BWDC:SDDK Chapter 109: Because He is Batman
After successfully packing the Batsuit into the briefcase purchased from the System Mall, Ren Ichimonji tucked the briefcase into the interior of his six-slot storage belt. He then placed the switch for the suit's auto-retraction into a hidden compartment of the utility belt previously crafted by Agasa Hiroshi.
Everything was packed and prepared.
At least for now, it seemed Ren hadn't overlooked anything.
Next, provided no public safety missions were triggered, he had no urgent business to attend to. He simply needed to wait until 8:00 PM to face off against Scarecrow—a supervillain the system had identified as a mercenary for the League of Assassins.
Therefore, after bidding farewell to Agasa Hiroshi, Ren headed straight back to the apartment.
On the way, he bumped into Midori Kuriyama, who was hurriedly heading to the Poirot Café to buy breakfast. Seeing Ren, Eri Kisaki's assistant gave a somewhat embarrassed greeting before fleeing the scene in a panic.
It was hard to tell if she felt her previous comments about the relationship between Ren and Ran Mouri were too unreliable and feared being held accountable, or if she was simply running late and worried about getting scolded if she didn't get back in time.
Ren watched the legal assistant disappear into the distance.
Too lazy to head back and cook, he decided to just step into the Poirot Café to grab something for lunch.
At that moment, Sonoko Suzuki, who had just woken up and come looking for Ren, happened to appear outside the shop. The moment she spotted him, her spirits lifted.
She had been buzzing all night after hearing Ren claim he was the mysterious figure who had beaten Seiran Puyi into submission. She hadn't fallen asleep until dawn. Having just woken up and washed up in a rush, she hurried over to find Ren and demand a full explanation.
Seeing him inside the cafe, she didn't hesitate to follow him in. Immediately, she heard the gentle greeting of Azusa Enomoto, the cafe's waitress.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ren. How was the pasta you had here last night?"
"I heard from Miss Ran that you have quite a talent and unique insight when it comes to cooking," Azusa said, blinking curiously.
Hearing this, Sonoko was stunned.
She rushed to the counter and asked in shock, "Huh? Last night? Ren was here eating pasta last night? At what time?"
Azusa felt a bit strange at Sonoko's sudden outburst, but since Sonoko was a regular, she answered naturally.
"From seven to eight last night, of course."
"There were many police officers eating here at the time, too. They all saw Mr. Ren."
Sonoko: "?"
Wait... seven to eight last night?
If she remembered correctly, the servants at the mansion said Seiran Puyi's scream was heard around 7:10 PM. The attack couldn't have happened much earlier than seven.
That meant unless Ren could be in two places at once, it was absolutely impossible for him to be eating here until eight o'clock while simultaneously thrashing Seiran Puyi at the Suzuki villa.
Even Sonoko began to sense something was off.
After ordering lunch alongside Ren, Sonoko took a seat first. She leaned forward, closing the distance, and whispered with a suspicious glint in her eyes:
"Didn't you say you were the mysterious person who attacked Seiran Puyi?"
"Then how did you manage to be here and there at seven? No matter how I think about it, I can't figure it out..."
As Ren waited for his meal to be served, he replied earnestly, "The answer is a shadow warrior. I used a shadow warrior as a double!"
Sonoko: "?"
What are you, some ancient Daimyo? You even have a shadow warrior? If you had claimed it was a doppelganger urban legend, I'd at least give you points for effort!
Sonoko felt her fists clench.
Unbelievable... he's treating me like a fool!
Seeing Sonoko's look of pure disbelief, Ren couldn't help but sigh.
The world truly was going downhill; people were becoming cynical. Every time he spoke the truth, no one was willing to believe him. The gap between people was truly cold!
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Saguru Hakuba was rifling through relevant case files borrowed from the Criminal Investigation Department.
He had investigated the cases involving Sonoko Suzuki the previous night, but he only found Ren's name mentioned briefly by Inspector Nakamori and Shintaro Chaki during the Black Pearl theft on the Queen Selizabeth.
Even then, it was just a few lines. Inspector Nakamori had even gone so far as to suggest Ren might be the real Phantom Thief Kid.
Hakuba didn't believe that for a second.
Everything else might lie, but DNA never does. Regardless of who the Phantom Thief Kid active twenty years ago was, the one active now was undoubtedly Kaito Kuroba.
Therefore, Ren couldn't possibly be the Phantom Thief Kid.
Since he couldn't find much in the theft cases, he decided to see if Ren's name appeared in any violent homicide records.
That was why Hakuba was still digging through files. He had moved over the recent homicide files from Beika Town and was reviewing them one by one. Finally, he found Ren's name in cases related to Mouri Kogoro.
This man, who had very little record and seemed to have appeared out of thin air one day, had shown extraordinary ability in solving cases. Since the Black Pearl incident, Ren had been active with a startling efficiency, solving one or even two murder cases a day.
"Why is there absolutely no news coverage of this person?"
"The news reports for all these cases only mention Mouri Kogoro. Why is the media completely silent about this man? Do you know what's going on?"
Looking at the file in his hand, Hakuba frowned and turned to Wataru Chiba standing beside him.
In principle, the Criminal Department's files were not to be seen by outsiders. However, Hakuba's father was the principle. So, they were a bit flexible—allowing Hakuba to read them, but not to take them or make copies. Chiba had been sent to monitor him and ensure no rules were broken.
Faced with Hakuba's question, Chiba pointed to himself in surprise. He looked left and right to make sure no one else was around.
Only then did Chiba reply seriously:
"Because he is Batman!"
Hakuba: "?"
End of Chapter
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