Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a dark-skinned young man standing there with a grin.
He had even put a lot of powder on his face, trying to make himself look fairer, but with little effect.
"Shi... Shinichi?" Ran and Sonoko were both stunned, then their eyes widened in disbelief.
They thought, "This... this must be Hattori Heiji?! What is he doing?!"
Conan, on the other hand, slapped his forehead, utterly speechless. "Heiji, that idiot... is this the leave it to me, I'll definitely sort it out for you plan he talked about on the phone last night?!"
He really fell for his trick, actually thinking he had some good idea.
Rin couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, finding the scene quite amusing.
Officer Nakamori scrutinized this Kudo Shinichi from head to toe, his brow deeply furrowed.
He had done his homework last night, specifically going back to carefully study Kudo Shinichi's photos.
He pulled out a clear photo of Kudo Shinichi and meticulously compared it to the Kudo Shinichi in front of him.
The more Officer Nakamori looked, the stranger his expression became.
He suddenly reached out and firmly wiped his thumb across the Kudo Shinichi's cheek, removing a large patch of foundation and revealing the healthy, dark skin underneath.
Officer Nakamori held up his powder-stained finger, then looked at the fair-skinned Kudo Shinichi in the photo, and asked in a deep voice, "Are you... really Kudo Shinichi?"
Hattori Heiji, with a thick skin, replied in his Osaka accent, "Yeah! I'm Kudo Shinichi!"
Officer Nakamori pointed at the photo, his tone full of suspicion, "Then why are you... so much darker than in the picture?"
Hattori Heiji's eyes flickered, and he forced himself to explain calmly.
"Ah... well, those are old photos! I was very fair back then! Recently... recently I went to Hawaii and got some sun, I specifically tanned myself like this!"
Officer Nakamori narrowed his eyes and threw out another fatal question, "Also, when I listen to you speak... why do you have such a strong Osaka accent?"
Hattori Heiji's heart skipped a beat, thinking, "I don't have an accent."
He became even more stubborn, "Accent? No! This is just how I speak! It's very standard! Definitely a standard Tokyo accent!"
He tried hard to squeeze out a few words in Tokyo dialect, but what came out still had a Kansai flavor.
Officer Nakamori crossed his arms, looking at this Kudo Shinichi full of flaws, his expression having changed from suspicion to Are you kidding me?
He didn't believe a word Hattori Heiji said and was about to give an order to apprehend this suspicious individual.
Rin stepped forward just in time.
"Hattori Heiji, my dear fellow,"
Rin clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, and wore a half-smile.
"When did you change your name to Kudo Shinichi, and even go out of your way to get a tan?"
"Ah?!"
Hattori Heiji stiffened all over, suddenly turning to look at Suzuki, his face etched with disbelief,
"You... how did you know I was Hattori Heiji?!"
He subconsciously touched his face and then looked at his reflection in the nearby glass.
"Shinichi and I look so much alike, I'm just a tiny bit darker.
And I specifically used my mom's foundation today, I was disguised perfectly. You could still recognize me?!"
"Please, who wouldn't be able to tell? Heiji, what exactly are you doing here today?" Sonoko asked exasperatedly, hands on her hips.
Since his name had been called out directly, Hattori Heiji knew the act couldn't continue.
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and let out two dry laughs, "Haha... so you all noticed."
He took a deep breath, quickly switched to a serious mode, and explained to Officer Nakamori.
"Officer Nakamori, here's the situation. I'm Hattori Heiji, a high school detective from Osaka.
Kudo Shinichi is a very good friend and rival of mine. He contacted me earlier, saying he suspected Kaito Kid might disguise himself as him to cause confusion.
But he himself couldn't get away due to an important case, so he specifically entrusted me to come here and help keep an eye on things at the scene, in case Kid tried any tricks."
As he spoke, to add credibility, he pulled Conan next to him, rubbed his head, and asked.
"Kid, isn't that what Shinichi told you? You know about this too, right?"
This charcoal head, he's acting on his own initiative, and now he wants to drag me into it.
Conan was a thousand times unwilling, but under everyone's focused gaze, especially Officer Nakamori's scrutinizing eyes, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and cooperate in a childish voice.
"Mm... Big Brother Shinichi did tell me that Big Brother Heiji was invited by him to help."
With Conan's corroboration, Hattori Heiji's words sounded much more reasonable.
Although Officer Nakamori still had doubts about Kudo Shinichi's absence, he at least temporarily accepted Hattori Heiji's reason for being there.
His attention returned to the most important suspect, Kuroba Kaito.
"Hmph, even if Kudo Shinichi has some suspicion, as it stands, you, Kuroba Kaito, are still the most suspicious!"
Officer Nakamori stared intently at Kuroba Kaito, following him almost step for step.
"Before Kid appears, you'd best stay honestly within my line of sight!"
Kuroba Kaito spread his hands innocently, "Officer Nakamori, I've told you how many times, how could I possibly be Kaito Kid! Do I look like the kind of thief who would play tricks and pretend?"
"Yes! Very much so!" Officer Nakamori said unequivocally.
Time passed by minute by minute, drawing closer to the 8 PM time Kaito Kid had announced.
The museum roof was once again surrounded by layers of police, and searchlights illuminated the night sky as if it were daytime. Suzuki Jirokichi had even mobilized all cameras, standing ready.
Just then, Kuroba Kaito's face suddenly showed a look of urgency and embarrassment. He clutched his stomach and said to Officer Nakamori:
"Um... Officer Nakamori, I... I really need to go, I want to use the restroom, I'll be right back!"
Officer Nakamori's eyes sharpened, staring at him like a hawk, "You want to go to the restroom? At a time like this? You wouldn't be trying to slip away, would you?"
"How could I!" Kuroba Kaito protested, "I really just need to use the restroom! I'll be right back! I promise!"
Officer Nakamori looked at his watch, then at Kuroba Kaito's expression, which looked like he was about to burst, and after a moment of thought, said sternly.
"Alright! I'll give you three minutes! You must be back here within three minutes! If you can't appear at the same time as Kaito Kid then, hmph, your suspicion of being Kid will greatly increase!"
"Understood! Understood! Three minutes is plenty! I absolutely couldn't be Kid!"
Kuroba Kaito nodded repeatedly, then quickly ran towards the restroom indicated inside the museum.
As soon as he was out of sight of Officer Nakamori and the others, Kuroba Kaito immediately ducked into an unoccupied fire escape, which was a blind spot for surveillance cameras.
He quickly pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and said with a hint of urgency, "Hello? Akako? Are you here yet? I don't have much time!"