On the giant rock, waves kept crashing against the surface. Spray scattered in the wind and fell over Ran bit by bit.
She did not care. She held her phone in her hand, and the name "Shinichi" was still displayed on the screen.
"I'm sorry, the phone you dialed is powered off."
She silently lowered the phone.
Suddenly, it rang again, and Ran quickly answered.
"I'm sorry. I might have let you down."
The voice on the other end startled Ran for a moment. Then she smiled. "Heiji? Why did you suddenly call me?"
"It's nothing. The wind and the waves are strong, so I wanted to see if you could hear them."
Ran froze. She quickly looked around.
Heiji was standing not far away. One hand was in his pocket, and he held the phone in the other. He was looking at her with a faint smile.
Ran quickly stood up and ran over. Her eyes were full of surprise. "Heiji, how did you know I was here?"
"I guessed."
"You guessed?"
Ran was taken aback. Then her lips curled slightly into a soft smile. "Sonoko and the others are looking for me too, right?"
"Then let's go back."
Ran did not want to make Sonoko and the others worry.
Heiji walked straight to the giant rock where Ran had been sitting. He glanced at the sea ahead of him, then simply lay down. Resting his head on his hands, he looked quietly at the sky.
"You still haven't sorted things out, right? I'll stay here with you until you do."
Hearing that, Ran's body trembled slightly. She stared at him blankly and stayed where she was.
The waves kept crashing against the rock, sending countless droplets into the air. They fell onto Heiji's face one after another, but he did not care.
He lay there with his eyes closed, quietly enjoying the sea breeze with its faint salty smell.
A light, familiar fragrance drifted over, and the droplets stopped landing on his face.
Heiji opened his eyes.
What he saw was Ran's face close above him and a large green leaf in her hand.
"You're awake?"
Heiji sat up and glanced at her. "Have you figured it out?"
Ran nodded. A bit of life returned to her eyes. "I have."
"So, can you tell me what you were struggling with?"
"Huh? Didn't you already know?"
"I'm not a god. How would I know?"
Ran paused, then gave him a look. "Last night, Doctor Narumi died. She burned to death right in front of me."
Her eyes slowly dimmed, and her voice grew quieter.
"Are you struggling with how fragile life is, or with feeling powerless?"
Heiji looked at Ran.
Ran met his gaze, and her expression darkened slightly. "I feel like Doctor Narumi didn't really want to kill anyone. She wanted to be stopped. It's just that none of us understood what she was trying to say."
"So, you're blaming yourself?"
Ran shook her head. "I was thinking... if I ever needed help, would I end up as helpless as Doctor Narumi? Would there be no one who understood me?"
"And what did you decide?"
"What did I decide?" Ran glanced at Heiji. Her lashes trembled slightly, and she blinked at him with a teasing look. "I'm not telling you, Heiji."
Heiji was caught off guard and had no answer.
Ran smiled. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment.
"Let's go. It's almost been two hours."
Heiji did not notice her expression. He checked the time and got ready to leave.
Ran looked out at the line where the sea met the sky and took a deep breath, as if she wanted to throw away all the heaviness in her heart.
The two of them walked slowly along the path through the trees, one ahead of the other. They spoke from time to time, and the atmosphere between them was calm and easy.
At the meeting point,
"It's almost been two hours. Why isn't Heiji back yet?"
"Don't worry. Heiji will definitely find Ran."
Kazuha softly reassured Sonoko.
Yukiko leaned against a nearby tree. Her eyes kept drifting toward the path on the right.
A woman in a long black dress and dark sunglasses stood quietly beside her. The corners of her mouth curved into a faint, dangerous smile.
"Alright, enough with the mystery act. You fooled me for so long, so you owe me."
Yukiko gave the woman beside her a sidelong look.
"Fine. I'll make it up to you properly," the woman replied with a charming smile.
"Tch, what a woman."
Yukiko rolled her eyes at the woman in black and pouted.
Heiji and Ran came out from the trees.
"Ran!"
Sonoko immediately rushed forward and threw her arms around her.
"Ran, you scared us to death."
Kazuha walked over and gave Ran a reproachful look.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to come out and clear my head."
A warm feeling rose in Ran's chest.
"Ran, guess who we ran into?"
Sonoko pulled back and blinked at her, looking mysterious.
Ran let out a surprised cry and quickly ran over, talking excitedly.
Heiji looked at the woman in the black dress standing next to Yukiko. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
[So Narumi Asai really was this woman in disguise.]
Since they had not seen each other in a long time, the women naturally had a lot to talk about. On the way back, Vermouth was quickly surrounded by Kazuha, Sonoko, and Ran.
Yukiko slowed her pace a little. She clasped her hands behind her back and walked side by side with Heiji.
"So, you already talked things out with Vermouth?"
Yukiko froze and shot him a look. "Can't you let me keep at least a little mystery?"
Heiji shrugged. "Vermouth's previous disguise was probably a black dress too. Since she dares to appear in front of you dressed like this again, she clearly isn't worried about being recognized. The most likely reason is that the two of you already settled things."
Yukiko rolled her eyes again. Her lips pressed together slightly. "Heiji, do you think Shinichi and Ran still have a chance?"
Her voice was very soft.
Heiji was taken aback. He turned to look at Yukiko. "You're already thinking about grandchildren?"
A blush instantly rose on Yukiko's face. She glared at him. "Don't be ridiculous. I just feel like Shinichi and Ran are drifting farther and farther apart."
Heiji glanced at Ran and smiled faintly. "To be honest, Kudo doesn't really deserve Ran..."
"Oh my, what do you mean by that? My Shinichi is very handsome—much more handsome than you. How can you say—"
"He's too selfish."
Yukiko stopped mid-sentence. She looked stunned.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you? Whenever he runs into a case, he rushes in right away, but he never really hides what he can do. No matter how gifted an elementary school student is, experience still limits what they can understand. But him..."
"He keeps making observations that no normal child could make. He notices things most people wouldn't even know, and he barely tries to hide his reasoning skills."
Yukiko looked at Heiji in surprise. "Since you already see all that, then say it clearly. How is Shinichi selfish?"
"On one hand, he ignores the danger of exposing himself because he wants to solve cases and show his deductions. On the other hand, he keeps hiding the truth from Ran and makes her carry that pain. Isn't that selfish?"
Yukiko fell completely silent.