107: Chapter 107: The Queen Selizabeth

Quickly, April 19th arrived.

That day, despite Kaito Kid's advance notice, the Suzuki Conglomerate's 60th-anniversary maritime party proceeded as scheduled.

Although it seemed like eight days had passed according to the notice, in reality, it was only the next day.

Strangely enough, though, the recent Beika newspapers hadn't reported any murder cases.

Could Kaito Kid's passive ability be triggering¹?

Early that morning, Fujino donned a more formal long-sleeved suit, tied his tie, slung a long travel bag over his shoulder, and rode his motorcycle towards Yokohama.

The departure point for the Suzuki Conglomerate's Queen Selizabeth was Yokohama this time. The plan for the maritime party was to set sail from Yokohama Port and voyage for three hours to reach Tokyo Port.

Honestly, Fujino couldn't fathom why the Suzuki family, who lived in Tokyo, would charter a massive ship to depart from Yokohama, just to loop back around to Tokyo.

Perhaps this was just one of those perplexing pastimes of the excessively wealthy.

Near Yokohama Port, Fujino found a deserted spot, stored his motorcycle in the system space, and then strolled towards the harbor.

The area teemed with people – numerous prominent figures from various circles in Japan, crowds of onlookers, and reporters.

Initially, Fujino didn't quite grasp the situation.

It's just the Suzuki Conglomerate's 60th anniversary, why the huge crowd?

That was until he saw the Queen Selizabeth.

It was a colossal cruise ship, visibly larger than a standard warship, akin to a fortress floating on the sea. Calling it an aircraft carrier wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Vaguely, Fujino felt this giant vessel might even dwarf the Titanic.

"The Suzuki family... even wealthier than I imagined..."

Standing by the port, Fujino gazed at the Queen Selizabeth on the water, sighing in awe.

He just hoped such a large ship wouldn't encounter an iceberg later, sparking some tragic romance story.

"Excuse me, are you Detective Fujino?"

Just then, a man's voice came from behind.

Fujino paused, surprised.

Turning around, he saw a man in a gray suit standing behind him.

Fujino nodded. "Yes, I'm Fujino."

"Good day. My name is Nishino Masato, secretary to Chairman Suzuki."

Nishino Masato introduced himself and explained his purpose.

"Due to the large number of guests today, the Chairman and his wife are busy with party preparations and couldn't come personally. They asked me to escort Detective Fujino aboard."

"In that case, please lead the way."

Guided by Nishino Masato, Fujino smoothly made his way onto the Queen Selizabeth.

Inside, the spacious ballroom already hosted five hundred distinguished guests from all over Japan.

A white banner stretched across the stage at the front of the hall read: "Suzuki Conglomerate 60th Anniversary Maritime Party."

Upon entering the ballroom, Fujino immediately spotted the Mouri family amidst the crowd.

Not because he was particularly looking for them, but Ran's attire was simply too unique.

"Ran, Uncle Mouri."

Fujino walked over and greeted them.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ran was the first to notice the long travel bag slung across Fujino's back. She asked curiously,

"Fujino-senpai, what are you carrying back there?"

"A wooden sword."

Fujino lowered the travel bag and drew the bokken from within.

"Tonight, I plan to use this against Kaito Kid."

Sonoko, standing nearby, looked surprised.

"I know a little."

Fujino nodded. "I've been learning swordsmanship from Master Suwa at the Konoha Budokan."

After some more small talk, Suzuki Shiro, acting as the party's host, took the stage:

"Our Suzuki Conglomerate has journeyed through sixty years since its establishment. I hereby thank everyone for your support and encouragement towards our group. I hope you can all forget about that certain thief and thoroughly enjoy this elegant and grand banquet!"

Watching Suzuki Shiro speak on stage, Fujino's eyebrow twitched slightly.

If he remembered correctly, this Suzuki Shiro should be Kaito Kid in disguise.

Forgetting about Kaito Kid... wasn't that statement a bit too deliberate...?

"However, before the banquet officially begins, I'd like to share an idea I came up with."

Just then, Suzuki Tomoko, wearing a deep purple evening gown, gray stockings accentuating her legs (making her look far younger than her forty-plus years), and the Black Star pinned prominently on her chest, walked gracefully onto the stage.

Standing beside Suzuki Shiro, she held up a small box, displaying it to the guests.

"Before boarding, each of you should have received a small box like this, correct?"

"Now, please open your boxes."

"The Black Star?!"

Hearing this, the guests opened their boxes.

Inside each small box lay numerous identical Black Star pearls, neatly arranged.

Suzuki Tomoko continued,

"This is my challenge to that phantom thief! Right now, each of you holds our Suzuki family heirloom, the Black Star. Of course, most of these are replicas. Only one is genuine. And only I know which one is the true Black Star."

"Now, please pin the Black Star to your chests. If that thief truly has the skill, let him try to steal it. I'd like to see if he can find the real one among so many."

This was Suzuki Tomoko's plan.

Fujino found her plan somewhat amusing.

No deduction was needed; common sense dictated that the real Black Star was the one Suzuki Tomoko herself was wearing.

Firstly, the Black Star was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Suzuki family heirloom.

Why would they entrust a pearl of such immense significance to outsiders?

Therefore, without a doubt, the Black Star pinned on Suzuki Tomoko was the genuine article.

Collecting his thoughts, Fujino scanned the surroundings again.

His eyes quickly landed on Suzuki Shiro – clad in a black suit, appearing slightly overweight – attempting to leave the ballroom discreetly.

Kuroba Kaito in disguise.

Seeing this, Fujino didn't hesitate. Slinging his travel bag over his shoulder, he followed.

He tailed Suzuki Shiro all the way to the restroom.

Watching the 'Suzuki Shiro' figure enter a stall, a slight smile touched Fujino's lips.

Finally, payback time for that flashbang.

Fujino swapped his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Vision Enhancement Glasses for the Anti-Blue Light Glasses, then casually retrieved a frozen fish from his pocket dimension.

This was the same frozen fish he had used previously.

He'd just taken it out of the freezer before leaving home, hadn't had a chance to eat it yet...

Kaito Kid, prepare to face the judgment of the frozen fish once more!

With that, Fujino knocked on the restroom stall door.

1. A meta-joke about how Kid heists often prevent murders in Conan.