Well hello! Here is a new chapter of Azure Redi-fanfiction. I start planning the next chapter. See you in the next chapter.
"W-What?!" Oota asked after entering Shizuka and Ran's room with the others after hearing Ran's cry from earlier. Then he spoke with the others to Ran:
"You got attacked again?"
"And the attacker was a bound man?" Takahashi asked.
"Yes", Ran said.
"Are you girls okay?" Ayako asked.
"Yes. I was just wondering how that man got inside this villa, since we locked all the doors and windows of this villa before we went to sleep", Shizuka said.
"It's definitely suspicious", Sumiya said, and began to examine the balcony door.
"Hey! Look at this", Takahashi said, examining the balcony door.
"What did you found?" Sumiya asked.
"The glass has been cut out of the balcony door!" Takahashi said as he saw the circle hole on the lower left side of the balcony glass door window, which was near the balcony door lock. The hole was a little bigger, a grown man's fist. There was a cut part of the glass on the floor of the balcony.
"So he did! He put his hand in through the hole he cut in the balcony window, and unlocked the balcony door," Oota said, opening the window of the balcony door.
"But this is the second floor! How could he have climbed up here?" Sumiya went to the balcony, then saw a tree near the balcony:
"Wait, I know how the bound man got on that balcony! He probably used that tree to climb onto the verandah".
"That's how it seems at first glance, but there's no water or mud stains on the floor of our room, which would usually be on the floor of a crime scene if someone broke into a house in rainy weather", Shizuka said as she came to the balcony with the others, still holding the flashlight in her hand. "It could mean that the murderer has either stolen one of the keys to this villa to get inside this villa, or the murderer is hiding inside this villa, waiting for the right opportunity to attack us. The murderer probably cut a hole in the glass door of the balcony to make it look like the murderer came inside this villa from the outside, even if he is actually hiding inside this villa. That explains why there is no water or mud stains on the floor of our room now".
"What a bastard!" Oota said. "That's how he got in".
Shizuka looked at the balcony until she saw the room next to hers and Ran's:
"Whose room is that?"
"It's Chikako's room", Ayako said.
"Maybe the bound man came to Ran-san's room and mine just from Chikako-san's room", Shizuka suggested as she walked towards the doors of Chikako's room and pushed them to see them open:
"The doors to this balcony aren't locked either".
"I-is the bound man hiding in Chikako's room?" Takahashi said.
"There's only one way to find out", Shizuka said, turning on the flashlight, and went into Chikako's room, which was empty. Shizuka turned on the ceiling lamp in the room:
"There's nobody in here".
The others entered Chikako's room and Shizuka began to examine Chikako's bed, which looked like it hadn't been slept on at all that night.
"What are you doing, Irene-chan?" Ran asked..
"This bed clearly hasn't been slept in tonight, because the sheets are so smooth", Shizuka said.
"But Chikako said earlier that she was going to sleep. Why would she lie?" Ayako asked.
Shizuka searched Chikako's bed until Shizuka found a paper under Chikako's pillow, which Shizuka opened and read aloud:
"Come to the forest or I will tell everyone the secret of Ao okoku".
"Or Ao okoku's secret? What secret could there be in that movie?" Oota asked.
"I don't know, but I think I understand how the murderer kidnapped Chikako-san. I guess the murderer left this message for Chikako-san somewhere in Chikako-san's room, thus luring Chikako-san to go to the forest. Chikako-san went to the forest behind this villa- through the door so that no one would see her going into the forest, which explains why Chikako-san's slippers were near the back door of this villa when Ran-san, Sonoko-san, and I went to investigate the back door of this villa earlier after spotting Chikako-san slippers were missing near the front door of this villa. There were also traces of dirt on the floor of the lobby of the back door of this villa at that time. After Chikako-san had gone to the forest, the murderer murdered Chikako-san with an ax after meeting Chikako-san in the forest. Then the murderer walked Chikako- san's body in front of this villa's canteen window to make us find Chikako-san's body in the forest. Where did the murderer leave this message?" Shizuka asked.
"I think I know. When I was with Chikako before, I saw her pick up some paper from under the door of her room. When Chikako read that paper, she looked startled, and then she went to her room to sleep, saying she didn't need dinner", Ayako said after remembering that matter. "Perhaps that's the paper I saw earlier that Chikako found under the door of her room before she went to her room earlier".
"I see. I guess the murderer left this paper under the door of Chikako-san's room to lure Chikako-san into the forest. Maybe Chikako-san was the murderer's original target, although I don't understand why the murderer tried to kill Ran-san twice already", Shizuka said .
Sumiya closed the balcony doors of Chikako's room:
"In any case, it's too dangerous to be alone now. Let's gather everyone in the dining room and wait for morning".
"G-Good idea", Oota said.
When everyone had gone downstairs and sat at the dining room table, Shizuka saw Ayako in her left pocket as Chikako's necklace:
"Ayako-san, didn't Chikako-san have that very necklace around her neck before?"
"Eh?" Ran was surprised.
"You're right, Irene-chan. It's Chikako's lanyard", Ayako took Chikako's lanyard out of her pocket and showed it to the others. "Right after you guys went into the forest to find the bound man carrying Chikako, I found this lanyard near the back door".
"Maybe Chikako-san had taken it off her neck earlier, and accidentally dropped it on the floor near the back door when she went to the forest to meet the bound man. Or what if the bound man left that lanyard on the floor near the back door to show us that Chikako-san went into the forest through the back door of this villa?" Shizuka asked.
"Who knows?" Oota asked.
"Shit, what's that bound man thinking?!" Oota asked. "He killed Chikako and attacked Ran-chan twice!"
"M-Maybe he's planning to kill us all?!" Takahashi asked.
"No dice!" Sonoko said.
"I don't believe it!" Ayako said.
"That's strange", Shizuka thought, looking at the paper she found under Chikako's pillow earlier. "The killer lured Chikako-san into the forest, murdered Chikako-san, and then led us into the forest to find Chikako-san's body, so if Chikako-san's lanyard had fallen then, it should have been in the forest as well. Why was that lanyard on the floor near the back door? Did Chikako-san forget that lanyard when she hurried to the forest? And then there's the text of this paper. Chikako-san went into the forest so that the murderer wouldn't tell anyone about Ao okoku's secret. What secret does that movie have to do with? It must be something that Chikako-san didn't want no one knows. Wait! Chikako-san said earlier that she didn't even want to talk about her friend, Tokumoto Atsuko, who committed suicide 2 years ago. Is Chikako-san's murder somehow related to Tokumoto Atsuko committing suicide 2 years ago?"
"Why didn't you hit the bound man with your karate skills when he attacked you?" Sonoko asked Rani. "That's not like you at all!"
"It's because I'm afraid of things like ghosts and monsters", Ran said.
"Isn't that bound man human like us?" Shizuka suggested. "The bound man is just wearing a fake costume so we can't see what his face looks like. I don't think he really likes Chikako-san. So no offense".
"Like I said before, not many people liked Chikako because of her arrogant attitude. I'll take care of you girls", Oota said.
"Have you ever seen that bound man's face, and that's why he's trying to kill you now?" Sonoko asked Ran.
"I don't think so", Ran said.
"I know something about the bound man's appearance. When I shined my flashlight on the bound man after he broke into our room, I noticed that he was skinny", Shizuka said.
"He could be anyone that Chikako had pissed off somehow, and this was the bound man's revenge on Chikako", Oota said.
"Sumiya-san, could you show us what you filmed with your video camera while you were here?" Shizuka asked as she saw Sumiya's video camera on the dining room table.
"Alright", Sumiya turned on her camera, and everyone looks at the things captured on the camera.
"If I remember correctly, Chikako-san had a lanyard around her neck when the bound man carried Chikako-san past the window of this room. It's at that point! Chikako-san had a lanyard around her neck! That must mean that Chikako-san's body was being carried then , when the bound man was carrying it, the bound man not only passed the window of this room, but was also inside this house at some point. Maybe the murderer deliberately dropped Chikako-san's necklace on the floor in front of the back door of this house so that we would know Chikako-san was gone out the back door of this house when he went to the forest to meet the bound man. So the murderer might be one of Ayako-san's friends who are now in this room. Anyone in this house now could have taken the body to the forest But when Chikako-san was kidnapped, everyone was then in this room!" Shizuka thought.
"Shall I make us some coffee?" Ayako stood up.
"Sounds good", Oota said.
"Hey, Ayako-san, you were the last one to see Chikako-san before she was killed, weren't you?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes. It was when she found that paper you found under Chikako's pillow earlier", Ayako said looking at the paper Shizuka was holding in her hands.
"So Chikako-san was really lured into the forest with that letter. But why the hell has the murderer tried to kill Ran twice already? Wait! Did Ran see something maybe when he went into those 3 men's room earlier without knocking while looking for ours? So one of those 3 men could very well to be a murderer. But how could he have passed in front of the window of this room while being in this room at the same time as he carried Chikako's body outside this room?" Shizuka thought:
"Ran-san, Did you perhaps see anything surprising after we came here yesterday?"
"I saw those 3 men changing their clothes in their rooms when I was looking for ours. They were changing their clothes then. I might have seen something, but I just can't remember what", Ran said.
"Try to remember", Shizuka said.
Zhah! Lightning flashed, and the ceiling lamp in the dining room went out.
"Power failure?" Shizuka asked.
"The lightning must have caused it", Oota said.
"S-Scary!" Takashi said.
"I'll get some candles from the kitchen", Ayako said.
"It's not safe if you go into the kitchen alone", Sumiya said.
"I'll help with the candles", Ran said.
"I'll help with the candles too", Shizuka said.
(Later)
Ayako walked with Ran and Shizuka down the hall of the villa, the candlesticks they had just lit in their hands.
Squeal!
"What's that sound?" Ran asked after stopping in the hallway of the villa with the others.
"It came from the dining room!" Ayako said.
"Is that the bound man again?" Ran asked.
Tum tum!
"Someone is running towards us from behind!" Shizuka yelled as she heard running sounds from behind.
Ran quickly turned around, and kicked the ax handle with her right foot, breaking it, and the ax blade fell to the floor. Click!
Tum tum!
"The bound man is running away!" Shizuka shouted as she heard the sound of running in the distance.
"That's an ax blade!" Shizuka shouted looking at the ax blade that had fallen to the floor.
"True", Ran said.
"I think the bound man is indeed hiding in here", Ayako said.
"This was already the third time that bound man tried to kill Ran! Is it really because Ran saw those men changing clothes in their own rooms earlier?!" Shizuka thought.
"Yeeeeeeee!" Someone shouted from the dining room.
"It was Sonoko!" Ran said as she ran to the dining room with the others.
"What happened!" Shizuka asked after running to the dining room with the others.
"The window on the second landing is broken", Sonoko said.
"The bound man just tried to kill Ran-san for the umpteenth time. The bound man is indeed hiding in here. I guess he broke the window to make the situation look like an outsider's act, and that he has escaped from here, even though he is still hiding here. Did you see the bound man?" Shizuka asked.
"We didn't, it was dark. All we heard was the sound of the window breaking", Oota said.
"Let's take a closer look at the window", Shizuka walked with the others up the stairs to the second landing to look at the broken window:
"What a mess!" Oota said.
"The inside of the balcony floor is covered in broken glass!" Takahashi said.
"A bound man seems to stop at nothing to get what he wants", Oota said.
"The lock hasn't been broken", Shizuka said after noticing that the locks on the bottom edges of the balcony doors were intact. "The bound man must have opened one of those locks, went out to the balcony, and then broke the window with a stone to make it look like he escaped through the window. Maybe it was because he failed again in his attempt to assassinate Ran-san. The bound man must still be hiding inside this villa, waiting for another opportunity to attack us".
"What are those grooves?" Shizuka asked as she saw two string-like scuff marks on the balcony railing. "Ayako-san, has this villa been recently painted on the outside? If so, maybe those grooves are some marks left by painters' tools".
"No. This villa hasn't been painted recently", Ayako said after seeing the grooves Shizuka had just seen.
"Now I see! I figured it out! It was a trick! The murderer is one of those three men!" Shizuka thought looking at Oota, Sumiya, and Takahashi. "But why did the murderer even try to kill Ran? Is it really because of what Ran saw when he saw those 3 men changing their clothes in their rooms when Ran searched our room? Wait! The bound man is skinny, so could Takahashi-san really be skinny, and therefore tried to kill Rani three times because he believed that Rani would later remember Takahashi's real body structure? Takahashi-san repaired the roof earlier to probably give himself a false alibi, and Takahashi-san was on the verandah when Chikako-san was kidnapped by the bound man".
Shizuka went with the others back to the dining room.
"It must be time to put Ra to sleep as a detective!" Shizuka sprayed the perfume from the bottle of perfume she had just taken from her pocket towards Ran.
"Um, Ayako-san, what happened to the candles we used earlier?" Ran asked, walking in front of Ayako, after which the perfume aimed at Ran hit Sonoko sitting at the table, who immediately fell asleep.
"I left them on that side table", Ayako said, looking at the candlesticks she left on that end.
"Well, I've put Sonoko to sleep in the detective role before!" Shizuka thought as she crawled to hide under the table. Shizuka was now sitting on the floor under the table.
"Now what, Sonoko? Sonoko?" Ran asked seeing that Sonoko had fallen asleep.
"I...I...I found out who Chikako-san's murderer is!" Shizuka imitated Sonoko's voice.
"What?!" Everyone asked.
"W-What are you talking about, Sonoko-chan?" Oota asked. "The murderer is apparently the bound man".
"That's right. That man is in the forest and ready to kill us", Sumiya said.
"Heh heh! Do you really think that the murderer is in the forest now? The murderer is indeed hiding in this house. He purposely made burglaries here to make the situation look like an outsider's doing. And apparently he only intended to kill Chikako-san", Shizuka said.
"Huh?" Sumiya asked.
"Try to remember what Ran and Irene-chan's room was like when the bound man tried to attack Rani for the second time", Shizuka said.
"I thought he broke in through the porch, didn't he?" Sumiya asked.
"Yeah. He jumped onto the second floor veranda from the tree that's near the veranda", Oota said.
"But why were there no muddy marks in Ran's and Irene-chan's room despite the bound man coming in from the rain?" Shizuka said.
"Now that you mention it, it's suspicious. Irene-chan shared her suspicion that the bound man came from Chikako's room through the verandah to Ran-chan's and Irene-chan's room, and then fled back to Chikako's room after failing in his attempt to murder Ran-chan", Sumiya said.
"Of course. That's how it went. The answer is simple", Shizuka said. "It is because the bound man was indeed inside this villa!"
Everyone was amazed.
"The bound man broke in through Chikako-san's room, which is next to Ran's room. From there, the bound man used the veranda to get into Ran's room, and attacked Ran. But Ran screamed, and the bound man ran back to Chikako-san's room. Then he quickly changed his clothes , and joined everyone who entered Ran's room, acting as if nothing had happened. In other words, the person who killed Chikako-san, and attacked Rani, is standing in this room even now!" Shizuka said.
"It's fun to play detective, but don't overdo it. We saw the bound man carrying Chikako through the dining room window, and everyone was in this villa then", Oota said.
"But if you use the bound man's puppet and the piano strings, you can make it look like the bound man ran in front of the dining room window while still inside this tallow", Shizuka said.
"D-doll?" Oota asked.
"Right. Remember those gouge marks on the porch railing that Irene-chan mentioned after we examined the newly broken window. Those marks were probably from the piano strings attached to the porch railing. That bound man walking in front of the dining room window was probably an inflatable doll that could be folded together", Shizuka said. "The murderer placed Chikako-san's body on the lap of the doll I just mentioned, and then concentrated on manipulating the two piano strings attached to the doll's head. He took one of the piano strings, and passed it through the central railing of the porch, took both ends of the piano wire in his hands, and attached it to the porch railing, after which he cut another piano string with pliers that went through the porch rail, and then when that doll had passed the window, he quickly pulled the doll up onto the porch, and collected the doll and Chikako-san's body. The only person who could have gotten it it looks like it was the person who was on the porch fixing the roof at the time. Takahashi, it can only be you!"
"Eh?" Takahashi was startled as the others looked at him. "You're kidding right Sonoko-chan?"
"The proof of your guilt is that there were two marks from the piano strings on the porch railing", Shizuka said. "Those marks are clearly still there on the porch railing. The only person who could have done something like that...is probably Takahashi-san, who did the sets at your film club while you were making films".
"Heh heh! L-Stop goofing around!" Takahashi said.
"So what did I do with the body after I supposedly pulled it up? After that I ran into the woods with everyone to look for that bound man, and that's where we found Chikako dismembered. I hadn't carried the body then?" Takahashi asked.
"Yeah", Sumiya said.
"It's still proof that you carried it", Shizuka said.
"Huh?!" Takahashi was surprised.
"Namely Chikako-san's lanyard! My sister found it near the back door", Shizuka said. "When Chikako-san's body is in your doll's hands, Chikako-san still had the lanyard around her neck. When everyone left the villa to look for Chikako-san, the fact that the lanyard was next to the front door of this villa means that someone carrying her body went out the back door. That's why you ran after the others in the forest looking for Chikako-san".
"Like I said, I didn't have anything in my hands at the time!" Takahashi said. "Anyway, there's no way I could have carried his body without anyone noticing".
"You can't possibly carry a body, but what about his head?" Shizuka asked surprising Takahashi. "You could have carried it alone!"
"What?!" Everyone asked.
"Think about it. What we saw outside the window was just Chikako-san's head covered with a cape. Her body was apparently already dismembered then, and left in the forest before you showed us that puppet trick", Shizuka said.
"That's absurd! Why would I kill Chikako?! Why would I attack Ran-chan? A-And...and", Takahashi defended himself.
"And"? Why don't you say that?" Shizuka asked. "You have proof, right? Why don't you say that the bound man and you are completely different sizes?"
"That's right, Takahashi-kun. The bound man is not overweight", Ayako said.
"Takahashi, why didn't you say that?" Sumiya said.
"He couldn't say that because he was afraid I'd ask him in return", Shizuka said. "Are you really overweight?"
"Ah!" Takahashi was startled.
"That's right. He's not overweight at all", Shizuka said. "That's why he could put the head under his blouse, and carry it. He first called Chikako-san into the forest, and murdered Chikako-san. Takahashi replaced the padding under his shirt on top of Chikako-san, and brought her back to the villa. And after doing the trick I mentioned earlier on the veranda , Takahashi put the doll, and the head back under his shirt, and ran with everyone into the forest. After that, Takahashi stuck Chikako-san's head into the forest, pretending to be looking for Chikako-san. In other words, Takahashi fooled us all about his weight, and was able to move his body freely with this bold, clever trick ! Using this trick to trick us, Takahashi made it look like the bound man had kidnapped Chikako-san, and brutally killed her in the forest. He stayed with us to make it seem like the bound man was behind all of this. But Takahashi's perfect plan began erupt after a certain thing Ra does".
"Huh?!" Ran looked at Sonoko.
"That's right. When Ran accidentally entered Takahashi's room, Ran saw it!" Shizuka said. "Ran saw the true size of Takahashi's body! At the time, Ran didn't think anything of it. But Takahashi was afraid that if Rain remembered that Takahashi was really thin, Takahashi's carefully constructed house of cards would crumble. That's why Takahashi attacked Ran in the forest so that Ran wouldn't be able to tell anyone That Takahashi was really thin. But Takahashi failed in his attempts to assassinate Ran. Takahashi also feared that Chikako-san, Takahashi's real target, would leave the villa as a result of the attack on Ran, so Takahashi cut the phone line, cut the bridge, and arranged to trap us all here. As Takahashi planned, so he lured Chikako-san into the forest, and brutally murdered her. He lured her out with a note that Chikako-san found under the door for her. I believe Takahashi's heart was probably Atsuko-san, who was in the same filmmaking club as you, who killed herself two years ago, and to which Takahashi was in love".
"Yes! I did it for Atsuko, because it was Chikako who drove Atsuko to commit suicide!" Takahashi shouted.
"Chikako drove Atsuko to commit suicide?!" Ayako asked in disbelief.
"What do you mean, Takahashi?" Sumiya asked.
"Something about Atsuko's suicide case didn't add up! Atsuko was always so cheerful, and full of life. One day, Atsuko took me to the club room of our film club, and showed me a script she had secretly made, which she considered her 'treasure,' and told me she dreamed of being a screenwriter. Atsuko was happy to talk about it from her dream. Atsuko's eyes lit up when she said she wanted to become a screenwriter in the future. That's why I couldn't understand why Atsuko had actually committed suicide. It wasn't until I saw Chikako's Ao okoku-movie that I understood everything!" Takahashi shouted.
"Ao okoku?!" Ayako asked.
"What do you mean?" Oota asked.
"I mean, Chikako's Ao okoku-movie that Chikako gained fame and glory for was a copy of Atsuko's secretly made Sorairo no kuni-script that I had read in the club room of our film club where Atsuko kept said script!" Takahashi shouted.
"So had Chikako-san found the script that Atsuko-san had secretly made in your club room, where Atsuko-san kept said script, and had Chikako-san stolen said script after reading the script and turned that script into an Ao okoku-movie?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes it was! Chikako only changed the title of that movie, but not the content in any way. Chikako destroyed Atsuko's dream of becoming a screenwriter by stealing the script that Atsuko made secretly," Takahashi said. "Actually, Atsuko was the one who should have gotten that fame, and the honor Chikako got for the Ao okoku movie she made by stealing the script Atsuko secretly made from our club room! Yeah. Because of that work, Chikako got the Atarashī kyakuhon-ka awādo award when she was still a student, and was now a famous screenwriter".
Everyone was surprised by what they heard.
"But that might not be why Atsuko committed suicide", Sumiya said.
"The day Chikako received that Atarashi kyakuhon-ka awādo award, which was the day before Atsuko killed herself, Atsuko called me and said, crying:
"No one...no one will ever believe me!" I think what Atsuko meant was that no one would believe her even if she tried to prove that she was the real author of Chikako's Ao okoku-script, and that Chikako had actually stolen the idea for her Ao okoku-movie from Atsuko by stealing Atsuko's secret script", Takahashi cried:
"That's why I left a note under the door of Chikako's room tonight, telling her to come to the forest, or I'd tell everyone the secret of her Ao okoku movie. When Chikako had come to the forest, I avenged Chikako for destroying Atsuko's dream!"
Everyone looked at Takahashi in surprise.
Takahashi then dropped his tied man outfit from under his blouse, and held a knife in his hand:
"It's over now. It's all over. I finally got my revenge for Atsuko. This reunion was a unique opportunity to get revenge on Chikako for Atsuko".
"W-Wait!" Sumiya said.
"Stay away!" Takahashi shouted pointing his knife at the others.
"Takahashi-kun!" Ayako screamed in shock.
"I defended Atsuko's right!" Takahashi pointed at himself with his knife.
"Stop it, you fool! It's true that by stealing the Sorairo no kuni-script that Atsuko-san secretly made, and turning that script into Ao okoku-movie, Chikako-san showed that she was a superficial fool at heart who stole the fruits of another's work. However, you went too far in your attempt killing Rani so often just because you believed Ran saw your true physique when Rani saw you shirtless before. You just wanted to get revenge on Chikako-san for Chikako-san ruining Atsuko's dream of becoming a screenwriter. Wasn't it enough just to have challenged Chikako-san sued for stealing Atsuko-san's dream? For example, Ran's mother, Kisaki Eri, is a successful lawyer called Hōtei no joō because of her excellent lawyering skills, and if you had just hired Kisaki-sensei as your lawyer when you sued Chikako-san for ruining Atsuko-san's dream, then Kisaski-sensei would surely have organized the space I'll pretend you won that lawsuit. Or not, because you wanted Chikako-san to suffer from the tragedy that Chikako-san caused by stealing Atsuko-san's secret script and turning that script into an Ao okoku-movie. The moment you decided to take revenge on Chikako-san for Atsuko-san, it clouded your clear thinking and in the process turned you into a blood-stained monster called revenge, which is not the right way to bring justice to Atsuko-san. And really, you're a coward who was willing to achieve his goal by murdering even innocent people because of the fear of your own exposure", Shizuka said. "People are always guided by some kind of light. However, those whose souls are blackened by stains seem to continue their eternal wanderings as prisoners of nihilism".
"Ugh!" Takahashi was startled, and dropped the knife on the floor.
Takahashi fell to his knees, and Shizuka got out from under the table and stood up.
The sun finally rose.
"A friend's betrayal led to his death. It was a tragedy where another friend turned into a monster. The villa was finally freed from the cold, tragic night. But be careful! If we are careless, he might appear in our hearts again. A monster called Revenge", Shizuka thought.
(One week later)
"It's good news that your sister is fine now", Ran said as she walked home from school with Shizuka and Sonoko on the sidewalk in Tokyo, and they stopped in front of the crosswalk as the pedestrian traffic light turned red.
The sun was going down.
"It's really good news. My sister was so shocked by the murder case that she was in bed for a week after it all happened", Sonoko said.
"But thanks to your superior detective skills situation resolved, Sonoko", Ran said.
"Huh? Of course. Your father, and Shizuka-chan too, are not up to my level as a detective. It's time for the big-ass detective, Suzuki Sono, to show off her skills! Heh heh!" Sonoko laughed.
"Looks like my secret is safe", Shizuka thought as the pedestrian traffic light turned green, causing Shizuka to walk across the crosswalk with her friends.
Some of the others laughed like Sonoko.