How to Survive With a Death-Flag Character Setting in Detective Conan - Chapter 13
A group of people was chatting merrily when Hoshimoto Kana came bustling over with a few others in tow.
She was wearing a black bikini, with a large bath towel draped over her shoulders. Her legs were still wet, and as she walked, droplets of water slid down her calves and dripped onto the carpet.
Several young boys blushed with embarrassment, lowering their heads, not daring to look at her.
The people following behind her were dressed in much the same revealing way, forming a sharp contrast with those here who were neatly dressed.
Hoshimoto Kana walked up to Higashino Hiromu’s table and said, “What is the current club president doing hiding here? At the very least, you should go greet Kaneda senpai!”
Higashino Hiromu smiled, “I already greeted him when I arrived. He told me not to disturb him.” In fact, the two of them had only exchanged a look; their entire communication was carried out through eye contact.
Higashino Hiromu lifted his chin: I’m here.
Kaneda tossed his head: Come over and have fun!
Higashino Hiromu shook his head: No need!
Kaneda kaichou raised his eyebrows: Suit yourself then.
The two understood each other perfectly.
Hoshimoto Kana glanced around and curled her lip. “You people are such killjoys. At a hot spring party and yet wrapped up so tightly… Should I award you all a couple of ?”
At this moment, Suzuki Sonoko suddenly spoke up. “I was wondering who was so extravagant as to rent out an entire floor for a party. Turns out it was Hoshimoto-san herself~” She laughed. “But I wonder, does Uncle Hoshimoto know his daughter is playing around so freely?”
Hoshimoto Kana’s face stiffened. She turned to look at her and asked in a low voice, “Suzuki Sonoko? What are you doing here?”
“I’ll go wherever I please. Who dares stop me?” Suzuki Sonoko propped her chin up with one hand, smiling as she said, “I hear you’re getting engaged soon. Is your fiancé here? Won’t you introduce him to me?”
Hoshimoto Kana’s expression grew even darker. She shot Suzuki Sonoko a glance and said coolly, “When you’re in my position one day, let’s see if you can still laugh like this.”
Suzuki Sonoko grinned broadly, flashing her white teeth. “Sorry, but in my family, we don’t need arranged marriages.”
The veins stood out on Hoshimoto Kana’s forehead. Though fuming, she didn’t dare clash directly with Suzuki Sonoko and could only turn around in anger and leave.
One of the girls following her did not immediately catch up but instead said to Higashino Hiromu, “Higashino senpai, really not coming outside? Many people are here just for you and want to get to know you.”
Higashino Hiromu shook his head. “No need.” Joking aside, he had only just gotten rid of the “Player” label a few days ago. How could he jump back into the fire pit now?
“Player” socializing—Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!
The girl, having gotten her answer, did not press further and quickly ran to catch up with Hoshimoto Kana.
Adachi Shizuku asked curiously, “So you know Hoshimoto-san?”
Suzuki Sonoko waved her hand. “Not really, I’ve only met her a few times.”
Adachi Shizuku asked again, “And what you said about her getting engaged, was that true?”
Suzuki Sonoko nodded. “Yes, it’s set for next month. This is probably her last round of indulgence.”
Adachi Shizuku smacked his lips, then leaned closer to Higashino Hiromu’s ear and whispered, “She used to chase after Kaneda kaichou all the time. How could she just give up like that?”
Higashino Hiromu replied, “It probably wasn’t her choice. Anyway, let’s not discuss the past. After all, she’s a girl. It’s not right to talk like this.”
Adachi Shizuku nodded in acknowledgment. Then he asked, “By the way, that newcomer still hasn’t shown up? Did he really ditch you?”
Higashino Hiromu opened the chat interface and shoved it in front of him. “No. He got held up by something and is already on his way.”
Adachi Shizuku leaned back a little, glanced through the chat log between the two of them, and nodded. “That’s fine. Since it’s the first group event, if he skips it, people will run their mouths.”
After a while, Higashino Hiromu figured Hatori Yuiichi was almost here. He stood up and headed out, planning to wait for him on the first floor.
As he passed the glass door, he casually glanced at the outdoor pool and saw Hoshimoto Kana give a few feeble struggles before slowly sinking beneath the water. The people around were all messing about and hadn’t noticed her at all.
Higashino Hiromu’s pupils suddenly contracted. He thought of Conan’s harbinger of death attribute, immediately pushed the door open and ran out, leaped into the pool, then quickly swam to Hoshimoto Kana, hooked an arm under her, and brought her toward the edge.
Only then did the people in the pool and at the poolside react and rush to haul her up.
Higashino Hiromu told the onlookers to make space. He slapped Hoshimoto Kana’s cheeks, trying to rouse her, but she showed no sign of waking. Fortunately, her breathing and pulse were both normal.
After confirming her mouth and nose were unobstructed, Higashino Hiromu placed her on her side and said to those around, “Has anyone called an ambulance?”
Several people answered, “We did. It will be here soon!”
Higashino Hiromu held Hoshimoto Kana’s wrist, watching her pulse.
Thinking of how unnaturally she had sunk, his gaze darkened. He said, “Call the police as well.”
The onlookers were all taken aback.
Someone said, “You don’t need to call the police for drowning, do you?”
Higashino Hiromu didn’t bother to explain and was prepared to do it himself. He reached into his sopping-wet trouser pocket and only then remembered he had been holding his phone just now; it seemed to have fallen to the bottom of the pool…
He was about to call out to Adachi Shizuku when someone said, “I already called the police.” He looked up. It was Kaneda kaichou.
Kaneda kaichou gave his phone a little shake at him and shot him a look that said, “Don’t worry.”
The people inside, having seen Higashino Hiromu suddenly run out to save someone, had also hurried after him.
Edogawa Conan saw that Higashino Hiromu’s first-aid technique was very practiced, so he didn’t crowd in. But when he heard Higashino Hiromu ask for the police, his expression shifted slightly.
Could Hoshimoto-san’s drowning not be an accident?
Edogawa Conan edged up beside Higashino Hiromu to observe Hoshimoto Kana at close range.
Sensing the little detective’s intention, Higashino Hiromu quietly gave him cover.
Edogawa Conan examined her carefully and even reached out to feel the carotid artery in her neck.
There were no obvious injuries on the skin that Hoshimoto-san had exposed. Her breathing and pulse were steady, yet she showed no sign of waking.
He pondered for a moment, then turned and walked toward the drinks station.
Soon, an ambulance and a police car arrived downstairs together. The hotel manager thought some major incident had occurred and rushed up in a panic; when he heard it was only a guest who had drowned, he let out a sigh of relief. But when he then heard Higashino Hiromu say the drowning might have been man-made, his heart leapt back into his throat.
The police team leader, Shiratori Ninzaburo, frowned.
Because out of so many people, only Higashino Hiromu had seen Hoshimoto Kana sink, and there was no surveillance near the hot spring pool, he specifically had an officer accompany the ambulance and asked the hospital to run a drug screen on Hoshimoto Kana. All alcohol and beverages at the scene were sampled for testing, and every attendee would have to be questioned by the police.
Some people grumbled, blaming Higashino Hiromu for meddling too much. When Kaneda kaichou heard this, he said, “Clearly, I was the one who called the police. Why not blame me? You look so guilty. Could it be you were the one who tried to harm Kana?”
That person immediately shook his head furiously. “Not me! I’m willing to cooperate with the police investigation!”
Higashino Hiromu, hearing Kaneda kaichou speak up for him, gave him a smile.
Kaneda kaichou was slightly stunned. He raised his brows, looked at Higashino Hiromu’s face, and asked, “What skincare product are you using? How does your skin look so smooth, it’s practically reflective?”
Higashino Hiromu froze, then suddenly remembered—he had forgotten that 【 Celestial Grace 】 glows outdoors!
These past days, he had not gone out at night. When he arrived at the hotel today, it was still bright outside. Afterwards, he had stayed indoors the whole time and hadn’t thought about it.
And just now, rushing to save someone, how could he have remembered to switch labels?
Fortunately, the poolside lighting was very bright, so it was not obvious that he himself was glowing.
Higashino Hiromu could only smile awkwardly and say, “Nothing at all. Maybe because I’ve been going to bed early and getting up early lately, so I look healthier.”
“Really that effective?” Kaneda kaichou touched his own face, muttering, “Then starting tomorrow, I’ll sleep earlier too. Hmm, let’s first move my bedtime up to midnight.”
Seeing that he was no longer paying attention to him, Higashino Hiromu immediately slipped into the hot spring pool.
His phone was still soaking in the water! He had to see if it could still be salvaged!
Hatori Yuiichi had just arrived on the third floor when he saw a group of doctors and nurses hurrying into the adjacent elevator with a stretcher, policemen following alongside. He looked at them with some confusion, then continued inside, only to be stopped by an officer.
Hatori Yuiichi explained, “I came to attend the gathering here.”
The officer asked him why he had come so late.
Hatori Yuiichi explained that something at home had delayed him for a while.
The police then asked if he knew Hoshimoto Kana.
Hatori Yuiichi said he was a new member of the research club and only knew the club president, Higashino Hiromu.
Hatori Yuiichi pointed toward the venue. “Can I go in now?”
The officer was puzzled. “The party is already over. Why would you still go in?”
“I still need to greet the club president. Otherwise, he’ll think I didn’t show up.” Hatori Yuiichi replied.
The officer nodded at that and reminded him before he went in that he might be questioned again.
Hatori Yuiichi said he would cooperate with the police.
Because the exchange with the officer had delayed him, by the time Hatori Yuiichi reached the glass door, he saw this scene before him.
The hot spring pool, under the cover of night, shimmered with rippling light, the moon reflecting in the center of the water. Suddenly, a figure leapt up from beneath the surface, shattering the calm. He tossed his hair carelessly, ran his hand through the wet strands to push them back, revealing his smooth forehead. He swam to the poolside, pressed down hard with both hands, lifted one leg, and climbed onto the shore.
Hatori Yuiichi raised an eyebrow.
The man was handsome, but the way he climbed out of the pool was not very graceful.
Higashino Hiromu fished his phone out of the water and saw that it had already powered off. He neither forced it on nor shook it dry, deciding instead to borrow a heating pad or something similar from the hotel front desk later and see if it would still work after drying.
After taking a few steps, the surrounding lights dimmed. He suddenly remembered that he stood out too much in dark places, so he quickly switched to 【 】.
The glow effect was gone, but with 【 Lethal Charm 】 paired with his completely drenched state, it turned into…
Hatori Yuiichi watched as Higashino Hiromu came closer and closer, and his heartbeat suddenly skipped.
Higashino senpai… is he really this different between day and night?
CHARACTER PROFILE:
Shiratori Ninzaburo
Manga/Anime: Detective Conan
Role: Police Inspector in Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Personality: Calm, well-mannered, sometimes conceited due to his wealthy background; initially competes for Miwako Sato’s affection but later develops a relationship with Sumiko Kobayashi
Notable Traits: Knowledgeable in architecture and wine, reliable investigator, often skeptical of Conan but respects his intelligence
Background: Originally wanted to be a lawyer, became inspired to join the police. Known for his professionalism and dedication to justice, and his love story with Sumiko is a key aspect of his character development.