After retirement I became a guardian of troubled youth

The masquerade banquet arrived as scheduled at 10:30 p.m.

Before that, Conan took the three of them to meet the famous Mr. Jiroji Suzuki.

Mr. Suzuki entertained their friends of "Kidd's nemesis" very warmly, and said that he would be very happy to let them go to the scene together.

Not even wishing for it.

According to him, if it weren't for the detective's request and venue restrictions, Mr. Suzuki actually wanted to keep nearly a hundred people.

After all, for the old man, the bigger the scene, the more exciting it is.

Hikari Ueno has recently learned some human vocabulary.

He looked at Mr. Suzuki and thought, this might be Kidd's career fan.

Going bankrupt should also help Kidd become the top thief in the world.

He admired it very much, and told the other party that he would definitely complete the "task" with all his heart.

It is said to be a "task", but it is actually the usual rule of the Masquerade Ball - to hide oneself.

There were a total of [-] people in this dinner, apart from the detectives and their friends, there were also some policemen and friends from the media.

Of course, the purpose of all is not the banquet, not even the world-famous crown.

Everyone is here for Kaitou Kidd.

——except Kaitou Kid himself.

In order to facilitate Kaito Kidd, Mr. Suzuki also asked everyone to attend the dinner alone.

Of course, the observing police officer immediately objected, and solemnly listed many disadvantages of this behavior.

But Mr. Suzuki, who does his own way, certainly won't listen to him.

This matter was finalized amidst the grief and indignation of the police officer.

Speaking of which, this police officer is still an old acquaintance of Hikari Ueno.

——When he was living with Kaito, he was the neighbor next door.

The Aomori police officer specially ran here across the district, which shows how much he cares about Kaitou Kidd.

Of course, there is no need to talk about the Conan kid who is called "Kidd's nemesis".

This also made Hikari Ueno more curious about the Mr. Thief who is a top-notch magician.

seems very amazing.

Hikaru Ueno touched the cold mask on his face, and glanced at the people in the arena one by one, thinking, will it be stronger than the current Kaito?

According to Conan, the "second generation" Phantom Thief Kidd seems to be about the same age as Kaito.

Hikari Ueno hopes that Kaito is the best magician among his peers.

So if that Phantom Thief Kid's magic is better than Kaito's...

Then he will follow his heart and hate that thief.

After all, Kaito is the strongest.

——Although he has not seen that boy for many years.

The banquet hall is on the top floor of the exhibition hall. It is not large in scale, but it also looks exquisite and luxurious.

More than [-] people gathered in this room, which was still a little empty.

Rows of small dishes are placed on the round table, and the dishes contain delicate and delicious food.

Most of them are hors d'oeuvres, or desserts.

Hikari Ueno walked to a table, picked up a small cake and put it in his mouth.

The exquisitely shaped small cake tastes surprisingly good.

The multi-layered sweetness splashes on the taste buds, unfolding one small spark after another.

Ueno Hikaru licked the corner of his mouth, and then scanned the room.

Everyone changed their clothes and put on masks, trying to hide themselves.

Except for the children, everyone seems to be similar.

Even if he wanted to find Dazai Osamu and Nakahara Chuya, it would inevitably take a little longer.

However, the whole dinner lasted for more than an hour, and Hikari Ueno was not in a hurry to join them.

Until then, these little cakes are more important.

Thinking of this, Ueno Hikaru stretched out his hand again and pinched a small plate on the table.

At the same time, another hand reached out from the opposite side, grabbing the same piece of cake with him.

Hikaru Ueno was slightly stunned, and looked up along the hand wrapped in the white glove.

A young man shorter than him.

When he looked over, the young man was also looking up, and the two pairs of eyes hidden behind the mask met unexpectedly.

Ueno Hikaru and the young man opposite seemed to be stunned at the same time.

He subconsciously let go, let the cake out, and looked at the other party intently.

A faint sense of familiarity was conveyed, and as the two people looked at each other for a long time, it became more and more profound.

He subconsciously said: "Chaos..."

The next moment, the young man on the opposite side yanked the cake away, lowered his head somewhat awkwardly, and quickly finished the piece of cake.

Hikaru Ueno stayed still, the name that did not call the exit just stuck in his mouth.

"What are you looking at?" The young man held the empty plate in his arms and said fiercely, "I won't give it to you!"

more like.

At first it was just a vague feeling, but after the young man opened his mouth, Hikari Ueno was almost certain that this was Edogawa Ranpo.

Even though he hadn't seen him for many years, and he was still separated by a mask, he could still be sure that the young man in front of him was Luanbu.

but……

The other party didn't seem to recognize him?

Feeling a little lost in his heart, Hikaru Ueno smiled and shook his head: "I don't want to eat."

At first, he wondered why Luanbu appeared here.

But when you think about it, it's not surprising.

Isn't it natural for a famous detective to catch the strange thief?

Hikaru Ueno was thinking this, when a piece of cake suddenly appeared in front of him.

Milky yellow, looks fluffy and soft.

He froze for a moment, and looked at Ranbu.

The young man turned his head away, as if embarrassed: "What are you looking at me for? This is delicious, don't you want to try it?"

Hikaru Ueno: "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I've already eaten it." The little dish shook and moved away from his eyes, the young man muttered, "You don't want to eat it."

Hikaru Ueno's heart moved, his hands were already thinking about it, and he stopped the cake.

"Thank you," he said softly.

The soft cake is covered with a thin layer of honey, and the moment the tip of the tongue touches it, the taste of honey spreads in the mouth.

Not bland, not overly sweet.

It's just the right amount of sweetness.

Like this young man in front of him.

Sure enough, the child who was very cute back then will only be cuter than before when we meet again after many years.

But he didn't recognize himself.

Hikari Ueno was a little down again.

Even the cake in my mouth tasted to the end, and it also brought a little bit of bitterness.

Edogawa Ranpo is not the same as Dazai Osamu and Nakahara Naka.

Obviously they were the first to know each other.

But now that he was standing in front of him, Luan Bu didn't seem to recognize him at all.

Ueno Hikaru even felt a little... aggrieved.

So when the young man turned to leave, he subconsciously stretched out his hand and grabbed the small wings on the back of the young man's clothes.

Edogawa stumbled, turning his head to look at him, a little angry: "What are you doing!"

He grabbed back the small decorative wings on his clothes, looked up at Hikari Ueno, and said confidently, "This is not something that anyone can touch!"

so fierce.

"Um... sorry." Hikaru Ueno retracted his hands, feeling even more aggrieved.

He lowered his head and whispered, "I just think that you know very well what's delicious here."

"So?" Ranbu looked a little impatient.

Hikaru Ueno blinked and asked expectantly, "Can you take me with you?"

If we spend more time together, Ranpo will definitely think of him and recognize him.

Ranbu seemed a little embarrassed, stared at him for a while, and said, "Okay."

Hikaru Ueno was a little happier.

Ranbu suddenly spoke again, interrupting his happiness: "But!"

Hikaru Ueno: "?"

Luanbu straightened his body, pointed to himself: "You have to call me little brother."

Hikaru Ueno: "..."

"Why? Don't you want to?" Luanbu raised his eyebrows, shrugged his shoulders, half turned around, and looked like he was about to leave, "That's fine, I—"

He just turned around and before he finished speaking, the little wings on his clothes were grabbed again.

This time, Ueno's time was very short.

He tugged almost subconsciously, and then let go immediately.

Ueno opened and closed his mouth for a long time, and finally said in a low voice: "...Little brother."

Call your younger brother little brother.

There is always some unspeakable shame.

Edogawa Luanbu turned his back to him, lowered his head slightly, and the corners of his lips raised quickly, showing a little joy of a successful plan, and then immediately flattened it.

He smiled, turned around, and raised his arms naturally.

Hikaru Ueno froze for a moment, then understood what he wanted to do.

"Little brother" has been yelled, and the others... don't matter.

He bowed his head obediently, letting the other party's slender fingers slide through his hair.

Fingers inserted into the hair and slipped all the way, gently supporting the bottom end.

Ueno Hikaru's eyes moved slightly, and he raised his eyes to meet him.

Edogawa Ranpo patted his head in satisfaction, grabbed his hand, and said with a smile: "Let's go, I'll take you to eat delicious food~"

Hikaru Ueno nodded obediently, let him lead, and followed behind him.

Edogawa walked lightly and randomly, and even couldn't help but skipped a little.

……

With Ranpo as a guide, everything Hikari Ueno ate that night seemed to be a masterpiece in the world.

He was so full of confusion that he even forgot about Nakahara Chuya and Dazai Osamu.

It wasn't until the dinner was about to end that Ueno Hikaru suddenly thought of them.

He couldn't help but panic, subconsciously raised his head.

Ueno Hikaru and Edogawa Ranpo are sharing the same dim sum at this time.

This is the last piece left for tonight.

If you don't "share", there must be one person who can't eat it.

So they are very close now.

Almost head to head distance.

As soon as Ueno Hikaru looked up, Ranbu followed suit.

The face is close at hand, the breath is close at hand, and even the cold breath on the mask seems to be transmitted instantly.

Ueno Hikaru subconsciously took a step back.

Hit someone.

The man let out a low muffled grunt, and raised his hand to support him.

That hardly counts as "support".

Most of the arms are wrapped around, supporting his body.

From Edogawa Ranpo's perspective, such an action is more like a hug.

A sneaky hug.

Although one touch away.

But at that moment, Edogawa Ranpo still pursed his lips and wrinkled his nose unhappily.

He looked past Hikari Ueno to the guest who was holding him up behind him.

A boy who is close to the golden ratio.

The other party happened to be looking at him at this time.

The corners of the lips exposed under the mask raised inadvertently, implying a little casual provocation.

This is definitely not Osamu Dazai and Chuya Nakahara.

It is even more unlikely that it is Kyouya Hibari who has not received any news at all.

So... who is this?

New brother?

Edogawa Ranpo looked at him for a moment, then looked away.

It doesn't matter, anyway, no one is more difficult to deal with than them.

He didn't think this younger brother who only dared to hug secretly would have any competitiveness.

Edogawa grabbed Ueno Hikaru's hand randomly, fed him the remaining small piece of snack, and then asked him: "What's the matter?"

Hikaru Ueno shook his head, and subconsciously turned his head to look behind him.

The moment he was supported by someone just now, he felt a little familiar again.

In an instant, it diffused from behind and enveloped his whole body, and then faded away like a tide in an instant.

But when Ueno Hikaru looked back, that sense of familiarity had completely disappeared.

He hadn't looked for the source of that feeling.

Edogawa Ranpo tugged him again.

Hikaru Ueno came back to his senses and explained to him: "Two people came with me, I think—"

Before he could finish his sentence, all the lights suddenly disappeared, and the surroundings suddenly darkened.

Then there was a moment of silence, and a soft "click".

At twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, the Kaitou Kidd came to take the crown he reserved.

In such a suddenly dark environment, most people would fall into a state of temporary blindness if they hadn't been prepared.

But Hikari Ueno has night vision that is different from that of humans.

This made him see the shadow that took away the crown at that moment.

He hesitated, and followed.

If this thief is used as a "meeting gift", Ranpo should be very happy, right?

Thinking this way, he left the venue and walked up the winding stairs all the way to the rooftop.

The strange thief dressed in white stood on the edge of the roof, holding the delicate crown in his hand.

Rubies glow magnificently under the moonlight.

Kaitou Kidd heard the movement, turned his head to look over, and looked at Yao Yao.

White cloak, white top hat, monocle, and a slight smile on the corner of his mouth.

The youth's gestures are full of maturity and elegance.

He smiled softly and rolled his eyes.

"Why did you come here?"

It was a completely unfamiliar, magnetic voice, full of charm.

The sense of familiarity at the moment of meeting dissipated at this moment.

Hikaru Ueno blinked.

"I'll catch you for someone else."

Kaitou Kidd chuckled again, as if very happy.

"is it?"

Hikaru Ueno continued to explain: "As a gift."

Phantom Thief Kidd jumped off the railing lightly and walked towards him.

The sound of the heel hitting the ground echoed in the wind.

"That's really...my honor."