At that moment, a rugged man in a brown suit stepped forward.
He was none other than Shintaro Chaki, the head of the Second Investigation Section of the Metropolitan Police Department—and Ginzo Nakamori's superior!
"Mrs. Suzuki," he said in a deep, authoritative voice.
"Please allow our officers to board. I assure you, they will conduct their investigation discreetly and will not interfere with your celebration."
"Unless, of course, Kaito Kidd actually makes an appearance!"
Hearing a high-ranking officer from the Metropolitan Police Department make such a statement, Tomoko had no choice but to give him face.
"Fine, you can board," she agreed, though her confidence remained unshaken.
"But I'm telling you—it's unnecessary. My preparations are flawless!"
With that, she let out another confident laugh before turning her attention to Akashi.
Taking his small hand in hers, she led him onto the ship without hesitation.
Ran, completely stunned by the sudden gesture, quickly chased after them.
Before she could even react, she was swept up into the moment, brought aboard under the authority of the formidable Tomoko Suzuki.
Instantly, the pair—Tomoko Suzuki and Akashi—became the center of attention.
The assembled celebrities from various industries couldn't help but cast curious glances at the young boy beside the powerful businesswoman.
Could he be a descendant of the Suzuki family?
Amidst the whispers and speculation, a pair of deep blue eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion.
Akashi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
A sense of being watched.
But with so many people staring, he couldn't pinpoint exactly who was behind it.
Aboard the Queen Elizabeth
As they stepped onto the luxurious cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth, a waiter approached each guest, respectfully handing them small boxes.
Akashi received one as well.
Without even opening it, he knew—it was an imitation pearl.
Tomoko Suzuki's arrangements were crystal clear.
But his thoughts weren't on Kaito Kidd.
If Kidd wants to steal something, let him.
No one's dying over it anyway.
Without Yin energy to absorb, why should I even bother?
Let Conan handle Kidd—I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.
Yet, to his surprise, he discovered that Tomoko Suzuki herself could generate Yin energy.
The system had even certified her as a high-quality source.
It makes sense…
After all, in the world of Detective Conan, the women were all stunning.
Tomoko Suzuki was no exception—elegant, confident, and undeniably beautiful.
Even Sonoko, who was well-known for her looks, paled slightly in comparison to her mother's charm.
That being said, both mother and daughter shared one flaw—their figures were slim, and neither had much up top.
Not like Ran and Eri, who were naturally gifted in that department.
But then again…
"Thin branches bear fruit."
Perhaps this was a rare case.
Not that it was irreversible.
After all, the little succubus still had the 『Hand of Abundance』 skill—and he hadn't even used it yet.
[Note: Hand of Abundance Lv1: Active skill. By channeling spiritual power, the user can bless their hands to promote the growth of anything they touch.]
Once inside, the extravagance of the interior became undeniable.
Magnificent. Dazzling. Breathtaking.
A red carpet lined the floors, gold bricks gleamed underfoot, and glass chandeliers bathed the space in soft, radiant light.
Everywhere you looked—elegance and opulence.
This was a true luxury cruise ship, built by the Suzuki Consortium at an astronomical cost.
Akashi, ever the opportunist, wouldn't let such a grand setting go to waste.
"System, time to work—start checking in!"
The moment he activated the system, the grandeur of the ship was completely captured in the check-in interface.
Then, the screen shattered—condensing into purple light before transforming into a treasure chest.
As the chest opened, two streams of light flowed into Akashi's body.
Ding!
[Check-in successful!]
[Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Treasure Phantom Lv 1, Steal Lv2!"]
[Treasure Phantom Lv1]
Type: Yin Absorption / Duplication / Artifact Mimicry
Description:
Ancient relics and priceless treasures are imbued with dense Yin energy, accumulated over countless years through history, reverence, and decay. With this skill, by physically touching such artifacts, you can absorb their Yin energy into your own reservoir.
By expending stored Yin energy, you gain the ability to reproduce the artifact with perfect precision—a flawless one-to-one replica. Every detail, from material composition to spiritual aura, is indistinguishable from the original. Even masters of appraisal and detection arts will fail to tell them apart.
Upon seeing this new ability, Akashi's eyes lit up.
It wasn't just about replicating treasures.
This skill had revealed a new way to absorb Yin energy!
Akashi had initially believed it would take a long time to reach 100 attribute points.
After all, 1,000 Yin energy was required just to exchange for one attribute point!
Even after sleeping next to Eri for eight hours, he had only managed to collect 960 Yin energy.
An entire night of rest—barely enough to increase a single attribute point!
To break through the five dimensions, he needed hundreds of thousands of Yin energy.
That meant hundreds of days—possibly even years!
And in this world, surviving a full year was no easy feat!
But now…
A new method of accumulating Yin energy had appeared!
This could drastically shorten the process.
Akashi couldn't help but feel excited.
If he could unlock multiple ways to absorb Yin energy, then his goals might actually be within reach!
As for the Steal skill, it had already reached Lv3.
There was no way to upgrade it further through accumulation.
For now, it would be stored and merged with the next Lv2 Steal skill check-in to create a higher-level version.
However, this new development meant that Akashi could no longer just sit back and watch.
Those ancient treasures containing Yin energy—he was determined to claim them!
Meanwhile, Tomoko Suzuki continued observing Akashi.
The more she looked at him, the more she adored him.
What a cute child!
She couldn't help but think—if only he were my son!
On the other hand, Ran hesitated to say anything.
After all, Aunt Tomoko was not only an elder, but also a powerful businesswoman with an undeniable presence.
Besides…
It was clear that Aunt Tomoko had taken a liking to Akashi.
If she decided to look after him, then his future would be incredibly smooth.
Thinking about it this way, Ran felt a little conflicted—but she remained silent.
Meanwhile, Tomoko could barely contain herself anymore.
If this wasn't a formal occasion, she would have already scooped him up, cuddled him, and showered him with affection.
How could a child be this adorable?!
"Akashi, this is our first time meeting properly," Tomoko Suzuki said with a warm smile.
"It wouldn't feel right not to give you a small gift."
As she spoke, she slipped an emerald ring off her finger and handed it to Akashi.
Conan, watching from the sidelines, rolled his eyes.
Here we go again.
Here we go again!
Ran immediately panicked.
"Aunt Tomoko, this is too expensive! We can't accept this!"
"Akashi, you shouldn't either!"
But Tomoko simply chuckled.
"Why not?" she said lightly.
"This is my gift to Akashi."
"After everything that happened at the villa last time, I never even had the chance to properly thank him!"
"Besides, when an elder gives a gift, you shouldn't refuse!"
As she spoke, she took Akashi's small hand and slid the emerald ring onto his finger.
The moment her bare hands touched his, she noticed something—
His skin was unbelievably soft!
She didn't want to let go!
Ran wanted to protest again, but before she could say anything, Sonoko tugged on her sleeve.
"Ran, just drop it," she whispered.
"You know my mother—once she makes up her mind, there's no changing it."
"Besides… that ring isn't worth much anyway!"
Of course, that was a complete lie.
As the head of the Suzuki Foundation, Tomoko Suzuki had single-handedly brought the consortium to the top of the country.
Her accessories were a reflection of her status—if they weren't high-class, she'd be ridiculed by her peers.
Sonoko clearly remembered this emerald ring.
It had been purchased at a Christie's auction for over four million U.S. dollars—more than 600 million yen!
Yet, Sonoko had no objections to her mother giving such an expensive gift to Akashi.
On the contrary—
She was genuinely happy for him.