Conan, I'm an actor

"That's why she recommended you come here, right?" Kogoro Mouri sighed helplessly. It was an acquaintance, so it was even harder to refuse.

"Yes, ever since then, she has served as our company's consultant on all kinds of legal matters."

"Uncle, could you ask who those three students are?" Conan began to probe indirectly, because these three people were highly suspicious in any case.

Chapter 193 Kogoro's Desperate Situation (4)

Although he really wanted Conan to go play in the mud, considering that this was also information he wanted to know, he could only say, "If it's convenient, could you tell me about the situation of the three students?"

"One of them is the star of our Miracle Magic Troupe. The outside world believes that this student is the one who can inherit my husband's mantle," said Shichiko Kuju. "The second student is named Miyoshi Asako. Although she is willful, her skills are superb. Currently, no woman in the Japanese magic world can surpass her. The third is Momochi Yuuji. He has only been my husband's student for a few days. Although his skills are not as good as the other two, he has a great demeanor. All three of them are good kids, and they all live in my house, which makes it convenient for them to learn magic techniques."

Where were the three of them that day?

“They went with me to the Beika Restaurant for a dinner show, performing all sorts of magic tricks for the audience there.” Tsukumo Nanae looked regretful. “They originally wanted my husband to come along, but he thought the pay was too low.”

"So all three of them were at home before the performance?" Conan asked directly. "Then they all had the opportunity to poison your husband."

"Hey!" Kogoro Mori sensed something was wrong; it seemed like his lines had been stolen.

“But my husband died during the performance, little one.”

"Could it be that they put poison in a capsule and made him drink it?"

“If that were the case, my husband would have called for help. There’s a phone in the basement, and the door is very easy to open.”

Nanae's rebuttal was very powerful, and Conan was at a loss until he saw the specifics.

"Could it be sleeping pills?"

“The police did not detect any sleeping pills in my husband’s body, and there were no signs of restraint on his body. All the doors in the house were locked, and the police did not find any signs of intrusion from the outside.”

Kogoro Mouri's eyes were somewhat unfriendly; he felt that the woman in front of him was just looking for trouble.

The poison composition and whether sleeping pills were present have been checked, indicating that the police have already conducted an autopsy. Given that it was a locked room, concluding it was suicide wouldn't have been difficult. Under these circumstances, why would this woman still come looking for him? Was she seeking pleasure from him?

"So, the only possibility left is suicide," Kogoro Mouri concluded, which also served as a dismissal order.

“That’s what they said too,” Tsukumo Shichi said, nodding. “But I can’t understand why my husband would want to commit suicide.”

"What do you mean?" Kogoro Mouri was taken aback.

“Because tomorrow is our precious daughter Fumino’s birthday, my husband started preparing the gift a month ago and is really looking forward to this day. He wants to give the gift to Fumino in person. Do you think someone like him would commit suicide? Moreover, I find this suspicious not only because of this place, but also because I found this on the floor of his basement.” Kujuku Shichiko took out something and handed it to Mouri Kogoro.

Kogoro Mouri took it and looked at it, discovering that it was two playing cards stuck together. "The Ace of Spades and the Jack of Spades, stuck together."

"The police originally wanted to separate the two playing cards, but then they found that there was nothing written on them. I put them on afterward so that Detective Mori could see them."

Kogoro Mouri looked impatient. He had thought it was something special and said helplessly, "It's just a common magic trick. It's possible that someone might commit suicide because they're having a moment of despair."

"But my husband has never performed magic using playing cards, and I have never seen such a technique before."

"Uncle, how about this, let's go to this aunt's house and take a look. If there's anything suspicious, with Uncle Kogoro's abilities, he'll definitely be able to find some clues." Conan began to flatter Kogoro Mouri at the right time.

A locked-room murder case—that sounds intriguing.

"You brat, you always want to follow me around," Kogoro Mouri said, somewhat angrily. "This time I'm going alone, so you stay home and behave yourself."

"What does it matter? Conan often knows about strange things, maybe he can help," Ran said with a smile.

She knew about the tranquilizer watch that Professor Agasa made for Conan, so she also knew exactly how her father got the nickname "Sleeping Kogoro." If her third-rate detective couldn't handle the situation, having Conan along would be a way to get him out of trouble—consider it paying rent.

Kogoro Mouri looked at his daughters and sighed helplessly, "You two are not allowed to run around."

Half an hour later, Kogoro Mouri and his two companions followed Nanae Tsukumo to the Tsukumo family's villa.

"Your house is really impressive," Kogoro Mouri remarked, looking at the chandelier hanging in the living room.

“Of course, the deceased Motoyasu Tsukumo was a world-renowned magician,” Ran said matter-of-factly.

“Then, Madam, please take us to see the scene,” Kogoro Mouri said to his wife.

Just then, Yuji Momochi came out and showed off a magic trick. Just as he was about to continue showing off, his fellow student stopped him. Through the lady's introduction, Kogoro Mouri and his companions became acquainted with these two.

"But what is Detective Mouri doing here?" Yuji Momochi asked, somewhat puzzled. "Didn't our teacher commit suicide?"

“The teacher doesn’t seem like the type to commit suicide, and besides, something’s off about those playing cards.” Miyoshi Asako looked at his wife. “Right?”

"Playing cards?"

The lady took out the playing cards again and showed them to Yuji Momochi. "These are the ones."

Yuji Momochi took the playing card and glanced at it. "It's this playing card with the Ace of Spades and Jack of Spades stuck together. Isn't this a magic trick? The police also said that the teacher committed suicide."

“That’s right. Now, even if you search this house thoroughly, it will be of no use. All you can find is the fact that there is only one genius left.” Just then, a hand took the two playing cards, tore them to pieces, and scattered them into the sky. A moment later, they turned into a pile of playing cards and fell down.

Kogoro Mouri grabbed the culprit by the collar in an instant, "You bastard, how dare you tear up such an important keepsake!"

"Don't be nervous, the real pair of cards is in your shirt pocket." The man whose collar was grabbed remained completely unfazed.

Kogoro Mouri looked into his jacket pocket and was surprised to find the pair of playing cards tucked inside. Then he realized that the man in front of him looked somewhat familiar.

Chapter 194 Kogoro's Desperate Situation (5)

"If I remember correctly, you seem to be..."

"I remember now, you're the genius magician who played Kaito Kid at the Suzuki Foundation's 60th anniversary party." Ran's eyes lit up.

Conan also remembered this guy; he had caused quite a commotion that time, but fortunately, the incident was successfully resolved.

"My name is Sanada Ichizo." The young man gave a magician's bow, turned around and said, "If you're smart enough, you'd better leave as soon as possible, lest you tarnish your reputation as a famous detective."

Watching Sanada Ichizo's retreating figure, Conan nodded silently. This guy truly lived up to his reputation as the mastermind behind the Phantom Thieves' base; that annoying aura he exuded was exactly the same.

"Hmph, his magic teacher died, and he's acting like nothing happened," Kogoro Mouri said angrily.

“I don’t think that’s the case. The backs of every single deck of cards he used were different.” Miyoshi Asako flipped over a few decks of cards. “He’s always been a perfectionist; he wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.”

"It seems that Sanada-senpai was quite traumatized by what happened to the teacher," Yuuji Momochi remarked.

“He has always treated my husband like a father,” Tsukumo Shichi sighed.

The crowd fell silent, and the atmosphere became tense.

"Is that Conan?" Just then, a childish female voice appeared behind Conan.

"I remember you're Fumino from Class A." Conan looked at the little girl in front of him, equally surprised. He had considered this possibility when his wife mentioned her daughter's name was Fumino, but he never expected such a coincidence to actually happen.

"Did you come to my house to play?" Fumino asked curiously.

"No, I'm here to take care of something..." Before Conan could finish speaking, his head was pressed down.

"He's just a kid who came along. It's me who has the business," Kogoro Mouri said with a big smile.

“Then Conan, come shopping with me.” Fumino said, pulling Conan’s shoulder. “I’m going to buy clothes for my birthday with my mom. Tomorrow is my birthday, and the invitation should have arrived at your house by now.”

Ran's face darkened. If it weren't for her promise to her father not to cause him trouble before leaving the house, she would have already dragged Conan over.

"This one……"

"Conan, you should go with your classmates," Kogoro Mouri said, patting Conan on the shoulder. "You can leave things here to the adults."

"Huh?" Conan looked at Ran to the side, casting an inquiring glance at her.

"Ran, why don't you come along too?" Kogoro Mouri suddenly said.

"Huh?" Ran had originally wanted to find an excuse to keep Conan, but she didn't expect her dad to send her and Conan out together.

"Since Miss Ran is with me, I won't go." Kujuku Shichie stroked Fumino's head. "Mommy still has guests to entertain, Fumino, be a good girl. Oh, and Masako, could you please…"

"No need, Ran, you and Conan can take care of Fumino together." Kogoro Mouri took out his wallet and handed it to her. "If Fumino wants to buy anything, just pay for it first, and then come back with the receipt to get reimbursed by your wife."

Conan and Ran looked at Kogoro Mouri with some surprise. They knew about his recent financial situation; he wasn't exactly penniless, but he was living quite frugally.

"I can't accept this." Lady Nanae immediately pulled out a dozen or so Fukuzawa Yukichi bills and handed them to Ran. "Use this money first. If you need more, come back and ask me for it."

"This……"

"Take this." Kogoro Mouri looked at Asako Miyoshi to the side. "As one of Mr. Motoyasu's three students, you are a suspect. Please don't run around."

Miyoshi Asako's expression was a little unnatural. She shrugged and said, "No problem."

On the other side, Yuuji Momochi's expression was also somewhat unpleasant. This Detective Mouri was far too arbitrary, declaring them suspects without any evidence. Besides, the police had already ruled it a suicide; how could he possibly overturn the verdict? His wife was truly grasping at straws in her desperation.

Soon, Kogoro Mouri arrived at the basement. After inspecting the scene, he found nothing, but he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

Just then, his phone rang, and upon checking the number, he realized it was Eri Kisaki's number.

"I heard from Xiaolan that you've already arrived at the 99th house. Did you find anything, you bumbling detective?" Eri's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"We've only discovered some things, but we can't be sure yet," Kogoro Mouri said, sounding somewhat annoyed. "Why did you call?"

"I just wanted to ask if you need any help." Eri Kisaki stroked the cat named "Goro" in her arms.

"I don't need it!" Kogoro Mouri hung up the phone, somewhat angrily.

After taking a few photos at the scene, Kogoro Mouri fixed his gaze on the playing card. If it wasn't a magic trick, then what was this playing card? Was it something that Motoyasu Tsukumo wanted to tell him?

Faced with this scene, he felt a little out of place for the first time, as if a certain little devil was gone. If it were before, at this moment, that little devil would definitely have run out and said something like, "How strange..."

His expression froze instantly. It seemed that Conan was providing the crucial clues every time. There was something wrong with this kid.

Seeing the change in Kogoro Mouri's expression, Nanae Tsukumo asked somewhat nervously, "Mr. Mouri, have you discovered something?"

"I can't be sure yet," Uncle Mori said somewhat awkwardly. "The scene was well preserved, but the body is gone. I'm wondering if there are any clues left on the body."

"You mentioned three students earlier..."

"Students, by the way, Madam, you said that all three students were present when the body was discovered, right?" Kogoro Mouri's gaze lingered on the door lock and the telephone. "What was the condition of the door lock and the telephone at that time?"

"The door is locked from the inside, and the telephone is covered by a pile of playing cards," Nanami thought for a moment before answering Kogoro Mouri's question.

Kogoro Mouri thought for a moment, then went to check the door lock. Finding it untouched, his gaze settled on the telephone. He wouldn't have cared if the telephone was working properly, but why cover it with a playing card? He couldn't help but miss that mischievous brat.

Meanwhile, Conan was also muttering about Uncle Mori, but he was scolding Uncle Mori for being foolish.

Being dragged around by that little girl, Fumino, was bad enough, but the worst part was that Ran was watching from behind. He could already feel the palpable killing intent emanating from Ran. Ran would never bully Fumino, so in the end, he was destined to bear the brunt of everything. How tragic.

Chapter 195 Kogoro's Desperate Situation (6)

There weren't many styles of children's clothing, especially formal wear. After buying the clothes, Xiaolan took the two children to a restaurant for a meal.

"Speaking of Conan, is Dad really alright?" Ran asked while Fumino was in the restroom. "What if..."