The quiet of Shiodome Park, nestled just behind the museum, was broken by a sudden shout.
"Hey! Over here! I found him!"
Tsuneo's voice cut through the rustle of the greenery as he dragged Jirokichi Suzuki out from a thick cluster of bushes. The elderly billionaire, who usually spent his days roaring around on his custom motorcycle, lay there fast asleep. For a man who insisted on such high-profile antics, he was surprisingly lax about security, never keeping a single bodyguard in sight. It was no wonder Kaito Kid had found him such an easy target.
"Lupin is over here!"
Not far off, Ran and the others had discovered the slumbering dog. Fortunately, the sedative dosage was light; after a few moments of coaxing, both man and hound began to stir.
"That... that despicable thief!" Jirokichi roared the moment he realized his predicament. His face flushed a deep, indignant crimson.
Kid hadn't just made off with his prized, modified motorcycle; he'd stripped the old man of his coat, trousers, and even his accessories. Perhaps out of some misplaced sense of pity—or a fear that the old man might catch a chill in the damp air—the thief had even thoughtfully draped a blanket over him.
"I have a feeling he's more upset about the blanket than the theft," Tsuneo remarked with a wry smile, watching Jirokichi clutch the fabric with white-knuckled fury.
The old man was stubborn to a fault, refusing to admit defeat or acknowledge his age. To him, the blanket wasn't a kindness; it was an insult. A little rain? You think I can't handle a little rain? Who do you think you're looking down on!
If you're so damn compassionate, why didn't you give the blanket to my dog instead!
"Honestly, if Great-Uncle didn't want it, he could have just given it to me," Sonoko muttered, pouting as she watched the blanket get tossed unceremoniously into a puddle. Kaito Kid had vanished like a phantom once again, leaving her without so much as a signature or a chance to speak to him.
"Inspector Nakamori and the others have found Conan. They're on their way back now," Ran said, putting her phone away with a sigh of relief. Word was that Conan had managed to protect the Golden Goddess statue and its precious gem after all.
The following morning.
Just as expected, the "Grim Reaper Schoolboy" had claimed the front-page headlines. The media was in a frenzy, plastering Conan's face everywhere.
Kaito Kid had been relegated to the second page.
As for the Suzuki Consultant? Jirokichi Suzuki found himself buried on page three. While the coverage wasn't negative, the article focused entirely on the brilliance of Kid's disguises rather than Jirokichi's "grand trap," which only served to fuel the old man's irritation. He was likely already plotting his next showdown; this battle for the headlines was far from over.
"In the news again, I see..." Ai Haibara murmured, staring blankly at the newspaper in her hands. Her voice carried a hint of weary exasperation. "If someone who knew you as a child sees this, what then? Information always leaks when you least expect it."
"It's not like I did it on purpose," Conan replied defensively. He wasn't a fan of the sensationalist media either. "Once the police left the museum and the reporters found me, they just kept following me around, snapping pictures."
The headlines were so hyperbolic they made even him blush.
"I'm sticking to my view," Tsuneo interjected, leaning back. "Unless you're planning to become a magician, figuring out the mechanics behind the trick is just... tedious."
Tsuneo hadn't intended to overthink the night's events, but after "Director Conan" had returned and delivered a comprehensive lecture on the physics of the heist, the "mechanic" in Tsuneo now understood every gear and pulley involved.
"Unfortunately, some people are born to dig for the truth. They never stop asking questions," Ai said, tossing the paper aside. She picked up a thick medical tome instead, reading each sentence with meticulous focus. The antidote for APTX-4869 was still a work in progress; the success rate wasn't high enough to risk a trial run yet.
"So, Shinichi saw through it all?" Professor Agasa mused, rubbing his chin. Having watched the two "magic shows" himself, he felt he had a right to comment. "I didn't account for the traces left on the roof... I should have used a different material. And as for that doll swaying in the wind and rain—the timing was just too tight. I did what I could, but adding counterweights didn't seem feasible at the time..."
"The Professor is remarkably reliable when it comes to this sort of thing," Tsuneo noted, nodding as Agasa scurried back into his laboratory.
"I'd almost prefer it if he were less reliable," Conan muttered. He had gained a newfound respect for just how terrifying these high-tech stage props could be. He couldn't even identify the type of wire Kid had used.
Then, Conan paused, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Speaking of which... why did Kid look at me and say something about things being 'too melodramatic' before he almost crashed into a car?"
"Oh! I just remembered something!"
Akemi suddenly slapped her forehead, turning toward the group.
"?" The others turned to look at her.
"I think this is a letter meant for Tsuneo-san." Akemi picked up a piece of paper from the computer desk. "I completely forgot about it yesterday. I hope it wasn't anything urgent."
"I've already glanced at that. It's likely just a child's prank," Ai said, shaking her head. "Your name was written on the back, and it was found lying in the street. The Professor picked it up when he was heading out."
The front of the paper was a chaotic mess—a collection of scribbles and doodles that looked like nothing in particular.
"This is...?" Conan frowned as he studied the drawing.
On a plain white sheet of paper, someone had used red and blue crayons to draw overlapping lines. It formed... perhaps... a house?
"It could be nothing at all, or it could be something very serious," Tsuneo said, taking the paper and looking at his name written on the back. He offered a small smile.
"Red and blue crayons... overlapping rectangles. Is it a building?" Conan asked, looking up at Tsuneo. "Could it be the home of a client you've visited before?"
"Red and blue... like police lights?" Living in Beika Town, Tsuneo's mind instinctively jumped to the worst-case scenario. "Maybe the right move is to call the police immediately."
"You two certainly have vivid imaginations," Ai remarked, giving them a sidelong glance. "If it's a cry for help, why would they address it specifically to you? It doesn't seem logical."
"Let me ask you this," Conan countered, looking at Tsuneo. "If someone living in this neighborhood found this paper on the street, what would they do?"
"Hmm..." Ai paused to consider. "Most people around here know him. They'd probably pick it up and hand it over."
It was a simple truth: being a polite, helpful mechanic earned you a good reputation. A paper with Tsuneo's name on it stood a very high chance of being delivered.
"Point one: the person who drew this knows Tsuneo and was certain he would eventually receive it," Conan began, his voice dropping into his analytical detective tone.
"Point two: there's a child in that household young enough to use crayons," Tsuneo added.
"Point three: the sender is likely in a dangerous situation. They could throw the paper out, but they didn't dare write a specific message for fear of it being intercepted."
Conan didn't want to be right—he hoped it was just a prank—but his instincts were screaming otherwise.
"As a 'detective' who shows up in the news all the time, maybe they're pinning their hopes on you being able to crack the code," Ai admitted, starting to see the grim logic in their theory.
"Should I call it in?" Akemi asked, her phone already in hand. For some reason, their analysis felt terrifyingly accurate.
Twenty minutes later.
Inspector Megure arrived, accompanied by Officers Takagi and Chiba. To avoid alerting anyone, they arrived discreetly in an unmarked car.
"What?!"
"You called us over a... guess?!" Megure stared at the paper in his hand, his usually stern expression morphing into one of utter bewilderment.
Tsuneo looked at the red and blue rectangles on the page and shrugged.
"Well... it is a perfectly logical deduction."
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