Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 214 Earth Ladies Team 2
Hoshino Terumi changed into slippers, walked past Kenzaki Osamu, crossed her arms and walked past Gao Mo. She noticed that Gao Mo didn't react at all, treating her like a complete stranger. A slight glint appeared in her eyes.

"I've heard everything about what happened to you, Senior. Are you really not planning to come back?"

"No, I'm more comfortable now." Gao Mo gathered his thoughts.

“That’s true, working for someone else can never compare to being your own boss.” Hoshino Terumi opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but in the end she went straight into the living room.

“Actually,” Yoko Okino whispered, watching Terumi Hoshino’s retreating figure, “Temi had a conflict with the company because of Kido-san’s matter and was sidelined for several years. I heard that she was originally a candidate for the female lead in ‘Sakumonji’, but she lost to Kaoru.”

"That's it..."

Gao Mo looked embarrassed.

He couldn't recall having any connection with this female celebrity.

I only remember meeting her a few times because of Yoko.

"She can't like Kido-kun!" Sonoko nervously stood in front of Gao Mo. "Because...because she's not Kido-kun's type!"

“Haha,” Yoko Okino chuckled, “That’s all in the past. You heard it just now, Terumi prefers detectives now.”

“She should be described as a young and handsome detective,” Kenzaki Osamu said, feeling quite disheartened. “I think she declined the role in ‘Sakumonji’ because she didn’t want to work with me.”

"You don't actually like Hoshino Terumi, do you?" the mustachioed man asked suspiciously.

What a jerk! He's already decided to get married, but he's still thinking about another woman.

Not to mention that Hoshino Terumi and Kusano Kaoru were rivals who had fallen out long ago.

Conan glances sideways: You old geezer, do you have the right to look down on others?

“How could that be?” Kenzaki Osamu waved his hands repeatedly. “Anyway, everyone should go watch ‘Left Character’ first. With a real-life great detective in the film, he can give us some feedback, which I will then relay to the director.”

"Hey, my coaching fees are very expensive."

The man with the mustache puffed out his chest smugly.

He has always been resentful that the TV series he directed was never broadcast.

With the immense popularity of "Left Characters," even though it's an adaptation, if he could participate in directing, it would definitely change his bad reputation as a plague god.

"I'm going to the restroom." Gao Mo wasn't interested in watching TV.

Once he realized he might be involved in an incident, he found it difficult to sit still.

Regardless of whether it's something to do or not, at least we need to know what's going on and whether it will affect us.

In a short while, he had already grasped the relationships between the characters—

Hoshino Terumi and Kusano Kaoru once had a conflict that led to the disbandment of the Earth Ladies Team, and later they were also involved in a film contract dispute.

However, judging from the relationship between Hoshino Terumi and Kenzaki Osamu, it seems more like Kenzaki Osamu has a one-sided crush on the former.

Then there's Yueye Xue, the long-haired beauty who acts strangely. She says she had to give up her role because she was taking care of her father, but there might be more to the story. She also seems suspicious to him – she could be a criminal or a distraction.

Next is Yoko Okino... Although it's not impossible, we can rule her out for now.

The other two are Kaoru Kusano and her male manager.

This incident could be a staged event, and it's possible that multiple events occurred simultaneously.

Tsk, this small private gathering seems more complicated than Su Fang and Hong Zi's case.

"Mind your own business!" Kaoru Kusano shouted at her manager in the hallway. "Who do you think you are, you useless guy? What right do you have to tell me what to do?"

The manager, like a punching bag, dared not speak loudly: "Ah Xun..."

"I'm going to take a shower first. Call me when you're done watching TV."

Gao Mo walked out of the bathroom and saw Kusano Kaoru enter the bathroom alone. He paused for a moment, then continued to look at the other rooms amidst the sound of the television coming from the living room.

He didn't know much about Kusano Kaoru, but she seemed like the kind of person who was about to die.

Forget it.

As always, no matter how complicated the case is, the fixed setting will inevitably catch his eye.

First, confirm the motive...

Kaoru Kusano's bedroom.

A celebrity's bedroom is not much different from an ordinary person's, except that there is a dressing table full of drawers placed on one side, with some plush toys and souvenir ornaments on it.

A subtle sense of unease welled up in Gao Mo's heart.

They've reached the point of getting married, yet there's absolutely nothing in this house related to Kenzaki Osamu, such as photos of him or any merchandise related to Samonji.

"Shh!"

Gao Mo opened all the drawers and suddenly saw a carefully kept photo in the bottom drawer—a picture of Kusano Kaoru and her manager skiing, the two looking as intimate as a couple.

How is this going?

He knew he wasn't good at relationships, but this kind of situation, shrouded in mist and impossible to see through... was the first time he'd encountered such a situation since becoming a Level 5 detective.

It seems we can only wait until the crime occurs before trying to identify the culprit based on clues...

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to invade someone's privacy like this, senior?" Hoshino Terumi leaned against the door with her arms crossed. "It's very impolite to just barge into a girl's room and rummage through her things."

"Ms. Terumi."

Gao Mo turned around, holding the group photo, and asked.

"Did Kaoru Kusano have a relationship with her manager?"

“How would I know?” Hoshino Terumi turned her head away to avoid Gao Mo’s gaze. “Maybe, after all, Mr. Makuma used to be an actor like us, but he switched careers to become a manager for Kaoru…”

It's really tough on him. Kaoru is known for being troublesome; when she's unhappy, she wants everyone around her to coax her, and she throws tantrums at the drop of a hat. This time will probably be the same. I think this engagement is just a ploy to annoy Mr. Kuma. After all, I know Kenzaki's situation fairly well; there's no way he could like her.

Mr. Jianxiong is the manager with a weak and unassuming demeanor.

Gao Mo nodded secretly.

It seems that this Kusano Kaoru is the kind of person who loves to act like a princess.

"Regarding what Yoko said," Hoshino Terumi stammered, "I've never actually liked you, Senpai. You're not my type, so..."

"fine."

Gao Mo put the photo back in, and combined with Hoshino Terumi's explanation, the fog in his mind instantly dissipated.

If the entire engagement was a farce, then the oddities of the engagement party suddenly make sense.

Remove interfering information...

"Which of you like Kenzaki Osamu?" Gao Mo continued to ask.

"You like Kenzaki?" Hoshino Terumi paused for a moment. "Maybe it's Yuki? I feel like she cares about Kenzaki quite a bit; she always mentioned him to me before..."

Okay, I need to change my clothes before Ah-Xun finishes her shower. I'm saying I'm going to wear my old Earth Ladies' outfits again to sing our debut song and surprise Ah-Xun... It's because I spoiled her like this that she turned out the way she is."

"You anticipated that she would take a bath at this time?" Gao Mo's eyebrows twitched slightly.

“That’s just how she is. She never watches her shows with everyone,” Hoshino Terumi scoffed. “It’s like someone would laugh at her.”

……

Living room. The TV was still showing "Detective Samonji," with Kenzaki Osamu and Kusano Kaoru appearing on the screen at the same time, but only Kenzaki Osamu himself was watching attentively from beginning to end.

Everyone else was talking about the past of the Earth Ladies Team.

Especially after Yoko Okino changed into a cool stage outfit, the guy with the mustache, who had originally said he would give feedback, immediately widened his eyes, his whole heart was on Yoko Okino.

"Strange, where's Terumi?" Yoko looked around.

Yueye Xue chuckled, "She went out just now. She kept saying she liked young, handsome guys, but she still couldn't forget about Kido-senpai. I saw her blush just now, and she pretended not to care..."

"It's not good to talk behind someone's back, Xue."

Hoshino Terumi also changed into a revealing outfit, with a transparent outer garment over a youthful bikini underneath, and a witch-like headdress.

"I really feel uncomfortable dressed like this... We agreed, no photos allowed."

"This is amazing!" The mustachioed man couldn't stop drooling. "I wore this outfit back when the Earth Ladies were performing, and it's still so beautiful!"

"We are no longer the little girls we used to be."

Yue Yexue picked up her handbag, got up, and walked out of the living room.

"Don't laugh at me after I change my clothes."

"How could this be?" The man with the mustache felt dizzy.

It would be wonderful to become a famous detective.

He never had such an opportunity before.
And that guy Kido, he's really his lucky star!

"boom!"

Yue Yexue held the doorknob, stood for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

In addition to clothing, the bag also contained raincoats and other tools prepared in advance for the crime.

Gloves, sleeping pills...

In preparation for her role in "Detective Samonji", she crammed a lot of relevant knowledge.

She was also familiar with the police's case-handling procedures.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any problems.

But the famous detective just happened to arrive at that exact moment.

She did set up some fake peeping by perverted movie fans, but inviting a famous detective to the party was something she hadn't anticipated at all.

There's also Kido Takami, who, although not a famous detective, seems even more troublesome to her than Kogoro Mouri.

I don't know where I went from here until just now.

Is giving up the only option?
Yue Yexue approached the bathroom step by step, and in the midst of her struggle, she suddenly jolted and looked straight at Gao Mo, who was standing in front of the bathroom.

"S-Senior..."

“I shouldn’t be meddling in your affairs, but,” Gao Mo noticed the woman’s clenched fingers, “can we talk alone? After all, you are my juniors. The Earth Ladies Team back then shouldn’t have ended up like this.”

"I……"

Yue Yexue's voice trembled, she lowered her head, and finally followed Gao Mo into the bedroom.

"Is there something you need, senior? Everyone's watching TV in the living room..."

"This world is strange; almost everyone harbors terrible malice in their heart."

Gao Mo stood in front of the dressing table.

"What was originally a very ordinary matter has somehow escalated into murder, and a planned one at that... Have you thought this through?"

"What are you saying, senior?" Yue Yexue's voice trembled even more violently.

Gao Mo had his back to Yue Yexue, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Since I didn't sense any malice from this woman, there's still hope.

"After learning that Kusano Kaoru and Kenzaki Osamu were getting engaged, you deliberately staged the appearance of a perverted fan, with the aim of murdering Kusano Kaoru today and framing the fake fan..."

"But you don't understand real perverted movie fans, and you think of crime as too simple. Putting aside the fact that you didn't break into the house before, why would an ordinary person run into the house after seeing so many guests' shoes in the entryway?"
"Even if we take a step back, why would someone go straight to the bathroom to commit a crime after entering the house? That would require passing through the living room... If it were me, I would never choose this time."

Gao Mo picked up the small toy on the table.

“You’re not too stupid. You even made a doll with a hidden listening device. But in reality, Kusano Kaoru would never take the fans’ gifts home. These were either gifts from Mr. Makuma or gifts that Kusano Kaoru bought herself… I’ve already confirmed this with Kusano Kaoru.”

Yue Yexue's eyes narrowed sharply, and she lowered her head, speechless: "Why would you suspect me?"

"Only you might have the motive, and only you would choose to go to the bathroom."

Gao Mo turned around with his hands behind his back.

"Can you tell me why? I really don't understand your motives... Don't tell me you didn't think about killing. I'm the owner of a detective agency, after all. If I'm not mistaken, you probably have a lot of things hidden in your bag."

"Isn't the senior the real detective?"

Yue Yexue smiled wryly as she let her handbag slip from her hand to the ground.

“I’ve liked Kenzaki since the beginning. Detective Samonji was a role I finally got, a chance to be with Kenzaki… but in the end, both my role and Kenzaki were taken by Kaoru.”

"Even I didn't expect that I would feel such intense jealousy... When I congratulated her on getting the role in 'Detective Samonji,' she actually said that she was just doing it to boost her popularity, and now she's even engaged to Kenzaki. She doesn't love Kenzaki at all, yet she still... If I had been the one cast in 'Detective Samonji,' and hadn't been taken away, perhaps..."

Yue Yexue collapsed to the ground.

"Senior is right. Everyone has a terrible demon hidden in their heart. It's just that my demon has been released."

"It's not too late now."

Gao Mo paused slightly.

"Actually, if there really were any perverted fans, they would have discovered that Ms. Kusano Kaoru's real relationship is with her manager, Mr. Kensaki, and that her engagement to Mr. Kensaki is just a cover for Mr. Kensaki. Since you are friends with Ms. Kusano Kaoru and like Mr. Kensaki, why don't you find out the truth?"

He finally understood.

This Yue Yexue is just a hopeless romantic.

There are indeed very few normal murderers in the Conan world.

"What?" Yue Yexue froze on the spot. "The engagement... was fake?"

"Who gets engaged and still has a bunch of other men's things at home?" Gao Mo glanced at Yue Yexue. "Besides, if it's really just to boost popularity, why be so low-key? Not telling any reporters and only letting a few friends know, is that reasonable?"

Seeing Yue Yexue covering her face with red eyes and blaming herself, Gao Mo didn't continue speaking.

The fact that no murders occurred was a loss for him.

However, he was not a cold-blooded person, and he would not stand by and watch a bloodbath happen around him, let alone a tragedy caused by a misunderstanding.

To be honest, although he used the name "Kindaichi Hajime" and was involved in several Kindaichi cases, he never wanted to become a strange detective surrounded by dead people.

"Crack!"

Before Gao Mo could open the door, Hoshino Terumi woke up with a start and hurriedly tried to avoid him, but she was too late.

"Senior, Yuki, everyone's been waiting for you. Kaoru is already out." Hoshino Terumi's heart was racing, and she lowered her head, pretending to have just arrived.

(End of this chapter)