With the exclamation from Sakurako Hanyu, everyone's gaze followed her pointing finger.
There, only an empty canvas remained, and in the gap between the canvas and the easel, a familiar card quietly lay.
Seeing this, Ginzo Nakamori shouted twice into the communicator, instructing the detectives to extinguish the fire and then rushed towards the canvas.
As Ginzo Nakamori read the contents of the notice letter in his hand, his expression gradually became fierce, and the bulging veins on his forehead indicated how angry he was.
Senichi took the warning letter from him and read its contents.
"When the flames descend, it announces the feast is about to begin. Just like today, the 'theme' will be taken away by me. That 'incomplete' beauty will transform into eternity—by Kaito Kid."
"That damn thief, his methods are becoming more extreme. He is finally showing his true colors, huh!"
Ginzo Nakamori snorted, "A criminal is a criminal. Pretending to be a gentleman and aspiring to be a modern-day 'Arsène Lupin'! After all, it's just a worthless thief!"
"But... what does it mean to steal the 'theme'?" Sonoko, seeing the contents of the letter, was a bit puzzled.
"Every painting has a 'theme,' which generally refers to the reference object," Senichi explained.
"Eh? So, the notice letter says Kaito Kid wants to take away the 'theme' too..." Ran, looking at Sakurako Hanyu beside him, exclaimed, "Doesn't that mean Sakurako is in danger!?"
"We can't rule out that possibility!" Ginzo Nakamori's expression turned serious. "Now it seems, after many days, that bastard is finally revealing his true criminal nature! Miss Sakurako, if it's convenient, I will mobilize a large number of people to ensure your safety!"
Although the painting was important, compared to a human life, it seemed trivial. In this regard, Ginzo Nakamori could still distinguish between urgency and importance.
"I... I understand..." Sakurako Hanyu's face looked a bit unpleasant at the words, but after hearing Ginzo Nakamori's offer, she nodded reluctantly.
However, Senichi didn't agree with Ginzo Nakamori's remarks.
Leaving other matters aside, Kaito Kid's moral compass was quite intact. He stole jewels just to inspect them and see if they were what he was looking for. Moreover, he wouldn't commit anything outrageous or anger-inducing.
On the contrary, although he has been pursued by the police, during the process of stealing jewels, he has actually done quite a few good deeds and captivated many fans, especially young female admirers.
Let's set aside the question of whether stealing a painting is done by him or not; even if he did steal it, he wouldn't just set fire to the reference object in the painting. However, no matter what, the painting "My Beloved Daughter" is a portrait. It's not like that guy, Kaito Kuroba, is planning to kill Sakurako Hanyu.
Obviously, that's not possible.
So, there's only one truth—someone is impersonating Kaito Kid!
However, Senichi couldn't use these "beyond the third wall" pieces of information, and in Senichi's view, Ginzo Nakamori's approach was not wrong. After all, compared to a painting, human life is more important.
Although it's currently unknown what this imposter of Kaito Kid is planning, judging from the act of stealing a painting and burning the reference object, it's better to be cautious.
After everything was dealt with, the sky had completely darkened. The group returned to the Hanyu family mansion and then enjoyed a luxurious dinner. However, although the cuisine was excellent, everyone present had various thoughts, so the dinner was noticeably absent-minded.
Night fell.
Due to Kaito Kid's warning letter, a significant portion of the police force was mobilized to protect Sakurako's residence. However, as the other party was still a girl, a group of grown men couldn't provide personal protection.
Upon learning of this situation, Ran with Sonoko volunteered to stay with Sakurako.
Sakurako welcomed the offer.
After the girls finished dinner, they headed to the exhibition room. As for Conan and Senichi, they went to the scene of the burnt tree to assess the situation.
The once lush tree was now burnt to a crisp, soaked in gasoline according to the forensic investigator. This was why the fire had erupted suddenly, catching everyone off guard.
The ignition point was found at several spots on the tree, using a simple ignition device that could be easily handled by someone with basic knowledge of physics. After all, since gasoline was poured onto the tree, it would easily catch fire upon contact with a flame—nothing too difficult.
As for why such a strong smell went unnoticed, it was because the large tree was far away from the mansion.
After all, even though the Hanyu family wasn't as wealthy as the Suzuki family, being a renowned artist in the world made them affluent.
This can be seen in his paintings, as all the landscape paintings over the past few years have used the surrounding scenery as references. It can be said that this mountain is basically his, and he can design and construct it as he pleases. One can only say that the life of the wealthy is truly unimaginable.
The lack of clues was within the expectations of Senichi and Conan. Later, the two of them went to the Lavender Manor to take a look. During this time, Conan also raised doubts about whether the perpetrator was Kaito Kid.
Regarding this, Senichi expressed his own opinion, and the two agreed that the person was most likely an imposter posing as Kaito Kid to commit the crimes.
After all, Conan had been in a love-hate relationship with the real Kaito Kid for a long time and had a deep understanding of him.
Based on this, although they wanted to find some evidence against this imposter, they still came up empty-handed. It was evident that this guy, even if not Kaito Kid, was cautious enough.
Having gained nothing, the two eventually chose to return to their rooms to rest. After all, tomorrow was the day the notice letter mentioned, and even emergencies might occur in the middle of the night, making it impossible to sleep too soundly.
In this situation, it was better to rest early.
At three in the morning, a commotion woke Senichi from his dreams. He immediately got up and went outside. Next to him, Conan also had a serious expression, looking outward.
"What happened?" Senichi stopped a detective and asked, "Did the painting get stolen?"
"N-no, what was stolen were the gems embedded in it!" the detective hastily explained. "The 'Radiant Starry Sky' on top of it is missing!!"
At this moment, the detectives hurriedly ran towards the exhibition room. However, the two of them didn't head towards the exhibition room but ran towards Sakurako Hanyu's room.
Compared to paintings or gems, the safety of Sakurako Hanyu, representing the "theme" in the warning letter, was more concerning.
But no matter how Senichi and Conan knocked on the door, there was no response from the room, and their hearts couldn't help but sink to the bottom.
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