SCIAW: Chapter 399/400

Chapter 399: Kaito Kid's Discovery!

Time had already reached evening in Yokohama.

The cruise ship belonging to the Suzuki conglomerate was already docked at the port.

Guests had started to board the cruise ship little by little. At the same time, the police had stationed officers at the entrance of the ship to check and confirm the identity of each guest.

However, among the police officers maintaining order, there was still one person strongly opposed to this arrangement.

"So why doesn't Inspector Chaki just stop the Suzuki conglomerate anniversary event?"

"Oh? Stop it?"

Chaki Shintaro didn't argue. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Nakamori Ginzo, who was standing in front of him.

"Ginzo, do you know how powerful the Suzuki conglomerate is in this country?"

"Do you know how much tax the Suzuki conglomerate pays every year?"

"So, are you telling me to inform a tycoon who pays that much tax and runs a company vital to the nation's heavy industry that they need to cancel their 60th anniversary celebration, just because our police force is a bunch of incompetents who can't even protect them?"

Nakamori Ginzo's expression changed, and he hurriedly denied it.

"Inspector Chaki, that's not what I meant!"

"Of course I know you didn't mean that."

Chaki Shintaro did not blame him. At least he knew very well that Nakamori did not say that on purpose. His reaction came from an instinct to protect the Suzuki conglomerate as much as possible.

"But you need to understand that the Suzuki conglomerate has not committed any crime. They simply accepted the invitation from the Beika Museum to display their heirlooms."

"Even so, those heirlooms on display have been targeted by a vile thief. Mr. Shiro Suzuki, the head of the Suzuki conglomerate, asked me whether the anniversary should still be held."

"Do you think I could possibly stop it under these circumstances?"

Chaki Shintaro's expression grew more serious.

"Ginzo, tell me, can I tell Mr. Shiro Suzuki, 'I'm sorry, Mr. Suzuki, our police are a bunch of incompetents. We can't even catch a thief, so please temporarily stop the Suzuki conglomerate's 60th anniversary celebration'?"

Nakamori Ginzo bit his lip so hard it almost bled. He shook his head slightly and said two words.

"Absolutely not!"

Hearing this, Chaki Shintaro's expression softened a little. In fact, out of all his subordinates, the one he liked the most was Nakamori Ginzo. At least this subordinate still had blood in his veins.

"Do you understand now?"

"This is not about whether the Suzuki conglomerate wants to stop. We, the police, absolutely cannot allow a respected conglomerate to compromise with a thief."

"Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the Suzuki conglomerate? And also a slap in the face to our police force."

"What's more, this time the Suzuki conglomerate has invited many famous people to attend the 60th anniversary celebration. Under these circumstances, how can we stop the celebration?"

As he spoke, Chaki Shintaro placed his hands firmly on Nakamori Ginzo's shoulders.

"So what we need to do this time is to completely catch that thief at this banquet."

"You are the only one in our Investigation Division 2 with the ability and experience to deal with that thief. This time, I can only rely on you, Ginzo."

"I understand."

At that moment, Nakamori Ginzo could already feel the weight of his superior's expectations.

But he also understood why Inspector Chaki was so persistent. It was not because they could hide, but because, as police officers, they could not hide.

Carrying that expectation, Nakamori Ginzo went back to maintaining order.

"Found Kaito Kid!?"

Just as Nakamori Ginzo was doing so, such a shout came from the police checkpoint.

"!?"

This immediately drew the attention of almost all the police present.

"Bang!"

All of a sudden, a dazzling white light burst out from the crowd.

Almost all of the police instantly recognized what that white light was.

A flash bomb!

This made all of the police realize that they had truly encountered Kaito Kid this time.

However, chaos had already broken out in the crowd.

The guests attending the banquet were not Kaito Kid's so-called fans, and they didn't have much fondness for him to begin with.

With a disturbance like this, no one was pleased with the thief…

"Everyone, don't split up. Quickly confirm everyone's identity!"

Hiding in the crowd, Kuroba Kaito felt an unprecedented amount of pressure.

Damn it! That notice did not stop Shiro Suzuki from coming. Otherwise, he wouldn't have seen through my disguise so quickly.

To enter the cruise ship where the Suzuki conglomerate was holding its banquet, he naturally needed a reasonable identity.

The most reasonable choice was, of course, to disguise himself as Shiro Suzuki, the head of the Suzuki conglomerate.

Kuroba Kaito naturally knew that it was too risky for two identical people to be present at the same party, so he also contacted Shiro Suzuki while pretending to be Tomoko Suzuki, telling him that the party would be delayed.

However, what had seemed like a flawless disguise was still easily seen through. This meant that Shiro Suzuki had not been deceived.

It was a contact made right before departure, yet he still saw through it.

Did Shiro Suzuki realize it on his own? Or was there someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes?

Kuroba Kaito found it difficult to come up with a reasonable explanation.

But considering that Koizumi Akako had just contacted him earlier and asked him to abort the plan, he had a vague feeling that this mission might be far more dangerous than he had imagined.

The police had immediately seen through his disguise and taken appropriate countermeasures. They had even understood the escape method he used last time. Otherwise, they wouldn't have counted their own members first.

This was bad.

Kuroba Kaito sighed. But at this point, there was no way out.

The police finished their count and confirmed that Kaito Kid was not disguised as one of their own.

Nakamori Ginzo naturally understood that using the same trick again would be difficult, since that was the thief's usual pattern.

"Alright, continue verifying the invitations."

"Yes!"

At this moment, Nakamori Ginzo was far more serious than before.

Because he understood that the police, at this moment, were also in a corner forced by this thief. At the very least, they must not allow the thief to succeed so easily this time.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 400: Getting the Results

Soon, what happened at the entrance of the cruise ship spread throughout the entire ship, including to Suzuki Tomoko and Shiro Suzuki.

"I knew that call had to be from Kaito Kid."

Shiro Suzuki was not surprised at all.

"On a day like today, there is no way something like that could happen. Especially when it was you who supposedly contacted me."

Shiro Suzuki might not know Kaito Kid well, but he understood his wife better than anyone.

For such an important anniversary of the Suzuki family, his wife would never casually change the schedule. More importantly, her future son-in-law would also be attending the party. With Tomoko's personality, she would never alter an already set time.

So, the moment Shiro Suzuki received that call, he immediately knew the caller was Kaito Kid.

"This is also one of Kaito Kid's usual tricks."

Tomoko Suzuki was not surprised by Kaito Kid's methods. To perfectly complete a theft, he naturally needed a reasonable identity to infiltrate the venue.

But she had not expected that the other party would use her husband's identity.

"In addition, we also guessed that the other party would collect information around us. I am afraid our advance arrangements have already been discovered."

Based on her experience from their previous encounter, Suzuki Tomoko knew that the other side had excellent disguise skills and would investigate thoroughly before taking action. However, because the number of people on his team was limited, they could not respond perfectly to sudden changes.

In other words, Kaito Kid was not alone but had a small team of a few people.

Even so, Tomoko Suzuki was sure that the number of people in that team was not large. There were probably only a handful, all of whom shared an inseparable bond with Kaito Kid. Otherwise, they would not be brought into his team.

There was another reason why Kaito Kid's team could not be very large.

Because the more people know Kaito Kid's true identity, the greater the risk. Not everyone could treat wealth like dirt as Kaito Kid did. Once loyalty was shaken, Kaito Kid's identity would be easily exposed.

To cultivate loyal teammates, what lies behind is not superficial money but emotions that cannot be bought.

The bonds between friends and family are the strongest foundation for loyalty.

Therefore, Tomoko Suzuki estimated that Kaito Kid's team only had a few people.

But even that was already a problem in Tomoko Suzuki's eyes.

Because these people, as members of Kaito Kid's team, had already thoroughly investigated many matters within the Suzuki conglomerate.

However, Suzuki Tomoko also knew that Kaito Kid's team could not obtain information about last-minute changes. This was her chance.

She did not need to use additional strategies, she only needed to take advantage of Kaito Kid's own plans.

"Dad, Mom."

While the couple was speaking, Suzuki Ayako arrived wearing a dress.

"Just as you guessed, one of the people distributing the gifts was in disguise."

"It really was."

Neither Shiro Suzuki nor Tomoko Suzuki were surprised at this development.

They had both predicted that Kaito Kid would use the preparations they made against them and create a surprise.

"Have you informed the police?"

"I have. And I asked the police to immediately arrest the person who was handing out the accessories to the guests after all the guests board the ship. I specifically instructed them to use a stun gun and not give the suspect any chance."

Kaito Kid's greatest strength is creating chaos and panic, then using the chaos to move freely.

As long as you know Kaito Kid's methods, you can paralyze him directly without even needing to hit his legs or feet with guns.

The damage caused by a stun gun is very strong. It can paralyze an enemy in the shortest time. Even after recovery, the body will not return to normal flexibility quickly.

Once stunned, it is almost impossible for Kaito Kid's companions to escape on their own after recovery.

At this moment, Suzuki Ayako shed her usual gentle demeanor, her words and actions becoming sharp.

She had once been the gentle older sister, but now, as the future head of the family business, she could no longer act as softly as before. She needed to take harsher measures when faced with matters concerning her family's interests.

Having control over the influence of the Spectator Pathway, she could almost see everyone's thoughts, which allowed her to establish authority within the group.

Suzuki Ayako's methods were a blend of Shiro Suzuki and Tomoko Suzuki.

Sometimes gentle, sometimes firm.

It was precisely because of this change that those within the Suzuki conglomerate who had once worried finally felt at ease.

Such a way of doing things acknowledged Suzuki Ayako as the future successor of the Suzuki conglomerate.

"Well done."

Tomoko Suzuki openly praised and complimented her eldest daughter.

"This matter has become a big problem for the police. Once we chose to hold our ground, the police no longer had the right to back down. This time the police will definitely do their utmost to guard against the thief."

"And as for the thief's accomplices, I naturally will show no mercy."

"Mom, if the thief is caught this time, how long will he be sentenced?"

Suzuki Ayako asked with some curiosity.

"The minimum is three years, the maximum is probably ten years."

But as she said this, Suzuki Tomoko let out a sigh.

"Of course, this is the most ideal result. After all, Kaito Kid is not a murderer. Furthermore, he always returns what he steals the next day. He also has a lot of public support. If there is a commotion, I am afraid our judicial system will be shaken to a certain extent."

"If the lower class starts to stir up trouble and someone fans the flames behind the scenes to depict Kaito Kid as a hero who robs the rich and helps the poor, then his sentence will definitely be reduced."

"If it comes to that, even a single year would feel long."

"So short?"

Suzuki Ayako was slightly surprised. She did not expect that a thief like this would serve such a short sentence after being caught.

"Sentencing is not the point. The point is the brand."

Shiro Suzuki shook his head slightly and directly stated the greatest harm Kaito Kid would suffer after being caught.

"Although, in the end, his sentence may not be long, just as Tomoko said, this will be a devastating blow to Kaito Kid himself."

"His life will be completely ruined. From that moment on, he will no longer be seen as Kaito Kid, but only as an ordinary thief."

"Once branded, there is no chance of turning things around."

(To be continued.)