How to Survive With a Death-Flag Character Setting in Detective Conan - Chapter 22

After Mouri Kogoro’s autograph session ended, no one returned to their rooms right away. Instead, everyone gathered around in the tidied-up dining hall, chatting leisurely.

At first, everyone was listening to Mouri Kogoro recount his past cases. But there were only so many he could tell, and once those were over, the topic naturally ran dry. Then, somehow, the conversation shifted to the owner.

Higashino Hiromu immediately understood; this was where an important character clue would emerge!

Yumino Ruko began telling everyone about the history of the hot spring inn.

Her grandfather had been a lumberjack, spending his entire life deep in the mountains, working among trees. During one of his trips into the mountains, he discovered a natural hot spring, a high-quality sulfur spring. At the time, her father was still a child and had been suffering from a persistent skin disease that couldn’t be cured. Upon finding the spring, her grandfather decided to buy the forested land.

Because the location was remote, no one else wanted it, so he managed to acquire it at a bargain.

After soaking in the hot spring, her father’s illness gradually improved until he completely recovered. When he grew up, he too became a lumberjack.

In their spare time, the father and son used leftover timber from work to slowly transform the hot spring pool. What began as a simple thatched hut open to the wind on all sides eventually became a charming mountain cabin.

When the current owner was little, she often came here with her family to play. She had deep emotional ties to the hot spring cabin. But after losing her relatives one after another, the shock was too great, and she couldn’t bring herself to come here alone. As a result, the place lay abandoned for many years.

Then, three years ago, she met her ex-husband, Higashiya Kento. With his companionship, she gradually emerged from the grief of losing her family. After their marriage, she remembered the old hot spring cabin and decided to renovate it into a full-fledged inn, so more people could come to love it.

Higashiya Kento supported her decision and even provided most of the funding. To be fair, the inn wouldn’t be what it is today without his contributions.

Unfortunately, their good times didn’t last long. Their relationship fell apart, and they divorced soon after. The hot spring cabin had been her family’s inheritance, a premarital asset, so the ownership was naturally hers. However, since the renovation had involved Higashiya Kento’s investment and he refused repayment, she had no choice but to keep him on as a shareholder.

Two years ago, the inn officially opened for business. From then on, Higashiya Kento would occasionally come by for “inspections.” To avoid disturbing other guests, the owner always reserved a separate room for him.

Everyone listened to the gossip with great interest, practically wishing for another round of snacks to go with it.

At that moment, Edogawa Conan asked, “Have you heard about the wild man rumors?”

Yumino Ruko nodded. “Yes, everyone in this area knows about them.”

Hattori Heiji followed up, “When did those rumors start?”

Yumino Ruko thought for a moment before answering, “It was probably more than sixty years ago. The story has been passed down since my grandfather’s generation. I think it started when some geological survey team captured footage of something strange. Supposedly, a certain corporation had hired them to explore the area, planning to develop a resort here. But after that wild man appeared on camera, they gave up and moved their plans to another mountain. When I was a child, I often heard the village elders lament about it, saying that it was all the wild man’s fault for scaring away the investors. Otherwise, the village would’ve developed much better.”

Edogawa Conan asked again, “What about recently? Have you heard any new sightings of the wild man?”

Yumino Ruko recalled carefully and shook her head. “I don’t think I have.”

Just then, the cleaner, Ono Reimi, spoke up. “I have. I came across some news about it online.” She pulled out her phone, found the webpage she had saved, and handed it to the owner.

As Yumino Ruko read it, her brows furrowed. She looked up at Ono Reimi and said, “So that’s why you brought up quitting recently. You were afraid because of this?”

Ono Reimi scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“No one knows who wrote that news article. Anyway, no one around here has heard of any reappearance of the wild man,” Yumino Ruko said, returning the phone to Ono Reimi. “But if the wild man really did survive until now, he would be old already, so there’s probably nothing to be afraid of.”

Ono Reimi quietly took her phone back and lowered her head.

As Higashino Hiromu listened, he couldn’t help feeling that something was missing. How come the head chef, Kuwahara Makoto, didn’t seem to have any story at all?

So he asked tentatively, “Could it be that this so-called wild man is just someone who got lost in the mountains? Maybe they’ve just been surviving in the wild too long and ended up looking… rough?”

Yumino Ruko shook her head. “Judging from appearances, there’s still quite a difference between a wild man and a human. Besides, hikers get lost around here every year. The villagers are familiar with what they usually look like.”

“Every year?” Hattori Heiji raised an eyebrow. “Do they all come out safe?”

Yumino Ruko spread her hands. “How should I know? I’m not part of the rescue team.”

Then, Ono Reimi spoke softly, “Two years ago, someone went missing after entering the mountains. Never came back. That guest even stayed here for a night before disappearing.”

Yumino Ruko turned sharply toward her, her tone stern. “Don’t spread unverified rumors!”

Ono Reimi shrank her neck, falling silent.

Every detective present instantly perked up; their instincts told them this matter must be related to the anonymous commission letter.

Higashino Hiromu also felt that this missing person case might somehow involve Ono Reimi or Kuwahara Makoto!

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, and no one had the mood to keep chatting about wild men anymore. The group decided to return to their rooms.

As they left the dining hall, Higashino Hiromu caught a glimpse of Higashiya Kento’s figure flashing past the end of the corridor.

Higashino Hiromu frowned slightly. He wondered whether Higashiya Kento had overheard the conversation just now. If that sparked a conflict, things could get troublesome.

Back in their room, the thought still lingered in his mind.

While spreading out the futon, Hatori Yuiichi asked, “Senpai, are you going to soak in the hot spring again? Or heading straight to bed?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Higashino Hiromu replied, “I’ll take a dip before sleeping.”

Hatori Yuiichi nodded. “Then go ahead.”

As Higashino Hiromu reached the bathroom door, he turned back. “Actually, we can soak together. I checked, and it’s pretty spacious inside.”

Hatori Yuiichi froze mid-motion. “You go first.”

Higashino Hiromu thought for a moment. It was fine for a group to soak together, but just the two of them alone felt a little awkward.

He rubbed his nose, then opened the door and stepped into the bathroom.

The hot spring in their room wasn’t an outdoor one, and the bathroom itself was rather small. After he turned on the water, steam quickly filled the confined space.

Sinking into the pool, Higashino Hiromu stretched lazily and thought with relief, Good thing Yuiichi didn’t come in. Otherwise, we would both have to curl up to fit. There’s no way I could stretch my legs like this.

But his brief moment of relaxation didn’t last long before a system notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Higashino Hiromu: Sigh… There’s no escaping misfortune!

He opened the system interface and saw:

【Upcoming Incident】: Attacked and killed in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture?

【Murder Weapon】: Chainsaw

【Cause of Death】: Excessive blood loss

【Suspects】: Yumino Ruko, Kuwahara Makoto, Ono Reimi, Higashiya Kento

【Death Countdown】: 04:59:59.59

Higashino Hiromu’s eyes went wide with shock.

The murder weapon leveled up?! A chainsaw?! How the hell am I supposed to block that bare-handed? Wouldn’t that just be offering myself up to be chopped?

He recalled the horror movies he’d seen before—deranged killers wielding chainsaws, victims dying in gruesome ways—and for the first time, genuine fear gripped his heart.

Even while soaking in hot water, a chill ran down his spine, and his face turned pale.

Higashino Hiromu took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. But soon he realized something was wrong; his head was growing heavy, and his limbs were losing strength.

Damn it! Something’s not right!

He raised his hand to his mouth and bit down hard, forcing his mind to stay alert. Then, disregarding his posture or dignity, he tried to crawl out of the pool.

In the sunken pool, he couldn’t muster strength in his limbs, so he could only push his upper body over the edge first, then twist and roll with all the strength he had left.

By the time he finally dragged himself out, he was completely drained. His vision blurred, and even the short distance to the door felt impossibly far.

His hand groped blindly until it brushed against the toiletries nearby.

Grabbing a bath brush, he summoned the last of his strength and hurled it at the bathroom door.

Thud!

Then everything went dark.

Outside, Hatori Yuiichi immediately turned at the sound.

He walked to the door and knocked. “Senpai, what happened?”

No response.

He frowned and knocked again, louder this time. “Higashino senpai? What’s going on in there?”

Still nothing.

Hatori Yuiichi stopped hesitating and immediately pushed open the bathroom door.

The moment it swung open, he saw Higashino Hiromu sprawled face-down on the floor, limbs spread out.

Before he could even step inside, his nose twitched, and his expression darkened instantly.

Holding his breath, he grabbed a towel, dampened it, and pressed it over his mouth and nose. Then he rushed in, opened the bathroom window and the ventilation system to air the place out, and quickly wrapped Higashino Hiromu in a bath towel before carrying him out.

He helped Higashino Hiromu dry off, dressed him in a yukata, laid him on the futon, and tucked him under the quilt. Only then did he pick up his phone to call the others.

Before long, Kaneda Hajime and Matsuzaki Toru hurried in. They’d also gone to get Mouri Kogoro, and since Amuro Tooru was sharing the same room, he came rushing along as well.

Mouri Kogoro checked Higashino Hiromu’s condition, while Amuro Tooru went to inspect the bathroom.

“There’s definitely a sedative smell in there,” Amuro Tooru said as he came out. “Even after ventilating for a while, the odor still lingers. That means the dosage of the sedative was dangerously high.”

Mouri Kogoro frowned. “How long after he went in did he pass out?”

“Five minutes,” Hatori Yuiichi answered.

Amuro Tooru’s face darkened. “We should call the police. Using that high a dose means the culprit didn’t care whether the victim would suffer aftereffects. That kind of person might have far more dangerous intentions.”

Everyone’s expression turned grim.

Hatori Yuiichi immediately dialed the police, but what he said was vastly different from what had actually happened.

He reported, “We’ve found evidence of a serial killer hiding in a hot spring inn in the mountains of Gunma! Please send reinforcements immediately!” Then he hung up decisively.

The others stared at him in stunned silence.

Amuro Tooru asked, “Why would you say that?”

Hatori Yuiichi replied calmly, “Exaggerating the details will make them take this seriously. But it’s not like I’m lying.” He looked straight at Amuro Tooru. “You said it yourself, the dosage of the sedative was dangerously high. Someone who has that much sedative on hand? I don’t believe this is their first crime.”

Kaneda Hajime nodded in agreement, then made another call to the police, repeating a similar story.

“That way they’ll know it’s not a prank,” he said.

Amuro Tooru: …The police aren’t that unreliable, are they?

Mouri Kogoro thought about who was in charge in Gunma Prefecture and nodded in agreement. “It’s good to make him take it seriously.”

Hatori Yuiichi looked around at everyone, his expression solemn. “Before the police arrive, please don’t spread word of this incident. And I’ll need everyone’s help keeping an eye on the people in the inn. Right now, everyone here is a suspect.”

The four of them exchanged looks, then nodded gravely.