Satoru Gojo, sporting the unremarkable face of a passerby, slipped into the auction hall. He seamlessly blended in with the groups of guards scattered around the seating area, who were all on high alert for the arrival of Kaito Kid.
Beyond the core auction hall on the second floor, the Gashad Auction House spanned three additional floors of exhibition halls and featured multiple emergency exits. Rumor had it that the Inspector in charge had given Kid plenty of "face" by making exhaustive preparations. Hundreds of armed officers were stationed at every elevator and entrance on every floor, creating a perimeter so tight a fly couldn't escape.
Naturally, he had also assigned a group of elite marksmen to protect the auction hall itself, even going so far as to seal off all but a single exit. Inside the hall, the decor was elegant and the lights were bright; every guard held their breath in anticipation.
Gojo glanced up at the clock.
It was five minutes to seven.
The auction seemed to have been underway for some time. Currently, a highly popular Persian rug was on the block.
"Twenty million dollars!"
"Twenty-five million! Any higher?"
Amidst the heated bidding, a wealthy collector shouted bluntly, "I bid forty million!"
The auctioneer, clad in a tuxedo, scanned the room. Seeing no further bids, he announced loudly from the stage:
"Forty million dollars, once!"
"Forty million dollars, twice!"
"Forty million dollars, sold!"
He brought the gavel down sharply. At that moment, it was two minutes to seven.
The next item was rolled out, draped in a beautiful velvet cloth. Everyone present knew this was the most anticipated treasure of the night—Kaito Kid's target: **"The Crimson Ember."**
The audience was packed with the rich and powerful. Some stared intently at the stage, while others whispered amongst themselves.
"Do you think Kaito Kid will actually show up?"
"The news reports say he's just like Arsène Lupin."
"Lupin? He's nothing but a show-off thief," a middle-aged man scoffed. "I heard he has some fame in France and Japan, but coming here to the States to show off? Pure ignorance."
The high-ranking Inspector stood in the corner, cautiously scanning the area to ensure Kid hadn't disguised himself as a guest. Even if he had, the Inspector was confident Kid couldn't steal the gem. The "Crimson Ember" sat inside a high-strength, bulletproof glass case crafted with the latest American technology. Furthermore, with so many eyes watching, who would dare strike?
*Heh, all that talk in the notice letter... he's probably given up.*
*Hmm? That white-haired man... I don't recognize him. Is he one of ours?* The Inspector spotted Gojo chewing gum in the distance and felt a flicker of doubt.
Just as he prepared to go over and interrogate him, the auctioneer unveiled the velvet cloth. The "Crimson Ember" finally revealed its true face inside the glass case. The five-carat gem lay there silently, beautiful as a flickering flame. The audience gasped in unison.
The clock struck seven.
The Inspector felt a wave of relief. *It seems Kaito Kid really didn't dare show.*
However, just as the auctioneer opened his mouth to start the bidding...
**BOOM!!**
An explosion rang out, sent sections of the audience into a panic. Then, the lights cut out, plunging the entire hall into pitch-black darkness.
"What?!"
The Inspector gasped as his radio crackled with bad news: the power system and surveillance had been inexplicably paralyzed. He barked orders for the guards to block every exit.
Gojo's **Six Eyes** were unaffected by the dark. He stroked his chin, looking toward the stage. So, the "revealing the veil of night under the guidance of light" mentioned in the notice letter simply meant cutting the power.
"Ah! Is that... Kaito Kid?!"
A guard pointed toward the floor-to-ceiling window to the right of the stage and shouted.
In the darkened hall, a mysterious spotlight focused on the window.
"Ladies and gentlemen—"
All eyes turned to see a tall figure in a white suit. He stood with one foot on the windowsill, his cape fluttering wildly in the wind like white wings. His face was obscured under the shadow of a mid-century top hat and the glare of his monocle. Having captured the attention of the entire room, he gave a slow, elegant bow.
"...Welcome to my show."
Then, before the Inspector could order his men to fire, the figure seemed to smile. He spread his arms and leaned backward, falling out of the window into the night. A chorus of screams erupted from the crowd—they were nearly a hundred meters above the ground.
At that moment, the power flickered back on. The hall was flooded with light once more.
The Inspector breathed a sigh of relief. "At least that fellow didn't get near the stage..."
He was cut off by a terrified guard.
"...The gem! It's gone!!"
The glass case was empty. The "Crimson Ember" had vanished.
The room fell into an uproar.
"OMG, what is this?! Magic?"
"I saw it! Kid didn't even go near the case!"
"Heavens, he just jumped!"
"Impossible, it must be an illusion!"
What the Inspector truly couldn't accept was the failure of his high-strength bulletproof glass. From the blackout to the restoration of power, barely thirty seconds had passed. He had seen with his own eyes that Kid hadn't approached the case, nor had he tried to break it.
But with the gem stolen, those thoughts were useless. "Go!! Block all exits! Send a team to search the area where he disappeared! Now!!"
With the chaos caused by Kid's success, the auction was forced to a halt. The Inspector didn't have time to question the suspicious white-haired man; he led the main force out to hunt for Kid. In his mind, since that man had also stayed far from the glass case, he couldn't possibly be Kid.
—And he was right; he wasn't.
Gojo mingled with the guards during the confusion, pretending to search for a moment before finding a blind spot to teleport away. He looked off in a certain direction, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
*Great performance. Only... I've already seen through your trick, Toichi Kuroba.*