Mamiya Mitsuru said he'd show everyone around, but in reality, he just led them to an upstairs room with a full view of the chessboard below.
"Um, Kurosawa-kun—" Mamiya Mitsuru ignored the others and said quietly beside Kurosawa Hoshino, "What you said earlier in the courtyard downstairs—was it true or not?"
"True," Kurosawa Hoshino answered calmly.
"I—I—" Mamiya Mitsuru hesitated for a long while but ultimately couldn't make up his mind. "Kurosawa-kun, you all can look around on your own. Kijin and I have something to take care of, so we'll be leaving first."
With that, he left with Mamiya Kijin, who looked like he had more to say but held back.
"Hey, Hoshino." Once they were gone, Sonoko immediately sidled up and asked expectantly, "Do you really already know where the treasure is?"
Conan shifted a little closer, straining his ears to eavesdrop. Kogoro Mouri and the others also lowered their voices, hoping to hear Kurosawa Hoshino's answer.
Kurosawa Hoshino smiled. "You're overthinking it. This treasure isn't the valuable kind. Otherwise, the old master of the Mamiya family wouldn't have said before he died that whoever solved the puzzle would get the treasure. The fact that he dared to say that means the treasure probably isn't worth much."
"Brother Hoshino, so you actually haven't solved the chess puzzle?" Conan immediately asked. That was what he cared about most. It was one thing to lose to Kurosawa Hoshino at deduction, but if he couldn't even beat him at puzzle-solving, then he really had no advantage left.
Before Kurosawa Hoshino could speak, Sonoko cut in. "Conan, if you want to know the answer, solve it yourself. Don't be someone who wants everything without working for it."
Hearing that, Kogoro Mouri and the others instantly sobered up, looking as if they agreed.
"Cough." Kogoro Mouri cleared his throat and said righteously, "Conan, Sonoko is right. Think for yourself. Solve it yourself."
Ayumi and the other two kids swallowed the questions they were about to ask.
"Ran, why haven't you said anything since we came in?" Sonoko noticed Ran standing beside her, head lowered, hands fidgeting together, and asked, puzzled.
"I—" Ran glanced up at everyone, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said softly, "I want to use the restroom."
"Then go. I remember it's downstairs. I saw it when we came up."
"Come with me."
"Huh?" Sonoko was taken aback, then realized—Ran must have been scared by Mamiya Mitsuru's talk of ghosts haunting the place in the courtyard downstairs, so she didn't dare go to the restroom alone.
"All right, I'll go with you." Sonoko shook her head with amusement, linked arms with her best friend, and the two left the room.
Kurosawa Hoshino hadn't noticed the two girls leave. He slowly walked to the window and looked down at the chessboard on the lawn below.
"I bet the treasure is buried under those chess pieces," Kogoro Mouri said, also standing by the window and looking down for a while, offering his guess.
Since there was only one window in the room, Ayumi and the others didn't dare squeeze in next to Kurosawa Hoshino, so they ran to the window in the neighboring room to look. Ai went too—she was afraid that if she stayed, Kurosawa Hoshino's "claws" would reach for her.
"Heh." Kurosawa Hoshino chuckled, not answering Kogoro Mouri. He turned and saw that everyone was gone, but soon heard the voices of the kids from the next room.
He walked out of the room and went to the doorway of the neighboring room. Seeing no Ran or Sonoko inside, he didn't think much of it and directly activated "Scene Replay"—the most convenient way to find someone with this superpower.
Soon, two girls appeared in his vision, arms linked. Kurosawa Hoshino followed their figures and arrived at the restroom downstairs.
"So they went to the bathroom." He shook his head and leaned against the hallway wall, waiting for the two girls to come out.
But ten minutes passed.
"Hm?" Kurosawa Hoshino sensed something was off. He called out toward the inside, "Ran, Sonoko, are you in there?"
No response.
Thinking of the many secret passages in this castle, a theory formed in his mind. "Don't tell me they triggered a mechanism and got trapped in a secret passage?"
"Sigh—" Kurosawa Hoshino sighed and activated "Scene Replay" again, stepping into the restroom.
What greeted his eyes was the sink and a large mirror. The actual toilet stalls were further inside. He didn't go in, just stood where he was, waiting for the two figures to appear in the replay.
Before long, their figures appeared, washing their hands at the sink. Sonoko adjusted her hair in the mirror. Suddenly, the wall lamp on the wall beside her flickered, startling her. Annoyed, she reached out and patted it.
And with that pat, a door appeared on the wall not far away.
"Oh, a secret passage!" Sonoko was thrilled.
"It's so dark," Ran observed.
"Ran, want to go in and take a look? There might be treasure hidden inside."
"Maybe not. It feels creepy."
"Don't worry, we'll just look from the doorway. Hehe, later we'll go back and tell Hoshino, let him know how awesome we are."
"Promise me—just look from the doorway. Don't go in."
"Mm, don't worry. I've watched plenty of TV shows and read enough novels. I'm not stupid enough to go in. I'm sure it's like in the shows—the moment you step in, the door closes."
Kurosawa Hoshino listened to their conversation and watched as they walked to the doorway and peeked inside. He didn't know if the secret door had a time limit, but when the time came, it automatically closed. The two girls, caught off guard, were hit squarely in the back by the closing door and knocked inside. The door shut again, reverting to a plain wall.
"..." Kurosawa Hoshino shook his head, walked up to the wall lamp, and patted it. The door in the wall opened.
He took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and strode inside.
The air in the passage was foul, faintly giving off a bad smell. Kurosawa Hoshino continued watching the two girls' figures and listening to their conversation.
"Oh no, why did this door close by itself?" Sonoko hurriedly took out her phone and shone it on the door. She pounded on it hard, even kicked it, but nothing happened.
"What do we do now?" Ran also took out her phone and tried the door. She searched around for a mechanism but found nothing.
"Don't worry." Sonoko pretended to be calm and comforted Ran. "When we go missing, Hoshino will definitely come looking for us. He's so smart—he'll figure out the mechanism outside in no time."
Just as she finished speaking, both their expressions changed instantly. They looked in unison toward the dark passage ahead.