Chapter 44 – Kasumigaoka, Are You Giving Yourself Away for Free?
"So many people!"
In front of the Takeoka Art Museum, crowds had already gathered, drawn by the spectacle.
All three legendary thieves had their eyes on the Tear of the Queen, and the museum director was shamelessly using it as promotional bait.
Around the Takeoka Art Museum, the police had already set up barricades. To prevent any thieves from sneaking in, the 100-meter perimeter had been completely restricted from public access.
"Officer Utsumi, the Second Investigation Division will be taking over here. From this point on, follow our lead!"
"Sorry, but I'm here specifically for Cat's Eye."
"Ahem, I'm saying Lupin III is coming — this should clearly be under my jurisdiction!"
Inside the museum—
Nakamori Ginzo, Utsumi Toshio, and Zenigata Koichi were in a heated argument over who had the right to take command.
Each of them was responsible for a different thief — Kaito Kid, Cat's Eye, and Lupin III respectively.
And now the three had all converged.
Naturally, each one felt they were the most qualified to lead.
"Hey, can you three stop bickering already? We'll take over the operation."
"Inspector Megure, isn't that a bit—?"
Nakamori Ginzo was instantly displeased.
"The report came from the museum director, and HQ assigned this to us. Besides, this is happening in Beika — obviously, we're in charge here."
Megure cleared his throat and turned to Takagi and Sato Miwako. "You two, get ready. From now on, not even a single fly gets in!"
HQ had anticipated the inevitable turf war and thus sent Inspector Megure to oversee the entire operation.
—
"Sonoko, isn't it a bit much for us to just walk in like this?"
A helicopter landed just outside the museum. From it stepped Mōri Kogorō, Mōri Ran, Sonoko, and one small, death-bringing grade schooler. Watching Sonoko confidently stride toward the entrance, Ran hesitated and voiced her concern.
They'd heard that the entire area was sealed off.
"This is a rare chance to see Kaito-sama up close! And he's clashing with other legendary thieves! Of course I had to come watch!"
Sonoko waved it off. Seeing Ran still looking worried, she added, "Relax, I already pulled some strings. The officer in charge won't oppose us being here."
The power of the Suzuki family's wealth at work!
Conan, eyes half-lidded, muttered internally: Corrupt capitalism… of course they'd let you in after a call from the top.
Still, he had to admit — thanks to Sonoko, he was getting in too.
As a justice-obsessed detective, Conan naturally wanted to catch all three thieves at once.
"Inspector Megure, long time no see!"
Mōri Kogorō strolled up like he owned the place, waving enthusiastically.
"What are you doing here?"
Megure eyed him with suspicion. Recently, every time there was a case, Mōri Kogorō was somehow involved — and that gave him a very bad feeling.
"Obviously, I'm here to help catch the thieves! Don't worry, with me, the great detective Mōri Kogorō on the job, there's no way they'll get away with that gem!"
With that, Mōri let out his trademark open-mouthed laugh.
Truth be told, he was hoping to use this opportunity to boost his fame. Lately, more and more people had been seeking him out, but he wanted more. He truly enjoyed solving cases — and now that damn high school detective wasn't stealing the spotlight, it was his time to shine.
And this case? He had his eyes on it from the start.
The TV stations were already here. If he could keep the Tear of the Queen safe and capture all three thief groups, his name would explode in popularity!
Then more clients, more cases, and his fees would skyrocket!
"You! Are you Kid in disguise?!"
Nakamori Ginzo suddenly lunged forward and started yanking at Kogorō's face.
After clashing with Kaito Kid so many times, he knew full well how good Kid's disguises were.
"Damn it, let go!"
Just seconds ago, Kogorō had been lost in a victorious fantasy. Now, pain tore across his face as Nakamori pulled and twisted with both hands.
"No disguise."
Nakamori finally let go, breathing a sigh of relief, then shifted his gaze toward Ran, Sonoko, and the others.
"Miwako, verify Ran and Sonoko. Takagi, check Conan."
"Yes, sir!"
Inspector Megure had already been informed Sonoko was coming, but he hadn't expected her to bring a whole crew.
Still, since they were here, a simple check to confirm they weren't Kid was enough.
—
"Over here, Utaha! Eriri!"
After school—
Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha had skipped club activities and rushed out immediately.
Renji and Katou Megumi were already waiting by the school gate. The moment she spotted Renji, Utaha's eyes lit up and she quickened her pace.
"Renji-kun, not going to flirt with your little part-time girlfriend today?"
Utaha folded her arms, her tone laced with annoyance as she stared him down.
"Hey! That was just a convenience store co-worker!"
Somehow, Utaha always managed to frame things to make him sound like a player.
Though Renji knew she was teasing, he still found it hard to deal with her sharp tongue.
"Hmph, it's been ages since you did anything with us!"
Eriri puffed up her cheeks, baring her little tiger teeth as she pouted.
Lately, both girls had clearly felt that Renji had been distancing himself.
It made Eriri anxious.
She'd finally made a friend she truly cared about, and now he was pulling away without explanation?
She didn't want to lose someone she'd worked so hard to keep close.
"Renji-kun… are you in love?"
Utaha's eyes narrowed, a hint of scrutiny in her gaze. That inexplicable feeling of being pushed away really didn't sit right with her.
She also didn't want Renji falling in love — at least not with someone else.
Back in her darkest moments, it had been Renji who comforted her, who stayed by her side as she rewrote draft after draft. He was a gentle, dependable boy, and she had no intention of letting some random girl take him away.
This guy had one serious flaw — he was too gentle. He treated every girl that way, always ready to lend a hand or show concern at just the right moment.
'If only he was like that with just me,' she sighed internally.
"No, I've just been busy with something. I'm planning to open an agency, to help people with their problems. I probably won't be working at the convenience store anymore."
He used to work part-time out of necessity. Now, Renji simply didn't want to anymore.
"Huh? Renji-kun, do you even have time for that?"
Katou Megumi looked at him curiously. He hadn't mentioned any of this before.
And really — did he have time?
"Helping with any problem? Then… how about helping a girl grow into a woman, Renji-kun?"
"Kasumigaoka Utaha!! What the hell are you saying!?"
Eriri's eyes went wide in shock, glancing around nervously to make sure no one heard.
She was already used to Utaha's venomous flirtatious words, but still couldn't quite handle them — even if the target wasn't herself.
"Hmph, you're a manga artist. Are you really scared of a few words like that?"
Utaha snorted dismissively.
She knew exactly what Eriri's profession was.
But she never took Eriri seriously. Even though Eriri always called Renji a friend, Utaha had long seen through her true feelings.
Not that she cared. The tsundere twin-tail wasn't her competition.
"So, Renji-kun — your answer?"
Utaha turned her gaze toward him, ignoring Eriri completely.
If he said yes… then she'd go all out — maybe even wear those alphabet-print stockings on their next date.
"You trying to give yourself away for free?"
Renji scratched his head in frustration.
He'd worked so hard to maintain his little pond of fish — he couldn't let Kasumigaoka destroy the ecosystem.
He'd distanced himself from them before out of self-preservation. In a normal slice-of-life anime, sure, no big deal. But this was Conan's world. For all he knew, any moment could be his last.
Truth be told, he was a little greedy. He liked Utaha's type. He also liked Eriri's twin tails — they'd make great handlebars. If he could hold those down, maybe he'd be holding onto his future too?
"Too bad… someone doesn't seem to want it."
Utaha looked at him with a trace of disappointment. She'd basically laid it out — and he still wasn't taking the bait. What else could she do?
'Looks like I'll have to be more aggressive… maybe take him to that couple's hot spring. That should do it.'
"Shall we head to the museum first?"
Katou Megumi raised her wrist and looked at her watch, calmly interrupting the mood between them.
She pointed out the time — if they didn't leave now, they'd miss the show.
That place was probably packed already.
"Yes, yes! Let's go to the museum!"
Eriri jumped at the chance to change the subject. She wasn't good at being aggressive or controlling the pace. Watching Utaha press the attack was driving her crazy.
But Megumi's interruption? Perfect timing.
'Nice one, Megumi! You really are my best teammate!'
Eriri silently fist-pumped and gave Katou an internal thumbs up.
"Heh."
Utaha shot Eriri an annoyed glance. This girl is such a pain… I'll find a time when she's not around next.
"Oh? Did I interrupt something good for you, Renji-kun?"
"Megumi's kind of scary these days, huh."
"Am I?"
Katou tilted her head with a blank expression.
But Renji knew her too well.
From "Renji-kun" to "Renji-san" — Katou Megumi definitely knew how to switch her attitude.
He shrugged. No need to explain. They had agreed to head to the museum, and if they wanted a good spot, they'd have to move fast. So they hailed a taxi.
—
Takeoka Art Museum – a sea of people.
"No good spots left. Are all these people really here for the show?"
"Someone even brought binoculars!"
Even thieves had fan clubs now.
Kaito Kid especially had quite the following.
"I'm going in."
"Huh?"
Eriri blinked at Renji. With this many people, how was he planning to get inside?
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, the surrounding crowd parted — giving them a clear path forward.
They walked straight through and soon reached the frontmost area, still about 100 meters from the museum itself.
They waited until late at night. Thanks to the live broadcast from the TV station, a lot of onlookers decided to go home and watch from their screens, clearing out much of the crowd.
"Look!! They've shown the inside of the museum! That's the Tear of the Queen!"
The massive digital screens on nearby buildings were broadcasting live images from within the art museum.
The Tear of the Queen sat beneath a glass dome, gleaming under the lights.
Police officers stood on full alert, armed to the teeth, with high-tech security gear monitoring every inch. If anyone dared to enter, they wouldn't hesitate to strike.
"Renji-kun, do you think the gem will be stolen?"
"It will," Renji nodded. "But not that one. That one's fake."
"How do you know?!"
Eriri stared at him. What, did he have X-ray vision? How could he tell just by looking?
"It's simple. They're broadcasting it live for the whole world to see. You think Kid and the others can't see it too? There's no way the real gem would be out in the open like that. Are you dense?"
Utaha gave Eriri a look of pure disdain. Was this girl stupid?
Obviously, they wouldn't place the real gem under public display. It was probably hidden somewhere else entirely.
"Kasumigaoka Utaha! What kind of look is that!?"
"A 'looking at an idiot' look."
"I'll fight you!"
Before Eriri could whip her signature twin tails, Utaha caught them in her hand — completely neutralizing the move.
"Renji-kun, who do you think will get the gem? Or will it be protected?"
Katou Megumi asked softly. This was her first time witnessing something like this.
"Maybe it won't be any of the three. And maybe not the police either."
"Eh?!"
Katou's mind started racing. Could there really be someone else involved?
As the clock struck 11:30, a wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.
It was the promised time.
Lupin III, Kaito Kid, and Cat's Eye had all announced they would strike at this exact moment. And now, every eye was glued to the screens, eager to witness — who among these legendary thieves was truly the strongest?
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