Nakamori Aoko left with a heavy heart and a face full of concern.
Anyone could tell that Aoko was deeply worried, and much of that was due to Ren's deliberate guidance just moments ago.
"So, the person you just kept hinting at—he's the one behind this theft?"
Sanzenin Nagi asked directly.
"Yes."
Ren didn't deny it.
"Kaito Kuroba. The protagonist of another story. A high school magician who chose to become a thief to uncover the truth behind his father's death. His father, Kuroba Toichi, was assassinated by an organization eight years ago. On the surface, at least, it appears that way."
"On the surface?"
"Yes, it's all very superficial."
Ren pulled out a maple-leaf gold coin from Sefirah Castle, flicked it into the air, and it landed face-up on his fingertip.
"In truth, he's not dead. It seems he's another father who didn't want his son caught up in a dangerous conspiracy."
Ren shook his head slightly. Kuroba Toichi's behavior was eerily similar to Kudo Shinichi's father.
"But the one being kept in the dark—Kuroba Kaito—doesn't seem to know his father is still alive."
"Ah…"
Hearing that all-too-familiar story structure, everyone instinctively glanced at Ran.
It really was quite a similar setup.
Only this time, it wasn't the childhood friend version. It was the 'secretly-alive father and son' version.
Facing everyone's eyes, Ran simply pursed her lips and remained silent. She knew it wasn't deliberate.
"So, is this thief also someone important?"
"Important… well, in a certain sense, yes. But maybe not the same kind of importance you're thinking of."
Kaito Kid's position in the Conan universe was rather unique.
"Kind of like how there's a big movie every year based on a long-running series. These movies often include stand-alone stories that are separate from the main plot. And these side stories—unlike the core narrative—exist purely to generate revenue. Like a spin-off film based around this character."
After briefly explaining, Ren looked off in the direction Aoko had left.
"And when those theatrical releases start becoming stale, they throw Kaito Kid into the mix. With his mystery, charm, and 'gentleman thief' appeal, those movies sell remarkably well."
"Especially when Kaito Kid has scenes interacting with a certain elementary school student. Those are always a hit."
So that's how important he is…
The corners of the girls' mouths twitched.
From Ren's explanation, they clearly heard one thing.
Profit.
"One standalone film per year. And every year, there's always some huge spectacle. Explosions, explosions, and more explosions."
As Ren spoke, he put a hand to his forehead.
"Sigh… Every year, there's some landmark building going up in flames. And most of the stories involving the thief seem to tie back to the Suzuki family."
"Huh? Involve my family?!"
Sonoko pointed at herself, eyes as wide as saucers.
"Just like this time. Your mother's strong personality. And your cousin. All of that lines up with most of the stories involving the thief connecting back to your family."
"Ah…"
After hearing that, Sonoko remembered—her mother and her cousin really were alike. Their strong personalities were practically identical, like they came out of the same mold. Anyone who didn't know them would easily believe they were immediate relatives.
"No wonder all those incidents were tied to my family."
"Why do I feel like my family is always the victim?"
Sonoko sighed with a downcast look.
"Pfft~"
That line made everyone laugh.
Because if anyone in this world had the word 'victim' written on their forehead, it was the Suzuki family.
"Sonoko, I think you should go back and talk with Aunt Tomoko. Sometimes it's just not worth it to go head-to-head with a thief."
Ran also felt it wasn't necessary.
She didn't know how much money the Suzuki family had, but no matter how rich they were, constantly doing things that made them targets for theft didn't seem smart.
And based on what Ren said, all future explosions would be linked to Sonoko's family. Ran thought it would be better to rein that in. No amount of money should be wasted on that level of property damage.
"I'll definitely talk to my parents about this."
Sonoko agreed this was a real problem. Or maybe it was time to talk to her sister about it too.
Then, she grabbed Ren by the arm.
"Ren, let's focus on saving that black pearl from our family collection today."
Upon entering the Beika Museum, they saw uniformed patrol officers all over the place. Surveillance cameras at each corner of the building were fully operational.
There were plenty of people inside. Plenty of guards too. But it was all pointless… Ren took one look and instantly knew how to blend in unnoticed.
A Marauder at Sequence 9 level could easily sneak in.
With sharp observation skills, it was easy to identify where every surveillance camera was located. A nimble and flexible body made it simple to dodge them.
Maybe if the number of patrols were doubled, and each checkpoint was thoroughly guarded, it might make a difference.
But… did these regular patrol officers even have that kind of ability? Ren shook his head inwardly.
Just creating a few simple distractions would probably be enough to completely throw these officers off.
As he walked through the museum, Ren's eyes scanned the extravagant necklaces, diamonds, crowns, and other accessories on display. He twitched slightly.
Good grief, most of these were high-end fakes.
Thanks to his thief-level observation skills, Ren could easily judge the true value of each item.
Unfortunately, most of the exhibits were indeed imitations. In Ren's field of vision, nearly all of them glowed with red icons instead of gold.
Red indicated counterfeit. The deeper the red, the more convincing the fake—and the higher its value as an imitation. But no matter how close it came, it was still a counterfeit.
Did the curator swap them out? Ren couldn't help but wonder.
After all, the real items were far too valuable. The curator probably didn't want to bear the responsibility if any were stolen. So, this was his way of preparing.
Soon, Suzuki Shiro, dressed in a beige suit, and Suzuki Tomoko, in a yellow-brown coat and skirt with a black blouse underneath and a modest gemstone necklace around her neck, entered the room.
Suzuki Ayako wore a plain office lady outfit—black skirt suit, no jewelry. Her hair, usually tied up, was now down. Her normally narrowed eyes were wide open, but her face still carried a hint of cold aloofness.
Her presence radiated confidence and a strong-willed aura.
(To be continued.)
***
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