Though they ca under the pretense of interest, it beca obvious: all four visitors in the conference room were there for one thing—the Egg of mory.
Even when art dealer Shoichi Inui offered 800 million yen, Shiro Suzuki remained unmoved. With polite firmness, he asked the four to leave the office, promising to "discuss the matter later."
Once they were gone, and after Hayashi Yoshiki and his group took their seats, Suzuki Shiro ordered his secretary to bring out the Egg of mory for everyone to admire.
The mont the case opened, it drew a collective breath.
It was—without question—a masterpiece.
"This egg is docunted in the imperial archives. The na 'Egg of mory' is actually an English translation from Russian."
"In Russian, it's Mosponil—which ans mory."
Suzuki Shiro pulled out a book as he explained.
Inside the egg, visible through the ornate crystal walls, was a miniature model of Emperor Nicholas II's family. The emperor appeared to be flipping through a book, with his wife and daughters smiling by his side.
"Why does reading a book represent 'mory'?" Conan asked curiously.
"Simpleton," Kogorō Mōri scoffed. "Gathering the kids to read together is obviously a treasured family mory!"
"Or maybe," Yoshiki offered with a smile, "he's flipping through a photo album."
He pointed to the glittering fragnts embedded inside the shell.
"Are those gems?"
"Glass," Shiro replied.
"Eh? But this was a gift from the emperor to the queen, right? Shouldn't it be made of sothing more precious?"
"Well, when the 51st egg was made, Russia was already in a financial crisis. That might explain it."
Suzuki Shiro answered candidly.
"Stranger than that, though..." Hattori Heiji interjected, rubbing his chin, "...is Kaito Kid's notice. Sothing about a glowing sky loft? Why would Osaka Castle glow?"
Although the letter had been in their possession for days, parts of the riddle still eluded interpretation.
Kaito Kid's Preview Letter
[From the lion at dusk to the girl at dawn][The clock without a second-hand reaches the 12th word][Descend from the bright sky tower and collect the Egg of mory]— The Magician Kaito Kid at the End of the World
Even Conan was deep in thought.
But out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Hayashi Yoshiki, who was—oddly enough—relaxed. He was admiring the egg with a serene smile and even asked permission to photograph it, as though the cipher ant nothing to him.
Monts later, Inspector Nakamori Ginzo and a senior Osaka police captain arrived.
Following so heated discussion, the group—misled by Kogorō's "deduction"—agreed that the "12th word" referred to the 12th letter of the alphabet, L, and deduced that Kaito Kid would strike at 3:00 a.m.
The "bright sky tower" was assud to be Osaka Castle.
Conan resisted the urge to facepalm.
Then he turned to Hayashi Yoshiki, voice casual and innocent.
"Hey, Yoshiki-nii, you've cracked the code already, haven't you?"
Hattori Heiji paused, surprised.
You too? You're good at deciphering codes?
Conan's look back said: It's terrifying how fast he is.
"Hmm. I'd say... maybe 7:20 p.m."
"What?!"
"The twelfth 'word' in the sentence 'From the lion at dusk to the girl at dawn' isn't alphabetical. It's actually '乀', the shorthand for 7:20 on a clock face. And besides Osaka Castle, don't forget about Tsutenkaku Tower—its top do is used to display the weather forecast."
"..."
"Of course," Yoshiki added calmly, "I could be wrong. But even if I am, the original 3:00 a.m. defense plan won't be affected."
The room fell silent as everyone gawked at him.
Nakamori, who had developed respect for Yoshiki since their previous collaboration on the Sally Beth, nodded with determination.
"Alright! I'll assign officers to defend Tsutenkaku at 7:20 sharp! We'll catch Kaito Kid this ti!"
"Excellent, Mr. Hayashi! That's our secret weapon!"
Shiro Suzuki clapped with excitent.
anwhile, Conan and Hattori exchanged glances, both inwardly groaning at being upstaged.
Secret Strategy and a Familiar Voice
To avoid making the Egg of mory a target on display, Nakamori suggested secretly relocating it. Shiro Suzuki approved, and the plan was handed to the police.
As Yoshiki and Heiji exited the president's office, the group chatted about sightseeing when Yoshiki's phone rang.
"One sec—just need to take this."
He slipped into the restroom and answered.
"Why do you always betray ?!"
The voice was unmistakable: Kuroba Kaito.
"Because," Yoshiki replied, "I was paid to."
"Tch."
After the magician gathering, Kaito had accepted that Hayashi Yoshiki would always crack his codes—but that didn't an he'd stop trying.
"You figured out where I am?"
"Let's see..." Yoshiki glanced over his shoulder. "You just left President Suzuki's office, didn't you? Lucky you got out—Nakamori's about to start inspecting everyone's faces."
"..."
"No response?"
"...."
"You were holding the egg just now, weren't you? Doesn't it feel like a sha you won't get to keep it?"
He paused.
"You've never shown interest in non-jewelry items. And yet you called yourself the 'Magician of the End of the Century' in the letter... That suggests sothing more."
"Ugh! Keep talking and I'll get goosebumps!"
Click.
Kaito Kid hung up.
Yoshiki smiled and slipped his phone away.
That guy disguised himself as Suzuki Shiro's secretary, retrieved the Egg of mory from the vault, and presented it himself.
That's how he had gotten the drop on everyone—just as he had in the original version of events.
When Yoshiki rejoined the others, Ran approached him excitedly.
"Brother Yoshiki! Heiji and Kazuha said they want to take us to a special temple to pray for blessings. Want to co?"
"Sure."
He smiled, nodding without hesitation.
After all, he had nothing pressing to do for the mont.
It was only then that he rembered—strangely enough—fortunes and ons in this world... always seed to co true.
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