Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The Gentleman Thief... that title now seems incredibly ironic.

Lin Xiuyi forced herself to suppress these distracting thoughts and concentrate on observing what was ahead.

The Mito family villa was now fully visible.

Unlike the bustling scene during the day, the villa was shrouded in a stagnant darkness at this moment. Most of the windows were dark, and only a few lights were still on in the main entrance porch and the side wings, the dim light barely outlining the building's shape.

Tomizawa Chikage stopped behind a large tree a dozen meters away from the mansion's wall. After observing for a moment, she gestured for Hayashi Hideichi to follow her.

Lin Xiuyi naturally had no objection to this; in the world of thieves, Tomizawa Chikage was far more experienced than him.

The two stealthily made their way along the shadows of the wall and soon circled around to the back of the mansion.

The courtyard here is more spacious, planted with some ornamental trees and carefully trimmed shrubs, and in the distance there is a blurry outline of a glass conservatory.

Tomizawa Chikage stopped at a spot where the wall was relatively low and there was a large tree outside the wall that she could use for leverage.

She pointed to the top of the wall, which was about three meters high, and gestured to Lin Xiuyi.

Working together, the two used the protrusions of the tree trunk and each other's shoulders to nimbly vault over the wall and land silently on the soft lawn.

Tomizawa Chikage didn't linger. She looked up at the roof of the main villa building and squinted to search carefully.

A moment later, the girl pointed to a spot near the highest point of the roof ridge where the side wing of the main building connects to the rear, and said in a low voice, "Look there, under the eaves, near the chimney, that slightly darker-colored small square... that's the ventilation window."

“We’ll first climb up the drainpipes and decorative protrusions over there to the main roof, and then figure out a way to get close to the vents from there.”

She had clearly observed very carefully during the day, and had even planned out the climbing route in her mind.

As she spoke, Tomizawa Chikage opened a small tool bag she carried with her again and took out a bundle of specially made grappling hooks. The hooks were wrapped in soft material to reduce noise.

She weighed it in her hand, selected a sturdy stone decorative corner at the edge of the roof, and with a flick of her wrist, the grappling hook flew upwards with a slight whooshing sound.

A soft "click" sounded particularly clear in the quiet night.

The two held their breath and listened intently.

There were no unusual reactions inside the villa, and the police at the gate did not seem to be alerted.

Tomizawa Chikage tugged hard on the rope, and after confirming that the weight-bearing capacity was not a problem, she quickly secured the other end of the rope around her waist. She then winked at Lin Xiuyi, and then, alternating between her hands and feet, she pushed off the wall with movements as smooth and swift as a gecko. In a few moments, she climbed up the rope to the roof and disappeared above the eaves.

Next, it was Lin Xiuyi's turn. He imitated Tomizawa Chikage and began to climb upwards.

However, there is often a gap between theory and practice.

Although Lin Xiuyi has good physical fitness, he clearly lacks this kind of "professional" climbing training.

His movements appeared clumsy and awkward, and his core strength was not properly utilized, making it difficult for his body to maintain stability in mid-air, causing him to sway uncontrollably from side to side.

Every time you step on the wall, you have to worry about knocking down loose bricks or making too much noise.

Having already climbed onto the roof, Tomizawa Chikage peeked out from the edge and frowned as she watched Hayashi Shuichi below wriggle around like a clumsy koala.

Under the moonlight, her eyes held a mixture of helplessness and a hint of disappointment.

When we get back to Tokyo this time, I'm definitely going to take this guy to the climbing gym for some serious training!
As a "gentleman thief," how can he not be competent in these basic skills?
This is such a disgrace to the "Phantom Thieves"!

Lin Xiuyi was unaware that his partner had already secretly planned his future "training package." At this moment, all his energy was focused on the ropes and the wall in front of him.

With only about three meters left to the edge of the roof and victory in sight, he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

However, Lin Xiuyi's luck seems to be really bad tonight.

Just as he climbed to a height almost parallel to the top edge of a window on the third floor, a flashlight beam suddenly shone in the corridor inside the villa!
The beam of light pierced the darkness, flickering on the walls and ceiling of the corridor.

They were police officers patrolling inside the villa at night!
It could be a routine check, or it could be that they heard some suspicious, subtle noise.

What's worse, Lin Xiuyi was right next to the window!
Once the police officers look over, they will immediately spot him!
Lin Xiuyi's body stiffened instantly, as if his blood had frozen.

He gripped the rope tightly, not daring to move an inch, for fear of making a noise that would attract the attention of the police officers.

Chikage Tomizawa, who was on the roof, also noticed the anomaly below immediately!

She reacted extremely quickly, immediately bending down, gripping the top of the rope tightly with both hands, and swinging to the side with all her might!
Lin Xiuyi, who was hanging below, was caught off guard and his body was thrown sideways by the force!
In that split second, Lin Xiuyi demonstrated an amazing ability to adapt to a critical situation.

Just as his body swung toward the wall, he seized the opportunity, stretched out his left foot, and hooked the tip of his shoe onto a tiny protrusion between the bricks on the wall!

At the same time, he gripped the rope tightly with his right hand while trying to find another point of support with his left.

"Crench!"

A faint scraping sound arose, the scraping of the shoe tip against the wall sounding unusually jarring in the silence.

Lin Xiuyi's heart was in her throat.

The footsteps inside grew closer, accompanied by the low murmurs of the police officers talking.

"...It seems there's nothing unusual."

"Go check the bedroom area again; as long as the seals are intact, it's fine."

"This late at night..."

The sound was so close, it seemed to be right on the other side of the window!
Time seemed to stretch out. Every second felt like an eternity.

Lin Xiuyi gritted her teeth, her whole body tense and trembling, trying her best to maintain this extremely awkward and exhausting posture, so as not to swing back or make any sound.

Fortunately, the police officers inside the house did not notice anything unusual.

Their footsteps paused briefly by the window before continuing onward, gradually fading into the distance.

The flashlight beam was then moved away, and the corridor fell into darkness again.

Only when the footsteps completely disappeared at the end of the corridor did Lin Xiuyi dare to slowly exhale the breath she had been holding for so long.

He dared not delay, and focused his mind again, using his arms and feet to push off, quickly completing the last section of the climb.

Finally climbing onto the roof, Lin Xiuyi collapsed onto the cold tiles, panting heavily.

"Huff...huff...finally...up!" he whispered, feeling a burning pain in his lungs.

Tomizawa Chikage squatted beside him. Although the situation had been critical, a mischievous smile appeared on her face as she poked Lin Xiuyi's face with her finger and whispered teasingly.
"When we get back, it'll be time to practice rock climbing properly, my dear Gentleman Thief!" (End of Chapter)