"My pearl!"
Inside the smoke-filled banquet hall, Suzuki Tomoko screamed in panic.
The banquet hall's ventilation system quickly activated, and the white fog gradually dissipated. People soon noticed that the black pearl hanging on Tomoko's chest had disappeared.
Some guests saw this and scoffed inwardly.
As expected, Kaitou Kid was not stupid. He easily guessed which pearl was the real one. Taking advantage of everyone being distracted by the murder case, he made his move and stole the Black Star in one go.
"It's Kaitou Kid!"
Inspector Nakamori roared, his face livid.
Everyone turned to look. The police officers all showed subtle expressions.
Who didn't know that Inspector Nakamori had been chasing Kaitou Kid for years, yet was always toyed with by him? Forget catching him, he could not even touch the edge of Kid's cape.
Because of this, Nakamori had repeatedly failed to get promoted. Even at his age, he was still only an Inspector.
In that regard, he and Inspector Megure had plenty in common.
The difference was that Megure lacked background connections, while Nakamori was simply dragged down by Kaitou Kid.
"Quick, don't let Kaitou Kid escape!"
Nakamori shouted orders to his subordinates and rushed out of the banquet hall with several officers.
However, the group ran around like headless flies. Although they wanted to capture Kaitou Kid, they had no idea where to even start looking.
"Wow, as expected of Kid-sama. He stole the pearl so easily, and no one even knows how he got in."
Suzuki Sonoko clasped her hands together in admiration.
Suzuki Tomoko glared fiercely at her daughter.
That pearl belongs to our family. It's worth tens of millions of dollars. And you're actually idolizing a thief?
Sonoko quickly shrank back.
At this moment, Conan was completely stunned.
What should he do now? Chase the car company chairman suspected of being part of the Black Organization, or go after Kaitou Kid?
After a brief hesitation, Conan made his decision.
Kaitou Kid was not important, just a flashy thief. Information about the Black Organization was far more important.
Just as he was about to look for Pisco, a police officer ran over with a report.
"Masuyama Kenzo committed suicide!"
Suicide?
Conan was shocked.
A member of the Black Organization committed suicide? Was it because Toru solved the murder and he did not want to expose the Organization's secrets, so he chose to end his life?
Are members of the Black Organization really that loyal?
Since the man was already dead, there was nothing more to pursue there. Conan immediately changed targets and went to chase Kaitou Kid.
He had already deduced Kid's escape route. The rooftop.
Kaito Kuroba, dressed in a police uniform, used a smoke bomb to disrupt everyone's vision, conveniently stole the Black Star, and easily passed inspection using his police identity, heading straight for the rooftop.
On the way, he quickly examined the pearl in his hand.
"Not the gem I'm looking for."
Kaito sighed, though he was not too disappointed.
He had been searching for the gem connected to his father's death for a long time. After stealing numerous precious jewels, he still had not found it.
He had never placed much hope on this Black Star either.
This time had truly startled him.
He actually encountered a murder case.
Kaito was just a high school student. He had not seen many dead bodies. When he suddenly witnessed a crime scene, he was genuinely flustered.
He had even considered abandoning the operation altogether, unwilling to draw full attention from the police.
Kaito was not stupid. The reason he could move freely without being jointly hunted by police forces around the world was because he had his own bottom line.
First, he would never harm a life. Second, he would always find a way to return the stolen item after the theft.
Because of this, although his actions were criminal, they were not severe enough for major organizations to waste significant resources and manpower on him.
Except for Nakamori, who insisted on chasing him every time.
But if he became entangled in a murder case, especially one involving a high-ranking official, the situation would be completely different.
No matter how confident he was, he had no confidence in escaping safely against a real intelligence agency.
So he hesitated.
In the end, for the sake of Kaitou Kid's reputation, he still chose to act and steal the Black Star.
He also waited until the murder case had settled and confirmed he would not be implicated before making his move.
When he reached the rooftop, the top floor of the Beika Hotel was empty.
Looking at the empty rooftop, Kaito felt a little dissatisfied.
He had a performer's personality.
Kaitou Kid's exit should be under everyone's gaze, like an actor leaving the stage, accompanied by applause and cheers.
Leaving quietly like this was too dull.
"Are you waiting for the actors to arrive, Mr. Kaitou Kid?"
The sudden voice startled Kaito.
"So it's you, Mr. Fujiwara. How did you know I was on the rooftop?"
He looked at Toru in surprise.
Toru smiled but did not answer directly. Instead, he said, "You originally planned to knock out Chris Vineyard and impersonate her, the Hollywood actress, didn't you?"
"The Suzuki Foundation's banquet hall was heavily guarded. After you sent out your notice in advance, security was even tighter against you, the phantom thief."
"The easiest way to sneak in was to impersonate a guest."
"Everyone present tonight was an influential figure in Japan. Not only would targeting them be difficult, but they also have their own social circles. Even if you impersonated one of them, blending in without being exposed would be hard."
"But Chris is different. She's from America and doesn't know many people in Japan. She has no fixed circle here. If you impersonated her, even if your behavior seemed unusual, suspicion would be minimal."
"Because no one here is truly familiar with Chris."
Kaito's heart skipped a beat.
That had indeed been his original plan.
But it failed.
That actress was far more dangerous than he expected. The moment he tried to make a move, she knocked him down effortlessly.
If he had not prepared an escape in advance, he might not have gotten away.
He had actually tried to target Vermouth. Thinking about it now, it was almost laughable.
Naturally, he failed. He did not even know Vermouth had placed a tracker on him.
If she had not already guessed his identity and spared him out of consideration for Kuroba Toichi, he might already be sitting in prison figuring out how to escape.
"Mr. Fujiwara, are you going to arrest me?"
Now dressed in his white phantom thief attire, Kaito showed no fear.
"Huff, huff…"
Rapid breathing echoed from the rooftop. Conan, running at full speed, finally made it up.
"Kaitou Kid, you won't escape this time!"
When Conan saw Toru already there blocking Kid, he froze for a moment.
"So it's you, our little detective, Conan Edogawa."
Kaito grinned.
Conan ignored the tease and calmly said, "Kid, are you waiting here for the other officers to arrive?"
"I've already figured out your last escape. You used a flashbang to blind everyone temporarily, then disappeared."
"In reality, you disguised yourself as a police officer and blended into the crowd. That's why you needed a large number of people around you to create an opportunity."
"This time, you also disguised yourself as a police officer to enter the banquet hall, right? But this time, I'll catch you. I won't let you escape again."
Toru nodded with a smile. "This time, he really can't escape."
To the shock of both Conan and Kaito, Toru directly pulled an M9 handgun fitted with a silencer from his chest.
Kaito's jaw dropped.
Wait. Isn't he supposed to be a college student? Why is he carrying a gun everywhere? Is this Japan or America? Did I come to the wrong country?
Conan's eyes widened as well.
Aren't you supposed to be acting like an ordinary college student? Is it really okay to pull out a gun in front of an elementary school kid like me?
You CIA agent, you're not even pretending anymore, are you?
"Mr. Kid, would you like to test my marksmanship?"
Damn it.
Kaito had no idea how good Toru's aim was, and he had no intention of finding out.
The reason he had always escaped successfully was because Japanese police wanted to arrest him, not shoot him.
But facing someone like Toru, who pulled out a gun without hesitation, he felt genuine pressure.
"Mr. Fujiwara, this pearl is yours!"
Kaito tossed the pearl high into the air.
He was betting that Toru cared more about the pearl.
A flashbang slipped from his cuff. Standing at the edge of the rooftop, Kaito fell backward and dropped from the high platform.
"Don't run!"
Conan had not expected Kid to use another flashbang. He cursed, lowered his head, and covered his face.
The moment the flashbang hit the ground, Toru calmly took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on.
He holstered his handgun. With his right hand, he smoothly caught the Black Star. With his left, he blindly typed a message on his phone.
[Curacao, the big fish has taken the bait. Prepare to cast the net. This is the target's location signal.]
...
On the banks of the Sumida River in Tokyo, Curacao sat inside a Mercedes sedan.
After receiving Toru's message, she looked at the signal displayed on her phone and started the car, following the tracking signal.
...
At the Beika Hotel, police officers led by Inspector Nakamori rushed onto the rooftop.
Toru casually played with the black pearl in his hand.
As for Kaito, it was better to meet him in private than talk in front of so many people.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)