Chapter 17: Playing the Role of Phantom Thief Kid

After returning to the dormitory, the four of us remained as close as ever.

At that moment, I was watching the latest Detective Conan movie and couldn’t help but become enamored with the dashing Phantom Thief Kid. On the screen, moonlight washed over everything as Kid, dressed in his immaculate white suit, glided through the night sky as if dancing among the stars.

There was a glint of cunning and confidence in his eyes; each magical escape left me holding my breath in anticipation. Clutching my popcorn, I found myself cheering every time Kid deftly defused a crisis, as though I too were swept into that heart-pounding adventure, chasing after that mysterious figure in white alongside Conan.

Night descended, deep and enigmatic. I found myself clad in the Phantom Thief Kid’s pristine white attire, standing in the shadows outside the Military Museum.

The moonlight shone like silver, casting a subtle radiance over my outfit, so that I truly seemed to have become the brightest star in the night sky. I raised my hand lightly, the white glove gleaming faintly under the moon as I pointed toward the stately building ahead. Excitement and tension surged within me. Taking a deep breath, I melted into the night and the cover of the structure, moving like a ghost toward the ancient bullet that bore the weight of history, each step matching the rhythm of my heartbeat, the very air seeming to hold its breath.

Just as I was about to reach the bullet, a powerful searchlight tore through the darkness and pinned me in place. My heart pounded wildly as I turned, catching sight of police cars racing in the distance, their red and blue lights flashing—phantom hunters prowling the night.

A police officer, eyes sharp as a hawk, spoke into his radio: “Target confirmed—the Phantom Thief Kid has appeared! All units, move in immediately!” To my astonishment, my dormmates had been swept into the chaos as well. They stood outside the police line in disbelief and worry, their gazes darting between me and the officers, as if watching a real-life Conan mystery unfold. And I was at the center of it all, the protagonist caught in an unprecedented predicament.

A playful smile curled at my lips as I slipped effortlessly through the clumsy blockade. Under the moonlight, my figure flitted like a wraith among the museum’s statues and shrubbery, police sirens echoing in vain—never quite catching up to me.

Then, my three roommates, faces a mix of confusion and excitement, crossed the police line, trying to stop me but only managing to chase my shadow awkwardly across the empty plaza. Feng Danyan called out, “Stop! This is too dangerous!” Their eyes reflected anxiety and bewilderment, never suspecting that the thief dancing in the night was the very girl they lived with.

With a flick of my wrist, a delicate vial cut through the night air, landing precisely on the ground and shattering in an instant, releasing a thick cloud of white smoke. Shrouded in mist, my figure flickered in and out of view, merging with the darkness itself, as the police’s line of sight was utterly broken.

Seizing the moment, I crouched down and carefully tucked the ancient bullet into my pocket, heart pounding like a drum yet maintaining an unprecedented calm and agility.

Using the cover of the smoke, I slipped ghost-like through the gaps between the night and the statues, each step perfectly calculated, until at last I shook off the police and returned to the dormitory without a sound.

The door closed softly behind me, and all was quiet once more, leaving only the moonlight streaming through the gap in the curtains to fall across my face, illuminating a self-satisfied smile.