As more and more students gathered around Dean, the commotion continued to grow.
At first, it was only the nearby groups who noticed something unusual. Then students farther away began to feel the disturbance as well. Curious whispers spread quickly, and after a few hurried questions, the truth came out—
Dean Thurston was performing magic.
The news spread like wildfire.
"How is that possible?"
"Dean? Right now?"
"Seriously?!"
Even though they all studied at the same school, watching Dean perform magic in person was not something that happened often.
Dean's reputation among young people was legendary. Ever since his early performances, countless people had wanted to see his magic with their own eyes. If he performed frequently, he would probably be overwhelmed by requests and never get a moment of peace.
That was exactly why, for the past two years, Dean had deliberately kept a low profile, slowly fading out of the public spotlight.
He only showed his skills during major school events.
Just like tonight.
Originally, most students assumed Dean would appear on the main stage in the center of the sports field, performing a formal magic act as part of the official program.
But no one expected this—
He was doing street magic, right outside the venue.
That left everyone with only one thought.
Run.
If they were late, they wouldn't even be able to squeeze into the outer circle, let alone get a good view. Missing a live Dean Thurston performance would be a massive regret.
So students started abandoning their original plans.
Those dancing on the field stopped dancing.
Those watching performances near the stage turned around and left.
Even students who had been relaxing on the grass jumped to their feet.
The vast majority of them were girls.
As a result, the audience in front of the main stage suddenly dropped by more than half.
On stage, a student named Ai Kun was in the middle of a song-and-dance performance.
"'Cause I got a crush on you, who you—'"
Listening to the suddenly thinning applause and the confused silence below, Ai Kun lost all motivation to continue singing.
He stared blankly at the crowd dispersing in front of him, his mind completely empty.
What just happened?
---
Meanwhile, on Dean's side, the audience had multiplied dozens—if not hundreds—of times.
Students surrounded him tightly, forming several layers of spectators.
Lucy and the other four girls had never been in the center of such attention before. Their expressions revealed a mix of nervousness and excitement, their hearts pounding wildly.
Dean, however, remained calm and composed, as if this were nothing unusual.
Only one thing felt strange.
Dick—who had been standing nearby just moments ago—was gone.
Whether he had slipped away on purpose or had simply been swallowed by the crowd, no one knew.
The top hat Lucy was holding still had pigeons flying out of it.
However, the intervals between each bird had grown longer, as if the supply were finally running out.
One pigeon landed on Dean's arm.
Then another.
Then another.
They kept coming.
By the time it finally stopped, Dean's arms and shoulders were completely covered in snow-white pigeons.
"How… how is this possible?!"
Lucy stared at the birds perched on Dean, then looked down at the top hat in her hands.
Inside—
There wasn't even a single feather.
The hat was so small.
How could it possibly hold so many pigeons?
She was certain—absolutely certain—that she had checked the hat beforehand. From the moment she took it, Dean hadn't touched it even once.
It sounded absurd.
And yet, at that moment, Lucy truly felt as if the pigeons had appeared from nowhere.
"Could this really be… magic?"
Her eyes trembled, and her heartbeat quickened.
Among everyone present, no one was more shocked than Lucy.
She was the one holding the hat.
She had witnessed everything from the closest possible distance.
And most importantly—
She knew she wasn't a planted assistant.
There was no explanation she could think of.
Other than magic.
"Pretty unbelievable, isn't it?"
Dean smiled gently, spreading his hands slightly.
"The reason everything feels impossible is simple," he said calmly.
"You're looking too closely."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dean suddenly swung his arms downward.
The pigeons were startled.
With a rush of flapping wings, the flock burst into the air, feathers scattering everywhere and completely blocking the line of sight.
For a brief moment, Dean's figure was swallowed by the chaos.
When the pigeons finally dispersed and flew away—
Dean was gone.
Lucy froze.
She quickly turned her head left and right, desperately searching for him.
"The closer you look," a voice said softly, "the less you will see."
Lucy's body stiffened.
She turned around.
Dean was standing right behind her.
No one knew when he had moved there.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Lucy," Dean said politely, bowing slightly.
"Are you satisfied with my performance?"
Before she could respond, Dean gently lifted Lucy's right hand and placed a light kiss on the back of it.
Then he straightened up.
"Oh—right," Dean added suddenly, as if remembering something.
"I haven't returned what I borrowed from you."
He snapped his fingers.
Then reached out and lightly plucked something from near Lucy's ear.
A bright red rose appeared in his hand.
"Ah! The rose—it's still here!"
Lucy covered her mouth with both hands, eyes shining with surprise.
The magic before had been so shocking that she had completely forgotten about it.
If Dean hadn't reminded her, she might never have remembered the rose at all.
After handing it back, Dean turned toward the center of the crowd.
He looked around at the countless students who had gathered, then raised his voice.
"Everyone, you only caught the final part of that performance," he said.
"That's a bit unfair to you."
A ripple of anticipation spread through the crowd.
"But since you all came here to watch magic," Dean continued,
"I've decided to perform the magic I originally prepared for the main stage—right here."
Cheers erupted instantly.
"That's amazing!"
"Dean, you're the second best magician in the world!"
"Sorry, but the best is still Kaito Kid!"
Dean laughed lightly and waved his hand.
"You flatter me too much. There are countless magicians in this world who are better than me."
Then, more seriously, he added,
"I hope you'll all get the chance to see even more wonderful performances in the future."
He took a step forward.
"Now—focus on what comes next."
"And don't blink."
---
At the same time — East District, Gotham.
This was the most chaotic area in the city.
Gangs, violence, and crime flourished openly here. It was said that everyone who lived in the East District had blood on their hands.
Kidnapping.
Extortion.
Disappearance.
Robbery.
No matter which street you entered from, you would see crime almost immediately.
Yet when Ogilvy walked through the East District alone, no one dared approach him.
On the contrary, people actively avoided his gaze.
Everyone knew who he was.
Penguin's most trusted subordinate.
Touching Ogilvy was the same as slapping Penguin in the face.
Ogilvy walked calmly into a narrow alley. At the very end stood a tiny house—barely ten square meters in size.
The door was tightly shut.
No keyhole.
No keypad.
No handle.
There wasn't even a doorbell.
Opening it from the outside was impossible.
Ogilvy stopped in front of the door, expression unchanged.
He raised his hand and knocked calmly.
"Is anyone home?" he asked evenly.
"I'm looking for Calculator."
--------------------------------------------------
110+ chapters available in patreon🔥🔥🔥🔥
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
----------------------------------------------------- .