Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

"Isn't it beautiful? I knew this trip was worthwhile!"

Beside the long-haired girl, a girl with short, light brown hair smiled and said, "This exhibition is hosted by 'Lian Jewelry,' a famous jewelry company in Europe. It's said that they brought a large number of precious jewels from their headquarters to enter the high-end market in Japan, so that the wealthy people in Japan can see the strength of their company!"

Following the Plaza Accord, the yen appreciated, doubling in value within just two years, and continued to rise thereafter, ushering in the so-called "bubble economy".

During the "bubble economy" period, the Japanese most often did was to wave their money around and buy, buy, buy, buy all over the world. They bought whatever was rare and whatever they liked. In short, they just bought!

At that time, Japan could be said to have single-handedly supported the luxury goods consumption market in Asia.

Now, although Japan's "bubble economy" has collapsed and the domestic economy is still in the recovery phase, and Japanese people are no longer buying as frantically as before, the exchange rate between the yen and the dollar reached a temporary high of 80:1 this year, and the per capita GDP in US dollars reached a record high of more than $39,000 last year. Therefore, the idea that "Japanese people are very rich" is still deeply rooted in people's minds around the world.

A famous European jewelry company held a jewelry exhibition in Tokyo to enter the Japanese market, which seemed perfectly reasonable. This was also what "Lian Jewelry" claimed to the public. No one knew that this grand jewelry exhibition was actually a trap set by a phantom thief.

The long-haired girl laughed and said, "That's right, I'm talking about you, you rich man!"

The girl with short hair stuck out her tongue: "I can't afford these jewels. My uncle is interested in a certain piece of jewelry here and wants to buy it. I'm just here to scout ahead for him!"

The long-haired girl smiled. She knew that the short-haired girl was just being modest. As the second young lady of the Suzuki family, one of the largest conglomerates in Japan, how could Suzuki Sonoko not afford the jewelry here? She was just saying that to avoid making herself feel uncomfortable.

But she and Sonoko Suzuki have been good friends for so long, how could she feel uncomfortable over such a small thing? Really, Sonoko always overthinks things.

The two girls, one with short hair named Sonoko Suzuki, is the second daughter of the Suzuki Zaibatsu, while the other with long hair is Sonoko's good friend Ran Mouri. Ran Mouri was not originally interested in this jewelry exhibition, but she couldn't refuse Sonoko's invitation, so she came along.

Just then, a handsome boy with a bow tie, who was standing next to the two girls, suddenly said, "Sonoko, is that the gem your uncle wants to buy?"

As he spoke, the boy in the bow tie pointed to the location of the convention center.

Inside the convention center, in a transparent glass case, a pure gold goddess statue holds aloft a huge blue gemstone.

"'Blue Miracle'... Will this gem become the target of those phantom thieves?"

The boy with the bow tie murmured to himself, looking at the information plaque next to the display case.

According to the information plaque, this goddess statue was originally a figurehead, which was used to decorate the prow of a pirate ship called the "Sea Goddess" during the age of piracy. The gem held aloft by the goddess statue is said to be transformed from the tears of mermaids and is believed to have the power to prevent shipwrecks. It is a legendary treasure of the sea and is known as the "Blue Miracle".

This "Blue Miracle" is also the most precious exhibit in this jewelry exhibition. If there is one exhibit that the phantom thieves will definitely target, it must be this "Blue Miracle".

The boy with the bow tie is named Shinichi Kudo, the high school detective who has recently become famous in Tokyo. He is actually not interested in the jewelry exhibition either. The reason he came with his two childhood friends, Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki, is because Tokyo has recently seen a series of gem thefts. Now that such a grand jewelry exhibition is being held, he suspects that a phantom thief is targeting the exhibition.

For a detective, the allure of a phantom thief is far greater than that of these jewels.

Wow, so beautiful!

Ran Mouri exclaimed in amazement. Even though she had seen many jewels at the convention, the goddess statue and the blue gemstone still amazed her.

Not only Ran Mouri, but even the well-traveled Sonoko Suzuki exclaimed, "Wow, this guy is so handsome!"

"what?"

Ran Mouri paused for a moment, then saw Sonoko Suzuki rushing breathlessly toward the display case showcasing the Golden Goddess Statue—or rather, the man in black standing next to it.

The display case of the golden goddess statue was surrounded by people, or rather, women, but their eyes were not on the huge blue gem that emitted a deep blue light, but on the man in black next to the display case.

The man in black ignored the women; they merely surrounded the display case but did not get too close, so they did not interfere with his work.

"Group A, have you noticed anything unusual?"

"Reporting, Captain, nothing unusual!"

"Group B?"

"Reporting, Captain, this is Group B, and there are no issues here either!"

"Don't let your guard down. If you spot any suspicious persons, call out immediately."

"Yes, Captain!"

Through the earpiece walkie-talkie, the security guards from each group responded in unison. Li Xin temporarily shifted his attention away from the walkie-talkie and then saw a girl in front of him looking up at him with eyes so intense they could melt steel.

Li Xin frowned slightly, reached out and made a push gesture towards the girl, saying, "Miss, please step back a little. Outsiders are not allowed to get too close to this exhibit. Thank you for your understanding."

The girl seemed not to have heard Li Xin's words at all, and continued to look at him with burning eyes: "Sir, may I ask what your name is?"

"..."

Li Xin was speechless. This time, it wasn't a feigned push; he actually pushed her away from the display case and in front of the girls who were watching: "Miss, please don't disturb my work. Thank you for your cooperation."

Sonoko Suzuki was pushed away, and her two friends immediately followed. Ran Mouri helped Sonoko up and asked, "Sonoko, are you alright?"

Sonoko Suzuki seemed not to hear Ran Mouri's words and continued to wear a lovestruck smile: "So cool, so unique!"

Ran Mouri gave Shinichi Kudo a look that said, "This guy is hopeless..."

Shinichi Kudo gave him an approving look, then turned his attention to Li Xin.

With his tall and slender figure and cool demeanor, even though his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, his face shape and other features were flawless. It's no wonder that Suzuki Sonoko, that infatuated girl, was so infatuated with such a high-quality handsome man.

No, I need to keep Xiaolan away from him.

Shinichi Kudo's heart tightened. He knew very well that teenage girls were most vulnerable to handsome and mysterious adult men like this.

"Xiaolan, let's go. They said we can't get too close to the display cases."

Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki.

Ran Mouri naturally nodded, but Sonoko Suzuki resolutely refused. She approached Li Xin again and introduced herself: "Hello, my name is Sonoko Suzuki. My uncle wants to buy this 'Blue Miracle.' Who should we talk to?"

In an attempt to get closer to Li Xin, Suzuki Sonoko brought up her uncle.

Sonoko Suzuki thought that by bringing up her identity as the niece of a major client, Li Xin would change his attitude towards her. However, Li Xin's expression did not change at all, and he said indifferently, "Go find a sales assistant. This is not my business."

This non-fawning attitude, oh dear, I love it even more!

Sonoko Suzuki touched her nose to make sure she wasn't bleeding, then smiled and said, "May I ask if you could take me to a sales assistant?"

Li Xin pressed the earpiece and said into the walkie-talkie, "Team A, someone come to me. There's a lady who needs directions."

Li Xin pressed the earpiece again and said to Suzuki Sonoko, "Please wait a moment, someone will come to take you to a sales assistant soon."

Sonoko Suzuki took a deep breath; it was the first time she had ever met such a meticulous man.

"Mr. Ashin, chatting with young girls during work hours is not allowed!"

A mature and magnetic female voice rang out, cutting between Li Xin and Suzuki Sonoko. Suzuki Sonoko subconsciously looked in the direction of the voice and saw a graceful and elegant short-haired noblewoman slowly walking towards them. Li Xin was taken aback when he saw her, but immediately reacted and respectfully said, "BOSS."

The short-haired noblewoman smiled slightly, a captivating curve appearing at the corners of her lips. She asked Li Xin, "What happened? And who are these gentlemen?"

What a beautiful woman...

Sonoko Suzuki was stunned when she saw the short-haired noblewoman. She only came to her senses when she heard her question and quickly said, "My name is Sonoko Suzuki. My uncle wants to buy this 'Blue Miracle', so I'm asking this gentleman who I should talk to."

"Suzuki...could she be the daughter of the Suzuki zaibatsu?"

The short-haired noblewoman was slightly surprised.

In Japan, Suzuki is a common surname. Almost every Japanese person will have at least one classmate with the surname Suzuki when they go to school. If not, that person must have the surname Suzuki. But if you were to ask which person with the surname Suzuki would propose to buy "Blue Miracle", only the Suzuki zaibatsu would have the financial resources to do so.

"So you're the young lady from the Suzuki Zaibatsu, how rude of me!" The short-haired noblewoman bowed slightly to Suzuki Sonoko and said, "My name is Maria, and I'm the general manager of this exhibition. If Miss Suzuki wants to purchase any jewelry at this exhibition, please let me know."

From coffee shop owner to career woman, and now the head of a jewelry exhibition... Xiao Lei, you really are versatile!

Li Xin thought to himself.

Yes, that's right. The noblewoman Maria in front of him is Lai Sheng Rui. However, after makeup, she is completely unrecognizable. Even her voice has been disguised to a certain extent. It can be said that she is flawless. Li Xin believes that even someone who is very familiar with Lai Sheng Rui would not recognize her when she sees her now.

Ah, so why was Li Xin able to recognize him? Well, that's because... well, I won't tell you!

"That's great!"

Upon hearing "Maria" say that she was the person in charge of the exhibition, Suzuki Sonoko pretended to be happy, then looked at Li Xin and asked, "Excuse me, sir, are you from your company?"

Maria smiled and said, "No, Mr. Ashin and I just met. We were introduced by a friend. We are both experts in the industry. Haven't we heard recently that there are often phantom thieves in Japan? In order to get some insurance, we asked Mr. Ashin to protect the jewelry at the exhibition."

"Oh, I see..."

Sonoko Suzuki chuckled dryly a few times.

The Japanese are quite concerned about their image, especially their international reputation. This "surprise from friendly nations" made Sonoko Suzuki a little embarrassed, even though she was actually a fan of the phantom thief. What fascinated her most was the phantom thief "Kid," who mysteriously disappeared and reappeared, and whose life seemed like a mystery.

After thinking for a moment, Sonoko Suzuki asked again, "Ms. Maria, you specially invited Mr. Oshin over, so Mr. Oshin must be a very capable professional, right?"

Maria smiled at Sonoko Suzuki: "Ms. Suzuki, didn't you want to buy gems? Why do you keep asking about Mr. Oshin? Let me make it clear beforehand, if you buy gems, the golden goddess statue under the gems is a free gift, but Mr. Oshin, as a bodyguard, is not."

Having her intentions exposed, Sonoko Suzuki gave an awkward smile.

Li Xin's expression turned strange. He turned to look at "Maria," who gave him a mocking look.

Shinichi Kudo noticed the eye contact between Li Xin and "Maria" and felt that the two might not be just acquaintances as "Maria" claimed. This was clearly not the kind of familiarity that people who had just met should have.

Why would that woman named Maria tell such a lie?

Shinichi Kudo said silently.

At this moment, Ran Mouri interrupted Shinichi Kudo's thoughts. She patted Shinichi on the back and said with displeasure, "Hey, Shinichi, it's very impolite of you to stare at Miss Maria like that!"

"Exactly, Kudo, where do you put Ran like this?!"

Sonoko Suzuki chimed in playfully.

"No, I didn't, I'm not..."

Shinichi Kudo tried his best to explain, but couldn't help looking at "Maria." "Maria" smiled slightly at Shinichi Kudo, a smile full of charm that a young boy like Shinichi Kudo couldn't resist. He blushed on the spot.

"Shinichi!"

Ran Mouri was even angrier. It was one thing to peek before, but now that she had been told off, she still peeked. It was just too much!

Shinichi Kudo really didn't dare to look anymore, rubbing his nose and saying, "Fine, I won't look anymore..."

He said he wouldn't stay there any longer, but turned to look at other jewelry at the exhibition, or perhaps, he was trying to escape.

Ran Mouri naturally chased after Shinichi Kudo. Seeing her best friend leave, Sonoko Suzuki quickly said to "Maria," "Miss Maria, we'll talk about buying the jewels later!"

Then they chased after them.

After Shinichi Kudo and the others had gone far away, Maria's smile faded, and she said to Li Xin, "Xin, that kid is Shinichi Kudo, the famous high school detective in Tokyo recently. When you're facing him, be careful not to let him see through your disguise."

To be honest, neither Li Xin nor "Maria" have clean backgrounds. When they encounter a detective who likes to pry into other people's privacy and secrets, it's never too much to be wary.

Well, it's true, the original plan for the jewelry exhibition was to catch thieves who steal gems, but before the thieves even arrived, this detective swam over like a shark smelling blood. It seems the plan is already going badly before it even started.

Li Xin thought for a moment, then said, "Can't we just knock them out and throw them out?"

"?!"

Maria paused for a moment.

There's actually such a method?

Chapter Sixty-Five: First Love

Li Xin was just saying it casually, but "Maria" began to carefully consider the credibility of the matter.

It has to be said that this is quite feasible. After all, the kid named Shinichi Kudo is only known for his strong reasoning skills, but I haven't heard of him being good at fighting.

However, considering that Sonoko Suzuki, the second young lady of the Suzuki Zaibatsu, was with him, Maria hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's not do this for now. If he doesn't find out anything, it will be troublesome later."

Shinichi Kudo is just a minor character, a celebrity promoted by the media. Although his father is a famous novelist and his mother is a former national-level actress, he is ultimately just a member of an elite family in Japan and nothing special.

But Sonoko Suzuki is different. As the second daughter of the Suzuki Zaibatsu, she has a lot of power at her disposal. How to treat her friends in front of her is too risky, and it's really not worth taking the risk for a baseless worry.

Moreover, her current role is that of the person in charge of the jewelry exhibition, a clean position, and she is not doing anything illegal or disorderly. It's unlikely that Shinichi Kudo can do anything to ruin her life.

Of course, if you encounter such a meddlesome detective while "Cat's Eye" is on a mission, you can knock him out and throw him in the toilet, which will save you a lot of trouble.

"Maria" is the employer, so Li Xin naturally has to listen to her. Shinichi Kudo has escaped a disaster.

Putting aside the matter of Shinichi Kudo, Maria asked again, "Shin, have you found anyone suspicious?"

If someone is really eyeing this jewelry exhibition and planning to do something during it, they will definitely come in during the daytime to scout out the exhibition and figure out the security arrangements. So, among the constant stream of visitors, there may be more than one phantom thief disguised and mixed in.

Well, there have been a lot of phantom thieves in Tokyo lately, so Maria thinks there might be more than one thief eyeing this jewelry exhibition. And unlike Cat's Eye and Kid, those thieves won't send any notification letters, making them even more difficult to guard against.

"Not at the moment."

Li Xin shook his head regretfully.

After practicing the Mingyu Gong, Li Xin's five senses became more acute and his thinking more agile. Within a radius of 100 meters, no movement, not even the sound of a needle falling, could escape Li Xin's perception.

The reason he stood in the center of the venue was not to protect the most expensive gemstone in the jewelry exhibition, "Blue Miracle," but because from this position, Li Xin could observe everyone in the venue most clearly.

However, no thief would wear the label "I am a thief" on their face. Those thieves who disguised themselves to enter the jewelry exhibition would be even more careful not to expose themselves. So even though Li Xin carefully observed every visitor in the venue and the security guards inside and outside the venue patrolled constantly, they still did not notice anything unusual.

Maria nodded slightly, not disappointed by Li Xin's answer: "No rush. This jewelry exhibition lasts for three days, and this is only the first day. We must be patient."

The more skilled a thief is, the more they focus on gathering information beforehand. Even if they don't have absolute certainty, they won't easily make a move unless they have a 90% or higher chance of winning. However, Maria isn't worried about the thieves not coming. To ensure that the thieves are lured out, she bought the legendary gem "Blue Miracle" for a fortune. It's no exaggeration to say that it's priceless. She doesn't believe that any thief who likes to steal gems would be indifferent to it.