Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!

Akashi's lvl 1 - Bandage Manipulation had a range limited to five meters. He had only been able to control the bandage on the man's face because he got close enough within that range. 

As soon as the bandaged man fled beyond five meters, Akashi lost contact with the bandage and could no longer stop him. 

Ran rushed over and picked up Akashi, who had been thrown to the ground. 

"Akashi, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. 

After carefully checking him over and confirming he was unharmed, Ran breathed a sigh of relief. 

"You can't do something like that again. You're still just a child!" she admonished gently. 

Sonoko quickly approached, her face pale and frightened. 

"Ran, I don't even know what would've happened if not for you. You saved me!" 

But Ran shook her head firmly. 

"It wasn't me. You should be thanking Akashi. He's the one who convinced me to come find you because he was worried about you." 

Sonoko's expression softened, and she immediately stepped forward to hug the little boy. 

"Akashi, you were worried about your big sister? You're so sweet!" 

Ran frowned slightly, her attention shifting. 

"Where's Masaru-san? Why are you alone? And what was that thing we saw?" 

Sonoko quickly explained, "Masaru-san was being too noisy, so I walked away from him as soon as we came out. Then, out of nowhere, that bandaged freak attacked me! It was terrifying—he looked like he wanted to kill me!" 

At that moment, Masaru and Conan finally arrived, having overheard the conversation. They scanned the area, but the bandaged man was already gone. 

Masaru spoke up immediately, his tone urgent. 

"It's too dangerous to stay out here in the woods. Let's head back to the villa and make sure everyone stays inside." 

The group nodded and began their walk back to the villa. 

Once there, they relayed the attack to the others. The room quickly filled with panic and unease. 

"A bandaged freak wielding an axe? Is this even real?" someone asked nervously. 

Ran spoke up, still holding Akashi tightly, her voice trembling slightly. 

"Yes, it's real. The bandages on his face moved like snakes, as if he wasn't human at all." 

Akashi blinked in surprise. He hadn't anticipated that his use of the ability would terrify Ran so much. 

Ran continued, "We saw that guy earlier, on the suspension bridge near the villa. Could he be someone who lives nearby?" 

Ayako shook her head firmly. 

"That's impossible. After crossing the suspension bridge, this villa is the only structure around. The nearest other property is on the other side of the mountain, and you'd have to climb to get there." 

Ayako added decisively, "In any case, if someone attacked you, we should call the police." 

She picked up the villa's wired phone but frowned immediately. 

"There's no sound... the phone line must've been cut!" 

Ran reached for her cell phone, intending to call for help. However, when she checked, there was no signal. 

Sonoko explained, "This villa is in a remote mountain area. There aren't any signal towers nearby, so mobile phones don't work here." 

At that moment, Ryoichi, the heavyset man, shouted in alarm. 

"That guy cut off all our communication with the outside world! He's planning to kill us all!" 

Panic overtook him as he bolted for the door, yelling, "I'm not going to sit here and wait to die—I'm going down the mountain!" 

Chikako called after him, her voice strained. 

"Wait! Don't run off alone at a time like this!" 

Despite her call, she, Hiroki, Masaru, and even Conan chased after Ryoichi. The group followed him outside to the suspension bridge. 

When they arrived, they stopped in shock—the suspension bridge had been destroyed! 

Hiroki, the cameraman, examined the scene and muttered, "Could the storm earlier have caused this? Maybe lightning struck the bridge?" 

Conan immediately shook his head. 

"No, that's not it. This was deliberate." 

He pointed to the remains of the wooden supports. 

"Look here. There are clear axe marks on the wooden piles holding the bridge together." 

Everyone turned to see the evidence. The wooden supports were covered in deep cuts, unmistakably caused by an axe.

Ryoichi spoke up, his face pale with fear. 

"It must be him—it has to be that bandaged freak who did all this!" 

At that moment, Chikako interjected, her tone sharp. 

"Enough already! Are you going to let fear control you? Is all this really necessary?" 

She continued, her voice filled with frustration. 

"That guy attacked Sonoko in the forest, cut the phone lines, and destroyed the suspension bridge. All of it—just to scare us. If you let this fear take over, you're only playing right into his hands!" 

Chikako folded her arms and declared confidently, 

"I'm not scared of him. When the rain stops, I'll leave the mountain and deal with it myself!" 

With that, she turned on her heel and strode back toward the villa. 

Meanwhile, Conan stood near the cliff's edge, his gaze fixed on a tree stump. He was lost in thought. 

Why would the bandaged man suddenly target Sonoko? 

He pondered the question for a long time, his brow furrowed, until Hiroki spoke, breaking his concentration. 

"Hey, kid. It's raining out here. Let's go back inside before you catch a cold." 

Conan nodded absently and followed Hiroki back to the villa. 

When they arrived, Conan scanned the room but didn't see Ran or Sonoko. Curiosity tinged with concern crept into his voice. 

"Sister Ayako, where's Sister Ran, and Sister Sonoko?" 

Ayako answered calmly, 

"They got muddy earlier, so they took Akashi-kun upstairs to give him a bath." 

At first, Conan thought nothing of it. 

"Oh, a bath," he mumbled to himself. 

But then it hit him like a thunderbolt, and his eyes widened in shock. 

"Wait, no way!" 

His short legs carried him as fast as they could, propelling him toward the second floor. 

"No way! No, no, no!" 

Conan ran straight to Ran's room, but when he reached the door, it was locked. He banged on it with all his might, his small fists pounding relentlessly. 

"Sister Ran! Sister Ran!" 

However, the thick door muffled his frantic cries. Inside the bathroom, Ran, who was helping Akashi with his bath, paused and tilted her head. 

"Hey, Akashi, did you hear something?" she asked curiously. 

Akashi, whose sharp senses were always on alert, caught faint traces of Conan's desperate shouts from outside. 

The young boy hesitated, then shook his head with a small smile. 

"I think I heard something, but it doesn't matter. It's probably nothing." 

Ran furrowed her brow for a moment before dismissing it. 

"Maybe I'm imagining things," she said lightly. 

She then turned her attention back to Akashi. Her voice softened, carrying a gentle admonition. 

"Akashi, you really can't do that again. If something dangerous happens, you need to run. You're just a child—you have to remember to protect yourself!" 

As she spoke, her soapy hand lightly tapped his nose, leaving a small bubble behind. 

But Akashi shook his head firmly, his eyes resolute. 

"No. If someone is trying to hurt Sister Ran, I won't just stand by. I'll protect you, no matter what." 

Ran's heart melted at his determination. Her arms instinctively wrapped around the boy, pulling him into a warm embrace. 

"You're such a good boy, Akashi," she murmured, her voice filled with affection.