### Chapter 43: Confirmed by the Eyes—The Soon-to-be Victim

"By the way, Sonoko, did anyone with their face wrapped in bandages come today?" Ran asked nervously as soon as they entered the villa.

"Wrapped in bandages?" Sonoko asked, puzzled.

After thinking for a moment, she responded, "No one with injuries has arrived today. Why do you ask, Ran?"

"I saw someone with their face wrapped in bandages running from the suspension bridge to the back of the villa."

"Maybe you saw it wrong."

Sonoko appeared slightly impatient and waved her hand. "It could have been a stray cat or dog. There are some wild animals in this forest."

"I'm sure I didn't see it wrong!" Ran frowned and then turned to Fujino. "Fujino-senpai, didn't you also see that strange person in the black cloak?"

Fujino nodded, "Yes, we both saw a suspicious person running to the back of the villa from the suspension bridge."

"That's strange… Could it be?!"

Suddenly, Sonoko's tone changed. "Ran, the person you saw with bandages on their face—could it be the Grim Reaper in black?!"

"The Grim Reaper in black?!"

"Exactly!" Sonoko's face grew serious as she continued, "Legend has it that a person dressed in a black cloak died in this forest. Whenever young girls come to the forest, he will…"

"He will…"

Ran swallowed nervously, staring intently at Sonoko.

"He will jump out and capture the girl, taking her back to a cabin in the woods to eat her!"

"Ah!!"

"Hahaha!"

Seeing the look of horror on Ran's face, Sonoko's expression gradually shifted to a mischievous smile.

When Ran realized she was being teased, she looked at Sonoko with a reproachful expression and said, "Seriously, Sonoko, you're scaring me at a time like this!"

"Sorry, sorry! I just wanted to see how the fearless Ran would react," Sonoko said with a grin. "But the bandaged person you mentioned is indeed a bit strange."

"Forget it, we're here to have fun, so don't think about it too much."

Unable to figure out the mystery of the bandaged person, Sonoko decided to let it go and greeted Fujino and Ran, saying, "Your rooms are on the second floor. Quickly get your luggage settled. Everyone else has been resting for a while."

"But with so many rooms, which two are ours?"

As the three ascended the stairs to the second floor, Ran looked at the several room doors in the corridor with confusion.

Fujino, meanwhile, was deep in thought, his brows furrowed.

If he remembered correctly, the bandaged person was in one of the rooms on the second floor.

In the original story, Ran was attacked by the bandaged person simply because she opened the wrong door.

Perhaps… he could use this opportunity to lure out the bandaged person.

Putting aside his thoughts, Fujino proceeded to open the doors along the corridor on the second floor.

Opening the first door, he found a room with a man sporting a middle-parted hairstyle, who had been practicing it for two and a half years.

Fujino glanced and then closed the door.

Opening the second door revealed a plump man who looked docile but had a robust physique, starkly contrasting his appearance.

Fujino took a thoughtful look before closing the door.

The last room housed a young punk smoking a cigarette and holding a pair of triangular underpants.

Seeing the bare-chested young man, Fujino felt a shiver down his spine.

Shaking his head, he silently closed the door.

After finding two vacant rooms, he turned to Ran and said, "Ran, these two empty rooms are probably the guest rooms Sonoko prepared for us."

At that moment, Conan, who was standing aside, looked at Fujino with a baffled expression.

"This guy really doesn't knock before opening doors?" Conan thought.

Noticing Conan's gaze, Fujino's lips curled into a smile. He turned to Ran and said, "Ran, how about letting Conan stay in my room tonight?"

With a meaningful glance at Ran, Fujino added, "Since you've mentioned Conan has some psychological issues…"

Ran understood the implication and nodded. Considering their earlier discussion about Conan's behavior, she said with a light laugh, "In that case, please take care of Conan tonight, Fujino-senpai!"

"Ah?"

Conan, confused by the tacit understanding between Ran and Fujino, was abruptly pulled away by Fujino.

Fujino patted Conan's head and said with a knowing smile, "Conan, don't you enjoy spending time with me?"

"Looks like you'll need to keep an eye on me tonight!"

"Ah… hahaha…"

Conan realized with growing certainty that this was all deliberate!

Absolutely deliberate!

...

As the sky darkened and the wind howled, creating an oppressive atmosphere, the guests who had settled their luggage gathered in the living room downstairs.

Sitting at the dining table, Sonoko began introducing the other guests to Ran and Fujino.

Just as Fujino remembered, these people were all classmates from a university club.

The man with the middle-parted hairstyle sitting directly across was Hiroki Kakutani, a film magazine editor who had been practicing for two and a half years.

The plump man diagonally opposite was Ryoichi Takahashi, currently working at a food company. His bulky appearance starkly contrasted with his gentle demeanor.

Finally, the young punk was Katsumi Ota, an auto sales representative.

"He's obviously up to no good," Fujino thought.

"Next is my older sister. During university, she was responsible for costume design," Sonoko said, pointing to the gentle-looking woman beside her, Ayako. She added with a mischievous grin, "By the way, she's currently looking for a husband!"

"Sonoko, really…" Ayako said with a slight smile, "Don't speak about such things."

"Hehe!"

Sonoko laughed and then pointed to the short-haired woman sitting diagonally from Fujino. "And this is Miss Chikako Ikeda, who was in charge of film directing and screenwriting and even served as the president of the film research club!"

"Nice to meet you."

"Could she be the screenwriter of the currently showing film *Aqua Kingdom*?" Ran asked, curious.

Aqua Kingdom was a recent hit, winning numerous accolades and awards.

Chikako Ikeda had gained some fame as a screenwriter.

Even Ran had heard of her.

"That's right!" Ayako confirmed with a smile. "That was Chikako's work from university, and it was her debut in the literary world!"

"Well, let's not dwell on the past."

Chikako Ikeda waved her hand with some embarrassment as the old classmates began to catch up.

Until Ayako's previously gentle face showed a hint of melancholy when mentioning a girl named "Dons." Suddenly, Chikako Ikeda slammed the table and shouted, "Stop bringing up Dons!"

Everyone looked at Chikako Ikeda in surprise.

Fujino was also startled by the sudden outburst, his scheming thoughts interrupted, and his gaze fixed on her.

Hmm.

Confirmed by the eyes—this person is the soon-to-be victim.

(End of Chapter)