"You could be Kid in disguise too!"
Uncle Mouri yanked Officer Nakamori's cheeks, hands on hips, lecturing confidently.
"Damn it!"
Nakamori, clutching the box with eight eggs, tugged Mouri's face in return, distorting it.
"Kid, show yourself!"
The two old men grappled, the scene chaotic.
Sonoko covered her face, whispering, "These two are terrifying."
"They haven't hit puberty yet…" Hattori quipped.
Ran and Conan exchanged a glance.
Please, they haven't even graduated elementary…
Kazuha, noticing two stares, quickly covered Hattori's mouth, forcing a smile at the men, urging them to continue.
Seriously, Pingci, mouthing off now? They'll stretch you into a rubber man!
Tsuneo sat quietly, sipping tea, watching the show.
Getting tangled with these muddled uncles? No way.
After more tussling, they let go, glaring, unconvinced.
Nakamori, hampered by the egg box, fought one-handed, slightly outmatched.
"Farewell."
Red-faced, he left with his men.
"Ow!" Once they were gone, Mouri clutched his cheek, squatting.
"Mr. Mouri, let's go," Shiro Suzuki said, standing, amused.
No one plays these games with me…
"I'm off too. Have fun, kids," Tsuneo said, grinning at the detective, following Mouri out.
"Damn it!" Conan muttered, eyeing Tsuneo's back.
"What's up?" Hattori, thinking Tsuneo was tagging along for food, asked casually.
"He's off. And I bet the real heist time isn't 3 a.m.," Conan said, glancing at the chatting girls, pulling Hattori aside.
That guy's probably meeting the thief now.
Talking about some magic show…
"Off?"
"Is he Kid in disguise?" Hattori said, exasperated.
Even a magician can't eat that much.
I'd buy a living person trick, but plates of meat? Tough.
"No way…" Conan shot Hattori a look, chuckling dryly.
Disguising as Tsuneo with a knockout trick? Too risky. He might end up like that broken tree.
"If not 3 a.m., got any leads?" Hattori, pondering the note's line, had no clues.
"The 12th word, the 12th word…"
The detectives studied the note intensely.
…
Dusk fell.
Though time remained before the police's predicted Kid appearance, the castle keep was surrounded, three layers deep.
Helicopters patrolled overhead.
Quite the spectacle.
In the museum president's office, Sonoko, Ran, and Kazuha played poker, sticking paper strips on their faces, laughing.
"These guys have zero tension…" Conan muttered, hearing Sonoko's cackles from afar.
Kid wouldn't need to steal. A meet-and-greet, and the heiress might gift it to him.
Hattori, by the window, checked his watch: 7:13 p.m.
Smiling, he said, "Interesting. 3 a.m. is L, but now it's へ. At 7:20, it'd be closer…"
Hattori stopped, turning to a stunned Conan.
"From the lion of dusk to the maiden of dawn."
The note's first line—exactly 12 words.
No way?!
"Whatever, we gotta hit the castle keep!"
Conan grabbed his backpack, dragging Hattori out.
Nakamori hid the egg somewhere. Finding it won't be easy for Kid, but if it's really 7:20…
They had to check!
"Kudo, hop on!"
Outside, Hattori tossed Conan a helmet, and they sped off on his motorcycle.
"It's raining…"
Hattori braked suddenly.
Conan smacked into his back, baffled.
Now's not the time for Tsuneo-style stunts!
"The sky tower—it's not the castle keep, but Tsutenkaku, the weather tower!" Hattori said, swerving the bike toward it.
At that moment, 7:20 p.m. arrived silently.
In the dark.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!"
Under the moon, a white-clad youth stood atop the sky-bound tower, arms raised, announcing his arrival to silence, save for a black-clad figure beside him.
"The show's about to begin!"
Kid glanced at the knight nearby, fingers twitching.
Fireworks erupted at the distant castle keep.
Colorful lights soared, bursting brilliantly.
At a fancy restaurant, Shiro Suzuki and Mouri sat across from each other.
"Fireworks," Shiro said, sipping sake, gazing at the vibrant display.
"Summer's poetic elegance~" Mouri mused.
They seemed ready to trade poetry…
"Wrong?" Hattori braked again.
Tsutenkaku was quiet.
"No, he's drawing eyes to the castle keep. The real time and place? 7:20 at Tsutenkaku!" Conan shook his head.
Tsuneo knew that night.
He wasn't bluffing.
"But the egg's hidden. How's he finding it?" Hattori frowned.
"…" Conan hadn't figured that out either.
…
Atop Tsutenkaku.
"Now, the real show begins," Kid said, holding a remote.
"Can't you pull off some teleportation trick?" Tsuneo said, smirking.
Kid: …
I'm a magician, not a wizard…
And you, climbing up here to watch? Weird…
(Chapter End)
------------------------------
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