Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

Ballroom.

On the stage, puppeteer Shoichi Amano manipulated a huge puppet, which bent over like a human actor to thank the guests, bringing a perfect performance to a close.

Under the stage, the crowd gave a warm applause. The indoor lights came on again, and many people were discussing this novel performance in low voices.

Some people were still not satisfied, but some people didn't care about the performance at all.

Daizo Eto, who was in charge of keeping a close eye on the congressmen at the banquet, quietly walked to the corner and pressed the headphones again.

There was still no sound from the other side.

Half an hour ago, Senior Zhu Fu lost contact.

Not only him, but also the two seniors who were responsible for watching the entrance and exit downstairs had lost contact.

In public security missions, it is not uncommon for colleagues to temporarily lose contact with each other.

For example, if they suddenly encounter a suspicious person, they will follow him or her; if someone comes in when they sneak into the room to search, they will hide... At these times, they will temporarily cut off contact, and colleagues will continue to wait and will not disturb them casually.

Eto Daizo knew that he should stay in the banquet hall at the moment and continue to stare at the congressman.

But perhaps because he had just joined the company and this was his first time encountering an emergency, he was still a little uneasy.

Senior...is it really okay?
The young police officer cast his eyes towards the huge banquet hall. He saw his colleague standing in another corner. He wanted to go over and ask about the situation there, but considering his own mission, he stayed where he was.

His target, Congressman Tunkou, was besieged by reporters during halftime. Now that the media has temporarily stopped, the congressman has a chance to catch his breath. While wiping the sweat off his face, he slowly walked to the center of the banquet hall.

Above his head, the largest crystal chandelier in the banquet hall was sparkling.

……

In another corner of the banquet hall, Rena Mizunoshi, who had finished the interview, returned to her colleagues at the TV station.

The colleagues in charge of operating the camera are still busy. After the puppet show, there will be the contestants’ talent show, which is the highlight of the night.

One of the staff saw Rena Mizunashi coming back and spoke to her, "Mizunashi, which player do you think will score the highest in the first game?"

Mizuno Reina thought for a moment and said, "Well, I personally think that Miss Shou Hualian performed the best. Her appearance, demeanor, and bearing just now were just like those of a queen."

"I think so too." The other party smiled. He looked at Mizuno Rena's face and suddenly added, "In fact, Mizuno, you are also very beautiful. If you can participate in the competition, you will definitely not lose to them."

Mizuno Reina was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Thank you for the compliment, but I'm not interested in this kind of competition..."

They were chatting casually when she saw a colleague fiddling with a camera with his back to them from the corner of his eye. She couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

The colleague who came with them turned around, raised his chin and pointed in a certain direction with a mysterious smile.

Rena Mizunashi followed his gaze and saw the recently popular music producer Naoya Tarumi communicating with someone. She recognized it as the female writer Mika Nanjo who recently won a big award.

A little further away, Kenzo Masuyama, chairman of a well-known automobile group, was also talking to his secretary.

"I heard a while ago that the two of them are secretly dating." The colleague chuckled and raised the camera, "I hope something happens between them when it gets dark later."

Really...

Rena Mizunashi looked at this colleague who loved chasing traffic and gossip, sighed quietly, and looked away.

……

Aoyagi Akimitsu returned to the banquet hall.

"You stay here or go to the table to eat something. I'll go back to the judges' seat first." He whispered to Kudo Shinichi behind him.

Kudo Shinichi, who had makeup on his face and a wig on his head, responded obediently, "I know."

He watched Qing Liu Binguang stride away, raised his hand and gently touched his cheek.

He didn't pay attention to his mother's makeup before, but now he realizes that makeup has such a magical power - Mr. Aoyagi only applied it on the corners of his eyes, eyebrows, nose bridge, and lips, and he was like having a plastic surgery, and his face was completely changed. It doesn't matter if this face is photographed, and there is no need to deliberately avoid the camera, but he can't go to the doctor and the others, and his voice is still Kudo Shinichi's voice.

I wonder how Huiyuan is doing, whether she has hidden herself... To be honest, if she didn't really hate the FBI and didn't want to reveal her identity, she should have asked Mr. Aoyagi to help her put on makeup. Otherwise, it would be difficult to cover up her mixed-race appearance with just a hat...

Kudo Shinichi was lost in thought when a hand suddenly reached out from behind and patted his shoulder.

"?!!"

He shuddered, turned around, and met the mixed-race face under the baseball cap with his wide eyes.

"... Haibara?" Kudo Shinichi was stunned and looked at him in disbelief, "Why are you here?"

Miyano Shiho looked at Kudo Shinichi's face and was also a little confused.

After entering the banquet hall, she looked for the person by his clothes and hat. When the guy turned around and saw this unfamiliar face, she almost thought she had found the wrong person until the other person spoke the voice of Kudo Shinichi.

"Your face..." She paused, then quickly understood, "You're wearing makeup?"

Kudo Shinichi said proudly: "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Miyano Shiho, who knew how to put on makeup before she became smaller, was not that surprised. She just said, "Good technique."

When Kudo Shinichi heard Aoyagi Akimichi being praised, he first smiled happily, but then quickly reacted and repeated the question: "Why are you back? I'm the only one who can ask for the recipe."

Before, at the elevator entrance, he planned to come back to ask Aoyagi Akimitsu for help, but Miyano Shiho didn't want to go, so he asked her if she wanted to hide in another room first and leave with the guests after the game. She agreed.

What's going on now?

Kudo Shinichi noticed the media and cameras not far away and felt a little worried, but more confused, because he knew that the former member who escaped from the organization was not a reckless person.

There must be some important reason why she came back.

Miyano Shiho stood close to the wall with her lips tightly pursed. Her eyes swept across the hall, occasionally lingering on the waitresses in long skirts.

"…There's someone who gives me a very special feeling." She whispered, "So I wanted to come back to confirm it."

Kudo Shinichi was confused.

However, he understood the feeling that sometimes you have to do something. He thought about it, took off his wig and handed it to Miyano Shiho.

They were standing in a remote location, and people around them were paying attention to the stage, so no one paid attention to their actions.

"This is for you," he said. "Although your appearance cannot be changed for the time being, you can change your hairstyle first. Some people recognize people by their hair first."

Before he became small, he often exchanged emails with Aoyagi Akimitsu. One time, he asked about snipers, and Mr. Aoyagi told him that there are some people in the world who don't look at the face when they hit someone, but at the hairstyle.

"I have a friend who I suspect is face-blind," Aoyagi Akimitsu said in an email. "He can recognize a person by a fallen hair, and he can also use the most accurate sniper scope to mistake a person who looks different but has the same hairstyle."

At that time, Kudo Shinichi was particularly puzzled as to why such a sniper was allowed to take up the job, and was worried that he might hit the wrong person one day.

He also said at that time: "Your friend may not be suitable for this job."

"No, he is very suitable." Aoyagi Binguang said with a smile, "But I will try my best to make him go away."

Miyano Shiho took the wig.

This was a female beauty pageant, and most of the spare wigs in the lounge were women's styles, which were longer in length and very suitable for covering her slightly curly short hair.

"……Thanks."

She whispered her thanks.

She put on a wig and a hat, and soon it was dark again. The second talent show began. (End of this chapter)