"You okay?" Tsune asked, standing off to the side as the others headed to the living room. He glanced at Doi Takki, slumped on the stairs.
Say what you will, but this thief's acting skills were leagues above a certain detective who could only muster an "Ah-le-le."
Faced with a cooler full of fresh fish he hadn't dealt with yet, Doi managed to keep a straight face and even toss out a compliment.
"Cover for me later—I'm skipping dinner," Kid said, his voice weary as he spoke to the man beside him.
He had no idea how Tsune knew his weakness, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He had to dodge this mess at all costs.
Heh, that doctor guy even asked me for fish-cooking tips… what a demon.
"No problem—your dinner's mine then!" Tsune nodded eagerly.
Covering for him? Easy peasy.
"Deal," Kid muttered, grabbing the stair railing and dragging himself back upstairs.
Too much excitement. He needed to chill in his room for a bit.
Tsune turned and strolled into the living room.
The group was chatting about the two missing names on the meetup list.
"We're still waiting on the chatroom leader, EscapeKing, and ShadowMage," Tanaka Kikue said, holding the guest list.
"Huh? ShadowMage is coming too?" Sonoko's face lit up with surprise.
"What's up, Sonoko?" Ran, who'd never touched the chatroom, was curious about her reaction.
"That guy's always saying weird stuff like, 'I'm off to fly into the sky' or 'I can vanish without a trace.' Kinda creepy," Sonoko said, picturing ShadowMage as some spooky figure.
"I actually think ShadowMage's comments are pretty interesting," Tsune said, sitting at the table and eyeing the tea. He took a sip.
A magician without a bit of mystery? That's the boring kind.
Speaking of, where'd they take those fruits? And the snacks?
Ugh, he really wasn't a fan of these fancy afternoon teas. Reminded him of the rich housewives in Mihama Town, sipping tea and gossiping about cups for an hour without eating a thing.
"Interesting?" Sonoko blinked, and the rest of the chatroom crew turned to Tsune.
Clearly, they weren't exactly fans of ShadowMage.
"Tch." Hamano Toshiya, in his gray suit, turned his head with a scowl, visibly annoyed.
He and the chatroom leader, EscapeKing, often clashed with ShadowMage online, so he wasn't thrilled to hear Tsune defending him.
Dr. Agasa watched quietly, saying nothing.
Good thing you didn't mess with our repairman, he thought.
Tsune had once told him that EscapeKing and VanishingBarney (Hamano) were both loudmouths who'd get a good thrashing if he ever got the chance.
"Forget ShadowMage for now—does anyone have EscapeKing's number?" Kuroda Naoko, the bespectacled young woman, waved a hand at the group.
Aragi Yosuke stepped over to the living room phone with a smile, picking up the receiver. "I've got his number and real name."
As one of the main organizers and funders of the meetup, he'd already coordinated with the chatroom leader, exchanging real names and contact info.
He dialed. The phone rang once before switching to voicemail.
"Hello, this is Nishiyama. I'm not home right now. Please leave a message, and I'll get back to you soon. Thank you."
Aragi hung up, shaking his head at the group. "He's probably already on his way. How about this? Sugama and I will start prepping dinner. You all head to your rooms and change the bedsheets, sound good?"
"Got it!" the group agreed, preparing to head to their rooms.
"Oh, Mr. Aragi," Tsune called out, stopping him. "Doi Takki said he's starving, so could you whip up some extra food for him?"
"No problem!" Aragi nodded, heading to the kitchen with the quiet Sugama Kiyohiro in tow.
Judging by Doi's size, he'd need to make enough for a small army!
Upstairs, in Tsune and Dr. Agasa's room.
"Good thing ShadowMage didn't show," Dr. Agasa said. "Judging by Hamano's face when you mentioned him, it could've been trouble."
"Heh." Tsune chuckled, swapping out the bedsheets Aragi had prepared.
In a place like Mihama Town, you had to watch your step. Being an online troll was one thing—most people wouldn't track you down for a beating.
But in person? You'd get sliced.
"Speaking of, didn't Hamano and the chatroom leader start beefing with ShadowMage because of that magician, Harui Fuden, who died during an escape trick?" Dr. Agasa frowned, trying to recall.
He'd been in the magic enthusiasts' chatroom for a while now. About a month ago, Harui Fuden, Japan's so-called Escape King, had made a comeback to perform an escape trick despite his age. His stamina couldn't keep up, and he tragically died on stage.
Not long after, a user named ShadowMage joined the chatroom.
"Something like that," Tsune said, leaning against the bed with a nod.
That Tanaka Kikue lady wasn't the real DeceptiveChild. Before the accident a month ago, that username belonged to Harui Fuden.
As for ShadowMage, it didn't take a genius to guess who this newcomer was, always defending Harui Fuden's legacy.
That RedHerring guy came to this meetup to figure out why a dead man's name kept popping up in the chatroom.
Kid probably clocked Tanaka's identity the moment he saw her.
What this real magician would do next? Hard to say.
"Those comments were pretty harsh," Dr. Agasa shook his head with a sigh.
You'd think a chatroom full of magic enthusiasts would have some respect. A veteran magician dies in an accident, and normal people wouldn't mock him like that.
Meanwhile, in a car on the road back.
"Uncle, what am I supposed to do about dinner?" Conan asked, staring at Mouri with a deadpan expression.
I wanted to stay, but you dragged me out.
You'll take responsibility, right?
(End of Chapter)
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