The day after school, Ren didn't head straight home. Instead, he made his way toward the river okyo Tower.
After cheg the map and firming the general area, he began searg for the specific abandoned building by the riverside.
"There are a lot of abandoned buildings here."
The area ractically a graveyard for old, deserted structures. He wasn't sure what this pce had been used for in the past, but now it was little more than a fotten wastend.
After about ten minutes of searg, he stopped in front of one particur 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 pletely isoted—no vilges, no venieores.
This had to be the pce.
With no nearby residents, the ces of aumbling upon the hidden stash were slim.
Uhe local gover 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 pce this secluded wouldn't be easy for the police to search.
Uhey already had a lead, narrowing down which abandoned building to iigate would be incredibly difficult.
Ren approached the building.
The mairance was locked, but the emergency staircase was still accessible.
Gng at the entrance, he he piled-up cardboard boxes and the thick yer of dust c the ground.
"…Not here."
He climbed the emergency stairs, making his way to the top floor.
Reag into his schoolbag, he pulled out a pair of gloves befripping the doorknob.
Click!
The rusted door creaked open.
"…Looks like I found it."
The rooftop was pletely deserted.
Activating his spiritual vision, he firmed there were no lingering spirits—no lost souls wandering this pce.
However, something else caught his attention.
He looked up.
Fe, thick bags hung from the ceiling, deliberately hidden.
Ren raised a hand, and the mist surrounding him transformed into several tendrils, stretg out and effortlessly pulling the bags down.
Stepping closer, he unfastened one of the bags.
Iacks of golden s gleamed uhe setting sun.
His gsses reflected their warm, golden glow.
"…Jackpot."
"I don't know who hid these here, but sihey were abahey 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 hesitatioored all fs of gold s inside Sefirah Castle.
Selling them could be dealt with ter.
With a satisfied expressioepped 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 act, that'd be a problem."
"…Might as well lock it properly."
Activating his Apprentice ability, he reinforced the lock with araordinary 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 pce, 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 ing 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 pce that gave people chills.
"…Yeah, I see why no one es here."
"Even homeless people would probably get creeped out."
It was clear that even those who had nowhere else to go would rather sleep oreets thale in a pce as uling as this.
Shaking off the eerie atmosphere, he adjusted his bag and started heading home.
Nothiful 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 s.
By the time he arrived home, a strauitied him to turn oelevision.
A breaking news report was being broadcast.
"The leader of an infamous Italian rang has been arrested, but the 15,000 stolen Maple Leaf gold s remain missing."
"…Ah."
Ren reached into Sefirah Castle and pulled out one of the gold s.
"So this is where they came from."
"No wo felt familiar."
His memories of 's ter 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 examihe gold in his hand.
"…And I just pletely locked the door to the stash."
"The ability I used to seal the door prevents normal people from opening it. Uhey tear the whole thing down, no one's getting in."
"A bunch of kids definitely won't be able to break through."
"…So teically, did I just save the 'Detective Boys'?"
The thought crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure if that ted.
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 e after them.
Well… problem solved.
Still, it was something worth writing about in his diary.
---
[Something iing happeoday.]
[I found a stash of treasure hidden by an incredibly stupid robber okyo Tower.]
[Ah, nothis the sight of gold s gleaming uhe su.]
[Gold really is a beautiful thing.]
[Especially for someone like me, who's stantly struggling with money.]
[I may not be a thief, but if some idiot hides stolen loot and never es back for it, I have no problem taking it.]
[For example, a certain group of dumb Italian robbers who left their gold s like buried treasure.]
[But because of them, I actally 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 aary schooler.]
[To be ho, they were actually scared in the early cases. But the loime went on, the less they feared for their lives.]
[And, holy, the more annoying they became.]
[Still, this time, they were about to stumble into the treasure by act.]
[I guess, in a way, I prevehem from fag their first real danger.]
