I'm in Detective Conan, and the system has appointed Batman.

Chapter 202 How come I didn't know I sent a notice?
[Today's News: Mr. Suzuki stated that he received a notice from Phantom Thief Kid today, in which Kid announced that he would steal the precious jewel, the Emerald Emperor, which Mr. Suzuki recently purchased and exhibited, in a few days. Our station will take further action...]

Kuroba Kaito:?
Oh dear, where did this come from? Is this still Beika Town?

I sent a notice to Jirokichi Suzuki? How come I didn't know I sent a notice? Was my riddle written on the notice? When did I ever send a notice in plain language?
"W-what is this for?"

Kaito Kuroba stared speechlessly at the news report on the television in front of him.

No, what should we do?
Whether Suzuki Jirokichi's announcement was real or fake, he still had to deal with it, right? Should he go to Suzuki Jirokichi's exhibition hall first, and then go to the Space Theater?
That won't work. The Cosmic Theater requires us to enter in advance, disguise ourselves, and find out about the police situation.

Shall we go to the Space Theater first? And then to the Mihana Theater?

"Young Master, why did you send two notices at once?"

Terai Kinosuke came up behind Kuroba Kaito and looked at the news report on TV with some surprise.

To this, Kaito Kuroba simply said with a dark face,
"Someone impersonated me and sent a notice to Jirokichi Suzuki."

"What's most infuriating is that this forged announcement was released even earlier than the real announcement from the Space Theater! Now I'm a stand-in! Grandpa Terai, what should I do?"

Terai Kinosuke frowned, unsure how to respond.

This fake Phantom Thief Kid announcement is truly a first.

I've never encountered this before. I can't just make a special trip as Phantom Thief Kid to show that the notice in Suzuki Jirokichi's hand is fake and that the notice in Maki Juri's hand is real, can I?

Wouldn't that be like protesting too much? Wouldn't people be more likely to believe that the notice in Suzuki Jirokichi's possession is the real thing?
"What's so difficult about that? I'll just go."

someone said.

Hearing this, Kaito Kuroba nodded and said seriously,
"Yes, that is indeed a solution..."

He turned to the girl with the broom beside him and asked...
"How did you get up from the secret base?"

Koizumi Akako raised an eyebrow and said,

"Take the stairs."

"I first flew to your secret base, then went up the stairs from your secret base, pushed open the hidden door to your room, and came to your side. What's wrong? Is that strange?"

"In the end, magic is just a poor imitation of magic; those little tricks can't fool me."

Besides, I also have the invincible Magic Prophecy Orb, which can be used to pinpoint any area I don't understand!
Koizumi Akako, who was standing next to her, continued,

"Why don't I just transform into your appearance and go to the Suzuki Foundation's exhibition hall?"

Kuroba Kaito, Terai Kinosuke:...

The two exchanged knowing glances.

Koizumi Akako: ?
Why is that? Why are you looking at me like that?
Do you know how much psychological damage such a gaze can cause to an underage witch?

"Forget it. If you collapse in three seconds this time, I won't be able to teleport to the exhibition hall to save you."

"If someone absolutely has to go to the Suzuki Group's exhibition hall to steal the Jade Emperor."

"That person has to know magic tricks, won't get caught by the police, I can trust them, and they don't covet the value of precious gems. I doubt such a person exists around me..."

Kaito Kuroba was speaking with some annoyance when he was suddenly interrupted.

Terai Kinosuke, who was standing nearby, said,

"Then why don't we ask Young Master Chen En for help?"

"Young Master Chen En perfectly meets all of Young Master Kaito's requirements. In other words, if Young Master Chen En were to disguise himself as Phantom Thief Kid to steal from the Suzuki Foundation's exhibition hall, it would be a foolproof plan."

Kaito Kuroba: !
Oh right, and Chen En too! How could I forget him?
Kaito Kuroba immediately picked up the landline and dialed Chen En's number.

The next moment, Chen En responded.

"This is Chen En, Kuroba Kaito. What brings you here?"

"Today's disguise training should be finished. Is there anything I can help you with?" "Another mysterious organization? Or something else?"

Kaito Kuroba said seriously.

"Chen En, I need you to disguise yourself as Phantom Thief Kid and steal the Emerald Emperor!"

Chen En: ?
666, I persuaded Makoto Kusakabe to go back, and now I'm a double agent?
Why are you all making me the riddle solver?

After Chen En expressed his agreement.

Kaito Kuroba finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had a very good impression of Chen En, who had no flaws except for being a bit chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur).

His magic skills are impressive, only slightly inferior to his, but he can make up for that deficiency in physical strength and props.

Speaking of which, he should really upgrade his items.

Although he was determined not to take a gun.

However, it's also necessary to prepare some items that can quickly render the target ineffective; hypnotic smoke bombs alone are not enough.

"By the way, did you see the news?"

"Günter von Goldberg II, who was previously said to have died in an accident, has now reappeared in Canada in a very public manner. What do you think that illusionist is up to?"

Koizumi Akako then brought up the more important matters here.

She rested her chin on her hand, somewhat puzzled, and asked,
"This identity should be unusable by now, right? After all, he has been declared dead."

—That's not necessarily true.

Kaito Kuroba shook his head.

"I don't know if you predicted this."

"I recently attended a gathering of magic enthusiasts, infiltrated under the name [Doi Takuki], and discovered that the successor of a highly respected old magician was attempting to kill someone using magic."

"Because I intervened in time and prevented the murder from happening, I also learned about the old magician's background."

"—That was a death magic trick."

Upon hearing this, Koizumi Akako frowned.

"Death magic?"

Kaito Kuroba explained.
"Yes, the old magician is quite old, but some people still want him to make a comeback and perform an escape magic trick. So he prepared a message, intending to say with a smile after his escape magic performance, 'I'm not dead yet.'"

"Then, the old magician died because he was too old, the magic trick failed, and he died as a result."

"Günter von Goldberg II's actions were just like those of that old magician, using the information of his fake death to deceive others, taking the opportunity to flee to Tokyo—and then suddenly reappear in Canada, igniting public opinion."

"At least I have lost track of Günther von Goldberg II's whereabouts as a result."

He stroked his chin, pondering as he spoke.

"However, it's still a bit strange."

"How could an illusionist know that I already know his true identity? Could it be that the illusionist assassin's real purpose is to deceive someone other than me? Or even to use him as bait to lure that person into a trap?"

"Of course, this is just my guess, and there shouldn't be anyone who fits this hypothetical environment."

"So, it's most likely just a smokescreen."

Koizumi Akako touched her crystal ball, somewhat puzzled.

—Is it really just a smokescreen…?

(End of this chapter)