### Chapter 42: Problem Child Conan

"By the way, Ran, do you know where Sonoko's villa is?" Fujino asked as soon as Ran sat down.

Actually, Fujino had no idea where Sonoko's villa was.

Perhaps due to his excitement, Sonoko had never given him the map to the villa until the last day of school.

Now, his only hope was Ran.

"Actually, I haven't been to Sonoko's forest villa either," Ran said with a sheepish smile. "But Sonoko did give me a map of the villa. It shouldn't be too hard to find it."

With that, she took out a map from her small bag and began examining it carefully.

"Uh."

Seeing Ran's expression, Fujino's mouth twitched invisibly.

He remembered that Ran was somewhat directionally challenged…

Meanwhile, while neither of them was paying attention, a small black figure, like a big black rat, darted out from an alley beside the Mouri house and quickly slipped into the trunk of Fujino's Ford Taurus.

Thus, even though the villa was not too far from their current location, Fujino still ended up taking a long detour in the Ford Taurus.

He even stopped at a gas station to refuel before finally arriving in front of Sonoko's villa.

Sonoko's villa stood in the middle of the forest, with a cliff in front and a steep wall behind it.

The villa was built in a Nordic style, with four floors, all made of local wood.

As for the furniture inside…

Given the deep mountain forest where even normal trucks couldn't enter, who knew how those rich people managed to transport it all.

"I really don't understand the thinking of the wealthy," Fujino said as he stood in front of the Suzuki villa, gazing at the villa across the cliff. "Building a villa in such a grim place—aren't they afraid of attracting something sinister?"

It seemed that Fujino truly did not understand the mindset of the wealthy.

Those well-fed folks always come up with some bizarre and expensive ideas.

"Something sinister?" Ran asked with a curious expression.

She then turned and pointed at the wooden bridge over the cliff in front of them. "Fujino-senpai, look over there. It seems like someone is crossing the bridge!"

Following her指 direction, Fujino saw a black figure slowly walking across the wooden bridge.

The figure was dressed in a black robe and wore a tulip-shaped black hat, looking very sneaky.

"Do you think that person is also heading to the villa?" Ran asked.

As soon as she spoke, the figure turned its head.

After giving Fujino and Ran a glance with a face full of bandages, the figure quickly quickened its pace and dashed into the villa.

"That person—how did they suddenly appear on the bridge?" Ran asked, looking shocked. "I didn't see them earlier…"

"Probably due to the curvature of the bridge," Fujino explained, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We were standing from a distance, and that person was crouching in the middle of the bridge. Our view was obstructed by the bridge's edge and the cliff, so we didn't see them."

He continued, "When we got closer, they suddenly stood up, creating the illusion of suddenly appearing. It's a technique often used in movies."

"Oh, I see!" Ran nodded, relieved. "I thought we were encountering something spooky."

"Bang!"

At that moment, a muffled sound came from behind them.

Ran's heart tightened.

Turning around, she saw Conan leaping out of the trunk and falling face-first into the dirt.

Looking at the dusty Conan, Ran was astonished. "Conan? What are you doing here?!"

"Hahaha." Conan quickly got up, dusted himself off, and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I wanted to visit Sonoko's villa too, so…"

"So you sneaked into the trunk and followed us here," Ran finished for him.

Fujino, too, turned his gaze to Conan.

Looking at Conan, who had somehow managed to sneak into the trunk, Fujino was speechless.

Good grief, this little rascal is becoming an expert at sneaking into trunks and landing gear. Is he a rat or something?

"Conan, you shouldn't do that!"

Ran walked over to Conan, first dusting off his back and then admonishing him. "Hiding in other people's trunks is really impolite… And it's also very dangerous!"

"Sorry, Ran-neechan…" Conan said, putting on a pitiful look, as if he was a wronged puppy.

At the same time, he glanced cautiously at Fujino.

His eyes revealed a sense of alertness and apprehension.

He looked like a dog who had his food stolen.

That Fujino is really irritating.

He actually brought Ran to this mountain villa for a private meeting!

Once I revert back to Shinichi Kudo, Fujino, you're in for a rough time!

Thinking this, Conan's small fists clenched slightly.

"Alright, Ran, it's getting late. If we're late, Sonoko will probably nag us again."

Fujino glanced at Conan's silly expression and added, "Since Conan-kun also sneaked along, let's take him with us."

"Sorry for the trouble," Ran sighed. "Conan just has a way of being mischievous around Fujino-senpai."

"Maybe this kid is just closer to me," Fujino said with a smirk, looking at Conan with a meaningful expression. "Isn't that right, Conan-kun?"

Conan shivered slightly at Fujino's gaze.

He felt a strange, eerie white light emanating from Fujino's glasses.

"Hahaha."

Conan laughed nervously, nodding and saying in a peculiar, high-pitched voice, "Yes, I really like Fujino-nii! Heehee!"

"So, adolescent psychological health education really needs to be emphasized," Fujino whispered to Ran. "Especially for highly intelligent kids abandoned by their parents. They're already sneaking into others' trunks. What will it be like in the future?"

He continued with a serious tone, "Kids like Conan, who have serious behavioral issues, need to be closely monitored. Otherwise, as they grow up, their problems will become more distorted, and one day they could turn into a menace to society…"

"A menace to society…"

Ran swallowed hard at Fujino's words and looked at Conan with a more thoughtful expression.

Recalling Conan's various odd behaviors, she couldn't help but nod in agreement with Fujino's point.

(End of Chapter)