Chapter 347: The Life-Threatening Love Broadcast (End)
Venti untied the thick tape binding Officer Takagi's hands, feet, and mouth. "Officer, how are you? Are you alright?"
"Cough, cough." Having had his mouth sealed for so long, and having laid exposed to the biting cold wind for nearly an entire day, Takagi Wataru couldn't help but hack violently the second Venti tore the adhesive away.
After catching his breath for a long moment, he regained a fraction of his strength. He reached out, grabbing Venti's hand as the boy helped him sit up. "This..." Takagi estimated his rescuer's age. The boy didn't look like an adult in the slightest, prompting a quick change in address. "Little Brother, thank you for coming to save me. I'm doing much better now."
He paused. Looking at Venti's youthful, carefree appearance, Takagi couldn't stop his police instincts from taking over. "However, jumping down from the helicopter like that was entirely too dangerous. We are several meters in the air, and if you..." If you hadn't landed perfectly on this wooden board, a careless jump could have left you battered and bruised, or worse.
Unfortunately, before Takagi Wataru could finish his lecture, Venti preemptively interrupted. "Since you can talk so much right now, Officer, it seems your condition isn't too bad at all. That's great! Let's get ready to go down!"
"Go down?! Go down where?" Takagi Wataru's attention instantly derailed.
Confused, he craned his neck to look up at the helicopter hovering above them. "Shouldn't the people in the chopper be finding a way to rescue us and pull us up?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Takagi Wataru watched with his own two eyes as the aircraft swayed once, tilted its nose, and slowly flew away into the clouds.
"..." Officer Takagi's eyes widened to the size of saucers. His voice cracked in disbelief. "Wait, why did it fly away?! Then how are we supposed to..." leave this place?
Venti offered a bright, unbothered smile. "It seems you're just about ready, Officer. Let's head down!"
With that, the boy grabbed Takagi Wataru by the arm. He completely ignored the detective's stuttering protests of "Wait! Don't!", and amidst the collective gasps of the officers watching the live feed from their tablets back at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Venti dragged him right off the edge of the board.
"Alright, Officer, you can open your eyes now. We've arrived."
During the rapid, stomach-churning descent, Takagi Wataru had squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for a fatal impact that never came.
After a good while, upon hearing Venti's cheerful voice right next to his ear, he finally peeled his eyelids open. His knees knocked together, still thoroughly shaken by the drop.
Looking around, Officer Takagi realized they hadn't splattered against the concrete ground. Instead, they stood on a bizarre, glass-like platform suspended in mid-air. The surface beneath their shoes reflected the sky above, creating a dizzying optical illusion.
"Be careful, Officer. Although this platform seems to have been treated to hold weight, it probably isn't very sturdy." Venti carefully supported Officer Takagi by the elbow, guiding him to stand upright while offering a gentle warning.
"Right." Takagi Wataru nodded, swallowing hard. He thanked Venti profusely, then pointed a trembling finger toward a spot he had just noticed near the edge. "It seems we can go down over there. Let's be careful and head that way."
Back at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, chaos had momentarily frozen. Seeing Venti and Officer Takagi stop in mid-air after jumping, with their clear reflections visible right beneath their feet on the monitor, Conan Edogawa's lenses flashed. He instantly realized this was a visual trap set by the culprit.
The location where Takagi was situated was actually a building only about two stories high. The culprit had cleverly used angled mirrors to reflect the appearance of the structure above, creating a forced perspective that made it look like the building was a terrifying four stories high.
By now, Takagi Wataru and Venti had moved out of the camera's frame, leaving the area monitored by the culprit. Knowing that Takagi was finally out of immediate danger, a collective sigh of relief swept through the precinct. Shoulders slumped, and the heavy tension in the room dissipated.
Shortly after, Inspector Megure received a direct call from the Hokkaido police, informing the Tokyo branch that local units had already picked up Takagi and the boy. Now, everyone relaxed completely.
"Takagi is fine, so I'm leaving." Matsuda Jinpei stretched his arms over his head, let out a loud yawn, and turned toward the exit.
"Wait!" Miwako Sato called out, her voice cutting through the ambient chatter to stop Matsuda in his tracks. "The day after tomorrow is the anniversary of Officer Date's death. Let's go visit him together then."
"Forget it." Matsuda Jinpei didn't bother turning back. He simply waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. "Sato, you should wait until that kid Takagi is fully recovered and go with him. On the anniversary, I'll just find some bastard to go with."
"Huh?" Miwako Sato blinked, her brow furrowing. She didn't understand what Matsuda Jinpei meant.
A bastard? Had Matsuda arranged for someone else to go visit Officer Date's grave with him?
Miwako Sato stared at Matsuda Jinpei's retreating back with a thoroughly confused expression. She remained completely unaware of the Detective Boys huddling together, whispering with their heads lowered the moment she had called out to her former partner.
Ayumi cupped her hands over her mouth. "I heard that Officer Sato and Officer Matsuda used to date."
Conan Edogawa glanced sideways. 'Where did Ayumi hear about this? How come I didn't know?'
Klee chimed in, her voice an eager whisper. "Klee knows about this too. Big Sister Natsume told me. They dated three years ago, but it's a pity they broke up not long after."
Conan Edogawa widened his eyes, staring blankly at the little girl in red. 'How does Klee know about this too?'
Genta scratched his chin. "Huh? Then why did Officer Sato break up with Officer Matsuda? I think Officer Matsuda looks much cooler than Officer Takagi, and he looks way more imposing too."
"It's probably because of their personalities," Mitsuhiko analyzed with absolute earnestness. "Usually, that's the main reason couples break up..."
Conan Edogawa stared at the group in silence. '...'
Heh, a bunch of elementary school students, analyzing adult relationships so seriously.
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