----------------------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
----------------------------------------------------- .
Use the discount code in patron BB4DA ❤️🔥 limited time only
_________________________________________
The moment Robin saw the white flag spring out of the wooden box, his heart sank.
He had been played.
Not outmatched.
Not defeated.
But deliberately, expertly misled.
From the very beginning, Robin had believed he understood Kaito Kid's strategy.
In his mind, the plan had been elegant but predictable.
Kaito Kid would secretly replace one of the auction items in advance. The swapped object—most likely this very wooden box—would be fitted with some kind of hidden mechanism. A remote trigger. A timer. Something subtle.
At the critical moment—perhaps when the auctioneer introduced the item or when the clock struck midnight—the box would activate.
Smoke.
Hypnotic gas.
Tear gas.
Maybe even poison.
Robin doubted Kaito Kid would cross the line into outright murder. Historically, the thief preferred spectacle over bloodshed. Still, assumptions were dangerous, and Robin had prepared for the worst.
In that imagined scenario, chaos would erupt in the auction hall. Security would be distracted. Vision would be obscured.
And in that brief moment of confusion—
The Pink Dream would vanish.
The theory wasn't unrealistic.
Kaito Kid had already infiltrated the temporary storage room. That meant he knew the exact sequence of auction items. With that information, he could manipulate the flow of the auction itself.
He could place absurdly high bids to scare off competitors, then withdraw.
Or he could drag bidding out by raising the price inch by inch, stretching time to suit his needs.
Money was never an issue—he would never bid under his real identity anyway.
He could even do something bolder.
Disguise himself as the auction host.
Control the pace.
Control the room.
Control everything.
Up until a few minutes ago, Robin had been confident.
He would neutralize the mechanism.
Commissioner Gordon would quietly screen the guests.
Kaito Kid would be exposed.
End of story.
This wasn't like the museum jobs. This time, the police weren't scattered. The entire eighteenth floor was sealed. Exits were covered. Plainclothes officers filled the crowd.
Escape should have been impossible.
And yet—
The box hadn't released gas.
It hadn't detonated.
It hadn't done anything useful.
Instead, it had mocked him.
A prank.
A distraction.
A trap designed for Robin alone.
Strictly speaking, it was a mechanism.
Just not one meant to harm anyone.
Its sole purpose was to make Robin waste time.
The more he thought about it, the clearer the truth became.
In the surveillance footage, Kaito Kid—disguised as Tom—had looked at the ventilation duct three separate times.
Casual at first glance.
But deliberate.
That tiny detail had caught Robin's attention.
And that was the point.
Kaito Kid wanted him to notice it.
Robin had followed the breadcrumb trail perfectly—straight into a dead end.
Elsewhere, hidden far from the auction floor, a man watched his phone screen light up.
A small progress bar filled completely.
Dean smiled.
"Heh… Dick Grayson," he murmured under his breath. "I knew even you couldn't resist overthinking it."
"Mechanism triggered."
"Countdown started."
Back in the storage room, Robin froze.
A realization slammed into him like a punch to the chest.
If he wanted me here… then the real operation is happening somewhere else.
His eyes darted to his watch.
23:58.
Two minutes.
"Damn it!"
Robin spun around and bolted.
He burst through the curtain separating the storage area from the auction hall—and immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The atmosphere had changed.
Moments ago, wealthy guests had been seated, calmly bidding on priceless artifacts.
Now—
They were standing.
Moving.
Leaving.
Lines formed between the rows of seats as people were guided toward the exits.
The auction hadn't ended.
Robin's eyes snapped to the uniformed officers stationed throughout the hall.
GCPD.
So Gordon had made his move.
The screening had begun.
"That explains it," Robin muttered.
Under these conditions, Kaito Kid shouldn't have dared to act.
Unless—
He wasn't among the guests anymore.
Robin scanned the crowd carefully.
If Kaito Kid had planned a power outage, he would have needed time—time he supposedly didn't have. Robin had personally checked the surveillance records. No one had accessed the power systems in days.
Everything should have been safe.
And yet—
Something felt wrong.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed through the hall.
The lights died instantly.
The auction venue plunged into darkness.
Only one thing remained illuminated—
The massive screen behind the auctioneer's stage.
Robin stared, stunned.
"What…? That's impossible!"
His mind raced.
The power grid.
The backup systems.
The monitoring records.
Then it hit him.
"Wait…"
His blood ran cold.
Time difference.
Everything was about time difference.
The card left in the restaurant.
The waiter disguise.
The deliberate trail.
Kaito Kid had anticipated Robin's response perfectly.
Knowing Robin would investigate, knowing he would track the waiter, knowing he would rewind footage again and again—
Kaito Kid had counted on the monitoring room being stuck in the past.
When officers replay surveillance footage, they aren't watching the present.
For that brief window—
Anything happening in real time goes unseen.
If Kaito Kid acted quickly enough, if he timed it precisely, he could sabotage the power system while every set of eyes was focused elsewhere.
Robin clenched his fists.
If he had noticed the ventilation duct sooner…
If he had returned even a minute earlier…
The entire plan would have collapsed.
That was the gamble.
And Kaito Kid had won.
Suddenly—
A spotlight ignited.
Brilliant white light pierced the darkness, centering on the stage.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
From above, a figure descended gracefully, cloak billowing like wings.
Pure white suit.
Monocle glinting.
Top hat tilted with theatrical perfection.
Kaito Kid.
"Ladies~ and~ gentlemen!"
His voice echoed through the hall, smooth and confident.
The crowd froze.
Police reached for their weapons.
Robin stared upward, equal parts furious and impressed.
The thief bowed deeply.
"With all due respect to your patience…"
He snapped his fingers.
"It's showtime."