Chapter 9: It Has Arrived

The elevator continued its ascent, soon leaving only Gao Mo and the mustachioed man inside. An awkward silence settled between them.

Watching the floor indicator, the mustachioed man couldn't hold back his curiosity for long. "So, tell me, how much is the commission, exactly? Nothing big, just a little curious."

"That depends on what the client is willing to pay."

"Uh... which floor does Yoko live on?"

"Twenty-fifth. Room 2501."

Gao Mo kept his eyes fixed on the elevator floor display, unable to focus on anything else. Ever since the realization that this might be a suicide case, a strange sensation had gripped him—a feeling that something was unfolding right before him. As they drew closer to Yoko’s floor, that feeling intensified.

"Whoosh!"

"Here it is."

The dimming lights, the hum of the elevator, the flickering numbers, the chime every time the doors opened... Gao Mo’s "Eagle Eye" vision observed his surroundings passively. Having already been through two cases, his senses were heightened to an extreme degree. It felt as if that intangible, monstrous thing was right here in the building. An invisible Grim Reaper.

Gao Mo’s face looked pale in the flickering elevator light. He turned his head, but beside him, Kogoro Mouri was busy stroking his mustache, seemingly oblivious, his mind entirely occupied with how he would gain entry to Yoko Okino’s apartment.

"We’re here!"

As the elevator stopped on the twenty-fifth floor, Mouri rushed out impatiently. Gao Mo stepped out with heavy footsteps, exhaling softly, and suddenly, the eerie sensation vanished, as if he had crossed the border between two worlds.

*Is it gone?*

"Ah—!"

A woman’s scream in the hallway startled Gao Mo. A young woman wearing sunglasses burst out of a doorway, shoved past Mouri, and dove into the elevator, frantically mashing the "close door" button. Through the narrowing gap, he caught a glimpse of a beautiful face twisted in terror. At first glance, she looked just like Yoko.

"What the hell?"

Mouri cursed, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the wall. Upon discovering that the open door belonged to room 2501, his irritation vanished, replaced by sheer delight. "It’s open... it’s Miss Yoko’s room!"

"Wait..."

Gao Mo tried to stop him, but it was too late. Still, he felt no trace of that strange, ominous presence.

"Hey! Who are you?" Mouri shouted from inside, his voice filled with shock and anger.

"I should be asking you that! Who are you?!"

A chubby young man with a round face stood in the living room, brandishing a kitchen knife and facing Mouri with a face full of fury.

"What is your relationship with Yoko?!"

"I get it now! You’re that stalker, aren't you? Can't believe you actually broke into Yoko’s home!"

The mustachioed man sneered, shifting into a judo stance, his expression serious and focused. "Listen closely! I am the famous detective hired by Miss Yoko—Kogoro Mouri! If you know what’s good for you, surrender immediately!"

"De-detective?" The chubby young man stared blankly, his voice choked with despair. "Does she hate me that much? No wonder she wouldn't listen to a word I said earlier..."

"The woman from before wasn't Yoko. That was Yuko Ikezawa, an actress who debuted at the same time as Yoko," Gao Mo noted, stepping into the apartment and standing behind Mouri to study the young man.

Don't let the mustachioed man's usual incompetence fool you; his combat prowess was far superior to his own—a former idol who had suffered from physical weakness. Especially when he was serious.

"And who are you?" The young man gripped the knife tighter, his face contorting when he recognized Gao Mo. "Kido Gao Mo? I see... so Yoko fell for you!"

Years ago, before his popularity faded, Gao Mo had been a successful idol who had supported Yoko. Having followed her career closely, the young man had been deeply affected by this. A wave of bitter betrayal washed over him, and his face hardened as he prepared to draw the knife across his own throat. He had lost his job, and now, his only solace—his first love, Yoko—was gone forever. He would die here, using his own blood to make Yoko regret this for the rest of her life.

"I loved her so much... this is all your fault!"

"Whoosh!"

Gao Mo’s eyes narrowed sharply. He didn't even remember the name of this bit-part character, but he recalled the "love turned to hate" motive for the suicide case. In the original story, he seemed to have mistaken Yuko Ikezawa for Yoko Okino, and the ensuing conflict had pushed him to the edge.

*Is he crazy?*

How would a professional negotiator handle this? He remembered seeing something similar in a TV drama, but that was just a script...

*Forget it, no time for that!*

"Don't flatter yourself! What Yoko likes has nothing to do with you!" Gao Mo quickly adopted a role, his level-one acting skill lending a sharp edge to his voice as he interrupted the young man. "You call this love for Yoko?!"

"Hey, kid," Mouri whispered, startled, "don't antagonize him, let me handle this!" *Damn it, this isn't a play, someone could actually get killed here...*

"I do love Yoko!" The young man hesitated, glaring at Gao Mo. "I love her!"

"You call this love?" Gao Mo said coldly, holding up the phone to show a call was connected to Yoko. "You’re trying to destroy her!"

"What do you know? I..."

"Answer me! Do you really love Yoko?"

"I..."

The young man was stunned by the calm, relentless questioning. It hit him like a heavy hammer. After a brief mental blank, he recalled the happy times he and Yoko had shared in high school. "Of course I love Yoko, but..."

"Now!"

Gao Mo shoved Mouri. The mustachioed man, though momentarily dazed, reacted instantly, lunging forward to snatch the knife and pinning the young man to the floor with a practiced judo hold.

"Still making excuses! How can you claim to love her and do something like this?" Mouri was livid, a wave of lingering fear washing over him. His beloved Miss Yoko had almost been destroyed by someone like this. Thinking of the danger, he pressed down harder. "Look at yourself! Is there anything about you worth her liking? Wake up, you arrogant fool!"

With his chubby face pressed against the floor, the young man struggled in vain, tears streaming from his eyes. "Waaaah! I couldn't help it! Back then, her agent came to me, and to keep from ruining her debut, I broke up with her on purpose. But I could never forget her. I’ve been in so much pain every day. I didn't care about anything anymore... even if I had to ruin her career, I just wanted her back... but Yoko... she wouldn't even talk to me. She even moved here to hide from me. I came here today just hoping to clear up the misunderstanding, or I couldn't go on living anymore, boo-hoo..."

Gao Mo stepped forward, speechless. Why were the thought processes of people in the Conan world so bizarre? He’d encountered nothing but this since his rebirth.

"Here." Gao Mo held the phone, with Yoko still on the line, to the young man's ear. He had originally intended to have Yoko persuade him, fearing the mustachioed man might mess up, but it wasn't needed anymore.

"Is that you, Masayoshi?" Yoko’s voice was choked with emotion. "I’m sorry. I had no idea. My agent told me everything—it really was his arrangement back then... I’m so sorry you’ve been in so much pain..."

"Yoko!" The young man wept even harder, but these were tears of relief. He leaned toward the phone, his resentment and grief evaporating the moment he heard her voice. He had so much he wanted to say. "It was my fault, Yoko! I didn't want to destroy you. I just wanted to talk to you, to let you know how I felt... This is enough. You’re still the same Yoko. Work hard, I’ll be in the audience supporting you always!"

Gao Mo and Mouri exchanged a look, silently agreeing to drop any thought of calling the police. Well, it was a happy ending. At least no one got hurt.

...

Not long after, Yoko’s agent, Eiichi Yamagishi, rushed into the apartment, looking visibly shaken as he approached Mouri.

"You must be Mr. Mouri? Thank you so much!"

Yamagishi saw the young man talking happily to Yoko inside and shook Mouri’s hands with gratitude, as if meeting a life savior. He had actually been planning to find this budding detective, never expecting Yoko to have already hired him. It was fortunate that he did; otherwise, he couldn't imagine the scandal if an ex-boyfriend had died in Yoko’s apartment.

"Thank you truly! As expected of the famous Mr. Kogoro Mouri!"

Yamagishi wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled a thick envelope from his briefcase. "This is the commission fee, a small token of my appreciation."

"How much?" Mouri’s eyes widened as he took the envelope. He took a quick glance inside—it was mostly 1,000-yen bills. Based on his experience, there was at least 150,000 yen here. In the past, he’d rarely made more than 50,000 yen for finding lost pets, and while affair investigations paid better—ranging from 50,000 to 200,000—those were rare. Without business, his agency had been on the brink of collapse; it was only recently that he’d made a decent profit from finding a businessman’s daughter. 150,000 yen...

"It’s 300,000 in total," Yamagishi continued, wiping his brow again. "A little extra from me... but, about what happened here... could you please keep it quiet? It wouldn't be good for Yoko if this were exposed."

"What? 3-300,000?!"