Regarding... Xiao Lan's question about whether the Little Fox was truly a fox, Mu Tianyuan didn't need to answer. Conan, that well-read little brat, chimed in from the side, "It's certainly a fox, but a fox's call shouldn't sound like that, should it?"
"My Little Fox is quite versatile."
Mu Tianyuan shrugged, then turned to the Little Fox and said, "Come on, dear, imitate a cat's meow."
"You bastard!"
The Little Fox immediately retorted irritably via the private channel. Mu Tianyuan also used the private channel to say, "Cooperate, cooperate. Otherwise, how can you show off your versatility?"
"Meow!"
This 'meow' was practically squeezed out of the Little Fox's... teeth.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Xiao Lan was thrilled to see the Little Fox actually imitate a cat's meow. Even Conan and Uncle Mori were surprised. Xiao Lan then leaned in closer to Mu Tianyuan, admiring the Little Fox with delighted surprise, praising the utterly dejected Little Fox profusely: "So amazing! It can actually meow like a cat! Little Fox, you're wonderful!"
Little Fox: "..."
Amazing my foot! Do you know how depressed I am right now?! If I weren't afraid of scaring you to death, I'd perform a segment of Pingju opera for you, would you believe it?!
While Xiao Lan was marveling, Uncle Mori asked somewhat doubtfully, "But Mu, why would your fox suddenly bark like a dog?"
As soon as Uncle Mori spoke, Mu Tianyuan thought to himself, Here it comes. Little Fox's performance wasn't in vain! Mu Tianyuan immediately looked at the piano, feigning a serious expression, and said, "There must be something wrong with this piano, that's why the Little Fox was warning us!"
"Something wrong?"
Xiao Lan and the two others immediately turned their gazes to the piano upon hearing Mu Tianyuan's words. Xiao Lan was about to open the piano's key cover, but just as her hand was about to touch it, a middle-aged man suddenly burst in from outside, yelling in terror, "Don't touch it!"
Then, the man added fearfully, "This piano is cursed! It's the one Mr. Aso played on the day he died!"
Hearing this, Uncle Mori said incredulously, "No way, a cursed piano?"
Xiao Lan, however, instantly leaped far away in terror. If it were just those words, Xiao Lan would be scared, but not with such a strong reaction. But then Xiao Lan suddenly remembered what Mu Tianyuan had said: that something must be wrong with the piano, which was why the Little Fox barked! Could the "problem" be a curse?!
The... man who had suddenly appeared saw that everyone except... Xiao Lan didn't seem scared, so he immediately said in horror, "It's not just Mr. Aso, the same thing happened to the previous village chief too!"
Then the man began recounting the story of how the previous village chief died a few years ago: how two years ago to the day, he was passing by the community center at night when piano music suddenly emanated from the supposedly empty building. When he tried to confirm if anyone was inside, the piano stopped. After he entered the community center, he found the previous village chief sprawled dead over the piano, and the song he had heard earlier was... "Moonlight Sonata," played by Keiji Aso just before his death twelve years ago.
After hearing this story, Xiao Lan, who was already terrified, trembled even more. Even the 'horns' on her head started shaking uncontrollably. Then, Xiao Lan, still looking at the piano in horror, said, "There really is a curse!"
"Ran, you're not seriously buying that, are you?"
Mu Tianyuan looked at Xiao Lan's reaction and smiled helplessly. Xiao Lan swallowed hard, then stammered, "I heard that animals are very sensitive to... supernatural events! Maybe the Little Fox... barked because it sensed the curse on it!"
Mu Tianyuan shook his head. After handing the Cat Heroine to Xiao Lan, he reached out and lifted the piano lid, then began to play. A soothing yet slightly melancholic melody filled the air.
Mu Tianyuan's sudden display of piano skills stunned Xiao Lan, Conan, Uncle Mori, and even the Little Fox. It wasn't that he played badly; on the contrary, he played quite well. But they had no idea that the usually carefree and unreliable Mu Tianyuan possessed such a talent. This unexpected display of swagger was the most striking thing! Looking at Mu Tianyuan, who was playing the piano intently with narrowed eyes, Conan was at a loss for how to express his inner feelings. At this moment, Mu Tianyuan appeared serious yet carried a hint of sadness. The problem was, the cigarette dangling from his mouth was just too distracting! Who plays the piano while smoking a cigarette?!
As the song ended, Mu Tianyuan gently closed the piano lid under the surprised gazes of Conan, the Little Fox, and the others. After lightly patting the piano, he said, "A very good piano."
The Little Fox glared at Mu Tianyuan and said via private channel, "You can play the piano?!"
"Yes, I've known how since I was little, but I put it aside for a long time. Later, to pursue my niece's school music teacher, I picked it up again. We became friends through music, and then I became her male best friend."
Mu Tianyuan shrugged as he replied. Hearing his words, the Little Fox's mouth twitched. "Now I think you're the truly versatile one. But, if you don't mind me asking, why do all your talents seem to stem from chasing girls?"
Mu Tianyuan immediately adopted an expert demeanor. "Nonsense, do you think it's that simple to chase girls these days? If you don't find some common interests, how do you talk to them? If you don't learn a few more... skills, cough, I mean talents, how can you attract girls? Let me tell you, chasing girls takes effort. Besides being handsome and having a smooth tongue, you need a few impressive tricks up your sleeve! Of course, if you have enough money, that works too. Unfortunately, I used to be just a white-collar worker, didn't have that much spare cash."
After Mu Tianyuan finished displaying his talents, the few of them were politely asked to leave the room. The man who had invited Mu Tianyuan out then firmly closed the door. He then looked at the group seriously and said, "Gentlemen, the village chief has said that he is currently preparing for the former village chief's memorial service. He will not see you until the service is over. Please wait in the entrance hall."
With that, the man left Mu Tianyuan and the others. Seeing this, Mu Tianyuan shrugged. "As expected, that village chief plans to brush us off."
Uncle Mori nodded, just about to say something when he heard a female voice nearby, "You're still here?"
"Oh, Dr. Asami, are you also here for the memorial service?"
Hearing the voice, Mu Tianyuan and the others turned to see Asami, dressed in a black skirt suit, walking over with a man in a black suit. Xiao Lan immediately asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, because the first autopsy I performed on this island was for... Mr. Kamekawa, so I wanted to come and pay my respects."
Asami explained, then extended a hand to introduce the man with him. "Oh, by the way, this is Mr. Shimizu, whom we just mentioned."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Asami looked at Mu Tianyuan and the others. "May I ask who was just playing the piano?"
Hearing Asami's words, the Little Fox immediately winked at Mu Tianyuan and said, "Hey, hey, you were right. Learning more is always good. Look, your talent has attracted a beauty!"
Mu Tianyuan: "...See? I told you learning more talents is useful. I just didn't expect the effect to be so good..."
Damn it, the beauty I want is a real one! Although this Asami in front of me does look good, the problem is, if it's a woman, he'd have more... parts!
Uncle Mori and the others, however, were unaware of Mu Tianyuan's internal collapse. Upon hearing Asami's question, they all immediately turned their gazes to Mu Tianyuan. Then, with Xiao Lan's explanation, Asami began to compliment Mu Tianyuan...
Mu Tianyuan's mouth twitched as he offered a few polite words to the cross-dressing man before him. "Dr. Asami, may I borrow a few minutes of your time before the memorial service begins?"
"Oh, so you're going to ask them out already?"
The Little Fox immediately winked at Mu Tianyuan. Mu Tianyuan's mouth twitched twice at the Little Fox's words. "Go play..."
I'm doing this to come clean with Asami, okay? Although I can't remember the exact time of the murder, I know time is running out. If I don't dissuade him from acting before he does, won't things just go back to square one? More importantly, wouldn't Conan have been trampled for nothing?!
The Little Fox was teasing Mu Tianyuan, but Uncle Mori and the others didn't know Mu Tianyuan's true intentions. Upon hearing Mu Tianyuan's words, they all immediately looked at him. They truly believed Mu Tianyuan was trying to flirt! Dr. Asami also misunderstood, but seeing Mu Tianyuan's serious expression, he finally nodded and agreed. Mu Tianyuan, with an inscrutable expression, beckoned Asami out of the community center, under Uncle Mori's meaningful gaze, a look that seemed to say, "This young man has the same style as me when I was young; I have high hopes for you."
Don't let Mu Tianyuan's expressionless face fool you; his heart was utterly collapsing. He naturally noticed Uncle Mori's gaze. At this moment, he truly wanted to shout to the disrespectful Uncle Mori and the gossiping Xiao Lan and Conan that things weren't as they imagined!
After leading Asami out of the community center, neither Mu Tianyuan nor Asami spoke. After walking some distance to a secluded spot, Mu Tianyuan finally stopped. He then turned to look at Asami, but before Mu Tianyuan could speak, Asami spoke first: "Um... you're a good person, but we can't be together, so I'm very sorry..."
Since transforming into a cross-dresser, Asami had encountered this situation many times, and he handled it with ease.
Mu Tianyuan: "..."
Damn it, I didn't even do anything and I got friend-zoned! Fine, friend-zoned it is. He'd been traveling the world for so many years, he'd certainly received them before. One or two friend zones, he could handle it.
But! This time was different! He had no intention of hitting on him, and more importantly, he had actually received a 'good guy card' from a man. He wondered, was there... any brother who had experienced this who could kindly tell him what expression he should be making right now?!
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