After buying Hayashi Yoshiki's new work, Conan opened it and began reading as soon as he got home.
The name of this new work was The Wax City Murder Case.
The story begins with Kindaichi being invited to participate in a mystery event called Mystery Night, attended by famous detectives from all over the world. The event takes place in a wax-figure city named Bardo Castle, known as the resting place of the dead.
Since the winner of Suspense Night would receive an entire castle and 200 million yen in cash, many people participated, including the detective Kindaichi, famous mystery authors, critics, detective agency presidents, crime reporters, psychologists, elite detectives, and more...
The luxurious cast immediately sparked Conan's excitement.
After all, with so many reasoning experts featured, if each plays a role, then the case that's about to unfold will certainly be neither sloppy nor simple.
Moreover, knowing Hayashi Yoshiki's character, it's impossible for him to write a dull case that would tarnish his reputation and pride.
Yes...
In Conan's eyes, Hayashi Yoshiki is a very proud man.
He kept reading.
In the story, Bardo Castle was relocated from medieval Germany. The castle only used candles for lighting, and under the author's descriptions, the torture instruments in the basement exuded a faint scent of blood.
The castle was divided into a West Wing and an East Wing, connected by a wax figure gallery displaying 1:1 wax statues of all the guests invited to the event.
The incident begins when the protagonist, Kindaichi, follows a clue left by the event organizer and places the wax figure of a mystery writer in the gallery in a specific pose and location — making it appear as though the figure was stabbed and left a dying message... After a simple deduction, everyone quickly pointed to Kindaichi as the "murderer."
This small game easily established the elite personalities of the supporting characters, causing Conan to nod in appreciation.
But shortly after, everyone discovered that the mystery writer whose wax figure was used in the game was actually dead in his room — in precisely the same manner as the wax figure setup had depicted.
The castle's entrances and exits were sealed.
No one could leave until the event concluded. Amid a snowstorm-like isolation, people began dying one by one — and before each person died, a wax figure was posed to replicate the victim's eventual death scene.
The most unbelievable part: everyone had an alibi...
"There are hidden rooms in both the East and West Wings... The chimneys in the castle can connect to both locations—"
"But how did the alibi come to be?"
Conan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
His mind raced as he turned the page.
Meanwhile, in a bar in Beika Town…
In a dimly lit corner of a bar far from the Mori Detective Agency, Gin sat by the counter, flipping through a book signed by Hayashi Yoshiki — a copy he had taken from Vodka.
"Because of the foreshadowing, everyone naturally assumed the victim would be killed the same way the wax puppet was posed...
"By exploiting this idea and cleverly disguising oneself as a wax figure, an alibi could be created."
"Hmph… That's the kind of overcomplicated scheme you only see in mystery novels or third-rate killers."
Gin, having finished the novel, sneered.
Next to him, Vodka took a sip of his vodka martini and turned toward him:
"Ah, didn't Cointreau do a great job, bro?"
Gin didn't answer.
Although he didn't care for detective novels, he had to admit — Cointreau's craftsmanship was indeed exceptional.
In truth, he had been quite engrossed.
Detective novels are sometimes a game between author and reader. After laying out the murder and planting clues, it becomes a race to see if the reader can deduce the truth before the protagonist does.
Even Gin had been a step behind.
Whether it was the wax figure setup, the double-secret room structure, or the "preconception manipulation" affecting both the characters and the readers, the execution was subtle. Only at the end, when the killer made a small mistake, did the entire mystery unravel — the progression was smooth and thrilling.
Even Gin had to admit it.
Still, he thought this killing method was unnecessarily complicated. Wouldn't it be easier to just plant bombs and blow up the castle and everyone inside?
"But... it is indeed Cointreau!"
With an amused glint in his dark green eyes, Gin placed the book down on the bar.
They say that creativity is deeply personal — creators often reveal their inner thoughts through their work.
Gin believed this.
When the murderer in the story was caught, he repeatedly ranted about "artistic crime," "criminal masterpieces," and "the art of the perfect murder"... As expected, Cointreau viewed murder as an art form.
Elsewhere...
"Why is Big Brother getting so into this?"
Vodka watched, unsure whether to speak.
Chianti, annoyed by Cohen's enthralled expression, grumbled:
"Still not enough? You've reread that paragraph ten times!"
"..."
Without looking up, Cohen adjusted his sunglasses:
"I saw my name."
"And?"
"Cointreau killed me off."
A strange blush crept across Cohen's face:
"Locked in a medieval iron maiden... impaled by spikes... bled to death... It was brilliantly written."
"So you're a damn pervert!?"
Chianti leaped up and scooted away, drink in hand.
Cohen didn't respond, continuing to read.
In the middle seat, Tequila flipped through the pages quickly, finishing the book in a flash — yet unable to appreciate it.
He was a rough man, adept at killing and arson.
It wasn't that he was uncultured — but reading, especially something that demanded such concentration as a detective novel, wasn't his forte.
"Why not just drag Vodka and the others to a brothel?"
At the same time...
Those who had a deeper interest in Hayashi Yoshiki's works were reading it as well — the High School Detective from Kansai, the Phantom Thief from Ekoda, the Transfer Detective...
Everyone focused on the book — except for one particular witch, dressed in strange clothing and hiding in a dark basement. She flung the book aside and shouted through clenched teeth:
"Damn you, Hayashi Yoshiki—!!!"
"Bastard!"
"I'll never forgive you!!"