The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1315 The Replaced Movement

"Compared to the attacks on those four victims, Akiba Reiko was an exception. This perpetrator was meticulous in planning and highly efficient in carrying out the killings, and he chose methods that left very little evidence. While it's not entirely impossible to find the killer from those four cases, it certainly wouldn't be as fast as finding him from Akiba Reiko."

"Because Akiba Reiko wasn't originally on the performance list?"

"Yes. After all, Akiba Reiko was the person Kawabe Kanade insisted on. Compared to murder, the killer's actions towards Akiba Reiko seem more like an attempt to drive her away and prevent her from participating in the upcoming performance—and according to our reasoning, as you and I both know, although it is twisted and deformed, this is actually a form of protection—"

Recalling his conversation with Heiji Hattori, Shinichi Kudo looked up at the apartment building above, checked the location of Wataru Takagi's car, pulled up his mask, and stood on the street corner waiting.

Reiko Akiba refused to let the police approach, saying she did not want to be affected by the performance and would not cooperate with the police investigation until the end of the show.

Since she's been so honest, it's obvious she's not going to stay home obediently and not move at all.

Tomorrow is the concert, and Akiba Reiko theoretically has no reason to go out, but thinking about Soma Hikaru's problem, she feels unsure.

A large part of Akiba Reiko's motivation and persistence in participating in the concert stemmed from the trauma of losing Soma Hikaru. With the performance imminent, she wanted to adjust her performance state. Rather than staying at home, she might go out for a walk, stroll around places that evoked memories of her deceased fiancé, or even, to some extreme, visit Soma Hikaru's grave and have a conversation.

This was also her most vulnerable moment. Since the murderer was very likely connected with Hikaru Soma, there was no reason why he couldn't predict Reiko Akiba's behavior.

We absolutely cannot let anything happen to her before the performance —

In the apartment building, in Akiba Reiko's bedroom, where only the first layer of curtains was drawn and the gauze curtains were still in place, Akiba Reiko was quietly listening to a cassette tape in the soft, dim morning light filtered through the gauze curtains.

The tape recorder was playing a flute version of Amazing Grace. She hugged her knees, curled up at the head of the bed like a baby, and was immersed in the long melody.

This is one of the few performance recordings left by Hikaru Soma. Her lover had not yet grown up to attract enough attention and acclaim, so there wasn't much video footage to reminisce about. This cassette tape was the one she listened to the most.

Although it was an instrumental version playing, what reached her ears were the lyrics of "Amazing Grace".

Amazing grace, how sweet it is, my sins are forgiven;

I was lost, but now I am found; I was blind, but now I see.

Such grace fills me with awe and brings me comfort.

When she first met Hikaru Soma, she felt that this was the perfect instrument for him.

Its high notes are bright and clear, beautiful and pleasing to the ear, yet remarkably gentle and warm. They can convey all the performer's skills and breath control with great delicacy. Compared to other wind instruments, it is more emotional. Even now, three years after losing Soma Hikaru, just listening to his performance repeatedly can bring back too many details of the past for her.

She closed her eyes, allowing herself a rare moment to immerse herself in the old dream.

Opening the door on a winter morning, I'm greeted by a warm yet chilly hug from someone whose breath is still steaming. We walk together through the woods and along the riverbank, sometimes chatting about the small joys and sorrows of the past, sometimes quietly, saying nothing, just walking hand in hand in the sunset. The other hand always feels dry and warm, seemingly always able to embrace my own temperature.

This isn't some dramatic love or hate, but rather the peaceful and tranquil place I've been searching for for many years.

All of this was carelessly ruined by those four guys who were irresponsible and didn't even take responsibility for their own lives.

Three years later, those four people are dead. Is she happy about it? She doesn't know. She only knows that the more she recalls the past, the emptier she feels inside.

She needed to go out for a walk, finish her vocal practice for the day, and tomorrow she had to return to Domoto Academy, then go to the concert hall, stand on the stage, and sing for Soma Hikaru, who could no longer express himself.

Thinking of this, Akiba Reiko mustered her spirits, stood up, paused the recording that was almost at the end, and tidied herself up.

Before leaving home, she thought carefully and carefully chose a dark-colored tracksuit that she rarely wore in her wardrobe. She tied up her long hair and hid it in her hoodie before putting on her headphones, hunching her back, and slowly leaving home.

As a semi-public figure, she has little experience in evading the police, but she is very experienced in evading the media.

Anyone or anything, she just wanted to go for a walk in the woods, to breathe in some fresh air that belonged to today and the future, and didn't want to hear people repeating those things over and over in her ear.

So, officer, I'm sorry, but I'll tell you everything I know after the performance.

Reiko Akiba walked out of the apartment through the side fire door. Just as she turned a corner, she was stopped by a slightly familiar male voice.

"Miss Akiba, where are you going?"

Reiko Akiba's back stiffened. Just as she was about to quicken her pace and pretend she hadn't heard, Shinichi Kudo, who had taken two steps forward, grabbed her wrist.

Shinichi Kudo, who had perfectly predicted the outcome, didn't know whether to be proud of his judgment or to be amused and exasperated by Reiko Akiba's incredible composure.

If a killer who clearly has ill intentions towards you, who may already have four lives on his hands, keeps following you around, shouldn't you at least show some basic respect, even if you're not afraid and just keep your distance to ensure your safety?

Based on his investigations of so many cases and his understanding of various criminal suspects, if the perpetrator is truly a murderer with a strong will to kill, then Akiba Reiko's behavior is tantamount to provocation.

Even if they originally had no intention of killing her, seeing how indifferent she seemed, they felt they had to prove to her that they weren't joking. Those who didn't want to kill her were provoked into killing her.

"—You rascal, you're like a persistent ghost."

Realizing she had been caught red-handed, Akiba Reiko helplessly turned to look at him, who was also dressed in a similarly disheveled manner, and was equally at a loss for words.

Being a soprano singer is indeed a remarkable label, but compared to other celebrities, she doesn't have much news value. This kind of ubiquitous presence, where she's always exposed, is a first for her.

"You actually recognized me even like that?" Akiba Reiko thought for a moment, still finding it unbelievable. "Is this a basic skill for detectives?"

"More or less—" Shinichi Kudo chuckled awkwardly, without denying it.

Reiko Akiba herself may not have been very aware of it, but from Shinichi Kudo's perspective, this singer, who was always singing and was diligent and self-disciplined, actually had quite distinctive physical characteristics.

Perhaps because she often needs to stand tall and straight to ensure her voice is clear, resonant, and has sufficient resonance, she unconsciously adjusts her upper body posture even when walking, which gives people a haughty feeling of always looking down at others. Even when she deliberately bends over, the degree of bending is much smaller than that of ordinary people.

He is indeed perceptive in this respect; upon closer examination, this ability to observe can certainly be considered a fundamental skill of detective work, perhaps—

"It's very impolite to loiter outside a single woman's apartment like this, and keep coming up to chat her up after being rejected." Seeing that he wouldn't leave, Akiba Reiko crossed her arms. "Normally, I would have called the police to report you for stalking and harassing me."

"You can call the police now," Shinichi Kudo said frankly.

If Akiba Reiko had actually called the police, then the police could have a legitimate reason to follow and protect her, instead of him, the detective, having to painstakingly chase after a potential victim and advise her to protect herself.

The police will not misunderstand his motives.

"—A troublesome fellow." Sensing the underlying threat in those words, Akiba Reiko sighed helplessly. "Fine, if you insist on coming, then come along. But let's make it clear first, don't tell the police."

Tomorrow is the performance day, and no matter when a problem occurs, it cannot occur at this time.

Reiko Akiba, who was out for a walk with the persistent detective, was unaware that the culprit, who was still far away in Nishitama City and had not yet arrived, was in a state of great distress and inner turmoil.

Since the night before, Pu and Jiang had been in a state of unspeakable fear, with the feeling that they were being watched and spied on by someone.

He didn't want to categorize this intuition as neuroticism, so he could only repeatedly check the situation around his home to make sure that no police were staking out the place, barely managing to control his mind from thinking the worst possible scenario.

The grand ceremony he longed for was imminent; he could not afford to fall at this moment.

Being discovered and arrested by the police is an acceptable outcome, provided he survives the concert.

He had the blueprints and fire safety plans for the Domoto Concert Hall in his hands, and no one knew better than the score and the craftsman how to demolish this exquisite building.

He knew that among the two thousand people tomorrow, there would definitely be innocent people affected by his actions, such as music fans who didn't have much of a preference for the organ and were just there to see the grand performance, or other art lovers who weren't interested in classical music at all and were only attending for networking and social purposes.

He knew all of this, but he wasn't going to back down.

Fate has never been fair, not even to him. Now that he wants to play the role of God who takes other people's lives, he thinks he also has the right to be unfair just this once.

Whatever the reason, he had to destroy this concert hall, this proof of his betrayal and abandonment, and he wanted to see what kind of expression Domoto Kazuki would have on his face before the final moment arrived.

Domoto Ichiki, who painstakingly prepared to expand his influence and prove that he is a master even with a different organ, now sees the suffering his persistence has caused so many people. Does he feel pain? Does he feel guilty? Or does he see it as part of his journey of upholding his own beliefs and letting God witness his musical process?

The score and the craftsman were uncertain. In the past, he could be certain of Domoto Issei's reactions, but now he felt that he could no longer understand him.

With this in mind, Pu and Jiang took the prepared trigger and headed out to the concert hall.

In preparation for tomorrow's performance, there will be no rehearsal scheduled in the concert hall today. It will be thoroughly renovated and cleaned to ensure it is in the best possible condition for tomorrow's performance and for us to present ourselves to the world.

This is also his best opportunity to take action and make final preparations for tomorrow's performance.

All he needed to put into the organ pipe assembly was a trigger; as for the bomb, he had already planted it beforehand.

In addition to placing explosives at various structural points in the concert hall, he also placed more than twenty on the outer pillars to attract the attention of the police and, more importantly, to completely destroy the concert hall itself.

In fact, if he wanted to, he could have easily triggered an explosion all at once, bringing the entire concert hall to an end at its climax. However, after careful consideration, he chose the current plan.

The more he plays the organ, the closer he gets to death. Domoto Kazuki will use his playing to send this maddening place to hell.

More than the destruction itself, the symbolism fascinated Pu and Jiang. He simply couldn't resist the temptation of this solution and naturally chose the current method.

After setting up the trigger connection and placing it, he still had to rush to Beika Town to deal with Akiba Reiko's problem, and then rush back to ensure that Hansmura would not miss tomorrow morning's rehearsal. This was no easy task, and he had to hurry.

With this thought in mind, Pu and Jiang quickened their pace and followed the safety passage to their office on the third floor of the concert hall.

The room is very large and its decor perfectly matches the style of the entire concert hall, exhibiting a magnificent and elegant Rococo style.

The curator's office was large and decorated, even more luxurious than the office used by Genya Domoto, the actual organizer. However, Fu and Takumi disliked the place.

This was Domoto Kazuki's "explanation" to him, or to put it more clearly, a place for him to retire.

The better and more exquisitely this place is decorated, the more he can feel Domoto Issei's determination to abandon him.

It's as if it's saying, "You're really old now, and spending your remaining years in this exquisite place is a dignified thing to do."

Pu and Jiang could endure many things, but on this one matter, he was unwilling to admit defeat and harbored resentment.

He has worked hard in this industry for so many years, following Domoto Ike to wherever he went. Now, they want to despise him for being old and not even give him an explanation. Is this how they're going to arrange his ending?

Where has Domoto Kazuki, who used to sit down and talk with him, drink until dawn, and chat about the past and the future, gone? Has he been standing in the spotlight for too long, so he can no longer see the old things and dust left in the shadows?

With heavy and sorrowful hearts, Pu and Jiang moved to their rarely used desk, preparing to open the drawer below and take out the device they had prepared in advance.

However, as he turned around, he saw something striking.

In the upper left corner of the desk, where a photo of him and Domoto Kazuki once stood, the frame now contained not that yellowed old photograph, but a striking red and black piece of paper.

The composer's heart sank heavily.

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