### Chapter 65: Shadows of Childhood

"A bunch of annoying pests!"

The librarian, wielding the iron rod, glared menacingly at the descending elevator. He saw the body of a man lying on top of the elevator.

He glanced at the elevator's floor indicator. 

"First floor, huh?"

Muttering to himself, the librarian turned toward the stairwell, sneering, "You won't escape so easily."

He ran from the third floor to the first, sweat dripping from his forehead. As he reached the iron doors of the elevator, he sneered, "Finally caught up."

Moments later, with a ding, the elevator doors opened.

The librarian rushed forward, prying the elevator doors open with his hands and pulling out the iron rod. He shouted into the elevator, "Prepare yourselves, you damned pests!"

But his shout met only silence.

"Gone?" 

Surveying the empty elevator, the librarian was bewildered.

Then he realized, "They must have gotten off midway."

"You're clever little pests!"

He pressed the emergency stop button on the elevator, his face cold. "Without the elevator, no matter how clever you are, you're still fish in a barrel!"

"Click-clack-clack…"

Footsteps echoed from behind him. Were there other people besides those kids?

The librarian frowned.

Turning around, he saw a dark, large, and extremely thick object.

A wooden sword!

"Whack!"

"Ah!"

A dull thud mixed with a scream.

As the librarian turned around, someone struck him in the face with the wooden sword.

The intense pain made him clutch his head and stagger backward into the elevator, his expression twisted in agony.

The iron rod he had been holding fell to the ground with a metallic clang.

As the pain subsided, he looked up to see a young man in a black suit and vest, holding a wooden sword, standing at the elevator door.

For some reason, the librarian felt that the glasses the young man wore were gleaming with a cold, white light.

He glanced at the iron rod outside the elevator and then at the wooden sword in the young man's hand.

Yeah, not a chance!

He hastily tried to close the elevator door.

But when he pressed the button, nothing happened.

It dawned on him that he had just stopped the elevator!

Finished, he was trapped!

In the midst of his shocked realization, Fujino raised his wooden sword again...

---

That night, the library echoed with the sounds of anguish.

The mournful cries made listeners sad and the sounds were so vivid that one might think someone was slaughtering pigs.

The kids hiding on the second floor trembled in fear at the sounds.

But Conan, being braver, grabbed a flower pot and followed the sounds.

What he saw would haunt him for life.

In the dimly lit elevator shaft, a man with a rod was fiercely beating another man's head.

As he struck, he muttered, "Is this your childhood trauma? Your eyes glowing red? Pretending to be a ghost? Keep it up…"

Who was that person?

Such beating could be fatal!

Had someone else been murdered by the librarian?

Snapping back to reality, Conan furrowed his brow.

Without hesitation, he kicked the flower pot he had just placed on the ground.

Bang!

A loud noise and sparks flew.

The flower pot hurtled toward the back of the person committing the violence.

Hearing the clattering sound, Fujino sensed a threat and instinctively dodged.

A flower pot exploded in the elevator shaft.

That hit could be fatal, right? Fujino swallowed nervously, already figuring out who was behind the ambush.

Turning around, he saw Conan, still smoking after kicking the pot, in his classic blue outfit.

"Fujino?!"

Through the faint light, Conan recognized the assailant.

Who else but Fujino?

Fujino's lips twitched as he saw Conan.

This little rascal, so ungrateful?

Thoughts running through his mind, Fujino tightened his grip on the wooden sword.

Seeing Fujino's menacing look, Conan felt a cold sweat on his back.

The intense glare from Fujino made him unsure of what to say.

He scratched his head, remaining silent.

"By the way, Fujino, what are you doing here?"

After a moment of awkwardness, Conan finally asked Fujino.

His eyes showed his confusion.

"I heard screams coming from here, so I came to check…"

Fujino said, walking over and giving Conan's head a good rub. He scolded him, "And how many times have I told you to use honorifics when addressing your elders!"

"Yes, Fujino, sorry," Conan said, unable to resist after seeing the librarian foaming at the mouth.

Conan, looking resigned, showed a face of defeat.

After exacting his revenge for the flower pot, Fujino asked Conan, "So, Conan, why are you here so late? And what's with the violent old man?"

"It's the librarian!" Conan pointed to the librarian, who was foaming at the mouth. "He was dealing drugs in the library and killed someone who caught him!"

"Really?"

Fujino feigned surprise.

"Yes!" Conan nodded proudly.

Then he pointed to the elevator. "The body is on top of the elevator."

"Since it's about drugs, where are they?"

"The drugs are in the children's library," Conan explained. "He hid them behind the bookshelves, wrapped in books, so they wouldn't be discovered."

"Got it."

Fujino smiled and nodded.

Half an hour later, Megure arrived, albeit tardy.

The reason for the delay was traffic, but who knows for sure?

It's just that with such efficiency, one might as well handle things oneself rather than waiting for the police.

Waiting for the police means the person reporting the crime could be dead by the time they arrive…

Based on Fujino's testimony, the police found the victim's body on top of the elevator and a large stash of drugs in the children's library.

Megure was thrilled. 

The entire back of a bookshelf was packed with drugs!

Though it wasn't as much as on Moon Shadow Island, it was still a significant find!

**(End of Chapter)**