"Ran, let's come up with a secret code."
Though the earlier chaos had stirred the room, the banquet hall soon returned to a calm elegance.
To keep the mood light, Tomoko Suzuki had arranged for a magician, Kazumi Sanada, to entertain guests with close-up illusions.
It was during the show that Hayashi Yoshiki made his suggestion, and while Ran was momentarily surprised, she quickly agreed. After all, the Dark Night Star was now in his care—whatever he needed, she would do.
"What kind of code should we use?"
"Nothing too complex. Keep it simple," said Hayashi, glancing down at the jewel on his chest. With a faint smile, he added,
"My code will be 'sulfur.' Yours is 'apple,' Ran."
She wasn't quite sure what the connection was, but she accepted it without hesitation.
She repeated it in her heart twice and smiled brightly.
On stage, Sanada's performance was in full swing.
Doves appeared from beneath his sleeves, and cards vanished and reappeared with impossible timing—it was impressive sleight of hand.
But not even this could compare to the true magician of the evening: the elusive Kaito Kid, aka Kuroba Kaito.
From the speed of his disguises to the audacity of his escapes, Kaito Kid was more than a thief—he was a phenomenon. In some ways, Hayashi Yoshiki couldn't help but admire him. His feats bordered on the magical.
Hayashi glanced at his watch.
(One hour left until the ship docks at Tokyo Port...)
That meant Kaito Kid had to make his move soon.
Hayashi was looking forward to it.
"Hey, Ran," whispered Sonoko, tapping her friend's shoulder.
"Want to come with me to the bathroom?"
The two girls left together.
Hayashi noticed and looked down to see Conan deep in thought.
"Something on your mind?"
"Yeah. Whoever Kaito Kid disguises himself as he'll have to get close to you to grab the Dark Night Star. So I'm being extra alert right now."
Hayashi smiled gently.
"Which means… the only one I can trust now is you, Conan."
Conan scratched his head sheepishly. After all, even Kaito Kid couldn't turn into a child.
Ran and Sonoko returned shortly.
When Conan asked if anything had happened, they both shook their heads.
With only twenty minutes left before the Sally Beth docked, tension was beginning to rise. Some wondered if Kaito Kid had given up—until it happened.
Several black pearls—replicas of the Dark Night Star—suddenly rolled across the floor.
One guest bent to pick one up—
A loud pop. A burst of smoke.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of blasts erupted around the room.
The pearls had turned into smoke bombs.
"I'm not wearing a bomb around my neck!"
"Everyone take them off!!"
Guests began panicking, pulling the replicas from their chests and tossing them aside.
As smoke filled the hall, confusion turned to chaos.
Despite police efforts to calm the crowd, the guests stampeded toward the exits.
Ran and Sonoko rushed toward him.
Hayashi, ever cautious, responded:
Only then did he relax.
In the thick smoke, a shout echoed:
"It's Kaito Kid! Catch him!"
Inspector Nakamori's voice rang out from the right.
"You think you can catch me that easily?"
The teasing voice of Kaito Kid floated through the fog.
From the mist, a flash of white darted forward—aiming straight for Hayashi Yoshiki.
Ran instinctively stepped up.
"Brother Yoshiki, I'll—"
She reached out to shield him—but Hayashi grabbed her wrist.
The smile on Hayashi's face shifted subtly.
Something wasn't right.
With a quick pull, he drew "Ran" toward him—and drove a clean punch straight into the gut.
The breath burst from Kaito Kid's lungs.
The blow struck precisely, and Hayashi held tight.
As Kid, still in disguise, gasped in pain, he looked up, dazed.
"...I said the right code, didn't I?"
"The code was a trap."
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled serenely.
"You needed to get close to stealing the Dark Night Star, so I had to stay cautious around anyone who approached me."
"But what gave you away was your right hand. You used it to block my punch earlier, and now, disguised as Ran, you've been overly careful—holding drinks with your left, clapping without force."
Kaito Kid was stunned.
He'd never faced someone so infuriatingly thorough.
Now bound and winded, he had no options left.
As the smoke began to clear, the truth was revealed.
The "Kaito Kid" that Nakamori had been chasing? Just a dummy.
A white suit and cape rigged to move realistically—a decoy.
"Since you were disguised as Ran..."
Sonoko blinked in realization."What the heck did you do to the real Ran!?"
Conan shouted, panic rising.
Kogoro Mouri ran over, grabbing Kaito Kid's collar—though the thief still wore Ran's face.
The scene was surreal.
"He caught Kaito Kid!? For real this time?!"
Only now did the officers from Investigation Section 2 catch on to what had just happened.