"Speaking of clickbait," Michio found himself asking Takuma, "Do you have any topic that might do so?"

"I do, we will call it 'Abusing the Privilege of a Hot-tempered celebrity: Does it get me to places social experiment'. We will say Shiro is a good example, so I am going to do the same to test it out whether it works for me."

Everyone's jaw dropped, before Sonoko protested, "Bad idea!"

"I know, I know, hear me out," Takuma said, trying to calm her down. "But if you think about it, they'll be so angry that they'll have to open the door to confront us."

But before that could happen, Junko froze as she realizes that a policeman was patrolling up and down from another hallway.

"Whatever you do, Junko, don't look," Michio whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "We're supposed to be filming a Youtube video, remember?!"

The rest of the children ignored the policemen who are watching them. Junko fought to control her nerves at her feet. When she looked up, it was straight into the suspicious eyes of a policeman.

Seeing Junko that way, Takuma did it in the way he only knew how: Distract her and the cop.

Slipping into his inner Ranran role once more, he puffed himself before announcing with confidence while standing in front of the camera Sonoko was holding, "In the real world, stars are the tier of God status among average joes like us. Especially Shiro from Red Illumination was no different. So what if I dress up and behaved like one? I want to know how far people will allow me to abuse my authority!"

At first, the children were stunned, they were not expecting Takuma to suddenly act this way without warning. But then Moriko and Sonoko, who had experience with impromptu acting, immediately signal others to hurriedly use the camera gears they were given.

Without warning, they hurriedly played their role before the police officer, who stared at them with suspicion, Takuma continued, "In our social experiment which we have the full permission of the hotel's administration, and school, we're going to see how far we can push the buttons of self-entitled occupants before they kick us out!"

Sonoko, who was holding the camera, shook her head slightly, but she knew they had to follow through with the plan. She adjusted the camera angle to make sure she was capturing everything.

Takuma continued with his act, "I'll be acting like the worst kind of celebrity here on the 40th floor at Heiseikan Shiosaitei Hotel, where all the V.I.P residents are occupied in every single room, by demanding the guests to simply open their door. Let's see how they will react Heiseikan Shiosaitei and let me get away with it just because we're 'celebrities'."

The other children watched in amazement while Takuma continued to ham it up for the camera, acting like a spoiled and entitled celebrity. They knew that his performance was just an act, but they couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable, since it very much reminded them of the domineering Kudo Ranran.

As they filmed their fake celebrity antics outside the Red Illumination's hotel room, they couldn't help but feel nervous about how the actual celebrities would react. He purposefully knocks on the door one after the other, where demanded they open for him since he is a star, causing a loud scene.

Meanwhile, the other children were already preparing themselves for the worst-case scenario. They had to be ready to run if the police decided to call security.

At the same time, however, Michio was giggling so much, the rest of the other children stiffed their laughter over the way Takuma strut his style as he knocked on every single door, especially when he did it in front of Red Illumination's door. The policeman's eyebrows shot up in surprise before roaring with laughter and walking off.

Normally, a cop would've stopped them, but since Shiro had a bad reputation, and Takuma's group seemingly had genuinely no idea about Red Illumination being here, it made sense for him to leave them be. Especially after hearing that the kids had permission from the hotel and school alike. Plus, that boy wasn't wrong about the 40th floor being filled with wealthy privileged people, he despise their self-entitlement.

"Look at this! I am actually getting away with things I don't normally do in real life! No one dares to open the door and confront me!" Takuma was hardly believing what he'd just heard himself say.

Then door 44 was flung open and Junko almost fainted.

Kyo, the brother of Ryo, the real deal cute face whom she hung on her bedroom wall, was looking at her with a weary smile. "Hi, I am sorry, but could you all keep it down with whatever you are all filming with, please? Shiro ain't liking it one bit with the loud commotion you are all causing."

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

Genzo meanwhile entered the hotel's security room a few moments later

Located in the basement, it was a stuffy dimly lit room where banks of closed circuit video screens gave him a view of every corridor and entrance. It has been 2 hours since he disappeared. He caught the eye of his second-in-command"All quiet so far?" he wanted to know.

"The hotel is secure, sir," he was told smugly."A fly couldn't get in or out without us knowing."

"We're not looking for flies," growled Sergeant Genzo. "We've got to find that singer. The whole world is watching us. Just make sure nothing goes wrong."

The other man snapped to attention. Yes, sir!"

.....

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Shiro, the real deal, was growling behind Kyo when he tried to confront them, but Kyo hold him back from going after Takuma and the gang.

Takuma turned to face him, still in character. "Oh, we're just filming a video. You know, for our Youtube channel."

Shiro narrowed his eyes. "I don't like Youtube. Get out of here before I call security."

Takuma continued to push his buttons. "No way, I had permission from the Hotel and school, to begin with. We have to have it submit our assignment by tomorrow."

The other children held their breath, waiting for the singer's response before Kyo became curious and had a little trouble with the camera equipment Ran and the rest are seen carrying, "I am sorry school assignment?"

"It's a social experiment," Michio suddenly came forward, before explaining, "We wanted to prove to our sensei that having this celebrity status will let you get away with things."

"So is that why you were all busy knocking on every single door on this floor?" Kyo grew amused at this before inviting them over, "Why don't you come in, and we will show you the proper way one can genuinely get away with."

"Kyo, you can't be serious to just invite a group of children with cameras, right?!" Shiro was in disbelief before he pointed accusingly at them, "Did it not occur to you that they could be a bunch of children sent by reporters to lower our guards down?!"

"If they are, they must have done a horrible job. Let's not forget our manager, Mr Ogawa, is with you in the same hotel room." Kyo reminded him before telling him, "I tell you what if you are worried, why not split the others and take away their cameras then? Some of them go entertain you then?" He then turned to the group outside, "You won't mind, right?"

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

Before they know it, the kids agreed to be split under Shiro's command.

While Takuma, Junko, Ran, Michio and Sonoko remain with Kyo, the ones Shiro chooses to keep an eye on are Emiko, Moriko and Reina.

Kyo closed the door behind them while the others followed them into the room. He ran a hand over his troubled face. His red highlights flowed in tangles over his black hair.

"You guys got it right, but not completely," Kyo began politely, "I appreciate that all of you were nice enough to split, even though Shiro can be unreasonable at times. Nowadays we lack respect from fans whenever we request this from them anymore. And no one listens to Shiro whenever he tells them off, calls him rude."

Takuma stared in disbelief at the huge bed, the gold lamps and the beautiful paintings adorning the walls. The massive windows were edged with thick drapes, the colour of midnight. He'd only ever seen rooms like this in the movies.

Before he knows it, the musician invited everyone to take a seat in the living room. "For starters, that was overkill. That happens in tv dramas, in the real world, everyone has cameras nowadays, so it is a direct death to your career overnight."

To Michio's surprise, Junko was busy recording all of this down with her pen and notebook, "Are you serious?" He pulled her aside a bit whispering in her ear.

"Hey, he is making a valid point. Also, we have an essay to submit for social studies in our class, remember?! I ran out of ideas on what to write, this will do just fine." Junko jolts down every single point Kyo has made it about.

"Anyway, anything else would you all like to ask?"

Before anyone dared to bring it up, Takuma boldly announced, "Yes, it has something to do with the recent situation you guys are dealing with."

Kyo studied them. For a moment, a strange look creased his face. "It's about my brother going missing, isn't it?"

"Yes, and no, we are not the press, "The boy in the cap then boldly announced. "I'm Hikari Takuma, the rest of the children who were with us, especially now, are actually not Youtubers. I don't know if you know who we are since you all lived in the U.S, but we are Tantei Association-"

"Tantei Association? Wait, are you all the children who solved the Muniko case?" He asked in surprise.

"Oh, so you do know about us?" Michio and the rest of the children blinked in surprise.

"We do, we follow entertainment news as musicians, so when the news of all of you solving that case regarding his half-brother appeared, I thought it was a detective Tv series. I didn't think you all would appear in person." Then he shot a probing look at everyone before realizing something wasn't adding up, "That's odd, earlier I counted that they are 8 of you, but during the premiere, there are only 7. Also, I thought there is a boy and a girl dressed in similar clothes, especially this girl wearing a white blouse and a blue skirt..."His eyes scanned the children that he had invited, "Which one of the two of you are the ones who appeared dressing up like that?" he asked.

"Ah, Kudo Ranran and Shinichi, right?" Ran blinked back, "They didn't attend your concert since they are not huge fans."

"But my girlfriend and her cousin are," Takuma corrected the singer, "They were granted tickets to your band's show after solving a high-profile case, but then they were not fans. So we attended after they handed us the tickets. And for your information, my cousin Reina and I aren't a member of the association."

"Same here," Sonoko raised her hand to confirm it.

"Ah, is that so," Kyo understood before realizing, "So those are their real names, huh? The news reported K.RR and K.S on the media, so they took the names of their initials. Forgive me, but all of your faces were blurred during the interview." He then tried to guess every member based on the interview he had watched before pointing one after another, "So the boy in the cap who mentioned he enjoyed fishing, you must be H.T?"

"Ah yes, it's me, Hikari Takuma." The boy answered.

"Right," His eyes then focus on the long brown-haired brunette, "Then you must be M.R?"

"Yes, as in Ran, Mouri Ran." She confirmed.

"Then the one with the long dual pony-tailed girl earlier was the artist, right? Shiro kept saying he want to meet her someday."

"Really? He actually said that?" Junko's face fell since she wasn't completely expecting this.

"Then you with the brown-haired here," He gazes at Michio, "MM?"

"Yes, Majima Michio."

"I knew it!" Kyo beamed, "When you said you join to protect your mother, you earned my respect."

"Ah ha ha, thanks." Michio ruffled his own hair, not expecting to be praised.

"And lastly," His eyes finally fell on the glasses girl, "You must be the girl in the Elsa dress from Frozen."

She smiled nervously but a little embarrassed, "That is right, I am Fuyuko Junko. Though I wasn't planning to wear that initially."

"You didn't?"

"No," Junko shook her head at him with a lopsided smile, "I had a huge leakage in my house, so all of my clothes were dampened as a result by the time I woke up and head to school. The last thing I was able to put on was Elsa's dress on my way to school. And then Ranran announced last minute that our client, Mr Muniko, has invited us to the premier of that movie where his half-brother was unknowingly featured. Although I had the choice of not attending, I decided to go regardless since we solved the case, so..."

Kyo seemed to come alive as he spoke to her, "Wow," he grinned, his eyes sparkling. He ran a hand through his own hair while he gushed, "Even so, that is very brave of you. To wear something you dislike and be brave in front of many photographers."

Junko blushed while the others swallowed a giggle. Sonoko and the rest of the girls were amused, while Emiko, Takuma, Reina and Moriko exchanged looks. Michio was the only one whose jaw dropped.

"Ah, I am sorry, I shouldn't be that straightforward," Kyo suddenly became shy again.

"No, it's alright," Junko reassured him before deciding they don't lose track of the main topic and just focus on her failed dress, "Nagono, the reason we are here is to confirm whether the kidnapping situation is true. Cause if it is, we will look into it. My friend Ranran is a very experienced detective, she will locate him if that is truly the case faster than the police here."

"Also, we were looking forward to this concert more than anything," Sonoko interrupted, giving a deep sigh, "Don't get me wrong, I know we have cops here, but I don't think they are looking at the right places."

"So you all too are looking forward to our concert, huh? Well...I am sorry to disappoint all of you, but it's true. He is in fact kidnapped." Kyo gave a sad smile to them before he crossed to the window, gazing out at the city fingering the plush drapes.

Hearing all of this, the atmosphere was grim. Very grim. "I am sorry for what happened to your brother." Michio found himself saying this.

"Don't be. To be honest, I wished we were not that naive when our manager said this part of Japan is safe," he said, almost to himself.

"You said he was kidnap," Ran mumbled before probing further, "Did you see it for yourself?"

"No, but Oniisan would never desert us before a concert. That I know for a fact. He doesn't like to play pranks. Always arrived on schedule even though we are stars to not disappoint his fans, so when he couldn't be found, we knew he was kidnapped." He turned with a flicker of a smile. "Sorry everyone calls him Ryo, but he's still Oniisan to me."He flung himself into a chair and his face crumpled.

Sonoko felt terribly sorry for him. "Why are you certain he was kidnapped? He could've been lost since it is his first time here?" The heiress suggests.

"My elder brother is tech savvy, he relies on his own GPS on his smartphone to get around the city. He has been doing it for years since we started the band, especially after we moved to the United States. To get lost is something he will never do, and as his brother, I know him better than anyone," Kyo told them.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Michio inquire.

"At the stadium, when he paid me a visit at my dressing room. I was rehearsing with him our parts last minute just before he vanished."

"Is that a common thing you both do?" Sonoko wondered.

"Yes, we always do it last minute before a concert. Just like we used to do when we were growing up at home. It kind of helps our nerves to avoid stage fright."

"But not with Shiro?" Takuma frowned.

"Ah no, we didn't have any with him because he was born with talented hearing." Kyo pointed to his own ears.

"What do you mean?" Michio and the others grew puzzled.

"Well," Even Kyo himself is a bit frustrated before explaining, "Basically, he was born with exceptionally good hearing, especially when it comes to his vocals. So we usually leave him out because he catches on pretty quickly."

"Really?" Everyone's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah, it's true." Kyo confirmed, before adding, "But it can be a source of frustration at times for us."

"Why? I thought hearing things like a cat would do wonders. Like a superpower." Ran thought of it differently.

"That's true, but he keeps having problems sleeping thanks to this talent. Especially when it comes to making music, "He paused, then sigh, "I can tell you the number of times we had to reschedule and re-record a song track. For example, don't tell anyone this, but we had an upcoming song we plan to release next Tuesday, but he felt like the song wasn't up to par because of one of the musical instruments we used, so we had no choice but to postpone it to next month until we record it to his standard."

"Woah, that sounds like he is difficult to work with," Michio thinks.

"More like pain in the ass," Sonoko comments.

"Even Ryo thinks so too." Kyo rambled.

"But ain't he the reason why all of the songs you all recorded reached the no.1 spot?" Takuma brought up.

"Don't get us wrong, we ain't ungrateful with his abilities as a musician, miss Emiko. But that is how it is working with Shiro." Kyo pinched his nose bridge. "But regardless of this, his hearing is the reason why we never do last-minute rehearsals. He is in his own way a very qualified musician. And we trust him on that."

Deciding to switch the subject back to the kidnapping, Junko asked softly "How did he vanish? Your brother?"

"No clue, but all I know was as soon as the bodyguards were busy running around looking for him, especially opening my dressing room to ask about him, I knew something was off."

"But how was he able to leave the stadium without somebody seeing him?" Sonoko wondered aloud. "I mean, Ryo is so famous-"

"Do you think if someone were to force him to leave with him, he will comply? Also, is he the type to run away from overwhelming pressure?"Michio asked.

"I doubt he is the type to run away when it comes to pressure. I mean....he was able to tolerate our cousin's hot-tempered Shiro for a long time since the band was established, there is no way he would run away, as to whether he would comply if someone force him to go with him...."Kyo shrugged, "I honestly don't know. I just can't figure it out. Who'd want to take him away? I've been thinking and thinking, but it just doesn't make sense." He looked at Michio desperately. "Are you sure those two are talented enough to specialize in searching for missing people?"

Before Michio could reply, Junko jumped to it, "Of course they do. Or else how do you think they were able to locate a legally dead brother out of the blue?"

"I hope they do, "Suddenly he jumped up and paced the room like a caged lion. "This is the most agonizing time of our life," he pleaded. "And my parents are still having a hard time trying to buy a plane ticket to fly all the way here."

"Eh?! Your parents don't follow you around?" Michio grew stunned, "I thought after you all landed a contract as a music artist in the US, your parents would accompany the rest of you?"

"Cost of living in the US is expensive, so they didn't join us." Kyo became sad while revealing this.

"Wait, expensive?" Junko grew doubtful, "But we read that your band is reported worth millions in US dollars."

"You are not wrong, however..."The musician paused once more, "Most of the money we earned through album sales was used to pay our own staff who follow us on tour, our manager, our expenses living there, the props we used on stage, even back to our families who lived in the rural village."

"Then what about those luxury condos and hotels you were all photographed living in?" Even Takuma was taken aback by Kyo's words.

"All of that was through our manager, Ogawa. Since we are considered minors in the law, we are not legally allowed to have access to the millions we had earned while on tour. Even if we need money, he had tight control over our finances. This was something our parents and the manager agreed on before signing us on contract." Kyo reveals.

"Damn...."Takuma and the rest are speechless.

"That is why our parents are not with us at the moment. And with Ryo missing..." Kyo was growing agitated, "I need to find him myself, but our parents insist me staying back with Shiro and Mr Ogawa since their eldest son had gone missing here of all places while on tour."

"To be fair, they might try to kidnap you next since Ryo is missing, you know?" Michio reasoned.

"Michio's right," said Ran, "You're safer in here with the police to protect you."

But Kyo disagreed, "I have survived this cutthroat business for the past few years. You have no idea of the dangers that came with it, even as a popular singer. If I can survive this, I can definitely look after myself, I won't be protected! I want to find my brother."

"Do you not trust the police here?"

That question from Takuma was enough to make Kyo snap, "No, after that corruption scandal reported on the news last year in Japan? No! They are incapable of filling their pocket with greed, who are they to say they will bring back my brother unharmed!?"

Everyone falls silent at that.

An idea lit up within Kyo's head before deciding, "About those two children you mentioned...can I meet them in person to take in my Onii-san's case?"

"Excuse me?" The rest grew startled.

"Please?" Kyo pleaded to them, "I don't trust the corrupted cops besides those two. If they bring him back, I will try to get Mr Ogawa to pay for their fees. They just need to name their price."

"I don't know...."Takuma crossed his arms, "Shinichi is adamant about accepting cases from famous people, especially after what happened not long ago."

"Why? Did anything go wrong the last time it did?" Kyo wanted to know.

"I-"

"Don't worry," Junko cuts in, fired up by Kyo's plea, "I will get them to accept it whether they like it or not!"

And jaws dropped in response.

.........

Meanwhile, the door next to Kyo, Reina, Moriko and Emiko had been greeted with a torrent of abuse.

Or rather, Emiko is the only one bickering with Shiro while showing the business card she placed on the table in front of him, "I keep telling you that we belonged to Tantei Association, so why are you laughing as if what we are doing was a joke?!"

"And I don't buy it!" Sulky Shiro screamed at her as he slammed the table, his hair swirling around his head like a mad tornado. It appears the two were sitting opposite each other in the dining room while Reina and Moriko look at them from afar. "Why were you all holding cameras then?! If you were the child detectives that you all claimed to be, you all wouldn't be dressed up like that!"

With Reina and Moriko rolling their eyes, having grown accustomed to unreasonable behaviour thanks to Ran and Sonoko, turn to stare at a fat, round little man shouting at him from the couch with his laptop in front of him in the living room, not far from the dining room. "Shiro, keep your volumes down, alright?! I am trying to verify whether their story is true!"

Shiro wheeled to face him. "Of course, you would! It's far more important than looking for my cousin who is still missing!"

Reina and Moriko stared in horror, as Ogawa's voice grew louder. "How dare you!?"

"How dare I!? I keep telling you that having the concert here was a bad idea when there is news reporting about a criminal mastermind that is still on the loose in this city! And look what happened?! Ryo is missing because of you! I wouldn't be surprised if that man kidnapped Ryo!" He ranted, punching the air in front of the two girls' blank faces, "First my drum set we ordered went missing today, then Ryo went missing, a stupid hotel staff recorded us and exposed our hiding spot, and now we are dealing with a group of idiot fans pretending to be Youtubers to sneak into our place, now claims they are the detectives who solved the infamous Illegitimate Extra case!"

That was when Emiko lean forward, quivering with rage, much to Moriko and Reina's horror, "I tell you what, if you are going to continue insisting we ain't the child detectives we claimed to be, the first thing I am going to do when we head back to the HQ, then demand one of our members to scheme for the end of your career as a musician."

Everyone stared at her in the sudden silence."Emiko!"Reina blurted her name out loud, but Emiko clearly ignored her.

"What? You don't believe it, do you? I will prove it to you," Emiko fishes out her smartphone before dialling the number she knows at heart. The moment the phone picks up, she set it to speakerphone before letting Shiro hear, "Ranran, how is the situation with the cops earlier? Especially with that girl's mother?"

"Hah? Ah, you mean that prostitute? We settled it once and for all, on my way back with Shinichi to the HQ."

"As always," Emiko chuckled before deciding to get to the main point, "Ranran, do you remember the Muniko case we solved the other day?"

"What? Do you mean 'Illegitimate Extra'? What about it?"

"Do you recall what we did at the mine when Muniko's half-brother's mom showed up?" Emiko muses as if they were recalling old times' sake.

"Yeah, I fired a bullet at her, and some of you were screaming as if you had just witnessed a murder. Why did you ask this question when you know the answer? You were there too when it happen along with the rest of the members."

Shiro's mouth hung open before Emiko continued, "There is this annoying idiot I know of who doesn't believe we are part of this association. What should I do to prove it?"

"Why bother? If he continues to harass you, just tie him up with ropes and dump him at the quarry where Shinichi and I almost drowned, where Namba's mom had ordered her own men to throw us at the sinking boat to hide all of this from her son. It will do us wonder. I would love to hear his screams drown further, as the water enters his lungs and slowly suffocate him."

For a long moment, the drummer gasped at the voice of the little girl from the phone, speaking of things in such an inhumane manner. In a way, the account of the story seems to match his manager's, since he contacts with Muniko on occasion. To the surprise of the man sitting opposite Reina and Moriko, they were unfazed as if they were accustomed to Ranran being like that. And Emiko is enjoying every single minute of this. "What if the person is a famous drummer?"

"Who cares? One less bugger, the better. No one is going to miss him if he dies. Just like the rest of the suspects we had apprehended." For some reason, the cold chilling tone from a little girl sent shivers to the hot-tempered drummer.

"Neh Ranran, what are you doing? Hurry up, we are heading back to the HQ to finish the rest of the paperwork regarding the Rajah Ruby case." A boy's voice could be heard in the background.

"Rajah Ruby...?" The man who was listening to this from afar tried to figure out what that boy was referring to over the phone before he grew alarmed, "You mean that Ruby case involving The Snake!? I read about that in the local newspaper not long ago!"

"Alright, Shinichi. I get it. Damn that fake German officer, even in death we still have to do a report about him."

"Fake German officer?" It was Ogawa's turn to blink while turning to the two girls sitting in front of him for answers, "The news only revealed the culprit behind this died while in custody in prison. What is she talking about?"

"Long story short, the dead guy in prison impersonated a fake German official and tricked the association members at that time to steal the ruby, but then Ranran exposed him. It's a long yet messed up story," Moriko formed a mysterious smile and so did Reina.

"Anyway, got to go, Emiko. I won't bother you, good bye."

And with that, Emiko nonchalantly hung up the phone upon greeting the founder goodbye, crossing her arms with a smirk at the drummer, "Looks like Ranran would be more than happy to torture you."

And that is when Shiro grew red in anger, snapped his fingers and pointed at the door, "You, get out! Now!"

Emiko's hands were on her hips. She glared at him, "Why? Now the truth is in front of you, you can't accept it, huh?"

Shiro wilted and took a step back.

Ogawa Touma the manager slapped his thighs "I love it," he laughed, "A little girl who can stand up to Sulky Shiro!"

Shiro returned Emiko a twisted smile."You listen to me, you may have been right about all of you being detectives. But it doesn't change the fact that you are also our fans, who lied their way in."

"I mean I ain't going to deny this, but we had every right after we went through the hassle of borrowing money to travel all the way to your concert." Emiko rolled her eyes at him.

That irked Shiro before he stormed away from Emiko, and then Ogawa finally sees the Tantei Association website, especially on social media where the cases are posted, "Hmm...looks like what they said earlier seems legit."

"So about Ryo being kidnapped...." asked Reina quietly "Is it true?"

Shiro spun round and glared at Reina, "You mean someone kidnapped him? No way! That kid is street smart." At first, he let out a mocking laugh, "There is just no way..." The next moment, his skin turned the colour of ash. "Wait a minute, if they took Ryo...ain't either me or Kyo next!?"

"Ooi! Now it took you this long to realize this!?"Moriko couldn't help but facepalm over his stupidity. She hates to admit this, but maybe Ranran was right on one thing: Celebrities who are wealthier are becoming dumber by the minute.

Panicking, he ran across and grabbed the sitting man by the collar and began shaking him. "You heard what they said! What are you going to do about that? What are you doing to protect me?"

Emiko looked ready to slap him, but Reina pulled her away. "I think we'd better go, at least now he ain't doubting we are detectives, right?" she whispered.

"Agree, "And so, the two cousins dragged the reluctant Emiko away from the room with Shiro's screams ringing in their ears.

.........

"Junko, you can't make promises like that!" Ran told the spectacle girl off about making such promises they can't keep.

The rest of the children decided to gather far away from Kyo for a moment, said they need to discuss the next step before all of them could come to an agreement, shortly after Moriko, Reina and Emiko joined in. "Ran is right, you know?! Did you forget what Ranran is going through right now?!" Moriko lectured her.

"I know, we do not want her to be discovered as the true founder of Tantei Association. If that was discovered, The Snake, a criminal mastermind, will kidnap her and force her to use her talent for his criminal empire." Junko answered with reluctance.

"If you know this, then why!?" Emiko blasted.

"Come on guys! Someone's brother is being kidnapped, and we need to look past that besides being members of a boyband, they are too someone's brother!" Junko argued while everyone grew very worried over this.

"Then what about Ranran!? Ain't she someone's loved one as well!?" It was Reina's turn to be riled up over Junko being too emotional.

"Then what is the purpose of opening a detective agency, to begin with!? Ain't our jobs to deliver justice regardless of all walks of life?!" Junko pointed out.

"Exactly!" Sonoko sided with Junko over this matter, "Since it is a real kidnapping, Ranran and Shinichi should look into this!"

"A celebrity is too much of a tall order." Michio tries to reason with his childhood friend since kindergarten and Sonoko, "The press and public interest in Red Illumination are rather high, if Ranran gets exposed for being in charge of this case, what is going to happen next?"

"Exactly! The Snake still believed that Michio is the founder!" Moriko reminded her.

"If The Snake finds out, what are you going to do if Ranran gets kidnap and never returns to her family again?" Takuma challenged the two, "Do you want a pair of grieving parents no longer seeing their daughter anymore?!"

"Also, even if Ranran accepts it, Shinichi will say no!" Emiko pointed out, "You think he is going to let her be out of his sight after that plane incident?!"

Kyo watched as the group bickered back and forth, feeling a sense of guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders. He knew he had put them in a tough spot, asking for such a big favour, especially when they were already dealing with their own problems. He decided to speak up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble. It's just that...my brother means everything to me, and I don't know what else to do."

Junko, who had been the most vocal about taking the case, softened her tone, "Kyo, we understand. We want to help you, but we need to be careful. Ranran and Shinichi are busy with their own cases and can't just take on any client."

Kyo nodded, understanding their position, "I get it. I'm sorry for putting you all in a tough spot."

Takuma spoke up, "But we'll still try to help you in any way we can. Let us think about it for a bit and come up with a plan. We won't leave you hanging, Kyo."

Kyo smiled, feeling grateful for their support, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

With that, the group continued their discussion while Kyo watched from a distance. Finally, Junko came up with an idea, "I will offer something to Ranran that she can't resist."

Everyone turned to her in curiosity. "Like what?"

"Whatever she asks, I will give it to her," Junko answers.

The rest of the group looked sceptical, "Anything? What if she asks for something unreasonable or dangerous?" Emiko commented.

"Then I will figure something up. I am a member of the Tantei Association after all." Junko knows she will regret it later on, but right now, seeing Kyo from afar looking heartbroken for his missing brother speaks volumes to her.

The others exchanged glances, considering Junko's proposal. "Then what about Shinichi? There is no way he will say yes to this. Especially if this endangers Ranran." Ran frowns.

"That part, you leave it to me." Sonoko raised her hand with determination, "I will convince him."

Finally, Takuma spoke up, "Alright, if it is up to anything, you both better be prepared."

The others nodded in agreement, and Michio added, "But how are we going to sneak Kyo out to meet the two?"

With that, the group began to discuss their next steps. "I have an idea," Sonoko said, "One of you might as well switch places."

"I totally agree, "Michio snapped his fingers.

"But that means one of us will have to stay behind," Reina glanced at Kyo, who was gazing at Junko again.

That is when all eyes fell on the athlete once more, to which he later responded rolling his eyes while moaning, "You got to be kidding me."

"Takuma, you're about roughly Kyo's size. If you switch clothes with him, you can follow us once we've got away and meet us back at headquarters. Alright?"

With his hand rubbing his face, the athlete just said, "Let's just get this done and over with."

So Takuma and Kyo hurried into the bathroom. A few minutes later, Kyo returned dressed closely as similar to Takuma. Too bad the face gave it away, he would need Takuma's cap to cover it up.

"How do I look?" he asked Sonoko and Moriko who is in charge of the makeover.

"Hm.....need more cover-up." Even Reina who is observing this could tell this will easily expose him. She recognized her boyfriend's face anywhere.

Then she had an idea. She rummaged in the wardrobe for a hotel laundry bag. Everyone watched in surprise as she pulled the sheets from Kyo's bed and stuffed them into the bag. "If carry this in front of you," she told the star, "no one will recognize you."

Kyo took the bulging bag and bowed, "Thanks, ma'am."

Michio snorted, and so did everyone.

Just then Takuma emerged from the bathroom wearing Kyo's clothes "Wow, I'm a rockstar now!" he called "How do I look, Michio? Does it look like I am like Kyo who can easily woo Junko now?"

But Junko just shot him an angry glance while Michio and the rest were far too busy to care, heading out towards the door.

As they headed to the taxi waiting area and used the remaining money to take them to Tantei association, Reina couldn't help but think, "Ranran and Shinichi are going to be pissed that we are about to ruin their day....and Takuma...I hope he is alright...."