Mei was not surprised by Kael's appearance. Although police guarded the outside, how could they possibly stop Kael?
A bright smile appeared on her face as she bowed slightly. "Long time no see, Renjou-kun." Her noble upbringing was evident.
By contrast, Sonoko, also from a wealthy family, lacked such refinement. She curiously glanced at Kael a few times, then tugged at her friend. "Ran, who is this guy?"
Ran whispered: "He's the one I mentioned before—the one who can make the dead speak, Renjou-kun."
Sonoko gave an "oh," confirmed Kael was not particularly handsome—just somewhat decent-looking—and withdrew her gaze. As a hopeless romantic, she never paid attention to men who weren't handsome. As for making the dead speak, it sounded far too creepy. Best to avoid him.
Conan, meanwhile, couldn't help but roll his eyes. To him, detective work was a battle of intellect, piecing together clues to deduce the crime, bringing a rush of satisfaction. But Kael could simply make the dead talk. His presence undermined detective work entirely. It was a dimensional strike, stripping away all challenge. Such effortless supernatural ability robbed investigations of any joy. So Conan disliked Kael.
Kael, having cultivated the Heavenly Demon Canon of Seven Emotions and Six Desires, could sense everyone's emotions clearly. Conan's disdain. Sonoko's cautious distance. Inspector Megure's curiosity, Wataru's envy, Miwako's anticipation. Kogoro's irritation, Ran's apology. Kael absorbed these emotions, turning them into nourishment.
He calmly swept his gaze across the room and asked: "Ms. Isayama, did you call me here for this corpse?"
He looked at the hall's only body. It was an older man, about fifty, strong build, with white hair. No visible wounds, no signs of poisoning. Cause of death uncertain.
Isayama Mei nodded. "Yes, this man is Kimanjiro, leader of the Inugane Group."
"Inugane Group? A yakuza?" Kael was surprised. The name sounded familiar.
Suddenly, he remembered. The Inugane Group appeared in the parody manga Back Street Girls. Three yakuza thugs, after making mistakes, were forced by their boss to undergo gender reassignment surgery in Thailand. From hardened gangsters, they became cute girls. Later, under their boss's plan, they debuted as idols—and unbelievably, became popular. That series even produced a famous scene: "After all, I am not a demon.jpg."
And now, the man behind that iconic line lay dead before Kael. Truly, life was unpredictable.
Mei didn't know what Kael was thinking. Hearing his surprise at the man's identity, she nodded. "Yes, he was a yakuza. He came here to dine today, but after finishing his meal, suddenly died."
Kael said: "Died after eating? You mean someone poisoned his food? But he doesn't look poisoned."
Mei replied: "His cause of death wasn't poisoning—it was cardiac arrest."
"So it was an accident then," Kael said.
He thought the yakuza boss had been murdered, which was why Mei summoned him to awaken the corpse. But if it was cardiac arrest, there seemed no need.
Mei shook her head. "Actually, it wasn't an accident. Recently, over a hundred people in Tokyo have died suddenly. All were found to have died of cardiac arrest. But investigations showed they were healthy, with no bad habits. By rights, they shouldn't have died of cardiac arrest, yet they did. So we suspect someone is using a special method—a curse. I want you to awaken this man and ask if he offended anyone."
Over a hundred deaths from cardiac arrest? Kael's eyes flickered. He felt he was close to a clue, but couldn't grasp it yet. Still, he didn't refuse her request.
He cast the Soul Summoning Technique. The dead yakuza boss sat upright. Everyone except Sonoko had seen this before, so they weren't shocked. Sonoko, however, was startled. She had heard of it from Ran, but seeing it was different. A corpse suddenly sitting up would frighten anyone—especially a young girl.
"You may ask," Kael gestured to Mei.
Knowing time was short, she didn't hesitate. She asked: "Have you offended anyone recently?"
The yakuza boss denied it. "I've been kind to others lately, haven't offended anyone."
She pressed: "Do you know anyone who might want you dead?"
He rattled off dozens of names, like reading a menu.
Kael muttered, "Impressive—he's wronged quite a few."
She asked: "Among them, does anyone have special powers?"
He shook his head. She asked a few more questions, and he answered each.
Five minutes passed quickly. The spell ended, and the yakuza boss lay down again. But Mei wasn't relieved. Instead, she fell silent. That round of questioning had yielded nothing useful, leaving her frustrated.