A few days later, November arrived before anyone quite realized it. The howling north wind whistled past the girl's neck, making Xiaolan shiver involuntarily.
She was wearing a red coat over a soft wool sweater. Though the layers were fairly thick, they didn't make her look bulky at all—on the contrary, they only added to her youthful charm.
Beside her, Conan walked with his lips pursed, glancing around with a helpless expression. If nothing unexpected happened, then under Xiaolan's guidance, they had taken a wrong turn—in other words, they were lost in the forest.
"Conan, don't walk so fast!" Xiaolan called out.
Conan curled his lips slightly, thinking to himself that if he didn't hurry up, he was going to freeze to death.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something beyond the bushes ahead—a corner of a luxurious villa.
"Xiaolan! Xiaolan! I found it!"
Xiaolan hurried after Conan through the shrubs, and in an instant, the view before them opened up.
The forest ended there. Ahead lay a clearing filled with signs of human development. A wooden suspension bridge stretched across a gorge, held in place by thick hemp ropes. On the opposite side, surrounded by another forest, stood a grand European-style classical villa.
Compared to this place, the Kudo residence could only be called a Western-style house at best.
"Huh? What's that—?!"
"Ah—!"
At the same time, both Xiaolan and Conan noticed a figure on the suspension bridge, completely shrouded in a gray-black cloak.
The cloaked figure turned at the sound. The bandages covering their face startled Xiaolan badly, and even Conan froze in place. But the bandaged stranger wasted no time—crossing the bridge in just a few strides before disappearing into the forest behind the villa.
"Miss Mouri… oh, and Conan."
Shimizu Koji emerged from another part of the forest. As he looked up, he spotted Xiaolan and Conan standing by the bridge.
He had heard a scream earlier. Judging by the situation, it was likely this girl—Mouri Ran—who had cried out. As for Conan… Mouri. With just a bit of thought, Shimizu quickly pieced together what was going on.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Brother Shimizu? Y-you're here too?" Xiaolan said in surprise.
"Shimizu-kun," she added.
"Huh?" Conan immediately became alert. "Xiaolan, you know him?"
Something must have happened at school that he didn't know about!
"Ah, yes," Xiaolan said, finally recovering from the shock. She nodded and explained, "Sonoko invited Shimizu-kun. I didn't expect we'd run into him here."
Hearing this, Conan relaxed at once. So Sonoko had invited him. Taking another look at Shimizu Koji's face, Conan more or less understood the situation.
"There was a strange person covered in bandages," Conan told him.
A few minutes later, he repeated the exact same thing to Sonoko when she opened the door.
"A strange bandaged person?!" Sonoko frowned, clearly reluctant to believe it. But with both Xiaolan and Shimizu Koji backing him up, she had no choice but to accept it.
Still, believing it was one thing—making a fuss over it was another. There were plenty of weird people in Beika City. Worrying too much would just give you a headache.
"Oh, it's probably just someone from nearby. Don't worry about it. Come on in—everyone's waiting for you."
"Shimizu-kun, let me take your luggage!"
"Uh—" Shimizu Koji was about to refuse, but Sonoko had already stepped forward enthusiastically, her slender figure blocking the doorway completely.
Conan turned his head and rolled his eyes. Shimizu Koji sighed inwardly and gave in, handing over his bag.
It was really just a shoulder bag, anyway.
"Oh! Xiaolan, you're finally here—hmm? And this must be—"
"You're the kendo prodigy Sonoko's been talking about? Shimizu-kun?"
Just as everyone finished changing into indoor slippers in the entryway, a young woman with smiling, half-closed eyes emerged from a side door of the hall.
Her attention was fixed squarely on Shimizu Koji—the boy Sonoko had repeatedly begged her to treat as if she were deeply interested in kendo.
"I'm Suzuki Ayako, Sonoko's older sister."
"Shimizu Koji. First-year, Class B, Teitan High School. I came at Miss Sonoko's invitation—sorry to intrude."
"Oh my, Shimizu-kun, you're far too polite," Ayako said with a smile. "Sonoko invited you because she knew I'm interested in kendo. I'm very happy to meet you as well."
Almost immediately, Ayako pulled Shimizu Koji into a conversation. Seeing this, Sonoko tugged gently on Xiaolan's arm and pointed toward the stairs.
Lowering her voice, she whispered, "Xiaolan, your room is on the second floor. You should go put your things away first. I'll wait here."
After watching Xiaolan head upstairs, Sonoko turned back and saw that her sister had already successfully guided Shimizu Koji to sit on the living room sofa, chatting away. With everyone else upstairs resting, this was her best chance!
However, despite Ayako's assistance—and despite Sonoko's efforts—Shimizu Koji, who had mentally prepared himself in advance, remained unmoved. Sonoko failed to deepen their "friendship" through conversation.
During that time, a few startled cries came from upstairs—it was Xiaolan's voice—but it didn't seem serious.
"Well then, Shimizu-kun," Ayako said with a gentle smile, "although I'm very interested in your kendo skills, we won't have a chance to see them today. Still, as Sonoko's sister, I'd like to ask a favor. Could you help protect her today?"
"There are wild animals in the nearby forest. If the girls go out at night, I'd feel much better knowing Sonoko's safety is in your hands."
Sonoko had gone upstairs to call everyone down for dinner. Taking advantage of this brief moment, Ayako seized the chance to ask Shimizu Koji to look after her.
Despite the slightly ambiguous tone of her words, Shimizu Koji nodded and agreed.
He carried himself upright and honestly. As long as he didn't dwell on the small details, getting along with people wasn't unpleasant. He was here simply for a vacation—or, in a sense, to repay a favor. Protecting Sonoko was only natural. Besides, did she really need protecting?
Even before entering the villa, Shimizu Koji had noticed people watching from hidden positions around the grounds. Without a doubt, they were members of the Suzuki family's security detail.
Soon, the other guests—Ayako's classmates, three men and one woman—along with Xiaolan and Conan, were led into the dining room by Sonoko.
Shimizu Koji and Ayako were already seated. Once everyone arrived and the Suzuki sisters finished setting out dinner, Ayako began making introductions.
"Starting with the person next to Xiaolan—this is Ota Masaru, who handles most of the work in our university film club."
Ota Masaru had long hair and handsome features, with a headband tied around his head. He was smoking at the table, yet surprisingly, none of the women seemed to mind. After Ayako introduced him, he merely nodded casually in acknowledgment.
"Next to him is Kakutani Hiroki, our cameraman."
"This is Takahashi Ryoichi, who's in charge of props."
"And finally, this is Ikeda Chikako—our director and screenwriter, and a very successful novelist."
Before Ayako could finish speaking, Sonoko stood up with a grin and moved behind her.
"Oh my~ Chikako-san isn't the last one, you know."
Ikeda Chikako frowned and shot Sonoko an unmistakably annoyed glare, but said nothing.
"Hehe! Let me introduce someone properly," Sonoko said cheerfully. "This is the person in charge of makeup and costumes, currently searching for a marriage partner—my dear older sister, Suzuki Ayako~!"
Her words drew amused smiles from everyone at the table. Ayako smiled back, casting Sonoko a mildly reproachful glance.
Ayako didn't show even a hint of embarrassment—perhaps the difference between a mature woman on the verge of marriage and younger girls like Sonoko and Xiaolan.
The dinner passed pleasantly enough—at least, that was how Shimizu Koji felt.
He remained something of an outsider, unconcerned with the others' conversations. He smiled and nodded politely to give face to the Suzuki sisters as hosts, but unless someone spoke directly to him, he said nothing, focusing entirely on his meal.
At one point, Ikeda Chikako lost her temper when Ayako suddenly mentioned a female club member who had already passed away.
Shimizu Koji noticed the tension at the table. He had the faint impression that Ayako had brought it up intentionally, and Chikako's reaction was dramatic enough that—if not for the others and Xiaolan stopping her—it felt like she might have flipped the table. Literally.
But that had nothing to do with him.
After dinner, as rain began to fall outside, Shimizu Koji quietly returned to his room.