Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

"Leave that place!"

"That guy's coming down!!"

"..."

Judy's pupils contracted as she looked at Ran Mouri... Because Cameron's condition was unclear, Sonoko Suzuki and the other children hadn't noticed what was happening here and had indeed taken him away first as instructed.

No, since James has clearly told me to withdraw, it means that there's no point in stalling now. We have to get out of there!

"boom!!!"

However, before Judy could speak, another loud bang was heard.

To be precise, it was countless loud noises erupting at the same moment.

Flames shot into the sky, and the tower beneath their feet began to sway.

It's a bomb!?

Judy's face changed drastically, and her heart clenched.

Judy didn't even need to think about who planted the bomb or who detonated it.

"Fuck!"

After instinctively cursing, Judy looked around to assess the situation.

The Suzuki family's tower is very tall and very large.

From Judy's perspective, looking from this inner layer, it's impossible to see the whole picture.

What is certain at present is...

The tower's swaying, which weakened immediately after the explosion, intensified over time, with dust and debris falling everywhere. Cracks in the floors, walls, and ceilings were already visible to the naked eye.

Furthermore, these cracks are still expanding.

Without a doubt, Judy was certain that a crucial structural point had been destroyed.

This means that the tower is about to collapse!

...Now I have no choice but to run, even if I don't want to.

"We need to retreat quickly..."

Judy grabbed Ran Mouri and tried to run away, but she couldn't budge her.

Turning around in confusion, Judy realized that Ran Mouri was staring blankly in the direction of the stairwell.

...Could it be that...?

Judy turned around abruptly and, sure enough, saw that dangerous figure.

Why, why so fast!?

Judy's face contorted in horror, and she felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat.

...Let's rewind to when Judy had just received a call from James asking about her intentions.

Sano, standing atop the tower, had been suppressing Shuichi Akai for nearly five minutes straight... This number doesn't sound exaggerated.

Especially when snipers face off on the battlefield, sometimes for hours or even days, the problem is...

This is not a battlefield.

The two sides in the standoff were not soldiers.

Time is extremely important to someone like Shuichi Akai.

...Shuichi Akai felt that criminals like Rye were the same.

If the time drags on, Shuichi Akai might miss his chance to capture Yoshino.

However, if things drag on for too long and the Japanese police get involved...

Shuichi Akai at least had his FBI affiliation to back him up, but Black Rye was a different story.

Of course, Shuichi Akai didn't think so.

Surrounded by the Japanese police, Rye would definitely be captured. Compared to that, Shuichi Akai was more concerned with what he could and should get.

Yes, it's Yoshino.

Rye is no longer a concern, as it's highly unlikely he'll be able to eat it. It would be best if he could, but Shuichi Akai won't make any effort for it. He just needs to get rid of this guy quickly, create space for himself to escape the other's lock, and then go find Yoshino.

This is the right way.

Therefore, when James contacted Shuichi Akai, he explained the situation.

Then I received another message.

It was said that someone would try to hold off the Black Rye, but it was uncertain how long they could hold them off. Shuichi Akai had to seize the opportunity... But James hadn't finished speaking yet.

Hideichi Akai, pressed tightly against the cover, saw, through the magnified image transmitted from the camera on his tablet—a camera he had previously placed elsewhere to observe the situation on the top of the tower—that Rye had holstered his gun...

Just as the key to this series of cases was discovered by using a 3D real-world map, technology benefits mankind. Shuichi Akai has always been good at using tools, whether for intelligence gathering or to assist in combat.

Of course, that's not important. What's important is whether this guy is planning to leave.

...Could it be that the black cat has successfully evacuated?

Shuichi Akai frowned. Did that mean he had failed before he even took action?

Then, turning my gaze, I saw a police car in the distance.

Or perhaps, it's simply a matter of not wanting to get involved in unnecessary trouble... Wait a minute.

In that case...

"James, the rye is ready to go down!"

"What!?"

James's voice was full of astonishment.

...Shuichi Akai had no idea what the outcome of this operation would be.

However, Shuichi Akai now knows for certain that there is no longer any need to get entangled with Rye.

Otherwise, it would be a meaningless... sacrifice!

Meanwhile, Sano, who had already turned back into the tower, was rubbing his fingers together.

...That's boring. Shuichi Akai is really sleazy.

To put it nicely, it's about being cautious.

They didn't even bother to show their heads.

However, there's really no need for me to keep an eye on things anymore. Yoshino has been successfully brought out, and the Japanese police are getting closer and closer... although there's really no need for that.

Since we've already put them away, it would be a bit troublesome if we didn't recycle them. But if we do recycle them...

It's also quite troublesome.

Consider it a smokescreen, and also a little gift for Conan and Shuichi Akai. As he descended the stairs, Sano snapped his fingers.

Previously, just in case, the crows had placed bombs in various locations on the Suzuki family's tower.

It immediately began to bloom.

Suzuki Tower: Dead!

But what happened next was unexpected; Sano had only just reached the next floor.

Then I saw Judy and Ran Mouri.

...What's going on? Why haven't these two guys run away yet?

"Run!"

Just as Sano was bewildered, Jodie, who was looking over, shouted at Ran Mouri without hesitation, and then forcibly dragged her along as they ran.

But Judy already had an injured hand, and if she dragged Ran along on the way...

Naturally, it can't run fast.

Ran Mouri finally realized what was happening, quickly pulled away from Judy's hand, and ran away.

The two had only run a short distance when the lights of the Suzuki Tower suddenly went out simultaneously, plunging the entire tower into darkness.

...Sano can swear an oath.

I didn't tamper with the electrical system of the Suzuki family's tower, nor was there any need for it. It was probably caused by the tower collapsing and the wires breaking.

On a whim, the sunglasses under the baseball cap transformed into night vision goggles.

Looking ahead, two figures whose vision was completely blurred appeared to be in a state of panic.

Judy was a bit better; after all, she was an FBI agent, so she had a more stable mindset.

But Ran Mouri is different... This girl is naturally afraid of the dark.

But...

The tower is collapsing faster and faster.

...It wasn't that a large boulder was about to hit Ran Mouri.

Only a section of the floor in front of it, near the edge of the tower, collapsed.

Ran Mouri couldn't see it and stepped into thin air.

The world returned to light from darkness... but Ran Mouri's mood did not improve.

Because Ran Mouri is falling from a height of over 300 meters.

"...Ran!!!"

Because he was focused entirely on Ran Mouri, Conan didn't notice that the rye at the top of the tower had retreated into the tower. Conan only realized something was wrong when the two met. His face hadn't even recovered a trace of color from its deathly paleness when he saw the situation had changed like this.

He immediately let out a deafening roar, wishing he could jump off the roof.

Ideally, I would grow a pair of wings and fly there.

Upon hearing Conan's voice, Shuichi Akai, whose sniper scope and camera lacked night vision capabilities, quickly locked onto Ran Mouri's figure.

But in this situation, there's absolutely nothing that can be done... Hmm?