"Ahem… I might've come at a bad time."
Conan finally had to speak up, glancing awkwardly at the pair before him."But seriously—this is not the time for flirting!"
"Ah—C–Conan?! Are you guys okay?" Sonoko panicked, cheeks burning red as she hastily pulled herself out of Shiraishi Ren's arms.She was usually bold and forward, but when things actually got real… she froze up.A textbook example of someone all talk, no action.
"We're fine," Conan replied, already crouched down and patting down the unconscious robbers for clues.
Just then, the three kids came running back. Ayumi rushed over, asking, "Conan! Did you find a phone?"
"No luck," Conan said with a sigh, holding up a walkie-talkie. "All I found was this."
The device suddenly crackled to life with a man's rough voice:"I see you, brats! You've got ten minutes to come to the control room—or the elevator lady dies!"
A woman's terrified scream followed through the speaker. "Help me! Please—someone help me!"
"Damn it!" Conan's face hardened. He hadn't expected the robbers to have taken a hostage.
Shiraishi Ren, however, already understood the situation—but kept his mouth shut.His little "hero rescues the damsel" act earlier had only been a passing grade. Not quite dramatic enough.Maybe the next scene would be more explosive.
Smirking inwardly, he said, "Looks like we've got no choice but to head down there."
"You guys grab his attention. I'll sneak around and take him out," Conan said firmly—he knew lives were on the line, and there was no time to keep up the kid act anymore.
"You sure about that?" Ren asked, lowering his head slightly to meet Conan's eyes.
"Yeah." Conan nodded seriously.
"Alright. I'll trust you."Ren didn't question further, motioning for the others to follow him into the elevator.
As they descended, Sonoko bit her lip. "Are we really leaving it to Conan…? Is that okay?"
"We've already been spotted," Ren said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "There's no other option."
Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko chimed in with full confidence,"Conan can do it!""Yeah! He's amazing at kicking stuff!""I believe in Conan!"
"…"Seeing how much faith everyone had in him, Sonoko said nothing more.
She tried to hand Ren the gun, but he shook his head."You keep it. I'll feel better that way."
That actually made sense to her, so she didn't argue.
Ding!The elevator arrived.
As the doors slid open, they stepped out—only to see the robber waiting right there.
He had his left arm locked tightly around a trembling elevator attendant's neck, holding his pistol to her head.
Sonoko instantly raised her gun to aim at him.
"Drop it!" the robber barked, half-hidden behind the hostage. "Drop your gun, or I'll blow her head off!"
Sonoko froze, hands shaking, eyes darting to Ren instinctively.
"Don't you dare!" Ren barked back. "Drop it and he'll just shoot us all anyway!"
The robber growled, "Last warning—drop it! Now!"
Ren opened his mouth again—but then caught sight of Conan darting along the shadows.Man, that kid moves fast.
Stalling for time, Ren said loudly, "Let her go, and we'll let you walk out of here alive!"
"Shut the hell up! You don't make the rules!" the robber snarled.
He didn't get to say another word before a soccer ball—launched like a cannon shell—slammed into the back of his head with a solid thud!
He flew half a meter forward before collapsing to the ground, completely out cold.
"Got him!""Yay!!""Conan, that was awesome!""Didn't know you had that kind of power!"
The three kids and Sonoko cheered loudly. Conan couldn't help smirking proudly.But before anyone could celebrate for long, the "elevator lady" suddenly pulled out a pistol of her own.
"You're clever," she said coldly, aiming at Sonoko. "But I'm smarter."
"What?!" Conan and the others froze, their cheers dying in their throats.
Sonoko raised her gun again, and the air turned heavy.Everyone's nerves went taut, neither side daring to make a move.
The "attendant" hesitated, realizing the standoff wasn't going her way.She opened her mouth to say something—but then Ren moved.
Her reflexes fired before her brain did—she pulled the trigger.
She realized too late what she'd done.
Bang!
The bullet flew straight toward Sonoko——but Ren "just happened" to dive in front of her, taking the shot.
The gunfire jolted Sonoko into panic.Almost instinctively, she fired back.Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three bullets tore into the woman's chest—one straight through her heart.She dropped instantly.
"Ren!!" Sonoko screamed, rushing to his side.She didn't even check the fallen attacker—she dropped her gun and fell to her knees, cradling Ren's body.
Her mind went blank. She couldn't think, couldn't remember what to do.
"Cough… cough… I—I don't think I'm gonna make it," Ren said weakly, forcing a pained smile. "But… seeing you safe… that's enough for me."
"No, no, no!" Sonoko's voice cracked.Tears spilled down her face as she clutched him tighter. "You're not going to die! You can't!"
"Don't… cry…" Ren whispered, raising a trembling hand to brush her tears away. "You look awful when you cry.Live well, okay? You're the proof I existed."
His head tilted to the side, arm falling limp.
"No!! Don't die!!" Sonoko's scream tore through the silence. Her whole body shook as she sobbed uncontrollably, a complete wreck.
The three kids began crying too."White-Shiraishi-nii! Don't die!""Please don't!""It's all my fault! If I hadn't wanted that autograph, this never would've happened!"
Conan, meanwhile, checked the "elevator lady." Confirmed—dead. Then he walked back, exhaling deeply.
He looked at the weeping group, then at Ren lying "lifeless" on the floor, and said flatly,"Why are you all crying? Take a closer look—he doesn't even have a drop of blood on him. How could he be dead?"
Sonoko blinked, wiping her eyes. Slowly, she looked down at Ren's chest.There was a bullet hole in his shirt.But when she reached in, her fingers brushed against something hard.
She pulled out a smartphone—its screen cracked, a bullet lodged neatly in the middle.
Her eyes widened. "You… you idiot! You tricked me!"
"Oops. Guess the secret's out."Ren opened one eye and grinned. "The mood was perfect—felt like a waste not to die dramatically."
"Y–You—you're impossible! Don't ever do that again! I nearly had a heart attack!"Sonoko pounded weakly on his chest, still shaking.
"Alright, alright, no more fake deaths," Ren chuckled, sitting up. He gently wiped away the tears left on her cheeks.Taking the phone back, he sighed. "Guess I got lucky this time… Next time, maybe not."
Conan let out a long breath of relief. If that phone hadn't stopped the bullet, things could've ended very differently.
Then he noticed Ren casually pick up the fallen gun and wipe the fingerprints off with a handkerchief.
Conan frowned, about to say something—but Ren spoke first."When the police get here, just say I was the one who fired the shots. Got it?"
Conan froze. He realized Ren was trying to take the blame for Sonoko—to protect her from being charged with killing someone.
"Uh… okay." The three kids exchanged glances, then nodded quickly.They liked Sonoko. To them, she was a good big sister figure—and besides, she'd shot in self-defense. They didn't feel guilty hiding that.
Conan, however, hesitated. Lying to the police went against every fiber of his moral code.But Sonoko was his childhood friend, and she hadn't done anything wrong.Ren was only trying to protect her.
After a long moment of inner struggle, Conan finally sighed and nodded.He wasn't one to cling blindly to ideals, anyway—after all, back in New York, he'd once let a murderer go free… to save Ran.
But then Sonoko suddenly shouted,"No! You don't have to do that!"
"My mom'll hire the best lawyer in the country! And my dad'll donate to the department if he has to! They wouldn't dare prosecute me!"
Everyone fell silent—then slowly nodded.That… actually made a lot of sense.
Even Ren was left speechless. Then he smiled wryly.
Ah, he thought, the power of money… truly unbeatable.