Stay away from Conan.

My home was broken into last night, and at the same time, my art assignment at school was destroyed.

These two things lingered in Conan's mind, and naturally, he connected them with the strange noises he had just noticed coming from the detective agency downstairs—

If someone has indeed noticed the connection between "Conan" and "Shinichi Kudo", and has not found anything at the Kudo residence, is it possible that they would come directly to the Mouri Detective Agency, where Conan is currently staying, to investigate?

Thinking about this, Conan's mood became increasingly heavy, especially since he realized that if things were really as he thought, Uncle Mori and Ran were both here right now. What would happen if something really happened?

With that thought in mind, Conan let out a long sigh, walked to the door leading downstairs on the third floor, pressed himself against the wall, and tiptoed to open the door a crack—

Conan moved very quietly, trying not to make a sound.

After confirming that he hadn't elicited any reaction from Ran and the others upstairs, Conan turned his gaze to the door.

At this moment, the lights in the corridor were dim, coming from the streetlights on the road outside the ground floor.

Seeing this, Conan took a deep breath, tiptoed downstairs without shoes, making sure not to make any noise.

Having reached the bottom of the stairs, Conan quickly arrived at the door leading to the Mouri Detective Agency's office area—

Conan didn't rashly try to rush in; instead, he leaned against the door and peered inside.

The office was dark, but the streetlights were streaming in through the windows, casting shadowy outlines of objects inside: desks, sofas, filing cabinets…

At least based on the shadows, nothing seemed amiss.

But Conan still didn't rush in. Instead, he leaned against the door and waited for a while, holding his breath and trying to hear if there was any movement inside.

However, after waiting for an unknown amount of time, there was no one inside, and not even a sound could be heard.

Did I mishear or overthink it?

No, he was certain the voice was real, and he couldn't afford to be careless at a time like this.

With that in mind, Conan gently opened the scope of his wristwatch-type tranquilizer gun, held it in his hand, and prepared to fire at any moment. Then he reached out, grasped the handle of the agency's door, and slowly opened it.

From the moment the doorknob turns to the moment the door hinges open, there is a very slight creaking sound.

That was the very voice he had just heard.

At that moment, Conan's heart skipped a beat—

The door wasn't locked. Did Uncle Mori forget to lock it before he went upstairs drunk, or...?

Immediately, Conan sidestepped into the room, holding a wristwatch-shaped tranquilizer gun, and quickly scanned the entire room—

Outside the window of the Mori Detective Agency's sign, the moonlight and streetlights intertwined, dividing the agency into several areas of alternating light and shadow.

A quick glance revealed no one at the desk, no one at the sofa, and the shadows of the filing cabinet were equally empty.

He waited a few more seconds, and after confirming that there was no movement, he slowly straightened up, his eyes scanning every possible hiding place.

no……

At this moment, Conan's feelings were incredibly complex—

This wasn't the feeling of relief that came from seeing no one and thinking I was overthinking things; rather, it was an extremely unsettling feeling.

If he actually opened the door and saw someone, it would probably feel better than it does now. But both intuitively and logically, he felt that someone was likely to take action against the detective agency, yet he found nothing. This unease lingered in Conan's mind.

Conan was about to turn around to check other parts of the agency when—

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move in the shadows behind the door. Conan's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size, and his blood seemed to freeze in that instant.

He suddenly turned his head—

Behind the door, in the narrow angle formed between the back of the door panel he had just pushed open and the wall, stood a tall figure.

In that instant, Conan's pupils contracted to their maximum size.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting indistinct shadows that roughly outlined the person's silhouette—

A slender figure, long silver hair cascading from under a black hat brim, and a face that remained suffocatingly cold even in the dim light.

Gin!

Conan's brain seemed to stop working at that moment, even his breathing almost stopped, and all the muscles in his body were instantly frozen in place, as if gripped by some immense fear.

In that instant, Conan didn't even have time to think about pressing the tranquilizer gun switch on his watch; his mind was almost completely blank, and he didn't know what to do.

but……

It's too late for everything at this moment.

Before Conan could react, Gin's movements were so fast they were almost invisible. In the instant before Conan's fingers could even move, the black figure pounced like a predatory beast.

A large hand wearing a black glove suddenly covered Conan's mouth and nose with such force that it almost crushed his bones.

"Well--"

Conan let out a muffled groan as he was forcefully slammed to the ground, his head hitting the floor with a dull thud, and his vision went black for a moment.

At this moment, seemingly finally realizing what was happening, Conan struggled desperately, kicking his legs and trying to reach Gin's wrist with both hands, attempting to press the watch—

But the difference in strength was too great.

Gin's arm remained motionless, like an iron band, and the hand covering his face didn't even tremble slightly because of his struggle.

"Don't bother."

Gin's deep voice carried a chilling calm.

Conan's heart pounded wildly, fear surging in from all directions like icy seawater, overwhelming all his reason.

His eyes widened, staring intently at the face so close to his—

That face of his was like a nightmare.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Under the moonlight, Gin's cold eyes remained completely calm, but the smile on his lips resembled that of a hunter who had already confirmed he had caught his prey.

"Shinichi Kudo".

The name, uttered by the other person, struck Conan's mind like a thunderbolt.

He got it!

I should have thought of this. If things really came to this, why wouldn't it be Gin who showed up?

Conan's pupils trembled violently, and a desperate whimper escaped his throat. He struggled even harder, but Gin only increased the pressure on his hands, almost suffocating him... (End of Chapter)