"..."
Fujino watched everyone present rise to their feet and applaud, looking like Shinji Ikari surrounded by a huge crowd. He silently complained, So this is getting a little absurd, isn't it?
"Just saying, is there any chance this guy is actually dead?"
Fujino looked at Bandai lying on the floor and recalled Fuwa Narumi's plan—using her authority as a police officer to move around backstage, she would poison the wine during the scripted scene where he picked up a glass, killing him.
Clearly, Fuwa Narumi had succeeded.
And the audience hadn't realized that someone had died.
They even thought it was part of the performance.
They all marveled at Bandai's superb acting.
The stage curtain came down just like that, while the audience's applause continued.
At first, the people at Fujino's table hadn't noticed anything unusual either.
Mouri-niisan had even stood up to applaud Bandai.
It wasn't until the deeply puzzled Ran spoke up that everyone realized:
"Come to think of it, wasn't Mr. Clown supposed to be the first one to die?"
"Huh?"
"Then Bandai..."
"Could she actually be dead?"
Conan was the first to leap up from the table, followed by Hakuba Saguru and Uncle Mori.
By the time everyone reached backstage, the area was already full of police officers.
Fuwa Narumi, who had prepared in advance and arrived before everyone else, had already gone over to examine the situation.
She reached out and felt Bandai's pulse, then shook her head. "She's already dead."
"Damn it!"
Conan clenched his fist and cursed under his breath. His expression turned exceptionally grim, and he trembled with rage. She actually committed such an obvious murder right in front of me! Does she really not take me, the High School Detective Kudo Shinichi, seriously?!
Hakuba Saguru also frowned, feeling as though