Biting Fingers Is a Bad Habit

Fujino wasn't worried about being poisoned; he remembered that the poison had been applied to the handle of the teacup, near his thumb.

Since no one sucks their own thumb, it's highly unlikely that anyone will get poisoned.

Of course, one person will definitely die today.

Just to be sure, he took a sniff and found that it was indeed there.

Coming to his senses, Fujino glanced at Oogami Shuku Zen, who was standing to the side.

This guy has been biting his fingers since just now.

Biting your nails is a bad habit.

However, for this kind of person, once they're dead, they're dead; there's no need to feel sorry for them.

You see, they were all invited here because this guy was their mentor, and he even planned to kill them all.

Fujino was not some great philanthropist who believed in repaying evil with good.

If you want to kill him, Teng, you have to be prepared to be killed yourself.

After playing rock-paper-scissors, everyone took their seats.

Fujino sat next to Conan and Ran, with Tsukida Ikumi to his right. Opposite them, from left to right, were Mōgi Harushi, Hakuba Saguru, Chizen Kōdai, Toko who had transformed Mori Kogoro, and Oogami Shuku Zen.

Despite the risk of poisoning, everyone decided to have dinner without worry after wiping the tableware.

Oogami Shuku Zen gourmet detective, Daishang Zhushan's cooking skills are naturally top-notch.

Of course, as someone who loves food, he would never poison the dishes.

On the one hand, the motive is too obvious; on the other hand, there is the possibility of poisoning oneself as well.

In Oogami Shuku Zen's original plan, the maid was to be poisoned after dinner. Although there were some changes, the plan still went relatively smoothly overall.

Little did he know that his accomplices had already rebelled and were planning to kill him.

"This dish is delicious!"

Kuroba Kaito mimicked Mori Kogoro's tone, letting out a Mouri-style sigh.

He had met Mori Kogoro before, so he knew the guy's tone and personality. People with such distinct personalities are the easiest to fake.

As for Fujino, who is sullen and has a fair complexion, who knows how many thoughts are hidden beneath that, that is the hardest to fake.

He also breathed a sigh of relief because no one had died.

However, in Fujino's opinion, Toko's disguise still seemed somewhat unnatural.

Well, to put it simply, the real Uncle Mori should be a bit more sleazy.

"The food has all been served, and none of us have been poisoned yet."

Chizen Kōdai wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Looks like that guy doesn't want to kill us all here yet..."

"It seems we were overthinking things."

Tsukida Ikumi chuckled softly, "But it's always good to be skeptical. I don't want to die in a place like this."

At this moment, the Horn Man's head, positioned in the center, emitted another dull thud. "I presume you are all full now? Are you satisfied with the last supper I prepared for you?"

There was no response from the crowd to the Horn Man, which consisted of only a head with a cassette tape hanging below it; there was only an awkward silence.

After a brief pause, the Horn Man spoke again in a deep voice, "Getting back to the point, I'm sure you're all very curious as to why I went to such great lengths to acquire this house and make it the stage for the game... The answer lies in the spoons and forks right here in your hands."

"Little bird?"

Ran curiously picked up a spoon and looked at it. "Why does this bird have such a big beak? It looks kind of creepy."

"Karasuma Renya."

Fujino crossed his arms and said in a deep voice, "A famous tycoon from a long time ago, there are many rumors about him."

"Karasuma Renya?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Fujino, appearing somewhat puzzled.

"This is the emblem of Karasuma Renya, who died mysteriously half a century ago!"

Immediately after Fujino finished speaking, the Horn Man uttered his own words.

However, the crowd seemed unsurprised by this.

Meanwhile, Oogami Shuku Zen frowned at Fujino and began frantically biting his thumb.

Why does this kid keep ruining my perfect plans?

Fortunately, no one interrupted the Horn Man as he continued, "Not only the tableware here, but also the front door of this house, everything was custom-made by him. In other words, this is Karasuma Renya's villa, no, it should be said that it used to be his villa."

"Forty years ago, before the storm arrived, a tragedy as horrific as hell unfolded in this house. That night, a memorial service for Karasuma Renya was held in this mansion. Those present were all prominent figures in the financial world, but in reality, it was an auction of Karasuma Renya's various treasures. Due to the sheer number of treasures, the auction was even scheduled to last for three days..."

"But on the very next night! Two men arrived at the mansion, gave the organizer a leaf, and then became honored guests at the auction!"

"The two continued to persuade others around them to smoke the leaves, until finally the smoke filled the entire room. Some people were shouting while holding artworks, a girl was sobbing until her tears ran dry, and a man kept cutting his wrists with a pen. Finally, they picked up the swords from the auction and brandished them at each other... Hell began to descend!"

"It is said that eight people died after the auction, and the two men disappeared with the treasure!"

"But..."

After listening to the story, Kuroba Kaito asked with some curiosity, in the tone of Mori Kogoro, "Normally, why are such heinous cases never reported?"

"Perhaps it was because the invited guests all had very special identities at the time."

Oogami Shuku Zen picked up the black tea on the table, took a sip, and explained according to his script, "Those who came that day were all celebrities in the financial world and their families. Under such circumstances of fighting, it was impossible to identify the suspect, not to mention that the identities of both the murderer and the victim were extremely sensitive..."

Fujino wasn't surprised. He knew it was all made-up stories, but he still pretended to think and said, "If we're really going to investigate, it would be better to let this matter cool down and keep the news under wraps. After all, this kind of scandal is nothing new in Japan."

"No wonder he's a junior detective consultant within the police force; he's seen all sorts of dark things at such a young age."

As a former prosecutor, Tsukida Ikumi naturally had a deep understanding of this kind of thing. Then, she became interested again. "But if you ask me, it's these kinds of old dark histories that are the real appetizers."

"Now that I've said that, I'm sure you all understand why I chose this location, right?"

The Horn Man, now only a head, continued to speak, "I want all you detectives to reenact the tragedy that happened here all those years ago, to stage a hellish scene of fighting and killing over treasures in this house."

"However, I understand that seeing things through the fog isn't easy, so I'll give you some hints."

"Two travelers gaze at the night sky, a demon descends upon the castle, the king flees with his treasure, the queen sheds tears on the Holy Grail begging for forgiveness, and the knight takes his own life, his blood staining the fields... I put a lot of effort into giving this hint based on the characteristics of this house. Don't you all think this hint is very fitting for what is about to happen?"

"Do you think we're all fools?"

Tsukida Ikumi said irritably, "Mutual killing requires that there are people killing each other, but I have absolutely no interest in that kind of thing."

As she spoke, she asked Fujino, "Where are you, little detective?"

"I'm not young, okay..."

Fujino muttered something, then said seriously, "I have no interest either. If I were to attack you... well, let's just say massacre you. None of you would leave here alive."

Oogami Shuku Zen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and calmed himself down. "Even if you're incredibly powerful, you shouldn't be able to kill all of us, right?"

Kuroba Kaito: "..."

Hakuba Saguru: "..."

Conan: "..."

In terms of fighting ability, everyone present except Fujino was trash in their eyes.

They had no doubt that Fujino could indeed kill everyone present and then escape alone.

"There's no way you can escape this game anymore; you've already been dragged into the magic I've cast!"

Suddenly, the loudspeaker blared. "Just like forty years ago, when one of you let out the first scream, this battle of wits truly began... Do you understand? The one who finds the treasure, please go to the room in the central tower, enter the treasure's location into the computer, and I will keep my promise, giving him half of the treasure and telling him how to escape..."

"Ugh!!"

After saying that, Mōgi Harushi suddenly clutched his neck and let out a whimper, collapsing to the ground in apparent pain.

"Mr. Motegi?!"

Everyone was taken aback and quickly crowded around.

The Oogami Shuku Zen saw this and was bewildered.

Something's not right...

Logically, this step shouldn't exist.

As he pondered, he bit his fingers even more frequently.

"Sigh... biting your nails is definitely a bad habit."

Fujino glanced at Oogami Shuku Zen, then walked to the side of the collapsed Mōgi Harushi, looked him over, and shook his head. "His breath smells so bad, it must be some kind of extremely foul-smelling poison. If you ask me, it's probably Paraquat produced in China..."

As he spoke, he pulled a needle from his pocket. "I happen to have some antidote for Paraquat with me. Hmm, Mr. Mogi, I'm quite strong, so please bear with me!"

"Wait! I was just joking, don't take it seriously."

Upon seeing this, Mōgi Harushi quickly stood up, fearing that the young detective might have actually injected him with some kind of antidote.

"Ah?"

Fujino frowned slightly and put away the needle with some impatience. "How old are you? How can you make such jokes? I had a lot of trouble importing this Paraquat antidote. If you use it, it will be gone."

Those around him nodded silently, condemning Mōgi Harushi's behavior.

"Hmm..."

Mōgi Harushi felt a little embarrassed.

"Ooh!"

Then, another sobbing sound came.

When everyone turned around, they saw Oogami Shuku Zen clutching his throat, painfully tilting his head back and falling backward.

His plump body collapsed to the ground, his mouth agape, and even his pupils lost their color.