After breakfast, Kudō Yukiko left with Conan, while Kurosawa Hoshino and the others went shopping.
"Mom, I have something to tell you," Ran said softly, clinging to her mother's arm.
"What is it? Why so secretive?" Eri Kisaki smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair.
Ran didn't say it directly. She glanced at Kurosawa.
"Aunt Kisaki, let's wait until Hoshino is a little further away," Sonoko whispered.
Eri was puzzled. She looked at the three children for a while but couldn't see any conflict between them. She simply ignored it and waited for her daughter to tell her.
Kurosawa's eyes were fixed on the shops on both sides, unaware that the three people next to him were already four or five meters away.
When they were almost there, Ran finally said what she wanted to say: "Mom, Hoshino wants to kill his father."
Eri was stunned, staring wide-eyed at her daughter.
"Aunt Kisaki, it's very possible," Sonoko added. "Miss Asako said that Hoshino actually observed the scene and mimicked the exact same movements she made when she tied Mr. Motoyasu's hands."
"Wait a minute." Eri frowned, looking strangely at the two children. "Ran, Sonoko, can you explain this clearly from the beginning? I really can't understand why Hoshino would want to kill his father."
Ran's expression froze. Then she realized that her mother had no idea what she was talking about. She quickly explained, "Mom, here's what happened—" In a short while, she recounted how Kurosawa harbored a murderer within him.
After listening, Eri looked quite conflicted. She glanced at Kurosawa's retreating figure ahead and whispered, "Are you overthinking this? I didn't see anything amiss with Hoshino's thoughts."
"Aunt Kisaki," Sonoko said confidently, "Hoshino is learning murder methods—simulating various methods. Otherwise, how could he have perfectly imitated the way Asako tied her victim's hands? He must have imagined Mr. Motoyasu as his father to resonate with Asako and perform the same methods."
"Yes, Mom," Ran said, her voice filled with worry and panic. "Once could be a coincidence, but it happens every time. He must be thinking this way. Hoshino is getting deeper and deeper into this."
Eri was stunned. She rubbed her temples. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Are you sure that Hoshino has no other family besides his father?"
"I'm sure." Sonoko nodded. "I had my family investigate. After Hoshino's mother passed away, he only had that father he had never met—the one who had always sent him money."
"Can you be sure that person is his father?" Eri was particularly concerned about this.
"Mom, if it's not his father, who would keep sending money? This behavior is very similar to rich people sending money to their illegitimate children."
"Yes, Aunt Kisaki," Ran added. "Ran and I analyzed it. Hoshino must have deduced this. Then he started his plan, making himself more and more famous, so that one day when that father couldn't stand it anymore and came looking for his outstanding son—that would be when he would take revenge and kill him."
Eri believed the two children's analysis—mainly because she felt that it really made sense. For a moment, her expression also became serious.
After a while, she said softly, "If that's the case, Hoshino must be blaming his mother's death on that father he never met. Having such thoughts of revenge seems plausible."
"Yes, that's why we're trying to figure something out. Mom, do you have any good suggestions?" Ran looked at her mother expectantly.
Eri pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Hoshino's terrifying thoughts mainly stem from a lack of bonds. If he had bonds, he would feel attached to this world and wouldn't think such crazy things."
"We're good friends now. Isn't that enough?" Sonoko asked.
Eri reached out and ruffled the two children's hair. "The bonds between friends can't compare to the bonds between lovers and family. Why don't you help him find a girlfriend? With a girlfriend, maybe he won't want to leave her, and those terrifying thoughts will fade away."
"Who should we find?" Ran tilted her head, looking at her best friend.
Sonoko blushed and hurriedly waved her hands. "I... I... I can't. Hoshino and I are just good friends. He doesn't seem to have any feelings for me."
"Then what about Kazumi-senpai?" Ran suggested a name.
"No way." Sonoko immediately rejected. "Hoshino has to like me first."
"Then what should we do?" Ran looked troubled.
Eri asked, "Have you noticed which girls he's close to at school?"
Hearing this, the two girls fell silent. They exchanged glances and both looked embarrassed.
Eri, being experienced, immediately saw the problem and chuckled. "It's not that he's closest to you two, is it?"
"Yes." Sonoko nodded shyly. "At school, if girls don't approach him, he won't approach other girls either."
"Oh no!" Ran exclaimed softly. "Mom, hearing you say that makes me realize that Hoshino has been a bit withdrawn at school. Although he chats with classmates who strike up conversations, he rarely initiates conversations with others."
Unbeknownst to them, Kurosawa didn't hear this. If he had, he would have given those two girls a good whack on the head. Their imaginations were getting more and more twisted—not only were they plotting murder, but now they were even talking about him being withdrawn.
"It seems the problem is quite serious." Eri grasped the two children's arms, pulled them close, and whispered, "Ran, Sonoko, no matter what, from now on, you two need to pay close attention to Hoshino. As for the issue of bonds—sigh, this can't be rushed. Let nature take its course."
She didn't suggest that the two children pursue Kurosawa. If they didn't like each other, it would just be an act, and they would notice after spending time together. So she couldn't take that risk—otherwise, it might worsen Kurosawa's psychological problems, and she would truly be a sinner.
Ahead, Kurosawa noticed the three of them not long after they left him. But seeing them whispering, he didn't go over to disturb them. When he secretly glanced back and saw that they seemed to have finished whispering and quickened their pace toward him, he also slowed down considerably.
"Are you Mouri Kogorō's wife?" Suddenly, a man wearing a somewhat worn coat spoke up from the roadside.
The moment the name "Mouri Kogorō" was uttered, it immediately attracted the attention of Kurosawa and the others. They all turned their gazes toward the man.
Especially Eri. After observing the man for a while, she seemed to realize something. Her expression suddenly changed. "It's you! You're out of prison?"