The Pirated Onmyoji of the Detective World

Page 132

"So that's how it is!" Ran stroked her chin, as if suddenly realizing something. "So, the real identity of Phantom Thief Kid is that magician, Mr. Sanada!"

Conan changed his posture and continued to control the soccer ball, while denying Ran's point of view: "That's not true, because I've been observing carefully, and that person never even got close to Mrs. Suzuki."

"Then who could he be?" Perhaps because Conan denied her speculation, Ran looked a little unhappy.

"Isn't there another person? He also shuffled that deck of cards, and while shuffling, he secretly hid one card, pasted the message on it, then hid the card in his palm, and finally pretended to pull the card out again!"

Conan suddenly stepped on the soccer ball, and with a glint of light from his glasses, he laughed and said, "Isn't that right, Ran-neechan... oh, no, I should say Phantom Thief Kid!"

Ran's pupils suddenly contracted as she watched Conan's confident back.

“That’s right. The reason you were able to impersonate Xiaolan was because you took advantage of the time when Xiaolan left the venue looking for me and replaced her identity. That’s truly remarkable. I didn’t even notice it at first.”

Conan turned around and looked at the "Ran" in front of him, and continued, "After you became Ran, you not only used the comments to shake everyone's confidence, but also used the explosion of the Black Pearl to cause chaos. Finally, taking advantage of the chaos at the scene, and while helping Mrs. Suzuki up after she fell, you stole the real Dark Star from her!"

"Ugh! Stop joking, Conan! I don't even know which one is the real Black Pearl! Besides, I haven't received any hints at all," Ran retorted with a laugh.

"Hmph." Conan snorted. "You don't need any hints to know, because you noticed that Mrs. Suzuki specifically wore gloves before pinning that pearl on. The main component of pearls is calcium carbonate, which is very susceptible to acid corrosion. If it comes into contact with oil from fingers, the surface of the pearl will become acidic, causing it to lose its original luster. The fact that Mrs. Suzuki solemnly used gloves to retrieve the Dark Star already tells you the answer! Moreover, how could Mrs. Suzuki possibly hand over such a precious treasure to just anyone!"

(Upon hearing this, Tomoko Suzuki smiled mysteriously.)

At this moment, looking at the brat in front of her, Xiaolan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, but she still tried her best to argue: "Just based on these few points..."

"No, of course there are other reasons. The conversation between Aragaki-nii and Masami in the banquet hall gave me a clue—the luster of a pearl lasts for at most a few decades. Since Dark Star was a pearl bought sixty years ago, its luster would naturally have dimmed. This also corresponds to the style of the black pearl that Mrs. Suzuki was wearing at the time."

Xiaolan had a bad feeling at this moment. She knew that she probably couldn't keep her current identity: "But the dark star in the museum had a very good glow back then!"

As soon as Ran finished speaking, she saw Conan looking at her with a half-smile: "So you knew back then that the Dark Star in the museum was fake, otherwise, why would you have specifically left the words 'real Dark Star' in the notice you left behind?"

"Hehehe..." Hearing Conan's accurate reasoning, Ran could only manage an awkward smile.

Kaito Kid couldn't understand why, ever since he boarded the ship, he had been searching for the guy who somehow knew his true identity, only to have his true identity revealed by this elementary school student who called himself a "detective" and whom he had met briefly on the rooftop of the Beika Municipal Hotel.

"Damn~"

Kaito Kid gritted his teeth secretly, until he noticed the internal telephone on the wall of the server room. Then, a thought struck him, and he walked towards the phone: "Alright then, since you suspect me so much, Conan, I guess I'll just have to call the police!"

Just as he was about to pick up the phone receiver, the soccer ball at Conan's feet shot towards him, completely destroying the internal telephone on the wall.

"Huh!?" Looking at the smoking telephone on the wall, Kaito Kid's heart suddenly clenched.

How...how terrifying!

For some reason, Kaito Kid felt a strange background music playing from Conan.

"I, Conan, won't let you use the same method as last time to sneak into the police and escape again, Phantom Thief Kid!"

Chapter 157 What? You were the one who carried Xiaolan out?!

"Besides, is this the kind of vulgar trick you only use to bring people here?" Conan's power-enhancing shoe, which was standing on the rebounding soccer ball, was crackling with electricity, ready to kick the ball at Kaito Kid at any moment. "I'm on high alert, and to show my respect for an artist like you who single-handedly barges into a crime scene, I'm specially prepared for a one-on-one showdown with you."

Ran looked at Conan, who was full of fighting spirit, narrowed her eyes, and didn't say anything.

"However, most outstanding artists only become famous after they die. I'll make you a legendary thief, Phantom Thief Kid! You're about to enter that tomb in the prison."

"Hmph, I'm really impressed with you!" The "Ran" in front of Conan raised her hands and spoke in her original voice, "So, the package in my clothes, was it you who put it there, little brother?"

"Huh? What package?" Conan suddenly paused, wondering why Kaito Kid had suddenly brought up the note. "Don't try to distract me with something so useless, Kaito Kid. You can't escape."

Kaito Kid looked at Conan in surprise. From Conan's bewildered expression, Kaito Kid could tell that he was not lying.

It seems that the guy who knows my true identity isn't this somewhat formidable kid in front of me!

"Damn it, who is that guy?" Faced with this completely clueless situation, Phantom Thief Kid couldn't help but feel a little flustered, but he didn't show it on his face and maintained a calm and composed expression.

The most important thing for him right now is to get away from this brat in front of him.

Seeing the soccer ball poised at Conan's feet, Kaito Kid's eye twitched involuntarily. He knew without even trying that if he were hit by it, it would definitely not be a pleasant experience.

"There's no other way, it seems I'll have to give up on this pearl." Kaito Kid reluctantly took out the Dark Star wrapped in a handkerchief from his chest, and at the same time, he naturally picked up the pearl, glanced at it in the light, and was about to toss it to Conan.

However, this one glance actually made Kaito Kid freeze for a moment.

"This, how is this possible!" A storm raged within him. "Who is it? And when did this happen!"

Kaito Kid's expression suddenly changed, but he quickly returned to normal.

Under Conan's puzzled gaze, Kaito Kid smiled and tossed the pearl wrapped in a handkerchief into his hand.

"Interesting, very interesting indeed. It seems that today, I've encountered more than just you, Detective Kid, as my opponent!"

Kaito Kid's face showed an excited expression.

He had a deep feeling that this was definitely the work of the guy who shoved the package into his clothes.

"Oh, by the way, detective kid, remember to pass on a message to Mrs. Suzuki, saying that I'm very sorry for ruining her party."

"Hmph!" Conan caught the pearl that Kaito Kid threw to him, carefully stuffed it into his jacket pocket, and looked at Kaito Kid with a cold smile, saying, "What's the use of saying all this now? You don't think I'm going to let you escape from here, do you?"

"Oh! I almost forgot." Kaito Kid seemed to suddenly remember something, looking down at his evening gown, and said, "I borrowed the clothes from that girl and left her to sleep alone in the lifeboat."

Because Kaito Kid suddenly changed the subject, Conan, who hadn't reacted yet, looked up in confusion.

"Little brother, if you don't go find her soon, that girl might catch a cold! After all, I'm a perfectionist, and I won't overlook any detail when I'm disguised."

While talking to Conan, Kaito Kid removed his disguise.

"!!!"

When Conan noticed the underwear that Kaito Kid had pulled out of his tuxedo, he was completely stunned.

Conan finally understood why Kaito Kid told him to hurry up and go find Ran.

"Ran... she's like this now! Damn it!" Conan couldn't help but picture Ran lying naked in the life raft.

Just as Conan was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Kaito Kid seized the opportunity to quickly throw out a flashbang.

"Damn it! Phantom Thief Kid, where do you think you're going to run to!"

Once Conan's eyesight returns to normal, he can no longer see Kaito Kid in the computer room.

Only one of the machine room doors was open and still swaying slightly. Just as Conan was about to follow it out, he discovered Ran's evening dress and underwear that Kid had left on the ground.

"Damn it!" Conan glanced again at the direction Kid had fled, hesitated for a few seconds, and then gave up on chasing after Kid.

After cursing angrily, he decisively picked up his clothes from the ground and ran towards the life rafts on the cruise ship.

……

Conan ran frantically on the deck of the cruise ship, clutching Ran's clothes, but couldn't find Ran anywhere. He could only see scattered police officers searching for Kaito Kid.

"Ran! Where are you?!" Conan kept checking the location of every life raft on the cruise ship, extremely anxious, fearing that something might have happened to Ran.

But after searching almost everywhere, we still found nothing.

"Conan? So you're here. But what are you doing sneaking around here?" Just as Conan was in a panic, Aragaki Yu's voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Aragaki...brother?" Conan, who was lost in thought, was startled when he noticed Aragaki Yu suddenly appearing behind him, and almost jumped up from the spot.

"Brother Aragaki, hurry, hurry and find Ran-neechan! It turns out that the Ran-neechan who appeared in the banquet hall was actually Kaito Kid in disguise! Now, we don't know where Kaito Kid has hidden the real Ran-neechan!"

The situation was urgent, so Conan didn't hesitate and immediately told Aragaki Yuu about the current situation in a few words.

However, upon hearing Conan's words, Yuu Aragaki showed no sign of anxiety. Instead, he grabbed Conan, who was about to turn and run away to continue searching for Ran.

"Wait a minute, Conan!"

Conan, who had just taken a step, was pulled back by Yuu Aragaki and almost fell to the ground.

The urgency of the situation, coupled with Conan's anxious mood, led him to express some dissatisfaction with Aragaki Yu's attitude: "Aragaki-nii! Why are you holding me back! If we don't find Ran soon, it'll be too late!"

"Wait a minute! I was just about to tell you about this!"

Aragaki Yu's words caused Conan, who was struggling in Aragaki Yu's hands, to freeze.

"Xiao Lan has been found!"

"Huh?" Conan turned around in surprise to look at Aragaki Yu, who was still tugging at his collar. "What? It's...it's already been found!"

“Yes!” Aragaki Yu nodded.

"That's good!" He finally breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Ran had found Conan for him.

Yuu Aragaki explained to Conan, "When I came out to look for Kaito Kid, I happened to find Ran unconscious in the life raft, so I carried her out."

"It's all thanks to you, Aragaki-nii-san! If it weren't for you finding Ran-neechan, and her... wait?!" Conan, who had just relaxed, suddenly felt his heart jump again, his eyes widening like saucers. "Aragaki-nii-san, you said it was you... who carried Ran out!?"

Chapter 158 Conan! You...

"Yes, that's right. Is there a problem, Conan?"

Yuu Aragaki glanced at Conan with a puzzled look, and only then did he notice the clothes Conan was holding in his hands, and instantly understood what was going on.

This is probably because of that little joke that Kaito Kid and Conan played.

"Hehe, as expected of brothers!" Aragaki Yu couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

The thought of Ran lying naked in the life raft being carried out by Aragaki Yu made Conan feel as if something had been added to his head. He anxiously and angrily shouted at Aragaki Yu, "This...this! How could you just carry her out like that!"

Seeing Conan's obvious jealousy, Yuu Aragaki couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, but on the surface he feigned a blank expression: "Why can't I take Ran out?"

Before Conan could reply, Aragaki Yu released his grip on Conan's collar and continued, "But speaking of which, when I pulled Ran out of the life raft, she immediately woke up. As soon as she heard me say that you were with that Phantom Thief Kid who was impersonating her, she rushed off to find you in a panic. Strange, didn't you run into her? Ran is really something, she doesn't even care about her own health for you."

"What?!" Upon hearing Aragaki Yu's words, Conan was completely petrified. His face turned bright red, and he simply couldn't imagine Ran running wildly on the cruise ship without any clothes on.