No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

(On April 19th, the Sallybeth will depart from Yokohama Port, and I will take home the genuine, jet-black star on board. — Phantom Thief Kid)

"That's how it is. I wonder if Kitahara-nii would be interested in coming over?"

After playing tricks on the police on the hotel rooftop last time, Kidd left a new notice at the scene, which still boldly told everyone – I'm going to have the Pearl of Dark Star.

Now, Sonoko Suzuki is calling to invite Masaki Kitahara and Vermouth to take a trip on their family's cruise ship, and maybe catch Kid along the way.

"Of course I'm interested. I've been interested in him ever since I saw Kidd perform once."

"Okay, see you then!"

After hanging up the phone, Kitahara Masaki laughed:

"Vermouth, that kid will reappear, and he'll make his move on a cruise ship again."

"Hmm—this is somewhat like Kuroba-sensei's escape magic trick. So the Suzuki family extended an invitation to you, right?"

"Of course, there's also you. It won't start for another seventeen days, so take your time to prepare."

"Shinichi, what are you talking about? Isn't the 19th tomorrow?"

"What! Yesterday was April 1st, today is April 2nd, how come tomorrow is April 19th?"

"Yes, that's right, what's the big deal?"

Okay, I don't know what to say anymore. I'll probably need someone to remind me of the date for the rest of my life.

----------------------

Because the date was erased by King Crimson, Kitahara Masaki is still on vacation. Just like Conan and the others are basically on summer and winter vacation all year round, Kitahara Masaki's vacation is like it has been hit by Gold Experience Requiem, and it will never end.

"Will so many people be participating in this trip?"

"Yes, Dad invited a lot of people, and I think Kidd-sama must be among them."

When Kitahara Masaki arrived at the Sallybeth, he found that many figures from the Japanese business and political circles were there. It was a party for the rich and powerful. However, the arrival of Kaito Kid did not make these people feel particularly nervous.

"It seems they all just think that Phantom Thief Kid is nothing more than a petty thief."

"Hmph! Kid-sama will definitely surprise everyone!"

"Ahem, Miss Suzuki, perhaps I need to remind you that he's here to steal your family heirloom. Aren't you worried at all?"

"No way! Kidd often returns the stolen jewels to their owners, so he doesn't steal for money, but really to put on a show for everyone!"

Okay, she's definitely a huge fan of Kid now.

At this moment, Sonoko's father and mother were giving speeches on stage, and Sonoko's mother, Tomoko Suzuki, said:

"Before the banquet begins, I would like to share an idea I have come up with. When I boarded the ship, I gave this little box to each of the guests present. Now, please open it."

After opening the box, inside was a piece of 'plastic' that looked exactly like a dark star. Kitahara Masaki immediately realized that it wasn't the feel of a pearl when he touched it.

"This is my challenge to Phantom Thief Kid. The gems you are holding are his target tonight—the Dark Star. Of course, there is only one genuine one, and only I know who I gave it to. Alright, everyone, now please pin this pearl to your chest and let that phantom thief take a good look. If he really can find the real pearl—I won't give it up either."

At first glance, this plan seems pretty good. After all, there are 500 people in the venue, and if Pearl were mixed in with them, she wouldn't be able to be found for a while.

"However, gemstones like pearls should not be touched directly with your hands because the main component of pearls is calcium carbonate, and the oils on your fingers can corrode them. Therefore, a clean handkerchief is usually used when handling them."

"That means the Suzuki family would never hand over their family heirloom to the guests below them. After all, not everyone knows such knowledge. So in the end, the genuine article is mixed with the counterfeit, and the genuine article will only remain in Suzuki Tomoko's hands."

Unlike other guests who didn't like to use their brains, Kitahara Masaki immediately located the dark star with the help of Vermouth, the expert appraiser. Presumably, that brat Kid also knew about such things.

However, Tomoko Suzuki, this wealthy woman, probably thought her plan was foolproof, but she soon fell into a trap.

Kidd first made sure everyone knew he was on the ship by sending out notices, then seized the opportunity to throw out a smoke bomb. This playful kid even disguised the smoke bomb as a dark star, making the guests think they were wearing a smoke bomb that was about to explode.

Those pampered guys would never want to wear a dangerous gem, so most of them took it off and threw it on the ground, which allowed Kidd to throw out more smoke bombs in the chaos.

The cowardly businessmen and politicians fled in droves, as if running away would solve everything, completely ignoring the fact that they were still on a cruise ship with nowhere to escape.

"In Japan, no, in every country, these powerful figures basically reveal their true colors when they encounter some danger."

"Haha, maybe they've been seeing the facade of peace for too long and have started to really believe they're safe."

Amidst the billowing smoke and the chaotic scene of people running around, Kitahara Masaki and Vermouth, while teasing the group of idiots, witnessed Kid disguised as Ran approaching Suzuki Tomoko and successfully stealing the Dark Star.

"Hmm—it seems there are too many lambs around, so much so that no one would notice a wolf in sheep's clothing."

“These are the sheep of the upper class, and the common people dare not go up to investigate. Look at those police officers, they don’t even want to have a physical confrontation, for fear that they will be the ones to take the blame later.”

"I still hope the stage can be cleaner and neater. The acting skills of these extras are really too bad, it's really infuriating to watch."

"Haha, aren't actors who can make the audience angry also good actors? After all, their stupidity doesn't need to be acted out."

The two were standing relatively far back, but Kidd could still tell at a glance that they were completely unaffected by the smoke bombs and the chaos at the scene, and seemed to be handling it with ease.

Wow, why aren't those two stopping me? They can see everything perfectly clearly, but they don't seem to want to make a move at all. Is it because of what Kitahara Masaki once said about 'fellow disciples'?

Kaito couldn't understand what these two were up to. As he used his peripheral vision to confirm their location, Kitahara Masaki even smiled and waved at him.

After the smoke cleared, Suzuki Tomoko knelt down, shouting that her jewel had been stolen, while Conan, who finally realized that Kid had disguised himself as his childhood friend, chased after him.

"Alright, this performance is over."

"Oh, I still prefer the previous one. This one gave too much screen time to the boring extras, which reduced the main actors' screen time."

"Alright, alright, I think you can start looking forward to the next performance now."

"Yes, that's right. If we don't take action, that little detective alone won't be able to catch that kid."

"Yes, then let's toast to Inspector Nakamori Ginzo."

"Respect his incompetence."

The two drank champagne, waiting for the screaming crowd to calm down. When the ship docked, they naturally left, as it was now late at night, a perfect time for the two of them to be alone.

Chapter 53 Free Miwa Street, Shooting Every Day

Oh dear, it's time to go to work again.

After watching Kid's performance with Vermouth, Kitahara Masaki's vacation came to an end, and he got busy again, dealing with strange cases all day long. He also saved the Junior Detective League kids several times, and he was just one shy of achieving the goal of saving them ten times.

Even though Kitahara Masaki didn't do anything to cause any accidents, these kids seemed to be summoned by cases and dangers, always encountering strange cases. For example, they would encounter robbers hiding stolen money while exploring in the wild, suddenly meet criminals on the street who wanted them to be alibis, and be robbed, kidnapped, counterfeited, or robbed by armed bandits. They would even overhear kidnappers making phone calls to their victims on a broadband receiver.

"Remember, if you encounter anything strange, even if others think it's nothing, you must call me."

"Yes!!!"

After several 'cooperations', these first-graders became very familiar with Kitahara Masaki, and Vermouth also got to know these noisy kids.

"Masaki, do you think those kids might be being targeted by some kind of monster from Japanese folklore?"

"When did you start believing in such unfounded things?"

"Hmm... When I see something that I can't explain, it's quite convenient to attribute the cause to the gods."

"Uh, what do you take mythology for?"

Public toilets, huh! Come and go as you please! Kitahara Masaki suddenly remembered this famous scene.

"Also, I need to go to Okinawa, Japan to gather intelligence next."

A US military base—this is no small matter.

However, Kitahara Masaki didn't ask any more questions, nor was he too lazy to ask. What seemed like a difficult task was nothing more than finding a suitable person to disguise himself as for Vermouth.

"Take care."

"I hope that when I come back, there won't be a new woman by your side."

And so, Kitahara Maki returned to his previous, uneventful life.

However, death always seems to come and bother him.

"Kitahara-nii, I think I've run into another case. Two-mix's lead singer, Minami Takayama, has been threatened by some unknown people. They broke the lock on the locker in Two-mix's office, made threatening phone calls to her, and even tried to break into her house."

Oh, here we go again.

Can't I enjoy my previous slacking-off life a little longer? The days without police surveillance have just begun, and the days without Vermouth watching over me have just begun.

Where are you now?

"Um, it's in a dessert shop near the Budokan."

"Okay, you guys wait for me. If I'm fast enough, I should be able to save her from your death aura."

As long as no one dies, it doesn't take much time. For example, when someone is caught attempting murder, the paperwork required is much less than when a murderer is caught.

“Kitahara-san, I’m not the Grim Reaper. I just happened to be caught up in a crime because of the high crime rate in Beika City. These cases have nothing to do with me.”

Yes, it has nothing to do with you, but it is related to you in every way.

Kitahara Masaki immediately got into the car and headed to the coffee shop Conan had mentioned.

When Kitahara Masaki arrived at his destination, he saw a man pushing a long-haired girl into an ordinary car, completely disregarding pedestrians in broad daylight, as if he really thought all Japanese police officers were dead.

For Kitahara Masaki, it was unavoidable that Japanese police were looked down upon, since they really had no deterrent power. But for you to do something like this in front of me was unforgivable.

Kitahara Masaki floored the accelerator and drove in front of the kidnappers before their vehicle even started. A police car blocked their way, and the two kidnappers panicked when they saw the police car had arrived. Through the windshield, you could see that the kidnappers were holding pistols.

Just as the kidnapper in the driver's seat was about to stick his head out of the car window and shoot Kitahara Masaki, a bullet from a police revolver struck him between the eyebrows the instant he stuck his head out.

Another kidnapper who coerced the female singer into the car trembled uncontrollably as he saw his companion die. He never expected that the Japanese police would become so decisive, firing their guns just like the Japanese across the ocean.

Then he made an incredibly foolish decision: he turned his gun on the hostage and shouted:

"Officer! We still have hostages in our hands, I advise you—"

Bang!

Kitahara Masaki didn't bother to listen to him continue and shot him to his death. If he had dared to point the gun at Kitahara Masaki, he might have had a 0.00% chance of survival, but now he had handed over his chance to live to someone else.

For Kitahara Masaki, who comes from an organization, life and death are often decided in an instant. All threats and inducements are nonsense. The real truth is that when two armies meet on a narrow road, the brave will win.

After taking down the kidnappers with two shots, Kitahara Masaki got out of the car to check on the hostages. The female hostage screamed the moment she saw Kitahara Masaki, as if he were some kind of vicious criminal.

"Madam, you're all alright now. I'm a police officer."

After showing the police notebook, the female singer finally stopped screaming. Instead, she stared blankly at Kitahara Masaki and murmured:

"Huh, it's... over already?"

"Yes, it's all over. I shot them dead before they dared to make those ridiculous demands of the police."

There was also a male hostage in the car, who appeared to be another member of the singing group.