"Don't think you can escape, Kaitou Kid!"
Inspector Nakamori rushed onto the hotel rooftop with several subordinates, just in time to see Kaitou Kid jump off the edge.
The flashbang Kid used was not a military-grade version, but a small gadget he made himself, so its brightness was limited and it had no additional stun effect.
Conan, holding back the tears at the corners of his eyes, ran to the edge of the rooftop with his eyes half-closed.
Midair, Kaitou Kid waved at Conan, then unfolded the hang glider on his back and soared gracefully into the distance.
"Damn it!"
Conan cursed inwardly. At this moment, there was nothing he could do but watch Kaitou Kid leave with confidence.
Inspector Nakamori also rushed to the edge and watched Kid fly away. He stomped his foot angrily and roared, "Kaitou Kid, I will definitely catch you next time!"
Toru removed his sunglasses and glanced at Nakamori.
Those words sound exactly like something a defeated villain would say.
He weighed the black pearl in his hand and said, "Anyway, the Black Star is finally back."
Seeing the pearl, Nakamori let out a long sigh of relief. "It's a good thing Mr. Fujiwara discovered Kaitou Kid's whereabouts in advance and snatched the pearl back."
"If he had taken it away, we police officers…"
At that point, Nakamori shook his head with a bitter smile.
Although Kaitou Kid always returned the stolen gems afterward and did not cause too much loss to the victims, it was still a blatant slap in the face to the police.
Even if he had been slapped countless times already, he did not want it to continue.
...
"Phew, that Fujiwara Toru is really dangerous. How could he carry a gun with him? Could it have been fake?"
The moment that thought appeared, Kaito rejected it himself.
If it were fake, there would be no reason to attach a silencer.
Among all the toy guns Kaito knew, none had a silencer mounted on the front.
Besides, once a silencer was attached, the gun became longer and harder to conceal. If it were only for bluffing, it would not make sense to carry something so inconvenient.
In other words, that was definitely a real gun.
A college student carrying a gun, and the killing intent directed at him did not feel fake at all. That guy might actually pull the trigger.
"Fujiwara Toru is mysterious enough, and that big star Chris is mysterious too. The two of them were even former lovers. Should I investigate?"
Kaito thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"…Forget it. Better not provoke people like that. My goal is to find the gem connected to Father's death. No need to create extra trouble."
With that thought, Kaito smiled and steered his hang glider toward the destination he had prepared in advance.
Just like before, he had toyed with the police. Even that little detective and the famous Fujiwara Toru of Japan could do nothing to him.
Awesome. Exhilarating.
He guided the glider down and landed by the riverside.
This was the landing spot he had selected beforehand. Few people came here at night.
The moment he touched down and began packing up the glider, he heard a faint "piu" near his ear.
A sharp pain shot through his arm. He looked down in shock and saw a tranquilizer dart embedded in it.
The drug worked quickly. His vision blurred, and dizziness overwhelmed him. Before losing consciousness, he turned his head toward the direction of the shot.
In the darkness, a Mercedes sedan switched on its headlights. A woman whose face he could not clearly see was putting away a sniper tranquilizer gun.
Just from its appearance, it was clearly meant to subdue wild beasts like tigers and lions.
Careless. I didn't dodge.
That was Kaito's last thought before everything went black.
Curacao, in disguise, calmly put away the gun, opened the car door, and walked over to the unconscious Kaito.
She took out a rope and bound him tightly, hogtying him thoroughly. She also confiscated all the magic props on his body.
Even if he had escape tricks, Curacao was a professional. Under her binding, Kaito had no chance of breaking free.
After finishing, she tossed him into the trunk and drove toward a basement Toru had prepared long ago.
[Boss, Kaitou Kid has been caught]
...
At the hotel, Toru glanced at his phone and smiled before putting it away.
Returning to the banquet hall, he held up the black pearl and said to Tomoko, "Mrs. Suzuki, here is your Black Star."
The moment he finished speaking, countless cameras and microphones were aimed at him.
The reporters in the banquet hall were snapping photos frantically, their faces full of excitement. They had already imagined tomorrow's headlines.
"Fujiwara Toru Displays Brilliant Deduction, Captures the Murderer!"
"Fujiwara Toru Defeats Kaitou Kid, Calmly Recovers the Black Star!"
"Fujiwara Toru Acts Heroically, Saves Wakaba's Daughter, Courageous and Fearless!"
Both Toru and Kaitou Kid were high-traffic topics. Putting the two together created even greater attention.
On top of that, there was the death of a Diet member, and Toru had deduced the killer in front of everyone, making him look even more impressive.
The entire Suzuki Foundation commemoration event had turned into Toru's personal stage.
"Thank you so much, Fujiwara-kun!"
Tomoko bowed repeatedly and carefully accepted the pearl.
Although for the Suzuki Foundation, losing over ten million US dollars would not be devastating, it was still a large sum. Anyone would feel distressed.
Not to mention the damage to their reputation. If jewelry could be stolen so easily at a commemorative event, where would the Suzuki Group's credibility stand? Would public trust fall? Would stock prices drop?
Even the police officers were actively supporting Toru.
The murder case at the banquet had little to do with the police. No one expected the chairman of a well-known Japanese car company to commit murder with a gun.
However, under police protection, Kaitou Kid had not only appeared but also stolen the jewelry. That was indeed a failure on their part.
Toru recovering the jewel helped restore some of their dignity and reduced public pressure.
Naturally, the police cooperated with the reporters and spoke positively about him.
"As expected of Fujiwara-sama, even better than Kid!"
"Fujiwara-sama, did you chase Kid just now?"
Sonoko clasped her hands and shouted excitedly.
The reporters swarmed around Toru, eager for details.
He cooperated smoothly, recounting the thrilling rooftop confrontation in detail.
For example, he said he discovered Kaitou Kid's location and had to chase him immediately because there was no time to notify the police.
For example, he stopped Kaitou Kid and cornered him with his powerful martial arts.
With no other option, Kaitou Kid could only throw the Black Star and flee.
Toru claimed he chose to prioritize saving the pearl, which was why he let Kid escape.
As he spoke, the reporters nodded repeatedly.
His previous record of subduing criminals in the library proved his karate skills.
In Gunma Prefecture and again tonight, he demonstrated sharp deduction and observation skills. Discovering Kaitou Kid seemed entirely reasonable.
Kaitou Kid suffered a crushing defeat, forced to return the stolen item and flee. This fit perfectly with public values. No matter how famous a phantom thief is, he is still just a thief and can never defeat justice.
"Hmph, that kid stole all the spotlight."
Kogoro looked at Toru surrounded by reporters, envy written all over his face.
If only I had used my Sleeping Kogoro move this time, solved the case, caught Kid, and received all the praise.
Smack.
Ran jabbed him with her elbow. "Dad, why are you jealous? But Fujiwara-kun really is amazing."
Kogoro clutched his stomach. "Jealous? Me? Ran, don't tell me you've fallen for that kid?"
Smack.
Ran elbowed him again, fuming. "What nonsense are you talking about, old man!"
Kogoro dropped to his knees from the double blow, unable to speak.
Meanwhile, Conan quietly slipped into the room where Pisco had died.
He carefully examined the body and fell into deep thought.
No. That expression does not look like suicide. If he had killed himself, he would not have looked so startled. This looks more like homicide.
His gaze shifted to Chris Vineyard, who was sobbing while medical staff checked on her.
Could there be something wrong with that woman?
For now, he had no evidence. Pisco was already dead, and obtaining information about the Organization from him was impossible.
Damn it. Another chance to investigate the Organization slipped away.
Conan clenched his fists, but there was nothing he could do.
The Suzuki Foundation celebration could not continue. With a murder case and Kaitou Kid's appearance, the event was effectively over.
However, the Suzuki Group did not lose much. They suffered no actual financial loss and even gained publicity from the incident. It could almost be considered a net gain.
The one who truly profited was Toru.
He saved Mutsumi, demonstrating integrity and earning goodwill from influential figures.
He solved the case quickly, identified the murderer, confronted Kaitou Kid, and recovered the stolen item, proving his intelligence and decisiveness.
Once tomorrow's online and mainstream media reports were released, Toru would become famous again.
This would provide significant momentum for his election campaign.
After leaving the Beika Hotel, Toru headed straight to a hidden basement in Tokyo.
Kaito slowly opened his eyes.
(To be continued.)