Morpheus didn't intervene. Nanami stepped forward a few paces, infusing the power of light into the keyhole of the classroom door, condensing it into a key, and casually unlocked the door.
They filed in one after another.
Ran located Shinichi's desk and pulled out a pen from inside.
"Will this work?"
"I'll give it a try."
Nanami didn't make any promises, picking up the pen and casting a tracking spell.
A beam of light shot from her fingertip, entering the pen's interior.
Seconds later, the light emerged, transforming into a gracefully fluttering bird that circled the room a few times before heading toward the door.
Seeing this, Ran quickly followed.
"Wait for me, Ran." Sonoko hurried after her.
Next came Nanami and Morpheus.
The group followed the bird at a leisurely pace, leaving Teitan High School and walking along the streets of Beika Town.
After a while, Sonoko let out a surprised "Huh?" and Nanami immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
Sonoko squinted and said, "Nothing, just that this road seems really familiar."
Ran said with a complicated expression, "This is the way to Shinichi's house."
Sonoko had a sudden realization—no wonder the road felt so familiar.
Before long, the bird locked onto a location, hovering atop a single-family home.
Hiding nearby, Ran glanced at the building, then at the house across from it.
The house opposite clearly bore the name "Kudo."
Morpheus narrowed his eyes and said, "Interesting. Who would think that the kidnapped Shinichi is right in the house across from his own? These kidnappers are hiding in plain sight."
His gaze pierced through the walls of the house, clearly revealing the interior structure.
Shinichi had been knocked unconscious and was confined in the bathroom.
His hands were bound behind his back with rope, tied in a professional dead knot. Without the right tools, no matter how skilled Shinichi was, he couldn't escape.
Besides that, there were three kidnappers in the house.
One was sleeping in an upstairs room.
Two were in the living room, monitoring the Kudo house through pinhole cameras.
Morpheus turned his head toward Shinichi's home.
At that moment, the lights were still on in the Kudo house, where Yusaku Kudo and Yukiko Kudo were counting money.
One hundred million dollars was no small sum.
Fortunately, Yusaku Kudo was a world-renowned mystery novelist, especially with his famous Night Baron series, which had been published countless times. The book sales alone had made him incredibly wealthy.
Not to mention the numerous film companies eyeing the adaptation rights to his novels.
So, one hundred million dollars wasn't a big issue for Yusaku Kudo.
The guy was truly rich.
"Ran, what should we do now?" Sonoko asked.
"I'll call right now and tell Kudo-san that Shinichi is right across from him." Ran immediately pulled out her phone, ready to dial.
Morpheus said, "I advise you not to do that. The Kudo house has pinhole cameras installed, and his every move is under the kidnappers' surveillance."
"If you call him now and tell him Shinichi is in the house opposite, you'll only alert them."
Ran paused midway through dialing.
"Then what should I do now?" Ran asked.
Nanami said, "I'll rush in right now and rescue Shinichi."
With her current strength, saving someone from a few kidnappers was no trouble at all.
Morpheus didn't object, offering a pointer: "Shinichi is in the upstairs bathroom."
"I understand, Lord Morpheus."
Nanami nodded, stealthily slipping to the back of the house. She took a deep breath, leaped upward, and landed on the second floor.
Nanami manipulated the power of light, effortlessly cutting through the glass of the second-floor window, and jumped inside.
The process wasn't exactly seamless, but under the influence of the light power, it produced no sound whatsoever.
Thus, neither the kidnapper sleeping upstairs nor those in the living room monitoring the Kudo family noticed that someone had infiltrated the house.
Single-family homes have similar layouts. Once inside, Nanami easily found the unconscious Shinichi, picked him up, slung him over her shoulder, and retraced her steps.
Soon, she jumped down from the second floor and returned to Ran's side.
"Shinichi."
Seeing the unconscious Shinichi, Ran's face was filled with worry.
Nanami set Shinichi down and checked his body. There were no issues; the unconsciousness was likely due to some kind of sedative.
Fortunately, she had learned healing magic. She raised a finger and pressed it to Shinichi's forehead.
Seconds later, the sedative in Shinichi's body evaporated rapidly.
His eyelids fluttered a few times before slowly opening.
Ran was overjoyed and pulled Shinichi into a hug. "That's great, Shinichi. You're okay—I'm so relieved."
"Ran?"
Shinichi was utterly confused. Wasn't he kidnapped? How did he wake up to see Ran?
Had Ran been kidnapped too?
Shinichi's heart tightened as he looked around, astonished to find himself out of danger.
So, he had been rescued.
By whom?
The girl with the ponytail, or the boy who had been watching the whole time—or both?
Who were these two, and how did they have the skills to rescue him from a group of professional kidnappers?
Shinichi instinctively started turning the gears in his mind, pondering.
As Shinichi's childhood friend, Ran recognized that expression all too well—the deduction fanatic was at it again.
Though she didn't know what he was deducing, Ran felt a surge of irritation.
She had been so worried about him, and here he was, diving into deductions again. Was deducing really that important?
In a fit of anger, Ran grabbed Shinichi's ear and yanked hard.
"Ow ow ow ow ow... "
The intense pain interrupted Shinichi's thoughts. "Let go, let go right now, Ran—it hurts so much, Ran."
Sonoko waved her fist, gloating. "That's right, Ran. Give this deduction freak a good lesson and make him realize his mistake."
"Huh? What are you talking about, you busybody?"
Shinichi wasn't one to back down from Sonoko, firing back and starting an argument.
Sonoko was triggered by being called a busybody, trembling with rage as she lunged at Shinichi's face, claws out.
Today, she was determined to show Shinichi what she was capable of.
***
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
To celebrate this joyous occasion, from December 25 to December 31, patrons will receive a 50% discount on all available subscription options using this code: DEC25
So don't miss out, and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Pat reon . com / XElenea (removespace)