After completing these tasks, Senichi instructed the person in charge, who was also the first discoverer, to find a quiet room for taking testimonies.
After sitting on the sofa, Senichi held a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other and asked, "As the first discoverer of the body, can you please tell me about the circumstances at the time of discovery?"
"I, at that time..."
Senichi looked at the stuttering and somewhat absent-minded man, and comforted him in a calm voice, "Don't be nervous. You just need to start by introducing yourself and the name of the deceased, and then describe the process of discovering the body."
"I, I understand..." After a responsive nod, the man steadied his mind and slowly began recounting the scene of discovering the victim.
The man's name was Yasuhiro Miyauchi, responsible for coordinating the work behind the scenes. As for the deceased, his name was Jyunta Kujou, an actor performing as Kamen Yaiba.
The reason he found the victim was that, as the one in charge of coordination, he had intended to discuss tomorrow's schedule with Jyunta Kujou.
However, when he arrived, he found Jyunta Kujou lying on his side on the ground. At first, he thought the actor was sleeping, but upon approaching, he noticed a knife stabbed in Kujou's chest. That's when he realized something was wrong.
He immediately called the emergency medical team to come and assess the situation. Since they had superhero stage performances here, accidents and injuries were not uncommon.
Unfortunately, even with prompt medical attention, they couldn't revive a person who had already stopped breathing.
Upon learning of the victim's death, Yasuhiro Miyauchi remained relatively calm. He promptly gathered all the staff, asked if anyone had seen any strangers, and instructed them not to move around and to wait for the police to arrive.
During the time they were waiting for the police after reporting the incident, Genta and Conan barged in, and after seeing the dead body, they called him over.
Despite Yasuhiro Miyauchi's actions, he did gain some information. At least, none of the staff had seen any suspicious outsiders backstage.
"So, why was Mr. Kujou dressed as Kamen Yaiba?"
Senichi asked Yasuhiro Miyauchi. "If I'm not mistaken, the actor who portrays Kamen Yaiba should be Mr. Hiroshi Sanba, right?"
After all, Senichi had watched the first half of the show, and there is a large promotional poster of Hiroshi Sanba at the entrance.
"He was actually the stunt double for Kamen Yaiba."
Yasuhiro Miyauchi explained, "He was supposed to appear in the second part today at 2:30 PM, portraying the transformed appearance of Kamen Yaiba after Hiroshi Sanba's transformation.
But when I came to call him to remind him to get ready for the performance... who would have thought..."
"Huh!? Another person plays Kamen Yaiba after the transformation!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed upon hearing the manager's words.
"How could this be, it's not the same person!" Ayumi looked disappointed, "So disappointing... Mr. Sanba is so handsome..."
"Then, what's the point of the transformation badge!?" Genta complained: "If even the person is changed..."
"Really sorry about that..."
As the children were expressing their discontent, a man with glasses walked over and apologized to them, "Though Sanba's performance is excellent, his martial arts actions are completely at the idiot level.
We've tried to find solutions, and Sanba has put in a lot of effort, but some people are just naturally not suited for certain things, especially in physical activities, which is very evident in Sanba's case.
If we want to create a handsome Kamen Yaiba, we can only resort to this method."
"Manager Kinoshita!" Upon seeing the man, Yasuhiro Miyauchi, who had been trying to maintain composure, rushed to him as if finding a backbone, "What should we do? Kujou has been killed, and the next performance..."
"Calm down, go find Kuriki. As a substitute, he should be here today!"
"Ah, I forgot about that! I'll call Tomoyuki over right away." Yasuhiro Miyauchi slapped his forehead, then bowed and apologized to Senichi and the others before quickly running out.
Soon after, Yasuhiro Miyauchi returned with a robust man with bronze skin, clad in sports attire, a white towel wrapped around his neck—He looked like a sportsman.
True to the introduction by Manager Kinoshita, the stunt actors for Kamen Yaiba usually came in pairs.
This man was the substitute for Kamen Yaiba, serving as the backup for the deceased Jyunta Kujou.
He acted as a stand-in for Kujou in case of emergencies or when Kujou wasn't feeling well.
"Mr. Kujou is dead?"
Tomoyuki Kuriki looked at the people around with a heavy expression in disbelief, "How could this happen? Wasn't he fine at the beginning of the performance?"
Then he saw it – in the small room enclosed by the curtain, Kujou's lifeless body lay on the ground.
Kuriki ran over, and finally knelt outside the police line, looking devastated. It seemed like he had taken quite a blow.
"Tomoyuki, it's your turn this time." Yasuhiro Miyauchi walked up to him, patting Tomoyuki Kuriki on the shoulder, "The second act is coming up soon, and the battle performance after the transformation is now in your hands."
"I can't do it!" Tomoyuki Kuriki shook his head abruptly and his expressions were uncomfortable as he looked at the two, "Mr. Kujou is just murdered..."
"Hey hey, are you kidding me?"
Hearing Tomoyuki Kuriki's words, Kinoshita, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly stood up, rushed to Tomoyuki Kuriki, and grabbed the fabric of his clothes, lifting him up.
He glared at Tomoyuki Kuriki and roared, "Don't you know that I didn't call you, a substitute, here for free!
Do you know how much I will lose if people refund their tickets? You're saying you won't do it now? Huh!?"
"But I really can't!" Tomoyuki Kuriki frantically shook his head, looking distressed, "I'm just a substitute, my skills are not good to begin with, and now, if I go on stage, I'll definitely mess things up..."
"Mr. Kinoshita, considering that someone we know just died, it's impossible for everyone to maintain their usual composure..."
Yasuhiro Miyauchi, who had a close relationship with Tomoyuki Kuriki, interjected, "Mr. Kujou can be considered his mentor. He often gave advice on his movements... Let me help persuade him..."
"You don't need to argue anymore. There's something I want to say in advance."
Just as Kinoshita was about to scold Yasuhiro Miyauchi for his interference, Senichi spoke up, "Because this case likely involves a homicide, if we don't find the culprit during this break, you'll need to stop the performance."
"What!!! Absolutely not!!!"