Although Ryoichi had been subdued, the events of the day had left everyone shaken.
The group's mood was somber, and dinner was a subdued affair. No one had much of an appetite. After the meal, everyone retreated to their rooms for the night, except for Hiroki, who stayed behind to guard the prisoner.
Back in the room, Akashi found himself troubled.
'How am I supposed to sleep tonight? ' he thought.
There were two beds and four people. Sonoko, as expected, wanted to share a bed with Ran. That left him with Conan.
'Sharing a bed with Conan? Just the thought makes me uncomfortable! '
But Akashi didn't have much time to dwell on his dilemma. As soon as he stepped into the room, Sonoko swept him up in an enthusiastic embrace.
"Akashi, you're the hero of the day!" she declared, grinning from ear to ear. "First, you saved your big sister's life, and then you unmasked the murderer. Akashi, tell me—whatever reward you want, just name it! Big sister Sonoko will make it happen!"
As the heir to the Suzuki Foundation, Sonoko's offer wasn't just talk.
But Akashi shook his head with a quiet smile. "I don't want anything."
Sonoko's eyes widened in delight. "Wow, this kid is so good!" She turned to Ran with a playful look. "Hey, Ran, how about you let me adopt him? I'll talk to Aunt Eri and have Akashi join the Suzuki family."
Conan, standing off to the side, suddenly perked up. 'Finally, Sonoko says something sensible! Take this little troublemaker far away, please! '
But Ran's expression turned serious, her voice firm.
"Sonoko, that's not funny. Akashi is my brother, and no one is taking him away. If you keep saying things like that, I'll be really upset."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop as an unmistakable tension filled the air. Sonoko, knowing Ran all too well, immediately raised her hands in mock surrender.
"Alright, alright! I was just kidding!" she said hastily. "Akashi is your brother, so he's like a brother to me too. That's more like it!"
Still, her grin returned as she added slyly, "But I am truly grateful to Akashi. How about I sleep next to him tonight as a token of my appreciation?"
Her eyes gleamed mischievously—this was clearly her true intention.
Ran frowned, clearly taken aback. She folded her arms and tapped her fingers against her elbow, her tone tinged with disapproval.
"Sleeping with Akashi as a thank-you? That doesn't sound right at all!"
Ran thought to herself. 'This isn't gratitude—it's blatant opportunism, and it's shameless! '
"Besides," Ran continued, "didn't you already agree to sleep with me tonight?"
Sonoko laughed awkwardly, trying to smooth things over. "Oh, that's easy! Why don't we all share the bed? It's big enough for three."
Ran hesitated but finally sighed, her expression softening. "If that's the case, I guess it's fine."
Meanwhile, Conan, who had been silently listening, was thrown into a state of panic.
'Wait, what? What just happened?! '
He clenched his fists in frustration, his mind racing. 'If all three of them are sharing a bed, then what about me? '
His gaze shifted toward Akashi. 'What's going on with this kid? What kind of charm does he have? Why are both Ran and Sonoko so smitten with him? '
'No! ' Conan thought determinedly. 'This can't happen! Not on my watch! '
Conan immediately piped up, his voice hopeful:
"Sister Ran, Sister Sonoko, I want to sleep with you too!"
"No!" Both women rejected him in unison, their voices firm and decisive.
Ran and Sonoko exchanged uneasy glances, recalling how Conan had been unnervingly calm earlier, inspecting the corpse with an almost unnatural focus.
Something about this kid wasn't right.
In truth, both women found Conan a little unsettling. Letting him join them in bed was out of the question.
Hearing their adamant refusal, Conan's face darkened.
'He can join, but I can't? '
'Discrimination! Total discrimination! '
Trying to soften her tone, Ran quickly explained, "Three people in one bed is already too much. Besides, Akashi is timid, so I need to stay close to him. Conan, you're so brave—you were completely calm around the corpse earlier. Isn't it nice to have your own bed?"
Sonoko, however, was less diplomatic. She waved her hand dismissively.
"Ran, why are you even explaining yourself to this brat? He was hovering near a corpse earlier—who knows if he brought something spooky back with him? Better to keep him far away!"
Conan's jaw dropped. 'What kind of ridiculous logic is that?! '
'This superstitious nonsense… It's infuriating! '
Still, Ran's expression shifted uneasily at Sonoko's comment. She inched closer to the edge of the bed, putting more distance between herself and Conan, as though the thought had planted a seed of fear.
Undeterred, Conan tried a new tactic. The idea of Ran sleeping with another boy—even if it was a child—was unbearable. He flopped onto the bed dramatically, flailing his arms and legs like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
"No! I don't want to sleep alone! I'm scared of ghosts too!"
The spectacle was almost comical. Akashi, watching from the side, blinked in mild surprise at the sudden outburst.
But Sonoko wasn't impressed. She marched over and gave Conan a swift knock on the head.
"Cut it out, kid! If you keep this up, I'll toss you out to sleep with the corpses!"
Rubbing the growing lump on his head, Conan glared, his eyes brimming with frustration. 'This is unfair! Totally unfair! '
Still, he knew there was no changing their minds. But giving up wasn't in his nature. His fingers crept toward his watch, planning to use the anesthesia needle to knock out Akashi—the root of his troubles.
However, Akashi noticed Conan's movements immediately. He stepped forward, grabbing Conan's wrist with surprising agility.
"Wow, what a cool watch! Let me see it!"
Before Conan could react, Akashi twisted the watch's face.
'Biu! '
The anesthesia needle shot out—and hit Conan squarely. His eyes widened in disbelief before the drug took effect. He collapsed onto the bed, fast asleep, his breathing soft and steady like a baby's.
Sonoko snorted in annoyance. "If he didn't want Akashi to see the watch, he didn't have to play dead! The more I look at this kid, the more annoying he gets."
She turned to Akashi with a gentle smile. "Akashi, stop fiddling with that watch. If you want one, I'll buy you a better one!"
Akashi nodded and let go of Conan's wrist.
Just as he was about to climb into bed, Sonoko scooped him up effortlessly and placed him between herself and Ran. The bed was warm and inviting.
Ran reached over to switch off the lights, then slipped under the covers. Almost instinctively, her arms wrapped around Akashi, pulling him close.
Sandwiched between the two women, Akashi felt his breathing grow shallow. He could feel the Yin energy flowing from both Ran and Sonoko, invigorating him.
The energy flow was almost overwhelming—its intensity doubled with two sources. Yet, strangely, all three seemed to grow more comfortable as they held each other tighter.
For Akashi, it was a mix of exhilaration and mild discomfort. Breathing became slightly challenging, but it was a happy kind of trouble.
*His breath came in short gasps, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He could feel the heat of their skin against his own, their soft curves pressing into him from both sides. It was a heady sensation, one that made this situation enjoyable.