Conan: The Phantom Heart Thief

Miyano Akemi clutched her collar tightly, carefully surveying her surroundings before slipping through the side door into the hotel lobby.

"Hirota Akira" was sitting on a sofa in the center of the hall, fiddling with his phone. He glanced up when Miyano Akemi walked over.

They exchanged a look. Miyano Akemi sat down next to him, keeping some distance between them.

Hirota Akira shook his empty can, tossed it into the nearby trash bin, and got up to head upstairs without acknowledging her further.

Once she was sure no one was watching, Miyano Akemi reached into the gap between the backrest and the seat cushion of the sofa, groping for the key Hirota Akira had hidden.

Just as her fingertips brushed against something cold and hard, the cushion next to her suddenly dipped—someone had sat down right beside her.

Miyano Akemi immediately withdrew her hand, pretending to adjust the folds of her clothes, and glanced sideways at the newcomer.

Suspicious. That was her first impression.

Black pants. Loose black coat. Hood pulled up to conceal both hair and face, only the edge of a pair of sunglasses visible.

This kind of getup triggered far too many memories for Miyano Akemi. She nearly blurted out, Am I not already on a mission?

But she quickly regained her composure. Judging from the person's build and style, he seemed to be a very young man.

While the organization did have members of this age, their status was usually on par with hers. It didn't make sense to assign someone like that to monitor or threaten her.

Maybe he was just a strangely dressed passerby. She couldn't afford to act rashly. Exposing the mission—or the organization—would only bring faster death for her and Shiho...

Kazawa, sitting beside her, noted how quickly Miyano Akemi calmed herself. Impressive nerves, he thought.

He pulled his hood down and looked at her. Miyano Akemi had slipped back into her act—shoulders hunched, playing the part of a nervous young girl.

"Ms. Hirota Masami, right?" Kazawa cleared his throat and spoke in the Joker's voice. "Or should I say… Ms. Miyano?"

A chill ran down Miyano Akemi's spine. Her hand instinctively tightened around the fabric of her coat.

He's not from the organization. If he were, he wouldn't need to ask such a question.

Stay calm. Figure out his intentions first...

"Uh… yes, I'm Hirota Masami. May I ask who you are…?" Miyano Akemi asked in a soft, high-pitched voice, pinching her throat to sound more youthful. Her other hand subtly reached toward the dagger hidden at her waist.

"Relax, young lady." Kazawa adjusted his sunglasses and casually picked up a newspaper from the rack beside them, holding it in front of his face. "I mean no harm. Your situation is dangerous, yes, but I'm not one of the threats."

Miyano Akemi kept her grip on the dagger but cautiously looked him over.

Short white hair. A smooth, youthful face. He looked around Shiho's age.

But it wasn't his face that caught her attention first—it was the newspaper he held up.

"1 Billion Yen Robbery: Suspect Still at Large!" blared across the front page.

He did that on purpose…

"Stay calm, Ms. Miyano, just stay calm."

Kazawa flipped the page, pretending to read. His sunglasses slid slightly, revealing a pair of red eyes peeking over the top.

Miyano Akemi tensed further, preparing to bolt at any moment.

"I'm here to help you," Kazawa said quietly. "But you must be cautious. Don't trust the organization's promises. Whether it's a reward or a trap, you'll never know—unless you're worth your weight in gold to them. Do you really think you are?"

"…I know who you are." Miyano Akemi suddenly understood. "You're the thief who calls himself Joker…"

Of course she'd heard of him. She'd seen the news about the explosion on the Shinkansen.

The organization's rumors were even more detailed—it hadn't been a mere bombing but an attempted assassination interrupted by Joker. Gin had been furious.

Among the rank-and-file members, there was quiet panic—everyone was on edge, afraid they'd end up on the wrong end of Gin's anger.

"So, did you come to dig for intel on the organization?" Miyano Akemi asked. Her tension eased slightly. She released the dagger and leaned against the backrest.

"I'm just a pawn," she said. "Even if you stop me, it won't affect the organization."

She was conflicted.

Deep down, she had never truly believed the promise—Complete this job and you'll leave with Shiho.

If it were that easy to leave, she and Shiho would've escaped years ago.

Shiho had warned her recently. Something was wrong in the organization, and things were only getting worse. She had begged her to stay cautious and promised to help if anything happened...

But Miyano Akemi hadn't called. She had simply accepted the mission in silence.

Shiho's position was already unstable. Asking for help now would only make things worse.

She suspected that Gin and the others had purposely assigned her this job—figuring she was just a civilian with no training and would likely fail. It was probably a death sentence in disguise.

But even knowing that, what could she do?

Run? Give up? Try to escape?

She and Shiho were puppets, strung up by the organization. She had no power to change her fate.

So she grit her teeth and took the gamble. The bait was just too tempting. She'd been dreaming of it for years—

Freedom.

What a fragile dream. Like a bubble—gorgeous but ready to burst with a single touch. These days, she didn't even dare think about it, afraid she'd lose the will to keep pretending.

She didn't have the strength to shatter that illusion herself. But if this boy—this enemy of the organization—could step in before things reached the point of no return...

That wouldn't be so bad.

"Don't be so pessimistic," Kazawa said, flipping another page. With his "third eye," he could see that she'd released the knife. He smiled faintly. The Miyano sisters really were alike—always prepared to sacrifice themselves.

"I said I'm here to help. I can find Hirota Kenzo. I can get you out. I can do it—all I ask is one condition."

Another promise.

Miyano Akemi resisted the urge to scoff.

A condition. A vague hope for a better future. All too familiar.

"Are you blowing me another bubble?" she muttered quietly, her voice steady now. "What's your condition?"

"It's simple." Kazawa closed the newspaper, folded it, and placed it between them on the cushion. "After I leave, open it. There's a note inside. Read it aloud. No matter how strange the words sound—read them all. Three times."

"…Huh?" Miyano Akemi had expected something more like intel gathering, sabotage, or spying. She looked at him blankly as he stood and dusted off his coat. "That's it?"

"That's it." Kazawa adjusted his sunglasses, looked her in the eye—and suddenly stuck out his tongue and made a face. "It's miracle magic. So be sure to say the spell properly, okay?"