Kaito Kid's tone shifted.
"Tonight was just a greeting, to familiarize myself with the venue. The real performance will begin promptly at 8 PM tomorrow night.
At that time, please make sure to have the real blue wonder ready, I wouldn't want to make a trip for nothing."
With that, he raised his hand again, and a smoke bomb fell at his feet.
"Boom!"
A larger cloud of smoke instantly enveloped the entire rooftop.
When the smoke was dispersed by the night wind, the rooftop was already empty, with only the giant sapphire sparkling under the lights.
Kaito Kid had vanished without a trace.
Only the stunned onlookers, the exasperated Officer Nakamori, a pensive Conan, and Sonoko, still captivated by the charm of Kaito Kid, remained.
"So handsome! As expected of Kaito Kid!" Sonoko cupped her face, her eyes sparkling, "Tomorrow! I must get the best spot tomorrow!"
As the police began to disperse the crowd, most of the onlookers gradually left, still wanting more.
"Come on, let's go find my uncle! He prepared so many cameras, maybe he caught something."
Sonoko was still excited from seeing Kaito Kid.
She linked one arm with Ran and pulled the other with Rin, eagerly heading towards the temporary command center in the museum.
Conan also followed closely with his short legs.
As they approached the brightly lit temporary command center, they heard the sounds of Officer Nakamori and Sonoko's uncle arguing from inside.
"Suzuki-san! Get a grip! You saw what happened tonight! Kaito Kid's methods are unpredictable!
For tomorrow night's official operation, all security work must be taken over by us, the police! Your flashy cameras and helicopters are completely useless!"
Suzuki Jirokichi retorted without backing down. "Officer Nakamori! You're the one who needs to get a grip! If it weren't for my hundred-plus high-definition cameras,
how could we have recorded Kaito Kid's movements so clearly? Tomorrow's showdown, the protagonists are me, Suzuki Jirokichi, and Kaito Kid!
The police only need to maintain order and prevent accidents!"
"What did you say?! This is contempt for the police!"
"I'm expressing doubt about certain people's ability to let Kaito Kid slip away every time!"
Seeing the two arguing fiercely, Sonoko quickly pushed the door open to mediate. "Uncle! Officer Nakamori! Please stop arguing!"
Seeing Sonoko and her group enter, Suzuki Jirokichi finally reined in his temper slightly, stroking his beard.
Officer Nakamori, meanwhile, huffed and puffed, crossing his arms and turning his face away.
Conan ignored the adults' argument, he was more concerned about Kaito Kid's last words before he left.
He looked up and asked in a childlike voice.
"Uncle Suzuki, Kaito Kid said at the end that you should prepare the real blue wonder tomorrow. What does that mean? Was the jewel on the rooftop tonight fake?"
Suzuki Jirokichi laughed heartily at this, squatting down to pat Conan's head.
"The little one is very perceptive! That's right, the one placed on the rooftop tonight was just a lifelike replica I commissioned!
Kaito Kid came tonight to scout the terrain and figure out my arrangements, and I, too, wanted to take the opportunity to probe his intentions and see what new tricks he had up his sleeve!"
He stood up, a triumphant smile on his face, and pointed to a computer connected to a large screen nearby.
"More importantly, I secretly installed several super cameras, custom-made at great expense, around the jewel.
I believe at such a close distance, Kaito Kid's face must have been captured!"
"What?!"
At these words, everyone present was shocked.
Officer Nakamori immediately leaned in, his eyes wide like brass bells. "Really? Let's see it quickly!"
Sonoko also clasped her hands excitedly. "Wow! Are we finally going to know Kaito Kid's true identity? He must be a super handsome guy!"
Ran and Rin also gathered around curiously.
Suzuki Jirokichi confidently operated the computer, projecting an extremely clear video clip onto the large screen.
The screen showed a close-up of Kaito Kid landing on the rooftop, approaching the jewel, and speaking to the camera.
With magnification and clarification techniques, the details of Kaito Kid's face under his monocle became increasingly clear.
Soon, a handsome young man's face appeared.
When that face was fully revealed, the room instantly fell into an eerie silence.
A moment later, an even louder gasp erupted.
Officer Nakamori pointed at the screen, his mouth wide open in surprise. "Kuroba Kaito?! It really is that kid! I've suspected it for a long time."
He seemed very familiar with this face.
At the same time, Ran and Sonoko exclaimed in unison: "Shinichi?!" "That arrogant deduction maniac?!"
Conan, moreover, felt as if he had been struck by lightning, he was completely distraught.
How could this be?!
That face was clearly what I looked like before I shrunk!
Why would Kaito Kid disguise himself as me? Is he trying to frame me?!
Sonoko recovered from her initial shock, a look of extreme disappointment on her face.
"What... After all this, Kaito Kid is actually Kudo Shinichi, that deduction maniac?
No, no! That's impossible! Kaito Kid is so romantic and elegant, how could he be that guy who's always involved in murder cases! It must be fake! It's a disguise!"
Officer Nakamori was confused. He looked at the screen, then at Ran and Sonoko's varied reactions.
"Wait... what are you talking about? Kudo Shinichi? I clearly see Kuroba Kaito from Ekoda High School!
I've been watching him for a long time... Hmm? Could it be..."
He also realized that Kaito Kid's specialty was disguise, and this face was very likely a masquerade.
Ran explained to Officer Nakamori. "Officer Nakamori, Kudo Shinichi is a high school detective our age. The face on the screen is indeed identical to Shinichi's."
Sonoko added. "He's that high school detective where a murder case happens wherever he goes!"
Officer Nakamori stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"Kudo Shinichi... Kuroba Kaito... Do the two of them look so alike? Or is this a deliberate disguise by Kaito Kid?"
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Ran and Sonoko,
"Regardless, this is an important clue.
Tomorrow night, to rule out suspicion, it's necessary to have both of them present.
Can you contact Kudo Shinichi? I'll go find Kuroba Kaito.
Then, if both of them can appear at the same time as Kaito Kid, their suspicions will naturally be cleared. If someone is absent..."
A sharp glint flashed in Officer Nakamori's eyes, "Then that person will be the most suspicious!"
At this moment, Rin, who had been observing, lightly tapped her chin with her index finger, a playful smile on her face, and said in a slightly teasing tone.
"Oh~ So, that Kudo Shinichi has been missing for so long, without any news... Could it be that he changed careers to become Kaito Kid? The timing seems to match quite well, actually."
"That's impossible!"
Ran immediately retorted, her tone firm,
"Shinichi is still in contact with me, and he's so righteous, how could he become a thief!"
Sonoko was displeased at once, putting her hands on her hips and retorting to Ran.
"Ran! Kaito Kid isn't just any ordinary thief! He's a phantom thief, a magician under the moonlight!
And haven't you noticed, every time Kaito Kid appears, no murder cases happen nearby!
He's like an envoy of peace, much better than a famous detective who brings death wherever he goes!"
Sonoko's remarks made Conan quite speechless.
He furiously complained internally. Hey, hey... Don't make it sound like I'm the murderer.
Officer Nakamori interrupted the girls' argument.
"Alright! Arguing about this now is meaningless. I will bring Kuroba Kaito before 8 PM tomorrow night.
As for Kudo Shinichi, I'll leave it to you to find a way to contact him. No matter what, this time we must uncover Kaito Kid's true identity!"