Getting to Kodama forest camp is a long way away.

In a way, it might take hours, and if there were bad weather, it might take 8 hours to get there. By this point, it was sore to sit on the seat of the boss by the time we crossed the border and according to Eiji, they still had miles to go before the children of 1-A would reach the boat that would take us across to the island.

Times like this, it was to Sonoko's relief that she had bought a load more magazines at the last service station they'd stopped at, and she and Ran had been ploughing through them one by one. Takuma and Reina meanwhile had each plugged themselves with AirPods while listening to whatever song was being played on Reina's smartphone.

Meanwhile, Shinichi was reading his copy of 'The Sign of Four', while Ranran trained her eye on the male instructor. Normally at this point, she relies on killing her boredom by playing her own PSVita or games she installed on her smartphone.

But traffic was heavy, so she used up a little more power than she was originally supposed to, hence, all of the devices are charged using power banks she brought over just in case of emergency. Bored, Ranran considered requesting Shinichi to lend her his phone but then decided against it since Shinichi will complain that she installed too many apps that would eat up his storage use.

Hence, her eyes were trained on Eiji, the scars on his face meant that his expressions were really difficult to read. He didn't move his eyebrows or smile or do any of those usual things, so trying to guess his thoughts and emotions was enough to keep her busy for ages.

Ranran had to work out his mood from the way he carried his shoulders. When people are relaxed, they're all droopy, but when they get wound up their shoulders start edging up towards their ears.

Then there were the little giveaway gestures – the nervous tugging of his earlobe, the little grinding movements of his teeth. It seemed to her that, the closer they drove to their destination, the more tense he became.

By the time they reached the boat, his neck was as stiff as a pole and his shoulders had reached jaw level.

As I suspected... the campsite we are arriving do have to pose tons of hazards waiting for us.

Before her mother dragged her to the bus several days earlier, Ranran did what she normally does best: Digging for any shred of news about the campsite. And as soon as the 6-year-old did by browsing on her computer, her free hand covered her mouth.

First and foremost, there has been an earthquake not long ago at the said campsite they are about to head to. Now Ranran isn't some expert who works near the wilderness like Eiji, but if anyone had to deal with the aftermath of severe earthquakes, be prepared to deal with the lack of basic amenities such as clean restrooms, showers, and running water. And Ranran can't do without a proper shower, especially in a campsite of all places.

Another problem was the number of bear attacks that have taken place over the course of several months leading up to now. Bears can be dangerous if they feel threatened or if they are attracted to food or garbage left out by campers. If a bear becomes habituated to human food or garbage, it can become a danger to both humans and bears. In Ranran's way of thinking, it was as if they had just pitched their damn tents in the backyard of the bears. No homeowner would be pleased to see squatters chillin' at their home.

If all of the research Ranran had uncovered wasn't bad enough, there was also a rumour that the campsite around the centre was cursed. Mentions of murder were brought up multiple times, it might not do well for the other child who is with them, specifically Mouri Ran.

Now Ranran doesn't believe in ghosts, she is a realist after all. But it ain't good to have a child who is fearful of this to drag others to tackle her fears.

The reason Ranran thinks of this is that Mouri Ran had a tendency to be superstitious at times, and the idea of a cursed campsite would definitely get under her skin. Whenever she let these ghost stories mess up her mind, the first thing Ran would do is scream and seek anyone for help to deal with a non-existing being. Yes, despite being a high-ranked taekwondo member within her own grade, she is afraid of ghosts. Honestly, thinking about this made Ranran facepalm a lot.

Ranran recalled the time Shinichi had recounted their kindergarten days. The first-ever preschool overnight trip they took with the class was at this particular hotel with a history of ghosts, it shook Ran so badly that she literally has to have either Sonoko or himself to accompany her while heading to the washroom. And it was 2 am at that time, and the two were asleep when she woke them up.

Another time was what happened not long ago, after the events of the King of Rubies case.

The 7 members had actually finished up their report regarding the case before they all parted ways and headed home. That was until Mouri Ran forgot that she had left her Taekwondo clothes, which were tucked away in her spare duffle bag back at Michio's mom's place since the Tantei Association Main Hq is right next to that shop. When she arrived there, she had seemingly forgotten that the typhoon at that time was so severe, there was a huge power outage around the area, so the hallway leading up to the association was eerily dark and gloomy, way more so since the wallpaper was black and dark, and it was around nighttime when she arrived and was all alone.

Normally Ran used to rely on Michio's mom, Majima Mio, to unlock the boutique before she entered the Hq since she was the only one with the keys. But Ranran felt that they shouldn't keep heavily relying on the mother and requested the keys to be cloned so that they don't bother her. So all alone in the dark, and with the typhoon being all so scary as the lighting flashes brightly since it was nighttime, it really took a toll on Ran up to a point, she called Shinichi in haste over the smartphone, screaming how scared she was.

And of course, Shinichi has no choice but to send Michio over to get her out of the building, since he was at Ranran's place solving another case in the living room at that time. In a way, it broke Ran's heart even more that he didn't show up unlike in the past, but the victim in the case was their no.1 priority at that time. Also, Shinichi felt like Ran wasn't out of Mamiko's woods yet, and he didn't want to leave her with the impression that he is willing to forgive her.

Anyway, as long as this kind of news reached Ran's ears, it was evident that if anything scares the living crap out of Ran, Ranran is dead certain they won't be having any good sleep, not even if it was 2 am, no one is likely to be spared by her screams or her being bothersome wanting someone to protect her from beings that barely exist.

Whatever, Ranran schemed up a plan in advance, so she will be spared from this nonsense.

By the time the kids got on the boat, almost the majority had decided that dying was far a better option than this.

It started well enough. They had to leave the bus on the mainland because the boat was too small to take vehicles. When it left the harbour, it chugged along the coastline without too much trouble. It rolled about fairly gently – enough to make one's stomach feel a bit odd but nothing too serious. They were sheltered from the full force of the wind by the hills, which look purple-coloured from afar probably thanks to the midst.

In Ranran's opinion, it reminded her of her time in the slums when her mother took her shopping for groceries when she was 2, she often was placed in the shopping cart by the mother. Then, Ranran used to see three elderly ladies dressed in purple, hunched together like a group of grumpy old ladies they always are, complaining about the price of butter going up due to inflation.

But when they rounded the headland and hit the open sea, some of them knew they were in serious trouble. Suddenly it was like being on a rollercoaster.

They shot down sheer wave-walls into deep valleys and then got thrown up over the next peak. They then tipped to one side, the ship's railings grazing the white crests of the waves before we were heaved over onto the other side and scraped through the frothing foam. Things got so bad, that even Hikari Takuma and Mouri Ran, the two physically strongest children of 1-A, grew seasick, and almost puked. The same was for Sonoko, who had been puking out into the sea none stop. Even Shinichi and Ranran had it difficult, though Ran noticed the two didn't have it hard that they reached the point of vomiting, unlike the rest of the 1-A kids.

"Hey! How is it you two look as fine as it is?!" Ran can't help but confront.

"Ranran headed over to Agasa the other day and requested a strong dosage of motion sickness pills before coming here," Shinichi was still staggering from the unstable motions of the boat, but he grins to himself as if he and Ranran were immune to this nonsense. "Also, Ranran did research on how people complained that the boat trip is awful, even for those who rarely had any case of motion seasickness, so she instructed me to eat as little as possible."

"She did what!?" Sonoko, Takuma and Reina who overheard them, then glared at the red lip girl, who could not be bothered to look back, "Could you not had inform any of us that you have those meds before coming here at least!?"Ran confronted her.

"The last time I brought up in class before this camping trip as a group whether you guys needed any of that medication, you and Takuma bragged you both are so tough, you both ain't much of a weakling to take in." Ranran rolled her eyes at them.

Ran and Takuma sighed, realizing that they had been overconfident and should have taken the medication. Both of them felt embarrassed that they both let their idiotic pride get in the way of her comfort. "Do you have any spare meds?"

"Sorry, Ran. But she only brought in enough for the two of us, we are keeping the rest when this stupid camping trip is over," Shinichi scoffed.

Ran sighed in resignation. "Well, I guess I'll just have to tough it out then."

"We are all screwed," Sonoko, Takuma and Reina groaned in dismay.

Ranran looked at them sympathetically. "Just hold on a little longer, guys."

The rest nodded and took a deep breath, trying to steady their stomach.

Right now, all they could do is looked out at the sea, which was now a churning mass of foam and spray. The boat was rocking so violently now that she could hear the creaking of the hull and the flapping of the sails. The wind was howling, and the rain was lashing down, stinging their face.

Seriously, Takuma had never felt so ill in his entire life, he felt like he was about to die. He was beginning to regret mocking Michio, who is the only member of Tantei Association that couldn't swim and is easily prone to seasickness, let alone, regret that he bragged about the seasickness pill nonsense. Even Reina who was with him said, "It would've been better if the ship sank."

"Reina, you do know we will die if that happens according to your wishes, right?" Sonoko brought this up.

"I don't care! Otherwise, this kind of misery will torment us till the day we die!"

Ranran couldn't help but chuckle at their conversation, despite the situation they were in. She knew it was a coping mechanism to make light of the situation and relieve some of the stress they were all feeling. She looked around at the other kids, some of whom were huddled together for comfort, and others who were trying to distract themselves by reading books or listening to music. But it was evident that their faces said otherwise.

It didn't help when the idiot captain who was in full control of the boat said, "What is wrong with the whole lot of you? You kids are such weaklings, you are all not qualified to be sailors! It's just a bit of wind!"

The captain's words only made things worse. The kids felt insulted at his response. They couldn't believe someone in charge of their safety would be so dismissive of their fear and discomfort.

Eiji who was not far from the children, frowned a bit before telling the captain off, "You talked as if you were born and destined for life at the sea."

The captain just laughed. "I did, we come from generations of fishermen growing up, so back in my day, we sailed through storms like this without a second thought from the moment we are born. Those kids should be grateful for the experience."

By this point, Sonoko was already soaked to the skin, doused with rain and drenched with seawater, clinging to the ship's railing, which had become her next best friend in all the world. Once more, Sonoko and the rest of the children were stunned that Ranran and Shinichi were donned raincoats earlier in advance.

"Damn...you even brought raincoats!?" Takuma muttered, feeling envious of their preparedness.

Shinichi smiled and said, "Well, I did research on the weather forecast around this area, where it informed us that it might rain, so we came prepared."

"Anyway, I am surprised," It suddenly occurred to Ranran, "Since the whole lot of you beside me and Shinichi were excited to go out camping, why didn't the rest of you think of bringing in raincoats and seasickness pills?"

Reina sighed. "I don't know, we were just so focused on the fun parts of camping that we didn't really think about the practical stuff."

"We were too busy packing snacks and the supplies we need, we didn't think it would rain or that we would need seasickness pills." Ran shrugged.

Takuma groaned in response. "I can't believe we're stuck here for another two hours. I just want to get off this boat."

Again, Sonoko puked out from the railing once more. It seems like she had it worst compared to the rest of the children, "Sonoko, how much did you eat to the point that you are suffering way worst compared to the others?" Ranran blinked at the heiress.

"Well," The rich heiress thought hard about what she had yesterday, "I had a huge breakfast."

"Like what?" Ran tilted her head.

Sonoko looked a bit embarrassed before answering. "I had a big stack of pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, scrambled eggs, and a glass of orange juice. Then around lunchtime, I had a big bowl of ramen and some sushi. And for dinner, I had steak, mashed potatoes, and some veggies."

Everyone looked at Sonoko with disbelief. "That's a lot of food! Even for an athlete like me....it's too much!" Takuma exclaimed.

"No wonder you're feeling so sick. That's a lot to eat before going on a boat ride." Ranran was shaking at how much Sonoko has eaten, even Shinichi too was stunned. Who knew this one-brain-cell girl is capable of eating like a pig?

Sonoko groaned in response, clutching her stomach. "I just want to get off this boat and lie down somewhere."

Ran patted her on the back. "Hang in there, Sonoko. We'll be on land soon enough."

With all of the kids chattering among themselves, Ranran saw something that sent such a chill through her.

For a second, she forgot how this boat trip was bad as it is as Eiji squeezed past her and went to stand at the prow of the ship. He was facing the wind, being lashed by the rain, but he didn't seem to care. His hands were gripping the railing so tightly that his knuckles were white, and he was gazing at the shifting horizon. He looked intense – savage – like a whaler scanning the sea in search of prey. At any moment he'd reach for his harpoon.

When he turned and went back to his seat, Ranran felt her stomach lurch with something that wasn't seasickness. His scarred mouth was wrenched into something close to a smile.

But she could have sworn that, mingling with the rain and the sea spray, tears were streaming from his eyes.

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

Just when things couldn't get any worst, it just did for the children of 1-A. At least for those who are physically weak.

Reaching Kodama forest camp which happens to be on a large island somewhere in Japan, the ship ride although has ended, wasn't the end of their journey.

Upon arrival, the kids were told to climb down a scrawny little rope ladder to get to the teeny-tiny jetty. If Takuma was expecting like those action-packed movies where one cling to the ladder with ease and grace, he was sorely mistaken. The ladder was old and shaky, and the wind still blowing, it made the task even more challenging.

Even though the captain's mate had tied the boat to a couple of bollards, there was a menacing gap between the side of the boat and the jetty wall that widened and narrowed with each crashing wave. If one slipped, one should either be squished flat or end up in the water.

Sonoko, who was still feeling the effects of seasickness was shaking like a leaf as she attempted to climb down. Everyone was certain she was going to pass out when she saw the ladder. She was so scared midway, that she refused to move, which Eiji later had to carry her down in a fireman's lift style.

In a way, Sonoko would have been happy if Eiji was good-looking, at least she could cross off one of her bucket lists of having a handsome man that carries her like a prince.

But nope, this was a scarred face man who later deposited her on the quay, like a sack of potatoes.

"How undignified," Ranran shook her head, and even Shinichi quietly shook in unison.

Soon the rest of the kids followed suit, and when it came to Ranran's turn, she just simply climb down with ease like a monkey. So did Shinichi who followed her soon after. Takuma and Ran, who were both athletic, were able to climb down with ease.

But their seasickness is one of a kind, cause as soon as Takuma and Ran scrambled down the ladder, the land didn't feel solid at all. It went up and down and from side to side just like the boat had. While Takuma went over to help his girlfriend, Reina, Ran's knees gave way and then collapsed onto the stones, beside Ranran, Sonoko and Shinichi.

"Still think this camping trip is going to be fun?" Ranran taunts.

Now Mouri Ran detested losing to Ranran of all the kids, so she replied sarcastically, "Of course, Ranran," The brunette answered. "I'm sure it will be absolutely fabulous: the most memorable week of our entire lives."

Boy, as soon as Ran said those words, she had no idea the hell that would await them.

As soon as they all made the perilous journey down the ladder, the boat steamed away, and they were abandoned in the most desolate place they had ever seen. The wind was cutting right through them, and the rain was hurtling down.

When Mouri Ran's knees had stopped wobbling, she stood up and looked around. She and the rest of the kids were hoping to spot somewhere warm and dry in the distance but there was nothing there.

No houses, no shops, no cottages, no cafes, no hotel, no church, no toilets, no bus shelter.

Nothing.

Which is a huge problem as Kudo Ranran's eyes grew wide, as far as she was concerned. She did her research alright, but damn. This is...parenting cruelty on another level.

To ditch their own kids on a camping trip because it is affordable, while Ranran sees nothing, this is a problem for her! "Erm... Where are we staying?" she asked, trying to keep the nervous little wobble out of her voice.

Even Sonoko was beginning to think that they had been dumped on the wrong island. Before, camping life for the Suzukis was a different kind. Since she is born into a rich family, she never had to rough it out in the wild before. The thought of spending a few nights in the wilderness was thrilling, but now it seemed daunting.

That means they are living literally outdoors, for 2 donkey weeks!

"The activity centre's at the other end of the island," Eiji said.

"How do we get there?" asked Ran in a high-pitched squeak.

"You're not scared of a little walk are you?" said the instructor. "It's only six miles." By this point, Takuma thought he might be joking but he wasn't sure. Then the man winked. "Just kidding, someone will be along to pick us up in a minute, no worries."

And then a warm, wonderful sound came chugging through the wind and rain. Reina was so glad to hear that her heart skipped a beat. She looked around and saw everyone else must be feeling the same way because suddenly they were all grinning like maniacs.

In that lonely windswept place, the sound of a car engine was bliss. Seconds later, several old Land Rovers came over the nearest hill and wound down the road. When it stopped in front of them, Takuma practically kissed the bonnet and Sonoko looked like she would weep with joy.

Out jumped a man who was handsome in a craggy sort of way. "Hi, I am Miki," he said. "Yasuo Miki, I run the centre. Welcome to Kodama Campsite, Mina-sama. Thank you all so much for agreeing to be our guinea pigs. You're going to have a great week."

"We are going to die, "Ranran gave a very unconvinced sigh but the other children felt quite excited. In the first place, perhaps Miki shone an enthusiastic upbeat look, the rest of the children felt excited since his enthusiasm passed on easily, as infectious as a flu bug.

"Hop in everyone," he said, unzipping the canvas cover on the back of the Land Rover. "It's a bit rough, I'm afraid, but it's the only thing that will cope on this road."

Reina was the first to climb in, using her sharp little elbows to keep the rest of them in the back. Then Takuma pushed ahead of Reina from the back. "What a lovely couple, they should get married," Ranran muttered.

Takuma then turned back to Ranran, showing one of his blink-and-you-miss-it grins. "Shut up, Ranran," he said, before climbing into the Land Rover.

That was enough to make Ranran snicker. She can't help but tease them, it was an old habit of hers whenever she ship one friend with the other back in Edgewood Academy. In a way, it was a playful banter to get back at her Fox and Deer clients, since most of them were older than Ranran, who was around 3 or 4 at that time and used to treat her like a baby.

Even now, although Ranran is currently 6 years old and the clients are older than her by 2-3 years, they still treat her like a child. Perhaps they felt the need to, after losing her mentor who was also their classmate. They didn't want her to grow up as fast as an adult after such a traumatic incident befallen 'The Boy'. She used to do that to her mentor as well when he was alive. Always teased him and asked, "When will you hand me your wedding invitation with your future wife?" after he severed ties with his arranged fiance.

Looks like that joke won't be coming back anytime soon... Ranran thought of this bitterly.

Sonoko rolled her eyes at the exchange between Ranran and Takuma. "Can we focus on the fact that we're in the middle of nowhere and it's raining cats and dogs?" she said.

While the children climbed into respective jeeps, Ranran hung back for a minute because the laces on her walking boots had come undone. She was re-tying them while Miki greeted Eiji with a very firm and manly handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Mr Eiji. Thanks for coming in on such short notice, I had a hard time looking for someone else till you step in." Miki said.

"Hey, no worries," Eiji reassured the other male, "Anyone who is a friend of Kiryu, I would be more than happy to step in."

"But seriously, when I heard that incident took place, I didn't want to believe it to be true!" Miki was a bit in denial as he said, "Is it true that the thermostat was truly the cause? I didn't think thermostats would be dangerous nowadays." Mike asked.

"It's true, as ridiculous as it sounds, they reckon the wiring in that shower unit was that faulty to cause such a thing. It was awful, even the family is planning to sue the company who manufacture that unit."

Ranran's head was down and fringe was flopping in her eyes, but she could just about see Miki's expression. He was upset. But there was something else in his face too. Anxiety perhaps. Or fear.

"I think I better informed Jun-kun," Miki folded his arms worriedly, "As much as she is not in a good place now, I feel like she had the right to know."

"What is the point?" Eiji said quietly. "I mean, she knows about the accident, obviously. But I'd rather she wasn't reminded of it. From the phone conversation...she's been ... distressed ... lately. I think it ain't necessary to continue adding more...sad stories for her to hear."

Miki glanced around as if he was checking that none of the kids were listening. Ranran then climbed quickly into the back of the Land Rover, making sure she didn't look at him – that would be a dead giveaway.

But obviously, she grew curious at their conversation.

Earlier at the bus, Eiji who spoke to their form teacher claims he barely knew Miki or Jun. But then the conversation Ranran eavesdropped on painted a different picture. The one connection that brought them together is someone named Kiryu.

Who is Kiryu? And what on earth had happened to him?

The two men shut themselves in the front cab together and she couldn't hear any more of their conversation. Miki then accelerated and the Land Rover shot forward, bumping along the potholed road and throwing them all over the place.

They had to cling like limpets to the side so the kids wouldn't end up in each other's laps. It was like being on the boat again, and soon, the illness returned for Sonoko, Takuma, Ran and Reina.

It was a slow drive along the twiddly-twisty lane and it was made even slower by the number of suicidal sheep that lived wild on the island. When they saw the Land Rover coming they scampered happily down the hills into its path and stood there, stock still in the middle of the road, eyes blinking in their black faces.

"Why the heck are they sheep here? Isn't this part of Japan?!" Ranran can't help but wonder.

Miki chuckled, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Ah, you've stumbled upon one of the quirks of this island. It's not uncommon to find free-roaming sheep in these parts. The locals say they've been here for generations, and they've become quite accustomed to the landscape."

Ranran's eyes widened in surprise. "Generations? That's... quite a story for a bunch of sheep."

Eiji chimed in, a knowing glint in his eye. "Legend has it that the sheep were brought here by the island's early settlers, and they've thrived in this environment ever since. They're almost like a symbol of resilience, wouldn't you say?"

"Resilence...that is something annoying at some point in our daily lives...."

Shinichi's casual remark stung Ran, and it riled Sonoko enough to almost confront him but Ran had her hand placed on her arm, telling her not to cause a commotion.

"You see, Shinichi?" Ranran grins jokingly, "Muttons outside waiting for us to be eaten."

The other kids chuckled at Ranran's comment while Ran and Sonoko chided her for not being cruel to animals, but her mind was still occupied with the conversation Eiji had with Miki earlier. Ranran glanced over at Miki, who seemed lost in his own thoughts as he drove along the bumpy road.

"Alright, tons of sheep ahead of us, the usual," Miki muttered before edging up slowly to each and everyone until the kids were nose-to-bumper with them. Then he hooted the horn and they leapt back, startled, as if we'd appeared miraculously out of thin air, before running away in a mad panic.

Reina couldn't stand it the moment Miki hooted at an entire flock, because the flock of sheep soon barged past the Land Rover, sending it rocking on the jeep axles, she cried out.

Miki apologised to the kids, "Sorry about that, guys. Those sheep are a menace. But it will be over soon."

"Reina, what is there to be scared of?" sneered Sonoko, "They're only sheep!"

"You do know that in the U.K, it's a well-known fact that every year walkers get killed randomly when a ram charges them." Ranran pointed out.

"That can't be true!" scoffed Ran.

"It is," Ranran then recalled that incident in Edgewood Academy, "2 years ago, this farmer forgot to lock up his fence, so when one of the rams escaped and made it to my old school at Edgewood Academy, it charged onto this 7-year-old boy."

The other kids gasped at the story, and Reina looked even more terrified. Miki glanced back at them in the rearview mirror and said, "Don't worry, guys. We're safe in the Land Rover. These sheep won't hurt us."

"Did he survive?" Reina found herself asking.

"Of course he did, his parents grew furious since he is the only successor within their family. Making matters worst was they were nobles, so the whole thing was blown out of proportion. The parents literally sued the farmer for every penny he had, claiming negligence and emotional distress. The poor farmer lost everything he owned, including his home and farm."

The atmosphere in the jeep turned quiet as they drove on. The kids seemed to be lost in thought, "How much did the family sue the family for? And convert it into yen please, since it happened in the U.K." Shinichi questioned his mentor.

"I'm not sure about the exact amount," replied Ranran, "but it was reported in the news that they sued for over a million pounds. Converted into yen, that would be roughly around 150 million yen."

The kids gasped again, shocked at the amount of money involved in the lawsuit. "That's insane!" exclaimed Shinchi.

Ran, Sonoko and Takuma looked at their curly horns and heavy foreheads. Secretly, neither of them wouldn't fancy getting attacked by one of those. Personally, they decided were going to avoid them at all costs.

But little did they realize, killer sheep would be the least of their problems.

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

Half an hour later they arrived at the activity centre. Cold. Wet. Hungry.

Since Ranran was sitting nearest the door flap, she was the first to climb out and get a good look at the building. It was a massive house, all towers, turrets and slitty windows. It looked spooky sitting there on its own in the middle of nowhere – like something out of a horror film.

"Here we are," announced Miki. "The only house-or rather, the only centre that is still ongoing throughout the entire island. It was a rural retreat originally, belonging to a rich guy who spent most of his time in the city. Impressive, isn't it?"

Impressive? Shinichi quietly observed the surroundings, being the son of a rich actress and mystery writer who has been born with a silver spoon, he can only say not quite.

Even Sonoko thinks so too, and so did Ranran.

If anything, this entire house reminded Ranran of nothing but a place fit for a rich, loaded European vampire with all the time in the world to not bother renovating his own place, because the haunting looks are enough to deter any intruders from breaking and entering their property.

Heaving her rucksack over her shoulder, Ranran and the rest walked up the steps.

Soon, a young woman with jet-black hair and pale skin was standing in the doorway waiting to greet them. When she smiled, she introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Jun," she said. "Come in, you must be freezing. There's hot chocolate, Yakisoba, and even some Onigiri waiting in the kitchen, and I've fired up the boiler. As soon as you've had a snack you'll be able to get out of your wet things and have hot showers. And when you're ready we'll do you a proper supper. How does that sound?"

Ranran was going to chirp that sounds good, till she noticed that she was looking over her head and her lips were turning a funny colour, fading from healthy pink to a sickly pale violet.

The child detective then spun around to see what she was looking at. It was none other than Eiji Ishida. who just so happen to be climbing out of the Land Rover and for a moment, all one could see was his outline silhouetted against the darkening sky.

Miki was approaching, steering the other kids ahead of him and saying, "The kitchen's on the right. Let's have something to eat. I'm sure you all need it."

When he reached Jun, he stopped and then hesitated – as if he didn't quite know how she might react – before putting his arm stiffly around her, and giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

To a normal child seeing this, they would blush and think they had or happen to be in a loving relationship.

But to Ranran who had been The Fox for 3 years plus, she knew Jun didn't feel the same. She didn't say anything, let alone move: just stood there like she'd been turned to stone. Miki looked at her closely, and then said, "Are you all right?"

Just then Eiji turned and, as he approached, the light from the doorway lit up every gruesome detail of his scarred face making Jun shudder. It went right through her, from the roots of her hair to her toenails.

"What is with you?" Miki frowned anxiously. "You looked as if you have seen a ghost?"

Jun gave a tight, high gasp. "I thought..." She shook her head and then cupped her ears with both hands as if she had water in them. "But that's impossible. How silly of me!" Dropping her arms down by her sides she gave a forced, bright smile. "Come on, let's feed these starving kids."

Shinichi who was next to Ranran could tell something was rather off, to be honest. Because when Jun turned to go in, he got a good look at her eyes. They were wide and staring, and as far as he could see.

Throughout the experience he had gained through Tantei Association, there were only two reasons why one would have an expression like that on her face.

She was either desperately upset that she saw something she wasn't expecting or suppose to see, or...she has gone totally insane.

Neither of which was a very comforting thought when they were going to be stuck with her on a deserted island for an entire week.