A pair of jeans and a white short-sleeve T-shirt made him look fresh and relaxed.
"Oh my, wearing a skirt today, huh?"
He bent slightly toward Ai Haibara and smiled warmly.
Ai turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing this, Sonoko looked puzzled.
"Is that kid sulking at Yoshiki-kun?"
Hayashi Yoshiki seemed just as clueless.
Ai Haibara clearly snorted in annoyance.
Known for her strong personality, neither Sonoko nor Ran knew how to respond to her attitude.
"Hey, hey… what's your problem?"
Conan, observing her unusual reaction, twitched his mouth in amusement.
Ai ignored him, continuing to brood silently.
At the time of the airship incident, she had mustered the courage to kiss Hayashi Yoshiki deeply…
But nothing had followed.
Since then, up until now, Hayashi Yoshiki had shown no particular reaction.
He hadn't reached out to talk to her, nor sent a message — effectively treating her impulsive act with cold silence.
Cold silence means silent rejection.
Though it stung, it wasn't incomprehensible.
Even now, Ai faintly regretted that impulsive moment, but she was capable of accepting reality.
It was just that...
Hayashi Yoshiki smiling as if nothing had happened, praising her for looking cute in a skirt —
that patronizing tone of "little kid" attitude—
made Ai furious beyond words.
Is he pretending? Or does he really not see me as an adult?
Ai sulked in silent anger.
Thinking this, Hayashi Yoshiki gently ruffled her hair.
Ai ignored him.
As if deliberately snubbing him, her small face remained stiff.
So Hayashi Yoshiki mischievously tousled her hair until it looked like a bird's nest.
Still, Ai acted as if he didn't exist, ignoring him completely.
But after a few seconds, unable to bear the mess, she obediently smoothed her hair with both hands—
looking like she was grooming a little kitten.
Hayashi Yoshiki laughed.
"Yoshiki-kun, don't bully Ai-chan."
Ran said softly, her voice unconsciously laced with a slight pout.
"I'm not!"
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled, and without waiting for Ai's reaction, picked her up.
"Dr. Agasa, is it okay if I take Ai away for a bit?"
"Ah, no problem. Go ahead."
Dr. Agasa said cheerfully.
"Let go of me."
Ai protested angrily, but Hayashi Yoshiki ignored her and walked off carrying her.
Yoshida Ayumi watched this with some envy.
Ai always seemed to get special treatment from her big brother.
If I sulk like Ai and ignore him, will he carry me away too?
Her attention quickly shifted to Conan, who was pointing out landmarks.
As the group identified Tokyo's major landmarks and discussed summer homework, Conan suddenly noticed a faint reflection on a distant skyscraper.
He froze for a moment.
Then he quickly realized it was the glint of a sniper scope — and at that instant, the glass of the observation deck shattered.
A bullet pierced the glass, striking a sharply dressed man's chest, smashing the monitor behind him.
"Ahh!!!"
The tourists screamed in panic.
"Sniper! Get down!!"
Conan shouted.
His voice caused the nearby people to drop quickly, but it also sparked widespread panic among the crowd.
Everyone screamed and scattered.
Fortunately, the sniper took no further shots.
Using the magnifying feature on his glasses to track the silhouette of the shooter preparing to leave on a distant building,
Conan immediately ran toward the elevator and rushed downstairs.
Only after he was well away did Hayashi Yoshiki arrive, carrying Ai Haibara with a delayed pace.
"What happened!?"
"There was a sniper shooting, Yoshiki-kun!"
"Where's Conan!?"
"He ran down right away!"
"For now, don't gather here — get somewhere with cover!"
"Okay."
Everyone followed suit.
Ran, hiding, quickly pulled out her phone and hugged it tightly.
After a moment, confirming the sniper had ceased action, Hayashi Yoshiki turned to look at the fallen body on the ground.