9:45 PM — Movie Theater, 7th Floor, Beika City Hall
Standing in line to buy popcorn, Shinichi enthusiastically rambled on about the plot of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, completely ignoring the feelings of his childhood friend.
Standing in front of him, Ran clenched her fists tightly.
If wasting food weren't a crime, she really wanted to grab Shinichi by the head and shove him face-first into a bucket of fragrant popcorn so he could experience what true popcorn freedom felt like.
Remembering that the cashier was innocent, Ran forced out a polite smile and stiffly said,
"One caramel popcorn and two hot lemon teas, please."
"Ran, I'm telling you, The Hound of the Baskervilles is such a classic case!"
Hearing him continue his endless monologue behind her, Ran angrily shoved one of the lemon teas into his hands.
"Exactly how long are you planning to talk about Sherlock Holmes? We're about to watch—"
"Sorry, Ran! Hold this for me! I need to use the restroom!"
"Huh? But there's still the popcorn! How am I supposed to carry all of this?!"
Watching the unreliable idiot run off into the distance, Ran could only stomp her foot in frustration.
Unfortunately, that stomp landed on something soft.
Having assumed the line would move forward after someone left, Wataru never expected a young woman to step directly on his foot.
The shoes in question were a brand-new pair of white sneakers he had just bought.
More importantly, they had been carefully chosen by his girlfriend, Natalie Kuruma.
Although he felt a little annoyed, the other party was just a young girl and clearly hadn't done it intentionally.
He could only accept his fate.
"Mister, I'm really sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
Seeing the sincerity in her apology, Wataru naturally couldn't stay angry. He waved his hand generously.
"I'm fine. Do you need help with anything, though?"
Natalie peeked out from behind her boyfriend and smiled. "We can hold that lemon tea for you until your boyfriend comes back from the restroom."
"Boyfriend?!"
Ran immediately shook her head. "No, no, that's not it! We're not dating!"
She gave her usual explanation.
"Shinichi and I are just childhood friends who grew up together. That's all."
As experienced adults, the couple could easily recognize the awkward tug-of-war that came with teenage romance.
Neither pointed it out. Instead, they exchanged knowing smiles.
Natalie took one of the lemon teas from Ran, and after purchasing their own drinks, the couple sat down with her in the nearby waiting area.
There was still some time before the movie started.
...
Meanwhile, inside the men's restroom,
Shinichi was practically hopping from foot to foot in frustration.
Who could have imagined there would be a line for the men's restroom too? It was all Sherlock Holmes' fault. The stories were just too good.
He had become so absorbed in talking about them that he completely ignored his biological needs. After what felt like forever, his turn finally arrived.
Unfortunately, halfway through relieving himself, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. The shock nearly caused him to miss the urinal entirely.
"Seriously, who's calling me at a time like this?"
After finishing, zipping up, and washing his hands, he finally pulled out his phone.
The caller ID read [Onizawa-sensei]
'At a time like this?'
What could he possibly want? Was he planning some kind of fun double date? Was he finally introducing Shinichi to his teacher's mysterious girlfriend?
Curiosity got the better of him. Answering the call, he immediately said,
"Sensei, why are you suddenly calling me? I was so startled I almost peed in the wrong direction."
The voice that came through the receiver belonged to Ritsu. But unlike usual, it carried a sharp seriousness.
The kind of tone he only used when deep in deduction at a crime scene.
"Kudo. Listen carefully."
After a brief pause, Ritsu spoke rapidly, each word crisp and clear. "Moriya planted a plastic bomb inside Beika City Hall."
"Based on his motive and objectives, the bomb should be inside the movie theater. Right now, immediately evacuate all employees and customers from the theater."
"Do you understand?"
A bomb.
Inside the theater.
Right beside him.
The first thing Shinichi felt wasn't fear. It was concern for Ran, who was still outside buying drinks and snacks while waiting for him.
Without even replying, he gripped his phone and sprinted toward the exit.
"Hello? Kudo? Are you still there?"
...
Inside the speeding car headed toward Beika City Hall, Ritsu instinctively raised his voice.
But the response he received wasn't Shinichi's.
It was an explosion so loud that it distorted the speakers of the luxury car itself.
BOOM!!
The deafening blast was followed by the collapse of shattered reinforced concrete.
One moment people had been discussing movie plots. The next, the shockwave slammed them into walls and knocked them unconscious.
Couples who had been leaning against one another moments before now screamed in terror.
Panicked crowds ran in every direction, desperately trying to avoid chunks of ceiling crashing toward the floor.
None of them could have imagined such a disaster.
"Hey! Kudo! Answer me! Are you okay?!"
But no response came. The call abruptly disconnected.
Gritting his teeth, Ritsu stared at the massive plume of smoke rising from Beika City Hall in the distance.
He slammed down on the accelerator.
"Kudo... Don't let anything happen to you."
...
Inside the theater,
Shinichi had been thrown against a restroom stall door by the blast wave. Blood trickled down from his forehead as he staggered to his feet.
He paid no attention to his injury. Nor to the phone lying shattered on the floor. His only concern was getting outside.
Rushing toward the theater entrance, he discovered the exit had been completely blocked by collapsed concrete and twisted steel.
No matter how hard he pushed, the heavy iron door refused to budge.
"Damn it!!"
"Ran!"
"Ran, can you hear me?!"
"RAAAN!!"
...
The explosion had transformed the theater into a disaster zone.
Fortunately, whether through luck or distance from the blast center, Ran had escaped serious injury.
The collapsing ceiling hadn't struck her.
The snacks and drinks she had been carrying, however, were spilled all over her, leaving her looking rather disheveled.
Wiping dust from her cheek, she spotted Natalie lying nearby with an injured hand. Immediately, Ran pulled scissors and bandages from her handbag.
"Natalie, are you okay?"
Natalie shook her head. "I'm fine. Just a scrape on my wrist."
Only then did she realize her boyfriend wasn't beside her.
Looking around, she saw Wataru already helping a young man trapped beneath a fallen chunk of concrete.
"Wataru! Do you need help?"
"No!"
Wataru shouted back. "Natalie, call the police!"
"If the fire spreads over here, we'll all die from smoke inhalation!"
"Okay."
Natalie pulled out her phone.
Only to discover there was no signal. Having read plenty of detective novels, she immediately understood what that meant.
A signal jammer had been installed.
"Wataru... the signal's blocked."
"I'm afraid we..."
Around them, many uninjured people had already collapsed onto the floor in despair.
They too had discovered their phones were useless. Trapped inside with no way to call for help, they would likely burn to death within half an hour.
Wataru finally pushed the rubble off the trapped young man. After confirming there were no major injuries, he helped him move to a safer area.
Then he frowned toward the theater lobby.
Perhaps it was a detective's intuition. But he couldn't shake the feeling that the bomber's device... wasn't the only bomb present.
Instead of approaching the front desk directly, he took out his phone and opened a small four-person LINE group chat.
Looking through the messages Jinpei had sent earlier, he immediately thought of the recently arrested Teiji.
An explosion occurring on the same day? Could that really be a coincidence?
Obviously not.
...
"Ran! Can you hear me?!"
As the chaos gradually settled, Shinichi's now-hoarse voice echoed through the rubble. The moment Ran heard him, she immediately ran toward the collapsed debris.
"I can hear you! Shinichi, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine!"
His voice came from the other side. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No."
Ran shook her head instinctively before realizing he couldn't see her. "Most of the people were in the waiting area, so the bomb didn't affect them too badly."
"Don't worry."
Despite being only a first-year high school student and still a minor, Ran remained remarkably calm despite her fear.
"Shinichi."
"Do you have any way out?"
"There's no signal. We can't call the police."
"I can't get out from my side either."
Shinichi's tone darkened. It looks like we'll have to wait for rescue. Ran, take everyone as far away from the fire as possible."
"Onizawa-sensei is already on his way. We'll be okay."
The moment she heard the name Onizawa, the tension gripping Ran's heart eased slightly. Only then did she realize something.
Just hearing the name Onizawa was enough to make her feel safe.
"Okay."
She nodded firmly.
"I'll move everyone away from the fire right now."