The entire sports arena seethed with noise. No one was shouting in particular, yet the countless voices overlapping into one another formed a rolling tide of sound.
People whispered among themselves, all eyes drawn to the glass cover draped in black cloth at the center of the soccer field—anticipation flickering in every gaze.
Heiji sat quietly in his seat like everyone else, his eyes fixed on the covered display, a deep, almost impatient expectation in them.
The cameras mounted all around the stadium rotated on a steady cycle, capturing Heiji and the others with crystal clarity.
Members of the Self-Defense Force monitoring the venue stared grimly at the surveillance screens. Their gaze swept across Heiji for only a heartbeat.
"Area B, no abnormalities."
The report crackled through the radio, and the feed immediately switched to another camera.
The instant the camera behind him moved away, a wicked curve lifted at the corner of Heiji's mouth.
Every twenty seconds, the cycle repeats… and there's a five-second lull over my area.
Meaning they only have me in their sights for about five seconds.
Without moving too obviously, he glanced up at the row of camera angles displayed on the large screens.
The ones that tilt up and down can see this section constantly… but they aren't locked onto me specifically.
Then his eyes caught the two Self-Defense Force members behind and to his left.
One on the left, one on the right—perfect coverage of this whole block.
Fingers never leaving the triggers. Ready to shoot at any moment.
His gaze slid to the right-rear. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold smile formed.
So it really is those two.
To the right-rear stood the very two Self-Defense Force members he had encountered earlier at the entrance.
"Do you feel like it's a bit cold?" one of them suddenly muttered, brow furrowing.
"Cold? I don't feel anything." The other shot him a strange look.
"Maybe it's just my imagination."
"Stay alert."
Neither of them had any idea what was about to happen to them.
Suddenly, the lights throughout the stadium flared brilliantly.
The harsh radiance made everyone instinctively squeeze their eyes shut.
Heiji's pupils contracted; a sharp glint flashed in the depths of his gaze.
In that instant of blinding light, four Self-Defense Force members dressed in white vanished from the soccer field as if they'd been erased.
A mechanism? High-tech? An optical illusion?
Heiji's eyes glittered as he ran through the possibilities. Outwardly, though, he remained as still and ordinary as everyone else.
This arena was built ages ago. I've been down on the field before—there were no traces of any mechanisms.
So it's not that.
As for high technology…
Heiji cast a discreet glance toward the field. Aside from the giant glass cover in the center, there was no one visible.
That cover should be bulletproof glass. And those uniforms didn't show anything unusual.
Current tech isn't enough to produce a true invisibility cloak.
Then it has to be an optical illusion.
After the quick analysis, Heiji settled on that conclusion.
The Yasakani no Magatama was a national-treasure-class necklace, but it still wasn't worth exposing genuine state secrets for.
So yes—an optical illusion.
Which meant those four Self-Defense Force members were still on the field, somewhere, right now.
BOOM——!!!
A commotion erupted through the arena, emotion surging like a wave. Every eye snapped forward.
Under countless stares, the black curtain was slowly drawn aside, revealing what lay within.
A necklace of emerald-green, crescent-moon-shaped gems hung around the neck of a life-sized female mannequin. The stones caught the light and flickered—deep green radiance scattering into bright specks beneath the stadium lamps.
The surrounding lights gradually dimmed, and the faint emerald glow of the Yasakani no Magatama bloomed more and more vividly.
That smear of green light swelled in everyone's pupils.
Soft exclamations of awe rippled through the crowd. Countless burning gazes converged on the necklace behind the glass—especially the women, as if their eyes had been magnetized and could no longer look away.
"Is that… the national treasure?" Kazuha murmured.
"So beautiful." Sonoko's eyes were wide, dazzled.
Eri Kisaki and Yukiko's eyes shone with an almost unreal brilliance; their lips parted slightly, faces full of wonder.
Gemstones—no matter a woman's age or status—had a way of drawing attention without exception.
The entire venue fell so quiet it felt like a needle could hit the ground and be heard.
Everyone was drunk on that rare radiance.
But not everyone.
The Self-Defense Force members' eyes grew even sharper, scanning ceaselessly through the stands. Their fingers were already curled on their triggers.
In a corner, one member lowered his head and raised his gun, aiming toward the curved dome overhead—
BANG!
With the shot, a cloud of white smoke exploded above the soccer field, swallowing the air.
"Alert!"
All Self-Defense Force personnel moved at once, sealing off every exit.
The arena stirred. Some people tried to stand—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A rapid series of shots cracked out, and the crowd instantly crouched back down, too frightened to breathe.
"Everyone, stay where you are. No movement is allowed in the venue. Anyone caught will be arrested on charges of stealing a national treasure."
A cold, hard voice boomed from the loudspeakers—serious enough to make skin prickle. It carried the unmistakable weight of someone who had killed.
Gunfire and that icy warning worked perfectly. No one dared to move.
Black spheres rolled out from nowhere, scattering through the stadium aisles.
"Down!"
The Self-Defense Force members' expressions changed at once; they hit the ground by reflex.
POOF! POOF!
The spheres burst, and thick white smoke surged outward, flooding the arena in the blink of an eye.
"No one is allowed to move, or you will be shot on the spot."
The crowd, just on the edge of panic, was forced back into stillness by the voice.
A Self-Defense Force member narrowed his eyes and suddenly lunged into the walkway.
"No. 35, what are you doing?"
Though the smoke wrecked visibility, every member wore a positioning device—red dots still moved across the monitors. One dot was racing fast.
"I've found a suspicious person."
A brief silence crackled through the radio.
"Are you Kaito Kid… or the Night Baron?"
No. 35 froze for a beat, then smiled with confidence. "Seems the Self-Defense Force is a bit smarter than the police. That Yasakani no Magatama—I, Kaito Kid, will be adding it to my collection."
"No. 10, No. 11, No. 12—move to Area A immediately. If you see Kaito Kid, fire on sight."
Kaito Kid's heart lurched. He yanked open the military uniform he'd been wearing, revealing a pure white evening suit beneath.
SWISH——!!!
He moved in a blur, sprinting straight toward the center of the field.
Wait—why aren't there any footsteps behind me?!
His expression changed. An ambush—on the soccer field.
But it was too late.
He'd already stepped onto the grass. The thick white fog wrapped around him, and a sudden chill of dread climbed his spine.
He could even hear the unmistakable sound of bullets being chambered.
I'm finished…
His face went bloodless.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Four gunshots tore through the fog—followed instantly by heavy thuds, bodies hitting the ground.