The TARDIS team slowly regained consciousness.

“Tsk, my back…” the Doctor whined, “are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, I think so..” Conan said.

“How much have we been unconscious?” Shiho said.

“Guys!” Ayumi said, panicking, “Genta is still unconscious!”

The group came closer to him, the Doctor checked his pulse.

“Don’t worry, he’s just sleeping.” the Time Lord said.

Genta woke up, “Huh? W-Where are we?!”

“We’re under the Angel of the South tower, many metres underground.” Shiho said.

The Doctor tried to scan the area with his sonic screwdriver, but it exploded the moment he used it.

“Great, the fall broke my sonic screwdriver…” he said, very annoyed.

“What should we do? Are we stuck here?” Mitsuhiko said.

“It seems so.” Shiho bluntly said.

“S-So, we’re gonna stay here…F-Forever…?” Ayumi started panicking

The Doctor ruffled her hair, “Calm down, we’ll find a way, like usual. But now…I have so many questions in my head, first of all: Why the hell are Weeping Angels inside this mansion? And why didn’t they attack Tokei? Is he working with them?”

“Weeping Angels? You mean those statues that surrounded us?” Shiho asked.

“Yeah, they’re Quantum-locked creatures, they move when you don’t look at them and if they touch you they send you back in time.”

“How nice of them, making a person live the rest of his days in the past, never seeing their loved ones again.” Shiho commented.

The Detective Boys were creeped out by the sole thought.

“I know, right? ‘The most humane psychopaths in the universe’, with that, they feed off the remaining time energy of the victim. Your entire future disappears in an instant.”

“Those statues…I saw them before, while I was investigating the Eastern Mansion.” Mitsuhiko said.

“D-Do you think those statues are here too?”

“If that Tokei wants us dead, they’re likely to be here.” Conan said.

“What should we do? We’re in a trap!”

“Not necessarily.” the Doctor said, “Remember? Tokei said that this mansion is like a maze, and there’s no maze without an exit!”

“And since we can’t use the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, we’ll use an old-school method.” Conan smirked, “Have you guys heard of the Minotaur?”

The kids shook their heads.

“To put it shortly, we'll use the fabric of our clothes to track where we go, just like in the myth, where the hero of the story Theseus used a ball of wool to navigate through the maze.” the Doctor took off his frock coat and slightly ripped it, so that a thread could be visible.

Conan, Genta and Mitsuhiko did the same with their shirts, so that they could form a ball of wool “Let’s go now, and be careful of the Weeping Angels, they might be observing us.”

So, the TARDIS team began their journey through the maze, carefully looking at the shadows, paranoid about the Weeping Angels stalking them.

“They’re following us.” Shiho noticed a Weeping Angel.

“Keep staring and don’t blink.” the Doctor reminded them.

Mitsuhiko, since he was now in tanktop and the maze was rather cold, sneezed, forcing him to blink.

The Weeping Angel was now very close to him.

“AAAH!” The boy screamed in terror.

“Mitsuhiko!” Ayumi panicked.

“Calm down!” Conan said. “Mitsuhiko, keep looking at it and walk away!”

Mitsuhiko nodded, the TARDIS team slowly walked away without blinking.

“Okay, we should be out of danger now.” the Doctor panted.

“Look!” Mitsuhiko pointed at a partially moved wall.”That’s where I entered the maze for the first time!”

“We have found an exit!” Ayumi happily said.

“Let’s go, we have no time to waste.”

The TARDIS team rushed to the exit, now they were safe.

“Yuriko!” Shiho noticed the little girl, along with Tokei.

“Stay away from him!” Genta said, “That guy is evil!”

“You’re mistaken.” Tokei calmly answered, “I only stopped Ms. Yuriko from falling into the pit.

“Oh yeah? And what about those Weeping Angels down there?”

“...Those are the guardians of the Mansion.”

The Doctor laughed, “Yeah, sure! The Weeping Angels don’t take orders by anyone, let alone by a human!”

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Tokei changed the topic. “I advise you to not waste time, you have 3 hours left.”

“...He’s right, unfortunately.” Conan said.

----------------------------------------

Two hours later, everyone got changed and were still thinking about a possible solution. Or rather, Conan, Shiho and the Doctor were thinking about it. Until…

“EUREKA!” Conan said.

“Found the solution, Conan?” the Doctor asked.

“Yeah! Let’s find a ladder, we have to go to the Angel of the East tower!”

The group quickly found a ladder and took it to the tower, while being cautious about the Weeping Angels lurking around in the forests.

Conan climbed the ladder, reaching the beacon and noticed a crack that had the shape of the crystal. He put it there, creating a shadow on the light.

Then, it formed a shadow that looked an angel with a flute.

“Look!” Conan said to the TARDIS team. “That’s where the treasure is! Near that shed on the hill! Quick! We still have 30 minutes!”

Tokei quickly ran to the location of the treasure.

“Mr. Tokei!” Yuriko said.

“He’s aiming for the treasure!” Mitsuhiko said.

“Oh no, he won’t!” Genta said, as he and the rest of the group went for the chase.

They found him digging with a pickaxe on the location of the treasure. Genta pushed him away, making him losing balance.

“Stop right there!” the Doctor said.

“That treasure belongs to Yuriko!” Ayumi said.

“I don’t understand, why are you doing this?” Yuriko said.

“It’s not what you think you don’t understand, Yurik-”

Suddenly, a chasm opened, freeing a secret path.

They followed it, while immobilising Tokei, in case he does something sketchy.

----------------------------------------

They found a room, inside it was full of gold…And two Weeping Angels guarding it.

However, even if the group wasn’t looking at them, they didn’t move.

“Why are they not moving?” Ayumi asked.

“They were put here as guardians of the treasure in case someone tried to steal it.” Tokei said.

“Now, Mr. Tokei, I believe we earned an explanation about you and those Weeping Angels.” Conan said, “You already knew the solution to the riddle, however, you also made the same mistake while solving it!”

Everyone gasped.

“If I recall correctly, he told us the riddle at 9 PM, and due to the security system, they have to wait till midday to go to the Angel of the North tower.” the Doctor said, “But…The path won’t open until midnight, so it’s impossible to find the treasure in time.”

“Hold on a second.” Shiho said, “If Tokei really wanted to steal the fortune, wouldn’t he have all the time in the world to test the various solutions?”

“Simple, it’s illegal to take someone else’s inheritance, He wanted to take it legally…Because he's the 18th candidate for the inheritance!” Conan said.

“Tsk!” Tokei was caught in surprise.

“That’s the only reasonable explanation: He meddled in the investigation by deleting all clues, so that it could be his turn!”

“You’re wrong! I didn’t choose when to tell the riddle, Mr. Isegawa ordered me to do so!”

“Yeah, sure, as if we believe you!” Genta said.

“Well, I do.” Shiho said, “Tokei threw a knife at us to keep us away from the electricity, not to kill us. I heard his steps too. I don’t think he was interfering with our investigations, but rather protecting us and Yuriko from danger.”

“I agree with her, Mr. Tokei isn’t a bad guy!” Yuriko said, “When I was crying about my great-grandfather’s death, he offered me a handkerchief!”

“Well, from what we heard Mr. Isegawa didn’t trust anyone and was highly secretive, not even his secretary, so Tokei has to be a relative.” the Doctor said. “He probably had to change his identity after a probable argument with him and wait for someone to solve the riddle. Luckily, we have a duo that can solve it with ease…”

Both the Doctor and Conan smugly smirked.

“So, Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes, mind telling us the truth now?”

“With pleasure…And stop calling me that.” the Doctor said, annoyed, “Anyway, see that photo over there?”

The child-looking Time Lord pointed at a photo, depicting a man, Mr. Isegawa, along with a little girl who had a striking resemblance to Yuriko.

“Is that Yuriko?” Genta asked.

“Oh, definitely not. That’s Gozo Isegawa’s granddaughter, as well as Mr. Tokei’s wife.”

“What?!” the Detective Boys said in unison.

“You mean…Mr. Tokei is Yuriko’s dad?!” Mitsuhiko said.

“Correct, I believe he’s the man who Yuriko’s mother ran away with, that’s why Isegawa despised him.” the Doctor said.

“...Mr. Isegawa really loved her granddaughter, Yuriko’s mother. He always said that her eyes reminded him of his deceased wife.”

The Doctor, hearing about a grandfather’s love for his granddaughter, made him feel involved.

“When we left the mansion, he was furious and desperate. At the time he had many contacts with the Yakuza, and I feared what he could do if he went mad. So, I had to abandon my wife and a newborn Yuriko to protect them. I made a deal with him: I would serve him at the mansion, along with the Angels that inhabit this place.” Tokei continued.

“So the Weeping Angels here aren’t hostile? They’re just…Servants?” the Doctor thought.

“During these years, I started to understand Isegawa, he had loved his children, but he never had the opportunity to tell them. In this year, he told me what he wanted to financially help Yuriko and her mother, so I went to search for them, at the end I found out my wife’s death. The news was fatal to him, but he before he passed away, he told me:”

“Reveal the riddle at 9 PM…If it will be solved, you’ll be free…Please, forgive me, son…”

Tokei took off his sunglasses turned to Yuriko. “My name is Yoshihito Matsunaka, and I’m your father, Yuriko. You know, your mother created this riddle.”

“She did?” Yuriko said.

Yoshihito nodded. “You’re the only one that could have solve it, since you’re the daughter of Mr. Isegawa’s loved granddaughter.” He smiled.

Yuriko was moved and started crying and hugged her father.

The Detective Boys cried too, also moved by this heartwarming scene.

----------------------------------------

So, Yuriko and Yoshihito, advised by the Doctor, decided to leave the mansion at the hands of the Japanese branch of UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) and turn it into a laboratory, so that they could monitor the Weeping Angels.

A couple of days later, the Doctor was in his room in the TARDIS, making a new sonic screwdriver.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.” the Doctor said.

Ayumi went inside.

“Oh, hey, Ayumi! How can I help you?”

“What are you doing?” The little girl, curious, looked at the Doctor’s table.

“Oh, I’m just making a new sonic screwdriver. Do you need something?”

“Well, I was curious…” Ayumi took the photo of the dark-haired girl. “Who is she? Your older sister?”

The Doctor turned around and chuckled, realising Ayumi still thinks he’s a kid. “Oh, no no no…That’s my granddaughter! Her name is Susan.”

“...Huh?” Ayumi was confused. “But…How?”

“Well, my current appearance doesn’t represent my actual age. I’m like, I don’t really remember, 600 years old?”

“What?!” The girl’s confusion suddenly changed to curiosity and surprise. “You’re 600 years old?”

“Yeah, I’m an old buffer.” the Doctor laughed.

“That’s incredible! You’ve lived for so long, you must have seen a lot!”

“Oh, I surely did. I saw many worlds and met many people. You guys aren’t the first humans I’ve travelled with.”

“Really? Tell me more!”

The Doctor smiled, like every old people in the universe, he liked when younger people asked him to tell them a story. “You see, my first human companions were my granddaughter’s History and Science teachers from 1963 London. Their names were Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. They were curious about Susan so they followed her to the TARDIS and I was forced to take them away with me, fearing our covers blowing up. I’m very glad I met them, they're the reason I became like I am today.”

“What happened to them?”

“Ian and Barbara? Oh, they’re probably living a happy life in London. As for Susan, well…I had to abandon her with the man she loved. It was painful, but I made the right choice. Eventually, all my companions have to leave me…”

“I don’t want to leave you!” Ayumi said, determined, trying to console her alien friend. “I’m sure neither the others want to leave you! Even when we’re older, we still want to travel with you, Doctor!”

The Doctor smiled, appreciating the child’s innocent attempts at a consolation. “You really are a sweet kid. But I’m afraid that one day you won’t have a choice in that matter. The places I go are dangerous, you could be either trapped into another universe or even…”

“Or even?” Ayumi tilted her head.

“...Nothing.” the Doctor stood up from the chair. “Now, let’s resume our travels, shall we?” He gently ruffled Ayumi’s hair.

Her eyes lightened up with excitement. “Sure!”

The two left the room, ready for new adventures in Space and Time.

<--------To Be Continued----------