Conan the Runaway
After Curaçao and Camus finished serving out their punishment and emerged from the interrogation room, their slow meandering walk back took an unfortunate turn — they crossed paths with Cointreau.
Cointreau said nothing to them. He merely shot them a glance as he passed, then walked on without a word.
Curaçao, however, stopped in her tracks under Camus's puzzled gaze, her eyes lingering on Cointreau's retreating back with something unreadable in them.
She had once stumbled across Cointreau's file in Rum's possession, and she knew a thing or two about what made him unusual. What she couldn't understand was why a man like that had joined the Organization in the first place.
She herself had joined because she had no other choice — because she had seen things she was never meant to see, and working for the Organization was the only way to stay alive.
But as far as she knew, someone with Cointreau's abilities shouldn't share her predicament, and he clearly didn't care about money either. So what kept him in the Organization all this time?
She had the feeling, too, that something about Cointreau had changed recently.
Besides, Curaçao knew what Cointreau had looked like in the past, which meant she also knew he had been wearing a disguise lately — one more oddity in his recent behavior, and yet he didn't seem to be making any effort to hide it.
She quickly let the matter drop. After all, her dealings with Cointreau were few and far between; she had only given it a moment's thought because they happened to cross paths, and with no answer forthcoming, she didn't dwell on it.
But while Curaçao let it go, Camus's interest in Cointreau was piqued by her reaction.
Watching the particular attention Curaçao had paid to the man who had just brushed past them, Camus broke into an intrigued smile.
He knew perfectly well that Curaçao was one of Rum's confidantes, someone with access to a great many of the Organization's secrets.
This was the first time he had ever seen Curaçao take such an interest in another person — which meant that man was anything but ordinary.
And yet for all that he was no ordinary man, this was the first time Camus had ever laid eyes on him. Considering that the only newly designated member in the Japanese branch besides Bourbon was one mysterious Cointreau...
From his appearance, the man was clearly no researcher. Which could only mean he was that very Cointreau.
With that realization, Camus's curiosity deepened all the more.
At any rate, the upcoming collaboration with that rather eerie Jade Chamber Corp wouldn't require his personal involvement, so he decided he would find an opportunity to make this Cointreau's acquaintance himself.
Meanwhile, back at the inn, Conan, Kaeya, and the others hadn't the faintest idea what had just transpired within the Organization.
Having borrowed a small spray bottle from the inn, they wrote down a few lines in the notebook at the front desk — the message that the crew of Winter Crimson, whom they'd met earlier, had asked them to write on their behalf.
I've found the tree you're looking for. Come to the rock that appears in the play's final scene. — HODUMI
"'I've found the tree you're looking for. Come to the rock that appears in the play's final scene. — HODUMI.' That should be right, shouldn't it?" Sonoko held up the notebook and read her own handiwork over from start to finish.
"Mm~ that's it exactly. My, Sonoko, you have lovely handwriting," Lisa affirmed with a smile.
"Ha ha." Sonoko beamed at the compliment, then pressed on. "Well, we've got the bottle. Let's not waste time — back up the mountain and let's get moving!"
"Right," Ran agreed.
But Noelle raised an objection. "Perhaps we should eat first. There's the climb ahead of us, and then we still have to deal with all those handkerchiefs — it's bound to take quite a while. We'll need our strength on full stomachs. And little Conan is here with us, after all."
As if to second her words, the moment Noelle finished speaking, someone's stomach gave a loud growl.
Every head turned toward the sound — and there was Sonoko, clutching her belly with an embarrassed grin. "Noelle's right. You can't work on an empty stomach. Come on, let's go find a restaurant first."
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Some time later, they finished their meal.
A thought struck Ran, and she turned to Lisa. "Oh, that's right — Mr. Albedo is still up on the mountain doing his sketches. He must be hungry too. Should we bring him some snacks when we go up, just to tide him over?"
"He'll be fine. Albedo can take care of himself," Kaeya said.
After all, if Albedo hadn't messaged them, he clearly wasn't hungry — no need to fuss over him. And anyone capable of waiting alone on a snowy mountain hardly required anyone's concern.
Lisa chimed in as well. "I'm sure Albedo packed his own food. Don't you worry about him."
Only then did Ran let the idea go.
Once they reached the mountain, the group headed toward the spot where Albedo had been working.
Just short of their destination, something familiar suddenly flashed across Conan's peripheral vision.
He stopped, turned, and studied it closely — then called out to the others ahead and pointed to their right rear. "Wait a second. Isn't that the notebook that gentleman had been carrying?"
"Mm, it does look like it," Noelle confirmed from beside him.
When Conan picked it up, he found bloodstains on it — and they hadn't dried yet.
He realized at once that something had happened to that gentleman. And it had happened mere moments ago.
There was no time to lose. Conan broke into a run.
"Wh-what's wrong?!" Sonoko cried, bewildered.
"C-Conan!" Ran watched him dart right past her, alarm written across her face. "Wait!"
Only when she saw Noelle chasing after him did her worry ease a little.
"Wow, that boy can run," Lisa murmured in admiration.
"Indeed — in the blink of an eye, even his back's out of sight," Kaeya agreed.
Meanwhile, Conan tore ahead, scanning in every direction as he ran — and paying no attention whatsoever to what lay under his feet.
Just as he was about to trip, Noelle appeared in an instant and caught him.
She cushioned Conan against her as they tumbled to the ground, then looked down at him anxiously. "Conan, are you all right?"
Conan blinked, shook his head, and looked up at her. "I'm okay. Thanks, Noelle."
It was only after thanking her that something clicked — he turned his head toward the very spot he had tripped over, and there, just as he had feared, lay the man.
He was still a step too late. The man had already stopped breathing.
"Ahh—!" Sonoko and Ran, arriving belatedly, caught sight of the scene and shrieked.
Kaeya's head snapped up on instinct — and sure enough, several birds went scattering into the sky in a startled flurry of wings.
"Th-that's the man who had the notebook, isn't it?" Sonoko looked to Ran for confirmation.
Ran swallowed hard and nodded uneasily.
"We should call the police right away," Sonoko said.
Ran nodded again.
"Aaah!"
suddenly, a shout rang out, accompanied by yet another thunder of startled wings.
Ran had just pulled out her phone and was about to dial when the cry came from up ahead. She froze mid-motion, terror flashing across her face.
Could that be... the killer's voice?
Before she could collect herself and finish dialing, she realized that Conan — who had been beside her only a second ago — had vanished once more.
Plain as day, the instant he'd heard the commotion, he'd bolted toward it. All Ran could see now was the faint blur of his back disappearing into the distance.