Detective Conan: Birth of the Demon Child

"And who is Nagara Haruka?"

Facing Suzuki Seimei's questioning gaze, Haibara Ai softly said, "She is currently the most popular calendrical fortune teller on television and in magazines."

"I see."

Upon hearing Ai Haibara's explanation, Seimei Suzuki immediately looked enlightened.

Since Ai Haibara enjoys reading magazines, she should be familiar with any famous figures featured in them, which explains why she knows Masaki Katagiri and Haruka Nagara.

Suzuki Seimei wasn't sure if Nagara Haruka's divination was accurate, but she was indeed a stunning beauty.

Haruka Nagara is tall and slender, and even wearing a loose-fitting fur coat cannot hide her curvaceous figure.

Moreover, this woman is beautiful, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye adds to her charm. She exudes a cool and aloof aura, truly a stunningly beautiful woman.

Nagara Haruka walked up to Suzuki Haruka and the others, glanced at them, and then fixed her gaze on the mansion in front of her, her long, delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Miss Nagara Haruka, is there something wrong here?" Matsudaira Mamoru asked with some concern upon seeing the situation.

Although Matsudaira Mamoru looks old, he is only twenty-four years old this year, a year younger than Nagara Haruka.

In addition, Matsudaira Mamoru is a big fan of Nagara Haruka, and he has great faith in Nagara Haruka's tarot card readings.

Every time a baseball game is played, Matsudaira Mamoru would wear gloves of a different color based on the divination given by Nagara Haruka and his lucky color for the day.

Whether it was just a coincidence or genuine good luck, Matsudaira Mamoru has basically never lost a baseball game since he started believing in Nagara Haruka's divination.

Nagara Haruka frowned and said, "This house gives me a bad feeling. I feel that a disaster is about to happen here."

Is it true or not?

Upon hearing this, Suzuki Haruaki's eyes widened suddenly, revealing a somewhat surprised expression.

According to the laws of Conan studies, as long as the three keywords Conan, Kogoro Mouri, and villa are combined, a case will be triggered 100% of the time.

However, Suzuki Seimei was able to guess what kind of case would happen here because of his foresight, while Nagara Haruka relied on divination.

If Nagara Haruka was just making things up on the spot, then Suzuki Seimei wouldn't be too concerned.

If Nagara Haruka really did use divination to predict what disaster would happen here today, then it means she really has some ability, and it would be possible for Tachibana Maya to pull her into the Luo Wang organization.

"...This is just too unlucky!"

Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mouri was somewhat speechless.

"Click! Click!"

Just as the atmosphere became somewhat tense, the two large doors next to the archway suddenly opened, and two identical twin maids walked out.

"Mr. Mori, please come in and rest with your companions through the east entrance." The twin maids on the left gestured for Kogoro Mori and his companions to enter.

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Chapter 242 Xiao Bu'er's Mask (Fourth Update, Please Vote)

The twin maids on the right said softly, "Mr. Katagiri, Mr. Matsudaira, and Ms. Nagara, please enter the house from the west entrance to rest."

Although everyone felt a little strange, they followed the instructions of the twin maids, split into two groups, and went in through the entrances on both sides.

Taking advantage of the moment he walked past the twin maids, Suzuki Seimei quietly reached out and touched one of them.

"Ding! Congratulations on successfully signing in to Honomi Shimokasa. You are rewarded with one [Twin Pact], which you can claim at any time."

Upon hearing the system notification in his ear, Suzuki Seimei was slightly taken aback, then his expression changed to one of realization.

Suzuki Seimei had previously obtained the "Twin Pact" from Inspector Yokomizo, and its item attributes were quite good.

Considering that Inspector Yokomizo is also a twin, Suzuki Haruaki speculates that twin characters in the storyline should have a higher chance of obtaining rewards like the "Twin Pact" through check-ins.

Led by Honomi Shimokasa, Haruaki Suzuki and the others entered the room on the east side.

As soon as they entered the mansion's hall, Suzuki Harumi and his companions were unconsciously drawn to the various masks on the walls.

"So many masks!"

“There are masks here too.”

"These masks are so strange!"

Upon hearing this, Honomi Shimokasa smiled and explained, "Ms. Suhou has always had a hobby of collecting masks. Please, this way, everyone~"

Honomi Shimokasa gestured to Seimei Suzuki and the others to come upstairs, and then slowly walked up to the second floor.

"I'll go get your luggage now. Please wait in the masquerade room."

After speaking, Honomi Shimokasa pushed open the door to the second-floor cubicle and led Seimei Suzuki and the others inside.

"Click!"

The moment Suzuki Seimei and the others entered the masquerade hall, the door opposite also opened, and Matsudaira Mamoru and the other two followed them in.

After a brief moment of surprise, Kogoro Mouri exclaimed with a look of sudden realization, "So this masquerade hall is the passageway connecting the east and west wing rooms!"

"Conan, come look! There are so many masks here!"

Ran Mouri subconsciously glanced around the room, her gaze immediately drawn to the glass display cases.

Inside the glass display case, there were all sorts of masks, and most of them were very rare and unusual.

"Huh? What is this thing?"

Suzuki Seimei's gaze swept over the masks, and he suddenly noticed a strange remote control next to the glass display case.

Just as Suzuki Seimei was getting curious, Conan, that mischievous kid, picked up the remote control and pressed the button.

"Swish..."

As the remote control button was pressed, the red curtains on both sides of the hall slowly opened, revealing the wooden frame hidden behind them.

"what happened?"

"So many masks!"

"What's going on with these masks?"

Looking at the identical white masks on the wooden frame, everyone showed expressions of surprise and uncertainty.

Although these white masks look very simple and are far less exquisite than the masks in the glass display case, having so many masks together creates an exceptionally oppressive and eerie feeling.

"These are all masks of Sheubull."

A somewhat aged voice suddenly rang out, and a kind-looking gray-haired old woman dressed in a black evening gown and a red vest walked in with a middle-aged woman.

The kind-looking old woman in front of me is the owner of this mansion—Su Fanghongzi.

"It is an honor to have you all grace us with your presence," Su Fanghongzi said with a smile and a slight nod as she saw that all the guests had arrived.

Nagara Haruka asked with some curiosity, "Ms. Su Fang, are you referring to these masks displayed on the wall when you mentioned the 'Shao Bu'er Mask' earlier?"

"Yes, these are the two hundred masks that the Spanish sculptor, Chauble Condé, completed shortly before his death."

Nagara Haruka's expression changed slightly as he said, "As expected, this is the legendary Cursed Mask."

"The Cursed Mask?!"

Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mouri and Conan's expressions changed drastically.

The strange letter stuck in the dead tree that blocked the road earlier was written by someone who claimed to be the Cursed Masked Messenger.

Kogoro Mouri couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Su Fang, why are these masks called cursed masks?"

"Because Shawble Condres was a tragic sculptor, although he was exceptionally talented, he was envied by his brother, who was jealous of him, and he fell into the trap set by his brother. In the end, his fame, status, and property were all taken away by his brother."

Looking at the white masks on the wall, Su Fanghongzi said with a regretful expression, "Ever since being betrayed by his brother, Xiao Buer has completely lost hope in humanity, and it seems that he has been possessed by something, constantly carving these masks."

Just after the two hundredth mask was carved, Shaubel personally used a carving knife to slit his own throat, ending his life.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ran Mouri suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively picked up Ai Haibara.

With Ai Haibara, who looks like a doll, in her hands, Ran Mouri immediately felt much more at ease.

???

Ai Haibara, who was suddenly picked up by Ran Mouri, blinked her big eyes in confusion.

However, when Ai Haibara noticed Ran Mouri's pale face, she did not rush to break free from her embrace. Instead, she gently rested her head on Ran's shoulder.

Because Ran Mouri gives Ai Haibara the feeling of being "dead" Akemi Miyano, she doesn't mind getting close to Ran.

"It is said that a French jeweler acquired this batch of Shauboules masks after Shauboules' death, but soon after, he was robbed by bandits and died tragically in his home."

Nagara Haruka's expression grew increasingly solemn as he spoke, his voice cold and clear: "After dying at that French jewel, the mask of Shambles passed through the hands of several collectors, none of whom ultimately met a good end."

Later, at some point, rumors spread that these masks would suck the blood of their owners, and from then on, everyone feared them and called them "cursed masks."

"Gudong!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present unconsciously swallowed, and when they looked at the masks on the wall, they felt the temperature around them drop several degrees.

Matsudaira Mamoru, who already had a deep belief in divination, asked with a worried expression, "Ms. Su Fang, these Shobul masks are so terrifying, and you still collected two hundred of them at once. Are you sure it's okay?"

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Chapter 243 The Cursed Mask (Fifth Update, Please Vote)

Su Fang Hongzi said calmly, "You don't need to worry about that. When I was collecting these Xiao Bu'er masks, I had already asked a powerful spiritual medium to seal the curses on these masks."

(￣ ー￣)

Conan's lips twitched slightly, and he thought to himself, "Are all philanthropists this superstitious?"

It's not surprising that Conan would make such a comment, because most philanthropists do good deeds because they believe that good people will be rewarded, so it's not wrong to say that they are superstitious.

"Compared to the so-called mask curse, I think the evil thoughts of humans in reality are far more terrifying."

Kogoro Mouri shook his head, took the strange letter out of his pocket, and handed it to Su Fang Hongzi: "On my way here, I was blocked by a big tree, and this strange letter was nailed to the tree."

Upon seeing this, Katagiri Masaki couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Mr. Mori, I actually received the same letter three days ago as well."