Ke Xue: I picked up a bottle of sherry at the beginning.

"Of course it's fake..."

"Disgusting, deliberately scaring people."

"Ms. Kato, I just want you to relax." Baiquan Yi said with a chuckle.

The story of today's trip started a week ago.

Novelist Atsushi Kurokoshi suddenly found Shiraizumi Masu and made an invitation.

Hei Yue is a writer of supernatural and mystery novels. His works combine elements of the supernatural and horror with traditional mystery, and are extremely popular.

Yukiko sorted out Kudo Yusaku's unpublished manuscripts and gave them to Shiraizumi Masu, asking Shiraizumi to negotiate with the publishing house on her behalf, so that the deceased Kudo Yusaku can continue to make use of his remaining energy and help everyone make money.

Bai Quanyi readily agreed, saying that anyone who has the opportunity to make money would be a fool not to do so.

When the publishing house learned that the manuscript submitted by Shiraizumi Masu was the posthumous work of Kudo Yusaku, they were very happy and thought that they would make a lot of money, so they quickly signed a publishing agreement with Shiraizumi Masu.

During this process, Bai Quanyi's identity was recognized by Hei Yue, who invited him to visit his home for a day. Bai Quanyi naturally refused because he was not familiar with him.

Hei Yue told Bai Quanyi that he bought a villa with quite a story last year. It turned out that the house really showed some signs of being haunted, and his family was worried about it.

Hei Yue himself wasn't afraid of paranormal activity; rather, he was quite enthusiastic about it. It was said that his family was afraid to approach his villa, and Hei Yue himself would spend weeks alone there, absorbed in his writing. Furthermore, he would sometimes invite friends and other writers to barbecues and other gatherings.

He wanted to let the famous detective Bai Quanyi stay in the villa for a day and explain to his family that there were no ghosts in the villa.

Bai Quanyi thought about it and decided that it might not be a bad idea to help him. In the world of Detective Conan, he had plenty of time and it wouldn't waste anything.

So, Shiraizumi Mashi called Kato Megumi and attended Kurokoshi's party together.

·· ········Request flowers 0 ···

"Ms. Kato Megumi, are you really willing to go? But, is that okay with you? You have to stay overnight."

"...I want to go..." Kato Megumi's voice on the other end of the line rose and fell, sounding a little embarrassed. Shiraizumi Masaru, not knowing what she would say next, tensed a little, only to hear Kato Megumi continue, "...barbecue. You want to barbecue together, right? I've never been to one before, but it's rare that Officer Bai invited you, so I thought I'd give it a try."

"Oh...that's great." Bai Quanyi paused and then said, "Privately, let's be friends. Can you please not call me officer and just call me by my name?"

"Then I'll call you... Bai?"

"Okay, I'll just call you Kato."

0 .... ...

In this way, Shiraizumi Masu and Kato Megumi embarked on a journey to the Kurokoshi Villa.

"That villa... is called Shuijingzhuang, right?" asked Kato Megumi, who was sitting in the passenger seat. "I don't know what kind of place it is, but I heard it's a place where strange phenomena have occurred..."

"Ah, I feel like this is a bit of a mystery," Bai Quanyi said, turning a corner. "What is this vision you're talking about?"

"It's said that the house was originally a Western-style building built by the British who came to Japan during the Meiji era's 'civilization and enlightenment'. The person living there, according to the more supernatural theory, is a magician."

"Is he someone who can perform magic?"

"Well, it's said that Shuijing Manor was called the 'Black Book House' back then. Everyone said the magician there could cast spells and summon spirits, so the rumor went that the house was built to house these mystical scrolls—the so-called magic books. However, the magician disappeared when the Black Book House was completed, leaving behind only a pool of blood at the scene..."

Bai Quanyi listened to it purely as a ghost story, nodding from time to time to show his interest.

"Later, the Black Book House was converted into Shuijing Manor, and it changed hands several times..."

"You know quite a lot."

"Because Bai invited me there, I did my homework in advance."

Kato Megumi said a little shyly.

"Haha...you are such a reassuring girl."

Soon, the road opened up, and I saw an antique Western-style villa standing on the golden lakeside bathed in the sunset.

"I see, that's Shuijing Manor—"

411.Party with Kato Megumi

Hei Yue personally welcomed Shiraizumi Masu and Kato Megumi and took them to visit Shuijingzhuang.

Five or six people had gathered in the yard, preparing for a barbecue. They introduced themselves to each other, and aside from Bai Quanyi, the detective, the others were writers and editors.

"Once the barbecue starts, I'm afraid we won't have time to wander around."

Hei Yuedu stroked his messy gray beard and took Bai Quanyi and the others to visit the interior of the living room.

Heiyue is in his late sixties. Until a few years ago, in addition to writing, he apparently taught folklore courses at a university. However, he later resigned from his teaching position before retirement, declaring he wanted to focus on writing a book. A hint of the former university professor's sternness still lingered in his face, but it was largely masked by his cheerful demeanor.

"Almost thirty years ago, the house was remodeled, practically rebuilt. Nothing of the original Black Bookhouse remains, but a few pieces of furniture miraculously survived and remain today."

Indeed, the living room furniture was interspersed with several antique pieces. The pendulum-shaped grandfather clock, the mantelpiece, the large mirror, and the crystal chandelier all echoed the decor of Kato Megumi's home. "Miss Kato Megumi must also like this style," Shiraizumi Mashi was about to ask her, but turned around and saw the medium staring intently at a corner of the ceiling.

It's completely different from the aura just now.

Just after entering Shuijingzhuang, Kato Megumi saw Hei Yue coming towards her and jokingly whispered to Shiraizumi Masaru, "That beard looks like it's going to hurt." But now, the smile on her face has completely disappeared, and she just stares fixedly at a point in the void. "Ms. Kato Megumi?"

Kato Megumi looked at Shiraizumi Masu with a pale face.

"what happened?"

"No...it's nothing."

She lowered her head.

Hei Yue didn't seem to notice Kato Megumi's unusual "060" and just continued to explain: "My wife, daughter, and son-in-law all said that they heard noises in the middle of the night and saw unfamiliar women in the mirror. It's similar to the supernatural legends, but for some reason I just can't see it. At first I thought they might be scared by the legends, but then they stayed away from this place, so maybe they really saw something."

Following Heiyue, Baiquanyi and the others toured each room of Shuijing Manor. Each room was adorned with antique mirrors—a distinctive feature, coupled with the manor's proximity to the lake, which likely gave rise to the name Shuijing Manor. Heiyue led Baiquanyi and Kato Megumi to their respective rooms and allowed them to unload their luggage. The guest rooms also had antique mirrors and simple washbasins. Kato Megumi remained silent, surveying her surroundings with a sharp gaze.

Did she see something?

Lastly, we arrived at Hei Yue's studio. Hei Yue must have a very rigid personality—there was nothing superfluous in his room, making it look incredibly boring. This room alone lacked a mirror. The small bookshelves were so densely packed with reference materials befitting a kaitan mystery novelist that even a single scrap of paper wouldn't fit. Hei Yue smiled and said that if he kept adding to it, it would be a bottomless pit, so he simply filled it up until it had no more room. That was just right.

After touring the room, the three of them walked towards the entrance to meet up with the barbecue group.

"Kato, what do you feel? Do you feel anything is wrong?" asked Shiraizumi Yi.

"Oh? Miss Kato, have you found anything?" Hei Yue was also curious?

“It does feel a bit uncomfortable.”

"Is that true?"

Hei Yue's tone became solemn.

The barbecue party was unexpectedly lively.

"Wow, that's a lot of meat! Can I eat all of this?"

The person who said the above lines was a beautiful girl with shining eyes, so some of the onlookers were stunned for a moment, while others burst into laughter.

"Ms. Kato Megumi, there's so much meat, I don't think you can finish it all by yourself!"

Shiraizumi Masu said. Hearing this, Kato Megumi blinked. Then, her cheeks flushed as if on fire, and she hurriedly explained:

"No, that's not what I meant! What does Mr. Baiquanyi think of me?"

"Oh, sorry. But having a good appetite isn't a bad thing."

Kato Megumi had just stared at the grilled meat with longing eyes, so it was no wonder that most people misunderstood her intention. She also had a strong aura, as if she was about to grab her knife and fork.

Perhaps because of this little incident, Kato Megumi quickly blended in with the group. Yukino Shintani, who was about her age, immediately became friendly with her. Yukino, perhaps trying to amuse Kato Megumi, continuously placed slices of grilled meat on her plate. Kato Megumi, despite her delicate appearance, devoured the meat with remarkable speed. Most of the attendees today were from the publishing industry, and Yukino Shintani was once a student of Kurokoshi's. She seemed to be a favorite of her teacher, and so was often invited to these gatherings.

Shiraizumi went to get two drinks and came back to see Kato Megumi and Yukino talking enthusiastically about cosmetics. He handed the drinks to them, and Kato Megumi smiled and thanked him while explaining:

"We both use the same brand of cosmetics. Ms. Shintani guessed it right after just one look at me!"

"It's just a coincidence. I've come into contact with him at work, so I know him better."

Shintani said he works for a company that operates a cosmetics website.

"Ah, that family, I've heard of it too."

Bessho Kosuke interrupted. He was once Kurokoshi's student, aspiring to become a writer, and now he was Kurokoshi's apprentice.

"So that's the company Ms. Shintani works for. Is it having a hard time right now?"

"Yeah," Shintani's expression darkened. "Thankfully, the leak of user personal information hasn't caused any major problems yet. I feel like it's not just our company; we're seeing more and more of this kind of news."

Not long ago, this company caused some discussion due to the leakage of user information. Recently, there has been a lot of news about large Internet companies leaking user information.

"What does a novelist's apprentice do?"

After Shintani left, Kato Megumi asked. Bessho seemed quite excited, chattering away. It was clear he had a crush on Kato Megumi. He had been staying close to her, never leaving her side.

"I come here a few times a week to take care of the teacher's daily life. I mainly help the teacher with clerical work, but the teacher doesn't bring documents to Shuijingzhuang, so I have a lot of free time here. At the teacher's house, I have to organize contracts and screen out documents that need replies... In short, all kinds of chores. And the teacher guides my novel writing, reading my manuscripts and giving some suggestions... Some time ago, I finally received the teacher's recognition. He said that if I can write at this level, winning the Newcomer Award is just around the corner. By the way, Miss Kato, do you usually read mystery novels?"

"Sorry, I'm... not particularly interested in reasoning."

"Really..." A look of disappointment appeared on Biesuo's face.

"By the way, it seems like they've found another victim in that serial corpse dumping case."

A young mystery novelist said.

He was referring to a case that has caused a stir in the Kanto region of Japan in recent years. The bodies of several young women were found in a mountain valley, all stabbed to death. The body discovered a few days ago was the sixth of those already identified. This is a rare serial murder case in Japan, and it has caused a profound shock. Because the killer resembles a ghost or the grim reaper, leaving no clues, the media has exaggerated the incident, causing public anxiety. Who was this person, and what was his motive? Perhaps because there were so many mystery writers present today, the topic naturally turned to this case.

"Detective Baiquan Yi, can you reveal some information about this case?" Biesuo asked while flipping the meat slices.

"Until now, the police have found no DNA that could be used to trace the murderer. He was extremely cautious. Also, no body fluids were found in the test, so it's unlikely to be a crime of sexual deviancy, but rather a crime with other motives.

In addition, the victims have similar ages and appearances, which may be due to the psychological trauma the murderer has suffered.

The victims seem to have disappeared on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays, so the killer must be an office worker. With such a high IQ, this person might be a manager or someone with some social status."

"Well, it certainly doesn't feel like a reckless kidnapping and killing." Don't say that.

Bai Quanyi nodded. "If there hadn't been a thorough plan, DNA evidence would have been found long ago. While DNA wouldn't have been a clue in the manhunt without a criminal record, the killer went to great lengths to avoid surveillance cameras during the crime, suggesting he must have been exceptionally cautious and self-disciplined. He would have researched the victim's information and developed a thorough plan. The process of kidnapping, imprisoning the victim, then killing and disposing of the body at a later date suggests he had family members at home and limited free time. In several cases, the fastest time between the victim's disappearance and the discovery of their remains was only twelve hours. Therefore, I suspect his primary objective wasn't imprisonment, but murder."

"If the case isn't solved soon, girls won't dare walk around at night anymore."

However, the police seem to have no clues at this point. The killer is so cunning. If the victims' only common denominator is their appearance, it's difficult to investigate their motive. Without being caught on camera or DNA traces detected, scientific investigation methods are useless.

"I have to admit, committing so many crimes repeatedly without leaving a single trace of evidence, the name 'ghost' is well deserved. This is almost impossible, it's simply incredible. How did the murderer manage to slip through the police's net? What is certain is that this man is a criminal genius."

If anyone can prevent such crimes, it is only——

"I remember that the murderer's targets were all beautiful young women with fair skin... right?"

In order to alert the public, the police explained the common characteristics of the victims at a relatively early stage...

After Bessho's reminder, everyone's eyes fell on Kato Megumi and Yukino.

Kato Megumi was just slightly stunned by this and didn't understand what was going on, but Yukino's expression changed immediately.

"That's annoying! Don't scare me."

Bessho got a glare from Yukino and scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry. But, Ms. Shintani, Ms. Kato, please be careful when walking at night. Especially Ms. Kato, you look like the type that would be easily targeted."

"Yes, yes..."

After hearing this, Kato Megumi also felt uneasy.

Bai Quanyi, who was standing next to her, said:

"It's okay, I'm here."

"white……"

Kato Megumi looked a little shy, lowered her head slightly, and looked at Shiraizumi Masu with an evasive look.

"What's going on? So you two are already in that kind of relationship?"

Hei Yue laughed and teased from the side.

"No, no," Kato Hui hurriedly defended, "It's not like that!"

"Oh, Detective Baiquan Yi, it looks like you've been dumped!"

Yukino also smiled happily. "But it's okay, I can do it!"

Kato Megumi said, "No, you can't."

As a result, everyone laughed even more.

Shiraizumi Masu shrugged comically, resolving Kato Megumi's predicament.

The barbecue party was over. Everyone cleared the tableware and returned to the living room of Shuijingzhuang. The living room was not large enough to accommodate all the guests, so a few people went to the billiard room inside to play billiards. As for Shiraizumi Mashi, he stayed in the living room, tasting the red wine from Kurokoshi's collection while chatting happily. Just like before, Bessho stayed with Kato Megumi all the time. After returning to the living room, he sat on the sofa next to her and actively tried to make conversation. Kato Megumi seemed to be listening to him carefully, giggling from time to time. Her cheeks were slightly red, perhaps because she was drunk.

A short while later, Hei Yue and You Ben left the studio, claiming to be discussing work matters, but they returned within ten minutes. Hei Yue seemed in a good mood and quietly told Shirakuzen Yi that it was a confidential matter concerning the film adaptation of his work.