"Really? Maybe you were just hired by the Suzukis!" Someone shouted.
"Everyone, Mr. Maki is an officer of the MPD. We vouch for his assessment," Inspector Megure said.
This quieted the crowd.
"Consultant Suzuki, why did you ask Mr. Hattori for permission? Has he solved the riddles?"
A voice came from the crowd.
"That's right, Mr. Hattori, have you solved them?"
"Tell us!"
The crowd was riled up again.
In the crowd, Conan lowered his voice-changing bowtie, his glasses flashing.
Heiji glanced at the crowd and smiled. "Fine. But please be quiet."
The noise stopped. All eyes were on Heiji.
"'The left hand is not the right hand. When hands are clasped... he will arrive... to take the treasure that belongs to the sun.' This is Kid's riddle."
"What do the left and right hand have in common?"
Difference? Conan and the others were confused.
"They are both hands," Miwako Sato's voice rang out.
"Miwako, did you find the Night Baron?" Megure asked.
Sato shook her head, holding up the gold coin. "Inspector, it seems that was the real Night Baron."
[A Maple Leaf gold coin?]
Conan looked at Heiji.
This was just an interruption.
"Officer Sato is correct. They are both hands. Now, what is the difference?" Heiji asked.
Miwako Sato frowned.
The others thought again.
[The difference between left and right?]
Conan frowned deeply.
"Damn it, he really solved it." Kaito Kuroba stopped watching.
"The original plan was to put a high-quality fake in this museum..."
This caused another uproar.
"What? Heiji, my boy, so the painting is fake?" Megure's face changed.
Heiji sighed. "Inspector, can you let me finish?"
"Ahem, go on." Megure laughed awkwardly.
"That was the plan. But last night, they sent their notices."
"After solving their riddles, I decided to go along with their assumptions and change the plan."
"Wait, you're saying you solved the riddles last night?" Kogoro Mouri shouted.
"Yes," Heiji nodded.
"Mr. Hattori! You said you hadn't solved it last night! Are you admitting you lied?" a reporter shouted.
Another commotion.
Heiji smiled. "I don't believe I ever said that, did I?"
Everyone went quiet, looking at each other.
Heiji continued.
"The difference is... they are not the same hand. 'Hand' in the riddle means 'Sunflowers'."
"Kaitou Kid knew the one here was a fake. That's why he said 'the left hand is not the right hand'."
"'When hands are clasped' means when the real one appears, he will come."
"Since Kid thought this one was fake, I simply went along with it and put the real one here."
"Heiji, my boy, how were you so sure they wouldn't come? If they did, this museum's security isn't good enough!" Megure said.
"Kaitou Kid wouldn't come," Heiji smiled.
"If he wasn't confident in his own deductions, he wouldn't be Kaitou Kid."
"He's an art thief who enjoys the process. He's a cat playing with a mouse."
Inspector Nakamori, who had been played by Kid, grimaced, relating to the mouse role.
Many officers felt the same.
"Damn Heiji Hattori, he's making me the bad guy," Kaito Kuroba grumbled.
"What about the Night Baron?"
A strange voice came from the crowd again.
Heiji smirked. Conan still hasn't given up. He knew it was him with the bowtie.
"Mr. Hattori, was the Night Baron's riddle the same?" a reporter asked.
"'As a gentleman of the night... (etc.)'"
"This riddle means the same thing. He also knew the 'Sunflowers' was supposed to be a fake."
"Since both thieves thought the same, I changed the fake to the real one."
"But the Night Baron did come today. How do you explain that?" the strange voice (Conan) asked.
Heiji smiled. "But he didn't enter the hall. This proves he was just here to mock us. He still doesn't know the painting inside is the real one."
Everyone was stunned, staring at the high school student.
Without a doubt, Heiji Hattori had played both thieves.
Kaito Kuroba was annoyed.
Conan lowered his bowtie, frowning. Is Hattori the Night Baron or not?
"Today's exhibition will run until 10 PM. After 10, the 'Sunflowers' will be locked in the Suzuki vault and not shown again."
Jirokichi's face changed. "Heiji, my boy, what..."
"Don't worry, Uncle. That message was for Kaitou Kid and the Night Baron."
"Is that a challenge to the two thieves?" Megure asked.
"You could say that."
Heiji smiled.
"A challenge? Hmph." Kaito Kuroba smiled.
-----------------
Currently on Patreon: 265 chapters available.
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396
If you're enjoying it, could you leave a review? It truly helps a lot. It doesn't have to be long—anything is enough. And the more reviews we get, the more early-access chapters I'll release as a thank-you.