Murder on the Cruise Ship

The future father of the protagonist...
The renowned novelist, Mr. Kudo Yusaku.
A group of people had gathered there, all seemingly famous novelists in Japan.
They weren't limited to the detective fiction genre.
For instance, a rising romance novelist, Ms. Akiya Wako, who was particularly popular among high school girls.
When Furuya Rei was still Amuro Tooru attending Teitan High School, he often heard the girls in his class discussing her works after school. So frequent were these discussions that he could even recall popular plot points from her novels, and occasionally saw the author's photo on the books the girls carried.
There was also a grandmaster in the Japanese horror novel scene.
Even Furuya Rei, as a child, had read novels by this venerable Mr. Akiya Wako.
Though he couldn't sleep after reading them late at night.
But that was enough to prove the author's reputation.
However, with so many novelists present, none could likely compare to Kudo Yusaku's fame.
In this world, detective work was akin to 'political correctness'; no matter the profession, as long as it touched upon detective elements, one would always be a step above others in the same field.
Purely in terms of influence, Kudo Yusaku was a unique presence among these novelists.
For a so-called authors' gathering, even if they wanted to invite Kudo Yusaku, he wouldn't necessarily come.
Was there something special about today's gathering?
Furuya Rei watched the group of great authors from afar, thinking of Kudo Yusaku's new novel he had bought at a bookstore earlier.
He had brought it along, thinking it could kill time on the cruise ship.
He suppressed the urge to return to his cabin to retrieve it for an autograph.
He headed to the buffet area, picked up a plate, selected some food he liked, and then sat near the authors' table.
He intended to gather useful information from the vague conversations he might overhear.
With Kudo Yusaku here, he wondered if he might meet a young Kudo Shinichi.
Furuya Rei ate and pondered.
Today was a day he completely didn't want to complete his Organization mission.
He took a bite of a small cake.
The taste wasn't bad.
"Are you looking at my father?" Furuya Rei was eating, his ear tilted towards the commotion on the other side, when a slightly arrogant voice suddenly sounded beside him.
He lowered his head, looking towards the source of the sound.
Oh, there he was, the future protagonist of the teen detective series.
A young Kudo Shinichi, still small.
Furuya Rei hadn't anticipated this meeting; he blinked several times.
"Just now, you were clearly standing by that door, wearing a small, custom-tailored suit from a very luxurious store in Tokyo, which shows your daily life is very refined. But after coming in, you didn't choose the adjacent restaurant for more upscale dining; instead, you chose the buffet. Is it because you wanted to see my father?"
Kudo Shinichi raised his head, and without waiting for Furuya Rei's reaction, rattled off a string of his deductions.
His face clearly showed an expression of "what I say is absolutely correct."
"......" Furuya Rei was silent. He did want to hear what Mr. Yusaku was doing, but then he glanced at his own clothes. Was this really that expensive?
Kudo Shinichi unceremoniously climbed onto the chair next to Furuya Rei, placed his small tray aside, picked up a pastry, took a bite, and mumbled, "Because my mother is also a regular customer of that store, I'm very familiar with the fabric of their custom-made clothes."
Hmm, as expected of you, Furuya Rei thought to himself. Such a wealth of knowledge at such a young age.
But... did Kudo Shinichi recognize him?
"Excuse me." Furuya Rei used a napkin to wipe off the cream from his hand, which had gotten there when Kudo Shinichi spoke. "Who are you?"
Kudo Shinichi choked. Hearing Furuya Rei, he got choked on the pastry he was eating, put the item back on his tray, and vigorously patted his chest.
Furuya Rei quickly offered the glass of water he had brought but hadn't yet taken a sip from.
"Gulp, gulp." A glass of water went down, and Kudo Shinichi leaned back in his chair, a sudden feeling of escaping death washing over him.
Furuya Rei tried to suppress a laugh.
"I am Kudo Shinichi." The young Shinichi introduced himself seriously.
"Oh." Furuya Rei showed a look of sudden realization. "Mr. Yusaku's son?"
Kudo Shinichi's small face drooped, and he muttered softly, "Just Kudo Shinichi... well, that's not wrong..."
Furuya Rei's hearing was excellent. He mused that even the future protagonist would have a rebellious phase.
"Do you recognize me?" Furuya Rei took his glass back and set it aside, friendly sharing his cake with Kudo Shinichi.
Mainly because he had taken too much, and the cake on the cruise ship was sweeter than he expected. Children would probably like it, but for him, it was a bit unfamiliar.
"I overheard Inspector Megure chatting with my father and mentioning you." Kudo Shinichi looked at the cake Furuya Rei shared with him. Perhaps because he was eating someone else's food, the usually arrogant young Shinichi softened his attitude.
Hmm? Furuya Rei hadn't expected this. What had he done that was worth the First Division police officer mentioning to Kudo Yusaku?
He had only helped the Metropolitan Police Department catch some robbers and thieves, and solved a few murder cases during this time.
Although Date Wataru had once complained that the detective abilities of the First Division police were truly lacking, still... were these things really that astonishing?
"He even praised you." Kudo Shinichi muttered softly again, looking very displeased that his father was praising someone else.
"Praised me for what?" Furuya Rei grew interested. He also wanted to know what the "ceiling of intelligence" in the storyline, as people from another world called him, would think of him.
"A young prodigy." The answer to Furuya Rei didn't come from Kudo Shinichi sitting beside him, but from behind.
He turned his head and saw Kudo Yusaku, who had been talking with the group of novelists, standing behind him, smiling warmly at Furuya Rei and Kudo Shinichi.
Those four words had come from his mouth.
"Mr. Kudo." Furuya Rei stood up, responding to Kudo Yusaku's sudden appearance with a friendly and polite smile.
Kudo Yusaku placed a hand on Furuya Rei's shoulder, sighing with emotion, "You must be Amuro-kun? I heard Megure mention before that there was a high school student who often did impressive things."
Feeling the weight on his shoulder, Furuya Rei suppressed the twitch at the corner of his mouth. These two, father and son, were they a little too familiar with each other?
"I heard Megure talk about all the cases you solved." Kudo Yusaku, under his son's resentful gaze, sat down next to Furuya Rei and began to socialize familiarly. "Not just at your age, but many adult detectives might not even figure them out."
"Tight logic, clear procedures, plus keen observation skills and the ability to grasp clues." Kudo Yusaku praised, "It's hard to imagine you're only fourteen."
Because he wasn't actually a high school student, Furuya Rei maintained his smile, silently thinking that receiving such praise from Kudo Yusaku based on his youthful appearance made him a little embarrassed.
Most importantly—
Weren't all the things Kudo Yusaku mentioned the basic qualities of a police officer?
Because he was a strange person, his close colleagues from the same class were also strange, and when he interacted with colleagues in the Organization, especially Gin, they were all strange, Furuya Rei thought to himself.
That's why he felt that the Japanese police really needed to be rectified, so that later, when facing those FBI agents in the Pacific, he wouldn't take half a day to catch them.
Furuya Rei smiled, modestly accepting Kudo Yusaku's praise, and also expressed his fondness for the detective novels Kudo Yusaku had written.
The two chatted animatedly. Kudo Shinichi, meanwhile, went to get a drink, then returned to cast sidelong glances at the two socializing individuals.
His gaze lingered on Furuya Rei, assessing him up and down.
What was with this guy? Was he really only a few years older than him? Why did he feel almost the same age as his father?
They had so much in common.
Furuya Rei and Kudo Yusaku moved from Kudo Yusaku's novels to the murder cases Furuya Rei had solved, and then to some widely noticed international mystery cases.
Kudo Yusaku: "It's hard to believe Amuro-kun is only fourteen."
Furuya Rei: "If he were still Furuya Rei, he would definitely become good friends with Mr. Kudo."
"Mr. Kudo, what are you here for this time?" Furuya Rei put on a curious expression, tilting his head to look at the group of novelists who hadn't dispersed yet.
"It's just a very ordinary gathering," Kudo Yusaku explained. "But because my next novel will touch on some horror elements, and I heard Mr. Akiya would also be attending this gathering, I brought Shinichi along."
Kudo Shinichi placed his empty glass on the table and grumbled about his father, "Isn't it because Mom wanted to go to a party with her friends that you brought me along?"
At home earlier, he had even been called a burden.
His father had intended to bring him along to entice his mother to come too.
But a certain actress hadn't fallen for it at all.
She completely ignored her husband and son, happily going out with her good friends, leaving the two miserable father and son to look at each other.
Kudo Yusaku shot Kudo Shinichi a glance. The child, having nothing more to say, got down from his seat, stood next to Furuya Rei, and looked up, "Let's have a competition."
???
Furuya Rei looked at Kudo Shinichi, whose face clearly showed his defiance, in confusion.
"I brought detective books. Let's see who solves the puzzles faster," Kudo Shinichi said seriously. He was his father's ardent fan.
Although he sometimes appeared arrogant, there was hidden admiration. This didn't change the fact that he deeply revered his father. Faced with someone who seemed only a few years older but received high praise from Kudo Yusaku, Kudo Shinichi naturally wanted to test who was truly more capable.
"Hmm..." Furuya Rei wanted to refuse. He still had an Organization mission to complete. Although it was simple for him, he still had to put on a show, just in case Gin had secretly arranged for someone to monitor him.
Moreover, the top student of the Police Academy didn't want to compete with a child. If it were Kudo Shinichi seven years later, Furuya Rei might have been a little interested.
But for now, looking at the boy's stubborn eyes...
"Alright." The refusal ultimately didn't come out, treating it as indulging a child.
At the same time, Furuya Rei was also wondering if he could prevent Kudo Shinichi from shrinking in the future.
【The main timeline of the world does not allow changes.】 This thought flashed through his mind, and System 123 immediately displayed a large 'X' on its interface.
Alright, alright, alright.
Changing the plot was possible, but severely disrupting the world's progress was forbidden.
This was something System 123 had told Furuya Rei early on.
But thinking about it, it might still be possible.
Furuya Rei ignored 123's reminder, preparing that if he couldn't deal with the Organization within these seven years, well, that was probably just a pipe dream.
The longer he was in the Organization, the more Furuya Rei felt that the Organization was truly not simple.
Especially a certain Boss; he had always maintained the highest level of vigilance towards them.
But... when the time came, he would go spy on Gin giving the drug, and he could even bring Hiro and Matsuda to watch the scene.
The young Kudo Shinichi was still unaware that his future self would be 'tragically' observed by several unscrupulous police officers. At this moment, he felt a slight chill in his heart, unclear what had happened. He looked left and right, telling Furuya Rei to wait for him here.
Then, he dashed back to his and Kudo Yusaku's cabin to retrieve the detective book he had brought to kill time.
When he returned to the restaurant, he suddenly bumped into someone's leg at a turn.
With a "thud," he fell to the ground, clutching the detective book.
"Are you alright, little brother?" The man passing by knelt down to help Kudo Shinichi up.
"I'm fine, I was just in too much of a hurry." Kudo Shinichi stood up with the man's help, brushed the dust off his clothes and hands, and apologized to the man for his clumsiness.
Then, he eagerly left again.
"Let's begin." Back in the restaurant, Kudo Shinichi placed the detective book on the table, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Furuya Rei. "I haven't read this one yet."
"Okay," Furuya Rei replied.
So, Kudo Yusaku took the detective book, acting as a temporary referee, and read the puzzle to the two.
This was a puzzle he had come up with, usually for Kudo Shinichi to play, but...
Looking at Furuya Rei holding paper and a pen, he still felt his son would be at a great disadvantage.
The commotion from the three of them had attracted the attention of the group of novelists very early on.
Seeing the two children start their competition, they all gathered around with great interest.
Hearing it was a puzzle set by Kudo Yusaku only added to their intrigue.
A crowd of relatively famous people in Japan gathered in a group, which had already attracted not only Furuya Rei's attention but also many other tourists.
But no one else had approached with the intention of joining and succeeded like Furuya Rei.
However, at this moment, seeing the children's competition.
The onlookers felt that coming closer to watch now wouldn't be considered disturbing the novelists' gathering.
So, they all gathered around.
For a moment, Furuya Rei and Kudo Shinichi at their table were surrounded by three inner and three outer layers of people.
It was a bit exaggerated.
Furuya Rei made such an assessment.
At the same time, a suspicious individual had also blended in.
A certain FBI agent had, at some unknown point, followed them to the restaurant and stood among the crowd. When Furuya Rei's gaze swept past, he didn't flinch.
He appeared like a normal tourist.
Furuya Rei's gaze didn't linger on Akai Shuichi; it seemed he merely glanced at the crowd in surprise.
He quickly shifted his eyes away.
"Did he really not see my face then? His current behavior suggests so."
Even with such close contact earlier, the other party hadn't recognized him, acting completely normal.
Akai Shuichi concluded in his heart that there was an 80% chance the boy hadn't seen his face.
The remaining 20% required further testing.
Watching Furuya Rei frown slightly as he solved the puzzle, Akai Shuichi thought, he always worked very carefully after all.
Kudo Yusaku watched Furuya Rei tapping his pen on the paper and his son.
Shinichi, you're too slow.
Kudo Shinichi looked up briefly at Furuya Rei's writing motions and the rustling sound.
Gritting his teeth, *how annoying*.
As for Furuya Rei, who was truly bullying a child: he felt no guilt whatsoever.
He finished the last stroke.
With a "click," all the lights in the restaurant went out.
"Who's there?"
"What's wrong?"
The surrounding crowd immediately burst into an uproar.
From here, one could see that the first-class cabins were still brightly lit, as if only this restaurant had suddenly lost power.
A "whoosh" echoed in the darkness above everyone's heads.
Someone fearfully clutched the arm of the person next to them, seeking some reassurance in the dark.
The moment the power went out, Furuya Rei immediately stood up from his seat, vigilantly looking around. His Chen Gui gun box, in its original black box form, was in his hand.
Was it the Organization's doing?
This was Furuya Rei's first thought, but he quickly dismissed it. After all, Bourbon still held a certain position in the Organization.
It wouldn't be an action plan he wasn't informed of.
Then came another "thud."
This sound was louder than the previous one.
And after this sound, the lights in the restaurant came back on.
"Ah!" Someone shrieked.
A hole had opened in the ceiling in the middle of the restaurant.
A man hung suspended in the air, transparent threads wrapped around his body, but they were all coiled, clearly indicating the man was not suspended by his limbs.
"Ugh..." The man frantically tried to grasp his neck, but it was useless.
His entire body weight was concentrated on a single thread around his neck.
It tightened into his flesh, and a trace of blood was already visible.
Furuya Rei reacted quickly, grabbing a steak knife from the table and throwing it towards the transparent thread wrapped around the man's neck.
However.
The force, honed from 123's training cards, was enough to pierce through steel plates, yet it couldn't cut the thread. Was this a special material?
It was precisely in the instant Furuya Rei threw the knife and it bounced off the thread that a pile of objects fell from the hole in the ceiling.
These things seemed to be shot out, falling onto the man at an extremely high speed.
Weight combined with speed.
Everyone didn't even have time to take the next step to save him.
The man's choked "ugh" stopped. The thread had completely sunk in, and the man's wrists slowly drooped, no longer moving.
"Amuro-kun, be careful!" Furuya Rei had just taken a step forward, intending to bring the man down, perhaps still able to save him, when Kudo Yusaku's voice rang out from behind.
Without time to think, Furuya Rei quickly rolled several times on the ground.
Only then did he hear a "thump, thump."
Another pile of heavy objects fell, some hanging on the man's body, some scattering in all directions, grazing Furuya Rei and falling to the ground, creating a series of deep holes.
The man's head was brutally severed.
Losing the support of the thread around his neck, his body sagged, suspended by the threads wrapped around his limbs, about the height of Kudo Shinichi from the ground.
He looked exactly like a controlled wooden puppet.
His head fell from the air, rolled around, and came to rest in front of the crowd.
Face up.
Revealing a ferocious expression from before death.
"Ah—"
This was the scream of terror that echoed across the sky.