Chapter 59 Ice and Snow Extravaganza
With the New Year just over, Nagano, the ice and snow city that will soon host the Winter Olympics, is still immersed in a warm festive atmosphere and anticipation for the upcoming event.
In many places, ice sculptures have been erected, like jewels inlaid on a brocade surface.
At this moment, Amuro was standing in front of an ice sculpture at the hotel entrance.
Somehow, he was the first person to arrive, so he had no choice but to wait there.
The hotel was quite luxurious and was booked by Sonoko, the second daughter of the Suzuki Group.
Unfortunately, this ice sculpture is not very well made.
The design is based on the ubiquitous six-colored cat mascot of this year's Winter Olympics. Apparently, the designer wanted to echo the hotel's name, "Minghui" (meaning "bright and shining"). So, in their supposed cleverness, they added a gaudy lighting effect inside the cat's body; the six-colored lights are practically blinding.
"Why does it have to be six colors? The Olympic rings only have five colors."
Amuro frowned as he pondered, thinking that even removing one light would make the effect much better than it is now.
What's worse, the cat, under this eerie filter, didn't show any of its usual cuteness; instead, it looked ghostly and sinister. Combined with the gloomy sky today, it was truly unpleasant.
Amuro stared at the cat with the eerie smile, feeling as if it were looking at him, yet he couldn't see through it.
The smiling face, reflected on the ice base, was distorted and deformed under the light, transforming into countless smiling faces:
It was as if trickery was nested within trickery, and lies were intertwined with lies.
"Mr. Amuro! You're here so early!"
Amuro heard someone calling him from behind, so he turned around and saw Ran and Sonoko walking towards him with four little devils.
"I just arrived myself. Thank you so much for your hospitality, Miss Sonoko." Amuro bowed slightly in thanks.
"Mr. Amuro, you're too kind! The more people, the more lively it is!" Sonoko said generously.
"Where are Dr. Agasa and Ai Haibara?" Amuro asked casually.
“They went to park the car,” Ayumi replied.
Amuro nodded, noticing the young detective's serious expression as if he were deep in thought, and pulled him aside to ask quietly, "Are you already thinking about how to deal with Kid?"
"I wasn't thinking about that guy," Conan said, pursing his lips. "On my way here, I ran into an old man who claimed to be the chairman of a car company named Kenzo Masuyama. He said he knew me, but I have absolutely no recollection of ever seeing him before..."
"Did he see Ai?" Amuro's tone suddenly became tense.
No, why?
"That's good, everything's alright now."
"So who is he? Could he be from that organization?" Conan's face showed a visible look of horror.
“Beihu Hotel, do you remember it?” Amuro prompted.
Conan frowned, then suddenly realized: "I remember! But he's only met me once. His memory is amazing!"
"Rather than saying your performance at the time impressed Piske."
"His codename is Pisker?"
"That person is very interested in you, be careful not to give yourself away."
Conan nodded vigorously, and then someone put a hat on him from behind.
"Huh? Hattori, Heiji-nii-san?" Conan asked in surprise, looking at the dark-skinned boy. "What are you doing here?"
"It was Sonoko who invited me; Kazuha caught a cold and couldn't come," Heiji explained.
"He just confessed his feelings and then left his girlfriend to go out and have fun all by himself. Heiji-nii is really too much!" Conan teased.
"Don't talk nonsense, you little brat! I came here to get Kazuha's favorite athlete's autograph."
However, the onlookers were clearly not interested in what Heiji had come for; their gossip-loving spirits were ablaze, and they all crowded around to ask, "When did you confess?"
"Ahem, this, that..." Heiji's dark face flushed strangely as he tried to find an excuse to brush it off.
The young detective volunteered to be the narrator and shouted, "I know! Heiji confessed to Kazuha on the ship!"
Hearing this, everyone got even more excited: "On a ship? Is it like the scene on the Titanic? You jump, I jump!"
"No, it's a cargo ship with several illegally trafficked children on board. Heiji-nii is there to solve a case."
"Huh? Is that how it is? It doesn't seem very romantic..."
"Shut up! Who would confess their feelings in a place like that?" Heiji muttered angrily, making a move to hit him.
Conan cleverly jumped behind Amuro and dodged.
Just then, Dr. Agasa, Ai Haibara, and Uncle Mori walked over together.
"Dad, you're so slow!" Xiaolan complained, sounding slightly annoyed.
"There's nothing I can do about my diarrhea!"
"Did Dad secretly go out and eat some unclean food last night?"
"No way! I haven't eaten anything since dinner! It must be the seafood."
"Then why are we all fine, but only one of us has diarrhea?" Xiaolan's question left Maoli speechless.
Amuro stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "I think it's because everyone's constitution is different! If Mr. Mori has been experiencing stomach discomfort lately, it's best to avoid raw, cold, or spicy foods!"
Mori was deeply moved: "It's still my eldest disciple who cares about me."
During the conversation, a beautiful young woman walked over gracefully.
Sonoko's eyes lit up, and she quickly went to greet her, saying happily, "Sister, you've finally arrived!"
Ayako replied with a smile, "There was a traffic jam on the way, so I'm a little late. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Why didn't your brother-in-law come with you?
Ayako scolded, "Don't talk nonsense, Yuzo and I aren't married yet."
"It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway!"
Although they are biological sisters, Ayako and Sonoko have very different personalities. Ayako is generally more accommodating to her carefree and unpretentious younger sister.
Sonoko is right. Ayako and her fiancé, Tomizawa Yuzo, are already engaged, and marriage is only a matter of time.
Ayako explained, "Yuzo is too busy with work to come, so I came alone. I'm really looking forward to seeing the legendary Black Swan Heart in person."
"Now that everyone's here, let's go in!"
In order to capture Kaito Kid alive and wash away the humiliation of exhibiting a fake, Sonoko's uncle, Jirokichi Suzuki, specially brought the real item this time and issued a challenge to Kid in a grand manner.
The precious gem is now stored on the top floor of the hotel, and access requires a special pass.
While everyone was queuing to receive their passes, Conan noticed two suspicious-looking people in the corner:
An elderly man and a very young woman were standing next to him.
The woman handed the old man a piece of paper and kept bowing as if she were apologizing.
Conan wanted to get a closer look, but he bumped into someone right at the corner.
Conan rubbed his head, looked closely, and exclaimed in surprise, "Sakai?"
The boy opposite him was also stunned. He asked curiously, "How do you know my name, little brother?"
Realizing he had made a slip of the tongue, Conan quickly replied, "I saw my brother's pass, Sakai Yuuki."
"Wow, little brother, you have such good observation skills!" Yushu exclaimed. "But you can't get in without a pass! Come on, I'll take you to the counter."
Conan followed Yuuki in a daze, thinking to himself: It's really not nice to go from being a senior to a little brother!
"Oh? Sakai, you're here too?" Sonoko greeted her warmly.
"Hello, Suzuki-senpai."
"Hey kid, where have you been again? Take your pass with you and don't cause any trouble, you hear me?" Sonoko said, a little annoyed.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Conan." Amuro took the little detective from Yuuki, which made the latter roll his eyes.
Upon entering, everyone was stunned:
Because the legendary Black Swan Heart is placed in what looks like an ordinary glass case, with no protective measures at all!
"You think this can stop Kidd?" Mori asked dismissively.
"No protective measures are reliable; in the end, it all comes down to our police force showing its prowess," said Nakamori Ginzo, a specialist in arresting Kidd, with pride.
However, Mr. Suzuki clearly had a different opinion. He cleared his throat and demonstrated the ingenuity of this seemingly ordinary security system: "This is no ordinary glass cover. If Kidd tries to open it by brute force, he will only get an electric shock. The high-voltage current will knock Kidd unconscious instantly. Of course, it will not damage the gem, because the gem will sink and lock into the base below. Only I can unlock it, not with fingerprints or passwords, but with finger vein recognition."
"What is that?" the children asked curiously.
"This is a biometric technology. Simply put, it uses the vein patterns on the fingers to determine if it is me. But unlike static features such as fingerprints and irises, finger vein recognition requires a living person. In other words, if Kidd were to cut off my finger in a crazy way, he would not be able to unlock it."
"What if Kid just ran away with the glass dome?" Conan asked.
"The glass cover and the base are integrated, so if you want to take it, you can just pull the base off by the roots. Unless it explodes, it's absolutely impossible to do that."
“Mr. Suzuki, I think we still need to consider this low-probability event. After all, the other party is the ruthless Phantom Thief Kid. If he causes any irreparable damage to this gem, the loss will be immeasurable. I think Ms. Wakasa thinks so too, right?” An old man walked up and said. Conan recognized him as the person he had seen outside earlier.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Tushi, we will definitely not let this happen!" Nakamori said confidently, but Tushi seemed unwilling to believe him.
"Yuanzi, who are those people?" Xiaolan asked quietly.
"That old man is called Kento Tsuchishi, a jewelry expert invited by my uncle. I don't recognize the young woman next to him either. The woman with glasses is called Rumi Wakasa, sent by the Haneda family."
"Haneda?"
"It's Haneda Yasuharu! This Black Swan Heart was borrowed from the Haneda family by my uncle, and Miss Wakasa is the agent in charge of managing the gem."
“Senior Tushi, I think the police officer is trustworthy,” the young woman who had been silent all along suddenly spoke up.
"What are you babbling about? Just do the job I assigned you!" Tu Shi said with a displeased look.
"May I ask who this young lady is?" Nakamori interjected.
"Hello! My name is Nishimoto Sui, and I'm Tu Shi's assistant. My senior brother had something come up and couldn't come, so I'm filling in for him," Nishimoto introduced himself politely.
“Uncle, may we take a closer look at the Heart of the Black Swan?” Ayako pleaded.
"Of course you can, but be careful not to touch the glass, or you'll get electrocuted!"
Everyone excitedly crowded around to see, but the children were greatly disappointed: "Liar! It doesn't look like a black swan at all!"
"I think it's just a matter of angle. It'll look better from the front. Shall I hold you all so you can see?" Amuro said considerately, picking up Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta one by one.
When Conan saw Amuro lift Genta effortlessly, he couldn't help but marvel at the other's incredible arm strength.
When it was Ai's turn, the girl hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not refuse.
For some reason, Ai vaguely felt that this scene resembled a certain rainy night.
"Is it beautiful?" Amuro asked with a smile.
"Thank you." The little girl hopped lightly down from the blond man's arms.
The last one is Conan, but the little detective is prickly all over, his face practically screaming, "Don't touch me!"
So Amuro had no choice but to give up.
“I’ve heard that Kid is very good at disguising himself. What if he sneaks in and forces Mr. Suzuki to unlock the door?” Heiji asked, looking the glass case up and down.
Conan shared the same doubts. He looked around and observed everyone, vaguely sensing that Kid had already infiltrated the group.
"The police won't let this happen." Suddenly, two people walked in from outside.
The leader had a terrifying appearance, which frightened the children.
"Kuroda Hyōe, Superintendent of the First Investigative Division, Nagano Metropolitan Police Department. This is my subordinate, Morofushi Takamine." Kuroda introduced himself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I didn't expect the Nagano Metropolitan Police Department to send help," Nakamori said politely, though he was secretly thinking: Is sending just one person even useful?
Conan was happy to see Takaaki, but he keenly noticed that Amuro's expression was cold and he did not make any eye contact with the police officers.
"Aren't you being a bit too cautious, Officer?"
"Or is there someone you absolutely have to avoid?"
Phantom thief, detective, police officer, organization...
Conan looked at the Black Swan Heart, which sat quietly and radiated a soft glow, and couldn't help but wonder: Why does this bright and beautiful stone have such great charm that it can attract all these people to one place?
However, Conan did not expect that this gem, which was imbued with desire and curse, had not yet unleashed its magic.
The six forces vying for control of the Black Swan's Heart are already stirring. Meanwhile, the young detective at the center of the vortex remains oblivious to the conspiracy brewing beneath the surface.
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