vrcanaries Chapter 1297 The Hereditary Riddler
Chapter 1297 The Hereditary Riddler
Chapter 1297 The Hereditary Riddler
"How magnificent! How grand!"
Standing in front of the pipe organ, which was so tall that one had to crane their necks to see the top, the children all expressed their heartfelt admiration.
Many of the pipes on this organ were imported from churches in Germany. To match the décor of the concert hall, the pipes, arranged at varying heights, have undergone a delicate anodizing process, resulting in a metallic sheen ranging from ice blue to purple. Combined with the ornate gold components, keyboard, and stop knob panels, the organ presents a magnificent and sacred style.
Even children who don't understand rhetoric will immediately feel that this huge thing is not only imposing, but also very beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.
"How do pipe organs usually produce sound? I just heard it, it sounded beautiful and loud." Ayumi Yoshida looked up curiously and asked Genya Domoto next to her.
"Kids, you must have all learned to play the recorder in school, right?" Genya Domoto said kindly, bowing his head. "The sound production principle is quite similar to that. If you look closely at these sound tubes, you'll see that they all have openings at the bottom."
Ayumi Yoshida looked up in the direction he pointed and, sure enough, saw a series of downward-recessed openings at the bottom of the outermost pipe, which did indeed resemble the structure at the top of a recorder.
"It's true, they're all driving in roughly the same direction."
"Yes, this is a whistle in a sound tube, which also uses the principle of airflow to produce sound through vibration. These conical tubes are designed to make the air passing through vibrate the air vanes, thus producing vibration—"
Since Sonoko Suzuki had spoken up herself, Gen Domoto certainly didn't want to offend the investors and developers. He not only allowed the children to come up on stage but also stayed by their side, explaining things to them.
It's just doing some music education for children. If this satisfies the Suzuki Group's daughter and she's willing to continue supporting the concert hall's future development and construction, such as adding Suzuki's name to the building to create a small exhibition hall or other ancillary buildings, then the concert hall's income can be stabilized.
It would be even better if the Suzuki family could collaborate with music academies to create specialized scholarships and arts awards.
With a heart full of ambition, Gen Domoto was exceptionally kind and gentle. After explaining the principle of sound production, he pointed to the stops on the panel and told them that these were buttons used to change the pipe groups that produced the sound and affected the timbre. He even personally demonstrated by pushing and pulling the buttons, pressing the keys to make the organ sound, which amazed the children.
If he hadn't known that the official performance was imminent and that the kids might cause damage due to their lack of skill, and that there wouldn't have been time to adjust, he would have let the kids just press the buttons themselves.
Domoto Kazuki, Yamane Shion, and others went backstage, perhaps to discuss performance matters. Now, apart from Tang Ze and Haibara Ai, who chatted for a while and walked slowly towards the stage, the only other person in the audience was Akiba Reiko, who had just returned from the dressing room.
Holding the sheet music and turning the pages, she couldn't help but shake her head as she listened to Genya Domoto's solicitous and friendly voice on stage.
Mr. Domoto's current status is due to his ability, character, and temperament. However, his son seems to have devoted most of his abilities to emotional intelligence and scheming.
Whether he can become a famous pianist is hard to say, but it seems certain that he can become an excellent businessman and the dean of a music academy.
"Miss Qiuting, excuse me for interrupting, but may I ask you a few questions now?"
Seizing an opportunity, Takagi Wataru walked over from backstage and stood next to Akiba Reiko, asking her in a gentle tone.
He could more or less tell that Akiba Reiko's previous resistance wasn't really because she disliked the police or refused to cooperate; it was mainly because she didn't want them to disturb the rehearsal. Now that the rehearsal was paused, she probably wouldn't object to cooperating with the investigation.
Reiko Akiba frowned, glanced at the time, then at Genya Domoto, who was still giving a science lesson to elementary school students on stage, and finally managed to stand up.
"Seriously. It won't take too long, will it?"
"It's just a few questions, please don't worry."
"All right----"
She followed Takagi Wataru toward the higher stands behind their seats, passing by Karasawa and Ai Haibara, who were a few steps behind and preparing to walk onto the stage.
"She's a haughty queen," Ai Haibara remarked once she was out of earshot. "I wonder what she'd be like singing."
"No, she should be called an arrogant singer," Tang Ze corrected. "If Inspector Megure and the others had come looking for her at a different time, her attitude would have been much better."
This performance was also of great significance to Reiko Akiba.
It wasn't just about collaborating with Kazuki Domoto or showcasing herself in front of celebrities and peers. The piece she was involved in was "Amazing Grace," which held great significance for her. It was also with the Domoto Music Academy, the place where she met her fiancé. It was only natural that she wanted to give her best performance and leave behind a timeless classic.
Because she values the performance and the upcoming concert, her desire to prevent rehearsals and the actual performance from being affected is stronger than anyone else's.
The perpetrator murdered not only two performers involved in the show, but also Kawabe Kanade, who was working with her. If the police hadn't chosen to question her during rehearsals, she would have cooperated fully.
"That 'you know him so well' look on your face again." Ai Haibara glanced at him and gently lifted his heel. "You always say I'm deliberately making things difficult for Edogawa, but you yourself always only say half of what you mean."
She knew that the Phantom Thief of Hearts always understood the truth and human nature better than others, but Tang Ze was far superior to others in this respect. It was as if his aunt and uncle had given him special abilities, which made people seriously doubt the extent to which this guy could read minds.
This guy acts like an audience member, always making summarizing comments, which is quite annoying to listen to.
"Same here, I like to only tell half the story, and you don't even tell half." Tang Ze didn't dodge, letting her kick him. "Isn't that the power of heredity? Our whole family is like this, your parents..."
My parents weren't much better, were they?
The Tang couple left Tang Ze with too many mysteries. Tang Ze still had doubts about how far they had progressed in their understanding of cognition, whether they had actually come into contact with the real world of cognition, and whether they were really dead.
This can be somewhat explained by the fact that they are under close surveillance by the organization and cannot easily leave information. The Miyano couple's riddle-like style is so riddle-like that it has won the organization's approval.
Akemi Miyano did not die, so of course she retrieved the tapes that might cause trouble for her deceased friends as soon as possible.
These are the birthday messages that the Miyano couple left for their youngest daughter, hoping to accompany her as she grows up, and now Ai Haibara is hearing them too.
Wow, this miracle that heals death, this silver bullet, this great cause that will never be recognized by the world—
Tang Ze now understood how the Miyano couple had been quickly recognized by Karasuma's pharmaceutical company and entered the organization's laboratory through an interview before they even produced any results. They were simply too compatible with the organization's researchers.
Looking around, among this large group of people from the Sera family, even a seasoned undercover agent like Shuichi Akai could be considered one of the most honest and straightforward.
"You bastard—sigh, you really are just like Uncle Tangze when it comes to being annoying with your words." Haibara sighed. "Well, it's the power of genetics."
As Akiba Reiko was led to the edge of the stands, she was confronted not only by several officers from the First Investigation Division, but also by Kogoro Mouri, Shinichi Kudo, and Heiji Hattori, who had come with her.
It's rare for all the detectives to be here together, so the members of the First Investigation Division unconsciously adjusted their posture and stood very upright.
Shinichi Kudo, in particular, felt a deep sense of emotion when he saw Reiko Akiba nodding calmly to everyone.
Who would understand? Because he was a child, he would always secretly whisper the details of the case to Kogoro Mouri, and he would often be questioned by the police and the parties involved, who would say that he was a child and shouldn't be disturbed. What was it like for a professional detective like him?
It's so great to be able to stand here with my head held high, without attracting strange looks from others.
"What we want to ask you is mainly about a few text messages that Ms. Kawabe Kanako sent you before the case occurred." Under the gaze of the three detectives, Takagi Wataru, who inexplicably felt like he was being tested, straightened his back and said, "I really can't work with these laymen who can't even tell the difference in tone." What did this message mean?
The explosion occurred inside the practice room. Kawabe Kanade was not practicing at the time; instead, she was sitting on the outermost seat, listening to the two deceased perform.
This complaining text message was probably sent around this time, which is why, although she was injured in the explosion, her injuries were not too serious.
"What else could it mean? It means exactly what it says." Akiba Reiko fiddled with her long, braided hair and shook her head. "I already told the police that I and she by the river—"
"Yes, you weren't familiar with her before; you only met her at the press conference for this Domoto concert." Sato Miwako nodded. "We understand that."
"Yes. Because we were working on a piece together, we exchanged contact information. She said she still had some questions about the composition of the participants and planned to listen to other people's rehearsals and let me know her thoughts," Akiba Reiko summarized simply.
Having already learned about the concert from Sonoko Suzuki, Shinichi Kudo and Heiji Hattori exchanged a glance.
Since the concert was organized entirely by Domoto, and the performers were all selected from the talent pool of the music academy, it is inevitable that there will be differences in the level of the performers, and the quality may vary.
After all, Domoto Kazuki was just a pianist, and the music academy he founded couldn't possibly gather talent from all instrumental specializations. You can't expect everyone involved to be world-class; otherwise, how would other music academies survive?
Among all the participants, the already famous Akiba Reiko and the Stradivarius owner Kawabe Kanade are the two with the greatest fame and the most mutual respect.
It was predictable that they would exchange contact information and secretly form an alliance. Kawabe Kanade's "screening" of performers was likely partly a way to pressure the Domoto father and son.
Kawabe Kanade even contributed her family heirloom-level instrument, hoping to maintain a high standard for the concert and eliminate nepotism, or at least prevent any mediocre performers from showing up. This is a reasonable request.
"Yes, so she wasn't very satisfied with the performance of those two deceased musicians, feeling they couldn't complement her performance," Shiratori Ninzaburo countered, understanding Kawabe Kanade's meaning. "She wants to replace them?"
Just like practicing Ave Maria, those who don't know much about Stradivarius can't really tell whether Yamane Shion's condition is good or bad. In Kawabe Kanako's evaluation system, this would be considered amateurish.
"Probably. I didn't have much of a chance to talk to her, as you all know." Akiba Reiko remained noncommittal, turning to observe the expressions on their faces. "I heard she's woken up. Why don't you just go and ask her?"
She could tell from the police officer's tone that this meant including Kawabe Kanade in the list of suspects.
After all, if she was very dissatisfied with cooperating with the two dead and wanted to use extreme methods to replace them, it sounds a bit far-fetched, but it is also plausible. Her escape can be explained by the fact that she knew about the bomb's situation and range of power in advance, and deliberately injured herself in order to get herself out of danger.
Because she understood what was going on, she didn't want to get involved.
Whether she agrees or disagrees, if this gets back to Kawabe Kanade's ears, the two of them can forget about ever having any contact again.
"She has indeed regained consciousness, but unfortunately, she said that due to the impact of the explosion, she can no longer remember the specific circumstances before and after the explosion, including what happened during practice," Sato Miwako replied tactfully.
"Is that so?" Akiba Reiko nodded, giving a smooth, ambiguous question in return.
The police suspect that Kawabe Kanade knew about the situation but didn't report it, and that she was deliberately concealing it. So they want to find a breakthrough by talking to them to learn about Kawabe Kanade's situation.
Reiko Akiba isn't stupid; she has these basic questioning skills.
After carefully observing Akiba Reiko's expression for a moment, the group exchanged glances, seemingly acknowledging that Akiba Reiko was probably not deeply involved in the bombing. Inspector Megure nodded to Shiratori Renzaburo, indicating that he could continue.
Then Shiratori Ninzaburo took out the evidence he mainly wanted to show to a few relevant people today from his bag: "These are the things we found at the explosion site."
"Ah, it's the body of a flute." Recognizing the item in the transparent evidence bag at a glance, Akiba Reiko raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why would it be there? None of the three of them play the flute."