After someone had just faked their death, this second incident didn't quite stir the crowd. There was no initial panic; everyone just assumed this Sukezane Ogami was pulling a prank, just like Haruka Mogi. After all, faking a distress signal to gather forces—like the story of "Beacon Fires for the Princes"—played out the same way, no matter the context.
"Hey, old man, don't play these kinds of tricks," Haruka Mogi said, clearly annoyed, walking over and poking Sukezane Ogami. "I've already used all those jokes; it's just not fun anymore."
Fujino: "Uh..."
Did he really think everyone enjoyed playing those pointless pranks as much as him? This guy clearly panicked, started biting his nails, and then accidentally poisoned himself in his excitement.
Fujino sighed, walked over to take a look, then shook his head. "This time, it looks like it's for real. This old fat guy really kicked the bucket."
"Huh?" Haruka Mogi froze, clearly not expecting an actual death.
Hakuba, however, was quick to act. He raised his watch and checked the time. "Twenty-two thirty-four."
"The cause of death is potassium cyanide poisoning," Fujino said, sniffing with a look of distaste. "A strong almond smell. A classic performance."
Hearing this, everyone present was slightly stunned. They had initially thought it was just an act. But judging by Fujino's and Hakuba's expressions, it seemed someone had genuinely died. Moreover, Fujino had accurately identified the poison. Clearly, the person was truly dead, beyond any doubt.
Kaito Kid's expression subtly hardened, and his mood suddenly grew heavy.
Ikumi Uchida also came closer, examining Sukezane Ogami's body. She shook her head. "No pulse, and the almond smell... He was indeed poisoned by potassium cyanide."
Haruka Mogi looked startled and turned to glance at the teacup on the table. "Could the tea have been poisoned?"
"The black tea shows no reaction..." Miyoji Sengoku placed a coin in the black tea, stating, "It seems the black tea isn't the cause."
"It seems the die has been cast!" the dummy with only a head remaining declared. "To repay Detective Ogami for risking his life and making the start of this competition even more exciting, please do your best to find the treasure!"
"It accurately stated his death... even though it's just a recording," Hakuba murmured, looking at the loudspeaker on the dummy's head with a slight frown. He turned to the maid and asked, "Were the serving times determined in advance?"
"Y-yes..." The maid was flustered. She couldn't believe someone had actually died in the mansion. She stammered, "From the appetizers to the soup, then the main course, and the tea and dessert—it was all pre-arranged by the owner."
Conan stood to the side, staring at Sukezane Ogami's body, deep in thought. After a moment, he said solemnly, "It seems the killer was targeting Mr. Ogami from the start. The culprit is probably still among us!"
Everyone looked at Conan, clearly drawn in by his words. Fujino narrowed his eyes, feeling that Conan was about to steal the spotlight again. And to do it in front of so many detectives...
"Kid, aren't you afraid of exposing your identity?"
But then again, this kid always forgot about his identity and the risks it posed to those around him whenever a case came up. If it weren't for Gosho Aoyama's plot armor, he'd probably be long dead.
"The killer is among us?" Kaito Kid, disguised as Kogoro Mouri, turned to look at Conan, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Though he didn't know what kind of youth-rejuvenating drug had shrunk him, he was well aware that this kid, Conan, was Shinichi Kudo. However, he was puzzled by Conan's willingness to speak up in public like this.
"Because that recording was clearly set up in advance," Conan explained in his childlike voice. "That person could have recorded it beforehand, then eaten with us while listening to the tape..."
"Then the killer could have taken advantage of our distraction during dinner to somehow make Mr. Ogami drink the potassium cyanide and poison him." Hakuba picked up on Conan's train of thought, crouching down to examine the fresh corpse.
"How embarrassing..." Haruka Mogi clicked his tongue. "To kill a detective right in front of us, fellow detectives."
Ikumi Uchida pulled out two pairs of gloves from somewhere. "The problem is, no potassium cyanide was found in the black tea the victim drank, and the coin test also showed no reaction."
Kaito Kid silently watched the other detectives busy themselves. He had seen many detectives before, even watched detective shows to mimic them, so he had some understanding of crime scenes.
Thus, he curiously asked, "Could the poison have been placed on the rim of the cup?"
"Unlikely." Ikumi Uchida picked up the teacup and looked at it, recalling. "He barely took a few sips of tea just now; there's still a lot left in here... If it were on the rim, it wouldn't have been enough to kill him like this."
Ran stood on the periphery, having not dared to interject. She had witnessed many crime scenes, but this was her first time seeing so many detectives present.
However, after a moment's thought, she grew curious. She couldn't help but ask, "It was Phantom Thief Kid who invited us here today. Is he really the killer? I heard he doesn't kill people..."
"To my knowledge, that's true," Hakuba replied. Besides Fujino, he was the only one present with a deeper 'acquaintance' with Phantom Thief Kid. He, too, seemed puzzled. "This is the first time I've encountered a situation where Phantom Thief Kid seems to have killed someone."
"I say, the one who invited us here this time isn't Phantom Thief Kid at all," Fujino declared. "If it were Phantom Thief Kid, he wouldn't bother inviting a bunch of detectives like this. From what I know, he's only interested in jewels, and in the past few years since his return, he hasn't stolen any other treasures. Even when something is stolen, it's always recovered."
"Fujino, my boy, that's an excellent analysis!" Kaito Kid, mimicking Kogoro Mouri's voice, agreed wholeheartedly.
Yeah, it's not me at all! You all say it's like me, but this isn't me!
Conan glanced at Kogoro Mouri, feeling something was off about him today. He was still as clueless as ever, but his usual pervy vibe seemed a little subdued, and his expressions felt a bit unnatural. However, Conan didn't dwell on it. After all, Uncle Mouri had driven the entire way here. Fujino had also gone with him to the gas station midway, leaving no opportunity for Kaito Kid to make a move. Even if there was, a talent like Fujino would surely have noticed and used his special skill, [Wooden Sword], to take action.
Conan also sensed something was amiss. If the Phantom Thief Kid today was truly Kaito Kid, as Fujino suggested, he would have already tricked a large crowd into a museum for a grand spectacle.
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