Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 126 Do you have a cross-dressing fetish?

"Why is it impossible? It's just a psychological trick."

Amidst the skepticism, Gao Mo quietly watched the short-haired maid who had been given space.

No matter how realistic the performance, a normal maid wouldn't have that kind of psychological state after the incident.

"From the moment everyone entered the Twilight Mansion, he began to weave a psychological trap. First, he made the hidden mastermind believe that he was the maid he had hired, thus creating a hidden helper for himself."

"At the right time, they will proactively reveal the master's mysterious and strange behavior, and then gradually arouse everyone's curiosity about the master behind the scenes, while deliberately stirring up the topic of Phantom Thief Kid in the middle..."

"While using the cover of those behind the scenes, I skillfully reinforce my role as a tool, hiding in the blind spots of everyone's thinking."

"Of course, the real purpose of doing all this is not just to conceal one's identity, but also to test the true identity of the person behind the scenes..."

"Boom——!"

As the wind and rain intensified in the deep mountains, a bolt of lightning struck the top of the old clock tower, pulling the Twilight Pavilion, perched on the cliff, into another world.

The indoor lights flickered, and lightning bolts shone through the restaurant windows onto the many detectives, making their shadows appear to turn into the shapes of crows.

Hakuba Saguru remained calm, while Senma Kazuyo finally showed a moved expression.

Ikumi Gunda and Harufumi Mogi also looked surprised.

The short-haired maid with freckles all over her face was startled. Under Gao Mo's gaze, she hurriedly waved her hands and explained, "How could I be Phantom Thief Kid? I... I was just chosen by chance, what psychological tricks..."

"You were always biting your right thumb, but why did you switch to your left hand immediately after Oojo died? It's because you realized why the maid was hired and knew that you would be silenced in the same way."

Gao Mo continued speaking.

"You didn't react at all when the car exploded... Shouldn't an ordinary maid who came to work at least take a look?"

"And when I wanted to go into the restaurant, you had already secretly investigated and come to the restaurant beforehand. You knew there were mannequins in the restaurant, you knew about the tape recording, and you knew the car would explode... That's why you hurriedly stopped me, worried that I, the famous detective's assistant, would cause trouble..."

"hehe."

The short-haired maid lowered her head in the lightning, and when she faced Gao Mo again, her expression had completely changed.

"Because I really want to know what the person impersonating me is up to, and it would be troublesome if I alerted them."

"The reason we chose a maid... is because it makes the investigation easier, and even if she's caught on camera, it's less likely to arouse suspicion..."

"Tsk, it really is you. Looks like you're doomed this time, Kid."

White Horse discreetly blocked the restaurant entrance, took out a pistol from his pocket, and subtly formed an encirclement with the other men.

"This gun was in the guest room from the beginning. It looks like the real thing. It's best not to touch it."

The remaining two also pulled out their pistols.

Gunda Ikumi is a miniature lady's pistol: "You actually prepared such a dangerous thing, do you want us to kill each other?"

“Probably… It’s really embarrassing to be tricked from beginning to end,” Mogi Harufumi glanced at Granny Senma with her hands behind her back, then turned to the short-haired maid with a facepalm, “Speaking of which, do you have a cross-dressing fetish? I remember in the last report, you disguised yourself as a cute girl.”

[Detective lv5 upgrade: 50 stars, 4/5] (Ookami Kisuke, Hattori Heiji, Yata Ikumi, Mogi Harufumi)
"The actual effect is very good, isn't it? Even famous detectives are more relaxed when it comes to women."

Kidd dropped all pretense, grinned, and raised his hands, now sporting the short-haired maid's face, to indicate that he posed no threat.

"Arrest me if you want, but before you send me to prison, shouldn't you at least find out the truth first? The detective over there hasn't explained the cause of the matter yet, or what the contents of that tape meant... I won't rest in peace until I understand."

"The contents of the tape?"

Everyone's attention returned to Gao Mo, who had his eyes closed.

"There was indeed more content, but Mr. Kindaichi stopped it..."

"call!"

As Gao Mo listened to the relentless thunder and storm outside the window, he tightened his grip on his hands, and images of death flashed through his mind.

The rules of death are still being developed...

The villa's dilapidated exterior walls had partially crumbled due to the previous explosion, revealing a golden sheen.

The entire twilight villa was shrouded in a crimson hue.

Shooting, explosions... a golden ruin where no one survived. Gao Mo suddenly opened his eyes.

There is one famous detective left.

But even at this point, neither Hakuba Saguru nor Conan can be entered, so it seems there's really no hope.

Facing Chima Kazuyo, who seemed indifferent to everything and didn't care about anything, Gao Mo took out the puzzle slip he found in the piano room from his pocket.

The paper was rough and yellowed badly, but thankfully the text was still clear.

"More than 40 years ago, the owner of this place was nearing the end of his life and was eager to solve the mystery of the treasure left by his mother. This is the code left at that time... Da Shang's initial goal was to gather famous detectives to solve the mystery again and to find the treasure with everyone's wisdom."

Suddenly, Gao Mo recalled Xiao Ai's reluctance and fear before their parting.

"The contents of the videotape are just a fabrication to cover up the truth, impersonating Kid's name... and then silencing him afterward to make Kid take the blame. The reason why Granny Senma killed Ogami in the process was probably because she was worried that Ogami would also kill her in the end."

"Grandma Senma?" Several detectives and the Mori family all turned their gazes toward the old woman.

"That's right."

Chima Kazuyo's surprise at the revelation of Kid's identity didn't last long; she closed her eyes and explained wearily.

"Two years ago, I accidentally let slip about this Twilight Mansion and my father's affairs. Then, I spent all my savings and borrowed a lot of debt to buy this place and started a crazy treasure hunt."

"A few days ago, his reputation was damaged by the live TV broadcast, and his income finally couldn't support him anymore. So he asked me to plan this dinner party, using Kaito Kid as bait to play a game with his life on the line..."

"It's as if he's possessed by Karasuma Renya, actually wanting to repeat the tragedy of that year."

"But you agreed, didn't you?" Kidd interjected. "After Oogami died, you still wanted to continue his plan, right?"

"Because I really want to solve this mystery my father left me, to unravel this nightmare that has tormented me for decades."

Chima Kazuyo stared at the note on the dining table, her eyes filled with a faint sadness and numbness.

"If I miss this opportunity, I'm afraid I'll never have another chance like this in my life. In the end, I'll just die with regret and resentment... Perhaps I was already possessed by Karasuma Renya long ago. At that time, I actually hoped that Daikami could solve the mystery."

"Like Karasuma Renya, I don't have many years left to live, and I desperately want to know what the treasure my father died for is..."

“A game where life is the stake… can never have a result from the start,” Gao Mo placed his phone on the table as well. “Knowing that you will be silenced in the end, why would a smart person tell you even if they have solved the mystery? If you had been open and honest and sincerely entrusted me with the investigation, I would have told you the location of the treasure long ago.”

"Yes, it seems I'll never know the answer..."

Senjō's expression darkened, as if he had lost all his energy, and then he belatedly turned to Takamo.

"What...what did you just say? Have you already cracked it?"

"You solved the mystery?!"

Mogi Harufumi and the others had already read the note, and upon hearing this, they could no longer remain calm. Together with Senma Kazuyo, they stared blankly at Gao Mo.

“I have already sent the answers to the police and the newspapers,” Gao Mo said, ignoring Wakita Kanesuke’s grim expression. “I believe the truth here will soon be revealed to the world.”

Since he couldn't avoid the treasure hunt, he had no choice but to escalate the situation.

Let's completely overturn the table and solve the problem of the Twilight Mansion.

Living is more important than finding treasure.

"As for the mystery, your father probably solved it more than 40 years ago."

Gao Mo's sudden voice made Chima Kazuyo tremble violently.

A pair of old, aging eyes turned stiffly to Gao Mo: "You...you're serious? Dad..."

Gao Mo did not reply, but walked straight to the wall clock next to the dining table under the questioning gaze of Wakita Kanenori.

"In this Twilight Mansion, only this place has a clock, and while other places have more or less old bloodstains, the restaurant has none."

Gao Mo began to turn the clock hands.

"If you look closely, you can see that there are actually black stains on the pointer, which are bloodstains left by someone on purpose."

"This time you at least used the Phantom Thief Kid as a cover, but Karasuma Renya didn't hide his identity back then. Did your father and the others really think that solving the mystery would save them from death?"

(End of this chapter)