BWDC:SDDK Chapter 27: I See You Really Want to Go Toe-to-Toe with Batman!
Nagamitsu Nagamato's miserable cry for help instantly sent a jolt through everyone in the room.
Standing by the door, Hattori Heiji's eyes widened slightly. Recalling the warning Ren Ichimonji had given Nagamitsu Nagamato moments ago, he subconsciously turned to look at the calm, mysterious coffee-sipping man beside him and asked:
"You knew he'd run into danger the moment he stepped out? How did you do it?"
"Oh, it's just the experience of watching over a thousand episodes of Conan," Ren Ichimonji replied sincerely. "Usually, whenever you two are around and someone ends up alone, they're either the victim or the culprit."
Hattori Heiji: ?
So you're saying that Kudo and I put together are basically gods of death?
As for the bit about "watching over a thousand episodes of Conan," he filtered it out automatically.
When Hattori Heiji had chatted with Conan earlier that afternoon, Conan had already mentioned similar oddities. To that end, Hattori and Conan were in agreement—this guy had probably read too much manga and was hallucinating. It was best not to question him too much on that front; after all, mentally ill patients aren't legally responsible for their actions.
"Hey! What's going on? Where are you?"
The moment Mouri Kogoro heard that someone was hunting Nagamitsu Nagamato, his professional instincts kicked in. He snatched the receiver from Nagamato Yasue's hand and asked urgently, "Tell me the situation! I'm coming to save you right now!"
On the other end of the line, Nagamitsu Nagamato scrambled to speak, "I... I'm in the room right below you! Hideomi... Hideomi has gone crazy! He's chasing me with a knife! I almost got stabbed just now! He's coming! He's coming! Ah—!"
The phone line went dead with a burst of static.
However, the information revealed was enough to shock everyone in the room. What? Nagamitsu Nagamato was in the room directly below, and he was being hunted by Nagamato Hideomi?
No wonder the voice on the phone sounded like it had an echo; the source was right downstairs!
Mouri Kogoro and Hattori Heiji rushed to the balcony, looking down. There, they saw a man wearing a hat, his face wrapped in bandages, his eyes filled with malice. He was clutching a sharp knife in his teeth, staring coldly up at the group on the balcony. He looked exceptionally dangerous.
Mouri Kogoro and Hattori Heiji felt a pang of alarm. Seeing Hideomi but not Nagamitsu meant the latter was surely in dire straits.
"Quick, we have to go downstairs and save Nagamitsu—"
Mouri Kogoro turned urgently to speak. However, the moment he turned, Ren Ichimonji, still holding his coffee cup, brushed past him.
Mouri's face tightened in surprise, unsure of what Ren was doing. He watched as Ren tossed the remaining coffee out with one hand while grabbing the balcony railing with the other. He flipped himself directly over the edge, striking a pose as if he were still drinking coffee mid-air, his gaze faintly fixed on someone inside the room!
"What the—?! What?!" Mouri Kogoro was aghast.
Hattori Heiji was equally stunned. No wonder the reinforcements call him the reinforcement! Was he really this hardcore? With a knife-wielding murderer confirmed downstairs, he just vaults over the window to find him? And what was with that pose? Was he just showing off?
In mid-air, the last drop of coffee fell into Ren Ichimonji's mouth. His silhouette plummeted, sweeping past the balcony of the floor below.
The "Nagamato Hideomi" below had just finished his intimidation act and was turning back into the room when he heard a noise. He snapped his head back toward the balcony but saw nothing.
He let out a sigh of relief. Nothing there. Just scaring myself.
However, the moment "Hideomi" turned again to pick up his props, he felt something was wrong. The moonlight streaming in from the window seemed to vanish, replaced by a long, looming shadow.
Someone was standing behind him.
"Hideomi" spun around and saw a figure standing against the moonlight. He couldn't make out the face or the clothes, but he could faintly see a pair of eyes.
Fierce, dangerous, and terrifying eyes.
"You... you bastard, who are you!"
"Hideomi" didn't bother hiding his tracks anymore. He snatched the knife from his mouth and held it in an offensive stance, hoping to scare off the intruder.
But the intruder showed no intention of leaving.
"I am vengeance."
The intruder took a step forward, moving into the room with an overwhelming pressure that seemed to seize the heart.
"I am the night."
The hand gripping the knife began to tremble involuntarily. "Hideomi" didn't know why he felt such primal fear. He was the one with the weapon; he held the advantage! Yet, he was terrified of this unarmed man.
"I am Batman!"
The intruder stood directly in front of "Hideomi." At this distance, "Hideomi" finally saw the man's face clearly. It was Ren Ichimonji, the man who had spoken to him upstairs earlier.
"Hideomi" tightened his grip on the hilt. With a weapon in hand, murderous intent rose! He was already planning to kill; one more or one less made no difference. Besides, he had to act! If he didn't kill this lunatic calling himself Batman, his plan would fail, and he'd end up behind bars!
The blade lashed out with a chilling glint, thrusting toward Ren's abdomen.
However, a hand clamped onto "Hideomi's" wrist like a vice. No matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't move an inch forward. Furthermore, a terrifying, superhuman force began to crush his wrist.
Pain. A bone-deep agony.
Though "Hideomi's" face was shrouded in bandages, he couldn't hide his terror. His body was forced down by the pressure on his wrist, dropping him onto his knees as cold sweat poured down his back.
"Nagamitsu Nagamato," Ren Ichimonji said.
Even without entering "Batman mode," Ren could tell just by the facial structure that this "Hideomi" was the very Nagamitsu Nagamato he had warned earlier.
What a pity. He had given a warning, yet this guy still insisted on doing this right in front of him.
"I see you really want to go toe-to-toe with Batman!"
Nagamitsu's face contorted in pain; he couldn't even speak. Just then, there was a frantic pounding on the door from the hallway.
"Hey, Mr. Nagamitsu! Are you okay? We're here to save you!"
Fantastic! A spark of hope flared in Nagamitsu's eyes.
But a moment later, that hope was shattered.
"Damn it, the door is locked from the inside! Mr. Nagamitsu, the butler is getting the key! Hang in there!"
"Just hold on for thirty more seconds, and we'll be in to save you!" the voices shouted from outside.
Nagamitsu's eyes went wide. Save me my foot! I'm going to be beaten to death in five seconds, and you want me to hold on for thirty?
For the first time, he cursed himself for locking the door during his "crime." It was too late for regrets.
"It seems," Ren Ichimonji said, his voice dropping to a low growl as he hoisted Nagamitsu up with one hand, "that we have at least twenty seconds left."
"I'm going to make you spit out the whole truth!"
End of Chapter
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