Over three hours passed. Approaching 4:00 PM, Koichi Zenigata led Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi to the Toto Bank.
The Cherry Sapphire was stored within the vault of the Toto Bank.
The streets outside the Toto Bank were already heavily cordoned off by SWAT teams in black tactical gear. The heavily armed officers, equipped with guns and shields, formed solid squares; not even a fly could get in.
There was even a small surface-to-air missile vehicle stationed on the street.
Takagi pointed at the missile vehicle, his jaw dropping in shock.
"Inspector Zenigata, isn't this a bit much? This is downtown Tokyo! How can we deploy such a weapon here?"
Zenigata sneered, "Didn't you watch the news last night? Lupin hijacked a helicopter and started firing a Gatling gun! They frequently use helicopters to escape. Against someone like him, we have to take extreme precautions!"
"If he dares to try escaping by helicopter again this time, I'll blow him to smithereens."
Miwako, however, frowned and said, "Inspector, it's almost 4:00 PM. Lupin's calling card stated exactly 4:00 PM. Could he be standing us up?"
Zenigata shook his head. "As far as I know, Lupin has never broken a promise."
Miwako checked the time; it was ten minutes to 4:00 PM. She picked up her phone and dialed Yuu Hoshimiya again, but just like the previous three calls, it went unanswered.
Why isn't Yuu-kun answering? Did something happen?
Nearby, the short, chubby bank manager wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. Today's massive display of force had truly frightened him.
"Officers, shouldn't we move the Cherry Sapphire to a safe location?"
"No. In my opinion, the more we move it, the easier it is for Lupin to find an opening. It's best to leave it right where it is," Miwako refused.
Zenigata also spoke up again, "Have you contacted the owner of the Cherry Sapphire?"
The manager pointed to an elderly man with a cane sitting in the lobby. "That's the owner of the diamond, Mr. Eishin Wakamo."
Everyone turned their gaze to the elderly Eishin Wakamo. Seeming to sense their stares, he said, "I have complete faith in our Japanese police force!"
Hearing this, Takagi instantly became excited, his hot blood surging.
He grabbed Zenigata's arm with both hands and shook it vigorously. "We must arrest him!"
He then grabbed the bank manager's arm. "Leave everything to us!"
Takagi tried to grab Miwako's arm as well, but a flash of disgust crossed her eyes, and she took a step back, leaving him grasping at thin air.
Undeterred, Takagi ran outside, continuously shaking hands with the SWAT officers to encourage them.
As for the Yuu Hoshimiya that Miwako was worrying about, he was currently in a black sedan, stepping on the gas and speeding toward the Toto Bank.
Under his powerful control, the Lexus rampaged through the streets, its speed continuously climbing, yet without hitting a single car.
Inside the car, Yuu looked entirely satisfied.
The strong wind rushed into the car, washing away the scents clinging to him.
Yuu had been delayed by an intense battle, which was why he was a few minutes late.
He checked the missed calls on his phone; they were all from Miwako.
He had been fiercely battling just now, and since there was still time, Noah hadn't reminded him.
However, Yuu hadn't expected Aoko to become so proactive toward the end. Driven by lust, he had extended the session considerably.
It would be tough to make it there on time with the remaining distance. Multitasking, Yuu drafted a text message to Miwako while driving.
Hearing her phone chime, Miwako immediately took it out to check.
Seeing the message from Yuu, she furrowed her brow slightly, her gaze becoming somewhat profound.
Recalling Aoko, who was like a fiery little mustang, a faint smile touched the corners of Yuu's lips.
He hadn't expected Aoko to become so bold at the end, making it almost impossible for him to pull away, which was why he was unavoidably late.
It was also a good thing he had used mental magic on Ginzo Nakamori; otherwise, when Aoko ultimately clung to him like a koala right above the sleeping detective, she would likely have woken the clueless man up.
Yuu rested his chin in his hand, pondering.
Besides Aoko, there's also Princess Mira, who looks almost exactly like Ran, and she's officially endorsed...
And apparently, she has a mother who is also stunningly beautiful. I just don't know when they'll come to Japan...
If there's a chance to get Ran, Aoko, and Mira—three beautiful girls who aren't triplets but are better than triplets—together...
Yuu quickly shook his head, clearing his mind of those fantasies.
His physical constitution was truly formidable now. Even though Aoko had tried so hard, he still felt somewhat unsatisfied, subconsciously fantasizing while driving.
Meanwhile, at the Nakamori residence, thanks to the dual cultivation effect and healing magic, Aoko was already moving around freely.
She had changed into loungewear, drawn a bucket of water, and started cleaning the living room.
Radiating a gentle and demure aura, she took a wet cloth and began wiping the wooden floor.
Aoko wiped extremely diligently, not missing a single plank, even wiping down the hallway planks near the yard.
Finally, Aoko approached the low table. The food on the table had long been cleared away; only the drunken Ginzo Nakamori remained slumped over it.
Aoko couldn't help but blush as she hurriedly began cleaning the table.
Just then, Ginzo Nakamori woke up. He groggily opened his eyes, looking around blearily, and saw his daughter vigorously wiping the table.
Nakamori was stunned for a moment and asked, "Aoko, where's Consultant Hoshimiya? Where did he go?"
Aoko's heart instantly leaped into her throat, but she feigned calmness. "Teacher Hoshimiya left, Dad. What's wrong?"
"Why did he leave so early? I didn't even... Huh? How is it 4:00 PM already?"
Seeing that Nakamori hadn't noticed anything unusual, Aoko gradually relaxed and then shouted loudly:
"Dad, you have the nerve to ask?! You can't handle your liquor, yet you drank a whole flask of sake and passed out instantly! You've been asleep since lunch until now, leaving Teacher Hoshimiya just sitting here!"
"Dad, you were incredibly rude!"
Nakamori immediately laughed awkwardly. "Is that so? It's fine, it's fine. Consultant Hoshimiya definitely wouldn't mind!"
Aoko rolled her eyes at him, tossed the wet cloth into the bucket, and turned away, carrying the bucket.
...
At Toto Bank, Miwako Sato informed Koichi Zenigata after receiving the text and left alone first.
Zenigata wanted to stop her, but hearing it was Yuu Hoshimiya's idea, he didn't say much.
Not long after Miwako left, Takagi, who had been out boosting morale, returned to the vault entrance.
Zenigata picked up his walkie-talkie and ordered, "From this moment on, lock down all nearby streets. No vehicles are allowed to pass. Everyone except the guards inside the bank, switch to Channel B. Report any anomalies immediately!"
The dense crowd of police officers outside all grew highly vigilant.
Time ticked by slowly. The time stated in the warning email Lupin sent Zenigata—4:00 PM—passed quietly, and nothing happened.
The short, chubby manager let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, Lupin didn't come. It seems the diamond is safe!"
A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Zenigata's mouth as he walked toward the vault door.
"He never lets go of the prey he sets his sights on. That is Lupin III."
Takagi was stunned. "Are you saying Lupin is already inside the vault?"
"Haven't you seen this kind of plot in movies? Thieves digging a tunnel straight under the vault to steal; that way, they naturally wouldn't alert anyone on the surface."
Zenigata turned to the manager. "To be safe, open the vault door. Let's confirm if the diamond is still there."
The chubby manager hurried to the front of the vault door and began turning the combination lock.
Soon, the multi-ton circular iron door swung open.
Zenigata, Takagi, and two SWAT officers all drew their guns, peering inside the vault. Everything looked normal.
The chubby manager immediately trotted inside, used two keys to unlock one of the deposit boxes, took out a box, and placed it on a nearby table.
He flipped open the box and instantly felt relieved.
"Thank goodness, the Cherry Sapphire is still here!"
Zenigata looked confused. "Strange. It's already three minutes past. Why hasn't Lupin shown up yet?"
At this moment, Takagi spoke up, but with Lupin's voice.
"Perhaps it's because everyone's watches were set three minutes fast."
Zenigata realized instantly. "You adjusted our watches when we shook hands earlier!"
"Bingo!"
"Wataru Takagi" casually tossed a bomb. A massive amount of sleeping gas billowed out, instantly knocking everyone in the vault unconscious.
Wearing a gas mask, Lupin approached the table and effortlessly took the Cherry Sapphire.
However, Zenigata's constitution far exceeded that of an ordinary person. The sleeping gas that knocked everyone else out didn't have much effect on him, and he struggled to his feet.
"Pops, why are you getting up? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"
"Sigh, I anticipated this, so I added a little something extra when I adjusted your watch!"
With that, Lupin pressed a button, and Zenigata instantly began convulsing.
His body shook violently as he was electrocuted, turning charred black.
Yet even so, Zenigata still hadn't lost his fighting capability. He struggled to his feet like a spider.
"You brat, stop right there! Don't run! I'll catch you!"
Lupin naturally ignored him and made his escape.
Meanwhile, on the streets outside, numerous Lupins suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The SWAT officers surrounding Toto Bank were distracted by these Lupins and scattered to apprehend them.
None of them noticed a person slipping out of Toto Bank.
Wearing an old-fashioned kimono, Goemon Ishikawa felt a bit melancholy. Jigen had business to attend to, so he was drafted for this.
His arms were full of Lupin disguise masks.
Relying on his superb agility, Goemon slapped a Lupin mask onto the head of every person he passed. He slapped one on everyone he passed.
Goemon was the mastermind behind the appearance of so many Lupins.
As for Lupin himself, he wore a smug expression as he slipped into the sewer, running through the intricate underground tunnels. He planned to use the Beika Station subway to escape.
But he hadn't run more than a few steps when he heard a voice.
"You're awfully slow, Lupin!"
Yuu Hoshimiya and Miwako Sato emerged together from the shadows.
Miwako had her gun drawn in her right hand, pointing at Lupin III, while a smile played on Yuu's face.
Lupin looked stunned, finding it hard to believe that the escape route he had painstakingly devised had been seen through. Truly impressive!
Listening to the chaotic noises from above, with SWAT officers occasionally shouting that they had caught Lupin, Yuu raised an eyebrow. "I suppose your partner, Goemon Ishikawa, is covering for you up there."
"You've learned your lesson this time—no cars, no helicopters. The only way out, then, is the subway at Beika Station."
"But the subway is too far from the bank. If the police spot you, the station will be locked down quickly, leaving the sewer as your only escape route."
"So I've been waiting here to catch the rabbit by the tree, and sure enough, it paid off."
Lupin couldn't help but clap his hands. "As expected of the police's special consultant! You figured even this out. But I can't hand this Cherry Sapphire over to you."
A smile touched the corner of Yuu's mouth. "Oh? Is there some hidden story?"
In reality, Yuu had almost entirely grasped the ins and outs of this Lupin incident by now.
Although he had only gleaned some content from online discussions initially, under Noah's dimensional crushing, every move Lupin's gang made couldn't escape his sight.
He had notified Miwako in advance this time, and he now knew exactly where that woman Fujiko Mine was and what this monkey-faced thief wanted to do by stealing the jewel.
So Yuu couldn't be bothered to waste words with the monkey-faced man in front of him.
He had already secretly dispatched people to forcefully capture the busty mature woman, Fujiko Mine.
Now, as long as he caught Lupin, this incident could be concluded early.
Frankly, his only interest in this whole affair was Fujiko Mine, who might be a fated heroine.
Of course, if Lupin broke out of prison later, that would have nothing to do with him.
"Consultant Hoshimiya, I'm actually stealing this to save someone..."
Lupin imperceptibly flashed a sly smile, intending to distract Yuu and use the opportunity to escape.
But his petty tricks were completely useless in front of Yuu.
You see, aside from Noah's dimensional crushing, there was also the magic Akako Koizumi had taught him.
With only the three of them here, and Noah having temporarily hacked the surveillance cameras, he could unleash his magic to his heart's content.
Mental Interference, Invisible Wind Blade, Strength Enhancement.
Not much was needed. Yuu spent three seconds and used three intermediate spells to easily subdue the world-class phantom thief, Lupin III.
Even until Yuu began searching him, Lupin III hadn't fully recovered from the Mental Interference.
Lupin III lay on the ground, inexplicable pain radiating from all over his body, the pain becoming more pronounced as he gradually regained clarity.
"What just happened..." Lupin III asked, enduring the dizziness in his head and the pain in his body.
Yuu had no interest in explaining his abilities to an outsider, nor was it easy to explain.
There was someone in Lupin III's crew with impressive, almost superhuman skills, but this completely supernatural magic was still beyond his comprehension.
Without a word, Yuu searched Lupin III from head to toe.
This monkey-faced guy indeed had some tricks up his sleeve—all sorts of bizarre gadgets, a fake hand, smoke bombs, disguise masks, a grappling hook rope...
He was even better at using various gadgets than that kid Kaito Kuroba!
Yuu also conveniently dislocated the joints in Lupin's hands, then had Miwako handcuff him, ensuring he couldn't use any tricks to pick the lock and escape.
Yuu pocketed the Cherry Sapphire, clapped his hands, and pulled Miwako over.
"Miwako, I'll leave Lupin to you. This guy is tricky; don't let your guard down."
"Yes, I know, Yuu-kun. So where are you planning to go next..."
"Exactly. Maya has already taken a team there, but to be safe, I'm going to make a trip personally."
Lupin III hadn't been completely lying; Fujiko Mine had indeed been kidnapped, and he stole the jewel to exchange it for that beautiful, busty, blonde con artist.