Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 173 The Magic Train Murder Case 5: Takato Haruka
"Officer Megure!"

Heiji Hattori was the first to rush to the body on the stage.

"The bleeding from the wound has completely stopped, and it has been at least ten minutes since Mr. Yurama died... In other words, the person who was performing the puppet show just now was actually the murderer."

"How is this possible?" the apprentice magician exclaimed in surprise. "Only Mr. Yurama in the troupe can perform with live puppets..."

"In any case, the murderer should be among you, right?"

Heiji Hattori twirled his baseball cap, smiling as he scrutinized the Magic team members who had rushed over from backstage.

"Or is it that there are other people besides you who possess the magic of live puppets?"

The captain's wife glared fiercely at Hattori, sweat beading on her face: "It can't be me, anyway. If I knew puppet magic, I wouldn't have to put up with Yurama's temper."

“It couldn’t be me either,” the clown Sakonji said with a smile, spreading his hands. “I have absolutely no motive. Anyway, whoever the leader is, it has nothing to do with me.”

"It must be you!" The captain's wife glared angrily at the clown. "You want to keep that magic notebook all to yourself? After killing us all, you'll be the only one left..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Whether you're lying or not, you know best! Who else could it be but you?"

The two magicians, under the astonished gazes of Megure and the onlookers, had a heated argument and almost came to blows.

“What karma,” the hotel manager said with a smile, standing below the stage. “This must be Chikamiya’s curse. Chikamiya, who was framed by the students, has finally returned…”

The magicians' expressions changed simultaneously.

"In short, the murderer couldn't be us," the clown continued to argue. "The puppet on stage suddenly transforming into Yura was done by using the ceiling beams as a seesaw, a quick magic trick we magicians often use..."

"Plus the puppet show, the murderer should have been on the ceiling. Getting down to the sides of the stage from there would have required climbing stairs, which would have taken at least a minute, but we got there in just a few seconds..."

"Is Mr. Sakonji playing dumb?" Hattori chuckled. "The murderer and Yurama's body fell onto the stage together in an instant, right? How much did that puppet weigh?"

“70 kilograms,” Manager Junpei Kirishima replied. “It was measured when I boarded the plane before.”

"Where is Mr. Yurama?"

"Uh, during last year's physical exam, Yurama weighed 60 kilograms..."

"Isn't that obvious?" Hattori Heiji looked up at the puppet. "Yurama is lighter than the puppet. Yurama alone couldn't have gotten down. The murderer was also falling down at that time."

……

Backstage at the theater.

As Junpei Kirishima tidied up the props, his glasses reflected light.

That high school detective is not to be underestimated; he's much more capable than the police. I feel like he'll ruin his perfect performance and cause the most important magic trick of his life to be ruined halfway through.

It's better to get rid of those self-righteous fools...

"ah!"

The apprentice magician, who was also tidying up his props, suddenly exclaimed in surprise, bumping into Gao Mo at the door, scattering the props all over the floor.

"Sorry, are you alright?" Gao Mo reached out and pulled the girl up.

"N-nothing," the girl said, her face slightly flushed. "What brings Mr. Kido here?"

“I was very interested in the magic show just now… Is it really only Mr. Yurama who can perform the live puppet show?” Gao Mo felt Junpei Kirishima’s gaze.

"Shh, whatever you do, don't let Miss Yumi and the others know. Asking about magic will anger them."

The aspiring magician nervously peered outside the door.

"Although Mr. Yurama has always performed the puppet show, it seems that the magic trick itself was conceived by them together, so Ms. Yumi and Mr. Sakonji both know about it. As for whether they can perform it... I'm not quite sure."

Remembering that Gao Mo was with the police, Kirishima Junpei asked curiously, "Is Mr. Kido investigating a case? By the way, is Mr. Kido a policeman or a detective?"

“No, I’m just a magic enthusiast,” Gao Mo observed Kirishima Junpei for a moment. “It would be such a pity if the magic of puppetry were to become a thing of the past… This might not be the right way to put it, but I personally really want to meet the murderer.”

“Mr. Kido,” the apprentice magician tugged at Gomer fearfully, “it’s best not to talk about this, or you might get killed.”

"Speaking of which, Miss Canjian also performs puppet magic, right?" Gao Mo asked, staring at the apprentice magician. "Did you join the Fantasy Magic Troupe because of your live puppet magic?"

"Almost, nearly..."

The apprentice magician looked somewhat dejected.

"My puppet show is still far from good enough."

It is precisely because of his expertise in puppet magic that he understands how amazing live puppets can be.

Unfortunately, after being in the magic troupe for so long, I haven't learned even the basics of puppetry, let alone the core principles of puppetry.

She wasn't even allowed to see the puppet mechanism; it was always stored and transported separately.

“Not at all,” Gao Mo encouraged, “I think Miss Canjian’s performance was wonderful and had her own unique style. She will definitely be able to stand on her own in the future.”

"Haha, I will," the apprentice magician's round face lit up. "Once I become famous, Mr. Kido will definitely come to see my solo performance... Although I'm still an apprentice now, I don't know when that will be..."

“Miss Canjian is really amazing, she has a lot of magical talent,” Junpei Kirishima said shyly. “Unlike me, although I’ve been a manager for two years, I’m still a complete novice and always cause trouble for everyone.”

……

"Gululu!"

The night is getting darker.

Gao Mo felt a moment of disorientation as soon as he returned to his room. He vaguely saw Hattori Heiji drowning and being buried forever in the swamp.

"He Ye!"

"Heiji!"

"Come, poor lamb, to the dark and cold altar of death..."

"call!"

Gao Mo suddenly opened his eyes and looked out the window to see Hattori and Kazuha following Megure out of the theater.

The investigation is ongoing.

Being a detective is actually very risky, especially for someone like Heiji Hattori who likes to get involved in murder cases.

The everyday cases in this world are alright, the murderers are just ordinary people among ordinary people. However, outside of the everyday, there are all kinds of perverted criminals, and there are all kinds of dangers.

Even a swordsman like Hattori Heiji could be in mortal danger.

After all, there are too many ways to kill, and a murderer may not necessarily confront the killer head-on.

Gao Mo's gaze darkened slightly as he watched Hattori and Kazuha start arguing again below.

Didn't they realize the killer's murderous intent?

Even without prior knowledge, he could glean some information from Junpei Kirishima's reaction.

This kind of obsessive killer who pursues artistic crime will do anything, even the most outrageous crime, to achieve his ideal.

"Crack!"

Gao Mo looked away and opened his suitcase.

He hadn't been able to level up his profession during this period, but he wasn't standing still; he had been working hard to learn several key skills.

Especially in terms of makeup, he has almost completely mastered Shimabukuro Kimie's makeup skills, which has greatly reduced the time spent making masks.

Having the experience of playing Shinichi Kudo, playing Heiji Hattori was a piece of cake.

Since the murderer has his sights set on Hattori Heiji, he might as well use Hattori's identity to make some contact with the other side.

Gao Mo adjusted his mask in front of the mirror, transforming himself into Osaka Black Chicken with astonishing skill. His fingers paused slightly as he thought about his upcoming encounter with the Hell Puppet Master.

He didn't think he was anything special.

Without the notebook, he would just be an ordinary person with a superficial understanding of the Conan world, and the little information he had about the cases would be negligible—the only case where he truly exploited the information gap was the apartment case involving Yoko Okino.

As for intelligence on the Black Organization, knowing too much might not be a good thing. If there had been even the slightest mistake, he would have died at Rum's hands long ago.

My progress to this level is not without effort, but ultimately it relies on the note-taking system.

The Hell Puppet Master... is born with an extremely high intelligence, far exceeding the range of normal humans.

Without notes, he was a foolish "lamb" in the eyes of such people.

After Gao Mo put on the wig and stood up, he looked almost exactly like Heiji Hattori unless you looked closely, except that he lacked some of the Conan-esque elements and his physique didn't quite match.

I'm also missing clothes...

Gao Mo concealed himself for a moment and temporarily dropped his disguise.

Death isn't that intelligent; he's more like a program—that's his long-held experience.

Therefore, Death can actually intervene appropriately in the selection of his agents.

Putting everything else aside, they definitely need to control intelligence about the agent's future activities.

Is it possible to disguise oneself as "Death"?

Gao Mo's gaze was thoughtful.

Death has no physical form and is so procedural... so it seems like it's not impossible to fake it.

In fact, some people outside mistook his temporary identity for the Grim Reaper.

With his possession of the notebook, he could be considered half a Grim Reaper.

The problem is how to fool the Hell Puppet Master.

The image of Junpei Kirishima appeared in Gao Mo's mind.

Despite his seemingly cowardly appearance, he harbors a strong sense of self-confidence, as if all the humans around him are monkeys.

This kind of character is too clever to be easily fooled.

Even if the other party is still a novice, it's highly likely that this is their first crime planned for revenge...

To impersonate the Grim Reaper in front of him, one must maintain an air of mystery and power, while simultaneously making the other person believe that the Grim Reaper is merely a mysterious figure with immense abilities—limiting the impersonation to the extent possible within his capabilities.

In the future, when Death chooses its agents, it will certainly only grant Hell Puppet Masters certain privileges and superpowers.

"rustle."

Gao Mo turned his gaze to the magic troupe's brochure that had been blown open by the wind, and placed his finger on the information about Reiko Ikami next to it.

Other details are still unclear, but the name "Kirishima Junpei" is likely a pseudonym, as if it suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Could the other person's real name be "Takato Haruichi"?

We must learn as much as possible about this Hell Puppet Master and gather all the information about this incident; only then can we live up to the identity of the Grim Reaper.

The key to the investigation is Reiko Chikamiya... The relationship between the perpetrator and Reiko Chikamiya is an important clue.

……

"Takato Yoichi?"

Tokyo.

Kido Detective Agency.

Ai is watching TV while holding her black cat, with a bunch of snacks next to her.

Her usually beautiful hair was now a mess, with several stray hairs sticking up. She wasn't even wearing underwear, just a loose nightgown dress, giving off a feeling of letting loose at home.

Two days' worth of unwashed dishes piled up in the kitchen, a half-eaten cup of instant noodles sat on the table, and socks were carelessly tossed about...

It doesn't seem like just two days wasted at all.

"Meow!" The black cat meowed repeatedly, as if it were giving a lecture, but it had no effect.

Ai seems quite angry that Gao Mo didn't take her to Hokkaido, and is putting on some kind of strange protest.

He hesitated for a long time before reluctantly answering the phone.

"Why are you suddenly asking me to investigate names?"

"There's nothing I can do, there's no internet here."

Gao Mo checked the time on his watch.

Ai is not only a scientist specializing in pharmaceuticals, but also a computer expert. She manages the agency's website and database.

They may not be at the level of top hackers, but looking up information is a piece of cake.

“There are three names in total: Chikamiya Reiko, Kirishima Junpei, and Takato Yoichi. I want to know if there is any connection between them. Now I can only rely on you,” Gao Mo said solemnly. “I’ll treat you to a big meal when we get back.”

Ai smiled slightly, keeping the call going with one hand while operating the computer with the other.

"Reiko Kōmiya doesn't know, but the last two names... Junpei Kirishima and Yoichi Takato both appeared in a high school case where three people died, and Junpei Kirishima was one of the victims. Both Junpei Kirishima and Yoichi Takato were members of the magic club."

"Because the murderer was cruel and used students' heads to perform a death magic trick, the case caused a brief sensation. The murderer has never been found. The police suspected Takato Yoichi, but neither the motive nor the time to commit the crime exists. The victims were all people close to him."

"Death magic?"

Gao Mo's eyes were bright, and he asked a few more questions about the case information.

As expected, it was Takato Haruichi.

This person infiltrated the Fantasy Magic Troupe for two years because of Reiko Chikamiya's death, and only now is he starting to make his move. It doesn't seem like he would kill people close to him indiscriminately.

But those killed were all close friends and family members...

Was the murderer Junpei Kirishima?
The reason the murderer hasn't been found might be because he was killed by Takato Yoichi.

The reason I'm using the pseudonym Kirishima Junpei this time is because someone performed a death magic trick during my high school years...

Gao Mo made a simple guess, and after ending the call, he went to find the hotel manager alone.

The manager seemed deeply saddened and angry about Reiko Chikamiya's death, and knew something about it.

Of course, the real person couldn't get too involved in these matters; he was dressed as Hattori Heiji.

As for Hattori himself, he just went back to his room to sleep alone. He drank a beverage that he had laced with sleeping pills, so he should be able to get a good night's sleep.

"5 years ago..."

The white-haired hotel manager was lost in memories.

"Reiko Chikamiya is the best magician I have ever seen. She is like a gift from God to Japan... We started working together a long time ago, and the theater behind it was built specifically for the Chikamiya Magic Troupe. Nobody expected that something like that would happen 5 years ago."

"When I heard about the accident during rehearsal and rushed to the scene, it was too late. She was lying on the stage, surrounded by broken vases with water spilled all over the floor, the blood of the roses was so bright red it was almost blinding..."

"Her death is not only a huge loss to Japan, but also to the world... Those incompetent and greedy bastard disciples have no idea what they did, and it's only right that they deserve retribution!"

Gao Mo listened helplessly as the old man recounted how he met and became friends with Reiko Chikamiya: "Why do you think it was the disciples who harmed Reiko Chikamiya?"

“Of course,” the old man said sadly, “because I’ve seen some of the magic tricks they perform. Kōmiya always had the habit of carrying a notebook to record her inspirations, and those magic tricks were all prepared by her for very important people.”

(End of this chapter)