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

Chapter 3 I haven't even sent out the notice yet, how did you know?

—Really? Why are you telling me this?

Ran Mouri narrowed her eyes slightly and turned to look behind her.

The figure speaking was almost completely hidden in the darkness, with only bright and dangerous eyes visible. It seemed to be holding something in its hand, and a white glimpse could be seen, which appeared to be a coffee cup.

"You mean the Riddler...who are you referring to? Kaito Kid?"

she asked.

Just then, a few lights suddenly shone in the dark banquet hall, like spotlights falling on the beams of the banquet hall not far away. The phantom thief Kid, dressed in a white uniform, was standing on the beams, looking quite dashing.

That's not Kaito Kid, it's the White Magician, Kazumi Sanada.

Chen En didn't look at the fake Phantom Thief Kid that Suzuki Tomoko had hired for the sake of the show, but simply said in a low voice,
"Perhaps, but what does it matter?"

What do you mean by "what relationship"? It's a big relationship! Why do you call me the riddle teller? Is saying this a bit too hurtful?
Kaito Kuroba, disguised as Ran Mouri, twitched the corner of his mouth, unsure of what expression to make at this moment.

He stared at the mysterious coffee man of unknown origin before him, and suddenly remembered the prophecy that Koizumi Akako had mentioned to him during the break between classes—that he might be hit hard by Batman in this operation.

That "Batman" probably doesn't refer to this mysterious coffee man... He doesn't recall any Batman liking to carry a coffee cup.

Kaito Kuroba's gaze swept over the figures near the spotlight.

Kogoro Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, and the little brother who gave him a big surprise on April 1st—they had all arrived and were watching the magic show by the fake Kaito Kid.

Before he could say anything, the mysterious coffee man continued,

"First, on April Fool's Day, when the moon separates the two, I will transform into a dark star and ride the waves to come, Phantom Thief."

"This prophecy means that Phantom Thief Kid will travel from the rooftop of Beika Hotel to the Beika Museum between midnight and 4 a.m. on April 1st to steal the Black Star."

"Afterwards, on April 19th, I will board the Queen Cerissa, departing from Yokohama Port, to meet the true Dark Star, Phantom Thief Kid. Literally, Phantom Thief Kid will board the Queen Cerissa to retrieve the treasure on April 19th."

What's the point of bringing this up now?

Kaito Kuroba was somewhat helpless. He glanced at the fake Kaito Kid's performance over there and was about to ask the man to move aside so that he could return to Kogoro Mouri's side before Ichizo Sanada's performance ended and ensure that Ran Mouri's identity was not exposed.

Then he heard something that shocked him so much that he almost lost his composure.
"Finally, the notice, 'I am like Xisha, bewitched by the Queen of Egypt, and have come to your side, Phantom Thief Kid,' literally means that Phantom Thief Kid has infiltrated the Dark Star's side."

----What did you say?
Kaito Kuroba looked at the mysterious coffee man in disbelief.

He already knew about Suzuki Tomoko's arrangements for the banquet and was familiar with Sanada Ichizo's entire performance, so he prepared a new notice to stick on the playing cards in advance.

But how did this person already know before he even sent it out?

Does this mean his plan has been completely exposed?
boom!
Gunshots rang out inside the banquet hall.

Sanada Ichizo's magic show has reached its climax. Suzuki Tomoko raises a fake pistol and fires at the fake Phantom Thief Kid, just as shocking as the words this unidentified person says to the real Phantom Thief Kid.

The lights in the banquet hall suddenly turned on at that moment.

Chen En had already taken a step back and disappeared into the crowd, leaving only Ran Mouri, whose expression looked a little off, behind.

His mission has just been 50% complete. All he needs to do now is ensure that Phantom Thief Kid's plan to steal the Dark Star fails, then he can complete the mission and receive the system item reward.

In addition, Kaito Kid had prepared a hang glider for escape during this operation.

Kaito Kid never actually used that hang glider. He figured nobody wanted it anyway, so he might as well take it home and study it. After all, it was a product of Professor Agasa's Detective Conan technology, so its quality was top-notch.

"Ahem, everyone, listen to me!"

"To prevent Phantom Thief Kid from infiltrating our ranks and stealing the Dark Star, I suggest that all guests pair up and establish a secret code known only to each other, ensuring that Phantom Thief Kid cannot profit from it!"

Seeing that all the attention was drawn to the fake Phantom Thief Kid, Chaki Shintaro quickly picked up the microphone and spoke.

Hearing his voice, Conan glanced around and noticed that Ran Mouri hadn't returned yet. He frowned, realizing that something seemed amiss. He then heard footsteps approaching from a distance and turned around abruptly.

—This time, it was just an ordinary waiter from the Queen Cerissa.

The waiter seemed somewhat surprised by Conan's behavior, but still handed him the note and said,

"Little friend, a gentleman just asked me to give you this note."

Someone asked me to deliver this note? Who would do that?

Conan took the note, pulled it open, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The note stated that the real Black Star had been with Tomoko Suzuki from the beginning, and that Kaito Kid had known about Tomoko Suzuki's plan in advance, hiding many smoke bombs that would explode among the numerous replicas of the Black Star.

Is this information true or false?
The Grim Reaper Elementary School student was somewhat uncertain.

He glanced at the information on the note again, then focused his attention on the signature in the lower right corner.

...Why is it Batman?

"No matter what, we'll find out by trying."

Conan muttered to himself.

He put the note back in his pocket, his attention instantly falling on the black star hanging on Suzuki Tomoko's chest. Almost at the same time, several black stars quietly rolled across the ground.

Suspecting that his identity had been exposed, Kaito Kid abandoned his previous plan to disguise himself and approach Tomoko Suzuki.

He chose to launch a direct and forceful attack!
The jet-black star exploded in full view of everyone, turning into smoke.

Chaos erupted in the banquet hall.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officers immediately blocked the entrance to prevent others from leaving, but the flow of people was too large, and they were about to be overwhelmed. The panicked crowd even knocked Suzuki Tomoko to the ground.

Kaito Kuroba, disguised as Ran Mouri, appeared just in time behind Tomoko Suzuki, helped her up, and asked her with concern.
"Aunt Suzuki, are you alright?"

His hand quietly brushed across the black star on Tomoko Suzuki's chest and took it away.

However, Conan, who had remained standing still and not been swept away by the chaotic crowd, saw everything clearly—the contents of the note were all true.

The real Black Star is on Tomoko Suzuki, and many of the Black Star imitations are just smoke bombs.

The only thing left unsaid is... that Kaito Kid's disguised identity is actually Ran!

"You guy..."

The Grim Reaper Elementary School student's eyes suddenly sharpened.

(End of this chapter)