Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 211, "Masaki Katagiri's Photography Guide," by Jirokichi Suzuki

At dawn.

As the first rays of sunlight shone on the Cursed Mask Villa in the early morning, the surrounding snow reflected in the water, making it seem as if one had stepped into a snow-covered world.

Aikawa Touya was escorted away in a police car by Gao Mo, and all 200 of the Shobul Masks were taken away as evidence.

It is said that on that night 20 years ago, Aikawa Touya was celebrating his birthday with his mother. His mother, who was forced to take the blame for Su Fang Hongzi, wrote everything in a letter.

While sorting through her mother's belongings, Aikawa Touya found the letter and realized that her mother had not committed suicide...

"Perhaps Mr. Lan Chuan is possessed by the Cursed Mask," Xiao Lan sighed in front of the villa.

It seems like every time I see a celebrity, it's never a good thing; another rock star has fallen from grace.

The autograph I finally got yesterday is useless now.

"I feel like I'm possessed by a curse," the man with the mustache muttered, rubbing his stiff neck.

He had no idea what happened afterward and experienced memory loss.

"Don't worry," Conan chuckled, "Uncle, you're not cursed, you're just slow to react."

What are you laughing at?

Suddenly enraged, the man with the mustache grabbed Conan.

"I remember now, you brat, you were just kidding me for fun, weren't you?!"

Although this brat always manages to "awaken" him by accident, it's still more satisfying to solve cases while he's awake than to a sleeping Kogoro.

He feels uncomfortable all over after each deep sleep, and he doesn't know how to answer when others ask him questions. He even gets restless when he tries to show off.

"You'll pay this time!"

"Ran-neechan! Kido-nii!" Conan cried out in panic as he flailed through the air, "Help me!"

Gao Mo ignored Conan's shouts and stretched in the cold wind.

After Conan solved the case, he successfully obtained a few extra stars and a new 4-star career book, "Masaki Katagiri's Photography Guide".

The notes just recorded bomb disposal level 2, and now there's a photographer too.

If only he could acquire skills directly without needing to learn them... Even with his photographic memory, these professional books were still quite painful to read, as they were condensed from decades of professional experience.

He doesn't seem to have any talent for photography; he'll just learn it casually as a hobby.

If it's not related to career advancement, level 2 or even level 1 of these skills are perfectly adequate.

"Amo!"

The doctor, with his protruding belly, loaded the luggage into the car, wiped his sweat, and greeted the passengers.

"Let's go too!"

I came with high expectations, but now I have a completely different feeling.

Humans always unconsciously apply a filter to things from the past.

Professor Agasa looks back at the magnificent Cursed Mask Villa, and amidst the howling wind, he recalls the ginkgo leaves that he has never forgotten for decades.

So many years have passed, and perhaps it's just a memory from his perspective now.

"Kirouto!"

The man with the mustache was about to drive to the police station when he couldn't help but shout before getting in the car.

"When...when will Kindaichi finally come back?"

He now misses his time working with Gao Mo more and more.

Not only can I handle cases with clarity, but I can also clearly feel my own progress.

To be honest, he always feels uneasy and has trouble sleeping, fearing that one day his "sleep" will not work.

"I should be back another day."

Gao Mo smiled gently and got into the doctor's car with Xiao Ai.

Although his true profession is that of a rebel against fate, an extraordinary person who escapes death, he will probably not be able to avoid the profession of "detective" now or in the future.

The two pseudonyms, "Kindaichi" and "Domoto Hajime," won't disappear easily.

"Excuse me," Nagara Haruka, still dressed in her long, straight black hair and coat, walked to the Beetle. "Could you give me a ride? Just to the station."

Photographer Masaki Katagiri needs to go to the police station to give a statement, and another professional baseball player is giving her a particularly strange look... Not wanting to ride in a police car, she can only ask Professor Agasa for advice.

“No problem,” the doctor readily replied. “Actually, I often watch your fortune-telling shows, and I always choose my lucky color based on your divination when I do experiments.”

"Really?" Nagara Haruka asked politely after getting into the passenger seat. "Did the experiment go smoothly?"

The doctor laughed and said, "Fortunately, the number of explosions has decreased significantly compared to before."

"?"

Nagara Haruka didn't quite understand, but after smiling and greeting Gao Mo and Ai in the back row, she skillfully took out her tarot cards.

"My divination seems to have returned to normal. Would you like me to take a look at it for you?"

“If possible,” the doctor said, driving onto the main road, his heart pounding with excitement, “I want to know about my love life… it’s been such a knot in my heart for so many years.”

"love?"

Nagara Haruka stared at the doctor's chubby face and bald head for a moment before quickly starting to draw cards.

A Death card appeared in Nagara Haruka's palm.

"Strange... There's no reason for this. Everything was fine just now."

"Is it really that bad?" Dr. Agasa asked, his face contorted with grief.

He saw it; it was Death.

"cough."

Gao Mo interrupted from behind, saying, "Miss Changliang, today is definitely not a good day for divination."

He knew what the doctor's love life was all about, but now was not the time.

He will help the doctor get an opportunity when the time is right.

"It seems that's true." Nagara Haruka let out a soft sigh to cover his embarrassment and gave Gao Mo a grateful look.

This time, they've really gone head-to-head with the Grim Reaper card.

She even wondered if she was cursed as well.

"Actually, before meeting Mr. Mori, the divination went quite smoothly," Nagara Haruka explained to himself.

With the black cat in her arms, Ai seemed to think of something and glanced strangely at Gao Mo.

She didn't think there was anything special about the mustache.

The person truly targeted by Death is Gao Mo—a human being who is upright and honest, and possibly the only one in this world whom Death cannot defeat.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, it seems that Gao Mo has somehow stolen some of the power of the Grim Reaper.

It's utterly upside down, a truly terrifying situation.

……

Tokyo.

The day after Gao Mo returned to the agency, he encountered a magic troupe returning from their tour.

To celebrate the successful performance, Gao Mo, the owner, was generous and had the troupe leader, Fan Tianli, organize a banquet at the Mihua Restaurant.

In addition to the official members of the Magic Troupe, Kaito Kuroba and Aoko Nakamori, who had helped a lot, were also invited to participate.

In addition, Ran's family was also present, and Sonoko even invited the Suzuki couple, along with a bald old man—Sonoko's uncle Suzuki Jirokichi, who had just returned from abroad.

"The curse of the mask? Mr. Mori is really something!"

The man with the mustache was showing off his detective experiences again, which sounded particularly bizarre and eye-catching, but he always seemed to miss something when it came to the crucial parts.

Because the man with the mustache had no idea about the key reasoning process, and if he were to recount it according to the report, he would easily expose his deception, so he could only laugh it off.

Fortunately, Jirokichi Suzuki, who was talking to him, was always self-centered and didn't care about these things, while also showing off his round-the-world experience.

“This is my father’s cousin,” Sonoko introduced to Gao Mo from the side, “He is now an advisor to the Suzuki Foundation.”

"Although I'm called an advisor, Shiro manages all the business operations," Jirokichi Suzuki laughed. "I just laze around. I prefer spending money to making money. Almost everything in the Suzuki Treasure Trove is something I collected from all over the world."

As he spoke, Suzuki Jirokichi patted Gao Mo on the shoulder: "I heard that you helped identify that Egg of Memories. How about traveling around the world with me?"

“Cousin,” Sonoko’s father, Shiro Suzuki, said helplessly, “Kido has his own career.” “Huh? Wasn’t this the son-in-law you chose? I thought… It doesn’t matter if there’s a slight age difference. It’s time to choose a husband for Sonoko.”

"uncle!"

Sonoko called out anxiously, her face flushed red as if it were about to burn.

"It's not what you think! And I never intended to inherit the Suzuki family!"

"This is really a headache."

Jirokichi Suzuki laughed a few times, then quickly changed the subject.

The old man was over 70 years old, but he looked even more robust than Xiao Xiaozhi, with a lot of energy in his eyes and a playful spirit, looking like a spoiled and unreliable playboy.

However, Gao Mo did not underestimate the old man because of this.

Jirokichi Suzuki does enjoy having fun and often spends money all over the world, but he is also truly skilled at it. The money he spends is not wasted, and he spends most of his time participating in competitions and winning championships. What he cares about most is whether he can get the front page headlines, and he is very good at publicity.

This old man planned almost all of the Suzuki Group's publicity.

Gao Mo's heart stirred slightly.

Speaking of Toutiao... he's been having a headache lately about how to complete the Magician level 5 upgrade quest.

Although playing Kid would be the most effective way to avoid headlines, he doesn't actually want to commit a crime.

If I were to act in a play with Jirokichi Suzuki...

This is a good opportunity.

The level 5 upgrade quest is extremely important.

He doesn't lack stars; he's just stuck on missions.

Once you upgrade the magician to level 5, and then handle the actor's level 5 upgrade, you can immediately advance to level 3.

“Mr. Jirokichi,” Gao Mo began tentatively, “have you acquired any new treasures? The other items in the Suzuki Treasury seem rather lacking.”

"A treasure?" Suzuki Jirokichi's eyes lit up. "Of course there is. It should be shipped back to Japan next week. I'll definitely let you have a look at it then. It's bait that I painstakingly prepared to deal with that stinking thief..."

"Ok?"

Kaito Kuroba's ear twitched as he looked for a drink.

He is particularly sensitive to words like "treasure" and "thief".

Bait...

Is it to deal with Kaito Kid?

Kaito Kuroba's lips curled into a slight smile.

That's interesting; he loves taking on challenges.

He travels around as the "Phantom Thief Kid," not only to investigate the jewels but also to expand his fame and uncover the truth behind his father's murder.

Once he becomes famous enough and news of his focus on jewelry spreads, the truth will eventually come to him.

Going to investigate in a miserable way... that's something only a stupid detective would do.

"What are you doing, Kaito?" Nakamori Aoko grabbed Kuroba Kaito's cheek. "That weird smile you're making, and it's covered in cream...it's hideous!"

Xiao Lan stared blankly at the young couple.

Although it wasn't the first time we'd met, I still felt a strange sense of disorientation every time we encountered each other.

Because they are too similar.

Not only does she resemble Aoko Nakamori, but Kaito Kuroba is also almost a carbon copy of Shinichi Kudo.

If it weren't for Kaito Kuroba's more student-like appearance, she would have almost mistaken him for someone else—in fact, when they first met, she did think it was her boyfriend secretly seeing someone else, and she was heartbroken for a few days.

"Seriously," Nakamori Aoko huffed as she wiped the cream off Kaito's mouth, "Everyone's looking at you!"

"It's all because you shouted!"

"Pfft!"

Ran couldn't help but chuckle, turning her head to meet Conan's gaze, and quickly bent down to ask, "Didn't your classmates come over?"

"They went to play with Ai."

Conan glanced at Ayumi and the others who were chattering away around Ai.

The precocious Ayumi loves making friends, including Mitsuhiko and Genta. They can't take their eyes off Ai.

A mature and mysterious loli is absolutely irresistible to boys.

Only he knew how cunning that woman was. She always liked to keep him hanging on with the antidote, finding fault with him in all sorts of ways, and even once deliberately left the "antidote" in the doctor's laboratory.

When he took it, he realized it wasn't the antidote at all, and he had diarrhea for a whole day.

"Conan, go and play with them too," Ran said gently with her hands behind her back.

His strong appearance made Conan feel sorry for him.

Would it have been better if we hadn't asked Gao Mo to impersonate us?

"Sister Xiaolan, actually I..."

"Ran!" Sonoko excitedly pulled Ran over, "How about we go to karaoke with Kido-san after the banquet?"

"Of course I have no problem," Ran said expectantly, "but will Kido-nii go to sing?"

"With the invitation from the two beauties like us, Kido-kun will definitely go back, and besides..."

"I want to go too!" Conan said anxiously.

Yuanzi's face stiffened.

I've taken Conan to karaoke before, and the torment I experienced there is something I'll never forget.

The reason she dragged Ran along was that she didn't have the guts to go find Gao Mo alone, and she didn't want Conan following her...

"Kirouto-chan!"

The mustachioed man, who was having a great time chatting with Suzuki Jirokichi, looked around and then pulled Gao Mo aside to ask him a question.

"Wasn't there supposed to be a mystery guest performance?"

At this moment, only a few magicians from the Kido Magic Troupe were performing magic in the banquet hall, and they were hardly considered mystery guests.

He really couldn't appreciate magic; the only thing he could watch was probably the pretty young lady, Rimi Zanma.

"They actually said I'd regret it if I didn't come. I even skipped Yoko's show, and this is what happens..."

"Next," Rimi winked playfully, skillfully controlling the atmosphere as the host, "please welcome our mystery guest!"

"Miss Yoko!!"

The man with the mustache stared wide-eyed, unable to believe his eyes as Yoko Okino appeared glamorously under the spotlight.

"Wait a minute, isn't Ms. Yoko recording a TV show?"

"That was pre-recorded, it wasn't a live broadcast."

Gao Mo chuckled as he watched Yoko Okino perform on stage.

He had only mentioned it briefly, but he didn't expect Yoko to actually come and support him.

In any case, the Magic's celebration party was pretty perfect.

Unbeknownst to him, he had built a considerable network of connections in this world, which included quite a few strange characters—

Haruto Toyama (Yoichi Takato), who performed magic that made everyone laugh, Kanenori Wakita, who rushed over to be the chef, Rei Furuya, who happened to pass by with a smile, and Ochiai, the muscular director of the Beika Art Museum.

"Congratulations, Mr. Kido," Wakita Kanenori said with his signature one-eyed expression and clumsy acting. "Not only is the detective agency thriving, but the newly established magic troupe is also a nationwide sensation. I'm thinking of basking in their good fortune. How about it? How about investing in me to open a sushi restaurant?"

"I didn't actually do anything."

Gao Mo didn't respond.

He didn't think that Kenshinori Wakita really wanted to invest himself.

“Boss,” Furuya Rei also chimed in, “the investigation results regarding Su Fang Hongzi are in. The secretary, Inaba, has saved the records of the spoils on her computer… but we still need to discuss the follow-up commission fee with Mr. Aikawa.”

"Thank you for your trouble." Gao Mo looked at Furuya Rei with surprise.

The client was arrested for murder, and he had already given up.

(End of this chapter)