The New Client
Kaito was not concerned with mere local fame. His profile was already the highest it could be: General of Special Operations and the heir to the Dragon Throne. Now, he needed to use that profile to manipulate the canonical events flowing toward Conan.
His next move was not to acquire a person, but a target.
The Azure Blend command center was quiet. Kazuya was monitoring the Mouri Agency when a new client entered.
"Kaito-sama," Kazuya reported, his voice tight. "A new client has arrived at the Mouri Agency. High profile. The client is a famous Japanese software executive, Mr. Takashima. He's reporting industrial espionage and threats related to a confidential new pharmaceutical venture."
Kaito's eyes narrowed. Pharmaceutical. The Black Organization's primary interest.
"This is not a coincidence," Kaito stated. "The snake is smelling its own kind. We are switching to Black Organization Tracking Mode Level 3."
The Golden Invitation
Kaito knew that to influence this case, he couldn't use the shadowy tactics of The Hound. He needed to move openly, using his political and financial weight. He needed to ensure the case was resolved quickly, but only after it yielded maximum intelligence.
Kaito issued an immediate command to Shiori.
"Contact the Metropolitan Police Department's Chief Superintendent. Inform him that General Tenryuu Kaito is taking a 'personal and high-level interest' in the Takashima case due to its potential national security implications regarding industrial espionage."
Within minutes, the police response to the Mouri Agency case escalated dramatically. They did not take the case from Mouri; they flooded Mouri's client with resources, elevating the case's public visibility.
Kaito then personally called Mr. Takashima.
"Mr. Takashima," Kaito said, his voice surprisingly deep and commanding for his age. "I am General Tenryuu Kaito. My security organization believes your current predicament is linked to international threats. I am offering my personal resources, including my private forensic team and unlimited financial access, to resolve your case."
The offer was delivered with the authority of a king. Takashima, stunned and intimidated, instantly accepted.
The Intersecting Cases
Kaito's public intervention achieved two goals:
Massive Profile Bump: The media immediately plastered the story: "Billionaire General Joins Mouri Detective Agency Case." Kaito became a temporary, visible fixture in the world of high-stakes crime, legitimizing his future presence.
Access to Conan's Clues: Kaito now had legitimate, high-level access to the crime scene, the evidence, and the client—all the information Conan was gathering.
Kaito and Shiori arrived at the crime scene in a sleek, non-military Tenryuu security vehicle, escorted by police. Kaito shook hands with a bewildered Kogoro Mouri and then, with pointed politeness, spoke to the small boy.
"Conan-kun," Kaito addressed him, kneeling slightly, his voice professional. "You seem interested in details. If you observe anything unusual related to pharmaceuticals or chemicals, please communicate them to Detective Mouri. We require all information for our comprehensive profile."
Conan, sensing the power and the unusual depth behind the General's eyes, frowned but nodded, instinctively recognizing a serious player.
The Serpent's Clues
The case was textbook. It was not murder, but a complex data theft targeting Takashima's pharmaceutical patents. Conan quickly uncovered the motive and the identity of the low-level corporate spy.
However, Kaito wasn't interested in the spy. He was interested in the trail.
While Conan focused on the culprit's alibi, Kaito focused on the data being stolen.
"Masato," Kaito commanded, his digital cryptographer working remotely from his newly acquired unit. "The stolen data—analyze the encryption type. Is it standard corporate security or something... foreign?"
Masato's report was immediate and chilling:
"The encryption uses a highly customized, layered code, Kaito-sama. It is a proprietary system unlike any corporate or governmental encryption we have encountered. It shares structural similarities with the low-frequency communication intercepts we flagged months ago—the ones related to the Black Organization's known frequencies."
The true target was not Takashima's basic patent; it was the scientific methodology within the patent that attracted the Serpent's interest.
Kaito had found his direct link.
He resolved the case publicly, using The Hound's infiltration team to discreetly recover the digital hardware containing the stolen data before the perpetrator could sell it, providing irrefutable, untraceable evidence to the police. The General's intervention was hailed as a decisive success.
Kaito leaned into the microphone, addressing Shiori. "The Black Organization uses corporate theft to fund and advance its scientific goals. Their encryption is their fingerprint. We now have the print."