~
Ai Haibara crossed her arms and watched the delighted Ayumi, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Ayumi was really just a little girl.
She was still innocent, still a child—a real child. Sometimes she got kidnapped by criminals, and ultimately, it was simply because she lacked the strength to fight back and was a little timid by nature. No one could expect her to throw punches at criminals like Ran did.
Even Ran sometimes felt helpless when facing criminals.
Especially criminals with guns.
That was when someone needed to save her.
And after seeing other girls being cared for, she would naturally hope for the same—or perhaps become jealous.
At times like that, someone needed to comfort her and make her feel safe.
After all, she was just a little girl.
All that could be said was that no one understood little girls better than Ai.
Yamamura Misao raised a question at that moment. "But if that's the case, wouldn't the murder weapon have been disposed of already?"
He thought it over. "Since it was an obsidian shard, he definitely would have thrown it away after killing someone..."
"Maybe even flushed it down the toilet."
Fujino nodded in agreement. "If he was thinking normally, that should be the case."
As he spoke, he glanced downward. "I wonder whether this place is connected to a sewer system. If it is, then the murder weapon would have been carried away directly."
"But if it isn't connected, that's easy enough too. We just need to search through the sewer's septic tank."
Yamamura Misao's eyebrow twitched. "Searching the sewers? Isn't that too much trouble?"
"Isn't that what the police do..." Fujino chuckled. "Hang in there, Misao. I believe in you. It might smell a little strong, but you'll be