Conan: No, why aren't you following the script?

The next day, the first gentle breeze of dawn blew slowly through the windows of the Mori Detective Agency.

The moment the alarm clock rang, Conan Edogawa jumped out of bed, sat on the bed to clear his head, and then ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Although Conan had a slight cold and even a low-grade fever, he didn't stay in bed to rest. Instead, he started getting ready early in the morning.

The reason for all this is quite simple: today, his childhood sweetheart, Xiaolan, is going to a gathering organized by a magic enthusiasts' association, which will be held at a snow-covered mountain villa on the outskirts of Tokyo.

This was an invitation from his other childhood friend, Sonoko Suzuki. Kogoro Mouri would accompany him to take Ran and Sonoko to the mountain villa for a party.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Mouri Detective Agency, in the office area, Ran, who had already packed her luggage, was chatting with Sonoko, who had rushed over. Mouri Kogoro, standing to the side, was holding a newspaper, waiting to leave.

While waiting for Conan, Ran and Sonoko talked about many things, but in the end, their interest remained with another participant in the trip, the amateur detective Kitagawa Isao, whom Conan had mentioned to them many times before.

"Speaking of which, Xiaolan, have you really never seen what Mr. Kitagawa looks like? Isn't he very handsome?"

"Well, I don't know either. My dad did meet him once, but I've never actually met him..."

Upon hearing the two girls mention him, Kogoro Mouri put down his newspaper, frowned, and said:

"Mr. Kitagawa, he's about 1.8 meters tall, and not fat. I don't understand the aesthetic standards of you girls nowadays, but his looks are alright, at least he's not the kind that's unpleasant to look at."

Kogoro Mouri thought about it carefully, then nodded. In his opinion, as long as someone doesn't have tattoos or wear random decorations, and is humble and polite, he won't find them annoying.

Clearly, his rather abstract answer did not satisfy Ran and Sonoko.

Out of curiosity, the two girls asked Kogoro Mouri about Kitagawa Isao's hairstyle, hair color, and personality, but Kogoro Mouri finally got annoyed and shooed them away with a wave of his hand.

"Anyway, you'll see him when you get to the resort. I've already given Mr. Kitagawa the address; he'll drive right there. You can see for yourselves then."

Kogoro Mouri picked up the newspaper with a frustrated expression, but after looking at it from left to right, he still felt uneasy. So he put the newspaper down and looked impatiently at the door.

"Honestly, how long is this brat going to keep dawdling? Believe me or not, I'll just..."

Before Kogoro Mouri could finish speaking, a sound suddenly came from the radio next to him.

[Beep...beep...An emergency announcement: This morning, a young man named Nishiyama Tsutomu was found dead in his home in Beika-cho. While it's unclear who discovered his body, police have revealed that the report was made anonymously via a public telephone...]

"My God, another murder. This world is really not peaceful these days..."

Wanting to plead for Conan, Ran quickly changed the subject and started talking about the murder case mentioned in the radio broadcast.

Seeing her like this, Kogoro Mouri snorted coldly and didn't say anything more.

However, the warm atmosphere didn't last long. As the voice on the radio intensified, the three people present soon felt a chill run down their spines...

Police found a message on Nishiyama's computer that read, "One taken care of, Shadow Master reporting for duty." It's known that Mr. Nishiyama was an avid online enthusiast and even served as an administrator in the "Magic Lovers Alliance" chat room. Today was the day he was scheduled to attend a gathering of online friends under his screen name, "Escape King"...

A 'click' sound.

Upon hearing the news of Nishiyama's death on the radio, Ran, who was holding a water glass, was so startled that she accidentally knocked it over to the ground.

Kogoro Mouri jumped up from his chair, his pupils widening as he stared at Sonoko.

"Hey, is that magic enthusiasts' alliance mentioned on the radio the same gathering you're going to later?"

Upon hearing this, Sonoko turned her head in shock, too terrified to utter a word.

But his panicked expression already betrayed his true feelings.

Upon seeing this, Kogoro Mouri gritted his teeth in anger and rushed out of the office, intending to go to the Metropolitan Police Department to offer Inspector Megure some assistance.

However, before he could get far, he realized what was happening and hurriedly ran back into the house. He called Ran, Sonoko, and Conan, who was clumsily getting dressed upstairs. The four of them got into his rented car and drove straight towards the Metropolitan Police Department.

On the way, Kogoro Mouri repeatedly confirmed that the deceased named Tsutomu Nishiyama was indeed the 'Escape King' who had been chatting with everyone just two days ago...

"Why, why did this happen... Mr. Nishiyama was usually so witty and humorous, why did he suddenly..."

Sonoko, her eyes brimming with tears, was sitting in the back row, sobbing uncontrollably.

For a high school student, receiving news of the death of someone they already know is a significant blow.

In response, Xiaolan could only keep handing her tissues, trying to comfort her best friend.

Now that this has happened, I definitely can't continue attending the party later. That guy called "Shadow Mage" left a message on the computer that was almost a clear premonition of murder.

The best course of action now is to go to the Metropolitan Police Department to provide clues, and at the same time call all those invited to the party back to Tokyo to see if there is any way to find the real murderer.

However, for some reason, ever since they were at the Mori Detective Agency, they had tried several times to contact the people at the Magic Manor, but neither the mobile phone nor the manor's landline had responded.

At this moment, Conan, who had only gleaned bits and pieces of information from the crowd, suddenly raised a very crucial question.

"What if Kitagawa-nii doesn't receive our notification? Will he still be..."