Chapter 400: Kuroba Toichi Isn't Dead?
Bourbon smoothly ignored the lethal undertone laced through Gin's words. He spread his hands in a gesture of helpless surrender, offering a perfectly crafted, apologetic smile. "It could not be helped. Business at the café was rather demanding today, and my shift only just ended. My workplace is situated directly beneath the Great Detective's office, you know. I was worried that requesting an abrupt leave of absence would arouse his suspicion. Besides, I am only a few minutes behind schedule. It is not as if I missed the meeting entirely."
"Exactly. Bourbon makes a fair point."
A cool, arrogant voice drifted from the corridor. Arriving just a single step behind the blond detective was Glenlivet. The Wanderer had timed his arrival to the exact second. He stood just over Bourbon's shoulder, his delicate features twisted into a mask of open disdain directed entirely at Gin. "Is arriving exactly on time not sufficient for you?"
Glenlivet did not wait for an answer. "It is just that someone's legs are clearly defective. They seem to forget how to walk the moment they reach a doorway. Why are you blocking the entrance?" He shot Bourbon a spectacular, theatrical roll of his eyes.
That single biting comment successfully shattered Bourbon's composure. Ever since learning about Glenlivet's tragic past back at the Jade Chamber, the undercover agent had harbored a tiny sliver of sympathy for the boy. Now, that sympathy evaporated instantly, replaced by the stark reminder of just how utterly obnoxious Glenlivet could be.
Glenlivet was not finished. He crossed his arms, his tone dripping with mockery. "Someone simply considers their little civilian part-time job slightly more important than the Organization's grand missions. As long as no actual time was wasted, it is fine. Gin, you are being entirely too petty."
A visible cross-shaped vein throbbed against Bourbon's temple. He forced his voice to remain steady. "I already explained myself. I was slightly delayed to avoid making Kogoro Mouri suspicious. If my memory serves me right, you do not currently have any active missions on your plate. So why did you arrive at the very last second? Could it be you are conducting extracurricular activities behind the Organization's back?"
What right did this brat have to act so sarcastic, especially when he had technically stepped up to the door a fraction of a second later?
"Hardly," Glenlivet replied, his expression a picture of composed indifference. "I simply had zero desire to arrive early and wait around for the rest of you. Looking at the current situation, it seems I possessed excellent foresight, did I not?" He cast a highly meaningful, sidelong glance at Bourbon.
Bourbon ground his teeth together. He opened his mouth to deliver a sharp retort.
A metallic click echoed through the dim hallway, instantly freezing the air.
"Enough. If you two intend to keep bickering like children, I do not mind permanently shutting your mouths for you." Gin sneered, his gloved fingers slowly stroking the cold barrel of the Beretta in his hand. His killing intent spilled outward, suffocating and heavy.
The silver-haired executive shifted his cold glare between the two men still lingering at the threshold. "Why are you still obstructing the doorway? Are you waiting for a formal invitation?"
"My point exactly. Someone clearly has trouble operating their own legs," Glenlivet muttered. He deliberately bumped his shoulder hard against Bourbon's side and strolled casually into the room.
Staring at the back of Glenlivet's head, Bourbon took a slow, deep breath to steady his racing pulse. He swallowed his irritation, remained silent, and followed the boy inside.
Watching the two finally exercise some tactical silence, Gin withdrew his icy gaze, a faint hum of satisfaction vibrating in his chest.
The interior of the safe house was shrouded in shadows, illuminated only by a few flickering overhead bulbs. Aside from the newly arrived duo, Gin, and his ever-present shadow Vodka, three other figures occupied the space. Vermouth leaned against the far wall, a cigarette dangling loosely from her lips. Beside her stood Cointreau and Camus, both of whom had recently returned from their excursion to the Jade Chamber.
Gin wasted no time on pleasantries. He turned his predatory gaze toward the intelligence gatherers. "Bourbon. Cointreau. The Boss has reviewed the intelligence you submitted regarding the assassin known as Spider. There is a specific detail that requires absolute confirmation. Are you certain that the original Kaitou Kid is the genius stage magician Kuroba Toichi, and that he was successfully assassinated eight years ago?"
Bourbon leaned against a nearby crate, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. "According to Spider's interrogation and the supplementary data I have gathered, that conclusion should be accurate."
After receiving the encrypted files forwarded by Ganyu, Bourbon had conducted a deep dive into the old news archives surrounding Kuroba Toichi's life and career. The timeline matched perfectly. The tragic stage accident that claimed Kuroba Toichi's life occurred during the exact same window of time that the original Kaitou Kid vanished from the public eye.
, observing Vermouth's exceptional skills over the years provided another crucial link. It was an open secret that Kuroba Toichi was a grandmaster of disguise and voice alteration, talents that perfectly overlapped with Kaitou Kid's seemingly supernatural evasion tactics.
Taking all the evidence into account, Bourbon was ninety percent certain that Spider's confession held the truth. Kaitou Kid was Kuroba Toichi. Or, at the very least, he was the man beneath the white top hat eight years ago.
Cointreau gave a slow nod, affirming Bourbon's assessment of the identity. However, his expression remained skeptical regarding the supposed death.
Vodka scratched the back of his neck, his brow furrowed in thought. "Wait a second. If Kaitou Kid has suddenly reappeared in the news lately, does not that mean the assassination was a bust? Kuroba Toichi is not actually dead, right?"
Gin shot Vodka a withering glare that instantly snapped the larger man's mouth shut. The executive then shifted his attention back to Cointreau, silently demanding the reasoning behind his skepticism.
"It is quite simple," Cointreau stated, his voice calm and measured. "I simply do not believe in the operational capabilities of that bizarre animal-themed syndicate."
Bourbon let out a low chuckle, unable to resist a jab. "Cointreau, your reasoning is entirely too subjective. I am afraid that will not be enough to convince anyone in this room."
Cointreau cast a flat look at the blond agent before elaborating. "According to Spider's own statements, the moment Kaitou Kid resurfaced, their organization also suspected that Kuroba Toichi had survived. In response, they dispatched their top operatives, Snake and Spider, to eliminate this newly emerged Kid."
Bourbon was already familiar with this segment of the intelligence. He chimed in, his tone laced with subtle amusement. "Yes. They made several attempts on his life and failed miserably every single time. They were completely outmaneuvered by a thief who does not even use lethal force, and their local branch was subsequently dismantled by the regular police."
Viewed through that lens, the actual combat strength of this so-called Zoo syndicate was laughable at best.
Cointreau nodded. ", based on Spider's confession and our own internal intelligence network, the current phantom thief is the second-generation Kid. He is incredibly young, likely only in his late teens. If that organization cannot even handle a high school student, I highly doubt they possessed the competence to successfully assassinate a vastly more experienced, first-generation Kid."
[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!]