Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 182 The Rich and the Detective

Looking for your first love?

After Hattori Heizo left, the short-haired secretary led Gao Mo and the other person out of the bedroom.

Chairman Changmen was 60 years old. Due to the limitations of life, his energy was limited. He quickly fell into a good sleep under the care of his secretary. He seemed to be dreaming of something wonderful, and smiled in his sleep like a baby.

The short-haired female secretary gently closed the door and explained apologetically, "The chairman has been dreaming about his first love lately, but since it happened in elementary school, nothing was left behind, not even a photo..."

"Elementary school?" Hattori Heiji's brow twitched, sensing that he had taken on a troublesome case.

What are you doing?
Is this the trouble Dad was referring to?
"Is this the only clue?" Hattori asked, his head throbbing.

“No, the chairman had inquired about some information before,” the short-haired secretary said, pulling out a memo. “Her name is Akagi Kotomi, from Kanagawa Prefecture. She graduated from high school, married at 29, and had a child with her husband, Yamato Yukihira. However, she suddenly disappeared five years after giving birth…”

Gao Mo casually glanced around the Nagato family, not taking the matter of finding someone to his heart.

The reason I came with Heiji Hattori was because I didn't want to go shopping.

Meeting Hattori Heizo was a pleasant surprise.

It's a pity I didn't have the chance to solve the case with them, otherwise I could have gotten some benefits out of them.

Normally speaking, he is now at the top of the world in terms of ability, but most of it is due to the talent and extraordinary power he has extracted. He is still far inferior to people like Hattori Heizo.

I haven't been in this world long enough to have even one level 5 skill.

“Actually, the master has been really lonely lately,” the old butler sighed as he waited in the corridor. “After the madam passed away, the master has always been alone, and the young masters and ladies all have their own thoughts.”

"Speaking of which, why haven't I seen anyone else?"

Gao Mo turned around and asked.

"Didn't Chairman Nagato invite any guests to his 60th birthday celebration?"

“Today is just a small birthday celebration,” the old butler explained. “We will hold a banquet after the master recovers. For now, it’s enough for the young master and young lady to attend… You should meet soon, Miss Nobuko, Young Master Hideomi, Miss Yasue, and Young Master Hikaru.”

"Excuse me," the short-haired secretary glanced at her watch, "I have to get back to the office now. See you tonight."

"She's a really beautiful secretary."

Hattori watched his short-haired secretary go downstairs.

She was already a pretty girl, and with her short hair and sharp business attire, she had a unique and exquisite beauty.

Gao Mo also took another look.

In his mind, female secretaries were all the sexy type.

The short-haired secretary in front of me gave off a clean and refreshing feeling.

"Miss Hinata is indeed beautiful, and most importantly, she has a wonderful personality," the old butler nodded.

"That's strange, didn't she say she was going back to the company?" Hattori asked in surprise. "Why did she go into the guest room?"

“Miss Hinata has been staying here recently,” the old butler sighed. “It should be tonight, when the master will announce Miss Hinata’s marriage to young master Hideomi.”

"Is that so...?"

"Let me arrange guest rooms for you two first."

The old butler continued to lead the way with one hand behind his back.

"Actually, the master hired a detective not only because of his first love, but also because of a strange incident. Last night, in the middle of the night, there were sudden sounds of someone running in the corridor, and several strange noises of things colliding, but everyone was already asleep at that time..."

"Surely I don't need to involve my dad in this kind of thing?" Hattori was quite puzzled as to why his father would be here.

"Mr. Heizo just happened to be here on business."

The old steward said cautiously.

“In the past, we might have just thought of them as thieves or something, but the situation is quite special now. The Nagato family has some enemies, and recently an old rival was killed by Silver Fox. Master is worried that the Nagato family will be targeted by the wrath.”

"Silver Fox?" Hattori subconsciously turned to Gao Mo. "The Silver Fox who accidentally committed suicide?"

“That’s right. Given the master’s personality, he would never hire an assassin, nor would he need to use such methods. But the enemy might not think that way. Mr. Heizo also said that it is possible that the enemy has infiltrated and suggested that the master arrange more guards.”

……

evening.

Gao Mo was reading a book alone in the guest room. The projection of "Kaito Kuroba's Magic Guide" made it seem as if he could see Kaito Kid performing magic tricks.

After another round, my mind felt like it had gained some new information, yet also like it had nothing at all.

The magic level remains at lv4.
He rubbed his eyes, his peripheral vision glancing outside.

From the window, you can see that there are many more guards in the courtyard below.

It's unclear what Hattori Heizo was thinking, but he felt that these guards were doing a futile job.

If it were truly an outsider who broke into the Nagato family home, there would be no reason for them to be running around in the hallway late at night.

Based on his experience as an assassin... as a detective, if someone really was plotting against the Nagato family, they would definitely conduct a covert investigation, or even simply infiltrate the family under a false identity.

Even if it was done to scare the Nagato family, making a noise on purpose would be completely pointless.

It's even less likely that it's a thief.

What kind of thief runs around in someone else's house at night?

It's highly likely that someone from the Nagato family was behind this.

Gao Mo's gaze flickered slightly.

Whatever happened, it has little to do with him.

Wealthy families, old men, children... just hearing about them sounds like a lot of trouble.

In the world of Detective Conan, wealthy families are a breeding ground for murders.

It wouldn't be surprising if the old man were killed during his birthday celebration today.

Who do you think you are?

Suddenly, a quarrel broke out in the hallway outside, and it sounded like someone had been slapped.

"I heard you've been staying here for the past few days. Are you trying to become my stepmother?!"

"what happened?"

As soon as Gao Mo opened the door, he saw a fierce woman with her hands on her hips. The short-haired female secretary from before was lying on the side of the stairs, covering her face. Her memos were lying in the corner, and an old fountain pen rolled to Gao Mo's feet.

"And who are you?" the fierce woman demanded angrily. "Why are you living in my house?"

"Miss Nobuko, this is a guest invited by the master." The old butler rushed over, wiped his sweat, and tried his best to coax the woman away.

"Tsk, with that kind of temper, it's no wonder she can't get married at her age."

A man in a suit with a center-parted hairstyle happened to be coming upstairs and chuckled when he saw this.

"I've heard that the wedding between Hinata-san and Hideomi will be announced today, right? That way, she'll be the only old woman left single, and she'll probably stay single for the rest of her life."

"Light!" the young woman following behind the man in the suit shouted in a panic.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot that this is a taboo in the Nagato family."

The man in the suit deliberately raised his voice, and only stopped laughing when he saw the fierce woman slam the door shut. He then went into the next room with his female companion.

Gao Mo picked up the old fountain pen at his feet and returned it to his short-haired secretary, who was looking down.

According to the old housekeeper, the female secretary's name is Hinata Yuki, and she was the girl that Nagato Hideomi rescued from a fire 20 years ago.

Hideomi Nagato was disfigured in the fire and has kept his face covered with bandages for 20 years.

However, Hyuga Yuki did not look down on him, and it was Nagato Hideomi who introduced him to become the chairman's secretary.

"Are you alright?" Gao Mo asked politely.

"Thank you." Hinata Yuki, with red marks still on her face, took the pen and hurriedly went to her room.

“Those two just now are Miss Kang Jiang and Mr. Guangming,” the butler said to Gao Mo and Hattori, who had also come over after hearing the noise. “Young Master Xiuchen has been writing a novel in his room. He’s not in a good mood today, so I won’t introduce him to you.”

“I just saw that young master Hideomi,” Hattori said in a low voice. “He looks like a bandaged monster. It’s a wonder that this secretary was willing to marry him.”

"Mind your own business." Gao Mo turned his gaze back to his guest room.

Whether Hyuga Yuki was grateful or coveting the Nagato family's wealth is irrelevant.

Even true love has no effect on him—it's not like she's marrying him.

But with both Hyuga and Nagato... these surnames don't seem to match at all.

They are not as good as Uzumaki and Uchiha.

"Kido-kun," Hattori said helplessly, looking at Gao Mo who was killing time, "even if you don't help, don't just stay in the room all the time. At least make an appearance. I told them you're very capable."

"Don't worry, we don't have any enemies. If there are any problems, they are the Nagato family's own problems."

Gao Mo continued to flip through the projected book.

Since the actor couldn't level up for the time being, he decided to improve his magic first.

Meanwhile, Satomi has also assembled her magic troupe, and with their first official performance just around the corner, he must be fully prepared.

I don't expect original or genius magic tricks, but at least the performance should be flawless.

Although the upgrade requirement only requires one formal stage performance, the subsequent requirements will certainly be quite high.

A magician's debut is crucial for their future career development.

"The Nagato family's own problems?" Hattori Heiji pondered for a moment but couldn't figure it out. "What problems could the Nagato family possibly have?"

“I just have a feeling,” Gao Mo glanced at the outstanding employee, “doesn’t it seem like a case is about to happen? Chairman Nagato is in poor health, and those kids will definitely fight over the family fortune, which will then lead to a series of murders…that’s how it always goes in detective dramas.”

"..."

Hattori Heiji was speechless, his eyelids drooping in a half-smile.

You know it's a mystery drama.

Reality rarely coincides with such coincidences.
If you could easily find murder cases in the homes of the wealthy, then the wealthy families of this world would have disappeared long ago.

"Kido-kun, please don't say things like that later. Besides, Nagato is just feeling unwell, he's not dead yet."

"I was just telling you."

Gao Mo lowered his gaze.

Heiji Hattori is still too young; he clearly doesn't trust him.

He could sense to some extent whether there had been any murders.

At level 2, one already possesses some of the authority of the Grim Reaper, albeit a pitifully small amount, but the senses are often quite accurate—even without witnessing the approach of death.

"Gulu!"

A growl from his stomach made Gao Mo realize that he hadn't eaten for most of the day.

"Dinner should be ready soon, right?"

“I’ll go ask,” Hattori Heiji said, taking a bag of bread from his backpack. “If you don’t mind, have this first.”

"You even bring your own food?"

"It wasn't me, it was that guy Kazuha, saying something like 'better safe than sorry.'"

……

That evening, the Nagato family did not prepare a lavish dinner, and Gao Mo's plan to freeload off them ultimately failed.

The old housekeeper simply prepared a simple snack and meal and brought it to the old man's bedroom. Everyone shared a small cake in the birthday celebration atmosphere.

Gao Mo only felt a sweet taste, and he felt much better after eating Hattori's portion as well.

"Why didn't Xiuchen come?" The old man lay on the bed with a smile, feeling that this kind of small birthday celebration was much more comfortable than a banquet, where he didn't have to think about business.

“He’s probably just shy, after all, he has such a beautiful fiancée,” said the son-in-law, Nagato Hikaru, putting down his wine glass. “I’ll go call him over.”

"Are you really going to marry Hideomi?"

Nagato Nobuko stared intently at Hyuga Yuki, her expression changing repeatedly until it grew increasingly grim.

"I don't believe in any kind of bond of fire. Just because Hideomi saved you, you've fallen in love with him? What a joke! I know what you're up to..."

"Enough, Nobuko," the old man on the bed said with a stern face. "Hyuga doesn't want anything from our Nagato family; on the contrary, our Nagato family owes her too much."

"Dad, what are you talking about?"

"You guys go out first, I want to take a nap."

The birthday celebration came to an end as the old man closed his eyes to rest.

Heiji Hattori was thinking about finishing his piece of cake when he found the plate was empty. When he turned around, Gao Mo had already left the dormitory.

He felt the atmosphere was strange, perhaps influenced by Gao Mo's words.

It's like suddenly stepping from reality into a mystery theater.

How can it be?

How easy is it to encounter a case directly?
And it just so happens that he, the detective, is around.

Hattori Heiji chuckled self-deprecatingly, but his body remained in the dormitory, his heart yearning for his home.

It seems like some people don't take him seriously and enjoy committing crimes in front of him.

And he always gets infected.

"Let's wait until Chairman Nagato falls asleep before leaving," Hattori Heiji said, his face slightly stiff.

This time, he stayed by the old man's side.

It would be best if nothing happened. But if a case did occur, he would like to see what tricks the murderer would play this time, and whether he really thought he was easy to bully.

He was willing to stake his father's honor to prove himself... Hattori from Kansai wasn't just talking the talk.

"I'll stay and take care of the chairman." Hinata Yuki covered the old man with the blanket.

“I’ll take care of Dad too,” Kang Jiang, the second daughter, said, staying by the old man’s side. “Guangming went to call Xiuchen, he’ll be coming over later.”

The old butler didn't move either, and in the end, only the eldest daughter, Nagato Nobuko, went back to her room in a huff.

Nobuko Nagato, who is 39 years old, is a complete "leftover woman". She will be 40 soon and still doesn't have a boyfriend. Her clothes and appearance are like those of an old lady, and she always looks like she is going through menopause.

He gets angry and hits people easily, and likes to throw things when he's in a bad mood.

"Bang!"

Gao Mo, who was looking for something to eat in the kitchen, passed by Nagato Nobuko's door and heard the sound of a vase breaking before he even got close.

Who could stand that kind of temper? Most gigolos wouldn't dare to get close to her, right?
Gao Mo touched his stomach.

A few pieces of cake are not enough to satisfy hunger.

His physique is very strange. Although he is an immortal, his metabolism is much faster than that of a normal person. Whether it is his extraordinary ability or his talent of remaining strong even in old age, both are energy-consuming.

"Everyone says I'll never get married, and they all look down on me!"

Nobuko Nagato downed a bottle of wine and sat in front of the phone, her face full of distress.

"Waaah, darling, I can't take it anymore! When are you going to marry me...? I don't even care that you have a wife... I promised to divorce her... I really love you so much, please..."

"Are you drunk?" the person on the other end of the phone exclaimed in surprise. "I never thought about separating from my wife, and..."

Gao Mo perked up one ear.

It wasn't that he wanted to eavesdrop; it was just that he habitually collected information as a detective.

I never imagined that this fierce woman was like this in private.

A wealthy heiress becomes someone's mistress, and she's so subservient...

He can not understand.

Gao Mo pretended not to hear and carefully walked around it.

(End of this chapter)