November 16th, Wednesday.
The Mother and Son sapphire would go on display at exactly 7:00 PM at the Suzuki Museum of Art.
Because of this, Ritsu hadn't disguised himself in advance. Instead, he had stored all the prepared disguise tools in one of the museum lockers beforehand. After all, his misty blue hair color was far too eye-catching and rare, it left a strong impression on people.
After slightly darkening his skin tone closer to Rei's complexion, Ritsu put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Dressed in a plain plaid shirt with a backpack slung over his shoulders, he perfectly resembled the stereotypical Japanese IT worker. The only thing missing was a laptop he could pull out of his bag at any moment.
The previous night, Ritsu had already thoroughly studied the entire museum layout. Now all he had to do was wait for the target to appear. If nothing unexpected happened, the mysterious organization would definitely send someone to steal the gemstone.
Recalling the file Hiro had sent him regarding Toichi Kuroba's "accidental death," his brows unconsciously furrowed.
After repeatedly investigating the magic performance tied to the incident, Ritsu boldly arrived at a conclusion.
Toichi wasn't dead at all. He had intentionally hidden himself away. As for his reason, it was probably connected to the mysterious organization.
And he had discovered something else as well, Toichi's disappearance coincided with another person vanishing from the world entirely.
Phantom Thief 1412, also known as Kaitou Kid.
An internationally renowned genius magician. The infamous Kaitou Kid who gave Interpol endless headaches.
If those two identities belonged to the same person, then their simultaneous disappearance made perfect sense. Both excelled at disguise techniques, and Toichi had even been Vermouth's mentor in the art of disguise.
So why hadn't the police investigating Kaitou Kid figured that out?
It was honestly baffling.
"Why are we here looking at such boring art anyway? Seriously, I still haven't finished my new mystery novel."
A black-haired teenage boy in a black middle school uniform yawned while staring disinterestedly at the painting before him. Completely indifferent toward art, he genuinely couldn't understand what was so enjoyable about it.
"Sonoko was nice enough to give us tickets, so of course we had to come! Plus, there's supposed to be a really special sapphire on display later!"
"I seriously don't get why girls are always interested in gemstones. Oh right, speaking of sapphires, there was a sapphire case in Sherlock Holmes too. In the end, the gem was found inside a goose's stomach."
Ran narrowed her eyes at Shinichi, who had immediately launched into an enthusiastic explanation of a case from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
She really must have been out of her mind to drag a mystery fanatic like him to an art exhibition.
"Enough already! I don't want to hear about Sherlock Holmes. Please be quiet and let me appreciate the art you don't understand, Shinichi!"
"Tch, like you understand it either."
Turning slightly to the side, Ritsu observed the two bickering teenagers.
He really hadn't expected to run into them here. Tokyo truly was small. Everywhere you went, you ended up encountering familiar people.
A faint sense of unease stirred within him.
Today's plan might encounter some subtle complications. He couldn't help wondering whether Shinichi, the self-proclaimed future Sherlock Holmes, would somehow interfere with his operation.
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to dwell on it.
Ritsu had already spotted a familiar face. As expected, the mysterious organization had sent the same man he fought before, the codename member Leo.
"Next time we meet, I'll kill you."
Remembering the threat Leo had left him with, Ritsu's lips curled upward slightly. He was actually looking forward to crossing paths with Leo again.
And hopefully, Leo would use that same drug as before. That way, Ritsu might finally get a chance to obtain a sample for analysis.
Unfortunately, he was no longer part of the research division, so that task would have to fall to Shiho.
He was increasing her workload again. Somehow, he felt a little guilty about it.
Not wanting the Sherlock Holmes-obsessed kid to recognize him, Ritsu headed to the storage lockers and retrieved his disguise materials early. After changing in the restroom, he added a black baseball cap and a white face mask, doing his best to conceal his striking hair color and appearance.
Lowering his gaze to the time displayed on his wristwatch, he noted there were still twenty minutes left before the exhibition began.
Would Leo make his move during the exhibition itself? Or wait until afterward?
"Sorry for making you guys wait!"
A girl wearing a headband arrived late and patted her best friend Ran on the shoulder with a grin.
"Why didn't you two go home and change first? You're seriously still wearing your school uniforms. Did you at least eat dinner?"
"Sonoko, you finally made it. Shinichi and I already grabbed some fast food nearby."
"Hehe, my exam scores were pretty average this time, so my mother summoned me home to write a self-reflection report. Sorry about that!"
After getting a good look at the headband girl's appearance, Ritsu raised a brow slightly.
While investigating the museum, he had naturally looked into the Suzuki Financial Group, the museum's owner.
The carefree girl before him was none other than Sonoko Suzuki, the second daughter of the Suzuki Financial Group.
The world really was small. Not only did they know each other, but they seemed quite close too.
"If you spent less time hanging around your club drooling over handsome guys, your grades would probably improve a few ranks," Shinichi mercilessly teased with his hands in his pockets.
"Oh, shut up! Aren't you always talking with those guys about which girls have the best figures too?!"
"Idiot! Since when did I join in with that nonsense?!"
Shinichi clearly hadn't expected Sonoko to expose him like that. Seeing him panic while trying to explain himself with Ran still standing beside him was honestly pretty funny.
A carefree middle school life... It really was enviable.
When people are underage, they can't wait to grow up.
But once they become adults, they begin missing the past instead, because they realize the world isn't nearly as beautiful as they once imagined during those innocent years.
Reality was often cruel.
Ritsu lowered his gaze toward his watch again. Only three minutes remained before the Mother and Son sapphire would be unveiled.
Would he make his move?
Suddenly, the inner doors of the museum opened.
Escorted by several black-suited security guards, a man with a mustache and a height of around 170 centimeters stepped out. He was the museum's owner, Jirokichi Suzuki, as well as an advisor to the Suzuki Financial Group.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Suzuki Museum of Art! The exhibition platform for the Mother and Son sapphire has been fully prepared. Please line up and enter in order!"
"Yay! We finally get to see the sapphire~" Ran said excitedly.
Sonoko waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, honestly, it's not even that pretty. When I was little, I used to chew on it while teething."
"?"
Shinichi and Ran instantly stared at her with blank, stunned expressions.
What kind of absurd rich-kid statement was that? Using a priceless sapphire as a teething toy, as expected of you.
Ritsu couldn't help chuckling at the comment either. Soon after, his gaze locked onto Leo, who had blended into the crowd.
Fortunately, Leo's large frame made it impossible for him to hide completely.
'Leo, let me see how you plan to handle things this time. I won't fail this mission again.'
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