movie 4 — captured in her eyes
Ran looked through the binoculars in the castle and jumped as a cold can of soda was pressed to her cheek. Suzume grinned at her face. "Thirsty?"
"Thanks."
Suzume took her friend by the hand and pulled her out of the castle and towards a small courtyard, counting down along the way. Once she got to one, water shot into the air around them, surrounding them in rings of water.
"Amazing!" Ran said, looking around in excitement.
Suzume grinned. "I thought you'd enjoy it," she said with her friend turning to look at her. "Ready to keep going?"
"Yeah!"
~ — — — ~
Suzume stood inside the phone box, holding the phone to her ear with a frown. "You're sure he's dead?" she asked, earning a confirmation from the speaker on the other side. "Alright. Thank you, Inspector." She hung up the phone as Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta walked past the phone box, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. She chuckled as she watched them. "Never a dull moment, huh?"
She opened the door and stepped back out into the pouring rain, opening her umbrella above her head.
"Not even Suzume-nee'll figure this one out!" Mitsuhiko was saying to his two friends as Suzume was walking over to them.
"I can't wait to see her "I give up" look!" Genta added with a grin as they all imagined it.
"What're you guys smiling about?" Suzume asked in amusement, snapping them out of their daydream.
Ayumi grinned. "Suzume-nee!"
"Perfect timing! We were just about to head to your place right now!" Mitsuhiko said as they all gathered around the teenager.
"All three of us thought up a super special riddle!" Genta said.
Suzume blinked. "A riddle?"
"Ready? When asked what she thinks Suzume-nee is like, Haibara-san looked at the moon and answered, "She's not summer,"" Ayumi said, telling Suzume the riddle.
Suzume hummed.
"Did Haibara-san: one, praise Suzume-nee, or two, insult Suzume-nee?" Mitsuhiko gave her the answer choices. "Which is it?!"
"Not summer...moon..." Suzume murmured before grinning. "Number two is the answer!"
"Eh?!" All three kids chorused.
"W-Why is that?!" Mitsuhiko stuttered in shock.
"The months, or "moons," of summer are June, July, and August," Suzume said. "Together, their numbers spell out, "There's nothing good about her!""
I really need to bond a little more with Haibara, it seems... She chuckled awkwardly in her head.
"You really are amazing, Suzume-nee!" Ayumi cheered.
Genta had the opposite reaction. "Bah! You're no fun."
"Never mind that Genta-kun," Suzume smiled gently. "Why were you smiling earlier?"
"Will you "I give up" for us?" Mitsuhiko asked blankly.
Suzume blinked as the green light to walk across the street flashed.
"Let's cross!" Genta said as the kids went to go.
"Hold it! No crossing!" A middle-aged man called out, stopping the kids before Suzume could. "A blinking green light is the same as a yellow light. Wait until the next green light."
"Okay..." The kids said.
"Thank you," Suzume said to the man, who gave her a nod as he walked to the phone booth. Suzume turned her head to observe him pulling out a notebook, turning it sideways as he wrote in it. "Now I have a question for you guys." The kids looked up at her. "What do you think that man's job is?"
"A school teacher?" Ayumi suggested.
"A businessman?" Mitsuhiko was next. "No, he doesn't have a briefcase..."
"An eel restaurant owner?" Genta said.
Suzume shook her head at all of their suggestions. "The correct answer is police detective," she told them.
"P-Police detective?!"
"Whenever police detectives need to make a note of something, they turn their police notebooks horizontally to write in them."
All three kids were awed at her explanation.
"That's the Detective of the East for you!" Mitsuhiko grinned.
"Oh! It's green! Let's cross!" Genta said.
All four of them crossed the street and Suzume turned her head to see a man stand in front of the phone booth. As the detective opened the door, the person fired three shots from his silenced gun, running off as the detective collapsed.
"Shit! Call an ambulance now!" Suzume ordered as she dropped her umbrella and ran up and across the overhead bridge since the light to cross the street was red. When she got across, she couldn't find the shooter in sight, so she ran towards the detective on the ground. "Sir, hang in there!" She got on her knees next to him. "Do you know who shot you?!"
The detective slowly raised his hand to grip at his chest, where his police notebook was in his inner suit pocket. He gave her one last look before his head dropped onto the ground, dead.
Suzume stared at him with wide eyes. What...what did that mean?
~ — — — ~
"I'm sorry to ask yet again, but could you tell us about the murderer?" Megure asked Suzume and the three kids, along with Kogoro and Ran, with Takagi and Sato taking their statements.
"It was a young man!" Mitsuhiko said.
"No, it was a pretty lady!" Genta was next.
"No! It was a middle-aged man!" Ayumi argued.
"How about the person's umbrella?" Takagi asked them.
"It was a black umbrella!" Mitsuhiko said.
"It was green! Green!" Genta was next again.
"I think it was blue..." Ayumi said.
"Hey, now." Kogoro leaned forward from behind them, a doubtful look on his face. "Did you guys really see anything?"
Sato smiled at Suzume. "What about you, Suzume?"
"The raincoat and umbrella were grayish," she said, leaning back in her chair, and tapping a finger on the table. "I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, though. But the umbrella was in their right hand."
"Meaning they fired the gun with their left hand," Sato murmured, tapping her pen to her chin.
"So the killer is left-handed," Megure said.
"Incidentally, Inspector," Kogoro said. "Why did Assistant Detective Narasawa die holding the left side of his chest?"
"We believe it was meant to indicate the police notebook in his pocket," Megure told him as Chiba walked into the room. "We're currently looking into everything written in that notebook."
Chiba stopped beside Megure. "Inspector Megure. The cartridges at the scene were from a 9-mm caliber automatic," he reported, glancing at the reports in his hands.
"A 9-mm caliber?"
"That's a common gun even a woman could handle," Kogoro murmured.
"But it's a good thing none of you got caught in the middle of it!" Ran said with a smile, looking down at the kids before putting a hand on Suzume's shoulder. "You too, Suzume."
Suzume gave her a thin smile. If that light hadn't been red, they wouldn't have gotten away!
~ — — — ~
Later that same night, another detective was found shot to death in the parking garage of an apartment complex.
The next day, Kogoro tried to get an update from Megure on the case but was stonewalled by the inspector. It was later that day in the afternoon when they found themselves at the hotel where Shiratori's sister was holding her wedding party.
"Still, Shiratori-san's sister sure knows how to pick a bad time to hold a wedding reception," Kogoro complained as they looked to see which floor it was being held on.
"It can't be helped," Ran told him as they walked towards the elevator. "It was planned a month in advance, and it's not her fault the incidents happened."
"Besides, it's not a reception," Suzume corrected. "It's a wedding celebration. It was the bride and groom's friends who were in charge of it."
"Yeah, I know!"
They stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fifteenth floor.
"Hey! What's the groom, Haretsuki-san, like?" Sonoko asked.
"Apparently, he's a painter!" Ran said.
Kogoro smirked. "Add "struggling" to the beginning of that."
"A struggling painter, huh?" Sonoko hummed. "I guess I can't expect very much from his guy friends..."
Suzume deadpanned at her friend while Ran just chuckled awkwardly.
~ — — — ~
Kogoro signed his name into the wedding registration book.
"I see your handwriting is as blunt as ever," Kisaki Eri said, making Ran smile and Kogoro flinch.
"You got invited, too?" Kogoro muttered, displeased.
"Yes. Sara-san is an up-and-coming attorney I work with," Eri said, signing her name.
"Wow!" Sonoko breathed, looking over the older woman's shoulder. "You have such great handwriting!"
Why are you signing separately if you're still husband and wife?
Sonoko, Ran, and Suzume stored their bags and Suzume noticed a single, see-through umbrella in the umbrella stand outside the hall where the party was being held, looking at it with furrowed brows.
"Come on, Suzume!" Ran called, and she quickly followed behind them.
"Wow! Look at all these people!" Sonoko gasped as they made their way inside.
"Oh! The inspector's here!" Kogoro noticed.
"It's so easy to spot members of the police," Eri said. "They have menacing looks in their eyes, and are all-around gloomy."
"Can't blame 'em. This is no time for a party, after what's happened," Kogoro grumbled.
"Detective Sato is always cheerful, though!" Ran said, gesturing to the woman talking with a flustered Takagi.
"Oh! It's Odagiri-san! I'm gonna go say hello," Kogoro said, walking towards an older man and giving a short bow of greeting to him.
"Who?"
"Police Superintendent Odagiri," Eri said to her daughter. "He was Chief Detective when that bonehead private eye worked there. I believe he's head of criminal investigations now."
The lights in the room shut off and a spotlight shone down on the announcer of the party. "Thank you all for your patience! Here are the bride and groom! Please greet them with tremendous applause!" He threw an arm out towards them as another spotlight was aimed at them as they walked into the room, smiles bright and bashful.
Suzume looked off to the side and watched a young man walk out of the room. She watched him leave with furrowed brows.
~ — — — ~
Later on in the evening, Shiratori and another man walked over to the group. "Mouri-san."
The man, with a light, drunken blush, smiled and raised his glass. "Oh! Congrats!"
"Thank you. Oh, let me introduce you." Shiratori gestured to the man next to him. "This is my doctor, Dr. Kazato. He's a psychiatrist at Beika Yakushino Hospital."
Kazato Kyosuke shook hands with Kogoro. "I'm Kazato. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Mouri. This is my wife Eri, my daughter Ran, and her friend Suzume," Kogoro introduced them.
"But Shiratori-san... A psychiatrist?" Eri asked.
He chuckled. "Yes, worries and concerns are always a part of management positions," he said. "Which is why..." He leaned towards Kogoro. "I think you should have him take a look at you, Mouri-san."
"Yeah... Lately, my memory's been a bit..." Kogoro started but stopped when he realized what was going on and got into Shiratori's face. "Hey, you! What's the supposed to mean?!"
Ran and Eri giggled and Suzume had no qualms against holding back her laughter, earning her a cuff on the back of the head, courtesy of Kogoro.
"That's enough laughing out of you!" he grumbled as she gave him a half-hearted glare. He noticed Takagi and Megure walking by. "Excuse me. Inspector!" He quickly caught up to them.
"Oh, Mouri-kun."
"Have you found anything out since then?" Kogoro asked them quietly.
Megure's eyes widened and he turned to leave. "I'm sorry, but I can't talk about that."
Kogoro blinked as Megure walked away. "Why won't he talk to me?"
"He might not be able to," Suzume said, joining them.
Kogoro grabbed Takagi by his suit jacket. "Hey! Is that true, Takagi?!"
"N-No, not really!" the man stuttered.
Suzume sighed. "Hey, Wataru-nii, you have a crush on Miwako-nee, right?"
Kogoro grinned ferally at the ammo he was given against Takagi. "How interesting! I'll go tell her how you feel!"
Takagi quickly stopped him with blushing cheeks. "H-Hold on! Wait!" He grabbed Kogoro's shoulder, leaning in to whisper as he glanced around nervously. "Okay! We're keeping it from the press, but Detective Shiba also died holding his police notebook..."
Both Suzume and Kogoro jolted in shock.
"There is no use in prying any further, Mouri-san," Shiratori interrupted, giving Suzume a quick, apologetic look. "Need not to know. That should be clear enough."
Both police walked away as Kogoro sweated nervously. "Need not to know," he repeated under his breath. "This can't be!"
Suzume frowned worriedly. "Need not to know." A special phrase used among police detectives... Does this mean they think the killer is within the police department?! Not just anyone, too...it's someone with a high rank... Maybe even the entire department... She clenched her jaw. God, I hope I'm wrong.
~ — — — ~
Sonoko frowned. "So he didn't say anything special to propose?"
Shiratori Sara shook her head as her husband, Haretsuki Kotaro, rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "No, he's not good at that sort of thing," she said.
"It's better when men are like that," Eri said. "Anyone who lays the flattery on so thick is no good."
"Say! I've been meaning to ask, but how did Dad propose to you?" Ran questioned her mother.
Eri looked off to the side. "It was just a bunch of over-flattery, like I said," she dismissed.
"Sensei!" Sara gasped excitedly. "Please tell us!"
Eri had a faint blush on her cheeks. "But I've forgotten."
"Oh, you're always playing dumb!" Sonoko complained with a cheeky smile.
"Please tell us, for future reference!" Sara demanded, leaving Kotaro's side.
"C'mon! Quit teasing us, Mom!" Ran said.
Eri put a hand to her chin in thought, her bashful blush darkening slightly. "Let me think... "I love you. More than anyone on this Earth." Or something like that!"
Sonoko slowly turned her head towards Kogoro, who let out a sneeze as he was being talked about.
Ran clasped her hands together with a smile. "That's so nice!"
Sonoko mimicked her position, her eyes glimmering with teasing. "'Oh, if Suzume were to say that to me...'" She elbowed Ran's arm. "Get that look off your face!"
"I-I don't have a look, Sonoko!" Ran denied with a blush.
"You okay, Ran?" Suzume asked as she walked over and blinked when she saw the blush on her friend's cheeks. "Your face is red."
"No, it's nothing!" Ran squeaked, waving her hands.
"Toshiya!" All chatter stopped as everyone turned to look at Odagiri, who was glaring at a young man with purple hair in a punk outfit. "What are you doing here?!" Odagiri Toshiya lit a cigarette. "This is no place for the likes of you! You weren't invited to this party!"
"Shut it!" Toshiya snapped. "I just happened to come to this hotel 'cause of work!"
"That's his son, Toshiya-san!" Kogoro said, walking over to the group of women. "I heard he's in a rock band."
Shiratori rushed over to play the mediator. "Now, now! It's all right, Superintendent!" he urged. "Toshiya-kun, enjoy yourself."
"Get out!" Odagiri snapped, ignoring the inspector. "Quit prowling around like a stray dog looking for food!"
"Say what?!"
Sato put her hand on his shoulder. "Toshiya-san!"
She shook her head at him and he roughly shrugged her off. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table he was next to and picked up his guitar case. "Sorry to bother you!"
"Toshiya-kun!" Shiratori called after him as he left, a young woman following him out shortly after.
Kogoro noticed the woman. "Huh? Where have I seen her before?" he muttered to himself, catching Suzume's attention.
~ — — — ~
Megure tried to talk to Sato, but she waved him off before leaving the room. Eri turned to Suzume with a smile that made the teenager nervous.
"So," Eri began, her smile becoming teasing. "When are you going to ask Ran out?"
Suzume choked on her drink, earning many concerned looks from the people around them. She waved a hand as she coughed. "What the hell, Eri-san?" she complained, her voice hoarse. "You don't just ask that out of the blue!"
Eri just chuckled. "Please. Everyone around you can see the heart eyes you have for each other," she pointed out, making Suzume look away. Eri frowned. "What's holding you back from doing it?"
"So much," Suzume sighed, thinking about her current conflict with the Black Organization. If she and Ran got involved together, she would be dragging her into unnecessary situations and would most likely be putting her life in even more danger than she already is by being her Rain Guardian. "So much that I can't even begin to explain, Eri-san."
The lawyer hummed, putting a hand on Suzume's shoulder in comfort. "Well, I hope you figure it out soon, or both of you are going to get hurt," she advised just before the lights abruptly turned off.
"What the—" Suzume cut herself off as she realized who wasn't in the room with them. "Ran and Miwako-nee!"
She quickly took off running towards the women's restroom with Kogoro and Takagi trailing after her. She gasped in shock when she saw water spraying everywhere from the damaged faucets and pipes with Ran and Sato unconscious on the ground.
"Ran!"
"Sato-san!"
They all rushed over to them and Suzume gulped as she saw the bullet wounds on Sato's body. She forced herself to take a deep breath as she assessed the situation.
"Ran's just unconscious," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "The injured one is..."
Takagi turned over his partner's unconscious form. "Sato-san! Sato-san! Please say something!" he urged, worry evident in his voice and posture.
Megure, Odagiri, and Shiratori ran in.
"W-What on earth?!" Megure gasped as he took everything in.
"Megure! Call an ambulance!" Odagiri issued out orders. "Shiratori! Seal all of the hotel's exits!"
"Yes, sir!" Shiratori ran off to do just that as Megure pulled out his phone.
Suzume looked at the opened cabinet doors under the sinks before walking over to the gun. A 9-mm caliber automatic! Her eyes narrowed with rage. It's the same person! But... She looked over at the flashlight on the ground. Why is there a flashlight?
~ — — — ~
At the hospital, Megure paced in front of the doors, the red surgery light still on as the group joined up with him.
"Inspector Megure. What is Sato-san's condition?" Shiratori asked.
"One of the bullets stopped right next to her heart," Megure sighed. "They say she only has a 50-50 chance of pulling through."
Everyone gasped.
Normally, I'd find the phrase "50-50" comforting, but now... Suzume frowned. I don't like it right now.
"Inspector, what about Ran?" Eri asked.
"Luckily, she suffered no external injuries, but she's still unconscious," Megure said. "She's in the room at the far end."
Both Eri and Sonoko separated from the group to go to Ran's room, Sonoko giving Suzume a comforting squeeze on her shoulder before walking off.
Ran should be okay. But that flashlight... Suzume tried to focus before her eyes widened. Could it be—!
"Shiratori-kun, how is the investigation going?" Megure asked.
"We checked everyone for traces of gunpowder, but we found nothing," Shiratori reported.
"Nothing?!" Megure repeated in shock.
"We believe the shooter fled the building before the exits were sealed."
"Any fingerprints on the gun?!"
"Nothing there, either," Takagi said.
Shiratori turned to Chiba, who had just joined them. "Chiba-kun, did you figure out how the switchboard was rigged?" he asked, referring to the lights suddenly going out on the entire fifteenth floor.
"Yes. It appears it was set to explode via a cell phone call," Chiba said.
"There's something that has me curious," Takagi admitted. "The flashlight on the bathroom floor... Did it belong to Sato-san?"
"I don't think so," Suzume said, making them look at her. "The cabinet doors under the vanity had been opened. It was probably left there...with the light on."
"What?!" Kogoro gasped. "Then the shooter..."
"I see!" Shiratori hummed. "Nobody would've noticed it when the lights were on!" He leaned towards Megure. "There's almost no doubt this is related to the incident, then."
"What's the incident?!" Kogoro asked. He grew frustrated when Megure stayed silent. "Why won't you tell me?! One misstep and Ran could've been shot! Inspector!"
Sonoko came rushing over, looking afraid. "I have terrible news! It's Ran!"
"What about her?!" Kogoro asked.
"She's conscious again, but she's acting strange!"
Suzume took off running towards her Guardian's Flame signature, turning into the hospital room, where Ran was sitting up in her bed, looking out of it, with nurses and Eri hovering around her.
"Ran!" she gasped, relieved to see her awake. Ran looked at her with a blank expression. "Are you okay, Ran?"
"I'm sorry...who are you?"
With those five words, Suzume's whole world shattered.