Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 833 That time and that moment
"Eh?" As if she didn't expect such a question, Shitara Renki briefly broke away from the mood of telling ghost stories, thought seriously for a moment, and answered uncertainly, "Everyone seems to say so. Grandpa Genzaburo, and Uncle Kyosuke..."

"Because they all died on your grandfather's birthday?"

"Yes, and both of them have played this instrument in front of Grandpa! This year it's my turn, so is it normal for me to be worried..."

Shitara Renxi touched the violin case in front of her reluctantly, feeling a little fearful and a little stubborn.

"…Does your grandfather have any imperial bloodline? In other words, is your family a large family that has been passed down for centuries with many taboos and rules?" Tang Ze tried to hold back, but couldn't help it and began to use his bloodline expertise.

"Ah? How is that possible? At most, there are a few celebrities in our family..." Shitara Renxi shook her head blankly.

"Yeah, so we have to celebrate his birthday..." Tang Ze had a subtle expression.

To be honest, he was the only one who was sure that the main unscientific elements in this world were on his side. Otherwise, if he told him that this was some cult ritual, Tang Ze might have believed it.

No, brother, your birthday has been celebrated for decades, and the incident has happened for decades too. Is this birthday a big day that needs to be celebrated by everyone?

If you had not held such lavish banquets thirty years ago, this recurring tragedy in your family would have been cut off at the source.

Renxi Shitara, who had never imagined such a development, was stunned and could not help but fall into deep thought.

It sounds reasonable...

Maori Kogoro scratched his ears and somewhat agreed with what Tang Ze said, nodding his head: "You can just take it out and let the customers play with it like this, can't you pull it whenever you want?"

Must it be played at this birthday party? Your family thinks it's weird and has started to curse it. Why don't you just avoid this day...

"No way!" Shitara Renki's eyes widened. "How could I let anyone take it out? This is so that I can get as familiar with the instrument as possible before I play it, so as not to let it down. I specially borrowed it, and I begged Grandpa for a long time."

She also pointed to the half-open door of the reception room, where she could see Jinqu’s housekeeper walking slowly back and forth in the corridor, seemingly inspecting the situation.

"You see, everyone cares about it very much. Now it can be regarded as the treasure of our house." Shitara Renxi emphasized seriously, "I have lived in this family for so many years, and this is the first time I have the opportunity to touch this piano."

She touched the smooth and oily surface of the piano in the case reluctantly, and her longing was fully revealed on her face.

It was obvious that what she said was true. For this family that no longer had the glory of the past, this piano that carried wealth and fame was like an old medal of glory, a treasure that had to be carefully bound by rules.

Tang Ze, who knew the story behind this piano very well, lowered his eyelids and twitched the corners of his mouth with some sarcasm.

If he didn't know the whole story, he might have been moved by this kind of cherishing attitude.

Stolen glory will not become true just because it is repeated for thirty years. What is fake is fake.

Shitara Renki, who was still caressing the piano reluctantly, did not notice his gaze, but continued to explain why she would rather hire a detective to investigate than give up the opportunity.

"I gave this guitar to my grandfather for safekeeping, mainly because he is the head of the family. When he dies, it will be handed over to Grandpa Xian Sanlang." She said with emotion, "Grandpa is 72 years old and his health is not good. I may not be able to touch it many times."

"But a curse is not something a detective can solve, right?" Maori Kogoro laughed bitterly. "The police closed the case as an accident, so even if you let me investigate, I won't be able to solve this kind of problem."

"Hey, isn't a detective a job where one can help with anything?" Renxi Shitora said blankly.

This time, not only Kogoro Mouri, but even Conan who was originally thinking, twitched his mouth a few times.

Sure enough, this girl has read too many detective novels...

"Please, I really want to play it..." Shitara Renki clasped her hands together and clasped them tightly, looking at Maori Kogoro with shining eyes, "Or, if you are willing to accompany me to the performance tomorrow and make sure that nothing happens to me and I die tomorrow, that would be fine too."

"...Just tomorrow will do?" Maori Kogoro held his forehead with his hand, "If this is really a curse, then even after tomorrow, you are still in danger."

"Of course you can!" Shitara Renxi clenched her fists. "Over the years, no one in our family has ever died except on Grandpa's birthday!"

Several people felt that there was something wrong with this sentence: "..."

Tang Ze is right. Do we have to celebrate this birthday?

----

"Of course he insisted on celebrating this birthday."

Hanega Kyosuke leaned against the piano, watching Asai Narimi take his hands away from the keys after he finished playing, and spoke slowly.

"Thirty years ago, for this birthday, for the so-called family and honor, he killed my father. If this birthday cannot continue year after year, and the Stradivarius cannot be displayed repeatedly, then wouldn't all the price he paid and the sins he bore be in vain?" There was a mockery on Yuga Kyosuke's lips.

"So, the two cases from the past two years were also your doing?" Asai Narumi narrowed his eyes.

He knew the topic had reached a critical point and had no intention of letting up.

I'm afraid this is the real reason why Tang Ze arranged for me to contact Yuga Kyosuke.

Theoretically, the fall from the building two years ago should indeed be an accident. At least, Yuga Kyosuke did not make any subjective planning or promotion at the time. However, it is an indisputable fact that the athletic Shitara Eimi rolled down the stairs, and the cautious Shitara Kanto leaned on the rotten balcony railing.

In the description, Kyosuke Haga called them "God's instructions", believing that this was inspiration from God to himself who knew about the grudges, so he decided to send his enemies away this year, on the day when he would also take out the Stradivarius to perform.

From this vague narration, Asai Narumi smelled a familiar scent.

…Just like two years ago, when he went to Moon Shadow Island in a false identity as a woman and heard the truth from the village chief at that time.

At that time, he thought that the village chief had died of a heart attack due to the double stimulation of discovering his true gender and the fact that he was actually Aso Keiji's son. As the former village chief's heart condition had always been poor, he did not think deeply about it and his attention was all on how to avenge his father.

But Tang Ze told him with facts that it was not an accident. It was the special cognitive space of the closed environment of Yueying Island, combined with his potential cognitive ability, which led to a murder in another world that was completed unconsciously.

Haga Kyosuke, will it be a similar situation?
Presumably, it was because of this doubt that Tang Ze revealed the effects of supernatural powers to Yuga Kyosuke on the one hand, but on the other hand did not fully tell him his true identity. He wanted to carefully observe and examine whether this person was suitable to become one of them.

Similar to the time when they assisted and observed him on the island, this was the probation period for the Phantom Thieves.

"I can't say it has nothing to do with me." Yuga Kyosuke crossed his legs and leaned against the piano in a leisurely manner. The piano room was well soundproofed, so he was quite relaxed without worrying about others hearing his conversation. "If I hadn't kept questioning Aunt Eimi, she might not have fallen from the upstairs."

"Were you asking her about the piano?" Asai Narumi tilted his head.

"Yes. As you know, since my parents passed away, I returned to the Yuga family. After I became an adult, due to differences in career planning, I reduced contact with my father's relatives. Except for Renxi who was still young at the time, my relationship with them was not that close." Yuga Kyosuke lowered his head, his messy hair covering his eyes. "Until two years ago, Aunt Eimi wanted to play the Stradivarius at the birthday party, so she specifically asked me to help tune the piano."

Since the Shitara family had not produced anyone worthy of using this famous violin for a long time, the Stradivari had not appeared for several years until it was reopened two years ago. Perhaps it was to boost the family's reputation and prepare for Genzaburo to take over the position of head of the family after Choichiro's death, or perhaps it was because Genzaburo's orchestra finally had a chance to stand out. In short, after much coordination, Shitara Eimi took out the violin again and called on Hanega Kyosuke, who had a keen ear and was famous for his absolute pitch since childhood, to help tune it.

Hanega Kyosuke not only has a keen ear, but as he said to Kitagawa Yusuke, he also has an excellent memory for timbre, and his talent in this area may be even greater than absolute pitch.

"I could tell it by tuning just one string. This tone, this touch, and this mellow vibration... This is the guitar my father said he would give me when I was very young..." Yuga Kyosuke lowered his head and looked at his hands, "So after the party, I went to ask her if she knew what was going on..."

"Then, you heard from her the truth that had been hidden for thirty years?" Asai Narumi rolled his eyes with a strange expression.

There was no need for Tang Ze to explain this, he also felt a sense of déjà vu.

Indeed, what he faced at that time was a very similar situation.

"Yeah, I don't know why, but she seemed to be unable to control herself, and kept telling me about that night thirty years ago." At this point, the smile on Yuga Kyosuke's face completely disappeared. "She described the wonderful sound of the zither that shook the whole audience, and how the surrendered man was reluctant to take it away from his hands. Of course, it also included the sound of my father and uncle arguing, and how he fell down, and how the blood was spilled all over the ground..."

"…It was as if something was strangling her neck, forcing her to tell the whole truth?" Asai Narimi raised his eyebrows, straightened his back, and raised his hands again.

This time, the light, sad and ethereal melody of "Moonlight Sonata" flowed from his fingertips.

Hanega Kyosuke raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at the grand piano from which the music came.

His surprise was due to both Asai Narimi's overly accurate description and the song he played.

For him, it was not difficult to hear that Asai Narimi was more familiar with this piano piece and had a deeper understanding of it. A cool feeling of the sky falling and the night approaching was being depicted in detail in this piece of music.

"You're right, that's the feeling. As she spoke, she couldn't stop trembling. I've never seen her like this before. She likes outdoor sports very much, and her body is even healthier than Uncle Xian Sanlang..."

Asai Narimi listened to his story, closed his eyes, and let his hands follow his muscle memory to press the black and white keys smoothly, his body swaying to the melody.

He put a lot of energy into studying medicine, and he had become unfamiliar with many piano pieces in the past. It was only after rejoining the Phantom Thieves that he had the leisure to pick up this childhood dream again and to re-experience and feel the world of music.

Only "Moonlight" is different.

During those two years, he would secretly practice it at night whenever he had the chance, and even if he couldn't use his father's piano in the activity center, he would find ways to play it.

His proficiency in this set of music is unique, and the emotions he harbors are overflowing.

Perhaps two years ago, it was because he had just finished performing that he was stimulated by the truth and awakened such murderous abilities.

Haga Kyosuke is still telling his story.

"...and the surrendered man. Strictly speaking, I didn't kill him, but I am also involved in this matter. His performance reminded me of what Aunt Yongmei said about the banquet thirty years ago. He should have been very young at the time and might not understand what happened, but I hope he can honestly tell me what happened to the piano that passed through his hands that night. And then..."

Hanega Kyosuke took a deep breath and fell silent again as he listened to the soothing tune of "Moonlight" which was accumulating energy as if ready to burst out.

He stared at the floor beneath his feet in silence, just as he had stared at them before, falling in front of him with distorted expressions and blood flowing.

Without describing those scenes, he suddenly said in a gentle, dreamy tone, "Your piano playing style is similar to Kitagawa-kun, Mr. Asai."

"Of course." Asai Narimi opened his eyes. "I was the one who taught him piano. Although, he didn't learn it very well."

----

"You can also play the piano, Tang Ze."

"Not really." Tang Ze retracted his fingers from the keys and shrugged, "I just know this friend who taught me to play a few pieces. I can only play a few simple exercises, my posture is not relaxed, and the rhythm is not smooth... Anyway, he said that I play pretty badly."

"That's already pretty impressive." Mao Lilan, who could play a little, patted his shoulder encouragingly. "You probably just didn't have enough time to study, so you didn't have the chance to learn in depth. You can complete the song without even learning the basics. I think you have a pretty good talent."

Tang Ze's posture just now was indeed amateurish and a little awkward, but the momentum of his performance was there, and it was much more professional than many beginners who just pressed the keys.

"Kang Ze is very good at everything he learns." Conan, who was sitting on the windowsill with his chin propped up, said listlessly without turning his head, "Kang Ze never learned any fighting when he was in Kyoto."

He reached this level in just a few months, and he could even make fun of his fighting skills from time to time. When talking about this, Conan couldn't help but want the Half Moon Eye.

Is there a possibility that this is not my problem, but your problem, Tang Ze?
"Eh?!" Ran Mouri, who doesn't know much about piano but knows a lot about fighting, suddenly widened her eyes.

"I haven't learned it, but I have some basics." Tang Ze, who mainly relied on cheating, lowered his head in embarrassment and made up an excuse, "You also know that Souji is a famous kendo master. I was dragged by him to participate in club activities and so on, so I did have some experience."

"But you didn't know Okita-kun at all before high school. That's amazing, really amazing..." said Mao Lilan as she withdrew her hand from Karasawa's shoulder.

Stop comforting others. Geniuses don’t need comforting. Comfort your own wounded heart instead…

While the three were chatting, the sound of the door opening was heard, and Kogoro Mouri finally came back.

"Have you negotiated well, Dad?" Mao Lilan asked, "Has Mr. Choichiro agreed to let us attend the banquet?"

"I agree. You are right. We brought out the famous piano to show it to people. If there are no listeners, it would be boring for only family members to come and listen." Maori Kogoro waved the paper card in his hand, "Here is the invitation."

"This will make it easier to protect Miss Renxi." Mao Lilan was relieved. "As long as you make sure she is fine tomorrow, Dad, your commission will be completed, right?"

"Yes, the old nun, uh, the housekeeper arranged a room for us. I'll go contact their family and ask about the accident in the past two years." Maori Kogoro touched his chin, "It's too much of a coincidence to say that every death happened on this day in the past 30 years."

The following words were more speculative, so Kogoro Mori did not say them.

Generally speaking, there is a connection behind these serial deaths, and the key often lies in the first person to die.

Even detective novels would be arranged according to this logic, so it is very necessary to fully understand Shitara Danjiro who died that year.

"The robbery case thirty years ago..." Thinking of this, Kogoro Mouri pressed his temples twice again.

For such an old case, there is no trace to verify except the parties involved that night. Everything can only be done through questioning, which inevitably involves difficulties such as identifying lies.

For the first time ever, he kept his distance from such high-net-worth entrustment.

Alas, it is really hard to make money and hard to eat shit. It is not easy for him to make the easy money. It is not easy to be a high-paid detective...

(End of this chapter)