Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

The next day after school, Ren didn't head straight home. Instead, he made his way toward the river near Tokyo Tower.

After checking the map and confirming the general area, he began searching for the specific abandoned building by the riverside.

"There are a lot of abandoned buildings here."

The area was practically a graveyard for old, deserted structures. He wasn't sure what this place had been used for in the past, but now it was little more than a forgotten wasteland.

After about ten minutes of searching, he stopped in front of one particular building.

"…Looks like this is the one."

He surveyed the surroundings.

This building stood alone by the riverbank. There were no residential homes or shops nearby.

It was completely isolated—no villages, no convenience stores.

This had to be the place.

With no nearby residents, the chances of anyone stumbling upon the hidden stash were slim.

Unless the local government suddenly decided to redevelop the area, these abandoned buildings would likely remain undisturbed.

"That thief really knew how to pick a hiding spot."

"But that just makes things easier for me."

A place this secluded wouldn't be easy for the police to search.

Unless they already had a lead, narrowing down which abandoned building to investigate would be incredibly difficult.

Ren approached the building.

The main entrance was locked, but the emergency staircase was still accessible.

Glancing at the entrance, he noted the piled-up cardboard boxes and the thick layer of dust covering the ground.

"…Not here."

He climbed the emergency stairs, making his way to the top floor.

Reaching into his schoolbag, he pulled out a pair of gloves before gripping the doorknob.

Click!

The rusted door creaked open.

"…Looks like I found it."

The rooftop was completely deserted.

Activating his spiritual vision, he confirmed there were no lingering spirits—no lost souls wandering this place.

However, something else caught his attention.

He looked up.

Four large, thick bags hung from the ceiling, deliberately hidden.

Ren raised a hand, and the mist surrounding him transformed into several tendrils, stretching out and effortlessly pulling the bags down.

Stepping closer, he unfastened one of the bags.

Inside, stacks of golden coins gleamed under the setting sun.

His glasses reflected their warm, golden glow.

"…Jackpot."

"I don't know who hid these here, but since they were abandoned… they don't belong to anyone anymore."

"That makes them mine now."

Finding a way to justify taking the treasure for himself, he felt no guilt whatsoever.

Without hesitation, he stored all four bags of gold coins inside Sefirah Castle.

Selling them could be dealt with later.

With a satisfied expression, he stepped out onto the emergency staircase, carefully closing the door behind him.

Just as he was about to leave, he paused.

His fingers rested on the door lock.

"…Better safe than sorry."

"If a kid wanders in here by accident, that'd be a problem."

"…Might as well lock it properly."

Activating his Apprentice ability, he reinforced the lock with an extraordinary seal.

Now, the door wouldn't open unless someone physically removed it.

This would prevent any curious children from getting inside.

With that precaution in place, he made his way downstairs.

By the time he reached the bottom, the evening sun had begun to set, and the streetlights were flickering on.

But instead of bringing a sense of security, the dim glow only made the abandoned district feel even more eerie.

Silence filled the area.

No footsteps, no signs of life.

It was the kind of place that gave people chills.

"…Yeah, I can see why no one comes here."

"Even homeless people would probably get creeped out."

It was clear that even those who had nowhere else to go would rather sleep on the streets than settle in a place as unsettling as this.

Shaking off the eerie atmosphere, he adjusted his bag and started heading home.

Nothing eventful happened on the way back.

No one knew about the treasure he had taken.

And as for the eerie abandoned buildings?

Well, if anyone should be afraid, it wasn't people, it was the ghosts.

With his abilities, he could easily deal with any lingering spirits.

His mind, however, remained focused on the gold coins.

By the time he arrived home, a strange intuition urged him to turn on the television.

A breaking news report was being broadcast.

"The leader of an infamous Italian robbery gang has been arrested, but the 15,000 stolen Maple Leaf gold coins remain missing."

"…Ah."

Ren reached into Sefirah Castle and pulled out one of the gold coins.

"So this is where they came from."

"No wonder it felt familiar."

His memories of Conan's later cases were vague, but he still remembered the earlier ones vividly.

And this was one of them.

The very first case involving the 'Detective Boys.'

He examined the gold coin in his hand.

"…And I just completely locked the door to the stash."

"The ability I used to seal the door prevents normal people from opening it. Unless they tear the whole thing down, no one's getting in."

"A bunch of kids definitely won't be able to break through."

"…So technically, did I just save the 'Detective Boys'?"

The thought crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure if that counted.

Even if it didn't, it didn't really matter.

As long as the emergency door remained sealed, no one—kids included—would be able to get inside.

That also meant the robbers wouldn't come after them.

Well… problem solved.

Still, it was something worth writing about in his diary.

---

[Something interesting happened today.]

[I found a stash of treasure hidden by an incredibly stupid robber near Tokyo Tower.]

[Ah, nothing beats the sight of gold coins gleaming under the sunset.]

[Gold really is a beautiful thing.]

[Especially for someone like me, who's constantly struggling with money.]

[I may not be a thief, but if some idiot hides stolen loot and never comes back for it, I have no problem taking it.]

[For example, a certain group of dumb Italian robbers who left their gold coins like buried treasure.]

[But because of them, I accidentally ended up interfering with the very first case of the 'Detective Boys.']

[A group of elementary schoolers, led by Kudo Shinichi, who is also now an elementary schooler.]

[To be honest, they were actually scared in the early cases. But the longer time went on, the less they feared for their lives.]

[And, honestly, the more annoying they became.]

[Still, this time, they were about to stumble into the treasure by accident.]

[I guess, in a way, I prevented them from facing their first real danger.]