"Success!"
Upon seeing through his telescope that Hayashi Yoshiki had landed safely, Vodka finally exhaled.
His back was soaked with cold sweat, and now that the tension was gone, his legs felt weak beneath him.
He turned cautiously to his older brother.
Gin was still gazing through the telescope, his sharp eyes locked on Yoshiki as a crowd swarmed him.
"I'm leaving," Gin said coldly, turning away.
Vodka caught the calmness in his voice and sighed in relief. He followed quickly as they disappeared from the rooftop.
Beneath the twin skyscrapers, Hayashi Yoshiki had just escaped the chaotic grip of reporters.
Finally...
He barely had time to breathe when a firm hand clapped his shoulder.
"Uncle Mōri?""Yoshiki..."
Mōri Kogorō stood in front of him, face tight with emotion. If one looked closely, a slight redness lingered in the detective's eyes.
He tried to speak, but words faltered. Instead, he just kept patting Yoshiki's shoulder.
"Thank you... Thank you so much, Yoshiki."
Yoshiki simply smiled.
"Uncle Mōri, do you have any cash on you?"
"Eh? Yes, why?"
"I left my wallet in my jacket... the one I took off before jumping."
He glanced toward Mōri Ran, who was now being embraced by Suzuki Sonoko, both laughing and crying.
"I promised Ran I'd treat her to ice cream once we were safe."
Realizing this, Kogorō hastily pulled out his wallet. His hands trembled slightly as he opened it and offered Yoshiki several bills.
"It's not that much!" Yoshiki laughed, accepting only a ¥10,000 note. "This is plenty."
By now, the police had begun evacuating the area. Firefighters were still working to extinguish the blaze above.
Tokiwa Mio, accompanied by her secretary, rushed over. The once-radiant executive now looked disheveled and grim. She came to apologize and thank Yoshiki, though she was clearly preoccupied.
The Tokiwa Group would take a massive hit from this incident. As the executive in charge of the Twin Towers, Mio was likely facing intense scrutiny.
I'll find time to ask her about [Noah's Ark] later, Yoshiki thought.
Before parting, Mio arranged a hotel and shuttle for Yoshiki and the others.
Yoshiki approached Ran with a warm smile.
"Brother Yoshiki!!""Thank you so much!""You were amazing!"
The children crowded around, eyes filled with awe.
"But let's not make a habit of this," Yoshiki chuckled. "Now... who wants ice cream?"
"Ice cream? Now?""Really?!"
The kids lit up instantly. Resistance was futile.
"Thank you, Brother Yoshiki!"
"If anyone deserves thanks, it's your Sister Ran," he replied, exchanging a gentle smile with her.
The shuttle dropped them off at the hotel, and Yoshiki led the group to a nearby convenience store.
"Only place around here with ice cream," he shrugged.
"That's fine..." Ran smiled brightly.
She, like the kids, stood eagerly before the freezer, the earlier trauma seemingly forgotten. She chose strawberry. So did Yoshiki.
As they walked back, Ran and Sonoko lingered at the rear.
"I was so scared when you jumped!" Sonoko cried. "If anything had happened to you or Brother Yoshiki... I'd never forgive myself."
Ran smiled, gently unwrapping her treat.
The coldness of the strawberry ice cream against her lips brought back a rush of memory—that moment before the jump.
Was he really going to kiss me...?
The memory fluttered uncertainly in her chest—clear, yet confusing.
"Ran? Hey, Ran?" Sonoko nudged her.
"Huh? Oh... sorry, what?" Ran blinked.
"You looked spaced out. You okay?"
"I'm fine," she smiled. "Really."
Behind them, Conan Edogawa walked quietly, deep in thought.
"What's on your mind, detective?" asked Haibara Ai, slowing her pace to match his.
"It was Gin," Conan said gravely. "He planted the bomb in the building."
Haibara's pupils dilated.
"The man who killed the congressman was [Kisaragi Minemizu]. According to his confession, when he went to kill [Hara Jiaming], the guy was already dead. All he did was leave a broken teacup as a signature."
"Before Yoshiaki Hara died, he was clutching a silver dinner knife," Conan continued. "'Silver' in Japanese letters is... Gin (Ginkaku)"
"Also," he added, "remember when we visited the Twin Towers last week? Someone reported seeing a black Porsche 356A parked nearby."
"I remember."
Haibara's expression turned grim.
Gin killing Hara Jiaming wasn't surprising—she knew the Organization had been scouting elite programmers. But to bomb the server room... and blow up the bridge?
Why...?
Haibara looked at Yoshiki's back and felt a chill run down her spine.
Could he have been their target, too...?
The thought made her heart clench.
She remembered—the moment the bridge exploded was right as Yoshiki stepped onto it. It wasn't coincidence.
They tried to kill him.
She shuddered. Her face paled like a frightened kitten.
Conan, noticing, assumed it was stress from hearing Gin's name.
"It's okay," he tried to reassure her. "They're gone."
"You don't understand..." Haibara whispered.
"What?"
But she said no more.
Her gaze fixed on Yoshiki, Haibara felt a terrible uncertainty take hold of her heart.