Ranran was the one who led the way onto the deck. It was completely desolate. The lights of a hundred ships twinkled in the harbour. The four made themselves at home on a sack pile by the side of a warehouse. Shinichi checked the time by turning on the light on his flashlight wristwatch.

"It's just after midnight," Shinichi whispered.

"Nobody's here," Takuma yawned.

"I really hope Shinichi's ship is spot on."Michio sighs, before checking the time, "How long are they gonna come anyway?"

"Not yet," Ranran cautioned. "They will, though. However..." she sighs, "I hope neither of your parents will murder you for being late after all of this is done."

"How come neither of your parents are furious at you for being out this late?" Takuma shift his gaze to Shinichi and Ranran.

"They are still out at work overseas."Shinichi pointed out.

"Also, their grandparents are out attending social events. Plus my mom thinks I am looking after these two here at their house."Michio pointed at Shinichi at Ranran while explaining to Takuma, before staring along the empty dockside, making sure they are all safe.

"Did you lie to your parents about your location?" Ranran voiced her concern to Takuma, adding, "I'm very sure they're going to bar you from seeing me after tonight."

"I told my paternal aunt from the bathhouse earlier that I am going to watch some movie with you guys till midnight. It wasn't the first time I hung out that late anyway, at least with my ex-friends."Takuma grin proudly.

"Neh guys, why is it Ran and the girls are taking so long to respond?"Shinichi again dialled the number, but there was no response.

"I wonder if the area there has no signal."Ranran frowned at that thought.

"Serious, what are the girls doing there so long, I wonder..."Michio couldn't help but grumble.

~~~

The large ring on Rupert's ear glittered in the moonlight. The vehicle had been parked behind another warehouse. He and Griffith drove the girls to the farthest end of the pier, where they stood in the shadow of a big crane. Concrete steps went down to the water, where a strong fishing boat was anchored. A little dinghy bobbed behind it in the early morning tide. Rupert held the pistol steady as his merciless eyes surveyed the horizon.

"The cargo ship Josephine Bonaparte should be here at dawn," he told Griffith.

The three girls shared a quick glance."So that's what Josphine meant," Emiko whispered.

"It's a ship. If only we could tell the others."Junko groaned.

"You're not going to tell anyone," Rupert hissed, elevating her chin with the tip of the gun. The metal felt cold on her flesh. "You're going on a small boat ride."

"Where are you taking us?" Ran confronts nervously.

"You wanted to see the white tiger," Rupert sneered. "Well, soon you will!"

~~~

Dawn crept into the sky. The sound of an engine jolted Ranran to her feet. A sleek motor launch approached the dock a few metres away from where they were concealed.

"It's the Snake!" Ranran alerted the others discreetly.

"Finally, he's arrived!" Michio increased his alert instincts.

They edged forward for a better view as a man leapt up onto the dock and stood looking out across the ruffled waters of the harbour. A smudge moved on the horizon, slowly becoming the squat outline of a small freighter nosing into port.

"Joséphine Bonaparte!" breathed Shinichi, before frowning in disapproval," I can't believe they had the audacity to name some cargo ship based on the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte! Especially when doing all of this illegal crap!"

"I agree. Though I think royals back then are no different, they just their underlings to do it discreetly. That's all."Takuma comments. All heads turned to him, wondering how he himself knew French history."What?! I watch history documentaries on Youtube."He shrugs.

The freighter suddenly flashed a light. Once. Twice. Before clambering back into the launch, the man on the pier held up a lamp and responded with two flashes.

Ranran crept out of cover and cross the deck. The three boys followed. They stared over the side, watching the crew prepare to cast off their lines.

And that was when everything went wrong.

"Good morning, children," whispered a menacing, sinister voice. "Raise your hands above your heads and slowly stand up."

The detectives did as they were ordered, aware that fighting back without firearms would be futile. They shifted their gaze to two males. One had a green reptile-skin mask over his face. His finger squeezed around a gun's trigger. The other was evidently, Watanabe.

"Ranran is right! You traitor!" Takuma shouted angrily at him. "I know you're probably doing it to save yourself, or perhaps to reclaim your glory days, but you're letting your nephew down! That is an all-time low man!"

"Agree."The three kids answered in unison, stared at Watanabe, shaking their heads in disapproval.

Watanabe shifted uneasily at their judgemental stares. "Look, there's nothing personal, alright!? You all just kept getting in the way. I didn't know what to do with all of you!"

"How are we getting in the way?"Takuma huffed.

"Yeah! Whose fault was it to cause The Snake to lose millions of yen after exposing his scheme, by stealing one of his forged historical documents you stole from a pawn shop?" Shinichi raised this point.

"Exactly! That is a dumb move man!"Michio shouted.

"How did you know all of this!?"Watanabe froze at Shinichi's deduction as Ranran laughed, "Man...either way, he is screwed."

"You were quite astute in knowing about Watanabe's debt to me." The Snake laughs before saying, "What else do you know?"

Ranran quietly observe the masked man, the one who she is certain was the man she has been seeking for. But how is she going to prove it?

After a while, she went full force with a taunting smile, "Like that tiger, you were planning to smuggle out?"Ranran confronted The Snake." The one that is coming on board? Named Joséphine Bonaparte," her cold eyes remained staring at the scaly mask, his expression unchanged. "Though I ain't sure how is that idiot Rupert gonna explain to the others where is Fifi by the time you seized it."

"What makes you think Rupert would be stupid enough to remain in the circus after smuggling out a white tiger, Ranran? Only an idiot would do that." Takuma rolled his eyes at that thought.

"Technically, word got out that he's been doing this for over 2 years since acquiring the circus, and judging by the fact that this is a lucrative income, I doubt he'd want to leave a location that's producing him heaps of money, considerably more than the income he made as a ringmaster." Shinichi sighed.

"Still, he'll be stupid enough to stay if he can't produce a tiger out of nowhere. He'll be crucified by his own staff if that happens."Michio doubts.

"Not really, he still has three tigers left. He just needed to paint one of them white and presto, they have a tiger!"Ranran suggests.

"Why would one do that? That's stupid."Shinichi scoffed."I could've just used my connections to breed a white tiger in some zoo, then secretly smuggle it and make money!"

"You're an idiot." Ranran wrinkled her eyebrows at her apprentice. "That will be more costly! You need a lot of money to compel two related tigers to mate, get pregnant, and then sneak the cubs out! Stealing is less expensive, so paint one and you're done!"

"Guys, come on! They couldn't be that foolish to do anything like that, can they?" Takuma snorts at the idea, looking across at a speechless Watanabe and The Snake. Takuma exclaimed in surprise when they realised they had been quiet for a long time, "Are you serious!?"

"Man, that is the dumbest scam one would pull! Only an idiot 3 year old would buy it!"Ranran couldn't help but drop a savage bomb, resulting in The Snake's green reptile mask to twitched in response.

"I agree!"Shinichi said in response, "People just need to identify by the eye colour and he'll end up in the guillotine! White tigers have blue sapphire eyes, not green or yellow! Painting it will make it too obvious!"

"Is that why Rupert isn't here with the tiger yet? Man, this is stupidest at its finest."Michio clicked his lips at that thought.

"That's why one should never have skipped school, or you end up like The Snake!"Ranran taunts, "The only thing he is good at is being a cheapskate."

The Snake's green reptile mask twitched more as he hears one insult after another from the group of kids, "The four of you, I am going to ensure you won't live long enough to develop your talent, especially after all the insults you throw at me!" He motioned with the gun. "Now the 4 of you, get down onto the launch."

An armed crewman pushed them into the stern. The Snake and Watanabe took their places in the wheelhouse. When everything was ready, the lines were cast off and the engine roared into life. The launch carved through the swell and out into the harbour towards the approaching ship.

~~~

From the opposite end of the dork, Rupert saw the signal from the Joséphine Bonaparte. He watched as The Snake's launch pulled out a few minutes later and headed towards the ship.

While all of this is going on, Ran couldn't help but say, "I wished I didn't argue with Shinichi, had I known in hindsight this was going to happen."Ran spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Excuse me?" The two girls turned to her.

"We clashed over his soccer schedule being tempered, and I didn't trust a word he said." Ran recounted regretfully to the two interested girls, her tears streaming down her cheeks. "Had I not, he wouldn't have ended up in Ranran handling dangerous cases like this one! I just wanted Shinichi back!"

"Ran-san...."Emiko's words trailed out.

"Same here!"Junko too begins to cry, "Had I not been so pushy over that Michio, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

"Technically you girls had the option of leaving, "Emiko reminded them, resulting in the two sniffling as Emiko continued, "Also, Ranran did tell you both to leave."

"Everything is going as planned, The Snake is on his way," Rupert assured Griffith. "Let's bring the tiger along!"

Griffith disappeared, returning with some tough-looking men. The painted tiger was trussed up in a net, and suspended from the arm of a mobile crane. It snarled and Griffith's whip lashed its flanks. Ran, Emiko and Junko watched in horror as the huge beast was lowered into the hold of the fishing boat.

"Place the girls in the dinghy," Rupert directed his aide. "When we're done, after feeding the girls to the sharks, we don't need to wait for those pesky Crows to deliver this tiger. We'll pull the switch with The Snake and we'll reap all the profits."

Emiko gasped."So you went through all of this trouble over a freaking white tiger!? What is wrong with you!? It didn't even do a thing towards you!" she exclaimed in a rebellious tone.

"No, but I have debts to pay," Rupert shot her a smug look. "Also, it's not that you can do anything about it."

"But we can," said a voice. "Drop your gun, Rupert."

Rupert spun around as a small army of black-clad soldiers materialised from the shadows behind him. His gun fell to the ground.

Emiko's forehead was dripping with cold sweat like rushing water."The Crows are here," Junko told her.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?!"Ran shivered in horror.

The hooded man, followed by Finlay, stepped forward. "We'll take over from here, Rupert," he announced.

Sweat broke out on Rupert's face as well. "Hey, we can do a deal," he pleaded. "I'll cut you in on the profits."

The gun rose at him. "You're in no position to make deals, especially when you are millions of pounds in debt!" The hooded man barked an order. Rupert and his men have led away. "Now, let's get out to that ship!" he snapped.

The Crows boarded the fishing boat while masked. Emiko was tied up and thrown into the dinghy by one of the men. Ran and Junko was then dragged into the little boat with Emiko and bound hand and foot.

"Now I am going to ask you something, the three of you better be honest with me. Or else..."The hooded man cocked the gun at Junko," Either of you dies this instant, you hear me?!"

Ran and Junko was petrified while Emiko remained tense, "What do you want?"

"Alright...which one of you stole the money from our HQ!?"

"I am sorry!?" The shock on the three girls' faces was evident, wondering what was he was talking about.

"Don't lie! You see this man here?!" He pointed at Mr Finlay with his free hand, "He was the one who was shot by The Snake at our HQ."

"Oh yeah, I think that was mentioned."Junko suddenly recalled, before turning back at the Crows, "What does this have anything to do with us?"

"After the shootout thanks to The Snake, we returned to find 60,000 Yen of our money missing from the safe box! And I heard the voices of four kids before passing out! That means one of you guys stole the money!"Mr Finlay confronted the three girls, who later turned pale.

"No way! Don't tell me she....!!!"Ran widened her eyes in realisation, recalling Shinichi's words about Ranran never once using her pocket money for others.

"I knew it was odd where she got the money from to buy those smartphones!" Emiko couldn't help but wonder out loud.

"Thanks to Ranran, we are all gonna die!"Junko cries in dismay with even more conviction.

The hooded man gave them a final wave." Enjoy your trip, girls," he called. "After I get our money back, it's going to be your last."

As the boat trip made its way, Emiko swears the rope bounded to her wasn't as tight as she thought. If only she can break loose from it...

~~~

When the launch drew near to the ship, Ranran saw a hatch had been opened in the side and a metal ladder lowered to the water. A uniformed figure stood in the opening. The launch throttled back and nosed in against the ship's hull. As soon as it was tied to the ladder, The Snake climbed up quickly. He passed a package to the waiting officer.

"Thank you, captain," he murmured. "It's a pleasure to do business with you."

The captain saluted. "Everything is ready, sir," he beamed.

The armed crewman motioned Ranran and the others to follow Watanabe up the ladder. They were led into a passage that smelled intensely of oil and rancid cooking odours. Their footsteps echoed over the metal deck. Water smacked against the hull.

The captain swung open a heavy door and stood aside. They entered the gloomy hold. Crates were stacked everywhere, and in one corner, a cage had been lashed to the deck.

A ferocious growl shattered the silence. The white tiger paced behind the bars, its blue eyes instantly alert and cautious, its pink nose twitching as it detected the odour of human adversaries. Every instinct cautioned it not to trust the beings who were approaching. Muscles flexed under the cream-coloured fur. Its dark chocolate stripes stretched with anger and hatred.

"Quite a specimen," The Snake observed. "Just the skin will more than quadruple my income on this venture."

The tiger let out an ear-splitting roar and pushed itself against the thick bars of its cage as if it had heard and understood.

Watanabe jumped back. "I'm not going near that thing!" he whined."I am hired to crack, not do Rupert's job!"

"Patience, Watanabe..." The Snake reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gun. "Let's see if we can quieten it down for you."

The gun spat a tranquillizer dart into the tiger's flanks. It roared with surprise and pain and then sagged against the bars. Its eyes began to close.

The Snake pushed Watanabe towards the cage door. "Now you can get to work, and be quick about it."

Watanabe nervously approached the lock, but the tiger ignored him. Special metal seals had been attached to show whether anyone had tampered with it. Watanabe expertly unpeeled them, then his fingers deftly worked on the lock. He put his ear to it and the click of the tumblers echoed softly in the hold.

At last, the lock popped open and Watanabe stepped back. 

The Snake produced a metal leash, before entering the cage, he confronted the four kids."Now, the four of you, considering that the situation isn't in your favour, I expect you to be honest with me, alright?!"

"Honest with you over what?"The four of them exchange puzzled looks before turning to The Snake.

"The other day, one of my men drove my Toyota over at your HQ. So, which one of you is responsible for puncturing my car!?"He confronted the horrified kids, except Ranran who couldn't be bothered to hide her expression.

"Why does that matter?"Shinichi couldn't help but dispute, "You owned two cars after all!"

"Oh, so you knew that I owned a Jaguar and a Toyota huh!?"That made The Snake enraged at the blue-eyed boy, "So you are the one who is responsible!?"

"Shi-"

"That's right! It's me!"Shinichi cuts off Ranran's words, as he lies brazenly in front of the three stunned kids. Michio and Takuma know Shinichi is lying, there all know Ranran is responsible. Why is he lying!?

"Alright, since you are responsible, you are going to be the one to escort the tiger!"

The two guys glanced at Ranran, then at tiger, only then did they understand Ranran was the smallest of their bunch. If The Snake discovers Ranran's involvement, the tiger might easily overpower her and end her life. And Shinichi most likely recognized this, which is why he lied to defend her.

Even so, the two boys observed Shinichi from afar. Shinichi is roughly the same height as Ranran, there is a high chance he himself will die if he is put in charge of seizing the damn tiger.

That's why Michio decided he had to step in, "No! It was me!"Michio suddenly came up.

"Excuse me!?"The Snake turned his attention to the boy.

"It was me! I punctured your car!"Michio lied.

"No! It was me!"Takuma claimed, "I was the one who punctured your car!"

The more the boys lied, the more The Snake became confused before he turned furious, "All of you! Enough!"He pointed the gun at Michio, "You definitely a no! You are too tall for the dashcam! Which means it has to be the 3 of you!"He aimless swung the gun on Shinichi."You better come clean! Were you lying earlier, or-"

"It was me." The girl raised her hand before she stood one step ahead of the boy, making Shinichi look at her in pure horror.

"Ranran, no-"

"You!?"The Snake and the rest of the men were stunned. A little girl was the one behind puncturing The Snake's tires.

"It was me, so let Shinichi go."Ranran glared at The Snake.

"How impressive, the girl is the one responsible for ruining my car." The villain smirked at the situation before them, "Who knew she had more guts compared to the boys. Very well. You take it."

The tiger paced back and forth in his enclosure, Fifi's muscles tense and its blue eyes watchful. Fifi was restless and agitated, his movements restless and ears constantly twitching. It felt rather dazed.

Suddenly, the gate to her enclosure opened. 

Powerless in watching The Snake dragging Ranran with him, Shinichi screamed, "Ranran!" and tried to pull her away from the Snake, but The Snake's gun forced him to distance himself from saving her, as the other boys watched helplessly.

He secured the chain around the tiger's neck and gave the other end to the girl." Since you owed me tons of damages for the Toyota, it's time you pay up. By bringing Fifi to the boat," he said.

Beads of icy perspiration aligned Shinichi's face."You coward! You are forcing a little girl to do your job!"

"At least she has more balls than the three of you combined!"The Snake snarled.

While all of the commotions is going on, the tiger's body tensed and it was prepared to attack when the little girl lowered her voice to say, "Mr Whiskers, do you remember me?"

Mr Whiskers!? The tiger's ears perked. It hasn't heard that name in a while.

Observing the little girl before it, it recognizes who it was.

Although she has grown older, Fifi still recognized her. Her face lost a lot of baby fat, and her blue sapphire eyes has dimmed a lot, no longer smiling a lot like she used to, but the signature red lip and her smell was recognizable to Fifi. The little girl reaches out to touch the tiger. The animal paused, then began to nuzzle and lick the child's hand, as if it had found a long-lost friend.

Fifi sighed and came closer to the small child, pressing its body on his knees in an affectionate gesture. Fifi pressed its body against Ranran's little body, savouring the encounter. "You still remembered." It purred blissfully as Ranran rubbed Fifi behind the ears as if it understood her words. "Do you remember what we did last summer before I left? We're going to do it now," Ranran said softly to the tiger.

Fifi could feel the tension in the air and knew something was amiss. Then it spotted the man in the Snake mask, and it realised that the man was the source of his favourite human's anxiety. Before Shinichi could protest with The Snake, he felt a hand from behind lay a hand on his shoulder.

He turned his head, it was Takuma."Let her be." 

As a result, Shinichi glanced at Takuma with terror. "No-"

"Just leave her be," Takuma insists, before shifting his focus to Ranran from a distance, "she's got this."

What does he mean by that?! Shinichi became bewildered by Takuma's words.

When the small girl yanked on the leash, the drowsy tiger struggled to its feet, its massive paws padding around the metal floor. The three other kids followed, with the armed crewman close behind.

"Stay here, Watanabe," The Snake instructed. "Rupert should be along very soon."

The small girl led the enormous beast down the tunnel to where the captain awaited. They came to a halt near the open hatchway. To lower the animal into the launch, a harness had been rigged.

"Now!" Ranran pulled the tiger forward abruptly and without warning. Its paws slid on the deck, causing it to go overboard before she dove in after it. "Ranran!"Shinichi was horrified, so was Michio except for Takuma.

Men were shooting on the launch. Shots blasted into the water. As soon as Shinichi witnessed Ranran swimming away with the tiger, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't shoot!" yelled The Snake. "You could've hit the tiger!" He turned around and snarled fiercely at the three remaining detectives. "That foolish girl! The tiger will drown!"

"Don't you realise?" Michio inquired, a sneer on his face. "White tigers are superb swimmers. We were taught of that in school."

"Also, Ranran is Fifi's favourite human for over 2 years. They have a special bond that not even criminals like you can break."Takuma ridiculed the shocked criminals.

"And so is Ranran," Shinichi sneers, before grinding proudly at his mentor swimming further away alongside Fifi, "They do this every summer."

The Snake screamed at the men in the launch. "Get after them! Don't let them get away!"

Shinichi grinned wider, "Er, sorry to interrupt, Oji-san (sir), but don't you think it's a little too late for that?" he asked politely and pointed to where a police helicopter was skimming low over the waves towards them.

.....

The white tiger appeared to be revived by the cold water. The stream was driven through by its powerful body. The tiny girl swam smoothly alongside it, keeping an eye out for sharks.

She prayed that this giant beast would keep them at bay, as the little girl cast a glimpse at the tiger's majestic head. It was evident based on its expression, it was becoming too drowsy to swim.

"I know you're tired now, Whiskers, but hang in there," she told it. "I hope it's not too cold for you."The tiger turned and its eyes regarded her without expression." You always been a good swimmer," she commented. "But I always wonder for the past 2 years...do you still suck at climbing and running compared to the other three back there?"The tiger's ears twitched and its eyes blinked a low growl sounded from its throat as if it knew it was insulted."Don't think too much of it, alright?"Ranran was grinning at the beast."I too suck at certain things."

The tiger's mouth curled back to reveal its razor-sharp fangs. Then, the tiger sneezed."Hang in there, Whiskers."Ranran pets its back."When all of this is over, hopefully, Amelia is able to get a better ringmaster than that scumbag Rupert."

A shape loomed up in the heavy swell. It was a fishing boat, towing a small dinghy.

"Huh...a boat out of nowhere. The hell?"

When the fishing boat drew alongside, Ranran sensed something was wrong. A man in a hood looked over the rail. It was at this moment Ranran recognize Crow's leader."You are Ranran, right? The girl who stole our money."

Oh hell no. "Techincally it ain't when you left it out in the open."Ranran corrected him shamelessly.

 "Looks like you've saved me a trip," he observed.

"Whiskers run!"

The tiger's head rose and its mighty jaws opened. Its huge fangs caught the first rays of the sun as it let out an angry roar. Finlay and other Crow appeared at the rail. They tossed a net over the side, as Ranran helplessly watched the tiger gets captured."Whiskers!"

Ranran tried and tear at the net with her hands, but it was to no avail. Then, the arm of a crane swung out from the boat, preparing to lift the beast out of the water.

"I need to do something! If there were not a boat, I could've done things to their-"Then Ranran recalled a perfect object for the situation, "That's right! I still have that!"

With her other free hand back into the water, while the other held onto the chain linking to the tiger, she fish out the one thing that comes in handy. To the shock of The Crows, Ranran did the unthinkable."Hey! How dare you cut off the net!?"Finlay shouted at the little girl, but she pay no heed.

As if the tiger trust her, it sunk a little while Ranran cuts off one string after another with a swiss knife."Wait a while, Whiskers. I will get you out!" Once the hole is big enough, Ranran is able to remove the net out of the tiger before the two were able to swim away.

"Damn that girl! Finlay!"The leader turned to him, "Use those girls as a bargaining chip!"

"On it!"But by the time Mr Finlay turned back, he froze, "Hey! Why is our dinghy no longer tied to our boat!?"

"Ranran!" shouted a familiar voice. "Kochi (Here)!"

The little girl looked around. Right beside Junko and Ran, Emiko was frantically waving to her from the dinghy afar."Girls! We've been trying to call you!! Where were you! Whiskers, let's go!"

Ranran nudged the tiger and began to swim towards the dinghy. The white tiger growled and followed. The wind had stiffened, and waves broke over their heads.

Ranran clung to the dingy, the tiger paddling beside her.

"Well, we were kidnapped by Rupert when they spotted us with Amelia. Amelia had to flee to call for help, though I ain't sure whether she made it out alive. Also, Rupert tried to reap all the profits without waiting for the arrival of The Crows by leaving early." Ran called down to Ranran. "Unfortunately The Crows arrived earlier than imagined."

"Seriously!? Is Amelia alright!?"Ranran is horrified. Not Amelia! Anyone except Amelia!

"Wait, let's not talk about Amelia now," Junko peered over the edge next to Ranran. Her eyes widened, "I think I need to have my Tousan send me money for getting new glasses later, cause I am seeing you holding on to a tiger."

"Oh no, the tiger with me is real," Ranran answered nonchalantly, before grinning fondly at the tiger next to her, "I used to call it Mr Whiskers when I was younger."

"What!?"Junko froze before pointing at the tiger, "You mean to say that is a living breathing tiger!?"

The tiger looked up at her with a bleak expression. Then, it sneezed again."We are almost there, Whiskers."Ranran pets it.

"Wait, Ranran! Tigers are dangerous!"Ran reminded her as Emiko was astonished by the interaction between Fifi and Ranran."You handled tigers before, Ranran?"Emiko couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"I did."Ranran chuckles, before turning serious."Anyway, as much as we are far away from them now, they can catch up any minute. We need to leave now!"

The three girls nodded to her. That's when the hooded man's fishing boat arrived, in the stern having his machine gun trained on the dinghy."Girls! Look out!"

Ranran yelled to the three on the boat, all of their faces horrified at what is to come.

Suddenly, he was caught in the beam of a spotlight. Two police boats churned the water. "Put down your weapons!" commanded a voice. "You are surrounded! Put down your weapons NOW!"

Meanwhile, the boys went after The Snake as soon as Ranran swam away with the tiger, as he has no bargaining chip against them. However, due to their inexperience, The Snake ended up having managed to escape in a helicopter.

"You bastard!"Shinichi stared at the circling helicopter. 

"Let's leave without the tiger now!!"The Snake shouted an order and climbed down into his launch. He stopped halfway and looked back at the boys.

"I'll remember all of you, especially the damn girl who stole my tiger!" he called. "Next time we meet, it won't be so pleasant for you kids."

And then he was gone. The launch sped away from the ship and was lost in a curtain of spray.

.....

As soon as Amelia had gotten word that Ranran was discovered swimming hastily with Fifi the tiger through one of the officers who happened to be speaking with one of her co-workers, her panic grew.

Suddenly, the signs she recalled when she was in the U.K with Ranran and 'The Boy', those bruises around them and stuff, everything was beginning to fall into place.

With major concern, she borrowed one of her colleague's smartphones to contact the one kid from Edgewood Academy that has the complete answers.

Amelia hastily dialled the number she knew by heart, her hands trembling with anxiety. After a few rings, the person finally picked up.

"Amelia, do you know what time is it here!?" A voice whined in agitation.

But Amelia has no time to tease the receiver, "Teddy Layton Bennett, for the past 2 years....it has been bugging me for a long while, but I had to know....is Ranran The Fox!?" Amelia blurted out, her voice shaky as she angrily confronts.

"H-hah!? W-what are you talking about? What Fox? Ranran? What makes you-"

"ANSWER ME!"

Teddy stuttered for a moment before responding, "Calm down, Amelia! What's got you so worked up? I don't know what you're talking about with this Fox business-"

Amelia took a deep breath, attempting to compose herself. "Teddy, I've seen things, signs that I ignored for too long. I need to know the truth. Those incidents that took place in Edgewood, 'his' death, and all those strange incidents leading up to 'that girl's' downfall and arrest! I have to know, is Ranran 'The Fox' or not!?"

"Amelia, you're getting yourself all tangled up in some wild conspiracy theories. What makes you think Ranran is 'The Fox'? That's just some internet myth, urban legend nonsense-"

"Ranran has opened a detective agency here in Japan, did you know that?!"

Teddy's voice on the other end of the line went silent for a moment, his silence speaks volumes.

"So....you all knew about that too besides me....."

Teddy hesitated before responding, "Look, Amelia, it's not what you think-"

"I thought it was strange....that when 'he' was still alive, Ranran's behaviour drastically changed over 2 years, even up until the day 'he' died....and the incidents that followed after that....if you knew, that means....everyone in your class knew besides me, since I am the only one who doesn't belong in the same class."

"Amelia-"

"How long were you all planning to keep all of this a secret from me!?" Amelia's frustration intensified. "Were you....were you all planning to take this to the grave had I not find any of this out!?"

"Amelia, it's not about keeping secrets from you. We-"

"I know! I know that 'he' told you all to keep this quiet! Even up to the day 'he' died! Cause 'he' is someone who rather handles things 'privately'. But Teddy, you are forgetting one thing....I was 'his' friend too! I had the right to know all of this! Even if it means this ends up endangering me!"

Teddy let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, realizing the gravity of the situation and Amelia's emotional turmoil. "Amelia, we didn't have the intention to exclude you or keep you in the dark-"

"Don't give me that crap!" Amelia, however, wasn't easily pacified. "One more question, and be upfront and honest with me, Teddy. Those...rumours about that projector that accurately projects one's future was the reason why 'that wench' ended up where 'she' is now...is that true as well!?"

"Amelia, don't make things any difficult-"

"If you don't admit to it, I will force Ranran to say all of this!"

Teddy took a deep breath before responding to Amelia's intense interrogation in a quiet tone, "Yes, all of that you have heard is true." 

Amelia's voice trembled with a mix of anger, confusion, and hurt. "Why, Teddy? Why did all of you keep all of this from me!?"

"We were dealing with someone who is a psychopath back then, one who had no hesitation hurting kids like us...even though 'she' is a kid like us" Teddy's response was laden with remorse, "I mean 'she' didn't even hesitate to almost murder so many other kids through manipulative means....that 'he' had no choice but to enlist Ranran-"

"But she was 3 when all of this was going on! 3! And 4 when 'he' died, which means-"

"Amelia, calm down-"

"How can I calm down, when all of you kept such a huge secret from me!?"

Amelia's emotions were a turbulent mix of anger, confusion, and hurt as she confronted Teddy about the revelations surrounding Ranran. The weight of the long-kept secret bore down on her, and she struggled to comprehend the truth.

"She was just a child! How could you justify all of this?" Amelia's voice wavered with disbelief.

"We are sorry, Amelia, we are sorry...."

"And what about Ranran? Did she know the extent of what was going on?"

"Of course she does, it ain't a secret. Which is why after 'he' died...." There was a brief pause before Teddy responded, "You know the rest."

Amelia can recall how cute Ranran was when she was 3 years old. rosy cheeks, red lips and an amusing little toddler.

She can recall how Ranran told everyone that Amelia is one of the coolest girls she has ever known, how she said when she grows up, she wants to be a cooler entertainer than Amelia. After all, she has a singing voice to brag about, and that charismatic charm despite her young age.

However, after learning of this dangerous lifestyle Ranran had supposedly lived throughout her life, Amelia has to confront her.

.....

Eventually, an hour later, this happened.

Surrounded by trees and mountains as their only company, apart from the local animals that couldn't be bothered, Amelia knew this was the perfect place to shout where no one can hear them. "I don't want to talk about it."Ranran averted her gaze away from her.

"You have to Ranran, now that 'he' is gone, I have to step in," Amelia crossed her arms, "After all of the things I heard from that Majima boy, I didn't want to believe it till I heard every single kid telling me what you've been doing, especially that Shinichi who you hated so much even before meeting him!"

"There is nothing to talk about," Ranran said, stubborn as always.

"Ranran-"

"Let's leave it at it, please?"Ranran exhaustedly expressed, pinching her nose bridge, "It's already been a long day..."

The voice was so familiar, so heartbreaking that Amelia felt her tears coming back. Staring back at the wearied 6-year-old before her, Amelia has a lot to say to her.

"You can't avoid addressing the elephant in the room, Ranran! That is not the way life works! Because, at the end of the day, the elephant will demolish the room and create widespread destruction elsewhere!" After a moment, the younger girl lifts her head, her hand curling firmly. "How could you walk away from everything just to seek out revenge!? Did you forget how hard you had worked wanting to become a child actor!? And now here you are becoming a child Tantei!?" Amelia is fuming.

"Amelia," Ranran began to protest.

"Did you think this is what he would want from you!?" Amelia's voice quivered, her eyes filling with tears as she confronted Ranran with the harsh reality.

The words hung in the air, echoing in the secluded surroundings. The tension between the two friends escalated, and the emotional turmoil of the revelations weighed heavily on Amelia's shoulders.