BWDC:SDDK Chapter 97: Sonoko's Invitation
The night passed quietly, and the sun rose as usual.
Ren Ichimonji opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was check the status of his trackers.
After confirming that all the locators were in their expected positions, he got out of bed to wash up, eat, and exercise as usual. Afterward, he began organizing the equipment inside his utility belt.
Beyond the common gear—locators, trackers, a stunner, a tranquilizer gun, batarangs, and a grapple gun—Ren had prepared extra precautions. He packed a protective mask similar to the one used by Kaito Kuroba to counter illusions. To avoid any accidents, he also prepared an emergency measure: a miniature stunner designed to automatically release an electric current every minute to stimulate the nerves once activated.
He planned to activate this miniature stunner as soon as Kaito Kid began his move.
If the illusions of that eight-eyed Spider were truly strong enough to render his other preparations useless, the jolts of electricity might provide just enough of a shock to pull him momentarily out of a trance.
It could be a life-saving measure.
"And the high-frequency sonic transmitter for shattering glass."
Ren placed the suction-style transmitter back into a compartment in his utility belt.
It was common knowledge that Kaito Kid loved performing "mid-air walks." If there weren't steel wires suspending him from above, there was a ninety percent chance he had installed a sheet of glass.
As Kid's opponent, Ren suspected that Spider likely employed similar tricks. Since the device didn't take up much space, there was no harm in carrying it. If Kid ended up being manipulated by illusions and tried to fight him to the death, this tool could even be used against the phantom thief himself... Just in case, he decided he'd bring a "Imperial Sword" along later as well.
Once everything was secured in the hidden compartments, Ren finally connected the hooks of his specialized utility belt to his six-slot storage belt, making the two appear as a single unit before buckling it around his waist.
Following his usual routine, Ren intended to head over to the Mouri Detective Agency to see if there were any new commissions or if another violent murder case had triggered a new public safety mission.
If possible, Ren wanted to accumulate more points today—ideally reaching five hundred. That would give him one more trump card to use against the illusionist, Spider.
However, an unexpected phone call interrupted his plans for the day.
Standing by the window, he pulled his phone from his pocket with some confusion. The screen displayed a familiar name.
[Caller: Suzuki Sonoko]
Without hesitation, Ren pressed the answer key and held the phone to his ear. His eyes remained fixed on the living room of the Mouri Detective Agency diagonally below, watching Mouri Kogoro, who was sitting at the computer with his feet propped up on the desk, reading a newspaper.
"Miss Suzuki, is there something I can help you with?" Ren asked politely.
He already had a vague guess as to why Sonoko was calling at this hour. It was likely related to Kaito Kid's planned theft of the world's largest pink sapphire tomorrow night.
The news reports were quite clear: the owner of the sapphire was Suzuki Jirokichi of the Suzuki Financial Group. That "god-tier" uncle was famous for his competitive streak and his streak of losses against Kaito Kid. Having likely heard about the events on the Queen Selizabeth, he might be looking for extra help.
As Ren suspected, Sonoko began talking about the Suzuki Financial Group's museum.
"Um... the reason I haven't been out lately is because I've been helping my uncle busy himself with the museum..."
"We finally finished everything today... By the way, would you like to come and see this pink sapphire? It's the largest in the world—it's super~ amazing!" Sonoko's voice chirped from the other end.
"Besides, you know magic too, right, Ah-Ren? You even fought Kaito Kid on the Queen Selizabeth, so you must understand his tricks well. It would be great if you could check if the security equipment here is perfect enough."
"Uncle also really wants to meet you!"
Did you just use an onomatopoeia?
Ren blinked, then realized that "Ah-Ren" was her nickname for him. He remembered that in the show, Sonoko called Kyogoku Makoto in a similar fashion—dropping the surname and adding "Ah" before the given name.
The fact that Suzuki Jirokichi wanted to meet him was also within his expectations. Ren had no reason to refuse and immediately replied:
"No problem. What time?"
"If it's alright, I can head over right now?"
Over at the Suzuki Museum, Sonoko replied in a bit of a fluster.
"R-R-R-Right now? O-okay, I'll come pick you up...? Ah? You'll be here in a bit? Then I'll wait for you at the museum entrance..."
The call ended.
Standing beside Sonoko, Suzuki Jirokichi couldn't help but sigh. He patted Sonoko on the shoulder and said with deep earnestness:
"You're still too stiff, Sonoko. That's not how you make a phone call."
"Back in my school days, your uncle was a legendary romantic. Listen to me, and you can't go wrong!"
Sonoko: "?"
Uncle, you're seventy-two and still single. Do you really think you're a 'legendary romantic'?
Clearly, Suzuki Jirokichi believed he was.
As for Ren's actual capabilities, Jirokichi didn't particularly care. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so he assumed Sonoko's praise for Ren was exaggerated. When Tomoko had returned from the Queen Selizabeth, she hadn't even mentioned Ren's name to him.
To him, this suggested Ren's abilities were likely mediocre. He was simply using the security check as an excuse to create an opportunity for Sonoko and Ren to spend time together.
"Hmph, Kaito Kid is nothing special."
"In the last ten years, I've won every kind of medal there is. There is nothing I want to do that I cannot achieve. Defeating Kaito Kid will be a walk in the park."
Suzuki Jirokichi turned to look at the massive pink sapphire, his heart swelling with pride.
Having never faced Kaito Kid personally, Jirokichi simply felt that the failure to catch the thief was due to the local police being incompetent. Now that a master like himself—one who had traveled the world and weathered every storm—was stepping in, Kaito Kid would surely be captured on the spot!
"Kaito Kid, I'll let you witness the true strength of Suzuki Jirokichi!"
End of Chapter
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