T/N: Almost Forgot To Translate The New Chapter TwT. Here Today Chapter.
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A few days later, downstairs at the Mouri Detective Agency.
Ran, with Conan and Sonoko, was excitedly preparing to head to the video rental store.
"Hurry up, Conan, don't be so slow!"
Sonoko urged energetically,
"Today is the big day to invite Rin and Ellen to see the 'black star'! Kaito Kid's Notice box has also been sent, we absolutely can't miss it!"
Ran also smiled. "Yes, I heard that gem is very beautiful, and Sonoko's family agreed to display it at the Beika Museum, hoping that more people can appreciate it."
Conan, with his hands in his pockets, followed behind with half-moon eyes, pondering the riddle in Kaitou Kid's Notice box.
"April Fool's Day, when the moon separates two people, I will go with the invitation of the waves to claim the 'black star'... Hmm, what does that mean?"
The three quickly arrived at the familiar video rental store entrance.
"Rin! Ellen! We're here—" As Sonoko pushed open the door, her cheerful voice abruptly stopped, and her eyes instantly turned into heart shapes.
At the counter, Rin was talking to an unfamiliar young man.
The man had his back to the door, tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored blue suit, with golden long hair as dazzling as gold.
Just his back exuded an elegant and noble aura.
"Wow—!"
Sonoko couldn't help but gasp in a low voice, grabbing Ran's arm and shaking it excitedly,
"Handsome! Super handsome! Rin's store really does produce handsome men and beautiful women!"
Rin turned her head at the sound, and seeing them, a smile appeared on her face.
"Ran, Sonoko, Conan, you're here."
The blonde man beside her also elegantly turned around.
The moment Sonoko saw the man's face clearly, she felt like she was in love, her heart pounding.
The man's features were handsome, as refined as a sculpture, and his asymmetrical heterochromatic eyes carried an exotic charm.
"Rin, who are these people?" the blonde man asked, his voice deep and pleasant, and his Japanese was standard.
"Ah, let me introduce you."
Rin naturally pointed to Ran and the others,
"This is Mouri Ran, this is Suzuki Sonoko, and this little one is Edogawa Conan. They are my friends."
She then said to Sonoko and the others.
"This is Hugo Willard, also my friend, a collector who just arrived from France and is preparing to open an art gallery in Tokyo."
(T/N: Quick Question, what Family name do i have to use for Hugo? The original name that is Hugo Vlad Ravenlock, or just go with this Willard? I forgot if that is just a fake Family name but i will just ask you guys first. If it is confirmed to be a fake Family , then i will use both)
"Good day, beautiful ladies, and this young gentleman."
Hugo Willard bowed slightly, performing an impeccable gentleman's Rei, even acknowledging Conan, "It's an honor to meet you all."
"H-hello! Willard-San!"
Sonoko's ears, hidden by her hair, were a little red, and she was so excited she was a bit incoherent,
"I'm Suzuki Sonoko, just call me Sonoko!"
Ran also smiled politely in greeting.
Conan, on the other hand, curiously observed this extraordinary French collector, thinking to himself.
Another friend of Rin's? Her social circle is becoming increasingly incomprehensible.
"By the way, Rin, where's Ellen? Is she not in the store?" Ran asked, looking around.
"Ellen, huh," Rin shrugged, "She went out with Rina-Nee, probably won't be back until evening."
"Ah, what a pity." Ran felt a little regretful.
"No pity, no pity!"
Sonoko, forgetting her friends for a handsome face, looked at Hugo with sparkling eyes,
"Willard-San, you've come at just the right time!
We came today to invite Rin to see the "black star" gem exhibition at my house! It's not far from here, at the Beika Museum.
Kaitou Kid has sent a Notice box, saying he's going to steal it! Would you like to come along? It's super lively!"
"Kaitou Kid?"
Hugo smiled slightly,
"That magician under the moonlight? I've heard of him, he seems to be very famous in Japan."
"Exactly! Exactly!"
Sonoko nodded like a pecking chick, excitedly pulling out her phone to show a photo of Kid's Notice box,
"Look, this is the Notice box Kid-sama sent: 'When the moon separates two people,
I will go with the invitation of the waves to claim the "black star"... Although I don't fully understand it yet,
we've already asked Uncle Mouri to help decipher it, and I'm sure we'll have results soon."
Hugo glanced at the text on the phone screen, almost without any pause for thought, preempting Conan's deduction.
"Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, the 'two people' in 'when the moon separates two people' refers to the artificial satellite and the sun.
Then "the moon separates two people" refers to a lunar eclipse, which occurs when the moon rises between the artificial satellite and the sun.
So he will appear during the BS satellite broadcast interruption, between 12:30 AM and 4:30 AM.
The initial letters of "black star" are B and S. If "with the waves" refers to radio waves..."
Saying that, Hugo opened the map software on his phone,
"Then he will come from the direction where the BS satellite broadcast emits radio waves. The BS satellite broadcast's radio waves are emitted from 45 degrees south-west,
with an elevation angle of 42.3 degrees. From the Beika Museum, the only place that meets this condition is the roof of the Beika City Hotel."
Conan's pupils dilated, and he looked at Hugo in disbelief. Why do I feel like my lines were said in advance?!
However, this collector is really amazing. I had just connected "waves" with "radio waves" in my mind and was still pondering it, and he instantly solved the entire riddle.
The speed was simply incredible!
"Wow! How amazing!" Sonoko and Ran exclaimed.
"Willard-Niichan, how did you decipher the code so quickly? Do you have a special method?" Conan couldn't help but ask.
Hugo smiled slightly, reaching out to pat Conan's head.
"It's not difficult, Conan-kun. As a collector who has operated in Europe for many years, I've encountered many phantom thieves.
For example, the "Mockingbird" phantom thief organization that's active in Europe, they also send Notice box full of metaphors before each operation.
Having seen many of them, I naturally become more sensitive to this kind of wordplay, and it's quicker to decipher."
"Mockingbird?"
Sonoko blinked, then suddenly remembered something and pulled out a photo from her phone album to show Hugo.
"Speaking of which, my family actually received a strange sticky note letter a few days ago, right below Kid's Notice box!
It had a bird drawn on it, and below it said, "When the Mockingbird sings, ill-gotten gains shall return to their rightful place."
I thought it was a child's prank at the time, so I didn't pay attention.
Willard-San, is this the "Mockingbird" you're talking about? What's their background?"
"Oh?"
Hugo's eyebrows raised slightly, seemingly surprised, as he took Sonoko's phone and saw the rest of the Mockingbird's Notice box.
"『Before the white bird's wings have swept by, I will knock on the page hiding the dark star.』"
"It seems Mockingbird wants to challenge Kaito Kid and get the black star before him."