The boy's eyes were so sincere, like clear lake water, that one couldn't help but want to trust him. The chuunibyou girl even forgot her sadness for a moment, only feeling her heart racing and her cheeks burning.

"Th-thank you..."

Aoko lowered her head, her voice barely audible.

At that moment, she suddenly made up her mind—she must test Kaito properly when she got back to confirm whether he was Kaito Kid or not.

What if... what if I misread it?

"Oh, right." Yuzuru suddenly pulled a business card out of his pocket. "If you need any help, feel free to contact me anytime."

The business card only had a phone number on it, and a line of small print slowly appeared on the back, just like the daily necessities that Yuzuru had recorded for her when they first met: "I will keep all your secrets."

Aoko took the business card and smiled gently, "Th...thank you."

Not far away, Kuroba Chikage took in the whole scene. A satisfied smile curved her red lips. Her master's move was indeed extraordinary. This made her feel less guilty towards Aoko.

After all, such a good girl was almost ruined by her son.

The mere thought of becoming "sisters" with Qingzi, her former daughter-in-law, filled Lady Shu with a strange, overwhelming pleasure that made her long, beautiful legs tremble slightly.

"You naughty little brother!"

Yukiko suddenly pounced on him from behind, her two ample breasts pressing tightly against Hanyu Nan's back. She asked coquettishly with a hint of playfulness, "What are you two talking about so happily?"

As she spoke, she deliberately looked the girl, who looked exactly like Xiaolan, up and down with a wary gaze, like a cat guarding its food, always on guard against someone taking away what she loved.

Ah, men.

Yukiko thought to herself, "A bad brother is a bad brother. How could she not know what he's thinking?"

After all, she's the woman who once used her best friend's face and her best friend's daughter's face.

Therefore, she knew that her bad brother had an irresistible desire to collect women with similar faces. She didn't believe that her bad brother would not be tempted by a girl with the exact same face as Xiaolan when she appeared in front of him. He would not easily let go of such an opportunity.

“Good sister…” Yuzuru smiled helplessly, “We were discussing the exhibition we just saw.”

"Really?" Yukiko narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then smiled broadly. "Now that we've finished discussing, come with me to dinner! I know a super~ awesome French restaurant nearby!"

Without saying a word, she grabbed Yuzuru Nan and started to leave, not forgetting to turn back and make a face at Aoko. She showed no awareness of being an elder, instead acting like a little girl who would never grow up, full of childishness.

Aoko was amused, and her mood inexplicably lightened.

She carefully put the business card away and walked towards Ran and Sonoko, who were talking to Officer Nakamori.

"Dad, let's go home."

She took Officer Nakamori's arm.

Nakamori Ginzo affectionately patted his daughter's head: "Good, thanks to you today, that thief was in such a sorry state! Daddy will treat you to a big meal!"

"Yes!" Qingzi nodded vigorously, a determined look flashing in her eyes.

She needs to devise a plan, a plan that can confirm Kaito's true identity...

.........

In the dead of night, Ekota.

Kaito, now back to normal, was soaked to the bone, looking like a drowned rat, and reeking of the nauseating stench of the sewers. He could only manage to climb through the window into the Blue Parrot Billiards Bar with great difficulty.

This is his and Terai Kinosuke's secret base. He has been living here since he ran away from home.

As soon as he entered, Douzi collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, as if all his strength had been drained away, not even enough to move a finger.

“I hate cats and mice…” he muttered to himself.

Today was definitely the most humiliating day of his career—first he was beaten up by Aoko, then surrounded by two detectives, and finally he was turned into a "mouse" and chased by a cat, jumping into the toilet to escape.

Even more tragically, in the sewers, he was almost raped by a real rat that appeared out of nowhere...

This series of misfortunes was a nightmare for him.

"You're back?"

A cold, desolate voice suddenly rang out.

Kaito was startled and looked up to see Koizumi Akako sitting on the pool table, her blood-red eyes gleaming faintly in the darkness, and Terai Kinosuke lying unconscious on the ground next to her.

"Red, Red?!" Kaito scrambled to his feet in a fluster. "What are you doing here?"

"Wait for you."

Hongzi stood up, her skirt fluttering even without wind. "Where are the photos?"

Kaito suddenly remembered his business and, without even checking if the butler was alright, frantically pulled his phone out of the waterproof bag, his tone slightly ingratiating: "Here it is! The whole process of my mom feeding Hanyu Nana chocolate, from every angle!"

Hongzi took the phone, scrolling through the photos, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "This is impossible..."

"What's wrong?" Kaito asked, puzzled. "Was the footage not clear enough? Should I ask Mom to feed Hanyu Nanami again?"

Akako didn't answer Kaito's question, but just gave him a strange look.

Who would have thought that the famous Phantom Thief Kid would have such a peculiar hobby?

Is it confirmed that Kuroba Chikage is his mother?

Koizumi Akako sensed something was off, but she couldn't be bothered with it at the moment. Instead, she stared intently into the eyes of Hanyu Nanasu in the photo—there was no infatuation or adoration she had expected, only clarity and amusement.

"True Love Chocolate...it's expired?" she murmured to herself.

Kaito shrugged: "I told you that thing was unreliable. Now can you give me the information about the Pandora Gem?"

Hongzi gave him a cold glance: "You think that's enough?"

"Hey! We had an agreement!" Kaito snapped.

He even "sacrificed" his own mother to get the information, and now Hongzi is telling him that's not enough. Does he really want his mother to go all the way? If she does, he'll definitely get beaten to death by her.

“Our agreement was for Yuzuru to fall in love with me.” Akako waved her hand, and the phone disappeared into thin air. “But he obviously hasn’t done that yet.”

Kaito jumped up and down in anger: "That's because your chocolate is the problem! What does it have to do with me!"

Ignoring Kaito's tantrums, Akako pondered for a moment.

The True Love Potion couldn't possibly be ineffective; it was a magical potion she painstakingly created based on her family's traditions. The only possibility is that the potion wasn't potent enough, and the amount of chocolate used was still insufficient.

Someone's magic is like having a cheat code.

Miss Witch had never seen such a terrifying speed of cultivation since she was a child. There was no record of it in her family's tradition. Even the great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei had to cultivate step by step.

However, the speed at which Yuzuru Nan's magic power increased was not a matter of whether he was cheating or not; it was simply not cheating at all.

It was completely beyond her comprehension.