Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 367 A Request from a Musical Family

A few days later.

Conan learned the whole story.

"So you just let him stay at the firm?"

"It's just a part-time job for him, because that guy said he wanted to be a detective no matter what."

Gao Mo couldn't help but frown when he thought of Hondo Eisuke, who had broken several vases in the past few days.

It's like they have a grudge against the firm's pretty faces.

Although I didn't really want to take him in, that kid kept saying he wanted to go to the US and join the CIA.

It's better to be a detective than a spy.

"Haha," Conan seemed to have thought of something happy, "Kido-kun, even you have your share of problems."

“Be careful,” Gao Mo glanced at Conan. “That guy seems to have fallen for Ran at first sight. He even asked me about Shinichi Kudo. He might become your rival in love.”

"what?"

Conan's smile froze.

"No, no, right?"

Thinking about it, it's quite possible. Lately, Hondo Eisuke has been sticking around Ran and Sonoko a lot.

"Absolutely not!" Conan became more and more anxious as he thought about it.

"Don't worry," Gao Mo smiled as well. "I've already explained it to you. He asked me to tell you that you absolutely must bring happiness to Xiao Lan and not let her wait alone all the time."

"I've always been by Xiaolan's side."

Conan turned his head away in annoyance, feeling a little frustrated that Gao Mo was laughing at him.

"But speaking of which, why did you end up here with your uncle today?"

"Mori has a request for me, which happens to be something I'm also very interested in."

With his hands in his pockets, Gao Mo followed Conan up the stairs next to Poirot's Cafe.

Actually, he heard that the guy with the mustache had taken on a commission from a musical family and was thinking of working with him, but the guy got lazy again. He had just finished dealing with a financial crisis and was already addicted to horse racing again, so he directly transferred the commission to him.

Of course, it may also be related to the low commission fee.

He was willing to take it on mainly because that musical family was a famous family of musicians.

He's been busy recording various professions lately, and music is a good option.

Career advancement in creative fields is relatively straightforward; it mainly depends on ability and achievements.

He had originally considered becoming a painter or cartoonist, but then thought it would take too much time.

Painters need hype, while cartoonists have an astonishing workload.

In comparison, musicians undoubtedly have a much faster time.

Fortunately, he still had many works from his previous life that he could copy, but he lacked musical ability, so he couldn't copy them even if he wanted to.

He now uses the professions he's advancing in to become an assassin and a stargazer.

The assassin is already at level 5, and the stargazer only needs to observe the stars.

In addition, perhaps because of the relationship between taking in Koshimizu Nanatsuki and Hondo Eisuke, the notebook automatically included a special profession of the master, which can be improved by taking in disciples.

Then, the computer skills he gained from Hiroki should be enough to qualify him for a career as a programmer or hacker.

If we add musicians, we'll have all four advanced professions, and we can even have an extra one as a backup in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Judging from the information conveyed by the notes, only at the 5th level can he truly rival the will of the Grim Reapers and be qualified to reclaim the rules of the Grim Reapers.

"Dad!" Ran's helpless cry came from the Mori Detective Agency on the second floor.

The man with the mustache still loves to drink, even though he had been to the hospital before because of drinking and was terrified by the examination.

After being well-behaved for a while, it's gone back to its old ways so quickly.

Has Kido arrived?

Still hungover, the man with the mustache looked up at Gao Mo and groggily pulled out a letter of authorization from his drawer.

"This is it. The client is Shitara Renki, the granddaughter of Mr. Shitara Choichiro. She said she wants to solve some kind of curse incident. Are you interested in this? I was going to refuse, but the lady didn't leave a contact number, so it doesn't seem like a good job."

"I'm quite interested."

Gao Mo took the letter of authorization and glanced at it briefly.

Well, although she comes from a musical family, her handwriting is definitely not pretty.

Conan wanted to ask a few questions, but Ran pulled him away, saying, "You should put away the game consoles you've played with!"

Despite having an unspoken understanding of Conan's true identity, Ran still finds it hard to comprehend; sometimes Conan seems to really turn into a child.

"Hiccup," the mustachioed man, reeking of alcohol, slumped back down, "Then I'll leave it to you, Kido. Let me know if you need anything."

"You'd better take care of yourself first."

Gao Mo silently put away the letter of authorization.

Even as I left, I could still hear Xiaolan's scolding voice.

He probably won't end up with a mustache like that, right?
Certainly not.

Gao Mo quickened his pace.

I always felt that the man with the mustache was more suited to be a comedian than a detective; perhaps his life would be much better now.

……

the next day.

Establish a music family.

Gao Mo met with the client, Shele Lianxi, as promised.

Upon seeing Gao Mo, the young lady was visibly surprised: "So Mr. Mori is so young?"

“I am his friend Kido Komo,” Komo’s eyes twitched slightly as he took off the hat that Ai had woven on his head. “He couldn’t come today, so he asked me to help him, since I’m also quite good at curses and the like.”

This young lady doesn't even know what a mustache looks like; that's quite abstract of her thinking.

"I remember now," Shiraki Renki exclaimed in surprise, "You used to be that popular idol, I even watched your dramas! Can I get your autograph?"

"Uh……"

Gao Mo could tell that this pretty young lady hadn't had much exposure to society yet, and had an innocent and carefree personality; she wasn't some kind of eccentric fan.

"Can you tell me about the commission?"

“Oh right,” Shira Renki smiled sheepishly, “Let’s talk in the main building, because that thing is kept very secure, and I was only able to take it out because I have a performance tonight.”

"Play?"

"Yes, because tonight is Grandpa's 72nd birthday banquet."

“Miss Lianxi,” a bespectacled, rather serious and old-fashioned housekeeper stared at Gao Mo, “I don’t know what you want with this gentleman, but it’s best not to delay your violin practice. If you make a mistake, the master will scold you severely.”

"I know, I'll just wait a moment."

Shira Renki clasped her hands together in a gesture of begging for mercy, and with a wry smile, quietly introduced herself to Gao Mo.

"This is Mrs. Tsugu, the housekeeper. She is always very conscientious."

"Isn't this Mr. Kido?"

A slightly melancholic-looking, long-haired handsome man walked out of the annex building and greeted Gao Mo with a smile.

"So you know Lianxi?"

"You are……"

Gao Mo couldn't recall who the long-haired handsome guy was for a moment.

Even though he looks to be in his thirties and his beard isn't clean-shaven, his natural good looks are still undeniable, making him incredibly attractive to young girls.

Suddenly, Shirakawa Renki blushed.

Even family members couldn't resist it.

"He is Kyosuke Haga's uncle, a genius composer with perfect pitch who has written many theme songs for TV dramas."

“We’ve met before,” Kyosuke Haga chuckled. “Don’t you remember? I visited your film set when I was composing music.”

“Sorry, I’ve been out of the entertainment industry for too long,” Gao Mo shook hands with the long-haired handsome man. “I didn’t expect Mr. Yuga to be a member of the Shitara family. But why doesn’t he have the surname Shitara?” Yuga Kyosuke’s smile froze slightly: “It’s nothing. I was just sent to my mother’s house after my parents passed away when I was a child.”

Shira Renki continued to explain in a low voice: "Uncle Haga's father was Grandpa Danjiro. Thirty years ago, when he came here to give Grandpa Tsouichiro a birthday present, he was seriously injured by robbers and died. Grandma also passed away from grief at that time."

"I won't disturb you any longer," Yuhe Xiangfu said, his smile returning as he listened to his niece and Gao Mo's whispers. "Renxi, good luck with your performance tonight. I've already tuned that violin for you."

"Ok!"

Shira Renki's face was flushed, and she was extremely excited.

This young lady seems to have some bold ideas.

Noticing Gao Mo's gaze, Shira Renki left somewhat awkwardly, saying, "Let's go to the main building first. A friend of mine is still waiting over there."

"You also asked someone else for help?" Gao Mo felt a gaze and looked up to find a long-haired beauty with her arms crossed standing by the window of a room in the main building.

With her thick, braided black hair, fair skin, and scrutinizing eyes, she resembled a queen surveying her territory.

“It’s not about helping out, she’s just a friend I met at a concert. Today she’s here to see Uncle Haga Kyosuke,” Shitara Renki said, looking a little jealous. “By the way, like Uncle Haga, she also has perfect pitch.”

It's perfect pitch again.

This was the first time Gao Mo had ever seen such a rare talent cluster together.

Looking up, he saw the long-haired beauty leave the window and asked curiously, "What's her name?"

“Akiba Reiko is a very talented singer,” Shiraki Renki said with a hint of frustration, “because she is very familiar with Stradivarius violins, so I let her take a look as well.”

"Qiuting Lianzi?"

Gao Mo paused slightly.

He remembered that she seemed to be an important female character in a Conan movie.

I can ask Ai later.

……

Main building.

Shira Renki carefully opened the violin case, and Gao Mo's gaze also shifted from the ever-aloof Akiba Reiko to the violin.

His appraisal skills came into play, and even though the items weren't treasures in the conventional sense, they still piqued Gao Mo's interest.

Its color is antique and has a sense of history; it looks like an expensive item.

“This is what I wanted to show you,” Shirley said with a hint of fascination in her eyes. “It was made by Antonio Tradivari of Italy more than 300 years ago. There are only a few of them in the world, and this one is a rare gem, a famous violin worth hundreds of millions of yen.”

"So expensive?"

There was no corresponding violin in Gao Mo's knowledge base. Hearing this, he was slightly startled and subconsciously picked it up.

Perhaps it was psychological, but the feel of it was quite good, making him want to pull it a few times.

"squeak--!"

The piercing noise emanating from the strings caused Akiba Reiko, who was standing nearby, to frown repeatedly.

The compulsion was almost unbearable for her; she always felt that the famous zither was being ruined in Gao Mo's hands.

"Mr. Kido, you seem to be a novice when it comes to music?"

"I'm just not good at the violin." Gao Mo awkwardly put the violin back.

Actually, he can't play any musical instrument, not just the violin. He became an idol entirely because of his looks.

But it's okay, he's developing into an all-rounder now.

Music was exactly what he was going to do next.

"Actually, this violin was a birthday gift from Grandpa Erlang to Grandpa Tiao Yilang 30 years ago, and it seems like a curse has been set in motion ever since."

Shira Renki's expression was serious, yet tinged with fear.

"First, the parents of Grandpa Tan Erlang, who was also Uncle Yuhe, passed away. After that, all sorts of problems would arise whenever someone tried to play this violin."

Especially since two years ago, terrible things have happened every year on my grandfather's birthday.

First, two years ago, Grandpa Genzo's wife, Grandma Eimei, who was good at sports, fell down the stairs and died mysteriously.

Last year, my father, who was always very careful, fell to his death along with the decaying balcony railing and iron fence.

They both pulled Stradivarius at their grandfather's birthday party.

This year it's finally my turn to perform, and who knows, I might even...

"Just don't poop," Akiba Reiko said, hitting the nail on the head.

She had absolutely no interest in curses or the like.

Music is pure in her eyes.

"But I want to play!" Shiraku Renki was stunned for a moment. "I can't usually touch this violin. I can only touch it now because I'm going to play it at night."

"Please, Kido-kun, you have to break the curse before I play! I don't want to die!"

As she spoke, Shirakawa Renki's eyes welled up with pitiful tears.

That's when he started calling me "brother".

Full of survival instinct, yet reluctant to part with his famous zither.

Gao Mo glanced at the violin again.

To be honest, he couldn't sense any curse; even the notebook didn't react at all.

"You hired a detective to break the curse?" Akiba Reiko seemed about to leave. "Have you considered that it might just be a coincidence? If there really is a curse, why were we fine before?"

"An accident happened 30 years ago too, but no one died."

Sheraton's fear did not diminish.

"The instrument was sealed and kept safe until it was taken out two years ago."

"I see."

Gao Mo sensed the presence of a case.

To be honest, he came here specifically because of the case. He originally planned to follow the guy with the mustache, but the guy with the mustache just dumped the case on him.

Could you elaborate on the robbery incident 30 years ago?

“I’m not entirely sure either,” Shirley shook her head. “I just heard that the robbers were trying to steal Stradivarius, but they ended up taking the wrong violins.”

Grandpa Tiao Yilang and the others obediently tied up, while Grandpa Tan Erlang was beaten to death for resisting.

"Is it really?"

Gao Mo closed his eyes and began searching for police files.

After all, it was 30 years ago, so there are very few records.

However, the impact was still significant at the time, and it was recorded after all.

The data was projected into Gao Mo's brain.

The man who died from his injuries, Tan Erlang, fell down the stairs and died.

It's a coincidence that this aligns with the deaths that have occurred in the past two years.

When Gao Mo opened his eyes, the first person he thought of was the musical genius, Haga Kyosuke.

The character relationship diagram of the Sheraka family is integrated through the Mind Hall.

The head of the family, Choichiro, is the grandfather of Shitara Renki. His younger brothers are the deceased Danjiro and Genzaburo, who is also attending the banquet today.

Genzaburo's wife and Shitara Renki's father passed away the year before last and last year, respectively.

Interestingly, the first letters of these people's names are DEF.

Although I don't think it's arranged in alphabetical order, it's still obvious—

"This could be a serial killing spree."

Gao Mo stood up and, under Akiba Reiko's surprised gaze, drew back the curtains.

The intense flames illuminated the windows.

A raging fire broke out in the annex building at some unknown time.

(End of this chapter)