Both white lips slightly open were fully exposed to the air—rosy, delicate, and gleaming with beads of water. Under the sunlight, they shimmered crystal-clear, impossibly tempting.
In the rush to save Ran, Akashi hadn't even noticed. His only focus had been rescuing her.
But Ran, realizing the situation, instantly smacked Akashi on the head with her bare hand.
"Akashi! How could you do this?!"
Her embarrassment overwhelmed her hesitation. She didn't hold back.
A big red bump immediately swelled on Little Shota's forehead.
Poor Akashi!
He truly had only been trying to extract the venom. He hadn't thought of anything else.
He hurriedly tried to defend himself, pointing at the spot where the snake had bitten her.
"Sister Ran! You were really bitten by a sea snake just now!"
"I even helped you suck the venom out!"
Ran's lavender eyes widened in disbelief.
"So that wasn't my imagination… I really felt something, but thought I was dreaming!"
Her expression shifted. "Akashi, so it was you!"
Like a line from a melodrama, she'd thought it was a dreamlike kiss—while in reality, it's Akashi saving her but she had mistaken the life-saving effort for something else entirely.
Akashi, still feeling wronged, had forgotten he was still pointing at the snakebite with his finger.
Suddenly, as if fate were toying with him—critical hit!
Ran trembled and lost strength again, her mind short-circuiting with confusion.
The two of them, still on the reef shore, were hit by a wave. It crashed into Akashi's little hand, pushing both of them slightly back into the water.
The cold shock of seawater brought Ran back to her senses.
Instinctively, she clung to Akashi tightly, afraid he'd be pulled away by the waves.
When she had finally steadied herself, her embarrassment turned to indignation. She gave Akashi another slap on the head.
"Don't ever do that again!"
Akashi, pitifully rubbing the new bump, wanted to explain—but when he glanced down, he realized that the blood he'd spat out earlier had been completely washed away by the tide.
There was no evidence left at all!
He sighed internally.
Even heroes get misunderstood.
Still, as he looked at the concerned girl beside him, his annoyance faded.
Forget it, he thought. As long as she's safe, that's what matters.
Anyway, the imported sugar skill had already cleared the venom. If Ran thought she'd been bitten, she might insist on going to the hospital, which would only cause more trouble.
Akashi decided to bear the blame in silence.
Ran, who had now recovered most of her strength, stood up and reached out her hand to pull Akashi up.
The little Shota's eyes flicked toward her lower body instinctively—but Ran caught his glance.
With lightning speed, she pinched Akashi's ear!
"Akashi! If you keep misbehaving, I'm going to tell Mom everything!"
But Akashi wasn't the least bit afraid. He shot back, "If you do, then I'll tell her what you did to me at the hot spring hotel!"
"!!"
Ran instantly blushed a deep red.
Both of them had dirt on each other.
Just like that, an unspoken balance of mutual deterrence formed between the two.
Then Ran suddenly paused.
Wait…
At Akashi's age, shouldn't he be too young to understand all this?
But he clearly does understand!
Ran stared at him in disbelief.
Today's elementary school students are terrifyingly precocious!
She gave in quickly. "Fine, fine. Just don't say anything!"
But she raised an eyebrow, her smile turning mischievous.
"Still, don't forget—we're back on the shore now."
Her grin said it all: here, she had the advantage.
Akashi's eyes narrowed playfully.
"Sister Ran, are you really going to attack your own savior?"
That line hit her like a moral nuke.
Ran puffed up her cheeks in frustration, looking just like a dumpling-faced little girl.
Akashi laughed and took her hand.
"Alright, alright. I forgive you. Let's pretend nothing happened."
Ran pouted, sulking as she stared at him.
So annoying! This brat isn't even cute anymore!
They rested together on the reef for a while. Then, as luck would have it, a passing speedboat came into view.
Ran, still somewhat exhausted and unwilling to swim back, waved to the boat while holding Akashi.
It was a female fisherwoman on board, who gladly offered to take them back to shore.
Soon, they returned to the beach.
But Ran hadn't quite let go of her petty revenge.
She quietly hugged Akashi again, this time squeezing with subtle but firm strength.
Trying to strangle him with a hug?
Unfortunately for her, Akashi's soft, well-cushioned back absorbed the impact completely.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hurt him.
Akashi, sensing her effort, could only chuckle helplessly.
As soon as they got back, sharp-eyed Ran spotted Kogoro and Conan approaching.
She instantly hugged Akashi tightly and broke into a jog.
Caught completely off-guard, Akashi stumbled along, unable to even form a sentence.
Watching her run, he confirmed: Ran was completely fine. No trace of the venom remained.
She even looked healthier than before!
Ran ran straight to her father, Kogoro.
Conan, the little devil, caught sight of them and instantly scowled.
Here we go again!
Why was she still holding onto that brat like that?!
He had already been annoyed by how close they were in Tokyo—but now, on the Izu beach, wearing nothing but swimsuits?
Skin to skin?! Are you kidding me?!
Conan's glare could've turned Akashi to dust if looks could kill.
But Akashi noticed and retaliated with a smirk.
Lv1's Polarizing Skill: Activated!
A ray of sunlight refracted perfectly into Conan's eyes, blinding him.
"Agh—!"
Conan stumbled, lowering his head as his vision whited out.
Meanwhile, Ran ignored him and asked her father, "Dad, how's Miss Kiwako? Did Miss Harumi really do it?"
Kogoro, glancing at Eri beside him—who was wearing sunglasses—replied calmly:
"The antidote was administered in time. Miss Kiwako is out of danger."
"Harumi Matsuzaki admitted to the snake bite. She did it because she was in love with her brother, Masahiko Matsuzaki, and didn't want him to marry Miss Kiwako."
"She took advantage of the moment when Miss Kiwako was testing Masahiko Matsuzaki and used the sea snake to carry out her attack."
Ran blinked in confusion. "Testing?"
Akashi chimed in, "Just like earlier, Sister Ran—you pretended to drown to see if I would save you, remember?"
"Miss Kiwako did the same. She faked drowning to test whether her fiance, who can't swim, would still jump in after her."
Ran instantly understood.
Kogoro nodded with a sigh. "Women always like to test people for no reason."
"Some don't even wear wedding rings, just to see if anyone notices."
"And even after solving the case, they don't say it directly—they get their daughters to pass on the message instead."
"Tch... women are impossible to figure out!"
Kogoro was sure Eri had cracked the case. In his mind, he'd already imagined an elaborate scenario.
After all, the only adults present on the beach were Eri, Ran, and the kids.
Who else could've solved it?
Of course it had to be Eri—the genius attorney!