Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Mr. Thief

The biggest news in the world of Mikado in recent times is probably that the consultant of the Suzuki Group, the famous Mr. Jirokichi Suzuki, publicly declared war on Kaito Kid in the newspaper.

The cause of the incident is this -

After a gem was stolen by the fledgling Kaito Kid in public, completing his "second debut" after many years, Suzuki Jirokichi, a rich and idle old man, was aroused by his competitive spirit and unilaterally declared Kaito Kid to be his nemesis.

As for what Kidd himself thinks, that's unknown. After all, you can't expect him to be interviewed on TV, right?

In short, this time, Suzuki Jirokichi paid a large sum for a necklace purchased overseas. Putting aside the necklace's intricate craftsmanship, the emerald stone inlaid within, known as the "Heart of the Forest," was priceless even in its raw form.

Later, this gemstone was meticulously polished by a master, eventually becoming the world-famous "Heart of the Forest." Most importantly, after centuries of accumulation and passing through the hands of countless historical figures, the meaning of this necklace has long surpassed its own value.

Given the fame of "Heart of the Forest," it's no surprise that numerous imitations exist. These aren't attempts to replace the original "Heart of the Forest" with a genuine imitation, but rather a form of imitation and learning, much like the practice of copying by many great painters.

Among the many imitations of the "Forest Heart" collection, many are time-honored and exquisitely crafted. Even without the "imitation" label, they are still valuable in their own right. And Suzuki Jirokichi—this time, he bought many of them at once.

To the naked eye, these replicas are practically indistinguishable from the real thing—at least to the average person. As for Suzuki Jirokichi's plan, it's simply like hiding trees in a forest: exhibiting the authentic "Heart of the Forest" amidst a sea of ​​convincing replicas.

In the words of Jiro Suzuki himself, unless Kaito Kidd is one of the world's top gem identification masters, it would be impossible for him to accurately identify the true "Heart of the Forest" in a short period of time.

As for getting information from others?

This was even more impossible. All the staff involved in the gem exhibition, including Ginzo Nakamori, who had secured the venue and waited for the truth, had no idea which was the true "Heart of the Forest." The only person who knew the truth was Jirokichi Suzuki himself. And he was absolutely confident that he wouldn't be tricked by Kaito Kid.

*

Hiding the trees in the forest is one of the measures that Suzuki Jirokichi uses to deal with Kaito Kidd. As for his other anti-theft method -

"Kriss, this emerald really suits your eyes!"

"Kriss, do you think the one you're wearing is the real 'Heart of the Forest'?"

"Olga, what made you decide to participate in this 'Heart of the Forest' exhibition across the ocean and be one of the models displaying the gems?"

"Olga, music fans are eager to know if you have any plans to play the violin again in the future?"

…

Countless flashes flashed with the sound of cameras clicking, and Olga always maintained a decent smile in the face of the swarming reporters and increasingly pointed questions. Of course, the reporters had no idea what she was thinking.

Olga wore a black, one-shoulder gown and an emerald necklace. Under the night light, the shimmering emerald took on a deep hue, perfectly complementing her emerald eyes. Against her red hair, the green was even more vibrant.

"Oh, thank you for the compliments, it's very much appreciated. ... Is that the real 'Heart of the Forest' that I'm wearing? I don't know, everything is kept secret. ... Violin? No, I don't have any plans for that at the moment."

As she was speaking, Olga had already entered the venue surrounded by bodyguards, and the road before entering the venue that was comparable to a red carpet scene finally came to an end.

While secretly sighing in her heart, Olga had to suppress her impatience with the crowds of people around her, and continued to patiently talk to Suzuki Jirokichi who was coming towards her.

I should have known not to accept the invitation from the Suzuki Group. Olga thought to herself while dealing with Suzuki Jirokichi, who seemed to be in a state of excitement since he saw her.

Yes, this is another anti-theft measure of Suzuki Jirokichi - the gems are worn by real people on display.

According to Suzuki Jirokichi's conception, if Kaito Kid were to steal the gems, the models, acting as "living gem displays," would be able to sense it and respond accordingly. "Even if it's just holding him and making him unable to move," Suzuki Jirokichi said.

Of course, Olga had reservations about the feasibility of this strategy.

*

Olga was completely unprepared for her popularity in Japan.

Olga, standing in the center, looked around and saw that the models for the "Living Gem Display Stand" had already arrived, all with green eyes. It was truly difficult for Suzuki Jirokichi to find so many green-eyed models in such a short time, as green eyes are indeed rare.

Of course, green eyes are not the same as green eyes. Even if they are the same green eyes, the color of different people's eyes can be very different. Even the same person's eye color can look different under different lighting.

Olga could roughly understand Suzuki Jirokichi's obsession with the model's green eyes - after all, the "Heart of the Forest" was an emerald.

But...

Olga has begun to regret her decision - after being surrounded by people like a zoo as a "living gem display stand", she sometimes can't even tell whether these people are there to see the gems or to see her.

Classical music is a relatively niche circle in any country, so no matter how famous she is in the classical music circle... What's more, she has never made a public appearance in Japan before, whether it is a concert or other activities.

So, when Olga first received the invitation from the Suzuki Foundation to be one of the jewelry models, she was surprised. Putting aside how Suzuki Jirokichi knew she was in Japan—perhaps it was just his financial resources—the point is, before this, Olga herself had never been associated with the word "model."

However, after a little thought, Olga accepted the invitation of the Suzuki Group under Vermouth's playful eyes - anyway, she had to find a way to get close to Kaito Kid, and Suzuki Jirokichi's move saved her time.

Of course, Olga regretted it now. She would rather spend more time making other plans than staying in a place full of people and being watched.

During her conversation with Suzuki Jirokichi, Olga discovered that this guy who claimed to be a classical music lover was actually her fan. Olga didn't know how much Suzuki Jirokichi knew about classical music, but she was sure that he was her fan.

And then there is now——

Although the models that Suzuki Jirokichi hired as "living gem display stands" weren't all top-tier names, they were all well-known in their respective circles. However, the most popular one seemed to be Olga, who came from the most niche circle.

Olga was now more certain of her popularity in Japan, though she didn't understand why. At the same time, she was also more certain of another thing—the necklace she was wearing was the true "Heart of the Forest."

Although Suzuki Jirokichi claims that everything is random, artificial randomness is always mixed with some unconscious behaviors, representing people’s truest inner expectations.

Olga maintained a good-tempered demeanor, her gaze slowly sweeping across the packed auditorium. Not far away, Officer Nakamori and his subordinates stood guard, diligently keeping the enthusiastic crowd at a distance from the models, while also keeping a close eye on the potential appearance of Kaito Kid. It was said that everyone in the venue had been given a hard time before being allowed in.

Of course, Olga was still very sure that her target was already inside the venue. If not, it would be really disappointing.

*

Suddenly, all the lights went out as if they had agreed to do so, and there was no light in the entire venue.

Accompanied by the short screams of the crowd and Officer Nakamori's prompt order to turn on the backup power supply, Olga's mouth corners slowly curled up into a subtle arc.

Found you.

The next second, Olga felt a very gentle force across her collarbone and finally stopped at the back of her neck.

It's the feel of the cloth.

Sure enough, just like the photo in the newspaper, Mr. Thief was wearing gloves.

Olga suppressed the urge to curl her lips, and tried her best to act the helpless expression of a normal person. She even lazily stretched out her left hand, which was completely incapable of grabbing anyone, as if to grab someone. And then—

Olga felt her hand being gently grasped.

Her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. She saw the thief, though not clearly, but it was enough to make Olga's brain freeze for 0.1 seconds as she began to ponder the relationship between Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito.

What brought Olga back to her senses was a kiss on the hand from Mr. Thief.

At this time, place and situation, the hand-kissing gift seemed a bit exciting and romantic.

As for the thief? He was very polite, only kissing his thumb, not actually touching the skin on the back of Olga's hand. It was unclear whether he was being polite or afraid of leaving any lip print clues that might reveal his identity.

Based on Olga's analysis of Mr. Thief's past behavior, she felt that there was an 89.2% chance that Mr. Thief was indeed quite polite.

*

Mr. Thief's hand kiss was fleeting, like a dragonfly touching the water.

Then, Olga saw him raise his head and meet her eyes.

The corners of Mr. Thief's mouth were filled with a lively and smug smile, with the arrogance of a young man. He seemed to be trying hard to restrain himself, but Olga saw it at a glance.

He raised his index finger to his lips in a sign of secrecy to Olga, who could see out of the corner of her eye that his other hand was clutching an emerald necklace.

It is the "Heart of the Forest".

The movements are quite fast.

Before the lights came on, the last scene that stayed on Olga's retina was a wink from Mr. Thief.