Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 364 Rena Mizunashi's Request

"Due to the need to broadcast the European Karate Championship live, episode 8 of 'Winter Autumn Leaves,' originally scheduled to air tonight, has been postponed by one week. Fans of 'Winter Autumn Leaves' will be disappointed..."

"You can't say that. After all, karate competitions are also very interesting, and 'Winter Autumn Leaves' was a hit drama last year, so fans should have already seen it."

Kido Detective Agency.

After playing the game, Conan and the others went home, and the TV returned to Ai's hands.

Her face froze when she discovered that the TV series she was following had been delayed.

She prefers following the episodes to watching them live.

"Do you know who the most anticipated player in this tournament is? That's right, it's none other than Makoto Kyogoku, the kicking prince whom all of Japan is proud of!"

"As a karate athlete who came from Japan, Makoto Kyogoku is only 18 years old, but he has already completed a 400-fight winning streak, and every single one of them is a record-breaking achievement!"

Will Makoto Kyogoku, the seeded player today, be able to advance to the semifinals?

"Let's watch an interview video now—'The Lonely Fist Saint, Makoto Kyogoku'!"

"Why did I come to Europe?" On TV, Makoto Kyogoku was still as taciturn as ever, and indeed seemed to have a proud and aloof nature. "Because there is someone back home whom I must defeat, so I have no choice but to undergo even more arduous training!"

"Huh? There are karate fighters in Japan stronger than Makoto Kyogoku?"

"It's hard to say. Is there anyone who can beat a Fist Saint? Are they even human? Haha!"

During the program, the two karate veterans laughed continuously while watching the interview recording.

"Maybe it's just modesty. Setting goals for himself and becoming stronger is what makes him so great. That's probably why he's been able to get this far."

"Actually, I was impressed by him when he was still participating in the High School Cup. I knew he was a strong player at first glance. His powerful aura was truly unforgettable."

"So, who does Kyogoku Makoto want to defeat?"

"Maybe he's a master or something? I think no one in Japan is better than him. I've seen his training videos, he's practically inhuman. In this King of Glory Challenge Cup, the seeded players privately call Kyogoku Makoto the Great Demon King..."

Gao Mo was feeding the black cat when he heard this and glanced at the handsome Kyogoku Makoto on the TV.

After some time away, this guy has made quite a name for himself abroad.

They even used the title of "Fist Saint".

Has his combat prowess reached its peak?
Gao Mo petted the black cat, and notes appeared projected in his eyes.

His hidden level in karate is still level 5; only his swordsmanship has broken through the limit.

There has indeed been some neglect in this regard.

Now he's actually looking forward to Kyogoku Makoto's return to Japan. He really doesn't have the energy or interest to fight and train hard, so taking advantage of Kyogoku Makoto is undoubtedly much easier.

"Ok?"

Suddenly, Gao Mo's inner network was triggered, and a strong sense of malice surged from the darkness.

With the expansion of their mental network, they quickly located the short-haired woman, Chianti, in the underground parking garage.

A gathering at the winery?

Gao Mo simultaneously sensed the presence of Gin and the others.

The rather oddly shaped couple were the two snipers who practiced shooting last time—Chianti and Cohen.

These two are practically regular characters in Detective Conan, often seen with Gin in Japan.

His marksmanship is good, but he doesn't have any visible achievements, especially after meeting Conan. He's always underperforming and dragging the team down. It seems like he's only really accurate when killing his own people; otherwise, he's just a decoration.

However, both of them are indeed top-notch snipers.

The Valcados who died at the dock was a friend of the two.

So that's how it is. Was it because they harbored ill will towards his assassin persona?

Gao Mo's eyes were calm.

He didn't feel anything special, after all, he was no longer as afraid of malice as he used to be; now it was his turn to actively sense potentially threatening malice.

A new, familiar aura entered their senses, overlapping with that of Gin and the others.

Rena Mizunashi, the brewery's code name is Kir.

Unfortunately, the heart network can't hear anything, so it doesn't know what these people are doing gathered together.

However, Kir's sudden involvement in Gin's group's operations is most likely due to his need to leverage his identity as a Nikko TV host.

In the original work, it was an assassination attempt targeting a politician. Conan accidentally planted a bugging device in the sole of Rena Mizunashi's shoe, and then began to follow and interfere, almost causing Rena's death.

Conan is currently unaware of anything, as he was quite agitated by the children and ended up taking the game console back with him. He's probably busy practicing the game now.

Rena Mizunashi didn't deliberately try to contact the mustache this time, but instead frequently sent messages to Kindaichi in private.

The messages repeatedly mentioned her younger brother, Hondo Eisuke, hoping he could stop Hondo Eisuke from continuing to search for his sister and investigate her.

My younger brother came to Tokyo and caused me a lot of trouble. For some reason, I could only avoid him and pretend not to know him.

The reason is probably that he's afraid his younger brother will be targeted by the organization, right?
"Meow~" The black cat rubbed against Gao Mo comfortably, letting Gao Mo scratch its chin, but then suddenly stiffened, as if it realized something. It secretly glanced at Gao Mo, tucked its tail between its legs, and darted back to Xiao Ai's room.

Gao Mo followed him back to his bedroom.

The same applies to watching the replay of a karate match afterward. Since he's not dating Sonoko this time, Makoto Kyogoku will likely continue his undefeated streak.

In the original work, it seems that he missed the match because he wanted to meet Sonoko, and was automatically judged to have lost, thus ending his winning streak.

I don't know if this is a good thing for him.

"Buzz!"

The meeting with Gin seemed to have come to an end, and Gao Mo had just taken out his spare phone when he received a long email from Rena Mizunashi.

There's an unusually large amount of information this time.

Aside from not revealing that he was a CIA agent, he disclosed almost everything else, including his father's death and his situation at the distillery.

"I don't know if you believe me, but the criminal organization I'm currently in is extremely dangerous, so my relationship with Yingyou must never be discovered. I can't let Yingyou be exposed to those people."

"But knowing that child's personality, he'll come looking for me sooner or later, so I'd like to ask you to protect Yingyou."

"Whether you believe it or not, please delete this email and all communications between us immediately. Under no circumstances should you be associated with the organization, nor should you launch an investigation or get involved..."

"If you arouse suspicion within the organization, you and those around you will also be in danger."

"If you're willing to accept, I've left an account with Yoko, and there's enough money in it for the commission..."

Gao Mo deleted the email and also had his smart assistant perform protective measures.

This woman is really not a qualified undercover agent; she actually sent him this kind of message after only meeting him a few times.

Did I trust him too much?

However, it's also clear that Rena Mizunashi cares more about her younger brother than the CIA.

Gao Mo recalled the character settings for Mizunashi Rena.

Initially, he didn't seem to intend to infiltrate the distillery long-term; he only wanted to make contact with his father. However, because he didn't expect the distillery to install tracking devices on new recruits, he left the TV station without permission, which led to his father's death.

After that, Rena Mizunashi took over her father's undercover mission.

The reason Hondo Eisuke is appearing now is because during a previous TV interview mishap, it was revealed that Mizunashi Rena's blood type is AB.

Hondo Eisuke, who believes his sister has the same blood type as him (O), thinks that Mizunashi Rena is an imposter who killed his real sister, so he transfers to Tokyo to investigate.

That's roughly what happened?
Gao Mo crossed his arms.

His sources of information were too varied; he hadn't researched them at all back then.

Should we accept this commission?
Like the FBI, he also didn't want to get involved with the CIA.

These organizations are similar to the Japanese Public Security Bureau; in his view, they are all troublesome.

“Mr. Kido,” Vermouth suddenly called from outside the door, “would it be convenient to take your measurements? I’m free anyway, and I’d like to knit you and Ai a few sweaters.”

"No need, I already have plenty of sweaters."

Gao Mo responded with a single, unspoken word.

It's really strange to think that this guy would knit me a sweater.

After seeing Vermouth off for earnestly playing the old lady, Gomer still decided to accept the commission.

Regardless of her CIA affiliation, Rena Mizunashi is a pretty good character; she's not the kind of agent who's completely brainwashed.

It was less about working for the CIA and more about doing it all for his father.

They care more about their families than the CIA, which is extremely rare.

But before that, I need to call Yoko.

It wasn't that he cared much about the commission fee, but he wasn't a philanthropist and couldn't help for free.

He's recently been considering buying a vacation villa in the Gunma Mountains to upgrade his stargazing experience.

The firm also needs to prepare a server room for the intelligent assistant.

It's best to invest some money in promoting "Kindaichi"; otherwise, it's too slow to let word-of-mouth and fame grow.

In addition, he is also privately offering a bounty, hoping to find antique collectibles related to death, similar to the Cursed Mask and the Demon Sword—this is a real gold mine, and he plans to cooperate with the Suzuki Foundation later.

Otherwise, with collectibles costing tens or hundreds of millions, he simply couldn't handle them.

Making good use of your identity as an appraiser is the right approach.

But overall, the expenses are still quite high. The income from the agency and the magic troupe alone is not enough when it comes to spending money.

The income of novelists is also a long-term thing.

He would be considered a tycoon by ordinary people, but he is nothing compared to the size of the Suzuki Group.

Every bit of money you earn is worth it.

I just don't know how much Rena Mizunashi can give.

It shouldn't be less than zero in the climax, right?
He's my closest brother, after all.

(End of this chapter)