novelaction Chapter 39 The Enchanting Forest
Chapter 39 The Enchanting Forest
Raindrops clung to the glass, blurring the mountain view. Fortunately, the villa wasn't in the heart of the storm, so the rain didn't lash the windows, and the atmosphere remained quite tranquil.
With no sign of clearing skies, even through the window, Kuromon Yōya could smell the fresh scent of post-rain dust.
"This level of rain could develop into a storm."
Ran Mouri looked out the window: "Ms. Ikeda and Mr. Kakutani haven't returned yet. It seems neither of them brought an umbrella."
The forest outside the villa was washed clean and lush, but there wasn't a soul in sight, which made her even more worried.
Sonoko wasn't too worried about the two adults: "Maybe they're hiding somewhere developing feelings for each other, no need to worry."
Rain, umbrellas, developing feelings...
Sonoko Suzuki had a sudden inspiration, and her eyes lit up with fighting spirit: "That's it! How come I didn't think of that! Ran, let's take the umbrella and go out to find them now."
"Huh?" Xiaolan was bewildered by her sudden change of address.
"Listen to my plan." Sonoko took Ran's arm and whispered, "Later, you take Kuromon to deliver the umbrella, and I will use the excuse of delivering the umbrella together to invite Mr. Ota for a romantic walk in the rain."
"Please, Xiaolan, maybe I'll find my Mr. Right!"
As she spoke, she rubbed against Xiaolan's shoulder like a boneless cat, murmuring to herself.
Ran Mouri couldn't resist her coaxing and readily agreed, "Okay, okay."
Sonoko looked at Kuromon Haruya, who was listening in behind her, and put her hands together: "Kuromon-nii, I'm counting on you too!"
Yoruichi Kuromon gave an OK sign: "Leave it to me."
"Great! Everything is ready except for the final push! Sonoko Suzuki, you can definitely do it this time!"
Sonoko turned away and rubbed her face vigorously. When she turned back, she had adopted a shy and sweet, reserved demeanor. She walked to Ota Katsumi's side, her eyes filled with longing.
“Mr. Ota, I want to deliver an umbrella to Ms. Ikeda and the others, but it’s too dangerous for me to go into the forest alone.”
I'd like to invite you to come with me...
Longing for love doesn't mean she's a seasoned player in the dating game, Sonoko Suzuki said, her voice trailing off.
Ota Katsu glanced at her, but didn't respond. Instead, he walked across the garden and approached Ran Mouri.
"Would this young lady be interested in taking a walk with me in the rain?"
The contrast between his previous indifference towards the garden and his current attentiveness is simply the best.
"Unfortunately, no."
Haruya Kuromon stepped forward, standing in front of him and Ran Mouri, her eyes flashing a clear warning:
“Miss Lan already has a protector by her side; ignoring a lady’s invitation would be very impolite.”
Ota Masaru clicked his tongue, thinking to himself how disappointing it was.
Suzuki Ayako, his old classmate, knew exactly what kind of person he was.
He ignored Sonoko Suzuki because he was afraid that the Suzuki Group would find out that he was toying with the second young lady's feelings, and then he would be in deep trouble.
Ota Katsu glared at Kuromon Haruya, then turned and headed upstairs: "Hmph, if you're not interested, then forget it."
Killing intent.
Haruya Kuromon didn't miss the murderous aura emanating from Katsuichi Ota. After watching the threat leave, he lowered his head and gave Conan a wink.
Conan grinned and gave a thumbs up: "Well done, Kuromon!"
"Honestly, I never expected him to be this kind of person!"
Sonoko walked over angrily, stomping her feet repeatedly to calm herself down: "I thought he was handsome and aloof, and I thought I had met my favorite type, but it turns out he's just a pretentious jerk."
"So I'm not Sonoko's favorite type after all."
Kuromon Haruya lowered his head, feigning disappointment as he looked at Sonoko, even wiping away non-existent tears.
"Brother Kuromon, you used to be one too, oh no, I mean, out of respect, we've put you outside the discussion because you were number one..."
Ran Mouri watched Sonoko Suzuki's flustered explanation, then smiled and patted Conan's head. She hadn't missed their exchange of glances.
"Let's go together then. Before the fiery red maple leaves are blown down, we might be able to take a walk and enjoy the scenery!"
Conan/Sonoko: "Okay~"
As one of Japan's largest conglomerates, any villa under the Suzuki Group is fully equipped with supplies, which are only left unsupplied when a case occurs.
The villa had a large stock of umbrellas, enough for each of them to carry three.
Haruya Kuromon, holding Conan's hand, asked with exasperation, "Why didn't you keep up with Ran?"
"It wasn't Sonoko. She said she wanted the girls to vent to each other, and she kicked me out."
This wasn't the first time Sonoko had annoyed him since childhood. Conan looked at Haruya Kuromon with suspicion: "But you, Kuromon-kun, aren't you afraid of getting lost alone in the woods?"
On the way here, he witnessed for the first time what a true directionally challenged person is like, and he couldn't imagine how thrilling it must be for Brother Heimen to get home every time.
"It's not that exaggerated."
Haruya Kuromon grabbed Conan's lips, trying to provoke him, but Conan immediately dodged. However, this was just a feint; Conan regained his senses and found himself lifted to a familiar height.
Conan: "Kuromon-kun, why are you so skilled at holding a baby?!"
Kuromon Haruya just smiled and said, "When I was studying in Italy, I did some part-time work as a childcare worker."
Is it Italy again? Conan crossed his arms and pondered, wondering if Italy was also a place like Hawaii.
"Hmm, something looks a bit strange." As his field of vision rose, some scenes that had been hidden by bushes came into view.
It was nearing dinnertime, and the distant mountains and forests had merged into one, with the river valley in front of the villa forming a clear dividing line…
"Something's wrong! Brother Heimen, the suspension bridge we came on has broken."
Haruya Kuromon led Conan to the edge of the valley, where the suspension bridge that once connected the two banks had disappeared, leaving only two broken supporting wooden piles.
Heimen Yaoye asserted, "It was deliberately cut down. I observed it when I passed by this afternoon. The suspension bridge has a solid structure and shows signs of regular repairs and maintenance. It couldn't have broken off naturally."
"Yeah, I think so too. Look." Conan stroked the crack in the wooden stake and began to analyze:
"These breaches are quite new. If they had been cut just a few hours ago, they should be completely soaked by rainwater. This means they were deliberately sabotaged not long ago! But what was the purpose of doing so…?"
“Blizzard Manor.” Kuromon Haruya uttered his unspoken guess, “If they want to trap us here, they might as well target our means of communication next.”
Conan frowned, about to say something, when he heard a terrified scream coming from the distant woods.
"It's Xiaolan's voice!"
Like an arrow released from a bow, Conan rushed towards the source of the sound, ignoring the torrential rain.
"Conan."
Haruya Kuromon made a few perfunctory remarks to stop Conan, then watched as Conan nimbly disappeared into the woods.
He turned to look at the wooden stake, which had too many mottled and unnecessary wounds. Clearly, the murderer lacked the relevant expertise, and Conan was more than capable of handling it.
"In that case, I'll just wander around for a bit and then head back."
Swish, swish.
Before he could take more than a few steps, a rustling sound came from the bushes not far away. A tulip-shaped hat appeared, followed by a figure wrapped in bandages!
Click.
Ryoichi Takahashi never expected that his body would be accidentally seen while he was changing clothes;
He never expected that the high school girl was so skilled that she dodged his ambush;
To my surprise, when I randomly chose a route to escape, Mr. Kuroba's first reaction was to take photos!
"Huh?!" Kuromon Haruya exclaimed in a surprisingly loud voice.
He was incredibly lucky; he stumbled upon the fleeing murderer just a few steps away.
As Takahashi Ryoichi hesitated about whether to make a move, considering that the other party was an adult male, he saw Kuromon Haruya disappear into the darkness after taking a few steps, like a mudfish in water.
Ryoichi Takahashi: ? ! !
Kuromon Haruya stood on the branch, waiting for the bandaged monster below, who was searching around in confusion, to leave on its own, without intending to make a move.
For him, the murder cases in the Conan world are like TV shows he watches casually to pass the time; unless someone provokes him, there's no need to stop them.
Moreover, the costumes and props for the murderer this time were of good quality, so it was a real shame to end the film halfway through.
"But Ran's character design is really useful..."
The strong can dodge bullets and punch codenamed members, while the weak can collapse to the ground with weak legs. Switching between these conditions depends entirely on the subjective question of "whether it scared me or not".
Heimen Yaoye diligently studied Teacher Lan's teachings and made good use of the principle of switching combat power to protect prisoners.
With the mindset of "doing one day at a time," he jumped off the tree branch, twirling his umbrella as he stepped into the dim, dense forest.
ten minutes later.
The forest path beneath his feet had faded, and as Kuromon Haruya looked at the noticeably denser woods around him, a bad feeling began to form in his mind.
No, they've gotten lost in the mountains again...