Chapter 442

"Good evening." On a night when Kaito didn't show up, Shiro Amakusa landed on the balcony of Kuroba Kaito's house, took off his hat elegantly and saluted the high school boy inside. "Before the final stage is ready, I have a proposal - would you like to listen to me for a while, Kaito?"

The high school boy inside did not answer, but the door on the balcony, which was originally tightly closed, quietly opened a crack.

"What's wrong? Isn't it a good thing for you to win the Chaldea visit qualification?" On a day off, Haibara Ai turned her eyes away from the book and looked at Edogawa Conan, who was staring at the web page on the computer with a vigilant expression, which announced the first batch of Chaldea visit qualification. "Besides, you won't go to that office even if you have a problem recently...Have you found any problem?"

"I'm just a little suspicious." Edogawa Conan opened the screen recording of Chaldea's live broadcast that day, "But, Haibara, do you think the same organization can continuously place undercover agents in the organization?"

"Then we should suspect that this organization is a branch of that agency." Huihara Ai gave her opinion pertinently, "Why? We found many MI6 undercovers in this organization?"

"There should be only one person who is still undercover." Edogawa Conan paused and explained to Haibara Ai, "Strictly speaking, the situation of MI6 and other agencies should be similar, but I heard this statement during the meeting that day - although it was said when they were arguing, it is hard for me not to care about this possibility."

"Eh——" Huihara Ai raised her eyebrows and looked at Edogawa Conan with interest, "What did they say when they were arguing?"

"Something like 'MI6 Japan Branch'." Edogawa Conan shrugged his shoulders with a subtle expression, "If that's the case, let's not talk about why the organization hasn't been solved - first of all, at least there won't be any FBI matters in our meeting. Even if there is, the FBI will not be a member involved in the main operation."

Haibara Ai could not deny this - she put down the book, picked up the remote control and changed the TV channel.

"Whatever you're thinking about now, detective." Ai Huihara watched the news on TV boredly and reminded Conan Edogawa, "Since your plan has been decided, canceling it temporarily or turning the spearhead against your own people will have adverse effects. Instead of looking for relevant information about Chaldea everywhere, you'd better pay attention to the thief warning letter received in Hakodate."

"A thief's warning letter?"

"Well, the news just broadcast said that it was a preview of the joint operation of Phantom Thief Kid and Phantom Thief Amakusa Shiro." Haibara Ai glanced at Edogawa Conan, "It is said that they are going to steal the 'Star' of Hakodate, but I'll trouble you to look up the specific content yourself - the content of the preview letter must have been everywhere by now, and it should be easy to search on the Internet."

Although the opening time of Chaldea is approaching, the trailer of Phantom Thief Kid is still released earlier than that of Chaldea - so, before Conan Edogawa has time to find the main text of the trailer on the Internet, he is taken to Hokkaido by Kogoro Mouri as the "Kid's Nemesis".

Of course, Kogoro Mori also remembered to bring Ran Mori with him - just as a trip to Hokkaido.

Meanwhile, Roman, who has not yet returned to Chaldea, has received an invitation to give a surgical lecture in Hokkaido through the Beika General Hospital. And Okita-kun, who is about to leave Teitan High School on the grounds of transferring, is begged by his club teacher to go to Hokkaido to participate in the "High School Men's Selection Friendship Kendo Tournament" hosted by Hakodate.

"Sakura and I shouldn't have chosen Teitan High School." As the only two members of the Gut Gut formation who chose to go to high school, Okita-kun seriously reflected on his choice to his companions who came to watch his kendo competition. "Although we perfectly avoided the Hachijo Island incident, we were involved in the incident of Hokkaido Phantom Thief Kid."

"If I hadn't been a high school student, I might not have had this kind of trouble."

"If you don't act like a high school student, you might run into more trouble." Yamanami Keisuke smiled softly and stopped the captain from another world from reflecting on himself. "Speaking of which, while we're in Hokkaido this time, should we go to those famous scenic spots to take some photos?"

"Ah, I want to take a photo with Mr. Hijikata in front of the statue of Hijikata Toshinori!" Ms. Okita raised her hand excitedly and suggested.

"What's so good about taking photos of statues...?" Hijikata Toshizou gave Ms. Okita an incomprehensible expression. "Besides, if we want to take a group photo, there aren't enough people - for you, Okita."

"But even if the people are not all there, I think it is necessary to keep a record." Ms. Okita smiled and turned her head to look at Oda Nobunaga who was sitting on the other side of the aisle. "After all, this is a scene that can only be realized by a 'miracle'."

That night, two strange thieves walked under the moonlight to visit the treasure house where two unknown cops were.

"Wow! You're too heavy-handed this time!?!" Amakusa Shiro yelled as he dodged Edmund's thin sword, occasionally throwing a black key backhandedly to counterattack, "Uh huh... Although the Holy Church doesn't care about these, if I hurt someone here, I will affect Kidd's reputation - huh?"

"Protect that little thief." Edmund put away his sword and changed back to his "daily" look as a green-caped detective. "He's just an ordinary magician - a mortal human. Although the doctor is in Hakodate now, it's better not to let him go to the hospital."

"Okita and the others are also in Hakodate. If you need anything, remember to ask them for help. The man, Okita, is busy, so it's best not to ask him."

"...I understand." Amakusa Shiro hid the gentle smile on his face all the time, held up the brim of his black hat and answered Edmund, "I will protect him."

"I'll give you this knife for now." Edmund turned and walked into the dark room. "I'll explain it to the police - you have to hurry."

"I know." Amakusa Shiro lowered his hat brim and turned his back to Edmund, giving him a thief-like smile. "After all, time is money."

The next morning, at the old Hakodate District Public Hall, which was the venue for the "High School Men's Selection Friendship Kendo Tournament", Okita-kun met Okita Souji and Toyama Kazuha.

"Is Hattori also participating in this competition?" Okita-kun asked Toyama Kazuha.

"Yeah, but last night Heiji ran away to catch a thief and hasn't shown up since." Toyama Kazuha shook his head and complained, "He asked me to come over to cheer him on. By the way, the high school men's competition held in Hakodate this time doesn't include a women's division... Will Sakura come to Hokkaido?"

"It's just right for her to come here for a trip." Okita-kun replied to Toyama Kazuha with a smile, "I originally wanted her to go to the tourist spot with the others first - after all, we are very familiar with each other's moves and strengths, but she said that it was rare that she didn't have a match at the same time, so she pulled everyone over to watch my match."

"Aren't you here with the Kendo Club of Teitan High School?" Souji Okita raised his eyebrows.

"Although we are members of the Kendo Club, we don't have to act as a group." Okita-kun touched his nose sheepishly and suggested to the two, "Come to think of it, there is still some time before your next match. Do you want to come and watch my match? It's a good opportunity for Sakura to introduce you to the other people who came to Hakodate with you this time."

"You're going to compete soon!?!"

Toyama Kazuha and Okita Souji both showed surprised expressions.

"It's the first match after the special martial arts performance." Okita-kun laughed, "I looked at the schedule. Okita's match is the third one. He has enough time to put on his protective gear after watching my match."

"Then I'll go say hello to Xiaolan and come right away!" Toyama Kazuha looked down at Edogawa Conan who was following her, "Besides, we have to send Conan back to Xiaolan."

"Then I'll go back and put on my protective gear." Okita-kun separated from the two and walked back to his own competition venue.

On the other hand, the actions of the two thieves came to a standstill - after all, except for the obvious locations of these two knives, they had no clues about the remaining four knives.

——Except that the swordsmith who forged them was named Eitaki Tokubo.

"Why do you want to find the Star Blade?" In a place where no one is around, Kuroba Kaito, who has taken off his disguise, finally asked Amakusa Shiro his question, "I want to find the Star Blade only because of my father - but what about you?"

"I told you about the relics before, didn't I?" Amakusa Shiro turned the black hat that belonged to the phantom thief's spirit robe and looked at the two snipers in front of him. "For a magician, that star-edged sword is a much easier relic of Hijikata Toshizo to obtain than the sniper Kunihiro Horikawa or the katana and Izumi no Kami Kanesada lying in the Hijikata Toshizo Archives."

"Even though it's just a sword that is said to have been used once by Hijikata Toshizo."

"Besides, don't you think it's strange that the rumor about the treasure left by the former head of the Axue family is a powerful weapon that can turn the tide of the war at that time?" Amakusa Shiro lost his hat and jumped off the table. "But if a magician summons a servant... the power of a servant can indeed do this."

"So I have to confirm the condition of the knife myself, or add a seal so that no one else can find it."

"Well, although I think that turning the tide of the battle at that time is not something that an ordinary Servant can do." Amakusa Shiro tilted his head towards Kuroba Kaito and smiled, "Besides, for laymen who don't know much about the business, they might prefer to summon a Servant who can create miracles--"

"Let me think about it... Oh, for example, the leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, Amakusa Shiro Tokishin, who was said to have the ability to 'resurrect the dead and turn bones into flesh' with his hands and created many miracles - although his fame is probably not as great as Hijikata Toshizo, in the eyes of laymen, real miracles may be more in line with their psychological needs than powerful military force."

“…Are you really not flattering your own name?” Hei Yu Kaito complained.

"After all, outsiders would never imagine that most Servants are more powerful than the strongest weapons humans can wield."