Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 302 The Whereabouts of the Genuine

After that, Shiraishi had no free time. He was basically dragged by Ayako to meet this person and greet that person. He did get to know quite a few important people.

However, Ayako knew what was going on. She only took Shiraishi to meet people she had a say in. She did not introduce some elders who came for the sake of the Suzuki Group to Shiraishi. After all, if she came without a legitimate reason, the other party would think that Ayako was being disrespectful...

At exactly four o'clock, Shiro Suzuki arrived at the podium that had been set up long ago and delivered a speech to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Suzuki Group.

Shiraishi also knew that although Aunt Tomoko was usually strong, in formal occasions like this, it was Uncle Shiro who would come forward.

However, after Uncle Shiro finished his speech, Tomoko stepped forward and announced another thing - the important matters were announced by Suzuki Shiro, but... the matters that Tomoko cared about were announced by herself!

"As everyone knows, there's a thief who's been eyeing our Dark Star recently... So let's play a game today! Everyone got this little gift when they got on board, right? You can open it now." Tomoko said, showing everyone a small box in her hand.

The same little box, everyone has one, except...

"Hmm?" Bai Shi looked around at this time.

Shiraishi didn't have this box because he was brought on board directly by Ayako. The boxes for other people were given out when the invitations were checked!
Ayako said, "By the way, this is yours." and handed one to Shiraishi.

Seeing this, Bai Shi opened it with everyone else, and guessed what it was...

really……

Amidst the exclamations, everyone saw the true form of the gift—a black pearl that had been decorated into a brooch!

Indeed, as a "small gift" for attending the party, the black pearls in everyone's hands are of just the right value, and it can also be regarded as a form of publicity.

It shows the Suzuki family's strength in cultured pearls. It is not only a small gift, but also an advertisement.

Even the police officers who were searching the ship felt a little embarrassed after opening the "small gifts" they had also received.

Even if it was farmed, this quality would probably be worth six figures...

"That's right, although these are not [Dark Stars] and most of them are cultured pearls, they are indeed real black pearls. Now everyone, wear them on your chest!" Tomoko announced at this time.

Although there are differences in size and color, and because they are cultured pearls, their value cannot be compared with wild pearls, but they are undoubtedly black pearls.

Moreover, the decorative outlines are the same as the real [Dark Star].

“Now I am the only one who knows who has the real Dark Star… When the event is over, we will exchange it with you for the real gift.

"As for that stupid thief, let him observe carefully during these three hours to see which one is the real one. I hope he won't be so anxious as to steal a fake pearl and run away!"

After Tomoko finished speaking, she covered her mouth and laughed, and her laughter sounded like a villain.

Most of the guests also thought that this "little game" was very interesting, and they all put on imitation [Dark Star].

Just when Shiraishi was about to take it out and put it on, Ayako took the initiative and said, "Let me help you put it on!"

Bai Shi did not refuse after hearing this. After all, the brooch was too difficult for Bai Shi to handle. Although the Dark Star was a top-grade black pearl, especially in terms of size, in Bai Shi's hand, it still looked smaller than a shirt button...

Shiraishi then half-knelt down and asked Ayako to put the brooch on him. At the same time...

Shiraishi also felt the piercing gazes from the stage - it was obvious that Tomoko was watching this scene with displeasure.

"Hmm?" Bai Shi suddenly felt something strange.

"What's wrong? Is the position of it uncomfortable?" Ayako asked puzzledly.

"No, nothing..." Bai Shi would certainly not be affected by the weight of a pearl, but...

Bai Shi adjusted the frame of the pearl brooch and showed a thoughtful look - it seemed... I was really wearing it!

When he opened the box, Bai Shi didn't feel anything, but after putting it on, he immediately felt something, even...

Bai Shi looked at his attributes at this time, and confirmed that this thing did have "supernatural powers", and it would even be directly reflected in the attributes - before this, there was only one thing that gave Bai Shi this kind of effect, which was his "witch robe".

[Dark Star: When you are oppressed or frightened by the aura, your mind will be particularly active.]

The effect of [Dark Star] was now added to Bai Shi's attributes like a special skill...

In terms of effect, the ability of [Dark Star] tends to be "resistance to momentum" and "immunity to fright" - generally speaking, when being suppressed by momentum, the most obvious side effect is slow thinking and inability to think normally. After wearing [Dark Star], the stronger the momentum suppression, the more active the thinking will be.

It can be said to be a magical tool that "becomes stronger when facing a strong opponent" and can "win big with small".

The Suzuki Group has only been established for 60 years, and only 70 or 80 years since Shiro's grandfather started to make his fortune. In the East Island country with rigid class structure, it is actually considered a relatively "young" family.

From this point of view, [Dark Star] may really have played a significant role!
After all, it can at least ensure that the ancestor of the Suzuki family, who was still a young boy with a weak background at the time, will not be at a loss because of the intimidation of the other party in negotiations and other occasions.

Of course, this is just the beginning. Now the effect of [Dark Star] on the Suzuki family is not that great.

Wealth nourishes people. Now even Shiro Suzuki, who usually smiles and is friendly, has the aura of a superior.

The Suzuki family, who have been in high positions for a long time, are no longer likely to be constrained by "momentum" and are not easily frightened.

Naturally, this [Dark Star] has no room to play.

At the same time, Bai Shi also recognized the true identity of this [Dark Star] - in the "Red Magic Heritage", this pearl is called the "Blue Heart".

It’s just a normal “Blue Heart”, which is a blue shell that produces a pink pearl. This special shell has a very hard shell and will only produce one pearl in its lifetime, which contains special spiritual power.

Not only is the shell difficult to destroy, but if it is forcibly destroyed while the pearl is alive, it will also lose its magical effect. It is a supernatural item that can only be obtained by going to the deep sea to collect pearl oysters that have died of old age...

Because the one from Suzuki is a different color, Shiraishi hadn't thought about it before.

As soon as the effect appeared, Bai Shi immediately understood what it was.

After discovering this, Shiraishi first looked in the direction of Aunt Tomoko in surprise, then looked at Ayako suspiciously, but did not speak out his doubts - why did they give me the real thing?

Originally, based on what was mentioned before, and the symbolic meaning of [Dark Star] to the Suzuki family, Shiraishi immediately believed after the "mini-game" began that the authentic one must be with Aunt Tomoko. But now it seems that Shiraishi has confirmed that the one he is wearing is the authentic one.

Could it be that Aunt Tomoko arranged it?
Obviously unlikely!

Shiraishi could of course guess by reverse analysis that it was most likely Aunt Tomoko who made an exception and gave the [Dark Star] to Ayako for safekeeping in advance.

After all, Tomoko also knew that Shiraishi would definitely be with Ayako at the party, so this [Dark Star] would be very safe if it was on Ayako!
Besides, Ayako is the eldest daughter of the Suzuki family, so there is nothing wrong in letting her keep [Dark Star] in advance.

only……

Shiraishi suspected that Ayako also knew this and had... handed it directly to him!
Although this can be said to be for safety reasons, after all, it is safest to put it on Shiraishi, but... Shiraishi now estimates that Aunt Tomoko has been staring at him, not only because she saw Ayako putting the brooch on her, but also because she recognized that what she was wearing was the real thing!

However, facing Ayako's guilty doubts, Shiraishi did not ask any further questions...

After all, Shiraishi can still pretend that he knows nothing, Ayako just thinks that the real thing is still with her, and Aunt Tomoko can still "not know that Shiraishi already knows."

If it were made clear, Tomoko would probably give her daughter a good scolding afterwards!
Therefore, Bai Shi didn't mention it at all, and just thought that what he was wearing was just one of more than 500 fakes...

Mao Li didn't understand what was going on at this time, so he tiptoed to Shiro's side and whispered, "President Suzuki, if I don't know which one is the real one, I can't protect you."

"Eh? This...actually only my wife knows." Shi Lang said after hesitating for a moment.

Tomoko did not tell Shirou who the authentic item was finally kept by, but Shirou could actually guess - I guess...either the lady kept it herself, or gave it to Ayako for safekeeping?
Shiro hadn't realized at this point that Shiraishi was wearing the real thing...

At the same time, Conan looked around and asked Maori, "Uncle Maori, where is Xiaolan?"

"It's because you went to the bathroom and didn't come back, so she went to look for you... Maybe you were attacked by Kid..." Maori deliberately scared Conan at this time.

"Maybe she got lost somewhere? After all, Xiaolan's sense of direction has always been poor." Sonoko was quite carefree at this time.

"I'm really sorry that I'm an idiot about directions." Xiaolan caught Sonoko saying bad things about her.

At the same time, seeing Xiaolan coming back, Bai Shi also looked at her a few more times, especially at her feet, knees and head...

Xiaolan was wearing a red dress and matching high heels at this time. Although Maori usually didn't like his daughter wearing these, the occasion required it now, so he wouldn't stop her.

Kidd can indeed pretend to be someone taller or shorter than himself, and his gait won't be too flawed.

But Shiraishi observed carefully at this time. Xiaolan's shoes were at normal height, and she didn't bend her knees deliberately, and the height of her head didn't change...

"Hmm? Is there something wrong with Xiaolan?" Ayako was puzzled and looked at Xiaolan with scrutiny.

"No, nothing...it doesn't look like it's been replaced." Bai Shi told the truth.

Although Kidd's disguise method has been enhanced by the power of [magic], but... if Shiraishi observes carefully, he will not be able to fail to see the flaws.

Shiraishi estimated that Kidd must have been played by someone else!

Come to think of it, it makes sense. After all, Shiraishi is here, so Kidd can't possibly act the same way as in the original work. The most typical example is that Shiraishi has forgotten that Kidd actually disguised himself as Suzuki Shiro to board the ship in the original work, and found that the [Dark Star] was not on him, so he activated the backup plan and disguised himself as Xiaolan to steal from Tomoko...

But now that Shiraishi is here, even if Kidd had the courage to come, he didn't dare to directly attack the people from the Suzuki family. Otherwise, he knew that Shiraishi would most likely recognize them!

As for Xiaolan, Shiraishi has seen her many times, so it is a bit risky to pretend to be her.

Although Kidd didn't understand why, Shiraishi estimated that he should have discovered it - his flawless disguise, in Shiraishi's opinion, had flaws...

As for why Bai Shi could see it?
On the one hand, it is a purely technical analysis, and Shiraishi's observation is more detailed; on the other hand, it is also because Kidd's [Magic] effect bonus is ineffective in front of Shiraishi.

In front of Shiraishi, Kidd's [magic] is ineffective. If it is a purely technical competition, if he pretends to be a stranger, Shiraishi will not be able to find out immediately. But if he pretends to be someone Shiraishi is familiar with, he will definitely be seen through immediately!
After Bai Shi failed to find any flaws in Xiaolan, he could only glance at the unfamiliar crowd...

This is like looking for a needle in a haystack!
At this time, Section Chief Chaki of the Second Investigation Section stepped forward and announced: "As everyone knows, the shameless thief is very likely on this ship now, and he is very good at disguise. He can pretend to be someone else and even imitate other people's voices. Even people who are very familiar with him cannot recognize him..."

Indeed, what Chaki said was Kidd's "true characteristics" - combined with the effects of [magic], it is almost impossible to detect Kidd purely by relying on technology!
Shiraishi also possesses supernatural powers and is somewhat immune to the effects of [magic], which is why he is not confused and does not have the premise of a "technical competition".

As for Conan, although his observation ability is not much weaker than Shiraishi, if he just uses the effect of [magic], even if Kidd pretends to be Xiaolan, whom he is familiar with, he will not be able to see through it. Unless he first deduces the suspicious person and then observes carefully, there is hope of seeing through it...

"Normally in this kind of situation, we police officers would first check everyone's identity. However, since today is the 60th anniversary party of the Suzuki Group, we certainly can't spoil the fun. But I hope everyone will cooperate with us, form groups of two, and agree on a secret code. This way, even if Kidd sneaks in later, we will be able to find him!"

While Chaki stated his commission, he did not forget to do the Suzuki family a favor.

Ayako then pulled Shiraishi, signaling him to lean over, but at this moment...

Gao Yue suddenly came over, grabbed Ayako and said, "Ayako, let's form a team of two! It's impossible for Senior Shiraishi to be impersonated."

"Okay, okay..." Ayako paused when she heard that, then she smiled friendly.

"When we exchange secret codes, I would say 'childhood friendship'." Gao Yue said a Chinese word very culturedly.

Ayako immediately jumped in and said, "Then I'll just say 'hold the case together as one's eyebrows'."

The two of them agreed on a secret code in a friendly manner...

At this moment, the surroundings suddenly became dark, and the originally brilliant lights all went out.

"what happened?"

"Go check what's wrong with the power supply!"

"Ah! Who touched me?"

"Miss, there is no one around us..."

……

The scene suddenly became a little chaotic, and Bai Shi frowned - how many times has this happened? Can't we just put two people to guard the power distribution room?
In addition...

What puzzled Bai Shi was the sound when the lights went out just now!
Although most people couldn't hear it, let alone pay attention to it, Bai Shi could tell that it didn't seem like a sudden power outage, but rather that someone had taken the initiative to turn off the power.

At this moment, a corner of the ceiling suddenly attracted the searchlight's focus amidst a burst of laughter. Soon, a figure in a white dress and a top hat was seen standing on the right-angled wall, posing under the illumination of the searchlight.

"Hahaha, you don't need to discuss the secret code anymore, because... I have already got the real [Dark Star]!" said the man in the white suit with a big laugh.

"what?"

"not good……"

When everyone heard this, some were amazed, some slapped their thighs, only Ayako...

"Huh?" Ayako was shocked and instinctively turned her head to look at Shiraishi's chest.

Shiraishi:……

Obviously, Ayako knew which one was the real one, but... she was not aware of the "show" in front of her!
That’s right, Shiraishi has already seen that this person is not Kid at all, and it must be another “program” set up by Tomoko.

However, Ayako was unaware of the situation and thought that this person was really Kidd, so she instinctively looked towards the location of the real [Dark Star].

Seeing this, Shiraishi could only pretend that he didn't understand what Ayako meant by her actions, and reminded her, "It should be the magician your mother invited. He is not Kidd."

Hearing this, Ayako pretended not to be surprised and forced herself to breathe a sigh of relief, "That's good, I thought he really succeeded... But how did you know that, Xiao Hei?"

Gao Yue, who was standing by, also turned her head to take a look at Shiraishi's brooch - obviously, she was so close that she also noticed Ayako's unusual behavior just now, and probably guessed that what Shiraishi was wearing was the real thing.

This made her feel powerless...

Gao Yue wasn't the only one who felt powerless!

There was another person who noticed Ayako's reaction just now - that was Kaito Kid himself.

Good boy, this time he did find the "correct answer", but...

How can I get [Dark Star] from Bai Shi?
[What are you doing? Isn't this a family heirloom of your Suzuki family? You gave it to an outsider for safekeeping before you even got engaged?] Kidd was also full of complaints.

Just when Shiraishi was explaining to Ayako quietly...

"Kid, prepare to die!" Tomoko took out a pistol in a very imposing manner.

Biu——Biu——Biu——

Just shoot at "Kid"!
Sparks from the gunshot really appeared on Kidd's body, and he fell from the wall and hit the table below...

There was a sudden burst of screams all around, and at this time the surrounding lights inexplicably came back on.

Seeing Kidd being shot, Nakamori looked at Suzuki Tomoko in horror and said, "Mrs. Suzuki, what are you doing?"

Although everyone knows that in the East Island Country, these big financial groups have privileges, but...

Just pull out a gun and shoot people so blatantly?

Even if the person shot was Kaito Kidd, it doesn't count as self-defense!
"Inspector Nakamori, there's no need to be so surprised..." Tomoko rolled her eyes at him.

As Tomoko was speaking, Kid sat up amid the exclamations of the guests around him.

Bai Shi had already seen something was wrong...

Not to mention that he had already recognized that it was not Kid, more importantly, the sound-generating structure of Tomoko's pistol was completely wrong, and the flames came out of the "fake Kid"'s body by themselves!

Shiraishi estimated that the fake Kid had prepared the glowing gunpowder on him long ago, and cooperated with Tomoko to perform the shooting - the visual impact of this performance was very strong, but it was not real...

After all, when an ordinary person is shot, blood should spurt out, not sparks.
"Eh, you..." Nakamori watched as "Kid" stood up, took off his hat and bowed to the people around him.

"Everyone, this is the talented magician I invited to perform the entertainment show today, Mr. Kazuzo Sanada! Let's give him a warm round of applause for his performance of [The End of Kaito Kid]!" While introducing Kazuzo Sanada, Tomoko did not forget to mock Kaito Kid.

The guests then reacted and applauded enthusiastically.

"Ah! Mom actually invited Mr. Sanada Kazuzo... He is a magic genius who learned from Master Kyujuku Motoyasu and is now a magician for the Miracle Magic Company."

This Kazuzo Sanada is also quite famous in the magic world. Sonoko, who was also unaware of this in advance, was surprised to introduce this famous young magic genius to Xiaolan!
Sanada Kazuzo is indeed very young, but...

Compared with Kidd, he is a little older. After all, the current Kidd is the "second generation of Kidd".

"I see...you really scared me." Nakamori said with some complaint.

Seeing this, Sanada changed his clothes and said, "Actually, I admire Kid's magic skills, but... I can't forgive someone who uses magic to steal. I will never lose to such a guy."

Shiraishi watched him change his clothes and felt that he had already lost - Kidd could change his clothes in one second!

"Well, next, please enjoy my magic..." Sanada was invited not only to cosplay Kid, but also to perform other magic shows.

Sanada first performed a few classic magic tricks such as "Poker Rain" and "Transformation into Pigeons" to warm up the crowd, and then announced: "If it's just these small magic tricks, Mrs. Suzuki will probably think I'm just going through the motions, but in order to keep it secret, I didn't bring any props on board... Ah! How about this, I'll improvise a version of the Great Transfiguration without props or assistants!"

"No assistant? You dare to say that... Then who should I transform into?" Nakamori curled his lips - probably because of Kidd and a guy who always came to his house for free meals, Nakamori generally had a bad impression of magicians.

"Now, please ask an audience member to cooperate with me...ah! I'll choose the one that looks the most difficult!" Sanada said, looking in the direction of Shiraishi.

(End of this chapter)