Rice Flower Singularity (5): Electronic Undead
Toru Amuro: "...!"
The enclosed space was like an inverted glass, blocking out muffled noises, leaving him only with the sound of his own heart beating rapidly in his chest.
His gaze went straight into Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes, which remained clear and golden, seemingly completely unaware of what those words meant.
This is truly—
Is he completely ignorant or is he just pretending too well?
Conan, who was overhearing this, almost jumped up. His heart, which had just relaxed a little, subconsciously jumped again, and he was sweating bullets for the black-skinned police officer.
"Miss Assistant, why would you ask that?" Amuro Tooru asked, his expression puzzled, his question perfectly veiled.
“It’s very simple,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said without any doubt, uttering words that surprised them. “I am indeed a detective’s assistant.” She pointed to Conan. “He has also deduced the true culprit in murder cases.”
"Eh, an assistant?" Conan's eyes lit up, and the scales in his heart slowly tipped again. "Maybe I should ask her when I have time? Maybe we're kindred spirits?"
"Those two police officers probably have the same profession in real life, right? Of all the people I can confirm, only you, a doctor, don't quite fit this pattern, do you?"
Oh, is that so?
Amuro Tooru secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he thought his identity had been exposed.
Ever since he joined the game, he's been searching for any trace of the organization. It's less believable that the organization suddenly experienced a technological breakthrough, only to use it first for a game; it's more likely he'd believe they'll one day become a charity!
The organization must have its purpose in launching this game. Since he was lucky enough to experience it in advance, he must find out. He thought Conan was pretty much the same, but was this little girl really playing the game seriously?
Skillfully suppressing his inappropriate emotions, Amuro Tooru's mind began to ponder the question raised by Ritsuka.
He was certain he had never worked as a doctor, and indeed stood out among the players who fit their respective roles.
“I’ve never done this kind of job before. Maybe there’s some hidden story behind this identity?” Amuro Tooru guessed casually.
"I see." Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed regretfully, thinking she had found some clue. But her disappointment lasted only a second. She patted her cheeks and cheered herself up. This was just the beginning; she couldn't rush things.
Next, she shared her guesses from the journey without holding back.
According to the host's statement at the banquet, there were only five real players. Their character cards were marked with the word "decoration" on the electronic screen, and they could not reveal their real names.
The other characters are given names and professions, so we can only assume for now that they are NPCs who advance the plot in the game.
Amuro Tooru paused, his bangs falling naturally, his purple eyes shrouded in shadow, making them difficult to see clearly. Conan looked away, about to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut.
Ritsuka narrowed her eyes, sensing something was amiss. Sure enough, their expressions told her it wasn't that simple.
I don't know where BB found the material, but it's certain that she, who hates humans, wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity to torment her and the other four unlucky guys.
"Wait, Doctor, who did you run into?" Conan suddenly spoke up, only then realizing that Amuro Tooru wasn't surprised to see his former friend.
Conan's intuition told him that it wasn't because he had met Akemi Miyano that he wasn't surprised, but rather because he had met a friend of equal importance to him, which made him feel numb.
“I thought you would have realized it sooner.” Amuro Tooru brushed his bangs aside and closed his eyes wearily. “The eldest daughter of the Miyano family and her…fiancé.”
"Huh?" Conan pondered carefully. He knew the relationship between Subaru Okiya, who was Shuichi Akai, and Akemi Miyano, but Amuro Tooru's expression couldn't possibly be the expression one would have when seeing Akai, could it?
"Ahem, who is it?" Conan leaned forward slightly, his expression showing a hint of watching a show.
“An NPC named Kenji Hagiwara, whose family owns a horse farm.”
Conan: "...Huh???"
If he had drunk tea right now, he would have spat it out. Wait, isn't that Officer Matsuda's childhood friend's name? What is this, some kind of forced pairing?
He asked cautiously, "Doctor, have you seen any other players besides Sherry?"
There are three rooms and one upstairs. There's only one player Conan hasn't seen yet, but asking directly would definitely get him a cold shoulder from Mr. Amuro, so he can only be indirect like this.
"I saw her. She works as a butler at the Miyano family."
Remembering how Subaru Okiya always seemed to be running to Dr. Agasa's house, Conan thought this role actually suited him quite well. The only player character who didn't quite fit the bill was Mr. Amuro.
And why did Amuro Tooru sound so gritted out? Conan's tone became increasingly cautious, "Then him...?"
“He lost his memory just like Sherry.” Amuro Tooru pouted as if he remembered something he didn’t want to recall. “You’ll understand when you meet him. Even his style of dress is the same as Sherry’s.”
Unfortunately, they didn't get to see the Miyano family's butler until dinner time. They tried to get information from others, but all they got was that the butler had gone to London to run errands.
But during dinner, someone unexpectedly, yet predictably, stepped into the Miyano family home.
Am I too late?
A gentle, smiling voice rang out in the restaurant. The newcomer had short, straight black hair and clear, blue-gray eyes. He handed his trench coat to a waitress and expertly pulled out a chair next to Kenji Hagiwara and sat down.
He glanced around and nodded to the familiar detective and assistant.
[Morofushi Kagemitsu - University Student]
Fujimaru Ritsuka responded politely, looking into the visitor's eyes, feeling as if she had seen a similar person somewhere before.
“It’s not too late,” Kenji Hagiwara replied. “It must have been difficult for you to come all the way from the University of London, right? You really didn’t need to…”
Kenji Hagiwara, a horse racer
“Even if I don’t come today, I’ll still have to come to your engagement party.” Morofushi Kagemitsu picked up his knife and fork, smiled slightly, and said, “I also want to try to see if the professional knowledge I learned in university can help solve the case.”
Looking around, he asked in confusion, "Where's Mingmei?"
"My sister hasn't woken up yet." Shiho Miyano was a little troubled, and she couldn't even eat much of the sumptuous dinner in front of her. "The doctor said she doesn't have any serious problems."
Morofushi Kagemitsu shifted his gaze to the Miyano family's private doctor, only to be met with a pair of complex and sorrowful purple eyes. But the next second, those eyes were so calm that it was as if he had just imagined it.
His fingers curled slightly, and the knife and fork accidentally struck the center of the white porcelain plate. Seeing the worried look in Hagiwara Kenji's eyes, he realized his lapse in composure.
But why? He had no idea where his emotions came from.
Picking up his knife and fork again, Morofushi Kagemitsu nodded apologetically to those around him, suppressing his emotions. After all, nothing was more important than the wedding banquet two days later, wasn't it?
Amuro Tooru remained silent, appearing calmer than he had imagined.
He could even be distracted by his past childish thoughts. He once fantasized about what it would be like to see his childhood friend again in his dreams.
Perhaps it was the junior high or high school they went to together, or the cafeteria they ate together in college, or the police academy where they were punished by having to do cleaning...
But absolutely, absolutely not now, in a holographic game developed by an organization, he saw a warm, moving stranger with his childhood friend's face.
He wanted to grab the person in front of him by the collar and question them, he wanted to question the organization that made the game, but he couldn't.
Ultimately, it is the living who bear the brunt of the burden.
So he closed his eyes and opened them again, smiling as he said to Shiho Miyano, "I'll go check on Miss Miyano's condition again."
After Amuro Tooru left, Fujimaru Ritsuka nudged Conan and asked, "Don't you think there's something off between those two?"
Conan was taken aback, then laughed it off: "There's nothing wrong with it. They haven't said a word. Aren't you being too sensitive?"
"Impossible. I'm betting on them that they're definitely up to something, based on my years of experience in judging people." If she couldn't see something so obvious, she shouldn't be in Chaldea.
"Oh dear, Mr. Amuro, you've left, but you've really screwed me over," Conan thought to himself. He used various rhetoric to prove that Amuro Tooru and Morofushi Kagemitsu were innocent, while simultaneously trying to divert Ritsuka's attention.
After dinner, Shiho Miyano personally reviewed the circumstances of her sister's case with the detective and her assistant. However, since the threatening letter was pieced together from newspaper clippings and Akemi Miyano was still unconscious, they couldn't let her go out to check if there were any stalkers.
So, the trail ended there. It was getting late, so the two had no choice but to stay overnight at Miyano's house and visit the witnesses the next day.
Just a few minutes after Fujimaru Ritsuka arrived at the guest room, a little tail quietly pushed open the door and came in.
"Hey, detective?" She blinked. "Is there anything else?"
"I just have a few things I'd like to confirm with my assistant," Conan said, tilting his head back and using a deliberately high-pitched, cute voice. "Is that alright?"
“Of course, just ask,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said generously.
"Did you encounter any familiar NPCs, sister?"
"No... Oh no, I feel like I've seen someone who looks like Morofushi Kagemitsu somewhere before."
"Is that Inspector Morofushi Takaaki? He was in charge of security at the banquet." Conan asked again:
"We haven't gained anything today. Aren't you worried that the game will stay stuck here and we won't be able to get back to the beginning?"
Ah, is that what you're worried about?
Fujimaru Ritsuka thought for a moment, and said, "If it's BB, don't worry. After all, it's just a game. Maybe today is just to get players used to it, and new clues will appear tomorrow?"
Although the way she delivers clues might not be the most pleasant, BB won't let everyone get stuck in this place where she can't enjoy herself.
Sigh, maybe those NPCs' faces are part of her twisted sense of humor; they all seem to have some connection to other players. She's the only one who's escaped unscathed so far.
"Is that so?" Conan was dumbfounded. Should he say Fujimaru Ritsuka was optimistic, or just carefree? She really wasn't worried at all.
After hurriedly saying goodbye until tomorrow, he quickly returned to his room, where Mr. Amuro was still waiting for him.
—
In the dead of night, Kenji Hagiwara suddenly sat up and cautiously pulled back the curtains.
It was pitch black outside; even the stars were obscured by thick, dark clouds, and nothing could be seen.
Was it just his imagination? Kenji Hagiwara rubbed his head, but after lying down again, he suddenly couldn't fall asleep.
His mind kept replaying his conversation with Matsuda Jinpei from earlier that day. He sighed. Was it because he wanted to review whether he had made a good impression on Officer Matsuda after their instant connection?
But before he could even begin to recall, a voice suddenly came to his ears.
"Swish, swish."
Kenji Hagiwara jumped out of bed; he hadn't misread anything!
He picked up the oil lamp in the room and carefully opened the door to go outside.
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