Chapter 39: Wind and Rain Villa Protocol Initiated

"Caw! Caw!"

To the right of the foyer lay the kitchen and storage room, while the left side opened into a two-story dining hall. On the balcony outside the second-floor corridor of the dining hall, several crows landed abruptly on the railing, their hoarse cries making Conan feel uneasy. Perhaps due to the recent Anzai case, he had become particularly sensitive to crows lately. He couldn't help but dwell on ominous thoughts—though he absolutely refused to believe in any such thing as a Reaper.

"What's wrong, Conan?" Ran asked with concern.

"It's nothing..."

Conan looked up, watching Gao Mo head upstairs, a strange expression on his young face. He had overheard the earlier conversation between Gao Mo and Ayako Suzuki. Could an actor really have such eccentric habits? Dressing strangely was one thing, but intentionally deepening his voice—it felt...

"Oh, right, Ran," Sonoko said, trying to liven the mood. "Let me formally introduce you. This handsome guy playing the lead is Mr. Ota, currently a salesman for imported cars..."

"I'm Takahashi, I handle the props," the stout man introduced himself to Ran, looking shy. "H-hello... I work for a food company. Among all the guys here, I'm the one who's doing the worst."

"Haha, no wonder you're so fat, Takahashi. You must be close to 100 kilograms, right?"

"Already over that..."

The man with the center-parted hair, holding a video camera, panned it to include Ran and the others. "I'm Hiroki Kadotani, in charge of cinematography. Like Takahashi, I'm 25 this year, and I'm currently an editor for a film magazine."

As he spoke, the man turned the camera toward the other classmates. "Ayako is in charge of costumes—she's essentially our producer today. And then there's this one—our beautiful screenwriter, Chikako."

"I know, I know!" Ran had been quite interested in Chikako Ikeda from the start. "She's the screenwriter for *Blue Kingdom*, which is currently a hit in theaters, right? I just went to see it a couple of days ago!"

"*Blue Kingdom* is just one of Chikako's representative works from her college days," the man with the center-parted hair said, pointing the lens at the screenwriter. "What about it? Has the great screenwriter finished her next project yet?"

"Don't start, Kadotani," Chikako said, stiffly pushing the camera away. "Instead of worrying about my next project, you should think about your own career dreams. If you really love cinematography so much, don't just rot away as an editor at a small magazine."

The man's smile froze. "I..."

"My lovely young lady," the handsome long-haired Ota appeared beside Ran, leaning in and trapping her with a 'kabedon' against the wall. "Would you be willing to do me the honor of taking a walk with me before dinner starts?"

"Huh?" Ran stiffened, forcing a laugh as she moved away. "But it looks like it's about to rain..."

"A walk in the rain is all the more romantic."

"Stop picking on the young girl, Ota. If you want to hit on someone, go do it elsewhere." Chikako, who seemed to loathe the smell of cigarettes, waved her hand in disgust and gave Ran a lighthearted warning. "Young lady, be careful of men like this when you're out. They're no good. Who knows how many girls this guy has gotten pregnant in the past..."

"Hey, Chikako, what's that supposed to mean?" The handsome long-haired man gritted his teeth, his face darkening. "How long ago was all that?"

"I just don't want to make things difficult for Ayako. After all, you're her guest."

"Tch! Fame really changes people. Don't think I don't know the truth about that 'representative work' of yours. Are you such a good person yourself? Atsuko actually died because of you, didn't she?"

"Enough!" The screenwriter slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "What does Atsuko's suicide have to do with me?"

...

"Boom!"

Another roll of thunder echoed outside the villa, and within moments, a light rain began to fall. Successive flashes of lightning illuminated the guest rooms. Gao Mo sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling through a digital projection of *Makeup Guide*. The noisy clamor from downstairs suddenly fell silent. Through the window, he could see the man with the center-parted hair chasing after the screenwriter.

"Chikako, it's raining, where are you going? At least take an umbrella! The woods are dangerous..."

"Click!"

Gao Mo set aside the reference book on the nightstand, walked to the balcony door, and watched as the two figures disappeared. Venturing into the woods in such stormy weather—what a bizarre pair. The victim would likely be one of these two. It was probably the short-haired woman—he didn't know the original plot, but the atmosphere on-site made it quite obvious. It was best to stay away from people like that, or he feared he might get struck by lightning himself.

"Hmph!"

Gao Mo glanced toward the cliff. The suspension bridge swayed in the wind and rain, and the thick mist completely obscured the other side. It certainly had the atmosphere of a "Snowbound Villa"—a natural, isolated setting for a locked-room murder. He wondered if the killer would risk being discovered to cut the suspension bridge... That would be troublesome. If the bridge were inaccessible, the only way out would be through the valley on this side of the villa, climbing over another mountain.

"Teacher Rinzaburo!"

Takahashi the stout man knocked on the door from outside. "May I come in?"

"Click!"

Gao Mo opened the door abruptly, his smiling white mask appearing like a phantom in the door gap.

"Um," Takahashi wiped away cold sweat and handed over a stack of scripts. "I've brought you the script. Take a look..."

Gao Mo took the script, pointed to his throat, and grabbed a pen and paper to write: *My throat is uncomfortable; I cannot speak.*

"That's fine," Takahashi said, stunned for a moment before smiling. "The 'Bandaged Monster' doesn't have any lines anyway. You just need to focus on your physical performance—the more realistic and terrifying, the better."

...

Takahashi glanced at the white mask on Gao Mo's face. "Teacher Rinzaburo, do you think... maybe bandages would be more appropriate? Since we're filming the legend of the Bandaged Monster..."

Gao Mo looked up calmly, and before he could respond, he saw the fat man wiping sweat again.

"Of course, if you prefer the mask, that's fine too," Takahashi said with a dry laugh, backing away. "Ayako is still preparing dinner, which will likely take some time. Would you like me to bring you some dessert first?"

Gao Mo wrote on the paper: *Sure, and if possible, two cold colas.*

"O-okay."

Takahashi scratched the back of his head and headed downstairs. "I'll come get you when we officially start filming..."

...

In the dining room, Ran and Sonoko were helping Ayako Suzuki in the kitchen, and the handsome long-haired man had taken an umbrella into the woods, saying he would bring the other two back. Only Conan remained, bored, slumped over a chair and fiddling with the camera left behind by the man with the center-parted hair.

The footage happened to be playing the part where Gao Mo was filmed earlier. He turned his head and saw Takahashi the stout man heading upstairs with some snacks and two bottles of cola.

"Brother Takahashi," Conan called out curiously, "is Mr. Rinzaburo really not coming down?"

"Yeah, the teacher said he wanted to rest quietly by himself and told us not to disturb him," Takahashi advised. "Little brother, if you want to rest, you can go to my room."

"Oh."

Conan curled his lip, wanting to retort. No one even knew who he was, yet they were already calling him "Teacher." He had never heard of a famous actor named "Rinzaburo."

"Oh, right," Takahashi said, noticing Ran and Sonoko coming out of the kitchen. He suddenly asked, "I'm going to repair the roof in a bit. Could you help me, Miss Ran, by taking a look outside? I'm worried the props set up in the woods might be damaged by the rain."

"Now?" Ran hesitated, looking outside. She was terrified of thunder.

"Yeah," Takahashi sighed, looking troubled. "I don't know where Ota and those guys ran off to. None of them are reliable."

"It's okay, Ran, just think of it as a walk in the rain," Sonoko said with a mischievous smile, linking her arm through Ran's. "Besides, since that jerk Shinichi doesn't want you, we'll just be a pair ourselves."

"What silly things are you saying, Sonoko?"

"Sigh, I wanted a romantic encounter amidst the beauty of nature, but none of my sister's classmates are very reliable. I guess I'm left with only you, Ran..."

"Hehe!"

Conan twitched his lip as he followed them. When did he ever say he didn't want Ran?