Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

Although she has decided to focus on winning over Tohru Tono, the fangirl's hobby doesn't seem to have changed.

Tohru Tono was truly hearing for the first time in real life that someone idolized a wanted criminal, even though he had heard similar rumors in his previous life... but encountering it in person still felt somewhat surreal.

Speaking of this, there was a murderer in Japan who was so handsome when he was arrested that many young girls sent him letters pleading for leniency, hoping that the public security, procuratorate and judiciary would give him a lighter sentence.

There's also a well-known Japanese server player who plays Graves, and he has quite a few fans...

Tohru Tono felt relieved.

It seems that Japan is such a country—compared to that kind of person, Kaito Kid appears both dignified and noble.

It's perfectly normal to have some teenage fans.

"Old man."

Xiao Lan squinted and looked at the garden.

"Aren't you the detective's daughter? How come you don't know this?"

"What does it have to do with the detective's daughter? I have no interest in that."

Xiaolan continued walking forward, her long, fair legs beneath her short skirt splashing water with every step she took.

Tohru Toru glanced at him discreetly a few times, then quickly followed.

......

Sonoko kept explaining "Phantom Thief 1412" to the two of them along the way, while Tohno kept dozing off.

"Tousang, what do you know about this phantom thief?"

Sonoko finally finished speaking, still feeling unsatisfied, and then turned to ask Tono Toru.

Tono, who knew everything about the family ties that even Kaito Kid himself was unaware of, looked bewildered and shook his head.

"Oh, so Tousan isn't interested in phantom thieves either."

"After all, my main profession isn't being a detective; I'm just an inventor," Toru Tono said. "I've never actively looked into phantom thieves or anything like that."

"Tousan is too modest. I think you are much better than Ran's boyfriend, Shinichi Kudo."

"Garden!"

...So, saying that you're not a detective but an inventor is a sign of humility?

The group walked forward noisily, stepping across the zebra crossing where the green light was on.

Among the crowd crossing the street, a figure that looked exactly like Shinichi Kudo caught Ran's eye.

"Shinichi?!" she called out tentatively.

But the person in front seemed oblivious, squeezing into the rushing crowd with his female companion...

"what happened?"

Sonoko asked, puzzled, as her best friend suddenly seemed to have been bewitched.

"I think I saw... Shinichi?"

Xiaolan seemed to be answering Sonoko's question, but it also seemed like she was talking to herself.

"Oh?" Sonoko put her hand to her forehead and looked into the distance, but couldn't find Shinichi Kudo.

"Maybe it's just someone who looks a lot like you?" Sonoko comforted Ran.

"It's definitely not Kudo-kun."

Tohru Tono suddenly said.

"Eh?"

"Kudo's hairstyle is a bit neater, while the boy who just walked by, although he looks a lot like Kudo, has a messy hairstyle and a completely different vibe."

“Most importantly, if it were Shinichi Kudo, he would at least react when he heard you call his name, right? But that person didn’t react at all—obviously because ‘Shinichi’ isn’t his name, and he doesn’t know anyone named ‘Shinichi’.”

"...So that's how it is."

Xiao Lan breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing "Shinichi Kudo" walking with another girl, he almost thought that this was the reason she had been avoiding him...

"Thank you, Tohru-san." She happily thanked Tohru.

"It's ok."

Tohru Tono waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care.

The group continued walking towards home...

Tohru Tono took his phone out of his pocket, looked at the red dot moving on the screen, and smiled.

[Hidden Tracking Device: A device manufactured using a special process. Made with a special waterproof material, it is sturdy yet thin as a cicada's wing, transparent, and adheres firmly to the skin. It contains a built-in wireless eavesdropping device, and the accompanying monitoring system can receive signals from any source within Japan.]

Kaito Kuroba? I'll make sure you never leave alive!

......

"Ah sneeze!!"

Kaito, who was proudly performing magic tricks for Nakamori Aoko beside him, suddenly felt an itch in his nose and couldn't help but sneeze.

The rose in her hand shyly closed its petals.

"Are you alright?" Aoko asked, puzzled.

She glanced at Kaito Kuroba's shoulders; they weren't wet from the falling rain, so he shouldn't have caught a cold.

"...Nothing, I just suddenly had a bad feeling." Kaito Kuroba scratched the back of his head, quickly putting the matter out of his mind, and casually put away the rose.

He looked up at the dark, heavy clouds in the sky and sighed, "The weather is terrible today."

"Really?" Aoko tilted her head. "Shibuya in the rain has a unique charm, doesn't it?"

She cast her gaze upon the neon lights on the high-rise buildings, the light reflecting off the sparse raindrops and casting a vibrant, oil painting-like film over the entire Shibuya.

"Haha, I don't really like rainy days."

Kaito Kuroba shrugged. The great thief in the rain was like a bird with its feathers bound, appearing less elegant and free.

Chapter 52 The Sallybeth

In the quiet night, only a few houses in the large villa area had their lights on, making it seem rather deserted.

Toru Tono lay on his bed in his room, pondering the invention he had been working on since noon without any progress.

"Buzz," his cell phone, which he was lying on the bed with, vibrated, attracting his attention.

Unlocking the screen revealed a message from Yuanzi.

The content is an image accompanied by the text "Kidd's Announcement".

Tohru Tono opened the attachment, swiped two fingers across the screen, and zoomed in to take a look at the image.

April Fool

When the moon separates the two, I will hear of the great name of the night stars and, drawn by the waves' invitation, go to claim it.

The letter in the picture is crumpled and looks like it was torn up and then pieced back together.

The signature only shows the words "Phantom Thief," while the "Kid" that should follow is nowhere to be seen.

High school students' pretentious guessing game time.

Tohno Toru lost interest after reading the letter.

Indeed, in interpersonal relationships, it is only when the whole picture is unknown that people have room for wonderful imagination.

Tohno Toru knew too much, completely losing his curiosity about the "magician under the moonlight," and thus losing the right to appreciate this mystery.

When Kid is mentioned, perhaps all he can think of is how useful the disguise technique is, and some other little schemes.

The adult world is truly boring and ugly.

......

Tohno Tooru received a message from Amuro Tooru three days later.

It is said that he has contacted "that person" through Rum as an intermediary, and the matter has been resolved satisfactorily.

In other words, Toru Tohno has become a full-fledged member of the Black Organization...

Kidding.

The deal was actually about the Black Organization abandoning its plan to forcibly abduct "Starlight" and instead cooperating with him. They would adopt a long-term cooperation model where the Black Organization would provide a small portion of research and development funding and acquire "Starlight's" high-tech inventions at market prices.

Similarly, "Starlight" will no longer provide high-tech products to "vagrants" other than the Black Organization.

This is a great thing for Toru Tono, and it's the result of his hard work in making it happen.

While it may seem like aiding the enemy, people always strive for better things. Partnering with a "big company" with a stable source of funding is better than making a living by selling equipment to poor criminals—that's not a sustainable solution.

Toru Tohno is confident that his future self will not be afraid of any Black Organization.

......

Of course, if this had happened just two weeks ago, the organization would have definitely dismissed it.

However, Gin's failure at the invention exhibition seemed to have made the boss realize that this "Starlight" was not some sewer rat that could be easily controlled by Gin, the wild cat who specializes in catching mice.

One person's failure often creates opportunities for others who are also eyeing the profits.

Knowing this, Toru Tono sought cooperation with Bourbon, hoping he could take the opportunity to whisper sweet nothings in the boss's ear.

Tohno Toru indirectly communicated with the boss through Bourbon and obtained this business deal; while Bourbon gained further favor from the boss by solving the "task that Gin could not complete" - this was one of the deals he made with Bourbon.

To this end, Toru Tono even had Amuro Tooru create several fake identity records through the public security system and hand them over to the boss as "Starlight's" information.

Bourbon claimed to the boss that "Starlight's" family was under his control, but when he proposed cooperating with Tohno Toru to avoid a fight to the death, he heard the boss's metallic voice revealing approval.

Meanwhile, Gin, who was standing to the side with his eyes downcast, accepting the boss's reprimand, felt a strange expression flash in his eyes, which made him feel extremely happy.

You have today too!

......

Tohno Toru went through a period of both pain and joy.