Outside the changing room.
The two not-so-professional kidnappers were clearly thrown into a panic by the sudden call.
A moment later, the other one answered, "Ignore it. Pretend you didn't hear it. If she calls again later, send her a text message to brush her off—just hold out for another two hours, and it won't matter whether we have this hostage or not."
Mouri Ran's heart skipped a beat. What did that mean? Were they going to kill me in two hours?
"No, that's not right." Mouri Ran quickly recalled what had happened before she was knocked out. "I remember that at the café, they seemed to be planning to murder someone—could two hours from now be when they planned to act?"
Something like that...
Mouri Ran instinctively wanted to stop them, but she was currently tied up and locked in the changing room, without even a phone...
The high school girl sighed, silently lay back down on the floor, and tried to think of a solution while easing the pain in the back of her neck where she had been struck.
Just then, the ring tone outside stopped—the call had gone unanswered for too long and disconnected automatically.
The two kidnappers stared at the phone and held their breath as they waited.
Mouri Ran also unconsciously held her breath, unsure whether Sonoko on the other end could sense her predicament.
In the dead silence, Mouri Ran, with one ear pressed to the floor, suddenly heard a distant thump, thump.
Mouri Ran: "?"
Mouri Ran: "?!!"
W-what was that sound?! Why did it sound like it was coming from underground?!
In an instant, phrases like "corpse in a concrete slab" and "Earth-bound Spirit" flooded her mind. The ghost-fearing high school girl's ears buzzed, and goosebumps rose all over her body.