The footsteps of the chubby man were light, disproportionate to his size.
Fujino observed the man, stroking his chin.
Based on his initial deduction, this guy should be Kaito Kid in disguise.
Seriously, Kuroba Kaito. If you're going to disguise yourself, at least make it look somewhat normal.
What the hell was with disguising himself as a visually two-hundred-pound fatty?

Seeing the crowd downstairs, Kuroba Kaito was also momentarily stunned.
Fujino!
This guy again!
And that soccer kid!
How could he run into this guy everywhere...
Could this guy also be part of the chat group?
And, how did the Suzuki girl and the girl who looks like Aoko get here?
A family outing?
Why did it feel like he was encountering these people more and more frequently lately?
Although inwardly surprised, and feeling a strange tingling pain on the top of his head, he maintained his poker face, pointed at himself, and gave Suzuki Sonoko an honest, simple smile.

"You must be Magician's Apprentice? I'm Doi Toukatsu. It's great that you're a girl."

Fujino wanted to see Suzuki Sonoko's reaction to this Buddha-like figure.
Turning his head, he saw the smile on her face gradually stiffen.
Suddenly, Fujino seemed to hear something shattering.
It was a maiden's heart!
Sonoko's maiden heart shattered!
The first victim of an online relationship meet-up heartbreak.

After a brief exchange, Fujino, Sonoko, and Ran went to their respective rooms.
Due to insufficient rooms, Ran and Sonoko were assigned to the same room.
Conan was naturally assigned a room too; he was staying with Fujino.

Fujino placed his travel bag on the bed, then threw the bedding onto the floor. "Conan-kun, please sleep down here tonight."

"Why do I have to sleep down here?"
Conan looked at Fujino, speechless and somewhat defiant.
Normally, shouldn't the child sleep on the bed and the adult make a pallet on the floor?
Why did this Fujino guy turn things around and kick him off?
He had a cold!

"Sleeping on the floor helps cure colds."
Fujino opened his travel bag, took out the Okamoto 0.01 Hanabishi Bokken, and stroked its tip. "Well, Conan-kun, do you have any objections?"

"N... No."
Conan looked at the bokken in Fujino's hand and swallowed hard.
His expression was like he had just... well, suffered greatly.
Damn it, why did this Fujino guy carry a bokken everywhere?
Performing wondrous little magic tricks to conjure a bokken normally was one thing, but why bring it even when out having fun?
Did he have persecution delusions?
Recalling the criminals subdued by Fujino with the bokken before, his head couldn't help but throb.
He really didn't want to get hit by Fujino.
Although unlikely, Conan believed this was indeed something Fujino was capable of doing.

"Alright, just lie down for a bit."
Fujino casually took out a bottle of cold medicine from his pocket and tossed it to Conan. "If your cold gets worse, you could die."

"Huh?"
Conan caught the cold medicine, looking at Fujino with surprise.
He was somewhat bewildered.
Could it be an illusion?
This Fujino guy was actually being nice?

Ignoring Conan, Fujino put the bokken back into the travel bag.
He then turned, opened the door, and went to the other side of the room, to Doi Toukatsu's doorway.
Mhm, if he remembered correctly.
Besides the one million yen this time, he should be able to fleece some more money.
A wanted phantom thief.
Might as well take the money.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Coming!"
The room door opened quickly.
Kuroba Kaito still wore that simple, honest smile.

"Detective Fujino, what brings you here?"

"I need to talk to you about something."
Fujino gave the large fatty before him a meaningful look. "Shall we chat?"

"Chat?"
Kuroba Kaito paused noticeably. "Please, come in."

"You're Kaito Kid, aren't you?"
After sitting down, Fujino asked directly.

"You must be joking. How could I possibly be Kaito Kid?"
Kuroba Kaito forced himself to remain calm, but inwardly he was extremely surprised.

"Is that so?"
Fujino smiled, clenching his fist like a certain iron-fisted saintess, presenting it before him. "Then if I punch you, your face shouldn't collapse, right?"

"Uh..."
Kuroba Kaito glanced at Fujino's fist, swallowed hard, his tone suddenly changing.

"I didn't expect you'd see through it. As expected of you."
"I'm curious, how exactly did you find me out?"

"Your name gave it away immediately. Doi Toukatsu, if you think about it, it's just the syllables of Kaito Kid rearranged, right?"
Fujino chuckled lightly.

"And when you came downstairs, the sound your weight made was clearly different. A two-hundred-plus-pound fatty – do you think the wooden stairs wouldn't creak loudly when you walk down?"

"I see."
Kuroba Kaito nodded, looking at Fujino, unable to help but remark,

"You really are terrifying."

"Terrifying is right. If I weren't a bit terrifying, I wouldn't be able to confront a phantom thief like you."
Fujino silently retracted his fist, then looked at Kuroba Kaito's simple face.

"So, what exactly is your purpose for infiltrating here this time?"
His lip quirked. "Don't tell me you just came to see that Sonoko girl?"
Saying this, Fujino shook his head. "Although that Sonoko girl's family is indeed rich, for money, you wouldn't go so far..."

"Of course not."
Kuroba Kaito immediately explained, "My purpose in coming here this time is for Ikasama Doji."

"Ikasama Doji, that mature woman named Tanaka Kikue."
Fujino feigned confusion, then looked at Kuroba Kaito with some disgust.

"Are you planning to switch careers and become a lady-killer?"

Kuroba Kaito: "?"

"Although she is quite attractive, you wouldn't go so far just for that..."
Saying this, Fujino patted Kuroba Kaito's shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of image do you have of me!"
Kuroba Kaito immediately retorted, feeling utterly speechless inside.
Good grief, how did he think of this?

"A grand thief with no legal bottom line, enjoys flirting with women."

Kuroba Kaito: "?"

"Based on the intel I have and my impression of you, I wouldn't be surprised even if you went peeping into the girls' changing room."

Kuroba Kaito: "?!"

"After all, you impersonate women so convincingly, especially when disguised as Ran. If I hadn't been sharp-eyed, I would definitely have been fooled... To master such a skill, I think you must spend quite a bit of time peeping at girls changing in locker rooms."

Kuroba Kaito: "..."
Kuroba Kaito was rendered completely silent by Fujino.
He remained silent for a long time, taking a deep breath.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to pull out his card gun and shoot this ridiculous guy before him.
He sighed, then explained, "Ikasama Doji was Murai Kazetsugu's stage name from long ago. I knew from the start he was Murai Kazetsugu. But Murai Kazetsugu is dead. I was curious who was continuing to chat with us, so I planned to come check it out."

"I see."
Fujino nodded in realization, then adopted a serious expression.

"So, do you have any... intentions... towards Ms. Tanaka Kikue?"

"Of course not!"
Kuroba Kaito shouted speechlessly.
This guy, why did he always assume he had designs on that woman?
Did he really seem that much like a lady-killer?
He admitted he enjoyed flirting with respectable women while stealing things.
But that was the extent of it. He was a minor; how could he commit such illegal acts?
Even if he did, the other party would be the one breaking the law!

"Alright, kidding aside."
Fujino returned to the main topic, adopting a serious expression again.

"What do you think of that Tanaka Kikue?"

"I told you, I have no designs on her."
Kuroba Kaito waved his hand dismissively.

"What were you thinking?"
Fujino looked at Kuroba Kaito with slight disdain.

"You really are this kind of improper fellow."

Kuroba Kaito silently pulled out his card gun.

"Kid, shut up."
Fujino swung his fist.
The card gun shattered.

"?"
Kuroba Kaito stared, dot-eyed.
Ridiculous!
His card gun! Shattered again! One just broke a few days ago!
Damn it!
He'd have to spend another million yen commissioning Jii Kounosuke to find his acquaintance, the Professor, to custom-make another one.
—— A certain balding professor revealed an unkind smile.
Two million yen recovered.

"Can we talk properly now?"
Fujino retracted his fist, speaking calmly.
One could only say, truly worthy of being that woman's student.
Deeply inherited the essence of the Iron Fist Saintess!

"Go ahead, as long as it's a normal question."
Kuroba Kaito felt somewhat helpless.

"Is there anything strange about her?"
Fujino asked. "I mean, her behavior since arriving here. I think she might be related to a murder case."

"Strange... I haven't felt anything."
Kuroba Kaito's brow furrowed slightly, thinking for a moment. "But a murder case? Which one are you talking about?"

"The one from this morning..."
Fujino looked at Kuroba Kaito's confused expression, suddenly remembering something. "I almost forgot, the police haven't announced this news yet."
Recalling that he himself seemed to have asked the police not to announce this case, he explained, "Just this morning, a male corpse was found in an apartment in Beika Town. The victim's name is Nishiyama Tsutomu. The police found a coded message left by the killer at his home: [This is only the first - Kagemusha]."

"Kagemusha?"
Kuroba Kaito found the name familiar. "Don't tell me it's the Kagemusha from the chat group?"

"Yes, it's him."

"Then..."
Kuroba Kaito's brow furrowed tightly. He swallowed hard, saying incredulously, "The person killed... couldn't possibly be Escape King, who hasn't arrived yet?"

"Correct. I logged into his account and checked. He is Escape King."
Fujino showed an expression as if saying 'this child can be taught'.

"Are you suspecting that Tanaka Kikue is the one who killed Escape King?"
Kuroba Kaito's expression also turned serious.

"Just a suspicion."
Fujino stroked his chin, bluffing, "Based on my reasoning, Tanaka Kikue is indeed my primary suspect, but she's not the only one I suspect. It's just that her behavior caught my attention... After all, as you said, the account she took over belonged to a dead person."
"The killer this time is Kagemusha. Her account is Ikasama Doji. If it's not her, then the killer must be one of the people present."
"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that Kagemusha is someone who hasn't arrived yet. If they haven't arrived, then things become somewhat terrifying."

"Terrifying?"
Kuroba Kaito looked puzzled.

Fujino nodded seriously. "If that person hasn't arrived, I think Kagemusha might intend to wipe out everyone in our chat room from the outside."

"Do all you detectives have such wild imaginations?"
Kuroba Kaito looked at Fujino strangely.

"This is just based on reasoning."
Fujino explained.

"Then how come I couldn't reason that out?"
Kuroba Kaito looked somewhat helpless. "What's the evidence? How did you deduce that?"

"Evidence..."
Fujino shrugged. "None."

"Then how did you deduce it without evidence?"

"Deduce with the heart, feel with intuition. I call it Idealistic Reasoning."

Kuroba Kaito looked speechlessly at Fujino.
Of course, he didn't know what that was.
After all, Fujino, the spoiler dog, didn't know what nonsense he was making up either.
Using terms from his past life, let's tentatively call it [The Power of I Reckon].

"Ahem."
Fujino cleared his throat lightly. "Kagemusha left the message 'This is only the first'. So this time, besides Escape King, someone else will definitely be harmed..."

"Someone else will be harmed?"
Kuroba Kaito's brow furrowed upon hearing this. Thinking carefully, what Fujino said earlier, although he didn't understand it, seemed to make sense.
Is this what detectives are like?
Truly terrifying.

"Then do you have any way to stop that Kagemusha from killing someone?"
After pondering for a moment, Kuroba Kaito looked seriously at Fujino.

"I do have some clues now... I have some confidence in preventing another victim."
Seeing Kuroba Kaito take the bait, Fujino nodded with satisfaction and said, "However, I need a little help from you."

"Help?"

"Mhm. I need you to tell me some information."
Fujino nodded, explaining, "Additionally, I need you to pay me a commission fee of 500,000 yen."

"The intel on Kagemusha is fine... but what's with the commission fee?"
Kuroba Kaito looked puzzledly at Fujino.

"Originally, I couldn't just ignore a phantom thief like you. I actually came here today to catch you..."
Pausing, Fujino put on a troubled expression. "But due to today's special circumstances, I can't make a move on you for now. Doing so would definitely affect my actions. But not acting against you violates my professional ethics. So I thought of a compromise: you become my client. Protection commission is 500,000 yen. Once you commission me, I can't act against my client."

"So you lose, and I profit?"
Kuroba Kaito's lips couldn't help but twitch. "How come I feel like you're taking advantage of the situation?"
Recalling the 'add money' attitude last time, he suddenly felt like he had fallen into this guy's trap the moment he opened the door.

Fujino didn't like hearing that. What did he mean, taking advantage?
Didn't he know how many countries had warrants out for him?
Forget it. If kind words didn't work, then just point it out directly.
Fujino sighed softly, a slight curve appearing on his lips.

"Mr. Phantom Thief, you wouldn't want..."

Chapter 180