Chapter 312: Sera Masumi hugged Haibara Ai

"It's like this," the conductor explained hurriedly: "We should have already sent you an email. Due to our work error, a double booking occurred, so we changed your room. However, the room in Carriage 7 we arranged for you is not inferior to Carriage 8."

"But I really like that room," the fat man said angrily, "Every year for these past few years, I've booked that room as soon as the tickets went on sale. Who exactly is the guy who cut in line?!"

Mouri Kogoro lit a cigarette and said proudly: "Haha, I'm really sorry, but because my daughter is the girlfriend of the Onmyoji Akaso Kaze, the first-class carriage was given to us."

"Everyone, please rest assured; no matter what strange incident occurs on this train, as long as I, the master detective Mouri Poirot-goro, am here, I will definitely be able to bring all the truth to light."

"M-Mouri Poirot-goro? Dad, your name is Mouri Kogoro!"

Ran was left speechless and unable to laugh or cry.

Conan looked at the smug Uncle Mouri with black lines on his forehead.

Thinking of himself as Poirot—is 703 trying to turn this train into the "Orient Express"?

Hearing Mouri Kogoro's words, the passengers who were originally going to board Carriage 8 all looked at his face in unison, revealing very surprised expressions.

Conan immediately frowned.

Why is there a tense atmosphere?

Is it because they know there's a real detective on the train, or because the uncle is the master detective Mouri Kogoro?

"These people look very suspicious."

Conan looked around and suddenly had a feeling of palpitations.

Why is there such unease?

Half an hour later, on the high-speed train.

"Congratulations on being chosen to play the detective. In 10 minutes, an incident will occur in Room B of Carriage 7. Start your investigation."

In the train corridor, Conan held an instruction card and walked to Room B of Carriage 7 with Ayumi and the others.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you."

Conan knocked on the door of Room B, Carriage 7, and pulled it open, calling out: "May I ask..."

"Wow, you idiot!" The fat man with a small goatee inside shouted in a panic: "Don't come in!!"

Biu-biu!

Suddenly, two faint gunshots rang out. A man wearing a mask held a silenced pistol and fired two shots at the fat man, then, without waiting for Conan to react, he snatched the door open and fled in a hurry.

"Quick, chase him!"

Genta and the others excitedly chased after the suspicious man.

Conan rolled his eyes and followed behind.

This is too fake.

Rather than a mystery deduction, it's more like a game of tag.

The children had only chased for a few carriages before they completely lost sight of the man.

Because the carriages were all individual rooms, there was no way to know which room he had slipped into, and there was no one in the corridor.

The conductor noticed the children and hurriedly approached to ask: "Is this your first time riding this train?"

"Yes."

"In that case, it's better to stay in your room. The broadcast in the room will announce the deduction puzzle for this time very soon," the conductor suggested.

"Ah?" Conan was stunned, "Has the incident not happened yet?"

"Yeah, this time it should be in an hour."

"What's going on?"

Conan's expression changed, and he hurriedly ran back.

If it starts in an hour, then what just happened was a real murder case.

No way!

At Room B of Carriage 7, Conan pulled open the door with a heavy expression, but the next moment he was stunned.

Inside were Ran, Sonoko, Haibara, and even Sera Masumi was there.

What is going on?

"Conan?"

Sonoko said unhappily: "Remember to knock before entering a lady's room!"

"But," Conan said in a daze, "Isn't this Carriage 7?"

"Aha? This is Carriage 8!"

"Yeah," Sera Masumi smiled, "I just came over."

"I-is that so?"

Conan closed the door with a face full of question marks and left, pondering as he walked back.

"Strange, I shouldn't have counted the carriages wrong."

"There's nothing we can do about it," Mitsuhiko comforted, "The numbers for the Mystery Train carriages are only on the outside of the train body; there's only a letter on the room door."

Just as they walked to the door of Room D in the next carriage, it suddenly opened from the inside, and Professor Agasa called out to them from the doorway.

"How is it? Did you solve the deduction puzzle?"

Conan stopped in his tracks, completely confused: "Professor, is this room our room in Carriage 6?!"

"Yeah," Professor Agasa was stunned for a moment, then stepped aside and said, "Look, the snacks you were eating earlier are still on the table. What's wrong?"

Conan's face turned pale.

"We only walked through one carriage from Carriage 8, right?"

"Carriage 7, did Carriage 7 disappear while moving?!"

On the other side, after Conan left, the girls showed knowing smiles, only Haibara still had a sleepy face.

"Pfft! Did you see Conan's expression just now?" Sonoko laughed.

"But I really didn't expect these children to be chosen as detectives."

Sera Masumi hugged her arms and smiled, her gaze turning to Haibara Ai, who was almost silent, and said, "By the way, speaking of which, this is our first time traveling together."

As Sera Masumi spoke, she hugged Haibara.

Then, she couldn't help but frown.

Such a strange feeling; why is there an indescribable awkwardness?

It's like hugging a man.

Sera Masumi looked down, and Haibara Ai rolled her eyes at her and pushed her away.

I must be overthinking it.

Sera Masumi shook her head.

Haibara moved inward, away from Sera Masumi.

Sonoko pulled Haibara and smiled: "Although this child talks like an adult, she's actually quite shy."

"Is that so?"

Sera Masumi looked thoughtfully at Haibara, who was hiding beside Sonoko. At this moment, Conan ran back and knocked on the door again.

"Huh?" Conan pulled open the door and saw Sonoko and the others, sweating as he asked weakly, "Is this really...?"

"I told you it's Carriage 8!" Sonoko put her hands on her hips and shooed Conan out of the room, "Little brat, go back to your own room and stay there honestly!!"

"What on earth is going on?" Mitsuhiko, who followed Conan, was also confused and looked at the sleepy conductor at the end of the corridor, lost. "Could it be that the conductor made a mistake?"

"No!"

Conan cupped his chin and thought for a moment, then opened the door again. Before Sonoko could get angry, he spoke first:

"This room should be Room B of Carriage 7, right? You guys also got the instruction card, right? The card probably said that the people in this room temporarily swapped rooms with the person playing the victim, and not to let the detectives who come to investigate find out."

"So amazing!" Before Sonoko could refute, Ran had already started clapping.

"As expected of Conan, you figured it out so quickly! Someone knocked on the door just now, and then we saw the letter containing the instruction card on the floor outside, just like Conan said."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Sonoko said unhappily, "It said that the passenger chosen to be the victim was waiting in Room B of Carriage 7, and asked us to swap rooms with him to make the deduction more lively!"

"Sera happened to see it when she came here to meet the person playing the victim."

"In other words, the passenger playing the victim is now in Room B of Carriage 8."

Conan broke into a cold sweat.

You scared me to death; I thought a real murder case had occurred, but it was just a game.

It was probably a prank by that passenger; I remember him complaining about his room being stolen before getting on the train.

"Then what about Uncle Mouri?" Conan looked into the room and asked, "Didn't they come over?"

Ran explained, "That passenger playing the victim asked Dad to wait in the dining car for the time being, saying he wanted him to be the detective who finally solves the deduction puzzle."

"But isn't it strange?" Mitsuhiko spoke up, "It clearly said everyone would be a detective, and the conductor said it wouldn't start until an hour later."

"Anyway," Sera Masumi suggested, "Let's tell the conductor about solving the mystery of the disappearing corpse first; that way we'll know what's going on."

"Shouldn't we tell Uncle Mouri?"

"Forget him, he's definitely eating and drinking in the dining car anyway," Ran said as she stood up.

The train restaurant.