"Scouting the terrain the day before the heist? Talk about audacity," Heiji remarked, unable to hide his begrudging respect for the thief's bold methods.
The police were likely already swarming the area. To show up at the same location two days in a row was practically inviting a trap. The only thing waiting for him would be an inescapable net.
"Have you guys seen the jewel yet?" Tsuneo asked, his hands steady on the steering wheel.
He was referring to the legendary treasure of the sea—the Blue Wonder. Forged, as the stories went, from the tears of a mermaid, it was said to possess the power to ward off shipwrecks and calamities at sea.
"Yeah. Sonoko's grand-uncle seems incredibly confident this time," Ran nodded.
The jewel was displayed as part of a golden goddess bust, the deep blue "miracle" held high in her hands. It was an item of immense value, and Jirokichi Suzuki was using it as blatant bait. As for why he was so obsessed with capturing Kaito Kid... it mostly seemed like a late-life impulse. Having won almost every award and accolade imaginable, the seventy-something-year-old billionaire simply wanted a new challenge: defeating the invincible thief in white.
"Rich people and their eccentric hobbies..." Tsuneo muttered. It was hard to find a better way to describe it.
Kaito probably wasn't even that interested in the stone itself. It had nothing to do with the "Pandora" gem he was actually hunting, and its provenance was well-documented. But if the jewel was hidden in an aquarium surrounded by enough fish...
"To live up to the name of the 'Blue Wonder,' I shall take this jewel by walking to it," Heiji quoted the notice. "Do you think he means he's going to perform some kind of miracle?"
Was he planning another grand magic show?
"Thinking about it, that thief always seems to strike on Saturdays or Sundays. Does he have a day job or something?" the Great Detective of the West mused.
Heiji was beginning to suspect that the guy might be a mundane salaryman during the week, only donning the white cape and top hat when the weekend rolled around.
"No way. That sounds like something out of a cartoon," Kazuha said, shaking her head. She wasn't buying it. "A world-class thief having to work a regular job? You're talking nonsense! He probably just wants to attract a younger audience on their days off."
"Maybe. But I'm more curious about that 'Dark Knight' guy..." Kazuha continued.
Vigilantism, mystery, and a touch of violence—those were the things that really got the nerves of young people tingling.
"Sonoko mentioned he might be some rich playboy from a powerful family," Ran recalled. "After all, he never seems to keep any of the illegal goods he recovers."
Heiji suddenly glanced at Tsuneo.
Tsuneo's nose seemed to itch at that exact moment; he rubbed it a few times, then massaged the bridge of his nose. Though he shared a certain gluttonous appetite with Genta, he was far too dignified to start picking his nose in public.
"..." Heiji turned his head away, staring listlessly out the window. If I'm free this Saturday, maybe I'll come watch the show too.
Araide Hospital.
"Take care now." Dr. Araide smiled warmly as he saw his last patient out. Once the door closed, he leaned back against his chair and let out a long, weary sigh.
Playing this role was exhausting. He still had to call Inspector Megure this afternoon to arrange a visit to his "stepmother"...
His time for actual investigation was far more limited than he had anticipated. There were too many trivialities in the high school setting—female teachers and students were constantly hovering around the "kind-hearted doctor," expressing their... well, let's call it "admiration."
Even the patients at the hospital were a handful.
"Doctor, could you come here for a moment?" a nurse called out, tapping on the door.
"Coming, coming..." Dr. Araide replied with a practiced, gentle tone. He stood up, left his office, and performed an emergency wound cleaning for a young boy who had scraped his leg falling off a bicycle.
It took two nurses taking turns comforting the child before the examination could be finished.
After a long day of work, Dr. Araide conscientiously made his rounds to check on the inpatients. Only after every duty was fulfilled did he finally return to the private residence behind the hospital to rest.
In the darkness, the "Witch" put on her earpiece and began monitoring the bugs.
There was one thing that bothered her immensely. The Organization had previously investigated the "missing" Shinichi Kudo. Shiho Miyano, the developer of the APTX 4869 drug, had accompanied them on that sweep. Afterward, Shiho had personally confirmed that Kudo's status should be changed to "Confirmed Deceased."
Is it wrong? she wondered. It feels very wrong.
Based on what she knew now, Shinichi Kudo must have returned home after shrinking. It was hard to believe he could have done so without leaving a single trace. Then again, Vermouth was beginning to realize that these people weren't exactly cautious.
When they ate and chatted, they talked about everything. That Dr. Agasa would even call the little brat with glasses "Shin-ichi-kun" or "Shin-chan" from morning till night, even when neighbors were around.
However, based on the wiretaps, the sisters living at Agasa's house seemed normal enough. And that handyman, Tsuneo—the one who was terrifyingly good at close-quarters combat but had a heart as black as coal, using suspects as human shields—didn't seem to have any glaring issues either.
Even cross-referencing their digital files yielded the same mundane results.
"They look so similar," Vermouth muttered, picking up a surreptitiously taken photo. She frowned at the image of Sherry in a lab coat, currently serving as her "target."
In the photos she had hired people to take, the elementary school girl's expressions felt hauntingly similar to the scientist she hated.
"No. Sherry wouldn't cry and scream about a toothache," Vermouth said, tossing the photo aside.
She knew her judgment was being clouded by her own obsession. She suspected everyone. She would rather kill the wrong person than let a threat escape. But the idea of a person regressing to childhood—the Shinichi Kudo phenomenon—wasn't something that could easily happen twice.
The Organization had used that drug to kill countless people over the years. Even the ever-cautious Gin would walk away without a second glance once the poison was administered.
As she pondered, Vermouth's finger tapped on Tsuneo's photograph. Her brow furrowed even deeper.
Naturally, she had placed bugs in the handyman's house as well. But his life was insultingly simple. The man spent his nights snoring so loudly he could probably wake the dead. Even when he was with that "girlfriend" of his, the only things the bugs picked up were... well, strange noises that lasted all night.
"But why on earth does he keep so much cash in his closet?" Vermouth muttered, a massive question mark appearing in her mind.
She was genuinely baffled.
This guy, who did nothing but eat and sleep, lived like a simpleton. Had he won the lottery? It was absurd—he had over a hundred million yen in cash just sitting in a cabinet.
"Zzzzzzz... snore..."
Every night around ten o'clock, the sound of Tsuneo's heavy, rhythmic snoring would fill her earpiece. It was a powerful, energetic sound.
"Living next to this guy must be a nightmare," Vermouth sighed, removing her headset and rubbing her temples.
All of these people were a little bit "off," yet at the same time, they seemed completely, bafflingly normal.
(End of Chapter)
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