The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1312 Bosom friend

Chapter 1312 Soulmate

Accompanied by Kyosuke Haga and with Karasawa's constant nagging, today's concert rehearsal successfully concluded.

There was nothing they could do; even though Pu and Jiang had strong opinions about it, what could they do when he refused to go on stage?

Having achieved his goal, Haga Kyosuke no longer needed to cause any more trouble. However, his humble and flattering manner made it difficult for people to feel dissatisfied in a social setting, and Domoto Kazuki had a smile on his face until he left.

Shinichi Kudo watched the two leave together, his gaze shifting between Kyosuke Haga and Issei Domoto.

Even though he had many questions before, after seeing the Phantom Thieves' actions, he figured out with his heels that the culprit was most likely one of these two.

If there's anything still puzzling, it might be their connection to the four deceased.

So far, the most likely piece of information found that comes close to the truth is that the four deceased had a good relationship with each other and there is a high possibility that they shared a common network of relationships.

Intuitively, Shinichi Kudo realized that the key to understanding the situation lay with Reiko Akiba. His gaze fell upon Reiko Akiba as she slowly walked off the stage and began tidying her bag.

Even for rehearsals, she would go to the dressing room to change into her performance costume before the start. At this moment, although she was carrying a simple fisherman's bag, she was wearing the pure white fishtail dress that she had worn when she first met her.

Reiko Akiba usually dresses very simply and plainly, making it easy for people to overlook her beautiful face. But now, this dress she wore for the performance finally brought her face to the fore, making it impossible for people to look away.

Now I can really understand Domoto Kazuki's thoughts. He has a good image and a great temperament. When he wears a solid-colored dress and stands under the spotlight, he looks like an angel walking on earth. It seems completely understandable to agree to replace his favorite student with such a performer.

"Miss Akiba." Confirming that she was going to remove her makeup and leave, Shinichi Kudo leaned closer. "Are you heading back? Would you mind giving me a ride?"

Nishitama City is quite a distance from Beika Town; without someone to pick you up, you'll have to take the subway and transfer.

"It's you, Detective." Akiba Reiko, who had already spotted him, raised an eyebrow and asked knowingly, "My fare isn't cheap, and you're not old enough to just ride in a girl's car."

Even without her school uniform, Shinichi Kudo's face still clearly shows he's a young, immature minor. Going back in the same car with such an underage detective, who's also a celebrity, means she'll have no way to explain herself if someone catches her in the act.

"I was only thinking about the case and everyone's safety," Shinichi Kudo said with an innocent expression. "Why did you refuse police escort and protection when you clearly needed to be out and about?"

This is the most suspicious part of Akiba Reiko's reaction.

Having endured such a dangerous truck chase, even if Tang Ze's quick reaction prevented any actual harm, a fool should realize he was the criminal's target.

Reiko Akiba is no fool, yet she resolutely refuses to cooperate with the police investigation. The only possible explanation is that she does know something, but is simply unable to speak up due to various factors.

Reiko Akiba, realizing that he was implying he would call the police if she didn't give him a ride, put her hands on her hips in annoyance.

She finally understood how these high school students had gotten along with elementary school kids; their mischievous behavior was exactly the same as those bratty kids.

"—This is a one-time exception." Akiba Reiko pouted, then relented and agreed to his request. "Leave as soon as you get to my building. Even if I refuse repeatedly, the police can't really ignore me; there will definitely be officers downstairs. Are you satisfied now?"

"Mmm, thank you, sister."

Too lazy to pay attention to this guy who suddenly became so nice, Akiba Reiko took out her newly replaced thermos from her bag, hesitated for a moment, and then put it back in.

Shinichi Kudo noticed her movements and his gaze shifted back to her face.

"Actually, you can drink it. Your bag has been here the whole time. I've been watching, and no one has come near it."

Akiba Reiko understood that he was trying to comfort her, but still shook her head and refused: "No, it's just that the herbal tea wasn't brewed properly today, and it tasted a bit too bitter. I'll drink it when I get home."

The official performance is the day after tomorrow, so we can't afford any problems at this time.

To be on the safe side, I'll make sure to stand in the kitchen and watch it boil for the next two days before drinking it.

Shinichi Kudo observed her movements and sighed inwardly.

Akiba Reiko offered no explanation, and from the moment they met until now, she hadn't given these children a kind look, not even to Tang Ze, who had saved her life—

Oh, no, she was actually quite nice to Tang Ze.

Well, in short, Akiba Reiko didn't say a single kind word, and her expression was always stiff. At this moment, however, Shinichi Kudo saw a hint of heartbreaking caution in her hesitant movements.

The performance the day after tomorrow is so important to her that she's willing to temporarily disregard her own safety.

Why is that? Perhaps the real motive for the murderer can be found behind this.

In addition, protecting this woman who was stubborn but soft-hearted and became the murderer's target was indeed his duty as a detective.

"Okay, I'll go change my clothes. Wait a moment."

"Okay. You're not going to just change your clothes and leave me here, are you?"

"How could that be? I already promised to pick you up—and you, even if you have doubts, you can't talk to a girl like that. You'll never find a girlfriend in the future, you know? Don't look at me like that. Okay, fine, you can wait outside the dressing room, okay? You troublesome kid—"

Inside the auditorium, the detective, having caught a whiff of a clue, didn't hesitate to pester Akiba Reiko, while the atmosphere was completely different on Haga Kyosuke's side, who had already left.

"It's still a real shame." After reading through the information that others had sent him on his phone, Kyosuke Haga sighed. "It's such a pity that Mr. Hikaru Soma died."

He was not only lamenting the passing of a musician, but also his pitiful background and life story.

The child was born out of wedlock, the father is unknown, and he was raised by a single mother.

Children from such families who choose instrumental music face immense pressure, and achieving success in it is a testament to their personal ability and talent.

Instrumental music is a major expense because the learning process is always long and tedious. This means that a person has to maintain expenses from adolescence, practice frequently, change courses according to their learning progress, and even change instruments. This kind of long-term training that requires almost full-time study has an astonishing hidden cost.

Growing up in such a family, when he finally got the chance to stand on the stage, his mother had already passed away, and apart from his fiancée, he was all alone.

A rope breaks at its weakest point, and misfortune always finds those with a hard life. The more someone has such a family background, and the more beautiful his girlfriend is, the more jealous he becomes.

So, after graduating, he got drunk during a training session organized by his alma mater, which was intended to facilitate exchanges among graduates, and then fell off a cliff and died.

Everyone knows that the four people who encouraged the drinking were not innocent in this matter, but no one can produce any evidence that they intentionally caused harm.

Aside from urging him to drink, and deliberately leading Soma Hikaru away from the training building, they neither pushed him nor caused him any malicious harm. To put it bluntly, Soma Hikaru died from a fall due to being drunk. The police couldn't do anything about them, and even pursuing the former was difficult.

The person is gone, and the final pain is left to the living. So, all that is left for Akiba Reiko, her only remaining relative, is this long, endless winter.

After reviewing the information, Kyosuke Haga sighed, finding it difficult to blame Reiko Akiba for her choice.

What else could she do in this situation? Rather than saying she let them go, it's more accurate to say she let herself go, giving herself a chance and hope to move forward.

From this perspective, although Pu and the craftsman were not very good, their motives were even more questionable. However, the target they chose was not wrong. They did good things with bad intentions.

"Actually—" Asai Narumi, sitting in the driver's seat, shifted a couple of times, about to say something, but then noticed Tang Ze looking up in the back seat and glancing at her in the rearview mirror. She changed her words, "Actually, Fu and Takumi definitely haven't planted the bomb yet. If we hurry, there's still a chance to turn things around."

"You guys are really sure about your judgment," Kyosuke Haga said, looking up from his phone. "Why are you so certain?"

"Because what he hates most is that organ," Tang Ze explained. "He complains that his old friend abandoned him, but subconsciously he can sense that Domoto Ikei's thoughts are actually very pure and without malice. He knows that blaming everything on Domoto Ikei is a betrayal of the other party's trust."

The real reason why Domoto Kazuki changed the course was that the composer and the craftsman's ears had degenerated.

His once keen ears, capable of detecting subtle changes in musical notes, inevitably began to decline as he aged.

Where do Domoto Kazuki truly place the scores and craftsmen in his mind? You can tell by his actions.

Just as Bo Ya was deeply saddened by the death of Zhong Ziqi, he broke his zither and cut its strings, never to play again, for Domoto Ichiki, the score and the craftsmanship were a perfect match for him, like the high mountains and flowing waters that found a kindred spirit.

For the exceptionally talented Domoto Ike, other interpersonal relationships are easy to obtain, but true friends are hard to find in this world.

So when this kindred spirit could no longer properly maintain his piano, nor could he understand the music he played, he simply chose to give up the piano altogether. The weight of this affection was immense.

Pu and Jiang couldn't understand his actions, but he knew that Domoto Ikei hadn't actually treated him unfairly.

Given Domoto Ikei's intolerant nature, if he had truly forgotten him, he could have easily kicked him aside, someone who had lost his purpose, and no one would have objected. Yet, he was carefully placed in every corner of Domoto Ikei's business empire.

He participated in the college's teaching and served as the director of the concert hall. To this day, the piano that Domoto Kazuki used is still being tuned by his old friend.

Although he wouldn't admit it, deep down, Fu and Takumi knew that Domoto Ikki had never wronged him; it was just that he felt abandoned and that's why he broke down.

"So, do you think he would put the bomb in the pipe section of the organ?" After pondering Tang Ze's words for a while, Yuga Kyosuke's voice sounded slightly alarmed.

It wasn't that I was horrified that the other party was going to blow up the organ, but rather that this old man, despite his advanced age, really had a knack for climbing up and down steep slopes.

Adjusting a pipe organ is a big job. In order not to affect the sound production and for the sake of aesthetics, pipe organs do not have any scaffolding or similar structures for easy climbing.

"Not entirely. He might put a trigger or something inside." Asai Shigemi, who had actually participated in the design of such mechanisms, said tactfully, "Anyway, he's going to tamper with the organ."

"Oh, so that means he won't make his move until tomorrow?" Haga Kyosuke, understanding their meaning, exclaimed, "Because Hansmura will still be tuning today and tomorrow?"

Tuning requires contact with the tube assembly, and tuning may reveal any tampering done by the person involved.

He left the notice in Pu Hejiang's office, but Pu Hejiang, who was not satisfied with his position, would not go there unless necessary.

Therefore, the most likely people to see the notice are Pu and Takumi, who are going to install the device tomorrow.

"Yes, we have at most a day and a half to resolve the issues with the score and the craftsmanship hall." Tang Ze confirmed his guess. "On the day of the performance, even if Domoto Ichiki strives for perfection and asks Hansmura to do another pre-performance calibration, he will find a way to stop it."

As for the methods, they wouldn't go so far as to kill the sound engineer, but it would be quite simple to prevent Hansmüller from coming.

Taking his phone and room key and locking his hotel room door would be enough to prevent Hansmura from making the rehearsal in time.

"So now we are ————?"

"Now, of course, we should hurry up and see what's going on with his temple. Name, score and craftsmanship, location, Domoto Concert Hall, destination, church cemetery."

"Destination locked."

"Alright. Hold on tight to Yuhe, let's go."

"?! Wait, Joker? So today, all day has been spent on Kazuki and Takumi—"

"It's only natural for a con artist like me to disguise myself and run around, right? Lunar, floor the gas, accelerate!"

"Ark, it's all yours now."

"Squeak!"

As Shinichi Kudo got out of Reiko Akiba's car, he clutched his chest, trying to suppress the urge to vomit that he had almost been thrown off balance by the excessive acceleration. In a daze, he could almost smell the burnt smell of the tire rubber being roasted by friction.

No, who drives like that? Or is this some kind of revenge for his persistent, stubborn behavior, deliberately trying to provoke him?

Unlike her aloof and proud appearance, Akiba Reiko sitting in the car reminded Kudo Shinichi of the fear he felt when he was being shaken like a sardine in a can in Amuro Tooru's car.

"You said it yourself, Nishitama City is so far from Beika Town, we need to hurry." Akiba Reiko unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car with a smile on her lips.

The detective, who was always so arrogant, looked much more pleasing to the eye than before when he was getting his comeuppance.

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