In the world of Detective Conan, however, he was bound to the Naruto System.

Chapter 240 Flowers Symbolizing Death

Chapter 240 Flowers Symbolizing Death

"Mr. Subaru, what do you think?"

When faced with Akutagawa's sudden question, Okiya Subaru was taken aback for a moment before realizing that Akutagawa was referring to the threatening letter.

Since he couldn't quite figure out what Akutagawa Hiko was thinking, Okiya Subaru could only honestly and conventionally reply, "Boss, there must be something fishy about this. It's possible that an inside job was involved."

Because of the upcoming celebration party, the building is conducting very strict checks on people. It would be very difficult for someone outside to send a threatening letter to the lounge quietly, so the most likely cause of the problem is an internal issue.

Of course, other possibilities cannot be ruled out.

"That makes sense."

Akutagawa nodded, realizing that this assistant was indeed a hidden talent. If he really became a detective or a criminal, he might actually achieve great things, but he was a bit of a coward.

But that's okay. Such a person won't be like some undercover agent who can work peacefully under his command. His abilities are also fine, and you can entrust him with tasks without worry.

"I think I've figured out the principle behind making different flowers bloom at the same time."

Looking at the ice sculpture in the hall and the air conditioning and heating that were deliberately turned off, Akutagawa Hiko roughly recalled the principles of so-called avant-garde flower arrangement, but did not look down on the person who created it because of its simplicity.

After all, even though tofu seems like a simple process that anyone can make today, it has actually been developed and matured over hundreds of years.

Every pioneer deserves respect.

However, those who steal others' ideas, suppress the original creators so they can't rise to the top, and shamelessly take the honor that should belong to others are even more despicable.

A hint of pity for the flower arrangement artist flashed in Subaru Okiya's eyes.

Of all people to offend, you had to offend this one. Before the performance even started, he saw right through your tactics without you even needing to observe carefully from the audience.

"How did you do that?"

Subaru Okiya had never dared to be curious before, after all, curiosity killed the cat, and he might have aroused the intention of others to kill him because he knew too much.

But things are different now; Subaru Okiya now has someone backing him up.

While watching the video materials, he became very curious about Okano Rika's techniques, and even suspected that she was also from the other world to be able to show such amazing flower arranging skills.

However, he also knew that the possibility was very low. There are so many magicians in the world who can perform all kinds of amazing magic tricks, it is impossible for them all to be superhuman.

"Don't you feel cold?"

Akutagawa Hiko smiled and gave a reminder.

Subaru Okiya suddenly realized something was wrong and rubbed his arms. "Why isn't the heating on? It's such a big place; we can't possibly save a little money on electricity and wait until all the guests arrive before turning on the heating, can we?"

Wait, the heating—it's cold—the temperature?!

"Could it be the temperature?!"

Akutagawa Hiko smiled and decided to personally demonstrate to his subordinates.

He gently plucked the blooming flower from his chest, and a sudden burst of cold air erupted from his hand. The flower slowly closed, shrinking into a bud about to bloom.

"You guessed right. As long as you use liquid nitrogen or something similar to refrozen the already blooming flowers back into buds beforehand, these buds will naturally bloom again once the flower arrangement ceremony is completed and the temperature gradually rises to a certain level."

Subaru Okiya looked suddenly enlightened, as if he had seen a familiar face. He peeked out and looked behind Hiko Akutagawa: "Boss, it's Conan, Ran, and Detective Mouri."

Akutagawa turned around and indeed saw the familiar trio, but they were stopped, apparently because they didn't have invitations.

"You lot, haven't you ever heard of the famous detective Kogoro Mouri?!"

Conan and Ran covered their faces, pretending not to recognize the embarrassing middle-aged man.

The security personnel were very professional; there was no classic scene of them making sarcastic remarks and then being humiliated. Instead, they dutifully bowed and apologized, explaining, "Your name is indeed not on the list of people we are hosting."

Seeing Kogoro Mouri practically throwing a tantrum, Hiko Akutagawa had an urge to turn around and leave, but Kogoro Mouri had already seen him and was waving at him expectantly.

Akutagawa Hiko had no choice but to tell Okiya Subaru to go find the assistant, Ms. Ozaki Midori, as soon as possible. He remembered that Uncle Mori was invited by her, but she was obviously not qualified to issue an invitation.

Finally entering the venue, Conan breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to be stared at like a monkey at the entrance anymore. This was a completely different kind of attention from when he was Shinichi Kudo, deducing things in the crowd. It was a terrible experience.

"Thanks, Hiko, and Mr. Okiya."

Although Conan felt somewhat uncomfortable with Subaru Okiya's respectful manner towards him, it satisfied his vanity perfectly.

Moreover, regardless of the circumstances, he should be considered Ayan's personal disciple, while Okiya Subaru should be his junior disciple who does odd jobs. In terms of seniority, they are of the same generation, and he should be considered Okiya Subaru's senior brother.

Thinking about it that way makes it much more normal.

However, once they get to know each other better, their interactions should become much more normal, since he still doesn't quite like this way of getting along.

Kogoro Mouri was invited by Midori Ozaki to investigate the threatening letter, but she did not expect that Rika Okano would invite Hiko Akutagawa to come here, which made her feel a sense of urgency that her plan had nowhere to be implemented.

So when Kogoro Mouri asked her questions, she gave him a few perfunctory answers and then made an excuse to leave. She had to act quickly.

Kogoro Mouri scratched his head, unconcerned about being ignored. He was more interested in the high-end dishes and expensive drinks in the banquet hall—something he couldn't enjoy often, could he?

Since his luck improved and a second personality emerged to help solve cases, he seems to be able to attend high-profile banquets more often, and there have been so many in just a few months.

He stopped thinking about things he couldn't understand. Detective Kogoro Mouri was always open-minded and optimistic. He lifted the lid of his plate, drooling over the fragrant meat inside, when Ran, feeling embarrassed, grabbed his ear and pulled him to the group.

Before they could exchange more than a few words, a waiter rushed up to them. His eyes lit up when he saw Akutagawa Hiko: "You must be Mr. Akutagawa. Manager Shiraki hasn't come out for a long time, and he hasn't responded when I call him, so I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Faced with the waiter's earnest request, Akutagawa Hiko readily agreed.

When they opened the door with the spare key, they were horrified to find Manager Shiraki lying lifeless on the sofa, the flower blooming on his chest seemingly confirming the "flower of death" written on the threatening letter.