Chapter 21: Kaitou Kid, I Have a Request for You

Nara Hikaru did not know who the people he killed in the alley were. Perhaps they were codenamed members of the Black Organization, or perhaps merely low-level operatives. It did not matter; to Nara Hikaru, killing them required no distinction in difficulty. Everyone is nothing more than flesh and blood; if a bullet pierces the heart or the brain, they will die. Unless, of course, they happen to be someone with a heart on their right side, or someone capable of using ninjutsu to shift their heart.

Returning his two pistols to their holsters, Nara Hikaru turned and walked out of the alley. He was certain that after the sound of gunfire, the nearby police, already on high alert, would arrive at the scene to investigate immediately—even if, in his view, these police officers appeared incompetent. At the very least, they deserved praise for one thing: even knowing their own incompetence, they still dared to charge to the front lines. A little self-confidence is never a bad thing, as long as it is not blind.

*Ding-dong—ding-dong—ding-dong—*

The siren wailed, growing closer. But when Inspector Megure arrived at the scene with his team, he found nothing. All that remained were three cold corpses lying on the ground, accompanied by their pistols. Although Inspector Shiratori had not mentioned the internal situation of the car company building to him due to a confidentiality agreement, Megure was, after all, a veteran inspector of the Criminal Investigation Division. Once the forensics team had gathered evidence, he naturally understood a thing or two; for instance, he knew that the victims all shared the same characteristics: black clothes, pistols, and professional training. They were identical to the three men in black currently lying dead in the alley.

"I need to contact Assistant Inspector Kazami." Inspector Megure felt a headache coming on and rubbed his forehead. He did not even need to think about it; he would surely have to sign the same confidentiality agreements as Inspector Shiratori. Rather than waiting until he returned to the Metropolitan Police Department to submit the case information and go through a series of investigative procedures, it would be more efficient to wait right here for the Public Security Bureau personnel to arrive and take over.

"Inspector Megure! Look at this, this box..." The voice of Officer Takagi came from beside a nearby jeep. Regarding this officer, who was well-qualified but still somewhat green, Inspector Megure maintained a relatively high level of patience. He walked quickly to Takagi Wataru's side and asked, "What is it? Takagi, what happened... wait, the indentation in this box is..."

"A sniper rifle! Why would an urban legend need a sniper rifle?!"

Inspector Megure had only just reached the jeep when he saw the empty case with its distinct, item-shaped indentations. His expression changed instantly; he knew this matter had become increasingly serious. Based on his experience, this was clearly a gun case, and it looked like one intended for a sniper rifle—it even had specific recesses for a scope.

"Contact Assistant Inspector Kazami immediately... What? Inspector Nakamori is here?"

"Don't let him in! Block him outside and tell him this has nothing to do with his daughter! If he gets involved, then this might truly end up having something to do with her!"

Inspector Nakamori Ginzo, blocked outside by officers from the Third Investigation Division, craned his neck to look, but he was too far away to see clearly. Although he was also part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, his duties were different from Inspector Megure's. Megure was an inspector in the Violent Crimes Section of the First Investigation Division, while he was an inspector in the Intellectual Crimes Section of the Second Investigation Division, responsible for theft and other white-collar crimes. Therefore, if Inspector Megure refused to let him in, he had no way to force his way through, despite their equal rank.

"Damn it, why did this have to happen on Aoko's way home..." Nakamori Ginzo paced back and forth anxiously. In his panic, he even forgot to call Nakamori Aoko directly to ask if she was safe. It wasn't until Aoko appeared in the distance, carrying her school bag, that he finally exhaled in relief.

"What's wrong, Dad? I heard people saying there was a shooting here, so I came back to check..." Before Aoko could finish, Inspector Nakamori gripped his daughter's hand firmly and said seriously, "There has been a very serious shooting here. You go home first. I will return once the investigation is finished. You must be careful today, and absolutely do not... What? Kuroba Kaito?"

"How would I know where Kuroba Kaito went? If you're worried, why don't you just call him?"

Seeing that Nakamori Aoko's first concern was for the safety of Kuroba Kaito—who happened to walk the same route home—rather than for her own father, who might well be participating in the investigation, Nakamori Ginzo felt a distinct sense of parental neglect. However, he had no ill will toward Kuroba Kaito. Even though the kid liked to pull magic tricks just like that Phantom Thief Kid, he wasn't a bad person, and it would be a shame if something happened to him.

Yet, when Nakamori Ginzo took out his phone to call Kuroba Kaito, there was only a busy signal, then no reply. Soon after, a message popped up on the screen:

[Sorry, I'm busy with something right now. I'll get back to you later!]
[Sender: Kuroba Kaito]

"...Seriously, I try to show a little concern, and this is the attitude I get?"

Inspector Nakamori grumbled, glancing at Aoko beside him. If Aoko had been the one to call that kid, would the situation have been completely different? And what could Kuroba Kaito possibly be busy with? Was he squaring off against the shooter from earlier?

—

Inside the secret room of the Kuroba residence, Kuroba Kaito tucked his phone away. He sat on the sofa with a helpless expression, looking at Asai Narumi and Nara Hikaru before him. He did not know how these two had managed to walk straight into his home, open the secret door, and find this place on their very first attempt. As someone who prided himself on being the magician of magicians, he had only discovered the secret door's mechanism by chance after realizing it could only be opened at a specific time, which had eventually led to him becoming the second-generation Phantom Thief Kid.

*Why is this "urban legend" so familiar? Did he install surveillance in my house?*

"Phantom Thief Kid, I have come to ask you for something." Nara Hikaru's voice was calm and detached, devoid of any discernible emotional fluctuation. He continued, "I want to learn the art of disguise from you."

"...The art of disguise?" Kuroba Kaito narrowed his eyes involuntarily, but under his poker face, he quickly returned to his usual composure. Although he did not know how the man in black before him knew his true identity, since the secret was already out and the man was asking to learn disguise, he likely had near-certain proof of his identity. There was no point in playing dumb. Furthermore, this was the secret room of the Phantom Thief Kid. Even if this "urban legend" were a murderer, he was confident he could subdue him!

Kuroba Kaito rested his chin on his hands and said seriously, "And why should I teach you the art of disguise, Mr. Urban Legend, who kills without count?"