"Truly, a man-made disaster if ever I saw one."
Mogi Harufumi stood with his hands in his pockets, watching from a distance as the "woman" he had spent five years chasing literally went up in smoke.
His Alfa Romeo and Ogami Shukuzen's Porsche were both total losses.
"Wait... what about that Mercedes?" Ikumi Kyosuke asked, looking between Hakuba Saguru and Tsuneo.
"No, that's not mine. I had a taxi drop me off here," Hakuba replied, shaking his head to clarify that the luxury sedan wasn't his vehicle.
"That's odd. Both Mr. Tsuneo and I arrived in Mr. Mouri's car. If it doesn't belong to any of us, whose Mercedes is that?" Senma Furuyo asked, turning her gaze toward Ms. Ishihara, the maid.
"I believe that car belongs to the Master," Ms. Ishihara explained. "It was already parked there when I arrived at the annex early this morning."
"So that means there really is someone else in this mansion besides us?" Ran's face clouded with worry. The fact that the host was willing to blow up his own car along with theirs was a chilling thought.
"At this rate, I'm afraid my own car has been reduced to ashes as well," Ms. Ishihara sighed, biting her thumb nervously.
For her, this high-paying job was quickly turning into a financial nightmare.
"Wait, you didn't park your car in the main lot in front of the annex?" Conan asked, his head snapping toward her.
"No. The Master instructed me to park my car specifically by the back door," the maid nodded.
"What?!"
At those words, the detectives immediately took off toward the rear of the building.
As Tsuneo walked past Ms. Ishihara, he narrowed his eyes at her.
Is this one wearing a skin mask, too?
"This car wasn't touched!" Kogoro Mouri was the first to round the corner of the courtyard and reach the back exit.
A small yellow car sat there, completely intact. This was presumably the maid's vehicle.
"Don't you find this a bit suspicious?" Ikumi Kyosuke asked, glancing at Tsuneo, who was keeping his distance from the vehicle.
She was right. It was hard to believe the culprit would simply "miss" a car and forget to plant a bomb on it.
"My guess is the guy probably just forgot there was a car parked back here," Kogoro Mouri said, leaning his hands on the hood with a grin.
"In that case, let's take it for a spin and see if that bridge really was blown up," Senma Furuyo said, already pulling open the car door.
"Heh, count me in for that!" Mogi Harufumi volunteered.
"I'll go as well," Hakuba Saguru added.
"Make room for me, too," Kogoro chimed in.
"Hold on now. If too many people board the boat, it's going to sink," Senma Furuyo said with a chuckle, waving them off.
After a brief discussion, they decided to flip a coin to determine who would go. In the end, it was decided that Senma Furuyo, Mogi Harufumi, and Kogoro Mouri would make the trip.
"Alright then, the rest of us should head back inside and wait for news," Ikumi Kyosuke said, turning back toward the mansion.
"What are you looking at?" Tsuneo asked, lightly tapping Conan on the head.
"Over there. Can you see it?" Conan ignored the tap and pointed toward the distant road.
The annex was built on a high cliff, providing a vantage point that stretched for miles. On a far-off stretch of highway, a car was parked. On its roof, something had been taped down, forming a distinct white 'X' symbol.
"Haven't you noticed? Watson is missing," Tsuneo remarked, glancing at Young Master Hakuba, who was walking nearby with a faint, knowing smirk on his lips.
Heh. That 'I've got everything under control' look. Familiar, isn't it?
"You mean...?" Conan looked back at Hakuba.
"Indeed. Before we can leave safely, we must bring this game to an end," Hakuba Saguru said with a smile, his pace steady as he headed inside.
"And you... you've been smiling weirdly this whole time," Conan noted. He waited until Ran had walked ahead before looking up at Tsuneo.
The handyman had left the dining room once while the "Master" was speaking earlier.
At the time, Conan had assumed he was just going to the bathroom. But that smile Tsuneo had been wearing since they returned to the room... it was unsettling.
"I just did something... interesting," Tsuneo replied. He didn't elaborate further and simply followed the others back into the annex.
Inside the mansion.
"So, can I really call this number regardless of the difficulty of the situation?" Hakuba Saguru asked with a smile, flipping Tsuneo's business card between his fingers.
He had just asked the handyman for one.
"What do you mean by that?" Ikumi Kyosuke frowned. Was there something written on the back of the card she had seen earlier?
"Only if you can afford the fee," Tsuneo said, looking the young master in the eye.
This kid definitely knows something...
"Of course. I wouldn't expect you to work for free," Hakuba smiled thinly, tucking the card into his breast pocket.
"Hey, hey. What are you two talking about?" Ikumi Kyosuke asked, her confusion growing. "Care to let me in on the riddle?"
"To put it simply," Hakuba explained, "this handyman handles more than just the services listed on his card. If you ever find yourself in a situation that's... difficult to manage, you might want to try calling that number."
"Why am I just hearing about this now?!" Ran asked, looking utterly bewildered.
When did Tsuneo-niisan start taking on 'other' business?
"Ran-neechan, can you take me to the bathroom?" Conan interjected perfectly, sensing the tension.
"Fine, fine. I told you not to drink so much juice," Ran sighed, letting the boy lead her away by the hand.
Ikumi Kyosuke watched them leave, her gaze lingering on Conan for a moment before she turned back to Tsuneo. "For example?"
That little boy was fascinating. He clearly didn't want Ms. Mouri to know something.
But what exactly was the scale of these "difficult situations"?
"Situations that require... a bit more force than usual?" Hakuba Saguru phrased it as a question, looking for confirmation.
"Something like that. Though I doubt you'd ever need it," Tsuneo said, glancing at the young master.
Give me a break. Your old man is the Superintendent General of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Why would you ever need me?
"Oh, you'd be surprised. One occasionally runs into trouble abroad," Hakuba laughed. He had faced more than a few headaches during his time in London.
Ikumi Kyosuke nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful.
As a detective, she knew all too well that there were times when even the sharpest mind couldn't solve a problem—especially when logic was met with raw, irrational violence.
As they spoke, the front doors swung open and the other three detectives returned.
"Oh! You're back!" Ran cried out, her heart finally settling as she saw they were all safe.
"Yeah, but the news isn't good. That bridge is completely gone!" Kogoro Mouri sighed.
That was it. There was no way off the mountain.
Are we really going to have to spend the night fumbling through these woods in the dark?
Senma Furuyo, the elderly detective, stood with her back hunched and her hands behind her. She narrowed her eyes, surveying everyone present with a sharp, calculating gaze.
"So... what exactly is going on here?"
(End of Chapter)
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