Five hours later, night had fallen. A heavy downpour had turned the forest paths into muddy quagmires.
Inspector Megure finally arrived at the villa with his team. Facing Kurosawa Hoshino's unwavering stare, he gave an awkward smile, his eyes darting around as he offered a weak explanation.
"Hoshino, it's not that I meant to come late. We ran into a little trouble on the way."
"What kind of trouble?" Kurosawa Hoshino asked flatly. "Even if the rain made the roads difficult, it shouldn't have taken five hours to get here."
"Uh…"
Inspector Megure struggled to respond. The other officers around him also looked embarrassed.
It was Sato Miwako who stepped forward and revealed the truth. "Actually, it's nothing serious. Inspector Megure led the team in the wrong direction. We got lost. Took us a while to find the right route again."
Hearing this, Kurosawa Hoshino was speechless.
He distinctly remembered there were only two forks in the road on the way here—and he'd told Inspector Megure to keep going straight. How did they manage to get lost?
Ran and the others were equally dumbfounded.
"Ahem. Hoshino-kun, I'll just… go deal with the culprit and the body first."
Unable to bear everyone's stares, Inspector Megure quickly led his men inside.
They sorted everything out in no time.
As he passed Hoshino on the way out, he lowered his voice. "Kurosawa-kun… what happened to the culprit's injuries?"
"He attacked me. I acted in self-defense." Hoshino's tone was casual.
"Oh. That's fine, then."
Inspector Megure nodded. Whether the self-defense was a little too forceful—well, his older brother could handle that easily enough.
He adjusted his hat, puffed out his belly, and asked, "Hoshino-kun, are you heading back to Beika Town? I can give you a ride."
"Let me check with the others." Hoshino stepped forward to ask.
Ota Masaru and Kakutani Hiroki wanted to leave immediately. After everything that had happened at the villa, they had no desire to stay any longer.
Suzuki Ayako didn't speak, but she nodded in agreement.
Ran and Sonoko, of course, were going along too.
And so, everyone piled into the police cars for the return trip.
Kurosawa Hoshino ended up in the car driven by Sato Miwako, along with Ran and the other two girls. Conan rode with Kakutani Hiroki and the others.
"Officer Sato, why didn't you drive your red Mazda today?" Sonoko asked from the back seat.
Sato Miwako gripped the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the convoy ahead. She smiled. "This kind of dirt road isn't suitable for that car. I just took the patrol car instead."
"Makes sense." Sonoko nodded.
Sato Miwako glanced at Kurosawa Hoshino in the passenger seat. He was frowning, lost in thought. "Hoshino, from your expression, is there something off about this case?"
"No." Kurosawa Hoshino shook his head slightly. "I don't know why, but I feel like I've forgotten something important. I just can't remember what."
Hearing this, Ran and Sonoko in the back seat secretly clenched their hands. Their fingers were already sweating.
They didn't dare breathe, terrified that Kurosawa Hoshino might suddenly remember the photos of him in women's clothing that they'd hidden.
"Oh, I get like that sometimes too. Usually, if you stop thinking about it, it comes back to you later."
"Right. I won't dwell on it."
After saying this, Kurosawa Hoshino glanced at the three women in the rearview mirror. He noticed Suzuki Ayako still sitting silently with her head down. He knew today's events had affected her deeply.
But from what he remembered of the original story, Suzuki Ayako would only be depressed for about a week before recovering. It wasn't a major concern.
He turned his gaze to the forest outside the window, shrouded in night. He admired it for a while, then thought about how he still needed eight more Origin Points. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.
Ten minutes later.
Inside the slightly bumpy police car, Sonoko leaned forward and peeked at Kurosawa Hoshino's sleeping profile. Then she sat back and whispered to her best friend.
"Hoshino really fell asleep. He didn't remember. That's great."
"He might not remember now, but maybe he will tomorrow. Or when we get home." Ran's voice was worried. She couldn't share Sonoko's relief.
Sonoko's expression flickered for a moment, then she stubbornly lifted her chin. "He deleted all the photos. What else does he want? I'm not afraid of him."
"Then I'll hide behind you."
"No way. You have the photos too. We share the good and the bad."
Ran sighed and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her album, disappointment heavy in her voice. "Too bad. They're really gone."
"Hehe." Sonoko leaned close to her ear, excitement barely contained. "Don't worry. I have a backup on my computer at home. I'll send it to you when we get back."
Ran's eyes went wide. She grabbed Sonoko's hand and shook it excitedly.
"Ran, you absolutely cannot let Kurosawa find out. Got it?"
"Don't worry. I definitely won't."
Kurosawa Hoshino, fast asleep in the front seat, remained blissfully unaware.
He thought deleting the photos from their phones would erase that embarrassing chapter of his life. He hadn't expected Sonoko to have a backup.
Some time later, Kurosawa Hoshino felt someone shaking him. He slowly opened his eyes.
"Hoshino. We're home. Time to get out."
Ran's gentle voice reached his ears. He glanced around. Most of the nearby shops were closed, but he still recognized the street—they were downstairs at the Mōri Detective Agency.
"I'm getting out now. Goodnight." Hoshino said to Sato Miwako and the others in the car.
Ran had already opened the passenger door for him and stood beside him, smiling. The moment he lifted his foot to step out, he inhaled sharply.
"What's wrong?" Ran asked, puzzled.
"My leg's asleep. Help me."
"Okay." Ran stepped forward, helped him out of the car, closed the door, and watched the patrol car drive away.
"Phew." Kurosawa Hoshino exhaled deeply. He stomped his foot hard a few times until the pins and needles faded.
"Where's Conan?" he asked, not seeing the boy anywhere.
"Conan's car was ahead of us. He came back earlier. He's probably upstairs already."
"Really?" Kurosawa Hoshino glanced up at the third floor across the street. Just then, the light in Conan's room flicked on. Looked like he was indeed upstairs.
"Ran, you should head up too. I'll just stand here for a bit."
"Okay. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Kurosawa Hoshino smiled.
Ran let go of his arm, turned, and ran upstairs as if a ghost were chasing her.
Kurosawa Hoshino shook his head, amused. Am I really that scary?
He took a step forward.
Then stopped.
It hit him like a thunderbolt—the thing he'd forgotten in the car.
I was so focused on the Origin Points, I forgot to settle the score with them about that photo.
He muttered to himself, annoyance creeping into his voice.
Unfortunately, it was too late now. He'd have to deal with them tomorrow.