Shrouded in thick smoke, Akashi's theft skill was being unleashed with relentless success!
Whenever he failed to steal the desired piece of jewelry, he simply cast his skill again and again on the same target.
With stacked probabilities, success was only a matter of time.
Thus, in the swirling haze—
On his left hand, dazzling jewelry materialized.
On his right hand, strips of underwear appeared!
Without hesitation, Akashi tossed the stolen underwear to the ground as if it were nothing more than garbage.
Thankfully, his summoned bandages ensured he never had to touch them directly.
Jewelry, however, was a different matter.
Each time he obtained an ancient treasure, he immediately began absorbing its Yin energy.
[Ding! Yin energy +100!]
[Ding! Yin energy +388!]
[Ding! Yin energy +240!]
The efficiency of his Yin energy absorption was astounding!
Every wisp of dark energy extracted from these artifacts thrilled him.
A deep sense of euphoria washed over him as his body and mind soared with vitality.
The mental power he expended while using his skills was instantly replenished by the influx of Yin energy.
Rather than feeling drained, he only grew more energized!
His condition was flawless.
And as his power swelled, so did the enchanting aura of the little succubus—his presence becoming more irresistibly captivating by the second.
Unfortunately, not every piece of jewelry worn by these wealthy socialites was an ancient treasure.
Many accessories were exorbitantly priced but ultimately modern creations—utterly devoid of Yin energy.
According to his Lv1 Treasure Phantom Skill, Yin energy could only be absorbed from items that had been preserved for a long time.
True treasures were rare.
Most of the wealthy ladies in attendance were adorned with modern pieces—expensive, yes, but useless to him.
A shame.
Even so, the ancient artifacts he did manage to extract Yin energy from were of no real use to him after that.
He discarded them without hesitation, tossing them to the ground like discarded batteries.
After all—
He was just a child.
He hadn't prepared a storage box for collecting treasures in advance.
There was no way he could carry them all.
Besides, once Yin energy had been drained from an artifact, it became worthless to him.
With just one-tenth of the absorbed Yin energy, his Treasure Phantom Skill allowed him to replicate the artifacts later if needed.
There was absolutely no need to hoard them.
And Sonoko had always been kind to him.
And though Mrs. Suzuki was a bit pretentious, she wasn't entirely unpleasant either.
Naturally, Akashi didn't want to cause too much trouble for them.
If he had truly robbed these ladies of all their jewelry, he could have walked away with a fortune.
But then, the Suzuki Foundation, which hosted the event, would be held responsible for the theft.
That would be unnecessary trouble.
Thus, Akashi wasn't greedy—
He was only after the Yin energy.
As he moved silently through the smoke, his hands flicked out with practiced precision.
Gems and underwear littered the ground in his wake.
And thanks to his bandage-wrapped hands, he left no fingerprints behind.
His speed accelerated.
Activating his Lv1 Cyclonus Skill, his agility soared to 13.4.
[Note: Cyclonus Lv1
Type: Active Skill
Effect:
Doubles your speed when activated.
If you're "driving a big car" (sexual activity with older women), your speed triples instead.
His hands moved at blinding speed.
Before long, every single woman in the venue had been relieved of their valuables.
A total of six to seven hundred pieces of jewelry passed through his fingers.
But among them—
Only fifty were genuine ancient treasures containing Yin energy.
A small fraction.
Yet, those fifty treasures were the crown jewels among them all.
And their Yin energy contribution?
A staggering 13,588 points!
An absolute windfall!
Akashi's total Yin energy surged to 33,972!
Considering he had spent over 8,000 points enhancing his skills just that morning—
This one operation had completely replenished his reserves.
It was more Yin energy than he would have gained from solving four murder cases!
As the realization sank in, Akashi's smile widened uncontrollably.
He was so overjoyed—
He couldn't even close his mouth!
Opportunities like this were rare!
It wasn't every day that so many wealthy ladies gathered in one place.
Akashi moved with lightning speed, sweeping through the venue with flawless precision.
But despite his efficiency, the inevitable happened—
The women began to notice.
"Ah! My Pink Star! Has anyone seen my necklace?"
"My earrings! Where are my Midsummer Eve earrings?"
"My necklace—my Sea-Blue Love! It's gone!"
Then—
"Damn it, Kidd! You even stole my underwear?!"
A woman's miserable wail pierced the air.
For a brief moment, the entire venue froze in stunned silence.
But then, in the next instant—
Screams erupted like a tidal wave.
"Ahhh!"
"Aaaaaah!"
"My underwear! My panties are gone!"
"Who—who did this?!"
"It must be Kidd! Who else could it be?!"
Hearing the rising commotion, Akashi calmly dispelled his bandages.
Though he had never actually touched any of the stolen fabric, he still picked up a bottle of expensive mineral water from the table and silently washed his hands.
Meanwhile, in the crowd—
A certain gentleman with his hands in his pockets—Kaitou Kidd—suddenly stiffened.
His expression shifted in an instant.
Wait… I haven't even acted yet?!
Why is there already chaos?!
What the hell is going on?!
How is someone getting robbed before I even make a move?!
And worse—someone was stealing underwear?!
What kind of ridiculous framing is this?!
Kidd's instincts told him something was seriously off.
But it was too late.
The entire venue had descended into panic.
The guests—wealthy, high-status individuals—began to lose their composure.
Listening to the increasingly frantic screams, watching the smoke spread throughout the hall—
They panicked.
These socialites valued their lives above all else.
One by one, they rushed toward the exit, desperate to flee.
Outside, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department had been ordered to guard the doors.
But the sheer force of the stampeding crowd was overwhelming.
In mere moments—
The doors burst open, and people flooded out in a frenzy!
Ginzo Nakamori, watching the chaos unfold, immediately grabbed his radio.
"Kidd has struck! I didn't expect him to use a fake distraction for the Dark Star—he was actually targeting the other ladies! How shameless!"
"Quickly! Officers, after those who just ran out! Don't let them escape!"
With that command, Ginzo led his team in pursuit.
The heavy doors swung open, the smoke began to clear—
And what was revealed left everyone utterly speechless.
The floor of the grand assembly hall was now littered with underwear of every color.
Among the scattered garments, gleaming treasures and dazzling jewelry lay abandoned.
Meanwhile, the women stood frozen in place—
Their expressions horrified, their bodies crouched in self-defense, too afraid to move.
Anyone who laid eyes on this scene…
Would be utterly dumbfounded.
Tomoko Suzuki, standing among the chaos, gulped audibly.
Instinctively, her hand reached for the Dark Star pendant resting on her collar.
Thankfully, it was still there.
But that simple movement—
Exposed her.
Kidd's sharp eyes locked onto her in an instant.
And then—
A middle-aged man in the crowd suddenly shrieked in terror.
"It's too much! It's terrifying! I want off this boat! I need to get off this boat!"
With that, he bolted toward the exit, his panic triggering a fresh wave of hysteria.
A group of guests immediately followed suit, fleeing without a second thought.
In their rush, the stampeding crowd crashed straight into Tomoko Suzuki, who had been standing in the middle.
"Ah!"
Tomoko lost her balance and tumbled to the ground!
Sonoko, Ran, and Kogoro immediately rushed to her aid, helping her back up.
But the moment she stood—
Her expression twisted in horror.
Her fingers scrambled at her collar.
The Dark Star…
Was gone.
"AHHHH!!!"
"MY DARK STAR!!!"
Shintaro Chaki's eyes flared with anger.
"It must have been someone in that second wave of people who ran out!"
He turned to his officers.
"The rest of you—after them! Don't let them escape!"
A fresh group of Metropolitan Police officers stormed out in hot pursuit.
Kidd had robbed the entire venue blind, scattered stolen goods all over the floor, and then—
Brazenly doubled back to steal the Dark Star right in front of the police.
Such audacity—such arrogance!
Every officer gritted their teeth in fury.
Their frustration burned so fiercely, they wanted nothing more than to catch this thief and beat him senseless.
And so—
Another wave of people stormed out into the night.