4 PM.
A car sped along a highway hugging a coastal cliff.
Inside, Kogorō Mouri gripped the steering wheel, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Conan in the passenger seat, then at the four people in the back—three adults and one child. He said helplessly, "I really don't understand why you all insisted on coming along when I'm here to discuss things with my client in person."
"I was going home, but Hoshino-nii dragged me here," Haibara said calmly.
"Dad, what's the big deal? Besides, Hoshino's a famous detective now. The person who hired you will be very happy to see him," Ran said with a grin.
"Exactly," Sonoko nodded in agreement.
Kurosawa smiled but remained silent. The reason he had come was because during lunch, he heard that the place Kogorō was going to had a famous name: Dracula's Villa. He immediately realized it was an episode from the original story. After all, Dracula was a famous fictional character in both his past and present lives—it was impossible for him not to remember.
Kogorō sighed. "You kids..."
Ran, however, didn't miss the opportunity and continued, "Dad, what kind of novels does Torakura Daisuke write?"
"Mr. Torakura used to write mostly vampire novels, with vampires as the main characters. So some readers nicknamed him 'Mr. Dracula.'"
"So that's why his villa is called Dracula Villa?"
"Yes, that's it. Mr. Torakura is arguably one of the most popular horror authors. But in recent years, for some reason, he's started writing heroic fantasy novels."
"Is that it over there?" Sonoko suddenly pointed ahead.
Everyone looked up. At the end of the road, on a cliff overlooking the sea, stood a villa with a very Western style. On either side of it were two buildings resembling the towers of a castle.
"This is it." Kogorō nodded, a sigh of relief washing over him. After driving for four hours straight, he was longing to rest.
Ten minutes later, the car slowly pulled up in front of the villa. The gate to the yard was open, and Kogorō drove in.
A man and a woman were in the yard. The man was using long pruning shears to trim the ornamental trees. The woman sat quietly in front of a sculpture, painting an oil painting.
Kogorō got out of the car first, stretching his tired body. "Finally here."
"Are you Mr. Mouri?" The man greeted him, looking surprised to see so many people. But when his eyes met Kurosawa's face, he stiffened. A struggle flashed in his eyes before settling into a resolute smile.
"Hello, may I ask who you are?" Kogorō asked.
"My name is Tadokoro Toshiya. I'm a student studying novel writing under Professor Torakura. He specifically told me to wait here and bring you in to see him. He's expecting you."
"Okay, let's go in then. By the way, who is this?" Kogorō's eyes lit up when he saw the long-haired woman painting in the distance—she was so beautiful that he couldn't resist approaching her.
"She's the professor's wife."
"Ahem, so she's Mrs. Torakura." Hearing that she was the client's wife, a hint of regret flashed in Kogorō's eyes, but he quickly composed himself.
"Everyone, please follow me." Tadokoro turned and led the way.
Ran walked at the back. Turning to Sonoko, Kurosawa, and Haibara, she said, "Don't you guys feel this villa is really creepy?"
"Ever since Mr. Mouri said he was coming to see Torakura Daisuke, I've already done a quick online search on my phone." Haibara had her hands behind her back, taking small steps forward. Her tone was like a little adult as she continued, "I heard that Torakura Daisuke has collected a lot of information about vampires to write his novels. Even his everyday attire is modeled after Dracula. When you see him, you'll find it even creepier."
She then glanced at the three of them, noticing Ran and Sonoko staring at her in shock, while Kurosawa wore an amused smile.
Oh no. I forgot I'm a child. Haibara's heart skipped a beat. Her usually cool face suddenly broke into a bright smile, and her tone became much cuter. "I learned it from Conan. Conan talks like that at school, and I thought it was fun, so I tried it."
"Oh~" Ran and Sonoko drawled out their words, letting out a sigh of relief. But the strange feeling from before still lingered, and they kept stealing glances at Haibara, trying to figure out what was wrong.
Kurosawa said with a smile, "Haibara, are you afraid of vampires?"
"A little bit." Haibara continued to pretend.
"Then do you want your big brother to hug you? Your big brother's embrace makes me feel very safe."
Haibara wanted to punch this guy, but she obediently stretched out her hands. "Hoshino-nii, hug~"
Kurosawa bent down, supporting her knees with one hand and her back with the other, and easily lifted her up.
Looking closely at Kurosawa's handsome face, Haibara's cute cheeks flushed uncontrollably. She quickly looked away, mentally telling herself: I'm a child now. I can't show anything unusual. This guy's reasoning ability is so strong. If I don't act like a normal child, he'll definitely suspect something.
"Is my embrace safe? Is it warm?" Kurosawa asked.
"Safe. Hoshino-nii's embrace is very warm." Haibara answered against her conscience, secretly thinking it wasn't safe at all. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Kurosawa's gaze held a strange meaning.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze. She turned her head and met Conan's eyes looking down at her. She clearly saw the look of amusement in Conan's eyes and the barely suppressed smile on his face. Her expression darkened.
Conan laughed even harder at this sight and shrugged at her.
Conan thought about Haibara, whose real age was unknown but who was researching that kind of poison. Her knowledge must be extremely high. Generally, high knowledge meant old age—at least forty years old. As for that kind of "genius girl," he didn't believe he could happen to meet one. So the thought of a child with a mental age of at least forty being carried around by a high school student was quite amusing. Or even, who knows, maybe a seventy- or eighty-year-old woman.
Haibara, Haibara. You always laugh at me for being inferior to Kurosawa. Now it's my turn to laugh at you.