Icy water gushed from broken pipes.
Darkness cloaked everything.
Ran Mōri collapsed onto the cold, flooded floor, dazed, her body tangled with Sato Miwako, who had fallen with her.
"Officer Sato? Officer Sato? Are you okay? Please, wake up..."
There was no response.
Blood seeped from Sato Miwako's shoulder, mingling with the puddles spreading across the ground.
Unable to see anything in the pitch black, Ran instinctively tried to help her up—but the mont her hand reached Sato's ribs, she recoiled at the wet, warm, sticky sensation.
She brought her trembling hand up to her face.
Blood...
So much blood—staining her palms red.
In the dim reflection of the water, she could barely make out the crimson streaks trickling from her fingers.
Her hands started to shake.
Her breathing quickened.
Her vision blurred.
"This is my fault... If I hadn't picked up that flashlight—"
But people rarely grasp the mont things truly happen.
From the instant, she instinctively grabbed the flashlight during the power outage...To the sudden flash of a gunshot...To Sato Miwako's panic-stricken face, ordering her to drop the flashlight and take cover...
Then—Miwako, lying there in a pool of her own blood.
The crushing fear and overwhelming guilt surged like a tsunami.
Ran Mōri scread—and fainted.
Monts later, chaos erupted in the banquet hall.
"RAN!!!""Officer Sato!? Officer Sato!""Call an ambulance—now!!""Shiratori, seal all hotel exits imdiately!"
The ergency lights flickered on. The entire floor was re-illuminated.
Kogorō Mōri held his unconscious daughter, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized she wasn't wounded. But when his eyes fell upon Sato Miwako—bleeding, barely conscious—his jaw clenched.
Hayashi Yoshiki stood silently, staring at the scene.
Then he walked forward, crouched beside Mōri, and gently helped him lift Ran.
"The floor's soaked. It's freezing."
"Ah... yeah..."
Maōri, still stunned, hadn't even noticed.
Hayashi Yoshiki took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Ran's hands and cheeks.
Kogorō remained quiet, watching.
"Uncle! Brother Yoshiki! There's a pistol here!"
Conan's voice rang out.
He pointed to a silenced 9mm automatic pistol—dropped at the scene.
It matched the sa model used by the criminal responsible for the recent police shootings.
A flashlight lay nearby, half subrged in water.
Paradics arrived swiftly.
Officer Sato, seriously wounded, was stretchered into the ambulance first—Ran, still unconscious, followed.
All hotel entrances were now sealed.
"Everyone except children will undergo a gunpowder residue test!""No exceptions!""That includes —and every officer here! No one leaves until it's done!"
Faced with growing unrest among the guests, Odagiri Toshiro barked the order grimly.
Hundreds of guests were tested one by one. All results ca back negative.
Tension mounted.
Gunpowder residue is a key piece of evidence in any shooting investigation—and not sothing easily cleaned off.Had the shooter really escaped again?
No other clues were found at the scene.
Unable to detain guests indefinitely, the police had no choice but to begin releasing them.
Hayashi Yoshiki said nothing.
Instead, he drove Kogorō Mōri and the others to the nearest hospital—Beika Yakushino Hospital.
There, they joined Inspector gure and other officers on the floor where Sato Miwako was in surgery. Ran remained unconscious in a nearby ward.
"It's okay—Ran isn't physically injured. She's probably just in shock,"Hayashi Yoshiki reassured Kisaki Eri, whose worry was etched on her face.
"Mm..."
Kisaki nodded faintly.
She and Sonoko hurried to check on Ran, leaving Kogorō, who had questions, behind to confront gure.
Hayashi Yoshiki checked his phone.
Seiran Hoshi:"Sir... did I ss up?"
Hayashi:"Don't worry. You did great, Ms. Seiran."
He sent the reply calmly.
There was nothing to bla her for. She had only followed his instructions. He hadn't anticipated Ran lending her phone to Conan at that critical mont.
Or perhaps... he had simply taken too much for granted.
More police officers arrived at the hospital, reporting to gure.He still tried to keep the details from Hayashi Yoshiki and the others—but this only enraged Kogorō Mōri.
"Inspector gure! Don't you understand!? If anything had gone wrong, my daughter could have been killed!"
"Sothing's wrong! Brother Yoshiki—Ran—!"
Sonoko burst out of the ward in a panic, high heels clacking against the tile.
"What happened!?"
"Ran's awake, but... she's acting strange!"
"What!?"
Everyone rushed toward the ward.
Inside, they found Ran, now changed into a hospital gown, sitting up in bed.
Conan exhaled in relief.
"Sister Ran, are you okay?"
"..."
Her eyes unfocused, Ran blinked blankly at him.
"Little boy... who are you?"
"..."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Cold sweat trickled down Mōri's forehead.
He took a hesitant step forward.
"This... can't be..."
"She doesn't rember us. Not even her own na,"Kisaki Eri said softly, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder, eyes red with emotion.
Mōri, unable to accept the reality, made a move to approach her—but Hayashi Yoshiki gently stopped him.
"Wait, Uncle Mōri."
He placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"I understand how you feel. But if you approach her suddenly, it might frighten her more. She looks very overwheld right now."
Mōri hesitated, then took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
Hayashi Yoshiki pulled a small notebook from his coat and flipped to a marked page.
He stepped slowly toward Ran.
"Alright."
"Don't try to force your mories right now. You've been through enough today, Ran."
He gently handed her the notebook.
"Take a look at this.""Do you recognize any of the words?"
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