Chapter 64: Magic Show
The warm, golden hues of the evening sun spilled through the windows of the Mouri Detective Agency, casting long shadows across the cluttered desks.
"A magic show?" Ran and Sonoko asked in unison. They leaned over the coffee table, staring down at the sleek, gold-foil tickets Natsume had just fanned out across the glass.
Natsume smiled, leaning back against the sofa cushions. "Exactly. You two are always treating me to coffee and outings. A friend of mine recently gifted me a stack of VIP tickets to an upcoming magic show, and it happens to fall right on my day off. I figured it was the perfect excuse for us all to go together."
Sonoko's eyes practically sparkled. She snatched one of the tickets, admiring the elegant typography. "Oh, absolutely! I have to see if this so-called magician even holds a candle to my Lord Kaito Kid. But wait—" She paused, looking at the remaining tickets. "How many of these did you get, Natsume?"
Natsume tapped her chin, counting on her fingers. "Well, besides you, Ran, and myself, I invited Mr. Mouri, Dr. Agasa, and the kids from the Detective Boys. That makes ten of us in total."
"Oh, right!" Natsume clapped her hands together, her gaze shifting to Ran. "Speaking of which, Ran, I heard you finally went on that date with Kudo last night. How did it go? Is he still around? I have a few extra tickets left over. If you want, you can invite him to tag along."
The moment the name Kudo left Natsume's lips, the atmosphere shifted. Sonoko slammed her hands onto her hips, her expression twisting into a scowl.
"Don't even get me started on that mystery freak!" Sonoko huffed, her voice rising an octave. "That idiot actually abandoned Ran halfway through their date! He heard about some case, bolted, and now no one has a clue where he ran off to. Ran, I'm telling you, you cannot let him off the hook so easily this time. The next time he shows his face, you need to introduce him to a high-speed karate kick!"
Sonoko paced the floor, her indignation growing with every step. She turned toward Ran, rattling off a series of increasingly violent and creative punishments for the absent detective.
Sitting quietly on the adjacent armchair, Conan felt a cold bead of sweat slide down the back of his neck. He swallowed hard, trying to make himself look as small as possible.
To his immense relief, Ran merely offered a strained, awkward laugh, politely declining her best friend's brutal suggestions.
Not wanting to risk the conversation circling back to his disastrous disappearance, Conan quickly slid off his chair. He reached for the stack of tickets Natsume had set aside for the Detective Boys.
"Let me see these!" he chirped in his best childish voice, pretending to be fascinated by the glossy paper.
As soon as the tickets were in his hands, the innocent facade dropped from his eyes, replaced by the sharp, analytical gaze of a detective. The performance was scheduled ten days from now—perfectly timed for a weekend—and set at a massive outdoor stage. He flipped the card over, his thumb tracing the seating assignment.
'Row 1. Connected seats.'
Conan's eyes narrowed slightly. Front-row, center-block seats were almost never sold to the general public. They were strictly reserved as internal VIP passes, usually meant for high-profile sponsors or family members of the performers. Whoever had given these to Natsume wasn't just a casual friend; they were an insider with serious authority. Otherwise, securing ten consecutive VIP seats would be impossible.
"Sister Natsume," Conan said, tugging lightly at her sleeve to break through Sonoko's ongoing rant. "I see the performers are named Lyney and Lynette. Are they famous?"
Natsume looked down, her smile softening at his apparent curiosity. "Very famous," she explained. "They are a renowned magician duo hailing from Fontaine. Their signature Magic Box trick is legendary across the globe. Word has it they will be debuting a brand-new illusion for this tour."
She tapped the ticket in his hand. "The specifics are a closely guarded secret, of course. We won't know until the curtain rises. But I promise you, the performance will be nothing short of spectacular."
"Really?" Sonoko gasped, instantly abandoning her crusade against Shinichi. She cupped her cheeks, swaying slightly as a dreamy sigh escaped her lips. "Now I'm getting excited! I wonder how a magician from Fontaine compares to Lord Kaito Kid? Do you think he'll be even more elegant? More mysterious?"
Ran blinked, looking at her friend in disbelief. "Sonoko... don't you already have Makoto?"
Sonoko waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, what does that matter? Makoto is miles away studying abroad; he won't know a thing! Right now, the handsome guy I'm about to see takes priority!"
Conan stared at Sonoko, his eyes dropping into flat, unamused half-moons.
'Heh. You haven't even seen the guy's face yet. Who made the rule that all magicians have to be handsome?'
Later that night, the sprawling campus of Teitan High School lay cloaked in shadows. Classes had ended hours ago, and the vast majority of the faculty had already gone home. Only a handful of windows still glowed against the dark brick exterior, marking the few teachers burning the midnight oil.
Inside the English department office, the fluorescent lights hummed quietly.
"Jodie-sensei, I've finally finished grading these." A female teacher stood up, stretching her tired shoulders as she gathered her bag. "I'm heading out. You should try not to stay too late either; it's not safe for a woman to walk alone at this hour."
Sitting at the adjacent desk, Jodie Starling pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and offered a bright, ditzy smile. "Oh, I just started sorting these files! I still have a little bit left to do. Don't worry about me, I'll head home soon. Have a safe trip!"
"Goodnight, Jodie-sensei."
The heavy wooden door clicked shut.
The moment the latch caught, the cheerful, clumsy aura surrounding the English teacher vanished entirely. Jodie's posture straightened. Her eyes, previously wide and innocent, sharpened into cold, calculating slits.
She stood up in silence, her footsteps making no sound against the linoleum floor. She approached the door, pressing her ear against the wood, listening until the other teacher's footsteps faded completely down the corridor. After confirming the hallway was empty, she locked the door, drew the blinds over the interior windows, and pulled a sleek cell phone from her pocket.
She dialed a secure number. It rang twice before connecting.
"Hello, Shuichi," Jodie spoke, her voice dropping its exaggerated accent, replaced by a crisp, professional tone.
A low murmur answered from the other end.
"Yes, I've completed the preliminary investigation," Jodie reported, pacing slowly behind her desk. "For now, Mouri Ran appears to be exactly what she claims to be—an ordinary high school girl. Nothing stands out. However, Kudo Shinichi is a different story. He is officially missing and hasn't attended classes recently, though rumors suggest he briefly appeared on campus a few days ago..."
She paused, listening to the voice on the line.
"Understood. I'll maintain surveillance on them. We need to figure out exactly why Rotten Apple has taken such a sudden interest in these kids. I'll also dig deeper into who this Princess refers to."
Jodie stopped pacing, her brow furrowing slightly. "By the way, I heard you've been running an independent investigation lately. Did something happen?"
The voice on the other end spoke a few quiet sentences.
Jodie's eyes widened a fraction. "Is that so? A strange, untraceable potion...? Alright. Send me the details. I'll look into that as well."
She ended the call, the screen going black. Slipping the phone back into her pocket, she didn't return to the stack of ungraded papers. Instead, she grabbed her coat, switched off the office lights, and slipped out into the night.
The weekend arrived with a biting chill, but the interior of the transit bus was warm and buzzing with chaotic energy.
"You kids certainly have a packed schedule," Natsume laughed, leaning over her seat to look at the Detective Boys gathered in the rows behind her. "Skiing this weekend, a magic show next weekend... your social calendars are more booked than mine."
"Kids need to get out and run around to stay healthy!" Genta declared loudly, puffing out his chest. He then turned around, leaning over the back of his seat to point an accusatory finger at the row behind him. "Dr. Agasa probably doesn't exercise enough, which is exactly why he caught a cold!"
A violent sneeze echoed through the bus.
Hiroshi Agasa sneezed into a crumpled tissue, his nose glowing a bright, irritated red.
Natsume frowned, genuine concern flashing across her face. "Speaking of which, Doctor, are you sure you're okay? If your cold is that severe, you should just stay in your room and rest once we reach the ski resort. I can easily keep an eye on the kids for the day."
Sitting next to the sniffling inventor, Ai Haibara crossed her arms, fixing him with a chilling, deadpan glare. "Exactly. You shouldn't push yourself when your immune system is compromised, Doctor. Especially since you were up until midnight watching instructional skiing videos instead of sleeping."
Dr. Agasa rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously under the weight of the little girl's scolding. "Alright, alright, I know. I promise I won't push myself too hard."
Sitting across the aisle, Conan rested his chin in his hand, watching the exchange with deep amusement.
'Heh. The Doctor really has zero authority as an adult. Sometimes I wonder who the real children are in this group.'
The bus began to slow down, the air brakes hissing loudly.
"Next stop, Beika Park Station," the automated voice announced through the overhead speakers.
"Alright, settle down," Natsume instructed, noticing the bus pulling up to the curb. Through the window, she could see several figures waiting at the bus stop. "People are getting on. Genta, turn around and sit properly. Keep the noise down."
Genta grumbled but obediently plopped back into his seat, facing forward.
As the pneumatic doors hissed open and the new passengers began to board, a sudden, strange sensation washed over Natsume. She blinked, a frown tugging at her lips.
'Wait.'
A ski trip. A bus ride. Dr. Agasa with a cold. Haibara and Conan present. Passengers boarding at Beika Park Station.
A heavy sense of deja vu struck her like a physical blow.
She had assumed that, given Conan's cursed luck, their peaceful weekend at the ski resort would inevitably be ruined by a murder. But as she watched the new passengers step onto the bus, their faces obscured by ski goggles and heavy coats, a chilling realization clicked into place.
'Could it be...?'
The case wasn't waiting for them at the ski resort.
The case was happening right now, on the way there.
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