The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys
22. Turf War
About that boundary line between Yubiwa Academy and Kamikazari Middle School.
We’d crossed it to visit the Reasonable Doubt Casino, but from the opposite perspective, you could just as well invade Yubiwa Academy’s territory from the Kamikazari side.
In fact, that’s precisely what Fudatsuki was doing when I saw him on my way to school─he was using that counterfeit million yen as literal groundbait to lure Yubiwa Academy students to his casino.
Oh so carelessly.
And you could say he hooked me─if I hadn’t seen the kuroko, my impression of Kamikazari would probably have changed for the better.
I’d be lying if I said Fudatsuki hadn’t charmed me when he so politely offered me a game of Othello, standing around twiddling my thumbs as I was─and I’m sure he looked really cool to everyone else when he was up there on the stage, winning big.
As long as they didn’t know the trick─yes, the trick.
“…I understand about Fudatsuki─but Sakiguchi…” I began.
I now understood the connection between the two student council presidents, and why Sakiguchi had approached Kamikazari Middle School with ulterior motives in the first place─but neither was my real concern.
What I really wanted to understand was the trick─that is, the presence of the kuroko.
Or rather, the absence.
“What should we make of that?”
Given that he wasn’t able to see the figure, he couldn’t have predicted it, could he? He wouldn’t have lost like that if he knew about the kuroko, right?
“No, I predicted that, too,” he nodded. “I can only wish that I hadn’t─but all my precautions had no effect, and the situation only got progressively worse. However…”
Sakiguchi looked over at the leader.
Sotoin tilted his head, looking perplexed.
How can he always guess what the blank-faced child genius is thinking yet be so bad at picking up on this kind of explanation? I’m beginning to wonder if our fifth-grade Kogoro is really suited to being the world’s greatest detective.
Inevitably (I’m sorry to say), Sakiguchi picked up the thread of his own trailing sentence.
“However, the answer to your question is the concern of the Pretty Boy Detective Club, not the Yubiwa Academy student council─Ms. Dojima, do you remember the Twenties?”