That's wrong, he thought. His head understood. Two days had already passed since Shiho vanished on Monday night. And yet, the feel of the paper in his hand was the only proof that she had definitely been here. Wednesday morning had come to the Kudou residence study. Shinichi sat motionless before his desk. The farewell note gripped in his right hand was worn at the creases from being read over and over. Neat, meticulous handwriting. *Goodbye, Shinichi. I can't be the one to destroy your life.* Those two lines alone wouldn't leave his mind. On the desk: an untouched convenience store sandwich. Three empty coffee cups. His smartphone screen, buried in unread LINE messages from Ran. *(I said I'd protect her.)* A wall of bookshelves. His father's mystery novels lined up in tight rows. Every time he looked at those spines, Sunday — three days ago — came flooding back. Right here, he'd held Shiho's hand and said it clearly — "I like you." His own voice echoed back at him now, so stupid it made him sick. *(I couldn't protect her. Not a single thing.)* Shinichi couldn't move. The high school detective. He'd solved countless difficult cases. And yet now, he couldn't even protect one single woman. *Ding-dong.* The intercom rang. The professor. The third time just this morning. But he couldn't answer. He didn't even know what face he was supposed to show. *Ding-dong. Ding-dong.* Eventually, as if giving up, the footsteps faded away. Silence returned. Shinichi gently opened the farewell note and read it once more. Her handwriting. Written with force, yet without a tremor. He clenched the paper tight. He couldn't let it go. Because this was the last proof that Shiho had been here. Three days. It was only three days. But in those three days, his life had changed with an audible crack. Saturday night, when Shiho had dozed off in his arms. Her body heat. Her slender shoulders. Her steady, sleeping breath. *Make sure you live properly, Shinichi* — her voice through the door on Monday. Trembling, but gentle. Those memories were burning him alive right now. No one beside him. His body, having learned the warmth of another in the futon, recognized that emptiness with painful clarity. *(I... Shiho...)* Shinichi closed his eyes. Deep in his chest, it ached like something was slowly being torn apart. ──── Wednesday evening. The intercom rang again. This time, it wasn't the professor's leisurely press. A stronger, clearer sound. "[serious] Shinichi, you're in there, right? Open up." A voice. His heart clenched tight. Shinichi staggered to his feet. His legs, barely moved in two days, were heavy as lead. He walked down the hallway and opened the front door. Ran stood before him. Long, straight black hair. Bright, light brown eyes. But today, it wasn't her usual smile. Her brows were lowered with worry, her gaze fixed intently on Shinichi's face. "[scared] I knew it... you look terrible." In Ran's hands, a convenience store bag. Rice balls and a plastic bottle of tea were inside. "[gentle] The professor contacted me. He said you haven't been eating at all. I brought you some food." "...Sorry." Shinichi led Ran into the living room. The living room was dim. The curtains were still closed, and only the evening light slipping through the window faintly illuminated the room. Nothing on the table. The air felt like it had stopped. Ran took the rice balls and tea from the bag and set them out on the table. "[gentle] Here, eat. I'll eat with you." She sat across from him and stared steadily at Shinichi. That direct gaze was painful right now. Shinichi picked up a rice ball. The nori was a little damp. A convenience store rice ball. But it was something Ran had bought and brought for him. He tried to take a bite. —In that instant. A different dining table surfaced in his mind. Sunday morning. In the Agasa residence kitchen, making breakfast together with Shiho. She had a thin blue cardigan draped over her shoulders, her long silver-gray hair tied low into a single bunch. The smell of toasting bread. The steam from the coffee. "[gentle] Shinichi, do you think these scrambled eggs need a little more salt?" "[laughing] You do like things salty, don't you." "[sarcastic] ...Shut up." That kind of silly, trivial conversation. But that — it was gone now. "[scared] ...Shinichi?" Ran's voice brought him back. Shinichi gently set the rice ball back on the table. His mouth was too dry; he couldn't possibly eat. "[serious] Sorry. I'll eat later." A lie. Ran silently watched Shinichi's face. Then, quietly, she spoke. "[gentle] Shiho-san... do you know anything about Miyano-san? The professor is really worried." Something snapped deep in his chest. *(I didn't want to hear that name from Ran's mouth.)* Shinichi stared hard at the surface of the table. As if counting the wood grain. He barely held himself together by averting his gaze. "[gentle] Shinichi, you can tell me anything. Don't keep secrets." Ran's voice held no trace of accusation. There was only earnest, single-minded worry there. And that, in turn, gouged at Shinichi's heart. Ran had done nothing wrong. She kept waiting for him, and even now, she'd brought him rice balls, she was worried about him. And yet he — while lying to that same Ran — had spent three days with Shiho. *(I'm the worst.)* "[whispers] ...I'm just a little sleep-deprived. Don't worry." Even as he said it, he hated how thin his own voice sounded. Ran would see through a lie like this immediately. Ran looked at Shinichi in silence. Then, with a small exhale, she stood up. "[gentle] ...I'll come again. Make sure you eat, Shinichi." Saying only that, she headed for the front door. Unable even to stand, Shinichi watched her back retreat. The door closed. A light *click*. In that moment, Shinichi leaned against the living room wall and slid down to sit on the floor. The wall was cold. Ran's earnest kindness thrust his own wretchedness before him, relentlessly. Ran had done nothing wrong. And yet — it was only after Shiho was gone that he understood it clearly. He truly had liked Shiho. Not trust in a comrade, not gratitude. It had definitely been love. *(Now, of all times, to realize that.)* He covered his face with his palms. Behind his eyes grew hot. The man who had solved countless difficult cases as a high school detective was now, on the floor of the Kudou residence where no one could see, crying without a sound. Tears spilled between his fingers and fell to the floor. *(Shiho...)* Her name echoed inside his chest. ──── Past eight at night. *BANG!* The front door slammed open with force. "[scared] Shinichi-kun! This is terrible!" It was the professor. His voice was shrill, his usual easygoing tone nowhere to be found. Before Shinichi could even turn around, the professor burst into the living room. Behind his round glasses, his eyes trembled with fear. In his hands, he clutched a laptop and printed documents. "[scared] Look at this. It's information I barely managed to obtain through an unofficial Public Security channel." The professor spread the laptop open on the table. The screen glowed. Shinichi rose from the floor. His knees were shaking. But he forced them to move. On the screen, fragmentary data was displayed. Communication logs tracking the movements of the Organization's remnants. Fragments of location data. And — *Sanction of target scheduled for execution late Thursday night. Traitor — Miyano Shiho.* That single line seared itself into his eyes. "[scared] The Organization's remnants... Vermouth has been on the move since two days ago. The probability is extremely high that she has abducted Shiho-kun. The confinement location is an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, which the Organization once used as a covert research facility." The professor's trembling finger pointed to an address. An execution plan. *(Shiho is going to die.)* That reality pierced his brain. He had to go before late Thursday night. If he didn't make it in time — Shinichi's mind went cold in an instant. The thoughts that had been a tangled mess for two days sharpened to a razor's edge. "[serious] There's no time. If we move through official channels, Shiho will be erased." "[scared] But... we should notify the police..." "[angry] Impossible! They'll kill her before the police can act. I'm going." There was no hesitation in Shinichi's voice. Two days of self-reproach and despair were now transforming into fuel for action. The professor stared intently into Shinichi's eyes. Then, fumbling in his pocket, he pulled out a small device. "[serious] ...Understood. Then take this with you." The device resting in his palm was a small sphere, resembling a hand grenade. "[serious] A special smoke grenade that simultaneously generates a powerful flash and smoke screen. Used in an enclosed space, it can completely rob an opponent of their vision for several seconds. A new invention I've only recently managed to complete." Shinichi took it and slipped it into his pocket. Inside his pocket, Shiho's farewell note rustled softly. *(This time, I'll protect her.)* He put on his shoes at the front door. The professor called out, his voice filled with worry. "[scared] Shinichi-kun... please be careful." Shinichi looked back at the professor. His face might still have been a mess. But his eyes alone held no hesitation. "[serious] I'm bringing Shiho back." Saying only that, he sprinted out into the night of Beika Town. It was dark outside. The streetlights stood scattered in lonely rows. Only the sound of Shinichi's footsteps echoed through the quiet night road.