"You're Lain!" I, Edogawa Conan, yelled as the girl with the white hair clasp ran from the Net Café.
"Yes, that's right," Lain started softly. "I see I was careless this time."
"I didn't expect her to be so reserved after what people wrote about her online," the scientist said to auburn chestnut-colored hair and me.
Chestnut-colored hair responded in a matter-of-fact way, "it's typical for people to be like that under the veil of anonymity."
"So, don't take it the wrong way, but I have to figure this last puzzle in twenty minutes."
"Let us help you then, we don't want the object of your search. We just wanted information on Eden of the East. We think you'd know best of what's going on with ."
"So, you say you don't want the prize. Even so, you think you kids could figure it faster than me. So, don't take it the wrong way: I doubt it," was Lain's rejection.
"Don't underestimate us since we made it this far in the quest," I rebutted
"That's right. You did with the help of that old man there."
"I didn't do much of the puzzle work other than use my phone to look up things, Miss Lain," the Professor supported me.
"Tell me what you think then." I took the paper from Lain.
"It reads: The drummer from South Asia sat on the temple of modern rulers, while he wants to play music in the midst of the fountain of youth."
"The object is a "tabla," but I don't know what he means by the temple," Chestnut-colored hair spoke out.
"We're in a part of the city where there's no government offices. So the modern rulers can't be our politicians," the scientist noted.
"You're missing the connection between temple and rulers," I had it figured out. "It's a temple as in surface to make sacrifices to the institutes that run the country: banks. I'm betting that there's a tabla in some corner of the steps leading to Beika City Bank. Then the fountain of youth is in the park across the road."
"So, I see you're intelligent for an elementary school kid," Lain responded nonchalantly.
"I read it somewhere in the magazines that my parents subscribe," I quickly dodged the issue.
"That would be the case it seems," Lain said obviously unconvinced.
The group ran a couple of blocks to the financial avenue. After they reached the Heika city's main bank, they walked to the marble foundation of the bank and searched around for the tabla. Chestnut-colored hair was the first to spot it. It was behind a statue of an angelic form. This was because it was supposed to symbolize the free markets as was written below the statue. I don't know about how true this was about the financial system, but there were more important things to think about at the moment.
"Okay," the professor began. "Now, we've to figure out where to put the tabla."
The group hurried across the empty street. The park wasn't large and we found a fountain that was on despite the others being off for the night.
"It's probably on the top since the location could be seen from far away," Auburn pointed out. "There's a flat part right there."
The professor placed the table where she indicated. As soon as he did so, a laser indicated a panel on the floor. The group instinctively turned to see who had shown it. The light disappeared then, and all we could see around us were the shadows cast by street lights.
The person could have been anywhere within five hundred feet due to the limits of how far the laser beam could stay coherent. It would be nearly impossible to cover that radius for us.
Lain was already lifting the panel when the trio turned their gazes back. She sat with an open can of orange soda. There was something taped under it.
"Read it to us, Lain," the scientist spoke.
"Sit blank and play the correct note," Lain told us.
"Going with the theme, I would have to say the instrument is a sitar," Auburn hair informed the group.
"I'm assuming that soda is flat," I realized too late, "Lain, don't drink it!"
"It's okay. You're right. It's flat," Lain replied. "I'll play a synthesized sitar." She used her PPC and converted the South Asian notes to Western. She played a key. "That's it." As she spoke another laser indicated another panel on the fountain. I looked toward the source again, but I was greeted with darkness.
"Yeah! We did it," The scientist said excitedly.
Lain picked up a letter and a box from the cavity. She read the letter quickly and discarded it.
Auburn hair read it out loud, "All he stood for was chaos, but it was his chaos. This gave the world order. The universe tends toward disorder. He couldn't be allowed to exist.- Shizuo Hewajima"
"I'm not sure what to make of this," the scientist spoke. "Miss Lain, you have any idea."
"I need to post this. I need to post this. I need to post this…," Lain was furiously typing on her PPC with an opened box and opened bottle of some liquid."
"Don't go on Paradise!"
Click!
Lain's message got sent with a response of flashes. She fell limp afterwards.
Chestnut-hair picked up the bottle "It's some kind of synthetic fluid."