248

"Got it… that sounds so like Ran, doesn't it?" Sonoko said with a grin, then teased, "If that deduction freak doesn't come back soon, you're gonna turn into a statue waiting for him, Ran!"

"Come on, you should just give up on that deduction nut ever coming back!" 

Ran shot her a pouty look. "Sonoko!"

Before she could finish, a loud *crack!* rang out behind them. They turned to see Conan flat on his butt, sprawled out on the ice.

"Hey, what's this? First time skating or something?" Sonoko crouched down with a wicked grin, flicking Conan's forehead. "Finally got some dirt on you, you smug little brat! Get ready—we're gonna have some fun messing with you later!"

"Don't be like that, Sonoko," Ran said with a soft laugh, bending down to help Conan up.

"Ahh! Get out of the way!" 

A panicked woman came barreling toward them, screaming. Fujino stepped forward, took a deep breath, and locked eyes on her. She had short, reddish curls, wore black tights, a beige coat over a purple shirt—probably in her thirties, he guessed.

Instinctively, Fujino almost kicked her out of the way… but then he glanced at the ice skates on his feet. *Yeah, nope.* One kick with those blades, and she'd be sliced in half. He shot a quick look back at Ai, Conan, and Ran—too late to grab them and dodge.

Thinking fast, Fujino braced himself. He slammed his right skate into the ice, shattering it and anchoring the blade deep. 

*Thud!* 

The woman crashed chest-first into his forearm, hitting what felt like a steel wall. The impact sent her stumbling back, landing hard on her rear.

"Oww! That hurts!" she whined, sitting there all dainty-like.

"Fujino!" Ai snapped out of it first, rushing over. "You okay? Not hurt, right?"

Ran and Sonoko hurried over too, checking on him.

"I'm fine," Fujino said, yanking his skate out of the ice. "With my build, a little bump like that's nothing." He tapped his arm, letting out a crisp *clink*. "Still got a few weighted plates strapped on here."

They all breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Conan stared at the deep gash Fujino's skate left in the ice, lost in thought. *…One kick, and she'd be toast, huh?*

"Hey, Chihiro!" A guy in an orange suit skated over slowly. "You okay? Not hurt, are you?"

"It hurts so much!" the woman, Chihiro, wailed dramatically. "Hurry up and help me, Koji!"

"Geez, you just learned to skate—why'd you go so fast?!" Koji griped, pulling her up.

"Hmph… Chihiro, that cutesy little-girl act to snag guys won't work forever," a woman with long brown hair sneered from nearby. She wore a yellowish-brown trench coat over a blue sweater. "Even a curious, hyper-rich girl like you turns into a plain old hag after thirty."

Sonoko: "…?" *Is she throwing shade at me?*

"Sano, that's harsh!" Chihiro snapped, rubbing her backside and glaring at the woman. "Why do you always have to pick on me like that?"

Sano turned away with a huff. "You just annoy me."

"Hey…" Fujino finally spoke up, clearly irritated. "You almost plowed into people back there. You're just gonna act like nothing happened?"

"I didn't hit anyone, did I?" Chihiro spun around, pouting. "And… and anyway! I'm the one who got hurt the most here!"

"You're awful!" Sonoko shouted, indignant. "You nearly crashed into a kid!"

Ran nodded. "Even if you didn't hit a kid, you still slammed into Fujino-senpai!"

Seeing a commotion brewing, Chihiro's friends skated over. 

Sano, the long-haired woman, said coldly, "Chihiro, you should apologize properly."

"Yeah, come on, Chihiro," Koji added. "Just say sorry—it's our fault, after all."

"Ugh, fine…" Chihiro muttered, realizing she'd gone too far. She put on a pitiful face. "Sorry, okay? If I hurt you, I'll cover the medical bills."

"Medical bills, huh?" Fujino mused. Back in the day, he'd have milked this—rolled around on the ground, claimed a concussion, and demanded compensation. But now? He's a big name. Extortion's beneath him. 

He straightened up, all serious. "We just wanted an apology, that's all. No need for money."

"You should thank him," Sano said dryly. "If he'd sued, even a rich girl like you might've ended up in court."

"You…" Chihiro started, but—

"Alright, enough!" A woman in a knit cap and a puffy jacket skated over, laughing lightly. "We clay-shooting buddies don't get together often—let's not ruin it with all this bickering!"

Sonoko still looked miffed, but since Chihiro had apologized and offered to pay, she let it slide. Then she perked up. "Wait, you guys do clay shooting too?"

Ran tilted her head. "Clay shooting?"

Koji turned to explain. "It's a sport where you aim a shotgun at little clay discs and shoot 'em down for points."

(End of chapter)

**Chapter 248 - Another Riddler [4k+2k Bonus Update]**

"Shooting clay discs with a shotgun…" Fujino thought it over, curious. "Is it fun?"

"Super fun!" Sano said with a grin. "It's great for reflexes *and* stress relief."

"So you've gotta buy your own gun for that, right?" Fujino asked.

"Yup, we usually use hunting shotguns for clay targets," Sano nodded. "We all have gun licenses and our own shotguns…" She paused, then added, "If you're interested, you could get a license and a gun and join us!"

"Totally!" the knit-cap woman chimed in. "It's more fun with a bigger group."

"If it's shotguns and licenses, I'm out," Fujino said, shaking his head. "I'm still a high schooler—can't exactly get those."

In Japan, regular folks *can* own guns, but the license process is a hassle. Plus, you're limited to shotguns, air rifles, and bolt-action rifles. Handguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, machine guns? Nope, banned. Well, for normal people, anyway—otherwise Fujino wouldn't have snagged six handguns from his cases. 😏

"Wait, you're still in high school?!" The group blinked, sizing him up. "No way…"

With his physique getting buffer by the day, plus his standout 5'10" height and sharp looks, Fujino could easily pass for a guy in his twenties when he ditched the school uniform for a suit.

"Speaking of which," Chihiro piped up, "it's been a while since we all hung out, right? Like, since that thing six months ago?"

Conan's ears perked up at the mention of a mysterious past event. Time to dig! "Six months ago?" he asked, all innocent-like.

Chihiro leaned down toward him, whispering, "Wanna know, little guy?"

Conan nodded. "Yup!"

"Okay, but fair warning—it's a *really* scary story…"

"Enough, stop it!" a voice cut in, shutting her down.

*Ugh, seriously?* Conan grumbled internally as his fishing attempt flopped. He turned to see a rugged-looking guy in a blue jacket skating over, scowling at Chihiro. "Are you an idiot? Why would you tell a kid something like that?"

"Hehe…" Chihiro tapped her head and stuck out her tongue, playing cute. "Oops, forgot!"

Fujino: "…" *Is it just me, or does she sound like a total flirt?* Something about her screamed green tea vibes. Judging by the convo, she's probably some spoiled rich girl, too.

*Some shady rich guy… Could he be fishing for something?*

Fujino felt a chill run down his spine, nearly breaking out in goosebumps.

The rugged-looking man glanced at Chihiro, who was trying to act cute, then turned away with a gruff huff. "I've said it before—if anyone mentions that guy again, I'm outta here."

"Hey, Oda, you heading back already?" Kanji called out to the tough guy named Oda. "Didn't we agree to grab drinks later?"

"I'm just stepping over there to smoke," Oda shot back without turning, clearly annoyed. "No idea which idiot made me remember that nauseating jerk."

"What the heck!" Chihiro pouted, her cute act falling flat. "Thinks he's hot stuff just 'cause he's good-looking? What a jerk with that attitude."

"But this time, it's kinda your fault…" The woman in the knit cap tried to chime in, only to get cut off by Chihiro. "I just slipped up, okay?! And he's over there calling me an idiot left and right. If anyone's going too far, it's him! Total jerk—doesn't fit in, and his mouth's a mess."

"Doesn't fit in?" Sano frowned, turning to Chihiro. "I've been meaning to ask for ages—what's so 'out of place' about him?"

"You haven't noticed?" Chihiro looked genuinely shocked.

"I've got no clue what's going on…" Kanji admitted.

"Yeah, what's the deal between you two? Why's it just you saying he doesn't fit?" the knit-cap woman asked, puzzled.

Chihiro's expression got even more dramatic. "Wait, seriously? You guys *really* don't know?"

"Just spit it out already!" Sano snapped, losing patience. "You're driving me nuts!"

"Nope! Not telling!" Chihiro stuck out her tongue and glided off on her skates. "The ones who get it, get it. But you're not some nosy heiress, so of course you wouldn't understand."

"Hey, where you going?" Kanji called after her.

"Bathroom…" Chihiro mumbled, then smirked. "If you still haven't figured it out by the time I'm back, I might drop a hint or two!"

"That chick—she's so annoying!" Sano gritted his teeth, glaring at Chihiro's retreating figure.

"Another riddle master…" Fujino muttered from the sidelines, narrowing his eyes as he watched her go. His vision glasses flashed white.

In his mind, a classic Conan-style formula clicked into place: 

*[Riddle + Conflict = Tension]* 

*[Tension + Shotgun + Victim]* 

*[Riddle + Conflict + Shotgun + Victim = Murder Case]* 

Yup, no doubt about it—someone's dying here soon. 

And that someone's probably among this group. 

Most likely that spoiled president's daughter… 

But with the wild logic of the Conan world, the reasons for a "Mihua awakening" are always bonkers, so it's hard to say who'll bite it. 

As for the killer? Even tougher to guess.

"Not something a curious heiress would get, huh?" Ran fired back, turning to Sonoko. "So, our super-curious Suzuki conglomerate heiress—do *you* get it?"

"Uh… how would I know?" Sonoko grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I'm not some over-the-top rich girl like her."

She'd clocked that green-tea vibe too. 

Honestly, it kinda rubbed her the wrong way.

Pondering, she glanced around, then pulled out her phone. "Wait a sec—it's almost 7 already? Why's it still so crowded?"

"Probably folks sticking around for the fireworks," Ran said, pointing at the castle in the distance. "This rink's the best spot to watch the show behind it."

"Ohhh, that makes sense~" Sonoko squinted playfully, setting a trap. "How'd you know that, Ran?"

"Shinichi told me ages ago…" Ran answered without thinking, falling right into it.

When she caught Sonoko's gossipy grin, she whined, "Sonoko! You're teasing me again!"

"You guys here for the fireworks too?" The knit-cap woman—Raiko—glided over. "We came for that too. Back in the day, after shooting clay targets, we'd always swing by here for the show."

"Raiko, I'm skipping it like usual!" Sano shouted from a distance. "Meet me at the café nearby later—I've seen these fireworks a million times."

"I'm suddenly kinda hungry," Kanji added, heading off. "Gonna grab something at the convenience store. Wait here 'til the fireworks start, okay?"

"What the heck!" Raiko muttered under her breath. "And here I've been dying to hit the bathroom…"

"No worries, Ms. Raiko, go ahead," Ran offered. "We'll stick around and let your friends know when they're back."

"Thanks so much…" Raiko said gratefully. "Sorry for the trouble—I'll be quick!"

Fujino watched Raiko skate off, letting out a quiet sigh.

All five of them scattered.

Classic four-choice murder setup… 

This is *definitely* turning into a case.

"Ugh…" Sonoko suddenly started fidgeting, looking antsy.

She glanced at Ran, then Fujino, before whispering, "Uh, Ran, I gotta hit the bathroom too…"

"Huh?" Ran checked the time. "The fireworks are about to start, though."

"Can't hold it…" Sonoko mumbled, then zipped off. "I'll be back fast!"

Fujino glanced at her retreating back. "Where's Sonoko off to?"

"She's going to the bathroom," Ran whispered in his ear.

"Uh…" Fujino blinked, speechless.

The bathroom *now*? 

What if she stumbles into a murder scene and gets chased by the killer? 

If that happens, Chihiro's probably the victim… though that knit-cap lady went too, so she's a suspect for dying as well.

*Whoosh!*

A sharp whistle cut through the air behind him.

Fujino turned to see three massive fireworks launch above the castle, bursting into red, blue, and yellow blooms across the night sky.

After the opening trio, smaller fireworks followed in scattered bursts.

Fujino glanced down at Haihara Ai and Conan.

The two fake kids, too short to see over the railing without stretching, leaned on it with eager eyes.

Fireworks were rare outside festivals or big events, so even they couldn't resist the pretty lights.

Not like Fujino—back in his past life, New Year's meant firecrackers and skies full of sparks, like an anti-aircraft barrage.

He reached out with his left arm and scooped Haihara up.

"…?" She flinched as her feet left the ground, startled.

Realizing it was Fujino, she relaxed, silently gripping his shirt and turning back to watch the fireworks.

"…" Conan shot them a jealous side-eye, then glanced at Ran.

*Damn it, kinda jealous.*

"So pretty!" Ran exclaimed, hands on the railing, gazing at the sky.

"Right?" Sano popped up behind them, elbow on the rail. "Especially those first big ones at the start—pure magic."

"Ms. Sano?" Ran turned. "You came back for the fireworks after all?"

"Yeah, it's been a while. Figured I'd catch it again…" Sano trailed off as Kanji jogged up, panting. "Phew! Made it just in time!"

Raiko slid back too, looking around. "Wait, where's Chihiro and your friend from earlier?"

"She went to the bathroom…" Ran frowned. "You didn't see them?"

"Nope," Raiko said, thinking. "When I got there, the restroom had a 'cleaning in progress' sign, so I swapped my skates and used another one."

"That's weird," Ran mused. "Sonoko's still not back…"

"Ahhh!!" Before she could finish, Sonoko's scream echoed from afar, sounding like a pig getting slaughtered.

Conan leapt off the railing and bolted toward the sound on his skates.

At the same time, a system alert chimed in Fujino's ear: 

*"New detective job mission detected—please check it out!"*

"Here we go," Fujino muttered to himself, not surprised at all.

With a thought, he opened the system task interface, the screen glowing in front of him: