BWDC:SDDK Chapter 2: The Mysterious Coffee Man
The number of guests on the Queen Elizabeth was gradually increasing.
As the venue for the Suzuki Financial Group's 60th-anniversary celebration, most of those in attendance were prominent figures from Tokyo and the entire Kanto region. If you threw a stone at random, you'd likely hit a chairman or a young heir of some prestigious family.
Amidst these wealthy socialites dressed in formal gowns and tuxedos, Ren Ichimonji, wearing only casual clothes, looked somewhat conspicuous.
As the officers in charge of the operation to arrest Phantom Thief Kid, Shintaro Chaki and Ginzo NakaMouri—who had just been transferred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department—stood together. They stared at Ren Ichimonji, debating whether to go over and pinch his face to see if it was one of the Phantom Thief's disguises.
However, in the blink of an eye, Ren Ichimonji's figure vanished into the crowd.
Both Chaki and NakaMouri were jolted. They rushed forward to investigate, only to find that the man had simply found a chair and sat down to drink coffee. Because everyone else was standing, he had been hidden from view.
"...?"
Ren Ichimonji took a sip of his coffee, looking at the two men before him with a strange expression.
His gaze swept toward the bar in the banquet hall. Seeing Shiro Suzuki—or rather, the real Phantom Thief Kid—take the stage to prepare for a speech, Ren Ichimonji stood up. He prepared to move closer to Kogoro Mouri.
According to the plot, once Shiro Suzuki finished his speech, Conan would realize something was wrong and head to the restroom to find him. This would leave Ran Mouri alone temporarily. Ran would then go outside to look for Conan, at which point she would be replaced by Phantom Thief Kid.
Therefore, if he wanted to find the Phantom Thief to "replay" the riddle solving, the best opportunity was to find the Kid disguised as Ran Mouri.
"Sir, could you wait a moment?"
Ignoring Shiro Suzuki's speech on the platform, Ginzo NakaMouri took a step forward and spoke seriously.
As an old hand in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Shintaro Chaki didn't dare strike up a conversation lightly because the guests were all influential figures from various industries. But NakaMouri was a newcomer and didn't care about such formalities.
"I think..."
Before NakaMouri could finish his sentence, Ren Ichimonji reached out, pinched his own face, and walked past him. The entire sequence of movements was so fluid that the "police-civilian cooperation" combo NakaMouri intended to execute missed entirely.
---Such a decisive way to prove his identity.
NakaMouri couldn't help but turn his head to look at the plain young man holding the coffee cup, only to find he had already disappeared into the throng of people.
"It seems he isn't the Phantom Thief. He looks very young, maybe not even twenty. But Phantom Thief Kid is a man in his forties or fifties; it's impossible to look that young without a disguise," Chaki added, having witnessed the whole scene.
By now, Shiro Suzuki's speech had ended, and Tomoko Suzuki took his place on the stage.
The actual power behind the Suzuki Financial Group picked up a gift box and announced grandly:
"When you entered, everyone received a gift box like this, correct? Please open them. Inside is the Suzuki family heirloom: the Black Star."
"Of course, it's impossible for all of these to be authentic. There is only one genuine pearl. As for who has it..."
"Hehe, allow me to keep that a secret. In short, please wear these Black Stars. I don't believe Phantom Thief Kid can distinguish the real one from the fakes and steal it right off your chests under everyone's watchful eyes!"
As Tomoko Suzuki spoke, many guests took the Black Stars out of their boxes, filled with admiration.
Regardless of whether they held a genuine piece or a replica, it was the Suzuki Group's 60th-anniversary party; they had to show appreciation. They all intended to continue collaborating with the Suzuki Group, the leader of the Kanto region.
Among the crowd, there was only one exception: Sonoko Suzuki.
As the actual heiress of the Suzuki Group, Sonoko didn't particularly care about treasures like the Black Star. Her attention was currently entirely focused on her older sister, Ayako Suzuki.
"Honestly, why hasn't big sister arrived yet? The ship has already set sail... there's a limit to being late, right?"
She muttered, taking out her phone to call Ayako.
Conan looked up at Sonoko, feeling that things were a bit strange.
While it was true Ayako might have a poor sense of time, if he remembered correctly, wasn't she living with Uncle Suzuki right now? Why had Uncle Suzuki arrived while Ayako was missing?
The Reaper Schoolboy pushed up his glasses.
Suddenly, he felt as if someone was watching from behind. He immediately turned toward the source of the gaze but saw nothing. Just as he intended to go check it out, Sonoko's startled cry interrupted his thoughts.
"What! You and Dad are still at home? But Dad just went on stage to give a speech!"
Does that mean Uncle Suzuki didn't board the ship? Was the man just now the Phantom Thief Kid in disguise?
Conan's heart sank.
He had completely failed to notice any flaws in the disguise. That thief's mimicry skills were beyond expectation. Could it be that on April 1st, the Phantom Thief had also used disguise to escape?
The boy ran quickly toward the bar area to ask the staff about Shiro Suzuki's whereabouts.
Then, he dashed toward the restrooms without stopping, hoping to corner "Shiro Suzuki" there.
At the same time, Ran Mouri noticed that Conan had slipped away. After mentioning it to Kogoro Mouri, she left the crowd to search for him.
Tap, tap, tap.
Ran held up her red formal dress, looking left and right for Conan.
In the next moment, a pungent scent suddenly filled the air.
Before she could react, her body went limp and her consciousness blurred. She only saw the thief in the conspicuous white uniform clasping his hands together in a slight apology before her, whispering:
"I'm sorry, young lady..."
Only a few seconds later, "Ran Mouri" returned to the crowd.
When passing Inspector NakaMouri, she even gave him a smiling greeting. NakaMouri looked a bit puzzled, as he didn't recall meeting this girl in the red dress before.
Just as Ran was about to return to Kogoro's side, the entire banquet hall suddenly went dark.
Immediately, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Almost simultaneously, a stranger's voice came from behind her.
"Miss Mouri, would you like to hear how to solve the Riddler's riddle?"
End of Chapter
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