Kaito Kuroba knew he couldn't keep up the act any longer. He slowly raised his head.
What he saw was a baton whistling through the air, crashing down toward him.
"You—!"
Kuroba's pupils constricted. Startled, he instinctively rolled to the side, but he was too slow. With a dull thud, the baton struck the arm holding the sleeping gas. He lost his grip.
The canister—still unpinned—rolled right to Kurosawa Hoshino's feet.
"Nice." Kurosawa's eyes lit up. He bent down, picked it up, and casually pocketed it.
"You bastard—" Kuroba endured the pain in his arm, pulled out a small object with his other hand, and smashed it on the ground.
Instantly, white smoke billowed out, engulfing the corridor.
When the smoke cleared, Phantom Thief Kid was gone.
"Hoshino, what do we do now?" Ran asked.
"Go to the bathroom. I'll chase him."
"But—"
"Don't worry. It's fine." Kurosawa patted her smooth shoulder, activated his Scene Rewind superpower, and chased after Kuroba in the direction he'd fled.
This guy was skilled and daring—he'd actually run back into the banquet hall. Kurosawa followed closely, his goal clear. Soon, he spotted Kuroba disguised as a waiter, carrying a tray, approaching Sonoko.
Kurosawa laughed and strode over.
When Kuroba saw Kurosawa approaching, he felt the ache in his arm and tried his best to remain calm. Then he saw the other man's lips move silently—mouthing "Phantom Thief Kid."
Exposed? Kuroba didn't dare gamble. He decided to avoid the limelight and retreated into the crowd.
For the next ten minutes, the two played hide-and-seek in the banquet hall. No matter where Kuroba hid—even in the middle of a group—Kurosawa seemed to have X-ray vision. He found him every time.
This convinced Kuroba that he'd truly been exposed. He quickly ran out of the banquet hall.
Once outside, things got worse. He discovered that Kurosawa could actually command the police.
Kuroba had just knocked out an undercover officer, hidden him, and changed into his clothes and gear. He'd only been running for half a minute when Kurosawa's voice came through the walkie-talkie, calmly directing the police on the ship:
"Seal off the east corridor. Phantom Thief Kid is disguised as one of your men. Be careful. Grab anyone who's alone."
Hearing this, Kuroba hurriedly began changing his disguise again. But no matter how he disguised himself—as a crew member or a passenger—the moment he hid in a corner, police surrounded him. Each exposure felt like a slap in the face. Chills ran down his spine.
How does this guy keep finding me?
Kuroba hid in the sweltering server room, leaning against the cold machines, panting heavily. Cold sweat dripped down his chin, soaking his collar.
There's no way I can steal the Black Star now. If this keeps up, I'll be completely blocked. Looks like I have to go.
He'd just made up his mind when he heard footsteps approaching. The sound, like a death knell, made him dare not stay any longer. He quickly left the server room and ran toward the stern.
He hadn't gone far when Kurosawa appeared at the server room door. Guided by his superpower, Kurosawa continued following Kuroba and soon reached the stern, where he found Kuroba standing on the railing.
The sea wind howled, whipping their hair into wild dances in the night.
Kuroba let out a long breath, standing firmly on the railing, his chest heaving. Looking at the expressionless Kurosawa before him, his voice held a barely perceptible tension. "Kurosawa Hoshino, right? I have a feeling you're deliberately targeting me. What did I do to offend you? Can you tell me? I promise I'll change."
"From the moment you tried to harm Ran."
"The girl in the red dress?"
"Yes."
Kuroba felt like crying. He gritted his teeth. "Kurosawa Hoshino, I'll remember you. I'm not satisfied this time. Next time, we'll have a proper showdown."
With that, he leaped backward, plunging into the dark sea. He was proud. Tonight, being targeted because of a girl—coupled with the lack of escape routes—filled him with resentment. So he didn't answer Kurosawa's unspoken demand, didn't promise to stay away from Ran.
Kurosawa, hands in his pockets, slowly walked to the railing and looked down at the surging sea. In the original story, he swam back. He shouldn't drown.
"Hoshino-nii." Conan's voice came from behind.
Kurosawa turned. Conan and a group of police officers—including Nakamori Ginzo—were running toward him. He glanced at Conan. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Conan's presence felt very faint tonight, as if he'd barely been around.
"Where's Kaito Kid?" Nakamori Ginzo looked around and asked loudly.
Kurosawa walked past him, his voice calm. "Jumped into the sea."
Nakamori ran to the railing, looked down at the sea, and muttered, "He won't drown, will he?" He took out his walkie-talkie and communicated with the helicopter pilots above, asking them to search the sea.
Conan thought of last night, when Kaito Kid had performed a disappearing magic trick on the roof of the Beika City Grand Hotel in front of him and the police. He hadn't expected that tonight, Kaito Kid would be chased by Kurosawa Hoshino to the point of jumping into the sea. Kaito Kid, even I find him terrifying. How dare you go up against him? Now you're behaving yourself, aren't you? Sigh. I hope you don't drown.
Kurosawa, looking at the one Origin Point that had arrived, returned to the banquet hall with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Tomoko Suzuki was pulling off her own stunt. She had a magician impersonate Kaito Kid and then pretend to shoot him dead. The scene terrified everyone present. Thankfully, they all breathed a sigh of relief when they realized it was a joke.
"Hoshino, you're back?" Ran winked at Sonoko and Aoko.
"Yeah, I—" Kurosawa began, only to find Aoko and Sonoko on either side of him. Ran stood before him, her eyes wide, and said seriously, "To make sure you're not Kaito Kid in disguise, we need to check your face."
"Yes." Aoko and Sonoko nodded in agreement.
"..."
"Good news! Good news!" At that moment, a police officer ran into the banquet hall and shouted, "Kaito Kid has been forced to jump into the sea by Kurosawa Hoshino!"
Instantly, the three girls froze. Then they looked at the expressionless Kurosawa, smiled, and immediately let go of his hands.