"So, in the end, there wasn't a single eligible bachelor in sight," Sonoko sighed, her grand plan officially dead in the water. She shook her head in defeat.
"No college girls either..." Uncle Mouri muttered, equally dejected.
"Well, the day is still young. I say we head down to the river and do some fishing!"
Kogoro was surprisingly high-spirited today. He drove the car right up to the riverbank, hauled out his fishing gear, and led the group down the embankment with infectious enthusiasm.
"Watch closely, everyone! I'm going to catch a fish big enough to serve as dinner for the whole lot of us!" The muddled detective was brimming with competitive fire.
"Don't worry about 'the whole lot of us,'" Sonoko said, waving a dismissive hand. "If you can catch enough just to fill Tsuneo-ge's stomach, that would be a miracle in itself."
After all, her sister and the professional chef should have already arrived at the villa; everything would be waiting for them there.
Conan stood nearby, dutifully holding an umbrella over Ran as she gripped her fishing rod.
"The water level seems to be rising pretty fast," Tsuneo noted, looking down at the swirling current.
They had only been sitting there for about fifteen minutes, but the flow had already become significantly more aggressive.
"If we're not catching anything, maybe we should head back..." Conan said, glancing nervously at the embankment. He felt a lingering sense of unease.
"Huh?" Ran blinked, pulling her line back in. "Why did my bobber fall off again?"
The current was too fast and too chaotic; it was impossible to keep a hook steady.
"Here, let me tie it for you. You have to use a specialized fisherman's knot for this kind of water," Kogoro chuckled, taking the line.
He was in an exceptionally good mood. It was nice not having to deal with a rental car agency for once—having his own car meant he could go wherever he pleased, whenever he wanted. Even if it was raining, there was a feast and plenty of cold beer waiting for him at the villa tonight.
"Uncle, stop tying! I think something's on the line!" Sonoko shouted, pointing at Ran's rod, which was suddenly whipping back and forth with violent intensity. Whatever it was, it was massive!
"Oh!"
"Talk about a heavyweight!"
Kogoro grabbed the rod, straining against the pull. Tsuneo moved behind him, grabbing the detective's belt to make sure he didn't get yanked headfirst into the river.
What did you hook? Tsuneo wondered. A shark?
Suddenly, a scene emerged that caught everyone completely off guard. A flash of bright red broke the surface of the churning water.
"My... my... MY CAR!!!"
Kogoro recognized his beloved vehicle instantly. He gripped the fishing rod with a death stare, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
"Tsuneo! Grab me! Help me pull it up!"
"It's not a criminal, it's a car full of water..." Tsuneo held onto him firmly, standing as steady as a mountain, but the fishing line was at its absolute limit.
Snap!
The line broke—and with it, so did Mouri Kogoro's heart.
"What do I do...?" The detective collapsed onto his knees, staring blankly at the spot where the red blur had vanished into the depths. He turned a hollow gaze toward the handyman.
"Parking right on the riverbank was a huge gamble," Conan said, not quite knowing how to comfort him. One moment of carelessness from the old man, and the car had—just as Tsuneo predicted—disappeared forever.
"At least we don't have to pay a rental agency back," Tsuneo said, patting Kogoro on the shoulder. "If we can salvage it later, Dr. Agasa and I can probably fix it up."
Tsuneo recalled that vehicles rarely had a happy ending in this man's hands. He just hadn't expected this one to go so soon; Kogoro probably hadn't even figured out how to use all the dashboard buttons yet.
"Dad, we have to go! The water is rising!" Ran pulled her father to his feet.
The group scrambled back up the embankment, their "fishing trip" ending in total disaster.
"What now? All our luggage was in the car, and I can't get a signal on my phone," Sonoko said, looking at the darkening sky. She shook her head. Nothing was going according to plan.
"It's almost dinner time..." Tsuneo muttered. He was still thinking about the meal; the Suzuki family's chefs were top-tier.
"Forget dinner! I think we're lost, aren't we?" Kogoro, who was leading the pack, stopped and looked around at the dense forest surrounding them.
"!!!"
The four people following behind him all shared the same expression of utter disbelief.
"Wait a minute! Are you telling us you were just walking randomly this whole time?!" Sonoko screamed, unable to fathom his logic.
If he didn't know the way, he should have said something! They could have talked it out! But after walking for so long, he just casually turns around and admits he's lost?
"I... I had a very strong sense of direction when we started..." Kogoro stammered, his defense crumbling.
"I might get so hungry tonight that I end up eating you," Tsuneo remarked, staring at the mustached detective.
"..."
"Hey, there's a light over there!" Conan pointed into the depths of the thicket.
The group walked a few steps toward the glow.
"Why would anyone live this deep in the mountains?" Ran asked, huddling closer to Sonoko. It felt eerie. A house built where there weren't even any trails, appearing suddenly just as they were reaching the brink of despair...
"It's a Mountain Hag."
"It's definitely a Mountain Hag!"
People who are afraid of ghosts, like Ran, always have the most vivid imaginations.
"Regardless, let's go ask for directions," Tsuneo said. As a certified foodie, he wasn't afraid of anything; he'd probably take a bite out of a ghost just to see what it tasted like.
"We're fine, but this brat has a cold and his clothes are soaked. We need to do something about him," Kogoro said, picking Conan up and heading toward the house. They had all been caught in the rain by the river; if the kid didn't change soon, his condition would definitely get worse.
"Hello! Is anyone home?"
After calling out twice, the door was pulled open by a small figure.
"It appeared!" Kogoro, Ran, and Sonoko instantly shrieked, leaping several steps back in terror.
The bald elderly man before them was barely taller than Conan. His face was covered in heavy age spots, making him look less like a human and more like an ancient mountain gnome.
"Relax, it's a human," Tsuneo said, standing by the door with a calm, certain tone.
"What's that supposed to mean? You aren't here to sell me something, are you?" the old man asked, his expression sour and suspicious.
"What's going on, Father?"
Just as they were about to explain themselves, a man appeared behind the elder.
It was the tennis coach from earlier!
Tsuneo narrowed his eyes, taking a closer look at the house. Is something about to happen here?
The man they had met at the courts, Akashi Hiroto, recognized them and invited the group inside. The priority was getting the "brat detective" some dry clothes; the rest of them could manage.
"Here, these are clothes I wore when I was a child. They're all clean," Akashi Hiroto said, bringing out a change of clothes and checking Conan's throat and temperature.
It seemed that despite the rain, Conan's cold hadn't taken a turn for the worse.
"You don't really seem like a coach. You seem more like a doctor," Sonoko remarked.
"An athlete's body is their most precious asset," Akashi explained with a gentle smile.
"Is that the smell of curry?" Kogoro sniffed the air and turned to the handyman beside him.
"Yeah. And it's high-quality stuff," Tsuneo added, closing his eyes to savor the aroma.
"Honestly," Sonoko muttered, "the two of you are basically bloodhounds..."
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