As Geto Suguru stepped into the entrance of the hot spring, a black-haired woman with short hair stumbled toward him, holding her forehead as if dazed.
Her steps were unsteady, and her expression was completely blank.
Behind him, Conan's sharp voice cut through the air.
"Hey! Wait, isn't she Yukawa Sakurako? The one who disappeared with Konishi Hayami?"
"What?"
Before anyone could process that information, Mouri Kogoro was already at her side, looking her up and down with his usual detective scrutiny.
After a moment, he nodded confidently. "Yep, that's her. No doubt about it."
Gojo Satoru, who had been too busy messing with Ichigo Kurosaki, finally turned his attention to the situation.
"Who's Yukawa Sakurako?" he asked, tilting his head.
Mouri Kogoro adjusted his posture and launched into an explanation.
"She's a college student and Konishi Hayami's classmate. She's into exploring urban legends and haunted places—posts about it online all the time. Three days ago, she and Konishi went shopping together, but neither of them came back. Security cameras showed that the last place they were seen was on the road in the western suburbs of Sendai."
Mouri Ran crossed her arms, frowning. "But if they disappeared together, why is she here alone? And where is Konishi Hayami?"
"That's what we need to find out."
Mouri Kogoro rubbed his chin. "The police had their eyes on one suspect—Yukawa's brother, Yukawa Ryu. He showed up on the western suburbs highway about 24 hours after the two girls vanished."
At that, Geto raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't he just call the police if he was worried?"
"Exactly!" Conan chimed in.
Mouri Kogoro laughed proudly, scratching his head. "Well, my expert detective instincts tell me—"
Conan rolled his eyes. "You mean, you got that information from Inspector Megure, right?"
Mouri Kogoro coughed loudly and ignored him.
"More importantly, if Yukawa suddenly showed up here, then she must know something about Hayami's whereabouts."
Just then, Ichigo Kurosaki finally shook off his nosy friends and walked over.
"Hold up. I saw her earlier tonight on that road," he said, pointing at Yukawa Sakurako. "She was wandering around like she was in a daze. I even asked if she needed help, but she said no and walked off."
Mouri Ran stepped forward, putting her hands on her hips. "Men, move. You're crowding her."
The surrounding guys—including Gojo, Geto, Ichigo, and Kogoro—immediately stepped back instinctively.
Gojo chuckled under his breath, bending down slightly to Conan. "She's even scarier than Nozomi. If she ever finds out you've been lying to her, how do you think she'd react?"
Conan's ears turned red, and he sidestepped away from Gojo immediately.
Ran crouched beside Yukawa Sakurako, speaking gently.
"Miss Yukawa, do you remember why you're here?"
Yukawa's expression remained empty as she murmured, "I… don't remember."
Ran tried again. "What about before that? The last thing you can recall?"
Yukawa's brows knitted together slightly, as if struggling to grasp at a missing memory. "Three days ago… I remember making plans with Hayami in the morning. After that, nothing."
Conan narrowed his eyes. "So all the key information from the past three days is missing."
Mouri Kogoro groaned in frustration, placing his hands on his hips. "Damn it! No wonder the culprit let her go. She doesn't remember anything useful."
Conan looked up at Yukawa Sakurako, thinking. "Then… why didn't her brother report her missing? Instead, he went straight to that road by himself."
At that, Yukawa suddenly stiffened.
"My brother…? He was looking for me?"
She pressed her hand against her forehead, as if a migraine was forming.
Meanwhile, Gojo and Geto exchanged a knowing look.
Neither of them commented on it, but—
They both knew exactly why Yukawa Ryu had gone there alone.
The official sorcerer report had confirmed it:
[Yukawa Ryu, a first-grade sorcerer, disappeared two days ago in the western suburbs of Sendai. It is suspected to be curse-related. On the same day, another first-grade sorcerer, Kimiyo Ito, was sent as backup and also went missing.]
Ryu was a sorcerer. He must have realized something supernatural was at play and chose to investigate alone instead of involving ordinary civilians.
The Class Reunion & A New Lead
"Kogoro! Why are you so slow?"
A voice interrupted their conversation as a group of middle-aged men approached.
Mouri Kogoro slapped his forehead. "Oh right. The reunion."
One of the men, tall and bald, paused when he noticed Yukawa Sakurako.
"Wait, isn't that Yukawa's younger sister?"
Mouri Ran turned. "You know her?"
The bald man wiped his forehead with a towel. "Ran-chan? Wow, you've grown! It's been years!"
Ran smiled politely. "Oh, Uncle Nakamichi Kazushi!"
Kazushi nodded. "I'm in charge of that case. Since I work with the police, I've seen her picture in the missing person's file."
Mouri Kogoro sighed. "Too bad she doesn't remember anything useful."
Kazushi frowned. "That's gonna make things difficult. Maybe she should come to the station for a psychological evaluation tomorrow."
Ran nodded. "That might be a good idea."
Mouri Kogoro, however, was already being dragged away by his old friends.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming! This is supposed to be a vacation!"
And just like that, their group dispersed, leaving behind only Gojo, Geto, and Ichigo.
A Different Mystery
As Gojo stretched his arms, he grabbed Geto's sleeve.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's go to the hot springs."
But just as he was about to walk off—
Ichigo stepped in front of them.
"Wait. You guys were talking about a 'living realm' earlier. Yukawa and her brother—are they connected to that weird looping world I ran into before?"
Geto nodded. "Yes. It's a domain created by cursed spirits. Different layers exist depending on the souls involved."
Ichigo crossed his arms. "Then how did Yukawa escape?"
Gojo leaned against Geto casually. "Either she found a way out, or the cursed spirit got bored and kicked her out. We got kicked earlier too, remember?"
Ichigo's eyes lit up with interest. "Then take me with you next time."
Geto was about to agree, but Gojo cut in.
"Sure, but what's in it for us?"
Ichigo thought for a moment. "I'll take you guys on a trip. Maybe to Europe… or even Soul Society."
Gojo perked up immediately. "Oh? Now we're talking."
Geto sighed. "I'm not interested in Soul Society. My goal is to get into Tokyo University."
Ichigo blinked. "That's pretty ambitious. It's one of the hardest schools to get into."
Gojo grinned. "Well then, guess I'm going too!"
Geto glanced at him. "Since when?"
"Since just now. Can't have you getting too far ahead of me!"
Geto just shook his head, while Ichigo laughed.
Gojo grinned, already thinking about how much fun this trip was turning out to be.