Chapter 30: Cry! Cry in each other's arms!

Natsuka remembered that the origin of this "25 million yen gift incident" was a surgery performed by Dr. Ogawa on August 3rd, three years ago.

The patient was a five-year-old boy named Tomoya Ogino. He had been brought to the hospital too late for appendicitis; resuscitation failed, and he passed away.

After his death, Tomoya's father received 25 million yen in insurance money.

But the father didn't want the money; he only wanted the doctor to experience the pain of losing a child.

As it happened, Dr. Ogawa also had a young son.

The father sent the 25 million yen to Dr. Ogawa in installments. He decided that when the doctor's son turned five, he would kill the child.

Two years had passed, and Dr. Ogawa's son was now exactly five—he attended the kindergarten right in front of them.

...

The father sat on a bench watching the kindergarten.

Natsuka stood ten meters away, watching him.

As he gazed at the thick, palpable killing intent radiating from the man, Natsuka's mood went +1, +1, +1...

This time, the choice between the killing intent and the Shikigami was not difficult.

—The children of this world seemed to be shrouded in a peculiar aura; their mortality rate was extremely low.

Furthermore, when innocent children are killed by a murderer in a state of confusion, their vague, lingering obsessions were insufficient to generate a Shikigami.

...It would be better to play it safe and set the target as "striking down the father's killing intent."

Natsuka gripped the baton hidden on his person with anticipation, but after a moment of hesitation, he did not pull it out immediately.

—This case was different from an ordinary murder.

The father's obsession was deep; he was willing to give away 25 million yen on a whim. And it involved his own son...

He had a feeling that a simple beating wouldn't be enough to disperse that killing intent.

It would be better to wait for the right moment.

...

At the same time, at Beika Pharmacist Hospital.

In the archives room, files were piled high like mountains.

After a bout of deduction, Conan finally used an old game console to lock onto "Tomoya Ogino"—the child who died of appendicitis—among the many patients Dr. Ogawa had treated.

Moreover, he had guessed the father's "eye for an eye" plan.

Upon hearing this, Dr. Ogawa panicked instantly.

He hurriedly called the kindergarten, only to hear that his son had just been picked up by "Dad."

The doctor's heart went cold, and he collapsed to his knees.

"Calm down! Since he was just picked up, they shouldn't have gone far!" Kogoro Mouri pulled him up forcefully and shouted, "Take us to the kindergarten right now! There's still a chance to find them."

"...Alright!" Dr. Ogawa wiped his face heavily, gritted his teeth, and rushed out of the hospital, turning his grief and indignation into running speed.

The four of them rushed toward the kindergarten.

...

Perhaps due to a psychic connection between father and son,

As they ran onto an overpass, Dr. Ogawa inadvertently glanced down to the right.

...He happened to see his son in the park over there, laughing happily while holding a remote-controlled airplane.

And behind the boy, a middle-aged man stood with a grim expression, holding a sharp knife, poised to strike.

Dr. Ogawa's soul nearly left his body as he let out a useless, distant scream: "Yuta—!!!"

The Mouri group turned to look, and their hearts instantly leaped into their throats.

With a solemn expression, Conan crouched down and clicked the switch on his sneakers.

—This was new equipment made by the Professor. It could significantly enhance his leg strength to compensate for his low combat power.

As lightning crackled from the sneakers, Conan snatched a soccer ball from an innocent child nearby, intending to kick it to blast the father away.

However, before he could.

Below the overpass, from behind a tree next to the assailant, a person suddenly stepped out.

The four on the bridge were momentarily stunned.

"..." Natsuka?!

...

Natsuka maintained his consistent style—he swiftly snatched the knife from the father's hand from behind, while simultaneously kicking him in the back of the knee.

Before the father could even react, he fell to his knees with a thud, startling the child playing with the airplane in front of him.

...

Seeing the assailant subdued, the four on the bridge breathed a massive sigh of relief.

They were happily preparing to run down the bridge to join Natsuka,

Only to suddenly see Natsuka raise his hand and flick his wrist, extending a telescopic baton with a *shlack* sound.

In the next second, without warning, the young man raised his hand and slammed the baton heavily onto the father's shoulder.

The father was sent flying by the blow, crashing into a nearby tree trunk before sliding to the ground in a daze.

Dr. Ogawa and the Mouri family: "..."

Conan on the bridge: "............"

...He knew it would turn out like this!

Holding the soccer ball, with his feet clad in lightning-crackling, high-power sneakers, Conan fell into deep thought.

...A few days ago, when he used this gear, a single kick had snapped a tree trunk with the soccer ball.

Using that much force to kick at Natsuka felt... somewhat inappropriate.

But if he didn't kick, would that father be beaten to death? After all, it was still a human life, and Natsuka might face legal trouble because of this.

The four on the bridge fell into a synchronized silence.

In just a few short seconds, the father below had been beaten so much he couldn't even crawl back up.

Ultimately, Ran Mouri was the first to snap out of it. She cried out anxiously, "Stop hitting him!"

As soon as her voice rang out, Natsuka below delivered another casual strike, hitting with focused joy, without even looking up.

The four on the bridge: "..."

This overpass was exceptionally long. By the time they got down, the father might already be dead.

Ran felt a pang of heartache, then suddenly remembered something.

She leaned over the edge of the bridge to inspect the structure of the side of the overpass.

A moment later, Ran's eyes lit up. She straightened up and ran quickly toward the nearest support pillar.

...

In the park.

Natsuka hadn't actually used his full strength; he was just testing the waters with a few hits.

However, the killing intent on the father showed no sign of loosening. His murderous intent was incredibly steadfast.

Natsuka immediately felt a sense of boredom.

Consequently, his subsequent strikes became even more perfunctory.

Rather than actually fighting, his goal was mostly to create a suitable "hero saves the uncle" opportunity for Dr. Ogawa's son—thereby touching the father's heart and making him voluntarily abandon the murder.

...

While the father was seeing stars from the beating,

Natsuka secretly glanced up, looking expectantly at the child nearby.

—According to his script, at this moment, the kind-hearted child should rush over, bravely hug Natsuka's leg, and tell him, "Don't hit the uncle anymore! He's a good person!"

Then, this kindness from a child would awaken the father's paternal instincts.

And once the father abandoned the murder, his killing intent would naturally drop entirely...

...

However, the script was perfect.

But after waiting for a long time, the child did not rush over.

Instead, after making eye contact with Natsuka, the child suddenly shuddered, retreated several steps while clutching the toy airplane, and tears welled up in his eyes from fright.

Natsuka: "...?"

...Perhaps he was scared by the kitchen knife?

Thinking this, Natsuka casually tossed the snatched knife aside. He also struck the struggling father back down to prevent him from shaking the child's courage.

Then, he attempted to show a friendly smile to the child.

This time, the child shuddered violently, bolted a great distance away, hid behind a tree, and refused to peek out again.

Natsuka stared at the rough tree trunk: "..."

...Something is wrong.

The script definitely wasn't supposed to be like this!

(End of Chapter)