12:59 a.m.
One minute remained until one o'clock.
The night breeze gently stirred the mist-blue hair.
Even with a black silk ribbon covering his eyes, the man still had no trouble pinpointing Kaito Kid's exact location.
Sensing the danger, Kaito Kid realized he had completely failed to anticipate someone lying in wait for him here.
Slowly, he raised both hands in surrender.
'If I throw a flashbang now... I should still be able to escape.'
"As expected," the stranger said leisurely,
"You're thinking about using a flashbang. You probably won't believe me, but this ribbon is made from a special material. It's flash-resistant."
Resting his right arm lazily on one knee, Ritsu crooked a finger toward Kaito Kid.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly. He seemed quite pleased to see the gentleman thief at such a disadvantage.
Behind the ribbon, his dark golden eyes narrowed as he carefully examined the man before him, trying to confirm his identity.
'Kaito Kid... Or rather... the second-generation Kaito Kid.'
At the moment, Kaito Kid was genuinely nervous.
'If I gamble correctly, I'll escape without a problem. If I gamble wrong... he'll pull the trigger.
And that'll be the end of me.'
Not daring to make any rash moves, he decided to negotiate politely instead.
"Lupin-san... If you're interested in the Black Star this time, I'll withdraw."
He kept both hands raised and cautiously added,
"We're both phantom thieves. And look at my outfit. It's meant as a tribute to your name."
'Smooth talker,' Ritsu thought.
He carefully observed the exposed features.
The face...
The contours...
Even the complexion...
They reminded him strongly of someone.
The monocle dramatically changed the man's overall aura, but despite that, Ritsu was certain.
'I've definitely seen this face before. He's around twenty years old. Then he can't be Kuroba Toichi.'
Besides, Ritsu didn't believe Toichi would leave so many openings. A veteran genius magician wouldn't be this inexperienced.
'So who is he?'
Judging by his age, there was a good chance he was Toichi's biological son. Following in his father's footsteps wasn't exactly impossible.
And the outfit, it was unquestionably the genuine Kaito Kid costume. Not some cheap imitation.
'If I remember correctly... Toichi's son is named Kuroba Kaito.'
Ritsu let out a soft chuckle.
"Arsène Lupin is just a name I picked at random. I have no interest in becoming a phantom thief."
As soon as he finished speaking, he holstered his pistol and leaped forward.
Using Jeet Kune Do's sliding advance, he instantly closed the distance between them. Before Kaito Kid could react, Ritsu flicked his pistol upward.
The white top hat concealing his face flew into the air.
Black hair.
A familiar hairstyle.
And most importantly, even the monocle couldn't hide that face.
'...No wonder he looked so familiar. Isn't that Kudo's face?'
Aside from the hairstyle and a slight difference in temperament, it was practically identical.
"Are you related to Kudo Shinichi?"
Realizing his face had been exposed, Kaito Kid instinctively reached up to cover it.
Then he froze.
'What kind of question is that?'
Truthfully, he rarely paid attention to anyone else's news. He had absolutely no idea who Shinichi was.
'Still... Maybe it'd be safer to pretend we're related?'
"Shinichi, huh... He's my father's older brother's son. My name is Kudo Yuji!"
Ritsu gave him his trademark half-lidded stare.
'Does he actually think I'd believe that?'
He had thoroughly investigated Yukiko and Yusaku. Both were only children. Neither of them had any siblings.
Without the slightest hesitation, he moved the muzzle of his pistol until it rested squarely against Kaito Kid's forehead.
Oddly enough, pointing a gun at a face identical to Shinichi's felt strangely satisfying. It almost made up for being shot with a tranquilizer dart.
"Still not planning to tell the truth? Fine. I'll ask something else. What relationship do you have with Kuroba Toichi?"
'Kuroba Toichi?!'
Kaito Kid's eyes widened.
'He knows my father's name? He knows Father was Kaito Kid?!'
His expression answered everything.
Yes.
He was connected to Toichi. He was Toichi's biological son, Kuroba Kaito.
The reason he'd inherited the title of Kaito Kid was simple.
By pure chance, he'd discovered that the father who had supposedly died eight years earlier had actually been the original Kaito Kid.
In order to uncover his father's murderer, he had become the second-generation Kaito Kid himself. His goal was to draw the killer out into the open and avenge his father.
"That look on your face tells me everything. As expected, you really are related to Toichi."
Ritsu no longer bothered concealing his own appearance.
After all, he was wearing a disguise. No matter how thoroughly anyone investigated this face, they would never find a single clue.
Holstering his pistol, he untied the black ribbon. His brilliant golden eyes shone vividly beneath the night sky as they stared directly at Kaito Kid.
Smiling faintly, he said, "Good evening... Kaito-kun."
"...?!"
Kaito had never imagined the man knew even that. He instinctively staggered backward, gripping the flashbang hidden in his hand.
'Now's my chance. He took off the ribbon. If I use the flashbang now... This is my only opportunity to escape.'
But the next sentence instantly erased all thoughts of fleeing.
"Curious about who murdered your father? I know."
Kaito immediately realized there was no hostility in the other man's words.
Pointing the gun at him had merely been a way to verify his identity and to prevent him from escaping.
Slowly removing his monocle and revealing his full face, Kaito cast aside his usual playful demeanor.
His expression became completely serious.
"You really know? You're not lying to me?"
"I do. Because that same organization has hunted me as well. Just like your father."
Kaito instantly grasped the implication.
His eyes widened.
He reached out, intending to grab the other man's shoulders, but after noticing the considerable height difference between them, he instead clutched the front of Ritsu's kimono.
His voice trembled with urgency.
"You mean... My father's still alive, right? He disappeared to protect me and my mother. And to investigate that organization. That's it, isn't it?!"
'He's still just a seventeen-year-old.'
No matter how intelligent he was, when it came to emotions, he couldn't remain calm.
Wearing black leather gloves, Ritsu mercilessly brushed away the hand wrinkling his clothes. Taking one step back to reestablish the distance between them, he replied calmly,
"You can think of it that way. I came here today simply to confirm your identity."
"You wanted to make sure I wasn't Toichi?"
"That's right. Now that I've confirmed you're not, there's something I should warn you about."
Ritsu thought back to the mysterious organization known as Zoo.
He hadn't crossed paths with them in nearly two years. Who knew how far their berserk drug research had progressed by now?
The young man before him possessed remarkable intelligence and quite a few clever tricks.
But his combat experience was sorely lacking.
He was nothing like the organization's operatives who survived by living on the edge of a knife.
He had to warn him.
Besides, Kaito's continued appearance was necessary. He could draw Zoo's attention alongside Ritsu and perhaps even lure the long-absent Toichi back into the open.
"Kaito-kun, if you're willing to trust me... when that mysterious organization comes after you, keep this with you and activate it."
Kaito accepted what appeared to be an ordinary cufflink.
Frowning, he watched Lupin open the rooftop door leading downstairs.
"...Why are you helping me?"
Without looking back, Ritsu smiled. "Because we have a common enemy."
"But don't worry. I won't leave you feeling like you owe me a favor."
Kaito stared at him in confusion.
Ritsu turned back with an amiable smile.
"The first thing I'll do if I ever find myself in danger is sell you out. So just accept my kindness with peace of mind."
Bang.
The iron door swung shut.
Left alone on the rooftop, Kaito stood frozen, clutching the cufflink in his hand, his eyes reduced to tiny dots.
'...Did that guy seriously just say something a normal human being would say?!'