"Phantom Thief 1412?"
Ran Mouri wiped the rainwater clinging to her bangs and repeated the name. Tilting her head, she said, "What a strange name. What is that?"
"Huh? You seriously don't know? Your dad's already a Great Detective—he's a very famous phantom thief, with lots of fans." Sonoko Suzuki bounced excitedly. "A renowned thief who's been active for over a decade. He's probably a handsome middle-aged man, right?"
"Why would I know? I'm not interested in detective work." Ran Mouri sighed. "Why have there been so many of these mysterious 'phantom thieves' lately...?"
"Ah, Ran, do you mean that 'Phantom Thief of Hearts'?" Sonoko Suzuki's eager expression did not fade as she launched into the topic again. "Did he set his sights on your dad? You know, some kind of 'fated showdown between thief and detective.' I saw on the news that three of your dad's clients suddenly turned themselves in or publicly apologized for their misconduct after receiving calling cards."
At that, Ran Mouri wanted to sigh again.
She gathered her long hair over one shoulder, avoiding the rain dripping from the edge of the umbrella as she crossed the bookstore district with Sonoko Suzuki. "It's not a bad thing, of course. People who did wrong should come forward and repent. But I really wish they'd stake out a different target. Dad's been complaining these past few days that his business has been affected. Clients are too afraid to hire him because they're worried some strange person will target them."
"If they have nothing to feel guilty about, why would they be afraid of a threat to 'make you confess'?"
Sonoko Suzuki waved a hand, finally remembering why she had brought up the phantom thief in the first place. "It's perfect that he doesn't have any clients. I want to ask him to protect my family's jewelry. Your dad is so amazing, he'll definitely be able to uncover Phantom Thief 1412's true identity, right?"
"Speaking of which, that so-called 'Phantom Thief of Hearts' is really mysterious too. No one has ever seen him appear in person. I wonder what kind of person he is..." As she spoke, Sonoko Suzuki's eyes shifted. Suddenly excited, she waved ahead and shouted, "Tangze! Tangze! What a coincidence!"
Tangze, who had just emerged from the subway station exit, was looking down at his phone. Still wearing his Teitan High School uniform, he looked up in confusion at the shout.
"Whoa—" Her heart pounding at the sight of his handsome face through the hazy curtain of rain, Sonoko Suzuki immediately forgot the topic she had been discussing halfway through. She trotted over to Tangze. "Did you forget to bring an umbrella? Let's share one!"
Tangze, who had just been about to say his umbrella was in his bag: "..."
"Alright, then. Thanks." Somewhat awkwardly, he accepted Sonoko Suzuki's umbrella. Sonoko Suzuki happily moved closer to him, taking up half the space beneath it, and suddenly even the gray sky seemed bright.
"Sonoko..." Ran Mouri could not stop her appearance-obsessed friend from charging ahead, so she could only walk over as well. "Tangze, what a coincidence. Did you come to Shibuya to buy something too?"
"Yeah... I came to buy a drink from one of the subway shops." Tangze's eyes drifted away. "Don't tell Mr. Amuro I snuck out for dessert again."
In truth, Tangze had come to make a living and, while he was at it, uphold justice.
Ever since he had put on an act with Tooru Amuro, Tangze had lost some of his daily freedom to run wild. Whenever he stayed out beyond a certain amount of time, Tooru Amuro would drag the runaway Tangze back to the shop in a tone that said, "It's really dangerous out there. I'm really worried about you acting like this."
Tangze had no choice but to compress the Phantom Thief of Hearts' activity hours and improve his efficiency as much as possible.
For example, he would gather four or five minor Shadow targets to clear in Mementos at once, then set aside one afternoon after school to race through the subway like he was rushing between appointments.
Heaven knew, he did not have a cat bus to ride. He still had to squeeze some money out of them to support the household, running so hard his legs were nearly throwing sparks.
Sigh, excessively strict parenting really was an obstacle to the cause of justice!
"Mr. Amuro seems to be getting stricter with you." Ran Mouri laughed at Tangze's expression. Just as she was about to tease him some more, she caught sight of a familiar face from the corner of her eye while crossing the street.
"!" She spun around sharply, instinctively wanting to chase after him.
"Ran!" Sonoko Suzuki grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? The light's red, be careful!"
"Shinichi! But I saw Shinichi over there!" Ran Mouri's voice trembled as she tried desperately to make out the retreating figure through gaps in the traffic.
Sonoko Suzuki looked across the street in confusion, but Tangze, holding an umbrella over her to shield her from the rain, raised an eyebrow.
This felt like he had stumbled into a famous scene...
"Phantom Thief 1412?" Tooru Amuro set down the coffee pot, ignored Tangze's resentful gaze, and poured the remaining iced coffee into his own cup. "He is indeed a very famous criminal. Is he making another move?"
"He sent a calling card to the chairman of the Suzuki Group—that is, the father of my classmate with the surname Suzuki." Tangze picked up the cup in front of him, which held less than half a cup of coffee, and relayed the information Sonoko had told them all afternoon. "He has his eye on the Suzuki family's world's largest black pearl, the 'Pitch Black Star,' and left behind a riddle. Suzuki went upstairs to find Mr. Mori and hired him to help protect the pearl."
"This man also goes by the name Kaito Kid. He's a thief who specializes in stealing famous artworks and jewelry. Forget being caught—even his real appearance has never been exposed. Rumor has it he uses disguises to conceal his identity. He's a very troublesome character." Tooru Amuro sat opposite Tangze and watched him warily. "You aren't thinking of going to the Suzuki Group to join the excitement too, are you?"
"I'm just curious..." Tangze smiled obediently.
"Just stay put." Tooru Amuro flicked his forehead without ceremony. "He's a thief the media loves to hype up. He's always flamboyant, mysterious, and rarely fails. Reporters love attention-grabbing stories like that, so they've given him a whole pile of titles. The place will definitely be packed tight with police and reporters. Even if you go, you won't be able to see anything."
Kazami had to prepare extraction routes for Tangze, investigate cases, handle the miscellaneous tasks Tooru Amuro assigned him, and rush around putting out fires to keep Tangze's photos out of the papers. He wished he could split himself into eight pieces.
If Tangze appeared on a live television broadcast because he got involved in Kaito Kid's affairs, Yuya Kazami would probably fail to catch his breath and pass out on the spot.
"Fine, I won't tag along." Tangze sighed as if regretful. "But I can help Mr. Mori figure out the riddle. That's alright, isn't it?"
Of course he would not follow them. Following the police and Mori Kogoro, he would not even catch a whiff of Kaito Kid's exhaust.
His task now was to take one look at the riddle and see whether it was the one he remembered. Once he confirmed it, he would head straight to Kaito Kid's spawn point and wait for the monster.
As for the concern about the news broadcast...
It was fine. Even if he appeared on camera, it would not matter. Yuya Kazami could rest completely assured!
Tangze's mental abacus clicked away at top speed as he gave Tooru Amuro an innocent, harmless smile.
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