10:00 AM.
Kurosawa Hoshino and the others returned to the Mouri Detective Agency.
They opened the door to an empty office.
"That's strange. Where did Dad and Conan go?" Ran placed her gift bag on the coffee table, looking puzzled.
"Probably went out to play," Sonoko said, plopping down on the sofa and stretching casually.
"Conan might be at Professor Agasa's house," Kurosawa Hoshino chuckled.
He figured Conan couldn't catch up with their car that morning, so he'd probably gone to Professor Agasa for comfort. After all, he wouldn't reveal his identity to Kogoro Mouri, nor would he seek solace from him.
"What a shame," Ran sighed. "If we'd known Dad wasn't home, we could have gone straight to the Medieval Art Museum. Now we've already made plans with Miss Chris for the afternoon."
Kurosawa Hoshino laughed. "It's fine. Coming back here or not doesn't matter. We can head over when it's time."
"That's right!" Sonoko took out her phone. "I'll call the bodyguards and have them bring over a game console."
"Excellent. Now that's how a young lady should act," Kurosawa Hoshino agreed wholeheartedly.
Sonoko glared at him and snorted. "You're not allowed to play later."
"Why?" Kurosawa Hoshino suddenly stood up, looking down at her.
Sonoko shrank back, pretending to be scared, then stuck out her tongue and grinned. "Who told you to tease me? You'll be last to play."
"I haven't even settled the score with you for barging into my room this morning."
"I told you I knocked!"
"Was that knocking?"
Ran watched them bicker, shook her head with a smile, checked the time, and headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch ingredients.
Time flew by.
4:00 PM.
At the entrance of the Medieval Art Museum, Kurosawa Hoshino and the others arrived right on time and found Vermouth already waiting.
Her outfit had changed from the morning—now more stylish and bold—though she still wore a hat and sunglasses covering half her face.
"You're here! I've already bought the tickets. We can head right in." Vermouth greeted them.
"Ah—" Ran exclaimed, "Miss Chris, that's not right! Let us pay you back."
"It's fine, really. Let's go." Vermouth smiled and led the way.
"Let's go."
Kurosawa Hoshino patted the two girls' shoulders and followed inside.
Given how Vermouth doted on Ran like her own angel, there was no way she'd accept money from her.
"There are so few people here."
Sonoko walked into the hall and looked around. Besides their group, only one other couple was visiting.
"Yeah, no wonder everyone thinks the ghost stories are just publicity stunts."
Ran said this, but she had already squeezed herself into the middle of the group, refusing to walk alone.
Kurosawa Hoshino glanced away from the surrounding portraits and realized, "No wonder it's called the Medieval Art Museum. It's full of medieval artworks and antiques."
"That's right," Vermouth smiled. "I read the introduction earlier. The most unique exhibits are in the four halls: Earth, Sky, Ocean, and Hell. Would you like to see them?"
She paused, her gaze lingering on Ran, then continued, "Oh, I forgot to mention. I asked about the supernatural incidents too. They say it happened in the Hell Hall—rumors that the armor there moves on its own."
Gulp—
Ran swallowed hard, her hand instinctively reaching for Kurosawa Hoshino's.
"Don't be scared," Kurosawa Hoshino comforted her.
"I—I'm not scared!" Ran's voice trembled, but she stubbornly held her ground.
Sonoko nudged her best friend's shoulder and teased, "In that case, let's go to the Hell Hall first. How about it?"
Ran forced a smile. "Hell sounds like it should be saved for last. I think we should visit it last."
"Then let's start with the Earth Hall."
Vermouth led the way again.
For the next half hour, they slowly admired the artworks and antiques. Having fewer visitors had its advantages—it was quiet and didn't disrupt their appreciation.
At 4:30 PM, after visiting the first three halls, they arrived at the entrance of the corridor leading to the fourth hall.
"Why is it so dark here?" Ran's legs felt weak as she stared into the dim corridor.
Kurosawa Hoshino laughed. "It's called the Hell Hall. It has to be dark, right?"
"Yeah, let's go." Sonoko boldly walked ahead.
Ran didn't say anything else—she just tightly gripped Kurosawa Hoshino's arm, using him as a human shield.
Watching this scene, a flicker of envy passed through Vermouth's eyes.
Kurosawa Hoshino didn't pay much attention to his arm being nestled against Ran's softness. Instead, he stared ahead, wondering why they hadn't encountered the museum curator or any of the original story's characters along the way. A faint unease crept into his mind:
Did I come too early? Or has something already happened?
"Hoshino, why aren't you saying anything?"
A warm breath brushed against Hoshino's ear—Ran whispering to him.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he teased, "It's all your fault! You're holding my arm so tight, you're making me nervous."
"Really? Then… I'll loosen my grip a little, okay? That way you won't get lost," Ran replied sweetly.
"…"
Hoshino was speechless. So were Vermouth and Sonoko.
In such a quiet environment, Ran's whisper was practically as loud as normal speech, letting everyone witness her stubbornness firsthand.
"We're here."
Sonoko's eyes lit up as she pointed to the door.
They approached, examining the room's layout. It was still quite dim, but they could make out the exhibits.
As they looked around, they saw mostly armor and weapons. Then their attention was quickly drawn to an enormous painting.
The painting depicted a knight in full armor, stained with demon's blood, pinning the demon to a mountain wall with his longsword.
"What a huge painting!"
Suddenly—
A soft drip, like a drop of water falling into a puddle.
Hearing the sound, Kurosawa Hoshino slowly turned his head toward the other side of the painting. When his eyes clearly made out the dark silhouette against the wall, his gaze sharpened. He whispered urgently:
"Ran, Sonoko, don't turn around. Call the police. There's a dead person here."
"Huh?" Ran and Sonoko were startled, but remembering Hoshino's warning, they didn't dare to look.
Vermouth, however, felt no fear. She turned to look at the other side of the painting.
There, she saw a man in a suit, pinned to the wall by a medieval knight's longsword.