"Dear guests, let us now enjoy these slides that Director Sakamaki kept personally and never made public during his lifeti."
The host's voice echoed through the darkened eting room.
Conan instantly sensed that sothing was wrong.
At that mont, the photo projected onto the screen caught everyone's attention.
Hayashi Yoshiki noticed the location of the chandelier on the hotel's ceiling—it was quite a distance away from their position.
"Dear guests, does anyone know when and where this picture was taken? Yes, this is the masterpiece that won Director Sakamaki all his awards—the filming site of Rainbow Handkerchief, his most treasured movie before he lost his hair."
The host's humorous tone drew laughter from the audience.
But just then, Haibara Ai whispered sothing to Conan, and he realized that Shigehiko Nomiguchi had vanished.
Despite being under police protection, he had slipped away unnoticed. This made Conan uneasy, and he quickly scanned the room.
He hadn't told Hayashi Yoshiki about the Black Organization—and naturally, he couldn't involve him in this search now.
As Conan grew increasingly anxious, a sudden flash of fire caught his eye. Before he could react, the sharp sound of shattering glass filled the conference hall.
Shards flew through the darkness, eliciting gasps and cries from the guests.
As officers ordered the lights turned on, the scene that was revealed sent a wave of horror through the crowd—Shigehiko Nomiguchi lay crushed beneath the massive chandelier. Blood oozed across the red carpet, making it appear even darker. His eyes were wide open... a man who had clearly died with his eyes open.
"What on earth is this..."
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
"The body——!"
"Everyone, please remain calm! I am Inspector gure Jūzō of the tropolitan Police Departnt. Please make way."
gure stepped forward with his officers, forcing a path through the shocked onlookers.
"How did the police respond so quickly?"
"Soone tipped us off—said there would be a murder tonight, that soone would kill Councillor Tōkō at this event."
These words made Kenzo Masuyama's expression shift subtly.
What was going on?Had soone leaked their plan?
He glanced about suspiciously.
Vermouth had no reason to betray them.As for Cointreau, if he hadn't sent him the invitation himself, the man wouldn't even be here—and likely didn't know the mission.
Masuyama couldn't make sense of it. But when the police stopped questioning people, seemingly satisfied, he exhaled with relief.
This was Cointreau's idea...
The man was said to be a master of manipulating accidents to commit murder. Surely, he'd appreciate the elegance of this setup.
Masuyama turned toward Hayashi Yoshiki with a smile. But the mont he noticed Haibara Ai beside him, a deep familiarity made his pupils shrink.
Miyano Shiho...
He stared closely at Haibara. Then he noticed Hayashi making a hand gesture at him—a smiling V-sign for victory.
For a mont, Masuyama felt as though he were in a trance.
At that mont, Hayashi Yoshiki walked over to Inspector gure.
"Oh! It's great you're here too, Brother Hayashi!"
gure's eyes lit up upon seeing him, despite being embroiled in argunts with guests about whether this was an accident or a homicide.
While Hayashi helped gure settle the crowd, Conan examined a purple handkerchief that had fallen on his head when the chandelier ca down.
If his instincts were right, this was the key piece of evidence.
But things had gotten too dangerous.
Recalling the ti Hayashi risked his life to rescue him, Conan decided not to involve him again. He ran to the front desk, handkerchief in hand.
After confirming which guests had received purple handkerchiefs, Conan was about to track them down... when a horde of reporters burst in, having heard of Tsuchiguchi's death.
"Excuse ! Were you near the victim at the ti?"
"Can you tell us what happened?"
"Have you found anything?"
The wave of reporters sent the venue into chaos.
Though police moved quickly to restore order, Conan—being short—found himself blocked by the ocean of long legs moving around him.
"Damn it... I should just go back to the Doctor's car."
"Haibara? Haibara??"
He looked around frantically—Haibara Ai had vanished.
His eyes darted toward Hayashi Yoshiki.
As a semi-celebrity, Yoshiki was the pri target for reporters. They surrounded him, flashing caras, firing off questions—but Haibara was nowhere in sight.
"Brother Hayashi! Brother Hayashi!"
"What is it?"
While fielding questions, Hayashi barely heard Conan's anxious voice.
"Where's Haibara?! Wasn't she with you?!"
"Haibara? She was right behind you just now, wasn't she?"
Conan's heart sank.
Seeing that Hayashi was being overwheld, he broke away and dashed toward the exit.
Haibara was wearing the special glasses he gave her—ones equipped with a mic. He had to find Dr. Agasa and use them to establish contact.
Hayashi tried to follow, but the reporters blocked him.
Eventually, Inspector gure pushed through, using his authority to dismiss the crowd. Hayashi Yoshiki finally slipped away and checked his watch.
18:24.
It's almost ti.
He turned and, making sure no one was watching, dialed a number.
"Hello? It's ."
"Have you seen her?"
"Yes."
"She's already on the Beika Hotel rooftop, right?"
"Proceed according to plan. Your safety cos first—retreat if needed."
"Understood."
He hung up.
The arrangents were already in place.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting—for Gin and Vodka to arrive.
But before that...
It was ti to find Kenzo Masuyama.The veteran operative still held significant value in Hayashi Yoshiki's eyes.
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