After carefully scanning the strange bus and finding nothing outwardly dangerous, Geto Suguru was the first to step inside, carrying Yoshida Ayumi in his arms.
To ordinary people, the bus looked no different from any other, aside from the fact that it was completely empty.
But to Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, the interior was far from normal.
Thick, pulsing red veins covered the walls and ceiling, twisting unnaturally like something alive.
The two exchanged glances. Yeah, definitely cursed.
As soon as Kurosaki Ichigo stepped inside as the last passenger, the bus doors creaked shut and the vehicle lurched forward, leaving [Kumamoto Station] behind.
The night outside was eerily quiet. Even though it was only 8 PM, the streets were completely empty, stretching into the darkness like an abandoned ghost town.
For about an hour, the bus continued its journey.
Then—
The veins covering the interior suddenly disappeared.
The bus pulled over, and the doors opened. Three new passengers stepped in—ordinary office workers.
Gojo, using Six Eyes, observed them carefully but found nothing abnormal.
His gaze flickered outside to the bus stop sign.
[In front of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine].
A slow smirk tugged at his lips. Looks like we got kicked out of the cursed spirit's domain.
Relaxing back into his seat, Gojo casually propped his legs up on the one in front of him and turned to Ayumi.
"Well, kiddo, looks like you'll be seeing your parents soon."
Ayumi, who still had tears in her eyes, brightened instantly."Really?"
Geto, however, wasn't as convinced. "Satoru, does this mean we left the cursed spirit's domain?"
Gojo nodded, stretching his arms lazily. "Yep. We got rejected."
He glanced back out the window. "We only made it past the first layer of the domain. If we want to solve this mystery, we'll need to find a way into the next layer."
The bus made another stop, and the small group of temporary companions parted ways.
A Change in Plans
As they walked through the city center, Gojo threw an arm around Geto's shoulder and grinned.
"Suguru, I heard there's an amazing eel rice place nearby. Take me there! They've got insane desserts too."
Geto arched an eyebrow. "Eel rice?"
Gojo nodded enthusiastically, but before Geto could reply, he subtly glanced over his shoulder.
Geto immediately picked up on it.
They were being followed.
A man in a black trench coat and a fashionably dressed woman had been trailing them for a while.
Geto murmured under his breath. "Who are they? People from the sorcerer's world?"
Gojo shrugged."Who cares? We're going to Akiu Hot Springs after dinner, so they can follow us all they want."
Geto shot him a look. "Since when did I agree to that?"
"Since just now." Gojo grinned, already leading the way. "C'mon, you need a break."
"You still have a commission to complete! The missing sorcerers?" Geto reminded him.
Gojo waved him off. "Relax. They're first-grade sorcerers. They won't go down that easily."
One hour later—
Gojo strolled out of the restaurant, completely satisfied, carrying two bags filled with desserts.
Despite their stalkers' best efforts, Gojo had never lost sight of them. The Six Eyes made sure of that.
Since Akiu Hot Springs was close to their hotel, they took a taxi instead of using Geto's manta ray technique—too risky with their shadows following.
The second they stepped out of the taxi—
They ran into someone unexpected.
A tall man with a mustache and a younger girl walked toward them.
"Geto-kun?" The girl's voice was surprised.
Geto blinked. "Mouri Ran?"
And then—
"Ran!?" A familiar childish voice rang out.
Gojo looked down.
"…Conan?"
The kid stared back, equally unimpressed.
Mouri Kogoro, clearly unaware of the tension between them, grinned broadly."Ah, so you're a classmate of my daughter? Are you two here for a trip?"
Mouri Ran nodded."Yes, Geto-kun transferred into my class recently."
Kogoro slapped his chest proudly. "I'm Mouri Kogoro, private detective! You might have heard of me—I'm kind of a big deal."
Gojo, who had been about to ignore the conversation entirely, perked up at that.
The moment Kogoro mentioned being a detective, the two people following them hesitated.
Gojo caught the subtle shift immediately.
Oh? Now that's interesting.
Smirking, he casually asked, "So, Uncle Mouri, what brings you to Sendai?"
Kogoro scratched his head. "A case, of course! My reputation is huge, you know."
Gojo chuckled, feigning innocence. "And who exactly hired you? Are you working with those two people behind us?"
Kogoro blinked. "Huh? Who?"
Following Gojo's gaze, he finally noticed the two figures lurking behind a tree.
The moment they realized they'd been caught, the mysterious pair quickly turned and walked away.
"Damn it!" Kogoro waved a fist in frustration. "Trying to steal my case? I won't lose to them!"
Geto, listening carefully, narrowed his eyes slightly."Wait… did you say you're investigating Konishi Hayami's disappearance?"
"Oh?" Gojo turned to Geto, intrigued. "You know her?"
"Not personally," Geto admitted. "But the Konishi family is one of the wealthiest in Sendai. Her disappearance made headlines."
Kogoro puffed out his chest. "Exactly! Her father, Konishi Sosuke, personally invited me to take the case."
Standing nearby, Conan sighed heavily.
"Personally invited… and by that, you mean he invited ten detectives."
Gojo snickered at that. "Wow, Uncle Mouri. You're really the top pick, huh?"
Ignoring the jab, Kogoro unfolded a map of Sendai and pointed at a location.
"She disappeared right here, in the western suburbs."
Geto's eyes sharpened.
Wait.
That was the same road where the haunted house vanished.
Gojo, realizing it too, pushed up his sunglasses with a smirk. "Oh? So, Conan… you snuck off earlier because you already knew Hayami disappeared at the haunted house site?"
Conan froze.
Mouri Ran's eyes darkened immediately.
"Conan! You were out at night?" She grabbed his cheek, scolding him.
"Ow! No, no, I didn't! Uncle Mouri told me the address today!" Conan insisted, glaring at Gojo.
Gojo just grinned smugly.
Ignoring the chaos, he strolled into the hot spring entrance—until he spotted another familiar face.
"Oh? Kurosaki Ichigo?"
Ichigo, startled, quickly cut him off. "Uh—He's a friend! Just a friend I met in Sendai!"
Then, in a lower voice, he muttered, "Gojo, don't bring up the Shinigami stuff in front of them!"
Gojo just smirked.
This trip was getting more fun by the second.