Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 343 Detective Nanatsuki Koshimizu
Villa restaurant.

After being exposed by Gao Mo in public, Tokizu Junya locked himself in his guest room like a madman, while the others ate their dinner in silence with varying expressions.

Even Hakuba Saguru lost his earlier relaxed smile, and didn't touch the curry rice in front of him for a long time.

The fake director kept wiping his sweat after a few bites, appearing quite restless.

Only Gao Mo ate happily.

Koshimizu Nanatsuki placed her hands on her knees, occasionally opening her mouth to steal glances at Gao Mo.

"I'm sorry," the square-faced butler bowed his head in anguish under immense pressure. "I'm so sorry! I never imagined it would turn out like that. The young lady was in a very bad mental state at the time, addicted to drugs, and thinking about suicide every day..."

But for the sake of Miss's reputation, I couldn't say it. I thought the suspicion against the maid would definitely be cleared, but..."

"Wait a minute," the fake director suddenly realized, "could it be that you are...?"

“That’s right,” the square-faced butler stood up and bowed. “I was the butler back then. Because of the maid’s death, I couldn’t stay any longer and went to other places until someone invited me to come here as a temporary butler.”

"Did you tie up Mr. Tsuchio just now?" Hakuba asked thoughtfully.

"No, it really wasn't me! I never intended to kill anyone!" the square-faced butler cried out in a panic. "I was just reciting lines from the script that person gave me, really!"

"Who is that person?"

"I don't know, I just received a letter and half of the payment."

"Wait a minute!" the fake director said, his face pale. "That guy isn't planning to kill us all, is he?"

"Isn't this interesting?" Hakuba Saguru scrutinized everyone again. "If none of you were the planners, then who was the one who completed the escape room? It couldn't have been that representative from the North who orchestrated it all, could it?"

Koshimizu Nanatsuki's eyes trembled, and after letting out a soft breath, she suddenly relaxed her body.

In any case, everyone will be trapped and die on this island.

Most importantly, she now knows that the person who killed her friend was Tokitsu Junya, so it doesn't matter if she is exposed now.

"I can not stand it any more!"

The fake director grabbed his head and left his seat, ignoring the thunder outside, rushing into the warehouse hut behind him in the rain.

"Boom!"

After a period of thunderstorm, the rain subsided considerably. Tokitsu Junya stood by the window of his second-floor room, his face grim as he watched the fake director fiddling with the warehouse door lock. His pale face and sweat-drenched long hair made him look like a real evil spirit.

"No wonder I felt something was off; it turns out that guy was trying to trap everyone to death."

A sinister smile appeared on Tokitsu Junya's face.

"That way we don't have to worry about things getting leaked. We'll all die together, hehe..."

"Oh no!"

In the restaurant, Gao Mo had just finished eating his curry rice and wiped his mouth when he heard the frantic footsteps of the fake director running back.

"This is really the end. The radio at the warehouse has been sabotaged by someone, and there's no signal on the island. There's no way to call for help!"

The fake director completely panicked.

"How could this happen? The warehouse was securely locked, and the radio was there perfectly fine when I came to check three days ago! Damn it! It's all that guy Shijin's fault. Why am I so unlucky? I had to run into that bastard!"
I only found out afterward that someone had died in that room, and I hadn't even stolen anything! Besides, I can't exactly turn myself in at a time like that, can I? What if I'm wrongly accused of murder?"

“You do not deserve to die, but hatred is a irrational thing.”

Gao Mo took a sip of his drink.

"When people are blinded by hatred, they can't even see themselves clearly. Let alone you, aren't we, who are completely unrelated, the same?"
The person behind the scenes, however, developed a deep hatred for the high school detective character because of Tokitsu Junya, but little did they know...

Not all high school detectives are like Tokitsu Junya, only concerned with solving cases and their own reputation. Some become detectives to help others, to speak out for the dead, and to seek justice for the living. A true detective is one with humanity.

Koshimizu Nanatsuki's fingers trembled slightly.

"Human touch? Or am I just getting less and less understanding of you?" Hakuba Saguru reviewed his cases so far, shook his head, crossed his fingers, and stared directly at Gao Mo. "Are you really just a high school student?"

"Replacement guaranteed."

Gao Mo tapped the table with his finger.

"Don't worry about being stranded on this island. I've already made preparations. Once the weather outside improves, a boat will come to pick us up by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"You knew something bad would happen?" Hakuba Saguru's expression became slightly subtle.

As for Koshimizu Nanatsuki, she raised her head with a blank and astonished expression, looking at Gao Mo as if he were a god.

Gao Mo, who is now known as Osaka Black Chicken, looks quite out of place, like a beauty pageant winner turned into a fat man dressed as a woman.

Are high school detectives really that amazing?

"Squeak!"

Suddenly, a strange noise came from the corridor outside. Gao Mo's ears twitched slightly, and he immediately sensed a strong sense of malice.

Tokizu Junzai...

Although it is a death sentence, it is not an immediate death.

It should have been a rare act of mercy in the rules of death, allowing the victim a period of time to say goodbye to the world after his fate was altered.

However, Tokitsu Junya was clearly unaware of this.

"Wow!"

A premonition flashed before Gao Mo's eyes.

In the darkness, a sea of ​​fire engulfed the wooden villa, igniting a blaze in the stormy sea.

When stranded on a deserted island, using firelight to attract passing ships at night is indeed a good way to survive.

However, this high school detective seems to also want to burn the others to death.

Instead of apologizing, are you trying to hide your mistake?
Gao Mo didn't quite understand the thought process of this high school detective.

He didn't seem to have done anything too outrageous; he was just stating the facts in public, and in doing so, he indirectly saved the other person's life.

Touching his nose, Gao Mo didn't think much of it and returned to his room under the watchful eyes of everyone in the restaurant.

[The boss can disregard fate and kill at will]

It was as if Gao Yuanyao's voice was echoing in my ears again.

Gao Mo closed his eyes briefly, held up the materialized notebook in his palm, paused for a moment, and then deliberately disappeared.

He wouldn't stoop to such a level as killing someone.

The other party wasn't some kind of killer or villain; using murder as a method of handling the situation is too low-level.

"I'm not some kind of Grim Reaper. If I had to say... I'm just a human being targeted by Grim Reaper."

……

Inside the villa, shrouded in night.

Everyone returned to their rooms. A dark figure tiptoed down the corridor, paused briefly at Gao Mo's door, held his breath, and continued groping forward in the dark.

"call!"

2th floor.

Tokitsu Junya huddled in the corner of the guest room, his hands trembling as he clutched his head. His face was completely broken, his eyes filled with hope and fear, as well as the evil deep within his humanity.

"Don't blame me, I didn't want to either..."

"Dong dong!"

There was a knock on the door suddenly.

"Who is it?" Tokitsu Junya shuddered in surprise. "I said I didn't want to eat, you guys..."

Don't you want to know who wants to kill you?

Gao Mo waited at the door. When the door was opened a crack, he smiled and glanced at Tokitsu Junya with his divine eyes before helping to close the door.

It was merciful of him to just stay obediently in the illusion.

If I'm lucky, I might die in my sleep, without pain...maybe?
The hallucinations induced by hypnosis are mainly linked to the target's consciousness. He didn't interfere, but judging from the other person's expression, things probably aren't going too well.

After dealing with Tokizu Junya, Gao Mo turned to look behind him.

"call!"

Hiding around the corner, Koshimizu Nanatsuki ran right into Gao Mo's line of sight. She hurriedly tried to avoid him, but it was too late.

"Let's leave it at that. For a detective like you, murder is the worst option."

"You lied to me?"

Koshimizu Nanatsuki's expression changed drastically, her breathing became rapid, and the handkerchief containing the sleeping potion she had prepared fell to the floor.

"He deliberately said a ship would come to pick us up, just to make me come and kill him?"

"You're overthinking it. A ship was bound to come. I don't want to die with you all."

Gao Mo paused. "I didn't mention your matter, but that doesn't mean I don't know. Someone specifically asked me to come here to help you. I think she probably doesn't want you to do this kind of thing."
In her heart, she hopes you are the high school detective Nanatsuki Koshimizu, not a cruel serial killer.

"I'm not……"

Nanatsuki Koshimizu stammered, wanting to refute but unable to utter a word.

Although I don't want to admit it, Gao Mo's analysis in the restaurant was correct.

After what happened to her friend, she hated the so-called high school detectives, including herself.

"Kukuku!"

Suddenly, a strange noise came from the darkness of the night.

Gao Mo opened the corridor window and saw lights shining on the dark sea in the distance.

"Look, the ship is here."

According to the agreement, the doctor should have come to pick him up tomorrow. Could something have gone wrong?
Gao Mo unfolded his mental network, and his eyelids twitched violently and uncontrollably.

Could it be that Osaka Black Chicken has come looking for us?

In theory, it is indeed possible to trace the recent large-scale collection and transportation of daily necessities by investigating the ships at the dock.

The thought of two Hattori Heijis facing each other caused Gao Mo, despite his composure, to twitch at the corner of his eye.

It was his oversight, but it's alright.

Just a small thing.

"and many more!"

Koshimizu Nanatsuki followed Gao Mo out of the villa.

"You said someone commissioned you, but who is it?"

"She only said she was your friend."

"Don't joke around. I didn't tell any other friends about the lavender incident, and over the years, the only people I can truly call friends are..."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki stopped in her tracks in the cold wind after the rain, staring straight at Gao Mo's back.

Her only true friend was the deceased maid.

No way?
How can it be?

"Did...did she tell you that? Who exactly are you?"

“If you want to know the answer,” Gao Mo said, watching the ship getting closer and closer to the dock, “go to the Kido Detective Agency. The past can’t be changed, but you can prevent similar tragedies from happening again. How about starting by becoming a real detective?”

"call!"

A gust of wind ruffled the hair of Koshimizu Nanatsuki, and by the time she came to her senses, Gao Mo had already disappeared.

Only a dark-skinned figure was shouting at the bow of a ship at the dock.

"This must be it?" Hattori Heiji jumped off the boat impatiently, and saw the bewildered Koshimizu Nanatsuki in the distance. "You're also a high school detective participating in the Detective Koshien? Honestly, at least you're smart enough..."

Wait a minute, is this also part of the competition? Do we have to use our own wits to find our way here?

Hattori Heiji's face stiffened as he twitched his brow and checked the time on his phone.

"I'm not too late, am I?"

"No, it's just in time."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki laughed.

Yes, she knew that was the case.

This was the Heiji Hattori she had heard about.

As for that one just now...

Is it God?

It's impossible for an ordinary person to know so much, as if they were omniscient and knew her murder plan in advance.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoyu."

With her hands behind her back and eyes slightly closed, Nanatsuki Koshimizu let the sea breeze blow through her short hair, and her mind suddenly became incredibly peaceful.

Although he ultimately failed to get revenge, he finally had the chance to understand his friend's thoughts.

For the past six months, she has felt guilty for not being able to clear her friend's name in time, and felt that her incompetence led her friend to commit suicide in despair.

Her friend made that choice because she was disappointed in her... Just thinking about her friend's pain at the time made her unable to let go of it all, and she would think about that last SOS call every time she went to sleep.

"Do you still think I'm a detective?" Two lines of clear tears rolled down Koshimizu Nanatsuki's cheeks.

"Hello?" Hattori Heiji was full of questions, and he and Kazuha, who insisted on following behind, exchanged a glance.

"Who is she, Heiji?" Kazuha asked suspiciously.

"How should I know?" Hattori was even more exasperated. "I don't even know her..."

"But the way she looked at you just now was obviously wrong... She cried! Did you bully her?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Everyone, come quick! Something's happened!" The fake director's panicked shouts rang out again from inside the villa. "I didn't do anything, I just wanted to call this guy out with me, but..."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki returned to the villa with a puzzled expression, only to learn that Tokatsu Junya was unconscious as if possessed. She couldn't help but recall that Gao Mo had appeared outside Tokatsu Junya's door earlier.

"This is……"

"Lucid dream?"

Hakuba Saguru crouched down to check on Tokatsu Junya's condition. He saw that the other man was trembling with fear, his eyes wide open, and he frowned deeply.

I feel like I'm similar to those people who are hypnotized by spiders.

It appears that she was deeply hypnotized while fully conscious.

"Bring water!"

The square-faced butler was instructed to fetch a kettle from the kitchen, and Hakuba Saguru, with his extensive experience, splashed water on Tokitsu Junya's face.

Surprisingly, the other person did not wake up. Instead, they screamed in even greater panic and coughed repeatedly as if drowning.

"How could this be?"

Hakuba Saguru looked bewildered, like a young boy.

This can usually be broken by waking up and using hypnosis.

“I say,” Hattori Heiji couldn’t help but interject, “is this guy Tokitsu Junya? What kind of trick are you guys playing? Is this also part of solving the mystery? What exactly is the competition process?”

"What are you talking about?" Hakuba Saguru gave Hattori a strange look. "What competition?"

"No matches?"

Heiji Hattori pointed blankly at the fake director next to him.

"Isn't this the location for the Detective Koshien tournament? I'm Hattori Heiji, the representative from the West..."

“Hey Hattori,” the fake director said, wiping his sweat, “stop joking. I really didn’t mean to lie to you. I can show you that letter later. I’m just here to pretend to be a director at Nichiri TV for the money. And you said yourself that someone resented me and that’s why they asked me to come here.”

"Play?"

Heiji Hattori felt like his brain wasn't working properly.

"Wait, wait, I just got here. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Just arrived?" The fake director, sweating even more, chuckled dryly, "Hattori-kun, you're really joking. How could you possibly have just arrived?"

"I just arrived by boat!" Hattori Heiji was inexplicably furious.

"Alright, alright," Koshimizu Nanatsuki quickly interrupted, "The problem now is to figure out how to deal with this guy; things don't look good."

"The only thing we can do is send him to the hospital first," Hakuba Saguru shook his head.

There shouldn't be any illusionists among the people present.

He didn't think any illusionist was more powerful than a spider.

It can only be a flare-up of a serious illness.

During dinner, Tokitsu Junya did indeed act a little strange.

"I……"

Heiji Hattori still felt something was off, but it seemed like nobody cared about him anymore.

"what happened?"

(End of this chapter)