Kaito Kid had absolutely no idea where the person on his back came from.
But judging from what the guy had said—and considering the time and place—Kid suspected that the Suzuki conglomerate had developed some kind of new glider. Yep, those cool-looking black wings. And now they'd hired a super agile bodyguard to wear it as their "final defense against Kid."
Only problem was, the bodyguard's outfit didn't match the vibe. Not a suit, not a tactical uniform—more like something… vintage? Emmm. Maybe the style just looked more wing-compatible?
Anyway, never mind the outfit...
Kid glanced down at the ocean beneath them, listened to the glider groaning under the weight of two people, and realized this was a bad situation—sure, the winged bodyguard could probably fly solo if the glider gave out, but him? Not so much.
Kid sighed, took out the pearl, and handed it over with a resigned tone. "I lost this time. I'll try again when I get the chance."
Jiangxia as Tengu puppet didn't even look at it. He smacked it away and snorted, "Fake."
Then, without missing a beat, he flipped open Kid's sleeve and pulled out the real treasure hidden there—the dark star.
Kid: "…"
…Has his sleight of hand gotten rusty?
The way this so-called bodyguard went straight for the cuff, it was like he knew that's where the loot was hidden. What a disgrace. A magician's deepest shame!
While Kid was busy quietly spiraling, the air shifted around them. Then something glowed behind him.
He turned around just in time to see Tengu toss the dark star into his mouth like it was a candy, then casually flap his wings and fly off.
Kid was stunned. That guy… actually ate the dark star?!
Wait wait wait—he was supposed to be a Suzuki bodyguard, right? Why would he eat his employer's… No, hold up. That's not the issue. The issue is—who eats a pearl with carved metal in it?!
The struggling glider finally carried Kid to a nearby dinghy.
He landed in a daze. Terai rushed forward to support him, full of concern. "Master, are you alright?"
"Physically? Sure." Kid sat down, dazed. "Mentally? I think something broke."
Terai had witnessed the whole thing too. But unlike Kid, he didn't even consider the possibility of a bodyguard. His mind immediately jumped to ghost stories. Unnerved, he quickly steered the boat away from the scene as fast as he could, sticking to the escape plan.
Kid sat on the bow, staring at the sea in deep contemplation.
…What the hell was that?
No no, clearly it was all just a big misunderstanding. That "bodyguard" had simply been flying around post-recovery, enjoying a good mood, and just happened to snack on something like a chocolate jellybean. Not a pearl. Nope. Definitely not a metal-inscribed magical gem.
Yeah, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense—the gliders probably required a ton of physical energy to operate. So the guy just popped a high-energy snack. Totally reasonable.
Kid, thoroughly convinced by his own delusions, felt better and moved on to other thoughts.
…
Terai had been driving the boat for a while when he looked back and noticed Kid still spacing out.
Thinking about the humiliation from earlier, Terai hesitantly raised his hand and waved it in front of Kid's face.
Kid snapped out of it and asked seriously, "Did you see those wings?"
Terai nodded solemnly. He had, in fact. And his mind had been flooded with myths of bird-transforming fairies and the legendary Tengu.
He was just about to comfort Kid with a "don't feel bad, it was a supernatural encounter," when Kid suddenly changed direction.
"Don't you think they looked awesome?"
"Yeah, it was a demon after all… Wait, what?"
Terai was startled. That was not the direction he'd expected.
Kid's eyes were lighting up with inspiration. He snapped his fingers. "Let's build a pair like that!"
Terai: "…"
Honestly, he'd stared at those wings for a long time, and they did not look like anything mass-produced or detachable. They looked… original. Possibly biological.
Also, maybe he was imagining it, but he could swear he'd seen something similar in a newspaper article. It was a fuzzy memory though—he'd have to dig through his archives later.
Kid, meanwhile, had already started choosing colors. "They were cool, but I don't think black suits me. Doesn't go with my dad's phantom thief outfit either. So if we're making wings, let's go with white!"
Terai: "…." Honestly, the chances of building a pair of wings like those were slim. They might have better luck inventing an oversized version of a bamboo copter.
But Kid looked so full of anticipation that Terai didn't have the heart to say no.
The old man sighed and offered a vague promise. "I'll check with a friend and see what's possible."
…
Earlier, after the police spotted Kid, they'd herded the guests into the cabin to avoid confusion and prevent any getaway attempts.
Jiangxia's Tengu shikigami had appeared at the back of the boat, and to snatch up the dark star, had quickly flown off. Fortunately, no one noticed.
Once back on the deck, Jiangxia coughed up the pearl. The puppet didn't have anything like saliva, thankfully. He examined the gem—its luster had dulled slightly.
That was to be expected. The energy core had already been absorbed by the ghost, and extracting one always left a bit of damage behind. Still, the item usually recovered within three to five years.
…In the Detective Conan universe, maybe even just a few weeks.
For now, the coast was clear. But he could hear noise approaching.
Jiangxia walked away from the edge and swapped the Tengu puppet for Xiaobai's form.
He had just finished wrapping his scarf when a group of police officers rounded the corner.
They jumped at the sight of someone standing at the back of the boat and reflexively raised their batons, tasers, nets, riot gear—you name it.
But then they paused. It was just a kid.
Since Kaito Kid couldn't possibly transform into a child, the officers relaxed. One of them stayed behind to escort the kid back to the cabin, while the others pressed on.
But then, just as they started to walk away, another little boy suddenly asked:
"What's that in your hand?"
Jiangxia looked up toward the voice and found that Conan had somehow managed to blend in with the police.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 14/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:1/10*