At the entrance to the observation elevator on the 75th floor, Hayasaka, who had searched the entire area, ran back in a panic. Looking at Inspector Megure, who had yet to evacuate, she asked anxiously,
"Inspector Megure, Onizawa is gone! I've looked everywhere, but I can't find him!"
"What? Have you tried calling his cell phone?" Megure asked.
"I have, but it's turned off. What should we do, Inspector?"
The moment Conan overheard the conversation, he realized his teacher had probably already rendezvoused with the Organization. He shouldn't be in any danger.
Thinking that both Yoshiaki and Mio had been successfully saved, Conan couldn't help feeling relieved.
Kogoro reached the same conclusion. Onizawa was probably off carrying out some confidential assignment.
The best thing he could do now was keep Inspector Megure and the others from worrying, so he stepped forward and said,
"Don't worry about that kid. He asked me to cover for him earlier. Said his wife wasn't feeling well, so he went home to check on her."
Conan blinked twice at Kogoro's explanation.
'Sensei really thought everything through...'
He had even anticipated that his coworkers from the Metropolitan Police would come looking for him, so he had planted an excuse with Kogoro in advance.
If Conan had known the truth, he probably would have cried.
The observation elevator arrived. Standing by the elevator doors, Megure calmly directed the evacuation.
"Everyone, get inside quickly. Hayasaka, you go with them."
"Inspector, please be careful."
Only after the elevator doors closed did Megure begin sweeping the banquet hall with his flashlight. Once he confirmed that no guests had been left behind, he hurried toward the emergency stairwell.
...
At the same time,
On the rooftop of the neighboring skyscraper.
Ritsu narrowed his eyes as he watched the crowd file into the observation elevator through the scope of his sniper rifle.
He tugged lightly at the corners of his mouth, loosening his facial muscles.
'I'd better make my performance look convincing.'
Holding a pair of binoculars, Gin observed the observation elevator.
When he saw Shiho chatting cheerfully with the people around her, he let out a faint chuckle.
"So our little lost kitten has made some friends."
Ritsu had enough sarcastic remarks bottled up inside to host several seasons' worth of comedy shows.
He desperately wanted to ask Gin exactly what part of that woman resembled Shiho.
Since when had the perpetually expressionless Sherry ever laughed and chatted so happily with other people?
That bright, carefree smile was nothing like the cold, mocking smirk Sherry wore while leaning against a laboratory doorway in her white lab coat.
'Wake up already.'
"Let her rest in peace, Augier."
"Understood."
Ritsu deliberately switched on the rifle's laser sight, letting the red dot briefly sweep across Conan's face.
As if sensing something, Conan immediately activated the tracking function built into his glasses. The lenses quickly locked onto the distant rooftop.
There stood Gin.
Vodka.
And Augier... holding a sniper rifle.
'It's Sensei's warning! So the Organization has mistaken Sonoko for Haibara!'
Without missing a beat, Conan suddenly shouted,
"Sonoko-nee-san! Your panties are showing!!"
"Huh?! Where?! No way!"
Startled, Sonoko hurriedly grabbed the hem of her skirt.
A second later, she realized she was wearing a long skirt, there was no way her underwear could be showing. Planting her hands on her hips, she glared at Conan.
"You little brat! Since when did you start telling lies?"
"I'm sorry, Sonoko-nee! I... I saw wrong!"
Conan bowed a full ninety degrees in apology.
'Sensei really thinks highly of me. This is the only way I could think of to convince Gin that she isn't Haibara.'
...
On the rooftop across the way, the wind was cold.
Gin's expression became even colder.
For a split second, it was as if he could hear the cawing of crows from some melodramatic TV drama echoing in his ears, mocking him:
"Idiot. You got played."
His dark green eyes remained fixed on the image in his binoculars.
That exaggerated woman with her ridiculous gestures, there was absolutely no way she was Sherry.
'Pisco... That bastard actually dared toy with me.'
The realization instantly drove Gin's mood to rock bottom. Seizing the opportunity, Ritsu spoke up.
"Gin, it seems your intelligence was wrong."
He glanced through the scope again before continuing,
"Do you honestly think a woman like that could be Sherry? I spent quite a long time with her. Even if I were about to kill her, she would never make an expression like that."
Gin's face remained icy. He crushed the empty cigarette pack beneath his boot before saying flatly,
"Augier. If Sherry isn't in that building, then let it become Pisco's execution ground."
'That's the price of making a fool of me. He'd already outlived his usefulness. And now he willingly delivered himself to me. Why wouldn't I take the bait?'
Vodka looked at the detonator in his hand.
"Aniki, should I set off the remaining bombs too?"
"Hmph."
Gin shot him a cold glance.
"Were you planning on retrieving them?"
Without waiting for an answer, he snatched the detonator from Vodka's hand and pressed the second switch. The sky bridge connecting the two towers exploded apart.
The instant Ritsu saw it happen, he immediately grabbed Gin's wrist with his left hand and said with a smile,
"Gin, if you lose your composure, doesn't that mean you've already lost?"
Gin looked at him expressionlessly.
"Lost? When have I ever lost?"
Ritsu smiled.
"Don't we still have our big boy? Now... just sit back and watch my performance."
...
A few minutes earlier,
The first observation elevator carrying the Detective Boys stopped on the 66th floor. When the doors opened, they found a female guest outside carrying a baby.
Seeing that the woman had stepped aside after realizing the elevator was already full, Ayumi immediately walked out.
"Miss, you should go first with your baby!"
"But..."
Mitsuhiko smiled.
"We can cross over to Building B using the sky bridge on the 60th floor, so don't worry about us. It'll be much harder for you with a baby."
Genta grinned.
"We'll see you later!"
Watching the three children give up their spots without hesitation, Haibara smiled faintly before stepping out as well.
"You should hurry. There are still people upstairs waiting for the next elevator."
"Thank you all so much."
The woman bowed gratefully.
"Please be careful."
The elevator doors slowly closed. Darkness immediately swallowed the entire 66th floor. Only then did Ayumi show the fear expected of a child.
"It's so dark... I can't even tell which way is which."
Genta turned toward Mitsuhiko.
"Mitsuhiko, what do we do now? We turned in our flashlight watches when we joined the game."
"You're asking me? I have no idea..."
Suddenly, a beam of light appeared behind them.
Haibara, who hadn't participated in the game, activated the flashlight built into her own watch and sighed.
"This is why you always prepare for the worst. If I'd joined the game with you, we'd really be in trouble."
"Awesome! Just as expected of Ai-chan!"
Ayumi happily wrapped both arms around Haibara's arm.
"Let's go!"
Even without Conan beside her, having Haibara around made her feel completely safe.
Haibara's body stiffened slightly. She clearly wasn't accustomed to such intimate contact.
"We should head for the sky bridge on the 60th floor. If we don't hurry, the fire will spread here."
However, the moment they reached the sky bridge on the 60th floor—
BOOM!!
A violent explosion swept toward them.
The enormous shockwave nearly blew Haibara off her feet. As she stared at the shattered remains of the sky bridge, she immediately realized how bad the situation was.
'It's them... The Organization!'
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Three footsteps. The unmistakable sound of leather shoes striking the floor.
Haibara spun around warily.
Illuminated by the flickering flames from the ongoing explosions, a man stood at the corner ahead. She couldn't make out his face.
But that bone-chilling sensation had returned.
'Someone from the Organization... He knows who I am. If I stay with them, none of them will survive.'
Taking advantage of the fact that the other three children were completely focused on the collapsed sky bridge, Haibara quietly set down her illuminated watch.
Then turned and sprinted toward the upper floors.