The mysterious old woman in front of them looked well over sixty. Dressed in a teal kimono, her forehead was dotted with age spots, and her expression was as grim as everyone else's in this village.
From the way Wakaba called her "Aunt Yuki," she was probably a long-time worker here.
"No wandering around?"
Ooka Momiji tilted her head, puzzled. "Are there any rooms in this mansion we're not allowed to enter?"
"Don't ask what you shouldn't."
Yuki didn't bother giving Momiji a warm response. Her voice was low and firm. "Curiosity in this place only brings trouble."
"We get the 'no wandering' rule," Fujino cut in smoothly. "Anything else we should know?"
"Well… no, that's it."
Yuki blinked, clearly caught off guard by Fujino flipping the script on her.
Regaining her composure, she turned away and muttered, "Since your rooms are already assigned, please settle in soon. The young lady's pre-wedding dinner starts at nine tonight, and I'd appreciate it if you all joined… Oh, and one more thing." She glanced back, her tone sharp. "You're the first guests to actually listen to me. Don't forget—no wandering around this mansion. Ignore that, and you're asking for trouble."
"Got it, Aunt Yuki," Fujino replied calmly.
As Yuki disappeared around the corner, Fujino's eyes narrowed slightly.
A mansion where you can't roam freely? It reminded him of that blue castle case.
*What if there's a body hidden here too?*
This place was getting more interesting by the minute. The "no wandering" rule probably existed to keep them from stumbling across a corpse.
In the world of *Conan*, rules like this were straight out of a creepy urban legend playbook. Ask too many questions, and you might just end up the next victim.
Their little rich girl, Momiji, clearly hadn't dealt with anything like this before. As a pampered noble, she'd heard of families with secret rooms off-limits to outsiders. Her own home didn't have rules like that, but she'd picked it up through osmosis.
Still, being told off in such a threatening tone? That felt off to her.
Turning to Fujino, she asked curiously, "Fujino-kun, did you figure out what she meant by 'trouble'?"
"Probably because of Jin," Fujino mused.
"Because of… Teacher Odagiri?" Momiji glanced at Odagiri Jin, confused.
"…Huh?"
Odagiri Jin looked utterly lost. *What's this got to do with me?*
"I think Yuki's warning was aimed at keeping Odagiri from sneaking off to see Wakaba," Fujino explained with a sigh. "The villagers' cold attitude probably ties into that too. Word about him and Wakaba must've spread around here."
"Oh, that makes sense…"
Momiji nodded, buying Fujino's logic.
She might be Wakaba's classmate, but judging by the head of the Tokita family's reaction earlier, inviting them here seemed to be Wakaba's idea alone. Bringing Odagiri Jin along muddied their purpose a bit.
Still, glancing toward where Yuki had vanished, Momiji muttered, "She's a weird one…"
"It's not just her—the whole village is weird," Haihara Ai piped up suddenly, drawing Momiji's attention.
"Weird?"
"A massive mansion like this in a remote village? Doesn't that strike you as odd?" Haihara crossed her arms, scanning the surroundings. "If I've got this right, old places like this built in villages are what they call 'foreigner mansions.'"
"Foreigner mansions?" Momiji echoed softly. "You mean like the homes foreigners built here during the Meiji era? What's so strange about that?"
"There's another name for these remote foreigner mansions in old legends," Haihara continued, her eyes narrowing.
"Another name?"
"Yeah. Back in the day, missionaries from the West supposedly built these places. And some call them 'demon mansions.'"
"Demon mansions?"
"Rumor has it these missionaries held dark rituals here, sucking the souls out of the villagers until they were just mindless husks," Haihara went on, her tone eerie. "Who knows? Maybe there's a sacrificed corpse or two stashed away in this place…"
"Sacrificed corpses?!" Momiji's face went pale. "So 'trouble' means if we find a body by accident, we'll get silenced?!"
"Pretty much the obvious take," Haihara nodded with a sly, meaningful smirk, enjoying Momiji's spooked reaction.
"No wonder Wakaba's acting so different! If that's true, her soul might've been sacrificed too!" Momiji swallowed hard, a chill running down her spine.
Fujino: "…"
*Didn't expect the rich girl to be scared of ghost stories…*
Not that he blamed her. Haihara's tale sounded so real, even *he* was starting to wonder if this village was hiding some shady sacrificial ritual.
---
As dusk settled in, the guest room's lights glowed softly.
Fujino unpacked his stuff, tidied up a bit, then plopped onto the sofa, mulling over the oddities they'd encountered since arriving.
Something felt off from the moment they entered the village. A mansion with a "no wandering" rule, a creepy village vibe, and a famous detective invited to a wedding?
It was like a murder mystery checklist.
If this were Conan, he'd sneak out tonight, uncover some dark secret, and kick off a thrilling small-town escape—probably ending with a soccer shoe blasting a Western missionary in the face.
But Fujino wasn't the Grim Reaper grade-schooler.
If he'd come alone, maybe he'd dig deeper. Too bad the system mission hadn't triggered…
His main goal this time was keeping Momiji safe. She'd shelled out two million yen, after all—no way he'd drag her into something dangerous.
---
The guest rooms in the mansion were pretty fancy.
They came with a changing area, bedroom, and living space—basically a standalone house. The only weird part? No bathroom.
Then again, it made sense. This place was ancient. Building an indoor toilet back then would've probably stunk everyone out…
Haihara stepped out of the changing room in light pajamas. Spotting Fujino on the sofa, lost in thought, she paused.
*Is he thinking about my ghost story?*
She'd made it up on the spot to mess with Momiji. Sure, it had some real bits mixed in, but it was fiction. With Fujino's deduction skills, he shouldn't have bought it.
…Right?
Adjusting her thin pajamas and buttoning up the collar, she asked, "Are you thinking about what I said earlier?"
"Yeah," Fujino replied, snapping out of it. "This village feels strange."
*He actually believed it?* Haihara blinked, surprised. "That was just a ghost story I threw together…"
"I don't mean *that* kind of strange. It's the atmosphere," Fujino said seriously. "There's more to this place than meets the eye. Could be hiding something dark behind the scenes."
"Something dark?" Haihara tilted her head. "Want to check it out?"
"Nah, better not," Fujino shook his head. "With you and Momiji here, it'd be a hassle if we ran into trouble."
"Hm…" Haihara nodded, feeling a flicker of warmth.
Sure, mentioning Momiji alongside her left a sour taste, but that was Fujino's style—always putting the people around him first, even if it meant putting himself in danger.
Maybe that's what set him apart from those dimwit detectives.
*Knock knock!*
The door rattled suddenly.
"Come in!" Fujino called out, looking up. His expression quickly turned dazed.
It was Ooka Momiji.
She stood there in a pink pajama set, the soft, thin fabric clinging to her curves—especially her chest, which looked ready to pop a button any second.
Even if the material didn't suggest it, Fujino couldn't shake the feeling it might happen.
"Ahem!" Haihara coughed sharply, giving Fujino's shin a little kick with her tiny foot.
That snapped him back to reality.
Momiji's cheeks were flushed as she stammered, "Um, Fujino-kun, could you… come with me for a sec?"
Fujino: "…?"
Haihara: "…??!"
---
The Clock Mansion was an old relic. Built ages ago, it didn't have many electric lights—mostly unlit oil lamps scattered around.
On the way back from the bathroom, Fujino led the way with a flashlight, lighting the path. Haihara and Momiji trailed behind.
Momiji's face was bright red, her head bowed in embarrassment. Asking someone to escort her to the bathroom? Mortifying…
Haihara shot her a deadpan look, unsure if this was some sly "bad girl" move or if Momiji was genuinely that fragile.
*It's just a warning about wandering and dying. No big deal…*
Fujino, though, saw things clearer. To him, someone might actually die tonight.
Still, he wasn't worried. Sure, the murder-bait flags were stacked high, but as long as they didn't wander off or trigger some wild trap, they'd probably make it through the night fine.
*"Woo… zzzzt!"*
A weird noise suddenly echoed from behind.
Fujino spun around, spotting two glowing eyes darting out of the darkness. Instinctively, he grabbed Haihara with one hand, Momiji with the other, and dodged to the side, pressing against the wall as the thing streaked past.
It was just a black cat.
*Since when do black cats make noises like that?* Fujino groaned inwardly.
Before he could relax, the pristine white wall flipped, sucking all three of them into a pitch-black room.
---
They tumbled through the dark for a few seconds.
*Thud!*
A dull impact jolted Fujino as his back slammed into something, halting his fall.
Before he could catch his breath, sharp pain stabbed through his entire body.
It dragged up memories of that car accident from before…
Taking a deep breath, Fujino forced the pain down. Then he felt an odd pressure on his chest.
Without overthinking it, he pulled out his trusty light rod from his storage space, illuminating the darkness.
They were in a concrete-walled secret room. The entrance? A rotating trap wall.
In front of it stretched a long, jagged concrete staircase—about seven or eight meters high, by his guess. The three of them had rolled straight down it after losing their footing.
Checking the surroundings, Fujino looked down. Haihara Ai and Ooka Momiji lay sprawled across him, eyes closed, clinging tightly. Their breathing was steady.
That soft pressure? All Momiji.
The evidence was right there, but Fujino's lip twitched faintly as a flurry of thoughts zipped through his mind:
*"Is this really a seventeen-year-old's figure?"*
*"This rich girl's on another level…"*
*"Did she lie about her age or something?"*
He couldn't help but think she was on par with Vermouth. Then again, even Vermouth didn't seem *this* ridiculous…
*Man, same age, but what a gap.*
(Sera Masumi: *Quit picking on me!*)
Shaking it off, Fujino winced. Normal guy or not, this was too much stimulation for him to handle.
Gritting his teeth, he eased himself up, gently sliding the two off him and setting them aside.
Their pajamas were a mess—Momiji's even had a couple buttons popped open, and both had faint bloodstains. But the blood wasn't theirs—it was his.
Fujino rebuttoned Momiji's top and gave them a quick once-over. With his doctor skills, he confirmed: aside from some scrapes on Momiji's legs, they were unharmed.
They'd just passed out from the impact. Relieved, Fujino slumped against the "wall" behind him with a sigh.
Good thing he'd reacted fast, pulling them into his arms and shielding them with his body as they fell.
But playing human cushion? That left him in rough shape.
Tumbling down a seven or eight-meter concrete staircase with two people—over a hundred pounds combined—he'd taken the full brunt of it. Bruises and cuts covered him, the stinging pain radiating from every scrape. Some deeper wounds oozed blood, staining his white shirt red.
The pain was so bad he couldn't tell how severe it was—internal injuries or not.
"This fall's worse than that car crash…" Fujino panted, gulping down some "Fat Boy Happy Water" from his storage space. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he eyed his wounds.
Still, he was grateful. Hugging two people down that drop with his old physique? He'd be a goner.
No fractures, at least—that was a miracle in itself. His healing factor was top-notch, but a broken bone would've sidelined him for a while.
After a few minutes, the pain dulled enough for him to cope.
Then Momiji stirred, rubbing her head as she stood, dazed.
Coming to, she spotted Fujino's injuries. She opened her mouth to speak, but her gaze locked onto the "wall" behind him.
Her face went white, and a piercing scream tore out: "Ahhh—!"
The shriek jolted Haihara awake. Standing, she glanced at the "wall" and frowned, her expression darkening.
Fujino, puzzled by their reactions, hauled his battered body up and turned around. His face stiffened.
That wasn't a wall—it was an open stone coffin!
Inside lay a headless, charred corpse.
Staring at it, Fujino's expression grew grim.
*Guess there's no escaping it tonight…*
A hidden basement corpse? That's next-level wild.
Was Haihara right? Was this foreigner mansion really a "demon mansion" for missionary sacrifices?
*Prophet confirmed—kill it!*
"New detective special mission detected. Please check it out!"
A system ping cut through his thoughts, and a glowing screen popped up:
**[Detective Special Mission: Secrets Hidden in Rokakumura]**
**Description:** A creepy corpse, a strange village, an old mansion—what truth lies behind it all?
**Objective:** Uncover the secrets of Rokakumura
**Rewards:** 4 million yen · 600 detective reputation points
**Restrictions:** None
*Secrets of Rokakumura?*
Even for *Conan* logic, this was nuts.
Four million yen in rewards, though? That kind of payout made him wonder if the whole village was in on it…
"Who's there?!"
The trap wall swung open, and a figure with a flashlight aimed the beam straight at them.
Fujino turned, his enhanced glasses piercing the glare. It was Tokita Juzo—Wakaba's father.
His eyes narrowed, meeting Tokita's equally grim stare.
Tokita scanned them and barked, "What are you doing here?!"
Fujino: "…"
*Look at my injuries—what do you think?*
"We got lost coming back from the bathroom. A black cat spooked us, we leaned on the wall, and ended up falling in here," Fujino said calmly, rolling up his sleeve to reveal his bloodied, scraped arm.
"Oh, I see…"
Tokita's face softened—eerily so. He stepped down slowly. "In that case, let me take you back. Sorry about this… Didn't mean for you to get hurt so badly."
"Thanks, we'd appreciate it…"
Fujino watched Tokita closely, stepping forward with a polite smile. One hand stayed in his pocket, ready to pull a reinforcement card or his gun if needed.
Normally, this is when the bad guy would strike…
*Damn it, am I channeling Conan now?*
How does a bathroom trip turn into *this*?
Tokita was shady, no doubt. In *Conan* world, you never know a killer's strength. With full power and a gold card, Fujino could take him in a fight.
But if Tokita pulled a gun? High kung fu's no match for bullets. His shirt wasn't bulletproof— one shot could cripple or kill him at range.
He'd have to use his own gun then. Even if it meant exposing it to Momiji and Ai, keeping them alive was worth it.
Luckily, Tokita didn't make a move.
Fujino trailed behind him deliberately as they headed back to the guest room. Momiji and Haihara followed quietly, too aware of the situation to speak, their eyes lingering on Fujino's wounds with concern.
---
"Are your injuries okay?"
At the guest room door, Tokita's tone stayed oddly kind. "Need me to grab a first aid kit?"
"No need… Thanks for the help," Fujino brushed him off, then ushered Haihara and Momiji inside.
Once in, he locked the door, listening as Tokita's footsteps faded. With a sigh of relief, he slumped to the floor.
Momiji crouched beside him, reaching for his wounds. She froze mid-motion, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Stop crying…" Fujino sighed helplessly. "I'm not dead yet, you know."
"How are you holding up?" Haihara asked, her voice steady but worried.
She wasn't cold—just pragmatic. As a science-minded girl, she knew crying wouldn't fix anything right now.
(End of Chapter)