Chapter 46 - Miwako Sato Vows to Arrest Renji
"Uncle Nagase, who exactly is that guy?"
Having just experienced defeat, the Kisugi sisters sought out Uncle Nagase. They had considered the possibility of losing—but only to Kaitou Kid or Lupin III.
As equally renowned thieves, those two were certainly not inferior to Cat's Eye.
But to be crushed and used like a stepping stone by some no-name nobody...
There was no way they could just brush that off.
"There's nothing. He just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Not even a trace on the dark web."
Uncle Nagase shook his head. As the steward of the Kisugi family, he helped the three sisters manage their assets while also supplying Cat's Eye with intel.
Most of their intelligence had always come from him. This time was his failure. He'd accounted for the other two, but never considered someone unexpected showing up.
"Argh!!! So annoying!! We got used as a stepping stone by that guy!"
Kisugi Ai ruffled her hair, her face full of frustration.
"Haah, the thieving world is getting harder and harder to survive in, huh?"
Kisugi Rui quipped. They had only become thieves because of certain unavoidable circumstances.
"Big sis, that was Dad's collection... It might even be connected to his death. If that guy took it, don't we... have to get it back?"
Kisugi Hitomi glanced at the still-optimistic Kisugi Rui and offered a reminder.
This wasn't the time for jokes. That was their father's collection. It had to be recovered.
Now that the Queen's Tear had been taken by the masked man, getting it back would be far more difficult.
"First, we need intel on that guy."
Rui shook her head. Of course she wanted to get it back.
But given the current situation, they had nothing—no leads on the masked man at all. Without intel, how could they retrieve the Queen's Tear?
"Still, judging from what happened, that guy's bound to strike again. We'll have another chance."
Rui was optimistic because she was certain the masked man would reappear to commit more thefts.
As long as he kept showing up, there would eventually be a flaw they could exploit.
"That's right. That guy seems desperate for attention. Almost like... an artist?"
"A crazed artist, huh?"
Kisugi Hitomi and Kisugi Ai echoed the thought. They'd all heard what Renji said earlier.
Someone like that wouldn't pull one job and disappear. He would definitely strike again.
"So, let's start our investigation. We've lost once, but next time, we'll show him what Cat's Eye can really do."
Rui nodded, seeing her two younger sisters regain their resolve. A wave of relief washed over her.
Losing wasn't scary.
What was scary was being defeated and never rising again.
Next time, Cat's Eye wouldn't lose.
"Lupin, you idiot! I gave you the intel and this is what you do with it?!"
Inside an abandoned building, Fujiko Mine glared at Lupin in disappointment. She had handed him the intel, already making plans for what to do once he got the gem.
"It's not my fault! The problem is we didn't have any intel on that guy!"
Lupin III defended himself. The loss was clearly due to the lack of information on Renji. If he'd known about him, there was no way he would've failed.
"He didn't play by the rules. We all sent invitations—he didn't. We were in the shadows, he was in the open. It's normal that we lost!"
"..."
Fujiko stared at Lupin. That excuse was absurdly creative, but annoyingly enough... she couldn't refute it.
Because this failure really did stem from her not giving Lupin any information about Renji.
"Forget it. Either way, you lost. I'm leaving."
She gave Lupin one last glance, then put on her sunglasses and turned to go.
She understood—this couldn't all be blamed on Lupin. But she had placed high hopes in him, and yet he lost.
And the person he lost to was some nobody.
Still, it didn't matter much. Even if she failed, the headlines tomorrow would be about Lupin—not her.
Meanwhile, Kaito Kuroba was reviewing the night, trying to figure out why he had failed.
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got. He scratched his head. This was the first failure in his entire career!
Damn it!
"Hey, it's me. That thing today—was that your doing?"
From the other end of the phone came Gin's distinct raspy voice—mixed with disbelief.
He had made time to watch the livestream today. Initially, it was just to gauge if Renji was suitable for collaboration. His rule was simple—if the guy didn't even dare show up, he'd be eliminated.
But after watching today's stream, Gin was stuck on one thing: how the hell did Renji escape from that?
"It was me. I've already got the Queen's Tear."
As he spoke, Renji took the phone from his ear, snapped a photo of the gem, and sent it to Gin via MMS.
Seeing the photo of the Queen's Tear, Gin fell silent.
So it really was him?
"Very good. That means the mission is complete."
"Money."
Renji didn't beat around the bush. Two million USD—wasn't it time to settle that?
"Account."
Renji sent a burner account over, and the money arrived quickly.
"Alright. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
After getting paid, Renji was ready to end the call. He wasn't in the mood for chit-chat with some mob boss at this hour.
"The item?"
"Excuse me, bro? You paid me two million to steal the gem—you never said I had to give it to you for that same two million. You ever hear of an inequality? I accepted the job, doesn't mean I have to hand it over. Learn some math, will you?"
"You're trying to screw me?"
Gin's tone turned cold. Was this guy messing with him?
"Come on! Are you crazy or am I? That thing's worth over ten million, and you offer me two million to grab it—and then expect me to give it to you for free? What are you, a middleman skimming off the top? You gave me zero intel. Zero support. And now you expect me to hand over a million-dollar item for free? Do I look like an idiot to you!?"
Renji was convinced Gin had lost his mind. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a ridiculous demand.
So let me get this straight... I steal something worth ten million for you, and I walk away with just two?
"Boss, I'm requesting a one-on-one with this guy!"
"Too arrogant!"
Vodka glanced at Gin's increasingly gloomy face and immediately had the urge to express his loyalty.
"I need to have the gem appraised. If it's the one we're looking for, I can buy it from you at full value. If not, then you can keep it. That two million will count as your payment for the task!"
Gin went silent for a while, then said something that even shocked Vodka—he himself couldn't believe he said it.
Maybe he had indeed oversimplified things. That gem really might be worth more than two million.
And what Renji said wasn't wrong.
"Fine. But the appraisal costs a hundred thousand!"
You're even more ruthless than me, huh!?
Gin's expression turned darker. The next second, he hung up the phone directly.
A hundred thousand just to look at it—why don't you drop dead!?
"So ugly of you, Gin."
The bar door opened. Vermouth walked in from outside and casually placed her motorcycle helmet on the counter. She glanced at Gin's gloomy face and teased him—it really was a rare sight.
"Vermouth, I need a favor. Help me steal a gem."
Gin turned his head to look at her. He didn't want to sour relations with Renji just yet. The guy had some skill. So for now, he wanted Vermouth to make a move and see if they could retrieve the gem.
"What's this? Did Gin watch that showdown between thieves last night and suddenly decide to change careers?"
Vermouth had just returned from the scene. She was on her way home after finishing some business, but paused at the plaza, drawn by the battle on the big screen.
She had to admit—the performance by that masked man was quite unexpected.
"No. The boss wants the Queen's Tear. We've been looking for that gem lately, haven't we? This one might be it."
Vodka explained from the side.
"I made a deal with that guy to steal it, but now he's asking for ten million. I don't want to fall out with him yet, so I'm asking you to try stealing it back."
Gin said calmly.
"Oh, I get it—you want the goods but not to pay the price, huh?"
Vermouth's expression showed sudden clarity. Well, that explained everything.
"Do you have intel?"
"None at the moment."
"Then how am I supposed to steal it?"
Vermouth was stunned.
So you're telling me to steal something you know nothing about?
What do you think I am, a god?
"I'll get you intel later. Aren't you not going back to America?"
"Not going."
Vermouth shook her head. She had returned for good this time. The business in America would be handled by someone else.
"Alright, I'm off."
Gin nodded, then stood up and prepared to leave. He didn't want to spend too much time with Vermouth.
Besides, there were matters in the lab that needed his attention.
Back at the lab, seeing Gin's sour expression, Shiho Miyano muttered quietly to herself. Anyone would think someone owed him money.
"How's the drug coming along?"
The research on APTX4869 was still incomplete. All current test subjects ended in death—clearly not what the Organization wanted.
"Not done yet."
"What about the last investigation? Is Kudo Shinichi confirmed dead?"
The boy he had poisoned in the park, Kudo Shinichi, still wasn't confirmed dead even now.
"He's dead."
Shiho replied quietly, her lowered gaze hiding a strange flicker.
"Keep experimenting, Sherry."
Gin nodded and turned to leave.
'Experiment... soon, I'll escape this hell.'
Shiho Miyano looked up at Gin. Maybe he still thought she knew nothing.
Her sister was dead. She would never do another experiment for the Organization.
She would leave this place. And if she couldn't—then she would die. After all, with her sister gone, there was nothing left in this world to keep her here.
The next day.
The front pages of the entertainment section were filled with yesterday's grand thief showdown—especially the part where the police stood by helplessly as the thieves all escaped. The press went wild.
"I knew it! That guy is now being called the most artistic phantom thief of the new era! A thief is still a thief! And now he's famous because of us!?"
Miwako Sato slammed the newspaper down. Seeing all the praise for the masked man, the glorification of "artistic theft"—she almost lost her temper.
"What can you do? Just look online—it's worse. A lot of people are calling us useless, saying the police are a joke. And just like with Kid, this guy's gained a bunch of fans. Some people are even asking for replicas of his outfit!"
Shiratori Ninzaburou rubbed his forehead. He had predicted this outcome yesterday. But clearly, he had still underestimated things.
Because Renji had taken the gem from under the noses of three top thieves and made fools of the police, his popularity had skyrocketed.
Add to that the mystery around him and the theatrical lines he left behind—it was the perfect storm.
"But this is a slap in our faces! I swear—I'll personally arrest that bastard!!"
Miwako Sato made a vow. She would bring the masked man to justice.
So what if he was a phantom thief?
Did that give him the right to mock justice?
He was still a thief—how could people worship someone like that?
Had the world really sunk to this level?
Miwako Sato would never allow it.
They hadn't caught him yesterday.
But next time—she would.
She would arrest Renji with her own hands!
"But we're not even in charge of that case..."
Takagi Wataru raised his hand weakly to remind her. They were in charge of criminal cases. Catching thieves wasn't really under their jurisdiction, was it?
"I'll talk to Inspector Megure right now. From now on, I want priority on that case!"
All for the sake of justice!
"No wonder she's Officer Sato!"
Shiratori looked at Miwako Sato's determined expression, and his heart surged with admiration. He made up his mind—he'd also request reassignment from Inspector Megure!
"The front page is all about me... Looks like my debut performance was a success."
Seeing today's headlines, Renji was very satisfied. All that time spent crafting his closing line had paid off.
He couldn't wait for his next performance!
But first, he needed to get his office in order.
Now that he had the money, he needed to spread the word—to let people know his office existed.
"We'll call it the 'Yorozuya.' Time to invest in promotion. Hopefully, something interesting comes up."
He launched the Yorozuya app, contacted a few streaming companies, and started running online ads to promote his business.
At that same moment, a certain girl in school was staring at the ad—lost in thought.
(End of Chapter)
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