It had to be said—Kogoro Mōri, who was overthinking things, couldn't have been more wrong.
Ran, standing beside him, couldn't help but speak up:
"Dad, the one who solved the case wasn't Mom—it was Akashi!"
She lifted Akashi up in her arms.
"W-Wait!" Akashi blushed. Being picked up like this is so embarrassing!
Kogoro's expression froze.
"But… but he's never even met those college students!"
"Besides, he wasn't there when the sea snake bit anyone!"
A proud smile formed on Ran's face as she gently pressed Akashi's cheek against hers.
"Akashi wasn't there, true," she said, "but when I told him about the case while we were eating, he immediately ruled out the others and identified the real culprit!"
"What he said made so much sense that I called to tell you right away. I didn't expect it to be completely correct!"
"Akashi is so smart!"
Ran felt a warm pride in her chest. She had been genuinely touched when she realized that Harumi Matsuzaki, whom Akashi had identified, really was the murderer.
Seeing just how sharp Akashi was, any lingering anger she had toward him vanished.
Meanwhile, Eri, lounging on a beach chair nearby, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! So much for the great detective—you're no match for a child!"
"Other people only need to hear about the case over dinner to figure it out—yet you, a so-called great detective, were right there and still couldn't tell who was using poisonous snakes to hurt others. Absolutely laughable!"
"..."
Her sharp words were like daggers to Kogoro's pride.
The bearded uncle staggered slightly, visibly shaken.
Even Conan, the little devil at his side, was affected. His heart sank.
I followed the investigation all the way, but in the end, the impact I made wasn't even close to this kid!?
There's something off about this kid… seriously off!
Just as Conan was about to raise his head to investigate further, sunlight suddenly reflected off something and shone directly into his eyes.
Who is it?
Which rascal is flashing a mirror at me?!
Conan quickly lowered his head and scanned the area, searching for the culprit.
Of course, it was Akashi's handiwork.
And naturally, Conan couldn't find him.
Eri raised her left hand, looking at her smooth palm. Then, she said coldly:
"As for this so-called 'eye-catching wedding ring,' I stopped wearing it a long time ago."
"I remember—it was around the same time we separated."
"Maybe it's finally time to start thinking about the next step."
"!!"
Ran's eyes widened in an instant.
What does Mom mean by that? Is she talking about… divorce?
Kogoro's face tightened at Eri's words, and he quickly retorted:
"Exactly what I want!"
"I just want to be free again!"
His words came entirely out of frustration and pride.
Ran stared at her father, stunned. "Dad! How could you say something like that?!"
Despite hearing Eri's sharp words, she still hoped her parents could reconcile.
But now…
Kogoro turned around abruptly. "Ran, let's go!"
Ran shook her head. "I'm not going. And Dad, you're not allowed to leave either!"
"Why can't you two just talk things out like normal people?!"
Even now, she clung to the dream of her parents getting back together.
But was that still possible?
Seeing his daughter's desperate expression only made Kogoro feel more humiliated. He turned around and walked off without looking back.
He could no longer stand being embarrassed in front of Eri.
Yesterday had already been bad enough…
But today? He'd let his feelings show—and made a fool of himself again.
He couldn't bear to stay a moment longer!
Conan, who had finally lifted his head, noticed the sun had moved. The glare was gone.
But his red eyes were filled with confusion.
What just happened?
Why did the conversation fall apart so quickly?
Why are they suddenly walking away from each other?
Who am I supposed to follow now?!
At that moment, Ran turned to him.
"Conan, hurry up and catch up with Dad! Try to convince him to come back!"
Hearing that, the little devil's feet moved on instinct, and he ran after Kogoro.
But as he followed, something didn't feel right.
Leaving Akashi behind with a bunch of girls? That's not ideal…
Also… where's Mom?!
I didn't even see where she went!
But before he could stop, Kogoro glanced back at his hesitant face and snapped:
"You little brat—have you forgotten who adopted you?!"
"Are you siding with that woman too?!"
"Fine! Go ahead! You all go follow her!"
Kogoro's furious outburst left Conan frozen in fear.
There was no way he could leave Uncle Kogoro at this point.
If he did, it would really look like he'd betrayed him.
With a gloomy expression, Conan had no choice but to follow silently, racking his brain for ways to patch things up and convince Kogoro to return to Ran.
Unexpectedly, Kogoro quickened his pace.
Within minutes, they arrived at the resort hotel's parking lot.
What's going on?
Before Conan could even open his mouth to say anything, Kogoro suddenly picked him up and threw him into the passenger seat.
Then the bearded uncle jumped in, turned the key, and started the engine.
The rented car roared to life, reversed out of the garage, and drove away from the Izu Resort Hotel.
"!!"
Conan's small face was pressed against the car window.
No! Let me go back!
His silent screaming was full of sorrow.
Kogoro was truly unwilling to stay even a second longer on the same beach as Eri.
He just drove away without looking back.
Meanwhile, the others still had no idea what had happened.
Ran was still trying to reason with her mother.
But Eri…
Eri appeared completely indifferent.