Chapter 101: Spirits of the Forest
After the group had chatted for a while, the conversation naturally circled back to their main goal for the evening—finding fireflies.
"Let me think, fireflies usually appear near..." Conan hadn't even finished laying out his deduction before he was interrupted once again.
"This way," Nahida said, her voice soft but certain. The previous scene repeated itself as she spoke a step ahead of Conan, pointing toward a different path through the trees.
Conan watched, a little dumbfounded, as the other children immediately and enthusiastically followed the direction of her finger.
'Wait a minute,'he thought,'don't Genta and Ayumi have any doubts?' Finding Mitsuhiko was one thing; he could tentatively explain that away as her deducing his position from surrounding tracks and sounds. But why was she so certain about the fireflies' location? Had she been here before?
Mitsuhiko, however, was simply thrilled. "Really? Will there actually be fireflies over there? I was looking for so long just now and didn't see a single one."
Genta didn't even wait for Nahida's answer before chiming in, his voice full of confidence. "Yeah, there's no mistake! Nahida was the one who led us right to you earlier."
Ayumi nodded in agreement from the side. "Nahida is super smart. She knows so many things, so she definitely knows where the fireflies are."
Conan was left speechless. 'Those two things shouldn't be lumped together,'he grumbled internally.'Just because someone is knowledgeable doesn't mean they can magically find fireflies; that also depends on luck...'
Haibara noticed his sullen expression and a slight, knowing smirk touched her lips. "Oh my. It seems the great detective wasn't much help this time, and now he's in a bad mood."
Conan shot a helpless look at her profile. "I'm not in a bad mood because of that, okay? I just can't figure out how Nahida manages to find the right direction every single time."
It was almost as if she were familiar with every blade of grass and every tree in this forest... but that was impossible.
Conan shook his head with a small, self-deprecating smile, dismissing his own conjecture. He'd heard from Natsume that this was Nahida's first time in Japan. And from her behavior, it was clear she wasn't familiar with the country at all. Even if, by some strange chance, she had visited this specific forest before, she shouldn't be this familiar with it.
So how was she so certain she could find the fireflies?
"We're here."
Just as Conan was lost in his thoughts, Nahida's voice announced their arrival.
He looked up to see a small, tranquil pond before them. It was utterly serene, surrounded by a ring of low shrubs. The only sound breaking the silence was the occasional chirp of an insect.
Genta's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "What? I don't see any fireflies at all. Nahida, did you lead us to the wrong place?"
Nahida didn't seem to mind his doubt. She walked to the edge of the pond, offering a reassuring smile to Dr. Agasa, who had called out a warning for her to be careful. "I didn't go to the wrong place," she said softly. "The fireflies are right here. Look..."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone followed her gaze. By the pond and nestled in the shrubs, tiny pinpricks of light began to glow, flickering on and off like shy stars. Then, more and more lights rose into the air, dancing around the group, a cascade of starlight descending to swirl around the children.
"Wow! Fireflies!"
Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ayumi cried out in unison, their faces alight with wonder at the beautiful, dreamlike scene.
Beside Conan, Haibara let out a soft sigh of emotion. "To see such beauty, even once in a lifetime, makes living worthwhile."
Conan had also been intently admiring the spectacle, but Haibara's words snapped him back to reality. He glanced at her sideways, a helpless look on his face. "Hey, you're not still thinking about what happened at the port, are you?"
He looked at her, his expression serious. "Don't be so pessimistic. There are infinite possibilities, but only if you're alive to see them. I promise you, I'll bring everyone back here to see the fireflies next year, and not a single person will be missing."
'Except maybe the one coming then won't be Conan Edogawa, but Kudo Shinichi,'he thought,'and I could bring Ran along, too. When that time comes...'
Haibara was initially a bit moved by his earnest promise, but seeing the familiar, yearning look on his face as he trailed off into his own world, she was instantly rendered speechless. Deciding not to pay him any more mind, she turned her focus back to the enchanting scenery. The low mood that had been clinging to her, however, had vanished, replaced by a genuine smile.
Even the two adults, Dr. Agasa and Natsume, were momentarily lost in the stunning display.
"By the way, Nahida, how did you know there were fireflies here?" After watching for a while, Conan's insatiable curiosity got the better of him. He walked over to where Nahida stood by the water's edge.
Haibara noticed his actions and felt a wave of exasperation. Honestly, can't he even go on an outing without needing to satisfy his detective's curiosity?
Nahida tilted her head, her large, innocent eyes meeting Conan's. "The Spirits of the Forest told me."
"Spi... Spirits?" Conan never imagined that this would be her answer. "Nahida, are you joking? There's no such thing in this world as..." spirits.
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted for the second time that night.
"Really?! There are really spirits?!"
It turned out that Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko had overheard his question and had come closer. Hearing Nahida's answer, they cried out in a chorus of excited surprise.
Nahida nodded. "Mm, it's true. They told me where Mitsuhiko was, and they also told me that I could see fireflies here."
Conan remained skeptical. "Is that so? Then why didn't we see them?"
"Because they are a bit shy," Nahida explained patiently, "and they don't know you yet." She looked at Ayumi and the others, her expression gentle. "The Forest Spirits can only be seen by kind children. As long as you continue to be kind and brave people, you will see the spirits one day."
Hearing that they might one day see spirits, Genta and the others repeatedly promised that they would never do bad things and would always be good children. Seeing how they had completely bought into the existence of spirits, the corner of Conan's mouth twitched.
This was obviously just a story to placate children. In the end, he still had no real answer for how Nahida had found Mitsuhiko.
"Who's there? Come out!"
Suddenly, Natsume's entire demeanor shifted. Her head snapped around, her eyes fixed on the dark woods behind them. She had sensed someone. With a sharp, stern shout, she moved fluidly to stand protectively in front of the children.
Conan's mind, which had been wandering, instantly sharpened. He spun around, his gaze turning wary as he scanned the darkness. He and Haibara instinctively positioned themselves in front of the younger kids.
'Someone is in the woods?'he thought, his heart rate picking up.'Did they just wander in by mistake? I hope it's not someone dangerous, not with so many children here...'His gaze shifted to Natsume's back, and a new thought surfaced.'Wait a minute. Perhaps I should be worried about the other person.'
Thinking of this, Conan suddenly relaxed a fraction. With Natsume here, given her formidable combat prowess, as long as they weren't facing an overwhelming number of opponents, everything should be fine.
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