Strolling through the quiet forest, Akiba Reiko tilted her head slightly, gazing at the azure sky through the gaps in the leaves, and suddenly asked out of the blue, "Do you know why I came to the forest for a walk the day before the concert?"

She didn't wait for Yuzuru's reply, but continued to speak on her own: "Because I want to completely incorporate nature into my body. You know, those moving musical works in Europe were all born under the embrace and nourishment of nature."

As she said these words, the usual melancholy in Akiba Reiko's eyes was unusually absent. Perhaps fearing that Yuzuru Nanami might not understand her meaning, she turned around and asked, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Yuzuru looked at Akiba Reiko quietly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "I think I can understand. In this nature, one can feel a kind of purity and tranquility, and this power will be integrated into the music, making the music more soulful."

Akiba Reiko was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Yuu Nan to say such profound words. A hint of surprise and relief flashed quickly in her eyes.

"So, this is one of the secrets to how moving and captivating your music is," Yuzuru Hanyu said with a smile.

Reiko Akiba smiled gently, then turned her head and continued walking forward, saying in her soft and melodious voice, "Perhaps, but there are far too few people who can truly understand."

Yuzuru quickened his pace and soon walked alongside Akiba Reiko: "But now, at least I understand, don't I?"

Reiko Akiba didn't answer immediately, but the slight upward curve of her lips became more pronounced.

It was truly a difficult time. Finally, it was her turn to educate this boy, and she felt a thrilling sense of triumph, as if she had successfully turned the tables.

However, before Akiba Reiko could be happy for long, Yuzuru suddenly stretched out his hand, pointed to one side, and said, "I understand, but do you understand what that gun barrel over there means?"

Qiuting Lianzi: "???"

Looking bewildered, she followed the direction Yu Shengnan was pointing and saw a dark gun barrel protruding from a lush thicket not far from them, pointed directly at their location.

"Bang!"

A shot rang out.

Reiko Akiba had barely seen the gun barrel when the shot rang out, giving her no time to react. Completely instinctively, she lunged towards Nanami Hanyu, who was watching the scene with interest, chin in hand, and shouted, "Watch out!"

The shot missed, brushing past the two men.

As Yuu Nan was pinned down by someone, feeling the soft, warm body beneath him, he was certain that the person's figure, hidden under their clothes, was definitely no less impressive than his own little maid's.

But is he being rescued by the US again?

So, why did I say "again"?

"Run!"

Without thinking too much, Akiba Reiko quickly got off Hanyu Nan and pulled him into the depths of the forest without hesitation.

The person who fired the shot, seeing that it missed its target, immediately launched a frenzied pursuit.

The three staged a deadly escape in the jungle.

"Bang—bang—bang—"

Gunshots rang out continuously, echoing throughout the mountains and forests.

Several shots were aimed directly at Yuzuru, but each time the bullets were about to hit him, they seemed to be suddenly drawn by some invisible force, inexplicably changing direction and eventually landing on the tree trunks or grass nearby.

Yuzuru frowned as he was being pulled forward by Akiba Reiko.

The plot has changed. Have the musicians gone mad?

He was absolutely certain that he hadn't misremembered the original plot. According to the original story, Fu and Takumi fired the guns merely to intimidate Akiba Reiko and prevent her from attending the concert.

But those shots were all aimed at my vitals.

Did Fu and Takumi harbor murderous intent towards him because they saw their deceased son, Soma Hikaru's, fiancée, Akiba Reiko, being too intimate with other men, causing the father to have the illusion that his son had been betrayed and cuckolded?

Yuzuru felt that his reasoning was sound.

But don't change the script so casually, you bastard!

Originally, Yuzuru was considering whether to help the sheet music and Takumi with something after the concert, out of respect for Akiba Reiko. But now it seems there's no need for that.

He's not a good person.

The reason Conan and Heiji Hattori have been able to keep going like this all this time is not only because of Yukiko and Shizuka's master, but also because, although they are always thinking of causing trouble for him, they have never actually had any intention of killing him.

Even detectives sometimes have their own bottom line.

At this point, the road ahead was blocked.

A fallen tree blocked their way. Akiba Reiko held tightly to Hanyu Nan's hand, her palms sweating, and they had to stop.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Akiba Reiko turned her head, her face pale, looking helplessly at Yuu Nan, like a child who had made a mistake, repeatedly apologizing, her voice filled with guilt and self-blame.

"No."

Yuzuru shook his head. "It was my own idea to come with you for a forest bath, so how can I blame you?"

As he spoke, he stepped forward and stood in front of Akiba Reiko.

Pu and Jiang, also armed, arrived to fight.

He hid behind a large tree not far from the two men, and a gun barrel slowly emerged.

"Want to make a bet?" Yu Sheng Nan turned to look at Akiba Reiko, a relaxed smile in his eyes.

Seeing that smile, Akiba Reiko suddenly felt a sense of peace, and the panic on her face vanished instantly. She blinked her red eyes and calmly asked, "What are you betting on?"

"Let's bet on whether his gun has any bullets in it."

"Okay, I bet there isn't."

Yuzuru: "..."

Urgent! What should I do if my words are stolen?

Yuzuru glanced helplessly at Akiba Reiko, who had stolen his lines and said there was no bet, and muttered, "You'll lose me if you keep doing this."

Akiba Reiko smiled smugly, her heart filled with the satisfaction of having regained her footing once again.

Seeing this, Yuzuru also laughed.

At a life-or-death moment, the two desperate men laughed with unusual joy.

But Pu and Jiang, who were the pursuers, could no longer laugh.

In a daze, he seemed to see a green meadow growing on his son's grave, which was exceptionally desolate and tragic.

"Bang!"

A shot rang out.

Oh, no, it should be that the gun exploded.

A thick plume of black smoke rose from behind the large tree where Pu and Jiang were.

"So, if the barrel explodes, who should win?"

Yuzuru withdrew his hand, pinched his chin, and muttered to himself.

A gentle breeze blew by, slowly parting the leaves that blocked the sky, and a ray of sunlight fell on Hanyu Nan, who was talking to himself, and also into Akiba Reiko's crimson eyes.

At that moment, the boy was like a song, like a painting, so beautiful that it was intoxicating.