6-year-old Kudo Ranran didn't know what to make of it when she sees 9-year-old Rokuro looking rather depressed as they shared the cab which is currently pursuing the Jaguar car where the recently abducted Shinichi was.

As the taxi continued to speed through the streets of the city, Ranran stole occasional glances at Rokuro. His usually confident demeanour seemed to have crumbled, replaced by a palpable sense of regret and sadness. Ranran couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. She might have had her differences with Rokuro, but seeing him like this made her realize that he, too, was caught up in a situation that had spiralled out of control.

Ranran cleared her throat, breaking the silence between them. "Hey, Rokuro."

He looked at her, his eyes still carrying a weight of guilt. "Yeah?"

"Just out of curiosity, I heard that you and Mouri Ran used to be neighbours before her family moved to Beikai District. What do you like about her that you ended up having a crush on?"

Rokuro's brows furrowed at the unexpected question, his expression a mix of surprise and confusion. Ranran's straightforwardness caught him off guard, and he hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Well, it's not like there was anything particularly special about her. We just lived in the same neighbourhood, and we used to play together when we were younger. I guess I thought she was nice and fun to be around," he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia.

"Don't get me wrong, but you probably have met other prettier girls your age compared to Mouri Ran, right? I mean, you are 9 and she is 6 like me." Ranran commented as she then adds, "What is so nice about that hot-tempered girl to like about?"

Rokuro chuckled softly at Ranran's blunt question. It was clear that her straightforwardness was a stark contrast to the complicated emotions he had been wrestling with.

"You're not wrong," he admitted, a small smile playing on his lips. "But it wasn't just about looks. To me....she is kind, a bit hot fuse as you had mentioned, and also thoughtful when it came to the people around her. But above all of that, she is the type who will go all out for her friends, even though it often put her in troublesome situations, she will have no remorse about it." He looked out of the window for a moment, lost in thought. "I guess I admired that about her. She wasn't afraid to be herself, and she had this energy that drew people in."

Ranran listened attentively, processing his words. It seemed like Rokuro's feelings for Ran were tied to the qualities he saw in her personality rather than just superficial aspects.

"But over time," Rokuro continued, his smile fading, "Things changed when she came over to tell me she met Shinichi when they were in kindergarten 2 years ago. Always talking about how amazing he is. Especially his talented observation skills. I felt very sideline, since I am older than her by 3 years, it wouldn't be possible to spend time with her like we used to."

The founder of Tantei Association then tilted her head slightly, her eyes curious. "Then how is it fair that Shinichi has to be the one to end up getting blamed for this? Since it is clearly Ran's fault for not managing her time well with her other friends."

"I can't help it, cause I felt like if I didn't, then I would be forced to accept the truth that Mouri Ran no longer wanted to see me anymore," Rokuro hesitated for a moment before answering. "You are right, he didn't do anything to me directly, let alone, indirectly. But seeing how close he was to Mouri Ran, and how she seemed to admire him so much, not to mention, he get to see her everyday sitting next to her in class, sharing the same lessons, eating together during recess, it just...triggered something in me. I felt like I was being replaced like I didn't matter anymore by Mouri."

Ranran said nothing as Rokuro began to ask her, "As for you, how did Shinichi become your apprentice? The last I heard of you, during that parkour incident last month, you framed him for fracturing your leg."

"Ah, about that...." Ranran casually looks at the scenery, "If I were to tell you, I don't think you may ever look at Mouri and Suzuki the same way ever again. Do you really want to hear it? "

Rokuro's brows furrowed, clearly intrigued by Ranran's cryptic statement. He had heard rumours about the parkour incident, but the details had been somewhat unclear. He knew there was bad blood between Ranran and Shinichi, and this seemed like a good opportunity to understand the situation better.

"Yeah, I want to hear it," he replied, his curiosity evident in his voice.

Ranran took a deep breath before launching into the story, recounting the events that led to Shinichi becoming her apprentice. "There was once a child Tantei out there who was better than Shinichi."

As Rokuro grew wide in surprise, Ranran continued her narration.

"A famous anonymous child Tantei who shines so bright, that child achieves many things in life. However.....she wasn't the only one, there was a boy of the same age, except her inferiority thanks to the minds of Ran and Sonoko made it difficult, forcing him to put his Tantei dream in the back seat."

The 3rd grader's expression shifted from surprise to deep contemplation as he listened to Ranran's story. "Not long after that little boy's feud with you had ended, the fall out between him and the two friends whom he sacrificed many things for...took a very twisted turn, he was left to fend for himself. But he had no regrets parting ways with them."

Her words painted a vivid picture of the events that had transpired, and he found himself becoming more engrossed in the story. It was clear that there was a lot more to the situation between Ranran, Shinichi, and their friends than he had initially realized.

"Unbeknownst to him, a malicious girl name Mamiko....misused the little girl's fame as a famous child Tantei against the poor little boy, by making up stories that I was that anonymous child Tantei, that I became her just so to add salt to the wound. Because Mamiko knew how much that boy detested me as the daughter of his father's mistress."

The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, and he could see the complexity of the relationships at play.

"Enraged, he did whatever to prove it to be the case. If I were Tantei reported in the papers, he wants me to quit. Because he knew that it wouldn't be possible to become a famous Tantei unless one uses the connection."

"And...are you The-"

"Who knows?" Ranran answered vaguely before responding, "Long story short, that boy....later broke into my house, so I tied him up and tortured him."

His gaze fixed on her as he processed her words. "Shinichi....broke into your house?! I find it hard to believe it! And you...tortured him? How.....?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. I mean, I didn't hurt him badly or anything. Just a bit of intimidation to teach him a lesson. With a gun."

"Intimidation? Torture? Gun? It doesn't matter how you put it, that's not something you should just brush off!" Rokuro's voice held a mix of disbelief and concern.

"In the first place, that was my property. And he knew I had no parents around at that time. I had no regrets." Ranran chuckled darkly, "He had to reflect for a while, apparently Mamiko's manipulation got the better of him. He then begs me to take him in as his apprentice, and for the rest...it was history."

Rokuro shook his head, still struggling to wrap his mind around the story. "I can't believe this...Shinichi broke into your house!? But he is righteous to a fault?!"

"Mamiko can make anyone, even the righteous person in the world be corrupted without realizing they are one. How do you think she is able to make you do all those things to Shinichi, even though you knew he was innocent? As well as Mouri Ran, who kept on meddling in everything we do?"

The revelations were hitting him hard, and he was beginning to see the extent to which he had been manipulated by Mamiko's schemes. The guilt he felt for his actions weighed heavily on him, and he clenched his fists in frustration. "To think all of this began thanks to Mamiko's twisted love for Shinichi...."

"That girl isn't capable of loving anyone but her narcissistic self." Ranran scoffed.

"And as for that Kudo-kun...for him to break into your place...." Rokuro muttered, his voice laced with self-disgust, "It must have been bad because of me-"

"No, you are wrong, there had been brewing issues between him, Mouri and Suzuki even before that feud took place. Even if you didn't lie about who started the feud, it would've still ended up that way as it is, so as long there is any interaction with Mamiko, be it indirectly or directly, I am certain...Shinichi would've continued to hate on me regardless had the break-in incident didn't take place."

The weight of his own actions seemed to be sinking in on Rokuro. He looked out of the window, lost in thought, as the taxi continued to chase the Jaguar. Ranran's revelations had shaken him to the core, and he realized that he had been manipulated and used by Mamiko in ways he hadn't fully comprehended before.

"But it is a bit surprising...." Rokuro is amazed by the events Ranran had narrated to him, "I would've assumed you would've said no...given your bad blood with him."

"Don't get me wrong, I had no intention to take him as apprentice initially," Ranran rolled her eyes as she replied, "But then since I was under manpower, and considering he was so miserable being with those two girls, that was an option I was willing to give him."

Rokuro let out a small chuckle, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "And I thought I had you all figured out. Turns out, there's a lot more going on beneath the surface."

"Life's never that simple, especially when you're dealing with people and their messy emotions," Ranran said with a sigh.

"I messed up," Rokuro finally admitted, his voice heavy with regret. "I let my own insecurities and jealousy blind me to the truth. And now, because of me, Shinichi and Ran are in danger. Including my soccer dream...it is going to burn down because of the charges Shinichi brought against me."

"Aside from that," Ranran said with a sigh. "You were all vulnerable prey, unknowingly exploited by an irresponsible narcissistic girl."

Ranran's words hung in the air, a sombre acknowledgement of the tangled web of emotions and circumstances that had led them all to this point. The atmosphere in the cab had shifted from tension to a strange kind of understanding.

As the taxi continued its pursuit, the two unlikely allies fell into a determined silence. The city streets rushed past them, and the tension in the air was now laced with a sense of purpose. "Do you think...Ran and Shinichi will be alright, Kudo?"

Recalling the interactions between herself with Adeline earlier as Adeline forcefully took Shinichi away, Ranran ponders, "I have a hunch Adeline won't kill those two."

"Eh?! And....you know this, because.....?"

"Just a hunch," Ranran thought hard about it, "She mentioned....knowing me before."

Rokuro's eyebrows furrowed as he processed Ranran's words. "She knows you? How could that be? And what does that have to do with Shinichi and Ran's safety?"

"It's complicated," Ranran sighed, her small brow furrowing in thought. "But....for some reason, I felt like she looks vaguely familiar."

Rokuro's gaze remained fixed on the road as he mulled over Ranran's words. The situation had taken an unexpected turn, and the more they unravelled, the more enigmatic it seemed to become.

"But I would be more worried if she put Mouri and Shinichi in the same room," Ranran grew a little uneasy at that.

"Why? You mentioned he and Ran are former friends. Nothing can go wrong, since I witness them bicker before." Rokuro thinks.

"Oh Rokuro, you have no idea what you have been missing these past 2 months...." Ranran gave a grim look.

Rokuro glanced at Ranran, his curiosity piqued by her cryptic comment. "Was it bad?"

"If only you knew, the word 'bad' would be an understatement."

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

When the car had stopped and her blindfold was removed, Shinichi discovered they were underground. A steep, gloomy ramp had brought them down to a deserted loading dock. It looked abandoned. Rubbish and debris were strewn everywhere. The air was thick with dust and laden with dampness.

Adeline led the way across the stained concrete and up three flights of stains. "This warehouse hasn't been used for years," she confided. "Nobody ever comes here."

The man in the stocking mask unbolted a heavy door and pushed it. A bare bulb in the ceiling cast a dim light over the windowless room. Shinichi gave a startled cry when he saw the shape of a body stretched out on the floor

"Mouri!" He ran forward.

As he did, the heavy door crashed shut behind her and the bolt slid into place. Adeline's laughter faded into silence.

He dropped to his knees beside her, his hands shaking as he gently turned her over. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow.

"Mouri, wake up," Shinichi pleaded, his voice trembling. He carefully patted her cheeks, trying to rouse her. Panic was welling up inside him as he looked around the dimly lit room, his mind racing to figure out what had happened and where they were.

He shot a furious glance at the heavy door that had been bolted shut behind him. They were trapped, and it seemed like Adeline's sinister plan had come to fruition. His mind raced through the options, searching for a way out, but the room was windowless and the walls appeared solid. From the look of things, they seem to be in some sort of abandoned warehouse.

"Huh.....Shinichi?" Ran suddenly woke up.

"Mouri!" Relief washed over Shinichi as he saw her stir. He cupped her face in his hands, his eyes filled with worry and fear. "Are you alright? What did they do to you?"

Ran blinked, her gaze focusing on Shinichi's face. She seemed disoriented for a moment before realization dawned in her eyes. "Shinichi, where are we? What's going on?"

"We're in some sort of abandoned warehouse," Shinichi explained quickly, his voice urgent. "Adeline brought us here, and we're trapped. I don't know what her plan is, but we need to find a way out of here."

As Ran struggled to comprehend, he asked, "Do you remember anything before coming here?"

Ran's brows furrowed as she concentrated, trying to recall the events leading up to their current situation. Her head throbbed slightly, and she winced at the effort.

"I...Rokuro contacted me after you stormed off angrily out of the fast food restaurant," she began, her voice shaky as the memories started to piece together. "He wanted.....me to call Sonoko...regarding you pressing charges against him. I told him...."

"Ah right, that despicable boy," Shinichi spoke bitterly a bit at that.

"And then...Adeline came and told me to get in a black car, and had a gun with her," Ran nodded, her memory slowly coming back into focus. "Yes, and then... I think...I must have been injected with something, because the next thing I knew, I was here." Then she remembered, "How did you end up here? Don't tell me...." Ran grew a bit hopeful, "You saw what happened and try to save me-"

"Ah no," Shinichi dismissed her as he explained, "After I left the restaurant, Ranran caught up with me. I didn't even know you left the fast food restaurant earlier," Shinichi eased himself into a sitting position, "I was with Ranran. Then...Adeline demanded who is the real founder of the association, I lied to her and said it is me so she didn't take Ranran...."

Again, it is about his precious Ranran.

Ran's eyes widened as she processed Shinichi's words. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Shinichi, why would you do that for her?!"

"If she gets killed, Tantei Association is gone for good. That meant no one to stop those corrupt cops around Beikai District, and the innocent people would end up having to put their fates on those incompetent police detectives. So I didn't have much of a choice. Adeline had a gun pointed at us, and I knew she wouldn't hesitate to hurt her. so I had to buy us some time."

"I can't believe you would simply do that for that she-demon!" Ran exclaimed at her former friend, "I mean you and I both know that she can take care of herself, right?! What more do you need to do to please her!? I can bet that if she was at...." Then Ran stops her rants before gazing around the room."Where are we anyway?"

"An old warehouse," said Shinichi.

"Whatever! My bet is if she was in your shoes, she could've easily saved us both from the kidnapping!"

"Saved herself? Yes, but she doesn't owe you in rescuing you from the kidnapping," Then Shinichi shot Ran a sidelong glance." You have no right to complain about Ranran, nor challenge my decision to sacrifice myself for her. If anything, you should've left the association when she offered you the chance. Instead here you are talking nonsense about her!"

The tension in the room grew thicker as their emotions clashed. Ran's frustration and disbelief were evident in her expression, while Shinichi's determination to defend his actions remained unyielding.

Ran's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her voice rising with a mix of anger and hurt. "Shinichi, you don't get it! You're always putting her before everything else, even your own well-being! It's like you're blind to how manipulative she is. She's been playing us from the start, and you're too blinded by your so-called noble intentions to see it!"

Shinichi's jaw tightened, his own frustration simmering beneath the surface. "Mouri, you're not exactly innocent in all of this either. You let your own stubbornness and pride get in the way of everything. You're so quick to jump to conclusions and judge others without even trying to understand their perspective."

Ran's eyes blazed with indignation, and she took a step closer to Shinichi. "Oh, so now it's my fault too? Do you think you're the only one who can see the bigger picture? You're just as stubborn and blinded by your own ideals as I am!"

They were locked in a battle of wills, their words sharp and cutting as they each defended their own viewpoints. The room seemed to shrink around them as the intensity of their argument escalated.

"I was till I met Ranran," Shinichi's voice grew colder as he shot back, "At least I admit my own faults, unlike you."

"Excuse me!?"

"You're so fixated on proving Ranran wrong in the name of your jealous feelings towards me, that you can't even see the damage you're causing. Let alone, the danger you bring around everyone around you!"

Ran's breath hitched, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him. "You know nothing about me, Shinichi. You have no idea what I've been through and what I've had to deal with."

"Likewise," Shinichi retorted, his tone icy. "But I know what Ranran had to deal with because of what you and Sonoko had done to her!"

Ran shook her head, her voice tinged with desperation. "You're sacrificing yourself to protect someone who doesn't even deserve it! Do you really think she would do the same for you?!"

"Yes!" Shinichi's voice boomed, his frustration finally reaching its breaking point. "She will put aside any single difference we have, even our bad blood, for me! You on the other hand will never do that! To you, your bias is only reserved for two people in your life: Rokuro and Sonoko, while I am always going to be at the bottom feeder!"

"Since when did I do that?!"

"Oh, you want to play innocent? Let me list out all the things you did with me since kindergarten, then elementary school!" Shinichi then began to list out the examples, "Remember the time when we were doing that puzzle contest, and you and Sonoko accused me of cheating just because I was faster than you? Or how about the time I tried to help both of your math problems, but Rokoro then say I was just trying to show off? Rather than tell him off, you both said don't take it seriously, because he was joking! He clearly isn't!"

Ran's gaze wavered, her anger mingling with a sense of guilt. Each example Shinichi presented was like a piece of their fractured friendship being laid bare, and she couldn't deny that his words held a painful truth.

"You think I didn't notice how you always treated me differently, Mouri? How you never missed a chance to belittle me, to make me feel like I was beneath you?" Shinichi's voice cracked, the frustration giving way to a raw vulnerability. "The truth is simple: I held no meaning to your life! It's only after I left and took the apprenticeship under Ranran, that you realized you had nobody to make you feel good about yourself by belittling me anymore!"

Ran's anger began to give way to a mixture of surprise, realization, and a pang of guilt as Shinichi's words hit home. She had never fully considered how her actions and words might have affected him over a year, and the weight of that realization settled heavily on her shoulders.

"Shinichi, I..." she started, her voice softer now, her defences crumbling.

But Shinichi wasn't finished. His voice carried a mix of pain and determination as he continued, "You are no different than Mamiko, a narcissist. Feelings for me? I doubt it, more like feelings for yourself."

Ran felt a lump form in her throat as she listened to the raw emotion in his words.

"But Ranran....she is different. She is manipulative, she is cunning, she is everything you are not, enough to deter you away. She....went through a lot of things, way worst things that we all take for granted, it would've been enough to make her a villain. And yet...as twisted as she is, she has her faults, she listens to me, she and I would banter for hours as to which actor was the best Sherlock Holmes, she took notes of my views as a Tantei seriously, and that was all I needed. She is something....you can never live up to! And if I have to make that decision again, I would be more than happy to die for her!"

Ran's gaze dropped to the ground, her fists slowly unclenching at her sides. An uneasy silence fell between them.

"Who are you to speak ill of her like that?! If she wanted you around just to torment you is one thing, but is another when she offers you a chance to quit Tantei Association. For you to speak ill of her...Ranran was right about you being a reckless bull with no brain cells. No wonder you got along with Sonoko." he defended his mentor with those words, and that was all he could say.

That choked Ran's voice a little towards Shinichi's anger.

"When Ranran brings help over, you better quit the association. Because Tantei Association....doesn't need a member who had malicious thoughts towards Ranran like you!"

The room seemed to freeze as Shinichi's words hung heavy in the air. The tension between them was palpable, a culmination of years of hurt, misunderstandings, and complex emotions that had festered beneath the surface.

Ran's eyes glistened with unshed tears, her voice barely a whisper.

"How... how can you just..."Ran's voice sounds so little and fearful but there is a hint of anger. She is definitely hurt and it's only natural she wants to bite at something back.

The brown-haired girl grits her teeth. Her hands are tangled in her dress.

"It's nothing but the truth, and Ranran wasn't wrong about you." Shinichi closes his eyes, and shook his head, "I don't know why you are insistent on going against my apprenticeship with Ranran. You were never like that."

He desperately wanted to believe that Mouri Ran was better than that.

But deep down he knew the evidence was evident: She will never believe in Ranran, just like he once did towards her, and he owed that girl a lot.

"Do you seriously think that low of me?" Ran's tone of disappointment pierced right through his ears.

"I don't know what to think any more of you, Ran!" It was his time to snap.

"I did all of this for-" She excused herself and her behaviour, holding her ground.

"I don't want your meddling! You were the one who let me go! Why can't you just keep your word and remain cold towards me!? You are suffocating me because of what I did fair enough, but Ranran did nothing to you, and yet...you went after her because you realize someone else could make me happy besides you!!" He was the one yelling now, arms opening to his sides in exasperation. "You keep coming into our office and harassing our way of doing things. At first, I thought you would see it for yourself eventually, but now I start to wonder....did I ever know the real you!? That video with Mamiko and Sonoko? Especially after you went about meeting up with Rokuro last night...I don't recognize you anymore!"

There was an accusatory tone in his voice, Ran is dropping her eyes to the ground under his scrutinizing gaze

"You, Rokuro and Sonoko really are three peas in a pod! But I will snip the bud of the damn pod away from the association if that is what it means to stop the both of you from harassing Ranran any further!"

He ended with a shout at the top of his lungs, hurt and betrayed, just like he had felt the day he found out about Sonoko's secret conversation with Mamiko.

With the bangs covering Ran's eyes, Shinichi was about to inspect the room as to how they are going to escape. That was until this happened.

"How can you just side with that girl?! Are you blind!? Was it because I sided Rokuro over you, that you decided Ranran's opinion meant more than mine?!"

Shinichi winces at the outburst, "Ran," he calmly says, putting his hands up. "Now isn't the time to--"

"WE ARE KIDNAPPED FOR GOD SAKES! IF WE WERE GOING TO DIE, I WANTED YOU TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!"

Again, he's not allowed to finish his sentence.

There are ugly tears running down her face now. She glares at him with as much spite as she can.

"Has it never crossed your mind that as much as I did all of those things....between him and you...although things hadn't been going our way since we started grade 1, it didn't mean I would cut you out of my life because of your situation with Rokuro, Shinichi!"

She looks and sounds so broken, so hurt, like an injured animal that can't even move but won't allow others to touch it. In the past, Shinichi would've reached out to her, to calm her down. But his relationship with Ran isn't what it used to be after what had happened, and he was not going to comfort her.

Not when she keeps on insisting that his mentor brainwashed him, or the fact they are both kidnapped here.

"You were there for me when my parents separated, when the bullies went after me, all those things...I always appreciated it. And yet...you left me and Sonoko for Ranran..."

A long tense silence.

"Ever since you ended up with Ranran, you just kept on doubting me on every single thing I do to get you back. Suddenly you called me a liar, you had my parents turned against me, then you said you barely knew me anymore, and then kept wanting me out of the association...am I really that hateful because of what I have done, Shinichi?!"

He can't stand the sound behind him anymore and his eyes coldly look back at her before dropping the painful truth. "Yes."

Ran huffs, giving him a look of bewilderment."Excuse me?! Is that all you have to say?" She whispers, wiping one of her eyes with a fist.

"Yes, "He repeated those harsh words, before deciding he had enough of her temper tantrums by listing her faults, "You easily jumped to conclusions without verifying the truth, you easily assumed every single child who is cunning is evil to the core. But above all, you know what makes me madder at you?"

Before Ran could answer, Shinichi voiced out his thoughts.

"When you throw trash into the bin, one can no longer be recycled again. So I rather...you don't ever set foot in our office ever again, especially when all of this is over. You threw me in the bin, you don't expect me to be retrieved ever again. For if Ranran is 'trash' to you, so am I. And trash sticks together thick and thin." he accused her bitterly. "With all the lies and the secrets you kept and still keep from me...I can't trust you as I do with Ranran. Period." His voice was deep, and grave, and Ran actually let a gasp at his tone and his words, not quite recognizing the boy in front of her.

The corridor seemed to absorb the weight of their words, the atmosphere heavy with the culmination of their fractured friendship. Ran's eyes widened with shock and disbelief as Shinichi's words settled over her like a heavy blanket. The truth in his accusations hit her like a punch to the gut, and she felt as though the ground beneath her feet was slipping away.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her emotions spiralling into a vortex of pain and regret. She had known that their relationship had deteriorated, but hearing Shinichi lay out her faults so brutally was a harsh reality she hadn't fully grasped until now.

Suddenly, they heard the walking sounds of the corridor.

Startled by the approaching footsteps, both Shinichi and Ran fell silent, their argument was abruptly cut short. The tension in the air grew even thicker as they strained to listen, their hearts pounding with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

The footsteps grew louder, echoing in the narrow corridor, and the two captives exchanged a tense glance. It was clear that someone was approaching, and given their current predicament, it was unlikely to be a friendly presence.

"I think they're coming back," whispered Ran in alarm.

The bolt rattled.

Shinichi put a finger to his lips and slipped noiselessly across into the shadows beside the door.

Slowly, the door opened.

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

After Sergeant Genzo furiously escorted Michio, Junko, Emiko and Takuma from the burger restaurant, the staff and other customers looked on curiously whispering to one another, wondering what would a police officer is doing with a bunch of children.

He then ordered them into one of the police cars waiting outside.

"My officer will take you back to your headquarters," he told them. "And you'll stay there, understand? Nobody leaves! Not for any reason! You are not-I repeat, NOT to go off investigating on your own again! If you do, I'll put you all in protective custody!"His threat sinks in. "I'll have patrols!" He paused, "They will be cruising your area just in case The Snake tries anything. Meanwhile, I'm going to start a search for Ranran, Shinichi and Ran. And Professor Shibuya"

As the car sped off, Michio sank back into the seat and looked round at his friends. Not only had their case spiralled out of control, but the lives of those three were also in jeopardy. And then there was Professor Shibuya. Where could he have gone? Had The Snake grabbed him, too?

"Why does Adeline feel the need to simply kidnap a few of the members, by the way?" Junko wonders, "I mean we don't even have Professor Shibuya's stolen eagle, let alone, know where it is!"

"I mean in The Snake's perspective, maybe he thinks we know where it is." Emiko justifies, "He sent a man last night on a motorbike to break into Professor Shibuya's mansion. If he didn't obtain the bird, he wouldn't have simply sent someone there, right? Then maybe he had assumed Professor Shibuya assigned us to hide it."

"If Professor Shibuya did, then he should've simply placed it in a bank rather than rely on us," Takuma scoffed, "In the first place, The Snake knows where is our main HQ anyway, probably even our house addresses. Where would we even hide anyway if The Snake think of it that way? Seriously."

"That's a valid point, Takuma. The Snake is no fool, and he's been playing this game for a while. He must have some reason to believe that we're connected to the missing eagle. But the question is, how does he expect to get that information from us by kidnapping a few members?" Michio frowned.

"Maybe he's trying to create chaos and panic within the association. By taking out some of our key members, he could weaken our ability to function effectively. It's a psychological tactic, designed to rattle us." Emiko leaned back in her chair, deep in thought.

"But as far as I know, Mouri Ran isn't a key member unlike Shinichi," Michio argued, "She isn't the most valuable member compared to the rest of us."

"Or," Takuma added, "He could be hoping that by taking a few of us hostage, he'll get us to reveal where Professor Shibuya is. He moved out earlier around 9 am in the morning after all, so no one actually knows where he is."

"But we don't even know where he is!" Junko let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her hair. "This is maddening. If only we know what the heck is in that stolen stuffed eagle that The Snake is after, it would've gotten us something."

"Neither of us had contact with NASA, so there is no way of knowing what sort of stuff NASA has that would fit this stuffed eagle that is still missing." Takuma slumped.

"What is strange still...was that Adeline, the 10-year-old daughter of The Snake is the one who committed the kidnapping," Emiko rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Normally, the natural thing for The Snake to do is to send his own men to do the kidnapping, not his daughter who is the same age as us."

"Maybe Adeline has her own motives for doing this," Michio speculated, his brow furrowed. "Perhaps she's trying to prove herself to her father or gain his approval. Kidnapping us and causing chaos within the association could be a way for her to assert her presence and show her loyalty."

"Oh boo hoo! As if she needs it!" Junko spat in disgust, "The Snake is her dad and he is a rich criminal, she just needed to shed a tiny couple of tears, and then wham! A luxury purse!"

Takuma and Emiko said nothing, as they shook their heads in unison over why Junko reacted that way. Since it was no secret that she had a crush on Michio since kindergarten, it ain't odd why would Junko spitefully speak of Adeline that way.

During the events of 'The King of Rubies' case, when Adeline made her first ever presence in front of Michio, she asked him out on a date when he had no idea that she was The Snake's daughter. Fortunately, Ranran lied under claims that Michio was doing undercover work for Tantei Association. Otherwise, should Junko knows about this, Michio won't hear the end of it.

So far, Shinichi, Ranran, Emiko, Takuma and Michio were the only members who knew about the lie.

The car journey continued in tense silence, each member lost in their own thoughts and concerns. The streets passed by in a blur as they approached their headquarters, the familiar building coming into view. Once the car came to a stop, Sergeant Genzo turned to address them once more.

"Remember, you stay put," he warned, his stern gaze fixed on them. "No investigating on your own. Let the police handle this. I'll have officers stationed nearby, and we'll keep a close watch on your surroundings."

With that, the officer exited the car, leaving the young detectives inside. As they watched him walk away, a heavy sense of frustration and helplessness settled over them.

"Well, we're officially under police babysitting," Takuma remarked dryly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, because that's exactly what we need right now," Junko muttered, rolling her eyes.

Emiko sighed, her fingers tapping against her thigh as she thought aloud. "We need to find out more about this stolen eagle and why The Snake is after it. There has to be some connection that we're missing."

"Right, and we need to figure out what Adeline's angle is in all of this," Michio added, his brow furrowed. "Why would she kidnap them instead of using her father's men?"

"It was so odd, did The Snake actually order Adeline to do this?" Emiko was sceptical.

"Eh?" The three other heads shift back to the artist.

"Remembered the man on the motorbike The Snake sent last night to rob Professor Shibuya's place? This morning, didn't Michio announce that they discovered the man's corpse not far from where the motorbike was located?" With everyone nodding to the artist, she goes, "The Snake usually kills one of his own if he finds one of his men making a mistake, remember our first major case, 'The Extinction Heist'? I think Sergeant Genzo mentioned once that one of the men whom The Snake sent to pick up the runaway jailbird at that time was found dead."

"So?" Junko was puzzled as to where was Emiko heading with this.

"The Snake is a criminal mastermind who likes to do things quietly without attracting the attention of cops. Even if he suspects that Professor Shibuya could've secretly hired us to hide the stuffed eagle, would he be stupid enough to kidnap one of our members to interrogate us while the majority of us were in the fast food restaurant earlier? Why not kidnap all of us then?"

"You're saying that maybe Adeline acted on her own, without her father's knowledge or orders?" Takuma's brows furrowed as he considered Emiko's point.

"Even so, why would she want to do that?" Junko speculated, "She's loyal to her father, isn't she?"

Michio was about to speak when his smartphone shrilled.

"Majima speaking," he answered gloomily

"Ні Majima Michio," a husky voice greeted him."Remember me? It's been such a long, long time..."

Michio's eyes widened as he heard the voice on the other end of the line. He recognized it immediately, and a mix of surprise, apprehension, and a touch of fear washed over him. He hadn't expected to hear from this person, especially not now, in the midst of their current predicament.

"Adeline?" he exclaimed, his voice tense with a hint of wariness. "What do you want? Where is Shinichi and Ran!?"

"Ah, always so straightforward, Majima. I like that about you. As for your friends, they're safe for now. Well, relatively safe, that is."Adeline's laughter crackled through the phone, sending a shiver down Michio's spine.

And those words were enough to get Junko's dual ponytails to flare up.