"Why will it not make a difference?" Reina asked, tilting her head in confusion."You two were friends since you were both kids."

"That is true," Rika nods with a sad smile, "But that is a limit to how far I can say. Only the wife's opinion matters, not the childhood friend's. I doubt he will listen to me and he will think I may have feelings for him."

He thinks back to Ranran and Shinichi's encounter when they were both 5 while Takuma tells this story, "Two children, a boy and a girl who is our friend...had a mutual dislike one another. They were both raised as strangers. The hate was so extreme, that it resulted in the girl ending up slapping his senses on what he has been doing to her this whole time was in the wrong, outed that his two childhood friends were manipulating him. If the story had gone his way that he naively believed his childhood friends were good kind children, it would end with the two becoming bitter enemies for life. But that wasn't what happened."

Rika and Reina listened intently to Takuma's story, curious as to where he was going with it.

"So what happened?" Rika asked.

"Well," He continued, "After the girl slapped some sense into the boy, he looked into it later on and learn she was right all along. Long story short, he severed ties with the friends who lied to him and ended up becoming friends with the one who slapped him. Once all of that cleared it up, they got along just fine."

"What does this story have anything to do with-"

But the little boy beat her to it, "Considering she was a stranger to him at that time, he could've chosen not to listen and ignorantly listen to those friends of his. But yet, he did. It just goes to show that sometimes, there is a chance that he will listen to you over his wife regardless of what you are to him in his life. Cause if he doesn't, then it is his loss that he loses a precious friend to blindly believed a horrible wife."

Rika at first was stunned, speechless, not knowing what to say.

But then, she slowly nodded, taking in Takuma's words. "You know what, you're right," she said with a smile. "I shouldn't give up hope just yet. Maybe he will listen to me after all. And even if he doesn't, I don't want to regret not telling him how I feel."

Reina grinned at her friend, happy to see her feeling more optimistic.

Rika nodded, feeling more determined than ever to talk to Miki. "Thank you, both of you. You have no idea how much your words mean to me." She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "One day, when the time is right, I will let him know!"

As soon as Rika trotted her horse a little more happily than usual, Reina turned to Takuma to ask, "You are trying to see whether the killer will make a move if you give such advice, huh?"

Not long ago, Takuma had secretly told Reina that there was a possibility that the recently deceased Eiji Ishida was murdered after Ranran and Shinichi had discovered the strings Eiji was tied to had a clean cut, indicating it was done by a person rather than an accident.

And as usual, Reina knew how to keep her mouth shut without scaring the other children of 1-A.

"To be honest, even Ranran thinks this could've been suicide, so I can't really really whatever decision Miss Rika would make towards Mr Miki would actually trigger the killer to do whatever he or she plans to do. Since even I myself ain't even sure whether there is a killer among us."

"It's understandable," Reina nods. "It's better to be cautious and not jump to conclusions. But it's good that you're keeping an eye out for any suspicious behaviour."

"Exactly," Takuma replied, looking around as if to scan the area. "If there is a killer among us, they might try to strike again. So we need to be vigilant."

Reina nodded in agreement. "We should also be careful not to trust anyone blindly. It's important to keep our eyes and ears open."

Takuma then folded his arms while sighing to himself, "The problem is...there has been no word since Shinichi ventured into the forest with one of Rika's horses on his own to search for Ranran."

Reina furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "As worrying as it sounds, we got to trust them, Tak-san."

"I know, I know," Takuma replied, trying to shake off the anxiety that crept up on him. "It's just that we don't know what's going on out there. And with everything that's been happening, it's hard not to be on edge."

Reina nodded in agreement. "I understand. But we have to have faith in them. They're strong and capable. And if anything does happen, we'll be ready to help in any way we can."

Takuma smiled at Reina, grateful for her comforting words. "You're right. Thank you, Reina."

"No problem, Tak-san," she replied, smiling back at him. "We're all in this together."

Meanwhile, a certain heiress from 1-A rants, "Such a shame Shinichi still hasn't returned to join us," Sonoko rolled her eyes at her horse, now getting the hang of it after a couple of twists and turns.

Even Ran was starting to get used to the horse she was on, "Right? He is too busy searching for his supposed 'Ranran'," stating that girl's name with venom in her voice.

Takuma, who was riding nearby, turned to Sonoko and Ran, "Come on, guys. I am certain there's a good reason why Shinichi and Ranran are taking so long."

Sonoko scoffed, "Please, Takuma. Shinichi is probably just off playing detective somewhere while easily getting swept up by Ranran....wherever she is at the moment."

This made Reina bristle at the comment about her best friend, "You do know that Ranran isn't like you, right? Constantly wooing boys to do whatever she wanted them to?"

Sonoko raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Then why isn't she here with us then? Why is Shinichi so protective over her so much so, he belittles Ran out of everything! Before, he was never like that till he met Ranran!"

"Perhaps one should've evaluated themselves before of speaking ill of someone who is way more of a decent human being." Reina rolled her eyes before she and her boyfriend rode away from Ran and Sonoko, leaving them rattled at her words.

Takuma rode alongside Reina, giving her a nod of approval. "Well said, Reina. I was that close to twisting her neck for speaking nonsense about Ranran. We all know she ain't like that."

"Of course, Ranran ain't like that," Reina shrugged, "She is probably investigating about Eiji's death somewhere, with Wi-fi at least while living at a better place compared to our deary campsite."

Takuma sighed, "I just hope they don't cause any trouble while we're out here. We have enough to worry about without adding petty arguments to the mix."

Reina nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Sonoko was left furious rambling to Ran about what Reina said to them.

"Can you believe her? Who does she think she is?" Sonoko fumed, her face turning red with anger.

Ran remained silent, trying to focus on her horse and not engage in the argument. She knew that Sonoko could be hot-headed at times, and it was best to just let her vent.

"I mean, how dare she talk about me like that? As if I'm some kind of manipulative person who only cares about getting people to do my bidding to get what I want," Sonoko continued, her voice rising in volume. "She only gets to talk lowly of me because Ranran is the one who got her the position of president of the student council! Seriously, she is nothing but Ranran's dog."

Ran sighed inwardly. She didn't want to get involved in Sonoko's drama, but she couldn't help but feel worried about Shinichi and Ranran. As much as their relationship is far too complicated, they had been gone for a while now, and there was no sign of them returning. She hoped they were okay.

"Look, Sonoko, I understand that you're upset, but we should look into that case," Ran suggested, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Sonoko too was in the loop about Eiji's mysterious death, when she first got word of it, she almost announced to the entire 1-A class that they should take a boat back home on the spot. But without evidence or anything to support this, Ran told her to keep it quiet till they find any evidence that prove it to be the case.

Sonoko nodded, her anger simmering down slightly. "Yeah, you're right. We need to focus on the case and find out what happened to Eiji. Maybe Shinichi and Ranran found something and that's why they're taking so long."

Ran nodded in agreement. "Let's just hope they're safe and they'll return soon. We can't afford to lose anyone else."

With that, the two girls rode in silence, their thoughts consumed by the case and the safety of their classmates.

As soon as they entered the yard, Rika jumped down from her horse and handed the reins to Miki. "Sorry," she said, running for the house. "I need to head to the washroom, I'll be back in a second."

"Ooi, matte!"

By the time she'd returned as the children shut the horses up in their stables, the whole lot of them were all looking forward to another of Yoshinaga Iwao's hearty meals.

"Go on in, kids," urged Miki. "Give Iwao-san a hand laying the table. Tell him it's time to get the food onto plates."

But as soon as the children poured into the kitchen, they can't help but notice it was unusually empty and dark, and no pans were simmering on the stove.

"Mou...you can't be serious?" said an irritated Takuma who is hungry.

"I'm starving!" complained another child. "He hasn't cooked yet?"

"Something's wrong," whispered Reina, looking at Takuma. "He ought to be here. Do you think the killer took him?"

Takuma didn't answer because at that moment the grown‑ups came in, and although they seemed worried, Miki dismisses their concern. "Don't worry, children, Iwao-san is probably out wandering around the woods...as always."

"Eh? As always?" Ran, Reina, Takuma and Sonoko exchanged silent looks.

"When we were back in university, he used to do this all the time." The man recounted the stories it used to happen, "One time, we found him sleeping in a tree, another time he was lost in a cave."

"But shouldn't we go look for him?" Ran asked, worried about Iwao's safety.

Miki shook his head. "He'll turn up eventually. Besides, it's about to pour heavily outside," He smiled at his wife. "Remember when he invited us all over for a meal and we ended up having to cook it ourselves because he'd gone off in his canoe? Old times."

"Ah yeah, same old Iwao-kun as always."

Oddly, the 4 kids noticed that his wife didn't smile back when she replied, nor did she look upset. She didn't even look worried. She looked....resigned.

All of a sudden Reina remembered this movie she, Takuma and Ranran watched, it was about this selfish greedy queen named Marie Antoinette, who had lived a luxurious and lavish lifestyle at the expense of her people. The queen had been selfish and greedy, spending extravagantly on herself while her people suffered.

Although the queen's opulent lifestyle was admired by high society, the queen's actions led to her downfall when they realized they were technically paying for their lifestyle, resulting in her and her husband the king being beheaded.

There was this beheading scene she could recall vividly as if it was yesterday. As Reina remembered the beheading scene from the movie about Marie Antoinette, she could recall the expression on the queen's face as she faced her executioners.

Marie Antoinette, once the epitome of extravagance and luxury, now stood before her accusers with a look of utter despair and defeat etched across her face. Her once proud and haughty demeanour was replaced with a quiet acceptance of her fate.

The exact look Marie has...was as similar to Jun's right now, the same look before being beheaded, as if there was no escaping what was about to happen. Like she'd accepted her fate and just wanted it all to be over.

"The children need feeding," Jun's voice was calm but oddly flat and emotionless. A dead voice.

It honestly made Reina sick. Honestly, she hadn't felt this way since...

...well, not since she saw how 6-year-old Ranran reacted when she saw the beheading scene.

They were all 6-years-old when they watched this scene, and it honestly made her pale. Even Takuma was visibly shaken by the scene, having covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight of the queen's beheading.

But Ranran oddly didn't react the way either Reina or Takuma did.

She remembered how Ranran had watched the entire scene without flinching, her expression unchanged. Reina had always known Ranran to be a bit strange, often lost in her own world, but this was different.

It was as if Ranran....was conditioned to be used to seeing such scenes.

This part of Ranran haunted her for days, and she couldn't stop thinking about what sort of cruelty did her friend personally witness was so extreme, that even watching Marie Attoinette's head being beheaded did not scare her. She knew Ranran had it rough back in the U.K. with the funeral of her late friend and everything, but Reina honestly didn't think it was so severe that Ranran did not even react to the gore scenes.

Reina couldn't shake off the feeling of unease as she mulled over Ranran's odd behaviour. Ranran had always been different, but this was to Reina a new level of strange.

After days of pondering, Reina decided to confront Ranran about it during recess.

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

"Hey Ranran, can I ask you something?" Reina said, trying to sound nonchalant in class one day.

Ranran looked up and gave Reina a curious look. "Sure, what is it?" she replied.

"I was just wondering, during the movie we watched about Marie Antoinette, you didn't seem scared or bothered by the beheading scene. Is everything okay? Did you witness something similar before?" Reina asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Ranran's expression darkened, and she looked away, a pained expression on her face. "It's complicated," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Reina waited patiently, sensing that Ranran needed time to gather her thoughts.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ranran spoke. "I was there when it happened."

Reina's heart skipped a beat as she realized the gravity of Ranran's words. "What happened? What do you mean?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Ranran took a deep breath before continuing. "When my friend was murdered by his mother, it happened before my eyes. She killed him very brutally."

Reina's eyes widened in shock and horror at Ranran's words. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Oh my god, Ranran. I'm so sorry. I had no idea," she said, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

Ranran looked up at Reina, with a bit of soulless eyes, "It's alright, I had grown used to it."

"Used to it?!" Reina mouthed herself, feeling appalled.

"I was trained by my dead friend to get used to it before he died."

Reina felt a chill run down her spine as she heard Ranran's words. Trained? Used to it? What kind of friend would train someone to get used to such violence and brutality?

"Ranran, what do you mean by 'trained'? Who trained you?" Reina asked, her voice shaking.

Ranran took a deep breath before continuing. "My friend knew that his mother was capable of such violence. He had told me that if anything ever happened to him, I should be prepared to witness something terrible. He trained me to stay calm, to not react, and to be able to handle any situation," Ranran said, her voice devoid of any emotion.

Reina was at a loss for words. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Ranran, to witness such a brutal act of violence, and to be trained to accept it as a part of life.

She thought back during the state funeral when Ranran was there, she was around 4 when he died. So in other words, Ranran had been carrying this trauma with her for 2 years.

Ranran was so used to seeing all of the brutality before her eyes, she stop fearing things. And that ain't right!

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

That is right, maybe because of her part, Reina and Takuma were very protective of her friend since. Especially if anyone speaks ill of Ranran regarding her character, it's no surprise why the two would go after them viciously.

Which is why when Mamiko started to harass Ranran, as soon as the detective girl helped spare Moriko, Reina's cousin through Reina's step-dad, away from the bullying Mamiko painted Ranran an ugly picture of a possible psychopath after losing the elections to Reina, it's no wonder that Reina and Takuma were both furious and determined to protect Ranran from Mamiko's bullying.

These days, Ranran has been a bit better when she, Reina and Takuma had become friends. She laughs at Takuma's deadpan jokes, and Reina's enthusiasm for learning new things is infectious. And they both know that Ranran can be a bit uncooperative and reserved, but they accept her for who she is and never judge her.

"It's too late to start cooking anything complicated," answered Rika, which suddenly broke Reina's train of thought. "Have we got any burgers, or chicken nuggets, or anything? I'll knock us up something quick."

"Nice, I missed eating chicken nuggets!" Takuma's eyes shone in glee.

Rika crossed the kitchen to the walk-in freezer, unfastened the lock and pulled open the door.

A second of silence. Rika's screams rattled the entire mansion when she discovers, Yoshinaga Iwao who looked as stiff as a giant fish finger, fell out of the walk-in freezer and hit the floor in a frozen solid state.

The children and the grown-ups rushed to the freezer, stunned by the sight before them. Miki quickly checked for a pulse and confirmed that Iwao was dead. Reina, Ran, Sonoko, and Takuma exchanged worried glances, knowing that this time, they need no evidence to prove that this was a suicide.

This has become a serial killing right now, in the works.

Or in other words, this may potentially be Tantei Association's first ever serial killer case they had ever worked on.

Once more, Miki decides the downplay that this is definitely an accident, "Now everyone calmed down, I am certain Iwao must have accidentally locked himself in the freezer when he went in to get something to cook for lunch and the door blew shut behind him. Yes ...that's it. That's what happened. It's the problem with old houses – they're so draughty."

But all the time while Miki was busy babbling, and presumably in denial, Miki's wife Jun was visibly shaking her head. "We're being punished," she said suddenly.

The group turned to look at Jun, surprised by her sudden outburst. "What do you mean, Jun?" asked Miki, trying to make sense of her words.

"I mean for what we did," Jun replied cryptically. "Can't you see? We should never have left him."

Takuma's heart sank at the realization that this was no longer just a coincidence, seeing the dead corpse before him. Two deaths within a few days, both in and out of the house, couldn't be mere accidents.

As Ranran once said to him, "There are no such things as coincidence when it comes to deaths, Tak-san."

"Jun, don't be ridiculous. He ain't like a baby that needs their parent around 24/7, he is a grown ass 32-year-old grown up!" snapped Rika, "The same age as you. He was old enough to be left on his own!"

"I wasn't referring to Iwao-san!" Jun fixed her with a stare.

Rika then turned away, flustered and uncomfortable. "We still need to get everyone fed," she muttered.

Miki sighed and rubbed his temples. "Right. Let's get Iwao-san taken care of first, and then we can worry about food." He turned to the group. "I will again, try to call for help. But the weather has been unpredictable, it has been difficult to call anyone for help. Not to mention the recent earthquake not long ago, lines were severed around this area."

In the end, Rika found bread and cheese and some fruit and the children ate in the sitting room. They'd had to, unfortunately, stuff poor Iwao's corpse back in the freezer to keep his body frozen so no one felt like eating in the kitchen.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy and uncomfortable, and the children were unusually quiet as they ate their meal.  Even Takuma, who usually had a lot to say, seemed lost in thought.

And Ran was beginning to lose it, with Shinichi and Ranran still missing, and two deaths within days apart, it was a lot to handle, "It's horrible!" Ran was crying so were the other children. "Isn't there anywhere else they could put him?"

"To preserve evidence and everything, they had no other choice. Otherwise, it will decompose," Reina sighs, remembering Ranran's words, "I remembered she told me that the earthquake took place here not long ago, so I think many phone lines were broken around the entire island. Making matters worst, they are no ferries crossing..."

"Bodies start to smell after a couple of days," Takuma said, unhelpfully revealing the uncomfortable details he had learned from Ranran while being a member of the Tantei Association, "If they don't keep the body cold—"

"Takuma, I know you meant well, but stop. You are going to make me vomit out my lunch again, and I still haven't recovered from that rocky ferry ride." Even Sonoko was feeling sick with everything that is going on.

With more silence ahead of them, one of the children who had no idea about their suspicions of a potential serial killer on this island, was the first to break the silence. "Neh, Takuma."

"Hmph, what?" He took a bite from his sandwich.

With the other children from 1-A observing that the grown-ups are away from them, one of them asked quietly, "Based on your experience in Tantei Association with Ranran and Shinichi, do you all think the two deaths are an accident or murders?" he asked, looking at the others.

Takuma thought for a moment before asking. "What made you all think there is a murder?"

"The way that wife of Mr Miki-san said," Another child revealed, "Something about being punished...you don't say that unless it is a murder instead of an accident, right?"

At first, Takuma did not know how to answer them.

On one hand, he was considering telling them the truth that it's true, that the two incidents are potentially done by a person. But on the other hand, it will stir panic among the children of 1-A class if they knew the truth.

He must treat this delicately. "Honestly, I don't know," admitted Takuma. "Cause we don't really have much to work on whether the two incidents are accidents or murders."

The children finished their meal in silence, lost in their own thoughts. They were all scared. "You know, I just realized..."one of them thinks, "Ranran had been missing since Tuesday, and it's Sunday now. And Shinichi vanished on a Sunday at midnight. What if....what if there really is a murderer among us?!"

Takuma could see the fear in their eyes, and he knew someone had to say something to calm them down.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll figure this out." Reina reassures them, "Look, unlike the other classes within our grade, we have some of the best detectives in our class. And we've got each other too. We'll stick together and keep each other safe."

"But what if there really is a murderer? What if they really caught Ranran and Shinichi? Are we not doomed then?" asked another child, trembling with fear.

Reina took a deep breath. "It's possible," she said honestly. "But Ranran isn't a pushover, neither is Shinichi. I am certain they are out there somewhere, looking into this before returning to us."

The children looked at each other, and then back at them. They could see the determination in her eyes, and it gave them hope.

While the children were panicking as the teacher struggles to calm them, Miki went off to radio the police on the mainland. He came back a few minutes later looking even more white-faced and anxious. It seemed the radio had suffered some sort of mysterious breakdown. He couldn't call anyone.

The weird thing was that everyone just accepted his explanation that it was a series of unfortunate accidents. No one even mentioned the word "murder" but Ran, Takuma, Sonoko and Reina knew it couldn't be anything else.

Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the noise, their hearts racing with fear and anticipation. It sounded like a horse, galloping towards them.

Wondering who it was, the children gathered outside to see. It was afternoon by now, revealing a familiar little blue-eyed boy, dressed in the clothes he last left in since midnight, "Shinichi!"

The children gasped in surprise, their eyes widening as they saw Shinichi riding a horse towards them. Reina, Takuma, and Sonoko exchanged relieved looks as they approached him, while Ran stared at him in disbelief.

"Shinichi, where have you been? We've been so worried about you!" exclaimed Ran.

Shinichi jumped off the horse and approached them while the horse headed to the forest silently, to the children's surprise, Shinichi was looking unusually clean and tidied, but otherwise unharmed. "Sorry for worrying you guys. I met up with Ranran earlier-"

"Wait, you found her!?" Reina and Takuma exclaimed before demanding while looking around, "Where is she? Why isn't she with you!?"

"She is at a hotel, not far from here if one takes a horse. She is doing well."

He refrained from almost slipping that Ranran was living in a penthouse, as he recalled the last conversation he had.

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

As Shinichi was about to leave on his horse outside the luxurious hotel, Ranran waved goodbye, "Have a nice day back at the campsite."

"You must be joking! Who says I would be happy to head back to that insect-infested building, small tiny tent, as well as Ran's screaming every 12 am."

Ranran rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not like I enjoy the screaming either. But it's too bad you can't live in this hotel, no money."

"Who says I am going to remain back at the campsite?" Shinichi huffed while pulling the reins of the horse, "I am just going back to check if anything has happened before I returned back here."

"Returned?" Her brows shot up, "You are not expecting me to let you in my penthouse that I worked hard to earn and let you sleep again, right? I told you that my client who supplied me with that place doesn't allow me to take in anyone."

Shinichi chuckled. "No, don't worry. I have figured out another way to remain in the hotel."

"Another way?" Ranran raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Shinichi smirked. "That will be for you to figure out later. Anyway," He frowned, "You are still going to remain here? Despite knowing the other kids are suffering at the campsite?"

"Why? Should I feel guilty and suffer the same as them? Let them continue to guilt trip me? Feel bad for basking on the reward I earned through hard work?"

Shinichi shook his head. "No, of course not. But you can't deny that it's a bit unfair that you get to stay in a luxury hotel while the rest of the kids are stuck in a cramped campsite."

"Then was it fair for me when those girls suddenly moved into my room without asking? Expecting me to protect them after hearing a ghost story? Like shameless squatters?"

"I am sorry, squatters?" He blinked in confusion, not knowing what that word meant.

"Squatters," Ranran repeated, "It means someone who occupies a property without permission or legal right."

"I see," Shinichi nodded, reminding himself to study more about the word 'squatter'. He may have been unusually smart for a 6-year-old, but he isn't at Ranran's level yet, "Well, I can see why you were upset about that. But still, it doesn't change the fact that the other kids are suffering at the campsite."

"Well then, are you any different attempting to get a place here after meeting up with them at the campsite?"

Shinichi sighed, "I suppose not. Well...there were also other reasons why I didn't want to be at the campsite-"

"Did it have anything to do with you scolding that unreasonable Mouri about her screaming every 12 am when she swore she saw a ghost from the tent?"

Instead of being bashful or anything like that, he deeply groaned. "There is more to it."

"More?"

"She again, compared yourself to you. Said that you stole the horse and flee elsewhere, because you are a coward who can't deal with camp life. I told her a bit about your past, which I am sorry about it, but I felt like she shouldn't have compared her sad life to yours, especially after what you had been through in life." Ranran's expression softened as she listened to Shinichi, seeing him downcast from the horse he is riding on. "I am even starting to wonder if Mouri will ever go back to the friend I once knew before she was manipulated by Mamiko."

At first, Ranran did not know what to say to the disappointed apprentice.

"After the 'King of Rubies' case, we worked on last time, I was so mad over how her reckless decision led all of you to be kidnap...her parents got wind of it."

Ranran's jaw dropped, "Were they mad at her?"

"Very."

"I can only imagine," Ranran sighed, feeling sorry for Mouri's parents who had to deal with the consequences of their daughter's actions.

"They are planning to send her to anger management."

"Eh!?"

"I told them to do it, Ran won't know until this camping trip is over."

Ranran was surprised by the news. "That's...Ran will kill you, literally if she finds out."

Shinichi chuckled. "I am willing to take that risk. Mouri has gone too far after the kidnapping, and this is not something I will overlook as a member of Tantei Association. Otherwise, she is setting a bad example."

As soon as Shinichi is about to ride his horse away, Ranran said, "In addition to dealing with a potential killer on this island, you are also playing with fire with that Mouri girl. Whatever you do....be careful."

Ranran looked at him curiously. "Alright, I'll see you later then."

Shinichi nodded, "I will. Thanks, Ranran. See you later."

And with that, he rode away on his horse, back to the campsite to see what had happened in his absence while leaving Ranran standing outside the hotel.

She couldn't help but wonder if Shinichi's plan is going to backfire on him miserably.

She shrugged it off and headed back to the penthouse, eager to do whatever she needed for the case.

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

Relief flooded the group's faces at the news after all of them learned that Ranran was safe. They had feared the worst after her disappearance.

Shinichi continued, "I was looking into Eiji's death, and after looking for further details with Ranran, it was evident there is a lot going on."

As the other children murmured among themselves, he then announced, "I have some vital information Ranran had uncovered, but I think it's best if we discuss it in private. Only the members of our Tantei Association are allowed for now, it's not safe to talk about it openly."

"Actually, you might want to go back and inform Ranran that you both would be dealing with two murder cases." Takuma corrected him.

Shinichi's face turned grave upon hearing Takuma's words. "Two murder cases?" he repeated, looking concerned. "Are you saying that there's another victim? Who died this time?"

"The boat instructor," Ran answered solemnly, "He froze to death in the walk-in fridge."

Shinichi's expression turned serious as he processed the information. "When?"

"An hour ago," Reina said, adding, "His corpse is still in the fridge though."

Shinichi's mind was racing as he tried to piece together the information. Two deaths in such a short amount of time, both suspicious. It was too much of a coincidence.

"We need to have the meeting, in private."

The group nodded in agreement, and they followed Shinichi to a nearby room where they could discuss the situation without fear of being overheard.

The room they picked was a scary-looking dining room in this gothic mansion.

As they settled into the room, Shinichi began to update them on what he and Ranran had discovered. "This is what Ranran dug up," he said, pulling out a notebook and flipping through the pages.

While the members read the report, he continued, "Also, this time I am certain we are definitely dealing with a serial killer."

His words were enough to make Takuma and Ran drop each of their pencils, growing horrified before casting their paranoid gazes at Shinichi, "How do you know?!" Ran demanded.

Shinichi took a deep breath before replying, "That night when Ranran and I'd helped ourselves eating Haagan Daz from that same freezer, I noticed that there was a handle on the inside of the door. If what Mr Miki said about Yoshinaga Iwao having accidentally walked into it while the wind had blown shut the door, he could have let himself out. But from the report I have received from everyone, including our classmates, all of you witness Rika had gone looking for food to prepare all of your lunch, she'd had to unfasten the lock on the outside. And...."

"....and what?" Takuma urges him to continue.

"Iwao-san is claustrophobic. One of the members interviewed a classmate from the university, she was the only one who is aware he has this phobia. For someone with that sort of condition..."

Takuma and Ran looked at each other, realization dawning on their faces. "So you're saying that someone deliberately locked Mr Yoshinaga Iwao in the freezer?" Takuma asked, while he was a bit in doubt, "But Mr Yoshinaga is a big size man, to lock someone up at the freezer....would the killer need to be bigger than him to shove him in?"

"Not necessarily," Ran argued, "If he goes further in, I could've just easily locked him in without realizing."

"That's right," Shinichi nodded gravely. "Also...there is another thing both of you need to know." He then shared with them about the shower exploding case Ranran had uncovered, plus the cliff incident through Michio, Emiko and Ran. "Yo!" Takuma's face fell, "But if that is truly the case-"

"Considering that Eiji died not long after Iwao did and that Eiji is an experienced climber, also the fact that so happens that the radio is broken, which I am certain is done by the killer it's safe to say that we are dealing with a serial killer on this island who wants us to die. No questions ask." That grim face from Shinichi was enough.

By this point, the children grew pale at Shinichi's deductions, "You can't be serious, right!?" Ran grew very pale, "On our camping trip of all the others!? Why must Kami-sama be so cruel to us!?" Ran moaned while pacing around the room, "We are all 6 years old, and yet! We are all stuck with a serial killer!"

"I know it's scary, but we can't panic. We need to be smart and find a way to stay safe."

Takuma spoke up, "But how? We don't even know who the killer is!"

Ran bit her lip before replying, "Could it be Miss Jun and her husband!? They could've done it before leaving the house."

"Not really, how about Rika?" Takuma suggest, "Rememberer she went over to fetch her gloves earlier this morning?"

"It was impossible! We all saw Mr Iwao in the kitchen, including Sensei. He'd been alive when we left." Ran disagreed, feeling the goosebumps prickled along her arms and her teeth started clacking together. "I wish we could go home now! Anywhere from this island! Cause thanks to this...."

Shinichi didn't answer as the atmosphere grew tense in this room, too busy getting a grip. There's no such thing as ghosts, Shinichi knows this.

Ghosts can't do things like cutting ropes and breaking radios and locking big burly men inside freezers. Someone was doing it all. Someone in the centre. One of them. Or one of the adults.

And whoever it was might already have planned another murder.