Chapter 40: Written in the Stars
As Mona's voice rang out, a sudden, unnatural chill swept through the air. A thin, silvery mist began to curl around the edges of the table, rolling over the floorboards like dry ice.
"Wow!" Sonoko and Ran gasped in unison, their eyes widening at the theatrical display. The sudden atmospheric shift instantly cemented their faith in the young astrologer sitting before them.
'Hey, hey, is this for real?'
Conan blinked, rubbing his eyes behind his oversized glasses. The moment Mona had spoken, the mist had materialized out of thin air. He took a slow breath, noting the distinct, heavy dampness settling over his skin. The humidity in the room had spiked dramatically in mere seconds.
His rational mind immediately rejected the idea of magic. There had to be a mechanism. A hidden humidifier under the table, perhaps? A cleverly disguised pipe releasing pressurized vapor?
Narrowing his eyes, Conan slipped away from Ran's side. He dropped to his hands and knees, preparing to crawl behind the draped velvet of the fortune-telling table to expose the trick.
He barely made it two steps before a familiar hand clamped down onto the back of his collar, lifting him slightly off the ground.
"Conan, what did you promise me before we came inside?" Ran asked. Her voice was calm, but the stern, downward tilt of her brow left no room for argument.
"I'm sorry, Ran-neechan. I won't run around anymore." Conan offered a sheepish, apologetic smile, a drop of nervous sweat sliding down his temple. He knew better than to test Ran's patience when she used that specific tone. Defeated, he shuffled back to her side, crossing his arms as he turned his attention back to the reading.
"Hmm, asking about love? I understand," Mona murmured. She leaned over her hydromancy scryglass, her striking eyes reflecting the shimmering, liquid surface.
Sonoko eagerly leaned in as well, practically hovering over the table. She squinted at the basin, trying to decipher her own fate, but all she could see was a pool of clear water reflecting a miniature, impossible galaxy of stars.
"Your destined one will appear by the summer sea," Mona declared, her voice carrying a melodic, absolute certainty. She did not look up from the water. "And when you find yourself in grave danger, he will step forward to protect you."
She didn't make Sonoko wait, nor did she fish for clues. The reading was delivered instantly, sharp and detailed.
"Ah! A hero saving a beauty? How romantic!" Sonoko squealed, throwing her hands up to cup her flushed cheeks. Her eyes glazed over, completely lost in a daydream of a faceless, muscular savior sweeping her off her feet on a sun-drenched beach.
'Strange. Why is it so specific?' Conan scrutinized the astrologer.
In his experience, fortune tellers relied entirely on a psychological trick known as cold reading. It was a manipulative technique used to extract information without the subject ever realizing they were giving it away. A skilled cold reader would analyze micro-expressions, clothing brands, posture, and speech patterns. They would throw out vague, open-ended statements, waiting for the client to unconsciously fill in the blanks. Once the client felt understood, trust was established, and the scam was complete.
Conan had fully expected this girl to ask leading questions. Something like, 'You are thinking of a boy, aren't you?'or'You have felt lonely recently.'But she hadn't asked a single question. She had simply delivered a highly specific scenario. If her prediction failed to come true, her reputation would be ruined instantly. How had she maintained such a loyal customer base? Had she truly never missed the mark?'No, that's impossible,'Conan rationalized, adjusting his glasses.'It's just a clever trick. Sonoko asked about the future. A future event can't be immediately proven false. She can just make up whatever sounds good to keep the customer happy. Astrology is just a fairy tale.'
"Ran, how is it? Didn't I tell you she was amazing?" Sonoko practically vibrated with excitement as she stood up, pushing Ran toward the empty chair. "Hurry up, it's your turn! What are you going to ask? You're not going to ask about that idiot Kudo, are you?" She cast a teasing, sidelong glance at her best friend.
A deep blush crept up Ran's neck. She looked away, embarrassed to have her thoughts read so easily by her friend, but she didn't deny it. Ever since Shinichi had vanished at Tropical Land, leaving her alone in the amusement park, an unshakable knot of anxiety had settled in her chest. She received his occasional phone calls, but hearing his voice through a speaker wasn't enough. She needed to know he was safe.
Hearing the surrounding crowd whisper about the astrologer's flawless track record had pushed her into the chair. Even if it was just a comforting lie, she needed to hear it.
Conan's eyes softened as he watched Ran sit down. A pang of guilt twisted in his chest. 'She really is worried about me.'
But that warm feeling was quickly replaced by a sharp spike of anxiety. What if this fake astrologer spouted some dramatic nonsense about death and tragedy just to sound mysterious? It would only make Ran worry more.
Ran quietly explained her request to Mona, gently placing her hands on the edge of the hydromancy scryglass, mimicking Sonoko's earlier posture.
"Fate, manifest here!" Mona commanded.
"Wow! The mist is coming back! No matter how many times I see it, it's so cool!" Sonoko cheered, waving her hand through the sudden, chilling fog that rolled off the table.
Conan gritted his teeth, his eyes darting around the table. He had watched Mona's hands like a hawk. She hadn't pressed a button. She hadn't triggered a switch. She simply placed her hands on the rim of the basin, spoke her chant, and the very atmosphere of the room warped.
'Does she have an accomplice hidden in the ceiling?' He glanced upward, finding nothing but solid wood.
"Miss Mouri," Mona began, her tone shifting into something heavier, more solemn. "The person you wish to divine about is currently shrouded in a dark shadow. However, there is no immediate danger to his life." She paused, her eyes lifting from the water to meet Ran's. "He is not far from you. In fact, he might even be right beside you."
Conan stopped breathing.
A cold, prickling sweat erupted across his back. His heart slammed against his ribs like a trapped bird.
Ran let out a slow, shaky breath, the tension bleeding out of her shoulders. She didn't seem to register the literal meaning of the final sentence, taking it as a metaphorical comfort. Knowing Shinichi wasn't in mortal danger was enough to ease the heavy burden she had been carrying.
'Hey, hey... how did she know that?'Conan's mind spun out of control.'What exactly did she see in that water? If she can see through my disguise... if she can see the truth...'
A terrifying, desperate thought clawed its way to the front of his mind. If this girl could actually see the truth of the world, could she find the Men in Black? Could she track down the people who had poisoned him at Tropical Land?
He needed to know. He needed his life back. He couldn't stand watching Ran look so sad anymore.
"Hey, hey, Onee-chan! Is divination really that super accurate?" Conan pitched his voice an octave higher, plastering on a wide, childish grin as he tugged at Ran's sleeve. "I want to try too! Ran-neechan, let me try!"
Ran blinked, surprised by his sudden enthusiasm, but she smiled softly and stepped aside. "Alright, Conan-kun. Go ahead."
Conan scrambled up onto the chair, barely tall enough to see over the edge of the scryglass.
"And what does our little customer wish to ask?" Mona inquired. Her tone was polite, but one of her elegant eyebrows arched slightly, as if she found the small boy sitting across from her mildly amusing.
Conan hesitated. He had to be incredibly careful. If he asked about men dressed in black at an amusement park, Ran would instantly connect the dots to Shinichi Kudo's disappearance. He needed to obscure the details while giving the astrologer enough to work with. Let's see just how real her magic was.
"Um... some time ago, I accidentally took the wrong medicine," Conan said, keeping his voice innocent and vague. "I want to know about the two bad men who gave me that medicine."
Ran tilted her head, a frown creasing her forehead. 'Took the wrong medicine?' She leaned down, carefully inspecting Conan's face and arms. His color was good, his eyes were bright, and he seemed perfectly energetic. Whatever medicine he had taken back then clearly hadn't done any lasting damage. Still, it was an odd thing for a child to ask a fortune teller.
Across the table, Mona's expression remained perfectly composed. She wasn't surprised by the strange request. In fact, she had been waiting to see what the scryglass would reveal when confronted with the heavy, tangled fate of the Black Organization.
She directed her hydro-vision into the basin. The water rippled, the miniature stars swirling into a chaotic, murky vortex. The threads of fate tied to those men were incredibly dense, resisting her usual clear sight.
'Interesting,'Mona thought, her eyes narrowing at the stubborn water.'The information is unusually sparse. Is the reading obscured because these individuals are tied so deeply to the core fate of this world?'
The swirling water finally settled, leaving behind a single, obvious concept floating in the astrological chart.
Mona looked up, meeting Conan's hidden, desperate gaze.
"Alcohol."
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