How to Survive With a Death-Flag Character Setting in Detective Conan - Chapter 24
In the next few days, Hatori Yuiichi came over every day on time to cook for Higashino Hiromu, and even helped him bathe and massage his limbs.
At first, Higashino Hiromu felt a little embarrassed.
After all, he was completely naked, while his kouhai was fully dressed. That imbalance made him somewhat uncomfortable.
He suggested that his kouhai could bathe together with him.
But Hatori Yuiichi refused. He said that he had already taken a shower after training and didn’t need to wash again.
Fortunately, Hatori Yuiichi only helped him bathe that one time. After that, Higashino Hiromu regained enough strength to scrub himself and get dressed on his own.
The aftereffects of that drug were indeed frightening. Higashino Hiromu’s body remained sore and weak, and it wasn’t until the fourth day that he finally recovered completely.
The first thing he did after returning to school was to submit his assignment to Professor Yasuda.
Thinking of the tone his sensei used on the phone, he didn’t dare to delay even a little.
Professor Yasuda looked through the assignment after receiving it. The content was organized very clearly. He tapped his head and said, “Finishing the assignment isn’t the end of it. You need to remember it up here!”
Higashino Hiromu nodded obediently.
“If I hear about something like this happening again, I’ll assign you extra homework!”
Higashino Hiromu: Mm-hmm!
After leaving the laboratory, Higashino Hiromu thought to himself that he had troubled Hatori Yuiichi far too much these past few days. He should buy him a gift.
He checked the map and took a bus straight to Beika Shopping Street.
There were plenty of shops here, so he could take his time browsing.
However, when it came to gifts for guys, there weren’t many options. After walking around once, nothing really caught his eye.
He entered the central mall, took the elevator up, and wandered for quite a while before spotting a nice wristwatch in one of the stores.
He remembered that Hatori Yuiichi had a habit of wearing watches, and the one he usually wore was black. The one here had a silver face, which would make a good alternate option.
Just as he was about to pay, a hand suddenly reached out from beside him and snatched the watch away.
Higashino Hiromu turned his head and saw a young man about 1.7 meters tall, with dyed blond hair and several earrings.
The young man glanced at the watch, gave a short, mocking laugh, and said with disdain, “Since when has our young master fallen so low that he’s buying cheap junk like this?”
Higashino Hiromu’s brows twitched slightly. Judging by his tone, this person seemed to know the original host.
“A watch that costs only two or three hundred thousand yen, and you can still wear it out in public?” The blond youth sneered, openly belittling the brand in front of the salesgirl, as if completely ignoring her embarrassed expression.
From the way he spoke, Higashino Hiromu could tell that this man definitely wasn’t a friend of the original host. So he didn’t bother being polite either. He stared directly at the guy and said, “A two-hundred-thousand-yen watch on my wrist looks like it’s worth two million. Can you pull that off?”
“You…!”
“If you really want to annoy me, then go ahead and buy it,” Higashino Hiromu said in an icy tone. “It’s only two hundred thousand yen. If you can’t afford it, then put it down.”
The blond youth’s expression changed several times before he finally slammed the watch back onto the counter and stormed off in anger.
Higashino Hiromu called after him, “If you break it, you’ll have to pay for it in full!”
The blond youth’s pace suddenly quickened, and he disappeared into the crowd.
Turning back to the salesgirl, Higashino Hiromu said, “Please get me a new one.”
The salesgirl hadn’t expected him to still want to buy it. She quickly brought out a brand new watch, polishing it carefully with a velvet cloth as she explained, “Actually, our brand is under XXX (a certain luxury label), focusing on trendy styles, with prices more friendly for young people…”
Perhaps because she was provoked by the blond youth’s earlier insult about their brand being worthless, she enthusiastically listed all the brand’s advantages.
Higashino Hiromu listened lazily, and when she finished, he simply said, “Please wrap it up.”
Carrying the gift bag out of the store, he wandered into a few other shops and picked up some new clothes while he was at it.
Higashino Hiromu carried several bags after buying clothes and headed upstairs to try the newly opened hotpot restaurant for lunch.
He had seen the promotional board downstairs earlier and had his mouth practically watering. Only heaven knew how much he wanted a taste.
At the restaurant entrance, the scent of beef tallow broth wafted out, and his eyes immediately brightened. This smell felt authentic!
But the place was newly opened, and the line was long. If he ate alone, who knew how long he would have to wait.
“Ah, it’s Higashino senpai!”
Higashino Hiromu turned at the call and saw Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran smiling at him.
So that meant… he looked down and indeed spotted the little tagalong, Edogawa Conan, with three other kids beside him.
Higashino Hiromu’s mouth twitched. Surely this hotpot restaurant would not be doomed already, would it? A new opening and an incident on top of it?
“Are you here for hotpot too, Higashino senpai?” Suzuki Sonoko asked.
Higashino Hiromu nodded. “Yes. But as you can see, so many people are in line. I’m afraid I’ll starve before it’s my turn.”
Suzuki Sonoko pulled out a number ticket and smiled. “Then sit with us. They’ll call our number any minute.”
“Oh, that would be embarrassing…” Higashino Hiromu scratched his cheek.
Mouri Ran added, “It’s fine. Hotpot is better with a crowd anyway.”
The aroma in the air weakened his resolve.
Actually… Conan did not encounter a case every time he ate, right? Maybe I should eat my fill before any case happens.
The three kids from the Detective Boys instantly recognized Higashino Hiromu when they saw him. They had secretly witnessed the moment when this came out of the closet, and they had been completely shocked at the time.
Yoshida Ayumi poked Edogawa Conan’s back quietly and whispered, “Conan, do Ran-neechan and Sonoko-neechan know this onii-san?”
Edogawa Conan nodded. “I know him. His name is Higashino Hiromu. He’s a student at Tohto University.”
Yoshida Ayumi frowned at him. “Then why didn’t you ever tell us?”
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko put his hands on his hips. “Really! Conan, you make new friends and don’t tell us?”
Kojima Genta crossed his arms and accused, “Do you even treat us like friends?”
Edogawa Conan was bewildered, and before the anger of the others could intensify, he quickly slid forward on his knees to apologize, “I’m sorry. I forgot. I won’t do it again!”
Yoshida Ayumi gave him a wronged look. “You always say that…”
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko said seriously, “Conan, you’ve lost most of your credibility with us.”
Kojima Genta: “You need to reflect on yourself!”
Edogawa Conan: …These brats are getting harder to placate!
Still, once everyone was seated around the hotpot, the three kids cheered up at once.
Edogawa Conan: = . =
To accommodate the children’s tastes, they ordered both the spicy broth and the tomato broth. The tangy, sweet tomato pot immediately won their hearts.
Kojima Genta lifted his chopsticks and declared, “Tomato hotpot is my favorite!”
Yoshida Ayumi and Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko chimed in, “Mine too!”
Suzuki Sonoko laughed, “You say you like it so much… Have you even had it before?”
The table buzzed with conversation, while Higashino Hiromu focused solely on his food.
Edogawa Conan noticed that he did not speak much and thought, A person who eats without talking probably did not come from an ordinary upbringing.
Edogawa Conan was genuinely curious about Higashino Hiromu. On Tsukikage Island, he had their first face-to-face encounter. It was from him that Edogawa Conan had first heard about the Asoh Keiji matter. The second time, at the Haido City Hotel, Higashino Hiromu had been the first to notice someone drowning and to sense that the victim’s condition was off. Looking back now, the things he had said then seemed to point toward the suspect.
And what had happened in Gunma Prefecture not long ago had shocked him even more.
He had questioned Chef Kuwahara Makoto about it, and Kuwahara Makoto told him that he had never mentioned his younger brother to anyone. Meanwhile, Higashiya Kento also claimed that drugging Higashino Hiromu had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. He insisted he had not shown up in person at all, so Higashino Hiromu shouldn’t have known that he was the one who had slipped him the drug.
Then how exactly had Higashino Hiromu known all those details?
After that, Higashiya Kento suddenly died of cardiac arrest, and the case abruptly came to an end. The police never summoned Higashino Hiromu again.
Edogawa Conan still remembered the look on Amuro-san’s face at that time—surprised, yes, but far more displeased than shocked.
Amuro-san had kept repeating, “Was it really a sudden death?” clearly suspecting that there was something fishy behind Higashiya Kento’s demise.
That was why Edogawa Conan’s curiosity toward Higashino Hiromu had only grown stronger.
Meanwhile, Higashino Hiromu appeared to be eating his fatty beef with great enjoyment, but inside, he was uneasy.
Edogawa Conan had been sneaking glances at him the whole time!
He couldn’t tell whether that was a blessing or a curse.
He was both terrified that Conan’s harbinger of death attribute would rub off on him and get him killed in the next wave, yet also secretly hoped that, since the protagonist had noticed him, maybe some of the main character’s halo would bless him and reduce his chances of dying.
While he was tangled up in these conflicting thoughts, a sudden scream burst out from the next table.
“Ahhh!!!”
All eyes instantly turned toward the sound.
A man sat slumped over the table, face pale, foam spilling from his mouth.
Edogawa Conan’s expression changed sharply. He jumped off his seat at once, shouting, “Ran-neechan, call the police! Everyone else, don’t move!”
Higashino Hiromu froze, chopsticks still in hand.
Huh? What’s going on? This time, the case didn’t involve me?
Edogawa Conan reached out to check the man’s neck and confirmed that he was already dead. Then he leaned closer to the man’s lips and sniffed—bitter almond. As expected, cyanide!
He tried to get the manager to seal off the area, but seeing he was just a child, the manager wouldn’t listen.
Upon seeing this, Higashino Hiromu quickly stepped forward.
Borrowing Mouri Kogoro’s name, he convinced the manager that the famous detective would soon be here to handle the situation, prompting full cooperation and keeping the scene under control.
Edogawa Conan couldn’t help but chuckle at how skillfully he brandished the name.
But not everyone believed Higashino Hiromu’s words.
That blond-haired youth he had run into at the watch shop earlier sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Well, well, since when did our young master become a detective? How come I’ve never heard about that? I’m a loyal fan of Mouri Kogoro, but I’ve never heard of you knowing him!”
Higashino Hiromu ignored him entirely, treating him as if he were just talking nonsense.
The blond youth was so furious he almost toppled over.
Fortunately, not long after, Inspector Megure arrived at the scene and immediately began his investigation.
After a quick examination, the police narrowed down the suspects to one person sitting at the same table as the deceased and two others seated at the adjacent table.
And the blond youth was one of them.
His face turned ashen in an instant. Looking at Higashino Hiromu anxiously, he pleaded, “Higashino, help me out here! I don’t even know that guy! Why would I kill someone I don’t know?”
Inspector Megure turned to Higashino Hiromu and asked, “Do you know this suspect?”
“I don’t,” Higashino Hiromu blinked, looking innocent. “He’s probably just trying to make excuses for himself.”
The blond youth jumped in outrage. “Higashino, you can’t just say that because we don’t get along! How can you suddenly pretend you don’t know me?”
Higashino Hiromu said sternly, “The police are handling the case right now. Whether we know each other or not doesn’t matter.”
Inspector Megure nodded. “That’s right. Even if you were relatives, it wouldn’t lessen your suspicion. You’d better think hard about any evidence that can prove your innocence.”
The blond youth nearly fainted from sheer fury.
CHARACTER PROFILE:
Megure Juzo
Manga/Anime: Detective Conan
Height: Approx 185 cm
Role: Inspector of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s First Division, homicide unit
Personality: Level-headed, disciplined, and responsible; shows strong leadership and deep dedication to justice. Though often stern, he cares deeply for his subordinates.
Notable Traits: Always seen wearing his brown trench coat and signature hat; has a scar on his head from a past case; has a history consulting with famous detective novelist Kudo Yusaku. Known for his calm presence at crime scenes.
Background: A veteran detective with decades of experience, Inspector Megure has mentored many officers, including Mouri Kogoro. He frequently works with Conan, whose keen observations he values, even if he doesn’t fully grasp the boy’s true identity.