Chapter 239: Hey, Whose Script Is This Anyway?

BONUS CHAPTER #2

At that moment, when Ran Mouri asked her question, Inspector Shiratori looked solemn and said, "I'll tell you, but you must never speak of this to anyone else." Then, without holding anything back, he explained what he knew:

Ten years ago, after his arrest, Murakami took a hostage to blackmail the police into letting him go. And that hostage just so happened to be Eri Kisaki, who was visiting Kogoro Mouri at the time.

Kogoro, seeing that the criminal had taken Eri, gritted his teeth—and shot her in the leg. The injury temporarily incapacitated her.

Murakami couldn't drag a wounded hostage, so he fled alone and was swiftly captured by police.

Of course, because Kogoro didn't explain his reasoning when he fired the shot, everyone—except Eri herself—thought he had coldly fired just to stop the criminal from escaping. The story became that of a man without tears or tenderness, a ruthless detective who'd shoot his own wife without hesitation.

After hearing this from Inspector Shiratori, Ran Mouri came to the same conclusion: her dad was cold-blooded. And now, she's unilaterally sulking and giving Kogoro the silent treatment.

Jiangxia Tongzhi, however, remembered that in the original timeline, their father-daughter relationship had been repaired after Ran herself was once taken hostage—and Conan made the exact same decision as Kogoro back then. Only then did Ran finally understand her father's choice.

Jiangxia pondered. Ran had always been keen on reuniting her parents and ending their years-long separation.

And every time she tried to set them up, someone ended up murdered at the date spot.

So… the misunderstanding between father and daughter must be resolved. Only then can Ran regain her faith in her father.

However, now is not the time for emotional family drama—definitely not when lives are on the line. There are plenty of ways to guide her to an epiphany without risking bodily harm.

Worst case scenario, Jiangxia could even put on a vest, cosplay as a fake kidnapper, and give Conan a toy gun for a "dramatic reenactment." It's the thought that counts.

In short: now is not the time for reconciliation arcs.

What is urgent? That violent explosion that just rocked the underwater restaurant.

…

Right as Jiangxia shoved Ran out of the path of the oncoming Ferrari, another wave of tables and chairs surged toward them.

Ran was stunned for a moment but quickly snapped into action. Jiangxia felt her brush past his side, raise her leg, and—CRACK!—two dining tables were kicked apart like wet cardboard. Debris floated harmlessly away from them.

Jiangxia: "…"

Great. Since her combat stats are clearly maxed out, he could safely pass out now.

Ran stumbled into the table behind them after the kick and let out a sigh of relief. But just as she relaxed, Jiangxia slumped forward like a marionette with its strings cut—completely silent.

Ran froze for a second, then caught him before he collapsed completely.

At the same time, seawater from all directions rushed in, engulfing their location.

Ran held Jiangxia tightly to stop him from being swept away, covering his nose and mouth as she struggled to swim upward.

Eventually, they surfaced near the top of the submerged restaurant, and Ran dragged Jiangxia above the waterline. "Jiangxia! What's wrong with you?!"

Jiangxia didn't answer.

But when she saw the look on his face, she immediately understood.

That expression… that blank, empty stare she'd seen several times before… It must've been the Ferrari. If Jiangxia hadn't pushed her out of the way, she would've been the one hit by the car.

Ran's eyes welled with tears. No doubt—Jiangxia had seen her about to be run over, and it triggered some awful memory.

And even then, he didn't hesitate to save her…

This debt of kindness is too great to repay. She could only… take him out to play more often! Yes! Let him see the beauty of the world! Help him heal from the trauma of car accidents!

…

Rewind the timeline a little.

While Jiangxia and Ran were dodging Ferraris like they were in a video game, the other guests were being tossed around by the flooding restaurant like dumplings in hot pot.

Sawaki Kohei happened to be in one of the safer areas, and he'd come prepared.

Before the water reached his platform, he took a deep breath and held it, planning to float to the top and join the other lucky survivors.

Behind him, unnoticed in the chaos, a strange shadow silently moved through the water.

It looked vaguely human, but its lower half was a fish tail.

It stirred the water with an eerie rhythm, and the resulting turbulence grew stronger and stronger. The Ferrari F40 caught in the waves was jostled off course, suddenly veering in a new direction.

Sawaki Kohei was just about to float upward when BAM!—something slammed into his back.

His calf screamed in pain, pinned by a sudden weight. Sawaki choked out a string of panicked bubbles, then clamped a hand over his mouth and nose and twisted around in horror.

He saw a car wedged against his leg. As the restaurant filled with more water, the current calmed, and the Ferrari—now steady—dragged him slowly to the bottom like some kind of mafia fish anchor.

Sawaki Kohei's brain went numb.

…Excuse me?! This is the bottom of the ocean—WHY IS THERE A CAR?!

A moment later, the truth hit him. It was the same Ferrari that had been on display in the hall. With that realization, blood rushed to his head, veins popped, and rage boiled over.

That lunatic rich guy actually parked a sports car inside a submarine restaurant?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!

Sawaki thrashed and yanked at his leg, then resorted to punching the car in impotent fury. It was useless. Even underwater, a steel sports car weighs a lot, and with one leg pinned, he could barely move.

After a few futile struggles, Sawaki gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down.

He shrugged off his now-loose suit jacket and pulled out a miniature portable oxygen tank. It was a last-resort survival tool he'd prepared just in case his murder plan backfired and the underwater restaurant collapsed or something.

He hadn't expected to need it this early.

Breathing through the oxygen mask, Sawaki finally steadied himself.

*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.

Progress: 36/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS

Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.

Progress:2/10*