Killed Again, Mr. Detective Volume 1 Case 3 Chapter 1 part 2

Volume 1

Case 3: ?????????

Chapter 1 It is Undoubtedly Embarrassing (Part 2)

TLed by: TanoshiKara

"Son of Outsuki! What the hell are you doing here!?"

There was yet another man who barged into our conversation.

"That voice is......as I thought. Isn't it Sozorogi-san? Why are you here, in a place like this?"

"That's my line! My goodness, you show up everywhere!"

There Kaoruta Sozorogi was; An acquaintance of mine who is an unpopular officer.

Pushing his way through the filming crew, he stomped up to us.

"You're not gonna tell me you caught a whiff of an incident, right?"

Unexpectedly, more and more people entered the area.

"Sorry to say, but there's nothing for you to do here. This is where I'll do......"

"An incident—is it?" Lilithea asked, putting a stop to Sozorogi's momentum.

"You just mentioned that there was an incident, did you not?"

"Well......That is......"

"It is not something worthy of being called an incident," Toriho replied in Sozorogi's stead.

"Actually, a little prank of a letter was delivered to my office the other day, so I am being cautious just in case. That is all"

"A prank of a letter?"

"Well, it is like a so-called threat letter—" Toriho said in a low voice.

"A threat letter......you say?"

"This right here," Toriho said as he took out a piece of half-folded paper from his chest pocket.

Taking the paper, I looked at it after opening it. On it was the following sentence, written with newspaper and magazine cutouts.

"I'll devour things starting with the Kowloons Hotel. Get the film rollin' Hound-Headed Bell Boy"

"Devour things starting with the Kowloons Hotel? In other words, does this mean—"

"Yeah. Someone who knows that this hotel is being used for a film might be planning to interfere during the filming"

"That said, 'Devour' is quite the way to put it"

Hound-Head. A bell boy with a hound head. That's why they used 'Devour'. But I don't know what that word is trying to express. Would be fine as long as it's not biting to death.

"Is Hound-Headed Bell Boy some sort of character?"

"Who knows. Never heard of it, but it's most likely some name they called themselves on a whim to act like one of those ‘Phantoms’ commonly found in those old mystery series"

"Their name is weird, but the wording of 'Get the film rollin' is also strange"

Lilithea stood straight as a pole and glanced at the threat letter I was holding.

"Normally, this would be where the culprit writes something that relates to interfering with the film, like 'Stop the film'. I don't know whether or not this Hound-Headed Bell Boy person wants to interfere with the filming"

It is as she has said.

"Hound-Headed Bell Boy......? Did I just hear you say that?"

Just then, an old man with a hoarse voice cut into our conversation. He had a sharp gaze and long, white hair, which he had bundled at the back of his head.

"You are......"

"This is Chou-san, the owner of the hotel," Sozorogi said.

"Well......erm, it's nothing. This is just a little prank and......"

"......I don't know where you heard that name from, but do not speak of that name here. If you can't do that, then the filming matter is off the table," Old Man Chou growled, interrupting Toriho just as he tried to beat around the bush.

Old Man Chou left after saying that. The rest of us could only look at one another.

"Did we hit a nerve......?"

"Doesn't he merely want for no unnecessary commotions to occur in the hotel?"

"It'll be troubling if the owner were to get angry and we can no longer film here"

"It's fine, Director. We just need to ignore the childish threat and focus on filming, right?" Marugoshi nonchalantly assured Toriho after hearing him voice his concern.

I glanced at Yuriu, who was beside me, to find that Yuriu was gazing at me.

"Master......"

Her huge pupils were quivering slightly.

Yuriu probably had her concerns as well after hearing about the threat letter. That might be why she was overly ecstatic, so much so that I thought it was odd when we had met coincidentally earlier.

"I laughed it off because I thought it was probably a prank, but those worrywarted crew members sent it to the police, you see. And so—"

"And so Sozorogi-san came here?"

"That's right"

Sozorogi proudly crossed his arms for some reason.

"There is this impression of the police that they will not mobilize for such matters. However, did Sozorogi-san, perhaps, in wanting to meet celebrities, take it upon yourself to volunteer and force them to take you along?"

"Ain't no way I would do that! Ain't no way......"

Seems like he would.

"Director, Master has solved a daunting incident in the past. That's why—"

"Get him onboard as well? There is no need for such drastic measures. Looks like Mr. Officer over here would tag along after all"

"Exactly! Leave it to me, Sozorogi! That said, there's no need for a detective this time"

"Nobody's asking you to let me shine," I shot back.

"What a sore loser," Sozorogi replied, smirking as if he had won.

However, I was, in fact, not being a sore loser-, or so I thought, when someone pulled strongly on my sleeve.

"Sakuya-sama......Sakuya"

It was Lilithea. Extremely dissatisfied, she looked up at me.

"Why did you back down so easily? It was a job that came out of nowhere"

"W-Well, that's because......isn't it scary?" I whispered.

"Such pitiful words to say," Lilithea whispered back.

"It's a threat letter, you know? They said devour, you know? They have a hound head, you know? If this is not a prank but a real threat letter, then it would definitely be dangerous. Wouldn't my head be chopped off if I poked my 'head' into such an incident?"

Man, I'm getting turned off just thinking about it. It's terrifying.

"It's not 'The Gongyang Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals', but it's the 'Mr. Detective keeps away from death and danger' thing"

"Again with such timidness...... At this rate, the Outsuki Detective Agency will never prosper, you know? Also, the source of 'A wiseman keeps away—' is not ‘The Gongyang Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals’"

"Ug......"

She picked quite the sore spot to remark. But what I am afraid of, I am. Just imagining that I got killed once again because I did something unnecessary has me getting acid reflux.

It is not a matter of being able to come back to life. On the contrary, it is the opposite. It is because I can come back to life that I am afraid to die.

It is because the fear and agony from death are a once-in-a-lifetime experience that humans are able to endure them somehow. How about if you were told that you would be forcefully resurrected and would have to experience the fear and agony once again, no, many times over? Anyone would probably hate that. Even I would hate that.

Lilithea sighed after I said that to her.

"In the first place, living or dying because of the threat letter is all in Sakuya-sama's imagination, no, a most forced delusion, right? Even though you said it like it was an inevitable fact, that is"

"Ug......"

That hit a sore spot as well.

"In the end, it merely looks like you are being unnecessarily fearful and neglecting your duties as a detective"

My goodness, get a hold of yourself, or so Lilithea said, as if she were talking to herself, as she turned away.

Oh dear, I made her angry, or so I thought as I panicked when Yuriu raised her hand all of a sudden, as if she was unable to bear it any longer.

"In that case, I will hire him!"

Everyone, including me, turned to look at her.

"I will hire Master!" Yuriu declared 

"Yuriu-chan will!?"

Sozorogi's, Toriho's, and my voice overlapped with one another.

"Isn't everyone worried? Also, didn't Mr. Director say that you would make this film a success no matter what?"

"That is......true, but"

"The film will be shelved if some sort of incident happens, you know?"

"That would be......troubling"

"I don't want that as well"

"Hmm......well, if Yuriu-chan wants to hire a detective privately, then I have no intention of stopping you, but......"

"Thank you very much! We did, huh, Master! You've got a job!"

"Well, you see......"

I can't sincerely offer her my gratitude. How perplexing...

However, two sets of pretty eyes were staring at me while I was perplexed. They were Lilithea and Yuriu's.

The staredown continued for a while.

"Sigh......if you would go as far as to say that, I got it already!"

And so, I lost the staredown in the end.

"I accept! I will act in my own way during the filming in the hotel to try and get some leads on this Hound-Headed Bell Boy person. Will that be alright?"!*

Lilithea and Yuriu slowly broke into a smile before my eyes.

Oh boy, I accepted it..., or so I thought.

"Yes! And I will, of course, help you out as well!"

Just then, the words Yuriu said next made me feel even more troubled.

"Eh? Don't tell me you plan to stick your nose into this as well?"

"Of course! I'm Master's student, you know"

"That was just to prepare for your role, right?"

"That's right! But I did that to prepare for the role stuff for this movie. It would all be for nothing if I backed down here"

"R-......Reallyy?"

I feel like I am being tricked, but it sounds convincing.

"Can I......not? I want to help"

"Masterrr," Yuriu begged as she stood on tiptoes to bring her face closer to mine.

"Alright! Alright!"

The stares from the people around me stung, so I could do nothing but agree.

I could tell that Lilithea let out a sigh of relief.

"Lilithea is glad that Sakuya-sama has accepted the job"

"Yeah...... Well, I did it begrudgingly, but we can pay for the repairs with this, huh"

"I am shocked. Are you truly going to charge your student an exorbitant amount?"

"Ug......should I not? Will I be despised?"

"What's more, you have gotten Yuriu-sama involved once again, huh"

"U-Urgh......"

It stings! She's hitting all the sore points!

The filming started while I was writhing in agony from the reasonable points that Lilithea brought up.

The first scene is one where high school detective Uzura, played by Yuriu, arrives at the hotel lobby.

Under normal circumstances, I would be observing Yuriu's skills as the female lead, but I must be wary of the surroundings during filming this time.

We went up the stairs to look for a place that had a bird's-eye view of the area.

I was roped into it by Yuriu, but I shouldn't be complaining nonstop since I have accepted the job. I will do what I must.

"Hello"

I noticed that a young man was standing near the halfway point of the stairs to the second floor, so I greeted him. The young man was eagerly watching the filming set just as the filming was about to begin.

"Are you part of the filming crew as well?" I asked while greeting him.

He broke into a friendly smile when he heard that.

From the looks of it, he is probably about twenty-five or twenty-six. When I took a closer look, I noticed that he was filming the set with the hand-held camera he had in his hand.

"That's right. I’m a stuntman. I have been told to sit still until the action scenes are to be filmed"

He mentioned an unexpected role just when I thought his was related to some form of recording.

"Oh, a stuntman. That's cool. Ah, I am Sakuya Outsuki"

"So, Sakuya-kun. Nice to meet you"

I introduced myself after sharing my run-of-the-mill opinion with him. I then explained how things led to me accompanying the filming crew this time, as a detective.

"A detective, huh. Were you talking about that downstairs with Yuriu-san earlier?"

"Ah, so you saw. Well, that's right"

"Whoaaa, did some sort of incident occur?"

"No, no. It's hard to call this city safe even as a pleasantry, so you can say that I'm like a bodyguard hired to deter trouble"

"Are you her friend or something?"

"Eh? Yeah, we have a little history with each other"

I did not talk about the threat letter. This is because I do not know how much the other crew members have been briefed about the situation. There is no point in spreading the news and instilling unease.

"Ah, I've not introduced myself yet! I'm Shou Shirasagi"

"For a stuntman, you've got a cool name for a stuntman that sounds like a male lead's!"

"That is rude Sakuya-sama"

"It's alright. I totally lost the name battle. Ahahah. Please call me Shou"

I am still surprised, even after learning that it is his real name and not a stage name.

"That said, Shou-kun, you were looking at it quite eagerly; Even got a camera in hand"

If he is a stuntman, wouldn't it be fine for him to relax until he is called? Is this merely how a layman thinks?

"I have gotten the director's permission to record what goes on during the set. It's for me to learn from. I actually wanted to be on Stage Effects, but stamina's the one thing I have, so, before I realized it, I was made to do stunts by some mistake. Ahahah"

He said that he was planning to use it to observe every inch of the set in order to learn the knack of filming.

When I told Shou that he had quite the admirable attitude, he was so embarrassed that he lurched forward.

"I'm only able to put my body on the line for now, but you can bet that I'll be a director one day. It's still a far-fetched dream, but I'll make it come true. Ah, do you want my autograph?"

"Eh? Shou-kun's?"

"Of course! I'll make an original right now in preparation for when I'm a bigshot in the future! I'm the dream-chasing stuntman, you know!"

"The standard, huh. But isn't it a little too early for that?" I replied calmly, a huge contrast to Shou's enthusiasm.

"Were you not practising as well, Sakuya-sama? Your autograph, that is"

I must tell Lilithea later that even if there were no ulterior motives or malice behind those words, it does hurt my fragile heart from time to time, especially when those words are the truth.

"Even though you promised to keep it a secret from everyone! Lilithea always spills the beans almost immediately"

My pride has been hurt.

That aside, Shou unclenched his fist before knitting his eyebrows.

"But......I have not earned any recognition from Director Toriho yet......"

"I see. He seems like a kind person, but I guess he's quite strict, huh"

"He is usually a gentle person, but he becomes a demon when it comes to films. And he seems especially invested in the film this time, so..."

"Especially, you say?"

"Yeahhh......Well, just between the three of us"

"Ten years ago, the director got a well-known award out of nowhere for his first film. The people in the industry once called him a genius too. However, he hasn't made any big hits these past few years. That's why he's been giving it his all to make a comeback with this next film," Shou said in a low voice after he looked around.

"He wants to succeed no matter what. That's why he doesn't want anyone to disrupt the filming?"

"Well, it's along those lines"

So that's why he allowed an outsider, who was a detective (me), whom he had just met, on the set.

"Well, that's why......"

"Shou-chan, how about moving your body before blabbering insider information to the outsiders?" Someone quipped from below when we were still deep in conversation.

I could tell that Shou shrugged his shoulders when he heard that voice.

Its owner ran their finger suggestively across the handrail as they slowly made their way up the stairs.

"You should do some menial tasks if it's not your scene. Stamina is all you've got after all. Righttt?"

"E-Erm......Sorry......"

A roughly forty-year-old man appeared before us, his hair gelled and combed over meticulously.

This time, the man fixed his stifling gaze on the two of us.

"It's the first time you two have seen me, right? Hello, I am Yuriu's manager. I am Jungo Nakuji from Empress Entertainment"

"Ah, so you are Yuriu's manager"

Speaking of Empress Entertainment, they are a talent agency that I have recently come to hear about all of a sudden.

"Correct. I am her ma-na-ger"

Nakuji has quite a unique intonation. Rather, all of his mannerisms are incredibly unique.

"Erm, Nakuji-san, it seems like Sakuya-kun is a detective, and—"

"I heard that earlier downstairs from Yuriu-chan. I heard she hired without consulting me. Now that's real troubliiiing. Okay, Shou-chan, it's time for work, time for work"

"O-Okay!"

As if to escape from Nakuji's stifling gaze, Shou left in a hurry.

"What a cutie~" Nakuji said with a bold smile as he saw Shou off.

It's just a feeling, but you'd better be cautious,  Shou.

"So? The said detective is snooping around right off the bat? It's about that threat letter from earlier, right?"

Seems like this man knows the situation.

"It's not on the level of snooping around though"

"I see. There's no helping that Yuriu-chan has already hired you, but don't go stirring up the set too much, alright? After all, this is the majestic movie debut of our Yuriu-chan"

"Of course. I want Yuriu-chan to be able to give it her a-"

"I've been curious about this since earlier, but aren't you being a little too overfamiliar by constantly calling her Yuriu-chan? It's sureee is scandalous. Therefore, you are prohiiibited from adding Chan to her name"

"Right......"

"Sakuya-kun, I don't know if you're her friend or something, but don't get too close to her. She will undoubtedly morph in the near future. She'll become our breadwinner, so anything that will decrease her worth is NG. There'll be a fine due to the breach of contract, you know"

Out of nowhere, Nakuji stroked my chin with his finger.

I really want him to stop that.

Just then, his eyes stopped on Lilithea, who was standing beside me, reservedly.

"Oh my, you......look pretty. Pretty indeed. Your elegance and lack of presence are just right as well. You can make the cut if you are a little more affable. This is my number. Ring me up if you're interested. You might be able to become a star, you know?"

After finishing what he wanted to say, Manager Nakuji suggestively went down the stairs once again.

After confirming that he left, I sneaked a peek at Lilithea.

In her hand was Nakuji's name card.

"Was he scouting you just now? That's amazing! If Lilithea is interested in being an actress—"

"Not interested whatsoever"

"But you frequently watch movies and tv dramas in the offi—"

"I am not interested. Acting in front of others and smiling when it is not enjoyable are things that I could never do"

"I-Is that so?"

"I am, right down to my very core, the detective's—Sakuya-sama's assistant"

She sure says things that make me happy.

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Feel free to comment/pm me if you find any mistakes. Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.