In the wilderness with no help in sight, there are two children hearing the angry outburst from serial killer Eiji, who was formerly Tatsuo and Kichiro.

"Do you know what it's like in that part of the world? Of course, you don't! I went from snow-capped mountains to a tropical forest. From savage cold to unbearable heat. Biting insects. Hornets. Mosquitoes. Snakes. Scorpions. I had to forage for grubs. Insects. Larvae. It took me weeks to reach the nearest village – a few huts in a clearing. No medicine. No painkillers. Hardly any food. It was months before I gained enough strength to get to civilization. By the time I came home, I'd been declared dead and my best friend had married my fiancée—"

"We know, the part that she had a one-night stand, which is why she was forced to marry Miki a month after your supposed death." Shinichi finished his sentence.

Eiji's eyes flashed with anger at the mention of Jun's one-night stand, but he quickly composed himself. "Yes, that's right. She betrayed me. They all did."

"You do know that Miss Jun's mom spiked her and Miki's drink so that the marriage could take place, right? It was beyond anyone's control!" Shinichi argued.

"You are right, I will admit that. Even I too might end up in their trap had it been me, Jun's mother had always been ambitious when it came to material wealth, which is why she happily exploits her own daughter, "Eiji expression softened for a brief moment, but the bitterness quickly returned. "But it would be like using that excuse of one drinking so excessively, one ends up mistakenly kissing the other....tell me, should this justifies such brutal betrayal towards me because one is intoxicated!?"

Shinichi was stumped, and so was Ranran.

"And the funniest part out of all of this was my family as Kichiro," Eiji bitterly chuckled recalling his old memories back then, "My mother...she was the only one who knew about my pain, and she cared, but as for my greedy relatives however....they refused to let me enter the house. Apparently, I had to remain dead just so they can continue to cash in on my insurance! And because the house is under their name, and my poor single mother heavily relies on those relatives to look after her illness...my helpless mother was force to helplessly see me suffer, and ended up dying of a broken heart only 3 months later."

Shinichi and Ranran were speechless. "And it was thanks to that," Shinichi said flatly. "You decided revenge was appropriate?"

He gave an acid laugh. "What else could I do?"

Shinichi confronts the killer, "The way you killed them – it was all to do with what you had to endure, huh? Back in Argentina." He recalled back the details of every murder Eiji had committed, "The hot shower that killed Mr Kiryu-"

"Ah yes, I wanted to remind him of that time when I was out in the wilderness in the jungle, I was like a walking waterfall sweating in the heat," Eiji interrupted, a twisted smile playing on his lips. "So I rigged his shower to scalding him to death, to make him feel the burning pain, just like I did before it later exploded."

"Then what about Mr Iwao!? Who had claustrophobia when you decided to push him into the walk-in fridge back in Kodama Forest camp, and he ended up freezing to death!?" Shinichi probes.

"It wasn't that difficult, Mr Iwao and I had the same physical build, so it will ruin my chances if I shove him unexpectedly from the back into the fridge. Which is why I quietly messed up the thermostat and wedged the door. Then quietly waited after that Rika took the kids away from the campsite, only then, did I smother him with chloroform before shoving him into the fridge and locking him from the outside unexpectedly. I wanted him to remember that time when I had frostbite in the glacier, the cold that seeped into my bones and the feeling of helplessness," Eiji explained, his voice filled with a disturbing calmness. "Experience that same terror, trapped in a confined space, slowly succumbing to the freezing temperatures. It was a fitting punishment for his role in abandoning me and leaving me to die."

"And Miss Jun!? She reshared your death anniversary for 12 years!" Shinichi screeched, but the man could only chuckle darkly, "What is so funny? Not once...there were any wedding photos of her and Mr Miki for 12 years on her social media account, constantly belittling every effort Mr Miki made for her, constantly comparing him to you....how is that not enough!? She even...she even paid for you apartment you used to live in as a university student!"

"She did, I got to give her credit over that," Eiji's chuckle grew louder, his eyes glinting with a twisted amusement. "Every year without fail, there was never a day she does not drink a glass of red wine while taking depression pills since I died 12 years ago as Kichiro."

"Then why-"

"Did you know...her mother, somehow found out that I was Yasuo Tatsuo after my passing, she was able to blackmail my biological mother: Yasuo Shizuku, into marrying Jun to Miki?"

Eiji's revelation was the final piece of the puzzle that fit everything into place.

"I had no idea," Shinichi replied, his voice filled with a mix of confusion and disbelief. "But what does that have to do with Jun's actions?"

The man's grin widened, his amusement twisted and disturbing. "Oh, everything. As much as I am aware that she truly despised him for taking my place, for betraying our love...I admit," He says, "I am very much aware that she can't be fully to blame since I did hear him plead Miki not to cut the rope....as cruel as it was that she was trapped, bound by her mother's blackmail just to keep her late father's shoe shop afloat for over 12 years...But let's not forget, I suffered in the worst conditions after the expedition incident, hoping that she would be waiting for me so that we could get married. So why can't she do the same for me!?"

The depth of his pain and his distorted sense of justice were unfathomable. Shinichi struggled to find the right words to respond.

"If she did truly love me, she could've just simply left Miki and left independently, no? Rather than torment herself? She is a 32-year-old adult, not a university student, and no longer a child! That meant she didn't love me as much as I did towards her! Not willing to make more sacrifices for our relationship, compared to me!"

Shinichi struggled to comprehend Eiji's twisted logic, but Ranran who is still eavesdropping while recording Eiji's confession roughly understood his words.

In a way, as twisted as Eiji sounded, he wasn't completely in the wrong.

Throughout their investigation, not once it was revealed that Jun had been equal in her relationship with Kichiro, in a way, he was always the man in charge rather than she being the one to initiate things. That only happen after Kichiro's passing, through the pettiness that had been ongoing between her and Miki's marriage. As much as she loves him, she was too much of a coward to leave Miki and go against her own mother, who is blackmailing Kichiro's real identity through his biological mother. So in a twisted sense, what Eiji said was pretty justifiable in Ranran's opinion, but not the murder part.

"I don't get it, how is it giving her red wine and depression pills had anything to do with your miserable experience in the wilderness!?" Shinichi can't help but ask.

Eiji's laughter subsided, and his expression turned serious. "Ah right, the red wine and depression pills..." He paused, his gaze fixated on an imaginary point in the distance. "I didn't really have the intention of having her killed. After 12 years of observing her from afar...I know that she could feel the weight of her decision, the guilt of her actions. By all account, her way of living life was the most befitting punishment, that I didn't really need to have her killed."

"Then why-"

"Around that day, when she stormed into her bedroom thanks to Rika and Miki's singing back at the mountain, she was shocked to see me at the window." Eiji interrupted Shinichi before he could question any further, "She sobbed, cried even, wanting to hug me even though I had scars all over my face, got mad at me and yelled why didn't I see her all those 12 tormented years. I upfront told her why should I even bother in the first place? When they never even bother to call in a rescue team. Do you know? She recognized me instantly despite having scars all over my face."

Ranran could recall that look Jun had when he was leaving the jeep with Miki last week.

"And as for that apartment, the last straw was when Jun's mom learn about Jun paying non stop despite my supposed death 6 months ago. As expected, the greedy woman somehow forced her to use that money she got from Miki through marriage to end up in her own hands, using that money to try and cover up that stupid shoe shop. And with those harrowing six months since then....she begged me to kill her, disillusioned that I was the same old Kichiro who died there. She assumed I was a ghost when she saw me. But I told her it was better to live on as long as possible to let her gold-digging mother happy since she is too much of a coward to tell her. Before I knew it, she drag the bottle of wine with the drugs, and she slept on forever, never to wake up."

Silence.

"Probably thanks to our past, or maybe I had a little guilt that I led Jun to her death...I decorated her bedroom to be like the wedding we never got to have, with the daisy petals and all." Eiji ended it at that.

Shinichi felt a surge of anger rises within him. "She loved you for 12 years despite being married to Miki, and you didn't even stop her from heading to the gates of Heaven!"

"And why should I? She has always been a coward after all," Eiji's expression remained cold and impassive. "Even those dates when her mother set her up throughout our 4 years being in a relationship...she never once dared to defy her mother until I pressured her."

The little boy's anger boiled over, his voice filled with frustration. "Then who are you to say you are not one yourself!? Not coming back to see her despite knowing she misses you despite being a coward....who are you to say you are not any different than her!?"

Eiji's expression hardened at Shinichi's words, his eyes narrowing with a mix of anger and defiance. "I am different," he retorted, his voice filled with conviction. "I endured unimaginable pain and suffering, fought against the odds to survive, and sought justice for the betrayal I faced. I had the strength to face the world, to confront those who wronged me. Jun, on the other hand, chose to live a life of complacency, bound by her own fears and the manipulations of her mother."

"Then...what about Miss Rika?" Shinichi confronts, "She wasn't there during the expedition!"

"You are right, she wasn't." Eiji didn't answer directly. "But she willingly organized Miki's wedding to Jun, did she not? Despite having a crush on him for so many years! Also, she was supposed to accompany Miki and Jun whenever they are out to the bar, but because she missed out that day, that one-night stand incident happened, which later led Jun to be forced to marry Miki!"

"They were spiked by Jun's mom! Miss Rika had no way of knowing who did it!" Shinichi blasted at the killer.

The killer's eyes narrowed as he listened to Shinichi's words. "Spiked or not, Rika played her part in all of this. She willingly organized Miki's wedding to Jun, knowing the feelings she harboured for him. She was there, lurking in the shadows. If only she hasn't been much of a coward and professed her feelings to Miki, then Jun wouldn't have slept with Miki and married him!"

"Then....the patriarch of the Yasuo family, Miki's real dad-"

"Right," Eiji muses, "Him, that vermin."

"He supposedly went on a hike and died of a heart attack, but there was more to it, is there?" Shinichi probes.

The man's eyes gleamed with a mix of resentment and vindication as Shinichi mentioned Miki's father. "You're correct," he admitted a twisted smirk forming on his lips. "Miki's father didn't die of a simple heart attack. He met his fate because he deserved it."

Shinichi's curiosity was piqued, and he leaned in closer, his voice filled with anticipation. "What happened to him? How did he meet his end?"

Ranran who is secretly listening to this knew she has to record this on her smartphone. This is big.

Eiji's expression turned grim as he recounted the events. "Miki's father, or my step-father to say the least...typical wealthy influential man, had a dark secret. I remembered when I was growing up back at that mansion, he was involved in illegal activities, running a criminal organization behind the facade of a successful business. He had countless innocent lives ruined, families torn apart, and deaths on his hands. I can even tell you the number of deaths that happen in the living room, the blood always dirtying the checkered floor."

Ranran and Shinichi's eyes widened in shock at his words.

"He was lucky to have my mother, who had powerful connections, police and politicians in his pocket thanks to this marriage. He operated with impunity, always managing to stay one step ahead of the law. Imagine when he recognizes me as Tatsuo back at the mountain he has always been hiking all those years," Eiji's smirk widened, a touch of satisfaction in his voice. "I knew he was too healthy for an elderly man to have a heart attack should he see me, so I decided to give fate a little nudge. One foggy morning, as he ventured into the wilderness, I tampered with the trail markers, leading him astray. Oh, the look of confusion on his face as he realized he was lost, disoriented in the maze of trees and shadows. It was poetic justice, you see. The man who thought he could control everything is now at the mercy of the very nature he took for granted."

Shinichi couldn't help but be captivated by Eiji's twisted tale, though he knew he shouldn't indulge in the darkness. "But how did he meet his end? Did he simply succumb to the wilderness?"

Eiji's laughter filled the room, chilling and devoid of any remorse. "Oh, no. Nature wasn't the one to claim him. It was something far more sinister. You see, as he stumbled through the dense forest, lost and vulnerable, a pack of dogs descended upon him."

Shinichi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Dogs?"

"Every year, whenever it was my birthday, he used to send greyhounds to chase after me as a form of entertainment. I thought why not I do the same to him," Eiji continued, his voice filled with perverse satisfaction. "No one heard his screams as he ran down, and he was a fast runner I tell you, his pleas for mercy went unheard. Only the dogs and the trees bore witness to his demise, his life snuffed out by the very forces he thought he could manipulate. He ended up dying thanks to all of the runnings, which made his heart wear off in an instant, pop!"

Ranran couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she kept recording, her hands trembling with a mix of fear and fascination.

"Miki would be the last person I plan to kill, I wanted him to lose everyone first, just like I did. I want him to know exactly how it feels to have everything stripped away. After all of that, I will end those leach relatives of mine when I was Kichiro, and then finally Jun's mom, as well as my own biological mother who started all of this mess!" His mouth twisted into a leer. "And now, I'll need to get rid of you, as well as that little detective girl who was with you earlier."

Ranran's hands trembled as she struggled to keep her smartphone steady, capturing every chilling word that escaped Eiji's lips while hiding behind the tree. The weight of the truth hung heavy in the hunted forest, suffocating them all with its malevolence.

"Wait a minute," Shinichi blinked, "You knew who we are?!"

"Of course, Tantei Association, a little detective agency run by children of questionable intelligence, solving several major cases. I watched TV from that hotel you were both in after faking my death to delete my social media accounts as Eiji, and although they never revealed your identities, it seems like judging from the way you behave around me, you are definitely one of them since you are all used to dealing with killers like me, right?" Eiji sneered, his eyes glinting with malice. "It wasn't difficult to put the pieces together, even though you were all on a class trip. You, as well as that girl who ran away from the Kodama Forest campsite by stealing Rika's horse and checking into that hotel...I saw you on a horse looking for that little girl who was with you, didn't you?" Eiji chuckled, a sinister edge to his voice.

It was at this moment, Shinichi knew Ranran was right. "You've been watching us closely...observing our every move."

"Of course I did," Eiji said, "As soon as I heard that idiot boy who came with his idiot entourage earlier yells that they have two detectives within their class at that hotel who will go after me when I caught them snooping around my cabin, I knew I had to confront the both of you at the hotel!"

Ranran, still hidden behind the tree, felt a shiver run down her spine. This was far more than she had bargained for. But she couldn't back down now; she had a responsibility to expose Eiji's twisted plan.

"Really, what were both of your parents thinking? They really shouldn't let their children be interfering, let alone, wander off on their own. You never know when they might slip, and this cliff-top path is so dangerous. One false step can lead to disaster. So easy to topple over the edge. Another tragic accident..."

Now Kudo Ranran could've easily seized the opportunity to quietly slip away from their hiding spot, now that they have the evidence.

But she can't let Shinichi die.

And so, instead of her swiftly and silently slipping through the woods, Ranran stepped out from her hiding spot, she challenged the killer much to Shinichi's surprise and waved her smartphone before the killer, challenging him, "All of the things you said, I had it all on video in my phone!"

Ranran's bold move startled Eiji, and he turned his gaze towards her, his eyes narrowing with a mix of anger and surprise. Shinichi took advantage of the distraction and positioned himself for a potential attack if needed.

"You think a little recording can save you?" Eiji scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "You may have captured my words, but it won't change a thing. No one will believe the ramblings of a young girl against a man who had died 3 times!"

"Ah, so nice to think highly of yourself," Ranran chuckled darkly before the shocked killer, "But who says I am going to send it to the cops?"

"Eh?"

"The estate of the Yasuo family...if you plan to kill your biological mother later on after finishing off Miki, there won't be any heirs anymore besides you, right? That would also mean you inheriting tons of money. But with this video here," Ranran pointed menacingly with her smartphone, "As well as the fact that you had fessed up to committing several murders, especially onto the patriarch and Miki, you are finished and screwed since the people in charge of the estate won't take it kindly to killers! You are going to die penniless! Since you are legally dead after all, you need the money to get back your life, am I wrong? Without any of it, you will remain a legally dead person who is entitled to nothing!"

The tables had turned, and Ranran's bold move had left him vulnerable. He considered his options, his mind racing for a way to regain control of the situation. Eiji's anger wavered momentarily as he listened to Ranran's words.

"You think I'll let you leave here alive with that evidence?" Eiji snarled, his voice laced with menace. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade, the blade glinting under the faint moonlight. "I've killed before, and I won't hesitate to do it again."

"Shinichi, run!"

With a swift movement, the little red lip detective girl sprinted away from the murderous Eiji, leading him deeper into the woods, away from Shinichi's path, whose jaw dropped in horror when he realize what Ranran was doing.

"Ranran! Damn it!" Shinichi's heart raced as he watched Ranran bravely lead Eiji away from him. He knew he had to act quickly to ensure her safety. With a surge of determination, he followed them, using his agility and quick thinking to navigate through the dense forest.

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

As Ranran led Eiji on a chase, her heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in quick gasps. She knew that every second counted, both for her own safety and for Shinichi's mission to find help.

Ranran's mind raced, thinking of ways to outmanoeuvre Eiji and buy enough time for Shinichi to find assistance. She darted through the trees, relying on her agility and knowledge of the forest to navigate the treacherous terrain. Branches scraped against her arms and legs, leaving scratches in their wake, but she pushed through the pain, driven by her determination to bring Eiji to justice.

Eiji, fueled by anger and the desire to eliminate any witnesses, pursued Ranran relentlessly. He was agile and quick, matching her pace with every step. The switchblade glinted in his hand, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked behind her.

But then trouble come when Ranran's foot caught in a clump of heather and later tripped.

As Ranran stumbled and fell to the ground, her heart raced with a mix of fear and frustration. She knew she had to regain her footing quickly before Eiji closed in on her. With a surge of determination, she scrambled to her feet, but the fall had cost her precious seconds.

Eiji, seizing the opportunity, closed the distance between them rapidly. Then Eiji's arms closed around her neck and a second later she was being hauled towards the edge of the cliff.

The more his grip tightened around her neck, Ranran's vision blurred as she clawed at his hands, desperately trying to free herself from his grasp, but his strength was overwhelming. He precipice of the cliff loomed before her, a gaping void that threatened to swallow her whole. "Give me the phone!"

"No!"

Shinichi, who had been trailing them closely, witnessed the horrifying scene unfold before his eyes. He knew he had to act swiftly to save Ranran from certain doom. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged forward, tackling Eiji with all his might.

The impact sent both Eiji and Ranran sprawling on the ground, momentarily breaking Eiji's hold on her, as she rolled away, spinning before his reach. Gasping for air, Ranran scrambled away from the edge of the cliff, her heart pounding in her chest.

Scrambling to her feet, she turns to try and grab Shinichi's hand to flee away from Eiji, "Shinichi, let's go!"

But before she could even do so, she sees Eiji quickly grabbing hold of Shinichi, "You idiot!"

"Let me go, you prick!" Shinichi's fists were pounding against his captor's arms. "Get off! Get off me! Run, Ranran, run!"

"What about you!?"

"Just go! Don't ever let him get the evidence!" Ranran's heart raced as she saw Eiji overpowering Shinichi, his grip tightening around his arms.

Judging his pale face, it was pretty evident to Ranran that Shinichi didn't stand any more chance against Eiji. This is someone who is also under the influence of the painkillers which is secretly cocaine, not that the killer knew. Eiji was literally half lifting, half dragging Shinichi towards the cliff edge, just as he'd done with her. They were already perilously close to the edge. Shinichi's face was horrified, but still, he shouted, "Run, Ranran!"

Right now, Ranran is currently weighing her options.

Hurling herself at Eiji the way Shinichi had done would've done wonders for them both, the problem is that it would end up knocking all three of them over the edge. Ranran helplessly watch as she sees the deranged man having his arms around Shinichi's waist, and lifting him off his feet. In a second, he'd launch him into the air, and Shinichi would plummet into the sea.

As Eiji began to swing Shinichi in a wide arc, Ranran grabbed at Shinichi's outstretched legs and leaned backwards, hanging on as if it were a lethal tug-of-war contest. But her shoes did little to get any grip on the wet grass. She then tried digging my heels into the turf but she was sliding towards the edge. Eiji was physically too strong in general. She'd slowed him a fraction, but that was all. With one determined lunge, he would throw both of them into oblivion.

A hideous grin, one mad laugh, and the man swung Shinichi again. Ranran didn't let go, but she evidently lost her footing, skidded off the muddy grass and started slipping over the cliff edge. Holding on desperately to Shinichi's legs, she tried to find a foothold. There was nothing below Ranran but air. "Ranran!"

Ranran looked down and saw the hungry sea reaching up. Above her, Shinichi– who had been trying to escape the serial killer's grip – was now clinging to him, frantic to hold on to whatever he could grab. Reaching up, he'd seized a handful of Eiji's hair and was clutching it as if our lives depended on it – which of course they did. With a cry of pain, Eiji took a step back, then two, three more steps, trying to dislodge his fingers. Ranran crunched hard against the cliff face and was scraped painfully back onto solid land with each lurching pace the killer took.

As soon as she felt the grass beneath her, she let go of Shinichi and flung herself at Eiji's head, tugging at his ears while he lashed out with fists and feet. But they both knew holding him is like holding a ticking time bomb.

Then Eiji already prised Shinichi's fingers from his skull and was bending them backwards with vicious relish. Shinichi was yelling in agony and there was a horrible cracking sound.

"Shinichi!" Ranran then growl at the killer, "You bastard!"

Ranran then lunged at the killer's nose, but he turned on her and she felt his fist hit her in the mouth. "Ranran!"

Before anyone knew it, he had them both by the scruff of the neck, as if the two were dangling chickens. With Ranran's mouth throbbing with pain, she struggled as hard as she could, hitting and scratching him, but it was useless. The sea crashed onto the rocks below. Any second now the two would both be down there. Claimed by the sea. Lost forever. Like the mermaid in the fairy tale, turned to foam and vanished from this world forever.

In a desperate move, Ranran quickly scanned her surroundings, searching for anything that could help her in this dire situation. Her eyes fell upon the cockroach spray sticking out of Shinichi's pants pocket, since he didn't use up all of it like Ranran did earlier back at the hotel.

With a surge of determination, Ranran reached into Shinichi's pocket and grabbed the cockroach spray. She didn't have time to think, only to act. Summoning all her strength, she jabbed the nozzle of the spray into Eiji's eyes, releasing a cloud of repellant directly into his face.

Eiji let out a cry of pain and recoiled, his grip on Ranran and Shinichi loosening. Seizing the opportunity, she took advantage of the momentary distraction and pushed Eiji with all her might using both of her short legs, sending him stumbling backwards while letting go of Ranran and Shinichi.

In quick response, Ranran was able to scramble to her feet and fled from the cliff edge, adrenaline rush made her flee further from the killer at a distance, temporarily forgetting Shinichi. And as she did though, she turned back and hope to see Shinichi having managed to escape the killer and join her.

However, because Eiji held Shinichi a little further off the cliff edge than Ranran by the neck, he narrowly is clinging for dear life by holding on to the very edge of the cliff. His fingers were slipping, and his face contorted with fear and desperation. "Ranran!"

But in another horrifying hell, despite his blurred spite, Eiji was somehow able to stand over the little apprentice's hands by lifting a booted foot to stamp on his hands.

A surge of panic coursed through Ranran's veins.

Without thinking, Ranran scanned her surroundings for anything that could help her save Shinichi. Something that would help a six-year-old girl like her stop Eiji from killing her partner-in-crime.

Meanwhile, Eiji tells Shinichi with a sadistic grin, "You're quite the nuisance, aren't you? Always meddling in my affairs. Didn't your parents not teach you about minding one's business?"

"Of course they did," Shinichi gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he desperately clung to the edge of the cliff. His voice strained with effort and defiance as he responded to Eiji's taunts. "But they also taught me not to let monsters like you roam free," Shinichi retorted, his voice laced with determination. "You won't get away with what you've done!"

Eiji chuckled darkly, the sound sending shivers down Ranran's spine as she searched for a solution. "Oh, how noble of you. But you're just a naive child playing detective. What can you possibly do against me?"

Shinichi's grip on the edge tightened, his voice growing more resolute. "You would be surprised, Tantei Association itself is after all not your typical detective agency."

"Typical child-like response," With a wicked smirk, Eiji taunted Shinichi, "You all always think that playing Tantei makes you all automatically immune to danger. But let me tell you, kid, you're all just merely flies buzzing around, annoying and insignificant."His eyes gleamed with malice. "And now that you ended up here, if you could go back in time, you probably regret becoming a Tantei now, right?"

At first, Shinichi was blinking blankly staring at the killer. Much to the killer's surprise, the little boy laughed, "Oh man, that is the funniest joke I have ever heard!"

The man watched in astonishment as Shinichi's laughter filled the air. It was a laugh that defied logic, given the perilous situation they were in. Eiji's eyes narrowed, his amusement turning to irritation. "What's so funny, kid? Have you lost your mind?"

Still chuckling, Shinichi replied, "I was duped by a soon-to-be future psychopath in the making, and she is only six years old as I do. Just so I would end up marrying her once I am discouraged and given up becoming a tantei. So for you to say that I would willingly let a little girl manipulate the course of my life all over again, would make me far more of an equal idiot as you are right now!"

Eiji's face contorted with anger. "You insolent brat! I'll make sure you pay for your arrogance."

But then, before any of that could happen, a large Yo-yo cracked against Eiji's skull.

He jerked forward. Half turned. Saw the little red lip girl, with her upraised hand and ruthless cold eyes, utter the last words he would ever hear in this world the moment he slowly loses consciousness and fell off the cliff, "Don't ever think you can ever mess with children like us ever again, you bastard!" Ranran snarled.

As Eiji's body plummeted into the abyss, his last remaining thoughts before his death was him realising he shouldn't have underestimated a murderous child-like Kudo Ranran.

Ranran's expression remained resolute. She had taken matters into her own hands, delivering justice with a Yo-yo. Before Shinichi knew it, that man's body was lying motionless, smashed and broken, on the rocks below. The audacity of her action left Shinichi momentarily speechless.

"Ranran... you..." Shinichi stammered, struggling to find the right words. "He ain't dead, right?!"

"It's way better than him dying, anyway, don't keep hanging at the edge of the cliff."

While Ranran pulled Shinichi up, the incoming tide had taken Eiji again, only this time it was for real. The two children stood on the edge of the cliff, their hearts pounding with a mixture of triumph and relief. They had overcome a formidable adversary and emerged victorious.

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

"I can't believe you just killed a man, Ranran."

By this point on, both Ranran and Shinichi began to hobble back along the cliff path towards the warmth of the hotel, both of them are relying on each other for support while they recalled the events that had unfolded.

"I couldn't be bothered," The little girl shrug nonchalantly, "If you die, the chances of your parents divorcing out of grief that their only 6-year-old son had died doing detective work is high. But with Eiji dying, no more deaths for good." Shinichi stared at Ranran, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Hey, I learn this lesson from every single movie, marriages won't last when the kid either dies or gets kidnapped, did you not watch Minority Report?"

"Well, now that you mention it...." Shinichi ponders this twisted logic, "You ain't completely in the wrong. Even in real life things like that happened." Shinichi shook his head, trying to make sense of Ranran's dark reasoning. "I guess you have a point, but still... It's unsettling to think about it that way."

Ranran smirked mischievously. "Welcome to the world of twisted logic, Shinichi. It's not always rainbows and sunshine, you know."

They continued their slow walk along the cliff path, the weight of their recent encounter still lingering in the air. The adrenaline rush had faded, replaced by a sense of exhaustion and introspection. "Of all of the crap Tantei Association had to deal with, or the times I had to deal as The Fox, this was by far one of the worst hells I ever had to deal with!" she whimpered miserably.

"It ain't your fault, Ranran, you had to kill him from murdering any of us. Don't blame yourself."

"Who says I am?! I am more upset by the fact that all of the bloody hell I had to go through! First I was forced to be on this stupid camping trip where Wi-fi is non-existent, then I got the entire school hating me for living in a 5* hotel because I decided to protect myself from danger when they refuse to listen and try to falsely blame it on me, and we literally almost died!"

Shinichi chuckled weakly, understanding her frustration. "Yeah, everything was pretty messed up these couple of 2 weeks." While they wobble their way, he can't help but ask, "By the way, Ranran, do you play Yo-yo? It's the first time I saw it struck Eiji."

Ranran's expression brightened slightly at the change of topic. "Oh, yeah! I love playing with my Yo-yo. It's not just a toy, you know. My mentor once taught me that it was formerly used as a weapon."

Shinichi's interest was piqued by Ranran's mention of the Yo-yo as a weapon. "Really? I never knew that. How does it work?"

Ranran grinned, clearly excited to share her knowledge. "Well, there are different techniques you can use with a Yo-yo as a weapon. One of the most common is using it to strike opponents as I did with Eiji. The weight and speed of the Yo-yo make it a powerful impact weapon. Enough to make anyone unconscious."

Shinichi nodded, trying to imagine the dynamics of using a Yo-yo in combat. "Judging the way you did it at Eiji, something tells me this isn't the first time you struck someone with a Yo-yo."

"It wasn't possible for me to simply use a large rock to carry and strike him since we are both kids. Our site is no match for his physicality." Ranran admits, "So I had to master the timing, control, and accuracy to deliver powerful strikes of the Yo-yo. It takes practice, but once you get the hang of it, it can be a formidable weapon."

He couldn't help but be impressed by Ranran's proficiency. "I never would've guessed."

"I can't simply bring the paintball gun from the association, since my parents will disregard it. A Yo-yo however is a toy that is unassuming," Ranran shrugged modestly. "Well, it's just one of the tricks up my sleeve."

"On the worrying side," Shinichi frowns, "I am worried the press might get hold of this, that you, the leader of Tantei Association, had killed someone, then twisted it. Worst, everyone is going to flee from you."

"Ah, I don't worry about other kids fearing me for killing someone," Ranran brush away at that dismissively, while she worries about something else, "I am a bit more worried about those idiot parents of our classmates, trying to find fault since we did break into that abandoned cabin where the serial killer was chillin', then point fingers as if we stir the killer into going after us at the hotel."

"Ah, don't worry about that," Shinichi dismisses her thoughts, "While I'll get our family to handle the press and deal with the aftermath....we have another thing to worry about. Which is Mana himself. I'm worried since he and the other kids will twist in and blame it on us both, judging his abilities."

"Leave that to me," Ranran confidently replied determinedly in a furious tone, "I had a plan set in motion, we just need to drop by the abandoned cabin right now before going back to the hotel."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Ranran's sudden confidence. "Like what?"

Ranran grinned mischievously, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Something that will implicate him, even if he was telling the truth, no one will ever buy a word he says! Just like all of his victims whose lives he personally destroyed with his lies!"

Shinichi's curiosity was piqued as he followed Ranran towards the abandoned cabin. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of plan she had concocted to turn the tables on Mana. The anticipation gnawed at him as they reached the eerie structure.