Chapter 27: Crows, Leaves, and Bluestone Steps

"Caw! Caw!"

Night had fallen. The unpleasant cawing of crows in the forest made the surroundings of the shrine feel all the more desolate, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere in the Beika Inn nearby.

Gao Mo finished a refreshing hot bath and returned to the banquet on the second floor, where the director and Kogoro Mouri were already drinking heartily, the mood jubilant.

"My, it’s just as fascinating no matter how many times I hear it! Who would have thought the Hatamoto family had so many secrets? These wealthy families are just different."

"Who’s to say they aren't?"

"Come on, keep drinking, Mouri-sensei!"

"Ahahaha! Cheers!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting." The landlady, dressed in a kimono, brought out more beer.

Gao Mo sat cross-legged on the side. The tatami-matted, Japanese-style room had a unique charm that modern apartments lacked, despite his own luxurious three-bedroom suite with a bathtub. Even though they were still in the city, there was a leisurely, vacation-like feel to it. Even the crows crying in the night outside sounded much more pleasant.

"By the way, where is Mr. Nachi?"

"Nachi said he didn't want to stay in a cheap inn, so he drove to the Teitan Hotel. That guy, honestly."

"Don't bother with someone so full of himself. Come on, drink!"

Under the flattery of those around him, Kogoro Mouri seemed ready to float away. His tongue was already tied from the alcohol, yet he continued to hoist his beer mug and pour it down his throat. This old guy usually spent his days buried in horse racing forms, drinking, or sleeping, occasionally bragging at an izakaya, or running off to Ginza when he had money—always looking sloppy and pathetic. But now, he was becoming increasingly high-spirited, his bleary eyes sparkling with vitality, sweeping away his usual decadence.

"Give me a bottle of juice." Gao Mo didn't let the landlady pour him a drink; he sat in the corner, gnawing on a chicken leg. Coach Kageyama had advised him to eat freely to build up his physical foundation. He didn't need to worry about body management like an idol anymore. It was rare to get a free meal, so he couldn't treat his stomach poorly.

"Kid Kido," the tipsy, mustachioed man finally noticed Gao Mo and promised with a woozy wave, "About today... I appreciate it. I got to see Yoko-san again, and I got a 300,000 yen consulting fee... Don't you worry, the judo training is on me!"

He had a bit of a conscience, at least. It would have been better if it were just cash, though. Gao Mo continued to devour his food. The mustachioed man was right: without a strong body, learning things like judo would just be an empty shell. Right now, he couldn't even compare to the mustachioed man, whose body had been hollowed out by booze and women; starting judo too early would only cause injury. It would be best if he were lucky enough to draw the mustachioed man's judo manual next. The "Shooting Guide" he had drawn earlier really had been satisfying.

"I never imagined Kido and Mouri-sensei were such good friends," the director sighed. "Kido really impressed everyone today. After hitting rock bottom for these past few years, Kido has been tempered. Let the past be the past; one must look forward!"

"Kido and I hit it off from the moment we met," Kogoro said, caught up in the excitement. "Last time at the Hatamoto place..."

"Ahem!" Gao Mo coughed heavily. This unreliable guy.

"Ahaha," the mustachioed man realized his mistake and hurriedly changed the subject. "Why did I bring up the Hatamoto family again? Look at my memory..."

"It's alright, we'd love to hear it a hundred times," the director and the others laughed.

"Mouri-sensei, you haven't told us about your partner, Mr. Kindaichi. I heard he's your Sherlock Holmes?"

"Who said that? He's clearly my Watson."

"Right, right, right! Mouri-sensei is the Sherlock Holmes of the new era!"

...

As the banquet entered its second half, Ran and Yoko Okino returned to their rooms. The photographer, Anzai, said he needed to maintain his camera and left after only a few drinks.

"Yuji," the long-silent Taeko Togaki gently nudged her fiancé, "I have some business to attend to; I must head home."

Kogoro Mouri: "Head home?"

"Mouri-sensei might not know, but the head priest of the Beika Shrine is Taeko's grandfather. She used to live around here."

"I see."

"Taeko-san," Gao Mo called out to her, "If you have time, could you teach me how to apply makeup? I've been quite interested in that lately."

"O-okay."

Taeko Togaki answered distractedly and hurried out of the inn as if she were racing against time. Yuji Shimazaki didn't pay much attention, only blushing as he listened to the laughter of the others.

"Yuji is a lucky guy, to be able to marry such a good bride as Taeko."

"Hahaha!"

"Kido-niisan," Conan, whose brow was furrowed amid the laughter, crawled over to Gao Mo and whispered, "Don't you feel it too? I have a bad feeling about this."

"Hmm... I'll go take a look." Gao Mo set down his juice, his gaze lingering briefly on the oblivious Yuji Shimazaki. He didn't want to watch this young couple walk toward disaster. Consider it a pre-payment for the makeup lessons. "By the way, go get Ran and bring her along."

Gao Mo left quietly. Even if there was no real danger, it was better to have a bodyguard as a precaution.

"What do you take Ran for?" Conan couldn't help but grumble, pouting, yet he still headed toward the other guest rooms.

...

Beika Shrine.

Compared to the streetlights illuminating the driveway, the shrine was pitch black, adding a sense of dread to the night. Gao Mo saw Taeko Togaki and Anzai meeting in a corner. He moved closer and vaguely heard Anzai mentioning Taeko's rebellious high school days. They had known each other back then and had done quite a few foolish things with a group of thugs. It wasn't until their final heist, stealing high-value ritual items from the shrine, which led to the suicide of a warehouse manager... those past events were now the leverage Anzai used to threaten her.

"Please, just let me go! I'm getting married!" Taeko held a knife in front of her. "I just want to live a normal life. If you keep hounding me..."

"What, you're going to kill me? If you kill me, you can forget about getting married altogether." Anzai sneered. "No matter how you deny the past, it's useless, Taeko. You're an accomplice to the manager's death. But... hehe, as long as you pay up, I guarantee that no one else—not even that idiot Yuji—will ever know."

"Don't push me, Anzai! I never thought you guys would come here to steal things back then!"

"Hey, you were the one who said those things were valuable. Do you think you can just wash your hands of it?"

"I really will kill you, stay back!"

"You don't have the guts. You never did..."

*Whoosh!*

Gao Mo clearly felt the air current at the shrine shift. Why was Conan so slow? He had considered many possibilities, but he hadn't expected Taeko Togaki to be so impulsive, with no preparation at all, confronting Anzai with a knife.

"Taeko-san." Seeing that Conan still hadn't appeared, Gao Mo had no choice but to walk toward the shrine. "What’s going on here? Is this guy, Anzai, bullying you?"

"Kido-san?" Taeko hid the knife in a panic, her face deathly pale. "N-nothing... why are you here, Kido-san?"

"I was thinking of going to the convenience store to pick up a few things," Gao Mo said, his gaze shifting past Taeko to the sneering Anzai. "Anzai-san, first you meet with Mr. Nachi alone, and now you're cornering Taeko-san. What kind of twisted game are you playing? If the director and the others found out..."

"Tch, busybody." Anzai’s expression shifted; he didn't want to ruin his career as a photographer over this, so he walked past Gao Mo with an annoyed look. Seeming to remember something, he chuckled and stopped. "I almost forgot, Kido the superstar. Do you know why you had that big scandal before? Heh heh, you'll never make a comeback, so give up on that idea!"

Gao Mo’s pupils dilated. Dead memories opened like a floodgate, rushing into his heart as if he were back on the day he was reborn. The hellish, near-death experience on the ocean floor...

"Was it you?"

"I didn't say it was me. What? You want to kill me too?" Anzai looked at Gao Mo’s small frame with contempt. "A guy like you? I could lift you with one hand."

*Whoosh!*

Gao Mo closed his eyes tightly, taking a long moment to calm himself before pulling a banknote from the inner lining of his jacket. "Taeko-san was just too emotional. If you don't want to lose your job, just pretend nothing happened today. Go buy a pack of cigarettes and head back, and from now on..."

"1,000 yen? What the hell am I supposed to buy with this?" Anzai snatched the bill, clicked his tongue in disgust, and looked at Gao Mo's back, greed rising in his eyes again. "If you really want to make a comeback, play nice. I, for one, owe a massive debt lately."

"Kido-niisan!" Conan ran to the shrine, slightly out of breath. "Ran-neechan isn't there, she must have gone to the convenience store..."

"Get lost, kid!" Anzai, annoyed by Conan as well, stuffed the bill into his pocket and walked through the torii gate.

Just then, a few crows flapped over the treetops, and a dollop of bird droppings landed squarely on top of Anzai's head.

"Caw!"

"Damn birds!"

Anzai panicked, trying to shoo the crows away. His foot, stepping onto the stairs, landed exactly on a pile of slippery, wet leaves. He stumbled, losing his balance.

"Oh no..."

In his panic, Anzai missed a step. He reached out instinctively to grab something, but he fell backward, his body rolling down the stone steps toward the road in front of the shrine.

Suddenly, a bright beam of light from around the corner illuminated the road.

"BANG!"

"SCREECH!!"

The piercing sound of brakes cut through the night. A white car hit Anzai, slid, and came to a stop in front of the shrine's stone tablet. The headlights shone directly on Anzai's bulging eyes. His twisted limbs leaked a large pool of blood, instantly staining the 1,000-yen note he was clutching in his hand red.

"I-it wasn't my fault!" Shingo Nachi walked out of the car, his legs trembling uncontrollably. When he saw Anzai’s face, he collapsed to the ground in terror, backing away. Turning to see Conan and Gao Mo on the steps, he grabbed at them like a lifeline. "He suddenly jumped out! He's the one who told me to meet him here... You have to testify for me! It wasn't my fault! I really..."

"How could this happen?" Conan's expression was shaken. He looked at Anzai in the headlights, then examined the steps that had caused him to slip. The crows, the leaves, the blue stone steps... It felt like a coincidence, yet as if the script had been written in advance.

"Kido-niisan, you... this has nothing to do with you, right?"

"What are you thinking?" Gao Mo returned from his memories of death and turned to ruffle Conan's hair. "Call the police first."