BWDC:SDDK Chapter 76: The Curtain Falls on the Flower Arrangement
The celebration at the Red Flower Seaside Hotel proceeded smoothly. Many participants from the World Art Competition took turns performing their signature performance art on stage. These highbrow displays drew continuous applause from the guests, all of whom considered themselves members of high society.
Mouri Ran didn't have much interest in the abstract performances, finding only the final blossoming of the flower arrangements somewhat intriguing. Still, she followed the crowd and clapped along.
Mouri Kogoro, however, was yawning incessantly, looking as though he were on the verge of a deep sleep. He truly couldn't stand this kind of performance. If it weren't for the fact that someone else had footed the bill for him to be here, he would have left long ago. Wouldn't it be better to go home and watch a few more tapes of Okino Yoko's concerts? Why bother staying here to watch these "prodigies" perform?
Kogoro forced himself to stay awake. He knew a violent murder could break out at any moment. As a former detective and the "Number One Detective in the World," he had to remain alert to stop a crime the moment it started—or at least apprehend the criminal the moment it ended. Otherwise, the boasting he had done with Ozaki Midori would all be for naught!
"I must... stay... awake..."
Kogoro's appearance began to change!
Mouri Kogoro had evolved into "Sleeping Kogoro"!
Hotel Manager's Office
Shiraki Daisuke, the manager of the Red Flower Seaside Hotel, lay exhausted on the sofa. Throwing decorum to the wind, he propped his legs up on the coffee table. Promoting this celebration had drained a massive amount of his energy. If it weren't for his efforts, no matter how magical a flower arrangement was, there was no way this many people would have shown up.
He couldn't understand it. Okano Rika had actually told him that art couldn't be bought with money. To him, that was simply preposterous!
"Is there anything in this world that can't be measured with money?" Shiraki muttered. "Talking so high and mighty, yet you come running the moment the money is right. Honestly, if you ask me, money is the greatest art in the world. Without it, you can't do a damn thing!"
If he said these words outside where the guests could hear him, it would cause an uproar. The guests saw Shiraki as a man of high artistic sentiment; learning he despised art would tank his reputation and that of the hotel. But here in the manager's office, it was different. No guests would come here—only staff. He could say whatever he pleased.
"I say..."
Shiraki suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness. He rubbed his forehead, trying to clear his head, but it was useless. He stood up, intending to wash his face to snap out of it, but even that brief moment of clarity failed him.
His body swayed, and he slumped backward onto the sofa. In the final moment before losing consciousness, he saw the flower bud pinned to his chest begin to bloom.
It was the effect of chloroform.
Creak.
The door to the manager's office was pushed open. With a dark expression, Ozaki Midori walked toward Shiraki step by step. She reached out to grab his tie, intending to strangle him to death, but the moment her hand extended toward him, a hand clamped down on her wrist.
"That's enough," a voice said. "It's not too late to turn back."
Ren Ichimonji's voice was calm. In the corner of the room, a small figure hopped out. It was Conan.
Ren had known Midori was likely to make her move. Earlier, he had subtly probed her regarding her relationship with Shiraki and hinted that he knew who had written the murder threat. He had hoped the sender would choose a different way to resolve the dispute, promising he would help that person if they did.
Unfortunately, Midori had not stopped. She had used the chloroform that Ren had intentionally left behind, drugging the flower worn by Shiraki to knock him out so she could kill him with her own hands.
"...Is it you again?" Midori recognized Ren. He was the staff member who had spoken to her about the threat while she was at the gate. She hadn't expected him to figure out her target so quickly, let alone wait here in advance to capture evidence of her attempt.
"You saw it, didn't you?" Midori didn't resist or beg for mercy. She simply smiled faintly. "I wanted to kill Shiraki Daisuke... so, please, hand me over to the police."
Ren knew exactly what she meant. Anyone else catching her in the act would assume this was the "Flower of Death" mentioned in the threat. However, Ren knew the "Flower of Death" didn't refer to Shiraki's murder.
It referred to actual flowers of death. Right now, on the stage, the frozen flowers Okano Rika was using for her arrangement were the true "Flowers of Death"—or so Midori thought. She believed she had placed liquid cyanide inside them, expecting it to disperse and kill Okano Rika as the flowers thawed and bloomed.
Midori was going to be disappointed.
Ren had left the chloroform to test if Midori would still try to kill, but he had swapped out the bottle of cyanide she had prepared. Cyanide was too dangerous. As Ren had once told the man calling himself Kamen Yaiba, Honda Osamu: he would never achieve his goals in a way that endangered bystanders. If cyanide weren't handled perfectly, many people could die. Ren wouldn't take that risk.
Midori's plan had already failed. However, Ren spoke up:
"Would you like to go to the hall and see, Miss Ozaki?" he whispered. "I've prepared a surprise for you."
Midori remained silent, her expression filled with confusion.
In the main hall, Okano Rika had already taken the stage to perform her signature blossoming arrangement. The performance concluded successfully, without the scene of death Midori had envisioned.
Midori's eyes widened, and she was about to demand if this was the "surprise" Ren had mentioned. But in the next moment, a curtain on the stage dropped abruptly.
A video began to play, showing Shiraki Daisuke and Okano Rika in conversation. It revealed how Okano Rika had stolen the technique from Midori's older sister and how she had conspired with Shiraki to blacklist her, usurping the technique entirely.
The audience watched in shock. As the footage ended, a photograph appeared on the screen. It was a photo of Midori's sister—a black and white memorial photo—alongside the suicide note she had left behind.
"...You were too hasty, Miss Ozaki," Ren sighed. "For people like this, making them lose their reputation, their status, and their wealth is far more painful than killing them."
Inspector Megure, who had been waiting in the wings, stepped forward. Simultaneously, a system screen popped up in Ren's vision.
[Medium Difficulty Public Security Mission Completed!]
[50 Points Reward has been credited, please check!]
[Assisting Commissioner Gordon with a difficult problem, 25 Points Reward has been issued!]
End of Chapter
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