The dressing rooms of Red Illumination were spacious, fitted with full-length mirrors surrounded by bare light bulbs, wardrobes, and comfortable sofas. One by one, they checked all the rooms and returned to Ryo's.

No matter how many times Kudo Ranran inspects, all the rooms had one thing in common: They are neatly organized inspecting every single member's room, she noted that despite the differences those rooms had different clothes, musical instruments and all that, and it did not upstage the other.

This was unusual to the seasoned detective girl since usually, the lead singer gets a better dressing room instead of having a similar interior to the keyboardist and drummer. "It's surprising that Ryo's dressing room is no different than the rest of yours, I would've guessed he get a luxurious one since he is the lead singer," Ranran remarked, looking around the room.

"Not true," Kyo frowned, "Mr Ogawa raised us not to be materialistic when it comes to luxuries, so he made us have similar dressing rooms."

Ran chimed in, "And besides, Ryo doesn't really care about material things. He's more focused on his music. That was mentioned in their interview."

Junko nodded in agreement, "Yeah, he's always been that way. He's very humble and down-to-earth, despite being a superstar."

"Which is why tons of fans, including us like them for what they are," Michio grins.

Shinichi spoke up, "Well, regardless of the size of his dressing room, we still need to find him. Let's keep searching."

As they continued their search, Ranran couldn't help but think that Mr Ogawa, their manager, is promoting the band's professionalism and humility to those boys in the eyes of the public, leaving everyone the impression that they are the type who are more focused on their music and their fans than on material possessions or celebrity status.

It makes Ranran wonder...is this genuinely what the boys think?

The manager might want to show that, but do Red Illumination genuinely feel the same? They are worth millions in dollars, and Ranran knew plenty of children back in Edgewood who will swim in money name of luxury. The fact that she hears the manager is having tight control over their finances...in addition to that, Kyo admitted that they sent money to their relatives...if it were Ranran in their shoes, she would be genuinely resentful. Plus, a whole lot of them are still school-going children, not breadwinners of the family.

Ranran made a mental note to get Shinichi to look into it later. She couldn't shake the feeling that there might be more to this band than meets the eye. As they searched through the dressing rooms, they finally arrived back at Ryo's room.

"Anything?" Shinichi asked as he looked at the other detectives.

Junko shook her head, "No, nothing."

Emiko was looking through Ryo's wardrobe, "Nothing much to go by."

Then Kyo scowled. "I've just noticed something, Ryo's guitar isn't here." He checked inside the wardrobe and shrugged. "He wouldn't go anywhere without that guitar."

"Which one?" Shinichi asked.

Kyo thought for a moment before answering, "It's a Red Gibson Les Paul. Ryo always carries it around with him, even during rehearsals and sound checks."

Junko spoke up, "Maybe he forgot it somewhere else? Or maybe he lent it to someone?"

"Not possible," Kyo shook his head, "Ryo is very possessive of his guitar. He never lets anyone borrow it, and he always keeps it with him."

Shinichi questions, "Does that guitar mean something to Ryo?"

Kyo nodded, "Yes, our management bought this as his first birthday present since we became a unit."

Michio chimed in, "It's a Red vintage Les Paul guitar that he loves to use in all of our concerts. He's really attached to it."

Emiko rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "So if he went missing without his guitar, it's safe to assume that something is wrong."

"Does he play his guitar elsewhere?" Junko inquired.

"No, he rather plays it indoors instead of outdoors. We are too famous as a unit, paparazzi would just jump on us to take pictures."

"Aside from that, "Shinichi points, "Seems like Ryo's room is the only one with a window."

"That is true, "Ranran and the rest gazed at the window, "But the window is quite high."

"Is it high enough to jump out I wonder? How high Ryo is?"Shinichi turned to Kyo.

"On the tall side." Then he stood next to Michio before pointing at him, "Around his height, but a bit shorter."

"I see....then Ranran, jump on the chair and take a look," Shinichi said.

"Eh?Why me?"Ranran gave him the look.

"I don't think I am small enough to get through the window beside you."

"Well, why not you then? You never try, you never know."

There she goes again, "Ranran, we are running out of time here. So I suggest you be a good girl, and do your job, ok?"Shinichi carried a chair across to the high, narrow window, before directing Ranran to the chair, "Just take a look."

Ranran gave him that look of scepticism, "Why if I fall?"

"I will jump to catch you, alright? Just go."

Ranran reluctantly climbed up on it and pushed it open. Beyond the window was a narrow ledge leading to a fire escape. They then took turns to peer out. "It is quite high!" Junko grew wide in horror.

"One can actually break their neck if one steps the wrong spot." Ran grew pale at Emiko's comment, she may not have a severe fear of heights unlike her dad, but she is starting to relate to her dad right now.

The comments flowed from one member to another. Junko looked at Kyo. "Who chose the dressing rooms? Was it Ryo who decided this?" she asked him.

"Wow, you are a detective," Kyo grinned. His brow furrowed as he considered his answer, "This part is too under Ogawa-san."

"So is it likely that Ryo escaped through the window?"Ran thought loud, "I mean from the looks of it, it's difficult even for an adult to climb from the ledge just to kidnap Ryo through the window."

"Even so, it doesn't make sense why he would take the guitar along with him. I mean, just look below, "Ranran points at the window, "If you look down, the ledge itself is too narrow. You can slip anytime even for someone like Michio to climb out of the window and balance oneself on the ledge."

"Also, If you can balance with one hand, especially with some heavy object, is that even possible?" Shinichi scrunched his face, "Just not possible!"

"So what Shinichi trying to say is, "Emiko shot Kyo a mocking look. "Can you really imagine your brother crawling out through that window with the chances of him slipping reaching up to 90 percent, to a point he could've broken his neck?"

Kyo glared back at her, "What are you getting at?

"Nothing," she met his gaze with a cynical smile. "I just can't see a rockstar sneaking through a window like that. Unless someone was forcing him, that's all."

"But I've already told you," Kyo snapped, "Our manager wouldn't have had anything to do with Oniisan disappearance."Then he threw her a taunting smile of his own, "Shirou maybe, but not our manager..."

"Or you, Kyo," Emiko snorted and walked away."Or you..."

Shinichi raised his hands, trying to calm everyone down. "Let's not start accusing each other. We don't have any evidence to suggest that anyone in this room had anything to do with Ryo's disappearance."

Michio nodded in agreement, "Shinichi is right. We need to focus on finding Ryo and bringing him back safely."

Emiko sighed, "But how? We don't even know where to start."

Junko spoke up, "Maybe we should search the dressing rooms and see if we can find any clues. It's possible that Ryo left something behind that could help us figure out where he went."

Kyo nodded, "That's a good idea. Let's split up and search each dressing room. We'll meet back here in 10 minutes and share any findings we have."

Everyone agreed, and they split up to search the dressing rooms. Ranran was the only one who remained, as she searched through Ryo's room again, looking for anything that might give them a clue as to where he went.

Ranran looked down at the carpet and frowned. "Hey, Kyo, what are these marks on the carpet?" Ranran asked, pointing to the marks.

Kyo walked over to where Ranran was standing and crouched down to examine the marks. "Oh, those are just wheel marks," he said.

"Wheel marks?" Ranran repeated, confused.

"Yeah," Kyo explained, "We have a cart that we use to wheel in our musical instruments before a concert. It must have left these marks on the carpet."

Ranran's eyes widened in surprise. "You bring your musical instruments in here? I thought this was just a dressing room."

Kyo nodded. "Yeah, we bring everything in here. Our amps, guitars, drums, you name it. It's all stored in here."

Ranran looked around the room again, noticing the various guitars scattered about. "I had no idea. I thought this was just a room for you guys to change clothes and hang out in."

Kyo chuckled. "Well, it's that too. But since we spend so much time on the road, we have to make do with what we have. This is our home away from home. So we at times do rehearsal with the instruments we get."

Ranran smiled. "That's really cool. I had no idea you guys brought everything in here."

Kyo grinned. "Yeah, we're pretty resourceful. We've learned to make the best of what we have." He rubbed his tired eyes. "If only Shiro could see that." Observing Kyo's exhaustion, he grew a bit apologetic, "I am sorry, it's just..."

"That drum incident, the one that he caused a hole...is that how he found out his expensive drum set went missing?"

"Yes," Kyo smiled wistfully. "He gave the crew a hard time with threats of getting fired, I mean Ogawa-san was relieved when he bought him the drum set, and he would play nonstop till 4 am. So for the drums to suddenly go missing...."

"That must have been a nightmare for him," Ranran remarked.

"It was. And we all had to suffer through his tantrums," Kyo sighed. "But we couldn't exactly tell him the truth about why the drums went missing."

"Why not?"

"Because it's complicated," Kyo replied. "Let's just say that it involves some of our former crew members who didn't leave on the best of terms. We suspect that they might have had something to do with it."

"I see," Ranran nodded before seeing Kyo leave to meet up with the other association members who are investigating in the other dressing rooms.

Before long, Ranran stood in Ryo's dressing room reviewing the case with everyone, while Kyo was sprawled on the sofa, listening. "What have we got so far?" she began, "You last saw your brother Ryo, rehearsing in your dressing room, then came back here. And poof, he vanished."

"Through the window," added Shinichi.

"With his guitar" continued Emiko sarcastically."It just doesn't make any sense, Kyo."

"You are right, it doesn't." Kyo cast her eyes downwards.

"What about all the bodyguards and bouncers?" prompted Michio. "Has anybody got their names?"

"If you are talking about the name list for all of the staff within our Red Illumination tour, that is under Mr Ogawasan," Kyo shrugged "He hired all of them from Los Angeles for the tour."

"The staff that he hired, he never consider using a specific group of bodyguards from specific countries?"Shinichi questioned further.

"Are no, we don't use local bodyguards--Ogawasan thinks it's better if we have our own because they are more reliable."

"Shinichikun, you are asking this because you are thinking one of the staff may be a crook deshou?"Michio asked.

"Obviously," Shinichi nodded as he folded his arms, "I doubt an outsider will be aware that Ryo's dressing room has a window unless he has someone on the inside. Especially the CCTVs...if this was an unplanned kidnapping, why did they malfunction today out of all days?"

"That is right!"Junko snapped her fingers " Maybe one of them, either the stage crew or the security crew is a crook. Maybe one of them took Ryo!"

"Right? It makes sense!" Ran and Emiko exchange nod.

Kyo nodded. "It's worth checking," he agreed.

"Neh Kyo," All eyes turned to the red lip detective, who remain solemn, "Could you...take the rest of the members out to triple-check the dressing rooms, while I remain here?"

"Eh?" The rest of the Tantei Association members grew wide eye, and so did Kyo. "Why?"

"I want to turn the rooms upside down, just to make sure we didn't leave a single clue behind." Ranran grins.

"Ah, I see. As expected, you are a very devoted detective," Kyo is impressed before agreeing to take the rest of them, "Alright guys, you can follow me along to triple-check. We wouldn't want to miss a clue behind, would we?"

As Kyo and the rest of the Tantei Association members left to check the other dressing rooms, Ranran began to meticulously search the room for any clues. She carefully examined the carpet for any more wheel marks, checked the walls and ceiling for any hidden cameras, and even looked under the furniture for any potential evidence.

Nothing, Ranran found nothing.

"As expected from you, doing all of the investigations without me."

To her surprise, she sees the boy who strongly resembles her at the doorway, "Shinichi? Aren't you supposed to be with them?"

"How can I? When you are searching around the victim's room on your own?" Shinichi crossed his own arms, "You basically send Kyo out to be busy, because you don't trust him, right?"

Ranran chuckled, "As expected from you, I can't hide things from you."

Shinichi smirked, "I learn from the best after all."His expression then turned serious, "Speaking of clues, have you found anything that could lead us to the culprit?"

Ranran sighed, "Unfortunately, no. I've searched every inch of this room and found nothing that could help us." That's when Ranran unexpectedly throws a question to Shinichi, "Neh, Shinichi."

"Yeah?"

"If the cartwheel was dragged here with something you love, would you pick it up?"

Shinichi furrowed his brow, trying to understand the context of Ranran's question. "Uh, I'm not sure I understand."

Ranran sighed. "I mean, let's say you had something you really loved, like a prized possession or a pet. And it was being dragged along the ground on this cart, leaving marks on the carpet as we see here. Would you be willing to pick it up, even if it meant getting your hands dirty or risking damage to it?"

Shinichi thought for a moment before replying, "Well, I guess it would depend on how much I valued that thing. If it was something really important to me, then yes, I would try to save it, even if it meant getting my hands dirty. But if it was something I could easily replace, then I might not bother."

"Then imagine if you are Ryo, you see your guitar on the cart. Would you pick it up?"

Shinichi thought for a moment before answering, "Well, I suppose I would. If it was my guitar, I wouldn't want it to get damaged or lost."

"Then what about the person who is pushing the cart, would you pay any attention?

"Well, I suppose it would depend on the situation. If I knew the person pushing the cart and trusted them, then I wouldn't be too concerned. But if it was someone I didn't know, then I would definitely be more cautious." It was then Shinichi realized, "Are you implying someone used a guitar to bait Ryo!? Ranran, don't get me wrong, but Ryo is 11. He knows better than to follow strangers."

"I know, but we can't eliminate that possibility."

"Even so....using his guitar as bait... is cruel." He began pacing around the room, "That meant whoever push the cart with the guitar...knew Ryo love it so much, he can never bear to part with it. But is he the type who will simply open the door without seeing who push this cart?"

"There were so many people coming in and out of the building. Also, the CCTV breaking down today of all days...I don't know you, but this sounds very premeditated. And if this was an unplanned kidnapping, the person didn't need to go as far as to destroy the CCTV."

"You have a point," Shinichi nodded in agreement. "Whoever did this must have planned it out carefully." He furrowed his brow in thought. "But who would do something like this? And why?"

"That's what we need to figure out," Ranran said. "Especially the family background and Mr Ogawa...and mainly, Kyo."

Ranran stood for a while before wondering, "How is Takuma doing, I wonder? I don't hear him calling us back."

........

When the bouncer hailed a cab on the main street, Takuma streaked out and stopped one, too."Follow my friend in that taxi," he told the driver, "He forgot his wallet."

"Okay." The driver shot him a suspicious glance in the rearview mirror "Are you sure you've got money, kid?"

Takuma waved Kyo's money in his firsthand settled back in his seat. This could be a wild goose chase, he thought, or it could be the best break the detectives could hope for.

He wondered what Ranran and the others were doing and wished he had his smartphone. It's such a shame that he left his phone at Kyo's hotel room earlier in a haste.

Takuma's eyes followed the bouncer's cab. For several minutes it had driven along the wide main street in the city suddenly it swung off into a network of lanes. The buildings were becoming shabbier Huge signs announced that new developments office and apartment blocks would soon replace the dilapidated old structures. Takuma saw a demolition team at work clearing a row of ancient warehouses.

When the bouncer's taxi swung into the curb, Takuma told his driver to keep going. "Don't stop yet!" he ordered.

"But I thought you said you had your friend's wallet," he argued.

Takuma caught a glimpse of the bouncer hurrying into a building with a faded brass "49" above the entrance. "Go round the next corner and stop there," he told the driver

Counting out the fare, the athlete shoved the rest of the money into his pocket and ran back to where he'd last seen the bouncer. He looked up at a rusted street sign, Asagiri-dori (朝霧通り), which translates to "Morning Mist Street",  and wondered what part of the city he was in.

Flattening himself against the wall, he peered round the corner into Asagiri-dori. It was empty. No cars, no people, no sign of life.

As the athlete looked up at the rusted street sign, he couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. "Morning Mist Street?" he thought to himself, as he surveyed the empty and desolate street before him. "More like 'Eerie Silence Street'!"

He couldn't believe that a street with such a peaceful and picturesque name could be so devoid of life. Right now, he couldn't help but wonder if he had stumbled upon some sort of ghost town. Perhaps the locals had all fled in terror after realizing that the street wasn't quite what it claimed to be.

With a wry grin, he vowed to himself to write a strongly-worded letter and have Ranran send it to some influential people she knows, demanding that they change the name of the street to something more appropriate. "How about 'Spooky Hollow Lane'?" he mused, as he jogged off into the unknown depths of the eerie street.

Keeping to the doorways, ready to dart for cover, Takuma crept along until he reached the entrance to Number 49. The front door was open a crack. He climbed the steps and eased himself inside.

Somewhere in the gloom, he could hear the bouncer's footsteps. They sounded as though the big man was climbing the flight of wooden steps just inside the front door

His heart pounding wildly, Takuma tiptoed forward and began his ascent.

He heard keys jangle in the darkness above and a door groan open. A deep, growling voice mumbled something and then laughed out loud. Seconds later, the door slammed, the bolt was rammed home and the keys rattled again.

The big man came thundering down the stairs and Takuma looked around desperately. He ducked into the deep shadows at the back of the landing and watched the bouncer hurry past, less than half a meter away

When the man's front door shut below, Takuma counted off sixty seconds. His breathing steadier he climbed one more fight and picked his way along a passage.

He saw it almost at once.

One door had a brand new bolt, secured by a shiny padlock.

Не shook it as hard as he could, but it was too strong for him to force. A startled, scuttling sound reached him from the other side of the door.

Takuma ran his hands over the surface of the door until he found the small, round hole that had been drilled through it. He stood on tiptoe and squinted through.

Inside, wild-eyed and fearful was Nagano Rokurou, also known as Ryo. Lead singer of Red Illumination.

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

"Wait, do you guys hear that?"

After the children gathered in the dressing room of Ryo and found nothing so far, they turned at the sound of running footsteps in the corridor outside.

The door was flung open much to their surprise, and that is when Sergeant Genzo charged in with three uniformed men. For a long moment, the only sound in the dressing room was the sergeant catching his breath.

"Hello, Genzo," Michio swallowed noisily."What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Michio!'' Sergeant Genzo choked back his anger "Didn't I tell you that you couldn't work on this case? And I assumed the rest of them are aware of this."The adult pointed to the rest of the association members.

"You mustn't blame Michio," Kyo cut in quickly, "I was the one who requested following them to locate my Oniisan who had been missing. Also, the cops here are barely doing much to locate him, so I had them look into it."

The sergeant swung round to face him "YOU should have known better," he roared. How can we protect you if you go wandering off!?"

"I don't need protection," protested Kyo hotly, "All I need is to find my brother!"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Sergeant Genzo held up the photocopy of the ransom note he had made before the original was taken to the forensics laboratory."Your brother has been kidnapped. Whoever took him is demanding one million dollars. In US currency too."

Kyo stared at the ransom note with its carefully cut-and-pasted message."Come on, this looks like something made out of a movie, maybe it is some jokester. Besides," he laughed scornfully "Everyone knows that Ryo, Shiro and I don't have a million dollars. All our money goes to Ogawa-san."

Sergeant Genzo shot him a look of disbelief, "But I thought Nagano Rokurou, also Ryo, was the top-selling pop group in the world. According to all the newspapers you've made millions."

Kyo dug his hands into his pockets. "You don't understand the music business, sergeant. By the time we pay our taxes, and all the touring costs, and all the promotion costs, and after we pay Ogawasan's twenty per cent for being our manager, there isn't much left to share among the three of us."

Ranran read the note and frowned. "Even so, isn't something a bit odd?" Ranran asked the sergeant. "I mean, in all the kidnapping cases that are shown in movies, this is the first time they miss out on one part."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" Emiko blinked.

Passing out the note to the apprentice, Ranran tells Shinichi, "Read out the message, loudly for everyone to hear."

Uncertain why his mentor instructed him to, he reads out, "We've got Ryo, pay $1,000,000 (In US currency), or you'll never see him again. Wait for our instructions." Suddenly, something struck in his head, "Hey, the kidnapper missed out a part."

"What part?" Junko and the rest grew confused.

"Although it is justifiable that they didn't specify the method of payment or where to drop off the ransom money, why didn't they say something like 'Don't call the cops, or else his life will end' of that sort?" Shinichi pointed out.

Ran's eyes lit up as she realized what Shinichi was getting at since she was used to listening to stories of kidnapping from her dad, who used to work as a police officer. "That is odd, what kidnapper wouldn't make threats or warnings to prevent the police from getting involved?"

"Exactly, this is common basic knowledge!" Emiko suddenly realizes, "Why did they leave that part out?"

"Maybe the person grew so excited about the kidnapping, he missed out on this detail?" Michio suggests.

"I doubt it, even if that is the case, it sounds like a stupid mistake from someone who kidnapped a rockstar with tons of money involved," Junko shook her head, "You are talking about a million US dollars in currency!"

"What are you guys getting at?" Sergeant Genzo asked them.

"I can see it in both ways: Either this was done deliberately to make us think that calling the police is an option, while they have other plans in motion. Or..." Ranran paused.

"....or what?" Kyo demanded as she continues.

"This was evidently an inside job," Ranran reasoned, "The person who schemed the kidnapping knew that police are stationed everywhere for Red Illumination's concert. I believed that these people think they can outsmart the cops because they are familiar with the inside out of the concert layout, security and work schedules, which is why the culprit left out the 'Don't call the cops' threat, either by accident or intention. Especially the CCTV part having broken on the day itself, it was all premeditated."

"But if that is the case....doesn't this make Mr Ogawa the mastermind?" It suddenly dawned on Ran, "He is after all the band's manager, and it is his job to oversee all of this."

Everyone was silent until Kyo laughed."No way it's Ogawa," he said, in a hollow voice that wasn't very convincing. "Just....not him. It can't be him."

"I actually agree, "Emiko nodded, "The manager stands to lose a lot of money if that ransom is paid." She turned to the sergeant. "It could be one of the bodyguards, though."

Kyo reached for Junko's hand, "Junko, all of a sudden I'm not feeling very well. Let's go back to the hotel."

Sergeant Genzo caught the movement and saw the look of dismay that flashed across Michio's face. He had been about to give Michio a severe lecture but decided that he was already being punished enough. Ranran and Shinichi noticed too, but the expression on their faces, Ran was able to tell, they noticed something not everyone notice.

What was it they noticed from there, Ran wondered.

"I think we should all leave," he announced "Kyo, we have a police car downstairs and two officers to accompany you. The rest of us will follow. But not to the hotel... we're all going to police headquarters so I can take statements."

"But I'm tired," protested Kyo.

Sergeant Genzo snapped his fingers and a police officer escorted Kyo to the door, "Until this morning, this was just a disappearance, "Sergeant Genzo told him coldly. "Now, thanks to the ransom note, it's become a kidnapping case. That makes it a very serious crime. Whoever carried out the kidnapping will face life imprisonment."

..........

Meanwhile, Takuma pressed his lips to the hole in the door "Neh, Ryo, can you hear me?" he called.

Then he peeped through the hole and saw the lead singer nod, a confused, anxious look on his face. Again Takuma put his lips to the peephole."You mustn't worry" he said as loudly as he dare, "I am a friend. I'm going to get help for you. As soon as I find a phone, the police will be here to rescue you, okay?"

He peered through the hole and saw Takuma nod his head. Then he raced down the old stairs and out into the street. The bouncer had disappeared.

He decided to head down Morning Mist Street to the next corner. All the buildings had once been abandoned. If he could find a shop with a public phone, he could make contact with either Ranran or Shinichi. Even a construction site would do--he could borrow a smartphone from one of the workers

As Takuma hurried down the street, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of a phone or a working business. But all he saw were derelict buildings and boarded-up shops. He started to worry that he wouldn't find help in time.

...........

Everyone was seated around a table in an interview room at police headquarters. Sergeant Genzo's men had taken statements. Pretty obvious, Sulky Shiro looked crankier than ever, and a sheen of sweat slicked Ogawa Touma's face.

"Where are we going to get a million US currency of all places?"Shiro asked Ogawa.

Ogawa wiped his face with his handkerchief. "I'll get it somehow, I'll do anything to help Ryo."

"But what if they want it today?" Kyo pressed, as he was sitting next to Junko. "What are you going to do then?"

Sergeant Genzo rapped his hand on the table for attention. "Paying that ransom would be a big mistake," he warned them, "Once the kidnappers have the money, you might never see Ryo again."

The room fell silent. Then suddenly, Ranran leaned forward and spoke, "That reminds me, Mr Ogawasan, did you see Takuma at the hotel?"

Ogawa looked blank. "Who?"

"One of their friends, which reminds me...."Sergeant Genzo scowled at Michio, "Earlier, was seen leaving the hotel shortly after you on the hotel CCTV cam. Why was he left behind?"

"Well, we had to switch Takuma with Kyo to make sure no one knew Kyo left to meet Ranran and Shinichi, he didn't trust the cops to look for his brother," Ran admits.

"Also, the cops refused to let us investigate out of self-interest because they investigated talent lost to a bunch of 7 children, what were we supposed to do? Tell them?" Emiko's casual nonchalant tone irked Genzo.

"Anyway, I've been trying to call him, "Ranran admitted."He didn't pick up, does anyone else knows why?"

Ran then remembered something, "Maybe his smartphone is with Reina-san? We actually hand over all of our phones to her earlier in the costume bag for safekeeping, while we were pretending to be a Youtuber crew."

"You got to be kidding me..." Ranran pinched her nose bridge at that revelation, "You all didn't even bother to hand him back his phone!? After switching places with Kyo!?"

"Calm down, Ranran. Maybe he went back to headquarters while we were at the stadium?" suggested Michio.

"Maybe?!" Shinichi blinked profusely before confronting them, "Did you all at least text him where to meet up after he was done in the hotel room!? Or at least say how long to remain there and when he should leave?!"

Silence.

By this point, Ranran and Shinichi were simmering with rage, wondering how could they be that callous. And no one likes it when Ranran and Shinichi are pissed off by their performance.

"Ok, one more thing. And try not too pissed me off, ok?" With Ranran struggling to contain her anger over the situation, she examines their members' expressions, "To replace Kyo, he must look the part, correct? Please tell me that if one stands behind Takuma, one could not have mistaken him as Kyo?"

This dry silence was enough to piss both Ranran and Shinichi off big time.

"How can the 4 of you be that irresponsible!? Especially when you did all of this behind our backs!?" Shinichi who was listening to this has had with them, his voice rising with each word, frustration and anger boiling over. "It's one thing that you all took Kyo over to our place without our knowledge, but you left Takuma completely defenceless!"

Sergeant Genzo tried to interject, "Now wait a minute-"

"No, Genzo, give us a minute," Shinichi snapped back. "You all have endangered Takuma's safety, and who knows what kind of trouble he could be in right now?"

Ranran said nothing, the fingers on her right hand had spread across her face, wondering where did Shinichi and her go wrong in their guidance on running the agency.

Even Genzo who is hearing all of this looked ready to explode."This always happens when unauthorized people get mixed up in things," He growled at the children, before turning to Ogawa. "I want your word that you will call me the minute you hear from the kidnappers. And I want your word that these two young men of уours will remain in their rooms and not leave the hotel."

The anxious manager looked nervously at the two remaining members of Red Illumination. He nodded and a drop of sweat splashed onto the table in front of him. "But what about the ransom?" he asked."What if the kidnappers ring me and want it delivered today?"

"You'll have to stall them," advised Sergeant Genzo.

"They'll know it will take you a while to organize a million dollars in cash." He got to his feet. "Now, your telephones are being monitored. If the kidnappers do ring you, keep them on the line for as long as you can so we can trace the call." He beckoned to a uniformed officer. I'll have you driven back to your hotel."

As they got up to leave, he shot the man one final look.

"Remember, I'm going to hold you to your word. Nobody leaves the hotel again, and you let me know as soon as you hear from the kidnappers."

As Kyo, Shiro and the manager were escorted outside, the members of Tantei association got up to leave as well.

"Not so fast," Snapped Sergeant Genzo towards the six of them, "I think it's time we had a talk. I don't think you realize exactly how serious this case is!"

Meanwhile, Takuma is far from where the association members are rushed towards the telephone booth, his heart pounding with relief. He pulled open the door and fished in his pockets for some change. He had to make this call count.

He dialled Ranran's number first. It rang several times.

Before Genzo could say another word, Ranran's smartphone began to ring. That was when Ranran took the call to answer, seems like has an unknown caller ID.

Curious, she picked up the phone, "Hello?"

Ranran's voice crackled through the phone. "Ranran, it's me, Takuma," he said urgently.

"Tak-san!?" Ranran's jaw dropped, while the other children's eyes grew wide at the mention of his name, even Genzo, "Where are you!? We have been trying to call you-"

"Ranran, it's Ryo. He's been kidnapped, and I found him," Takuma blurted out, trying to keep his voice steady.

"EH!? Really!? You've found Ryo?" Ranran gasped as she listened to Takuma's breathless voice. "Where?"

Sergeant Genzo stared in amazement, and so did everyone.

"Long story short, I followed someone suspicious at the hotel," Takuma replied. "I even managed to talk to Ryo through a peephole, but I need your help. I'm at a telephone booth on Morning Mist Street. I need you to call the police and tell them what's happened."

"Don't move, Takuma, we'll be right there! We're with Sergeant Genzo now! I will send help to you, over."

As soon as Ranran hung up the phone, she turned to Sergeant Genzo, the other police officers, as well as the members of Tantei Association with a determined look on her face. "Now, listen up," she barked, taking charge of the situation. "Shinichi, Emiko, Michio, and I get into Genzo's car, while Ran and Junko with the other. Genzo," Ranran switch her sight to the man, "You are going to drive us to the telephone booth on Morning Mist Street. Takuma is waiting there for us, and we need to get there as fast as possible."

The other officers looked at her in stunned silence. Although most of them were used to seeing this for a year during her days as The Fox, the ones who recently joined the task force were stunned by the child speaking so confidently and authoritatively before. Suddenly, one of the junior officers spoke up, "Why should we listen to you? You're just a child."

Ranran didn't hesitate to blackmail them, "If you don't listen to me, I am going to tell the press that the reason why the police are refusing to help find a kidnapped person, is because since they couldn't let go of their wounded ego, after failing to solve three major cases in the row that we solved, they decided why not prevent us from solving and locating a missing child to protect their idiot little reputation." Ranran gave a chilling smile that made them shiver, "I am certain their fans would be more than happy to witch-hunt the whole lot of you for endangering that boy's life! Is that what you want?"

The officers looked stunned and didn't know how to respond, even the seniors were shaking. They always assumed after she left as The Fox, things would change. That it will humble her.

Clearly, it did not. Even now, Ranran still carries the domineering aura within her.

And she wasn't joking, there had been many incidents that befall them when she was The Fox. Far too many ones could count. When Ranran makes threats, she will carry them out, and they always ended up suffering the worst end of the stick.

One time, during the first day as The Fox when the adults, especially some of the higher-ups decided not to show up on time to protest the idea of a child ordering them around, she secretly followed them, and took pictures of them dancing in a karaoke club with ladies who dress sexily while they were grinding each other's bodies, then anonymously sent them to their wives, even their children weren't spared.

It didn't help that she posted it anonymously on social media, and they were severely penalized financially, and many of their marriages did not survive the fallout. The children of those cops were bullied severely by their schoolmates, but Ranran didn't care.

In her opinion: If taxpayers pay them to do their jobs but they are too busy splurging around their money while hanging out with sexy women, especially with their family of parasites enjoying the finances, it's her job to revoke it all!

After all, she doesn't see the point, since even her own rich family are not spared from paying taxes despite being rich!

Man, when that incident happens, many people also lose their livelihoods. But it was worth it for Ranran, now she doesn't feel bad about her family paying taxes. The same could not be said for her disapproving parents when they learn what their child did. They scolded her about the fact that her selfish behaviour regarding her opinion towards how tax profits are managed should not involve punishing the children of those officials, they are innocent in all of this. Again, Ranran didn't care, they enjoyed it at the expense of taxpayers, especially her family, they deserve it!

Money doesn't grow from trees, after all, that was what her parents taught her. Why should their children be allowed to enjoy their money? Not one bit! Ranran was punished by her own parents when they talk about her ridiculous spending habits during her earlier years. Ranran toned down a lot since, but she felt like the kids shouldn't be spared.

The officers looked at each other in disbelief. "Who the hell you think you are to bully us like that?" one of them challenged.

Ranran smiled slyly, "Bully? Are you guys now trying to play the victim here? No wonder the trust towards the whole lot of you collapsed thanks to all of your idiocy and incompetence." she retorted, her tone confident and unwavering. The officers exchanged uncomfortable glances, clearly taken aback by the girl's boldness. But before they could say anything else, Ranran spoke up again."Why are you guys just standing there with your mouths open?! Are you all inviting flies to enter all of your mouths?! Get in the car and take us there!"

Genzo quickly regained his composure and nodded, "Alright, you heard the girl!"

He rushed out to the police car and signalled for the other officers to follow her. Ranran ordered the rest of the members to do the same.

As they followed her, Shinichi stare at Ranran in awe: So that is why she is The Fox, getting the adults to do their bidding when one refuses to respect. That is one influential detective.

Honestly, Shinichi could not be gladder to pick The Fox as his mentor. No regrets.

While Shinichi, Michio and Emiko were still in awe, Junko and Ran exchanged glances in shock.

They all piled into the car, Genzo started the engine and sped off towards Morning Mist Street.