Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 175 The Imposter Grim Reaper
Hotel near the train station.

After searching around to no avail, Kazuha and the others returned exhausted. News of the high school student's disappearance quickly spread throughout the hotel, even alarming Megure, who had already taken a shower and was about to go to bed.

"Hattori-kun has gone missing?"

"When did this happen?"

"There's nothing we can do," the hotel manager sighed, shaking his head as he looked at Kazuha, whose eyes were red from crying. "It's been an hour... If that child were still alive, there should have been some response by now, but I'm afraid..."

Kazuha fought back tears: "Heiji will be alright, he promised me... Heiji, he..."

"I'm sorry," the hotel manager said, bowing his head in embarrassment, "I should have been more careful when he came to question me..."

"Don't worry yet."

Shiratori Ninzaburo returned to the hotel and spoke to Ip Man.

"Did you really see Hattori-kun go into the woods?"

"I can't see it very clearly, but it's definitely Heiji, and..."

Kazuha took a baseball cap out of her pocket.

"Heiji's hat fell into the woods."

“That’s troublesome,” Inspector Megure said in a deep voice. “If Hattori was chasing someone into the woods… it’s very likely he fell into the killer’s trap. Hattori probably discovered some important clue, causing the killer to be afraid of being exposed…”

hotel room.

Gao Mo closed the magic notebook that he had taken from Reiko Kōmiya.

This notebook doesn't seem to be the original, because it hasn't been modified at all; it's more like a revised and copied version.

Moreover, the magic trick recorded at the end had a huge flaw—if it were performed on stage, it would be a suicide act for the magician.

Did Reiko Chikamiya deliberately tamper with things?

"call!"

A premonition flashed through my mind.

A beautiful woman falls from the sky, a clown sets himself on fire...

Gao Mo crossed his fingers.

The two remaining main members of the magic troupe are both destined to die, which is why he relies on playing the role of the Grim Reaper in front of Takato Yoichi.

The Grim Reaper can only act according to the rules; he used the rules in the past to change the fate of Director Ochiai and others.

This time, however, they were even bolder.

Takato Yoichi might become a Shinigami Agent in the future... Since he foresaw this, he should do something about it.

After learning more about this "Hell Puppet Master," he thought impersonating Death was a good idea.

The Grim Reaper's agent could also be his informant.

but……

To truly play the role of Death well, this level of skill is not enough at present.

Gao Yuanyao is too smart and seems to have a hard time trusting outsiders—he probably still thinks he's just faking it.

"Kido-kun!" Kazuha knocked hesitantly on the door. "Heiji... Heiji might have been lured into the swamp and killed by the murderer!"

"what?"

Gao Mo put away his magic notebook, got up and opened the door, and was greeted by Kazuha, who seemed to have lost everything.

sin.

To avoid arousing Gao Yuanyao's suspicion, he ran straight back to the hotel.

"Is something wrong?" Gao Mo noticed the prying gaze out of the corner of his eye, scratched the back of his head and said in a daze, "Hattori should be sleeping in his room, why did he go to the swamp? When I went to look for him just now, the door was still locked."

"But……"

"Crack!"

Just then, Hattori Heiji opened the door, yawning, "What's going on? What's all this noise? Kazuha..."

"Heiji?" Kazuha froze, almost thinking she was hallucinating. "What are you doing here?"

"What's here?"

Hattori Heiji met everyone's gaze with a puzzled look, and his heart suddenly started pounding.

"What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that? It should be fine to sleep in my room, right?"

“Well,” Gao Yuanyao reverted to his cowardly manager form, weakly observing everyone as he said, “Everyone thought you were led to the swamp by the murderer…we’ve been searching for you for over an hour.”

"Huh?" Hattori Heiji was still a bit sleepy, rubbing his temples repeatedly. "Why would I go to the swamp? I didn't sleep well last night, and I've been up all day. I'm exhausted. I was thinking of taking a nap first..."

"Hattori-kun," Megure asked solemnly, "have you found any clues in this murder case? Who is the Hell Puppet Master? Ms. Yuumi or Sakonji?"

"Hey, hey," the clown Sakonji, who was also in the crowd, couldn't stand it anymore. "Officer, you can't just say things like that. It's true that there are only two of us left in the magic troupe who know about puppet magic."

But the notebook recording the magic tricks was lost sometime ago; maybe the murderer did it!

"Magic Notebook? Could you tell me more about it?"

"That's unnecessary... In short, I can't be the murderer."

"Is it that you don't want to talk about it, or that you're afraid to talk about it?" The hotel manager stared intently at the clown Sakonji. "Five years ago, also in the theater behind, Sakonji fell from the ceiling onto the stage and died—you say it was an accident during rehearsals, but Sakonji was wearing casual clothes at the time..."

“That wasn’t rehearsal time at all, because she had already arranged to meet with me to discuss the new magic trick.”

The hotel manager closed his eyes in anguish.

"Furthermore, during the police investigation, the magic notebook that Konmiya always carried with him was nowhere to be found!"

"Why are you always like this? Enough already! Don't talk nonsense without evidence!" The clown was sweating. "Could it be that we killed the teacher?"

"Still won't admit it now? The value of that magic notebook alone is enough for you to do something stupid."

The hotel manager angrily stepped forward and pointed at Hattori Heiji.

"This detective has already told me that the four of you—Yamagami, Yurama, you, and Yuumi—tampered with the ceiling and then called Miyamiya up to stage an accidental fall!"

"Me?" Hattori Heiji was completely confused.

Why does everything feel wrong after I took a nap?

He barely spoke a few words to the manager after arriving at the hotel, let alone investigated the incident from five years ago.

Isn't that Kido-san's job?

Hattori Heiji subconsciously looked at Gao Mo, but was grabbed by the excited Inspector Megure.

"Really, Hattori-kun? You even uncovered a case from five years ago?"

"not me……"

“Actually, I had some suspicions before the detective questioned me,” the hotel manager said, regaining his composure after a moment of rapid breathing. “The deaths of Yamagami and Yura were both related to that case five years ago. You’d better confess quickly, or you might be next to die!”

"This is ridiculous!" Joker Sakonji grabbed the hotel manager's collar sharply. "Do you have any evidence? You're actually saying we faked an accidental fall..."

"The magic notebook you mentioned is actually the one by Kinmiya," the hotel manager said unmoved. "The live puppet is not an original magic trick of yours at all. Kinmiya has been collecting inspiration for a long time, and I just happened to hear Kinmiya mention the idea of ​​the live puppet."

"You incompetent lot, you've probably forgotten how to come up with magic tricks, haven't you? Can you even be considered magicians now?"

"you!"

Clown Sakonji felt the sharp, piercing gazes around him, and suddenly let out a cold laugh as he released the hotel manager.

"Hmph, say what you will. So what if the puppet wasn't our original creation? That notebook was left to us by the teacher; it originally belonged to us!"

“You know nothing,” the hotel manager squinted. “Kinmiya did say he would leave the notes to a very important person, but that person is clearly not you. You greedy people have become puppets used by the Hell Puppet Master to perform death magic…”

"Just like the detective said, someone who could easily kill you, but deliberately sent police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department to provoke you... that kind of terrifying guy won't let you off so easily!"

Hattori Heiji looked bewildered.

What's wrong with this old man?
He didn't say anything. Wait...

Recalling his previous experience on Mermaid Island, Hattori Heiji carefully examined the hotel manager.

This old man... could he be Kindaichi?
Intentionally providing case information?

The clown Sakonji's expression changed repeatedly. No matter how indifferent he seemed, he still felt the terrifying pressure of the Hell Puppet Master deep down.

The deaths of the mountain god leader and the noble young master Yura are still vivid in my mind.

"Hey," Sakonji shouted, turning to Hattori Heiji, "that Hell Puppet Master, hurry up and find him! Even if I tampered with the ceiling, it doesn't mean I killed Chikamiya-sensei. I wasn't the one who called her up there, so why should I be the one killed?"

“Even if you say that… we still don’t know who the Hell Puppet Master is.” Hattori Heiji fell into thought.

The magic trick itself wasn't the problem; the real issue was the culprit's cunning. Even if the trick was deciphered, it would be difficult to identify the killer.

"Anyway, it must be among us, right?" Sakonji gritted his teeth and looked at the other members of the magic troupe.

There is no other possibility that the magic notebook could be stolen when he is not paying attention except by a member of the magic troupe.

The hotel manager also had the opportunity to steal, but even the most talented magician couldn't master the puppet show so quickly; he must have undergone extensive training in private.

Having visited the hotel many times with Reiko Konmiya, he was quite familiar with the hotel manager.

He's just an amateur; he's not even as good as the trainee magician in the troupe.

"Don't let me find out who it is!" Sakonji glared fiercely around, then his brows furrowed sharply. "Where's Yuumi?"

Trainee magician: "He must be asleep..."

"Hmph, how could anyone sleep at a time like this? Quickly call her over!"

Sakonji snapped impatiently, staring directly at Hattori with eyes that seemed to bulge out of their sockets.

"Kid, is there anything else you want to say? What happened 5 years ago is long gone. If you're really capable, then find the Hell Puppet Master!"

Takato Yoichi secretly observed Hattori Heiji.

He has the same face as the "Hattori Heiji" by the swamp, but gives off a completely different vibe.

One is a high school student with only a little cleverness, who can't even sense danger and is like a hothouse flower; the other is a mysterious person who even he feels is dangerous and who is completely unfathomable.

Who is in disguise?
Gao Yuanyao kept his head down, glancing around repeatedly out of the corner of his eye.

The obese Inspector Megure, the wealthy young master Shiratori Ninzaburo, the handsome but ordinary-looking Kido Takamine, the white-haired hotel manager, the blustering but cowardly clown Sakonji, the trainee magician who is used to being bossed around, and the taciturn spiritualist Sakuraba...

Aside from the fat policeman, it felt like anyone else could be involved, but I couldn't sense that fear of being completely seen through from these people.

"Mr. Kido has been at the hotel the whole time?" Shiratori Renzaburo walked up to Gao Mo.

He had some suspicions that Gao Mo was impersonating Hattori Heiji.

If Gao Mo is Kuroba Rokuro, then the disguise is perfectly plausible.

"Yeah, I always feel like someone's watching me, so I haven't been going out much..."

Gao Mo glanced at Shiratori (Kaito Kid), whose expression was not quite natural.

He finally realized that the person who sent him the letter was neither Gao Yuanyao nor the hotel manager; it was this meddlesome thief who wanted to test him from the beginning.

They probably read the threatening letter sent to the Metropolitan Police Department beforehand, which is why they pulled this stunt to involve him as well.

"Could it be Officer Shiratori?"

"Haha, how could that be?" Shiratori chuckled dryly. "I just wanted to find the Hell Puppet Master as soon as possible to prevent the case from getting worse... Unfortunately, we don't have any leads right now. If that notebook is stolen, the culprit won't be limited to the Magic Troupe anymore..."

"I don't understand this either. Let's wait and see. Hattori will definitely be able to solve this case."

"..."

Kid, hidden behind the white bird mask, was speechless and frustrated.

Gao Mo must already know his identity.

They both clearly knew each other's backgrounds, but this guy just refused to admit it no matter what.

"Miss Yumi?"

On the other side of the corridor, the apprentice magician knocked on the door of room 215, and before he could say much, he heard the captain's wife shouting wildly.

"Get out of my way, all of you! Who knows if you're the murderer? From now on, I'm not going anywhere, and none of you are allowed in my room! I'll kill anyone who comes in!"

"Horrible woman..."

Sakonji was startled.

"You think hiding will make things alright? Idiot! The Hell Puppet Master is still just a person, a rat hiding in the shadows. The one who should be scared is that guy!"

With that, Sakonji sneered, "Or is it all a one-woman show, and you're the real Hell Puppet Master?"

"You're the most suspicious one, aren't you?" The captain's wife suddenly opened the door, staring directly at the clown as if he were her mortal enemy. "If we die, you'll be the only one who knows the teacher's magic! Maybe you want to monopolize the magic!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Sakonji wanted nothing more than to slap the other person to death.

This stupid woman dares to say anything!

"What? Scared?" The commander's wife sneered, crossing her arms. "You're the one who should die the most. We just called the teacher to the ceiling to scare her. If you hadn't deliberately tampered with things, the teacher wouldn't have died at all!"

"I'm too lazy to care about you!"

Sakonji was somewhat resigned to his fate, and after he opened up, he wasn't so nervous anymore.

Even if the police know the inside story, so what if he doesn't admit it?

There's nothing we can do about him.

"I just happened to be inspecting and repairing the ceiling slab; it was you who killed the teacher..."

Gao Yuanyao lowered his brows and looked away from Gao Mo and the others back to the two arguing Zuo Jinsi.

He couldn't bear it anymore.

Those two are just wasting air by continuing to live.

but……

Thinking of the mysterious man's warning, Gao Yuanyao frowned repeatedly.

Should we leave?

What is the meaning of the fates of Yuumi and Sakonji?
Was that guy stopping him because he wanted to kill Yuumi and Sakonji himself?
Gao Yuanyao's probing gaze shifted to the hotel manager.

The most likely person present to kill was this old man.

However, some people who enjoy killing may not need a motive...

"Miss Yumi!"

Another gasp came from the stairwell.

Gao Yuanyao turned his head to look in confusion.

However, when Xi Hai came downstairs with a sullen face, she accidentally stepped on her slippers and fell headfirst down the stairs.

Fortunately, the stairs weren't very steep; I only bumped my forehead and got a bump.

"I'm furious!"

"careful!"

Xi Hai was still throwing a tantrum, but before she could even get up, a decorative sword pierced her throat, and the statue by the stairs collapsed on top of her, instantly taking away her last breath.

This is……

Gao Yuanyao felt a chill run down her spine, her pupils dilated and her limbs stiffened.

what is this? !!

(End of this chapter)