"Ranran! There you are! I found something!"Shinichi waves his hand at her in the school courtyard, lessons have ended and he rushes to her in excitement, "It's about-"

"No."She shook her head at him.

"Eh?"

"Not here."Shinichi follows the direction to where she is pointing.

Everyone is watching them, all of the kids in school are.

Shinichi who is, fortunately, able to read the atmosphere, did what he usually does."I found a secret Arthur Conan Doyle's book that was never published, and as a fellow Sherlockian fan I can't wait to show you the contents of it." he acted in glee.

"Ah man, Sherlockian again?"

"I guess that is all Ranran and Shinichi talk about all day, I knew those rumours could not be trusted, let's go."

As the crowd subsided, Ranran too went on with her act, "I see. Well back then, I didn't think you look like one since you were always talking about soccer with your other friends." she said without more ado."I also enjoy reading mystery novels, it's just that it is hard to get good Tantei stories nowadays."

For the past several days, they discuss theories, but they were no closer to figuring out the motive of 'Echis' breaking Watanabe free. And it was getting harder to talk about it since the kids in school tend to keep eavesdropping on what was this awesome thing they were talking about.

Following the fallout from the scout club, the four students had no option but to request for school transfer after being subjected to days of hostility and extreme bullying (both physically and emotionally), to put it mildly. With the scout club temporarily suspended while the surviving members try to salvage its tarnished reputation, the other kids are bound to find another intriguing topic to chat about to pass the time during their monotonous school day.

That's when Suzuki came up with an idea, one that will drive the two Kudos to a corner.

In retaliation for what Ranran did to her drama club, Suzuki utilized her loud mouth to imply that Ranran and Shinichi are planning something major for this school as a surprise, given that the two have been spotted hanging around in hushed whispers more and more. Naturally, the curiosity of the whole school got the better of them, resulting in the Kudo children constantly dealing with their curious looks, interested in what they were preparing.

If that wasn't bad enough, some were brazen to poke their nose into their affairs (but neither of them budge despite this).

It would've been reasonable to just hang out on the school rooftop, but with all eyes on them, it ain't possible to slip away and disappear like they used to. Even in the library, they had to deal with the constant stares. After all of this, they both decided it was better to discuss the case in more private circumstances.

Today was no different, Shinichi found this annoying but this was something Ranran expected from that 1 brain-cell heiress. She doesn't have much of the brainpower to tackle Ranran, so she was given by Kami-sama (God) a large mouth to make up for her lack of intelligence. And her big mouth must have worked wonders, as a lot of the kids are now eying onto them as if they felt like it.

However, Shinichi had figured out a way in dealing with this problem. If they can't discuss this in school, why not meet at some house no one is aware of, where no one besides them would know where it is situated?

Of course, they ain't gonna do it at either of their houses, since both of their parents are working oversea. No, if Shinichi wants to ensure safety, they have 'that place' to go to.

"Alright Takuma, I'm heading back with Ranran, see you tomorrow! Also, tell Reina I say hi!"

That was the same sentence Suzuki Sonoko had somehow heard more than once, as the sound of children's cheerful voices erupted as the school ends while Shinichi bounded through the school entrance with Ranran.

But little did they know, the two won't be alone.

The moment the Kudos stepped out of the school, a girl wearing a mask broke into a dash towards the gate, earning startled grunts from other kids as she passed by.

"Woah, Suzuki."

"Watch it, Sonoko."

The small brown-haired girl disregarded the strange looks as she rushed towards the exit from where Shinichi had fled. Sonoko was still swift enough to catch up with Shinichi and follow him wherever he had been in the last week. Sure, she may be suffering from the flu right now after becoming a sobbing mess in the rain the other day for her lousy theatre club, but with a strong desire in mind, she can achieve anything.

Sonoko followed their fading silhouette out the gates. Her mother had always encouraged her to 'follow her instincts,' and Sonoko was certain what she was about to do might provide her and Ran with answers as to what was going on.

"This time, I will find out what you two have been up to!" says a determined heiress as the sky above them becomes gloomy and overcast.

......

As the two children were heading over to their grandparents' 2nd house (which is a mansion), Shinichi's plans however come with a little setback.

Their grandparents happen to be hosting a garden party.

Now, their yard had always been a lovely area, and it was even more so with the party based on the decorations and Sakura trees placed around the house. There was food, drink, and laughing everywhere. In Ranran's opinion, it would have been a perfect day if it hadn't been for the grey clouds hanging above them. Despite the dreary weather, the flowers are blossoming with confidence, providing a stunning backdrop that shines its pink vividly.

When Ranran spots them, both of the elderly folks they know of happening to be encircled by other adults. They are all chatting with them while each of them is holding glasses of what appears to be red wine.

Shinichi bit his lower lip, his gaze darting between Ranran and the party, clearly conflicted. "I was thinking of having this conversation here. But will it be secure with their social gathering? People may easily enter and exit their home while listening in on our conversation."

Ranran remained silent before responding, "It's not like they're going to turn away their grandkids because we're a bother, right?"

"No way, no how. Especially in front of these visitors," Shinichi swept his arms, clearing her mind. "I doubt they are so harsh towards us, compared to those useless youths spending their lives achieving nothing."

"Should we visit any of our homes? Or, at the absolute least, pay a visit to a café? Or even a shopping mall?" Ranran then saw numerous people carrying wine glasses before noticing the number of wine bottles on the tables. "Given that I don't see any other kids our age around...we could be upsetting some of the drunks with our presence, but that's to be expected at a social gathering."

Shinichi sighed and shook his head "Suzuki is aware of our whereabouts. Plus, after that false dating lie you told everyone about, I don't want to run into another familiar face. This second property is one of the sites she is unaware of; it is often used to throw lavish parties throughout the Spring and Summer months. In any case, this isn't the first time they've thrown one of these spontaneous gatherings."

"Should we leave them be?"

"I suppose we should," Shinichi said, shifting his focus to the visitors, "Those people are powerful figures of their respective field, if I ain't mistaken, they have a reputation of party hopping."

"Party hopping?"She then turned to him, "So you're saying our grandparents are utilising this party to sell investors or whatever as they move from one party to the next?" "

"You figure things out quickly just by me saying 'party-hopping', huh?"Shinichi then confirmed her deduction, "You are right."

"To put it mildly, I believe this is a waste of money. Parties should not be on my list of places to pitch for money." Ranran frowned folding her arms, before asking, "So can we enter the house without notifying them?"

"We can just wave at them and they'll know we're coming in."

"Wait, we don't even need to approach them?"

"Of course, I've made several unplanned visits here. They won't mind, watch. Ojiisan, Obaasan!" shouted Shinichi to the elderly people. Their attention was then drawn to the two children, who waved back. "See? Now we have sorted out, should we enter?"

"Okay, if you say so." Ranran shook her head as she followed Shinichi inside the second residence.

The adult Kudos continued with their duties as the two kids entered the home.

It wasn't long before an uninvited guest arrives.

While the guests were cheerfully conversing, one of them approached the two hosts and said, "Sorry if it seems like I'm putting my nose where it shouldn't belong, but I thought you only had two grandkids in this family."

"We only have two," the Kudo family's matriarch (grandmother) says, perplexed.

"Then who is that third one over there behind you?"

She notices a girl in a rose pink hoodie wearing a mask as she enters the premises, turning to the direction where the guests were pointing "Eh? Who is that young lady?"

The woman observed the child's rondesu bag as she went towards the door and linked the dots. "Yes, I see. Someone from my grandchildren's class must be visiting them. But why is she hiding behind a mask?"

She was going to confront the girl when she grew curious about her identity, but her husband abruptly tapped her on the shoulder to introduce her to another important guest, completely diverting her from entertaining the other. As the masked girl made her way into the home, the woman turned her back, determining she didn't intend any harm.

Fortunately, luck is on Suzuki's side, since the Kudos are preoccupied with their social event. She was taken aback when she followed the two kids earlier since the family had another residence she didn't know about because Shinichi scarcely mentioned it. Even yet, she had anticipated ahead of time that if she wore her school uniform to the party, she would alert the two Kudos, so she carried a spare sweatshirt her mother had packed for her to keep her warm after recovering from illness. Who thought this would be the ideal disguise for concealing her uniform while sneaking through the open house party?

When she first entered the gorgeously adorned house, she tried to glance around the living room and then the kitchen, but neither was in sight. Suzuki soon finds herself travelling upstairs in quest of the Kudo children. Where would they be hanging out now?

"Is that a photo of you as a kid? Who is that older blonde boy standing next to you?"

Sonoko perked up her ears towards that familiar voice, it was Shinichi's alright. But she still has trouble locating which room is his voice coming from."A friend."

That voice.....is that demon girl, right?!

"A friend?"She could hear Shinichi's voice, "You look around 3 or 4 years old in this picture, while the boy...looks close to our age now. How do you befriend someone at this age if you were attending kindergarten?"

Sonoko's eyes soon lay on the room to the right, the door is left slightly ajar as the voice behind it responded, "In our old school, we have kindergarten and elementary school combined under the same building. So it ain't odd we cross paths."

"Ah, is that correct?" Suzuki approached the bedroom with care as the door swiftly shut, prompting another warning, "don't forget to close the door to my spare bedroom the next time." Ranran was heard reminding him.

Wait, what?! Bedroom?!

"Wakata (Alright), I forgot about it."

Suzuki quickly recognised the room they were in as the door closed.

Did Ranran just...no, was Shinichi invited to her bedroom!? What the hell?! How dare she?! Does she not know how inappropriate this is?!

Sonoko's blood continued to boil and her veins threatened to burst. When Shinichi went over to Ran's house, he never went inside her bedroom since he felt it was inappropriate. But he had no problem entering Ranran's bedroom? How much of a hypocrite can he be!? That girl is crafty, deceptive, manipulative...everything a boy shouldn't have in a girlfriend. That alone persuaded Sonoko. No one will make her best friend Mouri Ran weep and escape unscathed.

She was ready to storm into the room when Shinichi's voice stopped her. "...I still think we shouldn't have held our talk here because the grownups are enjoying an open party." The small girl could be heard whining in the bedroom, her voice irritated.

"Ranran, I don't see why you're so anxious about security here; nothing horrible has happened in a long time, and they've been throwing such events for a long time. It's unusual for somebody to just go inside a residence."

"Sometimes I feel like I should've cut her tongue out and fed it to a shark tank; otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten ourselves here in the first place."

"Please don't do that! Even though I agree she may be bothersome."

"How did the Suzukis end up with a daughter with a brain the size of a pea? I can see the corporation collapsing if she seizes control."

"I wouldn't worry about it; they have one daughter other than Sonoko to take over, so that's good." Shinichi couldn't stop himself from making click sounds with his teeth.

"Oh? When you stated one daughter besides Suzuki-" Ranran said, surprised.

"You're correct, Sonoko is the youngest. Her sister ain't like her at all," Shinichi verified her concerns.

"Good, since I can't imagine someone with merely a big mouth, much alone the ability to function on one brain cell alone, as her sole talent. If she continues on this path, I can see her becoming the family's undoing."Sonoko's heart is filled with boiling wrath at this time. So the purpose of these secret meetups is to ridicule her!? And she dares to utter such heinous things!

Shinichi, who is sitting on Ranran's bed next to her. "Before we get into the primary case we're working on right now, I heard you mentioned your theory about the accomplice from 'that case' (crossdresser killer). What do the cops think about this?"

Case? In which case? Suzuki was intrigued by his comment and moved closer to the door to hear more.

"There were findings, except......" Ranran was hesitant to say anything.

"However, what else?" He urges her to keep going. Ranran checked to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation before whispering into Shinichi's ear, "The individual is around our age."

Shinichi's gaze was drawn to her face, his eyes wide and his lips agape before his face contorted into a frown. She almost turns away from Shinichi as she notices him gritting his teeth. "Wow, who is the accomplice? "Unbelievable!" he rages, "to think she's so conniving—"

"On top of that, she was one of his 'victims.'"

That is a double blow for Shinichi the more he hears of this, "One of his 'victims'!? You must be joking! Why would...I don't understand any of this!"He wrinkled his nose, "Why would someone do-"

"Simple, she still thinks what they had was love." "Her voice became low," according to the survivors, and she is also his "favourite."

"Wait a minute why would she-" this is getting a little too twisted for his taste.

What on earth are they talking about? Suzuki becomes confused.

"Help him? Fall for someone as twisted as him?"Ranran spoke ahead of him, "I guess if one is under a psycho for so long, you do go mad to a point you can't discern between love and hate."

"My God, in addition, to having a dangerous criminal mastermind, we also have to deal with an accomplice that hasn't been arrested yet!?"He frowns, "Ranran, this is serious! We got to find her!"

"Calm down, I knew you would say that, so I had my dad look into it. We just need to get a picture of her sent to me based on their investigation, then we can easily identify her."Ding-Ding!"Speaking of the devil, the photo has arrived!"Ranran excitedly fish out her smartphone from her skirt, before showing the screen to Shinichi, "This is how she looks based on CCTV footage-"

A heavy thud sound sounded from the other side of the door of Ranran's room, causing her to drop her smartphone on the bed in astonishment. "Wait, what was that?" Shinichi couldn't help but look suspiciously at the door.

"Could our grandparents have dropped something outside our door?" Ranran proposes.

"Not at all! The noise they are creating outside indicates that the celebration is still going on."

Suspicious of the situation, Ranran instructed Shinichi to switch on the laptop on the desk table and play some loud music (but not so loud that it drowned out the sound of the party, as he didn't want to spoil the mood of the guests), which he did. As he cranked up the level, the song became so loud that it was difficult for the eavesdropper to hear a single syllable spoken in the room. That's exactly what Ranran had in mind.

"Oh, no! I shouldn't have tripped because of a loose sock." Sonoko whimpered in pain as she stood back up, pushing her ear against the door once again, but it was in vain. The music is very loud.

"Who the heck is it then?"Shinichi wonder.

"Wait, Shinichi, let me use the laptop for a moment."

As she skipped to her desk, she double-clicked on what Shinichi sees, a camera-like gadget software, where a screen displayed various familiar areas across the mansion. Ranran then takes the cursor to the corridor outside their room and selects that video. "What the hell?" said Shinichi, startled beyond belief.

"I installed it after the break-in you attempted the other day," Ranran remarked before shifting her focus to the laptop. Outside her bedroom is a child dressed in a rondesu bag and a rose hoodie, her face concealed behind a mask. "Who is that outside the room, Ranran?" In hushed tones, Shinichi murmured.

"I'm not sure." "Is it some kid one of the guests brought over later on at the last minute?" Ranran couldn't help but be bewildered by the twist of events.

"Come on, Ranran, no one would bring a child to a wine party intended for adults. This will deter prospective investors. This would not be tolerated by our grandparents!"

"Well then.....why is she eavesdropping on our conversation then?"

Shinichi gave Ranran a dramatic silence as he struggled to figure out what was going on. He bristled as he comprehended why "What if... she is the unnamed accomplice you mentioned earlier? She may have discovered that you tipped her off, therefore she is out for retribution!"

"What!?" Ranran snapped her head back to Shinichi, a solemn expression on her face. "She has no idea where I reside or that 'The Fox' is involved in this. Moreover, how would we know it's her?"

"Otherwise, why would she be—wait a minute, photo! We've got her photo, right?" His eyes widened as he dashed over to retrieve the phone that was lying flat on the bed, before showing her the snapshot. "Here! Are you going to refute this now?"

Her eyes looked like they were about to fall out of her face as soon as she took the phone. She is wearing the same rose hoodie, had the same hairdo, same turquoise eyes. This was enough to have their blood drained from them both. "That bloody jerk!"

Then Ranran finally grabbed his right hand before he could confront her, "No, don't!"

"What's the harm?" Shinichi whispered in reverent whispers.

"Do you have any idea why the lolicon she worked for wound up in prison in the first place!"

"Of course I do! He did horrible pervert things onto girls!"Shinichi remarked.

"OK, but do you know the specifics of what he did to those victims?"

"...actual details?" his eyebrows raised," like...what kind?"

"So you don't, do you?" Ranran sighed deeply before concluding it was time for him to learn the truth. "Believe me when I say this."

He listened curiously as she went on to convey the 'details'

She was anticipating him to ask after she was done speaking and sat back. But he didn't; in truth, he was too horrified to talk.

"That is...no, this is too extreme!" Shocked and worried was overcoming Shinichi's brain, his breathing got heavier, he started to feel faint as he wobbled a little bit."Now you know where babies come from, right?"

"This, my God, no!" Shinichi was gobsmacked, and his features contorted in outrage, "I am going to beat the living crap out of her-"

"No, Shinichi!" "Did you not hear what I just-" Ranran stops him from confronting the accomplice.

"I certainly do! I've heard it! But because I'm a little boy, my odds of defeating that monster are higher because that nasty bastard exclusively attacks little girls!" Fearing that the child outside may overhear their conversation, he hissed back at her lowly, his head turned to the girl in rage while pointing at the door, "How dare that lowlife come into our house like that!?"

"And then what? If you do so alone, you think your gender itself will protect you from her?"

"Eh?"

"Don't assume that just because you're a boy, that bastard won't come after you. There were also unsubstantiated rumours of the killer having done it on boys as well," Ranran said, glancing at the door then at him.

"What!?"Shinichi's jaw dropped, "why wasn't this....reported in the media?"Shinichi was hesitant to listen to her further, but he had to know more.

"No evidence! They were very young when it happened! Also, even if they do, most of those victims...how would you feel ended up being interviewed on tv over this, Shinichi! It's shameful for them!"

"Shame!?" Shinichi shouted as his blood began to boil to the breaking point, "This was inflicted to them! It is not their fault!"

"Yes, but even lads like you have dignity, right!?" Ranran steered him away from the door, remarking, "Next time you get married, would you want to tell your wife this type of thing!? That a man-"

"Enough!"

Other kids who hear about this will assume it's a far-fetched fable.

But, as Shinichi knows, Ranran isn't the type to blather on about trivial matters. Shinichi can sense that tone in her voice screamed volumes of truth. Hearing all of the nasty and terrible things that grownups do takes a huge toll on Shinichi, causing his heart to race rapidly in his chest. Of course, he is anxious after hearing Ranran say those things, but she'll be right.

Kudo Shinichi has heard of similar break-ins from his father before, even kidnappings done by deranged adults. But he never would've imagined that an accomplice would go so far as to stalk them! This has gone too far!

"Alright, there are other plans besides this."Shinichi decided, "I go call the cops-"

"Don't bother, it won't do anything," Ranran remarked dismissively.

"....how would you know?!?"

"Underage laws allow people under the age of 14 to get away with murder or other heinous crimes; they simply end up in rehab. Especially in that girl's circumstances, she, like Botan, may say she was duped and get away with it." His jaw fell at Ranran, astounded that she was familiar with the laws of this country. "What? Here, I studied the laws."

"You've got to be joking!" For the first time in his life, Shinichi felt angry and frustrated, wondering what was wrong with the country's constitution.

"I've also read that the majority of those who go through it winds up becoming another adult who wants to do sick things to a child."

A lengthy pause. "Well, then, which do you think should do!" Shinichi eventually expressed his displeasure, while Ranran couldn't help but grunt and shake her head in exasperation "The only solution I can think of is to bring our grandparents over. But if nothing happens to her, we may as well seal ourselves in."

Ranran then raises her head and gazes at him. She was taken aback to notice his determined attitude. "Then we might as well confront the problem," he adds firmly.

Ranran became confused," Eh? What do you mean, Shinichi?" She asked carefully, worried he lost his mind."We need to barricade ourselves in till she leaves."

"No, we don't," Shinichi insisted, his eyes blazing with fire. "If two of us go against one, she would lose regardless of experience."

Ranran reacts in amazement.

Shinichi shut his eyes before staring over at her. "I think out a way to get rid of her," he said solemnly.

"Which is?"

"Torture," Shinichi suggests, "we capture her, tie her up, then torture her to spill the beans of her sins. That way, the nation will know of her crimes, and the world will reconsider changing the law."

Ranran's eyes widened in terror "What if she says we coerced her to say all that? Also, what if the law doesn't change?"

"I knew you'd say that, which is why we're going to tape everything with this CCTV you installed."This has a recording feature, right?" he said, pointing to the laptop. Ranran nodded as he proceeded, "With this, the world will know she has been eavesdropping on us and she will no longer be able to claim we coerced her. Even if nothing changes, she will no longer be able to survive life since we are going to expose her face!"

After a moment, he pointed at the two baseball bats leaning against the wall next to the door, it was given by Takuma to Ranran for restoring his once tarnished reputation."Shinichi..."

"It's the only alternative I've got so far," he said, "and I'll be damned if I let that idiot lolicon's accomplice get to us." He shook his head, enraged. "They may have ingrained far too many terrible fantasies on their victims, but I will make certain that those sick bastards will never lay their dirty hands on us! Not now, nor ever!"

His words drifted off, and the two of them exchanged determined looks. This was the only solution. They sat there in stillness for a minute, holding the bats in their palms, gazing at each other. "Whatever you do, don't ever hesitate."

Shinichi felt as if there were so many things he hadn't done in this world. How he longed for his own detective office, how he wished to apologise to Ran, and most of all, how he wished to continue fulfilling his dream as a detective, and yet he couldn't say anything. She was starring at him with the most sorrowful grin he'd ever seen.

"This is a war for our survival, Shinichi," Ranran stated, startling him. "If we don't get out of this unscathed, I just wanted you to know....you are certified detective material, even if we will never agree on everything."

"Hmph, I'm the same." Shinichi breathes as he chuckles.

"So....see you on the other side."

Both of them slowly tiptoed to their door. Shinichi hid to the left, while Ranran to the right.

Meanwhile, Suzuki Sonoko begins to wonder why the music has abruptly stopped and no one is talking. The doorknob twisted slowly, and Shinichi was mentally stressing out about Ranran and himself, about to clash with a stranger who is also a kid their age. On the other hand, he wouldn't care if she was lolicon bait designed to screw both of them over. Still, he was afraid of the worst-case scenarios based on the images Ranran painted in his brain, so he wasn't letting go of the bat as Ranran is.

At this moment, he is prepared to go all out to investigate and deliver justice to the Watanabe case. He is fed up with the world conspiring against his aspirations. When the door opened and a figure was about to walk in, Ranran and Shinichi both prepared to strike.

"3,2,1. Now!"

A great screech rang throughout the home

A high-pitched cry resonates throughout the hallways before the two proceeded to attack her, "This is for all of the kids whose lives you've personally destroyed, you disgusting prick!"Ranran yells at Sonoko as she whacks her harder and harder. Arms, legs, you name it, she is willing to hit her every chance she gets.

"And this is for trying to ruin our lives with your sick master, (whack!) as your idiotic master executes all of those sickening acts on those kids! (Whack!) Over my dead body! Do you hear me?" Shinichi screeched at her, as he too, whacks furiously.

Both bats proceeded to pound her in a never-ending barrage of blows.

It was obvious that Ranran and Shinichi were going to continue pounding her with bats until she perished! Sonoko shrieked as she raced down the stairs, only to fall. "That prick! She's gotten away!" Ranran followed the intruder.

"Ranran! Be careful! Wait up!"Shinichi yells as he cried out chasing after her.

Ranran then makes a hasty grab for the nearest thing she can find and does the unimaginable.

Or, as Shinichi would later describe it, a 'badass move.'

She tosses the antique vase so accurately that it collides with Suzuki's rondesu bag, causing her to tumble to the floor while the antique vase crumbles. Suzuki may not have incurred much damage because the bag took the brunt of the blow. Ranran grabs the intruder by the collar and shakes her against the wall, confronting her forcefully. "Who are you!? What did you hear!?"

Before attempting to unmask the intruder, Ranran shook her dizzy to the point where she is unable to fight back. In a hurry, Suzuki grabbed the first object she could find to block the enraged girl's blows. She grabs a rabbit antique and smashes Ranran in the head, causing Ranran to back off as she winces in pain and feels the spot where she hit her.

"Ranran!" While Shinichi hurries over to Ranran to examine her injuries, he becomes alarmed as the stranger fled out of the door. "Go after her, Shinichi! Don't let her get away!" Ranran issued the order.

"What!?"He turned to her worriedly, "What about you?!"

"I'll be fine! Go after her! Hurry! Or else she will hurt more kids!"

"Ranran..." Knowing she was right, he set out to pursue the intruder.

............

When one pursues a suspect, especially in public with a massive gathering, it's bound to be a spectacle.

The same was happening in the garden while all eyes watch as Shinichi could be heard yelling waving his bat, "Stop her! She is the crossdresser's accomplice!"

While the intruder was on her way towards the gate, his screams immediately drew the attention of the guests as well as the startled grandparents. Given the grandeur of the home, especially the garden, it was a lengthy journey. "Oh, Shinichi?! What's the deal!? "Amid the turmoil, the old guy yelled in confusion.

"This girl broke into our house! She's the serial crossdresser's ally! "He roared back so loudly that the grandparents' blood froze.

When the media disclosed the gruesome details of how the crossdresser victims were murdered, many innocent families turned pale, terrified for their children's lives. The Kudo grandparents were no different. As soon as they heard it, they cried, "Get her!" with dread in their eyes.

Many adults tried, but she was able to narrowly escape since she was petite, slipping out of the gate. She had vanished by the time Shinichi arrived outside.

"Damn it. I should have hit her harder! They deserve more than just broken bones," Shinichi was feeling pissed off over this incident. They were so close. If only he could run faster...

Outside the gate, his eye was drawn to a dazzling item. As he approached the object, he knelt before taking it up to examine it.

He nearly dropped the thing out of horror as soon as he recognized what it was.

.....

"Is it a Teitan primary school pin badge!"

Those were Ranran's first words after all was settled. As one guest after another was sent out, each sympathizing with their grandchildren's dilemma, the grandparents were forced to call it a day. Some even offered to contribute their investment out of compassion, but the grandparents rejected, stating that it would be unfair if they didn't earn this through their labour and took advantage of their grandchildren's predicament.

Ranran was lucky to have assistance nearby since their grandparents had hired medical aid services for the party in case anything went wrong with their intoxicated visitor. Although she appeared to have a bruise on her forehead, the grownups decided to take her to the hospital for a check-up later.

The two kids were in the living room when Shinichi placed the pin on the table since their outraged grandparents had prohibited them from conducting any investigative work for many days for their safety. "I discovered this after she fled."

"So in other words...that prick has been studying under the same school with us the entire time!?"Ranran began to snarl with her teeth, "If only the idiot drop her name tag, I would've easily figured out who that prick is!"She smashes the table in response, but not before flinching in pain over her head.

"Are you certain you're going to be okay with that head of yours? You were smacked hard, and the doctor says you need rest," he observed with care.

"I'll be fine," She reassures, before frowning in concern, "to think she been under our noses the entire time! I should've known..."

Indeed she was right, now that they know of this, how are they gonna locate this girl? They have no name or age to figure out her identity. They only have the colour of her eyes and a hoodie to work with. Many girls have similar characteristics, let alone wear such hoodies. He wouldn't be shocked if she had already ditched the hoodie, given that she is the killer's accomplice.

What can he do....what should he do to resolve this issue?

If only he was smarter and had more experience...with that accomplice wandering about the campus, it's just a matter of time until she goes for another victim. But he doesn't have much time as they also have a Watanabe case to work on.

"Don't worry about it," Ranran said, his face resolute as he stared at Shinichi's lost gaze.

"Eh?!"

"Leave this to me, I already have a solution to this problem."

Shinichi's jaw fell, wondering how she was going to do so.

....

Several days later at Teitan Elementary school on a Monday, Suzuki Sonoko definitely couldn't have foreseen herself being in this situation.

Suzuki tries to stay calm, she truly did.

Her heart is pumping loudly, and she is afraid that the sounds will ultimately be loud enough for the other kids to hear and locate her. As heated voices could be heard, she hid in the closet where all the janitor equipment is kept.

"Who thought a privileged, spoilt child like her was capable of such heinous deeds!"

"Today is the day we must find Suzuki; if what that Kudo girl said is true, even a girl like Suzuki will not be able to evade justice!"

"But she was born wealthy! Her family can hire a lawyer to help her get out of this situation! Furthermore, children can never be imprisoned!"

"That's why we should search and beat her up! That will teach her a valuable lesson about what happens to girls who work with perverts!"

An agitated small kid exclaimed passionately as he led a swarm of outraged children down the school corridor, as all they could see was red in their eyes. Meanwhile, Sonoko felt a jolt of fear run through her entire body. If Sonoko does not fix this, she will be a fugitive at this school for the rest of her life!

Suzuki Sonoko stops when she realises this will be her new life, her thoughts drowned out by the noises of her pounding heart.

Breathing gets harder. Everything hurts.

She misjudged her, underestimated how far that sly Kudo Ranran is capable of! It's no wonder that her enemies labelled her a "psychopath"! Suzuki had no idea Ranran would come up with something so despicable as putting her hit on her!

....

Shinichi stormed in rage several hours earlier at the assembly hall, brandishing the pin in front of the shocked students and teachers alike on the stage at the podium "Recognize this? This is our school's pin." Murmurs arose as Suzuki turned pale, remembering she had dropped a pin while being chased, "It belongs to the culprit who hit Ranran!"

Everyone gasps, for the house break-in incident on the Kudo family, which has reached the school.

"According to Ranran, if somebody comes across a 6- to 8-year-old kid with turquoise eyes, bruises on her body all over her limbs, don't jump to conclusions. Bullying is unavoidable in school, thus some girls may have been subjected to it. And that is something we do not want!"

Shinichi is straining to keep his wrath in check as the teachers rush up to the stage to attempt to remove him, but since he was small, he was agile enough to avoid being caught with the microphone in his hand as one teacher fell after another."However, we are all aware of the rules, which require us to bring this pin over on Mondays or face severe punishment from our teacher." "If anyone knows of a kid who doesn't have a pin, owns a rose hoodie and a grey pitta mask, showed up with injuries, please send her to us," he said, adding, "There is a prize for those who bring her."

"What if she didn't arrive at school today as she is sick?" one kid questions.

"Don't worry about that, we verified their alibis yesterday."He gave a sinister grin, which sent chills to Suzuki as more adults tried to stop him.

"Do you know what the rose hoodie specifically look like?"Another asks with interest over the reward.

"I have the photo and will send it to everyone. Signs that it's her are obvious; if they appear in an unusual outfit, such as long sleeves or jeans to disguise their bruises, or even apply makeup, you know who it is. And don't bother beating up any girl that fits the description in the name of the prize, because if you lie, our family will come after you all!" He ended his lecture with threats before being whisked away from the teachers, which made the students uneasy because they know how powerful their families are. "Take your time to figure out who it is! If you don't want to be her next target!"

Long story short, it didn't take the kids long to figure out who it was.

It wasn't long after Sonoko refused to be examined by paranoid kids that they started showing up with bats, books, pencil boxes, and whatever else they could find. Anything to force her to roll up her sleeves. Suzuki's decision to dress up in a long sleeve hoodie and long slacks to hide off those bruises on that same day is a horrible start. She usually dresses up in a feminine way, so when Shinichi announced it, it sent paranoid students into a frenzy. She's also been gloating about her rose hoodie and uploading images of it on Instagram, just to erase them, indicating that something was wrong.

However, nothing can stay secret on the internet, especially when one of her followers manage to screenshot her deleted post before posting it on the school confession site, alerting everyone that she is the likeliest suspect. It didn't help as word got on that she was the one who spread malicious rumours about Ranran. She is after all gossip queen, so it made sense to the kids. Also, that meltdown regarding her drama club was a sufficient motive for attempted murder onto the detective girl.

Sonoko could feel her eyes moist as she dashed home, but she immediately wiped them. Her body is throbbing in ways it hasn't ached in years.

This kind of dull, near-numb pain was something she learnt to tune out during practice sessions with Mouri Ran during a running competition. But it's been a long time since such anguish has surfaced. They ache a lot more than her arm, and she suspects they're broken, or at the very least fractured.

She should've gone to the hospital, but it would be embarrassing - and Sonoko has endured enough humiliation than she could ever handle in one day. Is this how she will experience school on a regular basis? Are kids always going to pick on her? All because of that girl's false accusations!?

She refused to weep! Her pupils constricted; she was stronger than that!

But it aches! It stings! Ranran, that prick! Who knew she was much scarier than the rumours about her in school! Screw the rumours about her being a psychopath; she is the devil! A true devil! Let alone her diminutive stature and ability to beat people up like that, she is a Demon from Hell!

And Shinichi, that Kudo Shinichi, she would never have imagined he was capable of laying a hand on someone with a baseball bat! Not to mention a girl? And why on earth would Shinichi do something like that!? It's not like him, either....unless...

He had to be brainwashed! It ain't like him to act this way!

Sonoko believes that the agony imposed by both Kudos is unnecessary; her bruises from yesterday are still sore and aggravating, but she can deal with it. The true anguish, however, stems from the purpose underlying the deed itself. Shinichi is no longer a child she once knew, and their friendship means nothing to her.

They no longer have a friend because they sided someone over Shinichi. A devil took advantage of his anguish, and he is now under the demon's spell.

And he may now stay with Ranran forever.

For the first time in her life, she burst into tears.