Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

None of these people were there, and Ai Haibara had returned to her sister's place because of "research".

In other words, a wonderful night just for the two of them has arrived!

Xiaolan knew in her heart that the chances of running into her father here were almost zero! Because her father had never been interested in "stage plays" and would never buy a ticket to see such a thing.

Thinking of this, Xiaolan's lips curled up slightly, and her steps became lighter.

At that moment, a familiar voice made Xiaolan stop in her tracks.

"—Ran? Longye boy? What are you two doing here?"

Xiaolan: "???"

"Dad? Conan? What's wrong with you two...?"

Ryuno and Ran looked up and saw Kogoro Mouri with his hands in his pockets and Conan with a strange backpack standing in front of them.

A few minutes later, after Kogoro Mouri explained, Tatsuno and Ran learned why they were there.

-

This afternoon, he received a commission.

The clients were two women. One of them, named Maki Juri, found a notice from Kaito Kid on her apartment balcony, along with a large bouquet of roses.

The letter read: "Romeo, Juliet. Conqueror, cheers. Amidst the fluttering and intertwining of these 26 letters, I will go and retrieve that jewel of destiny. — Phantom Thief Kid"

As for the gem mentioned in the letter, it is the sapphire that Ms. Maki held, known as the "Sapphire Star of Destiny." The surface of this sapphire is intersected with three lines, symbolizing trust, hope, and destiny.

The reason Maki took out this gemstone was for the upcoming "Josephine stage play." Because the "Josephine" she plays, "Napoleon's first wife," deeply loves roses and sapphires.

All of this corresponds to the Phantom Thief Kid's advance notice and his purpose in stealing the jewel.

Therefore, after a moment's thought, Uncle Mori immediately "deciphered" the Phantom Thief Kid's premonition letter. He concluded that the Phantom Thief Kid would definitely disguise himself as "Napoleon" and come to steal the sapphire when the stage play ended and everyone was receiving applause from the audience.

Uncle Mori's reasoning was recognized by his client, Ms. Maki Juri, and her assistant, Ms. Yaguchi Masayo. The two immediately invited him to the theater to stop Kaito Kid from stealing the jewels.

-

Upon learning what had happened, Xiaolan's attention was immediately drawn to the "Sapphire Star of Destiny," and she seemed to have developed a great interest in the gem.

Ryūno noticed the changes in Xiaolan's expression and thought to himself that she truly was a gem, possessing a fatal allure to any woman.

Thinking of this, Longye lowered his head and pondered, "Anyway, money is just a number to me now, so why don't I give Xiaolan some more gems to play with?"

This idea was rejected by Longye shortly after it came to mind.

Having known each other for so many years, he had a good understanding of Xiaolan's personality. Giving her a bag or a bracelet occasionally, like before, was fine, but if he really put a bunch of gemstones in front of her, she might find it difficult to handle, since she wasn't the kind of person who would accept expensive gifts easily.

He had already handed over a savings account containing tens of millions of yuan to Xiaolan as "joint property."

When Longye handed the money to Xiaolan, he explicitly "hinted" that it was just pocket money for her and that she could withdraw it at will. But even so, Xiaolan didn't squander the money beyond her daily living expenses.

Every now and then, Xiaolan would sit next to him and briefly go through the bank statement with Longye.

Thinking of this, Longye looked at the financial account panel that "Xiao Jia" was managing for him and sighed helplessly.

Although he liked and admired Xiaolan's virtuousness, if things continued like this... wouldn't all those zeros at the end of the account balance lose their meaning and value?!

Chapter 229 Sometimes, it's okay if you don't come.

"Mr. Mori! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Before long, Ms. Masayo Yaguchi, wearing a bright green uniform, jogged towards the group.

After exchanging greetings, the group, led by Ms. Yaguchi, arrived at the dressing room of their client, Ms. Maki Juri.

At this moment, a makeup artist is fixing Maki's hair accessories.

Upon seeing Kogoro Mouri and the others arrive, Maki nods to the makeup artist behind her, who immediately stops what he's doing.

"Welcome everyone! I'm so sorry, I'm a little disheveled right now~"

After exchanging pleasantries, the client, Maki Juri, turned to him and said, "Natsuki, this is the famous Kogoro Mouri. You must have heard of him, right?"

"You must be the sleeping detective, right? Nice to meet you, my name is Natsuki Sakai."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the door.

A moment later, a group of people dressed in "ancient Roman noble attire" entered the dressing room.

Upon seeing Kogoro Mouri inside, the leading man immediately stepped forward and extended his right hand to him.

"You must be the famous detective Kogoro Mouri! My surname is Narusawa, and I admire you so much!"

"Thank you for the compliment~"

"..."

After exchanging greetings, the man introduced himself to everyone.

The man leading the group is named Narusawa Bunjiro, an actor who plays Napoleon in the stage play "Josephine".

The woman in the light purple dress standing next to her is Tenko Tajima, who plays Josephine's friend, Theresa Tarian.

The young man behind her is Shinjo Isao, who plays Josephine's lover, "Ippolit Charull"...

Before the others could continue their conversation, a middle-aged man in a light green uniform walked into the dressing room, extended his hand to Kogoro Mouri, and walked straight towards him: "Hello, Mr. Mouri..."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Kogoro Mouri reached out and said, "Inspector Nakamori? Long time no see!"

Seeing Kogoro Mouri grasp his hand, Inspector Nakamori smiled inwardly and tightened his grip.

Feeling the power coming from his hand, Kogoro Mouri was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth and increased his strength: "I really owe you a lot for taking care of me during the 'Egg of Memory' incident last time."

"Not at all, I should be the one thanking you!" After understanding Kogoro Mouri's "meaning," Inspector Nakamori increased the pressure on his hands.

For a moment, the two men, their faces flushed and teeth clenched, began their "contest."

Seeing their expressions, Longye and Xiaolan exchanged a smile and then shook their heads.

Seeing this, Conan, standing to the side, helplessly shrugged and smiled.

"No wonder Inspector Nakamori has been unable to catch Phantom Thief Kid; it turns out he's the same kind of person as Uncle Mori!"

After a brief standoff between Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Nakamori, Inspector Nakamori was the first to withdraw his hand, forcing a smile as he said, "By the way, I brought someone with me specifically to assist with this case. Although I didn't think it was necessary, Inspector Megure strongly recommended him..."

After saying that, Inspector Nakamori glanced at the door of the dressing room and called out softly, "What are you doing standing outside? Come in!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked curiously towards the doorway.

The next moment, to Conan's horrified expression, Shinichi Kudo walked in with his hands in his pockets.

"Hello everyone, my name is Shinichi Kudo."

After exchanging greetings, "Shinichi Kudo" cautiously glanced at Tatsuno, who was smiling among the crowd.

He had wanted to come in earlier, but after learning that this guy was here, he suddenly didn't want to go in. It wasn't until he heard Inspector Nakamori calling him that he mustered up his courage and walked in.

"—Isn't this Kudo? Long time no see!"

Upon seeing "Shinichi Kudo" in front of him, Tatsuno seemed to realize something, and immediately smiled as he stepped forward and pulled him to a corner of the room.

The strange smile in Ryūno's eyes sent a chill down "Shinichi Kudo's" spine: "Ha, ha, yes, it's been a long time..."

"Alright, don't be so tense. I'm not some kind of devil, is it really that big of a deal?"

"Uh, heh, hehe..."

"Alright, let me tell you something serious. Haven't you been keeping an eye on gemstones? Do me a favor, give me a list of any beautiful or rare gemstones, and I'll..."

"You're planning to steal the jewels too?!"

"???"

After glaring at Kuroba Kaito, Ryūno continued, "What are you fighting over? Studying... cough, I'm planning to buy some gemstones for my collection."

Upon hearing this, Kaito Kuroba glanced at Ryuno in surprise: "Buying some gems?! Really? You're not trying to steal my business, are you?!"

After suppressing the urge to hit him, Ryūno "gently" placed his hand on Kuroba Kaito's shoulder and squinted, asking, "Will you help me or not?"

"I'll help, okay?"

"Wouldn't it have been better if you had just said that earlier?"

"..."

Watching Ryuno and his companion chatting happily in the corner, Conan couldn't help but doubt his own "identity".

Who am I? And who is he? How can he be chatting and laughing with that Takeda guy like that?!

Could it be that he isn't Kaito Kid, but the real Shinichi Kudo?

……

Five minutes later, Inspector Nakamori looked at the crowd around him and said loudly, "Ms. Maki, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you all to leave for a moment. I need to discuss some things with Mori."

Maki stood up and nodded: "Okay, Inspector. Anyway, I've already finished my makeup."

Outside the dressing room, Ms. Maki and the other actors said goodbye to Ryuno and the others and went backstage to prepare for their performance.

After greeting Shinichi Kudo and Conan, Ryuno and Ran headed to the auditorium to wait for the play to begin.

Seeing that everyone had left, Shinichi Kudo slowly walked towards the staircase leading to the roof, with Conan closely following behind him.

"By the way, what are you doing following me?"

"What do you think?! You're impersonating me, and you actually ask me what I want to do?"

"Haha, if you want to know, then follow me closely~"

"..."

half an hour later

Accompanied by beautiful piano music and the dance of the performers on stage, the play "Josephine" officially began.

Compared to the chaotic mythological interweaving of "The Golden Apple," the brilliance of this stage play clearly exceeded Longye and Xiaolan's expectations. Even Longye, who wasn't particularly fond of stage plays, was completely immersed in it.

As the plot unfolds, the scene of Napoleon being knighted appears.

Just then, Longye noticed two familiar faces on the stage and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Not long after, Xiaolan seemed to have noticed something as well. She tugged at Longye's hand and whispered, "Longye, look at the stage. Could those two people next to the Pope be...?"

At this point, Xiaolan rubbed her eyes and looked at Longye with a confused expression.

"Uh, you read that right. It's Uncle Mori and Inspector Nakamori..."