Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 208 Cursed Mask 2
"call!"

As night fell, heavy snow began to fall outside, and the few crows that had been lingering there disappeared completely.

The restaurant on the first floor of the east wing.

During the dinner, Su Fanghongzi entertained everyone and took the opportunity to introduce her charitable work.

"To be honest, I've been doing charity work for almost 15 years, all because of a car accident."

Su Fanghong gently swirled her wine glass, lost in memories.

“Twenty years ago, the woman who had been taking care of me hit someone and fled the scene… After that, I started to pay attention to car accidents, and that’s why I started organizing charity galas for children who lost their families in car accidents.”

“People always say that our president is just trying to gain fame and is a fake philanthropist,” the female secretary chimed in, “but the president is definitely not that kind of person.”

“That’s right,” rock singer Lan Chuan Dongya took a sip of his drink. “Actually, that woman was my mother. Not long after the incident, my mother committed suicide and left me alone, moving from one relative’s house to another. I suffered a lot. Fortunately, later, Teacher Su Fang helped me in many ways… I owe everything I have today to my teacher’s guidance.”

Gao Mo raised his head slightly, vaguely sensing that the blond singer was not being sincere.

His face, though full of gratitude, seemed to conceal intense hatred.

Regarding Su Fanghongzi's alleged profiteering through charity, it seems that the investigation could begin with this young woman.

only……

Is further investigation necessary?

Su Fang and Hongzi have gathered too many elements of a murder case; it seems they won't live much longer.

“Touya’s mother has always taken care of my daily life and is also my most important friend,” Suhou Hongzi said sadly. “Her affairs are of course my affairs, and I also want to do something about it.”

“Actually, there are quite a few orphans in our company like Touya who lost their families in car accidents,” the secretary added. “The teachers have been dedicated to helping these orphans become independent.”

"This is so touching!"

The passionate and heroic professional baseball player choked up and wiped away tears.

"I will definitely do my best at next week's charity gala!"

“Me too,” the middle-aged photographer said, looking down at his wedding ring. “Twenty years ago, I also lost my wife in a car accident. My wife must be very comforted to be able to attend Ms. Su Fang’s charity gala this time.”

"..."

Gao Mo quietly savored the food.

The food was alright, but the banquet still made him very uncomfortable.

This old woman is still as calculating and hypocritical as ever.

An investigation should still be conducted.

The client wants to obtain evidence, which has nothing to do with whether they are courting disaster.

“Um, Ms. Su Fang,” the man with the mustache, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the atmosphere of the banquet, brought up the matter of the cursed masks again, “are those masks really alright?”

"Haha, Mr. Mori, do you also believe in curses?" Su Fang Hongzi laughed. "Actually, I already asked a powerful spiritual medium to seal away all the curses on the mask."

"I don't believe in curses, but this threatening letter doesn't seem like a prank..."

The man with the mustache secretly broke out in a cold sweat.

It turns out that the old lady still cared about those rumors.

But isn't it a bit too frivolous to hire a spiritual medium?

“Ms. Su Fang, the human heart is far more terrifying than a curse,” the man with the mustache said solemnly.

Although he solved very few cases on his own, he had experienced so much.

Many murder cases begin with curses.

"Human nature?" Su Fang Hongzi calmly sipped her red wine, savoring the taste, and said, "Mr. Mori's words are quite insightful. Let's talk again after the dinner. With you, the great detective, here, I think no villain would dare to come here."

"Of course!"

The man with the mustache straightened his back proudly, downed the glass of red wine in one gulp without really tasting it, and praised it repeatedly in a pretentious manner.

"This is really good wine; it must be expensive."

“You don’t usually get to drink this kind of red wine,” the knowledgeable photographer nodded. “The beef tongue soup is also extraordinary; it won’t taste the same if it’s not cooked just right… I never imagined that you two ladies would have such culinary skills.”

“I’m glad you like it,” the twin maids standing nearby said with a smile. “This is what a gourmet once taught us when he visited here.”

"Meow~"

The black cat ate its cat food alone in the corner, looking rather resentful that it couldn't eat at the table.

It prefers to stay at home.

It's cold and scary outside.

Sticking out its tongue in disgust, the black cat turned its worried face towards the restaurant entrance.

It sensed something was wrong as soon as it entered the house; the curse might not just be a rumor.

“Mr. Kido,” Honami asked疑惑地, “does this cat not like its cat food? This was left by a guest at last year’s party…”

"If there's any extra broth, you can give it a serving."

Gao Mo was no longer surprised by the cat's human-like side.

At home, I always act like a human being, but now that I'm out in public, I'm much more reserved.

"Good, good."

Honami hurriedly prepared the same dinner as the guests, and was surprised to see the black cat eating so beautifully.

"What a strange cat."

The fortune teller, Nagayoshi, glanced at the black cat and then took out the Death card he had drawn.

No matter what she divined, it was always about death, as if she were seeing a ghost.

She was famous for her fortune telling but didn't really believe in ghosts and gods. However, after coming to this villa, her thoughts gradually changed.

Because a strange feeling really lingered in my heart.

……

As night fell, the area around the villa was covered in snow, and a cold wind was howling.

After dinner, Xiao Huzi followed Su Fang and Hongzi to the dormitory on the third floor on the west side, while the others gathered in the recreation room to pass the time.

When the man with the mustache came downstairs, he was full of energy and kept muttering "200 million".

"Haha, Kido, you've hit the jackpot this time."

The man with the mustache put his arm around Gao Mo while they drank, and also got Su Fanghongzi's female secretary drunk.

"Mr. Mori, how about coming to our company to be a singer? If the famous detective debuted as a singer, it would definitely cause a sensation..."

"Really? To be honest, I do have a real talent for singing; even Ms. Yoko has praised me!"

“Ms. Inaba,” Gao Mo pulled back the mustache who was about to improvise a song, and stared at the drunken secretary, asking, “Ms. Su Fang has been doing charity work for 15 years. It must have been very difficult, right? I heard that your company’s finances have been affected.”

"How could that be?" the female secretary said smugly. "Our company's finances are perfectly fine! No one goes to charity and then needs money..."

"Inaba!"

Su Fanghongzi appeared outside the entertainment room at some point, coldly staring at the drunk female secretary.

"You're drunk, go back to your room and rest."

"Teacher Su Fang?"

The female secretary stammered, and upon seeing Su Fang Hongzi, she broke out in a cold sweat.

"I, I know..."

"Ah."

Su Fang Hongzi remained expressionless. "Honomi, Minaho, remember the old rules, get everyone ready early."

"Yes!"

"The usual rules?" the man with the mustache asked, confused. "What usual rules?"

“The masquerade room has to be locked before 12 o’clock, so you need to go back to the east wing in advance,” the twin maids explained. “Because after 12 o’clock every year, Shoble’s masks will run around and play on their own. According to the medium’s instructions, they must be locked in the masquerade room.”

"It's that medium again," the man with the mustache sneered. "I bet it's just that guy putting on an act..."

"It's true. Every time it gets light, those masks either tilt to the left or right or fall to the ground. It's happened many times."

The twin maids seemed like one person split into two, their words and actions synchronized to the point of being unsettling. Fortunately, both were beautiful, so they were still pleasing to the eye.

"Sometimes we can hear strange laughter at night, so everyone tries to stay in their rooms to sleep after midnight."

"When that medium sealed the cursed mask, he made many agreements. In addition to the arrangement of the masquerade room, there must also be two locks."

The man with the mustache frowned repeatedly, but didn't say anything more.

The host family believes in spiritual mediums, so as a guest, he shouldn't interfere too much.

"I'll leave that matter to you, Mr. Mori." A smile returned to Su Fang Hongzi's face, appearing as if she were wearing a mask under the light.

"Don't worry, I, Kogoro Mouri, will definitely get things done." The man with the mustache raised his wine glass to assure him.

"Amo," Professor Agasa asked in a low voice, stroking his beard, "Are there really any spiritual mediums? I remember your magic troupe had..."

"I don't understand these things either, but it's probably a scam. Sakuraba from the magic troupe is just performing magic tricks."

Gao Mo didn't rule out any possibility of a definitive answer.

There are definitely supernatural forces in this world, but it's not easy to encounter them.

Most of them are fake.

"I also think it's a scam; it doesn't sound plausible at all."

Dr. Agasa already regrets making this trip.

You really can't get too close to your idol. Su Fang Hongzi is not quite what he imagined. The filter he has always had is gradually shattering, and even his youthful memories are being affected.

It was nearing midnight.

Gao Mo declined Lan Chuan Dongya and the others' invitation to play billiards and returned to his guest room in the east wing to read.

He has many skills, but none of them are related to billiards, nor does he have the energy to learn billiards.

He values ​​professional skills more than entertainment.

For example, defusing bombs.

He's been reading "Jinpei Matsuda's Bomb Disposal Guide" these past few days and feels he'll be able to finish it in a few more days.

The "bomb disposal" skills corresponding to the book have been entered into the notes panel, and they are already at level 2, reaching the standard professional level, which makes me a semi-expert.

On one hand, he absorbed Matsuda Jinpei's knowledge through a cheat code, and on the other hand, he already had the relevant foundation provided by magic.

In terms of skill and dexterity, he far surpasses the author of this book, Matsuda Jinpei.

The only problem was the lack of practical experience—Matsuda Jinpei himself died while defusing a bomb, so it was a skill that couldn't afford to make a mistake.

Masquerade Hall.

As Ai and the black cat walked through the display case, they felt as if countless eyes were staring at them. Turning their heads to look at the Shabbur mask displayed in the wall cabinet, they seemed to hear a mixed laughter.

These masks seem to be alive, their empty eyes appearing to harbor something.

"Whee!"

Xiao Ai felt a chill on her neck, quickly picked up the black cat, and ran back to the east wing.

"Kido, let's go back as soon as it's light tomorrow. Something's not right about this place."

"what happened?"

"What the twins said might be true; there's something wrong with Shoebul's mask."

Only a few guest rooms in the east wing were cleaned up. The Mori family stayed in the largest twin room on the second floor, Gao Mo stayed in the next room with Xiao Ai, and the Doctor was temporarily assigned to another room.

Hearing Ai say that, the professor broke out in a cold sweat. He became a little concerned about living alone. He opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to admit that he was scared.

"Doctor, what are you, a scientist, afraid of about curses?" Gao Mo noticed Dr. Agasa's unusual behavior.

"Of course I'm not afraid. What am I afraid of? It's just that I'm getting old and have some trouble sleeping."

In addition to the kitchen and dining room, the first floor of the east wing also has guest rooms, including those of rock singer Aikawa Touya and maid Honomi.

On the other side, on the west side, three guests live on the second floor, while Minaho and her secretary live on the first floor—the first floor consists of guest rooms for permanent residents.

Gao Mo subconsciously took in the entire villa's structure and accommodation allocation in his mind, shook his head, and continued flipping through his professional books.

Whether the Cursed Mask has a problem or not, it doesn't affect these guests.

If anything were to happen, it would be Su Fang and Hong Zi who would get into trouble first.

The man with the mustache will probably be affected—it seems he received some kind of commission from Su Fang Hongzi, with a commission fee of 200 million.

Given the fact that the man with the mustache frequently loses his clients, he probably won't get his commission.

"Boom!"

The midnight bells rang.

The wind and snow outside stopped, the weather improved, and the bright moonlight shone down, dispelling the darkness as it reflected off the snow.

After Gao Mo drew the curtains, he went to bed with Ai. The Doctor, on the other hand, took a thick blanket and slept on the sofa, saying he wanted to help keep watch, but he started snoring faster than anyone else.

"Really..."

Helpless, Gao Mo rested his head on his hands, glanced at Xiao Ai and the black cat sleeping beside him, and felt a ticklish sensation from their gentle breath, making it even harder to fall asleep.

They shouldn't have brought Ai along in the first place.

Like him, Ai also seemed to feel that a murder would happen.

Murder means death, and therefore the possibility of spirits appearing—Ai Ai never gave up her research, wanting to find a way to deal with the Grim Reaper.

Half past two in the morning.

Gao Mo stared at the ceiling, still wide awake. The black cat, who usually dared not approach him, sprawled out like a human, squeezing itself between him and Xiao Ai and falling fast asleep. It was kicking its legs and purring warningly, seemingly dreaming of something.

"Boom!"

A series of footsteps suddenly echoed in the quiet corridor, and the man with the mustache shouted and banged on the door.

"Kido, something's happened!"

"Ran, Conan, go find Honomi and quickly get the key to open the door to the masquerade hall!"

"quick!"

The man with the mustache's shouts echoed throughout the second floor.

When Honami groggily took the key and opened the masquerade room, all the Shoebul masks that had been displayed in the cabinet had disappeared.

"This is terrible! Just now, a guy claiming to be the Cursed Masked Envoy called and said that the Cursed Mask is now sucking blood!"

The man with the mustache looked serious.

He never thought it was a prank.

How dare they do such a thing in front of him, the famous detective!

"Honami-san, quickly open the other door and wake everyone up!"

“The door can only be opened from the west side,” Honami glanced at the west door of the masquerade hall and hurriedly ran to the intercom. “I’ll see if I can wake up Minaho.”

(End of this chapter)