Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 283 "Ōto Mikihiko's Swimming Guide"

"What? Going back?"

Outside the woods.

Hattori, who was still thinking of investigating, was full of questions and looked at the weathered old man and hot girl who came out of the woods with a puzzled expression.

"Mr. Daito, Ms. Taira, what's going on here...?"

"There's nothing more to investigate. I'll tell the mayor when I get back that this reasoning activity should end here. Thank you everyone." The weathered man gazed at the vacation villa with a hint of sadness and melancholy in his eyes, as if reminiscing.

Heiji Hattori then noticed the wooden planks that the weathered old man had bound with vines... no, they should be the wooden boxes containing something.

His intense curiosity made him feel like he was being scratched by a cat.

Something must have happened in the woods just now, but the man didn't seem to want to tell them at all.

"That's all we can do," the director sighed. "When Mayor Jin asked me to do this, I wasn't too optimistic. But we finally managed to get the famous detective here, so we can't let him come for nothing. The higher-ups will definitely scold me to death."

"It's okay, since filming hasn't started yet, and people outside don't know what the program is about."

Gao Mo took his luggage out of the wooden villa.

"Just assign any project you like."

Conan stared at Gao Mo's expression and actions, and suddenly his cheek twitched slightly.

Well, based on his understanding of Gao Mo, the mystery must have already been solved.

"Miss Taira?"

At the dock, the captain re-berthed the ship. When he saw the wooden box on the weathered man's back, his expression changed drastically, but he said nothing.

One of the young staff members also looked rather odd.

Unlike the journey there, the atmosphere on the return trip was incredibly heavy.

Hattori, on the other hand, was still pondering the meaning of the code, looking quite unwilling to give up.

"Damn it, I just can't figure it out."

"How could you possibly figure it out just by trying to decipher a single code word?" Conan couldn't help but complain.

"Hmm?" Hattori's expression was unfriendly.

I was actually looked down upon by that brat.

Gao Mo walked past the group, glancing back at Ghost Turtle Island in the distance, where he could vaguely see a flying figure.

The witch is really amazing; she can fly.

Unfortunately, there is only one heir to the red magic in this world, Koizumi Akako, and outsiders have no way to learn it.

Controlling a glider like Kid does is still possible, although that has a bit of a Conan-esque element and is very unscientific.

"Is Mr. Kido a detective too?" The hot girl followed him to the stern. "Thanks to you just now, otherwise I..."

“Having seen a lot, I’ve gained some experience,” Gao Mo said without turning around. “You don’t need to thank me; I can’t save you.”

"Huh?" The hot girl still didn't quite understand.

"Don't forget what I said: while there's still time, make sure to finish anything you regret as soon as possible." Gao Mo turned his gaze away from the island.

All he could do was buy the other person a final stretch of time from the clutches of death.

Perhaps only when he abolishes or takes control of the rules of death will he be able to change this predetermined fate on his own.

"Sorry?"

The hot girl seemed to sense something as well, and a strong sense of urgency welled up in her heart.

"I understand. Anyway, thank you."

Gao Mo squinted slightly, watching the hot girl enter the cabin in the sea breeze.

The young lady's one act of willfulness led to an irreparable tragedy.

Whether he truly recognized his mistake... he wasn't really sure.

The kidnapping and murder occurred 5 years ago, but 4 years ago, a year after the incident, the woman, in a fit of pique, led a group to steal the mayor's family heirloom.

Now he has returned incognito to search for treasure.

It's hard to imagine that this is the little girl who draws all over the villa.

Should this incident be written as a press release or adapted into a novel?

Gao Mo pondered alone.

He has filled in all the clues.

Publishing the news directly seems inappropriate.

The adaptation is alright; it can be used as material for the next short story, forming part of the Kindaichi Detective series.

"Wait a minute." Gao Mo suddenly felt like he had forgotten something.

"There's a 500 million yuan reward for solving the mystery of the corpse, right? But now the show has been canceled..."

……

A restaurant on an island.

Perhaps because the previous hospitality wasn't quite satisfactory, Mayor Jin's arrangements this time were very simple, and they didn't go to the Dragon Palace Tavern again.

“I’ve heard everything from my daughter, thank you very much.”

The mayor pushed a check in front of Gao Mo.

Ten million yen.

Is the mayor of an island town really that rich?

"I had expected this outcome, but I still couldn't help wanting to confirm it. I never thought Da Dong would come to this... Actually, even if he had killed Xiao Du, I couldn't blame him. This is the best outcome we can hope for now."

Mayor Jin's face showed both relief and self-reproach, and he looked much older. Ignoring Gao Mo, he quickly became drunk.

"If I had given Xiaodu more love and care when my wife passed away, and hadn't let her overthink things, perhaps so many things wouldn't have happened, and everyone could have lived like before..."

Gao Mo listened quietly as the town mayor recounted the past, and took a sip of local sweet coconut juice.

In the end, this town mayor, who appeared quite dignified in front of outsiders, ended up crying and getting drunk in the private room.

Things have changed, people have changed, and the world has changed. He doesn't feel it very clearly yet, so he doesn't have the same strong feelings as the town mayor.

There are too many helpless situations in this world. He only hopes that he will not become like the town mayor in the future.

The number of stars in the storage pool needs to be increased, lest she be unable to protect even those around her—Ai Ai has had nightmares more than once, dreaming that the organization retaliates by killing all those associated with Shinichi Kudo.

Conan is being relatively well-behaved right now because the drug information is on Ai Haibara, and Conan isn't in a hurry to use his child identity to deal with the Black Organization.

But at the same time, he became a dangerous factor.

If one day we truly clash with death, those around us will also be implicated.

[The Swimming Guide by Mikihiko Daito: 4 stars]

Huh?
As the private room quieted down, a notebook projection suddenly appeared in Gao Mo's eyes.

He thought he wouldn't gain anything by preventing the case from happening, but a professional book still came out.

Even the intermediate task extraction has been eliminated.

Yes, the task of projecting text is essentially a wish or obsession.

At this point, it's difficult to limit his projection tasks; his greatest use is simply for mind reading.

Swimming Guide...

This actually filled the gap that he couldn't swim.

Gao Mo tried to flip through the projected book.

However, without the corresponding talent, it is undoubtedly very difficult to absorb this type of book; even if you know what it is, you may not be able to do it yourself.

Even if the mind understands, the body may not be able to replicate it.

Should we upgrade the fisherman?
Gao Mo thought of the fisherman's profession that he had neglected.

The fisherman's words might help you develop a talent for swimming.

"Alright, the Great Detective Eating Contest begins now!"

Suddenly, a lively shouting sound came from outside.

"First up is our famous Kogoro Mouri, followed by our challenger, the unremarkable high school detective Heiji Hattori..."

"How am I anything special?"

Hattori Heiji looked bewildered, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at the crazed mustachioed man beside him.

They came here to solve the case, so why did it turn out like this?
"Wow! Detective Mouri truly lives up to his reputation as a master detective. He effortlessly finished two bowls, while challenger Heiji Hattori has only just started eating. The difference in skill is obvious..."

"Hahaha!" The man with the mustache laughed triumphantly, his belly bulging. "I, Kogoro Mouri, am second to none in any field! The ramen on this island is absolutely delicious!"

"..."

"Welcome to this episode of the Big Eater show! It looks like the prize money is definitely going to be Detective Mori!"

"Sigh." Hattori Heiji sighed helplessly.

In the end, he still couldn't figure out what the code meant.

Bored, I looked outside and was surprised to find that the boat captain and several staff members had been taken away by the police.

what is going on?
(End of this chapter)