Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 140 The Wolf of Rice Flower
"Bang!"

As night fell, the sounds of road construction echoed in the twilight.

A child who was playing in a residential building by the roadside was dragged by the ear and taken home for dinner.

A passerby with a dog on a leash, a female high school student walking together, a finance guy rushing out of a convenience store and driving away...

Miho Nishitani tightened her grip on her handbag. Although she didn't turn around, she could still feel the intense gaze from around the corner behind her.

Even though he had disappeared for two days, he was spotted again as soon as he left the station—it was as if they had been waiting outside the station for the past few days.

It's even crazier than before.

Sometimes she really wanted to ask the other person what they were trying to do? Why did they have to follow her?
Three weeks ago, she couldn't take it anymore and called the police, but the other party wasn't even detained; he just apologized like a child who had made a mistake.

As a result, things only calmed down for a short time before escalating again.

In addition to stalking, there were also threats, seemingly as punishment for her calling the police—if she continued to call the police, they would kill her.

Passing by the familiar convenience store, Miho Nishitani took the opportunity to look back.

Sure enough, he spotted a figure following him—who didn't even try to hide, just stood brazenly at the intersection with a cold smile on his lips.

He was a long-haired young man who wasn't very good at styling his hair, the "good boy" the other woman's mother described.

Tatsuya Nagai, 26, followed her from Shizuoka Prefecture to Tokyo.

Because her father, who ran an iron factory, provided her with living expenses, she didn't have to work and would always stay near her apartment when they were in Shizuoka Prefecture.

She was originally working and learning at a pastry shop in Yokohama, but was forced to keep changing positions. Even after coming to Tokyo, she still couldn't escape this nightmare.

Looking at the vending machines outside the convenience store, Miho Nishitani's fingers tightened even more.

In two days, she secretly obtained poison through a former classmate's connection. Her original plan was to use the vending machine to end this nightmare, but a few days ago, the detective agency contacted her.

It was just a surname and the missing 20 yuan in commission fees. I don't know how the other party found her address and workplace—the restaurant has already said that someone asked for her phone number.

Even more skilled than the detectives on TV...

After standing outside the convenience store for a while, Miho Nishitani gritted her teeth and decided to go home.

What should have been a short distance felt incredibly long, and the thought of meeting and talking with the detective made me incredibly nervous.

The day before yesterday, she went to the detective agency, but this time the detective took the initiative to come to her door.

"Miss Nishitani, it's nice to see you again."

Gao Mo's friendly smile, like that of an educated youth, immediately brought Nishitani Miho back to her senses as soon as he opened his mouth.

He has already had Dr. Agasa drive over with 20 yen, but he still wants to see Nishinoya one more time.

He vaguely saw the shadow of another version of himself in Nishiya—although that other version of himself chose suicide.

"It's you?" Miho Nishitani remembered Gao Mo. "Didn't you say you weren't a detective?"

"I'm not a detective, but I can play the part."

Gao Mo noticed the stalker hiding behind the woman.

"Ms. Nishitani, do you want your 20 yen back, or do you want to continue working with our agency? If you want your 20 yen back, I'll leave immediately and pretend we never met..."

"You...you know everything?"

Miho Nishitani felt as if she had lost all strength in her hands, and only felt a cold wind blowing straight to her heart.

It's not surprising that such a skilled detective could see through her thoughts.

Thinking about my longing for city life, my dream of becoming a pastry chef, and all the hard work I've put in, working in one place after another...

Miho Nishitani lowered her head as if in a struggle, but still couldn't help but let two lines of tears flow.

"I'm so resentful. Those lazy guys, they don't work and they don't have to worry about food or clothing..."

But what about me? All I want is to strive to realize my dreams in the city and have a life of my own, yet even surviving is so difficult, no matter how hard I try.

Why did I have to fall for this guy? Why can't he just leave me alone?

If this continues, I…

“Then let’s entrust this to our firm,” Gao Mo interrupted Nishitani Miho’s sobbing. “We might not have a good solution for ordinary stalkers, but this is an exception.”

"Huh?" Miho Nishitani looked up in surprise.

Gao Mo took out the 20 yuan commission fee: "It may not be able to completely solve the problem, but at least it won't ruin your life for that kind of person, and you'll still have the opportunity to realize your dreams."

“Dream…” Tears blurred Miho Nishitani’s vision as she recalled her long-held beliefs.

Let's keep going today!

You can do it, Nishinoya!
……

Gao Mo ultimately failed to return the 20. After Nishitani Miho returned to her apartment, she got into the doctor's Beetle in the alley.

"Is this a good idea?" the doctor asked worriedly. "Those kinds of stalkers are quite troublesome... I heard that guy is also known as the 'Wolf of the Rice Flower,' and the police don't have a good way to deal with him. He hasn't done anything outrageous, so they can only issue warnings."

"It's impossible for things not to go astray."

Gao Mo sensed the malice emanating from the nearby stalker.

Occasional stalking may be fine, but if it develops into pathological long-term stalking, it's unlikely to be the behavior of a nice guy.

He took the opportunity to observe just now.

The long-haired young man would occasionally take out a lighter, but he never smoked—a hidden camera hole could be seen in front of the lighter.

This alone is enough to arrest the long-haired youth, and imprisonment or a fine of less than one year is no problem at all.

If his reasoning is correct, it seems that the stalker has come up with some wicked ideas because of Ms. Nishitani's police report.

If we continue our stakeout, we should be able to catch other, more serious crimes.

Judging from his malice, his brief interaction with Miho Nishitani had already provoked her, and he only needed to make a little more arrangements to control this character.

but……

It doesn't seem necessary to make special arrangements for this kind of guy.

At the same moment the long-haired youth harbored hostility towards him, it was as if some thread connected them, allowing him to foresee the other's death.

This stalker is doomed to die, and his fate will not be changed by stopping Miho Nishitani.

The only difference from the first level is that he did not feel any danger due to the intervention.

There's no need to deliberately stay away from people who are destined to die anymore.

The rules of death seem to have lost their effect on him.

Gao Mo gazed out of the car window, lost in thought.

It seems that as long as the note hiding effect is not removed, the death rule will not be triggered.

“Just like Ai said,” Professor Agasa rubbed his nose, “you always take things very seriously when it comes to beautiful women.”

Have it?

Gao Mo glanced at the doctor.

"It just so happens that she's a beautiful woman. Didn't I help that little monk yesterday?"

Of course, having beautiful women might be a plus, but not by much.

It's at least not as good as the 20 yuan commission I have.

"What are you doing?" the doctor noticed Gao Mo making a phone call.

"Call Officer Takagi over."

Gao Mo pulled out Gao Mu's contact information from the corner of his address book.

Come to think of it, I haven't made a phone call since we added each other?

If anything happens later, I just go directly to Inspector Megure.

"Takagi... that detective from the First Investigation Division?" It took the professor a while to remember. "Why did you call a detective? Shouldn't this kind of thing be handled by the Life Safety Division?"

"Inspector Megure said he's currently in the Life Safety Division, it seems he's been temporarily transferred there."

Gao Mo didn't quite understand either.

Just bring over a familiar police officer.

He foresaw the death of the long-haired youth, but did not specify the manner of death.

Get the long-haired youth away first, to avoid any unforeseen complications later.

(End of this chapter)