In the world of Detective Conan, however, he was bound to the Naruto System.

Chapter 228 Surrounded by Enemies

Chapter 228 Surrounded by Enemies

Akutagawa Hiko didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked.

How could this person say such a thing without batting an eye? If Kogoro Mouri's lust is only superficial, at most just drooling over beautiful women, this person will not hesitate to make a move.

Moreover, it seems that they regard such words as their life motto, which is the composure and self-will of the elderly who are in a state of being unable to choose.

Shiota Heihachiro was clearly not satisfied with just touching the buttocks of one person he was not entirely satisfied with, so he extended his wicked hand to another actress.

However, while the main attention was focused on Oichi Shoko, who had just left, the others did not overlook the old geezer who had come uninvited and started groping people's buttocks right away.

Seeing the three burly men staring intently at him, as if they would chop off his hand if he didn't control it, Shiota Heihachiro reluctantly withdrew his hand and rubbed it regretfully.

Before the rehearsal began, a quarrel suddenly broke out above the stage. Going up the stairs, you would find Hitomi Sasaki, Shoko Oide's manager, and Junichi Tateoka, the prop master, arguing about checking the props.

"What's it to you? You're an amateur, so please don't interfere!"

"What do you mean by interference? I was just asking you a favor. Last week during rehearsal, that searchlight almost fell and hit Miss Xiangzi on the head!"

"What did you say? Are you saying I did it on purpose?!"

Seeing Akutagawa Hiko and Conan approach, Tateoka Jun said something and excitedly grabbed Sasaki Hitomi's hand: "You can investigate however you want."

Akutagawa Hiko seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that this Oide Shoko had a very bad relationship with everyone else in the theater, so much so that this bearded prop master became somewhat irritable after hearing words that might imply that he had plotted to harm Oide Shoko.

If one didn't have this thought, one should have dismissed it with disdain; Da Chu Xiangzi offended quite a few people.

Sasaki Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief, a complex look flashing in her eyes. She had thought that this increasingly famous detective would be the biggest obstacle to her revenge against that bitch, Oide Shoko.

Unexpectedly, this person inadvertently helped her complete a crucial part of her murder plan.

"Thank you, Detective Akutagawa."

Akutagawa Hiko readily accepted her thanks: "What happened just now? Checking the props is the prop master's responsibility. Judging from this, he must have checked them more than once. Did he get impatient?"

Sasaki Hitomi lowered her eyes, her tone full of worry: "Yes, because Miss Shoko has been attacked several times recently."

Akutagawa Hiko smiled and said, "In that case, let me lend a hand. After all, as a detective, I have some confidence in my eyesight."

Sasaki Hitomi waved her hands repeatedly. She was taking this opportunity to set up a crucial part of the murder, so how could she let a detective watch from the sidelines? Would she even be able to kill him?

"No—no need for that. The prop master has already checked it. I'm just checking it again to be on the safe side. You can go now; the rehearsal will start soon."

Seeing this, Akutagawa Hiko did not insist. This person was not in a state of confusion; he had already made up his mind to kill Oide Shoko, so there was no need for him to interfere further.

"Miss Xiangzi has been attacked multiple times, and this threatening letter incident is very likely aimed at her."

Conan stroked his chin and quietly discussed the request with Akutagawa Hiko beside him.

"It seems that's true. Although we only spent a short time together, it's clear that Miss Xiangzi is someone who easily offends people."

Upon hearing this, Conan quickly looked around and said, "You mustn't let anyone else hear what you said. It would be terrible if the media misinterpreted it. Besides, it was Mr. Shiota who angered Ms. Shoko first."

Akutagawa Hiko tapped Conan on the head: "You can be much more outspoken than me sometimes. Go check on the rehearsal first. Since you've threatened to cancel the performance, you might cause trouble during the rehearsal."

To be honest, the quality of this stage play is not very high. It follows a rather old-fashioned trope of unwavering love until death. The play being performed now is the final scene, in which the male and female leads take a deadly poison together for the sake of their love.

Conan yawned, clearly not very interested in this kind of show: "It feels like the type Ran would like, she might even cry while watching it, but unfortunately we need to keep it a secret on set, so we definitely can't film it."

Shiota Heihachiro was also not very satisfied with the play: "What is this? It's so boring. If we're going to put on a show, we should put on the traditional play 'Kokusei Tadashi'."

Although he was watching a stage play, Akutagawa Hiko could sense that Shiota Heihachiro was constantly looking at him, perhaps having discovered something hidden, but he didn't really care.

This old man has some skill; he might be able to see that the old man isn't very righteous, but even if he had mind-reading abilities, he couldn't see the deeper things. In terms of the spiritual realm, specifically the Yin escape technique within Yin-Yang escape, he has gone very far.

As the "poison" was ingested, the male and female protagonists picked up their cups, poured water over the "poison" and drank it down, then held each other's hands tightly and collapsed onto the table.

Apart from Shiota Heihachiro, everyone applauded. After all, no matter what they thought, they had to show their support.

Motoki Kazuo was very satisfied with the performance of Oide Shoko this time. Despite his extensive experience, he failed to notice any flaws in Oide Shoko's performance, which looked as if he had actually been poisoned and collapsed on the table.

"That was fantastic, Xiangzi! Your performance today was absolutely stunning!"

The male lead, Yuichi Uda, also leaned on the table and began to praise, "That's right, even I was moved by your performance just now."

Shoko Oide seemed to be too engrossed in her performance, lying motionless on the table. Even when Yuichi Uda tried to push her, she didn't react and fell to the ground after losing her support.

The sudden turn of events left everyone speechless. Motoki Kazuo had no choice but to step forward and try to rouse her from her reverie: "Shoko, you're too immersed in the role."

But the instant he met that face, Motoki Kazuo screamed, "Ah—she's dead!"

Inspector Megure arrived quickly and immediately went up to Akutagawa Hiko upon seeing him: "Brother Akutagawa, it's been a long time."

""

God knows how Tokyo's crime rate has skyrocketed in recent months; they've encountered several more cases since they parted ways at the ski resort.

Although the case was eventually solved despite some hiccups, it always kept them busy until late at night. And while the public's perception of the Metropolitan Police Department has improved recently, there is still a lot of skepticism about the cases they solve independently.

Seeing Akutagawa Hiko now means nothing could be clearer—no more overtime!