"Ranran and the gang are so damn lucky."

Junko who is in Teitan Elementary School can't help but sigh while having her bento right next to her crush, Michio in the school courtyard.

It was recess hour in the morning, and all of the children of Teitan Elementary are all over the school block on a Monday, after being pent up with several hours of boring lessons in their respective classrooms thanks to their form teachers before the bell of salvation rang out that it was time to break away from their weekday mundane tasks involving homework.

Michio who sat next to her quietly listens to Junko's grumbling, "Instead of getting stuck like the whole lot of us in class, they are out in the wilderness on a school trip enjoying life."

"What is so nice about going out camping?" Michio took another bite out of his food, "It's all about bug bites, no Internet, and several hours of boredom far worst than being in here."

"You only said that because you definitely won't be able to survive out there if you were left alone," Junko scoffed at her friend since kindergarten.

"I agree, though I think Michio isn't completely in the wrong." A familiar voice came out of the blue.

With their heads turned, they spotted the rebellious artist Miyama Emiko holding her own bento, "Mind if I join you?"

With both silently nodding, the sketch artist of the association Emiko took a sitting spot next to Junko. The secretary of Tantei Association grew puzzled by Emiko's statement, "What do you mean that this trip is way worst than being at school? I mean at least they didn't have to do homework at all and are out on a proper holiday!"

"That is only the case if you truly enjoy the wilderness. But for kids like Ranran and Shinichi, it is pure torment." Emiko then elaborates, "In school, there are television and computers to use whenever you want during recess. At the campsite, however, rarely there are those that come with Wi-fi, a TV or even a computer for you to play. Which is enough for Ranran to grow super mad going a day without it."

"Good, it's about time that little pompous and overly-self-entitled princess go out under the sun a little more." Junko thinks with a smirk, "I always think that she and Shinichi are going to become hikikomori (indoor shut-ins) for cooping themselves all day at home with video gaming and all the mystery murder stories Shinichi could obtain."

"But to think that their sensei decided to take them out on a school trip on a time like this is amusing," Michio muses, "For the sake of learning things outside the classroom...it will do them well."

"Meh, their sensei barely had that sort of noble aspirations," Emiko dismisses him, before revealing, "I did some digging about the sensei, and apparently...the reason that their sensei even took upon this school trip there in the first place was to mix work with pleasure." Emiko grunts.

"Eh!?" Michio and Junko were stunned.

"You didn't know, did you? That their substitute form teacher has been actively seeking love near and far like that Taylor Swift?" Emiko chuckled at their reaction, "It wasn't possible to date anyone under the same school due to policy against dating co-workers for their sensei. And to top it off, she was getting old and constantly works overtime, so she barely had time to seek out anyone. So she took it upon herself to use a mutual friend's offer of an affordable camping package to the children of 1-A as an excuse for an 'educational trip', just so she could actively find someone to spend the rest of their life with while the kids are up all day doing whatever camp activities during the 2 weeks."

"Damn...."Michio can't help but feel sympathetic over the children of 1-A, much less the members of the association who were dragged into this, "I am starting to feel bad for Ranran and the rest of them."

"So do I," Junko grows a bit glum at that piece of info, when it suddenly dawned on her, "Wait," She turned to Emiko, "How did you manage to dig out that chapter of their teacher's life? I know you are resourceful when it comes to intel, but I didn't think you had the ability to dig that far."

"I didn't, Ranran did." Emiko gobbled another spoonful of food calmly.

"Seriously!?" Both Michio and Junko almost dropped their food.

"Yeah, not sure how she was able to dig that chapter of that sensei's life, nor why she did it anyway." Her eyebrows raised in confusion, tapping her chin with her finger, "I could've assumed that with this information, Ranran could've easily blackmailed the sensei who came up with this camping scheme to put a stop to this, then let Ranran weasel her way out scot-free. But the fact that she didn't..."

Michio and Junko exchanged gazes before wondering, "What is her plan for digging all of this in the first place?"

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

While everyone stare up above the cliff, the first comment Takuma said was, "Look on the plus side, guys. At least there are no midges to deal with."

"No, and I will tell you why," His red-lip detective friend flat-out replied. "Because the last thing they are going to deal with is frostbite."

And Ranran meant it, even though she and Shinichi came in prepared with a universal jacket that was advertised to be a windproof-waterproof-all-terrain jacket, they two were still freezing. So did the other children, including Sonoko, who is as well a bit surprised that the expensive jacket her parents bought for her did little to reduce the chilliness here.

The two men, Miki and Eiji do the usual safety check before they could begin.

It took so long that the fear that many of the children who were dreading climbing up the cliff evaporated as time dragged on and on. But no one was far more agitated compared to Shinichi and Takuma, the two boys in the whole 1-A class who had been dying to go up a cliff way more than anyone. Not that they voiced out their impatience.

"By the time all of this is settled and gone, there will be 34 frozen statues here who waited too long to climb up a cliff." Ranran sighs in sacarsm.

And that was enough to bring laughter among 1-A.

Reina was peering down anxiously at the raging sea, meanwhile, Shinichi was hopping from one foot to the other, whether from cold or excitement was hard to tell. Meanwhile, Sonoko and Ran were paying extremely close attention while Takuma explained anything to do with climbing he had watched on TV.

Ranran, unfortunately, was staring at the distant horizon of the skies, hoping some anime moment might take place, such as a meteor falling onto this island having caused an earthquake so severe, that they would ultimately be sent back home while Ranran is reunited with her cosy bedroom in her fancy lavish house.

"Now pay attention guys," said Miki. "As you can see, we've both checked and double-checked our equipment. You must always do that as your life depends on it. We're going to climb up then fit a top rope so it will be extra safe when you lot have your turn. When all of this is going on, that is when Eiji and I will be roped together? That way if the person climbing falls, the other one is always there to stop him."

"What happens if he pulls you off with him?" asked Reina.

"Can't happen. Not with this system."

"Not even if he's heavier than you?" persisted Ranran.

"No. Believe me, girl, it's not possible. What we're going to do now is a little piece of demonstration just to prove to you how safe this is. Then Eiji and I will go around this chasm and begin our climb on the opposite side so you can see what we're doing. We'll start at that ledge there. I'll climb a little way up, and then I'll fall – are you all right with that, Eiji?"

"I can do the drop if you like," offered Eiji.

"Really? Oh, alright then." Miki turned back to us. "Eiji-san will fall, and then I will follow suit. I want to prove to you how safe the gear is. If you trip or stumble – even if you fall off the rock completely – you'll always get caught. You can have absolute confidence in that so none of you needs to be the least bit scared or nervous, OK?"

Leaving 1-A class with Rika, whose eyes were noticeably still glued to Miki by Reina, the two guys set off up the hill, skirting the edge of the U-shaped chasm until they reached the ledge.

The sea slurped below like some sort of hungry, drooling animal. It was licking into the crevices and making a horrible sucking sound with each receding wave.

"Can you imagine? Falling into a dark abyss beyond return?" Takuma stood next to his girlfriend, while they stared together.

"Do you know what that story yesterday reminded me of Tak-san?" Reina can't help but frowned, "For some reason, I can't help but think this story was all too familiar."

"Hmm...."Takuma hummed, "The little mermaid?"

"Right?" Reina snap her finger at that, "Main girl sacrificed everything for the male lead, but the idiot falsely believed that a foreign princess saved him and got married. When the mermaid found out that killing him would get her life back or something, she ended up dying and refusing to do so. Ain't that the same story as what Eiji encountered yesterday?"

Staring back at the sea together, Reina comments, "The story is a bit similar, how both main characters fell in beyond return...yet for some reason..."

"....what is it?"

"For some reason...there is something off from the way he narrated that story."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, Takuma, but..." Reina shudder in deep thought, "For some reason...it sounded real."

Eiji started to climb. When he'd gone a little way up, Miki yelled to check while the rest of the children were all watching. He nodded to the other male. "You would think that he would snap his neck like Gwen Stacy when Spiderman failed to save her." One kid commented.

"Hush you, don't jink it-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH-"

And then, before anyone could react, they all witnessed Eiji falling before their eyes.

Ranran and Shinichi gasped, Ran, Sonoko and Reina let out something close to a scream and Takuma whistled between his teeth. Even the teacher who was with them looked interested.

After dropping two metres, Eiji was no more.

The rope pulled tight, jerking him to a sudden halt. He swung out over the water, spinning right round in a full circle with his arms and legs outstretched before making a grab for the rock face.

Then – with no warning – he fell once more. And this time the rope didn't stop him. He plummeted into the abyss. Hit deep into the water.

Thinking it was just another stunt, Takuma called, "Cool!"

But next to him, Reina gasped and right away, Rika the horse instructor then knew that something had gone horribly wrong. She leapt forward, leaning over the edge and holding out her hand as if she could miraculously extend her arm a hundred metres and pull him back.

Right now, all of the eyes of the 6-year-old children could see Eiji floating in the clear water, face down, a cloud of blood blooming from his head. As all of them stood there watching in helpless horror, a wave surged in and smashed him hard against the rock. One could almost hear the crunch of bone on stone.

The sea held him pressed up against the cliff for a fraction of a second before his head lolled sickeningly sideways. And then – with that awful slurping sound – it soon dragged the man out of the chasm and sucked him down beneath the waves.

For a moment no one moved. Everyone felt dizzy with shock. Some were shaking, sniffing, trembling...hell, one of them even let out a low, pitiful whimper.

Then Rika was shouting. Screaming. Running to where Miki was standing on the ledge.

And as always, if they were perilous situations, Ranran was the first to follow Rika. "Ooi! Ranran, where are you going!?" The teacher shouted for her to come back, but she didn't.

Soon, Shinichi followed her, "Shinichi! Not you too!"

"Sorry sensei!" He turns his head back with a smile while running to chase up Ranran, "I can't let my mentor be all alone without her apprentice, right?"

"You!" There was no way of stopping her two students from leaving her since she was stuck looking after the sobbing mess of the students of 1-A. Though Ran was the only one who felt jealousy running in her veins when she heard Shinichi say 'her apprentice'.

'Her apprentice'....as if he just admitted that he belonged to Ranran and no one else!

Is that...a romance confession!?

It seems like Ran isn't the only one who thinks so too, since the other children then said, "Aww, that is so romantic of Shinichi!"

So did the others swoon, "Neh, when are the two getting married?"

This was enough to tick Ran's best friend, Sonoko, to the core as she hears all of this nonsense, "Hey! Are you both jumping to conclusions too soon that they are in that sort of relationship!?"

"And what is wrong with that?" A girl said with a frown, "You and Ran were no different when you mislead everyone into thinking that he had that kind of interest in Ran."

"Yeah!" A boy agreed, "If it wasn't for that video of you making bets with that psychopath about ruining Shinichi's future just to marry him off to Ran by misusing Ranran's name having revealed all of your evil deeds, were you and her going to continue manipulating him and her?"

"Yo-"

"Sonoko, enough," Ran stopped her best friend before anything could go wrong, "No use arguing with unreasonable kids."

"Ran..." Her friend's voice trailed out.

"Sure, tell yourself that," Another girl said while bobbing her head, "By remaining at that association shamelessly, let's see how long more you can last seeing the two being all so happy with each other."

"Now children, it ain't right to speak ill of others...."

While the kids muttered among themselves as the teacher scolded them, Ran and Sonoko could do nothing but seethe in silence.

One day...someday, when they find proof that Ranran is The Fox...days like this would eventually end. The two girls told themselves.

Meanwhile, not far from Miki, Ranran and Shinichi observed Rika attempting to resolve the situation with Miki.

"I have to get to him!" Miki yelled. "I can abseil down!" His face had gone a ghastly yellow and beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead. He was adjusting ropes frantically, fiddling with knots and clasps, but panic made his fingers clumsy and he kept dropping things.

"Miki, stop!" Rika clutched his arm, but Miki didn't seem to hear. He shrugged her off but she didn't give in. "Miki, snap out of it!" Rika took his face in both her hands, digging her nails into his cheeks to force him to look at her. "It's too late. He's already been pulled out to sea. We need to get a message to the coastguard – see if they can reach him. There's nothing more you can do."

Miki's shoulders dropped. "Right," he said. "I'll go and radio them. You look after the kids."

With that, he was ripping off his harness and sprinting down the cliff path towards the centre. Rika swallowed hard once or twice, and with a lopsided smile that was her attempt at reassurance said, "I think we'd better gather up the gear and go back. Is everyone OK?"

The children nodded, one after the other because there wasn't anything any of them could say. All of them froze shocked in silence.

With shaking hands, Rika started stuffing clips and hooks into a rucksack. As all of this was going on, Ranran then picked up Miki's harness and unclipped the rope while Shinichi wondered what was she doing.

Soon, he sees her coiling it in the way it was shown during the earlier demonstration. The moment Ranran reached the end, that is when both of their throats tightened with shock.

The end wasn't frayed or worn off as expected. The rope that Eiji had been attached to hadn't snapped by accident.

From the way the rope appeared, it look as though It had been deliberately cut through with something sharp. A pair of scissors. Or a knife.

By this point on, they both knew...this wasn't an accident but a murder.

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

As expected, the coastguard couldn't search for Eiji's missing corpse.

A severe weather warning had been issued – a big storm was on its way. No helicopter was safe to fly; no boat was safe to sail. So the police couldn't make their way across from the mainland to investigate.

In a way, they were cut off from outside help: stuck miles from anywhere in a gothic mansion with a murderer on the loose.

And like a pro, Ranran didn't say a word about the rope. Not there on the cliffs.

It isn't a good idea to reveal all of the investigation details to anyone, no, people lie easily and love twisting facts, that was what Ranran taught to Shinichi, which is why he quickly coiled the rope before stuffing it in the rucksack with the rest of the gear, not before taking several pictures secretly.

Originally Ranran was going to steal the rope before handing it to the cops as evidence if they could easily call for help, but then Shinichi was against the idea, as he had some concerns that if she does so, the killer behind this would murder her to keep this fact silent.

A meeting among Tantei Association needed to be held, though it wasn't a complete meeting since they are unable to contact anyone out of the island, being stuck in this damn Gothic mansion with no data service or Wi-fi.

So the plan was simple: They were going to find a chance to have this meeting minus 1-A class.

Ranran knew that the grown-ups would be busy after such an incident had taken place, Miki and Rika were far too busy in the office dealing with the emergency, while Jun had apparently gone to lie down as Yoshinaga Iwao was cooking lunch for the supposed traumatized students of 1-A.

The kids were confined to the sitting room and everyone seemed too upset to talk, and that is when Ranran struck fast.

Announcing she needed a breather after witnessing such a traumatic event, she disappeared out through the door with the smallest of glances in Shinichi, Ran and Takuma's direction. They all took the hint.

Two minutes later, all of them had gathered on the first-floor landing. "Ranran, why in the world did you all tell us to gather here!?" Ran was bewildered.

"Exactly!" Even Takuma has no idea what was truly going on.

"Ok, Shinichi, go make the announcement," Ranran ordered him to speak.

With much reluctance and hesitance, Shinichi broke it down to them, "Well...about Eiji falling down the cliff..." Feeling a bit nervous that all eyes are on him, he finally said, "We...have reason to believe someone intentionally cut off the rope that led to Eiji's death."

"Wait, say what now!?" Takuma exclaimed, and so did Ran who covered her mouth, "S-S-Shinichi, what are you talking about?"

"Well, I checked the rope," It was Ranran's turn to speak, "And I recalled handling cases where ropes are cut with a knife, and how a rope naturally snap. The rope that was with us earlier...it was definitely cut with a knife, clean cut."

"No way!" Takuma grew wide-eyed in horror.

"Ranran, are you sure? Couldn't it have been super worn off?" Ran was still in disbelief over what she had just heard.

"No, Ranran is right, and here is why, " Shinichi insists, "I actually took some spare ropes similar to this one at the storage room in this mansion, and tried snapping it using something extremely heavy from the second floor while Ranran was on the ground floor. When a rope snaps, there are signs of fraying. The one Eiji used...had none of that."

While Takuma paced back at forth with a blank face, digesting all of this, Shinichi persisted, "The knot didn't work loose. Nothing gave way. It was a clean cut."

Ran gawped silently for a few seconds, taking in the implications of what he'd said. "Are you suggesting he was murdered?" she asked slowly.

"No, not suggesting, he was definitely murdered." Ranran nodded.

"No way...I can't believe it..." As soon as Takuma stopped, he turned to them, "But if what you and Shinichi said is true, who could have done that? And why!?" There was a slight tremble in his voice.

Right now, Ran's mind is whirring frantically since it happened but the trouble was that the more she thought, the more confused she become, "Wait a minute...if Eiji was murdered...does this mean....we are on an island with one?!"

This thought was enough to make Takuma gulp and pale in horror, "Now that you mentioned it...we had no contact with the outside world! Let alone, Wi-fi or telephone pole...everything is off-limits! We are all going to die!"

"Which is why we gathered the both of you here as Tantei Association members," Shinichi notified them with a grim outlook, "It's up to us to put on our detective caps and figure out who is the murderer. The sooner we get this done and over, the better."

"Right," Ran tried to calm herself, but it was difficult for her six-year-old mind to deal with all of this, "We should warn the others-"

"Ran, no!" Takuma reasoned with her, "There are 24 of us kids alone, plus sensei and the other adults. So far, no one knows that a murder took place in front of us, but an accident. If they let slip that they know this is murder, the first thing the killer is going to do is to either take hostage of us, or they would end up killing everyone before any of us could call for help!"

"We can't simply just be stuck all on our own with a murderer on the loose!" Ran was in a state of panic by this point.

"That is why the sooner we find the killer while they think no one suspects them, the better," Ranran growled lowly while pondering who is the likeliest of suspects. "We need to start with why, how, and who is capable of all of this. And I could be dead wrong, but the way Jun reacted when she first laid eyes on Eiji coming out of the jeep with her husband...I bet she has something to do with this."

"That is true," It suddenly dawned on Shinichi, "Didn't she go all upset mode after that story ended?"

"But when?" asked Ran. "She was in the house when Eiji fell."

"She could have done it last night," Takuma suggested.

"Even if one does that...is it possible?" Shinichi doubts this, "You want a guaranteed death, I will rather not be far from my victim if I want his death to be 100 percent confirmed."

"But if you think about it, she and her husband Miki had been running this centre for a while, no?" Ran suddenly remembered and stare at Shinichi, "When you left with Ranran to go and get Ice cream, Miki mentioned they have been married for over 6 years...and since her husband is familiar with rock climbing stuff here, she could've picked up the skills enough to cut the rope at a certain way...Eiji would've died without anyone knowing."

"True," Ranran conceded.

"But if you want to say skills...that boat instructor Yoshinaga Iwao could've done it as well," Takuma suggests, "I mean I heard this from someone that when one takes a boat, usually they are equipped with rope skills to tie any form of boat or that sort to be parked at the harbour. He is capable of cutting around this morning before we left."

"However, Rika rushed over to the scene when all of this is taking place," Ranran thought about this, "Although she is a horse instructor...supposedly she has a secret skill of cutting the string...it would make sense why she rushed over to the scene in the guise of saving Miki and Eiji, which is why she stuffed the rope in her rucksack."

"Hang on, though," Shinichi said, contradicting himself. "Earlier, those two men checked and double-checked all their gear on the cliffs. We watched them do it, didn't we?"

"We did," said Ran. "And it was fine at that point before it suddenly snap."

"Agree," Takuma confirmed, then adds, "I even had it recorded on my smartphone."

"Eh!?" Ranran and Shinichi grew startled before demanding in unison, "Show us the footage!"

Once more, the children gather around to watch the rope demonstration video of Eiji and Miki. At first, it appeared he was doing fine, till the rope suddenly seemingly broke without warning, plunging Eiji to his death. "Judging from this video, we can tell that the rope must have been cut after that," Shinichi concluded.

"That meant the killer could have easily done it before we walked round to the start of the climb, no?" Takuma guessed, "I mean to set up all of that equipment around the cliff when we arrived at that time, did you all not remember how long we waited?"

"If that is the case, does this mean everything was done by Miki?" Doubt was growing on Ranran, "It would be too sloppy if he is truly the murderer, I mean it happened in bright daylight. To murder someone in front of 24 kids where some of them were using smartphones to film this, a teacher, plus Rika....it would take tons of bravado in him to do this."

"Guys, think about it...Miki is capable since he had the skills." Takuma insists.

"Also, he had a motive," Ran figures, "Remember, last night Eiji scared Miki's wife, Jun, with that story last night to the point she cried. It could be a way of revenge for his wife."

"I don't know...this motive sounded too childish. Who would go to extreme lengths to end the life of someone, all because one makes someone cry?" Shinichi became puzzled at that.

"Ranran would," Takuma grins, which made Shinichi choke in response.

"Ha ha, very funny," Ranran narrowed her eyes in annoyance at her friend, "But you all might not be wrong."

"Eh!?" The three reacted in unison.

"Yesterday, I noticed that when Miki was getting down from the jeep with Eiji, she looked like she has seen a ghost when her eyes laid on Eiji."

"Really!?" Shinichi wasn't expecting this, "I thought on the bus yesterday, I overheard that Eiji was telling sensei that he barely knew Miki and Jun."

"And get this...I think there was some going on between Jun and Eiji behind Miki's back." Ranran reveals.

"...what do you mean?" Ran blinked.

"While we were at the dining table, I kept seeing Jun staring at her husband and then at Eiji, back and forth like a tennis match. I don't know about you, but what married woman would keep gazing at Eiji and Miki on and on? Also, she wasn't even wearing her wedding ring when we arrived. It was as if...."

"....Eiji and Jun are having an affair behind Miki's back, right?" Takuma finished her words.

"Is that so!?" Shinichi then rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Now that you mentioned it, yesterday while we were having dinner, she barely even utter a word to Miki, who is her husband. And Eiji was sitting next to Miki...it would make total sense why she was behaving this way. Fearing that her husband might catch on...."

"Also the way they interacted, it was evident that their marriage was rather strange." Takuma thinks. "Maybe they are secretly divorced but they didn't want anybody to know."

"Even if they are divorced, why hide the relationship then?" Heads shift to Ranran's direction, "I mean once they are no longer spouses, I don't see the reason to hide. Also, if they wanted to, it wouldn't be smart to just not wear a ring, cause people would come up and ask her out." Ranran pointed this fact up.

"Whatever the marriage is, one thing is clear: They ain't happy with one another, or rather..." Takuma suspects, "The wife is the only unhappy party in this marriage."

"Ok, say if Miki's wife really did murder Eiji....." Shinichi thought for a while and then sighed. "It still doesn't sound right."

"Which part?" Ran asked.

"During the demonstration when they did it the first time...the rope held onto Eiji in the video." Shinichi recapped. "If this was done last night or this morning before we left...even if Miki or anyone sabotaged the rope, Eiji would've noticed because he is an instructor himself, there is no way he would not do safety checks inspection on himself."

"Then we are back to Miki again?" Takuma suggests.

"No." Ranran shook her head, sighing. "That's not right either. Look at the video again," Ranran held onto Takuma's video as others watched her rewind back to that moment, "His hands here are full, with both of his hands clinging onto the rope when Eiji fell. With this footage, he couldn't possibly have whipped out a knife and sliced through it. Another conclusion I can think out of all of this is...."

"....what? What is it, Ranran?" The apprentice prompted her to speak.

"Eiji maybe...cut the rope himself."

"What!? No, not possible," Takuma dismisses this, "In front of us kids? I know suicide is common in Japan, but...no, that is in bad taste, Ranran."

Shinichi didn't say anything so Ranran continued. "Bottom line is, the string did not snap itself. For now, we don't have that much information to go by whether it is murder or suicide, but what we do know is a person did this. And if we don't get to the bottom of this...we are screwed."

"So....what is the plan?" Ran can't help but ask.

"For the time being, this is the case of Tantei Association. If anything is suspicious, report it back to Shinichi or me. No one is to tell anyone about the rope till we find evidence, and seriously," Ranran pinched her nose bridge, "If only we have the damn Wi-fi or even data plans to contact Emiko, Michio and Junko...I have yet to understand what is truly going on between the instructors."

The kids nodded to her before going their separate ways.

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

By the time the meeting has ended, Yoshinaga Iwao the boat instructor had cooked a thick comforting soup with crusty homemade bread still warm from the oven and spread with melting butter.

He then laid it out on the table and then slipped away to wake up Jun. Rika and Miki meanwhile were still in the office, so once more, the children of 1-A were alone again with the teacher and the food made everyone more talkative.

In between mouthfuls of soup, Sonoko fretted. "I know I shouldn't have said this since this may sound insensitive, but I felt like they could've checked the gear a bit more thoroughly. Otherwise, one of us could've died."

"You can't stop every accident from happening, Suzuki. This is real life after all. One day you might be driving a car, the next you might end up in an accident even though you have 20 years of experience." Reina scoffed.

"It was awful when we saw him fall," sniffed one traumatized girl, "It was horrible! They should be more careful. I don't see how they'll be able to open up this place now. No one will send their kids here if they can't keep them safe. Just wait till Okaasan hears of this, she is going to be furious when she finds out."

"I told my parents camping is dangerous and boring, they shouldn't have sent me here, but nope." chipped in Ranran. "They didn't care and sent me here anyway."

"You know, between this and your activities in Tantei Association, how is it any different anyway? You just hated camping more because you hate to stand under the sun!" said Sonoko sarcastically. "You are just like a princess made out of candle wax, one that easily melts under the flames of the sun!"

That girl really did have a nasty streak when it came to Ranran.

Before Shinichi could defend her, Ranran swiftly replied, "Well, I guess that makes you the dragon that's always breathing fire, Suzuki. But don't worry, I have a fire extinguisher in my bag just in case."

Everyone laughed at the remark, "Damn....that burns!" Takuma chuckled at Ranran's response, while Sonoko's colour from her face drained.

Even Shinichi struggled to contain his laughter at Ranran's words. They continued to eat and talk, their conversation shifting away from the tragic events of the morning. It was a brief moment of respite before they would have to face the reality of the situation again.

Just then the grown-ups came in, as Miki looked hideously pale beneath his healthy tan. Rika the horse instructor was looking pretty shaky too but Yoshinaga Iwao was being kind of loud and cheery in an effort to convince us that everything was going to be fine.

Jun, on the other hand, seemed strangely calm after that hysterical episode.

If Mouri Ran had to choose the likeliest of suspects as a murderer, it would have been her, no questions asked. The child watched her carefully. Her thick black hair hung down like a pair of curtains while she sat dismembering a piece of bread with her long, thin fingers, picking it into smaller and smaller fragments until it was no more than a pile of crumbs. Her soup cooled in the bowl without her taking a single mouthful. And when lunch was over, and the instructors began talking over plans for the afternoon, she left the table, stalking from the room without a word.

By early afternoon the weather had closed in, and the house was being lashed with squalls of wind and heavy rain. Outdoor pursuits – even for the most rugged – didn't look at all appealing.

But the grown-ups had to do something to keep the entire class of 1-A busy and occupied after all. No way they were going to allow the children to be all cooped up in the house after witnessing such horrendous murder.

"This afternoon I'll be giving you all a riding lesson," announced Rika. "The indoor school will be dry, at least, and if you learn a few basics today, maybe tomorrow we can go out for a hack."

"Do you need a hand getting the horses ready? I am free if you need me," asked Miki.

"Thanks – that would be great."

Takuma who was observing them from afar thinks: That Rika...she definitely had feelings for him.

The members of Tantei Association had been notified to monitor the behaviour of the suspects after that meeting, and Takuma being a former playboy can tell whether one fancies the other. From his experience, he can definitely tell Rika had a huge crush on Miki, though it felt a bit disturbing since Miki is married.

It does make the athlete question...whether his wife is even aware of this?

Cause he knows if one is crushing hard on her husband, Rika is screwed.

Then again, their marriage seemed very off. No wedding ring on her fourth finger, Miki was being all so devoted towards Jun, but the wife ain't responded to his advances...it was as if she was forced to marry him.

"There are hard hats in the cupboard over there, kids," said Rika, pointing in her direction. "Find yourself one that fits, and then come out. We'll be just across the yard."

"Neh Ranran, are you going to whine now that this activity is dangerous since we are about to ride on a horse?" Sonoko taunts.

Rolling her eyes, again, Ranran wittily responds, "Oh, don't worry Sonoko, I'm not afraid of horses. I've ridden one before, unlike you who probably gets scared just looking at one in a picture book." She smirks. "Besides, I think I'll be more worried about the horse being scared of you."

"Hah?! Why would it be scared of me?!"

"Horses have good instincts, Sonoko. They can sense danger and insincerity, even arrogance from miles away. If it doesn't like you, it can easily dump you on a puddle of mud from its back like a sack of potatoes."

Suddenly, the children laughed at Ranran's words, it was so hilarious that even Shinichi was seen wiping away tears of mirth from all of the laughing while Sonoko grew red in embarrassment and anger.