"I'll put you in Blackgate Penitentiary, Kaitou Kid."
Batman declared in a hoarse, blade-like voice that carried across the darkened restaurant.
"Is that so? Hahaha~~ I don't think so."
"Kaitou Kid" remained completely unfazed, posture relaxed even as the spotlight pinned him in place.
"You'll regret this, Kid."
As the words fell, Batman lunged forward and engaged Kaitou Kid in combat.
That's right. Right in front of everyone in the restaurant, the two began exchanging punches and kicks. Fists whistled through the air, capes snapped with each sharp turn, and the sound of impact echoed off the polished wood floors.
However, although the blows looked fierce on the surface, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that neither of them was using real force. The strikes pulled just short of connecting fully, the grapples theatrical rather than brutal.
"Ah!"
Before long, Kaitou Kid was finally defeated, collapsing to the ground under Batman's swift assault, one hand clutching his side in exaggerated pain.
"You... why can't I defeat you?"
"Kaitou Kid" asked weakly, voice trembling for effect.
"I am Batman, and you can't defeat me- because I am Batman!"
Boom!
As Batman finished his declaration of victory, the lights in the restaurant came back on in a sudden, bright flood. The crowd blinked against the glare, murmurs rising immediately.
Under everyone's gaze, Batman removed his helmet with both hands, revealing the face of a young man with short-cropped hair and a sheepish grin.
"Hello, everyone. I'm a stunt actor from The Maculage crew. That was just a joke, a small skit, but I'm sure most of you figured it out halfway through."
The young man playing Batman smiled as he addressed the crowd, raising his hands in a friendly wave.
The people in the restaurant smiled knowingly. At first, some of them might have half-believed it, hearts racing at the sight of the real Dark Knight crashing a movie set.
But once Batman appeared and "Kaitou Kid" was able to exchange blows with him for a while without being instantly subdued, it became far too obvious that this was staged entertainment.
The Batman actor reached out and helped "Kaitou Kid" up from the floor with an easy pull.
"But I bet you can't guess who played Kaitou Kid."
"Kaitou Kid" then removed the top hat and the monocle from his right eye, revealing the face of a middle-aged man in his fifties, silver threading through his dark hair.
At the sight of him, almost everyone present was left gaping.
Because he was none other than the mastermind who had gathered everyone onto the luxury cruise ship in the first place. The Hollywood director, James.
"Hello, everyone. I'm James. That little performance just now was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I didn't notify you in advance. If anyone was startled, I apologize to all of you."
James introduced himself calmly, brushing imaginary dust from the white suit.
"And the reason I wanted to put on this show, and even personally play the villain, is because I want you all to understand one thing. Kaitou Kid may have already infiltrated this ship and disguised himself as someone among you."
Gasp!!
As he spoke, James slowly looked around the restaurant, his gaze sweeping across the crowd with deliberate intensity, lingering on faces for just a second longer than necessary.
"Kaitou Kid, I know you're here. Listen carefully. No matter what your plan is, it will ultimately fail."
"..."
"Right now, GCPD patrol boats are escorting the cruise ship. No one can freely board or leave during the voyage. So do you understand your situation, Kaitou Kid?"
Director James spoke arrogantly as he faced the crowd, voice carrying over the low hum of conversation.
"Whatever identity you're disguised as, I advise you to behave yourself during these ten days and abandon that delusion of stealing the Hope Star."
"Otherwise, what awaits you will be eternal imprisonment."
As his words fell, whispers immediately spread throughout the restaurant like ripples across still water.
"No wonder I didn't see a single police officer onboard. I thought they were mixed in undercover, but it turns out they're all outside the ship."
"For Kaitou Kid, this cruise ship is basically a floating prison at sea for the next ten days. Being so far from the coast, there's no way he can glide back to land with that hang glider of his, and taking the sea route would run him straight into the patrol boats."
"There's no escape by land or sea. Honestly, the GCPD's arrangement this time is pretty clever. They deliberately left the ship looking undefended to make Kaitou Kid lower his guard, then deployed the patrol boats after departure. That leaves him with no way out. I feel like Kaitou Kid might actually get caught this time."
"Not necessarily. The boarding inspection was extremely strict. Maybe Kaitou Kid took one look at the security check and left immediately. He might not even be on the ship right now, and this whole operation is just them outsmarting thin air."
"I don't think so. Kaitou Kid always does the unexpected. I don't believe a simple security check could stop him."
"The GCPD putting on such a display clearly shows they won't stop until Kaitou Kid is caught. Do you really think he'll listen to Director James and give up his operation? I didn't come here to audition as an extra. I came specifically to see Kaitou Kid..."
One person whispering was quiet enough, but a crowd of people whispering was anything but.
The entire restaurant instantly grew deafening. Standing at its center, James felt as though a swarm of mosquitoes were buzzing around him, the noise coming from every direction and refusing to settle.
"Ahem!"
James coughed loudly, trying to interrupt the discussion.
Unfortunately, his voice was far too weak, and no one paid him any attention amid the rising chatter.
At that moment, the young man who had just played Batman brought over a microphone and handed it to James.
The next second, a piercing screech echoed through the entire restaurant, instantly drawing everyone's attention.