Chapter 156: Suddenly

The protagonist of the play Masked Superman quickly jumped to the center of the stage with an impressive front flip.

After a few quick strikes, the monster that had appeared on stage was defeated.

Masked Superman's stunts, along with his highly recognizable leather costume, immediately energized the children in the audience.

"Wow—! Masked Superman!"

"So cool! Masked Superman is amazing!"

Many children clapped enthusiastically.

The eyes of the children's parents lit up after witnessing Masked Superman's front flip.

This actor was far more skilled than they had imagined.

---

The music began playing right after Masked Superman defeated the monster.

This soundtrack also sparked an enthusiastic response from the children in the audience.

"Isn't this the opening theme of the theatrical version?"

Genta Kojima recognized it instantly.

"Since they're playing this music, it must mean…!"

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya was instantly excited.

---

As soon as he finished speaking, a villain, entirely different from the blue-and-white Masked Superman, appeared on stage—

The Masked Evil, clad in black, made his entrance.

"Wow—! I knew it! I knew it!"

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, who had always liked Masked Evil after watching the theatrical version of Masked Superman, shouted excitedly as the villain appeared on stage.

---

Masked Evil obviously performed fewer stunts than Masked Superman.

However, despite this, Masked Evil managed to captivate everyone from the moment he debuted.

After all, kids like Mitsuhiko, who favored villains, were in the minority.

---

Especially after the audience saw the villainous temperament displayed by Masked Evil and watched him gradually overpower Masked Superman in battle.

Many children showed expressions of disgust and began loudly cheering for Masked Superman instead.

"Come on, Masked Superman!"

"Defeat Masked Evil!"

---

Conan couldn't help but sigh as he listened to the cheers of countless children around him.

"It seems the theatrical version left a deep impression on everyone. A lot of kids hate this villain."

For him, someone with the soul of a high school student, watching this kind of children's play was pretty dull.

As a result, Conan found the scene of countless children showing hostility toward Masked Evil rather incredible.

---

"I don't think so."

Right after Conan finished speaking, he heard Haibara Ai's calm voice from beside him.

"The setup from the theatrical version alone might not be enough to stir up the emotions of so many kids."

"Not all the children here would have seen the theatrical version, after all."

"I think the reason so many kids can hate the villain on stage simultaneously is probably because of his excellent acting skills."

---

Haibara Ai continued, "Actually, Kudo-kun, if you observe carefully, you'll notice that Masked Evil's presence has been much stronger than Masked Superman's since he came on stage."

"That's because the story is about Masked Superman being defeated and setting up a strong villain, right?"

Conan responded helplessly.

"Besides, since when did you start being interested in this kind of thing? And you're taking it so seriously too."

---

"What else can we do here?" Haibara Ai replied.

Their conversation ended, and both shifted their attention back to the stage.

---

After Masked Evil dominated for more than half an hour, Masked Superman finally discovered the villain's weakness and gradually began to turn the tide of the battle.

In the end, amid the cheers of countless children, Masked Evil was defeated by Masked Superman.

The play finally came to an end.

---

The actor Takeshi Furuzawa, who played Masked Superman, extended his hand to the defeated Masked Evil, who was kneeling on the ground, panting.

At the same time, he removed the special hooded mask from his head.

Revealing his face.

---

Suddenly, there was an explosion of "Wow~" from the audience.

It seemed that many children were stunned by Takeshi Furuzawa's handsome appearance beneath the mask.

This was one of the rare chances for the actor to show his face during the performance.

That's why Takeshi Furuzawa wanted to use this opportunity to promote himself as much as possible.

If the photo made it onto the internet and he happened to go viral, his popularity as a performer would also improve.

---

At the same time, Akikawa Kyousuke, who had played Masked Evil, also reached out and shook Takeshi Furuzawa's hand.

"Wowwww!!"

The children in the audience gasped in amazement as Masked Evil seemed to be swayed by Masked Superman's charm.

---

However, a trace of doubt lingered in Furuzawa's heart.

According to the script, Akikawa Kyousuke should have removed his hood in the previous scene.

Moreover, judging by Akikawa Kyousuke's appearance, if his photo were uploaded online, it would likely attract far more attention than his own.

But for some reason, Akikawa Kyousuke had skipped that step entirely.

Instead, he chose to keep the hood on and continued performing until the final scene.

---

Amid the cheers and applause of many children, the play concluded successfully.

Then came the part the children had been most looking forward to: distributing souvenirs and taking photos.

---

Compared to Takeshi Furuzawa, who played the protagonist Masked Superman, fewer people wanted to take pictures with Akikawa Kyousuke, who played Masked Evil.

'It's clearly such a great opportunity, and Mr. Akikawa is much more handsome than Mr. Furuzawa. So why didn't Mr. Akikawa remove his hood?'

Misaki Itakura looked at Akikawa Kyousuke, who was still wearing his hood while taking pictures with the children, and felt a bit puzzled.

But soon, Misaki noticed an elementary schooler in a red bowtie and round glasses among the children posing for a group photo. Suddenly, everything clicked.

'Isn't that the elementary schooler from the Mouri Detective Agency?'

---

'What are the odds of running into him here in Hakone?!'

'So, did Mr. Akikawa keep the hood on because he didn't want to be recognized?'

Understanding Akikawa Kyousuke's intentions, Misaki expressed silent approval.

After all, the average tourist only stays here for a day or two.

If he had no plans to make contact, there was no need to complicate matters.

---

An excited Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya and Genta Kojima dragged Conan onto the stage and took several photos with Masked Superman and Masked Evil.

Meanwhile, Dr. Agasa played the role of photographer, capturing their moments from the audience seats.

---

Time passed, and the photo session soon ended.

The actors retreated backstage.

As for Mitsuhiko and the others, after purchasing a large number of Masked Superman toys and gashapon items, they dragged Conan and the others to the hot springs.

---

The hot springs were divided into male and female sections.

Naturally, it wasn't ideal for Haibara Ai and Yoshida Ayumi, two elementary school girls, to visit the hot springs alone.

However, since Haibara Ai's original soul was that of an 18-year-old, Dr. Agasa, after giving them some instructions, led Conan and the others to the men's section of the hot springs.

---

By the time they finished soaking in the hot springs, the sky was filled with stars.

After Dr. Agasa treated the group to dinner, they returned to their rooms to rest.

---

Although it was still early, the kids were exhausted from the day's travel and activities.

Moreover, after soaking in the hot springs, their bodies were completely relaxed.

After dinner, which raised their blood sugar levels, they quickly dozed off.

It was only a little past 8 p.m., but the group of children was already fast asleep.

---

Early the next morning, before 5 a.m., Haibara Ai woke up.

She glanced at the others, still sound asleep, and quietly got out of bed.

'I'll go for a soak in the hot springs while it's quiet in the morning.'

Haibara thought to herself as she silently left the room.

---

The hot springs at Kosenan opened for hotel guests at 5 a.m.

Haibara wanted to be among the first to soak in the freshly cleaned hot spring waters.

---

However, just as Haibara Ai, her hair tied with a towel and her small frame wrapped in a white bath towel, dipped into the water—

She heard a woman in another pool suddenly rush to the edge in a panic, letting out a blood-curdling scream.

(End of Chapter)