Confirms the Glance, It's Someone About to Be Harmed

"Speaking of which, Sonoko, were there any people with bandages on their faces among the guests today?" Ran asked Sonoko nervously as they entered the villa, recalling the scene from earlier.

"Bandages?" Sonoko exclaimed in surprise. After a moment of thought, she replied, "No one was injured among the guests today. Ran, why do you ask?"

"I just saw someone with bandages on their face running behind the villa from the suspension bridge."

"You must have seen wrong," Sonoko said, waving her hand dismissively. "It was probably just a cat or a dog. There are some wild animals in this forest."

"I definitely didn't see wrong!" Ran frowned, then looked at Fujino. "Fujino-senpai, did you also see that strange person in the black cloak just now?"

Fujino nodded. "Yes, we both saw a strange person run behind the villa from the suspension bridge."

"That's strange... Could it be?!" Sonoko's tone suddenly changed. "Ran, the person you encountered, wasn't it the Black Reaper?!"

"The Black Reaper?!"

"That's right!" Sonoko's expression turned serious as she explained, "Legend has it that a person in a black cloak died in this forest. Whenever girls in their prime come to this forest, he..."

"He will..." Ran gulped, staring intently at Sonoko.

"He'll jump out and tie up the girl, taking her back to the cabin in the woods to eat her!"

"Ah!!"

"Hahaha!" Seeing Ran's terrified expression, Sonoko's face gradually showed a mischievous smile.

When Ran finally recovered and realized she had been pranked, she looked at Sonoko with a pout. "Really, Sonoko, you still scared me at a time like this!"

"Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to see Ran, who's never afraid of anything, looking scared." Sonoko waved her hand, her smile still lingering, then began to ponder the bandage-wearing oddity Ran had mentioned. "But that bandage-wearing oddity you mentioned is indeed a bit strange."

"Never mind, never mind. We came here to have fun, so let's not think about these things." Sonoko couldn't figure out what the bandage-wearing oddity was, so she decided to stop thinking about it. She then called out to Fujino and Ran, "Your rooms are on the second floor. Hurry and put your luggage away... Everyone else has already been resting for half the day."

"But there are so many rooms, which two are ours?" As the three of them went up to the second floor, Ran looked at the several doors in the hallway and asked doubtfully.

Fujino, meanwhile, frowned, looking thoughtful. If he remembered correctly, the bandage-wearing oddity was in one of the rooms on the second floor. In the original story, Ran was attacked by the oddity precisely because she randomly opened a door. Perhaps... he could also take the opportunity to fish, forcing the bandage-wearing oddity out.

Putting his thoughts aside, Fujino stepped forward and pushed open the doors on the left and right of the second-floor hallway. He opened the first door, and inside was someone with a middle part, who had been practicing for two and a half years. Fujino glanced around and closed the door. He opened the second door. Inside was a chubby person who looked honest and simple, but his physique was exceptionally strong, a stark contrast to his simple appearance. Fujino gave him a meaningful look and closed the door. As for the last one, it was a rogue who looked like a hooligan, smoking and holding a pair of briefs. Seeing the naked young man before him, Fujino felt a shiver run down his spine. Shaking his head, he quietly closed the door. Finally finding two empty rooms, he called out to Ran, "Ran, these two empty rooms should be the guest rooms Sonoko prepared for us."

At this moment, Conan, standing beside them, looked at Fujino speechlessly. "Doesn't this guy knock before opening doors?"

Fujino noticed Conan's gaze, a slight smile curving his lips. He said to Ran, who was about to take Conan into the guest room, "Ran, how about letting Conan stay in my room today?" He then gave Ran a meaningful look. Ran nodded as if she understood, recalling the topic they had just discussed about 'Conan being a child with psychological problems,' and grasped the meaning behind Fujino's words. She then let out a soft laugh and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you with Conan, Fujino-senpai!"

"Huh?"

Seeing Ran and Fujino's tacit understanding, Conan looked a bit bewildered.

Before he could snap out of it, Fujino had already pulled him over.

Fujino ruffled his hair and let out a light, meaningful chuckle, "Conan, don't you like spending time with me?"

"Looks like I'll need your help a lot tonight!"

"Ah... Hahaha..."

This guy is definitely doing this on purpose!

Absolutely!

The sky gradually darkened, and a strong wind howled, as if the wind and rain were about to engulf the city.

After tidying up their luggage, the group of guests who had arrived at the villa that day gathered in the living room downstairs.

Sitting at the dining table, Sonoko began introducing the villa's guests to Ran and Fujino.

Just as Fujino remembered, these people were all classmates from the same club during their university days.

Sitting directly opposite was the middle-parted man named Kakuya Hiroki, a movie magazine editor who had been practicing for two and a half years.

The fatty sitting diagonally across was Takahashi Ryoichi, currently working at a food company, despite his bloated appearance.

And the last one, "Little Bird Brother," was Ota Masaru, a car salesman.

He looked like trouble from the start.

"Next up is my older sister. She was in charge of costume production back in college."

As Sonoko spoke, she pointed to Ayako, who was sitting beside her with a gentle smile, and mischievously added, "By the way, she's looking for a husband right now!"

"Really, Sonoko."

Ayako squinted and smiled faintly, "Don't just say things like that."

"Hehe!"

Sonoko chuckled, then pointed to the short-haired woman sitting diagonally across from Fujino, "Finally, this is Ms. Ikeda Chikako. She was the director and screenwriter back then, and she was even the president of the film research club!"

"Nice to meet you all."

"Is she the screenwriter for the currently showing 'Blue Kingdom,' Ikeda Chikako?!"

Upon hearing this, Ran looked curiously at Ikeda Chikako, who was greeting them.

"Blue Kingdom" was a dark horse film that had received countless positive reviews and various awards as soon as it was released.

Ikeda Chikako had naturally become a well-known screenwriter.

Even Ran had heard her name.

"That's right!"

Suzuki Ayako nodded with a smile, "That was Chikako's work from college, and it was her representative work when she first debuted in the literary world!"

"Alright, let's not bring up the past anymore."

Ikeda Chikako waved her hand dismissively, and the old classmates began to exchange pleasantries.

However, when Ayako's usually gentle and serene face showed a hint of sadness and she mentioned a girl named Atsuko from their university days, Ikeda Chikako suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "Stop mentioning Atsuko to me!"

Everyone looked at Ikeda Chikako in surprise at the outburst.

Fujino was also startled by the loud noise, putting aside his thoughts of hitting someone, and turned his gaze towards her.

Hmm.

He had a look of recognition; this was someone who was about to meet their doom.

After a revision, the Bandage Killer case now has an additional system mission.