"P-please… help us."

As night fully descended over the city, sitting on a bench in Sumida Park, Emilio pleaded sincerely.

A bright red handprint marked his cheek.

That was from Ran. She had slapped him.

—Because during their visit to the Tokyo Skytree, this guy had secretly slipped through the maintenance passageway and climbed up to a high-altitude outdoor platform. He had nearly fallen off.

Luckily, Ran had grabbed him with all her might, with Sonoko helping from behind—and Conan's timely intervention ultimately saved his life.

Looking back, Ran still felt a lingering chill of fear.

At the time, she had nearly run out of strength. Had she let go, he would have plummeted from a viewing deck over 300 meters high…

She didn't even want to imagine that scene.

"What exactly happened to you?"

"The organizer of my concerts—Luciano—has been funding and supporting my career, but he's been using the concerts as a cover for some illegal transactions."

Illegal transactions?

Ran found it hard to believe that something like that could be tied to a concert.

She thought back to the beautiful Italian woman she had met in the conference room that afternoon. The woman's poised and gentle demeanor had left a great impression on her.

"Did your manager, Miss Claudia, also find out about this?"

"She did," Emilio replied, leaving Ran speechless. "Actually, it'd be more accurate to say she's been aware of it all along—and helped them."

"How could that be…? Then what exactly are they trading?"

"I don't know. But I'm certain that whenever we're on stage performing—that's when the deal happens..."

"Luciano only recently became your concert organizer, right?"

Conan asked, looking at him.

Emilio nodded, confirming that ever since Luciano took over, everything changed—

The songs prepared for him, the stage setups, even the media coverage.

Before Luciano's support, TV stations wouldn't even bother listening to Emilio's demo tapes.

"But the one who changed the most was Claudia. She was happier than anyone—she loved hearing me sing more than anyone else."

Just as Emilio was speaking, Ran's phone rang.

When she saw it was a call from Kogoro Mouri, she quickly stepped away to take the call.

"So you believe that if the concert is canceled, the transaction won't take place?"

"Ah…"

Seeing his surprised expression, Conan chuckled.

He then shared with Emilio some of the clues and evidence he had found in his hotel room—

The Sakurazaka Hotel only offered English newspapers, not Italian ones.

And the desk had a mark where a box cutter had slipped—clear signs that the threatening letter was something Emilio had staged himself.

Soon after, everyone, now joined by Kogoro Mouri, returned to the Sakurazaka Hotel.

Hayashi Yoshiki was there too.

Watching Kogoro shamelessly accept the beautiful manager's thanks, Hayashi Yoshiki simply smiled and stepped aside, checking a message that had just arrived on his phone from Toru Amuro.

"That woman Claudia isn't anything special—just an ordinary manager orbiting around Emilio. She simply led him to accept Luciano Carnevale's sponsorship."

"But Luciano Carnevale himself is... problematic. I found out he's a member of the Italian Mafia. He only recently became Emilio's concert organizer. He's spent a lot of resources elevating Emilio from an unknown singer to stardom. But behind the scenes, he's clearly up to something shady."

The Italian Mafia.

Now that really did sound like something straight out of a Lupin III episode.

OK.

After sending a brief reply, Hayashi Yoshiki opened his contacts and sent another message to someone else.

Time passed, and the night deepened.

When the entire 2nd block of Beika Town had fallen into silence, a purple van quietly stopped outside House No. 22.

Inside the Agasa residence, Ai Haibara, who had dozed off at the table, was awakened by the sound of tires and hazard lights outside.

Checking the time groggily, she stepped outside into the yard.

"Good evening."

The driver's side window rolled down, revealing the seductive face of Fujiko Mine.

"…Fujiko Mine?"

Haibara blinked in surprise.

Fujiko Mine was as infamous as she was beautiful—a notorious international thief with a reputation for her jaw-dropping measurements.

The van door opened, revealing the three kids—Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko—collapsed on top of each other, fast asleep.

"So, how should we deal with these little ones?"

Fujiko smiled sweetly.

"Leaving them out here will give them a cold. So, I'd like to propose a deal. Will you come with me?"

She had found the kids at Lupin's hideout. They had originally tried to knock him out with chocolate—but in the end, they were the ones knocked out by tea laced with sleeping drugs.

Ai Haibara narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

But realistically, she didn't have much of a choice.

Still, before replying, she subtly reached behind her back and gripped her phone.

"No need to send a message to him."

"Oh? You say that like you know who I'm going to contact," Haibara muttered.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Fujiko leaned on the window, smiling.

"Let me sweeten the deal: come with me, and I'll tell you Cointreau's secret. How about that?"

Cointreau?!

She even knows about him?!

Haibara stiffened, body tensing with alarm.

Fujiko winked.

"I promise—it's something that'll blow your mind. You'll see that man in a whole new light."

Without saying a word, Haibara clutched her phone and walked toward the van.

Fujiko's smile deepened with satisfaction.

After tossing the kids onto the couch inside the Agasa house, she drove off with Haibara.

Haibara sat in the passenger seat, her eyes calm—almost emotionless—as she stared straight ahead.

But not long after, she demanded:

"You can tell me now, right?"

"No need to be in such a rush."

"If you don't tell me, I'm getting out of the car."

Haibara reached for her seatbelt.

Fujiko laughed.

"I don't believe you actually will."

For a moment, Haibara cast her a dark, dangerous look.

Fujiko burst out laughing, even more delighted, and slammed her foot on the gas.