BWDC:SDDK Chapter 53: Batman's True Identity is Actually the Riddler!
Near the Tokyo Budokan.
The moment Ren Ichimonji stepped out of the car, a system light screen snapped open before his eyes.
His eyelid twitched instantly.
--- High Difficulty?
What did that mean? If a "Medium" difficulty referred to a threat involving multiple casualties, did "High" mean a threat of mass casualties?
Or perhaps he still hadn't quite grasped the system's criteria for evaluating public security missions.
However, if there really was a mass casualty threat unfolding, it definitely wasn't content from the TV episodes; it had to be from one of the movies. But if it were movie content, shouldn't he have at least some recollection of it?
Ren took the tracker out of his pocket once more.
It showed that Conan's position had already drifted away from the Tokyo Budokan area. The exact location was hard to determine at the moment, but based on the satellite maps of Tokyo he had studied in the early hours of the morning, Conan seemed to be heading toward a nearby commercial street.
"Wow, there really are so many people this time."
Sonoko, having just stepped out of the car, marveled at the diverse crowd—far larger than what usually gathered in this area.
"As expected, TWO-MIX is incredibly popular!" she exclaimed instinctively.
"Even the brats love them. After all, the Kamen Yaiba theme song is a masterpiece by TWO-MIX," she added.
Hearing this, Mouri Ran couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. Two days ago, when her father was bored and dug out a Kamen Yaiba DVD to watch, she had caught a faint strain of the theme song. At the time, she felt like she had heard it somewhere before; she hadn't expected it to be Takayama Minami's song as well.
Ran opened her handbag and checked its contents. Confirming her ticket was still there, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sonoko, Mr. Ren, shall we head over to the Budokan and wait for the ticket inspection? There's only about an hour left until the concert starts."
Ran's seat was not in the same row as Sonoko's and Ren's. She would be sitting further away, mostly to save herself the embarrassment of watching Sonoko use those "quotes" she claimed to be so familiar with. Even though Sonoko seemed thick-skinned, she still had her moments of shyness.
However, Ran's suggestion was met with silence from Ren. Both she and Sonoko looked up toward where he had been standing, only to find the spot empty.
Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko: "?"
Back at the East Tokyo Bank, they had already wanted to comment on how Ren walked with "silent steps." Now that it was happening again, they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Sonoko looked left and right, finding that Ren had vanished without a trace. Feeling a bit dejected, she muttered under her breath, "No way... Does he think I'm childish because I listen to the Kamen Yaiba theme...? Did he ditch the concert just to avoid sitting with me?"
"That's impossible," Ran said, shaking her head.
She remembered how Ren had displayed an extraordinary knowledge of Kamen Yaiba the previous night, leaving even the hardcore fan Honda Osamu speechless. How could someone who knew Kamen Yaiba like the back of his hand think it was childish?
Beep beep.
Sonoko's phone chimed with a notification. A bit grumpily, she pulled it out to see who was messaging her at a time like this. She was really not in a good mood.
[I will be back before the concert starts.] [Sender: Ren Ichimonji]
Sonoko: "?"
When did you save your number and contact name on my phone? Why didn't I notice at all!
"Eh, this is... Mr. Ren is truly amazing," Ran noted, equally surprised.
She thought back to what Conan had mentioned about Kaito Kid after she woke up.
--- Rumor had it that it was actually Ren who recovered the Black Star.
On the top deck of the Queen Selizabeth, Conan had only seen Ren; it was Ren who supposedly drove Kaito Kid away, though even Conan hadn't seen the actual confrontation with his own eyes.
Coincidentally, Inspector Nakamori, who had reportedly clashed with Kaito Kid many times, had straight up called Ren "Kaito Kid" at the scene! Now that Ren was showing off these god-like sleight-of-hand tricks...
Could it be...?
Ran and Sonoko looked at each other and said in unison, "Could Ren actually be Kaito Kid?!"
Batman's true identity is actually the Riddler!
No wonder this Batman is in Beika City instead of Gotham; he must have been kicked out of Gotham!!!
"What did you say?"
Inside a restaurant, Conan held the earring-style miniature cellphone to his ear.
While the Junior Detective League was completely distracted by Takayama Minami and the food, he covered the phone with his hand to muffle his voice and spoke to Ren.
"You suspect the Tokyo Budokan, or the members of TWO-MIX, are in danger? Is Takayama Minami or Nagano Shiina with me...?"
Conan instinctively glanced around. However, he didn't see Ren anywhere, and his heart skipped a beat.
Ren wasn't even at the scene—how did he know Takayama Minami was right there? Did this guy plant a camera on him or something?
Conan frowned, realizing the situation wasn't simple. He replied, "Takayama Minami is with me. What do you mean by 'danger'?"
On the other end of the line, Ren's voice sounded a bit unstable, as if he were moving at high speed. Still, Conan heard him clearly.
Coning cupped the earring-phone with his palm, looked up at Takayama Minami, and asked, "Ms. Takayama, why did you sneak out right when the concert is about to start? Is there a problem with the show, or has Nagano Shiina gone missing?"
Conan relayed Ren's questions directly. Honestly, though, he didn't think things would go in either of those directions. Sure, Ren always seemed to spawn wherever a violent incident was about to happen, but Ren wasn't even here. How could such a big problem occur by chance?
"...Little boy, you're quite sharp," Takayama Minami said, sounding surprised.
Her voice was identical to Conan's, giving him a disorienting sense that he was talking to himself.
She continued grumbling, "Yeah, it's because Shiina disappeared to who-knows-where, so I came out to find him. But it's not as serious as being 'missing,' right? I think he just went off somewhere nearby. I should be able to find him if I look around."
Conan: "?"
Huh? He really is missing?
Wait, if he's missing, you don't call the police or notify your manager—you just come out to look for him yourself? Knowing there's a problem but walking straight into a trap—that's what you call pure stupidity!
It's a good thing you're not a regular in Beika City; otherwise, you'd have seven or eight murderers and psychos spawning around you just like Yoko Okino!
"Really? Then leave it to us, the Junior Detective League!" Genta and the others cheered.
Conan: "?"
He turned to look at the members of the Junior Detective League, fell silent for a moment, and then fished out his own phone.
Better call the police first. Get Inspector Megure over here, and we'll talk once the police arrive.
If he let this bunch of "little geniuses" wander around with this "big genius" Takayama Minami, they'd likely cause a massive disaster!
--- Wait, Ren isn't at the scene and a problem already occurred.
Does that mean Ren isn't actually the mysterious factor that triggers incidents?
Conan hooked the earring-phone back onto his ear and dialed Inspector Megure, a thought suddenly crossing his mind.
Following the logic of controlled variables... could it be that the person truly unlucky enough to trigger incidents is actually...
The Junior Detective League!
Next time, I better not let the Junior Detective League come out for these random group outings. It's too dangerous!
End of Chapter
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