On the way back.
Sonoko looked at the forest outside the window and sighed. "The snow melted so fast. I can't believe it's all gone today."
Kurosawa Hoshino said flatly, "Do you think that's normal?"
"Normal," Sonoko nodded.
"Right," Ran agreed, nodding along.
Kogoro Mouri, who was driving, suddenly spoke up. "Looks like we're about to pass that castle we saw yesterday on the way here. Want to take a look?"
"Sure," Ran agreed.
Seeing her best friend agree, Sonoko naturally went along with it. "Uncle Mouri, let's go take a look."
Will this be the case from that episode? Kurosawa Hoshino thought to himself as he watched the castle tower appear in the distance.
Before long, their car arrived outside the castle's courtyard. But at that moment, a yellow Beetle was parked outside the courtyard, along with four kids and a bald old man.
It was Dr. Agasa, Ai, and Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko.
"Professor." Conan got out of the car and called out, "What are you all doing here?"
Dr. Agasa and the others turned around. Seeing Kurosawa Hoshino and the group, they were very happy.
"Conan~" Ayumi and the other two kids' favorite person was Conan. They immediately surrounded him, chattering away.
Kurosawa Hoshino walked up to Ai and smiled, ruffling her hair.
Ai gave Kurosawa Hoshino a silent glare. Once he pulled his hand back, she immediately hid behind the other kids.
"Heh." Kurosawa Hoshino chuckled, not minding. He looked at the castle in front of them.
This was almost certainly the castle from the "Blue Castle" case. And with Dr. Agasa and the kids here, it matched even more.
Meanwhile, Kogoro Mouri chatted with Dr. Agasa for a bit and learned why he had brought the kids here. It turned out he'd taken them camping today, but when they arrived at the destination, they discovered they'd forgotten the tent, so they were about to head back. On the way, they saw this castle, and at the kids' request, drove over to take a look. They hadn't expected to run into Kurosawa Hoshino and the others—it was quite the coincidence.
"Hello, are you friends of the master?" Just then, the large group was finally noticed by the gardener in the courtyard, who walked over and asked.
"Uh—" Dr. Agasa was about to speak when the man opposite him suddenly widened his eyes, as if he'd discovered some incredible treasure, turned, and ran inside, shouting as he went, "Master! Master! Good news—a famous detective is here! A real, super famous detective!"
Hearing that, everyone understood. The man had obviously recognized Kurosawa Hoshino.
"Tch~" Kogoro Mouri pouted. "These people are all so superficial. I'm a famous detective too, you know."
Ran and Sonoko stifled their laughter, used to Kogoro Mouri's sour remarks.
Ayumi said admiringly, "Brother Hoshino is so amazing. People recognize him everywhere."
Genta added, "If I were that smart, people would treat me to eel rice every day."
"Genta, don't just think about food," Mitsuhiko retorted.
A short while later, the same man returned with two other men, and they opened the courtyard gate.
"Ah, it really is Kurosawa-kun. Just now I thought Taji might have been mistaken. Let me introduce myself—I'm Mamiya Mitsuru, the son-in-law of the Mamiya family." The middle-aged man at the front spoke politely, appearing very modest.
The other two were Taji Katsuo, the gardener from before, and Mamiya Kijin, the 25-year-old son of Mamiya Mitsuru's wife from a previous marriage.
Both Mamiya Kijin and Mamiya Mitsuru were very happy to welcome Kurosawa Hoshino and invited them to be guests in the castle.
As they passed through the garden, everyone noticed that the lawn beside them was covered with large chess piece statues, and even the grass beneath was arranged like a chessboard.
"Wow, such a big chess set," Ran said, standing outside the lawn-turned-chessboard and looking it over.
"These—" Mamiya Kijin spoke with a nostalgic tone. "Actually, they were ordered by my grandfather, who passed away fifteen years ago. It's been like this ever since."
At that point, he looked at Kurosawa Hoshino, hesitated, and then spoke up. "Kurosawa-kun, I know this is abrupt, but I'd like to ask you to investigate something that happened four years ago. Don't worry—because it's been so long, I'll pay the consultation fee upfront whether you find any clues or not."
"Kijin, don't be so hasty." Mamiya Mitsuru frowned. "Kurosawa-kun just arrived. We should treat him properly first. Besides, it happened four years ago—there's no rush for a few more minutes."
"Understood." Mamiya Kijin lowered his head.
Listening to their exchange, Kogoro Mouri and the others grew curious.
Sonoko asked, "Excuse me, what is this about?"
Mamiya Kijin glanced at Kurosawa Hoshino. Seeing no change in his expression, he wasn't sure where he stood.
Mamiya Mitsuru pointed to a dark stone tower not far away and spoke with a hint of sadness. "It's over there. Four years ago, my wife, who had been living abroad, came back to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. That night, she and the servants she'd brought with her were resting in there. And that very night, a fire suddenly broke out. Everyone inside perished."
"Two years later, one of our servants said there must be a secret in that stone tower and decided to explore it. But after he went in, he disappeared. We called the police to search, but unfortunately, nothing came of it. In the end, his body was found in the surrounding forest—he had starved to death."
"From that time on, the servants in this house began to say that the people who died weren't willing to be burned and that their ghosts were haunting the place. So I had the door sealed."
When Ran heard the word "ghosts," even though it was morning and the sun was bright, she still felt a chill. Cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
After hearing Mamiya Mitsuru's story, Conan and Ayumi and the other two kids all looked at the charred stone tower with shining eyes, eager expressions on their faces. Clearly, they wanted to explore it.
"Is that all?" Kurosawa Hoshino finally spoke.
Hearing that, Mamiya Mitsuru's face showed an excited expression. He tried to keep his tone steady. "My late father-in-law once said that whoever could solve the chess puzzle in the courtyard would be given his most precious treasure."
"Are you sure he said whoever solves the puzzle?"
"Yes."
"I see. Heh~" Kurosawa Hoshino started playing the riddle game again, deliberately acting this way without saying it outright.
Instantly, everyone's curiosity was piqued.
Conan, however, was shocked. He stared at Kurosawa Hoshino in amazement. They couldn't even see the whole chess set from the courtyard, yet he said he understood. Was that real or not?
Mamiya Mitsuru quickly asked, "Kurosawa-kun, have you already solved the chess puzzle?"
"You just said it yourself—whoever solves the puzzle gets the treasure. Are you sure you want me to say it out loud?" Kurosawa Hoshino looked at him meaningfully.
"Uh—" Mamiya Mitsuru's expression stiffened.
Ran and the others also came back to their senses.
After a moment, Mamiya Mitsuru stiffly changed the subject. "Um, Kurosawa-kun, let's go into the castle. I'll show you around."