The Special Finals
Last came Suspect Number Three: Barbara, another contestant. She had never clashed with Nilou, but she had attracted just as much attention for her outstanding talent.
Barbara's singing was sweet and lovely, like the music of the heavens — a vocal gift that could stand comparison with Nilou's mastery of dance, and she was clearly one of the most formidable rivals standing in the way of Nilou's championship.
More importantly, for reasons unknown, she had entered the dance practice room between eleven and twelve — a place she had no business being — which made her a prime suspect.
"I have a question," Subaru Okiya said, raising his hand. "How can you be sure there are only three suspects? If someone lied, wouldn't one slip through the cracks?"
"To ensure the event ran smoothly, we installed concealed cameras along the corridors. They captured all three contestants entering the practice room alone, one after another, during the lunch hour."
At that moment, Kamisato Ayaka, having finished answering the police's questions, came over.
She had been on her way to find Xia Yu, but upon hearing Subaru Okiya's question, she answered it with a smile as she walked.
"It is rather a pity, though — out of concern for accidentally compromising anyone's privacy, we did not install any cameras inside the practice room itself. So we cannot know directly which of the three actually did it."
At Ayaka's answer, Subaru Okiya's eyelids twitched, a flicker of surprise crossing his mind — he had walked in just now without noticing a single camera in the corridor.
Subaru instinctively tilted his head up to scan the corners of the practice room, searching for a camera, before it dawned on him that Miss Kamisato had just said there were none inside.
Subaru's brow furrowed slightly as he turned the situation over in his mind.
If what Ayaka said was true, then those cameras must have been installed with extraordinary discretion — perhaps even using some special technology to keep them from being detected. It left him feeling faintly uneasy.
"Wha—?! Really?!" The children were astonished too. "We didn't notice any at all just now!"
Curious, they dashed out of the room, eyes darting everywhere in search of the hidden cameras. Yet no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find a single clue.
Then they came running back, calling out excitedly to Ayaka. "Ayaka-nee, there's really no trace of them anywhere! How do they even do that?"
"I'm terribly sorry, but I don't know myself." A trace of apology flashed through Ayaka's eyes as she lowered her head slightly and explained gently to the children of the Junior Detective League. "This event is actually being held jointly by our family and the Jade Chamber Corp, and the equipment was supplied by their company — so I'm afraid I'm not quite sure how it works either."
At the mention of the Jade Chamber, Conan felt a flicker of surprise — but when his eyes fell on the Vision at Ayaka's side, some measure of understanding dawned in them.
"The Jade Chamber? You mean Ningguang's Jade Chamber?" Sonoko asked in delight. "Does that mean she's come nearby too?"
Even as she spoke, she was craning her neck left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of that elegant, mature figure.
"Not at the moment, no," Ayaka replied. But when she saw Sonoko's head droop in disappointment at the news that Miss Ningguang hadn't come, she added, unable to bear it, "However — Miss Ningguang will be attending the finals in person."
"At that time, the Jade Chamber will provide a set of special equipment, paired with a specially redesigned venue, to bring the audience a finals performance unlike anything they've ever seen."
At this, Ayaka's eyes narrowed slightly into a confident smile. She bent down and patted Ayumi's head, then said to the children before her, "This big sister can promise you — when the finals arrive, the performance is going to astonish absolutely everyone."
Hearing all this, Conan's heart stirred. He recalled what he'd heard before — that the Kamisato family's venue for this event's finals had been burned down — and questions began to surface in his mind.
"Special equipment and stage effects for the finals..." Conan murmured under his breath. "Could that be the reason someone burned down the Kamisato family's finals venue?"
If equipment and stage effects that special really did exist, then for anyone hoping to sabotage the event, they would certainly make a tempting target.
And if those people truly meant to keep a very likely spectacular finals from going ahead, then the culprit was probably connected to the Kamisato family's rivals — and the competition schedule must have leaked to some degree. Otherwise, how would outsiders have known that the finals venue wouldn't be the same as the preliminary and semifinal rounds?
"That mysterious?" Sonoko cried out in astonishment at Ayaka's description of the finals.
Quite unable to contain her curiosity, she sidled up to Xia Yu and asked in a low voice, "So, Xia Yu — isn't Miss Ningguang your friend too? Got any inside scoop?"
Under the gazes of Sonoko — and of Ran, who had drifted over at the sound of the conversation, curiosity plainly written on her face — Xia Yu first nodded, then shook her head.
Sonoko was baffled. "Which is it? Do you know or don't you?"
Xia Yu explained, "I know a little," then waggled her index finger side to side. "But I'm not telling. If I did, the finals wouldn't hold any surprises for you when you see them, Sonoko."
"Fine, fine." Sonoko was a little disappointed at the answer, but she didn't press.