All good things must come to an end.
After spending several days in a passionate tangle with Yuu Hoshimiya in Tokyo, Kazuha Toyama finally had to return to Osaka.
While two people had arrived, she was returning alone.
Using a televised event as an excuse, Heiji Hattori was able to linger in Tokyo for a few more days.
Meanwhile, Yuu Hoshimiya used the power of his capital to successfully secure a spot in the upcoming Detective Koshien.
The staff at Nichiuri TV couldn't refuse Yuu's arrival, nor did they have any desire to.
If Yuu hadn't chosen to avoid the path of stardom, his looks and physique alone would have been enough for a successful debut.
Not to mention his glorious track record of solving major cases and receiving praise from the police.
He was more of a "Great Detective" than actual detectives, making him one of Japan's premier celebrities.
Even now, many ordinary people—especially women—were devoted fans of Yuu Hoshimiya.
Part 1: Departure at the Station
Around eight in the morning at the Shinkansen station, Yuu gently pinched Kazuha's petite nose.
"Go on back first. Once I finish recording this Detective Koshien program, I'll head to Osaka to find you!"
Kazuha lifted her somewhat crestfallen face, her amber eyes shimmering with deep affection.
"Really? You aren't lying to me?"
"Of course not. I have business to attend to in Osaka anyway!"
"Hmph, I knew it! You're a stinky teacher, Yuu!" Kazuha wrinkled her brow, her energetic face pouting cutely.
In the next instant, she tilted her head back and puckered her lips, signaling for a kiss.
Yuu smiled and captured her mouth.
He tasted her sweetness thoroughly, his tongue swirling against hers as they shared a deep, wet goodbye.
Only after a long moment did they finally pull apart.
The announcement rang out; Kazuha's train was about to depart. Ran Mouri waved goodbye to her friend as she passed through the ticket gate.
"Kazuha! I'm still waiting for my turn to visit you in Osaka!" Ran shouted.
"Come soon, Ran! I'll take you to all the best places to eat!" Kazuha shouted back from the distance.
After seeing Kazuha off, Yuu drove Ran toward the meeting point for the Detective Koshien at the harbor.
Ran had nothing to do at home and decided to tag along for the fun.
She also wanted to see the grace and skill of the so-called "High School Girl Detectives."
At the same time, Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori were also heading to the port by car.
Part 2: The Port Gathering
The "Koshien," by definition, is a place to decide the number one; this Detective Koshien was naturally intended to crown the best high school detective in Japan.
As the car sped along, Heiji's expression grew excited, while the Conan in his arms had a look of anticipation in his eyes.
Both were young, competitive high school detectives who enjoyed the spotlight, and they weren't about to miss a chance to prove who was truly the most outstanding.
It took about four hours to reach the port.
The gathering time had been set long ago. Not long after Yuu arrived, Heiji and Conan showed up as well.
They were met by a middle-aged, balding man in a green Nichiuri TV work uniform.
The man was holding a sign that read "Detective Koshien," sweating under the hot sun.
He stood beside a large cruise ship and hurried over the moment he saw Heiji.
"Hattori-kun! You're too slow! Please be more punctual next time; everyone else is already on board."
Ran asked intentionally, "Has Shinichi Kudo arrived yet?"
The director, Hiroo Tsuchio, replied, "No. We couldn't get in touch with that boy, so we didn't invite him."
Heiji patted Conan's head and gave a knowing, meaningful smile.
"That's to be expected! He must have been terrified of my reputation, so he didn't dare show his face!"
Below him, Conan's face twitched. He slammed his foot down onto Heiji's toes, causing the teen to hop around in pain while clutching his foot.
Yuu, meanwhile, was observing the chubby director.
Tsuchio clearly recognized Yuu; his posture stiffened, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
After a moment, he gave a strained laugh and addressed Yuu.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, you've arrived as well. I didn't realize you and Hattori-kun were acquaintances."
Yuu noticed the scars on the man's fingers and immediately knew his real identity, but he didn't expose him.
"Director Tsuchio, stop talking nonsense and let's get on board."
Tsuchio bowed slightly. "Yes, yes. Mr. Hoshimiya and the young lady, please, after you."
He dared to complain to Heiji, but he didn't dare show even a hint of disrespect to Yuu.
Even if Yuu had been late, he would have just smiled and said it was no problem.
Even if his identity was a temporary fake, he had to maintain a certain level of professional etiquette, or he'd be caught immediately.
After all, everyone here was a detective—essentially professional skeptics who would suspect him at the slightest anomaly.
Seeing Yuu lead Ran onto the ship, Heiji spoke up. "I can bring this kid too, right? He's my assistant!"
Tsuchio smiled and nodded.
"Certainly. He can share a room with you. Let's go, it's time to depart!"
The director led Heiji and Conan past the large cruise ship and onto a small speedboat.
Part 3: The Speedboat Encounter
Inside the cabin of the speedboat, Yuu spotted a girl dressed in a tomboyish style.
She wore military-green pants, a grey jacket over a black shirt, and a pair of headphones over her short hair. A pair of sunglasses covered most of her exquisite face.
She was leaning against the cabin door soaking up the sun, seemingly chewing gum.
Natsuki Koshimizu had intentionally dressed neutrally, but it was still obvious she was a beautiful girl.
The only shame was her chest; it was quite small, which made it easy for her to pass as a boy to ordinary people.
However, her disguise was amateur hour to this group.
Let alone Yuu, even Conan and Heiji felt suspicious at a single glance.
Natsuki observed the group from behind her sunglasses. When her eyes landed on Yuu, her pupils contracted.
Compared to the "detectives" who had led to her friend's death, Yuu—with his official police ties—inspired much more awe and fear.
More importantly, this "Detective Koshien" was her own design.
To fool the detectives she had invited, she had done a lot of groundwork and actually contacted Nichiuri TV.
She had indeed received some support from the station.
Therefore, she knew in advance that Yuu Hoshimiya had requested to participate.
From that moment, her intuition told her that Yuu wasn't here for the "Number One" title; he was here for her.
Yuu seemed to sense her gaze and gave her a slight smile, causing Natsuki to retreat into the cabin in a panic.
There were four people in the cabin: Heiji and Conan on one side, Natsuki and a long-haired man on the other.
The long-haired man was focused entirely on his handheld game console.
Because Yuu had warned her beforehand, Ran was quiet and well-behaved, focusing entirely on watching the drama unfold.
Tsuchio stood between the two groups and began to read the rules of the competition.
"...Once we reach the island, do not leave your rooms before dinner. Something will happen after dinner; do not be careless. Remember, the competition begins the moment you step onto the island."
"Got it!"
"Understood!"
Heiji frowned and remarked, "I thought there would be a lot of people, but there are only four of us!"
Conan whispered, "Why did you drag me along? This competition sounds boring."
Heiji looked down at him. "Since Kudo can't join, having you is the next best thing. You're the only one who can actually challenge me. Winning against anyone else would be meaningless!"
"Fair enough," Conan conceded.
The two then watched as Natsuki and the long-haired man used professional TV terminology to toy with the man claiming to be a director, both of them smirking.
Heiji remarked, "It seems these two actually have some skill!"
The number of detectives might be small, but they were all elites.
A smile appeared on Conan's face.
Interesting. This might actually be fun!
Part 4: Arrival at the Island
Around three in the afternoon, the group finally landed on the deserted island.
An elderly man with grey hair and a white vest was waiting for them on the shore.
"Welcome. I am Kenzo Kouya, the one responsible for your stay and well-being on this island. Please follow me to the lodge!"
Heiji turned to Tsuchio. "Director, since the Eastern representative didn't show up, I have a request."
Heiji wanted to ask if Conan could take the empty spot.
However, Kenzo Kouya stopped and turned around. "Regarding the Eastern representative, he arrived early this morning. You'll see him shortly."
The expressions of Heiji and Conan shifted instantly.
The group followed Kenzo to the only building on the island—a lodge that smelled faintly of lavender.
There, they met the early arrival: Saguru Hakuba.
Yuu smiled. He had missed meeting Hakuba at Ekoda High, but finally, here he was.
Worthy of the detective who discovered Kaito Kuroba's identity, Hakuba was handsome and exuded a high-class, powerful aura.
However, Yuu had no intention of getting close to him. He didn't want to get further involved in Kaito's main plot.
Compared to the Black Organization, that "Zoo" organization was a bit of a joke.
A pure assassin group with only physical power held zero interest for the current Yuu.
He'd let Kaito and his rival handle their own mess, which would also keep those kids from bothering him.
The group gathered on the first floor. Tsuchio spoke up: "Now that North, South, East, and West are all here, please introduce yourselves!"
The long-haired man frowned. "Is it starting already? Where is the camera crew?"
Heiji added, "It's weird. Why are we the only ones on the island? Where are the other Nichiuri staff?"
Tsuchio explained, "The crew and the guest stars will arrive tomorrow morning. We wanted you here today to familiarize yourselves with the location."
"Good grief."
Natsuki removed her headphones and turned to the others. "I am Natsuki Koshimizu, from Fukuoka. I suppose I'm the Southern rep. I've only solved about 100 cases, so I'm just a rookie. Please go easy on me!"
The long-haired man followed: "I am Junya Tokitsu. Though born in Tokyo, I grew up in Hokkaido, so I represent the North. I've solved over 300 cases, with about 250 arrests or indictments. However, some suspects did flee or commit suicide before I could bring them in."
Heiji spoke next: "I'm Heiji Hattori. I'm quite famous in Kansai. As for cases solved... man, it's over a thousand. I've lost count! Hahaha!"
Natsuki looked surprised. "Over a thousand? That's incredible!"
Conan shook his head. He found their boasting about case numbers to be incredibly childish, like kids bragging about test scores. It was dull.
Saguru Hakuba looked at Heiji. "So you're Heiji Hattori. My father has mentioned you; he said you were a decent detective."
"How does your dad know about me?" Heiji asked, already disliking the suit-wearing, posturing Hakuba.
"That's because my father is the Superintendent General of the Tokyo MPD. And since you have a father who is the Police Chief in Osaka, I suppose we're quite alike!"
Hakuba smiled, a strange glint in his eyes as he looked at Heiji.
Since they were all young, the competitive drive was high. Junya Tokitsu asked, "And your number of solved cases?"
Hakuba replied, "Roughly five hundred or so."
Heiji laughed. "What? That's only half of mine!"
Hakuba explained, "Those are only the cases within Japan. I spend most of my time studying in the UK and only return occasionally. My nanny just takes it upon herself to accept cases for me."
Natsuki nodded. "I see. That's still very impressive."
She then turned to Heiji. "If I may ask, what is your relationship with Mr. Hoshimiya? I saw you arrive with him at the port."
Hakuba's eyes lit up at the name. He had heard of Yuu Hoshimiya from his father, and Kaito mentioned him frequently.
He turned to Yuu with a look of scrutiny and curiosity.
Before Heiji could answer, Yuu took the initiative to explain.
"Hattori-kun and I met during a case; we're friends, I suppose. I'm quite interested in this high school detective competition, so I applied to be a judge and guest."
"Our arriving together was purely coincidental."
He put his arm around Ran's waist and smiled. "This is my girlfriend. Don't mind us; just treat us as audience members here to watch the show."
Hearing this, Natsuki relaxed slightly. Junya Tokitsu, who was arrogant but lacked true skill, looked displeased.
But given Yuu's status, he didn't dare say anything, merely putting on a look of disdain.
Yuu didn't bother arguing with a dead man.
This time, he wasn't going to save Junya Tokitsu.
A piece of trash who lacked ability and only cared about his own fame deserved his fate.
Only through his death could Natsuki Koshimizu find closure and the victims he had wrongly accused find peace.
As they say, if you find one cockroach, there's an entire nest nearby.
The fact that Natsuki's friend was wrongly accused by Tokitsu wasn't an accident; it was just one of his many mistakes that hadn't been discovered yet.
Tsuchio spoke up: "Alright, everyone can return to their rooms to rest. Mr. Kouya is preparing dinner. We'll gather in the dining room then."
"However, to check the costumes for tomorrow's filming, please wear the 'Detective Koshien' outfits I mentioned on the phone during dinner."
Part 5: The Crime Setup
Around four in the afternoon, Natsuki Koshimizu stepped out of her room alone while the others were resting.
She went to Tsuchio's door, knocked, and then hid.
Tsuchio opened the door but saw no one. Just as he was about to step out, a heavy club slammed into his head, causing a blunt-force injury that began to bleed. He collapsed instantly.
Natsuki hurriedly dragged him back into the room, used a handkerchief to dab some of the blood from his forehead, and smeared it on the outside door handle. Finally, she locked the door from the inside.
She used ropes to tie Tsuchio to the floor. Once the room was prepared, she removed the entire window.
The window had been pre-prepared; from the outside, it looked locked, but the internal connecting screws had already been severed.
Natsuki applied glue to the edges of the window, climbed out, and then pulled the window back into place, sealing it shut.
Just like that, a "locked-room" murder scenario was created...