Beyond the Truth: Mouri's Odyssey

Chapter 0017: The Murder Case at the Golden Music Festival (4)

The Girls' Generation, as expected of a top-tier idol group, managed to ignite the live audience's enthusiasm even more intensely than a diva's performance. The male audience members were ecstatic, fervently cheering as they watched the sizzling dance moves.

Subsequent contestants took the stage to perform, but none could reach the same level of excitement. Even the young songstress Yoko-san gave it her all, but her performance received little acclaim.

After witnessing those perfectly white legs, it seemed the world had lost its allure to the audience.

Backstage, the waiting area gradually became crowded. Seven performers were about to finish their performances, and it was almost time for the final challenger to take the stage.

At that moment, a staff member hurried backstage and whispered something to Matsuo Takashi.

"What? You're saying GD is missing? How could this happen?" Matsuo Takashi immediately panicked. He pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping his sweat. Noticing that Rain's performance was nearing its end, Matsuo quickly instructed an assistant to head to the waiting room.

On the live broadcast, the camera captured the assistant entering the waiting room and saying a few words to Taeyeon-san, the leader of Girls' Generation. The nine girls huddled together for a brief discussion before following the assistant out of the room.

As Rain's performance concluded, Matsuo Takashi, who had been announcing from backstage, stepped onto the stage. Holding a microphone, he addressed the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for a minor issue during the Golden Music Festival live broadcast. The challenger has encountered an unexpected situation. We ask for your patience. As compensation, please enjoy another performance by Girls' Generation!"

Matsuo Takashi remained calm on stage, handling the live broadcast mishap with remarkable composure. The audience was delighted with the arrangement.

However, backstage, a middle-aged, sweaty man with a serious expression rushed over to Matsuo Takashi as he stepped down.

"Matsuo-san, we found Kwon Ji-yong-san in the mixing room on the third floor, but… he's dead. Should we call the police?" The man's voice, loud with panic, was overheard by Conan and Kogoro Mouri.

V-Chan's voice echoed: [Main quest activated—Detective Duel 1: Solve the mystery faster than Conan. Reward: 2,000 points and one Universal Lottery draw.]

[Task issued: Fame in Tokyo—This is your chance to make a name for yourself at Tokyo Television. Seize this opportunity and showcase your deduction skills. Rewards will vary based on audience reach.]

Kogoro and Conan immediately dashed toward the third floor, followed closely by Boa and Ran. Matsuo Takashi, now flustered, instructed his assistant to call the police and chased after them.

On stage, the nine girls continued their seductive dance moves, captivating the audience. Little did they know that beneath the dazzling spotlight, a murder had occurred.

When the group reached the elevators, they found that all four were out of service. Maintenance workers were conducting routine checks.

Matsuo Takashi explained, "From 7 to 9 PM tonight, the elevators are scheduled for maintenance. We can't use them. Let's take the stairs."

Following Matsuo Takashi, they hurried down the stairs from the eleventh floor. However, when they reached the eighth floor, they found the staircase had collapsed.

"This area had an accident before and is now inaccessible. Let's use the emergency exit stairs."

The group retraced their steps, winding through the maze-like building before finally reaching the emergency exit. After a long and arduous journey, they arrived, breathless, at the mixing room on the third floor.

A crowd had gathered at the doorway, many taking photos with their phones. Kogoro pushed his way in and saw the gruesome scene: a red-haired young man with a gunshot wound to the forehead, his brain matter splattered, slumped against the wall—a truly horrific death.

Oddly, behind him was a large, old-style tilting window, which could be flipped open. Bullet holes dotted the walls on both sides.

Ran and Boa screamed at the sight.

Matsuo Takashi, sweating profusely, shouted as he arrived, "Who are you people? What are you doing in there? Where's security?"

Kogoro quickly responded, "I'm Kogoro Mouri, a detective. Someone has died here, so don't even think about covering this up. Ran, call the police."

Boa chimed in, "I can vouch for him. Mouri-san is indeed a detective."

Hearing this, Matsuo Takashi's eyes briefly flashed with nervousness. He quickly said, "I've already instructed someone to call the police. Don't worry, I'll fully cooperate with such a serious matter."

After speaking, Matsuo lowered his head, a look of frustration crossing his face. 'Why is there a detective here?'

This didn't escape the notice of Kogoro and Conan.

"Who discovered the body?" Kogoro asked sharply.

A man with a middle part hairstyle stepped forward. "It was me. I came to unlock the mixing room and found Kwon Ji-yong-san dead inside. I immediately reported it to Matsuo-san."

This was the assistant from earlier. His nametag read "Suwa Michihiko." He was sweating profusely from the chase earlier.

"Does anyone else have a key to this room?" Kogoro asked.

"No, the mixing room is highly secure. I keep the key on me at all times. No one else has access. But I had a severe cold yesterday and didn't come to work. The room has been locked since then. Today, with the live broadcast of the Golden Music Festival, I came directly to the hall after arriving. This was my first time coming here today, so how could there be a corpse inside?" Suwa stammered, his face pale.

Conan observed Kogoro in surprise. The questions he asked were all critical.

Kogoro stroked his chin thoughtfully. Based on Suwa's account, the room had been locked since yesterday, and the key never left his person. Yet somehow, a body appeared inside the sealed room, riddled with bullet holes. This was a classic locked-room murder case, deviating significantly from the events in his previous life's anime.

The crowd outside murmured amongst themselves, pointing fingers at Suwa.

Matsuo Takashi yelled at the crowd, "Enough! Stop talking! There's been a murder, and this is a serious matter. Delete any photos you took. If I find out someone leaked anything, don't blame me for being ruthless!"