Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 194 The Legend of the Snow Demon 2
"police?"

The corridor of the annex.

A dark figure leaned against the corner wall, his eyes darting around.

At this point, the police actually came to investigate. Should the plan be canceled?

No, if we miss this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another one?

So what if they're police? There are only two of them, they're no threat at all... no, they're just right.

The appearance of the police at this time likely indicates that they have become suspicious of those guys.

The shadowy figure squinted as he watched Sato walk down the corridor, and then saw Yoko Okino leave Gao Mo's room.

None of these actors or popular idols are any good.

The others had already been informed beforehand, but Domoto Hajime, who was added at the last minute... it's best if he doesn't get in the way.

……

"call!"

The blizzard outdoors has not subsided, and road closures are inevitable.

Gao Mo walked to the window, and through the wind and snow, he could see another luxurious villa on the other side.

That's the main building, back-to-back with the annex, separated by a steep ravine and cliff. You can vaguely see a broken suspension bridge – it was probably originally used to connect the two sides, but it was damaged at some point, leaving only wooden stakes and a few ropes.

The building was also lit up, and it seemed that the villa owner, the painter Ice Room, lived across the street.

Gao Mo opened the news files saved on his phone.

Ten years ago, three television reporters rescued the genius painter Himuro Kazusei from the crash site.

It was Rie Kano, who was working as a reporter at the time—that short-haired actress with a bad temper; Masashi Hiruda, who had not yet become a director; and Michio Akashi, the photographer who accompanied them.

The information scrolls down to the painter Himuro Ichisei's profile.

A talented painter who once won a special prize from the Grass Painting Society, he is famous both at home and abroad, and his paintings are of extremely high value.

He was still active on the front lines until ten years ago, but has not attended any public events in recent years.

It is said that he was disfigured in a plane crash years ago and has lived in a villa in Hokkaido for many years. He is a recluse, rarely has his photos leaked, and rarely meets directly with art dealers. Even Eiichi Yamagishi was surprised that the program team was able to rent this place.

Gao Mo made a rough guess as to why Shiratori and Officer Sato had come here.

It couldn't possibly be a real date. Given Officer Sato's personality, he wouldn't come to Hokkaido alone with Shiratori unless there was an important case to investigate.

It's probably still related to that accident 10 years ago.

"Mr. Domoto."

A girl with glasses and braids knocked on the door and called out.

"Director Hiruda asked me to call you. If you're ready, let's have a rehearsal and test shoot."

"Okay," Gao Mo put away his phone and opened the door. "When can we eat?"

"Dinner will have to wait a while."

The woman with glasses smiled faintly.

"I'm script supervisor Marina Ayatsuji, nice to meet you... I came here a few days ago with my staff because we needed to prepare in advance."

Upon hearing this, Gao Mo glanced at the girl again.

She's about 20 years old and looks quite unsophisticated, yet you can sense the beauty hidden behind her glasses.

"What's wrong?" The woman with glasses blushed under Gao Mo's gaze and quickly lowered her head to avoid his eyes. "I heard that Mr. Domoto is a detective. You'd better be careful, or you might get targeted."

"Pay special attention... do you mean those hidden cameras in the villa?" Gao Mo had already checked the room and found several hidden cameras.

"Ah? Mr. Domoto already knows?"

"I'm afraid it wasn't just me; others also received the news in advance."

It's supposed to be a prank show, but how could they possibly not inform the actors at all?

I just don't know the specifics of the prank.

As for the final result, it depends on the actors' performance. If there's nothing interesting, it will be cut; if there's too much interesting content, it will be deleted.

"Y-really?"

The woman with glasses looked slightly embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, Mr. Domoto, go to the restaurant first. The director and the others are discussing the script there."

The villa is filled with corridors and the walls are covered with paintings.

Gao Mo's appraisal skills also include painting. After learning about Himuro Ichisei's identity, he was able to roughly guess the corresponding value of the paintings.

At the very least, it's worth over ten million, and its value could potentially increase dramatically after Himuro dies.

However, after looking around, all the paintings on display were old works.

"Impressive, isn't it?" The bespectacled woman noticed Gao Mo's interest in the paintings and explained with a smile, "I heard that this villa was built by Mr. Himuro as a private art museum to decorate his paintings, and art dealers often come here to select them..."

"What is this painting?" Gao Mo stood in front of a portrait of a painter.

"It's a self-portrait of Mr. Himuro. Apparently, someone offered 5000 million yen for it, but Mr. Himuro didn't sell it."

"Hey, newbie," the martial arts actor Men Dao urged from outside the restaurant, "Stop dawdling. You were the first one killed in 'The Legend of the Snow Demon Murder Case,' and you still have the leisure to look at paintings... Could it be that you can't afford one and are planning to steal one to take home?"

"Denmon, don't cause trouble," Director Hiruda said with a headache, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "The script isn't finished yet, so you guys should give it a shot."

"Something terrible has happened, Director!" A staff member rushed into the villa through the snowstorm. "The villagers just said there was an avalanche, and the roads outside are blocked!"

"So what if it's blocked?" the director said dismissively. "Anyway, we can't leave anytime soon in this weather... but we can still contact the outside world, right?"

"The telephone line is still working."

"That's fine then, there's still plenty of time."

"director!"

Short-haired actress Rie Kano threw her script in front of the director.

"Are you kidding me? Who do you think I am? You're making me play this kind of role!"

"What's wrong with the scenes?" The director frowned as he picked up the script. "It's no different from before. This scene isn't even as good as your previous ones..."

“I just don’t like it this way. The past is the past,” the short-haired woman said angrily. “When I was young, people said I was flaunting myself. It’s not like I wanted to be like that.”

"It's not like she's appearing completely naked..."

"What do you mean by nudity? I just don't like it! Why do I have to act in these revealing scenes?"

The short-haired woman turned and left the restaurant.

"I'm not acting anymore!"

"You think you can just quit like that?" The director was even more exasperated. "It's already this late..."

"What's wrong now? Don't forget that I also invested in your company back then."

The short-haired woman sneered.

"And this is actually a prank show after all, right? The script is just an excuse. Do you think I don't know that?"

The director's face darkened.

Even a prank show shouldn't only have prank segments; isn't it disruptive to expose someone's true intentions in public?

"This guy is getting more and more outrageous."

"Isn't that how she is?" the gatekeeper scoffed. "She always puts on airs after becoming famous, and you have to do whatever she wants."

"Haha, speaking of which, did Daimon and Rie date before?" photographer Akashi teased.

“Mr. Akashi still has an ambiguous relationship with her.”

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Although she has a bad temper, she is indeed very sexy, big and white, round and plump, Rie..." Gao Mo stopped at the restaurant entrance.

These guys seem to have some kind of unusual personal relationships.

Are Yoko and the other two truly outsiders?

"What are you saying, senior? I don't think I've offended you..."

On the other side, the short-haired woman seemed to have gotten into another conflict with Yoko.

"Stop pretending. This circle is very big, but it's also very small," the short-haired woman said coldly. "I know that when you heard I was involved, you didn't want to come at all. You only agreed because of that pretty boy, right?"

"Hmph, these pretty boys might not be as reliable as you think. Instead of wasting time on them, you'd be better off thinking about how to please your company president. Popular idols... they all need someone to promote them. Look at that Kido Takamori from before, once he faded into obscurity, he was completely forgotten. This industry is incredibly ruthless."

“I don’t need you to worry about me, senior,” even Yoko Okino, who has a good temper, couldn’t help but feel annoyed. “You should think about how to improve yourself. You can’t spend your whole life showing off your charm. You’re not young anymore.”

This woman is more likely to put on airs than others, and once she shows weakness, you don't know how to bully her—the entertainment industry is a big melting pot, and even a little white rabbit is better off pretending to be a big bad wolf.

"You look down on me?!" The short-haired woman's eyes widened. "How dare a junior like you..."

"I'm just offering some suggestions."

"You slut, just you wait until you get what's coming to you!"

Inside the restaurant, the crew also heard the commotion outside and smiled knowingly: "I never expected Rie to have a moment of defeat."

"Hey, since she doesn't want to act, let's make her our prank target tonight and teach this bitch a lesson."

"Hey, don't go too far."

"No, she's already signed a contract anyway."

"Domoto, come over here and warm yourself by the fire," Director Hiruda beckoned to Takamori. "This time, we've assigned you a cowardly college student who gets killed by the Snow Demon while trying to escape... Is that alright?"

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" the bespectacled woman hesitated. "Mr. Domoto is a universally recognized famous detective actor."

"That's what makes it interesting. In movies, immortal city detectives are killed off at will. Don't you find that a stark contrast?"

"I don't have any problem."

Gao Mo doesn't care what role he plays.

The appearance of the pseudonym "Domoto Ichi" here is destined to be extraordinary.

Reality is far more magical than drama—isn't he acting right now as well?

This place, called Beibing Village, has become the stage for murders due to snowstorms and blocked roads.

……

dinner time.

Shiratori and Sato furtively investigated the paintings in the corridor, even lingering for a while in front of the painter Himuro's room, but in the end, they didn't seem to find anything of great value.

“Officer Sato,” Shiratori said, slightly frustrated, following Sato’s side, “Let’s have dinner first. There’s no rush for a couple of days.”

It's embarrassing to admit, but after finally getting the chance to go on a business trip with Sato, our relationship didn't progress at all along the way.

That guy Takagi always finds a way to call and ask for advice on cases.

"Actually, I'm also quite good at cooking, especially French cuisine..."

“I don’t really like French food,” Sato said apologetically with a smile. “I’d rather eat with the crew. A simple meal will do in these conditions.”

“Hey,” photographer Akashi said, looking out the window at the snowstorm, “there seemed to be someone over there just now, but they disappeared in an instant.”

"How could there possibly be anyone outside in this weather?"

"Could it be Snow Demon?"

"Even more ridiculous, the Snow Demon is just a legend."

After finishing his dinner, Gao Mo glanced outside.

The wind and snow had lessened considerably since it started.

"Maybe it's Marina and the others? They said they wanted to build a snowman outside," the director whispered a reminder. "Oh, and don't forget the plan. Everyone get some rest. We're leaving for the main building at 4 a.m., leaving Rie here alone..."

"Domoto, tell Yoko to have her two friends come to the main building as well."

"Ah."

Gao Mo returned to his room, his thoughts still unsettled.

The case is the case.

He's not actually the kind of person who likes to cause trouble.

Even in this kind of environment, I still prefer reading.

I've already finished reading the newly acquired "Nagato Hideomi's Novel Guide" and "Hoshikawa Dogo's Magic Guide".

The notes recorded "Novel Writing lv1". The magic tricks remained unchanged, but the breadth of knowledge was increased.

Soon we will be able to upgrade both professions to level 5. I wonder what the requirements will be for a level 5 magician.

Listening to the wind outside the window, Gao Mo calmly flipped through the projected book.

If there's anything else that might be interesting, it's probably the fate of the entire production team.

It's too early to tell much. No murderer would casually reveal their thoughts. It's unclear who will kill, who will be killed, or even whether a murder will occur at all—the perpetrator might even cancel their plans at the last minute.

Gao Mo's gaze paused slightly.

The image of the notes projected into my mind reappeared.

Give my mother back to me!

Mariina Ayatsuji?
Gao Mo pondered the woman with glasses from earlier.

The list of plane crash survivors also includes someone named Marina, just with the same first name but a different last name.

If the notes indicated this location, then the voice he heard should be that of this woman.

……

It was getting late.

Starting in the middle of the night, the wind and snow intensified again.

Around 4 a.m., Gao Mo was woken up by Yoko Okino and quietly followed the production crew to the main building by car.

Some people were still asleep, while others were already full of energy.

"Actually, the main outdoor scenes for the performances are all in the main building, while the annex is mainly set up with various prank traps."

"That painter Himuro is in the main building. Shall we ask him for his autograph?"

"The paintings are so expensive, the autographs must be worth a lot too... Count me in."

The van braved the wind and snow, crossed the cliff via the upstream stone bridge, and took about 20 minutes to reach the main building across the river.

There was also a car parked in front of the building.

"Let's go generate electricity first. This village uses hydroelectric power, and there's no electricity from midnight to 6 a.m. in winter."

"That's what the director said."

"The others carry the equipment inside."

"Director, when do we start filming?"

"Wait a little longer, let Rie sleep a little longer..."

"What are you talking about?" the bespectacled woman yawned sleepily. "Isn't Ms. Rie here?"

"This is also for the sake of the show. Don't remind Rie. Make sure to film her embarrassing situation truthfully."

"But is this really okay?" the bespectacled woman asked worriedly. "Ms. Rie will definitely get angry later."

"It's okay, her agency has agreed. This is also an actor's job."

(End of this chapter)