Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

"I was so scared! I thought Lord Kid had really met a terrible end." Sonoko breathed a sigh of relief.

Tohru glanced at Ran, who was standing quietly to the side, and remained silent.

......

Sanada Ichizo's warm-up magic show soon began, but his carefully prepared performance turned into a magic show by Kaito Kid.

"I'm like Xisha, bewitched by the Queen of Egypt, now I've come to your side. — Phantom Thief Kid (enter)"

Sonoko and Ran, who were actively cooperating with the poker performance, drew a strange card and slowly read it aloud.

"Huh?" Sanada Ichizo on the booth looked completely bewildered.

......

Tohno glanced at Conan beside him and noticed that he was resting his chin on his hand, still deep in thought.

He quietly moved closer to Ran Mouri.

"Let's go up to the deck and get some fresh air." He moved his lips slightly, his warm breath brushing against her snow-white shoulder.

"Huh?" Xiaolan, who was looking around, was startled. The tingling sensation on her neck made her flinch.

She looked at him with a flustered expression, only to find Tohno looking around cautiously with an air of nonchalance, his expression shifting from confusion to sudden understanding.

"Okay, let's go." She walked ahead.

......

As Kaito Kuroba walked, he silently offered incense to the famous detective, Shinichi Kudo, who was supposedly the boyfriend of the high school girl he was impersonating.

"Childhood sweethearts really can't compete with someone who falls from the sky."

"However, their sudden disappearance and the subsequent theft of their home can be considered their own fault."

Kaito Kuroba made his internal judgment.

......

A cold wind was blowing on the deck, and those who were used to the warm air inside the ship couldn't help but shiver.

The neon-lit harbor scene in the distance and the orange glow cast by the overhead lights always dazzle my eyes—making even the biting sea breeze seem gentle.

Tohru Tono and Ran walked one after the other on the deck.

Just as Kaito Kuroba was hesitating whether to go all the way and extend his hand, Toru Tono, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

He wasn't paying attention and bumped his head on a broad shoulder.

Toru Tono, who was in front, turned around and slowly raised his left hand, placing it on Ran's bare shoulder.

Kaito Kuroba lowered his head, his honed acting skills perfectly capturing the shyness of a high school girl.

"No..." he said slowly, feigning a reluctant acceptance.

But the hands hidden behind her back had already pulled out a handkerchief soaked in anesthetic.

"If this guy makes any other move, knock him out immediately, then go back to the original plan to create chaos and get the gem."

Kaito Kuroba silently made his next plan in his mind.

But the person who had placed their hand on his shoulder remained motionless for a long time.

Kaito Kuroba looked up in confusion and saw the mocking look in Toru Tohno's eyes.

And a silver-white pistol with a metallic sheen, held only thirty centimeters from his forehead.

?

Kaito Kuroba's brain didn't quite process what was happening for a moment.

Playing SM?

Chapter 54 Work for Me, Young Man

"Tousang, what are you doing?"

Finally realizing something was wrong, Kaito Kuroba stared at the dark muzzle of the gun pressed against his forehead, his heart trembling involuntarily. However, he still pretended to be confused and scared, mimicking Ran's tone as he made a last-ditch effort.

At the same time, he was determined to report someone to the police officer for carrying a gun.

Tohru Tohno didn't answer, but raised his chin and said, "Take off your mask yourself."

"Kaito Kuroba".

Seeing that the person in front of him did not move, he added another sentence.

"..."

It was discovered!

As expected of the second-generation Phantom Thief Kid, even when his name was called out to his face, he did not show any panicked expression like a fish pulled ashore. Instead, his expression calmed down in an instant.

Tohru Tono observed his expression with great interest.

"Always keep a poker face."

Having no time to concern himself with the source of the other party's information, Kaito Kuroba silently recited his father's words to him, when suddenly a black pearl fell out of his pocket.

The perfectly round, shiny black pearls fell to the ground, their smooth surfaces reflecting the city's nightscape surrounded by neon lights.

Then it suddenly exploded.

"bang"

The explosion was so small it was almost negligible compared to the ones I'd heard recently, but it still exceeded 80 decibels. Tohno Tohru instinctively closed his eyes, then opened them again in the next instant.

Suddenly realizing that Kuroba Kaito hadn't thrown a flashbang, Toru Tohno tightened his grip on his right hand, but in an instant, the smooth shoulder slipped out of his grasp.

Pink smoke billowed from the toes and rose into the air.

Her slender figure disappeared into the smoke.

Failed.

Tohno thought.

It's hard to say whether Phantom Thief Kid was naive or brave—but he successfully exploited his weakness of not firing immediately, and escaped from his captors.

An untrained body simply cannot restrain a phantom thief as slippery as a fish.

To Toru Tono's surprise.

But that’s about it.

Tohru Tono stood amidst the rising pink smoke, pulling a pair of transparent black sunglasses from his pocket.

Tracking goggles: Glasses manufactured using a special process. They incorporate multiple detection modules, including signal source capture, bioelectric signal sensing, infrared scanning, and night vision, enabling them to search for any target within the visible range.

The simple glasses were perfect for dealing with Kaito Kid's easy escape methods.

Tohru Tono lifted the temples of his glasses up to his ears and placed the frame on the bridge of his nose.

The world I saw had completely turned into a mix of red, green, and black and white.

Tohru Tohno suddenly remembered the [Deduction Glasses] that the system had given him—a prop that had never been used since the bomb crisis on the Shinkansen was resolved.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he looked around.

Soon, a red and green shadow was spotted at the corner of a container less than 10 meters away.

It seems Kidd was planning to hide behind the container door and sneak away while he was looking around.

It's a simple application of psychological blind spots, but it can indeed be effective.

Unfortunately, in a black and white world, the human body, which has warmth, always stands out.

Tohru Tono strolled over.

"Damn it, Kaito Kid got away."

As he spoke, he walked to the corner.

As they closed the open container door, they saw Kaito Kuroba behind them, who hadn't yet finished changing his clothes. He was wearing a strapless evening gown and had the figure of a beautiful young girl.

"What do you suggest we do, Kuroba-kun?" Tohno Tohru couldn't help but laugh at Tohno's comical manner.

The upturned corners of her mouth, carried by the evening breeze, lifted the glow of the neon lights in the darkness, gentle and captivating.

Unfortunately, neither Sonoko nor Tachibana Maya are here, so there's no one to appreciate it.

There was only one male high school student huddled in a corner, shivering.

"...Hi?" Kaito Kuroba raised his hand and greeted him.

He got caught.

An unprecedented sense of frustration struck me deeply.

Before this, no one had been able to expose his escape method on the spot—even Hakuba Saguru had to deduce for a while before he could follow the clues he left behind and track down his whereabouts.

The information gap during that period was the key to his numerous escapes from danger and his ability to say things like, "Detectives are just nitpicking and following behind phantom thieves; they're nothing more than critics."

He got caught during his escape attempt... How is Phantom Thief Kid supposed to perform his next magic trick?!

And you just called me "Kuroba-kun," right?

Kaito Kuroba raised his hands, indicating that he was surrendering.

It has been thoroughly studied.

......

The salty sea breeze brushes past your fingertips or gently caresses your ears. Occasionally, a mischievous wisp will sneak into your mouth and throat between your lips, bringing a touch of coolness to your 37.2°C throat.

Kaito Kuroba covered his mouth and nose, unable to stop himself from frowning.

The sea breeze carried a fishy smell that reminded him of certain slimy, sticky animals.

Disgusting.

Just thinking about it made him want to vomit uncontrollably.

"...Remember your status as a prisoner." Tohru Tohru, who was leaning against the deck railing, glanced at him as he spoke.

Although he looks just like Shinichi Kudo, the high school student named "Kaito Kuroba" is indeed a bit too outrageous when he's not in his Kaito Kid form.