"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Conan clutched his forehead, letting out a sharp cry of pain.

In front of him, Hayashi Yoshiki withdrew the hand that had just struck Conan's forehead, then pulled out his phone and called Ginzo Nakamori.

After briefly explaining the situation, Yoshiki put the phone away.

Conan took the opportunity to observe the scene carefully.

Although he hadn't seen Lupin III remove the disguise of Kaito Kid personally, the traces left behind—especially that vintage Mercedes-Benz SSK—gave him a clearer picture.

No wonder that "Kaito Kid" had acted so recklessly and even pulled out a gun.

Looking down, he noticed the shattered remains of the taser at Yoshiki's feet and the bullet holes nearby. Thinking it through, a resolute smile slowly appeared on his face.

The sound of numerous police sirens approached from afar.

Leading the pack was indeed Ginzo Nakamori, who, without even parking his car properly, flung open the door, unbuckled, and dashed out.

"How is it? Did you catch Kaito Kid!?" he asked breathlessly.

"No chance, officer. There was no Kaito Kid here today."

"You're from the Mouri Detective family...?"

Nakamori was surprised to find a kid like Conan had followed them into the scene.

Hayashi Yoshiki gave a brief rundown of what had just happened.

Upon learning that the "Kaito Kid" present today wasn't the real one, but rather the notorious international thief Lupin III in disguise, Nakamori's reaction was quite interesting.

On one hand, he was angry that Lupin III had come to toy with them, but on the other hand, he was relieved that the shots fired weren't from the real Kaito Kid… The shattering of that image was hard for him to accept.

With the misunderstanding cleared, he energetically directed his subordinates to process the scene.

Watching all this, Yoshiki smiled faintly and turned to walk away.

Near the dock, a row of warehouses lined a quiet street. Late at night, hardly anyone came here. Only a few trucks and workers were busy unloading… but the gunshots and sirens had made them pause; a few even came over to watch.

Yoshiki entered one of the alleys.

"A magic trick once called phantasm that had its moment in the spotlight—hmph! It's nothing but a poor imitation of our witches and their true magic," a proud female voice echoed through the alley.

Under the bright full moon, a stunning woman with long wine-red hair leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms and glanced at Yoshiki with haughty eyes as he approached.

"Thank you, Akako," Yoshiki said quietly, not bothered by her tone.

He glanced at the moon and spoke with a serene voice:

"I didn't expect you to come help me... Thank you. It makes me feel very safe."

"Uh—uh!"

The proud expression Akako Koizumi had carefully maintained cracked at his words. She flustered for a few seconds, blushing as she quickly looked away.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm only doing you a small favor until you admit you're my captive, surrendered before me!"

Yoshiki said nothing.

His handsome, refined face under the moonlight seemed almost luxurious as he gave Akako a faint smile.

She noticed it and her heart tightened with a faint, surprised joy.

Hayashi Yoshiki...

That infuriating, rebellious man—after eating the "Love Captive Chocolate" she gave him—had been stubbornly resisting her magic.

He kept saying he was trying to fall in love with other women and deliberately ignored her presence... Even when they met, he kept a stiff face and never showed extra expression, though in front of others, he was polite and smiling! Akako Koizumi had been furious.

But soon she felt a different kind of pleasure—the cold attitude he showed her, contrasting sharply with how he acted around others, proved that he really struggled to resist her charm.

And now, seeing him finally smile...

"Hmph hmph, finally admitting you can't resist my charm?"

Akako tossed her wine-red hair over her shoulder with a coquettish gesture, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"Of course not."

"It's a bit late. You should go rest."

Seeing her triumphant face, Yoshiki's expression returned to calm. He glanced at his wristwatch, as if purposely avoiding looking at Akako.

"Thanks for today."

Akako's proud expression froze.

But Yoshiki said no more.

After politely saying good night, he left her side.

"Hey!!!"

Watching Yoshiki leave without hesitation, Akako clenched her teeth in anger. Her wine-red hair floated magically without wind—the full moon night was when her witch powers were at their strongest.

Yet even as Yoshiki's figure disappeared into the distance, Akako did nothing more.

She just glared at his back with those red eyes, grinding her teeth.

Damn you, Yoshiki...

(I want to see how long you can hold out!)

Fuming, she didn't check for witnesses, grabbed a nearby broom leaning against the wall, hopped on it, and with a burst of magic, flew off the dock over Tsukishima River.

At that moment, Conan, who was about to leave on Professor Agasa's electric skateboard, looked up puzzled.

Did he just see something flying overhead?

A bird?

He didn't think much and left.

Yoshiki also started his vehicle and left.

Lupin III and his gang were tough opponents—although basically on the "good" side, one still had to prepare for anything.

Yoshiki's secret weapon was Akako Koizumi.

Tonight was a full moon—when her witch powers were at their peak.

Luring her out with the Kaito Kid incidents and Yoshiki's own safety was easy enough.

And indeed, Akako had played her part well.

—Jigen Daisuke fired five shots at the metal warehouse, breaking the taser in Yoshiki's hand with one, and destroying four illusion tools Yoshiki had prepared earlier.

But in fact, Yoshiki had prepared seven tools in total; the other three had been magically concealed in advance by Akako.