Chapter 357: With his left arm around Haibara Ai and his right arm holding little Ayumi

Backstage lounge, Maki Juri’s room.

"I am Yaguchi," Yaguchi said, knocking on the door after bringing everyone over, "Lord Akaso is here!"

"Please, come in!"

The lounge was practically a large dressing room, with a wardrobe and a sofa on the side.

Akaso Kaze walked into the room with the excited children and saw Maki Juri applying makeup in front of the vanity.

"What a huge room!"

Ayumi and the others curiously swarmed forward: "There are so many flowers here!"

Akaso Kaze said with a smile: "Apologies, because I was given a few extra tickets, I brought these children along."

"It’s no problem."

Maki Juri shook her head dismissively and popped a chocolate into her mouth.

She said to the makeup artist helping her behind her: "Natsuki, this is the famous Onmyoji from Tokyo, Lord Akaso. You should have heard of him, right?"

The makeup artist was a young girl with a ponytail and delicate features, but she had been silent the whole time. Only after hearing Maki Juri’s words did she smile at Akaso Kaze and the others: "My name is Sakai Natsuki."

Akaso Kaze nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Ai glanced at Akaso Kaze silently, then walked to the vanity with her hands behind her back, examining the set of high-end cosmetics on it.

Many of them were the latest products she had seen in magazines. Loli Ai began to study them, preparing to buy some to try when she got back.

She spent more time with Akaso Kaze now and was no longer just a researcher doing experiments every day.

Dressing up appropriately was still necessary.

"So many cosmetics!" Ayumi walked to Ai’s side with stars in her eyes and carefully picked up a bottle, "This should be called foundation, right?"

"Mm," Ai looked at Ayumi and smiled affectionately, "There are 1, 2, 3, 4... 5 types of foundation alone!"

"Little girl!" Sakai Natsuki suddenly appeared behind them, put the foundation in Ayumi’s hand back into the makeup case, and locked it along with the other cosmetics.

She urged them repeatedly: "You two listen well, it’s a bit too early for you to learn how to wear makeup! Children should be like children, understand?"

"Okay." Ayumi replied disappointedly.

Akaso Kaze glanced at her and picked Ayumi up, "Big brother will buy you some when we get back, how about that?"

"Yay!" Ayumi happily kissed Akaso Kaze.

The manager, Yaguchi, quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Let me take you upstairs to have a look; there is a very nice observation restaurant on the top floor."

Akaso Kaze followed Yaguchi Masayo with Haibara Ai and the others, leaving only Conan, who was very concerned about the Kaitou Kid, in the lounge.

He was currently studying who might be an impostor.

As Akaso Kaze and the others walked along, a group of actors in theatrical costumes happened to pass by.

The man in the lead saw Yaguchi and quickly greeted her: "Masayo, I heard Lord Akaso is here. Is it true?"

"Yes, this is him."

"Oh my, Lord Akaso, a pleasure. My surname is Narisawa. I often see you in the news; I am a fan of yours."

Akaso Kaze nodded with a smile. The man spoke excitedly for quite a while before heading into Maki Juri’s lounge with the other actors.

There was a woman dressed in a gorgeous, noble style typical of a supporting role, a pretty boy in a young officer’s uniform, and a slightly chubby middle-aged man with long sideburns.

"Are they the actors for 'Josephine'?" Akaso Kaze asked.

"That’s right. Mr. Narisawa plays Napoleon, the lady next to him, Miss Tenshi, plays Josephine’s friend, Mr. Shinjo plays Josephine’s lover, and Mr. Hen is the director and sponsor, who also plays a role."

Yaguchi Masayo replied.

On the other side of the elevator, Kuroba Kaito, dressed as Kudo Shinichi, watched the elevator go up with lingering fear.

"That was close, that guy Akaso Kaze actually came too. The production team actually invited him; this is truly too dangerous."

"What’s so dangerous?" Inspector Nakamori appeared behind Kuroba Kaito with his team, looking displeased.

If it weren’t for Megure’s strong recommendation, he really wouldn’t want to bring some high school detective along to assist with the investigation.

"Inspector Nakamori," Kuroba Kaito said with a dry laugh, "Let’s hurry and meet Miss Juri. The Kaitou Kid might show up at any moment."

"Hmph, this time I will definitely catch him!"

Nakamori aggressively led his team toward Maki Juri’s lounge.

On the top floor of the Shiodome View Building, although Genta and the others wanted to visit the roof, the police seemed to have locked all entrances and exits in advance to guard against the Kaitou Kid.

However, the view from the observation restaurant was quite good, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows with a wide field of vision, and one could sit down and have a juice.

Yaguchi Masayo left early because the theater troupe had matters to attend to, and Akaso Kaze bought a drink for each of the kids.

Akaso Kaze, with his left arm around Haibara Ai and his right arm holding Ayumi, looked through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the Tokyo scenery under the dusk.

The sky and the city, dyed by the sunset, looked exceptionally serene in orange-red. With their bodies pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, it felt as if they were floating above the city, completely merging with it.

"That is so cool!" Genta leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, intoxicated.

"Genta, how come you can only say 'so cool'?"

"I can't help it, it really is so cool."

Ai picked up her juice and took a sip.

"However, is this okay? You accepted a commission, after all. If you aren't with Miss Juri, the jewel might be stolen by Kid at any moment."

Akaso Kaze smiled: "Rest assured, with me here, the Kaitou Kid wouldn't dare to make a move."

This guy could cause more trouble than anyone else; this time he even disguised himself as Kudo Shinichi and appeared in front of Conan.

If he doesn't get caught, who would?

Come to think of it, Inspector Nakamori should be coming too, right?

He hadn't seen his daughter, Nakamori Aoko, yet.

"Why? Not interested in Kid?" Ai glanced at Akaso Kaze, "You wouldn't happen to know who Kid is, would you?"

The corners of Akaso Kaze’s mouth curled up, "Perhaps."

When there was still some time before the performance of "Josephine" began, the theater was almost full. Akaso Kaze found their seats with the group of children; Conan was already seated, staring at Kudo Shinichi in the distance.

Discovering Akaso Kaze looking over, the Kaitou Kid hurriedly put on a smiling face.

Only after Akaso Kaze’s gaze shifted away did he let out a long sigh of relief.

Come to think of it, this Onmyoji was actually quite easy to talk to. As long as you didn't provoke him, didn't touch the things or people he had his eye on, and listened to him—if he told you to go east, you absolutely wouldn't go west—there shouldn't be any problems.

The Kaitou Kid felt like he was becoming more and more like Akaso Kaze’s underling.

As the curtain bell rang, the scene suddenly darkened, leaving only the stage lights revealed after the curtain was pulled up.

One could see a noble ball being performed on stage, and the several leads seen earlier all appeared in the middle of the stage.

It was the story of Napoleon meeting and falling in love with his first empress, with a melodramatic love triangle involving a pretty-boy lover intervening.

Haibara Ai had never seen a stage play before and was watching with great interest.

However, she was short and couldn't see, so she had Akaso Kaze hold her and sit on his lap.

Then, Haibara Ai began to wiggle her little bottom.

"Hey, what are you doing? This is a theater!"

Akaso Kaze used sound-transmission magic to speak in her ear.

Haibara Ai pursed her lips: "Don't you know illusion magic?"

Akaso Kaze’s mouth curled upward. This little loli, she’s learned to be bad.

He placed his two large hands in front of Loli Ai.

Haibara Ai was instantly stunned.

The final scene on stage was Napoleon’s coronation, with a gorgeously dressed Napoleon preparing to receive the Pope’s blessing from above.

At this moment, Conan ran out of his seat, and Kuroba Kaito at the emergency exit had already disappeared.

Akaso Kaze couldn't be bothered to care about them.

He looked down and saw that Haibara Ai’s face was already flushed pink.

"See if you dare to provoke me again in the future."

Akaso Kaze smiled in her ear.

Loli Ai mustered her last bit of strength and grabbed down hard.

Akaso Kaze couldn't help but frown slightly.

You were the one who provoked me first.