After retirement I became a guardian of troubled youth

Kudo Shinichi called Kaito Kuroba that night.

But the other party didn't know what he was doing. He called three times, but the other party didn't get through to any of them.

Kudo Shinichi stared at the phone that hung up automatically again in the dark, was silent for a moment, and let out a cold snort.

——Since he didn't answer the phone, it's no wonder he didn't inform in time.

At noon the next day, the Maori detective agency he was staying at received a familiar yet unfamiliar commission.

The client is from the well-known and wealthy Suzuki consortium.

Mr. Jiroji Suzuki and the others know each other very well.

He just showed up at the entrance of the detective agency again and again, and Kudo Shinichi knew why this person came.

At this moment, the same news was being broadcast on TV.

The world-famous Phantom Thief Kidd once again sent out a notice that he will take away a crown that Mr. Suzuki just bought from overseas.

There is a huge ruby ​​on the crown, which is said to have belonged to a prince of a certain country centuries ago.

The notice was written to the Suzuki Foundation, but the gauntlet was written to Kudo Shinichi.

He leaned over to the table and glanced at the notice letter written in riddles, curled his lips in disdain.

This kind of behavior of a certain thief somewhat challenges his suspicion.

Under normal circumstances, Kidd's notice letter is simple and straightforward.

Only when the other party expects the appearance of "Little Detective" will this notice letter become an incomprehensible riddle in the eyes of ordinary people.

Kudo Shin expressed his disdain for this childish provocation, but he was also very happy to face it.

But today, things are a little different.

Before he could solve the puzzle, he had to call someone.

Thanks to Kidd for this notice letter, let him give another chance to a person who often disappears late at night.

Ok……

After all, the puzzle delighted him.

Kudo Shinichi is not quite sure whether this "Phantom Thief Kidd" is "Kuroba Kaito".

But this "not very capable" actually means that he lacks a very convincing evidence.

But ignore the evidence.

When Kaito Kuroba appeared as Kaitou Kidd.

At least in front of him, this person has no "vest" at all.

So Kudo Shinichi can also be sure that Kuroba Kaito must know that he has become smaller.

After so many years of friendship, the two of them are too familiar with each other's behavior and thinking patterns.

Kudo Shinichi squatted in the toilet, while talking on the phone, he turned his other phone around and looked at the notice letter he had just taken from a different angle.

This time, the other side answered the phone neatly.

It's the lunch break now, and Kaito Kuroba should be sleeping, his voice was somewhat hoarse, half dreaming and half awake, muttering, and it was a bit unclear.

"Why are you looking for me?"

The aliases on the notice letter were automatically rearranged in his mind, Kudo Shinichi raised the corners of his lips, and said to the person on the phone: "I saw your 'Prince'."

"Ah?" Kaito Kuroba asked him inexplicably, still covered, "What prince?"

In the next second, he suddenly realized that the last "?" turned into a "?!" with a raised pitch.

Kudo Shinichi lifted the phone skillfully, and as expected, he heard a burst of jingling.

what--

He thought indifferently, with a little gloat.

Qing Meng was woken up, Qing Zi must have dealt with him again.

Tut tut, how miserable.

"Clap" sound.

The phone was hung up by that paragraph.

Not surprisingly, Kudo Shinichi put away the phone, leisurely checked the information of the crown, and waited for the call back.

Thirteen minutes later, Kaito Kuroba's call came as scheduled.

This time, his background sound became extremely quiet.

"What did you just say?!" But he himself was as noisy as ever, "Say it again?"

"I said," Kudo Shinichi fiddled with the phone screen, "I saw your 'Prince'."

The "prince" was of course not referring to the holder of the antique crown.

But it does have a double meaning.

He calmly interrupted Heiyu Kaito's questioning, and said, "I met you yesterday, but he seems to have been in Mihua for a few days."

Kaito Kuroba on the other end of the phone suddenly went dumb.

After a while, he asked again: "Is he okay?"

The soft-spoken voice is very inconsistent with his usual rowdy style.

"It looks good. But—" Kudo Shinichi changed the subject.

"what?"

Kudo Shinichi lowered his voice, his expression became serious.

He asked Kuroba Kaito: "Did you know he has other 'brothers'?"

……

After Kuroba Kaito came down from the rooftop, his whole state became a little bit wrong.

It's as if joy is mixed with confusion, and a little bit of sadness and anger are more or less mixed with joy.

Aoko Nakamori felt very strange.

His bamboo horse face rarely showed such a colorful expression.

So after Kuroba Kaito sat back in her seat, she asked bluntly, "Why do you have such an expression?"

Kuroba Kaito pinched the phone, he was stunned for a long time before he realized it, he answered vaguely twice, and then he was stunned for a while before asking: "What expression do I have?"

Aoko Nakamori: "..."

"The expression of a fool."

As she spoke, she took out her mobile phone to record this "wonderful moment".

This time Kuroba Kaito finally came to his senses, and rushed towards her, trying to snatch her mobile phone from across the table.

Aoko Nakamori raised his eyebrows, stood up and held up his mobile phone, looked down at him, and laughed jokingly.

"I've already photographed it."

Kuroba Kaito howled.

It's a pity that his wail of thousands of turns was interrupted mercilessly by an "enthusiastic classmate" who "just happened to pass by" before it could end.

The enthusiastic classmate who happened to pass by stopped in front of him, brushed his hair, and laughed three times without saying a word.

Kaito Kuroba was forced to divert his attention from the phone.

"..." Kuroba Kaito, "What are you doing?"

"I'm here to remind you kindly." The self-proclaimed "witch" Koizumi Hongzi didn't seem to care about his attitude at all.

She lowered her head and looked at Kuroba Kaito, with a malicious smile on the corner of her mouth.

"You should think carefully about this action."

Faced with this kind of "prophecy", Kaito Kuroba, who usually looks nonchalant, suddenly became interested this time.

It's just that the state shown is still a little careless.

He straightened up and leaned on the back of the chair, looked up at Koizumi Hongzi, his eyes showed just the right amount of curiosity, light and faint, and could arouse people's desire to express.

"Oh?"

"The hidden secrets are revealed at the turn of dusk and night, and the obsession of saying goodbye to many years brings unexpected encounters."

Koizumi Koko rolled her eyes,

"It's an exciting journey like walking on thin ice."

Kuroba Kaito laughed under Aoko's bewildered eyes: "Of course encounters are more important."

……

These two groups of people are not the only ones who are concerned about this notice letter.

In addition, a young man in another city also noticed this "just in time" notice.

This young man is called Kunikida Doppo.

He was looking for a suitable case in Mihua Town for Edogawa Ranpo, and then this freshly released notice came into view just in time.

The location is Mihua, and the perpetrator is the famous Phantom Thief.

Such a case, of course, perfectly meets the requirements of Mr. Ranpo.

——Whether it's the location or "perfectly showing his ability as a famous detective".

Kunikida Doppo suppressed his excitement, found Edogawa Ranpo with his computer in his arms, and introduced the case to him.

To be honest, he can't wait to see Mr. Ranpo show his skills and directly catch this strange thief who has caused the police to be in trouble.

Mr. Ranpo did, as he expected, become very interested in this case.

However, when he asked "Do you want me to go with you", his respectable and lovely Mr. Ranpo ruthlessly refused his assistance without thinking.

"I can just go by myself." Edogawa gnawed a lollipop in disorder, speaking vaguely.

He patted Kunikida Doppo's shoulder with satisfaction, and put on a mature, reliable, serious look: "I want to solve this case by myself. And you are in charge of looking after the detective agency."

"During my absence, the detective agency will entrust you."

Kunikida Doppo was stunned for a moment, and was immediately taken aback by Edogawa Ranpo's rarely serious expression, nodded vigorously, and replied forcefully: "Leave it to me, Mr. Ranpo!"

Edogawa Ranpo nodded in satisfaction, waved to him, and left facing the sunlight that poured into the room.

The forecast time is midnight the day after tomorrow.

Phantom Thief Kidd...

Probably an interesting thief.

but.

As expected, brother is the most important~

……

As for another group of people who seem to have paid more or less attention to this matter...

They are nestling on the sofa playing games.

Three people together, so happy.

Hikaru Ueno had only seen other people playing games before, but he had never played games himself.

The three of them were bored in the house today, Osamu Dazai dug out the game console from some corner, and happily dragged the two of them to have fun together.

of course.

The happiness of the three of them is unlikely to be truly and completely happy.

The villains in the game are fighting, and the two "kids" who are at most five years old outside the game are about to fight.

——If there is no Ueno Hikaru pressing in the middle.

Fortunately, Hikaru Ueno just got started, and his game skills are relatively good, so that these two people can temporarily maintain a superficial peace and focus on the same thing.

——Better than who can take my brother to fly higher.

At once.

Pretty childish.

But also cute.

Hikaru Ueno didn't care about winning or losing, not even the game much.

He freed his hand during the fierce boss battle, peeled two grapes of the same size, and stuffed them into the mouths of two "children" one on the left and one on the right.

Even the timing of the entrance of the grapes is the same.

In just a few days, Ueno Hikaru has quickly mastered the special skill of "Dan Shui".

"correct."

Osamu Dazai looked up from the "WIN" icon and looked at Hikari Ueno.

"I heard that there will be a new collection exhibition tomorrow. Is brother interested?"

Hikaru Ueno was stunned for a moment, and asked suspiciously: "Collection exhibition?"

Osamu Dazai nodded: "It's the private collection of a certain rich man here. They are all colorful and beautiful collections. But it is said... what he mainly wants to display is a ruby ​​crown that he just bought from abroad."

He nodded at the gaudy and youthful sweater on Hikaru Ueno: "Don't you like this style very much now, brother?"

"Well."

Hikaru Ueno nodded and looked at Chuya Nakahara.

"I don't care." Nakahara Chuya shrugged, "Let's go together tomorrow."