"Richard, where did you hide the flowers just now?"
The four girls held the red roses in their hands, their eyes filled with curiosity and disbelief. No matter how they replayed the scene in their minds, they couldn't figure out where the roses had come from.
Dick shrugged helplessly and spread his hands.
"I'm sorry," he said with a grin, "but that's a magician's secret."
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Applause suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Not bad," a familiar voice said calmly. "You've improved a lot recently."
The girls turned their heads toward the sound.
A young man was walking toward them.
He had neat black hair, deep blue eyes, and sharp, handsome features. His figure was tall and slender, and he wore a black tailcoat with a matching top hat resting lightly on his head. The outfit was classic—almost theatrical—but on him, it looked natural rather than exaggerated.
A magician's attire.
For a brief moment, the girls froze.
Then—
"Wait… am I imagining things?"
"Is that… Dean Thurston?!"
Their eyes lit up instantly.
Before Dick could even react, the four girls rushed forward, surrounding the newcomer with excitement written all over their faces.
"Hi! I'm Lisanna!"
"I'm Lucy!"
"Levy!"
"Cana!"
Their introductions came out one after another, almost overlapping.
Dean smiled politely and nodded at each of them.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Dean Thurston."
While maintaining his calm expression, he couldn't help thinking to himself.
I don't recognize any of them… They must be from another class—or maybe even lower grades? They look pretty young. Junior students, probably.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
And seriously… how did Dick end up surrounded by so many girls?
"Dean, we're all your fans!" Lucy said excitedly. "We used to watch your magic shows on TV all the time. It was such a shame when you retired from the stage."
"Yes, yes!" Lisanna nodded eagerly. "Could you please sign an autograph for us?"
The junior students looked at Dean with shining eyes, full of expectation.
"Uh… I can," Dean replied smoothly, without hesitation. "But I don't have a pen right now. Let's do it next time we meet."
He smiled gently.
"We're all from the same school, so there will be plenty of chances."
The way he handled the request was practiced and natural—clearly not his first time dealing with autograph requests.
On the other side, Dick crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.
"Hey! Dean! This was my stage!" he complained. "You came over and stole all my audience!"
Dean glanced at him and replied calmly,
"That just means your skills still aren't good enough."
Dick choked.
Dean suddenly seemed amused. A faint smile curved his lips as he continued,
"The competition between magicians is brutal. If you can't protect your audience, you'll be eliminated sooner or later."
Then he turned slightly and looked at Lucy.
"May I borrow the flower in your hand?"
Lucy froze for half a second before nodding enthusiastically.
"Of course! I'd be happy to!"
She handed him the red rose.
Dean held it delicately—one hand gripping the stem, the other gently resting on the petals.
Then he asked softly,
"What color do you like?"
"Yellow," Lucy answered without hesitation.
"Yellow?" Dean nodded approvingly. "Very good. I like that color too."
In the next instant, his hands came together.
It looked as though he had crushed the rose completely in his palms.
"Oh!"
The girls gasped in shock.
Dean smiled calmly.
His left hand remained clenched into a fist, while his right hand slowly moved away.
From between his left thumb and forefinger, a strip of bright yellow silk began to emerge.
At the same time—
The red rose was gone.
As Dean gently pulled, the silk grew longer and longer, sliding smoothly from his hand as if it had never ended.
When it reached nearly a meter in length, he held the corners with both hands and spread it out fully.
The girls stared, mouths covered in disbelief.
"How could something that long fit inside his hand?"
"And where did the rose go?"
Even knowing that magic was just illusion and technique, seeing it up close still left them stunned. No matter how hard they tried to imagine it, they couldn't find a single flaw.
Nearby, Dick was equally absorbed.
He could roughly guess the principle behind the trick. Transforming one object into another was a magician's basic skill. The trick itself wasn't overly advanced.
But—
Even with his sharp eyesight, Dick hadn't seen the moment Dean made his move.
What bothered him even more was something else.
How did Dean know Lucy would choose yellow?
Or more precisely—how did he guide her into choosing yellow?
If Dean had prepared silk cloths of multiple colors, where were they all hidden?
Some secrets, Dick realized, simply couldn't be understood from the outside. It had nothing to do with intelligence or observation—it was experience.
At that moment, an idea suddenly flashed through Dick's mind.
Maybe… I could ask Dean to help expose Kaito Kid's tricks someday.
But the thought quickly stalled.
I can't reveal that I'm Robin. Asking him directly would be too risky.
His thoughts shifted again.
…Maybe I can ask Barbara to look into it instead.
Dean, unaware of Dick's internal debate, spoke again.
"Do you like pigeons?"
The girls exchanged uncertain looks.
"Well… not particularly," Cana admitted.
Dean chuckled softly.
"That's fine. After tonight, you'll love them."
He reached up and removed the black top hat from his head, turning it upside down and handing it to Lucy.
"As you can see," he said calmly, "this is just an ordinary hat. No mechanisms inside."
Lucy took it nervously and inspected it carefully. Her heart was racing, but no matter how closely she looked, she couldn't find anything unusual.
Dean then covered the hat with the yellow silk cloth.
"Miss Lucy," he said gently, "please hold it steady. Don't let it fall."
Lucy nodded firmly, gripping the hat with both hands.
"Now," Dean continued, his tone dropping slightly, "I'm going to cast a magic spell."
He closed his eyes and raised his hands above the silk-covered hat, his fingers hovering in the air.
The girls instinctively held their breath.
Dean's expression was serious, almost solemn.
After murmuring a few indistinct words, he suddenly opened his eyes and lifted the silk cloth.
The top hat trembled.
Lucy felt it clearly.
"Coo—coo—coo…"
Soft cooing sounds came from inside the hat.
Then—
Snow-white pigeons burst into the air one after another.
Gasps erupted from the girls as the birds fluttered upward, their wings catching the light.
Dean extended both hands.
As if responding to an invisible command, the pigeons gently landed on his arms, perching obediently.
The girls stared at him in awe, their admiration unmistakable.
Not far away, other students heard the cooing and turned toward the scene.
"Hey! Look over there!"
"Is that Dean Thurston performing magic?"
"What?! Dean Thurston?! No way—I have to see this!"
Some students jumped to their feet. Others began moving closer, curiosity spreading rapidly.
"Why do they get a private show?"
"I want Dean to perform magic for me too!"
More and more students began gathering around.
And at the center of it all—
Dean Thurston stood calmly, top hat in hand, eyes shining faintly under the lights.
Now that he had started…
He clearly wasn't planning to stop.
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