"Hoshino, goodbye."
"Sonoko, Ran, goodbye."
Inside the gymnasium, Hoshino's classmates said goodbye to the three of them and waved.
The rehearsal was over, the karate club members had all left, and the sky was gradually getting dark. Hoshino and his two friends put their things away in the gymnasium, locked the door, and slowly walked toward the school gate.
"Hmm~ It's been a long time since I stayed at school this late." Sonoko stretched lazily, looked at the empty playground, and couldn't help but sigh.
Ran, carrying her schoolbag in both hands, said with a smile, "Yeah, it's such a big school, and there are only the three of us left. That feeling of loneliness just hits you right away."
Kurosawa Hoshino glanced at the school building and saw Araide Tomoaki standing quietly by the window of the first-floor corridor, staring straight at him with a blank expression—unlike the gentle face he usually had when facing others.
Is Vermouth holding a grudge? Thinking this to himself, Kurosawa pretended not to see him and naturally looked away.
He kept walking and, while listening to the two girls chatting, arrived at the school gate. As soon as he arrived, he saw five children squatting by the roadside, their backs looking quite familiar.
"Haibara, Conan, what are you doing here?" Kurosawa called out to them.
Hearing this, the five children turned around at the same time. After seeing Kurosawa and the others, they quickly stood up and ran toward them.
"Hoshino-nii, Ran-neechan, Sonoko-neechan." The children greeted each other obediently.
Sonoko, hands on her hips, looked down at the five children like a queen, asking with an air of authority, "You little brats, were you waiting for us here?"
"Yes," Conan nodded. "After school, we asked some of the other older kids. Some of them knew Hoshino-nii. They said you were rehearsing at the gym, so we've been waiting at the entrance."
Kurosawa handed Conan his schoolbag. Conan hesitated for a moment, then took it. He crossed his arms and said calmly, "Tell me, what happened to you? I'll try my best to help you."
"Ayumi's in trouble." Haibara put her hand on Ayumi's shoulder and gave her a gentle push.
Ayumi nervously stared at Kurosawa, still remembering the ideas this older brother had recommended to her mother. Since then, she'd had half the playtime she used to.
Ayumi fidgeted with her fingers, hesitant to speak, afraid of getting herself into trouble again.
"Would I eat people?" Kurosawa reached out and placed his hand on her head, gently rubbing it.
Feeling the warm touch and seeing Kurosawa's expression—though not smiling, it wasn't frightening—Ayumi immediately relaxed and said loudly, "Hoshino-nii, our school's headmaster has gone missing. I'd like to ask you to help investigate."
"The headmaster has gone missing?" Ran and Sonoko exclaimed simultaneously. After all, they had attended Teitan Elementary School, so they knew the headmaster.
Sonoko asked, "Ayumi, is the headmaster you're talking about the bald one?"
Ayumi thought for a moment, then shook her head. "The headmaster isn't bald. He has hair on his head."
"Yeah, I remember him too," Genta chimed in.
Ran exclaimed in surprise, "Is the headmaster no longer Mr. Murakami?"
This question confused Conan, who asked in bewilderment, "Ran-neechan, our school's headmaster's surname is indeed Murakami, but he's not bald."
Sonoko couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Ran smiled and continued, "Oh, this is the headmaster's secret. He's been bald for many years and has always worn a wig. Sonoko and I accidentally discovered it when we were kids, but we never said anything. I thought we'd been exposed, but it turns out we haven't."
"That's how it is," Sonoko remarked. "It's amazing that no one has discovered this after all these years."
"Alright, let's get down to business." Kurosawa asked, "So, Ayumi, why did you ask me to go find him? Did you know about what happened before he disappeared?"
"Yes." Ayumi nodded and obediently explained the whole story. "Recently, there have been rumors of paranormal events circulating at our school. Three nights ago, I forgot to feed the fish in the aquarium in the classroom, so I ran back to the classroom to feed them. Then I saw a dark figure wearing a mask looking for something in the classroom. The next day, I told the headmaster about it, and he said he would investigate. But for three days straight, the headmaster hasn't shown up at school. I even went to his house and knocked on the door, but no one answered." At this point, Ayumi's voice trembled with tears. "It must be because I asked the headmaster to investigate that masked figure that he was killed by the ghosts causing the supernatural events at school."
Hearing this, Kurosawa and Sonoko exchanged glances, then looked to the side in unison. Ran's forehead was covered in cold sweat. Her face was pale, and her body was swaying slightly—she looked terrified.
"Hoshino-nii, can you go investigate?" Ayumi stepped forward, grabbing Kurosawa's pants, looking at him with teary eyes.
"Sure. I happen to have time." Kurosawa patted her head, already remembering that this seemed to be a scene from the original story—no one died, no danger, not even a case. Probably not enough to obtain any Origin Points. But the kids had been waiting here for so long; it wouldn't hurt to go help them out, since it was quite boring when there were no cases anyway.
"Are you going or not?" Kurosawa looked at Ran and Sonoko.
"I'm going—with Ran." Sonoko smiled.
Seeing that the children's eyes were suddenly fixed on her, Ran tried to keep a normal expression so the children wouldn't see her fear of the supernatural. She said in a deliberately lighthearted tone, "Okay, let's go see. Let's see if the headmaster really was harmed by the ghosts causing this paranormal event."
Haibara said calmly, "Hoshino-nii, why don't we just call the police? After all, he's missing."
Kurosawa asked, "Conan, have any police come to your school to investigate the headmaster's disappearance these past few days?"
"No." Conan was taken aback after answering, then suddenly realized. "I see. The headmaster should be fine. If he really was missing, someone would have already called the police, and they would be investigating."
Kurosawa nodded, said nothing, and turned to walk toward Teitan Elementary School.