The Sky Lady was a gemstone set into a ring, glowing in shades of blue and violet.
Looking closely, the inside of the gem flowed like a nebula. This gem wasn't just some lifeless mineral.
"So beautiful!"
"Uncle found it during an expedition in South America," Sonoko explained. "Gorgeous, right? They say it originally belonged to a noblewoman during the Age of Exploration. That's why it's called the 'Sky Lady'."
But Conan wasn't in the mood to admire the gem. He was watching the surrounding police. Inspector Megure and the team from the First Investigation Division were here, the ones who handled serious crimes. That confirmed it—Kaitou Kid had been framed. Now he was officially blacklisted as a criminal.
If the police caught Kid now, it would be on murder charges.
But Conan knew Kid wasn't the one who did it. If it had been someone else, Conan would've already told the police. But after experiencing what it felt like to lose Ran, something changed inside him. A weakness had taken root.
Just like Darth Vader. He was once a great Jedi Knight, but because he couldn't save his mother, he eventually fell to the dark side. His mother was the person he loved most, and in the end, he had to watch her die helplessly.
When someone you love dies right in front of you and there's nothing you can do, that kind of despair—Conan had felt it too. He came so close to falling like Darth Vader. His gun had already been aimed at Kid. In the end, it was Officer Satou who saved him.
From that angle, Conan owed Satou a debt. So helping her cover things up felt right.
As for Satou, who had killed someone, both Kid and Conan had helped her bounce back. She seemed to have the courage to face a brighter future now.
"Inspector Megure, isn't theft usually handled by the Second Investigation Division?" Mouri asked curiously.
"Mouri, there are special circumstances. Anyway, from now on, we'll be in charge of all cases involving the phantom thief," Megure replied. The truth about Kid shooting the bomber hadn't been released to the public yet. Megure couldn't tell Mouri everything. Even though they were friends, Mouri wasn't part of the force.
"But this time, Kid's really in for it. The Suzuki family isn't bluffing about their resources," Mouri said. "Fingerprint scanners, electric defenses, even trap floors. Sheesh, I'm starting to feel bad for the guy."
"Mouri, there's nothing about that thief to feel sorry for," Megure said firmly.
"Inspector Megure?" Mouri raised an eyebrow. The cops were acting weird today. He leaned over to Takagi and whispered, "Hey, Takagi, did the inspector eat something bad?"
"No, Mouri-san. Maybe he's just in a bad mood today."
Really? Well, Mouri wasn't about to poke the bear.
"The Sky Lady is right here. I want to see how that phantom thief crashes and burns trying to get past my Suzuki security system! Hahaha!" Jiroukichi was clearly excited for the showdown.
"Everyone stand firm, the airship's about to take off." As soon as Jiroukichi finished speaking, the ship gave a slight jolt. They had to steady their legs just to stay upright.
Then they all felt it—they were rising. The dreamlike journey had begun!
Guests stood by the glass windows, looking down as the ground grew smaller and smaller.
Waiters moved between them, offering drinks. This was the maiden voyage banquet, and food would be served constantly. The journey would last a full day and night. By this time tomorrow, they'd be landing in Osaka.
"Mouri-san, the phantom thief won't show up until after dark, that's guaranteed. For now, let's go have something to eat. I brought in a pastry chef from France—you'll get to try the most authentic French desserts."
"And if there's French wine, even better!" Mouri had one thing on his mind at a banquet: alcohol. Banquet, booze. Booze, banquet. That was his whole thought process.
Ran and Conan both facepalmed.
"Ahahaha! Mouri-san, you're hilarious. Of course there's wine! Come on!" Jiroukichi laughed, then turned to Inspector Megure. "Officers, please join us for a bite too. You'll need energy to catch the thief. You've been here since morning—I'm sure you're starving."
Honestly, they were. But Megure hesitated. If no one stayed behind to watch the gem, Kid might use the opportunity to slip in.
So Inspector Shiratori added, "Inspector, why don't you all go eat first? Once you're done, I'll take a break to eat too."
"Alright then, thanks for taking one for the team!"
The dining hall was already buzzing with people—dignitaries and bigshots. For Suzuki Jiroukichi to ignore all those important guests just to keep Mouri's family company and show them the gemstone—well, that was giving Mouri a whole lot of face.
Of course, Mouri's reputation wasn't just for show. Even though he was a bit of a mess in daily life, he was still a decently handsome middle-aged guy. To people who didn't know him well, he came off as a composed and experienced detective. They wouldn't guess that he was actually a sloppy man living apart from his wife and relying on his daughter to take care of him.
Turned out, quite a few people in the crowd were actually Mouri's fans. He quickly became the center of attention and held the room with ease. His thick skin and talkative nature brought the energy up. Although Ran and Conan were both silently dying of second-hand embarrassment over the nonsense he was spouting.
Conan, especially, was heartbroken watching Mouri take credit for his own hard work. The pastries he was eating suddenly tasted bitter.
Meanwhile, Sonoko and Ran were enjoying the food. Ran was cautious, slowly savoring every bite, while Sonoko devoured everything like she hadn't eaten in days. It really showed the difference between them—Ran rarely got to eat such fancy gourmet food, while Sonoko was used to it. A common girl versus a rich heiress—the contrast was obvious.
But Sonoko wasn't wasteful. She just always ate that way—with gusto. That was her attitude toward life. She had money, not many worries, and just enjoyed whatever life brought her, whether it was luxurious or ordinary. She never turned anything down.
Some people said Sonoko was too frivolous. But really, she was just a cheerful, innocent, kind-hearted girl who valued her friendships. The only thing missing in her life was a good man who could share all this happiness with her.
"Officer Satou, what's going on? You've seemed distracted ever since you got out of the hospital," Takagi noticed how quiet she'd been.
"It's nothing. I'm just trying to figure out what kind of phone to buy. My old one got smashed," Satou replied.
"Oh." But Takagi's instincts told him it wasn't just about a phone. Still, he didn't have the nerve to press her. He knew Satou had never really moved on from Matsuda. Compared to him, Takagi felt completely out of her league.
Even Liu A'dou didn't think Takagi was good enough for Satou. If Takagi hadn't latched onto Conan and let him solve a couple of cases for him, it'd be hard to see any talent in the guy. He was just an average cop.
But maybe that was the point—Satou was too exceptional. Her skills in investigation, driving, fighting, and shooting were all top-tier. She was destined to make inspector one day. Because she was so good, when Shiratori wasn't around in the early days, Takagi had been the only one brave enough to show interest. That gave him the edge. In love, boldness and shamelessness were everything.
Still, when Takagi realized Satou had a first love way more impressive than him, he lost some of his nerve. But he hadn't given up. Being the first to pursue a goddess still took guts.
"Come on, let's eat. We still need to switch with Inspector Shiratori."
"Yeah."
At that moment, Shiratori was glued to the glass display, studying the gemstone closely. It was stunning.
"Too bad by tonight, it'll have a new owner. A dreamlike gem, a dreamlike journey above the clouds… and the phantom thief's show will be the most dreamlike of all."