Ke Xue: Xiaolan delivers goods to your door at the beginning

Unperturbed that the boy's hand was around her waist, Suzuki Tomoko raised her hand and gently pinched his cheek, a slight smile curving her lips.

"He's not interested in that kind of thing at all. He's probably at home watching his fighting match right now... More importantly, do you have any clues about the method used by Phantom Thief Kid in this theft, Lin?"

"A clue."

Lin Xiaofeng thought about it seriously.

"Based on my understanding of her, she's probably already on this airship at this point, disguised as someone else."

As soon as she finished speaking, in the airship's kitchen, the phantom thief lady, wearing a disguise mask, suddenly sneezed.

518. Sonoko couldn't beat her mother.

When Lin Xiaofeng and Suzuki Tomoko moved from the office to the observation deck, Sonoko and the others who had previously accompanied Suzuki Jirokichi to visit the upper deck of the airship also returned.

After all, it's their own family's airship. Just like no one would put those tall, hard chairs in a restaurant next to their dining table that are uncomfortable to sit on and are purely for the purpose of getting guests to leave quickly and speeding up table turnover.

Despite being called a sightseeing hall, it's practically no different from a high-end restaurant, with all those elegant and soft café booths arranged along a row of windows.

The windows are all large, downward-facing glass panels at a 45-degree angle, allowing people in the observation deck to enjoy desserts and cold drinks while admiring the beautiful scenery below.

Seeing that her mother and Lin Xiaofeng had finally "finished their business" and joined the main group, Sonoko, who had been walking with Ran and Sera Masumi, approached and whispered a complaint.

"Seriously, Mom, what were you and Xiaofeng talking about that took so long? We've already come down from the Sky Observatory and you're only just getting back."

"Well……"

To this question, Suzuki Tomoko naturally couldn't give her daughter a full answer, so she could only blush and purse her lips to change the subject.

"That's alright, I can take... Xiaofeng up for a look around later."

"Eh?"

Upon hearing this, Sonoko opened her mouth in astonishment, her index finger unconsciously pointing to herself.

It's as if she's saying—shouldn't I, her daughter, have this opportunity? Mom, am I not your dearest treasure?

But before she could ask the question, the voices of the three little ones, which seemed to burst out like torpedoes from behind, rang out from behind.

"Brother Xiaofeng, you're so mean! You play with my mom but not with me."

"Who said that? Sonoko is my sweet girlfriend, and I really want to play with Sonoko."

Lin Xiaofeng immediately took Yuanzi's hand, and Yuanzi instantly felt sweet.

"We're here too! ~!"

The next second, Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi rushed to Lin Xiaofeng, their little chests puffed out and their faces full of pride.

"Hello, kids from the Junior Detective Club," Lin Xiaofeng greeted them.

Looking back, following closely behind as they entered the observation deck was Conan Edogawa, walking alongside Professor Agasa like a grandfather and grandson.

Then there were three reporters wearing Nichiri TV employee badges, and a man who looked slightly dark-skinned and somewhat out of place among the others, wandering around alone.

"Who is that?"

Based on his earlier guess in the office, Lin Xiaofeng casually asked a question.

"Oh, him..."

Sonoko glanced in the direction and immediately gave the name.

"Ling's name is Fujimyoshika Takashi, and he is a freelance journalist. He said he really wanted to write about the duel between Uncle Wu Langjiu and the strange thief Jibade, so he volunteered to come."

"Wow, another freelance journalist."

Upon hearing this profession, Lin Xiaofeng couldn't help but think of the journalists' expertise in making unfounded accusations.

Hmm... But then again, shouldn't freelance journalists write about whatever's trending? Right now, the internet is flooded with news about the terrorists bombing the Nishitama City Bacteriological Research Institute. Instead of capitalizing on that, they're writing about some kind of phantom thief showdown. What are they thinking?

Just as Lin Xiaofeng was making wild guesses, Mrs. Suzuki's voice rang out from beside him.

"By the way, since we don't have anything to do right now... Xiaofeng, how about I take you upstairs for a walk?"

As she spoke, Mrs. Suzuki forcibly took the hand that Lin Xiao was holding from Sonoko, and turned it into her holding hands with Lin Xiao.

"That's okay."

Lin Xiaofeng didn't mind at all and casually agreed. The two of them turned around and left the observation room together.

"Wait for me." Sonoko was stunned, not expecting her mother to do something so rude, and tried to stop Lin Xiaofeng.

However, Tomoko Suzuki beat Sonoko to the punch and left her behind.

After leaving the observation room and walking through the corridor, Lin Xiaofeng and Suzuki Tomoko quickly arrived at the elevator door located in the center of the floor.

Pressing the request button, Tomoko Suzuki turned around, naturally took the boy's arm, and smiled.

"Well, although the airship looks big from the outside, the interior space, apart from the living area on the lower level, is just the observation deck on the upper level. The middle part is made of steel frame and helium gasbags to provide buoyancy, so there are only two levels in total."

That's all... um, that's all...

Lin Xiaofeng silently repeated the two words, deciding in his heart that he would not comment.

Just then, a series of rather hurried footsteps approached from the direction they had come from, the clattering sound of hard-soled leather shoes on the smooth floor.

Along with it came an urgent call.

"Mrs. Suzuki, Mrs. Suzuki..."

The next second, a figure appeared at the corner of the corridor; it was Secretary Nishino.

He rushed over with his phone in his hand. He was slightly taken aback when he saw Suzuki Tomoko and Lin Xiaofeng holding hands at the elevator entrance, but he immediately pretended not to see anything and ran up to them before stopping.

"Mrs. Suzuki, the Hatamoto Group would like to speak with you by phone..."

"Hatamoto Group?"

Tomoko Suzuki didn't even loosen her grip on his hand, only slightly furrowing her brow.

Didn't you tell them I was busy today?

Secretary Nishino bowed respectfully and handed over the phone: "I said yes, but they insisted on speaking, saying there was something very important about the cooperation..."

"Fine, I understand."

Suzuki Tomoko was somewhat annoyed, but since it involved a conglomerate collaboration, she reached out and took the phone, then turned to Lin Xiaofeng after a moment's thought.

"Lin, you go up first. I'll come up right after I finish my call."

"Row."

Lin (Ma Li's) Xiao Feng nodded in agreement.

Just then, the elevator came down, and Suzuki Tomoko gently pulled away from the arm she was holding, giving the boy's fingertips a teasing squeeze before letting go completely.

He made no attempt to hide it from Secretary Nishino, which meant he was simply trying to be considerate of his daughter's feelings... Lin Xiaofeng shook his head and thought to himself.

The safety door closed, and the elevator continued upwards.

As Lin Xiaofeng passed through the elevator shaft, which resembled the interior of a whale's body, the elevator doors reopened when he felt a sudden, slight lightness in his body.

In an instant, the azure sky came into view, and the air currents from above swept through the open-air entrance above the observation deck, but only a gentle breeze blew into the observation deck, which covers an area the size of two or three football fields.

Under the blue sky, a figure in a waiter's uniform stands in front of the display case in the center of the observation deck, where the "Lady of the Sky" is located.

519. You are the phantom thief, I am the detective, and I am your nemesis!

After nearly twenty years, Kuroba Chikage believes that his mindset is still on point as he returns to the scene.

After all, she was once the famous French thief, Lady Phantom Thief... Although she is now a married woman, it would be impossible for her not to be excited at all.

Of course, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to call it pure excitement. If I had to describe it, it would be more like a kind of eager anticipation, like awakening after a long period of dormancy, impatient to tell the whole world about one's return.

Just as arrogant as he was back then when he single-handedly toyed with the entire French police force.

But it was precisely because of this that Kuroba Chikage's actions became slightly more aggressive.

She didn't follow her tried-and-tested method of first disguising herself and blending into the target group, patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike like lightning and then immediately fleeing far away.

Instead, he swaggered over to his target all by himself.

Looking through the bulletproof glass of the platform, which was riddled with traps and had enough defense to withstand machine gun fire, one could see a huge gemstone ring fixed inside, strung on the ring finger of a model hand made of plastic.

The ring is made of 450 platinum and encases a sky-blue gemstone. Inside the gemstone, there are gold fragments that resemble natural amber, and the shape of the gold fragments is just like the profile of a European noblewoman.

"The Suzuki family, those wealthy landowners, really have a lot of good stuff..."

Kuroba Chikage muttered something under her breath.

At the same time, the sound of an elevator door opening suddenly came from a distance behind them.

How can it be! ?

Kuroba Chikage was slightly taken aback, and immediately turned around to look back warily.

She boarded the airship using her identity as a waitress, so she was fully aware of the entire test flight.

Logically, Suzuki Jirokichi and his group should have finished touring the Sky Observatory five minutes ago and should be chatting and joking in the observation deck on the lower level. Why would someone come up here?

Who is so outrageous as to act unpredictably?

In an instant, the phantom thief wife's mind raced. She was still in the guise of a waitress. Although she was in a place where she shouldn't be, she was only watching and hadn't done anything suspicious.

In contrast, if you rush to find a place to hide and are discovered, you are more likely to arouse suspicion.

Moreover, this observation deck is designed to be flat, so even if she wanted to find a place to hide, there wouldn't be much to hide in.

Forget it, I'm not going to hide anymore!

With her eyes closed and her heart hardened, the phantom thief wife made what she believed to be the most reasonable choice at that moment.

The next second, a figure slowly walked out of the elevator doors that opened.

Wait, there's only one? And it's a boy?

Upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, the phantom thief wife couldn't help but have a small question mark pop up above her head.

Hmm~ He's quite handsome, and he looks a bit young too, I kind of want to tease him a little?

After a moment's thought, Kuroba Chikage raised the corners of her mouth. She deliberately stood still and waited until Lin Xiaofeng approached before bowing slightly and adopting a strong, girlish voice that better suited her current appearance.

"What a beautiful gem! I couldn't resist taking a few more moments to admire it during my breaks. But it wouldn't be good if such a beautiful gem were stolen... You think so too, don't you, Kaito Kid disguised as an ordinary tourist?"

As Kuroba Chikage spoke, she tried her best to keep the corners of her mouth from turning up.

Logically, most people would try to explain that they are not Kaito Kid after learning that they have been accused of being Kaito Kid. However, proving one's innocence is troublesome in itself, and with such a serious accusation, one would undoubtedly panic.

What's more, he's such an innocent-looking boy... wait, innocent?

Three seconds passed without any reply after she finished speaking. Sensing that something was amiss, Kuroba Chikage suddenly realized that the other person was looking at her with the kind of look one might give someone with intellectual disabilities.

"Lin Xiaofeng, what are you doing here!" The phantom thief wife was really unlucky. She was itching to steal a gem, but she ran into her nemesis.

"You're a phantom thief, I'm a detective, and I'm here to stop you." Actually, it was just a coincidence; Lin Xiaofeng said it on purpose.

"You big bad guy, I'll bite you to death!" The phantom thief wife disregarded all decorum and bit Lin Xiaofeng.

Lin Xiaofeng glanced sideways and tilted his head: "Isn't it a bit too self-destructive for you to jump out like this so openly?"

Last time?

The phantom thief's wife blinked twice, stopped biting, and finally seemed to realize something.

Lin Xiaofeng suddenly walked lazily around to the side of the phantom thief's wife, his hands in his pockets, and glanced at her.

"Chikage, so your appearance this time was purely to accept the challenge from old man Jirokichi?"

"...can't you?"

Kuroba Chikage was a little uncomfortable with this familiar attitude and hesitated for a moment.

But as soon as she spoke, Lin Xiaofeng raised his voice as if questioning her and hummed in response, while turning his head to look at her curiously.

Why did you suddenly start speaking in a roundabout way?

"No, no..."

Kuroba Chikage coughed awkwardly, quickly abandoning the strong, girlish voice she had initially used to conceal her identity, and replacing it with the voice of her daughter from her memories.

"Don't you like the consonant sounds? I thought they sounded better this way."

Lin Xiaofeng also found it strange: "It sounds a bit low-pitched, is it because you have a cold?"

"I don't have a cold..." Kuroba Chikage complained.

"Never mind all that."