Chapter 31: Catch That Dark-Skinned Guy

"That is 7:30," Chi Feichi stated.

"That's right. The notice specified the 12th character, not the 12th letter. Counting the 12th letter 'L' from the alphabet is indeed less accurate than finding the 12th character in the notice itself..." Conan mused, casting a side glance at Chi Feichi.

He had expected this guy to be a total amateur, yet he had suddenly pulled off a move that caught them completely off guard. It was a good thing he hadn't worried about Chi Feichi losing to Hattori Heiji after all.

Hattori Heiji agreed. "Leo is from July 23rd to August 22nd, and Virgo is from August 23rd to September 22nd. The phrase 'from the lion of dusk to the maiden of dawn' implies the time between the dusk of the 22nd and the early morning of the 23rd. 7:20 PM is right at 'dusk'."

Conan looked away from Chi Feichi and nodded. "This interpretation connects the beginning and the end naturally, without feeling forced. Let's hurry to the castle tower!"

"Wait!" Hattori Heiji called out to Conan, frowning in thought. "No, something isn't right..."

Conan was puzzled. "I think this interpretation is fine!"

"No, that's not it," Hattori explained while thinking. "The time is correct, but if the previous time deduction was wrong, then 'from the bright sky loft' might be wrong too. It's useless if we know the time but go to the wrong place..."

There was no rain or water droplets in the sky, and Hattori hadn't yet hit upon the key realization of the "Tsutenkaku Tower."

Chi Feichi didn't want the police to rush ahead and set an ambush, so he stalled for time. "In any case, let's tell the police the time we deduced from the riddle."

"Good idea!" Hattori took out his phone to make the call. Considering he hadn't been the one to solve the riddle, he didn't want to steal the spotlight, so he handed the phone to Chi Feichi. "You tell them. I'll keep thinking about the 'sky loft' part."

Chi Feichi didn't reach for it. "Repeat it? That's too much trouble."

Hattori was stunned, realizing Chi Feichi meant, "It's too much trouble for me to repeat the explanation, you do it." He was speechless, but since the call had already connected, he had no choice but to step aside and relay Chi Feichi's deduction.

Chi Feichi checked the time on his phone. Conan looked up and, assuming Chi Feichi was anxious because time was running out, went back to deep thought.

Hattori returned after the call. "I've contacted the police. Officer Nakamori moved the egg to a location known only to him and two other officers. They wouldn't tell us, but since they know the time now, they should be on high alert. As long as they guard the egg, Kid will have lost..."

Conan had long since stopped pretending in front of Chi Feichi—since Chi Feichi had already provided him with an excuse, he didn't mind being seen as a weirdo. He frowned, "But not figuring out the location is so frustrating... We were so close!"

Hattori also concentrated. "The 'bright sky loft'—a sky loft should refer to a very tall building, but 'bright' doesn't make sense... If it means the whole building is lit up at night, then many buildings fit that description..."

Chi Feichi watched the time: 6:49. "Tsutenkaku."

Hattori looked up abruptly, locked eyes with Chi Feichi, and immediately turned to run toward Tsutenkaku. "Let's go!"

"Hey, wait..." Conan, confused, was about to follow when Chi Feichi scooped him up.

Chi Feichi walked to the roadside and hailed a taxi. Conan looked at Hattori's retreating back and then at the taxi, falling into silence. For the first time, he wondered if his detective IQ was inferior to that of someone who belonged in a mental institution.

Once in the taxi, Chi Feichi put Conan down and pointed at the nearly vanished Hattori, telling the driver, "Follow that guy in black, the one in the blue shirt and brown pants."

"Huh?"

"He's our friend. Hurry."

"O-okay!" The driver started the car and gave chase.

However...

Hattori Heiji was fast! The taxi couldn't catch up for a while, and every time they finally closed the gap, they would get caught at a red light, allowing Hattori to pull away again.

"At this rate, he'll arrive before us," Chi Feichi judged.

Conan watched the figure sprinting in the distance and helplessly covered his face. The driver, hearing this and feeling a bit humiliated that he couldn't outrun a person on foot, slammed on the gas.

On the sidewalk, Hattori Heiji, weaving through the crowd, yelled without looking back, "Right, we need to notify the police ASAP! Ku—Conan, hurry up and make a call!"

No one replied. Hattori realized something was wrong, slowed to a stop, and looked back. There was no sign of Chi Feichi or Conan.

Two seconds later, a taxi screeched to a halt beside him. Conan nearly flew into the windshield due to inertia, but Chi Feichi caught him just in time.

Chi Feichi rolled down the window slightly and beckoned to Hattori. "Get in."

Hattori climbed into the passenger seat, panting. His run under the sunset had been a waste of time and energy, and he felt two friendships were slipping away...

"So you two just sat in a car and watched me run?"

"Give me a break, you were the one in such a hurry you didn't even wait for us!" Conan rolled his eyes. "We told the driver to follow you as soon as we got in."

The driver added, "That's right, you misunderstood them. We've been chasing you the whole time, but you were just too fast."

Hattori's eyes turned into dots. "I-is that so..."

7:14. The taxi stopped in front of Tsutenkaku. Chi Feichi paid the fare, and Conan and Hattori rushed into the tower. Seeing the elevator wasn't coming, they took the stairs.

Chi Feichi arrived a moment later. He looked at the elevator button they had pressed and did a quick calculation. Unless it stopped at every floor, the time to climb the stairs and the time to take the elevator would be about the same. And at this time of night, there was no one at Tsutenkaku, so it was impossible for it to stop at every floor...

*Ding.*

The elevator reached the first floor, and the doors opened. Chi Feichi stepped in. Detectives really were impatient creatures.

On the top floor, Kaito Kuroba stood on the scaffolding, released a dove, and waved his cape as it fluttered in the wind. "Ladies and gentlemen!"

It really was Kaitou Kid!

Hattori and Conan, still climbing the stairs, exchanged a glance and pushed themselves harder. They reached the top, opened the security door, and burst onto the roof.

Kaito Kuroba tipped his hat. "The show is about to begin..."

*Bang!*

The security door flew open. Conan leaned on his knees, gasping for breath, but looked up at Kaito Kuroba on the scaffolding. "No, your show ends here... Kaitou Kid!"

*Ding.*

The elevator door behind them opened. Chi Feichi stepped out and checked the condition of Hattori and Conan. His calculations were correct; they had arrived at roughly the same time.

Hattori turned to look at Chi Feichi, who was walking over with effortless composure. "..."

Did they... should they have just waited for the elevator?

Taking advantage of their distraction, Kaito Kuroba pressed his remote control. High above Osaka Castle in the distance, fireworks shot up and exploded into the night.

Hattori regained his focus and looked at Kid. "You don't intend to lure the police near Tsutenkaku to Osaka Castle, do you? Unfortunately for you, we notified the police on our way here. They won't fall for it!"

"I did have that intention, and I didn't expect you to solve the riddle," Kaito Kuroba turned to the three of them, bowing politely. "But since the fireworks are already set, let them add some color to this summer night. Because... Osaka will soon lose its color."

"You show-off, how could Osaka possibly—" Hattori started, but before he could finish, Kaito Kuroba pressed the remote again.

The power station in the distance was blown up, and the city lights went dark section by section. In the darkness, the city indeed lost its color.

"What?" Conan ran to the railing and looked out. "A blackout?"

Kaito Kuroba observed the darkening city with binoculars. He had tapped the police communications and knew it was Chi Feichi who had solved the riddle. He had invited Chi Feichi to watch the show, and he didn't care what role Chi Feichi chose to play. Taking this opportunity was also a good way to distance "Kaitou Kid" from Chi Feichi.

Chi Feichi stood in the back, silently unstrapping the lead weights from his limbs.

Hattori, having finished his surprise over the blackout, turned to discuss it with Chi Feichi, only to see him "unloading." He was bewildered. "You..."

Conan also turned, staring at the weights on the ground. No way—did this guy wear weights even in his daily life?

Chi Feichi pulled out Hira, placing the snake on the ground. "Stay put."

Seeing the snake flicking its tongue, Hattori jumped back several steps. "What kind of stuff do you carry on you?"

Chi Feichi ignored him and looked at Kaito Kuroba. "You already know the police moved the egg to a hiding spot, but you don't know the exact location..."

Kaito Kuroba noticed Chi Feichi's movements and his eyelids twitched. He hurriedly used his binoculars to search for the target. "That's right."

Conan realized the truth. "Because the police would choose a hidden place to keep the egg safe, and they would prepare a generator for emergencies! As long as you cause a city-wide blackout, you can see where the generators are running. By excluding places like hotels and hospitals that normally have generators, you can find where the police are hiding the egg!"

"Correct." Kaito Kuroba had spotted the target and put away his binoculars.

"Hattori! Call the—" Before Conan could finish, Chi Feichi lunged forward with astonishing speed. He grabbed the scaffolding, vaulted, stepped, climbed, and stood firm. Like a weightless shadow, he drifted up from beneath the frame and quickly lunged at Kaitou Kid.