The car drove on through the dusk and deep into the night, accompanied by a light, drifting rain.
Uncle Mouri wrenched the steering wheel left and right, navigating the car onto a narrow forest path that bumped and jolted uncontrollably.
"Oh, for crying out loud! What kind of 'shortcut' is this? I can't believe the owner of that gas station actually recommended this route to me!" Uncle Mouri wore an expression of utter speechlessness as he gripped the wheel, venting his frustration.
"Hey, Dad… are you absolutely sure this is the road he was talking about?" Ran's voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
We aren't going to end up in some hunting ground again like last time, are we?
"Of course it is! I even went out of my way to buy a local map from him. If he dared to scam me, he'd better be ready to face the consequences," Uncle Mouri grumbled, finally steering the vehicle out of the narrow forest trail and onto a winding mountain highway.
As the road became smooth again, everyone in the car breathed a collective sigh of relief. Regardless of anything else, at least there shouldn't be any danger now.
"This really does look like a shortcut," Conan remarked, leaning back against the window.
"Finally, we're getting somewhere," Tsuneo commented, snacking as he spoke.
On a distant cliffside, the legendary Twilight Manor was coming into view.
However, the lighting over there was incredibly dim; no matter how you looked at it, the place gave off a gloomy, sinister vibe.
"That villa looks seriously ominous. Twilight Manor? If you ask me, they should change the name to Vampire Manor," Uncle Mouri muttered, feeling the name didn't quite fit the atmosphere.
"Dad, do we really have to go there? It feels… not good," Ran, who hadn't felt much initially, started letting her imagination run wild the moment she heard the word 'vampire.'
"Maybe it really is the former residence of a vampire," Tsuneo said with a grin.
The infamous Twilight Manor…
Uncle Mouri glanced at the mechanic in the rearview mirror and said, "We received the invitation, plus that check for two million yen. At this point, we have no choice but to go and take a look."
"But the sender of that letter left such a bizarre code," Ran said, her resistance to anything involving ghosts or spirits crumbling.
The phantom of the son abandoned by God.
Uncle Mouri muttered the phrase, then laughed dismissively. "Don't worry about all that. It's probably just someone trying to act mysterious!"
"Besides, there's no way vampires or anything like that exist in a place like this."
"If anything lives in these deep mountains and old forests, it would only be a Mountain Hag!"
Tsuneo shot a sideways glance at the driver in the front seat and asked, "So, who's stronger? A Mountain Hag or a vampire?"
"Pr-probably a vampire, I guess…" Conan laughed awkwardly.
If you ask me, they're both a little weaker than you…
Uncle Mouri gripped the steering wheel, squinting his eyes.
Is there something up ahead?
In the next instant, panic flashed across his face, and he slammed on the brakes.
"Mountain Hag!!!"
Illuminated by the headlights, an old woman holding an umbrella stood right in the middle of the road, staring at them.
"Calling a lady you've met for the first time a 'hag'… isn't that a bit rude?"
The car had stopped merely inches from her body, yet the lady remained completely unfazed. She certainly had nerves of steel.
Hearing this, Uncle Mouri snapped out of his shock and rolled down the window. "I am terribly sorry."
Honestly though, it's pouring rain in the middle of the night—who can tell if you're human or a ghost?
"Grandma, what are you doing in a place like this?" Conan asked curiously.
"As you can see, my precious Fiat suddenly broke down just now, so I've been waiting here for someone to pass by," the old woman explained to the group.
Sure enough, not far behind her, a white Fiat was parked on the side of the road with its hazard lights flashing.
"You folks are heading to Twilight Manor too, aren't you? Could you give me a lift?" the old woman asked with a smile, standing by the car door.
"As long as you're willing to pay the fare," Tsuneo said, holding a bottle of soda.
Give me a little extra money, and I can even fix your car for you!
The Old Woman: "..."
"Dad, how much longer until we arrive?" Ran asked in a whisper, glancing at the lady who had just boarded the car.
She suddenly felt the urge to use the restroom.
"We're almost there…" Uncle Mouri replied.
"Young lady, don't blame me for speaking out of turn, but the principal of the elementary school in our town used to tell people often: 'A person who succeeds is someone who never gives up on any opportunity.'"
"Those who always wait for the 'perfect' opportunity to come along… no matter how long they wait, that chance will never come."
The old woman, now seated next to Conan in the back, spoke up.
Ran looked confused and turned her head to look at her.
"You should have just used the restroom when we were at the gas station earlier," the old woman said with a smile.
"How did you know we stopped at a gas station just now?" Conan asked, his face full of curiosity.
"Little boy, that's a simple question. The ashtray in the front is empty, save for one or two cigarette butts. The only place in this vicinity where one could empty an ashtray is that gas station a few kilometers back."
"And a gentleman who stops to pick up a strange old lady on the road certainly wouldn't throw his cigarette butts out the window in front of his own daughter, would he?"
The old woman delivered a flawless analysis, even deducing the fact that Uncle Mouri was a heavy smoker.
"Unfortunately, you guessed wrong. I dumped those butts into the woods," Tsuneo said while munching on a cookie.
"..." The old woman looked at the young man, momentarily stunned.
He really doesn't play by the rules, does he…
"Ahem, may I ask who you are?" Uncle Mouri coughed twice, sensing an unusual sharpness about her, and asked for her identity.
"My name is Furuyo Senma. Like the two of you, I am a detective."
Furuyo Senma, over sixty years old and wearing glasses, introduced herself while glancing at Tsuneo and Mouri Kogoro in the front seat.
"Furuyo Senma?!"
"You mean the famous 'Armchair Detective' who can solve cases just by listening to people talk about them?" Ran wore an expression of pure astonishment.
"You've got that right. It's inconvenient to do much of anything once you get old." Furuyo Senma nodded with a smile.
Conan also took a careful look at her.
You really can't judge a book by its cover.
Although her earlier deduction had a slight flaw because of Tsuneo, her overall reasoning was sound.
If the mechanic hadn't casually dumped them out, Uncle Mouri absolutely would have emptied the ashtray at the gas station.
"As for this, I'll hold onto it for now."
"I absolutely detest the smell of cigarettes."
Furuyo Senma leaned forward and took the ashtray.
"Oh, come on…" Uncle Mouri looked speechless.
Tsuneo turned his head and glanced at her.
He harbored a suspicion that this old lady might have already realized there was something off about the famous 'Sleeping Kogoro' in front of her.
"A fork in the road?"
Uncle Mouri stopped the car and looked at the sign ahead.
The sign pointing left read "Twilight Manor." The carload of people turned toward the left mountain road.
Shortly after the five of them drove away, the sign fell off, revealing the writing on the back.
"Karasuma Renya Residence"
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