Pathway to Japanese Literature

One day in May, an elderly gentleman visited the office of Detective Akechi, located in a high-end apartment in Kōjimachi. He was a distinguished elderly gentleman with a slim build and tall stature, his thick white hair slicked back and sporting a white mustache. This man was Dr. Matsunami—a Doctor of Literature and director of an Ancient Research Institute established by a wealthy individual—as well as a renowned scholar specializing in Western antiquity.

Detective Akechi and Dr. Matsunami had become acquainted at a certain gathering, but the renowned elderly scholar had suddenly paid a visit. Kobayashi, the boy who had answered the door, upon hearing it was Dr. Matsunami, politely guided him to the reception room.

“Akechi-san, a strange occurrence has taken place at the Ancient Research Institute where I work.” “That’s why I’ve come today—to seek your wisdom.” Dr. Matsunami sat down in a chair and immediately began to speak. “What do you mean by ‘strange occurrence’?”

When Akechi inquired, Dr. Matsunami began his account. “The Ancient Research Institute recently acquired a scroll inscribed with ancient Egyptian sutras—said to be the only one in the world.” “It was Dr. Kinoshita of our institute who found it in England and purchased it to bring back, and since this was reported in the newspapers, you may already be aware, but it is a treasure of the world that cannot be exchanged for money.” “However, this scroll has a terrifying legend associated with it.” “In the room where it is kept, mysterious things are said to occur.” “Even in England, various ominous incidents are said to have occurred.” “That’s why the scroll’s owner became frightened and decided to sell it.”

“Dr. Kinoshita procured this treasure for a mere 300,000 yen in Japanese money, but its true value was many times over—dozens of times over—that amount. No sooner had we housed the scroll in the institute’s Egyptian room than something terrifying occurred.”

It happened yesterday. A university student came to the institute. And since he expressed a desire to see the mummy’s coffin kept in the Egyptian room, they permitted him to enter. Then, this university student entered the room and vanished. “A person melted away and vanished.” “There was nothing missing.” “That Egyptian Scroll was still in its original location.”

Detective Akechi and Kobayashi, who had been listening nearby, were completely captivated by this strange tale. “Couldn’t the university student have left without anyone noticing?”

When Akechi said this, Dr. Matsunami shook his head, “No, that’s impossible. Because there was an elderly janitor named Akai keeping watch properly, you see. Mr. Akai was standing outside the sole door and never moved once.” “Is it possible to exit through the window?” “There are five windows, but all of them are securely fitted with iron bars, making it absolutely impossible to escape. Furthermore, there are absolutely no hidden doors anywhere else in the room. There are absolutely no gaps to escape through.”

“In that Egyptian room, there are various objects kept, I presume? Could someone hide among those objects? For example, in something like a mummy’s coffin—if a person wanted to hide there, they could do so, I suppose.”

“Of course, we opened the lid and examined it.” “However, there was nothing else inside the coffin besides the mummy.”

“This is a locked-room mystery,” Detective Akechi remarked. “The puzzle lies in how a person could vanish from a room with no exits. I refuse to believe in curses from Egyptian scrolls. There must be some hidden mechanism at work here. You don’t think that janitor Akai is lying, do you?” “No,” Dr. Matsunami countered firmly. “He couldn’t possibly be lying.”

“Why is that?” “Because I saw it with my own eyes.” “What do you mean by that?” “The window of my room is separated by about ten meters and faces the door of the Egyptian room.” “In between was a corridor, with one room each on both the right and left sides of that corridor; however, since both doors were closed, there was nothing obstructing the view from my room’s window to the door of the Egyptian room.”

“My desk is by that window, so if I sit there, I naturally have a view of the Egyptian room’s door.”

"When the university student entered the Egyptian room, I had briefly stepped away from my seat, so I did not see it."

“When I returned to my seat，I saw Mr．Akai standing outside the door across the way.” “So I thought that someone from outside had entered the Egyptian room.” “In such cases，it was always Mr．Akai who would stand guard.” “Because the university student was taking an unusually long time to come out，Mr．Akai，tired of waiting，opened the door and peered inside.” “Then，the university student came to the entrance and said something to Mr．Akai from inside the door.” “He was probably asking Mr．Akai to wait a little longer.” Mr．Akai nodded and closed the door again．

“Then, after about ten more minutes had passed, when Akai-kun opened the door to check again, this time the room was completely empty. “The university student had vanished.” “Until Akai-kun opened the door for the second time, I never once took my eyes off that door. “Therefore, it’s certain that the university student didn’t exit through the door.” “There are no other entrances or exits besides that door.” “The five windows are securely fitted with iron bars.” “There’s no other explanation but that the university student vanished!””

When Dr. Matsunami stopped speaking there, Detective Akechi—digging his fingers into his unruly mop of hair and tousling it—pondered for a while before suddenly looking up and...

“Was the university student wearing a gold-buttoned uniform?” “No, it was a dark suit.” “What kind of clothes was Mr. Akai wearing?” “Just as I thought, it was a dark, old suit.”

“Around what time was it?” “Around four o’clock.” “It was already growing dark.” “You did notify the police as well, I presume?”

“I notified them.” “The police came and conducted a thorough investigation, but they found no clues.” “They even seemed to doubt what we were saying, as if questioning how such a ridiculous thing as a person vanishing could be possible.”

Detective Akechi pondered there for a while longer, but eventually spoke as though he’d reached a decision.

“Understood. “If you don’t mind, let’s go to the research institute immediately and investigate.” “Kobayashi-kun, come along with me.”

Young Kobayashi’s Adventure

Under Dr. Matsunami’s guidance, Detective Akechi and Young Kobayashi entered the large building of the Ancient Research Institute and thoroughly examined the Egyptian room from corner to corner, but they found not a single trace of any secret entrance. As for the window’s iron bars, there was absolutely no sign of them having been removed. After spending a full hour completing his investigation, Detective Akechi called Young Kobayashi to his side and whispered something to him in hushed tones. Then, he went over to where Dr. Matsunami stood and said the following.

“Dr. Matsunami, I cannot believe in the curse of the scroll.” “I would like to conduct an experiment tonight. What do you think?” “What kind of experiment do you mean?” “Kobayashi-kun here wants to test it by keeping watch all night in the Egyptian room.” “If Kobayashi-kun were to disappear as well, that would be disastrous, but I believe such a thing will absolutely not happen.” “Why don’t we let him conduct this experiment?”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Matsunami, “Isn’t that dangerous?” “I cannot vouch for Kobayashi-kun’s safety.” “No—I will take responsibility.” “This Kobayashi-kun has undertaken life-threatening adventures in various cases up until now, so he’ll be fine.” “His mind works quickly and his strength is considerable.” “Moreover, since I have certain considerations in mind, I will ensure there’s absolutely no danger.”

And so, after some back-and-forth, it was finally decided that Kobayashi-kun would keep watch alone in the Egyptian room that night.

At 9:00 PM, Young Kobayashi arrived at the research institute alone and entered the Egyptian room together with Dr. Matsunami. The janitor, Mr. Akai, had also followed them there. “Mr. Akai, please lock the door from the outside.” “That way, no one will be able to get in, you see.” “The key is the only one Mr. Akai has, isn’t that right?” “If there is a spare key, please have Mr. Akai keep that as well.”

Young Kobayashi pressed the button after saying that, before everyone left the room.

Eventually, the two adults left, and the door was locked from the outside with a click. And so, Kobayashi-kun found himself locked inside the Egyptian room.

In one corner of the room stood a large desk, and before it was placed a leather-covered swivel chair. Kobayashi-kun sat down on the chair and looked all around the room. One wall was lined with bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling, densely packed with foreign-language books. On another wall stood a large shelf lined with various excavated ancient Egyptian items and their replicas, and on the small desk before it lay that scroll contained within a silver elongated box. Also, on another wall hung a portrait oil painting of a famous Egyptian scholar, with a large mummy coffin leaning against the wall below it. The coffin lid was half-open, and the white cloth wrapped around the mummy was spilling out. When he imagined that inside it stood a pitch-black, skeletal mummy, a shiver of terror ran down his spine.

A single round ceiling lamp hung from above; the only other light was the desk lamp with a blue shade atop the large desk. Because the room was spacious, this meager illumination rendered it dim, casting dark shadows in every corner.

Outside the window was pitch dark. The trees growing thickly in the garden appeared like black demonic creatures. On the large desk were old foreign books piled haphazardly, and before them, an old desk clock tick-tocked away the time.

Deathly still and utterly silent, save for the faint sounds of streetcars and automobiles running along the distant avenue, there was no other sound at all.

Gradually, the night deepened. It was unclear how the curse of the strange scroll would manifest itself. On the small desk across the room sat an aged silver box with patterns that appeared blackish—within it lay an ancient scroll over two thousand years old. This was what held mysterious magical power and had made a human being disappear. Young Kobayashi stared fixedly at the blackish silver box. As he kept gazing at it, his eyes grew bleary, the surroundings dimmed, and only the silver box appeared whitish, as if caught in a spotlight.

Ah! It moved!

The silver box slid silently. Kobayashi-kun was startled and looked again. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The box was still in the center of the small table where it had been. Was that just a trick of the eyes?

The hands of the clock passed ten o'clock, passed eleven o'clock, and drew near twelve. It was truly a long, long time. It felt as if an entire month had passed. Kobayashi-kun would occasionally rise from the chair and pace around the room. Then he would return to his original seat. Somewhere came a shrill, peculiar noise. He somehow sensed movement in the mummy coffin's lid. Through the gap in the lid, the protruding white cloth trembled faintly despite the absence of wind - or did it?

Even Kobayashi-kun gradually grew uneasy. If he carelessly averted his gaze, it felt as though a monster was creeping up from behind. The moment he imagined a gaunt human hand slithering out from between the books on the shelf-lined wall, his back grew cold as if doused with water.

Hands in the Darkness Flick, flick, flick… The lone light flickered like a blinking eye, turning off and on. At first, it flickered slowly, but soon gradually sped up—flick, flick, flick…—as though a monster were blinking.

Kobayashi-kun involuntarily stood up from the chair and assumed a defensive stance. It was terrifying—he thought a monster might emerge. Every time the light flickered, various objects in the room seemed to move. Against the far wall, the lid of the mummy coffin leaned half-open, from which a white cloth hung like a curtain. From above the mummy’s head, the cloth draped over it was protruding.

The white cloth fluttered and swayed despite the absence of wind. Had the mummy started to move? At any moment—oh, at any moment—the black mummy might open that lid wider and start walking toward me.

But that wasn’t all.

Earlier, he had imagined a bony hand emerging from between the books on the shelf, but now he felt as though similar hands were slithering out from over there and over here, one after another.

From under the table, from the mummy coffin, from among the clay dolls lined up on the shelf, from inside the jars…

Every time the light flickered off, it seemed as though those hands emerged from different spots. The hands all seemed to be targeting the scroll box on the table and were steadily stretching toward it. One of those hands stretched longer and longer—one meter, two meters—until it seemed on the verge of touching the silver box.

Of course, no actual hands had emerged. Because the light flickered rapidly—it was just a trick of his mind—he was seeing things that weren’t really there. Even Young Kobayashi could endure no longer. He ran toward the door and suddenly began banging on it loudly. Because he thought that if Akai-san, the janitor, heard the noise—he would come with a key to open the door. However—when Kobayashi-kun knocked on the door—as if it had been a signal—the light snapped on and stayed lit without going out. The flickering ceased.

If the light stayed on, he wouldn’t see those terrifying illusions anymore. Kobayashi-kun, finally relieved, sat back down in his original chair.

The silver scroll box was still properly on the table.

Kobayashi-kun stared fixedly at the box and didn’t move a muscle.

It was already one o’clock in the dead of night. The surroundings grew utterly still—as though all living things in the world had perished and Kobayashi-kun had become completely alone—creating an indescribable loneliness. Will everything end safely by morning? Could it be that something truly terrifying was about to happen?

White and Black After a while, the truly terrifying thing happened.

The light went out again. And this time, once it went out, it didn’t come back on. It was pitch darkness, as if black velvet had been stretched taut.

He couldn’t see anything. It was as if he had gone blind. Then, before his eyes, hazy blobs of yellow, red, and purple appeared and vanished. Purple rings resembling smoke rings drifted closer with a hiss, while vivid crimson flowers abruptly bloomed to fill his entire field of vision. I’m sure all of you have seen such colors when you close your eyes. It’s the work of the nerves at the back of the eye. That was now appearing and disappearing in vivid colors before Kobayashi-kun’s eyes within the darkness.

At that moment, he felt as though the air around him was moving. Even though both the windows and doors were tightly shut, a faint breeze was coming from somewhere. In ghost stories, it’s written that when spirits appear, a blood-tinged wind blows in from nowhere. Is this the ghost’s harbinger wind? But it wasn't blood-tinged at all. He could feel only an extremely faint stirring of air against his cheek.

By then, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so the whitish objects in the room had grown faintly visible. The silver scroll box on the table was also faintly visible. Kobayashi-kun opened his eyes as wide as they would go and was glaring fixedly at the box. Then, suddenly, the middle part of that silver box was obscured by something and vanished from sight. The center turned black, and the silver box appeared to split in two.

Could it be that a black hand had grabbed the silver box?

Ah, look! The silver box was moving. It slid smoothly across the table. And then, even after moving beyond the edge of the table, it didn’t fall—it floated in midair! Ah, I see. A pitch-black hand appeared from nowhere, grabbed the silver box, and began carrying it away. No—it wasn’t just a hand. Something—a pitch-black figure—seemed to be standing there. A pitch-black monster had come to steal the scroll.

“Ah! You! What are you?!” Kobayashi-kun shouted and lunged at the black monster. There was a definite impact. It was a human’s warm body. The figure had draped pitch-black cloth over its head, wrapped its hands in the same material, and was attempting to steal the scroll box. “Thief! Stop!”

Kobayashi-kun tried to grapple with the invisible figure, but in the blink of an eye, he was flung backward by a terrifying force and landed hard on his rear.

At that moment. At the far wall of the room, something strange happened again. From the mummy’s coffin, the white cloth that had been protruding gradually grew larger and fluttered closer. Could it be that the mummy had opened the coffin lid and started walking? Such a thing couldn’t possibly happen. Then why on earth was a human-like figure wrapped in white cloth approaching him?

Kobayashi-kun remained sitting where he had fallen, his chest pounding, as he stared into the darkness.

Then, the white apparition darted through the darkness and seemed to leap at the black one. Though invisible to the eye, the black apparition too rose to confront it, and they began to grapple. The silver scroll box floated in midair, drifting this way and that. It appeared the white and black specters were locked in a struggle over it.

Then, with a dreadful sound, the grappling began. It was a life-and-death struggle between the white monster and the black monster. A dreadful clattering sound rang out as they rolled across the room, locked in a fierce grapple. “Now, I’ve got you! Kobayashi-kun, press the switch!”

Ah, that voice was Detective Akechi. The white monster appeared to be pinning down the black monster. So, was the white monster actually Detective Akechi?

Kobayashi-kun groped his way toward the light switch on the wall near the door and pressed it. However, the light did not come on. The main switch must have been turned off. Kobayashi-kun knocked on the door and tried to call for help. And when he felt the door—oh!—it had somehow come open. Kobayashi-kun rushed out into the outer hallway and shouted at the top of his voice.

“Someone, please come—!” “A thief has entered the Egyptian Room!” When he kept shouting, the sound of someone coming up the stairs was heard, and the far end of the hallway dimly brightened. A person carrying a flashlight came rushing over.

When he saw the person who had appeared in the hallway, it was Director Dr. Matsunami. Dr. Matsunami had stayed overnight in the night duty room downstairs since he was worried about the scroll tonight. “Oh, Kobayashi-kun, what’s happening?” “Who is this thief?” “I don’t know.” “It seems Detective Akechi appeared from somewhere and caught the thief.” “…The main switch has been turned off.” “Please turn that on, Doctor.”

“Very well, wait here.”

Dr. Matsunami handed the flashlight to Kobayashi-kun and once again rushed down the stairs.

The Secret of the Door

When Dr. Matsunami turned on the main switch, the room’s light came on. “Ah! You’re the janitor Akai-kun!” The white monster shouted. When he peeled off the cloth that the subdued black monster had been wearing, what appeared from beneath was the figure of Akai dressed in a black suit. “Mr. Akechi, you’ve done well.” “So, it was Akai who tried to steal the Egyptian scroll, then?” Dr. Matsunami, who had entered the room, called out to the white monster.

The monster, with white cloth tightly wound around his body and bearing an exact resemblance to an Egyptian mummy, was none other than Detective Akechi. In that guise, he had hidden inside the mummy’s coffin and lay in wait for the culprit to arrive. Young Kobayashi, who hadn’t been told anything beforehand, was startled when he heard Dr. Matsunami call out, “Mr. Akechi.” “So Detective Akechi had consulted with Dr. Matsunami and hidden inside the mummy’s coffin before I entered the Egyptian room,” he realized. “If I’d known about it beforehand, that knowledge might have shown on my face and made the culprit wary—so they deliberately kept me in the dark.”

Kobayashi-kun had suddenly realized that point, but there were still things he didn’t understand. Dr. Matsunami also seemed to have been thinking the same thing, and at that moment, he asked Akechi in the following manner. “If Akai was the culprit, he could manipulate the main light switch and turn it on or off at will. Moreover, since he possessed the room’s key, sneaking in wouldn’t have been difficult.” “However, there are still things I don’t understand.” “It’s the secret of how the college student vanished inside this room yesterday.” “Do you understand that secret as well, Mr. Akechi?”

Detective Akechi had taken out a thin rope from somewhere, bound the criminal Akai’s hands and feet, and secured his body to a nearby chair. Once finished, he approached while answering.

“I had already figured that out. During the day, when I examined this room, I discovered that secret. However, if I had mentioned that, the culprit would have grown wary and refrained from coming to steal the scroll, so I deliberately kept silent. And by luring the culprit into complacency, I lay in wait for him to sneak in tonight. This guy fell right into that trap.” “However, it’s completely beyond my comprehension. What in the world was the secret? If it’s not too much trouble, would you be so kind as to explain it?”

“It’s a simple trick.” “Since this guy has no chance of escaping now, I’ll show you that secret before we call the police.” “In that case, Doctor, please enter your study at the end of the hallway and watch this door through the glass window.” “Kobayashi-kun, you watch along with the Doctor.”

Thereupon, Dr. Matsunami and young Kobayashi entered the doctor’s study at the end of the hallway and began keeping watch on the Egyptian Room’s door through the glass window. From that glass window to the Egyptian Room’s door was about ten meters away. Since the corridor lights were on, the door remained clearly visible. As they kept watching, Detective Akechi—who had been standing in the hallway—entered the Egyptian Room once, and after about thirty seconds, reappeared in the hallway. Then, leaving the door open, he turned away and peered into the room.

Then, something astonishing happened.

There stood a man inside the door! Since Akai, the criminal, was bound to the chair, there was no way he could have appeared there. Then who could that be? A man abruptly materialized within the room.

Yesterday, a college student had vanished, but tonight, conversely, a person appeared out of thin air. Detective Akechi whispered quietly with the man for a while, then turned toward their direction and gave a nod before entering the room and closing the door behind him from the inside.

When Dr. Matsunami and Kobayashi saw that, they could no longer remain still; they left the study and hurried toward the Egyptian Room.

Then, Detective Akechi opened the door again and welcomed the two into the room while— "You did see a man standing there, didn't you?" "But take a look." "In the room, aside from Mr. Akai, there's no one else." With that, he smiled cheerfully. In the far corner of the room, Akai remained tied to the chair, glaring at them with a fearsome expression.

“Surely, that wasn’t Akai just now, was it?”

Dr. Matsunami said wonderingly.

“That’s not it. No matter how swiftly one acted, there wouldn’t have been time to untie that thin cord and retie it exactly as before. It was someone other than Akai who appeared.” “And where did that person go?”

“He vanished.” “Just like yesterday’s college student, you see.” “I just don’t understand…” “It’s truly mysterious.” “There’s no way something this absurd could exist.” Dr. Matsunami made a troubled face and looked around restlessly.

“Ha ha ha… It’s nothing at all.” “Please take a look at this.” Detective Akechi said that and approached the door. So, was the secret mechanism hidden within this door? If that were the case, what in the world could this secret be?

Dear readers, before reading further, take a moment to consider this.

The sound of a telephone. Detective Akechi opened the door toward the hallway and pressed his finger against the inner door panel. With a click, another door swung open from within the original one. In other words, that door was double-layered. Akechi opened it all the way to demonstrate. Near the door’s hinges, there was another hidden hinge, forming a mechanism that opened as shown in the diagram. And the inner side of the other door—opened from the original one—had been made into a large mirror.

The other door consisted of a thin iron plate colored to resemble wood grain, and the mirror fitted into its inner side was made of extremely thin glass, so that together they measured only about one centimeter in thickness. Therefore, no one noticed that the door was double-layered.

“Have you had this door repaired recently?” When Akechi asked this, Dr. Matsunami nodded as if something had occurred to him.

“Now that you mention it, we did replace the door about ten days ago.” “For some reason, the frame of this door had warped, making it difficult to close properly, so we had another door made and replaced it.”

“Who was it that placed the order for that door?”

“It was Akai.” “All such tasks are handled by Akai.” “Then Akai-kun had this door with the mechanism made.” “That must have cost a considerable amount of money.” “It’s the secret to a magic trick that makes people disappear, you see.” “Ah! So then, this mirror…” “That’s right.” “Yesterday, the figure of Akai-kun standing in the hallway was reflected in this mirror.” “Both Akai-kun and the college student were wearing black clothes, and since the hallway was dimly lit, their faces wouldn’t be clearly visible from your laboratory’s window.” “Therefore, you ended up believing that Akai-kun’s reflection in the mirror was the college student.” “Since Dr. Matsunami believed there was a college student in the Egyptian room, you see.”

Akai-kun had fabricated this notion of an Egyptian scroll's curse. He made them believe mysterious events would occur in this room. However, commissioning such a trick door wasn't something achievable on a janitor's salary. Akai had been someone disguising himself as the janitor. In truth, he might have been a fearsome master thief. "Hmm, this is quite an elaborate mechanism," Kobayashi remarked. "So that man you mentioned earlier, Mr. Akechi—was that your own reflection in the mirror? If it's just a mirror image, making it disappear would be simple enough. All you need to do is close this double-layered door and restore it to a single panel."

The boy Kobayashi was also thoroughly impressed upon seeing the door’s mechanism. "Sensei, does that mean you had already noticed this mechanism when you inspected here during the day?"

“That’s right.” “However, I kept silent about it to both Dr. Matsunami and you.” “Because if it became known that I had figured out this mechanism, the criminal would flee.”

Akai, bound to the chair across the room, had suddenly become terrifying for some reason. The old janitor they had taken him for now appeared as a brawny master villain.

“I’ll call 110 immediately.” “And let’s hand this guy over to the police.” Dr. Matsunami said this and rushed out of the room, but after making a call in the laboratory across the way, he soon returned. “Let’s leave this creep’s interrogation to the police.” “He must be a rather famous master thief,” said Akechi. “However, thanks to you, the Egyptian Scroll was saved, and we were able to catch the thief.” “I’m truly glad I asked for your help, Mr. Akechi.”

The scroll that had been placed in the silver box was resting intact on top of the original small table.

As we were talking about three minutes had passed when suddenly a siren blared out on the main street and a patrol car came to a stop before the gate. Kobayashi went downstairs opened the front door and returned to the Egyptian room accompanied by two uniformed police officers. The officers seemed to recognize Detective Akechi saluting him respectfully with raised hands. After hearing their account they hauled Akai away loaded him into the patrol car and took him off to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Dr. Matsunami locked the Egyptian room’s door from the outside, guided Detective Akechi and the boy Kobayashi to the laboratory, and had been talking with them for a while when—in the dead of night—the telephone on the desk began blaring shrilly. When Dr. Matsunami answered the phone—the caller— “Put Detective Akechi on the phone.”

he demanded. Akechi took over and picked up the receiver.

“Hello, Akechi-kun? “Ha ha ha! Truly delightful!” “Who do you think I am?” “Go on, take a guess.”

From the receiver, such a hoarse voice burst out.

Detective Akechi’s complexion changed in an instant. “Who are you? Who are you?!” “Heh heh heh… I’m Akai.” “I’m already a free man.” “Those cops from the patrol car were fakes.” “Ha ha ha! To think someone like you would make such a blunder, Akechi-kun!” “No, wait—there’s one more thing that’ll shock you.” “Akai isn’t my real name.” “Well? Do you get it?” “I’m a man with twenty faces.” “Heh heh heh… I’m the master thief you call the Fiend with Twenty Faces.”

And then, the call was cut off with a click.

The Secret of the Telephone When Akechi put down the receiver and conveyed what had happened, Director Dr. Matsunami and the boy Kobayashi exchanged looks in surprise. “But I definitely called 110 from that room’s telephone earlier. Does this mean the real patrol car still hasn’t arrived?” Dr. Matsunami muttered suspiciously.

“That cannot be possible.” “It has been quite some time since then.” “There is no way the patrol car would be this delayed.” “There must be some reason behind this.”

Akechi said this and turned the dial on the telephone in front of him, holding the receiver to his ear, but—

“Strange, the telephone seems to be broken.” “Let me check it.”

With that, he rushed out of the Egyptian room, entered Dr. Matsunami’s laboratory across the way, and tried using the telephone there—but found that it too was not working. Akechi then checked the telephone lines, opened windows to peer into the dark garden, but for some reason suddenly dashed out of the room, bounded down the stairs, and headed into the garden.

In the corner of the garden stood a small storage shed. Akechi switched on the flashlight he had readied, opened the shed's door, and peered inside.

“Ah, here it is. Here is the telephone.”

he shouted. “The Fiend with Twenty Faces cut those two telephone lines and connected this telephone with a different line.” “Then he stationed his subordinates here and answered using a voice that imitated a police officer from the emergency number.” “That’s why the call never actually reached the real 110.”

With this, they understood why the real patrol car hadn’t arrived. “When did he manage to make all these preparations? That man is terrifying.”

Dr. Matsunami muttered, utterly dumbfounded.

Under Detective Akechi’s direction, the boy Kobayashi ran out through the gate and used a public telephone to inform the Metropolitan Police Department of the situation.

Dr. Matsunami and Detective Akechi had returned to the Egyptian room and were discussing the matter.

“Even so, I’m grateful that the Egyptian Scroll was saved.” “Even though the criminal got away, the scroll’s box is still safely here.” “This is entirely thanks to Mr. Akechi.”

Dr. Matsunami opened the silver box on the table, confirmed that the scroll was inside, and expressed his gratitude.

“However, we still can’t let our guard down.” “This time, there’s no telling what method he might use to attempt the theft.” “If possible, it would be better to leave only the silver box in this Egyptian room, put the scroll inside a different box, and hide it somewhere else.”

When Akechi said this, Dr. Matsunami nodded and,

“I had been considering that as well.” “I have newly built my residence in a quiet neighborhood in Setagaya Ward, and it has only just been completed.” “I intend to place this scroll into an ordinary wooden box and bring it back to my residence every day.” “That would be advisable.” “Put it in as plain and inconspicuous a wooden box as possible.”

After some time had passed, Inspector Nakamura from the Metropolitan Police Department arrived with three subordinates in tow, but since there were no particularly new discoveries to speak of, we will omit the details of that matter.

Now, what would become of the scroll placed in the wooden box? Of course, the Fiend with Twenty Faces had not given up on stealing it. Before long, he would once again employ mysterious sorcery and commence a truly unfathomable, terrifying scheme.

On the third night thereafter, a strange incident occurred inside Dr. Matsunami’s new house. The one who witnessed it was a boy named Shōichi, the child of a company executive named Nishimura who lived next door to the doctor’s residence.

**The Living Hand**

Nishimura Shōichi was a sixth grader in elementary school. That evening, he was doing his homework in his study room on the second floor.

Beyond the window, the second floor of Dr. Matsunami’s newly built house next door was visible. It’s only about ten meters away.

What could be seen there was a spacious Western-style room—still newly wallpapered, devoid of any furnishings, an empty space. The only thing in the center of the room was a small round table. However, the electric light was grand and properly lit. A chandelier with numerous glass orbs hung from the ceiling, brightly illuminating the room. The window had four large glass panes tightly shut, but since they formed a single glass door, the interior remained as visible as if one could reach out and touch it.

The room had remained completely empty, with only the electric light on, but after some time, the door at the left end of the far wall opened, and an elegant elderly man entered. Shōichi didn’t know this, but that was the master of the house, Dr. Matsunami. He might have just returned from the research institute. The elderly doctor was carefully holding a small wooden box, placed it on the table in the center of the room, and was trying to open its lid. At that moment, someone seemed to call from outside the door, so Dr. Matsunami turned toward it and began moving his mouth as if speaking in response, but with a face that seemed to say, *What a nuisance*, he hurriedly stepped out through the door.

The wooden box remained placed on the table. He must have left it there, intending to return shortly.

However, Dr. Matsunami did not return for quite some time. The unfurnished room lay hollowly empty and utterly silent. Because the wallpaper was new, the light from the electric lamp appeared unnaturally bright. Shōichi-kun was staring fixedly at it from the window of the study room here. *Something’s definitely going to happen soon.*

because he had this strange premonition. Then, just as expected, in the brightly lit room across the way, an indescribably strange occurrence took place. On the small table, a whitish object suddenly appeared. And then, it began smoothly slithering toward the wooden box placed there.

Could it be a large insect? No, that wasn't it. *Ah! It's a hand.* A human hand. Only a human hand crawled across the table. The table stood on three legs, with wallpaper visible beyond them. This meant nobody hid beneath it. No human body existed—only a wrist moved independently. Shōichi-kun shuddered as though seeing a specter. Could such a thing be possible—a wrist severed from its body, alive and mobile?

However, it was undeniably a human wrist. It crawled toward the wooden box like a large insect. Ah! It finally grabbed the box. And in a flash—just as that hand seemed to raise up—both box and wrist vanished as if erased. It was only the wrist that stole the box. And then they vanished completely.

Shōichi-kun felt as though he had witnessed a terrifying dream. Yet this was no dream.

On the second floor over there，a spectral，inexplicable occurrence had indeed taken place.

Shōichi-kun hurriedly left the room, went down the stairs, and entered his father’s study. And he recounted what had just happened. When Shōichi’s father, Mr. Nishimura, heard this, he burst out laughing, “That’s impossible!” “You must’ve seen some kind of illusion.” He wouldn’t take it seriously. “No, it wasn’t an illusion.” “I definitely saw it.” “Dad, it might be the Fiend with Twenty Faces.”

“What? The Fiend with Twenty Faces?” Even Mr. Nishimura was startled. “Next door is Dr. Matsunami’s house, right? Wasn’t it said that the Fiend with Twenty Faces had sneaked into Dr. Matsunami’s ancient research institute the other day? Could it be that the Egyptian Scroll was inside that vanished wooden box?”

Shōichi-kun was a clever boy. He had already deduced that much. When he heard that, even Mr. Nishimura could not simply dismiss it. He had read about the incident at the Ancient Research Institute in the newspaper. “In that case, why don’t I go with you to the house next door right now and let them know what you saw?”

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”

So, Mr. Nishimura and Shōichi-kun decided to visit Dr. Matsunami’s new residence together.

When they arrived, Dr. Matsunami’s house was in an uproar. Dr. Matsunami’s wife had passed away long ago, and they had no children; the household consisted only of a student boarder, an elderly housekeeper, and a maid. But those four were rushing back and forth in a panic throughout the house. Nevertheless, upon realizing that their neighbor Mr. Nishimura had come to visit, Dr. Matsunami ushered the two Nishimuras into the first-floor reception room. Unlike the second floor, this room had various tools splendidly arranged.

“Why don’t you tell us what you saw?”

At Mr. Nishimura’s prompting, Shōichi-kun recounted the strange occurrence he had just witnessed in detail. Then, Dr. Matsunami nodded,

“Ah, so that’s how it was.” “That explains it.” “Actually, I also saw the wrist grasping the box.” “Shōichi-kun most certainly did not see an illusion.” “So, Doctor, were you watching from outside the door at that time too?”

Shōichi-kun asked. “No, I didn’t see it in that room. It was the stairs. Down the stairs, only the wrist grasping the box floated in midair and drifted down. It was an apparition. I was startled and chased after it.” “However, the wrist dodged my hand with a swish, descended the stairs, and flew down the hallway toward the entrance. Floating lightly in midair, it flew away at a terrifying speed.”

The entrance door swung open by itself with a swish. From there, the wrist slipped outside. It still clutched the box, of course. Inside that box lay the crucial Egyptian scroll. "I chased after them frantically," "But by the time I reached outdoors, both wrist and box had disappeared." "Somehow... it felt like they'd whooshed straight up into the heavens."

“So they were in an uproar, calling the police and contacting the private detective Mr. Akechi, among other things.”

Having finished speaking, Dr. Matsunami hung his head dejectedly. “Doctor!”

At that moment, Shōichi-kun let out a sudden, shrill cry.

“It might be the Invisible Man! The Fiend with Twenty Faces once disguised himself as the Invisible Man long ago. Might he not have used that trick this time as well?”

Shōichi-kun had friends who were members of the Boy Detectives Club, so he was quite familiar with the Fiend with Twenty Faces.

Ah, the Invisible Man. Could it be that the Fiend with Twenty Faces truly possessed the sorcery to become the Invisible Man? If that were true, what strange things would happen next?

A Disembodied Voice

After obtaining the desired item, the Fiend with Twenty Faces did not show himself for about a month, hiding somewhere.

However, one evening, a terrifying incident occurred at Mr. Onda’s residence in the quiet estate-lined town of Minato Ward.

Mr. Onda was a director of Mitsugi Pearl Corporation. The family consisted of his wife and only child Shōtarō-kun—three people in total—with all others being hired help; however, a young man named Yamaguchi Takeo, who served as both Shōtarō-kun’s tutor and a live-in student, was treated like family and even shared meals with the three of them.

When dinner was finished, the four of them and two guests gathered in the Western-style room and sat around a large table. The guests were Mr. Tomoda, an employee from Mr. Onda’s company, and Mr. Kitagawa, a relative.

Today was Mr. Onda’s birthday, so they invited two guests and shared a meal together; afterward, they gathered in this room and were looking at what was placed on the table. It was a beautiful elephant ornament. An elephant about twenty centimeters tall, its entire body crafted from thousands upon thousands of pearl beads. In the elephant’s eyes were set blackish cat’s eye stones. Even just one of those cat’s eye stones alone is said to be worth hundreds of thousands of yen.

It was impossible to tell just how valuable the entire pearl elephant was. This pearl elephant ornament was exhibited by Mitsugi Pearl Corporation at a major exhibition in France long ago, which Mr. Onda then acquired and made into a family heirloom. “I had the pleasure of seeing this last year as well, but it’s truly magnificent no matter how many times one looks at it.” “The elephant’s form looks as though it’s alive.” “The color of these pearls is simply indescribable.”

Mr. Kitagawa, the relative, exclaimed with barely contained admiration. “The value lies in the fact that it can only be seen once a year.” “The members of your household also don’t get to see it except on Mr. Onda’s birthday, isn’t that so?” Mr. Tomoda, an employee, said.

Exactly so—both Shōtarō-kun, their only son, and his mother rarely got to see this treasure.

Shōtarō-kun was a sixth-grader, and he had looked forward to seeing this elephant once a year. Ever since he was much younger, he had loved elephants and owned many elephant toys, but compared to this treasured elephant, they all seemed boring.

“It’s strange. I wonder why he hasn’t noticed such a rare treasure.” Mr. Kitagawa abruptly said something peculiar. “Who do you mean by ‘he’?”

Mr. Onda inquired. "The Fiend with Twenty Faces." "What? What did you say?" Mr. Onda furrowed his brows at what he saw as an ill-omened remark.

“He never overlooks rare art pieces.” “Isn’t it said he’s built an impressive art museum at his hideout, filled with nothing but stolen items?” “Just the other day, there were blaring headlines in the papers about him stealing an ancient Egyptian scroll.” “To think he hasn’t noticed this treasure of the Onda family—how careless of him. Ha ha ha….” Mr. Kitagawa told an unpleasant joke.

And then, it happened. Like an echo of Mr. Kitagawa’s laughter, a faint “Ha ha ha…” could be heard drifting from somewhere.

The laughter showed no sign of ceasing. Everyone exchanged startled glances. Shōtarō-kun’s mother had already turned deathly pale. “Who’s there?!” The tutor Yamaguchi Takeo suddenly stood up, went over, and tried opening the door. However, there was no one in the hallway.

“Ha ha ha….” A faint laugh gradually grew louder.

This time, Yamaguchi looked out from the window and scanned the dark garden. There was no one there either. “Ha ha ha…, It’s no use searching.” “My form is invisible!” “I had noticed, you know.” “I’ve known about these pearls for quite some time.” “I intend to take it for myself sooner or later.”

The voice resounded from empty air. They looked all around the room, searching every corner, but there was no sign of anyone. “Ah! The Invisible Man!”

Shōtarō-kun noticed and shouted in a shrill voice.

Mr. Onda hurriedly placed the pearl elephant into the box, hugged it tightly, and suddenly dashed out into the hallway. Yamaguchi Takeo, the tutor, also followed after him.

After a while, Mr. Onda and Yamaguchi Takeo returned to the original room. They had stored the treasure box in the basement safe. The code to open the lock was known only to Mr. Onda, so it was secure. Furthermore, they had securely locked the entrance leading down to the basement, and Mr. Onda possessed the key.

“Now that I think about it, I had the feeling that someone was standing near me.” “That might have been the Invisible Man.”

When Mr. Kitagawa said this, Shōtarō-kun’s mother also—

“Yes, I felt it too.” “I felt as though someone had swiftly passed behind me.” “Oh, how creepy.” “He might still be around here, I wonder.”

Then, as if responding to this, another laugh arose. “Ha ha ha… I’m right here.” “But today, I’ll leave it at that.” “I’ll be back again, so you’d better stay on your guard.” The voice gradually grew more distant, fading away until it vanished somewhere. “If he intends to steal the pearl elephant, why not just snatch it and run away?” “That he just made us hear his voice and left is strange, isn’t it?” “Perhaps he’s pretending to be an Invisible Man—could it be that he set up a loudspeaker somewhere, just letting us hear his voice to scare us?”

Since Mr. Kitagawa had voiced his skepticism, everyone searched the room exhaustively—from the walls to the ceiling, even under the carpet—but found no trace of anything resembling a speaker installed anywhere.

A Floating Vase After this commotion, Mr. Onda reported the incident to the police and had them keep watch around the house, but late that night, yet another terrifying event occurred in Shōtarō-kun’s bedroom. The room served as both Shōtarō-kun’s study and bedroom, with a study desk and bookshelves by one window and a bed placed in another corner. Shōtarō-kun got into bed around nine o’clock, but he was so terrified by what had just happened that he couldn’t fall asleep. For a long time, he fidgeted restlessly, but just as he began to doze off, he would see a frightening dream and jolt awake.

And then, it was when he woke up for what must have been the umpteenth time. From his bed, he thought he saw the floral-patterned curtain on the window beyond the study desk—visible straight ahead—flutter softly.

Thinking "Huh?," he widened his eyes perfectly round and stared in that direction. On the desk were a desk clock, a purple glass vase with beautiful flowers arranged in it, a pen stand, and other items. The hands of the desk clock were already pointing to 10:30. As he watched, the glass vase creaked and moved. It felt as though someone had moved it by hand. Startled, his eyes became fixed there.

Then, ah, it was indeed as he feared. The vase was gliding smoothly toward him! It reached the edge of the desk but still did not stop. It kept moving forward like that, and even after leaving the desk, it did not fall down but remained floating in midair.

Shōtarō-kun’s body went numb in bed, and he could no longer move. Even if he tried to look away, he couldn’t.

The vase, having left the desk and remained floating in midair, swayed gently for a while before smoothly rising upward as if lifted by someone. And there in midair, it swayed gently from side to side.

It was precisely the height where, had an adult been standing there, they would have lifted the vase to chest level.

Shōtarō-kun felt as though he could faintly see the figure of the person. It was transparent yet hazy—a human-like form seemingly made of water. The vase then descended smoothly back down to its original place on the desk and stopped moving. However, the invisible person still seemed to be nearby. Then, from somewhere, a rolled cigarette appeared and lay horizontally in midair, perfectly still. It looked as though the invisible being had it clenched between his teeth.

The cigarette had been lit before anyone noticed. And that red ember flickered like a firefly—glowing brightly, then dimming—and each time, a wisp of white smoke would stream out smoothly from midair. After a while, the area around human head height became filled with white smoke.

It was truly an indescribably eerie sight. Despite there being no one present, the cigarette was being smoked, and smoke was being exhaled.

The cigarette was smoked for about two minutes before it smoothly vanished somewhere. However, the invisible one was still in the room. It felt as though he stood perfectly still there, glaring at Shōtarō-kun. It seemed as though a hazy, water-like figure was inching closer and closer toward him.

Shōtarō-kun tried to call for help, but his mouth had gone rigid, and he couldn’t produce a sound. Struggling and straining, he finally managed to emit a hoarse scream.

“H-h...elp me….” Startled by the voice, the invisible fiend opened the door and slipped out of the room. The door glided open smoothly by itself and shut again exactly as it had been before.

Soon, someone came clattering down the hallway, abruptly opened the door, and burst into the room.

It was Mr. Yamaguchi, the tutor.

“Shō-chan, what’s wrong? That scream just now—it was you, wasn’t it?”

Shōtarō-kun’s face turned deathly pale, his mouth moving wordlessly, but he couldn’t manage to speak. However, he finally began to speak haltingly about the strange events that had just occurred.

“Hmm… Just as I thought. He did sneak in here.” “I might have passed him in the hallway.”

Mr. Yamaguchi said he would inform Mr. Onda and immediately rushed out of the room.

Once again, the entire household was thrown into an uproar. The maids had all gotten up and were trembling.

Mr. Onda immediately called the police. Two detectives came from the police station to investigate the house, but since their adversary was an invisible fiend, there was nothing they could do. They instructed them to secure all doors thoroughly and left.

Bizarre Confrontation

The Fiend with Twenty Faces appeared at Mr. Onda’s house as an invisible man and declared he would steal the family heirloom—a pearl elephant. So Mr. Onda did his utmost to prevent it. The pearl elephant was placed inside the basement safe, the thick wooden hatch at the basement entrance was securely locked, and even family members were kept away from the safe. Mr. Onda requested assistance from the police, who had two detectives continuously patrol both the front gate and back entrance of the Onda residence.

However, the very next morning, something terrifying occurred in the garden of Mr. Onda’s house.

Mr. Onda’s son Shōtarō-kun was looking out at the garden from the window of his study room at that time.

The garden had various trees planted, and directly facing Shōtarō-kun’s window stood a camellia tree, its vivid green leaves framing a single blood-red flower that bloomed solitarily like a drop of blood. Shōtarō-kun found himself somehow unable to look away from the red flower. He felt strangely, irresistibly drawn to it.

Then, the flower suddenly left the branch as if plucked by someone. Instead of falling downward, it began moving smoothly through the air. It wasn’t being suspended by a thread from above. Since it had already moved away from the tree, there was nothing above it now. Then, after drifting lightly through the air, it soon came to a complete stop. If a human had been standing there, it would have come to a halt right around face height.

It seemed as though an invisible figure was holding up the flower before his eyes, gazing at it. Shōtarō-kun gasped. It had to be the invisible man. The invisible man had plucked the camellia flower and was examining it intently.

When he stood up to inform his father, someone came from the other side of the garden. It was Yamaguchi Takeo, the tutor. Yamaguchi-kun also seemed to notice the camellia flower suspended motionless in midair; he froze in shock but immediately collected himself and abruptly lunged at the flower. A sound like bodies colliding was heard. Though invisible to the eye, there was indeed a human standing there.

Then began a fearsome grapple. Yamaguchi-kun showed remarkable bravery. Panting heavily, his face flushed crimson, he finally managed to pin his opponent to the ground. Mounting the foe, he appeared to be squeezing their neck with all his might. Yet this opponent was none other than the Fiend with Twenty Faces. He would never yield so easily. Yamaguchi-kun was suddenly flipped over. The invisible fiend had sprung up with explosive force.

Yamaguchi-kun lunged at the opponent again but took an uppercut to the chin with a heavy thud and fell on his backside.

“Damn it!” “Bastard! Not a chance I’m letting you escape!” Yamaguchi-kun stood up once more and lunged to grapple with him. Grunting while they wrestled, Yamaguchi-kun’s body suddenly traced a semicircle through the air and was hurled to the ground beyond, somersaulting violently. The invisible fiend had used judo’s tomoe nage—a circular throw. Just as he tried to rise, someone pounced from above and began choking his neck. He thrashed his head left and right in struggle before finally going limp.

“Ha ha ha ha… Had enough?” “I’m a fifth-dan judo practitioner after all.” “You’ll never catch me!”

A voice resounded from midair.

And then, as though he had just noticed, “Ah, there’s Shōtarō-kun.” “Ah, there’s no need to fret.” “I won’t do anything to you.” “But go to your father and tell him this:” “Now listen closely.” “It’s going to be dangerous around tonight.” Look—it’s the pearl elephant. “That’s what’s going to disappear tonight.” Well then, I might as well set a time. “Let’s set it for ten at night.” “I’ll steal it out and show you exactly at ten o’clock, you know.” “Make sure you tell them properly.” “I am the Fiend with Twenty Faces.” “I never break my promises, you know.” “Understood?” “Ha ha ha ha… Well then, see ya.”

The laughter grew fainter and fainter as it receded into the distance, vanishing beyond the grove of trees in the garden. Yamaguchi Takeo finally managed to get up. Shōtarō-kun ran off toward the back to inform his father. Then, they called the two detectives stationed outside and searched the entire garden, but since their opponent was an invisible fiend, there was nothing they could do. They simply couldn’t tell whether he had already fled somewhere or was still lurking about.

In this situation, there was no choice but for everyone to work together and strictly guard the safe in the basement.

A cute girl

Shōtarō-kun was a sixth grader in elementary school, but on that day, when he went to school, he quietly told his classmate Takeuchi-kun about the Invisible Man. This was because Takeuchi-kun was a clever boy who belonged to the Boy Detectives Club.

“Hmm, so that guy’s the Fiend with Twenty Faces,” “In that case, you should talk to our leader Kobayashi.” “We’ve been fighting the Fiend for ages—he’s our sworn enemy.” “Kobayashi’ll definitely help you out.” Since Takeuchi-kun had put it that way, once school ended, Shōtarō-kun resolved to visit Detective Akechi’s office—where the boy detective Kobayashi worked—together with Takeuchi-kun.

“I’ll call home to say I’ll be late.”

When they arrived at the red public telephone in town, Shōtarō-kun took a 10-yen coin from his pocket and was about to make the call when Takeuchi-kun— “You mustn’t say we’re going to the detective agency.” “Because you never know where the Invisible Man might be listening.” “Just say you’re coming over to my house to play.” Takeuchi-kun said in a hushed voice. Shōtarō-kun did as he was told: he made the call, then boarded a bus and hurried toward Detective Akechi’s office in Kōjimachi.

Fortunately, Kobayashi Shōnen was at the office and promptly ushered the two into his own room.

Kobayashi Yoshio-kun, the leader of the Boy Detectives Club, often had his photo in the newspapers, so Shōtarō-kun was already familiar with his face. He was probably around the age of a third-year middle school student. He had a more childlike face than one might expect—a smiling, adorable boy. It was so strange that one could hardly believe how such a child could fight against that terrifying Fiend with Twenty Faces. “This is my friend Onda Shōtarō-kun.” “The Fiend with Twenty Faces is trying to steal Onda-kun’s father’s treasure.” “It’s going to be dangerous tonight.”

Since Takeuchi-kun had introduced them, Shōtarō-kun first exchanged greetings and then proceeded to explain everything that had happened up to now in detail. "I see. So that guy disguised himself as the Invisible Man." "Understood." "I'll just go consult Detective Akechi for a moment, so please wait here."

With those words, the boy detective Kobayashi left the room, but after a short while, he returned with a cheerful smile. And then, he said something like this.

“As expected, the Professor is brilliant.” “He’s already thoroughly figured out the Fiend with Twenty Faces’s methods.” “And then, the two of us—the Professor and I—devised a certain plan.” “For that step, Onda-kun, Professor Akechi will need to call your father and coordinate.” “Please provide the phone number.”

Thereupon, once he had obtained the phone number, Kobayashi left the room again.

The term “Professor” referred to the famous detective Akechi Kogoro. Detective Akechi had captured the Fiend with Twenty Faces countless times before. However, no matter how many times that fiend was thrown into prison, he would break out like a magician and escape. Therefore, Detective Akechi and the Fiend with Twenty Faces were sworn enemies who could never forgive each other. Precisely because of this enmity, Detective Akechi had come to thoroughly understand the Fiend’s methods. He would always outwit him through these insights, startling his opponent every time. What kind of scheme had he devised for their latest confrontation?

Shōtarō-kun and the others were kept waiting for about twenty minutes. As Shōtarō-kun wondered what Detective Akechi was discussing with his father, the entrance door slid open quietly, and a cute girl entered.

“Welcome.”

The girl said this and bowed politely. Could she be a maid? However, the next moment, the girl tilted her head and smiled with her eyes as she said, “Do you get it?”

There was something strange about this. Both Shōtarō-kun and Takeuchi-kun were blinking their eyes in bewilderment. “Hahahaha… It’s me.” “It’s Kobayashi!” “I just tried out a little disguise, that’s all.”

This time, it was the familiar voice of Kobayashi, the boy detective. What a skillful disguise! That this was Kobayashi-kun could not be recognized at all. He was every bit a girl. Even so, why had Kobayashi, the boy detective, gone to such lengths with this disguise?

“Actually, Detective Akechi and your father had had a phone consultation earlier, and it’s been decided that I’ll disguise myself as a girl and become a maid at your house.” “How about it?” “No one who sees me would ever suspect a boy is in disguise.” “So you’re going to become a maid at my house and catch the Fiend with Twenty Faces?” “That’s right.” “I think it should work out.” “The matters the Professor discussed with your father are unknown to anyone else in your household.” “When he was called to the phone earlier, he didn’t mention anything about Akechi, you see.” “No one besides your father and mother knows I’m going to become a maid.” “We’ll make it look like the maid we’d requested earlier has arrived today.” “You need to act accordingly too.”

“Why would you disguise yourself as a maid of all things?” Shōtarō-kun still wore an unconvinced expression.

“There’s a reason for that.” “It’s still a secret for now, but the time will come when you’ll understand.”

While they were having this conversation, the door opened, and a slim, tall adult entered. Shōtarō-kun was meeting him for the first time, but he already knew him well from newspaper photos. It was the famous detective Akechi Kogoro.

“Ah, Professor! This is Onda-kun.” Kobayashi, the boy detective, said. Shōtarō-kun, meeting the famous private detective for the first time, turned red and bowed. “It’s worrying, isn’t it? “However, if Kobayashi-kun goes, it’ll be alright.” “Kobayashi-kun is still a child, but he’s clever, courageous, and has accomplished countless achievements so far.” “Kobayashi-kun has even captured the Fiend with Twenty Faces single-handedly before.”

“I told your father the same thing - if it comes down to it, I'll come help.” “You have absolutely nothing left to worry about.”

After saying this to Shōtarō-kun, Detective Akechi turned to Kobayashi, the boy detective disguised as a girl. “Well done.” “In that case, no one will see through it.” “Moreover, you’re quite skilled at imitating a girl’s speech.” “Once you get to the Ondas’ house, make sure to do everything thoroughly without fail.” Encouraged by Detective Akechi, Kobayashi hurried off to the Onda residence separately from Shōtarō-kun, while Shōtarō-kun parted ways with Takeuchi-kun on the road and returned to his own home.

Now, that very night.

The Fiend with Twenty Faces had indeed infiltrated the Onda residence to steal the pearl elephant statue. As expected, he had come as an Invisible Man imperceptible to the eye. Kobayashi, the boy detective disguised as a girl—by what method did he intend to capture the Fiend with Twenty Faces? At last, the contest of wits between the boy detective and the fiend was about to begin. The time was drawing near when Kobayashi, the boy detective, would expose the true identity of the Fiend with Twenty Faces—who had once again become an Invisible Man and infiltrated their domain.

But would the Fiend with Twenty Faces reveal his true identity so easily?

Mysterious Footprints

And so, the appointed hour of ten o'clock at night gradually drew near. However, before that, another incident that had occurred at the Onda residence needed to be recounted.

Just as Shōtarō and his group arrived at Akechi’s office, Dr. Matsunami, director of the Ancient Research Institute, came to visit Mr. Onda’s residence. Dr. Matsunami was the archaeologist from whom the Fiend with Twenty Faces had stolen the Egyptian Scroll. The Fiend with Twenty Faces became the Invisible Man from the time he stole that scroll. Only a single hand grabbed the box containing the scroll on the table, and that very hand alone flew through the air and escaped.

Dr. Matsunami, having heard that Mr. Onda was now being targeted by the Fiend with Twenty Faces, had telephoned and then come to visit him in order to share his own experience and have it serve as a reference. When the front doorbell rang, Yamaguchi, the tutor, went to answer it. A white-haired old gentleman with a mustache turned deathly pale and came rushing in. And then, snapping the front door shut,

“Quickly, lock this door! Lock it!” he said. Because it was so abrupt, Yamaguchi, the tutor was startled, “Who are you?” “Why do you need to lock it?” he asked in return.

“I am Matsunami,” said the old gentleman with a serious face while gripping the door knob. “I made an appointment with your master over the phone and came here. At any rate, please lock this door immediately. Otherwise, that invisible Fiend with Twenty Faces will get in.” Upon hearing this, Yamaguchi, the young man, tried to hurry off to fetch the key, but the old gentleman frantically called out to stop him.

“While you’re at it, please have someone lock the back door as well.” “Then, close all the windows and make sure they can’t be opened from the outside.” “Understood.” Yamaguchi, the young man, had also suffered terribly at the hands of the Invisible Man. Realizing how disastrous it would be to let that fiend in, he went around closing and securing the back door and windows exactly as the old gentleman had instructed.

Mr. Onda, having heard about it from Yamaguchi, also helped secure the doors.

After some time, Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami were seated facing each other across a table in the reception room. “We’ve securely locked all the windows.” “But how did *you* know the Invisible Man would come?”

Mr. Onda inquired curiously. “I followed that guy, overtook him inside your gate, and rushed into the entrance.” “It’s certain that he entered through the gate.” Dr. Matsunami was still pale.

Dr. Matsunami was still pale. “But how did you know that? Isn’t he supposed to be invisible?” “Footprints! Now listen carefully—this is what happened. After making that phone call earlier, I came by bus. When I got off near your house and started walking here, I felt someone moving ahead of me—though I couldn’t see anything at all. Yet the sensation wouldn’t leave me.”

“I suddenly remembered that terrifying Invisible Man. The thought that perhaps that invisible fiend was walking right in front of me sent a chill running down my spine.”

“I stared at the ground．I did so because I thought that even an Invisible Man would leave footprints．However，it was no use．That road was entirely paved with asphalt，so no footprints were left．”

Before long, I came to a spot about fifty meters from your gate. At that moment, something strange happened. A hollow formed in the asphalt ground, and water pooled there. “The water plopped and splashed as if a stone had been thrown into it.” However, there was no one around. “But there were no stones to be seen in the water.” Then, on the other side of the puddle, a water-soaked footprint appeared with a wet slap. “It was a bare human footprint.”

And then those footprints—two, three, four—gradually multiplied as they receded into the distance. There was no one around. Only the footprints continued to appear. "It's the Invisible Man. That fiend had carelessly stepped into the puddle, leaving only wet footprints on the dry asphalt."

“Right ahead, your gate came into view.” “He must certainly be sneaking into your residence.”

“I hurriedly chased after the footprints.” “The footprints led through your gate.” “On the paving stones, faint footprints still trailed off into the distance.” “So I decided to outwit that fiend.” “I suddenly broke into a run and got ahead of the footprints.” “Then I rushed into the entrance, shut the door, and had someone lock it.”

Dr. Matsunami’s eerie story came to an end.

At that moment…

The Invisible Man was inside the house—

At that moment, the door to the reception room where the two men were talking slid open with a whisper before closing quietly again. They could only assume someone had entered. Yet no one was visible. The two men started and instinctively half-rose from their chairs. Then came the slap-slap of slippers down the corridor before the door burst open violently and Yamaguchi, the household tutor, came stumbling in. “Doctor—something’s wrong!” “When I passed through the hallway just now, I saw this door open and shut by itself!” “That fiend may have already properly infiltrated the house!”

Yamaguchi also turned pale.

"But there shouldn't be any way for him to get in anywhere." "We've closed all the back doors and windows." Dr. Matsunami said, glancing around the room restlessly. "That fiend is slippery." "While we were going around closing the windows, he might have slipped in through one that was still open." The three of them could only exchange silent glances. That fiend was in this room. They couldn't tell where, but he was certainly there. Faintly, they could almost hear that fiend's breathing.

“Hahaha….” From somewhere, a low laugh was heard. And then came that fiend’s eerie words— “Your guess is spot on.” “I’m right here.” “Just as Yamaguchi said… I slipped through the window…”

“There’s still plenty of time until ten o’clock. In the meantime, I believe I’ll take my time inspecting the house.” “Heh heh heh….”

“Damn it! I won’t let you escape now!” Yamaguchi Takeo spread his arms wide and ran around the room. He seemed to have lost his mind.

Yamaguchi-kun had suffered terribly because of the Invisible Man—was he now intending to retaliate?

As he ran around the room, he staggered at the doorway as if he had collided with something. “Got you now!”

He stood grappling with the invisible foe. Both Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami attempted to run toward them to help Yamaguchi. At that moment, the door opened, and Yamaguchi and the invisible foe staggered out into the corridor.

The sound of frantic footsteps echoed down the corridor.

“Damn it! Not a chance I’m letting you get away!” The sound of bodies grappling echoed through the air, followed by a pained groan—"Ugh…"—that reverberated in the corridor. Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami rushed toward the source of the commotion. “Ah! Did he get you?!”

Around the corner of the hallway lay Yamaguchi Takeo collapsed on his back and stretched out. “Hey, Yamaguchi! Get a hold of yourself!”

When Mr. Onda helped him up, Yamaguchi, rubbing his chin,

“I was done in.” “Another uppercut.” “There’s just no way I can match him.”

And after that, they completely lost track of where the Invisible Man was. Of course, he was somewhere inside the house. However, since he was the Invisible Man, there was nothing they could do. There was nothing as eerie as this.

“I’m worried about the basement.” “Hey, Yamaguchi-kun! Go call the detectives patrolling outside.” “Then we’ll all have to work together to guard the basement.” “Go and call them quickly.” “Now that things have come to this, I can’t possibly leave either.” “I’ll stay here until ten and lend my help.” Given that it concerned the Fiend with Twenty Faces—a figure Dr. Matsunami deeply resented—it was only natural for him to feel that way.

Thereupon, Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami hurried to the entrance of the basement.

At the entrance to the basement, a heavy wooden door was laid flat, set on rails to open outward. The wooden door was equipped with a sturdy lock, and only Mr. Onda had its key. When they checked, the lock on the wooden door was properly secured.

“The entrance is here—the only one.” “We just need to guard this spot.” While Mr. Onda was explaining, Yamaguchi arrived with two detectives. “I just called headquarters and requested about three officers to come as backup. “After all, our opponent is the Fiend with Twenty Faces.” “If we let him get away, it’ll be a disaster, you see.” said one of the detectives.

“I see. In that case, let’s wait until those people arrive before entering the basement. If that guy sneaks in with us when we enter, it’ll be a problem.” And after waiting for a while, three tough-looking detectives arrived. “In that case, please guard this entrance with the five of you. If you five form a scrum, even the Invisible Man won’t be able to get through, you see. We’ll enter the basement and keep watch in front of the safe. We’ll have meals brought down to the basement and intend to hold out until ten o’clock.”

Entering the basement was no easy task. After having the five detectives form a human chain by linking hands and barely opening the wooden door wide enough for one person to squeeze through, Mr. Onda, Dr. Matsunami, and Yamaguchi swiftly went down and hastily closed the door. Then the detective entrusted with the key snapped the padlock shut with a click.

10 PM

In the basement of Mr. Onda's house, chairs had been lined up before the safe where Mr. Onda—the household master—alongside his tutor Yamaguchi Takeo and Dr. Matsunami maintained their vigil. Inside the safe lay stored the pearl elephant that the Fiend with Twenty Faces had sworn to steal by ten o'clock that night. With the hour approaching ten, they kept watch over it. Dr. Matsunami, bearing a grudge against the Fiend with Twenty Faces for having stolen an ancient Egyptian scroll from him, assisted Mr. Onda in guarding the safe.

This basement had only one entrance. They had locked the wooden door at that entrance, and outside, five detectives were holding firm in a scrum formation. Under these circumstances, even the Fiend with Twenty Faces—monstrous as he was—had no way of sneaking into the basement. The pearl elephant was safe. Moreover, the safe had been properly secured with a cipher lock, and no one besides Mr. Onda knew the code. That he could steal it away precisely at ten o'clock was beyond imagination.

The three people sat in chairs before the safe, gazing fixedly at its door and remaining silent. Though convinced of their security, they still felt an inexplicable unease. There was no telling what stratagems the enemy might employ. Time seemed to crawl by with agonizing slowness. "It's already thirty minutes until ten o'clock."

Dr. Matsunami muttered while glancing at a wristwatch. “That’s correct. My watch also says exactly nine thirty.”

Mr. Onda answered with a pale face. Everyone’s hearts were pounding. “By the way, the pearl elephant is definitely inside the safe, isn’t it?” Dr. Matsunami said that. “There’s no mistake about it. "I put it in here and locked it with the cipher lock.” “When was that?” “It was last night.” “Since yesterday was my birthday, I invited friends over and was showing them the pearl elephant when the Invisible Man appeared, so I hurriedly locked it away here.”

“In that case, a full day has passed since then. “Has it remained safely stored here throughout the day? “That fiend has caused me such torment that I can’t help feeling uneasy. “He’s a sorcerer, you see.”

Upon hearing that, Mr. Onda suddenly grew uneasy. “In that case, let’s open the safe a bit and check.” Then Yamaguchi Takeo hurriedly stood up from his chair. “Be careful. That fiend might have already sneaked into this basement. I’ve had that feeling for a while now. Though invisible to the eye, I sense someone else in this room besides us.”

“Huh? What did you say?” “Are you saying that fiend is here?”

Mr. Onda exclaimed. “Well, I can’t say for certain,” “I just have that feeling.” “Therefore, even if you do inspect it, you shouldn’t open the safe door fully—just crack it slightly and look inside from there.” “If you do that, no one will be able to take it out, you see.” Yamaguchi Takeo’s reasoning was perfectly reasonable. Peering through a narrow gap would be sufficiently safe.

Thereupon, Mr. Onda cautiously braced himself, turned the cipher lock, opened the heavy door just two centimeters, and quietly peered inside.

“It’s here. Just as I left it.”

With that, he closed the door and locked the cipher lock.

“It certainly is there.” Dr. Matsunami said, as if to confirm.

“There’s no mistake. There’s no way even the Fiend with Twenty Faces could open this cipher lock.”

Mr. Onda, finally relieved, broke into a smile.

“Fifteen minutes have already passed. “There are fifteen minutes left.” Dr. Matsunami checked his wristwatch again and said. The three of them remained silent, comparing their wristwatches to the safe door. The passing of five minutes felt as if an entire hour had gone by.

The Vanished Elephant

However, time passed. There were just five minutes left until ten o'clock.

Four minutes, three minutes, two minutes... Ah, how endless it felt! At last, it became one minute before the hour. Tick-tock, tick-tock—the sound of the wristwatch measuring off the seconds echoed in their ears. There were sixty seconds left until ten o'clock.

The three of them turned deathly pale. It was as terrifying as the approach of execution. Twenty seconds, ten seconds...

“Ah—five seconds left!” Yamaguchi let out a shrill voice like someone unhinged.

Amidst all this—ah—it finally struck exactly ten o'clock. "It's ten o'clock... He didn't come after all, did he?"

Mr. Onda let out a sigh of relief and murmured as if to himself. "It's already past 10:01. He didn't keep the promise." "Mr. Onda, it's our victory, isn't it?" Dr. Matsunami also looked pleased.

“Wahaha….” “Serves you right!” “The Fiend with Twenty Faces—in the end, he couldn’t lift a finger, could he?” “He’s lost!” “Wahahaha! This is hilarious!”

Yamaguchi Takeo once again began shrieking like a madman. And then, at that moment. “I didn’t lose, you know.”

From somewhere, an eerie voice resounded. Instinctively, the three of them exchanged glances. Ah—had that fiend really managed to sneak into the room after all? “Where are you hiding, you bastard?! No matter what you claim, it’s your defeat! The safe was never opened once! Without unlocking it, how could you possibly remove what’s inside?!” “The pearl elephant remains securely within the safe! You’ve lost!”

Yamaguchi Takeo shouted while staring into empty space. “Heh heh… Even without opening the door, I might be able to take it out. “Because I’m a magician, you see.” “Anyway, go ahead and check inside the safe.” “I wonder if the elephant is still there.” Upon hearing this, Mr. Onda, so worried, rushed over to the safe and tried to turn the cipher lock.

“Ah, wait, please.” “It might be his doing.” “I think it would be better not to open it.”

Yamaguchi Takeo pulled Mr. Onda’s hand and stopped him. “Hey now, what’re you blathering about? “What time d’you think it is? “It’s already ten past ten! “When I say ten o’clock, I mean ten sharp. “Stealing something over ten minutes late? I ain’t that much of a fool. “Go on then—try opening the safe. “Might give you some comfort if that elephant’s still inside.” Again came that eerie voice. Earlier it had resounded from the room’s right corner—now it issued from the left. The invisible one appeared to be strolling freely about the chamber.

Having been told that much, they had no choice but to open it.

“Alright then—I’ll open the safe.” “Both of you, come close to me and guard the elephant.” “That way he can’t reach in from the side.” When Mr. Onda approached the safe, Dr. Matsunami and Yamaguchi Takeo followed close behind him. The cipher lock’s dial was turned, and the door slowly began to open.

“Ah! What was that?” A strange sound came. It was a soft popping noise. Had the iron door creaked...? Mr. Onda stopped his hand from opening it. “Go ahead and open it,” said Dr. Matsunami. “Hesitating won’t help matters.” At this urging from Dr. Matsunami, Mr. Onda fully opened the door. “It’s gone!” he shouted. “The elephant has disappeared!”

Mr. Onda shouted. The elephant that had been there until just moments ago had vanished as if wiped away. Dr. Matsunami and Yamaguchi Takeo both peered into the empty safe. There was nothing there.

Dr. Matsunami looked around the room restlessly. "It’s strange. Even if the Invisible Man took it just now, the elephant’s form should still be visible." "He shouldn’t be able to make objects that aren’t his own body disappear." "Even during the Egyptian scroll incident, only the scroll itself remained visible." "It flew through the air along with a human wrist." "But this time, nothing flew." "The elephant has completely vanished."

What in the world was happening? From within the safe that had never been opened—right before the eyes of the three watching people—that Pearl Elephant had vanished completely. “Ahaha… Surprised? I can make any miracle happen, you see. After all, I’m a sorcerer. The Pearl Elephant—I’ve certainly claimed it. Another treasure has joined my art museum.” And so it seemed the invisible one had exited the basement—a space with no entrance or exit—like a ghost.

“Damn it!”

Yamaguchi Takeo, in frustration, ran up the stairs and collided with the closed wooden door above.

However, there was no one there. All that could be heard was faint laughter coming from somewhere far outside the room. Yamaguchi Takeo returned crestfallen. And the three of them could only stand there blankly, exchanging dazed looks. At that moment, a rhythmic knocking sound was heard from the wooden door at the top of the stairs. Who could it be? It might be the detectives signaling.

“What is your business?” “Didn’t you see a suspicious person leaving?”

Mr. Onda climbed up to the wooden door below and shouted back loudly. From above the wooden door came a faint voice. “We didn’t see anything. Is the treasure safe?”

Since it had already been stolen, there was no need to keep the wooden door closed. The five detectives came clattering down. And when they heard from Mr. Onda that the elephant had disappeared, everyone could only stand there utterly dumbfounded. “Oh, how did you get in here? Go over there.” One of the detectives said in a scolding tone. Because there was a cute maid standing behind everyone.

“This one is fine.” “You there—do you have something to say to me?”

This was because Mr. Onda knew this maid was Kobayashi Shōnen in disguise. “Yes, I have something to discuss.” Ah—what would Kobayashi-kun declare next?

“You are the Fiend with Twenty Faces.” When Kobayashi’s maid approached Mr. Onda and whispered something, Mr. Onda nodded and introduced Kobayashi Shōnen to everyone. “This maid just arrived at our house today—but she isn’t actually a woman.” “A boy has been disguised.” “This is Detective Akechi’s famous boy assistant, Kobayashi Yoshio-kun.” He had disguised himself as a maid for detective work, which now appeared completed. “Since Kobayashi-kun wishes to inspect this safe—and I naturally see no objection—I’ve decided to let him examine it now.”

Upon hearing that, everyone was surprised and stared at the cute maid’s face. They were utterly astonished at how thoroughly he had disguised himself. Kobayashi-kun approached the safe that had been left open and inspected it by sticking his head inside; when he finished that task, he went up to the young man Yamaguchi who was standing in the far corner and said something peculiar. “Let me see that slingshot.”

“Huh? A slingshot?” Yamaguchi Takeo asked back in a flustered manner. Then Kobayashi-kun suddenly pounced on Yamaguchi-kun and grabbed something out of his right pocket. “Just as I thought—you did have a slingshot.” It was a small pistol. Everyone gasped in surprise. Why on earth would the tutor Yamaguchi Takeo be carrying a pistol?

“This is a toy pistol… But with an air gun mechanism that makes the bullets shoot out.” Kobayashi-kun, still in his maid disguise, twirled the pistol in his hands while staring fixedly at the young man Yamaguchi. “That’s right—it’s a toy.” “I was going to give it to Shō-chan. I got it from a friend, you know.”

The young man Yamaguchi answered. The name “Shō-chan” referred to Onda Shōtarō-kun. “By the way, Yamaguchi-san. “This was in the bag in your room—quite a peculiar toy.” “You must really love toys, huh?” Having said that, what Kobayashi-kun, the maid, took out was indeed a strange thing. It was like a jumbled mass of dozens of black wires, each about ten centimeters long.

When Kobayashi-kun firmly pressed down on two of the wires with both hands, the previously tangled mass smoothly extended to a length of about two meters.

In the past, there were toys like this. They were usually made of wood; when contracted, they would look like this, and when extended, they would look like that. At the tip was attached a doll’s face or something similar, and when you smoothly extended it like a jack-in-the-box, it became a toy designed to startle the person on the receiving end. This mechanism is also used in swivel-arm telephones. They were made of broad metal and designed so that the telephone could be moved in any direction.

What Kobayashi-kun had produced was the same type of mechanism as those, but by making full use of its extending force, it could stretch up to two meters. The material appeared to be made of thin steel, and since it was painted jet-black, when extended, one would have to look very closely to notice it. When shown this toy, the young man Yamaguchi's complexion changed. Then, appearing unsettled, he began glancing around restlessly.

When he saw that, Kobayashi-kun called out to the three detectives standing near the entrance.

“Please ensure no one leaves this basement.” “The criminal is here among us.” The detectives started in surprise, but knowing full well that Kobayashi-kun was a renowned detective, they gave firm nods and took up positions blocking the staircase entrance—all three standing shoulder-to-shoulder. With two more detectives already stationed at the top of the stairs, escape from this basement became utterly impossible for anyone. “Kobayashi-kun,” Mr. Onda said perplexedly, “I still can’t grasp this fully—are you claiming the culprit stands here in our midst?”

Mr. Onda asked with a perplexed expression. “It’s this guy!”

Kobayashi-kun thrust his index finger in front of the Yamaguchi youth's face and shouted. “Huh? That’s Shōtarō’s tutor, Yamaguchi-kun. I’ve grappled with the Invisible Man so many times that…” “That’s precisely why he’s suspicious. That was all his solo act—he’d take a sumo stance by himself, pretending to wrestle the Invisible Man, then dramatically throw himself across the room.” Good heavens—could this Yamaguchi youth truly be the culprit? Yet even so, countless questions remained unanswered.

“Hmm… Then who on earth is Yamaguchi-kun?” Mr. Onda spoke in a strange way. “He’s the Fiend with Twenty Faces!” Kobayashi-kun declared point-blank. “What? The Fiend with Twenty Faces?”

“Detectives, please arrest this guy! This guy is the Fiend with Twenty Faces.” Kobayashi-kun shouted in a voice that echoed through the basement.

The Secret of the Trick The young man Yamaguchi was handcuffed without resistance. He wore a dumbfounded expression at being falsely accused. “Kobayashi-kun, explain it.” “Even if Yamaguchi is the culprit, how on earth could he have stolen the Pearl Elephant from inside this safe?”

Mr. Onda asked with a puzzled look. “It wasn’t stolen at ten o’clock in the evening.” “It had been stolen far, far earlier.”

“That’s impossible. I opened the safe door just a crack a little before ten o’clock and confirmed that the elephant was inside.” “Why did you open it just a crack?” “Because I thought there might be an Invisible Man in this room, I only opened it two or three centimeters to prevent theft when checking. But I clearly saw the elephant.” “It was a fake.”

“Huh? A fake?”

“That’s right. Take a look at this.” Kobayashi-kun approached the safe, peered inside, picked up something small and squishy, and showed it to Mr. Onda.

“This is it. This is the true identity of the Pearl Elephant you witnessed.” Mr. Onda took the squishy object and tried pulling it with both hands. It was like a large rubber balloon. It was dyed pearl-colored. Upon closer inspection, they discovered four leg-like protrusions with small lead weights attached to their ends.

“Ah! This is a balloon shaped like an elephant.” “The color matches the real one perfectly.” Mr. Onda looked around at everyone’s faces in shock. “Exactly. “He sneaked in here during daylight hours, stole the real elephant, and swapped it with this fake balloon. “Mr. Onda—whenever you put something into this safe—did you ever bring Yamaguchi down to the basement with you?” “That happened often.”

“Then Yamaguchi must have memorized the safe’s cipher lock at that time. You probably tried to open it without letting Yamaguchi notice, Mr. Onda, but a skilled thief could decipher the code just by watching how you moved your arm. There’s also a lock on the basement entrance door, but since it’s an ordinary one, even I can open it with a single wire. For the Fiend with Twenty Faces, ordinary locks might as well not exist.”

“Hmm, so that’s how it was. I had convinced myself the rubber fake was genuine and felt reassured. But when I opened it at ten o’clock to check, it was empty.” The reason he hadn’t noticed was that the balloon had burst and turned into a small lump of rubber that had rolled into a corner. “But why did the balloon burst?” “It’s this toy pistol.”

Kobayashi-kun showed the pistol he had taken from Yamaguchi’s pocket earlier. “When opening the safe door—before it was fully opened—Yamaguchi shot the balloon elephant with this.” “At that moment, there should have been the sound of the balloon bursting.” “However, when you opened the door completely and saw the elephant was already gone, you became so preoccupied with its disappearance that there was no time to think about any sounds.” “It was a daringly timed trick.” “Mr. Onda, when you opened the safe, you only opened it a little and hesitated for a while, didn’t you?”

“Now that you mention it, I didn’t open it all at once.” “If I thought it might be gone, I was scared, you see.” “That’s when this pistol was fired, you see.” “Yamaguchi must have been right next to the safe.” “And then, when you slightly opened it, he fired this pistol without any of you noticing.” “Since it’s a toy, it doesn’t make a loud noise.” “The sound of the balloon bursting was louder.”

However, since none of them could have imagined there being a balloon inside the safe, they didn’t pay much attention to any sounds. But more than that, their minds were filled with the elephant’s disappearance.

Mr. Onda was thoroughly impressed by Kobayashi-kun’s explanation and exchanged glances with Dr. Matsunami. The Fiend with Twenty Faces’s ingenuity in devising a balloon decoy was remarkable, but Kobayashi Shōnen’s mind, which saw through it immediately, was equally remarkable. Handcuffed and surrounded by detectives, Yamaguchi Takeo listened to this exchange with a smirk. Was this truly the Fiend with Twenty Faces? If he were the Fiend with Twenty Faces, how could he maintain such a composed expression?

“Kobayashi-kun, I’m impressed by your ingenuity, but there are still many other things I don’t understand.” “Do you understand absolutely everything?”

Mr. Onda asked. “Yes, I think I do.” “Of course, it wasn’t just my own idea.” “Detective Akechi has discerned everything.” “I’ve mostly learned from Detective Akechi.” “Well then, let me ask you this—you say Yamaguchi staged that solo wrestling show, but the Invisible Man didn’t appear only then.” “There were many times when no figure was visible at all, yet only the Fiend with Twenty Faces’ voice could be heard.”

“I thought maybe he’d hidden a speaker somewhere in the room to make it sound like he was speaking from a distance, so I thoroughly checked, but there was no such mechanism.” “How do you explain that?” “It’s ventriloquism.” “Huh? Ventriloquism?”

“You know that act where someone places a doll on their lap and converses with it?” “The human doesn’t move their mouth at all while speaking, making it appear as though the doll is talking—that’s what this is.” “The Fiend with Twenty Faces is a master of ventriloquism.” “Making voices seem to emanate from every corner of a room is child’s play for him.”

Ventriloquism! It was indeed as suspected.

Mysterious Gadgets

Kobayashi Shōnen, responding to Mr. Onda's questions, continued exposing the Fiend with Twenty Faces' secrets one after another. There could be no such thing as an Invisible Man. He went on to explain how all those phenomena had been nothing but Yamaguchi's staged performances and the reasoning behind them.

“I understand that Yamaguchi staged a solo wrestling match with an invisible opponent and used ventriloquism to create the illusion of an Invisible Man’s presence.” “However, there are still several mysteries left unexplained.” Late at night in Shōtarō’s room, vases would float into midair by themselves, and cigarette smoke would puff out rhythmically as if some invisible entity were smoking. Then camellia flowers in the garden detached from their branches as though plucked, remaining suspended motionless in the air. “How do you account for these phenomena?”

Mr. Onda persisted in trying to solve the riddles. “Did you check the ceiling of Shōtarō-kun’s room at that time?” “Of course I checked.” “I thought maybe they had hung the vase and cigarette with a thin thread from above and checked thoroughly, but there was no such device.” “First of all, the camellia flowers in the garden couldn’t have been hung from above.” “They were floating in midair with nothing above them.”

“That’s right. If an object floats up by itself, anyone would normally assume it’s being suspended from above. The Fiend with Twenty Faces exploited that assumption. He didn’t lift it from above—he hoisted it from the side.” Kobayashi-kun demonstrated by showing a blackened steel wire tool that could extend and retract—a device that appeared compact when folded but stretched to full length when deployed. “This was concealed inside Yamaguchi’s bag. It comes with these small metal attachments—see how the tip here has an opening? That’s where you affix clamp-like fittings designed to grip objects. They come in various sizes—large ones, small ones, all sorts.”

Kobayashi-kun placed the metal attachments on his palm and showed them to Mr. Onda. They were all made of steel wire painted black—some curved into rounded shapes to grasp objects, others with fine tips like tweezers—various shaped metal attachments were lined up. "That night, the Fiend with Twenty Faces had left the window of Shōtarō-kun’s room slightly open." And from there, he extended this tool, clamped the narrowed mouth of the vase, and lifted it upward. "At that time, he attached this large rounded metal attachment to the tip, you see." Inside the window hung heavy curtains. "Through that gap, he inserted this tool, so Shōtarō-kun couldn’t see the person outside the window at all."

Moreover, the wire of this tool was so thin and painted black, and since it had been inserted from a direction at a right angle to the bed where Shōtarō-kun had been lying—unlike viewing it from the side—there had been no risk of it being noticed. If one were to extend this tool two meters to lift the vase, the wire would have been noticeable, but since that vase had been placed right by the window, he hadn’t needed to extend it even half that—just one meter had sufficed.

The floating cigarette was also achieved using this tool. For that instance, he attached a thin metal piece to the tip, threaded a thin rubber tube along it, and inserted the end of the tube into the mouth of the rolled cigarette. Attached to the base end of the rubber tube was a round ball for sending air, which the culprit periodically squeezed and released. Each time this happened, smoke emerged from the cigarette, making it appear exactly as though the Invisible Man were smoking it, you see.

"The camellia flowers were no different. 'The culprit was hiding in the thicket of trees and used this tool to pluck the flowers and make them float in midair.' 'At that time too, this tool was positioned at a right angle to the window Shōtarō-kun was looking through.' 'And since the back was a dark blue-green thicket of trees, the thin wire didn't catch anyone's eye.' The camellia flowers remained still in the air for a while. Yamaguchi tied this tool to a tree branch in the thicket, left the spot, pretended to have come from far away, and suddenly lunged at an invisible opponent. At that moment, he plucked the flowers from midair and pushed the steel wire tool into the thicket. 'Then, he began an intense solo wrestling match.'"

It was a perfectly clear unraveling of the mystery. The adults were thoroughly impressed by the boy Kobayashi’s well-reasoned explanation.

“Oh, so that’s how it was.” “But Kobayashi-san, you’re so clever!” Suddenly, a childlike voice could be heard. Mr. Onda’s child Shōtarō-kun had, without anyone noticing, entered the basement.

“Ah, Shōtarō. You should stay by your mother’s side.”

Mr. Onda said reproachfully. “It’s all right. There are so many detectives here after all. But Dad, Kobayashi-san retrieved the Pearl Elephant and handed it to Mom!” “Oh, is that true, Kobayashi-kun?” “Yes, I forgot to mention earlier, but I was the one who found it. It was hidden above the ceiling of the closet in Yamaguchi’s room. Finding this took the most effort.”

“Ah, thank you. You’re truly an exceptional child. I had read about your exploits in the newspapers, but I never imagined your skills were this formidable. I must thank you.” Mr. Onda appeared thoroughly impressed.

The Final Mystery

After a while, wrinkles formed on Mr. Onda’s forehead, which had been creased in joy upon hearing the treasure had been recovered. He still wore an expression suggesting things didn’t quite add up. "But Kobayashi-kun," "There’s something I still can’t grasp." "We have even more conclusive evidence of the Invisible Man’s existence." "At Dr. Matsunami’s house, a human wrist appeared by itself and stole the scroll box placed on the table."

This was witnessed clearly by the child from the neighboring house. Furthermore, Dr. Matsunami also witnessed a wrist holding that box flying through the air and escaping. "But that’s not all. This evening, Dr. Matsunami saw only the Invisible Man’s footprints being left on the ground and managed to follow them all the way to my house. Dr. Matsunami, wasn’t that so?" "That’s correct. I indeed saw a wrist flying through the air by itself. I also saw only footprints being imprinted on the ground one after another."

Dr. Matsunami nodded deeply and stated firmly. “Kobayashi-kun, we have to solve this mystery.” “Can you solve this one?” Even Kobayashi-kun couldn’t answer this question. There was Dr. Matsunami—a reliable witness. There was no way Dr. Matsunami would lie. Kobayashi-kun, stumped for an answer, remained silent.

No one spoke. The basement fell into a deep, hushed silence.

At that moment, one of the detectives who had been at the top of the stairs came hurrying down, approached Mr. Onda, and whispered something.

“Ah! You don’t say! Then show them down here at once!” Mr. Onda replied cheerfully. Someone had arrived. Who could it possibly be?

As the detective returned, soon the sound of footsteps descending the stairs could be heard, and two figures appeared. "Ah! Detective Akechi!"

“Oh! Akechi-san.” Shōtarō-kun and Dr. Matsunami called out at the same time. They were Detective Akechi and Inspector Nakamura of the Metropolitan Police. Kobayashi-kun, dressed in a maid’s uniform, introduced Detective Akechi and Inspector Nakamura to Mr. Onda. When the greetings concluded, Mr. Onda smiled cheerfully and,

“Your assistant Kobayashi-kun is truly admirable. He has completely solved the mystery. And he found the culprit. Yamaguchi is the Fiend with Twenty Faces,” he stated. Having said that, he pointed at Yamaguchi, the young man now in handcuffs. “That’s correct. That Yamaguchi was the Fiend with Twenty Faces was something I had deduced from the start. I had also instructed Kobayashi-kun to conduct his investigation with that very intention.”

“Fiend with Twenty Faces... It’s been some time.” When Akechi addressed him, Yamaguchi responded with a bitter smile. “This is how it ends up.” He rattled his handcuffs for emphasis. “I was listening with great interest to Kobayashi’s deductions. But mark my words, Akechi—this isn’t over yet. Your young protégé still hasn’t solved everything.” “Naturally,” Akechi replied evenly. “That’s precisely why I’m here. The unresolved matters would be Dr. Matsunami’s spectral wrist and those mysterious footprints. Let’s not forget young Nishimura Shōichi witnessing a disembodied hand on the second-floor table—a case I solved instantly upon reading the newspaper account. Kobayashi knows the truth too. Explain it, would you?”

“Yes, I understand that.”

Kobayashi-kun began to speak.

"That was a magic trick using mirrors." "That was **the** Fiend with Twenty Faces' signature trick." "Two mirrors were stretched diagonally between **the** legs **of** **the** table." "The culprit hid behind them **and** extended only **his** wrist onto **the** table **to** grab **the** scroll box." "He waited **for** **a** child named Nishimura **to** peer over **from** **the** neighboring house's window **before** demonstrating **it**." "The mirrors under **the** table reflected **both** sides **of** **the** room's wallpaper**,** **and** since **that** pattern matched **the** wallpaper behind **the** table**,** **the** space beneath appeared completely empty." "There was no way **to** tell **that** **a** person **was** hiding there." "That's why only **a** wrist appeared **to** crawl around **on** top **of** **the** table."

“That’s correct.” “However, there’s something rather odd about this account.” “Attaching mirrors to a table’s legs isn’t something that can be done hastily.” “If they were properly installed beforehand, Dr. Matsunami couldn’t have failed to notice them.” “This is what seems inconsistent.” Akechi said this while staring fixedly at Dr. Matsunami’s face. “Oh, Akechi-san—are you suspecting me?” “Are you implying I’m lying?”

Dr. Matsunami pressed closer to Akechi. “That’s right. You are lying. Shall I show you the evidence?”

Akechi signaled to Inspector Nakamura, who was standing beside him. Then, Inspector Nakamura whispered something to a detective beside him, and the detective hurriedly ran up the stairs. The basement was filled with a stifling silence. Everyone held their breath, wondering what would happen next. Before long, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and a detective appeared, leading a single person.

Unforeseen—

When everyone caught sight of the person’s face, they let out an “Ah!” and were utterly astonished. Who on earth do you think that was? None other than Dr. Matsunami himself. But hadn’t Dr. Matsunami been in the basement all along? Sure enough, he was still standing in his original spot. Then another Dr. Matsunami, identical in appearance, came down the stairs. Dr. Matsunami had become two.

At that moment, Detective Akechi suddenly lunged at Dr. Matsunami, who had been there all along.

And before the opponent could defend himself, he tore off the wig, fake beard, and fake eyebrows. When the white hair, white mustache, and eyebrows were removed, a youthful face appeared from beneath them. The hair was jet black. He had skillfully disguised himself by etching wrinkles into his face, but he couldn’t conceal his youth. He was a man in his early thirties.

“This man is one of the Fiend with Twenty Faces’ disciples—a true master of disguise. From the moment Dr. Matsunami was relocated to his new residence, this impostor had taken his place.”

The real Dr. Matsunami had been confined in the storage room of the Ancient Research Institute’s basement. It goes without saying that it was the Fiend with Twenty Faces and his gang who had confined him. This imposter had been commuting to the Ancient Research Institute as its director every day with an innocent face. And to Dr. Matsunami, who had been confined in the storage room, he had been secretly providing just enough meals. “By now, you must have realized. Both the wrist that flew through the air and the footprints left behind were all fabrications by this fake doctor.”

Even that incredibly convoluted mystery had now been completely unraveled. Kobayashi-kun, “As expected of Sensei. “You did well…”

And he was so overjoyed he could hardly contain himself. The detectives also handcuffed the fake Dr. Matsunami. The real Dr. Matsunami greeted everyone in a weak voice and then, “I was rescued by Akechi-san.” “Before, you prevented the Egyptian scroll at the Ancient Research Institute from being stolen, and this time you saved me.” “I have been doubly indebted to you.”

And with that, he expressed his thanks.

“Ah, there’s still one matter remaining.” “We prevented the Egyptian scroll from being stolen once, but during the second attempt, it was taken away through the Invisible Man trick.” With that, Akechi fixed Nijū Mensō with a piercing glare. “You’ll naturally return that to Dr. Matsunami now, won’t you?” Then Yamaguchi Takeo—the Fiend with Twenty Faces—smirked. “Now that I’ve been caught like this, I suppose there’s no alternative but to return it.” “But Akechi—the Fiend with Twenty Faces is a sorcerer.” “I might still have any number of contingencies prepared.”

“You should know all about my hidden tricks by now. You’d better not let your guard down.” “Ha ha ha… You never change. If you have your hidden tricks, I have my own that won’t lose to them. Let’s both be careful not to let our guard down….” Detective Akechi was not outdone either.

Now, it was finally decided to take the two criminals to the Metropolitan Police Department. To Nijū Mensō and his disciple, one detective each was assigned, with one side of the handcuffs fastened to the criminal’s wrist and the other secured to their own hand. This way, if they tried to flee, the detectives’ wrists would be pulled, alerting them immediately. It wasn’t just about detection. By doing this, they can’t possibly drag the detectives along and run, so no matter what happens, it’s perfectly safe.

Everyone noisily went up from the basement to the first floor and walked toward the entrance.

Detective Akechi, who had been walking behind everyone else, approached Kobayashi and whispered something in a hushed voice. Then Kobayashi,

“It’s okay. Pocket Kozō is keeping watch properly,” he answered in a small voice. Pocket Kozō was a member of the Boy Detectives Club’s Rascal Squad, about fourth-grade elementary school age, but his body was so small that he could practically fit into a pocket—hence this nickname.

He was an exceptionally nimble and clever child who had utilized his small stature many times before to accomplish notable deeds. Now things were growing intriguing. What role would this Pocket Kozō be about to fulfill?

Pocket Kozō

As the two criminals, handcuffed to detectives, emerged from the entrance of Mr. Onda’s house— In the pitch-dark garden between the gate and entrance, a man crouched in the shadow of a tree, observing the situation. Clad in dark clothing, he remained unnoticed by anyone. When the man realized the Fiend with Twenty Faces and his disciple had been captured, he clicked his tongue in frustration, then slipped through the darkness to dart out the gate and hurried off in the opposite direction.

This man might have been a subordinate of the Fiend with Twenty Faces. In preparation for emergencies, he may have stationed his subordinate outside the entrance to keep watch, arranging in advance what to do should the Fiend with Twenty Faces be captured. Wasn’t this the hidden trick the Fiend with Twenty Faces had spoken of? When one turned into the side street about a hundred meters from Mr. Onda’s gate, there was a car parked there.

The man suddenly jumped onto it and took the driver’s seat. Then, grabbing the wireless telephone transmitter installed in front, he hurriedly began speaking something. If this man was indeed one of the Fiend with Twenty Faces’ subordinates, then the gang possessed a car equipped with special wireless telephone equipment. The recipient was undoubtedly another subordinate lying in wait at the Fiend with Twenty Faces’s hideout. What could they have discussed over the wireless telephone?

However, there was yet another strange occurrence.

The man, thinking he hadn’t been spotted by anyone, got into the car with relief—but in reality, something strange had been tailing him. It was a pitch-black figure resembling a thumb-sized boy. A small body about seven or eight years old was wrapped in jet-black furry shirt and pants that clung tightly to its frame, completely covered by a black mask from head to toe—a mask with two holes through which only the eyes were visible.

The thumb-sized boy had followed the man from within Mr. Onda’s garden, but the man hadn’t noticed at all. Since the surroundings were pitch-dark, and the tiny black-clad figure was tailing him through that darkness, it was nearly impossible to spot him. When the man got into the car, the small black figure slipped around stealthily to the rear of the vehicle. Using what appeared to be a lockpick taken from his pocket, he noiselessly undid the trunk’s latch, quietly lifted the lid, and slipped inside.

Could this small monster perhaps be Pocket Kozō of the Rascal Squad, whom Kobayashi-kun had whispered about to Detective Akechi earlier? The black-clad Pocket Kozō had frequently appeared in previous cases as well. This must indeed be Pocket Kozō.

Then, the suspicious man’s car departed from there and drove off somewhere—and just then, in front of Mr. Onda’s gate, the Fiend with Twenty Faces and his foremost disciple were being loaded into a large patrol car. Though a bit cramped, four people seated themselves in the back seat. With the two criminals in the middle, detectives were positioned on both sides. Moreover, since each detective and criminal pair were handcuffed together at the wrists, there was absolutely no way for Nijū Mensō and his gang to escape.

Detective Akechi and Kobayashi entered the Akechi Ichigō automobile, while Inspector Nakamura and the remaining detectives boarded a separate patrol car, and they all set off in pursuit of the criminals’ vehicle.

Though midnight had passed long ago，when they emerged onto the main avenue，numerous automobiles still coursed through its breadth． The vehicle bearing those first captured criminals raced ahead at formidable speed． At a traffic signal，it fell a full hundred meters behind its two pursuers． They swung from broad thoroughfare into slender lane． To one flank stretched shrine woods；to the other，an interminable wall． This marked police headquarters’ most desolate approach． When their driver glanced rearward，the trailing pair still hadn’t rounded last corner．

A single empty truck approached from ahead. The headlights were blindingly bright, and the driver was nearly dazzled. The driver tried to avoid the truck. Then, the other party came toward the direction he was trying to avoid. There was no time to think. In an instant, they collided with terrifying force. The driver slumped limply over the steering wheel. The glass shattered, and blood flowed from his face and hands.

In the other truck, someone kept yelling something incessantly. The two detectives guarding the criminals decided to open the door and step outside. Since the criminals were handcuffed by the wrists, they thought everything was secure. But no sooner had they opened the door and emerged than both detectives were violently shoved aside with terrible force. Unbeknownst to all, the Fiend with Twenty Faces and his foremost disciple had been slipping their handcuffs. As you readers well know, the Fiend was a master at escaping restraints—and his disciple proved equally skilled.

Seeing the detectives who had been shoved down collapse there, the criminals suddenly dashed into the shrine forest. The collided truck also hurriedly turned around and sped off back the way it had come. Just then, the two cars from behind arrived, but it was already too late. The Fiend with Twenty Faces and his gang escaped.

Small Country Person

The Fiend with Twenty Faces and his subordinate who had escaped into the shrine forest swiftly passed through the woods and emerged at the shrine’s rear.

It was a wide open field where a single car with its headlights off waited with doors open. When the two leaped inside, the car immediately started up and began winding its way from town to town. This car was being driven by the man who had been observing the situation inside Mr. Onda’s gate earlier. Of course, he was one of the Fiend with Twenty Faces’s subordinates. Since this man had used the wireless radio installed in the car to notify the Fiend with Twenty Faces’s hideout that their leader had been captured, another subordinate drove a truck to collide with the vehicle carrying the Fiend with Twenty Faces, aiding the leader’s escape.

This was something the Fiend with Twenty Faces had planned in advance; he had arranged for the collision to occur in front of the shrine.

Now, the car carrying the Fiend with Twenty Faces and his subordinate passed through one deserted town after another, and after driving for about thirty minutes, arrived at a large house in Setagaya Ward’s Yashiki-machi district. When the car came to a stop inside the gate, the Fiend with Twenty Faces and his subordinate opened the front door of the house and entered. The man who had been driving the car also disappeared through the door afterward. At that moment, the rear trunk lid of the car slid open smoothly and quietly. Needless to say, inside the trunk was the black-clad Pocket Kozō, lying in wait.

A snug black shirt and black pants, with a black mask covering his head—only the eyes were cut out. The small black-clad figure leaped out of the trunk, closed the lid back into place, and stealthily approached the entrance door.

Fortunately, the door hadn’t been locked yet. He opened it soundlessly and slipped inside. Would he be all right? What a terrible ordeal a child would face if discovered sneaking alone into the phantom thief’s hideout.

However, Pocket Kozō was accustomed to such adventures.

He had even hidden inside a large suitcase, infiltrated a mountain fiend’s hideout, and accomplished remarkable exploits.

Not only was his body remarkably small, but he was also clad entirely in black. Moreover, being astonishingly quick, he was seldom caught. He made his way along the dim corridor, pressing close to the wall as he advanced. Whenever he encountered a door, he would peer through its keyhole; upon confirming the room’s emptiness, he would slip inside soundlessly to survey its contents.

In this way, he went from room to room investigating each one, completely committing the layout of the Fiend with Twenty Faces’s hideout to memory.

The Fiend with Twenty Faces had gathered his subordinates in his room and was discussing tonight's events.

Pocket Kozō pressed his ear against the door of that room and eavesdropped.

“If Akechi had been in that car with us, we’d never have escaped.” “You can’t slip handcuffs when that bastard’s glaring at you.” “Those flatfoots didn’t know we’re masters at lock-picking—that’s why it worked!” The voices drifted to his ears. Once Pocket Kozō had finished scouting the area, he retreated to the entrance and slipped outside. Then he melted into the shadowy streets, vanishing without a trace.

Art Room The Fiend with Twenty Faces had no idea that Pocket Kozō had sneaked in.

The Fiend with Twenty Faces had gathered his subordinates in his own room and had been talking for about an hour now.

“No one will ever realize that this house is the Fiend with Twenty Faces’s hideout．The nameplate reads Kinoshita Shōtarō，after all．He’s the president of a trading company．The neighbors believe it too，and the police don’t suspect a thing．We’ve been cautious and have never once shown any suspicious behavior，you see．Ha ha ha ha…．” The Fiend with Twenty Faces laughed merrily． Around him，five subordinates were sitting or standing．

There was the one who had disguised himself as Dr. Matsunami, then the man who had driven the car, and among the remaining three, the face of the man who had driven the truck earlier could be seen. In this house, besides the five subordinates, there were only two maids. “Now, empty your glasses and withdraw to your rooms to sleep. I’ll spend some time enjoying myself in the art room as usual before turning in.”

When the Fiend with Twenty Faces said this, the five subordinates raised their whiskey glasses high above their eyes, “Here’s to our leader’s health! The stratagem succeeded—congratulations! Bravo!” After voicing their congratulations in unison, they gulped down their whiskey and left the room.

The Fiend with Twenty Faces, who had remained behind, entered the slightly distant art room alone and pressed the light switch. The room lit up in an instant, revealing a truly splendid space. Glass-paneled display cases lined all around the room, inside which were arrayed all manner of carvings, jewels, and gold and silver crafts. They were all undoubtedly stolen treasures. In the center of one shelf sat a silver box. It was a box that looked somehow familiar.

Ah, he realized. It was the box containing the Egyptian scroll stolen from the Ancient Research Institute. The Fiend with Twenty Faces had placed that treasure there. Large sculptures too big to fit into the display cases were placed along the walls. Among them were bronze-cast nude male figures, wood-carved nude female statues, and old Buddhist statues, intermingled with silver suits of Western-style armor from ages past.

In the center of the room stood a splendid table and chair that were themselves works of art. The chair’s back rose to an imposing height, adorned with intricate carvings. The Fiend with Twenty Faces settled into the chair and surveyed his surrounding treasures. “Hmm-hmm-hmm… To think I’ve amassed such a collection.” “That meddler Akechi always ruins my plans.” “Every time they reclaim my hard-won artworks, within six months I rebuild my hoard.” “No capture can break me—I’m indestructible!” “I’ll never abandon my pursuit of beauty.” “Hmm-hmm-hmm… This chess match with Akechi-sensei continues.” “And checkmate will ultimately be mine.”

Even so, that Kobayashi punk was a terrifying guy. Disguising himself as a maid and retrieving the Pearl Elephant from my room—that was some impressive skill. But both Detective Akechi and Kobayashi-kun had been thoroughly duped by me. "I always have a backup plan prepared, you see." The Fiend with Twenty Faces had been muttering to himself with evident pride when he suddenly fell silent and pricked up his ears.

A strange voice could be heard coming from somewhere. It was a snickering voice, as if someone were stifling laughter.

Somehow, it didn’t seem to be coming from outside but rather from inside the room.

The Fiend with Twenty Faces snapped his eyes wide open and scanned the entire room. There was no one. However, the voice was still audible. The voice seemed to be growing gradually louder.

The Fiend with Twenty Faces grew uneasy. Then, in addition to the voice, another strange thing occurred.

The Famous Detective’s Backup Plan

This art room faced the garden to the south and east, with two windows on the south side and one on the east—three windows altogether. All the latches on those window panes should have been fastened from the inside, yet they seemed to have opened unnoticed. The thick curtains hung over the three windows were swaying gently. If the windows had been closed, they wouldn’t have swayed like this. The snickering voice grew even louder.

It was definitely inside the room. “Who’s there?! Who is it?!”

The Fiend with Twenty Faces involuntarily shouted in a loud voice. “Hmm-hmm-hmm… Ah-hah-hah-hah!” It was no longer a stifled snicker but an outright peal of laughter. However, there was no one in sight. “Who’s there?! Where are you hiding?!” The Fiend with Twenty Faces shouted once more. “Ahahaha… Fiend with Twenty Faces, here I am. This is my backup plan!” The suit of Western armor that had been standing in the corner of the room began swaying unsteadily and started walking toward them—wasn’t it that very moment?

The armor’s hands rose upward and removed the silver helmet. “Ah! Akechi Kogoro!”

What appeared from under the helmet was Detective Akechi’s face. The Fiend with Twenty Faces suddenly tried to leap at the armor. Look out! Encased in armor, Akechi could not move freely. If it came to a grapple, he would surely be overpowered by the Fiend with Twenty Faces.

“Look here.” “There! Look at the window curtains.” Akechi shouted scoldingly. The Fiend with Twenty Faces started and turned his eyes toward the window curtains.

Ah! It was a pistol. From between the curtain seams came pistol muzzles glaring menacingly. From the first window, the second window, the third window—from every curtain of every window, identical pistols were trained on the Fiend with Twenty Faces. “Fiend with Twenty Faces, raise your hands!” The curtain seams swiftly parted, and outside each of the three windows stood a uniformed police officer, pistols at the ready.

With no other choice, the Fiend with Twenty Faces raised both hands and began backing away.

Inching backward until he reached the entrance door, he suddenly spun around and tried to yank it open to escape. “Ah! Here too?!” Outside stood Inspector Nakamura of the Metropolitan Police Department, pistol aimed and ready. “Bwahaha… This time I won’t let you escape! We’ve captured all five of your underlings and both maids. You’re completely isolated now. No more tricks left!”

“Hey, you lot! Handcuffs won’t do!” “Bind him with rope.” “Tie him up so tight he can’t move a muscle.” The two detectives behind Inspector Nakamura, holding a long thin rope, approached the Fiend with Twenty Faces from both sides and bound him up tightly without giving him a chance to protest.

“Soon,the prisoner transport will arrive out front.A windowless,solid-secured vehicle.This time,there’s not an ounce of hope for escaping midway!”

Thus, the Fiend with Twenty Faces had fallen completely into Detective Akechi’s meticulously laid trap. “Yeah, I lost.” “I won’t resist anymore.” “Truly, Detective Akechi’s prowess is something to behold.” “Even so, how did you find my hideout?” “For my own reference, would you mind enlightening me?” “Very well—let me explain the trick.” “Pocket-kun, come here.” When Akechi called out, Kobayashi—the boy detective who had been lying in wait in the dark corridor—emerged before the Fiend with Twenty Faces, leading the black-clad Pocket Kozō by the hand.

“Oh, you’re that Pocket Kozō. “Again?! I was done in by this punk!”

“That’s right.” “Pocket-kun was hiding in your getaway car’s trunk.” “And he informed me about this house’s location and artworks.” “So after hiding inside armor among these art pieces, he decided to pull off this mischief—that’s how it worked.” “Ha ha ha ha….” The Fiend with Twenty Faces was utterly defeated. Bound tightly like coiled rope and wearing a sullen expression, he fell completely silent.

The battle between the giant and the fiend finally came to an end with Detective Akechi’s victory.

Eventually, the Fiend with Twenty Faces was placed into a heavily secured transport vehicle. There was no longer any prospect of escape. And so the transport vehicle quietly made its way through the midnight town toward the Metropolitan Police Department.