One second earlier.
The Library Pavilion went dark.
Not dim—completely dark.
All lights inside and outside shut off at the same instant, plunging the area behind the automatic doors into total blackness. Robin spun around instinctively, scanning the surroundings.
It wasn't just the Library Pavilion.
Every single one of the thirteen pavilions of the Natural History Museum had lost power simultaneously.
Only a handful of streetlights in the central plaza still glowed faintly, their weak light barely piercing the rain.
The blackout was sudden.
But not unexpected.
Kaito Kid had a habit.
Whenever he acted, electricity was usually the first thing to disappear.
Robin had prepared for that.
What he hadn't prepared for was the timing.
Without power, the automatic sensor doors were useless.
And with this delay—
Kaito Kid was already moving.
---
A Rapid Decision
Robin stared at the sealed doors for less than a second.
He had options.
He could force them open.
He could blow them apart with a sticky charge.
But either choice would cost precious time.
And time was the one thing Kaito Kid never wasted.
Robin clicked his tongue.
"If you're still using the ventilation route," he muttered, already turning,
"then you're heading that way."
He pulled out his grappling gun mid-run.
Thwip!
The hook shot upward, embedding securely into the upper structure of the Library Pavilion.
Robin leapt, swung wide, and redirected his momentum toward the eastern side of the building—exactly where the skywalk connecting the Library Pavilion and the Cultural Relics Pavilion was located.
---
Too Late—Again
Just before reaching the skywalk's highest point, Robin released the rope.
He flipped once.
Twice.
Then landed lightly on the narrow metal surface like a swallow touching water.
Without slowing, he sprinted toward the ventilation opening at the far end.
Then he stopped.
The vent's iron mesh was sealed tight.
Locked from the inside.
And taped neatly to the center—
A white card.
Robin didn't need to read it to know who left it.
Still, he pulled it down.
> To the Boy Wonder, Robin:
When you see this card, it means you're simply too slow.
I've already been gone for quite some time.
I sincerely suggest you head home and get some rest.
But if you still refuse to give up…
Let's meet at the final treasure location.
Robin exhaled sharply.
"Tch."
He crushed the note into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Two or three minutes," he muttered.
"In just that time, he sealed the vent and wrote a message."
"…What kind of monster moves that fast?"
---
Batgirl Gets the News
Robin activated his communicator.
"Batgirl."
A moment later, her voice came through, tense.
"Robin? Did he already make it to the Cultural Relics Pavilion?"
"Pretty much," Robin replied dryly.
"Don't tell me you're still searching the Jungle Pavilion."
"…I didn't find him," Batgirl admitted.
"He just… vanished."
Robin couldn't help smiling.
He repeated what he had said earlier to Kaito Kid.
There was a pause.
Then—
"WHAT?!" Batgirl's voice nearly cracked the channel.
"You already knew he wouldn't go to the Jungle Pavilion?! And the one flying was fake?!"
"Why didn't you tell me?! I was chasing him around like an idiot while you just watched?!"
Robin winced.
"To deceive the enemy," he replied calmly,
"you first have to deceive yourself."
"If I told you everything, what if Kid noticed something during your confrontation and changed plans?"
"Then everything would've been for nothing."
"…And this wasn't for nothing?" Batgirl snapped.
"He still got away!"
Robin coughed lightly.
"Anyway—don't waste time there. Head back to the Cultural Relics Pavilion now. If you're fast, we might still intercept him."
He paused.
"Oh—one more thing. Dean. How's he doing?"
"I checked earlier," Batgirl replied.
"He was still asleep in his room when Kid appeared. Surveillance confirms it."
"I was wrong to suspect him."
Robin nodded silently.
---
The Last Line of Defense
Meanwhile—
Cultural Relics Pavilion, top floor, central exhibition hall.
Commissioner James Gordon arrived with a small unit just as the blackout took effect.
The exhibition hall was swallowed by darkness.
Without power, the display lighting was dead, leaving only a few scattered flashlight beams cutting through the shadows.
Most officers hadn't expected a total blackout.
Only a handful carried flashlights.
Visibility was terrible.
But that didn't matter.
The dragon egg ruby necklace's glass case was clearly illuminated.
And around it—
A tight formation of SWAT officers, weapons raised.
That alone should've made the area impenetrable.
"Harvey," Gordon called quietly, finding Brock after exchanging their code.
"Status report. Any sign of Kaito Kid?"
Brock grinned broadly.
"Relax, Jim. No movement so far. Once he saw the necklace guarded like this, he probably realized he didn't stand a chance and bolted."
He laughed.
"Told you this setup would work."
---
Click
The sound was soft.
But in the silent hall, it echoed like thunder.
Click.
The unmistakable sound of a shoe stepping on glass.
Gordon's expression changed instantly.
So did Brock's.
They turned together.
The SWAT officers reacted at the same time, weapons snapping toward the source of the sound, flashlights converging.
And then—
They saw him.
---
The Thief Revealed
A white figure crouched atop the shattered glass case.
Balanced.
Elegant.
Calm.
In his gloved hand, gleaming under multiple flashlight beams, was the dragon egg ruby necklace.
Kaito Kid looked up.
And smiled.
The necklace had been obtained.
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