After the bus came to a steady halt, passengers began boarding one after another.
Professor Agasa, having received no reliable answer from Tsuneo, turned back to the children. "Alright, other passengers are coming on. Everyone turn around and sit properly."
"Okay!"
Genta and the others, though still curious, turned back as they saw strangers approaching.
"Hehe, you finally have your day," Conan said, glancing at the silent Tsuneo while happily swinging his legs.
"What? You seem to be enjoying his misfortune quite a bit." Haibara looked at the Great Detective and couldn't help but smirk. Compared to the repairman, you and your sweetheart have far more problems to deal with.
"?" Conan turned to look at her, confused.
"I noticed there's been no news from 'those guys' lately. You seem a bit too relaxed," Haibara remarked. Though, being relaxed was a good thing. It would be best if there were no news for a lifetime.
Just as Conan was about to reply, an old man wearing a black coat and a beret walked past.
Black clothes...
Seeing Conan staring at the old man, Haibara whispered, "Don't worry. I can tell just by the 'scent.' Everyone in that Organization has a certain..."
Before she could finish, the "Hound Detective" transformed into a literal bloodhound. Conan grabbed her arm and started sniffing.
"I don't smell anything particularly special," Conan said, holding her arm.
"I smell it. She had fish for breakfast!" Tsuneo, sitting across from them, took a deep breath and said seriously. "It was pan-fried; the smell is quite strong!"
"Could you two please be serious for once..." Haibara muttered, her arm still being tugged, looking utterly exasperated. Was I talking about a literal physical smell?
"You mean a sixth sense, right?" Conan still felt it was a bit abstract.
"As long as those guys are nearby, I—" Haibara stopped mid-sentence. Her expression shifted violently, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
It was as if a pair of eyes were staring at her from the shadows.
"Ku-Kudo, swap seats with me. Help me hide, please." Haibara could barely speak, her hands death-gripped onto the hood of her red jacket. It seemed only the corner by the window could offer her any semblance of security.
"Dr. Araide!"
Just then, a large hand roughly ruffled her hair. Tsuneo stood up and greeted a young man walking toward them with a smile.
"Haibara..." Conan watched as her trembling gradually subsided under Tsuneo's palm. He turned his gaze toward the people walking to the back of the bus.
What's going on? Who is it?!
"Dr. Araide! Thanks for the hard work on the physical exams the other day!" the three kids chimed in, greeting him as well.
"You're on this bus too? What a coincidence!" Dr. Araide's expression flickered slightly when he saw Tsuneo, but he immediately regained his composure.
Haibara had silently pulled her hood up, not participating in the conversation. With this person here... it'll be... it'll be okay.
"Does Dr. Araide have a date today!" Genta leaned out and asked curiously, spotting a blonde woman standing behind the doctor.
"No, you've misunderstood. She's a teacher at Teitan High, where I serve as the school doctor," Araide explained, glancing back at her.
"Hi, boys and girls!" Jodie said energetically. Upon seeing Conan, she added, "Oh, cool kid! We meet again!"
"Ms. Jodie, you didn't even notice me," Tsuneo said in a tone of mock disappointment.
"How could that be? You've helped me out quite a bit!" Jodie laughed.
"..." Conan looked between the two of them. The Great Detective was quite familiar with Ms. Jodie; she loved video games. He had run into her at an arcade recently and solved a case alongside her.
After this brief interlude, Dr. Araide and Jodie took seats in the row in front of Conan. It appeared they had run into each other at the station and happened to wait for the same bus.
Walking behind them was a tall man wearing a knit cap and a surgical mask. He took a seat in the very back row. Conan glanced at Haibara, who was keeping her head down, then shot a wary look at the man in the back.
If Haibara's intuition was correct, then someone among the people who just boarded was definitely trouble.
The bus started moving. Tsuneo didn't sit down; he remained standing, chatting with Dr. Araide and Ms. Jodie.
"So, how is Mrs. Araide's condition? Is she doing well?"
"Yes..." Araide nodded. Why does he always ask these kinds of questions?
"Look at those two! They put on their skiing gear so early!" Genta pointed to two men standing at the front.
They were wearing ski suits and goggles, clutching bags that presumably held skis. They looked like they were in a huge hurry to hit the slopes.
Conan looked exasperated. Please, no matter how impatient you are, there's no need to wear the goggles this early...
As if to prove Conan right, the two men unzipped their bags. Instead of skis, they reached in and pulled out handguns.
In the next instant, the two stood back-to-back, aiming their pistols at the passengers and roaring, "Everyone stay quiet! If anyone makes a sound, don't blame me for being heartless!"
This time, it wasn't just Haibara—every ordinary passenger on the bus began to shake. Imagine just going about your day and running into a bus hijacking. How much money could even be in the coin box?!
Tsuneo turned his head to look at them, then continued talking to Dr. Araide. "Inspector Megure was just praising you the other day, saying you're a really good person."
"..."
Jodie looked at Tsuneo with an expression of pure disbelief. Are you blind, or are you in league with them???
Seeing that the passengers hadn't quieted down and were instead whispering, one of the hijackers aimed his gun at the ceiling and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot was proof enough that these were real weapons.
"Can't you hear me? Sit down and stay still!" the hijacker by the driver's seat shouted, pointing his gun at Tsuneo.
The bus was large; there were about seven or eight meters between them. Tsuneo finally stopped his conversation, glanced at the three kids, and sat down next to Genta. The two-person seat was now squeezed with three people, leaving Mitsuhiko pressed against the window in silent misery.
"Listen up! Close the doors, change the bus sign to 'Out of Service,' and drive slowly. Just keep circling through the city!"
One hijacker was in charge of intimidating the passengers, while the other had his gun pressed against the driver's head, forcing him to follow instructions. A bus marked "Out of Service" meant it was suspended and returning to the depot.
The driver followed the orders and started the bus.
Conan shot a look at Tsuneo. There are many passengers on board; don't act recklessly.
Still, he wondered... was Haibara's intuition triggered by these two gunmen, or someone else?
(End of Chapter)
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