Ren Kuroda stepped out of the seaside inn, the morning air cool and heavy with the lingering scent of smoke. He decided to head into town to check the situation for himself.
But the moment he arrived, chaos greeted him. The streets were in ruins — trash scattered everywhere, broken signs, shattered glass. Town residents were running wild, shouting, fighting, clawing at one another.
"Ah! There's still some Gigerra here!"
"Give it to me! It's mine!"
"I saw it first! That's my flower!"
"Give me Gigerra! I can't live without it!"
Ren stopped dead in his tracks, watching the madness unfold. His heart sank.
They're all high… completely gone.
Their faces were pale and bloated, their eyes glassy, their movements jerky and desperate.
"What a disaster…" Ren muttered with a long sigh.
He'd seen scenes like this before — in news reports from overseas, where people burned narcotics in open air and ended up intoxicated by the fumes. He'd laughed at them back then, mocking their stupidity.
Who destroys drugs like that? he had thought. Even Lin Zexu knew to use lime and seal the opium before dumping it in the sea. And these idiots just… light it on fire?
And now, the same idiocy was happening right in front of him.
Ren wasn't laughing anymore. For once, he was completely speechless.
He'd seen plenty of ridiculous things in his life, but this… this was on another level.
"Hmm?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone in the crowd — a familiar face.
"Mouri Kogorō?!"
Ren's jaw dropped. Even he's high?
If Kogorō was here… what about Ran? What about Conan?
The thought made his stomach twist.
He pushed through the frenzied crowd, shoving and elbowing his way forward until he grabbed Kogorō by the collar and yanked him out.
"Let go of me!" Kogorō thrashed wildly. "Let me go! I have to get the Gigerra!"
Ren slapped him. Twice. Hard.
"Forget the damn flowers! Where's Ran?!"
The blows seemed to snap Kogorō back for a moment. He blinked, dazed, and muttered, "She's at the inn… in her room. Now let me go!"
He tried to break free and run back toward the chaos, but Ren hit him with a swift hand chop to the neck, knocking him unconscious.
"Sorry, old man."
Without wasting a second, Ren sprinted back toward the inn.
He reached Ran's door, banging on it urgently. "Ran! Ran Mouri! Open up!"
No response.
Ren's expression hardened. He kicked the door open.
Inside, Ran was kneeling by the window, humming softly as she trimmed a small potted plant. Conan stood beside her, watching cheerfully.
The plant was covered in strange, vivid blossoms.
Gigerra.
"Ah—Ren-kun! You're here!" Ran smiled brightly. "Look! Conan picked all these on the mountain! We've got enough Gigerra to last us a long time!"
Conan held out an armful of the flowers, beaming. "Ren-nii, these are for you! I saved some just for you."
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Hide them well, okay? Don't let Uncle Kogorō find out — he'll steal them!"
Ren stared at them blankly.
He looked at the flowers. At Conan's grin. At Ran's serene expression.
And suddenly… something clicked.
Wait. Gigerra? Isn't that from Ultraman Tiga? What's it doing in Conan's world?
A cold chill crept up his spine.
Ren frowned and summoned the System interface.
No response.
Nothing.
It was gone.
And that's when it hit him.
This isn't real.
He was dreaming.
The moment the thought formed, the world around him shattered like glass — colors exploding outward, fading into darkness.
When Ren opened his eyes again, he was staring at the ceiling of the inn.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Just a dream…"
Then paused. "Right? …It was just a dream, wasn't it?"
Still uneasy, he got up and dressed quickly, tucking his red mask back into his coat.
The door creaked open behind him.
"You're… awake?" Akemi stepped inside. Her voice was small, her face pale. She looked nervous — and embarrassed.
She hadn't expected the man behind the mask to be so young.
Or familiar.
Ren nodded casually. "Yeah."
He seemed perfectly calm — and that alone reassured her. After all, nothing had gotten too out of hand last night.
Akemi lowered her gaze. "I… I'm sorry," she whispered. "Last night, I don't know what came over me. I just… acted strange."
Her cheeks flushed as the memories flickered in her mind. She couldn't understand why she'd done what she'd done. That wasn't like her.
"It's not just your fault," Ren said gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I wasn't exactly thinking straight either."
He stepped past her toward the door. "Let's not dwell on it. For now, we should check the town. Hopefully… things aren't too bad."
"Y-yeah," Akemi said, nodding quickly. She followed him out, anxiety written all over her face.
As they walked down the quiet road toward the town square, the rising sun painted the sea in shades of orange and gold.
Akemi's heart pounded with dread. Her hands clenched at her sides. What if… I really messed everything up?
She bit her lip, replaying the events over and over. Burning the villa. The smoke. The fire.
Ren glanced at her. "Don't beat yourself up," he said calmly. "People do stupid things when they're exhausted."
Akemi gave a bitter smile. "No… it was greed. I wanted too much. I pushed myself, got careless, and… set the fire. It's all my fault."
Ren didn't answer. The truth was, she wasn't entirely wrong.
They reached the town square — and stopped dead.
The streets were empty.
Not a single person in sight. Even the little breakfast shops that always opened before dawn were shuttered tight.
A gust of sea wind rolled past, sending a few old newspapers tumbling down the street.
Akemi's voice trembled. "Where is everyone?"
Ren frowned, scanning the empty street. "Looks like last night's explosions scared them into hiding. Can't blame them."
If he were a local, he thought, after hearing a barrage of explosions all night, he'd be barricading himself inside too — lock the doors, pack some water and food, and hide somewhere safe.
Maybe even in a basement, if they had one. Anything to stay alive.
People were curious by nature, sure, but last night had gone far beyond mere curiosity.
Not everyone was as reckless as Conan, running toward every loud noise just to "investigate."
To be sure, Ren and Akemi made their way back to the inn.
The main door was shut tight. Ren knocked several times before the innkeeper cracked it open, peeking out cautiously.
When he recognized Ren, he relaxed and let them in.
Ren questioned him about what had happened during the night.
After a brief conversation, the truth became clear: police officers had already arrived on the island late last night. They'd ordered everyone to stay indoors until further notice, while they investigated the explosions.
Ren nodded to himself. Just as I thought.
The island was under lockdown — and for now, all they could do was wait.