Chapter 298: Raiden Ei's Move
Raiden Ei spared Conan Edogawa a careless glance, her voice a faint, distant murmur. "The thunder that descends cannot be stopped, nor can its majesty be defied."
After a brief pause, her gaze drifted to some unseen point in the distance as if lost in thought. She added, "At least, they certainly cannot."
Conan didn't quite grasp the metaphor, but the memory of the oppressive weight in her eyes just moments before sent a cold knot of apprehension tightening in his gut. He was burning with questions, yet after a moment's hesitation, he decided against pressing the matter. He silently buried the doubt deep in his heart, choosing to observe rather than provoke.
Not far away, Kamisato Ayato noticed the subtle exchange. A faint, knowing smile touched the corners of his lips, and his gaze swept over Heiji Hattori with an ambiguous glint.
A few moments later, Conan quietly rejoined his friend.
"Hattori, this is bad," he whispered, his voice tight. "I can confirm it. The Kamisato Clan already knows which family is behind this."
"Damn, so we're a step behind," Heiji muttered, his brow furrowed. "But if they know who did it, how are they planning to get even? They wouldn't just hire a hitman, would they?" he guessed, though the idea felt wrong even as he said it. He couldn't imagine someone as unfathomable and composed as Kamisato Ayato resorting to such a crude, irrational method.
'No, that can't be it,'Heiji thought, shaking his head and dismissing his own theory.'An assassination would definitely leave a trail. If they got caught, it would cause an even bigger mess.'He glanced at the man in question, who was leading the group down the mountain path. Ayato moved with an easy grace, yet he was still attentive enough to notice when one of the girls nearby stumbled, offering a steadying hand.'Could the Kamisato Clan have ties to yakuza or some other underground organization? They could have them handle it...'
He watched the gentle, deep man and felt a fresh wave of doubt. The Head of the Kamisato Clan simply didn't look like someone who would associate with such dark forces.
"No, that's not it," Conan said, shaking his head and confirming Heiji's own conclusion. His gaze shifted, landing on Raiden Ei with a complex expression. "Just now, Miss Raiden said she was going to teach the other party a lesson herself." Conan leaned in, emphasizing each word. "By herself. Alone."
Heiji's expression went blank. "Kudo, you've gotta be kidding me. How could she possibly act alone?" He rolled his eyes, a skeptical smirk forming. "No matter how strong Miss Raiden is, she can't just waltz in and out of someone else's territory all by herself, can she?"
A mischievous thought struck him. He ignored Conan's squawk of protest, reached out, and forcefully ruffled his hair. "Don't tell me you got caught trying to pry information out of her, and she just made something up to shut a little kid up?"
Conan shoved Heiji's hand away, glaring at him until the Osakan detective finally dropped his unserious grin. "I don't think so," Conan said, his tone dead serious. "I'm inclined to believe her. I think Miss Raiden really intends to go to their front door all by herself."
"Whoa," Heiji let out a low, ambiguous whistle. His eyes involuntarily drifted toward Raiden Ei, who was now walking alongside Natsume and Kazuha, chatting about something with a relaxed expression. "Speaking of which, why wouldn't she ask Natsume to go with her? They seem pretty close, and if I remember right, Natsume's a hell of a fighter herself."
Conan couldn't stop himself from kicking Heiji's shin. When his friend dodged with a practiced hop and shot him a questioning look, he snapped irritably, "What are you talking about?! This isn't some fun little outing! Why would she drag her friend into something dangerous?"
"So, what's the plan?" Heiji asked, his tone turning serious again. "Keep investigating, or quietly follow Miss Raiden?"
Conan sighed, a puff of frustrated air. "We're already a step behind. There's no point in chasing down more clues. We'll follow her later and see what she's planning. If it looks like she's going to go too far, we can at least try to stop her."
The afternoon was waning, and the visit to the Grand Narukami Shrine had taken a fair bit of energy out of everyone., with more festival activities scheduled for the evening, Kamisato Ayaka thoughtfully suggested they all return to the Kamisato Estate to rest for a while. Thoma, she explained, would then take them to the venue for the finals when it was time.
No one objected to the sensible plan.
After descending the mountain, everyone piled into the car Thoma had driven over.
About halfway through the trip, Raiden Ei asked to be let out, claiming she had a personal matter to attend to.
Heiji and Conan exchanged a knowing look. After the car had traveled another few blocks, Heiji pulled out his phone, pretending to take a call. "Ah, seriously?" he grumbled into the device. "Right now?" He hung up and announced that the police station needed him for something urgent, grabbing Conan by the arm and dragging him along as he made his excuses.
After politely refusing several offers of help and rides from the others, the two detectives stood on the sidewalk, watching the car drive away.
Only when the vehicle had completely vanished from sight did Heiji turn to Conan, his voice urgent. "Well? Did you lose her?"
Conan simply pushed his glasses up his nose and pressed a small, hidden switch on the frame. On the inner surface of the right lens, a small, blinking red dot appeared on a digital map overlay—the signal from the tracker he'd managed to plant on Raiden Ei while they were talking earlier.
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