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Chapter 15 - "Who Knocks in the Snow?"

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Watching as Sugiyama walked away, Sonoko nearly lost it."Ughhh! I'm gonna explode! There's seriously not a single decent guy around here!"

Soon, the two of them headed downstairs for dinner, where everyone was chatting about their favorite magician.

Still fuming, Sonoko couldn't take their chatter anymore and suddenly jumped up, thumping her chest and shouting,"Obviously, the one I admire the most is Kaito Kid!"

Everyone stared at her like she'd lost her mind—someone even dropped their fork.

"Isn't Kaito Kid a thief?" someone asked in disbelief.

Sonoko struck a proud pose."Mind your own business! I don't care what he is—I just like Kaito Kid-sama!"

By the time Mouri Kogoro rushed back at full speed, he was greeted by a blazing inferno across the cliff—flames shot up into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and the wooden suspension bridge was swaying violently in the fire. The blaze was far too big to put out now.

Conan frowned deeply."Uncle, call the police. Now."

"Huh?" Kogoro blinked, then shouted, "I'm on it!"

That sentence had two meanings. First, he was agreeing to make the call. Second, he was completely stunned by what he saw—because Conan had already dashed onto the burning, swaying bridge. This kid was nuts!

"You little brat, are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Kogoro stomped his feet in panic, ready to rush in and drag Conan back, but the unstable bridge clearly couldn't handle his weight. One end of the bridge had already snapped and was hanging by a thread.

But Conan didn't back down. Even with the bridge falling apart under him, he kept pushing forward on the charred wooden planks, completely focused.

You've got to be kidding! There's no way I'm dying here—not when Ran is still waiting for me on the other side!

"RAN!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Back at the villa, everyone was trying to get hold of the "Escape King," Tsutomu Nishiyama, but no one could get through on the phone.

Just then, Ran thought she heard someone calling her name. It was strange—it didn't sound like it came through her ears, but more like it reached straight into her heart. Confused but curious, she took Sonoko with her to check the front door.

When they opened it, they were shocked to find Conan lying in the snow.

"Conan?!" Ran gasped.

"What the hell? Why's this little brat here?" Sonoko thought she was seeing things.

Ran quickly placed her hand on Conan's forehead. His eyes fluttered open weakly, and with the last bit of strength he had, he whispered,"Ran… run… get out of here…"And then he passed out cold.

They brought Conan inside and laid him in one of the rooms. After checking his temperature and giving him some medicine, Doi Takuki left him to rest while the rest of the group went back downstairs to resume the party.

That's when someone suddenly knocked on the door, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Huh? Could it be the Escape King? Or the Shadow Magician?" someone asked.

Miss Tanaka frowned slightly. She had already burned down the bridge—the Escape King should be dead, and the Shadow Magician had always just been a decoy. There shouldn't be anyone else out there in the snow.So who the hell was knocking?

As the owner of the villa, Arayoshi went over and opened the door—only to find a cold, sharp-looking young man dressed in black standing outside. His eyes were deep and star-like, so intense it was hard to look away.

"You are…?" Arayoshi asked, stunned.

"Just a passerby who got stuck in the snow," Hanabumi replied calmly, not sounding the least bit like someone asking for help.

Sonoko's eyes lit up instantly, like she'd found a diamond in a pile of rocks. She was so excited, her whole body started trembling.

Ran noticed her reaction."What's wrong, Sonoko? Are you cold? Why are you shaking?"

Sonoko leaned in close to Ran's ear and whispered,"Finally—a drop-dead gorgeous guy shows up!"

"Uh…" Ran was speechless.

"....."

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