After a bumpy two-and-a-half-hour ride, the little jeep finally rolled onto a relatively smooth dirt road.
This path wound around the mountain, flanked by overgrown weeds on both sides, giving off a laid-back, countryside vibe.
"Phew…"
Stepping out of the jeep, Fujino stretched his arms and let out a long breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.
Two and a half hours!
Did they have any idea what he'd just endured?
Pure torture…
That trip was rough as hell.
"Must've been tough on you," Odagiri Jin said, strolling over with a grin and handing Fujino a bottle of water.
Fujino: "…"
He squinted at Odagiri Jin, not entirely sure what the guy meant by "tough." All he knew was that this dude was starting to look a little punchable.
"Good thing we brought the jeep, though," Fujino said, taking the bottle without hesitation. He twisted off the cap, took a sip, and glanced back at the red little jeep. "If we'd taken a regular car, it'd probably have crapped out by now…"
But then he frowned.
A jeep…
Normally, wouldn't people just take a regular car for a trip like this?
Unless… this jeep was prepped ahead of time.
Was this whole trip part of some murder scheme or something?
Suspicion creeping in, Fujino eyed Odagiri Jin. "So, did you rent this jeep?"
"Yeah," Odagiri nodded, chuckling lightly. "Wakaba mentioned once that the roads around her hometown were a mess, so I rented this thing before we came. My regular car's just a family sedan—it wouldn't have survived this kind of beating."
"Oh, got it…"
Fujino nodded, feeling like he might've overthought it.
Dealing with murder cases all the time really kept him on edge.
Everything started looking like a potential crime scene…
"Fujino-kun!"
Ooka Momiji, who'd been admiring the view from a nearby cliff, suddenly called out to him. "Looks like we've made it to Rokaku Village!"
"We're here already?"
Surprised, Fujino walked over and caught sight of a village nestled in the valley below.
The terrain was wide and open, with lush green trees scattered around. A handful of houses dotted the area, marking it as a village.
At the center stood a church-like building. Radiating from it, a six-pointed star pattern was formed by roads cutting through the surrounding trees.
Each point of the star held a villa, perfectly positioned within its own little triangle, connected to the village by the dividing roads.
Inside the star, aside from the trees, there were just these seven buildings. Beyond the star's edges, farther out, were the other villagers' homes.
Those outer houses were typical Japanese-style—simple and plain—standing in stark contrast to the fancy villas within the star…
It felt like a rigid hierarchy, almost like the "foreigner mansions" built for Westerners back in Japan's old days.
Judging by the star shape, this had to be Rokaku Village—Hexagon Village.
"The village is shaped like a hexagon too?"
Haihara Ai, trailing behind Fujino, couldn't help but comment after spotting the star pattern. "It really lives up to its name, huh…"
"Probably got named Rokaku Village *because* of this hexagonal layout," Ooka Momiji said. "Naming a village after its unique feature is pretty common in Japan."
"But why's there something like this deep in the mountains?" Odagiri Jin chimed in, stepping closer. "Is it for some weird secret ritual or something?"
"You're overthinking it," Fujino said, shooting him a deadpan look. "Instead of a ritual, I'd bet this star's more like a crop circle—something to draw attention…"
Why did these younger teachers always seem so dramatic?
Honestly, though, he couldn't figure out who'd bother carving a giant star into the ground out here.
Some bizarre ritual, maybe?
Sure, in the world of *Detective Conan*, anything's possible—but this felt a bit too out there.
More likely, the star was a gimmick, like a crop circle, meant to pull tourists to the village.
But after scanning the surroundings, he scrapped that idea.
This place was so remote, forget attracting tourists—most people would lose half their soul just getting here once.
---
After a short break, it was around four or five in the afternoon.
The jeep rolled into the village and pulled up to the first villa at one of the star's points.
It was a three-story white building with four tall towers at its corners—five if you counted the one on the roof.
Calling it a villa didn't quite fit; it was more like a castle.
But this wasn't Wakaba's place.
A sign at the entrance clearly read: **[Tower Mansion · Totsuka Family]**.
The jeep kept moving deeper into the village, soon reaching the second villa.
This one was a manor-style building, draped in ivy. The sign read: **[Ivy Mansion · Kusanagi Family]**—still not Wakaba's house.
They pressed on, arriving at the next villa.
This one was **[Armor Mansion · Kabuto Family]**. Two imposing suits of armor, holding spears and gleaming silver, flanked the entrance. Crows perched on the roof, but compared to the last two places, it was noticeably simpler.
Fujino started noticing a pattern with these villas' names.
Each one tied into its theme.
Plus, every villa's entrance had a six-pointed star hanging out front—each missing one point.
The first villa lacked the upper-right corner, the second the lower-right, and this one the bottom point.
It seemed the missing corner matched the villa's position on the star.
A subtle little navigation trick.
Still, it felt kinda weird to him.
"So where's Wakaba's place, anyway?" Odagiri Jin grumbled, parking the jeep outside the Armor Mansion and scratching his head impatiently.
Fujino glanced at him, understanding the guy's antsiness…
His girlfriend was about to get married—of course he'd be on edge.
Just not to him.
Shaking off the thought, Fujino turned to Ooka Momiji. "Hey, Momiji, did Wakaba's invitation mention anything more specific than just a map to Rokaku Village?"
"Nope," Momiji said, shaking her head and pulling the invitation from her pocket. "She only wrote that her house is the Clock Mansion. No exact location."
"Clock Mansion, huh?" Fujino mused. "If it's named like the others, it's gotta be one of these six villas… Maybe we should ask someone where it is, just to be safe."
"Good idea," Haihara Ai agreed. "Searching one by one's a waste of time."
"Excuse me, anyone home?" Odagiri Jin hopped out first, shouting toward the villa.
No answer.
"Maybe the owner's not around?" Fujino rubbed his chin.
Come to think of it, they hadn't seen a single soul since arriving in the village…
For a village, that was pretty odd.
Lost in thought, Fujino turned—and froze.
A girl was standing right behind him.
She wore a white shirt under a beige knit sweater, paired with a black skirt. Her long black hair had neat bangs, and her face… had a blank, almost dull chill to it.
What was creepy? She was holding two black crows by their necks.
Even creepier? She acted way too normal—like an NPC straight out of a horror game.
It gave off some serious Chinese horror vibes.
Fujino: "…"
Girl: "…"
Crows: "Coo… coo…"
"Whoa?!"
The others finally noticed, spinning around—and jumped at the eerie scene.
Fujino stayed calm, unfazed, keeping his cool.
After a brief silence, he stepped forward and asked in a friendly tone, "Hey, do you know how to get to the Tokita family's place?"
The girl squinted, giving Fujino a cold once-over. Then she lifted the hand holding the crows and pointed off to the side.
Crows: "Coo… coo-coo…"
Fujino followed her gesture and saw a road leading to the next mansion.
*Well, that was helpful.*
No real info from her.
Left with no choice, Fujino and the group decided to keep exploring.
But since she'd pointed them that way, it pretty much confirmed the Tokita house was one of the six villas…
No exact address, but at least they knew it was in the mix. Useful enough.
Finding it was just a matter of time.
They passed **[Stained Glass Mansion · Isshiki Family]** and **[Windvane Mansion · Kazama Family]**, finally arriving at **[Clock Mansion · Tokita Family]**.
The Tokita house followed the same naming pattern. A giant clock was embedded in its white marble roof, matching its "Clock Mansion" title.
And up top, another six-pointed star—missing the upper point this time, lining up symmetrically with the Armor Mansion they'd just passed.
"Man, we took the long way around…" Odagiri Jin muttered, stepping out of the jeep and eyeing the detour they'd just taken. "If we'd known this was the Clock Mansion, we wouldn't have bothered with that turn."
"Can't be helped," Fujino said with a light chuckle. "We didn't know it was here…"
He stepped up and knocked on the door.
A moment later, it creaked open a crack.
A man with gray hair parted in the middle peeked out. His face was deathly pale—almost uncanny—and he stared at them with wide eyes. "Who are you?!"
Silence: "…"
Everyone but Fujino flinched at the guy's wild expression.
"Good evening! I'm Wakaba's classmate, Ooka Momiji," Momiji said, recovering with a polite smile. She pulled out the invitation. "We're here for her wedding—could you let her know?"
"Invitation?" The man's eyes stayed huge, unblinking, his face stiff and cold. "You've got it wrong. My daughter's wedding isn't even—"
"Dad, I'm the one who invited them."
A calm, flat voice cut him off.
Fujino looked up and saw a pale girl with short black hair walking toward them.
She wore a blue-green kimono, her vibe cold and eerie—like something out of a ghost story.
*That's gotta be Tokita Wakaba…* Fujino pieced it together from her words.
But something about her felt off.
He didn't know her personally, but she gave off the exact same chilly, unsettling aura as that crow-holding girl from earlier.
"My apologies…"
The man's eyes stayed wide, but his tone flipped fast. He ushered them inside.
The Clock Mansion's grand hall was as lavish as its exterior. Several kimono-clad maids bustled about or stood by, waiting.
"Wakaba."
"Momiji…"
Ooka Momiji stepped forward to greet her.
But before they could chat, Wakaba waved to an older woman nearby. "You must be tired from the long trip. Rest up for now… Yuki-san, take our guests to the rooms to drop off their bags."
"Wakaba!"
Odagiri Jin, who'd been quiet, suddenly spoke up, like he'd steeled himself for something.
Wakaba paused but didn't reply—just turned and walked off silently.
The maids nearby glanced at Odagiri Jin, drawn by his outburst.
The air got awkward fast.
"This way, please," the older woman said, breaking the tension. "The young miss is busy with wedding preparations. Sorry for the poor hospitality."
"But—"
"Let's go." Fujino grabbed Odagiri Jin, and the group followed the woman.
Honestly, Fujino was a little fed up with this guy.
Did he have *no* sense of timing?
Spouting stuff like that with all these servants around…
Didn't he know they were the biggest gossips?
The old woman led them to a few guest rooms and sorted out their assignments.
"Before I go, I've got one request," she said, turning to them with a mysterious look. "Please don't wander around the mansion on your own. If you ignore this and something unfortunate—or unexpected—happens, we won't be held responsible."
(End of Chapter)