Chapter 37: Ran the Fangirl

"Officer! What exactly happened with Tatsuya Kimura's murder?"

"Was it because of a romantic dispute?"

"Officer..."

The news broadcast cut to the scene of the press conference, and the clamor instantly filled the living room. Inspector Megure’s stern yet comical, round face appeared on screen. It seemed to be his first time facing such a chaotic scene, and his report on the case came across as quite flustered—even the near-extermination of the Hatamoto family hadn't caused this much of a stir.

"According to our current investigation and deductions..."

The press conference did not last long. In the interspersed footage of the case, the female agent could be seen breaking down in tears as the police led her away. The specific details gradually matched Gao Mo’s memories. Love turning into hate... misunderstandings... attempting to deceive the police with a poisoned murder and a manufactured alibi...

What kind of person loves to the point of murder? And to go as far as meticulously designing a poisoning scheme—that was certainly not something that could be explained away as a "misunderstanding." Gao Mo felt that this world was simply too surreal. Thinking of his own pathological fan, Aya Matsumoto, only made his mood worse. He suspected that both Anzai and Aya Matsumoto had been involved in what happened to him back then, even if the "Green Tea Guide" hadn't mentioned it.

...

The television began replaying footage of Tatsuya Kimura performing his signature songs, and Gao Mo’s thoughts fluctuated along with them. Looking at the young singer performing with such passion on screen, he couldn't help but think of himself. In a way, he was actually worse off; there was no misunderstanding at all, just a completely unprovoked disaster. And his method of "death" hadn't been so direct...

"Ding-dong!"

Just as he was preparing to go out for a run to clear his head, someone rang the doorbell. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Ran Mouri’s crisp, petite figure—with Conan, the permanent attachment, trailing behind her, of course.

Gao Mo was surprised. "You two are..."

Perhaps only after seeing this pair could he believe in love in the world of Conan. In a world like this, Ran's willingness to keep believing and waiting for Shinichi Kudo was as precious as a pearl.

"Mr. Kido, my father asked us to deliver a letter to you."

Ran looked around, stealing a few glances into the room while Gao Mo held the door. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen luxury apartments before, but she was still curious about what an idol's room looked like. Nothing special, just clean...

Conan pulled a long face and nudged the disappointed Ran with his elbow.

"Oh, right," Ran realized, her face flushing bright red as she handed over a letter. "It’s from Miss Natsue, sent from Hokkaido. It seems she’s settled down there... She said she lost your contact information, so she sent it to my father along with a package."

"Miss Natsue, huh."

Gao Mo was slightly surprised. He had only sent the final payment a few days ago; had she already lost touch with him? That was fine; he didn't want to get too involved with the Hatamoto family anyway. He tore it open to take a look. It was just a standard greeting letter, accompanied by a photo of her and her husband, Takehiko, in Hokkaido.

"The fan-organized activities are still expanding. We hope that Tatsuya Kimura, now in heaven, can..." the TV news continued to report.

"No way? Tatsuya is dead?" Ran saw the screen and looked as if she had been struck by lightning, standing frozen outside the door in a daze. "I just got his autograph with Sonoko a few days ago. How could this..."

"It seems it happened last night," Gao Mo glanced at Conan. "Weren't you two there?"

"Why would we be there?" Conan felt it was inexplicable. "We didn't even know about that private gathering, and even if we did, we couldn't have gone. They definitely rented the place out... Besides, Ran won a travel voucher, and we only just got back yesterday."

So it wasn't Conan who solved the case. Gao Mo turned back to the TV news. With Inspector Megure’s team, any slight trickery would drag the investigation on for ages, and they might even end up concluding it was a suicide... Had another detective stepped in?

"By the way," Conan leaned in and whispered to Gao Mo, "that Miss Sonoko who was with us, she keeps saying she wants to see you. I had a hard time bluffing my way through it... Be careful, that girl has a big mouth; she might end up telling everyone."

"It's fine."

Gao Mo resisted the urge to ruffle Conan’s hair. He wasn't someone who couldn't be seen in public. Unless Sonoko got the idea to make him famous again, that would be the only real trouble. But given that young lady's personality, she shouldn't do something so tedious—assuming her character design in this world hadn't changed.

"Fans will hold a memorial next month... The final concert of the band Rex..."

The screen had already switched to the final fan farewell scene. Gao Mo sighed and invited Ran and Conan inside. Unlike a popular idol like Tatsuya Kimura, when he "died," no one asked, and his body might not have been discovered for days. Afterward, it would probably only elicit a few sighs.

"Waaah!"

After Ran learned the full details of the case, she became a tear-filled mess, constantly pulling tissues from the coffee table. "Why did something like this have to happen? If only there hadn't been a misunderstanding..."

"Would you like something to drink? I only have cola and water."

Gao Mo didn't respond. Even if there hadn't been a misunderstanding, what then? Tatsuya Kimura was fated to die. His own situation was, after all, an exception; not everyone could escape the Grim Reaper’s list. And right now, he was barely able to protect himself, all while having to deal with various murder cases.

"Do you have guests?" Rei Furuya appeared at the door wearing an apron, smiling as he held a tray of fresh desserts. "I just happened to make some food; I’d love to get your opinion on it."

This guy again.

Gao Mo had just taken out a few colas when he turned to see Rei Furuya already chatting with Ran about cooking tips. He certainly knew how to divert attention when dealing with young girls.

"Who is this guy?" Conan asked, looking suspicious while standing next to Gao Mo. He couldn't quite figure out what Rei Furuya's profession was.

"A neighbor," Gao Mo replied casually. "Met him during that apartment case. He's a very capable person, so don't go messing around in front of him."

He didn't explain Furuya’s true identity, fearing that Conan might do something reckless and get him dragged into it.

"I thought you didn't drink?" Conan noticed a large pile of beer in the refrigerator. This kid was always so sharp.

"I don't drink anymore," Gao Mo said, finding a reusable bag. "Take these back to your uncle later; they're just going to waste here."

...

Ran and Conan didn't stay long. After eating Furuya’s cooking, they left with the beer. Furuya also tactfully returned to his own home—it felt like he was always free whenever they met. Didn't the Black Organization have any missions for him? In his memory, another organization operative, "Gin," was always incredibly busy, handling everything, big or small.

"Whoosh!"

Gao Mo habitually activated his Eagle Vision, his eyes flickering with a faint glow as he scanned the room for anything out of place. The Public Security officers here operated on the gray fringes, nothing like the police under Megure, and he really couldn't trust them—even if the person was Rei Furuya.

"Nothing."

After a full sweep, Gao Mo let out a breath and deactivated his supernatural ability. Regardless of what Furuya was planning, he could at least be a friend for now.

Locking the door, Gao Mo planned to head to the Body Improvement Club for today's running training. According to Eizan, in a few more days, he would be able to start specialized strength training. He didn't want to become a muscle-bound freak like Eizan, but he was quite thirsty for power. Just thinking of Director Ochiai gave him an instant surge of motivation.

"Mr. Kido!"

Downstairs, the building manager called out to him. "You have another package, it looks like the one from last time."

"Last time?"

Gao Mo went to the mailroom and found that the sender wasn't the old butler, but was signed "Ayako Suzuki."

This... wasn't this Sonoko Suzuki's sister? The real eldest daughter of the Suzuki family.