Chapter 286: Detective Agency Hostage Incident 3
Haibara Ai watched with a flicker of amusement. True to his tsundere nature, Conan was actually about to call Ran Mouri, all under the flimsy pretext of asking about some boy.
Her amusement faded, however, when a subtle shift in the room drew her gaze. Albedo, who had been patiently observing the children's chatter, suddenly wore a different expression. A slight furrow creased his brow, his features tightening as if a troubling thought had just struck him.
Knowing he was a member of the Teyvat Organization, Haibara's senses went on high alert. Seeing Albedo's strange reaction, she discreetly shifted her focus entirely onto him, her observation seamless and unnoticed.
Albedo's eyes flickered towards Klee for a moment before he crossed the room to Dr. Agasa. He murmured something brief and quiet. The professor gave a small nod of understanding, and with that, Albedo moved with a practiced lightness, slipping out of the house without disturbing anyone.
A knot of suspicion tightened in Haibara's mind. This was strange. She knew the plan for the Detective Boys' get-together; they had all agreed Albedo would stay the night at the professor's house after dropping Klee off.
Even though he belonged to that 'mysterious organization,' Haibara had trusted that with Klee present, Albedo wouldn't cause any trouble. It was why she hadn't objected to him staying over.
But now he'd left so abruptly, and without a word to Klee. That could only mean one thing: he didn't plan on being gone for long.
With that thought solidifying, Haibara bypassed Conan, who was now engrossed in his phone call with Ran. She walked straight to the professor. "Doctor," she asked, her tone direct, "what did Albedo just say to you?"
"Eh?" Dr. Agasa blinked, taken aback by her sudden, serious question. He adjusted his glasses and answered earnestly, "Oh, Albedo just mentioned that something came up unexpectedly. He said he needed to step out for a little while but would be back soon."
Haibara's gaze drifted to the front door, her expression sharp and probing as she stared at the wood Albedo had just closed behind him.
'This is all wrong,' she thought. Given Albedo's deep devotion to Klee, he would have carefully arranged his schedule before ever bringing her over. How could something "come up unexpectedly"? More, she hadn't seen him check any messages or touch an earpiece.
Pivoting, Haibara turned to share her discovery with Conan, only to find him frozen in place, his phone clutched in his hand, his face a mask of tension.
She realized it instantly. Something had happened. Her analytical curiosity was immediately eclipsed by a wave of concern for Ran and the others.
She hurried to Conan's side. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice low and urgent. "Did something happen to Ran?"
Conan gave a grim nod, raising a finger to his lips to signal for silence. Haibara fell quiet, standing beside him and straining to hear the faint sounds coming from the phone's earpiece.
Meanwhile, Albedo, having just departed from Dr. Agasa's house, was already making his way toward the Mouri Detective Agency, using the system's communication channel to get a handle on the situation.
[Albedo: Traveler, what is the situation on your end?]
Natsume quickly relayed the events that had transpired since Sawaguri Kaoru stormed into the agency. She emphasized that the man was not only armed with a handgun but also had a bomb strapped to his body. He was emotionally volatile and was demanding that Kogoro Mouri find his sister's killer.
After finishing her report, Natsume let out a quiet sigh of relief. [It's a good thing you're nearby, Albedo. If you can get here in time, it'll be a huge help. Otherwise, I really don't see how I could deal with this guy without exposing my elemental powers.]
She paused, a thought striking her. [Speaking of which, how did an ordinary person like Sawaguri Kaoru even get his hands on a bomb and a gun? If it weren't for the bomb, this wouldn't be nearly so much trouble.]
In the end, Natsume couldn't help but grumble about the state of public safety in Beika.
[Yeah, yeah!] Paimon chimed in, her voice buzzing with alarm. [I just took a look, and there are so many bombs! The culprit has a whole ring of them strapped around his waist! It looks terrifying!]
[Albedo: Understood.]
With that single word, Albedo ended the communication and focused entirely on his journey, his pace quickening. Before long, he arrived on the street below the Mouri Detective Agency.
Back inside the agency, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Ran Mouri had only managed to say a few words to Conan before Masumi Sera smoothly took the phone from her. To avoid arousing the culprit's suspicion, she muttered a few perfunctory phrases into the receiver before placing the phone back on the table.
Of course, she hadn't ended the call.
In a clever move to feed Conan information, Masumi skillfully guided the conversation, prompting the culprit, Sawaguri Kaoru, to restate the details of the case he wanted Detective Mouri to solve.
The culprit's sister, Sawaguri Mihono, had been a best-selling author who had won the prestigious Naoki Prize at a young age. She had died last month at a hot spring inn in Gunma Prefecture. Because the room had been locked from the inside, the police had ruled her death a suicide.
The people who had accompanied her on that trip were three friends she had met through social media—the very same three people Sawaguri Kaoru had summoned to the agency today. He was convinced that one of them had murdered his sister.
To help Kogoro Mouri get up to speed, Sawaguri Kaoru had even brought case materials with him. Among them were photos of a bloody handprint on the bath mat outside the bathroom and a transcript of a live-text social media post the victim had been writing from the scene.
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