BWDC:SDDK Chapter 75: Dreaming Back to Moon Shadow Island
Benika Seaside Hotel, Lobby.
Okano Rika, the star of the upcoming celebration, spoke with utter indifference.
"A threatening letter? I couldn't care less about something like that."
"It's probably just a prank by someone jealous of my talent, don't you think?"
"Alright, Midori, if you want to investigate, go ahead. I need to practice my flower arrangement. Don't disturb me unless it's important—just call me when the performance is about to start!"
As the target of a death threat, Okano Rika displayed a total lack of concern as she headed backstage. This casual disregard for her own life left Mouri Kogoro and Mouri Ran, long-time residents of Beika Town, staring at each other in disbelief.
Was she always this brave?
Or did she honestly think the citizens of Beika Town were afraid to kill?
What a joke. The people of Beika don't go looking for trouble, but they aren't afraid of it either—and when they do snap, they have plenty of strength and methods to get the job done!
"...Um, shall we put these on first?"
Ozaki Midori was powerless against Okano Rika's arrogance. She was merely an assistant; her words carried little weight and she couldn't change Rika's mind. To shift the subject, Midori reached into a nearby cooler and pulled out several frozen flowers.
She pinned the flowers to the chests of Mouri Kogoro, Mouri Ran, and Conan like brooches.
However, Kogoro felt a flicker of doubt.
These flowers were all tightly closed buds. Why would this flower arrangement convention use unblossomed flowers as identification for the guests? Could they not afford better flowers? That didn't seem right.
Buying this many buds and specifically trimming them was likely more expensive than buying flowers already in bloom.
Conan's attention, however, wasn't on the flowers at all.
His eyes scanned the crowd, darting left and right, until he finally locked onto his target.
"...Actually, I received that threatening letter three days ago."
"But Miss Okano never took it seriously. I had no choice but to ask Detective Mouri to come and help investigate... Look, this is the letter."
Midori's voice sounded in his ear, but Conan only glanced back briefly at the contents of the letter before walking away without a word.
Ran and Kogoro didn't notice Conan leaving. They were focused on the letter, somewhat surprised by its message.
[The Flower of Death shall bloom at the Benika Seaside Hotel.]
Every character had clearly been cut out from various posters and pasted onto the paper, making it impossible to determine the sender's handwriting. The intent, however, was crystal clear.
A gruesome murder was planned for the Benika Seaside Hotel.
"Mm-hmm, I see, I see."
"Don't you worry, Miss Ozaki. Leave this matter to me, the Great Detective Mouri Kogoro!"
Kogoro spoke boastfully, followed by his signature boisterous laughter.
The surrounding guests cast strange, judgmental looks his way. If the guests were to grade Kogoro on a scale of one to a hundred, he would likely be sitting at a negative one hundred. His behavior and way of speaking were completely out of sync with the sophisticated atmosphere.
Embarrassed, Ran nudged Kogoro.
It was only then that Kogoro realized the atmosphere was a bit off. He straightened his posture and prepared to look around, only to realize the brat who was just beside him had vanished.
Kogoro's eyes widened.
What? Was that kid Conan running around again in a place where a murder was about to happen?
"Ren Ichimonji, what are you holding?"
Conan quickly approached Ren and questioned him. He was curious why Ren hadn't been kicked out like he usually was, but he knew now wasn't the time to ask.
Instead, Conan focused on the canister Ren was holding.
The canister was entirely white. It had no labels, only a safety switch and a nozzle. It looked a lot like a small fire extinguisher.
"...Liquid fluorine."
Ren Ichimonji set the canister back down on the floor. He glanced at Conan before speaking.
"All the flowers here—including that bud you're wearing."
"In reality, they've all been frozen with liquid fluorine by Ozaki Midori and Okano Rika. These flowers won't return to their original blooming state until the liquid fluorine warms to room temperature."
Conan was stunned.
You've already figured that out? That was fast!
For the first time, Conan felt like he was being "carried" to a win. However, he quickly shook the thought from his head and refocused.
"No, that's not what I'm asking."
"Ren, why are you focusing on liquid fluorine and this 'avant-garde' floral technique? Does this have a direct connection to the murder you think is going to happen?"
Conan got straight to the point. Ren gave a firm nod.
"I found cyanide and chloroform."
"Someone wants to drip cyanide and chloroform into the center of the flowers, then use liquid fluorine to freeze them. This ensures the chemicals won't evaporate until someone touches the flower and thaws it out, achieving the culprit's goal."
Cyanide?
Conan's eyes narrowed. That was a very common and effective poison in Beika Town. Countless "heroes" of Beika had fallen to it; he even remembered one of Miyano Akemi's accomplices dying of cyanide poisoning in a hotel.
Someone was dripping cyanide onto flowers and then freezing them?
"That's extremely dangerous."
"To make cyanide lethal immediately upon evaporation, you'd need a significant amount. If a flower like that exists, then once it evaporates..."
Conan glanced at the door to the backstage area. He pointed toward the room.
"It could likely cause everyone within the range of that room to die of poisoning instantly!"
Using such a method to kill meant the culprit wasn't just any ordinary criminal. They had to strike hard and fast.
"Ren, since you've already found the cyanide and chloroform, you must have an idea of who the culprit is, right?"
"Who is it? Who would do something so malicious?"
Conan asked urgently. Then, he followed Ren's gaze... toward Ozaki Midori, who was currently explaining the hotel's layout to Mouri Kogoro.
Conan's expression turned into a mask of confusion.
That... that can't be right?
How could the person planning to commit the crime be Ozaki Midori? If she was the killer, why would she invite Uncle Mouri here to investigate the threatening letter?
Was she inviting Mouri Kogoro just to catch herself? Or was this some kind of abstract performance art?
Conan's eyes narrowed further.
Scenes from Moon Shadow Island flashed before his eyes.
Or... did she simply hope that someone would be there to stop her before she made a terrible mistake?
End of Chapter
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