Chapter 373: The Jet-Black Mysterious Train 15
"What is the plan?" Toru Amuro asked. He had just finished directing the last of the panicked passengers toward the safer carriages. Wiping a smudge of soot from his cheek, he turned back to see Conan, Natsume, and the others lingering near the sealed compartment. As he approached, the tail end of their conversation drifted over the ambient noise of the train—they were actually plotting to release Kaitou Kid.
Natsume crossed her arms, her expression entirely serious. "It is simple. If we cannot open the door, we just break it down."
If a problem refused to be solved through conventional logic, her philosophy was to simply eliminate the problem itself.
Conan opened his mouth, his eyes widening at the sheer absurdity of the suggestion. A sharp retort sat on the tip of his tongue, but a sudden flash of Natsume's past physical feats crossed his mind. He slowly closed his mouth, swallowing his objections.
Amuro cast a subtle, sidelong glance at the blonde girl. Was Cointreau's sister really this reckless?
"Then how exactly do you plan to do this?" Conan asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Natsume did not offer a verbal explanation. Instead, she shifted her gaze to Shikanoin Heizou. The young detective caught her eye, the corners of his lips curving upward as he gave a firm nod of understanding.
Stepping up to the jammed carriage door, Natsume planted her feet and began to count down. "Three, two, one."
On the final syllable, Natsume and Heizou moved in perfect synchronization. They drove their legs forward, delivering a devastating, simultaneous kick to the center of the metal barrier.
A deafening crash echoed through the corridor. The heavy door, previously wedged tight by the mechanism, buckled under the sheer kinetic force. Its hinges shrieked before snapping entirely, sending the metal slab slamming onto the floorboards.
The violent collapse of the door sent a rush of air into the confined space, churning the thick, gray smoke that had gathered inside.
Through the hazy, swirling veil of ash, a tall silhouette gradually became visible. Standing casually by the window, draped in a pristine white cape and a matching top hat, was the phantom thief himself.
"Do all phantom thieves have some kind of one-click outfit change superpower?" Paimon floated out from behind Natsume, waving her small hands to clear the smoke away from her face. "Where on earth did he even hide those clothes? And how does he still have the mood to play dress-up while locked in a burning room?"
Natsume sighed, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "I have no idea what goes on in his head. Also, the door is wide open now. Why is he just standing there?"
Paimon tilted her head, thoroughly puzzled. "Is he striking a pose? Hmm..."
Before the floating guide could finish her thought, the thief finally moved.
Kaitou Kid stepped forward, entirely unhurried. Each stride was measured, elegant, and brimming with an infuriating level of confidence. He glided through the billowing smoke until he stood directly in front of Natsume. Without a moment of hesitation, he dropped to one knee, bowing his head like a devout knight presenting himself to royalty.
When he looked up, a bright red rose had materialized between his gloved fingers. He offered the vibrant bloom toward her with a gentle flourish.
"Kind lady, thank you for saving this humble knight trapped under the lock and key of a cruel mechanism," Kid murmured, his voice smooth and theatrical. "Please allow me to offer my most sincere and passionate gratitude with this rose, full of deep affection and thanks."
'That looks exactly like a marriage proposal,' Paimon muttered loudly.
Natsume forced herself to ignore both the floating companion's commentary and the crimson flower hovering inches from her face. She looked down at the kneeling thief with a deadpan stare. "In case it slipped your mind, I am the one who locked you in there to begin with. And..."
Before Natsume could finish her sentence, Heizou stepped forward, completely cutting her off.
The faint, playful smile that usually rested on the young detective's lips had vanished without a trace. In its place was a chilling, hardened glare.
"A knight? You are nothing but a frivolous thief." Heizou narrowed his eyes, his voice dripping with undisguised mockery and hostility. "It really would be more appropriate for you to just perish in the sea of fire. After all, for a habitual criminal, such an end might actually be a form of release."
Without warning, Heizou lunged, swinging a fierce, calculated punch aimed squarely at the thief's jaw.
Kid reacted instantly, leaping backward with nimble grace. The fist sliced through the empty air where his face had been a fraction of a second prior.
"I was simply expressing my gratitude to the lady who played a part in my rescue," Kid said, his tone light despite the sudden attack. Internally, he made a mental note to avoid crossing paths with this particular girl ever again; she was a magnet for highly unpredictable, dangerous situations.
"In any case, thank you all. Especially for the help of the little detective who thought of me first." Kid flashed a quick wink in Conan's direction. "Until we meet again."
With a sharp swirl of his cape, his white-clad figure stepped backward, melting effortlessly into the dense wall of smoke. Within seconds, he was gone entirely.
No one made a move to chase him.
"The smoke is getting too thick. We need to leave, now," Amuro instructed, his tone shifting back to urgent authority.
They moved quickly down the corridor. As the last person crossed the threshold into the next section of the train, Car No. 8 fell completely silent. The only thing left behind in the creeping haze was the lifeless body resting on the floor of Room B.
Several carriages ahead, the atmosphere was equally tense, though entirely devoid of smoke. Vermouth stood tall, her gun leveled steadily at Yukiko Kudo. With her free hand, she pulled up the tracking software on her terminal. Her sharp eyes scanned the glowing screen, but her expression darkened a fraction of a second later. The unfamiliar blip that had intruded upon her original carriage was moving away, leaving alongside the signal belonging to Masumi Sera.
Yukiko noticed the subtle shift in the blonde woman's demeanor. "Sharon, did you not just boast that your plan was going perfectly? Why the long face all of a sudden?"
Vermouth ignored the teasing lilt in her old friend's voice. She tapped the screen, dialing Cointreau's secure line. The moment the call connected, her irritation bled into her words. "Hey, Cointreau. Have your skills regressed? Someone was snatched right out from under your nose."
Cointreau's voice filtered through the speaker, chillingly calm and entirely unbothered. "There was no need to keep Shuichi Akai's sister."
Vermouth opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but Cointreau spoke again, delivering a piece of information that made her grip on the terminal tighten until her knuckles turned white.
"Sherry will not be showing up today," Cointreau stated flatly. "You can check that girl's location for yourself. She is still with your Angel."
The line went dead with a sharp click.
Vermouth immediately refreshed the tracking software. Just as he had said, the blinking dot representing Ai Haibara remained firmly planted right next to Ran Mouri's signal.
Her eyes narrowed at the screen. What exactly was going on here? Since when did Sherry become so composed in the face of death?
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]