Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

Upon seeing Suzuki Jirokichi leading an extremely beautiful foreign woman, the bodyguards immediately and voluntarily made way for them.

Jirokichi Suzuki stood outside the room, wanting to see how the thief escaped, and was taken aback to see that a large hole had been pried open in the iron bars of the window.

What the hell? Did I buy substandard steel?

But Jirokichi Suzuki quickly dismissed the idea—in Japan, no one could fool the Suzuki zaibatsu like that.

Looking at the large hole in the iron fence, Suzuki Jirokichi suddenly laughed: "Interesting, very interesting!"

He initially thought it was just some petty thief, but now it seems that this thief is quite skilled. However, even such a skilled thief could only fail to succeed against his impeccable security measures, which just proves how capable he is!

"Haha, although I don't know which little thief you are, remember this: you're lucky this time. If you dare to steal from my Suzuki Jirokichi's house again, you won't be so lucky next time!"

Jirokichi Suzuki laughed a few times, then called over a bodyguard: "Have someone come over tomorrow morning and replace this iron fence with titanium alloy. I refuse to believe we can't catch this petty thief!"

After giving instructions to his subordinates, Suzuki Jirokichi took out the remote control that had triggered the alarm earlier, pressed it, and the iron bars in the room automatically retracted. He then said to the bodyguards around him, "You can go back now."

"Yes, sir!"

The bodyguards withdrew, and then Jirokichi Suzuki called out, "Lupin!"

In an instant, a large yellow dog darted in front of Suzuki Jirokichi. This dog had long, thin ears, wore a pilot's hat and goggles, and had a silk scarf around its neck, looking quite smug.

"Wang!"

Upon noticing the stranger, Laisheng Rui, the large yellow dog circled around her. Laisheng Rui wasn't afraid; instead, she smiled and looked at the dog.

"Lupin, this is a guest!"

Jirokichi Suzuki called out to Lupin the big yellow dog, then laughed and said, "Looks like Lupin likes you a lot, Sofia!"

“This dog is cute too!” Lai Sheng Rui smiled, then said to Suzuki Jirokichi, “Lupin… Uncle Suzuki, if I remember correctly, there was a world-famous thief, I think he was also named Lupin?”

"That's right, it's Lupin III!"

Jirokichi Suzuki spoke fluently and without any hesitation.

This old man named his pet dog Lupin; it seems he has quite the competitive spirit.

Tears welled in my heart as I thought of my next life.

Unlike "Cat's Eye," who is only somewhat famous in Japan, and "Kidd," whose reputation declined after disappearing for a period of time, "Lupin III" is a truly world-renowned super thief, a legendary figure. Interpol even established a special department to capture "Lupin III" and granted him extremely high authority.

It could be said that "Lupin III" may not be the most skilled phantom thief in the world, but he is certainly the most famous one, and is recognized as the "King of Phantom Thieves". Jirokichi Suzuki named his beloved dog "Lupin", which may well be a way of saying that he wanted to ride on the heads of all the phantom thieves in the world.

After introducing Lupin to Rui Kisugi, Jirokichi Suzuki said to Rui Kisugi, "Sophia, since there's nothing else here, I'll have someone take you to rest. It's getting late, so don't leave tonight; stay here for the night."

Contrary to Li Xin's expectations, although his house had been burgled, Suzuki Jirokichi did not suspect Kisaki Rui. After all, his house was frequently burgled, and he had to catch countless thieves every year to boost the Metropolitan Police Department's performance. Moreover, Kisaki Rui's speech and manners exuded the elegance of a well-bred lady. How could such a person be a thief? Therefore, Suzuki Jirokichi had absolutely no doubt about Kisaki Rui.

Lai Sheng Rui knew that Suzuki Jirokichi was clearing out the area. Indeed, although the vault door was tightly closed, it had been burgled after all, and Suzuki Jirokichi still had to check the treasures inside.

"Okay, then I thank Uncle Suzuki for his kindness."

Lai Sheng Lei smiled slightly.

This is a bit tricky. Although Kisugi Rui forged a letter from Suzuki Jirokichi's friend so that she could interact with him as "Sophia," she can't keep up the deception forever. This isn't ancient times anymore, and communication is inconvenient. As long as Suzuki Jirokichi finds a moment to call or write to his friend, her identity will be exposed immediately. Therefore, Kisugi Rui's wisest choice now is to withdraw in time and wait for the next opportunity.

However, after tonight, Jirokichi Suzuki will definitely be on high alert, and it will be difficult to steal the "Tears of the Queen" then. So even if it is risky, Rei Kisei cannot leave like this. She must get her hands on the "Tears of the Queen".

Well, before, Rui Kisugi stopped Hitomi Kisugi from acting because she was afraid that Hitomi Kisugi wasn't calm enough. But now, Rui Kisugi has clearly lost her usual calmness and decisiveness. It can only be said that these two sisters, Rui Kisugi and Hitomi Kisugi, value each other more than themselves.

"Go!"

Jirokichi Suzuki waved his hand, instructing the butler to take Rui Kisugi to a guest room. After Rui Kisugi and the butler left, only Jirokichi Suzuki and Lupin remained at the scene.

The man and his dog entered the vault room, where the alarm had been deactivated. After some effort, they opened the vault door and Suzuki Jirokichi glanced at the treasures inside. Although they hadn't yet taken inventory, he immediately noticed that the arrangement of the items in the vault had changed.

He had just put the "Queen's Tears" and other gems that had been sent for exhibition back into the vault this morning, along with some newly purchased treasures, so he had a vivid memory of how the treasures were originally arranged in the vault and didn't think he could have misremembered.

"Interesting. So they've already touched my vault?"

"I said with a smile," Suzuki Jirokichi said.

The old man was very observant. He first examined the vault and then found friction marks on the gap under the vault door, immediately understanding how the thieves had moved the items inside.

The vault was built during the late Edo period. At that time, there were no instruments like endoscopes in the world, so the master Sansui Kichiemon did not expect this situation and left a three-centimeter-wide gap under the vault door.

This cannot be said to be a mistake by Misui Kichiemon. Moreover, Suzuki Jirokichi and his parents were able to survive the bombing thanks to this gap, so Suzuki Jirokichi would be even less likely to think that this was a design flaw.

However, he still remembered this incident and planned to seal the gap in a while to prevent the thieves from having any further opportunities.

After figuring out how the thieves had moved the items in the vault, Jirokichi Suzuki took out a list and checked the items. He discovered that although the treasures in the vault had been moved, nothing in the vault was missing, which was very strange.

You have to understand, everything that Suzuki Jirokichi put in his vault was worth a fortune. An ordinary person could easily take just one of those items and live a life of luxury. Yet the thief raided the vault but didn't take anything. Isn't that strange?

Jirokichi Suzuki focused his attention on recalling the treasures he had just touched, and then quickly turned his attention to a red gem.

"The Queen's Tears," which he had previously lent to the Nanju Art Museum for an exhibition, was later reportedly targeted by a phantom thief known as "Cat's Eye." The Metropolitan Police Department officers, unusually useful for this occasion, protected it, and it returned to his possession this morning.

He remembered clearly that the gem was originally placed under a pile of things, but now the things on top were gone. Could it be that the "cat's eye" was unwilling to accept defeat and wanted to snatch the "Queen's Tears" from his hands?

Of course, all of this is just speculation, but among his many treasures, the only one that has been mentioned recently is the "Empress's Tears," and even then, everything on it has been removed.

Jirokichi Suzuki guessed that the thief must have accidentally triggered a mechanism after removing the items from the "Tears of the Queen," which caused him to fail and have to abandon his mission and escape.

"What a joke! You actually think you can steal something from me? You're completely overestimating yourself!"

Suzuki Jirokichi laughed loudly, saying that although he was very old, he was still like a child in his heart.

He had many gemstones like the "Queen's Tears," which were insignificant among his vast collection. He only played with them for two days after buying them. When the museum asked to borrow them, he readily lent them out. After returning them, he casually tossed them into the vault.

For Jirokichi Suzuki, the biggest difference about this gem was that it had just been targeted by a fairly well-known thief, giving him something to talk about with his friends over tea.

But gemstones are always targeted by thieves, aren't they? And which famous gemstone doesn't have a story that spans several pages? Without a story, how can a gemstone sell? So the "Empress's Tears" seems insignificant in Jirokichi Suzuki's collection.

But now, a thief has come to steal his jewels, so even for the sake of his own reputation, Suzuki Jirokichi will not let the thief succeed.

After instructing his servants to seal the gap in the vault door, Suzuki Jirokichi was about to return to his room to rest when he encountered "Sophia," disguised as Kisei Rui.

"Uncle Suzuki, do you have time to chat with me for a while? I've always heard my father talk about you and know that you are a very amazing explorer. I've been particularly interested in these things since I was a child, so please do me the best to satisfy my curiosity, Uncle Suzuki."

Tears for the next life, to Suzuki Jirokichi.

Normally, when a friend's daughter comes to visit, Jirokichi Suzuki will definitely call his friend, at least to show that he hasn't mistreated her. Therefore, Rui Kisugi must not give Jirokichi Suzuki the time to make that call. Of course, besides that, Rui Kisugi also has other purposes.

"What? You want to hear my story? That's really..."

Jirokichi Suzuki shook his head, then said with shining eyes, "...You won't be able to sleep tonight. My story could go on for days and nights!"

As the saying goes, "Nine out of ten old men are heroes." Heroes don't dwell on their past glories, but old men do.

It was rare to find a young and beautiful junior interested in his great achievements. Suzuki Jirokichi couldn't resist. He even temporarily forgot about "Cat's Eye" coveting his jewels and headed to his study with Kisei Rui.

This study is less of a study and more of a trophy room for Jirokichi Suzuki, filled with various medals and trophies he has won over the years, as well as trophies such as a deer head and a bear skin, and photos of him engaging in various extreme sports.

As the cousin of the head of the Suzuki Zaibatsu, one of the top zaibatsu in Japan, Suzuki Jirokichi only holds a nominal position as an advisor within the Suzuki Zaibatsu, but his assets are extremely vast, the kind that he could spend in ten lifetimes without ever running out of money.

Because of his extraordinary wealth, Jirokichi Suzuki had no desire or worry about money, which allowed him to devote himself wholeheartedly to the activities he loved, winning countless medals and trophies throughout his life.

As for what Jirokichi Suzuki liked to do most, it was naturally to “show off his divine abilities in front of others.”

Note that this is not showing off. Pretending to have something you don't is showing off, but Suzuki Jirokichi really has it, so it can only be called "showing off in front of others".

This is also why Suzuki Jirokichi has loved to do amazing things all these years—to make headlines in various newspapers and let everyone see how powerful this old man is!

"The Europa Open golf tournament... the America Cup Open in Yote... the Savannah Motorsport... even the World Hamburger Fast Food Championship..."

With an incredulous yet adoring gaze, Kisugi Rui looked at Suzuki Jirokichi: "Uncle Suzuki, you actually won championships in so many competitions?!"

"Haha, that's right, I won all of these competitions!"

Suzuki Jirokichi laughed heartily.

A woman's praise is a man's pride, especially when the person praising him is a stunning beauty. The spiritual satisfaction he feels is irresistible to any man.

"Uncle Suzuki, tell me quickly, what happened to you when you participated in these competitions?"

Laisheng Rui spoke to Suzuki Jirokichi in an extremely urgent tone.

"No rush, no rush! How can we listen to stories without wine? Let's drink and tell stories together!"

Jirokichi Suzuki greeted the butler and brought out a bottle of expensive red wine worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, intending to share it with Rui Kisugi.

"Uncle Suzuki, let me wake you up!"

Laisheng Rui took the red wine from the butler and said to Suzuki Jirokichi, "To be honest, I have a Level 1 sommelier certificate."

"It seems Zorn really has a very talented daughter!"

"I said with a smile," Suzuki Jirokichi said.

With a smile, Lai Sheng opened the bottle of red wine with a corkscrew and poured it into a decanter. At the same time, out of Suzuki Jirokichi's sight, he secretly mixed a little white powder into the red wine.

"Uncle Suzuki, it will take a little while for you to sober up. Let me hear your story first!"

Tears for the next life, to Suzuki Jirokichi.

"Okay, but don't let my exciting story make you forget about sobering up!"

Suzuki Jirokichi laughed heartily.

"I promise I won't!"

Lai Sheng Lei smiled slightly.

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Treasury

After drinking the red wine, Suzuki Jirokichi quickly fell into a deep sleep. Kisei Rui called out to Suzuki Jirokichi a few times, but Suzuki Jirokichi did not respond at all.

After confirming that Suzuki Jirokichi was completely unconscious, Kisugi Rui secretly removed the remote control from Suzuki Jirokichi's body and prepared to leave.

"Wang!"

When Lupin saw that Rui Kisaki was about to leave, he called out to her. It didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to say hello. Rui Kisaki's action of stealing the remote control from Jirokichi Suzuki was very discreet. To outsiders, it looked like she just shook Jirokichi a few times to make sure he was asleep, and she didn't do anything inappropriate to him.

Therefore, Rui Kisei was not afraid of Lupin and had no fear in front of him. She patted Lupin's head and said, "Keep a close eye on your master, he's drunk."

"Wang Wang!"

Lupin didn't seem to understand what Rui Kisugi was saying, but he wagged his tail very enthusiastically at Rui Kisugi, as if to say that he would definitely complete the mission.

Lai Sheng Lei smiled, then suddenly noticed something. She felt that the scarf around Lupin's neck seemed different from the one she had first met. Before, the knot was tied with one side longer than the other, but now it was symmetrical.

Lai Sheng Rui was very confident in her memory; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she could remember everything she saw. Therefore, she was absolutely certain that she hadn't misremembered.

Normally, dogs are active and running around, so it's normal for Suzuki Jirokichi to tie the scarf around its neck if it comes loose. He might even re-tie it if he notices that the knot is different lengths on both sides. However, Kisugi Rui remembered something: Suzuki Jirokichi had specifically called Lupin over before opening the vault.

Of course, if you insist that Suzuki Jirokichi asked Lu Ban to smell the thief's scent so that he could track him down later, that could be explained, but Kisei Rui still felt a little strange.

So, Lai Sheng Rui squatted down, gently stroked Lupin's neck, and poured some medicine powder into Lupin's mouth when Lupin closed his eyes in comfort.

Soon, Lupin became listless and fell asleep on the ground.

Seeing that Lupin was asleep, Rui Kisei untied the silk scarf around Lupin's neck and began to examine him closely. Her eyes lit up immediately.

This silk scarf actually has instructions on how to open the "lithium iron phosphate" vault!

Although it is rumored that Jirokichi Suzuki is the only person in the world who knows how to open the "lithium iron" vault, it is clear that at his age, Jirokichi Suzuki's memory is not what it used to be, and it is normal for him to forget some things. Therefore, it is actually very necessary for him to record the method of opening the vault.

Previously, Kisugi Rui had speculated that Suzuki Jirokichi might have recorded the method of opening "lithium iron" in written form, but it would be too difficult to find such a record without any evidence. In addition, Kisugi Ai proposed a solution to modify the endoscope into a gripper to remove the gemstone from the ventilation port of "lithium iron", so Kisugi Rui gave up looking for a way to open "lithium iron".

Now, an unintentional discovery led Kisugi Rui to find the method to activate "lithium iron phosphate," which made Kisugi Rui quite amused and exasperated. She thought to herself, "That old man Suzuki Jirokichi is really cunning. He actually wrote the method to activate 'lithium iron phosphate' on the scarf around his beloved dog's neck. Who would have thought!"

If it weren't for the fact that Lai Sheng Lei's heart is as meticulous as dust, her observations are as keen as the smallest detail, and she has the ability to remember everything she sees, she would never have been able to discover this secret.

With the weight alarm switch and the method to activate the "Lithium Iron Phosphate", the biggest obstacle to stealing the "Tears of the Queen" has now been eliminated, and the "Tears of the Queen" is just a stone's throw away.

Suppressing her excitement, Kisugi Rui memorized the method to activate "Lithium Iron". She then tied the scarf back around Lupin's neck in the same way as before. After thinking for a moment, Kisugi Rui picked up Lupin again and placed him in a huge vase so that no one could see him.

"Lupin, why don't you take a nap here for a while?"

Lai Sheng Lei patted Lupin's head.

The vase isn't too deep. If Lupin wakes up, he should be able to climb out on his own. Even if he can't, making some noise will surely attract someone to rescue him.

After doing all this, Kisugi Rui left the study. Outside, Suzuki Jirokichi's butler had been waiting. Seeing Kisugi Rui come out, he was about to speak when Kisugi Rui raised her index finger to the butler, making a shushing gesture: "Uncle Suzuki is asleep, don't wake him..."

He then stepped aside so that the butler could see Suzuki Jirokichi, who was asleep in a chair.

Jirokichi Suzuki was snoring. Seeing that his master was sleeping soundly, the butler lowered his voice and said to Rui, "Miss Sophia, I'm so sorry. Master must be in a rare good mood, so he drank too much. How about I take Miss Sophia back to her room to rest?"

Lai Sheng Lei smiled and said to the butler, "No need, I know how to get to the room. Butler, please stay here and take care of Uncle Suzuki. It's still chilly, so please cover Uncle Suzuki with a blanket so he doesn't catch a cold."

Lai Sheng Lei's thoughtfulness deeply moved the butler, who smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, Miss Sophia, I'll go get it right away. I'll have to stay a little longer then!"

After the butler left, Rui Kisugi was finally free to move around. She first went to the guest room that Jirokichi Suzuki had arranged for her, and then took off her coat and put on a "cat-eye" bodysuit.