On the Halloween Ghost Ship, beside the bar counter.
Mouri Kogoro had no idea someone nearby was watching him. He was focused on talking to Jiang Xia.
In his pocket, his phone screen lit up, and its ring tone began to play. But there was too much noise on the ship, and the Vampire Costume had so many layers that the middle-aged detective, engrossed in chatting with the bartender, failed to hear it.
Amid the eerie background music, he muttered to Jiang Xia, "I never expected so many people to show up. When I first received the invitation letter, I thought it was some prank aimed at me, but now..."
Whether it was this expensive-looking cruise ship, the sheer number of people, or the exquisite decorations inside the ship, all of it made Mouri Kogoro uneasy. Would anyone really go to all this trouble just for me?... Probably not. Could this really be some prank cooked up by a colleague who doesn't like me, just like the staff said?
Looking at the Skeleton Candlestick beside the bar counter, Mouri Kogoro stroked his chin and began taking stock of all the lousy friends he had.
A few hours earlier.
In the suburbs, at Prefectural General Park.
After receiving the text message, Suzuki Sonoko returned to the gymnasium curiously. She peeked around the athletes' backstage area, wanting to see which athlete had made Mouri Ran so excited that she would not even answer her phone.
She looked around but found no one. Still, that was normal—since the match was about to begin, many athletes would not be wandering around the corridor. They had gone into the lounges instead.
So Suzuki Sonoko casually headed back into the corridor and casually passed by each room one by one, occasionally glancing inside. Yet even