The Split-Actress in Conan's World

The appearance of birds like crows is often accompanied by some bad things, such as death or oppression.

In most countries with vast territories and long histories, crows symbolize bad luck. This is not surprising, because crows are often attracted by the smell of corpses. Whenever a war breaks out, they will fly to the battlefield, coil around piles of corpses, and make an unpleasant "cawing" sound.

This gives people an illusion that the appearance of crows is linked to death, and they become apostles of death.

Yet the causality is wrong.

It is not that the crows bring bad news, but tragedy happens and the crows arrive.

Unlike other birds, crows don’t like to call. Their communication with each other is reserved and restrained. Only when facing other species will they frequently make those hoarse calls.

On more ordinary days, they just stand quietly on the tree, looking at the world without saying a word, appearing a little indifferent.

But it tolls the death knell for the dead, which can never be called cold.

In the Old Testament, the raven is regarded as a wise bird, a servant of God, representing prophecy and wisdom.

In Norse mythology, crows are also regarded as spiritual creatures.

The most interesting thing is that crows are actually very affectionate birds. They abide by monogamy and once they choose a partner, they will never separate.

The mandarin ducks that we often talk about playing in the water are actually much more promiscuous.

Young crows are raised by their parents. When their parents grow old, they will return to the nest with food and give back to their parents, just as they were raised when they were young.

Professor Lecter naturally understood this.

But he still didn't like crows.

Because they are quiet, stealthy, and have no sense of boundaries.

They often act as uninvited guests.

Just like the Phantom Thief Crow who visited today.

He didn't have to ask all visitors to make an appointment, but at least he should walk in through the downstairs door instead of appearing in a room at random like a ghost and reviewing his collection with an eerily familiar calmness.

And the man was wearing a ridiculous evening suit, the deep black color seemed to be a best-seller among London gentlemen centuries ago.

What era is this? Is the aesthetic still stuck in Victorian times?

Especially since this person did not know what humility was, Professor Lecter, despite his depression, invited him to sit in the reception room, and he accepted it without hesitation, and even asked excessively for an afternoon tea at dusk.

The professor doesn't like looking in the mirror, but when he sees someone who looks like himself, he can't help but feel like he's looking in the mirror, which is not good.

Simply put, Professor Lecter was unhappy with the strange thief Crow.

"If you're still unwilling to speak up, this clinic will have to be closed down with regret."

Seeing that the sun was about to set, Professor Lecter did not intend to miss his opportunity to enjoy the night view every night, and looked at the thief Crow sitting peacefully on the sofa.

"I thought you were a patient person like me." The Phantom Thief Crow pretended to be surprised.

Professor Lecter did not seem annoyed by the comparison he made to himself, or rather, once he chose to get into the mood, nothing could affect his mood.

He simply showed his boredom without disguising his expression and tapped his fingers on the table in a chaotic rhythm.

"If you really had patience, you wouldn't come to see me at this time."

He turned his head and looked at the crows outside the window.

"You didn't make an appointment, didn't go through the main entrance, and chose the evening when I usually rest. Your careful calculations in these subtle details completely exposed your fear and anxiety."

Professor Lecter nodded meaningfully. "Perhaps you also know something about psychology, so you can understand. After all, magician is also a profession that requires controlling people's hearts. I have to say that you have a good grasp of my little habits."

"But the acquaintance is mutual. When you make these choices, it is equivalent to sending me a business card with everything about yourself written on it."

"Careful, thoughtful, bold, superb acting skills while deliberately rejecting the heavy artifice of expression, rationality prevails, but in the details, you don't mind giving way to your artistic pursuits. You are very wary of me, hostile? No... that's too much, it should be a fighting spirit, like the elementary school boy who got second place in the exam."

He suddenly stopped tapping on the table, but did not stop talking. He continued talking as he stood up from behind his desk, walked slowly to the coffee table, picked out a piece of pastry that he liked, and held it in his hand, but made no effort to eat it.

During the entire process, he never looked into the eyes of the Phantom Thief Crow, and he didn't even have the inclination to glance over there.

“Perhaps you still consider yourself a great artist?”

Professor Lecter looked back at "Divine Punishment" on the wall, saw the knight's melancholy eyes, saw his body movements relaxed due to relaxation, saw the devil stroking the knight's armor with its bloody hands, and saw the look of satisfaction in his hideous smile as if his conspiracy had succeeded.

"But I was disappointed when I first saw you."

"I thought I could see the changing light in your eyes, and see a great and uninhibited soul, but when you really walked in front of me and used that unchanging poker face to hide your suspicion and the look in your eyes that was always observing me, I was disappointed."

"All I can see is a fire called revenge."

The Phantom Thief Crow pursed his lips, his poker face, which had become his instinct, made his action seem a little funny.

"This fire not only sucks your bones, but also burns everything precious around you. So, like all the Avengers, you dare not have any ties, dare not leave even a trace of your real self in this world."

After putting the pastry into his mouth, Professor Lecter paused, silently marveling at the improvement in Adam's cooking skills for a moment, then he placed one hand on the sofa and gently pushed down the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

"The pride of the world's number one magician and the artistic pursuit of the previous Kaito Kid have been burned out by this fire."

"You just don't understand anything, and you use your rich knowledge to make some seemingly reasonable sophistry." The Phantom Thief Crow spoke, and he seemed to have found the flaw in the speech right away.

"It is the most arrogant lie that people can understand each other, Mr. Kuroba Toichi. You are the one who doesn't understand anything."

"...I am Kaito Crow, a fellow apprentice of Kaito Kidd."

"If you say yes, then it is."

Professor Lecter had no intention of fighting him to the death over this identity. He felt a little regretful as he watched the sunset completely slide down the mountain, with only a few rays of warm yellow remaining on the horizon.

"I originally thought that a large part of Kuroba Kaito's illness should be attributed to the lack of affection from his original family, but after seeing you in person, I found that this judgment was a bit arbitrary."

"If he really grows up with you two parents, I might never see the hope of his recovery in my lifetime."

"At least Inspector Nakamori, who raised him for the past eight years, is a normal person, but you...excuse me, your whole family is sick."

"Mr. Kuroba Touichi, you are particularly ill."

The thief Crow seemed shocked by his blunt words. In his expectation, Professor Lecter should be a gentle and easy-going person who would maintain his decency no matter how offensive the occasion was.

But apparently, Professor Lecter taught him a lesson.

Never define others easily, especially those you have only met a few times.

Yes, he is often polite.

But that’s obviously not all about him.

"Think about it carefully. At the age of 20, he won the highest award in the International Magic League Competition and became a world-renowned genius magician. In the following years, he kept a low profile and chose to be famous as Kaito Kidd."

"Mr. Kuroba Touichi, have you ever been defeated?"

"During that time, you got in trouble with the Gem Hunters Organization. You were able to handle their pursuit with ease and even successfully hindered their actions many times. You became a thorn in their side, but they couldn't do anything to you until your true identity was exposed to them during a certain operation."

"It is undeniable that you reacted quickly and made the wisest choice immediately. You faked your own death and escaped from a magic escape show. I almost applauded you!"

"In order to fight crime, the genius magician gave up his brilliant social identity, took off his white clothes, and became a mysterious crow in the night, a dark knight fighting against evil under the lake..."

"Then I have a question—"

"What about Kuroba Kaito who is only 10 years old?"

Professor Lecter's tone was light, but it was like a heavy hammer hitting the heart of the thief Crow.

"He was probably still looking forward to his father at that time, determined to be like him, to become the greatest magician, to bring miracles and happiness to people? Unfortunately, his father, who seemed to have magic in his eyes, was reluctant to give him a miracle."

"Overnight, my father died in an accident, and my mother left for Alaska overnight, claiming that she needed to work. Our happy family was shattered in an instant."

“This was also the beginning of his personality being shattered.”

"You should be thankful that your old friend, Inspector Nakamori, is a kind man. The Nakamori family patched up his house so that he could barely live like a normal person. However, his depersonalization disorder is gradually showing signs. Compared to his peers, he is more erratic and less stable. He is used to seeking feedback from the outside world and has no internal motivation. He performs his 'self' like a clown, hoping to attract the attention of others."

"But on the other hand, he felt that no one could understand him. The pain of losing his father at an early age became a thorn in his side when facing the kindness of others, hurting himself and others. If it weren't for Nakamori Aoko's continuous positive feedback and affirmation of his magical attainments, he might have given up magic, the only carrier that could allow him to sustenance his spirit."

"And the complete outbreak of depersonalization disorder was probably when he became the new Kaito Kid. He completely split himself into two halves, one half to face the world, and the other half to bury himself."

"Don't get me wrong. The two halves I'm referring to are not the identity of Kaito Kid and the identity of Kuroba Kaito. In fact, these two are the same half."

"The other half he separated was his personality before the age of ten. He buried that dead child deep in his heart and didn't even hold a funeral for him."

Professor Lecter's eyes were like a knife, stabbing at the Crow along with hurtful words. At this moment, he seemed a little embarrassed, and even his almost instinctive poker face was difficult to maintain.

"You may be a good magician, a good husband, or even a good thief, but you are not a good father."

This attack completely destroyed the defense of Kaito Crow. He couldn't even maintain his so-called "junior brother" persona and covered his face in pain.

"...You're right, I'm not a good father. I'm sorry Kaito."

"But I have no choice. If I don't compromise with them and give up the identities of Kuroba Toichi and Kaito Kidd, they will definitely attack my family. Only if I stay away from Kaito can he be safe."

"I don't know how to tell him that I am not dead, that the bad news he has suffered for years is a hoax, that his father deceived those criminals and also deceived his own children."

"The only thing I can do is to leave something under the house and wait for him to find it one day and then see the truth of everything. This is the best option I can think of."

"But he is now Kaito Kidd." Professor Lecter laughed.

There was no mockery or sarcasm in this laughter; he just wanted to laugh, as if he had seen a poorly performed drama.

"Even you don't dare to go out as Kaito Kidd, and now, he has become Kaito Kidd."

“This is truly the best option.”

"You personally gave 'Kaito Kidd' the best sword, allowing him to kill the 10-year-old child in his heart."

"I take that back. You are a genius in the field of psychology."

The Phantom Thief Crow was speechless and could only remain silent.

"Adam, turn off the light." Professor Lecter casually instructed Adam beside him, and Adam reached out and turned off the light switch.

Night has fallen, and neon lights of various colors light up in this bustling city, shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows and into the reception room.

"Divine Punishment" is shrouded in a psychedelic halo, which changes the tone of the entire work. At first glance, it does not look like a righteous knight judging the devil, but rather like Jesus tied to the cross forgiving the ignorant people of the world.

"Luckily, even though Kuroba Kaito's parents are terminally ill patients, he is surrounded by lovely and nice people."

After squinting his eyes to admire his favorite night view, Professor Lecter returned to his desk, pulled out a file from the bookshelf, and spread it out in front of the thief Crow.

"In compliance with my duty of disclosure, I would like to give you a brief account of Kuroba Kaito's current condition."

"With the care and concern of those around him, and his positive attitude towards treatment, Kuroba Kaito's depersonalization disorder has stabilized, the cause has been identified, and he is slowly but effectively getting better."

"The good news is that your son is very strong and will probably recover on his own in no time."

"But the bad news is, he may not need you anymore."