Chapter 88: What Just Fell Down?
In the dense forest, Natsukawa and the Thorn Princess stood facing each other in tense silence.
The Thorn Princess tilted her head thoughtfully, seemingly weighing whether Natsukawa's words held any truth.
She's actually considering it!
Natsukawa's mind raced as possibilities flooded through his thoughts. If he could talk his way out of this instead of fighting, that would be infinitely preferable.
There was genuine potential here—the Thorn Princess seemed willing to hear him out rather than simply eliminating him on the spot.
In that case...
Sorry, Asai-sensei, but I'm borrowing your identity!
"That's right—I'm actually Aso Keiji's son, Aso Honest." Natsukawa's voice dropped to a low, emotion-laden tone. "If you investigated properly before accepting this contract, you should know about my father, Aso Keiji, correct?"
He paused, as if gathering painful memories.
"My father was involved in an illegal operation with Kuroiwa Tatsuji, Kawashima Hideo, Nishimoto Ken, and Kameyama Isamu—who died two years ago. Twelve years ago, my father wanted out. He refused to continue participating in their criminal enterprise. But those four conspirators trapped both my parents inside our home and set it ablaze to cover up their crimes."
Natsukawa's voice grew harder, more bitter.
"I only survived because I wasn't home that night. I've spent years investigating, and I finally uncovered their despicable scheme. I came back to Tsukikage Island for one reason—to kill every single person responsible for murdering my parents. Their operation continues even now, creating new victims. I can't let them keep destroying innocent lives."
His voice rang with conviction. "Even if taking revenge means going to prison, I'm prepared for that. Justice and vengeance are what drive me forward."
The righteous declaration left the Thorn Princess momentarily stunned.
She parted her lips, about to respond—
—when a rustling sound from the forest made her freeze.
Both assassin and "detective" turned sharply toward the dense treeline.
After a brief, silent exchange of glances, they each melted back into the shadows.
Moments later, a beam of light swept across the area where they'd been standing. A small figure emerged into the clearing—a child, passing through with purpose.
Conan glanced left and right, then continued forward, his watch-light slowly disappearing into the forest depths.
Several minutes passed. Once certain the boy wouldn't return, the Thorn Princess emerged from concealment.
Natsukawa, however, didn't reappear. He'd completely vanished into the forest.
Of course I'm getting out of here.
It's not that I couldn't take her in a fight—I just don't want to interfere with whatever good deed she's doing.
"Did he just con me?"
Yor murmured to herself, her expression unreadable. After a moment's consideration, she retrieved the large suitcase she'd hidden earlier.
The job wasn't finished yet.
But that child seemed to be heading toward the cliff. She'd have to wait until he left before disposing of the body properly.
Such a disobedient child. Anya would never wander around dangerous places at night like this.
A thought occurred to her.
Maybe if I scare him a little, he'll learn to behave. Otherwise, he might be a bad influence on Anya if they ever meet.
Yor's lips curved into a small smile as the plan took shape.
Yes, that's exactly what I'll do.
Standing at the cliff's edge, Conan suddenly shivered and pulled his jacket tighter.
The ocean breeze is freezing tonight!
He'd gotten valuable information from the elderly police officer earlier—not just about the relationship between Aso Keiji and the four men, but he'd also retrieved an old sheet of music from the village station's storage room.
The musical score was strange somehow, though he couldn't quite identify what bothered him about it.
Giving up on that puzzle for the moment, he'd gone to the community center to investigate the piano Aso had left behind—only to get caught red-handed by Uncle Mouri and Inspector Megure when they returned.
He'd been unceremoniously thrown out with a fresh lump on his head.
Undeterred, Conan had decided to return to the cliff to search for any clues they might have missed during the daytime investigation.
"How exactly was the body transported up here?"
Conan pondered the logistics, carefully examining the ground with his watch's beam, searching for any traces—footprints, tire tracks, anything at all.
Based on rough calculations, Kuroiwa Tatsuji's body had to weigh at least 180 pounds. That kind of weight would leave obvious marks whether carried by a person or transported by vehicle.
"What's this?"
Conan suddenly noticed something unusual.
Besides the footprints left by the investigation team that afternoon, there were several deep indentations in the ground.
These impressions were at least a centimeter deep, as if made by something striking the earth with concentrated force.
Thud!
Realization struck like lightning.
High heels! Was the killer a woman?
He mentally reviewed everyone who'd climbed the mountain that afternoon. No women had been present except little Anya—and she definitely wasn't wearing heels. Even if she had been, a child couldn't possibly leave such deep impressions.
Without doubt, these marks belonged to the murderer!
A smile crossed Conan's face as pieces clicked together.
"Asai Narumi!"
He remembered clearly—Asai Narumi wore high heels.
It was her all along.
My instincts were right. She's connected to this case, and she probably disposed of the body.
The nurse had mentioned that Asai Narumi left the village clinic around 1 PM. She likely found a way to knock Kuroiwa unconscious in the restroom, returned to the clinic to establish an alibi, then went back to the community center to kill him.
But she'd been with the investigation group since 1:30. Could she really have transported a 180-pound man to this cliff in just half an hour?
"Damn it, what method did she use?!"
Conan slammed his fist against the ground in frustration.
"Ow! That hurts!"
He clutched his hand, nearly crying. The ground was covered in sharp pebbles, making the impact incredibly painful.
Whoosh—
Swish—
A dark shape swept past overhead.
"What was that?!"
Conan looked up sharply.
Before he could identify the object, several drops of liquid splattered across his glasses.
"This is..."
His expression changed drastically. He quickly removed his glasses, shining his watch-light on them.
The bright red liquid gleamed ominously under the white beam.
Blood!
It's definitely blood!
What just fell over the cliff?
Was it the village chief's severed head, or... something else entirely?
He spun around, scanning his surroundings. The forest was eerily silent, as if he were completely alone.
Yet the sound he'd just heard and the blood on his glasses proved otherwise. Someone else was definitely here.
The murderer!
They just threw something down right in front of me!
Conan felt a surge of indignation. This killer was not only cruel but brazenly arrogant.
Then a more chilling thought struck him.
Wait—I'm alone out here. If the murderer decides to attack, I'm in serious danger.
Behind him loomed the cliff edge. Before him, the forest remained eerily quiet. Conan swallowed hard as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
He positioned his watch at chest level—that way, if the murderer suddenly attacked, he could fire a tranquilizer dart in response.
Ten minutes passed.
Did they leave?
Conan finally lowered his aching arm. Maintaining the firing position for ten minutes straight had left his limb weak and trembling.
But what exactly did the murderer throw down?
He glanced over the cliff's edge. Below, lights flickered and voices carried up through the darkness—the police officers Inspector Megure had stationed there.
Since the body had been too mangled to move, two officers were keeping watch overnight to prevent wild animals from disturbing the remains.
(End of Chapter 88)
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