By the time Tsuneo and the others entered the venue, the hall was practically packed to the rafters.
"Honestly, what took you guys so long?" Kazuha looked at the three of them speechlessly.
We left one after the other. Did your car break down halfway here or something?
"Well, want some?" Hattori lifted the bags in his hands.
Can't you tell by looking at all this stuff?
The performance time was approaching rapidly, and preparations were underway backstage.
"Ran, could you come here for a moment?"
"I want to discuss the opening lines with you," Dr. Araide, wearing glasses, called out from the side.
"Interesting." Tsuneo smiled and waved at Dr. Araide.
Hidden beneath that mask of human skin is quite a formidable actor.
"..." To maintain his persona, Dr. Araide smiled and nodded in response.
Vermouth couldn't shake the feeling that she had been pitied by this repairman...
Because of him, she had to call Inspector Megure every single day off to ask about Mrs. Araide's condition.
"Tsuneo-niisan, the Uncle should have saved seats for you guys. Right over there!" Sonoko pulled back the curtain and pointed out Maori Kogoro's location to the group.
"We'll head over then, Director," Tsuneo said with a smile.
"Okay! Just you wait and see!" Sonoko revealed her classic hands-on-hips laugh.
...
As the lights in the hall dimmed, the host began to introduce the program.
"Now performing, brought to you by Class 2-B: Tepid Love. Please enjoy the show!"
"Tepid Love..." Tsuneo couldn't help but repeat the name.
Just the title alone gave one the urge to flee. As expected of Sonoko.
Maori Kogoro was sitting upright with a solemn expression, looking somewhat nervous.
The curtains slowly parted, revealing the pre-arranged set. Ran, dressed in a princess's long gown, stood at the window of a castle and began her lines.
"O omniscient and omnipotent Zeus, why must you treat a wretched woman such as I in this manner? Do you truly intend for me to wrong myself and sacrifice my life in this hopeless marriage?"
Having practiced for so long, there were no mishaps with the lines.
"Good! Well acted! Well acted!" Maori Kogoro shouted. At the same time, he rubbed his head and boasted to the person next to him, "That's my daughter!"
It was a typical reaction for an old father seeing a different side of his daughter.
However, Kazuha, who was sitting next to him, was practically sitting on pins and needles.
Everyone is looking over here and laughing. I kind of want to run away...
Soon, Ran's monologue on stage ended, and the scene shifted for the first act. It depicted the convoy escorting the princess to her arranged marriage being intercepted by hijackers from another kingdom.
"Who are you people? Do you not know that this is the carriage of Princess Hart of the Principality of Puli?!" The guard, holding a long sword, questioned the people blocking the road.
"Of course we know. We are under orders to take the Princess's life. That way, this marriage alliance will be destroyed!"
"For our Empire, it is best if your two families continue to bicker endlessly as you did before!"
The student playing the villain thoughtfully explained the purpose of their trip to the audience.
Tsuneo couldn't help but clap his hands.
Are these three villainous soldiers from Class 2-B?
They're actually quite skilled. They're exactly like the disposable villain minions in a drama series.
The villainous soldiers dispatched the convoy guards in a few moves, threw open the carriage door, and, accompanied by a scream, dragged the princess out.
At this moment, Kazuha could no longer sit still. She stood up and shouted excitedly, "Ran! Use your Karate and slaughter those bastards!"
"Does... does she realize this is just a play..." Conan stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
This reaction is truly unexpected.
Hattori lowered his head.
Don't ask me. I don't know her. Just let me melt into the darkness of this hall...
Even Maori Kogoro couldn't handle this outburst and wore a look of utter helplessness.
Just as Kazuha was looking tense, a spotlight beamed down, and several black feathers slowly drifted from the sky.
"Crow feathers?"
"Could it be?!"
The three villains' expressions of shock and their frozen postures were spot on.
In the next instant, the Black Knight, wearing a helmet and cape, descended from the heavens wielding a long sword, sending one of the villains flying with a single strike.
"It really is the Black Knight!" The soldier holding Princess Hart looked terrified and actually turned to run away.
Next came the scene Ran and Maori Kogoro had rehearsed at the agency.
Rumor had it there was a staged kissing scene coming up.
Just as Maori Kogoro and Conan were listening to the sappy lines, about to lose control and rush onto the stage...
"AHHH!!!"
A woman's scream rang out in the pitch-black hall, deafening to the ears.
Between two rows of seats, a man wearing glasses had fallen to the floor. Beside him, a drink cup was still slowly rolling away.
...
"The deceased is Mr. Kohei Urata, 27 years old, a doctor at Beika General Hospital, correct?" Inspector Megure held his notebook, confirming details with the deceased's companions.
"Yes." A woman with short brown hair wearing a red pencil skirt, named Yumi Noda, had been sitting right next to Dr. Urata.
"Do you perhaps know why he suddenly collapsed halfway through watching the play?" The on-site investigation had just begun, and Inspector Megure wanted to see if they knew any inside information.
Like if he had any illnesses?
"I just thought he wasn't feeling well at first. Who knew he would just fall to the ground all of a sudden?" Yumi Noda shook her head, unclear on the details.
"Could it be that the deceased died after drinking this beverage?" Takagi picked up the drink cup that had rolled to the side and asked.
"I... I was watching the stage the whole time, so I'm not really sure." Yumi Noda hadn't noticed that detail.
Inspector Megure looked down at the cup and nodded. "There isn't much drink left inside."
"By the way, do you remember the specific time Mr. Urata collapsed?"
The deceased's three companions looked at their watches, but their memories of the exact time were a bit hazy.
"It should have happened around two-forty!" Since the play was only halfway through, Ran hadn't changed out of her princess dress yet.
Because she had rehearsed it so many times, she remembered specific time nodes very clearly.
Beside her, Dr. Araide, holding the helmet, also nodded.
"Ran..." Inspector Megure looked at the unicorn-haired girl appearing behind him and couldn't help but look around nervously.
No way. That person... he wouldn't be here too, right?
That God of Plagues...
"Inspector Megure, are you looking for someone?" Maori Kogoro put on his suit jacket and walked over from a distance.
Behind him, from left to right, stood Tsuneo, Hattori, and Conan.
Inspector Megure: "..."
This group of people...
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