Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Upon hearing this, Ryūno and Conan exchanged a glance and frowned.

They had just noticed something odd... why were they all newly hired guys?

Now that Kaito Kid has sent a pre-announcement letter, why has Jirokichi Suzuki hired so many new people?

Regardless of whether that Phantom Thief Kid is real or fake, he shouldn't be this careless.

Chapter 406 Coffee, I want coffee

Longye took a close look at the maid in front of him, then covered his eyes with his hands.

He should have kept quiet; after taking one look, he suddenly felt his eyes were burning…

After gently shaking his head, Ryuno looked at Suzuki Jirokichi beside him and blinked helplessly.

No wonder he always felt something was off; now I know why.

Just then, the maid, Mizuki Seto, bowed to everyone and prepared to continue her work.

Seeing this, Suzuki Jirokichi glanced at Tatsuno and the others beside him and said, "No need, you can hand over your work to someone else and come help me entertain the guests."

“Yes, sir,” the maid replied respectfully.

Soon after, Ryūno and the others followed Suzuki Jirōkichi to an 'exhibition room'.

This was originally a large storage room used to store various miscellaneous items.

However, as Jirokichi Suzuki has accumulated more and more trophies and collectibles over the years, this place has essentially become Jirokichi Suzukiki's 'personal honor exhibition room'.

Suzuki Jirokichi carefully explained the origins of each trophy to Tatsuno and the others.

Regional golf champion, Swiss skiing champion, gold medalist at the Vienna Dance Competition…

The dazzling array of awards broadened the horizons of Ryuno and the others, except for Sonoko.

Although these awards may have some 'water' (i.e., some 'water' or 'money'), given Suzuki Shiro's status, it's unlikely that the organizers would completely disregard him.

Even so, it's impossible for this old man not to have real talent to win so many awards of completely different types.

After introducing himself for a while, Suzuki Jirokichi cleared his throat and turned to the maid beside him, "Go and prepare some drinks for us. I want fruit tea."

The maid, Mizuki Seto, nodded in response, then walked up to Tatsuno and the others, asking each of them about their preferences.

Xiaolan and the others, like Suzuki Jirokichi, also ordered fruit tea.

When the maid approached Longye, he smiled and quickly said, "I'd like a cup of coffee, two sugar cubes, fourteen milliliters of creamer, and preferably latte art, please~"

Mizuki Seto: "???"

The maid squinted at Long Ye for a few seconds, gritted her teeth, nodded, and left.

After leaving the exhibition hall, the maid clenched her fists and snorted coldly, "Damn it... why does that wretched guy always manage to find out?!"

After the maid left, Ran, Sonoko, and the other two walked up to Ryuno, looking puzzled.

They had heard Longye's request.

Drinking coffee is fine, but those requests earlier…

Faced with everyone's questions, Longye did not explain, but just smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he would talk about it later.

Afterwards, Ryūno leaned down and whispered something in Ran's ear.

After hearing what Longye said, Xiaolan covered her mouth in surprise.

Seeing this, Yuanzi had even more questions on her mind.

Conan, standing to the side, rested his chin on his hand, frowning in deep thought.

……

same moment

Outside the vault room.

A fully armed police officer strode up to Inspector Nakamori. "Inspector! Superintendent Chaki has ordered us to retreat!"

"What!" Inspector Nakamori's eyes widened.

The officer leaned forward and whispered, "It seems that Advisor Suzuki put pressure on the Superintendent General, demanding that we retreat."

Hearing this, Inspector Nakamori lowered his head and said, "So, I heard before that the Superintendent and that old man were alumni of the same university, and they got along very well..."

After he finished speaking, he shook his head helplessly.

Since it was their superior's order, they had no choice but to retreat.

With that thought in mind, Inspector Nakamori casually opened the door to the vault, intending to take one last look at it before leaving.

Like Inspector Nakamori, the subordinate next to him turned to look at the interior of the room, saying, "Anyway, there are such powerful anti-theft devices here."

"Yeah, it shouldn't matter even if we're not here." Inspector Nakamori closed the door behind him.

After closing the door, Inspector Nakamori and his subordinates were about to get up and leave when they suddenly stopped in their tracks, their faces turning pale and cold sweat pouring down their backs.

The next second, Inspector Nakamori reached out and opened the door again, letting out a scream in fright.

—At this moment, a white card lies quietly on the floor of the room, which should have been empty.

Hearing the commotion from the police, Longye and the others also came out of the exhibition room and headed towards the vicinity of the vault.

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Inspector Nakamori, breathless, ran up to Jirokichi Suzuki and, pointing to the room where the vault was kept, began to speak:

"Grandpa! Please turn off the security system immediately! A card has suddenly appeared on the floor!!"

Upon hearing this, Sonoko and Conan's eyes widened instantly, their faces filled with surprise.

Suzuki Jirokichi merely frowned, showing no sign of panic on his face; in fact, Ryūno even detected a hint of 'joy' in his eyes.

The group quickly walked to the front of the room, and Suzuki Jirokichi pressed the button on the remote control in his hand to turn off the anti-theft device in the room.

Inspector Nakamori immediately rushed into the room, picked up a white card from the floor, and loudly read:

—"Everything is just as the notice said. I will come to take the treasure from the 'Tanuki's belly' before the bright moon emerges from the darkness."

After reading it aloud, Inspector Nakamori pointed to the pictures on the cards and showed them to everyone one by one, excitedly stating that this was the real Phantom Thief Kid.

Sonoko, standing nearby, asked in confusion, "But how did he put the card in the room? Even though the card is very light, it should still trigger the weight sensor, right?"

Upon hearing Sonoko's question, Inspector Nakamori shook his head and glared, saying, "That's not important! What's important is that this proves that the previous notice was also sent by Kid!!!"

After saying that, Inspector Nakamori immediately left the room, took out his phone, and called for backup.

He stated that since it has been confirmed that this is indeed the Phantom Thief Kid, ten police officers are simply not enough.

Shortly afterward, at the behest of Inspector Nakamori, nearly a hundred fully armed SWAT officers and a Metropolitan Police Department helicopter arrived at the Suzuki residence.

Not only was the villa surrounded by police officers, but the interior of the villa was also filled with them.

As the scene grew increasingly chaotic, Sonoko's emotions became excited.

Unlike Sonoko, Suzuki Jirokichi looked at the many police officers in front of him with a hint of nervousness.

Five minutes later, in front of the room where the vault is located.

Inspector Nakamori glanced at his subordinates around him, then clenched his fist slightly and began his 'speech':

"Listen up, brothers! We've got to catch that guy today! We'll turn that smiling face into a long, droopy one!!"

--"oh!!!!!"

Longye and his companions watched the excited group of police officers from the sidelines, blinked, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

In their memory, it seemed that Inspector Nakamori would make a similar statement before catching Phantom Thief Kid every time.

What's even stranger is that not only Inspector Nakamori is always so excited, but his subordinates are just as enthusiastic, each one more passionate than the last...

Just then, the maid, Mizuki Seto, pushed the tea cart behind Tatsuno and the others.

"I've brought your drinks~ By the way, with so many police officers suddenly appearing, have they already caught Phantom Thief Kid?"

Chapter 407 Two People on the Verge of an Arrow

After taking the fruit tea from the maid, Conan shook his head: "No, we haven't caught them yet..."

"Really?" the maid replied, handing the fruit tea to Xiaolan and the others.

When it was Tatsuno's turn, the maid smiled and handed him a cup of coffee.

Upon seeing the latte art on the coffee, Longye smiled and squinted, "Thank you for your help~ But could you tell me why the latte art is a fox?"

Upon hearing this, the maid, Mizuki Seto, covered her mouth and laughed, not to be outdone, "Hmm? I just think the fox pattern is cute, there's no special meaning behind it~"

After hearing their conversation, Ran and Sonoko looked curiously at the coffee cup in Tatsuno's hand.

There was indeed a little fox's head floating on top of the coffee.

"Wow! Ms. Seto, you actually know how to make latte art!" Sonoko exclaimed in surprise.

Xiaolan glanced at the maid in surprise, then at Longye beside her, but didn't say anything.

At this moment, Suzuki Jirokichi took the fruit tea from his hand and said to Ryuno and the others, "I'm going back to my office first. You guys make yourselves at home here!"

Just before Suzuki Jiro turned around, the maid suddenly spoke up: "Master, what was it that you mentioned earlier?"

"Huh?" Suzuki Jirokichi was taken aback.

"Huh? Didn't you say that before? Didn't you tell me to do something for you after you delivered the drinks?" the maid continued.

Suzuki Jirokichi's eyes widened instantly, and he nodded hurriedly, "You're right, I almost forgot! Anyway, come to my office first..."

After saying that, Suzuki Jirokichi turned and headed towards his office.

Just then, Ryuno suddenly appeared in front of Suzuki Jirokichi and chuckled, "Uncle, why don't we go together?"

Suzuki Jirokichi looked at Tatsuno, who had a strange smile on his face, blinked frantically, and ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Soon after, the group arrived at the office door.

Just as Suzuki Jirokichi opened the door and was about to go in, Tatsuno spoke again: "Mr. Goto Zengo, please stand at the door and do not let anyone other than us in."

Upon hearing this, Goto Zengo frowned but did not reply.

Jirokichi Suzuki glanced at Tatsuno in shock, then said, "That kid's right, you can help us guard the entrance."

At this point, he glanced at Longye and Xiaolan, "Anyway, with the two of them here, no one can hurt me."

Despite his doubts, Goto Zengo obeyed Suzuki Jirokichi's orders and stood in front of the office door to prevent anyone from approaching.