Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 188 Detective and Magician
a few days later.

The venue for the Hoshikawa Tongwu Magic Show.

Because of Fan Tianli's influence, Gao Mo and his magic troupe were invited to watch the performance.

Fan Tianli didn't make up his mind to make a comeback, but he still considered himself a member of the Kido Magic Troupe—although it was mainly for face, he did put a lot of effort into raising the Kido Magic Troupe's prestige.

This down-on-his-luck magician didn't want his fellow students to think he was just freeloading off small magic troupes.

"Most of the audience are young women. Could that guy rely solely on his looks?"

In the middle of the audience, Hattori Heiji had a sour face since he left home in the morning.

"Honestly, that annoying and arrogant person, and that guy Kazuha is still so eager to come see the show..."

Gao Mo glanced at Osaka Black Chicken but didn't reply.

Young love is always so innocent and naive.

Even their jealousy is hilarious.

"She actually said that she just couldn't resist a magic show that's like magic... What an idiot woman, how could there possibly be magic in this world?"

Heiji Hattori continued rambling on, so Gao Mo could only pick up the brochure and pretend he hadn't heard a thing.

In front of them, Kaito Kuroba and Aoko Nakamori were chatting and laughing, looking like sweet childhood sweethearts.

Kazuha Toyama was sitting on the other side of the aisle with Sonoko, laughing and chatting about something.

Osaka Kuroko rested her chin on her hand like a resentful woman, and her expression became even more unpleasant when she saw a man talking to Kazuha.

The differences between people...

Although they are childhood friends, Kaito Kuroba's skill level completely surpasses that of Osaka Kuroki.

On one hand, they flaunt their affection for each other, while on the other hand, they secretly harbor jealousy.

In matters of the heart, Osaka Kuroki is a complete idiot, not even as good as Kudo Shinichi.

His boss saw this and was starting to consider taking the plunge and making their relationship official.

Gao Mo observed the lively leaves and garden in the corner of his eye.

Ran and Conan didn't come today; they said they went with the man with the mustache to visit a ceramics master.

The man with the mustache called him that morning—the pottery master seemed to be a fan of both him and the man with the mustache, and was particularly eager to meet "Kindaichi".

He originally wanted to go over there, knowing without a doubt that a murder would occur, but Hattori and the others were right there, and he couldn't ignore the Magic Troupe either.

In addition to the usual 40 stars, a level 4 magician also needs their magic troupe to become popular or to become a popular magician themselves.

The storyline between Fan Tianli and Zheng Ying's disciples cannot be abandoned.

"Mr. Kido," Satomi asked in a low voice from the back row, "is it really possible for us to co-star with Hoshikawa Dogo?"

After facing numerous rejections when trying to form his magic troupe, this aspiring magician became much more sensitive.

At first, Hoshikawa Dogo didn't take them seriously at all. After learning that they were related to Chikamiya Reiko, his attitude improved, but he also became more wary.

I always felt that Hoshigawa Tongwu wasn't that easy to talk to, at least not the gentle older brother image portrayed in the media.

"Just find a way to recruit Mr. Fan Tian into our magic troupe," Gao Mo said, closing the brochure. "Regardless of what others do, the most important thing is that you show potential... You've mastered the art of puppetry, haven't you?"

“I’m still a bit short,” Rimi realized. “You’re right, I’ll definitely work hard to improve myself!”

"beep!"

As a long, sharp ringing of the electric bell rang, the stage curtain slowly rose, and Hoshikawa Tongwu's magic show officially began.

Unlike the Fantasy Magic Troupe, Hoshikawa Tongwu's performances consist of conventional large-scale magic shows, aided by various stage props, which don't offer much novelty.

Gao Mo yawned.

Magic Eye 2 is so boring because it lets you see right through magic tricks.

The surrounding audience gasped and applauded, but he felt no emotion whatsoever.

The only thing worth watching is probably the sexy and beautiful female assistants in black stockings on stage.

Magic is the art of deception, but Hoshikawa Tongwu's magic performances have too many elements, making them purely entertaining, with no tricks worth cracking.

It wasn't nearly as amazing as Reiko Chikamiya's magic tricks.

“She’s nowhere near as good as Reiko Chikamiya,” Hattori Heiji couldn’t help but complain. “It’s just the same old tricks that world-renowned magicians have worn out. No wonder the audience is mostly young women.”

At this point, he actually hoped that the Kido Magic Troupe would do better.

An hour passed.

Just as Gao Mo was about to leave, Xinghe Tongwu's performance finally came to an end.

The grand finale was an underwater escape magic trick.

He escaped from the locked water tank with his hands and feet shackled, pretended to have an accident, and then suddenly reappeared after causing a commotion.

Despite being a cliché, the response from the audience was exceptionally enthusiastic, with cheers erupting from young women throughout the venue.

Many people have mentioned the famous magician who died in an escape magic trick, and Harui Kaze's accident was similar.

"Thank goodness, it would have been terrible if Mr. Xinghe had also been in trouble."

"I escaped because I heard your shouts. When I was about to pass out in the water tank, I heard your loving voices..."

"really?"

Xinghe Tongwu's lounge.

When Gao Mo and his group met up with Fan Tianli, several female fans were getting Xinghe Tongwu's autograph, their faces flushed with excitement.

"You're still so good at charming girls, Xinghe," a woman with big eyes and full lips appeared, arms crossed, her stylish, ear-length curly hair giving her a distinctive look. "No wonder you're getting more and more popular."

"Exhibition?"

Fan Tianli pushed up his sunglasses with his little finger and lit his family's heirloom cigar again.

"You actually came too."

"What? Aren't you welcoming me?"

The woman's name was Himegami Nobuko, she was 32 years old, and she was Master Seiei's third and last disciple.

"I've come all this way with great difficulty, or are you afraid I'll steal your thunder?"

Fan Tianli remained silent.

Whether it was Hoshigawa Dogo or Himegami Nobuko, both of them were far more successful than him when they chose to develop their careers abroad.

"Who are these people?" Himegami Tenko noticed Gao Mo and the others.

"they are my friends."

"Really? I thought it was some kind of street magician. Mr. Fan Tian certainly has a wide circle of friends."

"Zhanzi," Hoshikawa Tongwu said, quickly trying to evade the fans by noticing the awkward atmosphere, "you're here for the joint performance, right?"

"A joint performance?"

Himegami Nobuko casually produced a rose and said with a light laugh.

"I am quite interested, but I'm even more interested in figuring out who among the three of us is the rightful successor to our master. Hmph, my magic skills have surpassed my teacher's over the years."

Fan Tianli and Xinghe Tongwu both changed their expressions.

Gao Mo, who was about to go to the restroom, paused slightly.

Although they didn't get to ride on the coattails of Mustache and Conan's luck, this place seems to be just as complicated.

A magician who has been missing for 10 years, and his three disciples who reunite...

"Then I'll bring out my grand finale magic show, 'The Witch's Resurrection,' which I've been preparing for 10 years," Himegami Nobuko said arrogantly. "I'll erect a giant cross in the middle of the audience, tie myself to it, and hand the other end of the rope to the spectators..."

"Light the cross, and I'll disappear before I'm completely burned, then reappear from the ashes... It's a super magic trick that can make me the next Reiko Chikamiya, isn't that amazing?"

Hoshikawa Tongwu's expression stiffened: "We'll talk about the performance later. Let's visit Master's wife in the next couple of days. Maybe Master will be back in the next few days."

"Teacher's house?"

Himegami Nobuko shrugged. "I think you're going to be disappointed. If it were going to be ten years, the teacher would have come back long ago. I've heard some rumors that the teacher was involved in the Kuroba Toichi murder case, and maybe he was blown up."

"That case from eight years ago?" Hoshikawa Tongwu chimed in. "I've heard about it too, but didn't they never find a body? The teacher is definitely still alive... What do you think, Mr. Fantian?"

"Oh, it would be good to go see my teacher's wife." Fan Tianli said absentmindedly.

"Then it's settled. I'll call my teacher's wife later."

Xinghe Tongwu regained his gentle smile and then extended an invitation to Gao Mo and the others.

"Let's all join the Kido Magic Troupe and discuss the performance together."

"May I?"

Kazuha looked delighted and was about to agree when Hattori Heiji pulled her back from behind.

"No, no, we've already seen the magic show, and we need to go back to Osaka tomorrow morning."

"Why the rush?" Kazuha asked, puzzled. "Staying a few more days wouldn't hurt, would it?"

“No means no,” Hattori Heiji said, feeling inexplicably irritated. “Besides, we’re not part of the Magic Troupe, so we can’t be of any help.”

"It's alright," Xinghe Tongwu chuckled. "The more people, the more lively it will be. We can just buy more groceries then..."

Hattori's forehead creased with even more exasperation: "Thank you for your kindness, but we really have to go back now."

Sonoko pulled the bewildered Kazuha aside with a teasing look: "Hehe, I think he's probably jealous."

"Jealous? What do you mean by jealous?" Kazuha asked curiously. "Heiji doesn't like sour things."

"Uh……"

Gao Mo glanced at Sonoko and the other girl who were whispering to each other, his gaze lingering briefly on the enthusiastic Hoshikawa Dogo.

This person... suddenly took the initiative like that.

It seems that something has changed because of what Himegami Nobuko said earlier.

……

"Whoosh!"

Toilet.

Gao Mo washed his face and looked at the notes projected in the mirror when suddenly a figure appeared beside him.

Fan Tianli seemed somewhat distracted.

Although it had only been a few days, he had figured out the guy's personality.

Similar to the former gourmet detective Oogami Shuzen, he frantically raises money due to debt problems, even pestering an 18-year-old girl like Zanma Rimi for an extra 100 million yen in guidance fees.

However, at the same time, they are extremely proud and concerned about saving face.

Leaving aside the half-smoked cigar, in order to save face in front of his fellow students, he not only did not ask for more money, but also took the initiative to support and protect the Kido Magic Troupe.

If we can help this guy resolve his debt problems, we might be able to find a leader for the Kido Magic Troupe.

Even if Fan Tianli is unable to perform magic normally, his rich experience and status as a disciple of Master Zhengying are a huge asset.

but……

Thinking of the strange atmosphere in the lounge earlier, Gao Mo's eyes flickered slightly.

His intuition is usually accurate.

These people are bound to die.

He didn't want anything to happen to Fan Tianli if he could.

Such employees are hard to find. Magicians with even a little bit of fame wouldn't join the Kido Magic Troupe. Even if they did, they would definitely be ambitious people eyeing Reiko's Notebook—not to mention Satomi Zanma, even he would be hard to control.

“Mr. Fan Tian,” Gao Mo said casually as he walked up to Fan Tianli, “what have you thought about what we discussed before? I can help you with the debt problem, and I can also hand over the position of regimental commander to you.”

“Mr. Kido,” Fan Tianli was slightly tempted, but still sighed and hesitated, “It’s not that I don’t want to agree, it’s just that… I can no longer perform large-scale magic tricks. To be honest, I’ve only been able to make a little money in the past 5 years, and even doing street performances is a struggle.”

For some reason, he was hesitant to try and fool the young magic troupe owner.

But if you really ask him to agree...

If he still had that ability, why would he have joined the Kido Magic Troupe?
The debt problem was resolved long ago, and there's no need for anyone else's help.

“That’s enough for us. We can leave the magic show entirely to Rimi and the others,” Gao Mo continued, extending the invitation.

Fan Tianli fell silent, and as he pondered, he exuded the aura of a top-tier magician, no longer just a mere pretender.

"I'll think about it some more. Don't worry, I'll do my best to help the Kido Magic Troupe with their performances."

Gao Mo shook his head inwardly, sensing that there wouldn't be any more performances: "I know you've never given up on magic, so why not try starting from scratch? The reason I formed the magic troupe was because I couldn't dedicate myself to developing a magic career."

"Start from the beginning?" Fan Tianli opened his mouth.

“I’ll wait for your news… I hope you don’t do anything foolish before then,” Gao Mo wiped his fingers, gave Fan Tianli one last look, “Don’t get close to death.”

"what?"

Fan Tianli snapped out of his daze and stared blankly at Gao Mo's departing figure.

The elongated shadow is like footsteps echoing in my heart...

I always felt that this Mr. Kido wasn't a magician, or rather, he was more than just a magician.

"What does 'don't get close to death' mean?" Fan Tianli stroked his beard, smiled wryly, and turned to wash his face.

What foolish thing could he possibly do?
Would someone really commit suicide to bring shame to their sect?

At this age, I'm not that fragile.

……

"Can we go to Master Zheng Ying's house too?"

lounge.

Heiji Hattori and Kazuha left ahead of time.

Kaito Kuroba, who had only worked part-time, took the initiative to approach and showed great interest in Master Seikage.

“My dad used to talk about Master Zheng Ying a lot.”

“Kuroba’s father is Kuroba Toichi,” Satomi Zanma explained. “I was quite surprised when I heard him mention it. I never expected that the son of a legendary magician would work for our magic troupe.”

"No way?"

Not only Hoshigawa Dogo, but even the proud Himegami Nobuko was shocked.

No sooner had they mentioned Kuroba Toichi than they encountered the other party's son.

In terms of fame, Kuroba Touichi is far superior to Master Zhengying. The latter is a true international top magician who has won the highest award in the International Federation of Magic Competition. He is known worldwide as the "Hand of Magic," and many of his magic tricks have yet to be solved.

"Kuroba Touichi?"

Heiji Hattori stopped in the corridor and looked at Kaito Kuroba as if he were getting to know him again.

I never expected that this high school student, who is the same age as him, would have such a background.

But there's nothing to brag about about who your father is.

He was Hattori Heizo's son.

Ultimately, you have to rely on yourself.

He has already surpassed his peers in this regard.

While Kaito Kuroba was still proud of his father, he had already earned his own honors.

"Kido-kun, we're heading back now," Hattori Heiji called out to Gao Mo. "It seems like the detective agency doesn't really need me right now."

"A detective agency?" Kaito Kuroba asked, feigning surprise. "You guys are detectives?"

“Yes,” Hattori Heiji said casually, “that’s why I’m not very interested in magic, especially magic that’s easy to see through.”

(End of this chapter)