Enter Ningguang
After Kaeya and Tartaglia had gone, Akai Shuichi dressed the wounds the man's blade had left on him with a quick, practiced efficiency.
It was only when he set about straightening the room those two had wrecked in their fight that he noticed something odd: the arrows Tartaglia had loosed earlier had vanished at some point, leaving nothing behind but several puddles of water scattered across the floor.
Afterward, he returned his superior's call, gave a brief account of what had happened here, and asked, almost as an afterthought, whether the man had ever heard the name Teyvat.
Unfortunately, James Black answered without hesitation that he never had.
Which was strange, to say the least. Akai Shuichi refused to believe that any organization capable of drawing in men like Kaeya and Tartaglia could really be the second-rate outfit Kaeya had made it out to be. But with no leads to go on, he had no choice but to turn his focus back to the Black Organization for the time being.
His mind drifted to the photographs he had taken while shadowing the Detective Boys — among the children, there had been a little girl whose face was almost a perfect match for Akemi's younger sister, Shiho, as a child. Perhaps she was the true target of Vermouth's current operation.
And then there was that boy called Conan. Far too clever — his thinking and deductive reasoning were nothing like what one would expect from an elementary schooler. Who exactly was he?
A few days later, at the Mouri Detective Agency.
"Ran, look at this! What do you think — isn't it absolutely gorgeous? Honestly, the first time I laid eyes on it, it was like looking at actual stars." Suzuki Sonoko held out the catalog to Mouri Ran, pointing at the largest photograph inside, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Ran studied the photo and found herself agreeing completely. "Mm, it really does look like stars. So beautiful — no wonder they named it the Radiance of the Constellation."
"See? I told you. It grabs a girl's heart at first glance, doesn't it?" Sonoko ran a finger wistfully over the jewel in the picture. "The only shame is that I can't buy it."
Ran looked up at the gem in astonishment. "Is it really that expensive? Even *you* can't buy it, Sonoko?"
Sonoko waved a hand dismissively. "The price isn't the problem. It's only fifty million, after all."
Ran: "......"
*Only* fifty million, and that's not a lot? Though for Sonoko, she supposed it probably wasn't.
Sonoko heaved a sigh and slumped dejectedly onto the table. "The real problem is that the owner won't sell it."
"Hah! It's such a beautiful gem, and it's one Kaitou Kid-sama has his eye on, too. I was actually hoping to buy the Radiance of the Constellation and just stay with it forever — so that when Kid-sama came, I could tell him, 'I simply cannot be parted from this jewel. Please steal me along with it!'" At the mere mention of Kid, Sonoko's gloom vanished in an instant, her voice ringing bright and eager again. "Ah! Just thinking about it gets my heart racing!"
Standing nearby, Conan's attention snapped to the girls' conversation the moment that familiar name came up.
He hadn't heard a whisper of that thief in ages — and now he was making a move again?
How unusual. This time the target wasn't one of the Suzuki family's gems. So whose treasure was Kid after?
"Sonoko, um..." Ran looked at her friend, still lost in her daydream, unsure whether she ought to bring up the existence of Kyogoku Makoto. She changed the subject instead. "So whose gem is this Radiance of the Constellation, anyway?"
At the mention of the owner, Sonoko surfaced from her Kid-induced reverie — and the moment she thought of the woman she'd met two days earlier, color rose unbidden to her cheeks.
With Ran and Conan both staring at her in shock, Sonoko touched her slightly flushed face and said, with unmistakable admiration in her voice, "The owner is Miss Ningguang — a gorgeous older lady with a simply amazing figure. From what my uncle tells me, she's a businesswoman from Z Country, and she's here to open a branch company. The jewelry exhibition is meant to build momentum for the new company's launch."
Conan watched the adoring look on Sonoko's face, equal parts amazed and curious. *Since when does Sonoko — certified boy-crazy Sonoko — make that kind of face at another woman? Who exactly is this Miss Ningguang?*
"A company?" Ran asked. "Is it a jewelry company?"
Sonoko shook her head. "Nope. From what I hear, Miss Ningguang may have made her fortune in jewelry, but the company she's opening this time is a skincare brand. My uncle's firm has invested in it, too. Apparently the research and development side of her company is incredibly strong — the skincare products they make actually work. She even gave some to my mom and me."
At that, Sonoko grabbed Ran's hand. "Ran, I'll bring some by for you later. We girls have to take good care of ourselves, you know."
Ran hesitated. "Sonoko, is that really all right? Miss Ningguang gave those to *you*..."
"Please, it's fine! She gave them to me so I'd use them, right?" Sonoko said breezily. "Besides, I'm about to rope Mouri-san and this little guy here—" She snatched up Conan from where he stood, "—into helping out, so consider this a thank-you gift in advance."
Ran had no choice but to accept Sonoko's kindness, quietly resolving to buy her a proper present in return. Still...
"Help out?" she asked. "What do you need my dad and Conan to help with, Sonoko?"
"I just told you Kid-sama has his eye on the gem, remember?" Sonoko explained. "When Miss Ningguang received Kid's advance notice, she refused to let Inspector Nakamori's division — Criminal Investigation Division Two — handle on-site security for the exhibition. She's only allowing them to *attend*."
"So today I'm here to invite you all to Miss Ningguang's jewelry show! We'll get to admire the other treasures in her collection, and who knows — maybe we can even throw a few obstacles in Kid-sama's way. Oh, I can just picture it — Kid-sama appearing before me, having overcome every trial in his path!"
Conan could only stare. Sometimes he truly did not understand how Sonoko's mind worked — worshipping Kaitou Kid to the skies one moment, then gleefully sabotaging his heists the next.
*Still — refusing to let Division Two handle security, huh? This Miss Ningguang must have a lot of confidence in her own company's security.*
At Sonoko's invitation, Ran agreed without a moment's hesitation, promising that she and her father and Conan would all be there right on time.
Soon enough, the day of the jewelry exhibition arrived.
Ran, Kogoro, and Conan arrived early, dressed in their finest, well before the exhibition opened.
"Ran! And you too, old man — and Conan! You made it!"
The moment Sonoko spotted them, she came hurrying over, intending to give them a private glimpse of the Radiance of the Constellation before the other guests arrived — once the crowds showed up, there'd be no chance to appreciate it properly.
But as Conan and the others made their way to where the gem was displayed, they walked in on Inspector Nakamori of Division Two, locked in what could only be called an argument with an unfamiliar woman — poised, elegant, and unmistakably mature.