In the forest not far from the shrine, screams echoed one after another.
Birds and beasts scattered from the treetops, showing just how miserable the situation was.
Heiji sat on a wooden stump, surrounded by a vibrant green. Conan was held between his thighs, his shorts pulled down, revealing his pale, plump behind.
As one of the people Conan had shot with a tranquilizer dart, Fujino had long wanted an opportunity to give the kid some "tough love." Being shot by tranquilizer darts so many times, even if they didn't hit, still annoyed Fujino.
Thinking of this, Heiji's dark hand lifted high, then swung down hard!
"Ahh—"
Conan let out a hysterical scream. His bottom was as red as a chili pepper in March. Even though it was numb and had lost all sensation, the pain felt like a precisely aimed tranquilizer dart, mixed with a tingling feeling that always brought a heart-wrenching pain to his brainstem.
He, Shinichi Kudo, had never suffered like this since childhood! And to be beaten naked! Even his own mother had never hit him like this!
It was humiliating! He felt tainted!
At this moment, Conan felt a pang in his heart, and tears almost spilled out.
Not far away, Fujino, who was watching the show, listened to Conan's screams and nodded with satisfaction: "Mm, very spirited!"
He turned and returned to the shrine's plaza.
The atmosphere in the shrine plaza was a bit strange. Island owner Kimie was silent, lost in thought, while the islanders had various expressions, hard to describe with a single word. There was bewilderment, guilt, and even regret...
However, the island's affairs didn't affect the visiting detectives.
"Senior Fujino!"
Ran, supported by Kazuha, saw Fujino return and immediately went forward to ask, "How is Conan?"
"I couldn't catch him..."
Fujino regretfully shook his head and sighed softly: "That guy runs too fast. I'd call him the strongest 'Running Man' in Beika."
"How could this be..."
Ran looked lost, her eyes gradually turning red. She deeply believed Fujino's words, as in her opinion, Fujino was a very strong senior. If even the formidable Senior Fujino couldn't catch him, then it would probably be the same result for anyone else. Although she didn't know what the "Running Man" title meant, it must mean he's very fast, right?
But then, she became concerned about Conan's safety. If Conan was in trouble, she really wouldn't know how to explain it to his parents.
Just as she was about to cry, she suddenly heard Kazuha's surprised voice: "Conan, that kid's back, Ran!"
"Huh?"
Ran looked up in surprise and saw Conan slowly walking back. Instantly, her sadness vanished. She was so excited and about to say something, but then she noticed the strange expression on Conan's face.
At this moment, Conan was limping along. One hand was covering his bottom, and the other didn't know where to put itself. His face looked utterly dejected, and his eyes had even lost their sparkle. With every step, a stimulating sensation made him feel both sore and refreshed.
Ran was a bit confused by this scene. She had never seen Conan looking so forlorn. Then, she tentatively called out: "Conan?"
"Huh?"
Conan heard the familiar voice and finally snapped out of it. Looking at the familiar faces, Conan felt the pain lessen considerably, and his eyes regained their usual sparkle.
"Are you okay, Conan?" Ran noticed Conan's abnormality and asked with concern, "Did that 'Heiji' hurt you?"
"It's nothing, Ran-neechan..." Conan forced a smile, mentally cursing, his hands carefully covering his bottom behind his back.
This incident absolutely couldn't be known by anyone else! Absolutely not!
"Really?" Ran glanced at Conan, clearly not believing him. Even she could tell something was off from Conan's current behavior. He was kidnapped; they couldn't have just let him go without doing anything, could they?
"By the way, why are you holding your butt?" Heiji Hattori stood aside, his eyes narrowed, looking at Conan's small hands behind his back. He hesitated for a moment, wondering why Conan was holding his butt and limping.
Immediately, a bold idea popped into his head, and he looked shocked: "Did that guy actually...?" He stopped mid-sentence.
"Did what to Conan...?" Kazuha Toyama, supporting Ran, was a bit displeased when Heiji stopped talking halfway through: "Heiji, can't you just finish your sentences?"
"He probably spanked the kid's butt." Fujino felt Heiji's reaction was a bit strange, as if things were going in a bad direction, so he took over the conversation and exposed Conan: "But that cute and charming villain, Heiji, was really gentle. He just spanked your butt and let you go."
"I knew it." Heiji nodded, crossing his arms, and said meaningfully: "So he spanked the kid's butt, no wonder he's like this."
"Oh!" Kazuha Toyama and Ran exclaimed in unison, showing expressions of sudden realization, "Oh, so he got his butt spanked."
"..." Conan gave Fujino and Heiji a resentful glance, feeling utterly speechless.
Great, he originally thought if he just pretended, no one would notice. But now everyone knew he got spanked... Are these two guys doing this on purpose?! Didn't they see him trying his best to hide it?!
Fujino aside, ignorance is bliss, but Heiji, why are you playing along? You might look innocent, but I didn't expect you to be like this!
Thinking about how Ran knew about his humiliating experience today, Conan felt a wave of dizziness. As a high school detective, getting his butt spanked was simply too shameful!
He was tainted! He was tainted! He couldn't show his face anymore!
Right now, he wished he could dig a hole and bury his head in it, and maybe dig a grave for Heiji Hattori too.
"So... that's what happened?" Ran was clearly a bit confused about Heiji spanking Conan's butt. After all, Conan didn't "provoke" him, so why would he hit him for no reason?
Not thinking too much, she squatted down, leaning close to Conan, and asked with concern: "Conan, does your butt still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore, Ran-neechan!" Conan gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. He said it didn't hurt, but in reality, he felt like his butt wasn't even his own anymore!
"Is that so..." Ran nodded, naturally knowing Conan was trying to be strong. After all, he couldn't even walk properly, so he must have been hit really hard. Shaking her head, she didn't intend to expose the child's pride.
"However, compared to Conan, Ran's injuries seem to be more serious."