Chapter 2: The Fake and the Real
The moment the short-haired girl opened her mouth, Hikigaya lost all interest in speaking.
From the girl's nearly fanatical attitude and high-pitched emotions, Hikigaya confirmed that "Kaito Kid" wasn't some event code name, but an actual person. Furthermore, he was likely quite handsome and popular with young girls.
To Hikigaya, the girls before him truly deserved the label "little girls." Although the short-haired girl started off acting defensive, Hikigaya quickly realized it was a facade; as long as you hit her conversational trigger, she became incredibly enthusiastic.
Kaito Kid was that trigger.
Thus, the scene quickly turned into Hikigaya helplessly watching the girl recount Kaito Kid's exploits with sparkling eyes.
In truth, did she even need to explain? Hikigaya scanned them with his "Solar Eyes," and the lives of the three people before him became clear at a glance.
The long-haired girl was Ran Mouri, the short-haired one was Sonoko Suzuki, and the little boy was Shinichi Kudo—currently using the alias Conan Edogawa...
Hikigaya had only one thing to say about this:
'Zaimokuza how may crossover do you want to add!!!'
But that was the extent of it. Because... after observing for a while, Hikigaya saw that Shinichi Kudo was indeed a normal human. As for settings like a "Reaper Halo," if such a thing existed, it had nothing to do with divinity.
This process, from beginning to end, took only a few seconds. The trio didn't even realize a "world-class scanner" was standing right in front of them.
"An excellent explanation. I think I understand now. Sorry for disturbing you all." After thanking the three, Hikigaya turned and left.
It was almost time; he had to meet up with Alexander. Following their agreement, he walked beneath the statue of Ryoma and began to wait.
Soon, Alexander—wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase—emerged from the corridor.
"Hikigaya-kun." Alexander maintained a polite smile, walked to the base of the Ryoma statue, and shook Hikigaya's hand.
Unfortunately, Hikigaya was wearing casual clothes today, which didn't quite match Alexander's business style.
"Call me Hachiman. My friends do," Hikigaya said, releasing his hand and glancing at the venue filled with Kid fans. "Are you sure what you're looking for is here?"
"That's what the intelligence says," Alexander replied. "Sakamoto Ryoma is a hero of this country and a swordsman. He used countless blades in his life and reportedly came into contact with a special ancient sword. Perhaps we will find a clue here."
"I think that's unlikely. I've looked around; everything here is a fake," Hikigaya shrugged.
He spoke in a normal tone, so he was overheard by someone nearby.
"Young man, you have quite an eye." A wealthy-looking old man in a white suit happened to pass by Hikigaya and Alexander, offering a word of praise upon hearing the remark.
In contrast, the two people behind him looked displeased, but they seemed to value the old man's attitude and didn't comment on Hikigaya's words.
"Indeed, everything here is a fake," the old man chuckled. "If you want to see the real deal, you have to go to our family's museum."
"How should I address you, elder?" Hikigaya asked.
"Suzuki Jirokichi." The old man simply stated his name, laughed heartily, and walked away.
Alexander, who had remained silent, turned to look at the name on the white cloth at the ticket booth and asked Hikigaya: "He must be referring to the Suzuki Museum."
"Probably. Didn't he say 'his family's'? Anyway, do you still want to look?" Hikigaya asked indifferently.
He saw Ran Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, and Kudo... or rather, Conan, returning to the hall. Sonoko Suzuki quickly clung to Suzuki Jirokichi, pestering him about when Kid would show himself.
"Even if they are replicas, they are worth a look," Alexander said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "By the way, I heard when I arrived that there is a phantom thief here named Kid who seems very popular."
"Whatever works for you..." Hikigaya truly couldn't muster any interest. He turned toward the weapon display area.
He first walked to the replica of the famous sword Mumei Tosa Yoshiyuki. This sword was rumored to be a family heirloom passed down through the Sakamoto family for generations, given to Ryoma by his sister, Sakae, on the night he decided to defect from his clan. Hikigaya remembered that after giving him the sword, Ryoma's sister committed suicide. The authentic version should be in the Kyoto Museum.
Alexander followed beside Hikigaya, carefully examining every replica blade. Aside from long swords like the Tosa Yoshiyuki, there were also ordinary tachi and other blades. Alexander looked at each one seriously, not treating them lightly just because they were fakes.
Soon, the scene became one where Alexander did the looking while Hikigaya just tagged along.
Suddenly, Alexander stopped in his tracks and beckoned Hikigaya over. Hikigaya walked over and found a replica of a long, straight sword. The blade had no curve; it was long and straight. The style of the hilt and guard was similar to ancient Chinese swords (jian). Both the sword and scabbard were black—at first glance, it looked like a dark rod.
Notably, on the guard—the part connecting the hilt and the blade—there was a fairly large bead embedded. Since it was a replica, the "bead" was just a glass marble.
Hikigaya stared at it for a while, thinking the sword looked quite flashy. If it were real, it probably had a piece of jade embedded there.
"This should be the one," Alexander said. "The appearance is very similar."
"Similarity is useless," Hikigaya reminded him. "You've never seen what the real one looks like."
Whether by coincidence or not, Suzuki Jirokichi happened to wander past the two Campiones again.
"Old Man Suzuki," Hikigaya called out to him.
Suzuki Jirokichi, who was drifting through the hall like a wandering spirit, stopped and realized it was a familiar face. "You're still here," he said.
"Yeah. I wanted to ask—where can we see the real version of this sword?"
"At the Suzuki Museum, of course." Suzuki Jirokichi looked quite smug. "There is no such thing as a 'fake' in the Suzuki family collection."
His pride was evident. Hikigaya glanced at Alexander and immediately knew what he was thinking. Whether there was a "Kid" involved or not, they definitely had to check out this Suzuki Museum.
"Con... Consultant!" Someone suddenly ran up from behind, looking very hurried.
"What is it?"
"We found this in the mailbox just now!" The person handed a letter to Suzuki Jirokichi. After opening it, the old man's expression turned sour.
"It's a notice from Kid!" Handing the letter to the police officers who arrived at the news, Suzuki Jirokichi's eyes burned with anger. "He says he will come to return the old items before the museum closes tomorrow night at 8:00 PM, and perform a brand new 'baptism' in the name of Sakamoto Ryoma... Utterly nonsensical!"
Hikigaya and Alexander exchanged looks once again.
"Hachiman, this sounds quite interesting," Alexander chuckled softly. "I didn't expect to encounter the 'Magician-san' that Kara likes so much here."
"It's alright, I guess. Though 'magic' here isn't the same as our 'Magecraft'," Hikigaya rubbed his chin. "You're not planning to just steal the item, are you?"
"No, I will negotiate with Mr. Suzuki first... By the way, Hachiman? Does this Suzuki family have any connection to you?"
"None. Why?"
"Oh, then it doesn't matter."
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