Inside the brightly lit exhibition hall, the two armed men remained locked in a standoff. Neither dared lower their guard because the moment they did, they'd be the one taking a bullet.
"The police will be here any minute. How about we move somewhere else to catch up?" Ritsu suggested. He had no interest in operating right under the police's noses.
"Heh, exactly what I was thinking. But before that, I need to inspect the goods."
"No need. The part about it turning red under the light was just Suzuki talking nonsense."
Leo let out a mocking snort. Patting the glass display case with his left hand, he sneered, "Lupin, don't tell me you're colorblind? Can't you see the sapphire already turned red?"
"Oh my? I didn't expect Mr. Leo to know so little about gemstones."
A faint smile surfaced in his golden eyes as he slowly stepped forward.
"As long as a sapphire contains chromium, it'll produce fluorescence under ultraviolet light and appear red. You don't even know something this basic, yet you came to steal jewels? That's honestly pretty funny."
Leo clenched his teeth in anger. He truly didn't know much about gems, he was just carrying out the mission assigned from above. He never expected his attempt at mockery to backfire so badly.
The perfect example of the clown was me all along.
Furious from humiliation, he immediately pulled the trigger and fired several shots at Ritsu. Having already anticipated Leo's reaction, Ritsu merely tilted his head slightly, easily dodging the bullets aimed at him.
He even had the leisure to tease him.
"Getting mad from embarrassment? Don't be angry. It's bad for your health."
"You bastard! Go to hell!"
No wonder his codename was Leo. He really did explode at the slightest provocation.
Now that the fish had taken the bait, Ritsu continuously evaded the incoming shots. A handgun only carried so many bullets, the moment Leo needed to reload would be his opening.
That was why he quietly shortened the distance between them, preparing for close-quarters combat.
If you could win with your fists, why bother using a gun?
Leo kept squeezing the trigger until he realized the handgun was empty. In frustration, he hurled the weapon at Ritsu, nearly smashing him in the bridge of the nose.
Barely dodging the flying gun, Ritsu truly hadn't expected Leo to get angry enough to throw it away. He knew this was the moment to subdue him.
A single shot pierced Leo's shoulder. At the same time, Ritsu pushed off the ground and leapt forward, delivering a spinning kick straight into Leo's abdomen.
Leo felt an overwhelming force slam into his body. He was sent flying backward into the glass display case. Even with the strength of bulletproof glass, the impact made his back ache horribly, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
It felt as though all his internal organs had been shaken loose.
He tried to stand, only to find the black muzzle of a gun pressed against his forehead. He knew he no longer had any chance to fight back.
The smile disappeared from Ritsu's face as he said expressionlessly, "Didn't I tell you not to get angry? Why won't you listen?"
A person who lost their reason would only become an idiot with muscles for brains.
Outside, police sirens blared.
Sitting on the ground, Leo looked completely resigned as he grinned and said, "Do whatever you want to me. The police are here anyway… you're not escaping either."
He truly didn't want to deal with the police, especially since he didn't know whether the officers arriving belonged to Division Two or Division One. The odds of running into someone familiar were simply too high. Even in disguise, he didn't want them seeing him.
"You might be underestimating me a little."
"??"
Bang! Bang!
Two consecutive shots tore directly into Leo's ankles, the intense pain twisting his face in agony.
Ritsu quickly pulled a pair of handcuffs from his shoulder bag and cuffed Leo's wrists together. Then he kicked him to the ground, tied him up tightly with rope, hoisted him over his shoulder, and said,
"Sometimes I take kidnapping jobs too."
"You!!!"
"Me?" Ritsu kindly reminded him, "You should save your strength. Let's go."
He had already planned his escape route and had no intention of leaving through the main entrance.
Taking out the miniature bomb Vodka had made for him, he tossed it onto the ceiling where it stuck in place, then pressed the detonator.
BOOM—
Seeing the massive hole blasted open in the ceiling, he couldn't help narrowing his eyes into a deadpan stare.
Looks like next time he asked Vodka to make explosives, he'd need to be very specific about the dosage. This was nowhere near the power of a "small" bomb. He had only intended to blow a hole large enough for two adults to pass through.
Now even ten Ritsus could probably fit through it with ease.
Well, whatever.
The Suzuki Financial Group was rich enough. Repairing a roof probably wouldn't hurt their savings much.
"What was that sound?!"
"It was an explosion! There's a bomb inside!"
"Call the bomb squad immediately!"
Anxious voices from the police arriving at the scene came through his earpiece. The bug he had planted in the outer lobby beforehand was finally proving useful.
He could even hear the still somewhat youthful voice of Shinichi.
"Officer! Be careful when you go in! They're both armed, and there was definitely a violent fight before you arrived!"
"You kid, hurry up and evacuate already. Yamazaki, take Team B and breach with me."
"Yes, sir!"
Shinichi rolled his eyes. He wasn't some little kid, okay? He was already in middle school.
"Officer, actually I—"
"Shinichi! Are you trying to do something dangerous again?! You're not going!"
He originally wanted to go in as well, but Ran, who had just woken up, grabbed his arm tightly.
Feeling the soft sensation pressing against his elbow… Well, maybe enjoying the moment wasn't so bad. Dangerous work could be left to the police.
When the officers cautiously approached the exhibition hall entrance, they kicked the doors open while the riot shield unit took point.
And then, they realized the opponent they had spent five minutes outsmarting and battling against was… Thin air.
That's right.
Amid the sound of the explosion, Ritsu had already escaped through the giant hole in the roof using a grappling hook.
Now, carrying the tightly bound Leo with him, he headed toward a safe house in Odaiba, Minato Ward, a location personally established for him by that person, known only to himself.
Since he still had no direct means of contacting that person, Ritsu had no choice but to act independently. To keep Leo from shouting, he thoughtfully taped his mouth shut as well.
The safe house wasn't inside an apartment building. Instead, it was hidden beneath a vending machine located along the Tokyo Bay side of Odaiba Marine Park.
Insert a specially made coin, scan your fingerprint, and it would open. Honestly, that person's methods were incredible. To think he managed to create a hidden underground facility in such a crowded public park.
Standing before the vending machine, Ritsu first confirmed no one was nearby before inserting the special coin exactly as instructed.
Sure enough, a fingerprint scanner appeared where the money slot had been.
After pressing down his finger, the ground behind the vending machine slowly shifted open. What looked like ordinary turf on the surface concealed a movable hatch underneath.
He bent down to inspect it. Even with careful observation, it was difficult to notice anything unusual.
This design must have cost a fortune.
Shock also appeared in Leo's eyes. Clearly, he hadn't expected a hidden underground space to exist somewhere inside the park. After setting Leo down, Ritsu unceremoniously kicked him in the rear.
Watching him tumble down the stairs, he cautiously scanned the surroundings one more time before descending as well. At the same time, he pressed a hidden button on the stone wall, restoring the surface above to normal.
----
I update 5 chaps per day on p2reon and currently has 4 translation you can read. @Siamus404. The first 50 chapters will be free. Consider giving your support.
Bonus chapter every @20 PS