The bus changed its sign to "Return Bus", indicating it was now an empty vehicle heading back. It began to circle the city slowly.
Seeing that everything was proceeding smoothly, the two robbers at the front of the bus quickly moved into the next phase of their plan.
"Listen carefully. When the traffic light turns red, you must contact the bus station immediately."
"O-Okay…"
With a gun pressed against his head, the driver had no choice but to nod obediently.
One of the robbers turned around to scan the group of passengers, eyes sharp behind his ski mask.
There were several women and a group of children—
Perfect hostages.
"Everyone is very quiet. Very good."
"Now... those of you who have mobile phones, hand them over. It's best if I don't catch anyone trying to be clever."
He began moving slowly down the aisle, gun in hand, his gaze scrutinizing everyone around him.
"If I find out someone's trying to outsmart me, they'll never make another phone call again in their life."
The passenger in the front row obediently handed over his phone.
Hayashi Yoshiki lowered his eyes calmly, glancing subtly at the watch on his left wrist.
At that moment, the robber passed by and continued to collect phones, while the driver, following orders, called the bus company during a red light.
Just as he finished reporting the bus details, the robber grabbed the microphone and shouted:
"Listen up! We've hijacked your company's bus. We have only one demand: releaseKunio Yashima from prison immediately! If you don't comply, we'll shoot one passenger every hour! Got it? Inform the police. We'll contact you again in twenty minutes—
You'd better be ready!"
The robber didn't try to lower his voice—his words echoed loudly throughout the vehicle. Passengers began to panic.
Conan, sitting on Hayashi Yoshiki's right, glanced over.
Yoshiki gave him a subtle nod—wait.
The robbers had mentioned Kunio Yashima, who was part of a robbery gang that built a bomb and hit a jewelry store last month. There were four members, but only Yajima had been caught.
They weren't trying to rescue him out of loyalty—
Yajima had been a jewelry broker. He alone understood the jewels' value and controlled the resale channels.
He might even be the only one who knew where the stolen jewels were hidden.
The time: 14:36
When the robber reached Hayashi Yoshiki, phone in hand, he offered it without resistance.
"Wait. Let me see your watch."
"It's just a regular mechanical watch. Do you want it?"
"Don't be funny."
The robber sneered and moved on, continuing to the back of the bus.
In the last row were three passengers: Shuichi Akai in the middle, an old man with a hearing aid on one side, and a gum-chewing middle-aged woman on the other.
All the while, Hayashi Yoshiki kept an eye not just on the robbers—but on Haibara Ai.
She was still trembling, her head down like a frightened quail.
To be honest, if it hadn't been for the group of kids going skiing, Hayashi Yoshiki would've liked to let Gin be the one taking this bus instead.
If a robber dared demand his phone, Gin would shoot him on the spot—
And probably start a gunfight with Akai Shuichi right then and there.
The image made Yoshiki quietly stroke Haibara Ai's head.
In the row ahead, Vermouth, disguised as Tomoaki Araide, found the situation amusing.
She was watching the two robbers closely, but her eyes often flicked toward the boy from Yukiko's family.
Hayashi Yoshiki… doing childcare?
It didn't fit her image of him. She knew his file well:
A low-level operative, not formally trained, skilled but lacking real combat experience.
Surely, he was at a loss now.
When the robber reached Shuichi Akai and was told he didn't have a phone, he mocked him as a poor man and moved on.
The old man only had a hearing aid.
Then came the gum-chewing woman.
When she spoke back, the robber fired a warning shot next to her head.
Then they returned to the front.
During the commotion, Judy tried to trip one of them by stretching out her leg.
Meanwhile, Conan attempted to secretly use his earring-shaped phone to call the police—
But he was caught.
Hayashi Yoshiki stayed silent the whole time.
The moment hadn't come yet.
Of the four-member gang, only Kunio Yashima was known by name.
The others had kept their identities well hidden.
The two robbers were fully covered—no names, no clues.
Even the gum-chewing woman in the back… Yoshiki had no idea who she was.
He wouldn't risk himself unnecessarily.
Not yet.
He was still waiting—for the signal.
When it came, only then would he act.
By now, the bus had looped around the city several times.
Police were already on the move.
Plainclothes officers in disguised vehicles followed from a distance.
Snipers and spotters used binoculars from rooftops.
They quickly realized that the guns were real and that the bus route was intentional.
To avoid endangering hostages, they reluctantly agreed to the robbers' demands.
Word spread throughout the bus.
"Really? They're letting him go? Hah... If there hadn't been any news in ten minutes, I'd have killed a hostage. But since you're cooperating... we'll let it slide."
The robber's smug voice echoed again.
"Tell them this: once Yashima's free, he'll contact us in an hour. Once we confirm he's in a safe place, we'll release three passengers as a sign of good faith."
Hayashi Yoshiki glanced at his watch again.
15:19.
They were moving quickly.
Suddenly, he felt a tight grip around his hand.
He looked down.
Haibara Ai still had her head bowed—
But now, she had reached out and clutched his hand.
Tightly. Desperately.
The pressure she was under was almost tangible.
It crushed her spirit, suffocating her with dread.
The Organization… was so close.
Had they found out that Cointreau—Hayashi Yoshiki—saved Hiroki Sawada?
Or that he had saved her?
Were these robbers just a front, planted by them?
Her mind raced.
She couldn't breathe.