After returning to the inn, Ren Kuroda went from room to room, knocking first on Ran's door, then on Mouri Kogorō's.
To his mild surprise, Conan was back too — and pretending to have just woken up, rubbing his eyes with a sleepy little yawn, as if he'd been tucked in bed all night.
Ren called everyone to wash up and meet in the dining hall.
A few minutes later, they all arrived one after another.
"So… you all stayed in your rooms last night?" Ren asked, watching their faces carefully.
Ran nodded, glancing briefly at Akemi before answering. "Yeah. I was woken up by some loud explosions in the middle of the night. I didn't dare go outside after that."
Even just recalling it made her shiver a little. The booms had shaken the entire island.
"Explosions? What explosions?" Mouri Kogorō groaned, massaging his temples to fight off a hangover headache.
Ren sighed. No wonder Conan managed to sneak out — the old man was passed out drunk.
"I don't really know," Conan said, acting as innocently as possible. He made his voice tremble slightly. "Like Ran-neechan, I woke up from the loud noise… and then I just hid under the blanket until it stopped."
Hearing that, Ren nodded inwardly. His hunch was right.
The chaos he'd caused last night had scared the entire town into locking themselves inside.
No one had dared step outside — except Conan, of course.
But ironically, that was what had saved them from the poisonous gas drifting through the air.
Knowing that, Ren finally relaxed.
"What did happen out there?" Kogorō asked again, leaning forward. He looked equal parts confused and frustrated, like he'd missed something huge.
Ren shrugged casually. "No idea what caused it." He wasn't about to explain that he was the cause.
"Then I'm going to check it out myself!" Kogorō announced, standing abruptly. Curiosity — and ego — won out.
Conan instinctively moved to follow, but when he noticed that Ren, Ran, and Akemi all stayed seated, he hesitated.
"Ren-nii, aren't you going to see what's going on?"
Ren gave him a look. "Explosions don't usually mean good things, you know. I'll pass. Besides, I haven't eaten breakfast yet."
He stood and went to find the innkeeper to order food — paid for, of course.
Ran sighed in relief. "I'm starving too. I just want to eat something and rest after last night."
"Then I guess…" Conan hesitated, then reluctantly sat back down. "I'll stay too."
When everyone settled, Conan turned curiously to Akemi. "Um, big sis, how did you end up with Ren-nii?"
Ran perked up too, clearly wondering the same.
"Oh, I just ran into him outside," Akemi replied quickly, trying to sound natural. "The whole town was empty, and I was scared to walk around alone, so… I came along with him."
"I seeee…" Conan nodded, then pressed, "So how do you two know each other?"
"We met while hiking yesterday," Akemi said smoothly, then seized the chance to steer the conversation away. "By the way, Ran-chan, did you check the photos I sent you last night?"
"Ah! I completely forgot!" Ran gasped, fumbling for her phone. "Sorry, Akemi-san. I was so tired after the bath that I fell right asleep."
She opened her email and started scrolling through the photos.
Conan, of course, leaned over immediately to peek.
The moment he saw a photo of Ran smiling with her arm around Ren's, his jaw dropped.
"R-Ran-neechan! Why are you holding his arm like that?!"
"And why's he got his arm around your shoulder?!"
"Don't you think that's a little too… close?! People might get the wrong idea!!"
Ren blinked, almost amused.
Last night, when Conan had failed his sneak attack and ended up getting countered instead, he hadn't even flinched.
But now — one photograph later — he was clearly rattled.
Ran's face flushed pink. "Th-this isn't what it looks like—"
Before she could finish, Akemi chimed in with a teasing smile. "Oh, little boy, I'm a choreographer. Don't you think they look great like that?"
"No! Not at all! It looks terrible!" Conan snapped, glaring at her, his voice full of emotion.
"Haha, you're still too young to get it." Akemi covered her mouth and laughed lightly. "When you're older, you'll appreciate photos like that."
Then she and Ran scooted closer together, chatting animatedly as they scrolled through the pictures.
Conan couldn't stand to watch.
It wasn't jealousy exactly — it was more like a pang of regret twisting in his chest.
Ran always wanted to take cute photos with me too, he thought bitterly. But every time, I brushed her off, said it was a hassle…
After a few times, she'd just stopped asking.
Now, watching her laugh with someone else, Conan realized how badly he'd taken those moments for granted.
It hurt.It hurt a lot.
"Breakfast's here!"
Ren returned, carrying several trays of steaming dishes. He placed them neatly on the table — rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles, tamago, everything fresh and aromatic.
"Wow, that smells amazing!" Ran's eyes sparkled.
"Perfect timing — I'm starving," Akemi said, smiling gratefully.
"Dig in," Ren said, sitting down beside them. He noticed Conan's gloomy expression and frowned. "Hey, Conan, you don't look so good. You okay?"
"Huh? O-oh, I'm fine!" Conan snapped upright, forcing a cheerful tone. "Just a little sleepy, that's all!"
He picked up his chopsticks quickly. "Let's eat!"
Ren studied him for a moment longer but let it go, deciding to keep an eye on the kid later.
After breakfast, they all left the inn together.
By then, the town had started to stir — a few people were cautiously coming out of their houses, whispering among themselves.
But the road leading to Kuroiwa's mansion — and the burned-down villa — was cordoned off by police.
When they finally caught up with Kogorō, he looked like he'd seen a ghost. His face was pale, his lips trembling.
"Dad, what's wrong? You look awful!" Ran asked in confusion.
"Don't ask," he muttered, shaking his head violently. He didn't want to relive what he'd just seen.
He was silently thankful he hadn't eaten yet — otherwise, his breakfast would've been decorating the pavement by now.
That only made Conan's curiosity spike.
He'd been there last night after the battle. Sure, there had been bodies, but nothing that horrifying.
Did I miss something?
Unable to resist, Conan slipped away from the group.
Waiting for the officers to turn their backs, he crouched low, darted under the yellow tape, and vanished into the restricted zone.