Chapter 81
[The streamer you’re following, “Director Ochi,” is currently live! Come and watch in his stream room~]
[Current viewers in the stream room: 0]
[Current viewers in the stream room: 6]
[Current viewers in the stream room: 6666666]
“Holy crap, where did I get stuck?”
“No idea. What’s Director Ochi streaming? A tutorial on how to wash and care for a bald patch hairstyle?”
“He hasn’t even taken off his bandages yet. He can’t get it wet, right?”
“No worries. Just show us a blow-dried air bang, for the family!”
The chat was a lively flood of comments. It was during the movie’s release period, and anything related to the movie was a trending topic. Director Ochi had quietly started a live stream, and in just a second, it was spotted by sharp-eyed netizens and sent to the top of the trending list.
“Why wasn’t there a preview?” a netizen mumbled. “It’s not a live-selling stream, is it?”
The camera was shaking violently, the image blurry. It took a while for the picture to become clear. Someone was trying to put a phone on a stand.
Director Ochi’s large face appeared on the screen. The chat was once again a wall of comments. It wasn’t until he moved out of the way that the audience discovered that on the other side of the camera was a banquet hall.
“Is he really selling things???”
“There are a lot of people. A group stream?”
“Is Director Ochi leading the dance? Then I’ll have to send some gifts.”
“What are the benefits of being the top donor? Unlocking an unreleased photo of the director’s bald patch hairstyle?”
“Damn, I actually want that.”
The chat was full of jokes. Director Ochi didn’t mind, because he had cleverly worn a hat.
Under the hat was also a wig. Double insurance, to protect your dignity! Now on sale, a pink-haired wig of the same style as Mr. Okiya Subaru, a graduate student in engineering at Tohto University. Enjoy a 12% discount with an FBI ID.
Director Ochi had just set up his phone when he was called away, leaving the viewers in the stream room to frantically type question marks on the screen.
“What’s going on, what’s going on? Are you walking me like a dog? I’m telling you, I won’t fall for it again!”
“The promotional video fraud incident, part two. This person is getting carried away, he’s getting carried away.”
“Wow, a luxurious buffet. It’s making my mouth water. Director Ochi, how much did you earn?”
“Is it a celebration party? The box office numbers aren’t even out yet. Popping champagne halfway through?”
“Although it’s only May, not even halfway through the year, the movie has already been internally decided as the annual box office champion, right? I don’t believe anyone can surpass it in the second half of the year.”
“I’ve clicked. Any rival who dares to compete is just reaching for the moon, a self-humiliation.”
“Of course! Look at the cast! Unless the two famous actresses team up again and compete against themselves, Director Ochi is as solid as a rock.”
“Who would have thought that they’re not even the main characters (ascends.jpg)”
“LOL, no one cares about the real main characters. So you’re all just soldiers trained by the villains.”
“I’m sorry, I originally went to watch the movie for my oppa, but do you understand? Sister’s face is truly great! So great!!”
“I understand (deeply).”
“But this person doesn’t make any public appearances at all. Sharon even has an agent who regularly posts photos to maintain her fanbase. My sister just ignores everyone.”
“Who’s to blame but you fans who spam ‘@Beika Town Metropolitan Police Department, she’s acting too real, it’s not fake, I suggest a thorough investigation’ under the official Beika Police Weibo, and ask how many years your sister will be sentenced during lawyer Eri Kisaki’s online Q&A session—a bunch of fake fans!”
“We didn’t say anything when she signed our autographs like she was giving a police statement.”
“You have such a high-speed, two-way rush into Beika Town.”
“Please make a public appearance, sister, I’m begging you! I need a fresh injection of my favorite’s energy! I’m withering… withering…”
“—Eh, wait a minute, why am I suddenly alive again?!”
“AAAAAAAH! What is this! What is this!”
“The missing person has returned! Sobbing (stormy crying.jpg)”
A black figure appeared at the edge of the screen.
A suspicious person had refreshed in the buffet’s dessert section. She picked up a cream puff with her fingertips and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing away.
The snow-white cream was smeared on her crimson lips. She was completely unaware, her tongue licking the crumbs from her fingertips.
The chat had already gone crazy.
“She doesn’t make public appearances, but when she does, she drags everyone into the abyss of crime! A sinful woman!”
“Sister, why are you standing so far away (screaming)? Come to the front of the camera, ahhh! (frantic)”
“I can’t take it anymore! Does this person not even know there’s a live stream? She’s enjoying herself. How are we supposed to live?”
Only a small part of the dessert section was in the frame. The dark-haired girl was right at the edge of the picture.
The viewers could only see a hand reaching in from outside the frame and gently patting her on the shoulder.
The girl’s hands were busy picking up the newly served small desserts. She only tilted her head in that direction.
A few seconds later, her head turned back, and the cream by her lips had disappeared.
The sharp-eyed chat had caught this difference.
“???”
“I’d rather believe her true form is Ryomen Sukuna with four hands than believe that someone just helped her wipe the cream from her lips when she turned her head.”
“My sister doesn’t seem to have an agent or an assistant yet?”
“No, because she lives in Beika Town and can’t find a partner who can survive in the crime city.”
“The question is, who does that hand belong to?”
No one doesn’t love gossip. The number of viewers in the stream room was skyrocketing like a rocket.
And they hadn’t come in vain.
On the other side of the camera, opposite the dessert section, the international movie star Sharon Vineyard made a graceful entrance.
The successive appearance of the two famous actresses sent the fans into a complete frenzy. But what no one had expected was that these were not the only celebrities.
A third, household name made a grand entrance.
“Mouri Kogoro???”
“Director Ochi’s connections are terrifying!”
“The elementary school student next to him is also no ordinary person. The legendary Kaito Kid nemesis.”
“My aunt works at the Metropolitan Police Department. I heard that the elementary school student’s background is very unusual. He enters the police station as if it were his own home.”
Director Ochi’s connections were of course terrifying. For his great mystery masterpiece, Director Ochi’s network also included famous detectives like Kudo Yusaku, Edogawa Ranpo, and Ayatsuji Yukito. To have only invited Mouri Kogoro to the celebration party was already the result of his self-restraint.
Director Ochi: “After all, Mr. Amuro is Mr. Mouri’s disciple. It was Mr. Mouri who introduced you to me that made the movie what it is today. Of course, I had to invite him to the celebration party as well.”
Edogawa Conan had not been invited by Director Ochi. The little boy had been brought by the adults to mooch off the food.
Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko were on a best friend date and didn’t want to play with an elementary school student. There was no dinner to be had at the Mouri household today.
Edogawa Conan had chosen to come with Mouri Kogoro to mooch off the food instead of going home to eat the FBI-produced beef and potato stew.
Director Ochi was both welcoming and regretful. “Unfortunately, Mr. Edogawa Ranpo rejected my invitation.”
Otherwise, Edogawa Conan would have been able to meet his long-lost relative. Such a similar surname. The two must be father and son!
Edogawa Conan gave him a half-lidded look. Hey, hey.
Director Ochi: “Unfortunately, Mr. Kudo Yusaku didn’t come either. What a pity. A father-son reunion is such a good theme. It would definitely have given him a burst of inspiration for his new book!”
Edogawa Conan: No, this is my real dad.
A father’s love is like a landslide. He had endured too much at such a young age.
Several of the main actors and other crew members also arrived one after another. The banquet hall became more and more crowded. Edogawa Conan, taking advantage of his small size, hid behind a dining table and secretly observed.
The participants of this celebration party were:
Fan An (Actress / Lifetime holder of the suspect seat / VIP member of the Beika Metropolitan Police Department / Conceptual god)
Furuya Rei (Public Security Police / Black Organization Undercover Agent / Private Detective / Café Waiter)
Sharon Vineyard (Actress / High-ranking member of the Black Organization)
Mouri Kogoro (Detective)
Edogawa Conan (Great Detective)
And the director, the screenwriter, actors A, B, C, D, staff E, F, G, and a series of onlookers / potential suspects / unknown victims / multiple-choice distractors.
Edogawa Conan: Hiss, this lineup. It looks like a big case is about to happen.
He hoped his worries were unnecessary.
The guests had arrived. Director Ochi went on stage to speak.
He spoke emotionally about the difficulties of filming the movie. When he was moved, his eyes were filled with tears. Director Ochi tore off his hat and wig and transformed into a water cannon.
Vermouth, who was sprayed with Director Ochi’s tears, barely maintained a decent smile. She politely refused the champagne the director offered her.
Several of the main actors also politely refused. Fan An, who thought that since she was playing a villain, it had nothing to do with her, and was engrossed in the small cakes, was inexplicably lifted up by her colleagues and carried to the stage.
The dark-haired girl stood in the middle, surrounded by stars, a bottle of champagne in her hand.
“Should I open it?” she asked, fumbling with the champagne.
“Who else?” the blond actress chuckled.
In terms of status, she was the biggest. In terms of screen time, the protagonist was more important. But in terms of popular demand, there was no second answer.
Fan An didn’t hear any objections. She shook the champagne.
POP!
The splashing foam filled the sky. The intoxicating aroma clung to their clothes. Gold-colored confetti fell from the air, a dazzling display of the glitz and glamour of the world of fame and fortune.
Furuya stood in the crowd, his eyes focused on the person in the center of the crowd.
A golden ribbon landed in her hair, as if the goddess of victory had personally crowned her. The favored child of the gods curved her lips, her eyes as bright as stars.
The applause from below was thunderous.
“Wishing sister a brilliant future, shining brightly!”
“Confetti!!!”
“Help, help! My screenshot button is about to break! Can someone send me a screen recording?”
“Sister, don’t panic! It’s all over the trending topics!”
The voices on the internet could not reach the person in question for now. She was surrounded by countless voices of congratulations and compliments in real life.
“I hope to have the chance to work with Teacher An’an again.”
Several of the main actors expressed the same wish. The screenwriter was not in a hurry. She and An’an already had a private friendship. They would definitely meet again on a set in the future.
Vermouth watched the lively scene with a smile for a long time before she hooked the girl’s shoulder and pulled her to her side.
“I have a good script,” Vermouth whispered. “Dual female leads, no billing order. Sweetie, are you interested in working with me?”
An international, influential movie star, Sharon Vineyard, personally starring, and in a dual-female-lead script, with equal screen time and status.
It’s no exaggeration to say that even a newcomer who got this role would soar to the heavens.
“Am I playing the role you’ve picked over?” An’an asked.
Vermouth raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. You can pick first.”
Only then did the dark-haired girl nod. “I’ll think about it carefully and give you a reply later.”
“I look forward to your good news,” the blond woman said, raising her glass and clinking it with hers, then downing it in one go.
Sharon Vineyard’s toast was like a signal. The moment An’an finished her drink, she turned her head and found that everyone was stirring.
An’an: Not good.
“I declare that champagne is as bad a liquor as Bourbon,” the girl, who had finally escaped from the congratulations and toasts, said to Furuya.
It was An’an’s first time opening a champagne bottle. She had no experience. She had shaken the champagne like a can of coke, with too much force. The foam that had rushed out had been fierce and had sprayed all over her.
Then came a round of toasts. Everyone was very excited. In the midst of the clinking glasses, some champagne had accidentally spilled on her.
The blond young man held back a laugh and took out a handkerchief to dry her hair.
After wiping it twice, he found he was doing a useless job and gave up. “Let’s just wash it when we get home.”
The girl shook her hair. The smell of champagne had almost soaked her, and even her cheeks were flushed as if she were drunk.
“Whatever,” An’an said lightly. “Next is the dance party. Do you want to dance with me?”
Furuya glanced at the phone that Director Ochi had set up in the center of the banquet hall.
He had been careful not to appear in the shot, and the dance floor was undoubtedly in the very center.
“It would be my honor,” the blond young man said, straightening up. He put his left hand behind his back and bowed to invite her to dance.
An’an placed her hand in his palm.
“Watch out!”
A figure suddenly bumped into her from behind. Furuya pulled An’an into his arms and quickly switched places with her.
The person bumped into the undercover Public Security officer. The sushi in his hand fell to the floor, the rice scattering everywhere.
“Sorry, sorry! I wasn’t looking,” the man in a chef’s uniform said, scratching his head, his face simple and honest. “I’m so sorry.”
He had a white eyepatch over his left eye and a pair of prominent buck teeth.