"Watch." Just that one word moved Iselin and Hans. Watching over the future—that's a huge responsibility. And Rorschach had handed that responsibility to Liu A'dou, to Kaitou Kid.
Inside this phantom thief base, there were all sorts of strange things, but there was also an unexpected discovery. This letter—this was a chance for people to see a different side of Kaitou Kid. "Let's talk about this letter. I think the audience is curious too."
Kid thought for a moment. 'It's fine to talk about something harmless.' So he opened his mouth and said, "As you can see, this letter came from a man named Rorschach. I worked with Rorschach and a few other Watchmen. That was a long time ago. It happened in New York. A terrorist was planning to destroy the major cities of every country on Earth. Rorschach uncovered that plan. That's when we met. He's a very upright guy—kind of stubborn, not popular, only a few friends. But he's full of justice, strong-willed, never gives up."
"At the time, he was being framed. By pure chance, I saved him. Then we joined forces to take down the terrorist. In the end, we stopped the attack. That might've been the first real good deed I ever did."
"You're being modest. Back in Gotham, you already did a lot of good things. If you ask me, this was just the first time you did something good not under the name of a thief, but as a real hero. And if not for this interview, no one would've ever known about that."
"I don't do good things for fame," said Kid. 'I do them to show off in front of villains.'
In Hans's mind, Kid's image rose again. This was someone who had truly moved beyond petty things. He hadn't interviewed Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, or Flash. But suddenly, he felt like a real superhero should be someone like Kid.
"So what happened after that? What happened to Rorschach and the Watchmen?" Iselin asked.
"They're just regular people. After that event, some went into hiding. Maybe some are still secretly fighting crime somewhere. After we parted ways, aside from this letter, we never contacted each other again."
"From the way you talk, it sounds like you look down on regular people?" Iselin asked sharply—she was definitely a professional journalist now.
Kid couldn't admit that. "I don't look down on ordinary people. In the future I imagine, it'll be a world where everyone is a superhuman. I'm just a step ahead. I believe humanity has unlimited potential."
"So is that how you see your own strength? As a forerunner in the age of superhumans?" Iselin was really into this idea. "Then do you admit that mutants are the next step in human evolution?"
That was basically asking Kid to declare his political stance. 'Did I say too much already?' he thought. But now that the topic was out, if he refused to answer, Iselin would definitely go for the kill. She'd make it a front-page scandal.
Hans sucked in a breath. The lady boss's questions were too sharp. He started to suspect she held a grudge against Kid. These weren't easy to answer—and they were some of the hottest topics in society, especially the mutant debate, which never stopped stirring up controversy.
Kid smiled. "Big reporter, that's right—I am the forerunner of the age of superhumans. But my power is different from mutants. They're born with genetic mutations. I gained mine through brutal training—hard-earned. As for the mutant issue, I won't make a statement. I'll just borrow a line from a famous movie, Frozen: 'I've seen the noblest of mutants, and also the vilest of humans.' Mutants are just ordinary people like everyone else. There's no need to treat them differently."
"If you don't mind me asking—what kind of training turns someone into a superman? Flying, teleporting, super strength, invincibility—can training really do that?" Iselin clearly didn't believe training alone could create someone like Superman.
Kid thought, 'Then you must not know Saitama-sensei, who stuck to 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day for three years straight.' So he said, "That really depends on talent. Not everyone can succeed with the same training. I just happen to be one of the gifted few. But I believe, as technology progresses, the era of superhumans for all will definitely come."
Kid spoke with confidence. "As for the actual training routine, I won't share that. It's too dangerous. If someone tries it blindly without guidance, it could be fatal. Worse, they might end up bald."
Neither Iselin nor Hans got the joke in Kid's words. Bald? Was that somehow worse than death?
"Then I'd like to ask—how did you join the Justice League?" Iselin's questions were all top-tier.
"First of all, the Justice League was Batman's idea. I was the one who reached out to Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman. I guess that makes me a founding member. Thinking about it, I'm actually pretty proud," Kid said.
"Oh?" Iselin's eyes lit up. Looked like this interview was going to dig up a lot of juicy inside info. "Can you talk about how the Justice League came together?"
"Why not?" Kid opened his mouth and started rambling, telling vivid stories about how he outwitted Flash, persuaded Wonder Woman, and convinced Superman. According to him, even the other superheroes took time to accept someone with the title of 'phantom thief.' But eventually, they all came around and welcomed him as a teammate.
"So what do you think it is about you that made Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Batman all accept a phantom thief like you?"
Kid thought, 'I've got tons of great traits,' but he chose two. "Because I'm honest, reliable, and incredibly handsome."
Pfft! Hans burst out laughing. Humor was definitely one of Kid's best qualities. Who compliments themselves like that?
"Alright, enough joking," Kid said seriously. "It's because I didn't go against the Justice League's principles—and I had the ability to carry them out."
"I see. So you used your abilities to protect Earth. But do you also use your powers to steal?" Iselin asked.
"Heh, big reporter, you're joking again," Kid chuckled. "It's just stealing. Who needs superpowers for that? A few sleight-of-hand tricks are more than enough."
Hans looked at Kid's confident face and was shocked. What was going on in this guy's head? He acted like stealing wasn't even a real thing. Those thefts that felt like magic—were they really just child's play to him?
"You're pretty confident."
"If it's just stealing gems, it's really not that hard. Compared to protecting the Earth, stealing is way too easy. I mean it," Kid said.
He'd stolen in two different worlds and never got caught. When it came to magic-based theft, he was a true grandmaster. As for protecting Earth? That was still rookie-level stuff to him.