Conan: The Phantom Heart Thief

Gin bit down on his cigarette filter, holding back but eventually asking, "What are you doing?"

Bang! With a single bullet, Kazawa finished off the last bit of blood from the shadow blocking their way. He gestured to Hoshikawa Hikaru and walked back to the car, closing the door behind him.

Kazawa didn't mean to waste bullets — it was just rare to come across a single Karabi (that one-eyed starfish), and his mood was high, so after squeezing the money out, he couldn't help but finish off the last bit of health with his gun.

There aren't many weak little familiars with weak guns; every time they met Kazawa, they'd play around a bit before leaving. He just got a call, and since it was from a criminal organization member anyway, Kazawa answered without hesitation.

"Working, senior Gin," Kazawa switched instantly into the gentle and smiling tone of Goro Akechi, giving Hoshikawa a shiver down his spine.

Gin frowned, holding his phone a bit farther away.

No matter how many times he heard Goro Akechi speaking so sweetly and deliberately, it always made him uncomfortable.

"What kind of work needs a submachine gun?" As a killer skilled with all kinds of weapons, Gin certainly recognized the gunshot he just heard.

"Oh, that's a question for senior Bourbon," Kazawa shifted the blame to Amuro Tooru, his tone even softer. "It's really harsh to send minors out on this kind of work."

He could pretty much guess how Gin viewed him.

A paranoid, high-IQ antisocial personality, who liked to pretend to be harmless and innocent, with a sunny and fresh image — but with a bit of a pervert twist.

So Kazawa's main strategy in front of Gin was to be as sunny and cheerful as possible, so Gin naturally understood it the other way — thinking Kazawa was probably having a breakdown.

And Gin really did think that way.

"Tch." Hearing Bourbon's name made Gin's mood even worse. "You two sort it out yourselves, but if you make a big fuss, you're on your own."

"Don't worry, haha, I know my limits." Kazawa's laugh was bright and clear.

Knowing limits meant no more submachine gun shooting.

Gin was certain he heard a sharp, tragic scream right when he dialed the phone.

Forget it — these two crazy nuts were probably enjoying their game too much. Talking sense into them was useless.

"Futakuchi Shigehiko's problem has been confirmed," Gin cut straight to the point, tired of dancing around with this little psycho. "Congratulations."

"...Ah." Kazawa's cheerful tone instantly vanished. After a few seconds, he gave a cryptic sound.

The Beetle's interior wasn't very big. Kazawa didn't bother to hide it from Hoshikawa. The moment he heard Futakuchi Shigehiko's name, Hoshikawa's hand clenched tightly on the steering wheel, causing the car to shake. The veins on the back of his hand bulged out.

Glancing at Hoshikawa's pale hand, Kazawa replied softly, "So, can I kill him now?"

"No. He's still useful to the organization. His final act will be arranged for you to witness."

Since Akechi had direct ties to Futakuchi Shigehiko, for secrecy and other reasons, the organization wouldn't let him handle the assassination.

But Futakuchi was no small figure, so the organization would assign someone to assist the executor. Akechi was a suitable choice to witness.

"That's boring," Kazawa kept his elusive tone. "I even prepared a fitting stage for him... oh well, maybe this is better."

Kazawa kept his eyes locked on Hoshikawa's, who avoided his gaze, closing his eyes full of hatred, no longer letting Kazawa see his fierce look.

Patting his shoulder soothingly, Kazawa brightened his tone again: "Got it, senior Gin. So, anything else? I still have work from senior Bourbon to finish."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Beetle's front crashed against the platform ahead. The flustered driver hadn't checked the road well, and the car hit the edge of the station.

Gin: "..." What now... What is Bourbon having Kazawa do?

Forget it — better just ask Bourbon directly.

"Don't attract cops, watch your noise," Gin warned flatly before hanging up.

Dizzy from the shake, Kazawa shook his head, ignoring whatever Gin said last, and rushed out to check the car's front.

Though buying a car wasn't a problem, getting it into the subway wasn't easy!

"Sorry, I..." Hoshikawa stepped out from the driver's side with an embarrassed look. "I wasn't paying attention..."

"Not your fault, it's all Gin's," Kazawa sighed with relief after confirming it was just some scratches. The car was always hitting shadows anyway — a few marks didn't matter. He waved off responsibility onto Gin.

Hoshikawa gave a bitter smile, thinking about Gin's words earlier, his face turning gloomy again. "Futakuchi Shigehiko... is going to be silenced by the organization, huh?"

"Yeah." Kazawa shrugged. "Honestly, even if I did nothing, he wouldn't last long."

"That's better," Hoshikawa looked up at the creepy black-and-red walls of the impression space, with no sign of relief. "Better the organization do it."

...Otherwise, he really might not be able to resist killing that man with his own hands.

"Actually, I was going to help you kill him," Kazawa interrupted Hoshikawa's growing gloomy mood. Hoshikawa paused, staring at Kazawa in disbelief.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" Kazawa chuckled, arms folded, leaning against the Beetle. "...Don't tell me you think I'm some law-abiding good kid? Your old man really was a disgusting scumbag, the kind that makes you want to kill."

Kazawa of course was capable of killing. Otherwise, how else would he have survived as an undercover for so many years, climbing the ranks and getting critical info?

He probably felt less burden about it than Hoshikawa did, because he'd fully discarded modern society's ethics and morals, growing hard and cold inside the organization.

To perfect his undercover identity, to flesh out Kazawa's persona, and a little bit for Hoshikawa's suffering, Kazawa had originally planned to skip the Pisco assassination plot and personally take out Futakuchi Shigehiko.

He didn't mind killing that kind of guy.

But the organization had other ideas and wouldn't let Kazawa take the shot. He could only express his regret.

"Glad you think that way," Hoshikawa shook his head. "Thanks. Better the organization does it."

"Why thank me all of a sudden?" Kazawa shivered a bit, feeling goosebumps from something he detected in Hoshikawa's tone. "Don't get me wrong — I'm not standing up for you. I'm undercover. Killing him fits your background better..."

"Let's just say that, then." Hoshikawa smiled wryly, the heavy weight on his heart slightly lifting.

He kind of got a bit of Kazawa's style.

Kazawa was a bit tough on the outside but soft inside, stubbornly painting himself as purely pragmatic, as if admitting he was moved or touched was like losing.

But no matter what Kazawa said, Hoshikawa would accept the sentiment.

"Let's go, leader. I hear chains rattling... maybe that strong shadow is about to show up."

"Ah, went overtime again. Let's go, let's go, better to move on fast. We can beat it, but it takes too much time, gotta get to the next floor."

————

"Huh? I'm squeezing Kazawa?" Amuro Tooru tossed aside the cloth he was wiping his hands with, confused.

What had Kazawa done to throw the blame onto him? At least give a heads-up!

Thinking this, the veteran undercover smoothly twisted his words: "Just a little test... He won't cry to you about it, right? Still a kid."

Whatever Kazawa did, since Gin's tone was that he was squeezing his subordinates, Amuro couldn't resist teasing him.

Sure enough, Gin didn't catch the hint either and just snorted twice: "Watch the noise. I hope I don't see your stupid faces on the front page tomorrow."

"Don't worry. Compared to you, who never changes vehicles or disguises and just goes around the streets shooting like a madman, we last a bit longer."

When it came to mocking colleagues and being sarcastic, Kazawa's role as Kummel could only call Bourbon 'senior.'

Gin took a deep breath, again choosing to cut straight to the point: "Investigate the Shinkansen bombing. Someone saw Akai Shuichi at the scene."

Amuro's eyes flashed cold light, his voice turning serious: "Are you sure it was him? Unlikely. If he hadn't left Japan, I would've caught him by now."

"Most likely not the real him." Gin wasn't coming with just that little info to assign the task. "You saw the headlines too. That phantom thief is disguising himself as Akai."

When Amuro heard it wasn't the real guy, half his momentum disappeared.

His eyes shifted and he realized something, sneering: "Oh, so that bomb was your doing... Gin, you really should think about more efficient methods than throwing bombs on the Shinkansen..."

Gin took another deep breath.

Compared to Bourbon, he actually felt Kazawa was the more cooperative and easier to communicate with.

"Investigate their connection. Don't waste so much funding just shooting bullets," Gin said, then snapped the phone shut, not wanting to hear any more of Amuro's nonsense.

"Waste bullets..." Amuro frowned, repeating the words.

...So Gin saw Kazawa just firing randomly outside? That kid, really...

Amuro rubbed his forehead and sighed.

Still, the intel Gin gave was a real problem.

No matter what, Akai Shuichi's real identity is an FBI undercover. Joker wouldn't use his image randomly. These phantom thieves like to study their targets' habits and personalities to impersonate them better.

So at least Joker must know Akai's mannerisms and have seen him in person.

That's no simple matter for an organization member or FBI undercover.

"Joker has some connection with the organization, but maybe because he stands against them..."

Sharp eyes landed on the bar counter, resting on the front page's tense photo. Reiji Takakazu briefly logged in: "Good."

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