"Call the police?"
Sonoko was taken aback—clearly, she hadn't even sidered that option.
"But those guys—"
"Suzuki, take a good look at them."
"Look closely. Doesn't their appearance remind you of something from the ret news?"
"Huh?"
At Ren's prompt, Sonoko focused ohree men.
Two of them were fners, while the third anese man with a mustache.
It was an odd bination.
And sidering their shifty behavior, they definitely looked like criminals.
That's when it clicked.
Ren's reminder jogged her memory.
"The Italian rang?"
Her eyelids twitched violently.
Her entire expression screamed Are you kidding me?
"How does that guy mao run into stuff like this every time he steps outside?"
"If we call the police, wouldn't those kids be in danger?"
"Then tell me, Suzuki—why do you think those robbers are here in Japan in the first pce?"
"Because… the Maple Leaf Gold s."
"Exactly."
Now, she uood why Ren had insisted on calling the police.
The leader of the Italian robbers had been taken down by w enfort, and now his remaining men were searg for the Maple Leaf Gold s he had hidden.
And judging by the situation—
That hidden stash robably in Shinichi's hands.
Otherwise, those criminals wouldn't be following him so closely.
If Shinichi and the kids didn't reture they had found, they'd be fine.
But ohe robbers made their move, things could escate fast.
In this situatioing them to the police was the safest option.
"Unbelievable. I 't believe I ran into Shinichi while out on a date."
"Yeah, I'd say this is quite the fateful enter."
"Fate? Amamiya, are you sure this isn't just bad luck?"
Ren was silent for a moment.
"Suzuki-san, hold out your hand. I'll show you a magic trick."
Sonoko, though fused, plied.
Ren tapped her palm with his index finger—
And a gold with a maple leaf engraving appeared in her hand.
"???"
For a few seds, Sonoko just stared at the in disbelief.
Then, she exami carefully.
It was real.
It was definitely a Maple Leaf Gold , the same type the rang was after.
She g Shinichi, who was still scratg his head oreet, then at the three men lurking in the alley.
After a brief silence, she suddenly burst into ughter.
"So that's why you said it's fate."
"They're all gathered here because of you."
She had to admit—this was fate, in a way.
"By the way, how did you find the gold s?"
"Do you have some special ability that lets you locate them in advance?"
"I do."
"Huh? Wait, seriously?"
Sonoko had been asking casually, but Ren admitted it so easily that she was momentarily thrown off.
After a short pause, she pondered something.
"Amamiya, do you have a way to hahese Maple Leaf Gold s?"
"Not really."
He uood what she was implying but still had some reservations.
"Wouldn't dealing with them be a problem?"
"It's not a big deal."
"My family's assets are massive. A fele Leaf Gold s won't make a difference."
"Besides, we already own a colle of them."
"If we just add these to our existing stockpile, no one would ever suspect a thing."
Sonoko wasn't ed in the slightest.
Even if the 15,000 s weren't obtaihrough entirely legal means, it wouldn't impact her family at all.
For most people, 600 million yen was an enormous sum—
But for the Suzuki family, it ocket ge.
So, she wasn't worried about where the s came from.
"But what I do want to know is how you collected them in the first pce."
"That's a fair question."
Trading information on the distributiowork for insight into his own abilities—
ly an equal exge, but Sonoko clearly wasn't trying to exploit him.
More than anything, she was curious about how he found them.
"Eh? You'll actually tell me?"
Sonoko hadn't expected him to agree so easily.
"If it's just some of my methods, I don't mind sharing."
"But my abilities are also my trump card."
"There are limits to what I reveal."
"That's fine."
Sonoko knew better than to push.
After all, she hadn't even received a diary yet.
Some things had to be takeep at a time.
Reured toward the street.
"But for now, we should focus on dealing with Shinichi's situation."
They had to act fast, if those robbers made a move, it could turn into a serious problem.
With his blue eyes, Ren could clearly see the guns hidden at the waists of the three men.
That was another reason to call the police immediately.
Otherwise, if a reckless officer frohem without knowing the full situation, things could end in tragedy.
"That guy is always trouble."
Sonoko was beyond exasperated.
But even if she was ahey couldn't just ighe situation ahings spiral out of trol.
So, the two of them left the family restaurant, stepped into a nearby phone booth, and called the police.
"Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. How I assist you?"
"I just saanese man and twargeting a group of four children oreet."
"They resemble members of the Italian rang."
"!?"
The operator's tone immediately shifted.
"They seem to be focused on a piece of paper the children are holding."
"I couldn't see what's written on it, but I suspect it might be reted to the 15,000 Maple Leaf Gold s."
Those s had never been recovered.
The operator clearly uood the significe of this report.
"In addition—"
"When I observed them earlier, I noticed something bulging uheir jackets."
"I caught a metallic refle, it looked like a on."
"!?"
The operator's breathing hitched slightly.
"Are you certain?"
"I 't be certain."
"I'm just a passerby, how could I get close enough to firm?"
"But whether I'm right or not, I believe the police should assume the worst-case sario."
The operator took a deep breath.
It was a necessary precaution.
If these men were indeed from the Italian rang, then the likelihood of them being armed was extremely high.
"Uood. We'll proceed with extreme caution."
"So, I suggest that officers approach them carefully and attempt to take them down in one swift move."
"If any of the robbers realize they've been exposed, every civilian oreet could bee a target."
The operator processed the situation quickly.
"Thank you for your report."
" you tell me the suspects' current location?"
"They're in the alley opposite Makino Family Restaurant on the ercial street beh Tokyo Tower."
