"What?! Asou Keiji's been dead for over ten years?!"
"Then who the hell sent me that letter?"
"Wait—don't tell me… it was Asou Keiji's ghost?"
"…"
After leaving the small-town information office, Mouri Kogoro was still trembling as he lit up a cigarette. His hands shook as much as his nerves.
"C-Conan…" he stammered, glancing down at the boy beside him. "If we return the client's fee now… do you think we can still make it in time?"
Conan could only roll his eyes. A grown man — a detective, no less — scared of ghosts.No wonder Ran was terrified of anything supernatural. Clearly, it ran in the family.
"Uncle Mouri," Conan sighed, exasperated, "there's no such thing as ghosts. The meaning of the letter is obvious — the sender wants you to investigate Asou Keiji's death."
"Uh…" Kogoro froze, then suddenly laughed and slapped Conan's head. "Ha! Of course I knew that already! I was just testing you, kid. Good deduction! You're catching on quick."
"...Heh." Conan had long grown numb to Kogoro's shamelessness.
Unbothered, Kogoro puffed up proudly. "Alright then! Let's go find someone who actually knows something about Asou Keiji!"
So, the unlikely duo began asking around the island. After hitting wall after wall, they eventually found themselves standing in front of Asai Clinic.
The moment they walked in, the beautiful young doctor behind the counter caught Kogoro's full attention. He stubbed out his cigarette, straightened his jacket, and strode up with forced sophistication.
"Excuse me, gorgeous miss," he said suavely, "have you ever heard of Asou Keiji?"
"Hmm?" The woman — Asai Narumi — blinked in surprise. She looked from the tall man to the small boy, clearly puzzled. "Why are you asking about him?"
"I'm Detective Mouri Kogoro from Tokyo," Kogoro announced, handing her his business card with dramatic flair. "I've been commissioned to investigate Asou Keiji's cause of death."
Narumi frowned slightly. "May I ask… who commissioned you?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Kogoro said solemnly, shaking his head. "Client confidentiality."
Conan nodded slightly — for once, his "uncle" was acting like a proper detective.
But then Kogoro immediately ruined it. "That said, I actually don't know who the client is, so I guess telling you wouldn't matter!"
"…" Conan resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. And I gave him credit. Big mistake.
Still, Kogoro had some restraint; he didn't show her the letter itself. "All I can say is, I received a request asking me to investigate the cause of Asou Keiji's death."
"I see…" Narumi said softly, disappointment flickering across her face. After a pause, she seemed to decide something.
"I've heard a few things about Asou Keiji from some of the elderly patients I treat," she said finally. "If you'd like, I can tell you what I know."
Kogoro and Conan exchanged a glance, then both bowed gratefully. "Thank you very much, doctor!"
After leaving the clinic, the sun had already begun its slow descent toward the horizon. The two walked along the seaside path, reviewing what they'd learned.
"So, twelve years ago, Asou Keiji's entire family died in that fire," Kogoro muttered. "Meaning whoever sent the letter must've been a close friend or relative. Someone who still wants to know the truth about how he died."
"But why wait twelve years to start investigating?" he grumbled. "Bit late for that, don't you think?"
Conan countered immediately. "Not necessarily. Maybe they did investigate twelve years ago but never found any results."
He paused, recalling the chilling line from the letter: 'When the next full moon rises over Tsukikage Island, the shadows will begin to vanish once again.'
"…This could be a warning," Conan murmured, "a prediction that another crime is about to—huh?"
"What's with the suspense, huh? Don't just stop there!" Kogoro snapped, annoyed.
"Uncle Mouri, look—over there!!"
Conan's sudden shout made Kogoro jolt. The boy's voice trembled with something between panic and outrage.
Kogoro turned—and froze.
Down on the golden beach, two familiar figures stood in the sunlight.
Ren Kuroda.And Ran Mouri.
"...That's it?" Kogoro grumbled, his nerves settling as he sighed in relief. "You scared me half to death, brat. They're just playing at the beach."
He lit another cigarette.
"Uncle Mouri! Look closer!!" Conan's voice cracked with indignation. His hands trembled as he pointed furiously. "Ren—Ren-nii is putting sunscreen on Ran-neechan's back!!"
The raw, blazing jealousy that hit him nearly made him combust on the spot.He'd never even had the chance to do that himself!
That jerk!!
Kogoro took a drag and exhaled lazily. "If he didn't help, how would Ran reach her own back?" he said, looking rather pleased.
Not pleased with Ren, mind you — but pleased that his daughter was finally paying attention to someone other than that Shinichi kid.
Seeing that Kogoro wasn't about to intervene, Conan's blood boiled. He clenched his fists and charged down the sand, fury burning in his tiny frame.
He skidded to a stop in front of them, opening his mouth to shout—
"Oh, Conan! Perfect timing," Ren said before he could get a word out. "Want to give it a try?"
"Huh? Me?" The sudden offer short-circuited Conan's anger.
Ren nodded with a grin. "Yeah. Come on."
For a moment, Conan's imagination ran wild. He's letting me help Ran-neechan? Seriously?!
Trying to hide his excitement, he said modestly, "W-well… that might not be appropriate…"
"Nothing inappropriate about it," Ren said cheerfully, waving him over. "Come on."
"Th-then… okay, I'll give it a shot!" Conan said eagerly, stepping forward.
And then—Ren promptly grabbed him by the collar, pushed him down onto a beach towel, and smeared a thick glob of sunscreen all over his face.
"Wha—?! What are you doing?!" Conan spluttered, blinking through the oily mess.
"Putting sunscreen on you, obviously," Ren said matter-of-factly, rubbing the lotion across his cheeks. "You've been running around all day. If you don't protect your skin, you'll end up burnt to a crisp."
It hit Conan a beat later.
Ren hadn't meant him helping Ran—he'd meant Ren helping him.
He'd been tricked.
Fuming, Conan sat up and wiped his face with a towel. Ren watched him with a teasing smile.
"What's wrong?" Ren said. "Don't tell me you wanted to be the one rubbing sunscreen on Ran?"
"U-uh…" Conan froze, words dying in his throat. He couldn't exactly say yes without sounding like a pervert.
Ren's grin widened. Playing with this kid was almost too easy.
"Listen, kid," he said, his tone mock-serious. "Stuff like that's for when you're older. Little boys shouldn't be thinking about those naughty things."
The worst part was—Conan actually felt seen. His face went red with embarrassment and frustration.
But the moment he remembered Ren's hands on Ran's shoulders, his temper reignited.
"Then why were you putting sunscreen on her?" Conan shot back.
Ren didn't miss a beat. "Well, I couldn't just let a stranger do it, could I?"
Conan's jaw clenched. His little fists trembled at his sides.
This guy—!So smooth, so smug—and completely impossible to argue with!