NABC Chapter 239 The Blooming Flower
Chapter 239 The Blooming Flower
Chapter 239 The Blooming Flower
Akutagawa Hiko glanced up at the bustling building and asked Okiya Subaru, who looked somewhat uncomfortable despite being impeccably dressed, "Is this the right place?"
Suddenly asked a question, worried that he hadn't done a good job as an assistant, Subaru Okiya pulled out the invitation again, compared it with the address on it, and nodded, "That's right, it's here to commemorate the awarding of the World Art Prize."
Akutagawa Hiko nodded. Although he wasn't particularly interested in the flower arrangement performance, it was a banquet that brought together many celebrities, and a murder was about to occur, so he brought an assistant with him.
Amuro Tooru, the three-faced organization mole, is busy with something again, and Tadokoro Toshiya is also carrying out the tasks he assigned. All things considered, only Okiya Subaru has free time.
"Rika Okano is a very famous avant-garde flower arrangement artist. Her performance of making flowers bloom at the same time in an instant is loved by many people."
Subaru Okiya dutifully introduced the artist who had invited them to Hiko Akutagawa. Although he himself didn't know much about this, Rika Okano was a celebrity, and it was easy to find detailed information about her on fan forums.
"The venue for this banquet was arranged by the Red Flower Group, which has always supported her."
Subaru Okiya's expression was somewhat subtle.
He happened to see a newly posted thread while browsing the forum.
Rika Okano's flower arrangement performances are so captivating that they can make various different flowers bloom simultaneously in an instant, resembling a spectacular magic show. As a result, some of her fans call her the magician of the art world.
If it were just her own private enjoyment, that would be fine, but some people have to compare her to that magician under the moon, and even say that Okano Rika's flower arrangement magic far surpasses that of Kid, who is clearly just a thief trying to attract attention but calls himself a phantom thief.
This has stirred up a hornet's nest. Kaito Kid has fans all over the world, and there are countless powerful ones among them.
However, the flame war didn't last long. The forum administrators immediately banned the original post, opening one and then banning another, and finally banned the account of the person who started the fight.
Subaru Okiya strongly suspects that the person who posted the message is actually a hater of Rika Okano.
But I'm not entirely sure, after all, there are so many people in the world, there are bound to be some who aren't quite right in the head.
The two arrived a little early, as there was still some time before the banquet, the flower arrangement performance, and the case that Akutagawa Hiko was looking forward to. They met the flower arrangement artist, who was dressed in a kimono, in the reception room.
Among a group of people dressed in modern clothes, she stood out quite a bit because she was dressed so traditionally.
When Okano Rika's assistant and student, Ozaki Midori, met Akutagawa Hiko, he was visibly surprised: "You must be Detective Akutagawa. I didn't expect my teacher to invite you here."
Akutagawa Hiko smiled and shook hands with his assistant, casually but actually stirring things up, saying, "Detectives are always curious about new things. If you ignore this avant-garde art and don't try to figure out the principles behind it, you're not a qualified detective."
Hearing this, Ozaki Midori managed a weak smile, "With Akutagawa's abilities, I'm sure he'll see through the trick soon enough."
Just as the two were talking, Okano Rika finally finished touching up her makeup and sat down opposite Akutagawa Hiko.
"Hehehe, that's not necessarily true. Even a famous detective couldn't possibly sit in the audience and watch my performance and guess the method."
Rika Okano's face was full of pride. The fact that so many social celebrities had come to support this banquet was enough to prove how successful, mysterious, and attractive her art was.
He's just a young upstart who luckily solved a few cases, got media hype, and was praised by some people. How could he possibly compare to her?
If it weren't for his decent reputation, she would never have condescended to invite him.
but----
"With Detective Akutagawa here, Xiao Cui, you don't need to worry about the threatening letters anymore."
Akutagawa Hiko timely revealed a hint of curiosity: "A threatening letter?"
Midori Ozaki took an envelope out of her bag, opened it, and handed it to Hiko Akutagawa. However, the very dutiful detective assistant, Subaru Okiya, took it and unfolded it on the low table after confirming that everything was alright.
Subaru Okiya pushed up his glasses. Now that he had become the assistant, he naturally couldn't let his boss be inferior to others for no reason.
Akutagawa nodded approvingly and looked at the threatening letter.
Compared to the rather unprofessional handwritten threatening letter from the theater, this one was clearly much more professional, with the words cut from different types of paper and pasted onto it.
"The flower of death will bloom at the Red Flower Seaside Hotel —"
Akutagawa Hiko stroked his chin, his tone slightly tense: "If this isn't a prank, then this threatening letter is clearly aimed at Ms. Okano, but the manager of the Red Flower Seaside Hotel might also be a target—"
Ozaki Midori's surprise and panic flashed by in an instant, but no one else noticed. It was one thing for Okano Rika, but anyone could see that the threatening letter was aimed at her. But why mention that manager?
Could this famous detective really be that amazing?
Rika Okano didn't care. As she gradually became famous for her flower arranging skills, she received many threatening letters, and she even did such things herself.
However, after receiving support and funding from the Red Flower Group, such incidents decreased significantly. She also used this opportunity to eliminate many competitors, which allowed her to reach her current position. How could she possibly cancel such an important banquet because of a threatening letter?
Rika Okano nonchalantly stated, "They're definitely just jealous sour grapes who want to ruin my banquet and embarrass me in front of so many important guests. There's no need to make a fuss about it; that would only play into their hands."
Subaru Okiya kept his eyes down, remaining silent and focused, striving to be an ordinary, unnoticed, and invisible assistant.
Based on his many years of experience living in Beika Town, from his birth to his research on animals, you might consider the threatening letter a prank, but you absolutely cannot ignore it.
After all, the probability of wolves actually coming in this area is still very high, and if you want to survive, you must check for all possible dangers.
One of his senior classmates, who had a rich romantic history, became a role model for a passing detective simply because he didn't care about a threatening letter.
After leaving the reception room, Akutagawa Hiko had a blooming flower pinned to his chest by his assistant. After confirming that everything was alright, Akutagawa Hiko nodded his thanks and then took Okiya Subaru for a stroll around the venue.