Around eight o'clock, a cloud of smoke suddenly exploded in the sky in front of the Suzuki Museum.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Kaito Kidd's figure appeared, suspended in mid-air.
The spotlights captured him instantly, causing an uproar and amazement among the crowd. The reporter in front of the camera shouted excitedly into the microphone:
"He's appeared!"
"Kaito Kidd really showed up in the air just like he promised!"
Everyone looked up at the night sky.
At that moment, someone noticed the faint water droplets beginning to fall.
Is it raining?
Just as this thought crossed their minds, the rain suddenly intensified.
In the surveillance van outside the Suzuki Museum, the staff noticed that the live feed from Helicopter No. 7 had gone dark. They quickly grabbed their walkie-talkies and started reporting.
"What's happening?"
"The feed from Helicopter No. 7 suddenly cut out!"
"This is Unit 7. Nothing unusual here. I think the rain is just interfering with the image temporarily."
The crew aboard Helicopter No. 7 quickly radioed back.
But Ginzo Nakamori, who was in charge of capturing Kaito Kidd, wasn't convinced. He grabbed his walkie-talkie and said firmly, "No, I suspect Kidd's men have jammed the signal to pull something off."
"Kaito Kidd has accomplices?"
Conan, who had somehow made his way into the surveillance van, looked surprised.
Nakamori Ginzo didn't seem to mind the sudden appearance of the boy. He answered without hesitation, "Yes, we've received reports that one of his accomplices is an older man. I'm sure at least one of them is nearby."
"An old man?"
Conan muttered, then instinctively glanced toward Hayashi Yoshiki, who had just walked into the surveillance van.
It wasn't surprising that Kaito Kidd would have accomplices.
But could this accomplice be... Hayashi Yoshiki?
Conan studied him suspiciously—only to find that Hayashi Yoshiki was pressing his hand to his own forehead.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to see if this still hurts you."
"…"
Conan suddenly realized that Hayashi Yoshiki was pressing exactly where Sonoko had punched him earlier, leaving a noticeable bump.
Conan narrowed his eyes, snickering to himself.
So it doesn't bother you as long as you're not the one in pain, huh?
"Hey, you're that detective Sonoko always praises, right?"
Jirokichi Suzuki, who had been instructing the staff, suddenly turned around and noticed Yoshiki.
"Hello, Mr. Suzuki."
"You weren't at the scene yesterday. Sonoko told me that if you had been there, you would've definitely seen through Kaito Kidd's tricks."
"Well, it was just a rehearsal yesterday," Yoshiki said with a light smile. "But she was so confident in me that I do feel a little pressure."
"Then do you think you can help me catch Kaito Kidd tonight?"
"…Until I've fully seen through his tricks, I can't guarantee anything."
"Hahaha, that's fine! Just do your best!"
Suzuki Jirokichi let out a hearty laugh.
At that moment, a staff member turned from the surveillance monitor, his expression serious.
"Kaito Kidd is on the move! Mr. Suzuki, please give me the order! If this continues, he'll really steal the gem!"
"Hmph, as if it would be so easy for him."
Watching Kaito Kidd leisurely walk toward the museum with his hands in his pockets, Jirokichi sneered.
"Transfer the Blue Miracle into the museum immediately!"
"Understood!"
"Mr. Nakamori, why aren't you doing anything?"
Hayashi Yoshiki suddenly questioned.
"What?"
Nakamori Ginzo, who was focused on the monitors, turned to him in confusion.
"There are so many helicopters hovering overhead. You're just going to let him stroll up to the museum like this? Shouldn't you try using a helicopter to stop or capture him?"
"Well, but isn't that too dangerous?"
Nakamori Ginzo hesitated. "What if the helicopter's propellers accidentally pull Kaito Kidd in? That would be a disaster."
"I see…"
No wonder Nakamori Ginzo always trails behind Kaito Kidd.
But maybe in his eyes, Kaito Kidd's crimes weren't particularly heinous, and perhaps deep down, he truly wanted to capture him alive.
Following Jirokichi's order, the staff activated the mechanism—on the rooftop, the golden statue holding the gem flipped over and was quickly retracted into the museum.
Jirokichi then ordered the lights in the museum to be turned off, suspecting that Kidd's team might be able to hack into the camera feeds.
"As long as the gem isn't stolen, it's my victory."
Jirokichi looked at Nakamori Ginzo.
"Officer Nakamori, let's make a deal. I can hand over the command to you, but in exchange, can you temporarily lend me your most reliable officers?"
The two quickly reached an agreement.
Jirokichi left with several of Nakamori's subordinates.
Conan watched his retreating figure with interest, a small grin tugging at his lips.
"Conan."
"Huh?"
"Can you help me with something?"
"Right now?"
Conan was still focused on catching Kaito Kidd and couldn't help but suspect that Hayashi Yoshiki might be trying to assist Kidd instead.
Hayashi Yoshiki squatted down, smiling as he whispered his request.
Conan's eyes widened in surprise, but soon his lips curled into a grin.
"Okay!"
He spun around and ran off.
———
Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Ran and the others were much closer to the "Kaito Kidd" figure walking through the air.
Despite the heavy rain, they could faintly make out the thin wire stretching from "Kaito Kidd's" shoulder.
But soon, with a loud "hiss!", a huge burst of white smoke erupted, and the entire figure of Kaito Kidd deflated like a balloon.
Akako Koizumi couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
"Ran, do you think Brother Yoshiki will catch Kaito Kidd this time?"
"The answer is yes."
The one who answered was Koizumi Akako.
When everyone was standing and shouting in surprise at Kaito Kidd's appearance earlier, she alone sat calmly and elegantly at the table.
"…"
Seeing how confident she was, Sonoko pouted. Ran didn't expect Akako to be so certain in Yoshiki's ability and couldn't help but laugh.
Akako always says Yoshiki likes her… but looking at her now, isn't it actually her who likes Yoshiki?
Still… she's really beautiful.
But Yoshiki had made it quite clear that he wasn't interested in her, and it was obvious who he really looked at.
Was I overthinking it?
Ran couldn't help but wonder. And at that moment—maybe, just maybe—she felt a little bit secretly happy… though she also felt a twinge of guilt.
Guilt because she had already noticed Yoshiki's feelings but pretended not to.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Akako Koizumi, sharp as ever, immediately sensed their misunderstanding and said proudly, "This is simply the result of divination."