Saturday morning.
Ren Kuroda and the others boarded a passenger ferry bound for Tsukikage Island.
"Waaah~~ it's been forever since we went on a trip!" Ran Mouri spread her arms wide at the bow of the ship, letting the ocean breeze brush across her face.
"This isn't a trip!" barked Mouri Kogoro, cigarette dangling from his lips. "We're on an investigation!"
He exhaled a puff of smoke and added smugly, "If that man, Asou Keiji, hadn't shown such sincerity, I wouldn't have bothered coming all this way!"
"Sincerity? You mean the fat payment," Conan muttered dryly.
"What was that, you little brat?!" Kogoro smacked him on the head and then, realizing Ran was looking, quickly forced a nervous grin.
But it was too late—she'd already caught on. She walked over, hands on her hips. "Dad, you already took the payment? Why didn't you tell me?"
"W–what? Of course not! The kid's talking nonsense! Right, Conan?" Kogoro shot Conan a glare so sharp it could kill.
Conan rubbed his aching head, grumbling silently. Even my real dad never hit me this much. This guy's making a habit of it!And if he'd already been hit, why not make it worth it?
So Conan puffed out his cheeks and said loudly, "That's not true! When I came home from school, I saw you counting a huge stack of cash! You even told me not to tell Ran-neechan!"
He spread his hands to show how thick the bundle had been.
Ran's face darkened immediately. "Dad! We agreed you'd hand over half! Otherwise you'll just waste it all on horse racing and beer again!"
"You rotten kid! You talk too much!" Kogoro growled, but he didn't dare shout at his daughter. Reluctantly, he pulled half the fee from his wallet and handed it over.
"Honestly… you're a grown man. Can't you have some self-control?" Ran sighed as she took the money.
"I just… forgot, that's all." Kogoro said shamelessly—then quickly grabbed Conan by the collar and started toward the back of the ship. "Come on, Conan! Let's go 'discuss the case'—figure out the code in that letter!"
"Ran-neechan! Help me!!" Conan yelped, flailing as he was dragged away.
Ran started forward to intervene, but Ren Kuroda, watching calmly from the side, gently caught her wrist.
"Work stuff," he said lightly. "Better not interrupt them."
"But that's not work!" Ran protested. She wasn't stupid; it was obvious her dad just wanted an excuse to rough Conan up again.
Ren chuckled. "Don't worry. Detective Mouri knows his limits. Besides—men bond through pain and insults. Haven't you noticed how close those two are getting?"
"Close?" Ran blinked in confusion. She honestly couldn't see it.
"Male friendship," Ren said with mock seriousness, "is forged through battle. You haven't noticed? They've both dropped the act."
Ran tilted her head, thinking. It was true—when Conan had first appeared, he'd been all polite smiles and perfect manners. Now he wasn't afraid to talk back.And her dad, who used to restrain himself in front of the kid, had long since stopped pretending.
"…You're right," she admitted at last. "Boys' friendships are really strange."
"See? Nothing to worry about."
Just then, a strangled "Aaahhh!" echoed from the stern.
Ran winced. Ren didn't even flinch. "Anyway," he said smoothly, "what's your plan once we get there?"
"Plan? Aren't we all investigating together?" Ran asked, puzzled.
Ren shook his head. "What fun is that? I've got no interest in tagging along."
He knew exactly what was supposed to happen next.He had no desire to "watch" the Moonlight Murder Case play out a second time—nor any intention of stopping Asai Narumi's revenge.
Revenge, to him, was something sacred.As the old saying went: People who tell others to 'let it go' should be struck by lightning.
If it had been his own family taken from him, he wouldn't stop at a few direct targets.He'd wipe out the entire bloodline—and shake their ancestors' ashes for good measure.
An eye for an eye, he thought. That's balance.
"Besides," Ren added lightly, pulling out his phone, "we're already here. Might as well enjoy the island while we can, right? Look—here's my travel guide."
He scrolled through a few screenshots. "See? The island's got a few top-rated restaurants, and you can rent water sports gear down by the beach. Be a shame not to try it while we're here."
Ran hesitated, tempted. Truthfully, she wasn't that interested in her dad's "detective work."Local cuisine and seaside fun sounded way better.
"But… won't it look bad if we go play while they're working?" she asked uncertainly.
Ren grinned. "Trust me, your dad will thank us for staying out of his hair. We'll ask him ourselves."
"Okay!" Ran nodded eagerly.
The ferry docked at Tsukikage Island. Ren and Ran disembarked first, waiting a while before Kogoro and Conan finally appeared, the boy looking worse for wear.
When the group reunited on the pier, Ren said, "Detective Mouri, Ran and I won't be joining the investigation this time. It's our first time on the island—we're going to explore a bit."
Ran waited nervously for her father's response.
"What?! You're not coming?" Conan's eyes widened. The thought of Ren sneaking off alone with Ran made his stomach twist.
"No way! Ren-nii, I heard all about how you solved that kidnapping case last time!" Conan blurted out. "You're a genius! We need you to help us. Without you, how will we solve the case?"
Kogoro's mustache bristled immediately. "What did you say, brat?! Are you implying I can't solve it without him?!"
He jabbed a thumb proudly at himself. "For your information, I used to be a police officer! A case like this? Child's play!"
"Really?" Conan asked innocently, feigning surprise. He knew full well that Kogoro had once been a cop—though he'd spent more time playing mahjong with Inspector Megure than catching criminals.
"Well then," Conan said sweetly, "since you're such a great detective, I guess you don't need me, either! I'll just go with Ran-neechan and Ren-nii to—"
"Not a chance!" Kogoro grabbed the boy by the arm before he could finish. "You're my assistant, remember? How can I solve a case without my assistant?"
He forced a grin and began dragging Conan away. "Come on, kid! Let's go question the locals. Ran, you and Ren enjoy yourselves! We'll call when the case is solved!"
"Okay! Good luck, Dad!" Ran waved cheerfully.
Ren smirked, unsurprised. "See? Told you."
Even without Conan's interference, Kogoro's pride would never let him say, 'I need help.'He'd rather march straight into a storm than admit it.