books44 Chapter 239 London Shadow: The Curse of the Phantom
Chapter 239 London Shadow: The Curse of the Phantom
Chapter 239 London Shadow: The Curse of the Phantom
Shinichi Kudo stared blankly, mouth agape, his mind blank.
He had mentally prepared himself when he saw the flyers and posters, but! But!
dad--
Why are you wearing a skirt so skillfully?!
An awkward silence hung in the air.
Inside the lounge, Yusaku Kudo, dressed in a red dress, sat with his legs crossed, holding the morning's newspaper in his hand, without looking up: "Good morning. I don't recall having an appointment this morning. Who are you?"
"Uh, well..." Conan's lips trembled as he tried to say something.
But the disgust mixed with shame is like lemon juice meeting chocolate milk, forming a brownish-black solid flocculent in the throat; in layman's terms, it makes you feel nauseous and want to vomit.
Ugh, so disgusting—
But time is tight, we have to finish the game quickly. What can I say? My mouth is begging for words! Just say anything!
If his father were Sherlock Holmes in a dress, he would surely remain calm and composed, saying...
"Hello, beautiful lady!"
Conan: "Pfft—"
Kuromon Haruya gripped his pocket watch so tightly it creaked, his face remaining calm.
Noah's Ark blinked in bewilderment, tilting its body to the side as the pull on its shoulder caused it to veer.
Ran Mouri stood there with her arms crossed, head held high with confidence, striking a pose reminiscent of a real estate agent in an advertisement. Her upright and determined eyes held no hint of ambiguity, but rather...deep and focused affection?
Beside her, Sonoko Suzuki, clearly the culprit, waved her feather fan and nodded repeatedly with satisfaction: "A promising young girl."
Turning around, Ran Mouri deliberately pushed aside the two high walls blocking her way and waved enthusiastically to Yusaku Kudo: "Ms. Adler, we are Mr. Holmes' friends! May we come in and have a chat?"
What? He's just Shinichi's dad! She thought there had been another murder because of the tense atmosphere.
"Of course, please come in and talk."
The group of people, who were quite large, were invited into the lounge and sat down in turn. Kuromon Haruya consciously sat in the far corner, his attitude of not caring about anything couldn't be clearer.
"Dad, Dad..." Conan looked at the lights and the ground but not at his own father, and he spoke haltingly and awkwardly.
Kuromon Haruya looked at Haibara Ai and, as if deliberately rubbing salt in the wound, said, "This kid claims to be your father, and you claim to be your mother. Is your method of negotiation in investigations to claim the subjects of your investigations as your parents?"
Haibara Ai:?
Are you being polite? This Mr. Mycroft is so annoying!
"Little brother, that kind of flirting won't work. I'm a lady, after all; calling me 'sister' would be more appropriate, wouldn't it?" Kudo Yusaku looked down coldly, took out lipstick and a hand mirror, and while touching up her makeup, she winked at Kuromon Haruya and the other girl.
"And then, won't the two gentlemen sitting over there introduce themselves to me?"
“I am Lestrade, the sheriff in charge of this area, and this is Mr. Mycroft. We are here to ask for your assistance in the investigation of the recently circulating serial killer, Jack the Ripper.”
"Hmm... is that so..."
Kudo Yusaku gracefully rose and walked to Kuromon Haruya and Noah's Ark. He bent down, squinted, and carefully observed the two of them, getting so close that they could see the chest hair peeking out from the V-neck of their suits. It was a thin layer, but those with good eyesight could see it very clearly.
“Madam, I am already married.” Kuromon Haruya leaned back with a blank expression, as if she had actually witnessed some erotic scene.
Yusaku Kudo chuckled and sat back down on the sofa: "Since you've come looking for me, it means Jack will make a move on me after the opera tonight, right?"
"Eh, how did Ms. Adler know!"
"After all, every recent murder has occurred after a theater performance, so others would not notice it, but as an actor who is sensitive to timing, I could hardly ignore it."
"I heard there were two more attacks last night, right?"
He pushed the newspaper's headline onto the table: "Including the two cases previously announced by the police, a total of four attacks occurred when the opera house was open. After I got the Royal Opera House's schedule from the manager, I discovered this coincidence—the half hour before the attacks happened was exactly the time when the intermission of the opera 'Carmen' began."
"In other words, the culprit committed the crime after leaving the theater after watching the first half of the film! There must have been something in the first half that triggered Jack to commit the crime!"
Conan suddenly realized something and pulled out the program list from the promotional poster: "So, among the songs you'll be performing tonight..."
Yusaku Kudo nodded: "It includes 'love is a free bird' from the first act of Carmen."
......
"Ms. Adler, what brings you here!"
Following in Yusaku Kudo's footsteps, as soon as they arrived in front of the opera house, the square-faced manager, who resembled Atsushi Miyano, hurriedly came up to them, nervously rubbing his hands: "Is there anything you need to tell us?"
Yusaku Kudo shook his head: "Manager, these are my friends. I'm just showing them around to see the performance process."
"Okay, feel free to contact us anytime if you need anything!"
Watching Atsushi Miyano walk away, Conan looked up and asked his father, "Who was that person?"
"He's the rotating manager who was transferred here a few months ago, Mr. Atsushi Miyano. He might be an acquaintance of one of you."
Miyano?
Noticing the surname, Conan blinked and looked at Ai Haibara, whose eyes were filled with gentle longing: So, this person must be Haibara's father.
"During my investigation last night, I learned that one of the ticket checkers at the opera house is a huge fan of Carmen. Out of love for her, she would voluntarily apply for a transfer during Carmen's performances."
She should be at work by now. My identity is too obvious, so please go and look for her.
"it is good!"
Conan originally wanted to take the opportunity to catch up with his father, but when he saw the father raise his finger to silence him, he had no choice but to split up and investigate with his friends.
All irrelevant people around were cleared out, leaving only Kudo Yusaku and Noah's Ark, who was disguised as Kuromon Haruya.
The two walked side by side on the way to the prop room, exchanging a brief message.
"The plot of the London stage has completely exceeded my design. Since Noah's Ark has added so many settings, it is probably not a simple deduction."
You need to be careful from now on. Don't forget, for us adults, once we're out of the game, we're doomed.
Noah's Ark, hands in his pockets, said casually, "Mr. Yusaku, thank you for your concern~ But I believe Conan and the others' wonderful qualities will make Noah's Ark change his mind. Besides, we're here!"
"You... okay, I hope so too."
Kuromon Haruya's optimistic attitude is something Kudo Yusaku can't judge as good or bad. He's currently debating whether to tell Kuromon Haruya that they are distant relatives.
"Inspector, is Mr. Mycroft's face someone you know?"
“No.” Kuromon Haruya had said that Mycroft’s appearance had nothing to do with him, so Noah’s Ark denied it. “I don’t know who he is related to either. The fact that you’re asking this suggests that neither he nor the clues about that Animal Code Society were designed by Mr. Yusaku?”
"Wait!" Yusaku Kudo abruptly stopped, his face unusually grave, as if he had misheard: "You said Mycroft mentioned a secret society with animal codenames?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
zoo!
Why is this organization associated with Noah's Ark? Could there be more to Hiroki's death than meets the eye?
Yusaku Kudo entered the game at the same time as Conan and the others, and also heard the announcement about the NPC appearance adjustments. During his solo investigation last night, he had already seen the faces of many distant relatives, and was no longer surprised by it.
However, one thing caught his attention: given that a pre-built model already existed, why did Noah's Ark have to be adjusted to be made up of real people? And what does this have to do with Hiroki's murder and the future of Japan?
Before entering the game, Noah's Ark had pulled him into a private space for a conversation. According to Ark, this game was an experimental field for testing and even correcting the children's thoughts and personalities, and the overall performance of everyone in the game would be used to evaluate Japan's future.
Given this, the additional modifications to Noah's Ark must have a deeper meaning—now it seems, perhaps they were intended to subtly convey information about the zoo.
"It's nothing, I just misunderstood something." Kuromon Haruya was already too involved with the Black Organization, there was no need to drag him deeper. "This might be a series of mysteries, tell me all the relevant information."
And Mr. Mycroft's appearance...
Kudo Yusaku glanced sideways, pulled up images from his memory palace, and quietly compared the two faces one by one.
The young man before me was just as I had first met him: warm and friendly, like the sunshine in late autumn shining through my fingers onto the ground.
He was initially wary when he first paid attention to Kuromon Yōya, after all, the timing of his move next door to the agency and his appearance next to Shinichi was too coincidental. So, with the help of his police friend, Kudo Yūsaku quickly obtained his file.
Judging from Kurokawa Haruya's appearance, few people would think he is 26 years old, not only in terms of appearance but also in terms of demeanor.
Logically, Eurasian mixed-race individuals should appear more mature, but in him, the blend is just right. He perfectly inherited the affectionate eyes characteristic of Italian blood, his jaw and chin are more prominent, and his physique is slender and well-proportioned. However, many other features, such as bone structure and angularity, have been softened by his Asian heritage.
He had a side-parted fringe and slightly long hair, but not to the point of being feminine. His soft, smooth gray hair covered his slightly pink ears, making him look exceptionally docile, and any gaze directed at him seemed perfectly natural.
Therefore, if you are looking at him, you have to be compliant and let your gaze sweep over him from top to bottom.
Just as the slightly raised eyebrows were about to exude a playful air, the drooping brows hinted at melancholy; emerald green pupils, like matte gemstones, were blurry and ethereal; then came the fair and delicate skin, the ever-present smile, and the thin, pale lips...
But all of this can only be clearly remembered when observed with one's own eyes. At other times, the figure is like the hazy outlines of Monet's paintings, as indistinct as a dream, with only those eyes remaining.
Whenever he met Yusaku Kudo's gaze, he could glimpse the subtle glint in the depths of his eyes, and then be inspired by the vivid excitement contained within them.
He didn't need to speak, just watch silently, his gentle eyes holding countless tender gazes: a mother watching over her sleeping child, a beggar looking up at his benefactor, a teacher looking down at the spring scenery through the window, and a young master watching his pet dog.
If it weren't for his wife, who was happy to use disguises to play tricks on him, Kudo Yusaku would hardly have noticed anything amiss.
The most distinctive feature of Haruya Kuromon's temperament is his lack of aggression, while "Mycroft Holmes" is the exact opposite; his cold and sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, seem intent on uncovering the depths of everyone's heart.
The gentleman wore a low ponytail that reached his shoulders; his hair was even whiter, and his face was even thinner. But it was the thinness that was the most important detail!
The fat that once covered the angles of the face becomes thinner, the cheeks become sunken, and the prominent cheekbones are revealed, as well as the joints where the cartilage and bone connect at the bridge of the nose—but the skin and muscles will change, and the shape of the bones is permanently fixed after adulthood.
Kudo Yusaku carefully compared each point and was surprised to find that Kuromon Haruya and Mycroft looked remarkably alike!
'Then why doesn't Brother Kurogumo have any recollection of him?'
In the memory palace, Yusaku Kudo solemnly raised his head and looked at the dark, deep picture frames on the wall.
Was it a landscape painting, a portrait, or an ancient narrative epic? He had no way of knowing. The pieces of information he had gathered were too small, too empty, compared to the enormous portrait; only a pair of green dots at the center, like the North Star, guided the path of exploration.
......
In a corner of the staff room, Conan grabbed the suspiciously behaving ticket collector, his expression complicated: "Ms. Akemi, please don't run away! We'll handle the theater ghosting incident!"
"No!" Akemi Miyano, dressed in a ticket inspector's uniform, raised her hand to cover her face, howling like a trapped beast in a corner. "I didn't run away! You don't understand, there's a phantom hiding in this theater! Everyone who sees him will be cursed!"
Conan shrugged, looked at Ai Haibara's pained and confused face, and made way for her.
The investigation was progressing smoothly. With Ran and Ayumi's investigative skills, they quickly located the ticket collector, Ms. Akemi Miyano, who was passionate about "Carmen".
After several people took turns persuading and verifying her, Akemi Miyano recalled the unusual aspects of the performance:
During each intermission, a man sitting in the third row on the right would leave early. He often wore a tall black top hat and used the collar of his trench coat to cover his face, revealing only his long silver-gray hair and green eyes. Shortly after he left, the manager would anxiously approach the door, pacing back and forth for fifteen minutes before finally leaving in fear.
Conan and Ai Haibara almost immediately confirmed that his character was based on Gin.
But when they took her backstage to discuss a coordinated strategy, Ms. Akemi suddenly panicked and began to run away in a frantic manner.
Hearing the noise, the staff gradually gathered around, forming a small group, showing signs of a commotion.
Just then, a beautiful figure in a white coat walked through the crowd and came to Miyano Akemi: "Excuse me, I'm a psychiatrist! She's my patient!"
Conan turned his head to look at the newcomer, and what came into view was a face exactly like that of Yoruichi Kuromon, as well as a pair of dark and empty eyes.