This fanfiction case of Kindaichi will be called "Hotel Europa - The New Murder". It's a sequel to a case that was in the original manga.
Main Characters
Hajime Kindaichi (金田一 一)
A student at Fudo High School. While his grades may not be all that great, his IQ of 180 is undeniable. Thanks to his skills as a detective, passed down from his grandfather, Kosuke Kindaichi, there is no case Hajime can not solve.
Miyuki Nanase (七瀬 美雪)
Kindaichi's childhood friend.
Isamu Kenmochi (剣持 勇)
A police inspector from Tokyo who often works with Kindaichi on cases.
Kotaro Tawarada (俵田 孝太郎)
A police inspector from Aomori who worked with Kindaichi on the original Hotel Europa case.
Yosuke Itsuki (いつき 陽介)
A freelance journalist who gives Kindaichi information, when he needs it.
Ryuta Saki (佐木 竜太)
One of Kindaichi's classmates of Fudo High. He was killed during the original Hotel Europa case. He loves to carry his camera around, while recording.
Ryuji Saki (佐木 竜二)
Ryuta Saki's younger brother, who loves filming as much as his older brother.
Original Case
During Christmas, Kindaichi received a phone call from Tawarada, informing him of a letter announcing a murder, sent by someone calling themselves the "Red-Beard Santa Claus" (赤髭のサンタクロース). Once he and Miyuki arrived at the hotel in Hakodate, Hokkaido, he meets the Hokkaido police superintendent, Narumi Fuwa (不破 鳴美), who saw Kindaichi as nothing more than a nuisance in the investigation. Fuwa specifically requested that Kindaichi and Saki stay in Room 315, to the surprise of the receptionist and the hotel owner, Gozo Yukimura (雪村 剛造).
That night, a special Mystery-themed stage play was held, featuring members of the famous Aphrodia Theater Group.
Aphrodia Members:
Suzue Bandai (万代 鈴江) - The leader of Aphrodia
Yukio Nijikawa (虹川 幸雄) - Script writer
Tamasaburo Ichikawa (市川 玉三郎) - Stage actor and ventroliquist
Mako Henmi (辺見 魔子) - Stage actress
Akira Enokido (榎戸 あきら) - Stage actor
Karen Fumizuki (文月 花蓮) - Member of Aphrodia
During the play, all of the group members drink a glass of wine, as per the script of the stage play. However, Bandai is killed by poison in the wine. To everyone who knew it was a real murder and not acted, it seemed like a random killing. Taking advantage of this, the culprit murdered Nijikawa. However, looking over his recordings, Ryuta Saki realized the trick used by the killer to ensure Bandai is the one killed by the poisoned wine. He informed Kindaichi of this, not knowing that the killer overheard him. Managing to get Kindaichi out of the room, the killer murdered Saki for which the culprit initially framed Kindaichi, but then, Fumizuki's body was found, killed by the same poison that was used on Bandai. A suicide note, seemingly written by her, details the trick she used to kill Bandai, putting poison in her medication that, based on her calculations, would take effect during the play. As Kindaichi was not convinced this was the case, due to an obvious flaw in the "trick". (The slightest change in when the stage play started could have exposed that trick)
During his investigation, Kindaichi also learned the truth about the Red-Beard Santa Claus, one of the biggest drug dealers. The nickname came from the fact that everything in his appearance, clothes, hair and beard, was red. He rented Room 315 for 10 years and painted it completely red afterward, promising to return it to normal after it has ended.
Determined to figure out the real truth behind the case, Kindaichi re-investigates everything, during which he ultimately figured it out. Calling everyone to the stage area, he reveals the killer's true identity: Narumi Fuwa, which was a fake name used by a girl who was wanted for a murder 10 years before, Renko Kitami (北見 蓮子). During that time, she had a sister who was identical in looks and voice, Hanae Kitami (北見 花江). After Renko killed a drug dealer who bought supplies from the Red-Beard Santa Claus, she ran away. Because of this, Hanae began living a double life, as clothes designer under the name of Hanae Kitami, which was her own dream, and as a stage actress, under the name Karen Fumizuki. For her fake name, she combined the names of herself and Renko, believing she would come back one day. Renko intended to commit suicide, but stopped when she saw a note left by someone, named Narumi Fuwa, who already did that. Seeing this as a chance to change her life, Renko studied hard and became a police superintendent, whose sole goal was to arrest the Red-Beard Santa Claus. However, it wasn't long before she learned of a hit-and-run that killed him. Never giving up, she investigated until she found a lead that led her right to Bandai and Nijikawa as the killers. However, her problems didn't end there, as she came face-to-face with Hanae/Karen, inadvertently revealing her true identity. Seeing this as a chance to obtain more drugs, Bandai and Nijikawa blackmailed Renko, who decided to kill them both at the hotel.
After everything was revealed, Renko gave up and was brought away for the murders. In the end, the other Aphrodia group members were arrested for drug possession, which led to the end of the once-famous theater group.
I know, it's quite a long summary of the original manga case, but it is needed in order to understand the case in this fanfiction a little more.
