Conan fixed his gaze on the Master of the annex.
A loudspeaker was embedded in the mannequin's face. The real mastermind was likely hiding in some remote corner, pulling the strings from a distance.
The boy detective then turned his head to look at Uncle Mouri, his brow furrowing deeper.
"Well then, one cannot fight on an empty stomach. Please, enjoy your dinner!"
The voice of the Master boomed through the speaker once again.
"This is too much. Just who the hell are you?" Kogoro Mouri demanded, his expression grim as he glared at the seated figure.
"Oh my, I wouldn't have thought the famous Mr. Mouri would be so slow on the uptake," Ikumi Kyosuke remarked. She rested her chin on her hand, a playful smile dancing on her lips.
The forensic detective had already discarded her white lab coat, opting instead for a purple evening gown that lent her an air of sophisticated charm.
"The invitation laid it out quite clearly, didn't it? It was signed: The Phantom of the Son Discarded by God."
The Phantom of the Son Discarded by God?
"Uh..." Kogoro's face went blank.
Exactly where was that 'clear'?
"The word 'Phantom' refers to a specter—something elusive, without a physical form," Mogi Harufumi explained.
"As for the character for 'son' used in the text," Senma Furuyo added, "it specifically refers to the young of a beast, a term usually reserved for small animals."
"'The Son Discarded by God' is a reference from the New Testament," Ogami Shukuzen chimed in. "It refers to the goats that do not receive God's blessing. Therefore, the phrase refers to a 'young goat.'"
"In English, a goat's young is called a 'kid,'" Hakuba Saguru concluded. "And when you put it together..."
"What?!" Kogoro shouted, the realization hitting him like a freight train.
"..." Tsuneo nonchalantly pulled out his phone. No signal.
Right. I actually forgot how to decode that riddle, but as long as it points to Kid, it's fine.
"It's much easier to understand when you put it like that, isn't it?" Hakuba smiled. "Kid the Phantom Thief."
"Indeed. Once he sets his sights on a prize, there is no escape. His methods are as flamboyant as a grand illusion," Senma Furuyo nodded.
"A genius criminal who toys with the police using a thousand faces and voices as countless as the stars," Ikumi Kyosuke added.
"To us detectives, he is the ultimate delicacy—a prize we all yearn to savor," Ogami, the gourmet detective, remarked with a hungry glint in his eyes.
"Prisons are mere revolving doors to a rogue who comes and goes as he pleases," Mogi said.
"He is the only existence capable of throwing our logical deductions into absolute chaos."
"Clad in a white cape, soaring through the sky, capable of anything... Kaito Kid!" Hakuba Saguru finally spoke the name aloud.
Listening to them, Tsuneo felt a bit embarrassed on Kaito's behalf.
You guys are laying it on a bit thick. The guy can be taken down by a couple of well-placed fish...
Dammit, if I hadn't seen Uncle Mouri get stripped to his skivvies back at the gas station, I'd swear Kaito had already snuck in here just to hype himself up.
Conan's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room.
As he thought... Uncle Mouri was the most suspicious one of all.
"Tsuneo-niisan, can you take me to the bathroom?" the little detective asked in his most innocent, high-pitched voice.
"Why?" Tsuneo took a bite of his plum onigiri, showing no intention of moving.
"Conan, do you want me to go with you?" Ran asked with concern.
Truth be told, she was terrified herself, but she didn't want the boy wandering off alone.
"No, it's okay!" Conan hopped off his chair and began tugging insistently on the handyman's pant leg.
Unable to withstand the pestering, Tsuneo set his rice ball back on the table and followed the boy out of the room.
"That little boy is quite attached to him, isn't he?" Ikumi Kyosuke noted with a chuckle.
There was something... off about that kid named Conan. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Then again, the handyman was the strangest one of the lot.
"Is he?" Ran replied, not sharing the sentiment. Most of the time, Conan was busy running off on his own.
"So, you're saying Kaito Kid is the one who invited us to dinner?" Kogoro asked, still looking incredulous.
"Yes. It seems his intention is to gather all these famous detectives to test our wits. He wants us to wager our lives against the treasures he's stolen in the past," Ogami said, stroking his mustache.
The man really did bear a striking resemblance to Hercule Poirot.
"I suspect he's watching our every move from somewhere. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered installing surveillance cameras in every nook and cranny of this annex," Ikumi Kyosuke remarked. She had noticed the hidden lenses long ago.
In the corridor outside the dining room, Tsuneo followed behind the boy detective as they wandered aimlessly.
"Hey, don't go wetting your pants now," the handyman said, looking at Conan with distaste.
The kid had his hands in his pockets again, wearing that smug little smirk. What is he up to now?
"You saw it too, didn't you?" Conan asked, glancing sideways with a faint smile.
"I saw it. That Toyota Crown got blasted into the stratosphere," Tsuneo nodded.
He wondered if the Uncle's commission would even cover the insurance deductible. That rental agency was cursed the moment they handed the keys to the Mouri family. Having your vehicle detonated was just a standard Tuesday for them.
"..."
"I'm talking about Uncle Mouri. Or rather, Kaito Kid," Conan said, giving the handyman an exasperated look.
This guy is such a bullshitter. No wonder Ms. Ikumi keeps rolling her eyes at him.
Even his cheating at cards was embarrassingly blatant.
"When did that happen? I have no idea what you're talking about," Tsuneo said, looking up at the ceiling and feigning ignorance.
"Heh. The fact that you're reacting like this proves you watched Uncle get swapped out at the gas station, didn't you?" Conan could see right through him.
Tsuneo had gone into the station and come out quickly. Kogoro Mouri, however, had only emerged after the tires were finished being changed.
Furthermore, the smoking habit was a dead giveaway.
Even though Senma Furuyo had taken away the ashtray during the drive, knowing the Uncle's personality, he would have lit a cigarette the second he stepped out of the car.
And then there was the explosion. His reaction had been all wrong.
"There's one more thing I find suspicious," Conan continued. He was clearly in high spirits—perhaps the thrill of the detective gathering was getting to him.
"What?" Tsuneo asked. He also felt that Kaito was being uncharacteristically sloppy today.
Perhaps the praise from the detectives inside was making him lose his edge.
"What do you think of Ikumi Kyosuke?" Conan asked.
"What do I think?"
Tsuneo gave it some serious thought. "She's very pretty, and her figure is great. But women that smart are hard to fool. I'm not sure she'd be willing to help you wash up in the bath or anything."
"I meant the fact that 'Uncle' hasn't tried to ask for her phone number even once today!" Conan snapped, shooting the handyman another side-eye.
Tobacco, alcohol, and beautiful women.
Kaito Kid had failed to mimic the Uncle's obsession with two out of three today.
And who the hell asked you if she was easy to fool?
Or about the bath?!
(End of Chapter)
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