Nishikawa Suimei didn't know why she fell, only that she stepped on something.
The rocks that seemed to appear out of nowhere gave her a bad feeling. When you've done a lot of bad things, it's easy to start feeling guilty. Plus, falling and getting hurt makes anyone more vulnerable. As she lay on the ground, Nishikawa Suimei could feel a cold sensation at her back, as if there were ghosts lurking everywhere. She didn't have the time or energy to think too much about it—she just wanted to survive. She needed to escape, so she scrambled toward the nearest exit.
Outside, Nishikawa Suimei glanced at the warm corridor lights and let out a relieved breath.
She checked her watch and realized she'd been wandering the secret passage for ages. Still, she hadn't been able to find Jiang Xia at all.
She slipped back to her room, took a seat in her wheelchair, and cautiously went out to gather information. What she learned was that Jiang Xia was still missing.
A small sigh of relief escaped her.
Since Jiang Xia hadn't shown up yet, it could mean he couldn't find his way out or was stuck in the secret passage, driven by his curiosity. Either way, it was a good sign. It meant there was still just one Jiang Xia to deal with—he hadn't told anyone about the corpse.
Once her mind calmed down, she realized that this was the perfect opportunity. Jiang Xia must have seen Mrs. Masuyo's body by now. He couldn't be allowed to leave alive.
But if Jiang Xia was deliberately avoiding her, it would be difficult to catch him by searching randomly. The secret passage was too convoluted, and trying to find someone who was deliberately hiding was a task of impossible proportions.
She had to find another way.
Just then, several guests passed by in the hallway, and an idea suddenly sparked in Nishikawa Suimei's mind.
Instead of searching for Jiang Xia directly, why not take a hostage and drag them into the secret passage to force him out? High school detectives were very honest and valued their friends. Jiangxia would probably fall for it.
With this plan in mind, Nishikawa Suimei picked her target—Conan.
Children were easier to deceive, and once tricked, they were easy to handle. Plus, dragging any of the other three guests through the secret passage would be too exhausting. They might even get tired before reaching Jiang Xia.
Now, she just needed to find an opportunity to lure the kid away from the others.
After putting on some clothes, Nishikawa Suimei re-entered the secret passage.
Meanwhile, the helpers sent by Takahito Mamiya had searched all over the castle and found no trace of Jiang Xia.
Conan, lost in thought while practicing his Chess puzzles in the courtyard, couldn't help but wonder where Jiang Xia had gone. His mind was overloaded, and his thoughts kept drifting back to the missing detective.
He paced around the hallway, trying to cool his head. Halfway through, he heard a faint noise.
Conan's eyes darted to the corner of the corridor, where a black coat lay on the floor.
His pupils narrowed... It wasn't the black-clad members of the Black Organization he was thinking of—it was Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia often wore black from head to toe, even down to his scarves, masks, and stationery. Conan remembered Jiang Xia's usual color scheme from earlier that day.
Now, with Jiang Xia nowhere in sight, a coat of the same color just happened to drop nearby... Could this be Jiang Xia's?
Conan's heart skipped a beat.
He quickly walked over, grabbed the coat, and inspected it.
Behind the wall, Nishikawa Suimei saw Conan approaching and sneered. She readied her wooden stick to knock him unconscious and drag him into the secret passage.
But just as she was about to push the revolving wall open, another voice broke the silence.
"What's this?" Toru Amuro appeared and noticed Conan holding the coat.
"A piece of clothing," Conan replied, flipping the coat and immediately noticing that it was a different style and size from Jiang Xia's usual outfit. This wasn't his coat.
Then why had it fallen here? And why was it the same color as Jiang Xia's?
Amuro Toru clearly had the same question. He tilted his head thoughtfully and began scanning the area, looking for any clues.
Nishikawa Suimei began to sweat, hidden behind the wall. She usually kept the secret passages well-maintained to avoid leaving any trace. When she opened the secret door, she made sure not to leave any evidence behind.
But that didn't mean she had left no trace. And Amuro, who seemed to be a detective, might catch on if he examined the surroundings carefully.
She couldn't let him find the secret path. If more people discovered Mrs. Takahito Mamiya's body, she'd lose her current identity.
Better strike first, she thought.
Seeing that Amuro was still focused on the wall, Nishikawa Suimei gritted her teeth and pushed open the secret door. She swung her stick at his head.
Conan gasped and was about to shout, "Be careful!" But Toru Amuro dodged at the last second as though he had eyes on the back of his head. He grabbed the woman's wrist just as she was about to strike him.
At first, Amuro considered elbowing her away, but then he realized something. This "old lady" didn't feel old at all when he grabbed her wrist... In fact, there was a surprising amount of strength there.
He hesitated before tossing the stick aside and holding her in place. "Why did you attack me?" he demanded. "What's your purpose? Who sent you, or is this your own idea?"
Though she looked weak, there was something off about her. Amuro couldn't shake the feeling that this was the first person he'd encountered in the castle to show clear hostility toward him.
Could she be connected to Jiang Xia's disappearance?
Before he could probe further, the old woman squirmed and shouted, "Let go of me! If you don't, you'll never see that high school detective again!"
Amuro paused for a moment, then asked cautiously, "You're saying you've captured Jiang Xia?"
"Of course," she sneered, pressing on. "Let go, or I swear he won't survive today!"
Nishikawa Suimei smirked inwardly. Jiang Xia was stuck in the secret passage, so why not take advantage of this moment and pretend to be a hostage?
If Amuro hesitated, she could break free and rush into the passage, escaping the castle through the hidden path and avoiding any more attention.
But after a second of considering her escape plan, she realized something—Toru Amuro wasn't even holding her that tightly. The "hostage" scenario wasn't as threatening as she thought.
Nishikawa Suimei looked up to see Conan and Amuro staring at her, their expressions eerily synchronized. They both had a look of mild confusion, as if to say, Really? You?
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 38/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:0/10*