A hush fell over the crowd after the voice from the loudspeaker finished speaking. If the person's identity hadn't been revealed, with that mask and a big megaphone, they might have actually created a terrifying atmosphere. But now, with the head chopped off by Fujino's swift strike, leaving only the megaphone broadcasting... Honestly, it had a touch of abstract art, and it was a bit comical.
However, what surprised them the most was undoubtedly Fujino. To immediately discover it was a dummy upon entering and then strike it with a wooden sword would require judgment and perception far beyond ordinary people. Of course, no one thought that Fujino had brought a prophet with him or that he just attacked the dummy because he found it annoying.
Shukuzen Oogami remained silent, biting his thumb. A perfectly good pre-dinner threat, "The Last Supper," had been completely ruined. He was furious. If there weren't other people present, he would have loved to go back to his room and use the handgun he'd prepared under his pillow to kill Fujino.
"Indeed, there's no signal." Fujino pulled out his phone and checked it, then, with a strange expression, he subtly threw a jab at the phantom thief in their midst. "Could that old man Kid have blown up the signal tower?"
"If it's him... I think it's possible. After all, he tried to blow up a power substation last time," Conan nodded gravely, agreeing with Fujino's guess.
"..." Kaito Kuroba was speechless. That little kid was one thing, but Fujino, you old man, why are you slandering me too?
"The Last Supper... Is this guy trying to kill people? Who the heck is behind this?" Kaito Kuroba felt it wasn't good to continue this topic, so he changed the subject.
"Oh? The famous Sleeping Kogoro Mouri came to a banquet without even knowing who invited him?" Ikumi Sugita crossed her arms, turning her gaze to 'Kogoro Mouri,' her tone somewhat surprised. "The invitation should have stated it clearly, right? 'Forsaken by God, Phantom's Child.'"
"Huh?" Kaito Kuroba naturally knew the name on the invitation was his. But when he asked "who the heck," he was referring to the mastermind. It was a double entendre, and it seemed he had been misunderstood as not having figured out the cipher on the invitation.
Immediately after, the detectives present all put on serious expressions, using very clever methods to decipher the signature on the予告状 (notice of予告状) into "KID," meaning Kaito Kid. Kaito Kuroba didn't quite understand how these detectives' thought processes could be so in sync with his, but upon closer inspection, he felt a little annoyed. These famous detectives were so good at solving ciphers, so why couldn't they see that he was just a scapegoat?
Only Fujino understood him! At least after figuring out the cipher, he immediately called him out. On second thought, Kaito Kuroba felt good about himself again. So many detectives had come because of his name. Just as Fujino said, he felt a strange sense of pride.
"Hmm?" Conan suddenly frowned, feeling something was off. Just now, he had suddenly caught a whiff of Kaito Kid... Although the scent was very faint, it couldn't be wrong! Thinking this, he looked up and surveyed the people around him, his eyes sharpening as if he were ready to face the world. "Today, you've fallen into a den of detectives. I don't believe I can't catch you now."
However, when his gaze landed on Fujino, Conan's thoughts drifted again. This feeling, though he'd had it before, was particularly strong today. Was it the detective's intuition that Fujino had mentioned? "Hmm, as expected, I'm a talented detective too," Conan thought to himself.
Fujino: "?" He naturally noticed Conan's gaze. He just couldn't understand what this kid wanted. Why did that little look somehow feel like, "I'm super awesome, praise me"?
"It seems Kaito Kid wants to hold a competition here." At this point, Shukuzen Oogami suddenly spoke. Although the plan had been derailed by Fujino's strike, it wasn't completely irredeemable. So, he steered the conversation. "In my opinion, he definitely wants to make a life-or-death gamble with us detectives using the priceless treasures he's stolen throughout his life!"
Kaito Kuroba: "???" Priceless treasures stolen throughout his life? Most of the things he, a Kaito from the 'Dou' generation, stole were returned to their rightful owners, okay? Sometimes he even got lectured by that Fujino guy... When did he steal priceless treasures? How am I so amazing and I didn't even know it? Careful, I'll sue you for slander!
"A tape recorder, a megaphone, and this mansion is also equipped with many hidden cameras." Ikumi Sugita seemed extremely calm, looking around with a hint of amusement. "If you ask me, that guy is definitely watching us from somewhere in this mansion, right?"
Thump, thump, thump!
A knocking sound broke the heavy atmosphere in the dining room. Ikumi Sugita turned to see a maid pushing a dining cart into the room, chuckling softly. "It seems the so-called 'Last Supper' is about to begin."
The maid, ever dutiful, placed the plates one by one on the designated seats and introduced them. "Tonight's appetizer is foie gras pie with chopped matsutake mushrooms. Please enjoy."
Senjuro Kyodai glanced at the foie gras pie on the table. "Miss Maid, judging by the way you're arranging the plates, could the serving order also be part of your master's plan?"
"Yes, he instructed me to place them in a clockwise order, starting with Mr. Hakuba," Akki Ishihara replied.
"What a frightening game." Senjuro Kyodai's expression didn't change. "It's only just begun, and we're already having the 'Last Supper'."
"Hahaha, don't worry too much," Shukuzen Oogami chuckled awkwardly. "All the dishes here were made by me. If you're worried about poison, there's no need. I'll definitely be the first to eat the food. If it were poisoned, I'd already be dead."
"I don't think so," Hakuba Saguru glanced at the tableware set on the table. "Whether it's the forks, plates, coffee cups, or wine glasses, they were all prepared in advance." Saying this, he walked over and picked up a name tag from the table. "Although Kaito Kid is unlikely to kill anyone, he might play some cliché jokes to test us." Putting the name tag down, he suggested, "I think it's safer if we wipe the utensils with a handkerchief first."
"Hmm, I think wiping them is a good idea too," Fujino agreed, joining in with a well-aimed backstab of endorsement. "Kaito Kid has always been unscrupulous, even peeping... there's no telling what unknown substance he might have smeared on the utensils to prank us."
The surrounding detectives all nodded in agreement, believing that what Fujino and Hakuba said made perfect sense.
Kaito Kuroba: "..." Kaito Kid has always been unscrupulous. You little... You're making up rhymes now, huh?! Damn it, Hakuba, you don't trust me, that's one thing, but Fujino, why are you kicking me when I'm down too?!
Fujino naturally noticed Kaito's pitiful, somewhat resentful and wronged little gaze. Even though they were allies, he was currently 'Old Man Mouri'... "Just endure it, little brother."
However, Fujino didn't intend to completely backstab Kaito. After a moment's thought, he continued, "As detectives, it's always wrong to judge with preconceived notions. We should maintain an attitude of questioning everything when looking at a case. As things stand now, we all assume Kaito Kid invited us, but what if he didn't?"
"You mean someone is impersonating him?" Ikumi Sugita frowned, thinking this young man wasn't simple. Her gaze at Fujino became serious. "If that's the case, and the person who invited us uses phrases like 'The Last Supper,' then if they poison the utensils, we might all die."
'I see!' Kaito Kuroba was stunned when he heard this, and immediately understood! So, he was helping me after all... Indeed, even he didn't know who was using his identity to do things. Now that everyone unanimously believed he was the host, they would definitely lower their guard. If there really was poison on the utensils, everyone would likely be in serious trouble.
"That's right," Mogi Haruomi nodded, agreeing with everyone's opinion, and then suggested, "How about this? We'll play rock-paper-scissors to switch seats. To be honest, I don't want to be made a fool of by some scoundrel who won't even reveal their face."
"Hey..." Kaito Kuroba looked at him. "What if someone gets unlucky and gets poisoned?" To be honest, he also had some doubts. After all, the mastermind this time wasn't him. If someone actually died due to poisoning, that was something he didn't want to see happen.
"Then you accept your fate," Mogi Haruomi said nonchalantly. "If your luck's bad, you'll just have to complain from your coffin."
"Luck, huh?" Fujino subtly glanced at Mogi Haruomi. When it came to luck, Ran, Conan, Old Man Mouri, and even Hakuba Saguru and Kaito were practically invincible. Forget getting poisoned; even if all three of the background characters got poisoned, those main characters probably wouldn't. After all, they were the chosen ones of Old Man Aoyama.
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