Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

After about ten seconds, a strong mountain wind blew from the side, finally dispersing some of the thick artificial smoke.

Lin Xiuyi and Tomizawa Chikage's vision gradually returned.

Their first glance was at the spot where Kuroba Touichi had just stood, but it was now empty.

Immediately afterwards, they heard a unique sound, the rustling of fabric in the wind!
The two looked up in the direction of the sound and saw that the dark triangular hang glider had been opened again, about 20 or 30 meters above the roof in the night sky behind the villa!

Kuroba Touichi's white figure hung below the glider, his left hand still steadily holding the cloak-like package.

The night wind billowed his white cloak like outstretched wings.

He appears to have just completed a spectacular takeoff.

As if sensing their gaze, Kuroba Toichi on the glider even had the leisure to turn slightly to wave again at the two somewhat disheveled figures still shrouded in the lingering smoke on the rooftop.

He then adjusted the angle of his glider and, taking advantage of the night breeze rising from the valley, glided lightly and steadily toward the distant city lights. His figure gradually blended into the night sky and eventually disappeared from sight.

The entire process, from the explosion of smoke to the disappearance of the hang glider, took only about a minute.

"Bah!"

Tomizawa Chikage waved away the last bit of choking smoke, glanced in the direction where Kuroba Toichi had disappeared, and curled her lip in annoyance, her tone full of disdain.

"This guy... he's really flashy!"

"To avoid showing us his 'awkward' appearance as he took off with a hang glider and his butt sticking out, he even threw a smoke bomb to cover our eyes! How childish!"

"Compared to this, don't you think Kuroba Toichi's actions... were too fast?" Lin Xiuyi countered. "He said before that he was entrusted by someone to retrieve something that 'originally belonged to that old friend'."

"In Mito Shinzo's collection room, things were piled up like mountains, of all kinds: calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, bronzes, jade, ancient books... all in a chaotic mess."

"If you only know a vague name or category, how can you accurately find that specific item in such a short time, in a dark and unfamiliar environment..."

Lin Xiu paused, then looked at Tomizawa Chikage.

"Do you think that's possible? Even if he's incredibly fast and has excellent eyesight, without prior knowledge and confirmation of the target item's precise location, finding and retrieving it within five minutes? That's ridiculously efficient."

Tomizawa Chikage hadn't thought much of it at first, but after hearing Lin Xiuyi's analysis, she immediately realized something was wrong. She frowned: "You mean..."

"Before tonight's operation, Kuroba Toichi must have entered Mito Shinzo's collection room at least once!" Lin Xiuyi said with certainty. "He had already determined the exact location of the item he wanted to retrieve, and may even have made some preparations in advance."

"That's why he was able to be so focused and swift tonight. He went straight to his target, grabbed the item, and left immediately. The whole process was clean and efficient, without any hesitation."

He recalled the time interval between Kuroba's descent and return, and the relaxed demeanor of the other man when he came up, as if he had just gone downstairs to the convenience store to buy a bottle of water. He became even more certain of his judgment.

The night wind grew colder, causing their clothes to flutter loudly.

Tomizawa Chikage shook her head, seemingly trying to put these issues aside for the time being: "Forget it! Anyway, we've finished our business, and he's gotten what he wanted. Let's just leave each other alone. Let's go, before dawn, let's get out of here!"

Lin Xiu nodded, suppressing his doubts. Now was indeed not the time to delve deeper. He took one last look at the night sky where Black Feather Thief had disappeared, where only a few stars remained.

Without further delay, the two quickly packed up their tools, erased any obvious traces they might leave, and then silently slid down the roof, climbed over the wall, and disappeared into the deepest darkness before dawn.

……

The night is dark and everything is silent.

The outline of the Ikenami family's old mansion appeared even more tranquil under the starlight, contrasting sharply with the lingering echoes of the celebrations that still lingered in the distance.

Two figures appeared silently in the shadows of the mansion's backyard wall.

With light and skillful movements, they made almost no sound as they flipped and jumped down from the nearly two-meter-high wall, landing steadily on the soft lawn, only stirring up a few blades of grass dampened by the night dew.

"Phew, finally back."

As soon as she landed, Tomizawa Chikage let out a long sigh of relief, her nerves, which had been tense all night, finally relaxing.

She raised her hand to rub her slightly sore neck. The story of sneaking in late at night, encountering Kuroba Toichi, evading the police, and stealthily returning with her "trophies"...

This series of thrills and tensions left even her feeling exhausted.

Lin Xiuyi landed right behind him, and the soft touch under his feet and the familiar scent of the courtyard plants made him feel at ease.

He unconsciously stretched out a big yawn, his joints cracking slightly, his muscles screaming with exhaustion.

"Go back and rest quickly,"

Lin Xiuyi's voice was heavy with weariness, and his eyelids were almost glued together.
"I feel like I could fall asleep standing up right now."

Before returning, the two had already completed the "cleanup work" in a secluded grove far from the mansion.

Tomizawa Chikage changed out of her signature tight leather suit and bandages, and Hayashi Shuichi also took off his gorgeous but cumbersome "gentleman thief" outfit. Together with his grappling hook, rope, and other tools, they were packed back into the specially made leather suitcase and hidden in a natural rock crevice deep in the forest, carefully concealed with dead branches and fallen leaves.

As for the results of Tomizawa Chikage's "operation" tonight, the three heavy and valuable ancient paintings were carefully wrapped in waterproof tarpaulin and separated from the suitcase, then hidden in a more secluded and drier tree hollow.

These things need to be dealt with after dawn, at a suitable time and under a pretext.

After saying goodnight to each other, the two prepared to return to their respective rooms.

Chikage Tomizawa's room is at the end of the east corridor, while Hideichi Hayashi's is on the west side.

They tiptoed onto the wooden walkway, the wooden planks creaking softly beneath their feet, a sound that was all the more distinct in the quiet night.

However, they had only taken a few steps, before they even reached the fork in the corridor,

Swish!
A bright beam of light shot out from behind the shadow of the side pillars without warning, enveloping the two of them perfectly!
The flashlight beam was exceptionally bright in the dimly lit corridor, causing the two, accustomed to night vision, to involuntarily squint and stop in their tracks… (End of Chapter)