Late at night, inside a luxury apartment in Mika.
In the bright living room, a thrilling vampire movie was playing on the television.
The eerie visuals and unsettling sound effects created a mysterious atmosphere throughout the living room.
On the sofa next to her, a little girl with a bandage on her arm was completely absorbed in the TV show, her eyes glued to the screen.
The small body leaned forward, its hands gripping the edge of the sofa tightly, as if it had already entered that world full of fantasy and horror.
"Pat, pat!"
Just then, a middle-aged woman who had just finished washing up walked by slowly, shuffling along in her slippers while carefully drying her hair with a towel.
The footsteps sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet living room, each step seemingly carrying an irresistible force.
"Ayumi, it's time to sleep~" The beautiful woman's voice was gentle yet firm.
"Ah..." Hearing her mother call, Ayumi reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the TV. "Can't it be a little later? It's really exciting right now!"
Ayumi's little face was filled with reluctance and pleading, and her big eyes sparkled with expectation. Like every child being urged to go to sleep by their parents, she also tried to bargain.
However, like every parent with a firm stance, Mrs. Yoshida was not open to discussion.
"No, you can't!" Mrs. Yoshida tidied her wet hair and patiently gave her reasons. "You still have an injury on your arm, so you need to rest early to heal faster. Besides, you have school tomorrow, and if you don't sleep well, you won't have any energy the next day."
"All right!"
Ayumi glanced at the bandage on her arm. Although she wanted to look at it some more, she obediently stood up and walked towards the bedroom, turning back every few steps.
Mrs. Yoshida watched her daughter's retreating figure until she entered her room, then turned off the television, tidied up the living room, and went back to her room to rest.
As the night deepened, the apartment gradually quieted down, with only a gentle breeze blowing through the window and the occasional blaring of alarm bells.
Moonlight filtered through the thin clouds, gently spilling into the corners of the room.
Ayumi, who was lying in bed covered with a blanket and dreaming of becoming a vampire princess that night, suddenly noticed a strange reflection on the bedroom curtains.
"Huh?" As a veteran member of the "Daredevil Club," Ayumi immediately jumped off the bed after discovering this sudden situation.
He quickly walked to the balcony and flung open the tightly closed glass door.
The cool breeze outside ruffled her hair. She looked up at the man in white, standing gracefully on the balcony railing with his back to her, and asked with great curiosity.
"Who are you? Mr. Vampire?"
Upon hearing the voice, Kaito Kuroba put his hands in his pockets, slowly turned his face, which was covered by a monocle, and gave a wicked smile. "No, I'm just tired from flying, so I'm stopping to rest!"
As he spoke, he nimbly jumped down from the railing, half-squatting down to look at Ayumi, "Little girl, why aren't you asleep so late? Aren't you afraid of bad people?"
Ayumi blinked, showing none of the frightened look Kaito had imagined. "This is my home, why should I be afraid?"
“Uh…” Now it was Kaito’s turn to be stumped.
This isn't right!
This little girl is different from the other children he's met before!
Those children would have been terrified and cried their eyes out in that situation.
However, as the Phantom Thief Kid, Kaito quickly adjusted his strategy.
With Ayumi looking on with suspicion, he took her little hand and was about to use his tried-and-true method of kissing her hand to win over this strange little girl.
Kaito has never failed with this move.
Then, in the next moment, he was proven wrong.
"What are you doing? Don't you know you can't just kiss a girl's hand?" Realizing the stranger's intentions, Ayumi, like a startled rabbit, broke free and cautiously put her hands behind her back.
She's saving this for when she grows up, so that her very comfortable Yuzuru-nii-san can kiss it.
I can't let another boy take it from me!
"Hey kid, don't be so fierce." Kaito's smile stiffened as he tried to ease the awkward atmosphere.
Ayumi's thin eyebrows furrowed tightly as she stared at Kaito warily, and she shouted, "Who are you? If you don't explain, I'll call you Mom!"
Kaito quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, I'm just a magician passing by."
"A magician?" Ayumi tilted her head. "Is it the kind of magician that Yuzuru-nii talked about, the kind who just fools kids?"
"You're just kidding..." Kaito was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.
The renowned Phantom Thief Kid, whose fame is widespread in the martial arts world, is actually being called a child's trick by a little kid.
This is simply an "insult" to him!
Kaito straightened up, feeling that the name Yuzuru-nii mentioned in Ayumi's words sounded very familiar, but before he could ask, he heard a piercing roar and a dazzling beam of light behind him.
"They came so fast!" Kaito covered his eyes with one hand and took a few steps forward into the airflow of the helicopter.
The white cloak he was wearing rustled in the wind.
"Where is he! Don't let that guy get away again! Catch Phantom Thief Kid now!"
Downstairs, Ginzo Nakamori was shouting and gesturing wildly, directing his police officers to shine searchlights upstairs.
Where there's Kaito Kid, how can there be no Ginzo Nakamori!
He swore he would bring the Phantom Thief Kid to justice.
"Well then, little girl, when we meet next time I'll tell you that magic isn't just a trick to fool little kids!" Kaito gripped his white top hat tightly with one hand, said goodbye to Ayumi, and then leaped off the high building.
This action startled Ayumi, who quickly leaned over the railing to look down, but could only see a white figure disappearing rapidly into the dark night.
Meanwhile, Nakamori Ginzo, panting, led the police upstairs, their expressions tense as they searched for Kaito Kid's trail.
"Damn it, he got away again!" Nakamori Ginzo stomped his feet angrily, his facial muscles trembling with rage.
The other police officers were already used to it and routinely cleaned up the scene.
They all knew in their hearts that it would always be the same, ending in failure.
But work still had to be done, so I packed up my things and prepared to go home and sleep.
...
Ekota.
After successfully escaping the police, Kaito first changed back into his normal clothes at a secluded base before leisurely making his way home.
Throughout the journey, the scene of his encounter with Ayumi kept replaying in his mind.
"What a strange little girl, she actually managed to resist my charm!"
Kaito, dressed in his school uniform, walked along touching his face and muttering to himself.
He has always been very confident in his charm, and women of all ages, whether young girls or mature women, would fall for his captivating smile and dashing demeanor.
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