Slippery and chaotic!
The young lady clung to Akashi like a koala, her slender arms wrapped around him. But the soapy water had made everything slick, and her grip kept slipping.
To make matters worse, Akashi's newly upgraded skill activated involuntarily—a 'critical strike'!
Ran, still a bit tipsy from the wine, felt the world spin as her balance failed. Her small hands flailed, her legs kicked, but she couldn't steady herself.
In this moment of disarray, Akashi tried to regain control. Placing a cautious hand on the edge of the tub, he attempted to stand.
But the slippery floor betrayed him once more. His foot slid out from under him, and his face collided hard into Ran's chest.
"Ack!" Ran let out a soft yelp, her voice tinged with surprise and discomfort.
The newly upgraded Lv. 3 "Pear God Fall" had proven its devastating power yet again.
"S-Sister Ran, I'm so sorry! It's just so slippery!" Akashi stammered, genuinely apologetic.
Ran, her cheeks now a deep shade of red, fluttered her lashes slightly as she managed a response.
"It's… it's okay," she murmured, trying to compose herself as she tucked her dangling legs back into the tub.
'What do children even understand?' she thought, brushing off the awkwardness.
Despite her embarrassment, she instinctively held Akashi tightly, determined to prevent him from slipping again.
With great effort, she tried to stand, her grip on the young boy firm.
---
However, Ran had overlooked an important detail—she was still wearing socks.
And those socks, now soaked in foamy water, offered no traction.
Add to this her tipsy state and lingering dizziness, the outcome was inevitable.
The "Pear God Fall" struck again.
Before either of them could steady themselves, they slipped and fell back into the tub with another resounding splash.
In moments of sudden weightlessness, instinct takes over. Ran clung tightly to Akashi, while the little boy, in his own panic, tried to grab onto her. Their combined efforts almost sent them tumbling apart but ultimately landed them back in the soapy chaos.
Water sloshed everywhere as Ran sat up, still holding Akashi protectively in her arms.
Her face was flushed, her hair adorned with bubbles, and her embarrassed expression was impossible to ignore.
The two locked eyes, and for a moment, laughter bubbled up between them.
"It seems we're stuck with just soaking here," Ran said, smiling despite the mess.
"It's weird. It's never been this slippery before!"
Accepting her defeat, Ran leaned back into the tub, showing no inclination to try standing again.
---
But the wet clothes clinging to her were unbearable.
"These clothes…" she muttered, clearly uncomfortable. Without hesitation, she began adjusting her attire.
Akashi, meanwhile, tried to avert his eyes, but his gaze fell on something else.
"Akashi, look at what you grabbed—you grabbed it so hard that it turned red!" Ran exclaimed, half-teasing.
"Wait! Don't run away! I really know how to scrub!"
Outside the bathroom door, Eri paused, listening to the splashes and muffled voices inside.
Her brow furrowed slightly, an inexplicable sadness washing over her.
'It should have been me…' she thought. 'Does this child like Ran more?'
---
Meanwhile, at a completely different location, Conan was busy with his treasure hunt adventure alongside the Junior Detective League.
Oblivious to the chaos unfolding with his childhood sweetheart, he was entirely focused on solving the riddle of the treasure map.
After following several false leads—first to the entrance of the Aquarium, then to a nearby bookstore—Conan finally had a breakthrough, thanks to an offhand remark from Ayumi.
With newfound clarity, Conan led his team to an abandoned ghost building.
Standing with his back to the group, he began piecing the clues together, his voice brimming with confidence.
"Each pattern on the map corresponds to a neon light at night," he explained.
"At first, I thought the fish-shaped symbol pointed to the aquarium. But that was wrong—there were no matching patterns nearby."
"This fish shape isn't a building. It's formed by the reflection of a Bridge's lights on the river's surface, viewed from the windows of this ghost building!"
Conan's sharp reasoning made him feel invincible.
"This means the treasure is hidden right here!"
He turned, expecting to unveil a hidden trove, only to be greeted by… nothing.
The building was empty, save for a few scattered ropes on the floor.
Genta couldn't hold back his complaints:
"There's nothing here! Where's the treasure? Conan, can't you figure this out? I'm starving!"
Mitsuhiko shook his head in disapproval.
"Conan, I know you just joined our detective team and want to show off, but you can't even lead us properly!"
The two children immediately voiced their disapproval, shaking their heads at Conan. Their words made a vein twitch on Conan's forehead.
At that moment, dull footsteps echoed. Several figures appeared, descending the stairs.
"I told you not to play detective games with these kids," a man's voice rang out.
"I was really hoping these brats could help us find it," another voice chimed in.
Three men dressed in black suits emerged from the shadows. They were members of a notorious gang.
The leader was a native man, while the other two were foreigners. The mustachioed man stepped forward and snatched the treasure map from Genta's hands.
"What useless kids, dragging us to such a remote place. Go home and do your homework!"
Genta's face turned red with frustration.
Ayumi, meanwhile, was on the verge of tears, terrified by the robbers.
However, just as Akashi had predicted, the gangster—failing to find the treasure—had no murderous intentions. After scaring the children, they prepared to leave.
But the fools didn't know when to quit!
Mitsuhiko suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the mustachioed man:
"I've seen him on TV! He's part of a gang of robbers. Their leader's been arrested, and the police are looking for them!"
The robbers froze for a moment, upon hearing it.
"So this treasure map is real!" Mitsuhiko continued, eager to show off his knowledge.
Hearing this, the mustachioed man turned his gaze toward the boy, his expression darkening.
"Kid, you recognize me, huh? Planning to call the cops and have me arrested?"
As he spoke, he pulled a dagger from his coat, a sinister glint in his eyes.
Conan, ever resourceful, silently cursed Mitsuhiko for making things worse. Fortunately, Conan had stopped by Dr. Agasa's lab that morning, picking up several of the doctor's latest inventions.
Adjusting the anesthetic needle in his watch, Conan took the initiative, launching a surprise attack.
---
During the chaotic confrontation between Conan and the robbers, a strange atmosphere surrounded the scene at the bathroom in Eri's home. Ran, visibly tipsy from drinking red wine, seemed uncharacteristically unsteady.
Turning to the boy near her, she handed him a roll of gauze and mumbled:
"Alright, I've shown you how. Now, it's your turn to help me."
Ran's words seemed oddly out of place, as if driven by a fleeting impulse she couldn't quite control. Perhaps it was the effects of the alcohol clouding her judgment.
Normally, Ran would never act this way, but the dizziness from the wine made her lower her guard. In her tipsy state, she extended what appeared to be an innocent invitation.