Chapter 164: Cliffside Gambit
Mountain Cliff Edge
Footprints scattered across the white snow, and the biting cold wind made one's scalp tingle, making anyone wish they were wearing more layers.
Tanaka Kikue and Sukama Kiyohiro stood at the cliff's edge, looking down into the darkness below.
The abyss yawned beneath them, pitch black, while the howling wind carried eerie sounds through the gorge.
"It's good that we prepared an escape route in advance." Tanaka Kikue gazed at the zipline connecting to the opposite side with relief.
This zipline had been prepared by Sukama beforehand. At the time, she'd been somewhat dismissive, thinking the plan was perfect and nothing would go wrong.
Unexpectedly, Doi Takaki and that camera had exposed her completely. Fortunately, Sukama hadn't been exposed—otherwise she wouldn't have had the chance to kill Hamano Toshiya.
Now that I think about it, it was really worth it~
"Hamano Toshiya should be dead, right?" Tanaka Kikue was a little worried. Although she'd shot the bolt, the distance had been too far to confirm whether he was actually dead.
"He's definitely dead."
Sukama looked toward the villa, his face expressionless.
"You go first." He took Tanaka Kikue's hands, and the two gazed deeply into each other's eyes in the cold wind.
"Be careful. After we leave, we'll go abroad, somewhere the police can't find us. I want to have your child." Tanaka Kikue kissed Sukama's cheek tenderly.
Sukama nodded. "I've already arranged a car down the mountain. Tonight, we'll make our escape!"
After their moment of tenderness, they turned to look at the large tree beside them.
The next moment, Sukama kicked the snow-covered tree, shaking off all the accumulated snow and revealing the zipline safety harness hanging from it.
The two quickly secured the harness to the zipline.
"I'm going first." Tanaka Kikue wrapped the safety rope around her hands, took a few running steps, and leaped toward the cliff edge.
Whoosh—
The pulley made a rattling sound, crushing the ice accumulated on the steel cable as it propelled her forward.
Sukama looked back in the direction they'd come from, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Natsukawa appeared at the forest's edge a dozen meters away, seemingly materializing out of nowhere.
"Don't even think about it. You can't escape." Natsukawa exhaled a breath of white mist, calmly sat down on the ground, propped his chin up with one hand, and looked at Sukama without a care in the world.
Sukama frowned, unsure of Natsukawa's intentions, but he had no time to worry about it. He quickly wrapped his hands around the safety harness extension rope.
While doing this, his attention remained entirely focused on Natsukawa, fearing the man might attack while he was handling the zipline.
However, he was mistaken. Natsukawa didn't seem to care at all, instead gesturing for him to continue.
"..."
"Sukama!" A panicked cry came from across the gorge.
Sukama turned around in confusion, only to see Tanaka Kikue hanging precariously between the two sides, roughly halfway across.
"What happened?!" Sukama asked anxiously.
"There's frost on the zipline—I'm stuck in the middle!" Tanaka Kikue's face was deathly pale, her head held high, afraid to look down.
She feared that looking down into the bottomless abyss would frighten her into losing her grip on the extension rope.
The two cliff edges were eleven or twelve meters apart, and Tanaka Kikue dangled helplessly in the middle, unable to move. The wind and snow whipped through the air, the chill penetrating to her very core.
"Save me!"
The cold wind made Tanaka Kikue sway dangerously over the cliff.
"Wait for me!"
Sukama shook the steel cable vigorously, but it had no effect. Instead, Tanaka Kikue became even more unsteady from the swaying.
He turned to Natsukawa with a grim expression. With Natsukawa here, it seems impossible for me to save Tanaka Kikue, so...
A collapsible baton slid from Sukama's sleeve.
"Are you serious?" Natsukawa stood up expressionlessly, took two steps forward, and didn't even flinch at the weapon Sukama had produced.
"Those two scumbags deserved to die! We did nothing wrong, so why are you so relentless? Letting us go won't cost you anything!"
"No, you scared my daughter. I'm angry. Do you know how traumatic it is for a child to witness something like that?"
This wasn't untrue. Natsukawa was indeed annoyed. After all, not every child was like Conan. Besides, Conan wasn't strictly speaking a child anyway.
"Well, you're scaring me now, so I'm angry too!"
Sukama swung his baton forcefully, extending it three more sections from its original twenty-centimeter length to become a full-sized weapon.
The two faced each other for several tense seconds. Sukama, holding the baton, felt reassured. In this situation, having a weapon is an advantage. If a fight breaks out, Natsukawa will be no match for me.
Thinking this, a sneer appeared on his lips as he charged toward Natsukawa, baton raised.
Tanaka Kikue won't last much longer. I need to quickly deal with Natsukawa.
Sukama took several strides toward Natsukawa, raising the baton high with a whooshing sound, ready to smash it down on his head.
It seems I overestimated Natsukawa. I didn't expect him to just stand there without moving. Is he frozen with fear?
Looking at the motionless Natsukawa, Sukama's mind was already celebrating victory.
However, Sukama suddenly stopped, his raised baton refusing to fall.
"Why aren't you hitting me? Go ahead and swing!" Natsukawa said with a half-smile.
Sukama's lip twitched. Hand-to-hand combat? Put down your pistol first! Damn it!
While guns might be faster within seven steps, Sukama didn't dare gamble—he valued his life.
"Sukama, what are you doing?! Hurry up, I can't hold on much longer!"
Tanaka Kikue, bracing herself against the cold wind, saw Sukama's position obscured by the angle, only able to see him standing in front of Natsukawa with his baton raised but not falling.
The cold wind whistled, and cold sweat beaded on Sukama's forehead. Who is this guy?! Carrying a pistol everywhere? Have I kicked a hornet's nest?
Is this man actually a member of some yakuza organization? No wonder he's so calm and collected.
Natsukawa smiled slightly, took a cigarette from his pocket right in front of Sukama, and while putting it in his mouth, enthusiastically asked, "Want one?"
Sukama didn't dare answer. He took two steps back, then two steps to the side, away from Natsukawa's gun.
Being pointed at with a gun makes me nervous. What if it accidentally goes off and I die for nothing?
"Natsukawa, stop!"
A gasp rang out from behind Natsukawa. Kaito, no longer bothering to maintain his disguise, spoke in a completely different tone from Doi Takaki's voice.
"What?" Natsukawa turned his gun around, pointing it at Kaito. "Want one too?"
Kaito abruptly stopped five meters behind Natsukawa, frowning. "You can't kill them. Murderers should be handled by the police. You're not a police officer."
Remembering that Natsukawa was a special investigator for the National Tax Agency, Kaito quickly added, "Even police officers can't illegally kill criminals. Calm down."
Natsukawa raised an eyebrow, realizing the other had misunderstood. This was probably related to the gunfight during their first meeting.
That time, Natsukawa had killed at least five or six people at the zoo.
"Who said I was going to kill them?"
Immediately afterward, Natsukawa turned the gun around, pointing it at himself, slowly bringing the muzzle close to his mouth.
Click!
An orange-yellow flame shot from the muzzle, igniting the cigarette in Natsukawa's mouth.
"..." ×2
Sukama's face contorted, his hands and feet trembling.
He was furious!
"You damned bastard! How dare you lie to me! You're dead!" Sukama swung his baton forcefully, leaping forward and slashing diagonally at Natsukawa.
The baton whipped up a gust of wind, whistling toward Natsukawa's face.
Natsukawa nimbly stepped back, dodging the attack.
A ruthless glint flashed in Sukama's eyes. He stepped forward with his left foot, his right hand gripping the baton, launching another attack.
This time, Natsukawa didn't need to dodge. A playing card—the four of clubs—pierced through the air behind him, causing strands of his hair to flutter.
Clang!
The card struck Sukama's arm along with the baton. Sukama screamed, clutching his hand. The baton was sent flying three or four meters by the playing card, clearly out of reach.
"Doi Takaki, you are..." Sukama's eyes widened suddenly when he saw the playing card and the card gun.
Using playing cards to attack—wasn't that the signature move of the recently famous Kaitou Kid?
"Sukama-san, congratulations on guessing correctly, but there's no reward."
Kaito stepped forward and threw aside his disguise. A white cape billowed dramatically in the wind as snowflakes began to fall from the sky. The white spectacle resembled a grand entrance befitting a phantom thief. A snowflake landed on Sukama's cheek, the cold touch finally snapping him out of his shock.
Kaito, one hand on his hat brim, the other holding his card gun aimed at Sukama, wore a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
This was why Kaitou Kid had so many devoted fans.
His magnificent white cape made him fearless in the darkness.
His elegant demeanor made hearts race.
His ever-present smile was etched in the hearts of everyone who saw him.
"Alright, Sukama-san, Tanaka Kikue-san, your farce ends here. Go turn yourselves in."
Kaito twirled his card gun in his white-gloved hand and tucked it back into his waistband, clearly not missing a single opportunity to show off.
However, no one present had time to appreciate his performance.
"Heh, I never thought that Kaitou Kid, who's been on the Metropolitan Police Department's wanted list for years, would actually say 'Leave murder to the police.' How ironic."
Sukama's eyes were fierce like a cornered animal's as he glanced back at Tanaka Kikue hanging in the middle of the zipline, making sure she could hold on a little longer before feeling reassured. "You're being delusional. You want us to turn ourselves in? Unless you, Kaitou Kid, also turn yourself in."
That was obviously impossible, and Sukama had calculated correctly.
We've all committed crimes. Even if my murder is more heinous, your theft is definitely not a good deed either.
So if you're unwilling to turn yourself in, why should we?
"See? Don't try to reason with them, because you're being unreasonable to begin with." Natsukawa patted Kaito on the shoulder, signaling him to step aside. The rest was up to him.
"..."
Kaito rolled his eyes, knowing he shouldn't say anything more. He stood aside and pulled out his card gun again.
He was still a little worried that Natsukawa might go too far, so it was better to be cautious.
Natsukawa gazed at Tanaka Kikue suspended over the cliff and clicked his tongue in mock sympathy at Sukama. "Dude, your girlfriend seems to be in trouble. Why don't you pull her up first?"
"..."
Sukama knew he should, of course, but in the current situation, going to rescue her would just give the opposition an opportunity to capture them both.
He clearly hadn't grasped the situation—he had no chance of winning against either Natsukawa or Kaito.
Clinging to false hope is an inherent human weakness, and Sukama was a prime example. He felt he could still put up a fight.
"Let's take care of you two first!"
The next moment, he pulled out a gleaming dagger from behind his back.
Natsukawa's pistol is a toy lighter, and Kaitou Kid's card gun can't kill anyone.
Therefore, I still have a chance.
"Die!"
Sukama moved with incredible speed, seemingly using every ounce of his strength, leaving deep footprints in the snow with each step.
Soon, he closed the distance to Natsukawa to within seven steps—within the effective range of a pistol.
However, Natsukawa had no intention of using the gun.
After all, his opponent wasn't a professional assassin. It wasn't that he looked down on Sukama, but the man was simply too weak.
Natsukawa hooked a branch in the snow with his foot, and it landed in his hand.
"A branch? You underestimate me."
At this moment, Sukama and Natsukawa were only five steps apart.
"You see weapons in everything! What do you know?" Natsukawa chuckled, tossing the stick in his hand playfully. "Here comes the flying stick~"
The branch whooshed through the air.
"Ahhh!"
A scream echoed through the snow-covered mountain.
Sukama's left foot, struck squarely, suddenly lost all strength and became limp. He lost his balance and fell sideways, landing face-first at Kaito's feet.
"This is..."
Kaito's mouth dropped open in astonishment. The stick had hit Sukama's left ankle—a vulnerable point where the peroneal nerve runs.
When the peroneal nerve is attacked, the first thing that happens is excruciating pain in the foot, followed by a loss of strength and an inability to lift the instep. This prevents the person from lifting their foot while running, causing them to fall flat on their face.
In more severe cases, like what just happened to Sukama, the entire leg becomes weak and powerless.
"Sugoi..." Kaito sighed inwardly, already deciding to have Grandpa Jii install ankle guards as soon as he got home.
Otherwise, he might be the next victim. This kind of peroneal nerve damage isn't temporary—it can last anywhere from one to three months, during which time the outer side of the calf becomes completely numb. Terrifying.
"You didn't sever his peroneal nerve, did you?" Severing it could lead to permanent paralysis.
"No, I knew what I was doing. Okay, you should rescue Tanaka Kikue first. I think she's about to collapse."
Natsukawa clapped his hands, looking at the woman in the distance.
The wind was incredibly cold over the gorge. Tanaka Kikue's face was already pale, her hands completely bloodless. If the rope hadn't been tightly wrapped, she probably would have fallen by now.
"Save me!"
Tanaka Kikue didn't care about escaping abroad anymore—she'd rather go to prison than die. After all, in Japan, murder only carries a sentence of fifteen to twenty years. She could endure it.
She and Sukama were still young. If they couldn't be fugitive lovers, they could at least be fellow inmates.
Kaito tugged at his white gloves, revealing a handsome smile. "Leave it to me."
He took a short running start and leaped gracefully from the cliff's edge.
"Hey!"
Conan, who had just emerged from the forest, witnessed this scene. Before he could catch his breath, his eyes narrowed as he crouched down and activated his Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes.
"Kaitou Kid, you can't escape!"
BANG—
A stone by the roadside was launched by Conan's enhanced kick and flew through the air like a missile.
"Damn it!"
Kaito had just deployed his hang glider, and with the unstable wind currents at the cliff, he couldn't change direction at all.
Whoosh—
A dark object flew in from the side, colliding with the flying stone right in front of Kaito.
CRASH!
The stone shattered into pieces before reaching him.
"Thanks!"
┏(＾0＾)┛
Kaito waved cheerfully, smiled, and nodded to Natsukawa, then struggled to adjust his direction and headed toward Tanaka Kikue.
Conan, with a sour expression, ran up to Natsukawa and questioned him. "Uncle Natsukawa, why did you let Kaitou Kid go? If you hadn't interfered, I would have already knocked him down!"
"Did you think this was target practice? Didn't you see that's a cliff? What if he had fallen and died after you hit him? Even elementary school students committing manslaughter is against the law! I'm doing this for your own good!"
Conan: ...
That makes sense, but I still don't want to accept it.
He was about to capture Kaitou Kid, but Natsukawa's intervention ruined his chance for redemption!
"Besides, look at what he's doing."
Conan followed Natsukawa's pointing finger and saw the zipline suspended between the cliff edges. In the middle, Tanaka Kikue was swinging like a giant pendulum.
"If you had succeeded, Tanaka Kikue might have fallen to her death from exhaustion, resulting in two deaths. That's not the outcome you wanted, is it?"
Natsukawa glanced at Conan's shoes. "And another thing—I've been wanting to say this for a while. Who bought you these shoes? How can they kick such a huge rock? It's too dangerous for a child!"
Conan coughed twice, pretending not to hear, and watched as Kaitou Kid rescued Tanaka Kikue.
This Kaitou Kid seems pretty decent. Aside from theft, his values are somewhat similar to mine.
He even seems to have a strong sense of justice.
"Then I'll let him go this time. I'll definitely catch him next time," Conan relented. The phantom thief had saved a life, so he'd show mercy.
"Heh."
Natsukawa shook his head, remaining silent. Conan can't catch Kaito, and Kaito can't steal from Conan—it's a perpetual stalemate with no resolution.
Moreover, these two had demonstrated remarkable teamwork in many cases.
Therefore, Conan's words likely translated to: "Let's be friends."
Kaito, clearly sensing Conan's mixed feelings, landed at the cliff edge, gave him a bright, sunny smile, and then leaped off again with his glider.
(End of Chapter)
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