Pathway to Japanese Literature

On a certain day in May, an old gentleman visited the office of Detective Akechi located in a high-class apartment in Kojimachi. He was a distinguished old gentleman with bushy white hair combed back, a white mustache, a slim build, and a tall stature.

This man was Dr. Matsunami Bunmei, director of an ancient research institute founded by a wealthy individual and a renowned scholar specializing in ancient Western civilizations. Detective Akechi had met Dr. Matsunami at a certain gathering, so they were acquaintances, but the famous old scholar suddenly came to visit.

Kobayashi Boy, who had come out to answer the door, upon hearing it was Dr. Matsunami, politely guided him to the parlor.

“Mr. Akechi, something peculiar has occurred at the Ancient Research Institute where I work.” “That is why I have come today—to seek your wisdom.”

Dr. Matsunami sat down in the chair and immediately began speaking.

“What do you mean by ‘something peculiar’?”

When Akechi inquired, the doctor began to speak. “The Ancient Research Institute recently acquired a scroll inscribed with ancient Egyptian scripture, said to be the only one of its kind in the world.” “Dr. Kinoshita from our institute found it in England and purchased it to bring back. This was reported in the newspapers, so you may already be aware, but it is a priceless treasure of the world that cannot be measured in money.”

However, this scroll had a dreadful legend associated with it. It was said that strange phenomena would occur in whichever room housed it. In England too, there had apparently been various eerie occurrences. That’s why the scroll’s owner grew frightened and resolved to sell it. “Dr. Kinoshita acquired this treasure for just 300,000 yen in Japanese currency, but its true worth is several—no, tens of times greater.”

“Now, when we stored this scroll in the institute’s Egyptian Room, something terrifying occurred at once.”

It happened yesterday. A university student came to the research institute. And since he wanted 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 without a trace. A person vanished as if he had melted away. There was nothing—no trace of anything missing. “That scroll was still in its original place.”

Detective Akechi and Kobayashi Boy, who were listening nearby, were completely captivated by this strange tale. “Didn’t the university student leave without anyone noticing?”

When Akechi said this, Dr. Matsunami shook his head and, “No, he couldn’t have done that. “Because there was an elderly janitor named Akai who was keeping proper watch, you see.” “Akai-kun was standing outside the only door and didn’t move even once.” “Couldn’t he have exited through a window?”

“There are five windows, but all are securely fitted with iron bars—it’s absolutely impossible to get out through them. Besides that, there are absolutely no hidden doors anywhere else in the room. There’s not the slightest gap to slip out through.” “There must be various objects placed in that Egyptian Room. Could he have hidden among those objects? For instance, something like a mummy’s coffin—if someone tried to hide there, they could manage it, I imagine.”

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

“This is a locked room mystery, isn’t it? “The puzzle of how a human disappeared from a room with absolutely no exits, isn’t it? “I refuse to believe in something like an Egyptian scroll’s curse. “There must be some secret mechanism behind this. “That janitor Mr. Akai isn’t lying to us, is he?”

“No, he can’t be lying.”

“Huh? Why is that?” “Because I saw it with my own eyes.”

“And that means…?”

“The window of my room faces the Egyptian Room’s door across about ten meters.” “In between was a corridor with one room each on both its right and left sides, but since both those doors were closed at the time, nothing obstructed my view from that window to the Egyptian Room’s door.” “My desk stood by that window—when seated there, I could naturally see straight to 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 Akai-kun standing outside the door across the way. So I thought someone from outside had entered the Egyptian Room. "In such cases, it was always Akai-kun who stood guard, you see." Because the university student was taking an unusually long time to come out, Akai-kun, tired of waiting, opened the door and peered inside. Then, the university student came to the entrance and said something to Akai-kun from inside the door. He must have been asking him to wait a bit longer. Akai-kun nodded and closed the door again.

Then, after about ten more minutes had passed, when Akai-kun opened the door once more, this time the room was completely empty. "The university student had vanished." "Until Akai-kun opened the door for the second time, I had not taken my eyes off that door even once. Therefore, it is certain that the university student did not leave through the door. There are no other entrances besides that door. The five windows have sturdy iron bars. We can only conclude that the university student vanished without a trace."

When Dr. Matsunami stopped speaking there, Detective Akechi inserted his fingers into his tousled hair, stirred them around as he pondered for a while, then suddenly raised his face and, “Was the university student wearing a uniform with gold buttons?” “No, it was a dark suit.”

“What kind of clothes was Mr. Akai wearing?” “As expected, a dark, old suit.” “What time was it around then?”

“It was around four o’clock.” “It was already growing dark.” “You did notify the police as well, I presume?” “We did. Police officers came and thoroughly investigated, but they found no clues whatsoever. They even seemed to doubt our account—as if something as absurd as a person vanishing into thin air could ever happen.”

Detective Akechi pondered there once again for a while, but eventually spoke as if he had reached a decision.

“I understand. If you don’t mind, let’s head to the research institute immediately and investigate. Kobayashi-kun, come along with us.”

Kobayashi Boy’s Adventure

Under Dr. Matsunami’s guidance, Detective Akechi and Kobayashi Boy entered the large building of the Ancient Research Institute and thoroughly investigated the Egyptian Room from corner to corner, but they found not a single secret entrance. There was absolutely no sign of the window’s iron bars having been removed.

After spending a full hour completing his investigation, Detective Akechi called Kobayashi Boy to his side and whispered something in hushed tones, then went over to where Dr. Matsunami stood and made the following statement. “Dr. Matsunami, I can’t bring myself to believe in the curse of the scroll.” “I’d like to conduct an experiment tonight. What do you think?”

“What kind of experiment?” “Kobayashi-kun here wants to keep watch in the Egyptian Room tonight and test it.” “It would be disastrous if even Kobayashi-kun were to vanish, but I am certain such a thing will not occur.” “Why don’t we let him conduct this experiment?”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Matsunami,

“Isn’t that dangerous? I cannot take responsibility for Kobayashi-kun’s safety.”

“No, I will take responsibility. This Kobayashi-kun has undertaken life-threatening adventures in various cases before now, so he’ll be fine. He’s quick-witted and physically strong. Moreover, I’ve considered some precautions to ensure there’s absolutely no danger.” After some back-and-forth, it was finally decided that Kobayashi-kun alone would keep watch through the night in the Egyptian Room.

At 9:00 PM, Kobayashi Boy 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.” “The key remains solely in your possession, correct?” “If there happens to be a spare key, please ensure you keep that one too.” Kobayashi Boy pressed his point before everyone left the room. Eventually the two adults exited and locked the door from outside with a decisive click. Thus Kobayashi-kun found himself sealed inside the Egyptian Room.

Kobayashi Boy emphasized this point before everyone left the room. Eventually, the two adults exited, and the door was locked from outside with a sharp click.

Kobayashi-kun was thus locked inside the Egyptian Room.

In one corner of the room stood a large desk before which was placed a leather-covered swivel chair. Kobayashi-kun sat down on that chair and swept his gaze around the room.

One wall was lined with bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling, densely packed with foreign-language books.

On one wall stood a large shelf displaying various Ancient Egyptian artifacts excavated from the earth along with their replicas, all meticulously arranged. Before it, atop a small desk, lay that scroll housed in its silver, slender box. On another wall hung an oil painting portrait of a renowned Egyptologist, beneath which a large mummy’s coffin stood propped up. The coffin lid was half-open, with the white cloth wrapped around the mummy protruding out. The moment he imagined a pitch-black, skeletal mummy standing inside it, a shiver of fear ran through him.

A single round lamp hung from the ceiling, and the only other source was the desk lamp with a blue shade atop the large desk. Because the room was spacious, the limited light left it dim, with black shadows forming 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, old foreign books were piled haphazardly, and before them, an old desk clock tick-tocked away the time. The room fell utterly silent—save for the faint sounds of trains and cars running along the distant main road, there was no other noise at all.

The night gradually deepened.

It was unclear what form the curse of the mysterious scroll would take. On the small desk across the room lay an aged silver box patterned with tarnish—inside rested an ancient scroll from over two thousand years prior. This was what held strange magical power and had made a human being vanish. Kobayashi Boy kept staring at the darkened silver box. As his gaze remained fixed for a prolonged time, his eyes grew bleary, the surroundings dimmed, and only the silver box appeared whitish—as if caught in a spotlight's beam.

“Ah! “It moved!” The silver box moved smoothly. Kobayashi-kun, startled, looked again. He rubbed his eyes and looked again.

The box remained squarely in the center of the small table. Had that been a trick of his eyes? The clock hands passed ten, then eleven, edging closer to midnight. It had been an interminably long stretch. To him, it felt as though a full month had crawled by.

Kobayashi-kun would occasionally stand up from the chair and walk around the room. And then he would return to his original chair.

A strange screeching sound came from somewhere. Somehow, he felt like the lid of the mummy’s coffin had moved. Wasn’t the white cloth protruding from the gap in the lid faintly swaying, even though there was no wind?

Even Kobayashi Boy gradually began to feel uneasy. If he carelessly averted his eyes, he felt as though a monster might be creeping up behind him.

The moment he imagined a gaunt human hand slithering out from between the books on the wall-to-wall shelves, his back grew cold as though doused in water.

Hand in the Darkness Flick, flick, flick… The lone light began blinking like an eye, flickering on and off. At first, it flickered slowly, but soon gradually sped up—flick... flick... flick...—as if a monster were truly blinking. Kobayashi-kun instinctively rose from his chair and assumed a defensive stance because he thought some terrifying, monstrous creature might appear.

Each time the light flickered, he felt as though various objects in the room were moving. Against the far wall, the lid of the mummy’s coffin propped there stood half-open, from which a white cloth hung like a curtain. The cloth draped over the mummy’s head protruded from above it.

The white cloth floated and swayed despite the absence of wind.

Was the mummy starting to move? At any moment now—oh, at any moment now—wasn't that black mummy about to push open the lid wider and come walking toward him? That wasn't all. Earlier he'd imagined gaunt hands emerging from between the bookshelves, but now it felt like identical hands were slithering out from everywhere—left and right—smoothly stretching toward him.

From under the table, from the mummy’s coffin, from between the clay dolls and jars lined on the shelves...

Each time the light went out, it seemed as though those hands were emerging from different places. All those hands seemed to be targeting the scroll box on the table, steadily stretching toward it. One of those hands grew longer and longer—one meter, two meters—until it seemed on the verge of touching the silver box. Of course, no hands had actually appeared. Because the light flickered so rapidly, his imagination made him see things that weren't there.

Even Kobayashi Boy could no longer endure it—he ran toward the door and suddenly began pounding on it loudly.

because he thought that if Mr. Akai the janitor heard the noise, he would come with the key to open the door. However, when Kobayashi-kun knocked on the door—as if it had been a signal—the light turned on and stayed lit. The flickering had ceased. If the light was on, those terrifying illusions would no longer be visible. 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 now 1 AM in the dead of night. The surroundings grew increasingly still, enveloped in a silence so profound it felt as though all living things in the world had perished, leaving Kobayashi-kun utterly alone in an indescribable loneliness. Would everything end safely by morning like this? Wasn't it possible that something truly dreadful was about to happen?

White and Black

After a while, the truly dreadful thing occurred.

The light went out again. And this time, once extinguished, it did not come back on. It was pitch darkness, as if black velvet had been stretched taut. He could see nothing. It was as if he had gone blind.

Then, before his eyes, hazy patches of yellow, red, and purple appeared and vanished. A smoke-like purple ring would glide smoothly closer, or a vivid crimson flower would burst open, filling his entire field of vision. All of you must have seen such colors when closing your eyes. It’s an effect of the optic nerves at the back of the eyes. That was now appearing and disappearing in vivid colors before Kobayashi-kun’s eyes in the darkness.

At that moment, he felt the air around him stir. Even though the windows and doors were tightly shut, a faint breeze was blowing in from somewhere. In ghost stories, it's written that when an apparition appears, a foul wind blows in from somewhere. Was this the premonitory breeze heralding an apparition? But it wasn't particularly foul-smelling. A faint stir of air was barely perceptible against his cheek.

By that time, his eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, so the whitish objects in the room had become faintly visible. The silver scroll box on the table was faintly visible. Kobayashi-kun opened his eyes as wide as they would go and glared fixedly at the box.

Then, suddenly, the middle part of the silver box vanished, as if something had obscured it. The center turned black, making the silver box appear as though it had split in two.

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

Ah! Look! The silver box was moving! It glided smoothly across the table. And even when it went beyond the edge of the table—it didn’t fall down but floated there midair!

Ah, he understood. A pitch-black hand appeared from somewhere, grabbed the silver box, and was taking 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 bastard! What are you?!” Kobayashi-kun let out a shout and leaped at the black monster.

He definitely felt resistance. It was a warm human body. The figure had covered himself from head to toe in pitch-black cloth, even wrapping his hands in the fabric, and was attempting to steal the scroll box. “Thief! Stop!” Kobayashi-kun tried to grapple with the unseen figure, but before he could react, he was hurled back by a terrifying force and landed hard on his backside.

At that moment. Near the wall on the far side of the room, another strange occurrence took place. The white cloth that had been protruding from the mummy’s coffin gradually grew larger and came floating gently toward them.

Could it be that the mummy had opened the coffin lid and started walking? Such a thing couldn’t possibly happen. Why on earth was a human-like figure wrapped in white cloth approaching them?

Kobayashi-kun remained sitting on his backside, his chest pounding as he stared into the darkness. Then, the white apparition darted swiftly through the darkness and seemed to leap at the black monster. Although invisible to the eye, the black monster also seemed to confront it and begin grappling.

The silver scroll box floated in midair, moving this way and that. The white and black apparitions appeared to be struggling over the box. Then, with a dreadful noise, the grappling began. It was a desperate life-and-death struggle between the white apparition and the black apparition.

A dreadful thudding sound echoed as they rolled around the room locked in combat.

“There! I’ve got you now! “Kobayashi-kun, press the switch!”

Ah, that voice was Detective Akechi. It seemed the white apparition was grappling with and subduing the black monster. Could it be that the white apparition was 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 turn on. The switch further back must have been turned off.

Kobayashi-kun knocked on the door and tried to call for help. When he felt along the door—oh!—it had somehow opened without him noticing.

Kobayashi-kun rushed out into the outer corridor and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Somebody, please come—! A thief has gotten into the Egyptian Room!”

After he had shouted several times, the sound of someone coming up the stairs echoed, and the far end of the corridor faintly brightened. A person with a flashlight came rushing over.

When he saw the person appear in the corridor, it was Director Matsunami. Dr. Matsunami had stayed over in the night duty room downstairs tonight because he was worried about the scroll. “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 is turned off. Detective, please turn it on.”

“Alright, wait there.”

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

The Secret of the Door

Because Dr. Matsunami had turned on the main switch, the room’s lights came on. “Ah! You’re Akai, the janitor!” The white monster shouted. When he peeled off the cloth covering the subdued black monster, what appeared from beneath was Akai wearing a black suit.

“Detective Akechi, you’ve done splendidly. So that Akai 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 wrapped tightly around its body, resembling an Egyptian mummy, was in fact Detective Akechi. In that guise, he had hidden inside the mummy’s coffin and lay in wait for the villain to arrive.

Kobayashi Boy, who had not been informed of anything, was surprised when he heard Dr. Matsunami call out, "Akechi-san."

So that’s it! Detective Akechi had consulted with Dr. Matsunami and hidden inside the mummy’s coffin before I entered the Egyptian Room. If I had known about it, that knowledge might have shown on my face and made the culprit cautious, so they probably kept me in the dark on purpose.

Kobayashi-kun had suddenly realized that point, but there were still things he didn't understand. Dr. Matsunami seemed to have been thinking the same thing, for at that moment, he turned to Akechi and asked.

“If Akai is the culprit, he could have turned the main light switch on and off at will. And since he had the key to this room, sneaking in wouldn’t have been difficult.” “However, there’s still something I don’t understand.” “The secret of how the university student vanished inside this room yesterday.” “Do you also know that secret, Akechi-san?” Detective Akechi produced a thin rope from somewhere, bound the hands and feet of the criminal Akai, and secured his body to a nearby chair. Once finished, he approached while replying.

“I already knew that,” Detective Akechi replied. “I discovered that secret when I examined this room during the day. However, if I had revealed it, the culprit would have grown cautious and refrained from coming to steal the scroll—so I deliberately kept silent. By letting the culprit lower their guard, I lay in wait tonight to ambush them when they sneaked in. This one fell right into the trap.” “But I must say,” Dr. Matsunami responded, “I have absolutely no idea. What kind of secret was there exactly? If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind telling me?”

“It’s a simple trick.” “Since this one can’t possibly escape now, I’ll show you the secret before we call the police.” “Now then, Doctor, please enter your study at the end of the corridor and watch this door through the glass window.” “Kobayashi-kun, you watch along with the Doctor as well.”

So Dr. Matsunami and Kobayashi Boy entered Dr. Matsunami’s study at the end of the corridor and positioned themselves to keep watch on the Egyptian Room’s door through the glass window. The distance from that glass window to the Egyptian Room’s door was approximately ten meters. The hallway lights were on, so the door was clearly visible.

As they kept watching, Detective Akechi, who had been out in the corridor, entered the Egyptian Room once, and after about thirty seconds, emerged back into the corridor. Then, leaving the door open, he turned to face inward and peered into the room.

Then, something astonishing occurred. There stood a man inside the door! Since the criminal Akai was bound to the chair, there was no way he could have appeared there. Then, who could that be? Into the room, a man abruptly appeared. Yesterday, a university student vanished, but tonight, in reverse, a person appeared out of nowhere.

Detective Akechi had been whispering quietly with the man for some time, but he turned toward them, gave a nod, then entered the room and closed the door from inside.

Dr. Matsunami and Kobayashi Boy, upon seeing that, could no longer remain still. They left the study and hurried toward the Egyptian Room.

Then, Detective Akechi opened the door again and, while welcoming the two into the room,

“You did see a man standing there, didn’t you? “But take a look.” “In this room, aside from Akai-kun, there’s no one else.” He said, smiling warmly.

In the far corner of the room, Akai remained tied to the chair, glaring at them with a menacing expression.

“Surely, that wasn’t Akai just now, was it?” Dr. Matsunami said wonderingly.

“That’s not it. No matter how quickly he worked, there wouldn’t have been enough time to untie that thin cord and bind it again as before. A person who wasn’t Akai appeared.”

“And where did that person go?” “He vanished.” “Just like yesterday’s university student.” “I don’t understand at all.” “It’s truly mysterious.” “There’s no way something this absurd could happen!”

Dr. Matsunami made a troubled face and looked around restlessly.

“Ha ha ha ha… It’s nothing at all.” “Take a look at this.” Detective Akechi said that and approached the door.

So, was the secret trick hidden within this door? If that were the case, what kind of secret could it possibly be? Dear readers, before reading further, please take a moment to consider this.

The Voice on the Phone

Detective Akechi opened the door toward the corridor and lightly pressed his finger against the inner door panel. With a click, another door swung open from within. In other words, that door had been double-layered all along. Akechi opened it all the way to demonstrate. There was another hidden hinge beside the door’s main hinge, forming a mechanism that opened as shown in the diagram. And the inner side of the second door that had opened from the first was a large mirror.

The other door was made of a thin iron plate painted to resemble wood grain, and the mirror fitted on its inner side was crafted from extremely thin glass, so together they were only about one centimeter thick. Therefore, no one noticed that the door was double-layered.

“Have you had this door repaired recently?”

When Akechi asked, Dr. Matsunami nodded as if something had occurred to him.

“Come to think of it, we had the door replaced about ten days ago,” said Dr. Matsunami. “For some reason, the frame had warped and wouldn’t close properly, so we had a new one made and installed.” “Who commissioned the door?” asked Detective Akechi. “Akai did,” replied the doctor. “He handles all such matters.” “Then Akai-kun had this trick door fabricated,” deduced Akechi. “It must have cost a fortune. After all, it’s the secret mechanism behind a vanishing act.”

“Ah! So this mirror was—”

“That’s correct. “Yesterday, Akai-kun’s figure standing in the corridor was reflected in this mirror. “Since both Akai-kun and the university student wore black clothes, and the corridor was dimly lit, you couldn’t clearly see their faces from your study’s window. “Therefore, you mistook Akai-kun’s reflection in the mirror for the university student. “Since you firmly believed there was a university student in the Egyptian Room.”

Akai-kun had fabricated this so-called curse of the Egyptian scripture in such a manner. He made everyone believe mysterious phenomena 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 all along. In truth, he might have been a fearsome master thief. “Hmm, that’s an incredible mechanism he created,” Kobayashi Boy remarked. “So the man you mentioned earlier was actually your own reflection in this mirror? If it’s just a mirror image, vanishing it would be simple enough. All you’d need to do is close this double-layered door and revert it to a single door again.”

Kobayashi Boy too, upon seeing the trick door’s mechanism, was thoroughly impressed. “Sensei, does that mean you had already noticed this mechanism when you investigated here during the day?”

“That’s right.” “But I kept it hidden from both Dr. Matsunami and you.” “If this mechanism were discovered, the culprit would flee.”

The bound Akai in the chair across the room suddenly became terrifying. The elderly janitor they had perceived now appeared before them as a brawny, terrifying villain.

“I’ll call 110 right away.” “And let’s hand this guy over to the police.” With those words, Dr. Matsunami rushed out of the room, but after making a call from the research room across the way, he soon returned.

“Let’s leave this guy’s interrogation to the police. He must be quite a renowned master thief,” said Akechi. “But thanks to you, we saved the Egyptian scripture and caught the thief. I’m truly glad we asked Akechi-san for help.”

The scripture in the silver box was properly placed back on the original small table.

About three minutes had passed while they were talking when suddenly, a siren sounded on the front street and a patrol car stopped before the gate. Kobayashi-kun went downstairs, opened the front door, brought two uniformed police officers back with him, and returned to the Egyptian Room. The police officers, seemingly recognizing Detective Akechi’s face, saluted him respectfully with hands raised to their caps. 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 Kobayashi Boy to the research room, and had been talking with them for a short while when—in the dead of night—the telephone on the desk began ringing piercingly.

When Dr. Matsunami answered the phone, the caller— “Put Detective Akechi on the phone.”

the caller demanded. Akechi took over and picked up the receiver. “Hello, Akechi-kun? Ahahaha, how utterly delightful. Who do you think I am? Go on, take a guess.”

From the receiver, that hoarse voice leapt out.

Detective Akechi's complexion changed abruptly.

“Who are you? Just who are you?”

“Hehehe… It’s Akai. I’m already a free man. Those patrol car cops earlier were fakes, you see. Ha ha ha ha… To think someone of your standing would make such a blunder, Akechi-kun! Oh no, wait—I’ve got another surprise for you. Akai isn’t my real name. Huh, do you get it? I am the man with twenty faces. Hehehe… I am the great thief you all call Twenty Faces.”

And then, the phone went dead with a click.

The Phone's Secret

When Akechi set down the receiver and relayed what had happened, Director Dr. Matsunami and Kobayashi Boy exchanged looks of astonishment. “But I definitely called 110 earlier using the phone in that room,” Dr. Matsunami said. “Does this mean the real patrol car still hasn’t arrived?” He muttered the words with palpable suspicion.

“That can’t be right.” “Quite some time has passed since then.” “There’s no way the patrol car would be that late.” “There must be some reason for this.”

Akechi, having said that, dialed the telephone in front of him and was holding the receiver to his ear, but—

“Strange‚ the telephone seems to be out of order.” “Let’s check it out.”

With that, he rushed out of the Egyptian Room, entered the doctor’s research room across the way, and tried using the telephone there, but found that it too was out of order.

Akechi then checked the telephone lines, opened windows to peer into the dark garden, but—as if struck by a thought—suddenly bolted from the room, dashed down the stairs, and headed into the garden.

There was a small storage shed in the corner of the garden. Akechi turned on the flashlight he had prepared, opened the shed's door, and peered inside.

“Ah! It’s here. Here’s the telephone,” he shouted.

“Twenty Faces cut those two telephone lines and connected this one with a different wire.” “Then he stationed his subordinates here to answer in voices imitating police emergency responders.” “That’s why the call never reached the real 110 emergency line.”

With this, it became clear why the real patrol car hadn’t come.

“When on earth did he manage to prepare all this? He’s a terrifying man.”

Dr. Matsunami, utterly astonished, muttered. Kobayashi Boy, under Detective Akechi’s instruction, ran out through the gate and used a red 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.

“Still, I’m grateful the Egyptian scroll was saved.” “Though the criminal escaped, the scroll’s box remains properly here.”

“It’s entirely thanks to Akeichi-san.”

Dr. Matsunami opened the silver box on the table and, while confirming that the scroll was inside, expressed his gratitude. “However, we still can’t let our guard down. Next time, he may attempt theft through some method. If possible, it would be best to leave only the silver box in this Egyptian Room, place the scroll in a different box, and hide it somewhere else.”

When Detective Akechi said this, the doctor nodded,

“I was just thinking the same thing.” “I’ve recently built a new residence in a quiet neighborhood of Setagaya Ward, and it’s just been completed.” “I plan to place this scroll into an ordinary wooden box and take it back to my residence every day.”

“That would be advisable.” “Put it in as plain and inconspicuous a wooden box as possible.”

Some time later, Inspector Nakamura of the Metropolitan Police Department arrived with three subordinates in tow, but since there were no significant new discoveries to report, we will omit further details of that matter.

And so, what fate awaited the scroll placed within the wooden box? Of course, Twenty Faces did not give up on stealing it. Before long, Twenty Faces would once again employ strange magic and begin a terrifying, unfathomable scheme.

On the third night after that, a strange event occurred inside Dr. Matsunami's new house—and the one who witnessed it was Shouichi, the son of a company executive named Mr. Nishima who lived next door to the doctor's residence.

The Living Hand

Nishimura Shouichi-kun was a sixth grader in elementary school, and 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 stood only about ten meters away. What appeared there was a spacious Western-style room—newly wallpapered, devoid of any furniture, a completely bare space. At the very center of the room sat nothing but a single small round table. Yet the light fixture shone splendidly, properly illuminated. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, its multitude of glass orbs casting a bright glow throughout the chamber.

The window had four large glass panes tightly shut, but as they formed a single glass door, the interior was visible as clearly as if one could reach out and touch it.

The room had been empty all along with only an electric light burning when suddenly—after what felt like an eternity—the door at leftmost end of far wall creaked open to admit an elegant elderly gentleman. Shouichi-kun remained unaware this was none other than Dr.Matsunami himself—master of residence. Perhaps he had just returned from research institute.

The elderly doctor had been carefully holding a small wooden box, placed it on the table at the center of the room, and was about to open its lid. At that moment, someone appeared to call from beyond the door. The doctor turned toward the sound, lips moving as if forming a response, but with an expression that seemed to grumble "How bothersome," he hastily exited through the doorway. The wooden box stayed upon the table. He must have left it there intending to return momentarily.

However, the doctor did not return readily. The room without furniture was desolately silent. Because the wallpaper was new, the lamplight looked unnaturally bright.

Shouichi-kun was staring fixedly at it from the window of his study room here.

“Something’s definitely going to happen any moment now.”

Because he had felt such an uncanny premonition. Then, just as anticipated, an indescribably strange phenomenon occurred within the brightly lit room across from him. A pale object suddenly materialized atop the small table. This thing then began crawling steadily toward the wooden box placed there. Was it some sort of large insect? No—that wasn’t it at all.

Ah! It’s a hand. It’s a human hand. Only a human hand was crawling across the table. The table had three legs, and beyond those legs, the wallpaper was visible. Therefore, there was no one hiding under the table. There was no human body—only a wrist moving on its own.

Shouichi-kun shivered as if he'd seen a ghost. Could such a thing even be possible—a wrist severed from its body, alive and moving? However, it was indeed 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 it seemed the hand had been raised—both the box and wrist vanished as though wiped away. Only the wrist had stolen the box. And then it vanished.

Shouichi-kun felt as though he had seen a terrifying dream. But it was not a dream. On the second floor across the way, a ghostly, inexplicable phenomenon had indeed occurred.

Shouichi-kun hurried out of the room, went down the stairs, and entered his father’s study. And proceeded to tell him about what had just happened. When Mr. Nishima, his father, heard this, he burst out laughing,

“That’s impossible! You must’ve seen a phantom.”

He wouldn’t take it seriously. “No, it wasn’t a phantom! I definitely saw it. Dad, it might be Twenty Faces.” “Huh? Twenty Faces, you say?”

Even Mr. Nishima was startled. “The house next door belongs to Dr. Matsunami, doesn’t it? Didn’t they say Twenty Faces had sneaked into Dr. Matsunami’s Ancient Research Institute recently? Maybe that wooden box that vanished has the Egyptian scroll inside—don’t you think?”

Shouichi-kun was a clever boy. He had already deduced that much.

Upon hearing that, Mr. Nishima couldn’t simply dismiss it either. Because he had been reading about the Ancient Research Institute incident in the newspaper.

“Well then, why don’t we go next door together now and let them know what you saw?” “Yes, I think that would be best.”

So, Mr. Nishima and Shouichi-kun, accompanied by each other, decided to visit Dr. Matsunami’s new residence.

When they arrived, Dr.'s house was in a great uproar. Dr. Matsunami’s wife had passed away long ago, they had no children, and the household consisted only of a live-in student, an elderly maid, and housemaids. Now those four were rushing about the house in confusion, darting here and there.

Nevertheless, upon realizing that his neighbor Mr. Nishima had come to visit, Dr. Matsunami ushered Mr. Nishima and his companion into the first-floor reception room. This room, unlike the second floor, had various artifacts splendidly arranged. “Why don’t you tell us what you saw?”

At Mr. Nishima’s prompting, Shouichi-kun recounted the strange incident in detail.

Then, Dr. Matsunami nodded and,

“Ah, so that’s what happened. “Now I see.” “Actually, I too saw the wrist grabbing the box. “Shouichi-kun did not see a phantom at all.” “So, Doctor, were you also watching from outside the door at that time?”

Shouichi-kun asked.

“No, I didn’t see it in that room. On the stairs. Down the stairs, only the wrist clutching the box floated in midair and drifted down. It was a ghost. I was so startled that I chased after it.” “However, the wrist swiftly dodged my hand, descended the stairs, and flew down the hallway toward the entrance. Fluttering and floating in midair, it flew away at a terrifying speed.”

The front door slid open soundlessly by itself. And then, from there, the wrist floated outside. Of course, it was still gripping the box. Inside that box lay the precious Egyptian scroll.

“I frantically chased after it. However, by the time I got outside, both the wrist and the box had already vanished.”

“I somehow felt like they had smoothly soared high into the sky.”

“So we were in a huge uproar—calling the police, calling private detective Mr. Akechi, and all that.”

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

At that moment, Shouichi-kun let out a shrill voice.

“It might be the Invisible Man! Twenty Faces once disguised himself as the Invisible Man long ago. Couldn’t he have used that trick again this time?”

Shouichi-kun had friends who were members of the Boy Detectives Club, so he knew all about Twenty Faces.

Ah, the Invisible Man. Did Twenty Faces truly possess the magical power to become an Invisible Man? If that were true, what strange things were about to happen?

A Voice from Thin Air

Twenty Faces, having obtained his target item, did not show himself for about a month afterward, as if he had hidden away somewhere.

However, one evening, a terrible thing occurred at the Endō family’s house in the quiet residential district of Minato Ward. Mr. Endō was an executive at Mitsugi Pearl Corporation. The family consisted only of his wife, their only child Sho-taro-kun, and himself—three people in total—with all others being hired help. However, a young man named Yamaguchi Takeo, who served as both Sho-taro-kun’s tutor and live-in student, was treated as one of the family, even taking meals together with the three of them.

After dinner had finished, the four of them and two guests gathered in the Western-style room and were seated around a large table. The guests were Mr. Tomoda, an employee of Mr. Endō’s company, and Mr. Kitagawa, a relative.

Today was Mr. Endō’s birthday, so he had invited two guests and shared a meal together with them. Afterward, they gathered in this room and were looking at the items placed on the table. It was a beautiful elephant figurine. The elephant, standing about twenty centimeters tall, had been crafted entirely from thousands upon thousands of pearl beads. Its eyes were inlaid with dark cat’s eye stones. Even one of those cat’s eye stones alone was worth hundreds of thousands of yen.

It was impossible to tell just how much the entire elephant was worth.

This pearl elephant was exhibited by Mitsugi Pearl Company at a major exhibition in France long ago, and Mr. Endō acquired it, making it a family heirloom.

“I had the pleasure of seeing this last year as well, but no matter when I see it, it’s magnificent.” “The shape of the elephant looks as if it were alive.” “The color of these pearls is simply indescribable, isn’t it?”

Mr. Kitagawa, the relative, said with irrepressible admiration. “The value lies in it being something that can only be seen once a year.” “The members of your household don’t get to see it except on your birthday either, do they, Mr. Endō?”

Mr. Tomoda, an employee, said.

Exactly as he had said, even Sho-taro-kun, their only son, and his mother rarely got to see this treasure.

Sho-taro-kun was a sixth grader and had always looked forward to seeing this elephant once a year. From an even younger age, he had loved elephants and owned many elephant toys, but compared to this treasure elephant, they all seemed utterly uninteresting.

“How strange. Why hasn’t that guy noticed such a rare treasure?” Mr. Kitagawa suddenly blurted out something odd.

“Who’s ‘that guy’?”

Mr. Endō asked.

“It’s Twenty Faces.”

“What? What did you say?” Mr. Endō frowned at what he considered an ill-omened remark.

“That guy never overlooks rare artworks. They say he’s built himself a splendid museum at his hideout filled with nothing but stolen treasures. Just the other day, there was a huge article in the paper about him stealing an ancient Egyptian scroll. That guy’s being careless not to notice this Endō family treasure, hahaha….”

Mr. Kitagawa made a distasteful joke.

And then, at that very moment. Like the lingering echo of Mr. Kitagawa’s laughter, a faint “Ha ha ha…” could be heard from somewhere.

The laughter showed no sign of stopping. Everyone exchanged startled looks. Sho-taro-kun’s mother had already turned deathly pale.

“Who’s there!” The tutor Yamaguchi abruptly stood up, went over, and tried opening the door. However, there was no one in the hallway. “Ha ha ha….”

The faint laughter gradually grew louder.

This time, Yamaguchi-kun peered out the window into the dark garden. There was no human figure there either. “Ha ha ha…—searching won’t help you. You can’t see me! I’d already noticed. I’ve known about this pearl all along. I’ll be helping myself to it before long.”

The voice resounded from the empty air. Everyone looked all around the room, but there was no sign of anyone.

“Ah! The Invisible Man!” Sho-taro-kun noticed and shouted in a high-pitched voice.

Mr. Endō hurriedly placed the pearl elephant statue into the box, hugged it tightly, and suddenly rushed out into the hallway. The young tutor Yamaguchi also followed after him.

After a while, Mr. Endō and Tutor Yamaguchi returned to the original room. They had stored the treasure box in the basement safe. Since no one besides Mr. Endō knew the combination to open the safe’s lock, it was secure. Moreover, they had securely locked the entrance leading down to the basement, and Mr. Endō held the key to it.

“Come to think of it, I felt like someone was standing right beside me.” “That might have been the Invisible Man.” When Mr. Kitagawa said this, Sho-taro-kun’s mother also,

“Yes, I felt it too.” “I felt as if someone had swiftly passed behind me.” “Oh, how unsettling.” “I wonder if he’s still around here.”

Then, as if in response, laughter erupted once more. “Ha ha ha… I’m right here.” “But today, I’ll take my leave as I am.” “I’ll be back again, so you’d better be on your guard.”

The voice gradually faded into the distance and vanished somewhere.

“If he intends to steal the pearl elephant, why not just snatch it outright and make a run for it? It’s strange that he only let us hear his voice before leaving like that. Maybe he’s pretending to be the Invisible Man by rigging up a loudspeaker somewhere—using just his voice to frighten us.”

Since Mr. Kitagawa had voiced his skepticism so doubtfully, everyone thoroughly searched every inch of the room—from the walls to the ceiling, even under the carpets—but found no trace of any device resembling a loudspeaker.

A Vase Floating in Mid-Air

After this commotion, Mr. Endō reported the incident to the police and had them keep watch around the house, but late that night, yet another terrifying incident occurred in Sho-taro-kun’s bedroom.

The room served as both Sho-taro-kun’s study and bedroom, with a study desk and bookshelves by one window and a bed placed in another corner.

Sho-taro-kun got into bed around nine o’clock, but he was so terrified by what had just happened that he couldn’t fall asleep. After fidgeting restlessly for a long time, he eventually began to doze off—only to jolt awake from a terrifying dream. And then, it happened when he awoke for what must have been the umpteenth time. From his bed, directly in his line of sight, the flower-patterned curtain on the window beyond the study desk seemed to flutter faintly.

Startled, he widened his eyes and stared intently 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 shifted slightly. It felt as if someone had moved it with their hand. Startled, his eyes became glued to the spot.

Then, ah, just as he'd feared. The vase was gliding smoothly toward him. And it reached the edge of the desk but still didn't stop. Just like that, it continued forward, leaving the desk behind yet without falling down, remaining suspended in midair. Sho-taro-kun lay in bed, his body feeling numb and paralyzed, unable to 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. Then, it swayed gently from side to side in midair.

It was precisely the height where an adult would lift a vase to chest level. Sho-taro-kun felt he could faintly make out the figure of a person. Though transparent, it had a hazy, water-like human shape. The vase glided smoothly back down to its original spot on the desk and grew still. Yet the invisible presence seemed to linger nearby.

Then, out of nowhere, a single rolled cigarette appeared and lay motionless in midair. The invisible figure appeared to have it clenched between its teeth.

The cigarette had somehow been lit. And its crimson ember flickered like fireflies—flaring and dimming—each time accompanied by a wisp of white smoke issuing forth from empty air. After a while, the area around face level became filled with white smoke. It was truly an indescribably eerie sight. With no one there, the cigarette alone was being smoked, its smoke steadily exhaled.

The cigarette continued being smoked for about two minutes before eventually vanishing smoothly into thin air. However, the invisible guy remained in the room. Sho-taro-kun felt certain it stood perfectly still there glaring straight at him. A hazy water-like figure seemed to inch closer and closer toward him with relentless persistence.

Sho-taro-kun tried to call for help, but his mouth wouldn’t move, and he couldn’t make a sound.

After struggling desperately, he finally managed to let out a hoarse scream.

“H-help me…” Then, perhaps startled by the scream, the invisible figure opened the door and left the room. The door slid open smoothly by itself and closed again just as it had been.

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

It was Mr. Yamaguchi, the tutor. “Sho-chan, what’s wrong? That scream just now was yours, wasn’t it?” Sho-taro-kun’s face was deathly pale, his mouth working wordlessly, but he couldn’t manage to speak. However, he finally began to speak haltingly about the strange events that had just occurred.

“Hmm... So he did sneak in after all.” “I might’ve crossed paths with him in the hallway.”

Mr. Yamaguchi said he would inform Ms. Endo and rushed out of the room as he was.

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

Ms. Endo immediately called the police. Two detectives from the police came and investigated the house, but since they were dealing with an invisible culprit, there was nothing they could do. After instructing them to reinforce all the locks, they left.

Bizarre Struggle

Twenty Faces had transformed into the Invisible Man, appeared at Ms.Endo's house, and declared he would steal the family heirloom—a pearl elephant crafted from pearls. Therefore, Ms.Endo strove with all her might to prevent it. The pearl elephant was placed inside the basement safe; moreover, even the thick wooden hatch at the basement entrance was securely locked so that not even family members could approach the safe. Ms.Endo requested police assistance until two detectives came to constantly patrol both front gate and back entrance areas of Endo residence.

However, the very next morning, a terrifying incident occurred in the garden of Ms. Endo’s house.

At that moment, Sho-taro-kun, Ms. Endo’s son, was looking out at the garden from the window of his study. The garden was planted with various trees, but directly in front of Sho-taro-kun’s window stood a single camellia tree, its blood-red flower blooming all alone amidst the lush green leaves. For some reason, Sho-taro-kun found himself unable to tear his eyes away from that red flower. He felt strangely drawn to it.

Then, the flower suddenly separated from the branch as if someone had plucked it. And instead of falling downward, it began gliding 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.

Then, after drifting weightlessly through the air, it soon came to a complete standstill. If someone had been standing there, it would have stopped right at face height. It looked exactly like an invisible man holding up the flower to examine it. Sho-taro-kun gasped in realization. This could only mean one thing—the Invisible Man. The Invisible Man had plucked the camellia blossom and was now scrutinizing it.

When he stood up to inform his father, someone came from the other side of the garden. It was Yamaguchi-kun, the tutor. Yamaguchi-kun also seemed to notice the camellia flower hovering motionless in midair; he stopped short, startled, but quickly regained his composure and suddenly lunged toward the flower. A sound like bodies colliding could be heard. Though invisible to the eye, there was indeed a person standing there.

Then, a terrifying grapple began.

Yamaguchi was remarkably brave. Panting heavily with a crimson face, he finally wrestled his opponent down onto the dirt. Straddling the man, he began wrenching at his neck with brutal force.

However, the opponent was Twenty Faces. There was no way he would lose like this. Yamaguchi-kun was flipped over in an instant. The invisible one sprang back up with tremendous force. Yamaguchi-kun lunged at his opponent again, but his chin jerked up as if struck by an uppercut, sending him landing hard on his backside.

“Damn it!” “You’re not getting away!”

Yamaguchi-kun stood up again and grappled once more. As they wrestled with grunts and strain, his body suddenly arced through the air in a semicircle, somersaulted, and was hurled onto the distant ground. The invisible one had employed judo's tomoe nage throw.

As he tried to get up, the invisible assailant pounced on him from above, seemingly choking his neck. He thrashed his head left and right in struggle, but soon went limp. “Hahahaha… Had enough?” “I’m a fifth-dan judo practitioner, you know.” “You’ll never catch someone like me!”

From midair, that voice resounded.

And then, as if he had suddenly noticed, "Oh! There you are, Sho-taro-kun." "No need to worry." "I won't do anything to you." "But go tell your father this." "Listen carefully." "Things will get dangerous tonight." "Look—the pearl elephant." "That will vanish tonight." "Well then, I might as well set the time." "Let's make it ten o'clock at night." "At exactly ten, I'll steal it and show you myself." "Remember this well." "I am Twenty Faces." "I never break my promises." "Understood?" "Hahaha... See ya!"

The laughter gradually grew distant and disappeared beyond the cluster of garden trees.

Yamaguchi finally managed to get up. Sho-taro-kun ran toward the back rooms to alert his father. They then called the two detectives stationed at the front entrance and combed through every corner of the garden, but against an invisible adversary, their efforts proved futile. There was no telling whether he had already fled or still prowled about unseen.

Given this situation, there was no choice but for everyone to join forces and strictly guard the basement safe.

adorable girl

Sho-taro-kun was a sixth grader in elementary school. On that day at 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’s Twenty Faces, huh? “In that case, you should talk to our leader Kobayashi-san. “We’ve been fighting Twenty Faces for ages—he’s our sworn enemy. “Kobayashi-san will definitely help you.” Since Takeuchi-kun had spoken this way, once school ended, Sho-taro-kun resolved to visit the Akechi Detective Agency—where Kobayashi Boy worked—together with Takeuchi-kun.

“I’ll call home to say I’ll be late.” When they arrived at a red public phone in town and Sho-taro-kun took a 10-yen coin from his pocket to make a call, Takeuchi-kun whispered: “You mustn’t say anything about going to the detective agency! You never know where the Invisible Man might be listening. Just say you’re coming to my house to play.” Sho-taro-kun made the call as instructed, then boarded a bus and hurried off to the Akechi Detective Agency in Kojimachi.

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

Kobayashi Yoshio-kun, the leader of the Boy Detectives Club, often appeared in newspaper photos, so Sho-taro-kun also knew his face. He looked to be about the age of a third-year middle school student. He was a boy with a more childlike face than one might expect—smiling and adorable.

It was strange enough to make one wonder how such a child could possibly fight that terrifying Twenty Faces.

“This is my friend Onda Shōtarō-kun.” “Twenty Faces is trying to steal Onda-kun’s father’s treasure.” “Tonight will be dangerous.”

Since Takeuchi-kun had introduced him, Sho-taro-kun exchanged greetings and then explained everything that had happened up to that point in detail. “I see. So he’s disguised himself as the Invisible Man.” “Understood.” “I’ll go consult with Akechi-sensei for a moment, so please wait here.”

Kobayashi Boy left the room after saying this, but a short while later, he returned with a smile. And then he said the following.

“As expected, Sensei is brilliant. He’s completely seen through Twenty Faces’ trick. And then, Sensei and I devised a strategy.”

“For that, you see, Onda-kun, Akechi-sensei must call your father and coordinate. Please tell me the number.” Upon obtaining the phone number, Kobayashi Boy left the room once more.

The "Sensei" being referred to was none other than the famous detective Akechi Kogoro. Detective Akechi had captured Twenty Faces on numerous occasions before. But no matter how many times they threw Twenty Faces into prison, the fiend would break out like a sorcerer and escape.

Thus, Detective Akechi and Twenty Faces were irreconcilable archenemies who could never forgive one another. Precisely because of this, Detective Akechi had completely deciphered Twenty Faces' methods. And he would always outmaneuver them and catch them off guard. What kind of strategy had he devised this time?

Sho-taro-kun and the others were made to wait for about twenty minutes. As he wondered what Detective Akechi was discussing with his father, the entrance door swished open and a lovely girl entered.

“Welcome.”

The girl said that and bowed politely. Was she the maid?

However, next, the girl tilted her head and said, “Do you get it?” with a smile in her eyes.

Somehow, something felt off. Sho-taro-kun and Takeuchi-kun were blinking rapidly.

“Hahahaha… It’s me.” “Kobayashi.” “I just tried a little disguise.”

This time, it was the familiar voice of Kobayashi Boy. What a skillful disguise. There was no way to tell this was Kobayashi-kun. He looked completely like a girl.

Even so, for what purpose had Kobayashi Boy disguised himself like this? “Actually, I just coordinated over the phone with Akechi-sensei and your father, Onda-kun, and it’s been decided that I’ll disguise myself as a girl and become a maid in your house.” “What do you think?” “No matter who sees me, they’d never think a boy is in disguise.” “So you’re going to become a maid in my house and catch Twenty Faces?”

“Yes.” “I think it’ll probably go smoothly.” “No one in your household knows about what Sensei discussed with your father.” “When they called him to the phone, they didn’t mention it was Akechi or anything like that.” “Only your father and mother know about me becoming a maid.” “We’ll say that the maid we had arranged for earlier came today.” “You need to keep up the same pretense.”

“Why would you disguise yourself as a maid?”

Sho-taro-kun still wore a look of bewilderment. "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 such a conversation, the door opened and a slim, tall adult entered. Though this was their first meeting, Sho-taro-kun knew him well from newspaper photos. It was none other than the famous detective Akechi Kogoro.

“Ah, Sensei, this is Onda-kun.”

Kobayashi Boy said.

Sho-taro-kun turned red and bowed upon meeting the famous private detective for the first time. “It’s concerning,” said Detective Akechi. “But if Kobayashi-kun goes, there’s nothing to worry about. He may still be a child, but he’s intelligent and courageous—he’s accomplished countless feats so far. There was even a time he captured Twenty Faces single-handedly.” _I already told Dad about this too—but if things get dangerous_, _I’ll rush in to help_, Sho-taro-kun resolved inwardly.

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about anymore.”

Having said that to Sho-taro-kun, Detective Akechi turned toward Kobayashi Boy, who was disguised as a girl.

“Well done. In that case, no one will see through it. And you’re quite skilled at speaking like a girl too. When you get to the Onda household, make sure you do everything thoroughly and properly.” Encouraged by Detective Akechi, Kobayashi Boy hurried to the Onda household separately from Sho-taro-kun, while Sho-taro-kun parted ways with Takeuchi-kun on the road and returned home.

That night.

Twenty Faces had indeed sneaked into the Onda household to steal the pearl elephant. Sure enough, he had come as the Invisible Man—utterly unseen. What method did Kobayashi Boy, disguised as a girl, intend to use to capture Twenty Faces? At last, the battle of wits between the boy detective and the phantom thief began.

The time was drawing near when Kobayashi Boy would uncover the true identity of Twenty Faces, who had once again become the Invisible Man and infiltrated the premises.

However, would Twenty Faces reveal his true identity so easily?

Mysterious Footprints

And so, as the promised night of ten o'clock gradually drew near, we had to first recount another incident that had occurred at the Onda residence beforehand.

Just around the time when Shoutarou-kun and the others arrived at Akechi’s office, Dr. Matsunami, director of the Ancient Research Institute, had come visiting the Onda residence. Dr. Matsunami was that archaeologist who had had the Egyptian scroll stolen by Twenty Faces. It was also from when Twenty Faces stole that scroll that he became the Invisible Man. Only a single hand had grabbed the box containing the scroll from atop the table, and that very hand alone had gone flying through the air to escape.

Upon hearing that Mr. Onda was now being targeted by Twenty Faces, Dr. Matsunami had called ahead and come to visit him, wanting to share his own experience as a reference. When the doorbell rang, Tutor Yamaguchi went to answer it, and an old gentleman with white hair and mustache rushed in, deathly pale. And then, snapping the front door shut,

“Quickly, lock this door! Lock it now!” he said. Because it was so abrupt, Tutor Yamaguchi was startled,

“Who are you? Why are you locking the door?” Tutor Yamaguchi asked in return.

“I am Matsunami.” “I made an appointment by phone with the master of the house and came here.” “Just lock this door for now.” “Otherwise, that invisible Twenty Faces bastard will get in.” The old gentleman said with a serious face while gripping the door knob.

When Tutor Yamaguchi heard this, he hurried to go get the key, but the old gentleman frantically called out to stop him.

“And 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.” Tutor Yamaguchi, who had suffered terribly at the hands of the Invisible Man, followed the old gentleman’s instructions and went around closing the back door and windows, knowing it would be disastrous to let that fiend in.

Mr. Onda, having heard about it from Yamaguchi-kun, also helped with locking up.

After a short while, Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami were seated facing each other across the table in the reception room. “The windows have been completely shut and locked. However, how did you know the Invisible Man would come?” Mr. Onda asked in a puzzled tone. “I followed that guy, overtook him inside your gate, and rushed into the entrance. I’m certain he entered through the gate.”

Dr. Matsunami was still pale. “But how did you know that? Isn’t the opponent supposed to be that Invisible Man?” “Footprints! Now, listen carefully,” Dr. Matsunami replied urgently. “Let me explain. After making that phone call earlier, I came here by bus. When I got off near your house, I felt as though someone was walking ahead of me—though nothing was visible to the eye. Yet I couldn’t shake that dreadful sensation.”

"I suddenly recalled that terrifying Invisible Man. The moment I thought that perhaps that Invisible Man was walking right in front of me, a chill ran down my spine."

“I stared at the ground,” “because I thought even the Invisible Man would leave footprints.” “But it didn’t work.” “That road’s completely paved with asphalt—footprints don’t stay.”

Before long, he had come to a point about fifty meters from Mr. Onda’s gate. At that moment, something strange happened. A depression had formed in the asphalt ground where water had collected. The water suddenly plopped and splashed as if a stone had been thrown in.

However, there was no one around. There were no stones visible in the water at all.

Then, on the other side of the puddle, a water-soaked footprint appeared with a wet slap. They were human barefoot footprints. And then, the footprints gradually increased to two, three, four, receding into the distance.

There was no one there. Only the footprints remained, trailing away into nothingness. "The Invisible Man," he declared. "That wretch must've blundered into a puddle - these wet prints on dry asphalt are all that's left of him."

Just ahead lay your gate. He must be trying to sneak into your house.

“I hurriedly chased after the footprints.”

The footprints entered your gate. On the stepping stones, faint footprints continued to trail onward.

“At that point, I decided I would outwit him. I suddenly broke into a run and got ahead of the footprints. And I rushed into the entrance, closed the door, and had it locked.” Dr. Matsunami’s unsettling tale came to an end.

That was when it happened…

The Invisible Man was inside the house—

At that moment, the door to the reception room where the two were talking slid open soundlessly before closing again with a soft click. They could only conclude someone had entered. Yet no one was visible. Both men jolted upright, their hips lifting halfway off their chairs before they could stop themselves.

Then came the flip-flopping sound of slippers in the corridor. The door was thrown open violently, and Yamaguchi—the young tutor—came rushing in.

“Doctor, something’s wrong. “Just now, when I was passing through the corridor, I saw this door open and close by itself.” “He might have already properly gotten inside the house.”

Yamaguchi-kun had also turned pale. "But isn’t there supposed to be nowhere he could get in?" "The back door and windows were all closed."

Dr. Matsunami said while restlessly glancing around the room. “That fiend is a slippery one. While we were going around closing the windows, he might’ve slipped in through one that was still open.”

The three could only exchange silent glances. He was in this room. They didn’t know where, but he was definitely there. They could faintly hear his breathing.

“Ha ha ha….”

From somewhere, a low laugh came. And then came that fiend’s ominous words…

“Exactly as you said. I’m right here. Just as Yamaguchi-kun said, I slipped in through the window quick as you please….”

“There’s still plenty of time until ten o’clock. In the meantime, I think I’ll take my time looking around the house.” “Heh heh heh….” “Damn it! I won’t let you escape now!”

Yamaguchi Takeo spread his arms wide and ran around the entire room. It was as if he’d lost his mind.

Had Yamaguchi-kun suffered so terribly at the hands of the Invisible Man that he intended to retaliate?

While dashing around the room, he staggered as if he had collided with something at the door.

“There! I’ve got you!”

He was grappling with the Invisible Man while standing upright. Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami also attempted to rush over to help Yamaguchi-kun.

At that moment, the door opened, and Yamaguchi-kun and the invisible guy staggered out into the corridor. The sound of clattering footsteps running down the corridor. “Damn it! I won’t let you get away!”

The sound of two humans grappling—then a pained groan, "Ugh...," echoed through the air.

Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami hurried toward the direction of the voice. “Ah! He got him!” Around the corner of the corridor, Yamaguchi Takeo lay sprawled on his back, having collapsed. “Hey, Yamaguchi-kun! Pull yourself together!”

When Mr. Onda lifted him up, Yamaguchi rubbed his chin and said, “He got me. Another uppercut. I’m no match for him.”

And just like that, the Invisible Man’s whereabouts became utterly unknown. Of course, he was somewhere inside the house. However, since he was invisible, there was nothing they could do. There was nothing more eerie than this.

“I’m worried about the basement. “Hey, Yamaguchi-kun! You go call the officers patrolling outside!” “And we’ll all have to work together to guard the basement.” “Go and bring them quickly!” “Under these circumstances, I can’t possibly leave. “I’ll stay at your place until ten o’clock and help out.”

Given that it concerned Twenty Faces—a man who had accumulated so much resentment—it was only natural for Dr. Matsunami to feel that way.

So Mr. Onda and Dr. Matsunami hurried to the basement entrance.

At the basement entrance was a heavy wooden door mounted on rails to open outward. The wooden door had a heavy-duty lock, and only Mr. Onda possessed its key.

Upon checking, they found the lock on the wooden door securely fastened.

“The entrance is the only one here. We just need to guard this spot.” While Mr. Onda was explaining this, the young Yamaguchi Takeo arrived with two detectives. “I’ve just called headquarters and asked for about three officers to come as backup.” “After all, we’re dealing with Twenty Faces here.” “If we let him get away, it’ll be disastrous.” One of the detectives spoke. “I see.” “In that case, let’s wait until those officers arrive before entering the basement.” “If that fiend slips in with us when we go inside, we’ll have serious problems.”

After waiting a short while, three burly detectives arrived. “Then, you five, please guard this entrance.” “If five of you form a scrum, even the Invisible Man won’t be able to slip through.” “We will enter the basement and keep watch in front of the safe.” “We’ll have meals brought to the basement and intend to hold out until ten o’clock.”

Entering the basement was no easy task. They had the five detectives form a human chain to block the passageway, opened the wooden door just wide enough for a single person to slip through, then Mr. Onda, Dr. Matsunami, and Yamaguchi Takeo swiftly descended into the basement and hurriedly shut the wooden door. And the detective entrusted with the key snapped the lock shut with a sharp click.

10 PM In the basement of Mr. Onda’s house, chairs had been arranged in front of the safe where Mr. Onda, the master of the house; Yamaguchi Takeo, the tutor; and Dr. Matsunami were holding their ground. Inside the safe was stored the pearl elephant that Twenty Faces had vowed to steal tonight at ten o'clock. Because it was nearly ten o'clock, they were keeping watch over it. Dr. Matsunami, who held a grudge against Twenty Faces for having taken an ancient Egyptian scroll, was helping Mr. Onda guard the safe.

This basement had only one entrance. They had locked the wooden door at that entrance, and outside it, five detectives were forming a scrum and holding their ground.

With this setup, even Twenty Faces—monster though he was—couldn’t possibly infiltrate the basement. The pearl elephant remained secure. Moreover, a combination lock protected the safe—a code known only to Mr. Onda. That anyone could steal it precisely at ten o'clock defied all reason. The three sat before the safe on their chairs, silently staring at its door. Though convinced of their security, an uneasy premonition lingered. What stratagems might their enemy devise?

Time felt as though it were passing painfully slowly.

“It’s just thirty minutes until ten o’clock now.”

Dr. Matsunami muttered while looking at his wristwatch. "That’s right." "My watch also says exactly 9:30." Mr. Onda answered with a pale face.

Mr. Onda answered with a pale face. Everyone’s hearts were pounding. “By the way, the pearl elephant is definitely inside the safe, correct?”

Dr. Matsunami spoke up.

“There’s no mistake. I’m the one who put it in here and set the combination lock.” “When was that?”

“Last night,” Mr. Onda answered. “Yesterday was my birthday, so I invited friends over to show them the pearl elephant, but when the Invisible Man appeared, I hurriedly stored it here.” “Then a full day had passed since then,” Dr. Matsunami pressed. “Was it kept safely here throughout that time? I had suffered terribly because of him, so I couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Because he’s a magician.”

Hearing this, Mr. Onda abruptly grew uneasy. “Well then, shall we open the safe and check?” At that, Yamaguchi Takeo hurriedly stood up from his chair.

“Be careful,” warned Yamaguchi Takeo, his voice taut with unease. “He might have already infiltrated this basement. I’ve had this suspicion since earlier. Though invisible to the eye, I sense another presence in the room besides us.” “What?” Mr. Onda’s pallid face twisted in alarm as he shouted, “Are you saying he’s here right now?” “Not definitively,” Yamaguchi countered, raising a cautionary hand. “But if you must inspect the safe, don’t open it fully. Just crack it slightly and peer through the gap. That way, no one could possibly remove its contents.”

The young man Yamaguchi’s reasoning was sound. If just peeking through the gap, it should be safe. So Mr. Onda cautiously braced himself, turned the combination lock, opened the heavy door just two centimeters, and gently peered inside. “It’s here. It’s untouched.” With that, he closed the door and locked the combination lock. “It’s definitely there.” Dr. Matsunami said with deliberate emphasis.

“There’s no mistake. Even Twenty Faces couldn’t possibly open this combination lock.”

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

“Fifteen minutes have already passed.” “There’s fifteen minutes left.”

Dr. Matsunami checked his wristwatch again and spoke. The three of them sat in silence, glancing between their wristwatches and the safe door. Every five minutes stretched like an hour.

The Vanished Elephant

However, time continued to pass. In five more minutes, it would be ten o'clock.

Four minutes, three minutes, two minutes... How interminably long it felt!

Finally, it was one minute before the hour. Tick-tock, tick-tock—the sound of wristwatches marking the seconds grated on their ears. In sixty more seconds, it would be ten o'clock. All three had turned deathly pale. It was as terrifying as the moment of execution looming near.

Twenty seconds, ten seconds…. “Ah! Five seconds left!” Yamaguchi Takeo let out a shrill voice, as if he’d gone mad. Amidst this, ah—it finally struck exactly ten o’clock.

“It’s ten o’clock. … He didn’t show up after all, did he?”

Mr. Onda let out a sigh of relief and muttered as if to himself.

“It’s already one minute past ten o’clock. That guy didn’t keep his promise. Mr. Onda, we’ve won, haven’t we?” Dr. Matsunami also looked pleased. “Wahaha…. Serves him right! Didn’t Twenty Faces end up completely helpless? He’s lost! Bwahahaha! This is ridiculous!” Yamaguchi Takeo once again began to shriek like a madman.

And then, at that moment.

“I didn’t lose.”

From somewhere, an eerie voice echoed.

Involuntarily, the three of them exchanged glances. Ah, had he really sneaked into the room after all? “You! Where are you?!” “No matter what you say, it’s your loss!” “You never opened the safe even once, did you?” “How could you take what’s inside without opening the door?”

The pearl elephant was properly inside the safe. “You lose!”

Yamaguchi Takeo shouted while staring into the air. “Heh heh… Even without opening the door, I might be able to take it out. I’m a magician, you see. Just go ahead and check inside the safe—see if the elephant’s still there.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Onda rushed over to the safe in his anxiety and tried turning the combination lock. "Wait! This could be his trick," said Yamaguchi Takeo urgently. "You shouldn't open it." Yamaguchi grabbed Mr. Onda's arm to stop him. A mocking voice echoed through the room: "What nonsense are you spouting? What time do you think it is? It's already ten minutes past ten. When I say ten o'clock sharp, I mean ten o'clock sharp. You don't think I'd be stupid enough to steal something ten minutes late? Go on - try opening it. If that elephant's still inside, consider it my consolation prize."

Again, an eerie voice echoed. Earlier, it had come from the right corner of the room; now, it was coming from the left. The invisible one seemed to be wandering about the room as he pleased.

Having been told that much, there was no choice but to open it. “Alright then, I’ll open the safe. Both of you—come close and protect 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 combination lock’s dial turned, and the door slowly began to open.

Ah—what’s this? A strange sound occurred. It was a soft popping noise. Was it the iron door creaking…?

Mr. Onda, suspicious, stopped his hand from opening it. “Go ahead and open it. Hesitating won’t change anything.” Urged by Dr. Matsunami’s prompting, Mr. Onda fully opened the door.

“Ah—it’s gone! “The elephant’s gone!”

Mr. Onda exclaimed.

The elephant that had been there just moments ago had vanished as if erased.

Dr. Matsunami and Yamaguchi Takeo both peered into the empty safe. There was nothing.

Dr. Matsunami glanced around the room restlessly.

“It’s strange. Even if the Invisible Man had taken it moments ago, we should have seen the elephant’s form.” “He shouldn’t be able to make external objects vanish along with himself.” “During the Egyptian scroll incident too, only the scroll itself remained visible.” “It flew through the air together with a human wrist.” “Yet this time, nothing moved through space.” “The elephant has utterly disappeared.”

What in the world had happened here? From inside the safe that had never been opened—right before the eyes of the three people watching intently—that pearl elephant vanished without a trace. “Ah ha… Did I surprise you? There’s no mystery I can’t pull off! After all, I’m a magician. The pearl elephant has indeed been claimed. Another treasure has been added to my museum.”

And then, the invisible one seemed to have slipped out of the basement—which had no entrance or exit—like a ghost.

“Damn it all!”

Yamaguchi Takeo, in a fit of frustration, ran up the stairs and collided with the closed wooden door at the top.

However, there was no one there. From somewhere far outside the room, only faint laughter could be heard.

Yamaguchi Takeo slunk back dejectedly. And so, the three of them could only stand stock-still, blankly exchanging glances.

At that moment, a steady knocking sound came from the wooden door at the top of the stairs.

Who could it be? It might be a detective signaling.

“What business do you have? Didn’t you see any suspicious person leaving?”

Mr. Onda climbed up to the wooden door and called back in a loud voice.

From above the wooden door came a faint voice.

“I didn’t see anything.” “Is the treasure safe?” Since it had already been stolen, there was no need to keep the wooden door closed.

Five detectives came clattering down. And when they heard from Mr. Onda that the elephant had disappeared, everyone could only stand there dumbfounded.

“Oh, how did you get in here?” “Go over there and stay put.” One of the detectives said scoldingly. Because there was a cute maid standing behind everyone.

“This girl is fine. Do you have something to say to me?” Mr. Onda had known this maid was Kobayashi Boy in disguise. “Yes, I have a small matter to discuss.”

Ah, what was Kobayashi-kun about to say next?

“You’re Twenty Faces!”

When Kobayashi-kun’s maid approached Mr. Onda and whispered something, Mr. Onda nodded and introduced Kobayashi Boy to everyone. “This is the maid who just started working here today, but she isn’t actually a woman. A boy is in disguise. This is Kobayashi Yoshio, the famous boy assistant of Detective Akechi.”

The reason he had disguised himself as a maid was to conduct his detective work, but it seemed that task was now complete. “So Kobayashi-kun says he wants to inspect this safe, and since I don’t see any issue with it, I’ve decided to have him investigate it now.”

When they heard this, everyone was startled and stared at the face of the cute maid. They were utterly impressed by how thoroughly he had maintained his disguise.

Kobayashi-kun approached the safe that had been left open and inspected it by sticking his head inside; when he finished that task, he approached the Yamaguchi youth standing in the far corner and said something strange.

“Please show me your slingshot.” “Huh? A slingshot, you say?” The Yamaguchi youth asked back, looking flustered.

Then, Kobayashi-kun suddenly pounced on Yamaguchi-kun in a flash 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 would the tutor Yamaguchi youth be carrying a pistol? “This is a toy pistol… But it’s rigged with an air gun mechanism so the bullets can shoot out, right?” Kobayashi-kun, still in his maid disguise, twirled the pistol while staring intently at the Yamaguchi youth’s face. “Yeah, that’s right—it’s a toy. I was going to give it to Shō-chan—got it from a friend.”

The Yamaguchi youth answered. Shō-chan referred to Endō Shōtarō-kun.

“By the way, Mr. Yamaguchi. This was in your room’s bag—what a strange toy. You must really love toys, huh?”

With that, what Kobayashi-kun—still in his maid disguise—produced was indeed a peculiar object. It appeared to be dozens of black wires, each about ten centimeters long, jumbled into a messy clump. When Kobayashi-kun firmly pressed two wires between his hands, the previously tangled mass smoothly stretched out to about two meters in length. There had been toys like this long ago. They were typically made of wood—contracted into compact forms that could extend outward when manipulated. At their tips were attached doll faces or similar decorations; when swiftly extended, they startled people like jack-in-the-boxes. This same mechanism was used in what’s known as an arm-type telephone. Constructed from broad metal strips, it allowed the telephone receiver to be adjusted in any direction.

What Kobayashi-kun had just produced employed the same mechanism as those, but by fully utilizing 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 had to look very closely to notice it.

When shown this toy, the Yamaguchi youth’s complexion changed. And then, appearing unsettled, he looked around restlessly.

When he saw that， Kobayashi Boy called out to the three detectives standing near the entrance. “Please make sure no one leaves this basement.” “The criminal is right here.”

The detectives were startled, but knowing full well that Kobayashi Boy was a renowned detective, they gave firm nods and took up positions blocking the base of the entrance stairs as a trio. With two more detectives already stationed at the stairway’s top, escape from this basement had become impossible for anyone. “Kobayashi-kun,” Mr. Endō inquired with a perplexed expression, “I’m utterly baffled here. Are you claiming the culprit is among us?”

“It’s him!”

Kobayashi-kun thrust his index finger in front of the Yamaguchi youth’s face and shouted. “Huh? That’s Shōtarō’s tutor Yamaguchi-kun. He’s even grappled with the Invisible Man multiple times…”

“That’s exactly why he’s suspicious. That was all his solo act. He was putting on a one-man show—pretending to grapple with the Invisible Man, throwing himself around like he’d been hurled across the room.”

Oh, what a shocking development! So, was the Yamaguchi youth the culprit? Even so, there were still so many things that remained unclear.

“Hmm… So who on earth is Mr. Yamaguchi?” Mr. Endō spoke in a peculiar manner. “He’s Twenty Faces!”

Kobayashi-kun declared point-blank. "What?! Twenty Faces?!" "Detectives, please arrest this man! This man is Twenty Faces!"

Kobayashi-kun shouted in a voice that echoed through the basement.

Magic Seed

The Yamaguchi youth was quietly handcuffed. He wore a dumbfounded expression at the false charge. “Kobayashi-kun, kindly explain,” said Mr. Endō. “Even if Yamaguchi is the culprit, how on earth could he have stolen the pearl elephant from inside this safe?” “It wasn’t stolen at 10 PM,” Kobayashi Boy replied. “He stole it much 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 only open it a crack?” “That was because, fearing the Invisible Man might be in this room, I only opened it two or three centimeters when checking to prevent it from being stolen. However, the elephant was clearly visible.” “That was a fake.”

“What?! It was a fake?!” “That’s right. Take a look at this.”

Kobayashi-kun approached the safe, peered inside, picked up a small floppy something, and showed it to Mr. Endō. “This is it. This is the true identity of the pearl elephant you saw.”

Mr. Endō received the floppy object and tried pulling it with both hands.

It was something like a large rubber balloon. It had been dyed pearl-colored. Upon closer inspection, they discovered four leg-like protrusions, each tipped with a small lead weight. “Ah! This is a balloon shaped like an elephant.” “The color’s a perfect match for the real thing too.” Mr. Endō, startled, looked around at everyone’s faces.

“That’s right. That guy sneaked in here during the day, stole the real elephant, and swapped it with this balloon fake. Mr. Endō, when you put something into this safe, did you ever bring Yamaguchi with you into the basement?” “That happened quite often.” “Then, at that time, Yamaguchi had memorized the combination to the safe’s lock. Mr. Endō, you probably opened it without Yamaguchi noticing, but a clever thief could figure out the combination just by watching how you moved your arm.”

“Another thing—the basement entrance door also had a lock on it. But since this was an ordinary lock, even someone like me could open it with just one piece of wire. For Twenty Faces, an ordinary lock might as well not exist.” “Hmm, so that’s how it was,” Mr. Endō said. “I was convinced the rubber fake was the real thing and felt safe. But when I opened it at ten o’clock, it was empty.” “That’s because the balloon had burst, turning into a small lump of rubber that rolled into the corner, so I didn’t notice it. But why did the balloon burst?”

“It was 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 a popping sound from the balloon.” “However, when you fully opened the door and found the elephant already gone, you were so distracted by that you had no time to think about any sounds.” “It was a daringly timed trick.” “Mr. Endō, when you opened the safe, you only opened it a crack 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 terrified.” “At that moment, he fired this pistol. Yamaguchi must have been right next to the safe. And then, when it was slightly opened, he fired this pistol without any of you noticing. Since it’s a toy, it doesn’t make much noise. The popping sound of the balloon was actually louder.”

However, since the idea of there being a balloon inside the safe had never occurred to them, they didn’t pay much attention to the sound even when they heard it. Rather than that, they were too preoccupied with the elephant’s disappearance.

Mr. Endō, thoroughly impressed by Kobayashi-kun’s explanation, exchanged glances with Dr. Matsunami.

Twenty Faces’ ingenuity in devising a balloon decoy was truly remarkable, but Kobayashi Boy’s mind—which saw through it instantly—was equally extraordinary. Handcuffed and surrounded by detectives, Yamaguchi Takeo listened to this exchange with a smirk.

Is this man truly Twenty Faces? If he were Twenty Faces, how could he remain so composed?

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

“Yes, I think I understand.” “Of course, it’s not just my own idea.” “Detective Akechi has seen through everything.” “I’ve learned most of this from Detective Akechi.”

“Then let me ask you this—you say Yamaguchi performed solo sumo, but the Invisible Man didn’t just appear during that one time. There have been many times when Twenty Faces’ voice was heard without any trace of him being seen.” “I thought maybe they’d hidden speakers somewhere in the room to make it seem like someone was talking from afar, so I checked thoroughly—but there was no such device. What’s the explanation for that?”

“It’s ventriloquism, you see.” “Huh? Ventriloquism?!”

“There’s that performance where you place a doll on your knee and make it talk, right? The person doesn’t move their mouth at all while speaking, so it looks like the doll’s actually talking—that’s how it works. Twenty Faces is a master of ventriloquism. Making voices seem to come from every corner of the room is child’s play for him.”

Ventriloquism! That was indeed how it had been.

Mysterious Tools

Kobayashi Boy, questioned by Mr. Endō, continued exposing Twenty Faces' secrets one after another. And there could be no such thing as an invisible man. He went on to explain how all those phenomena had been staged performances by Yamaguchi Takeo. "We understood how Yamaguchi pretended to wrestle an invisible opponent and used ventriloquism to fake an invisible man's presence." "But there still remain many unexplained matters."

In Shōtarō’s room late at night, a vase floated into midair of its own accord, and a cigarette suspended in space kept puffing out smoke as if someone were smoking it. Then camellia flowers in the garden detached from their branches as though plucked by invisible hands, hanging motionless in midair without falling. "How do you explain this?"

Mr. Endō persisted in trying to unravel the mystery.

“Did you check the ceiling and other areas of Shōtarō-kun’s room at that time?” “Of course we checked. We thought maybe the vase or cigarette had been hung from above with thin threads and checked thoroughly, but there was no such mechanism. First of all, you can’t hang the camellia flowers in the garden from above. They were floating in midair with nothing above them.” “That’s right. When anyone sees an object floating on its own, they naturally assume it’s hanging from above. Twenty Faces took advantage of that opening. He didn’t lift them from above—he lifted them from the side.”

With that, Kobayashi-kun showed them a tool made of black wire that could extend and retract. It’s a tool that looks like this when retracted and like this when extended.

“This was hidden inside Yamaguchi’s bag.” “It has small metal attachments included with it.” “You see how this end is open?” “You attach a metal clamp here to hold objects.” “There are large ones, small ones—all different sizes.”

Kobayashi-kun placed the metal attachments on his palm and showed them to Mr. Endō. All were made of steel wire painted black, lined up in various shapes—some curved into circles to grasp objects, others with fine tips like tweezers, and more. “That night, Twenty Faces left Shōtarō-kun’s window slightly open.” “Then, extending this tool from there, he clamped it onto the narrow part of the vase’s neck and lifted it upward.” “At that time, he attached this large rounded metal attachment to the end.” “Inside the window, heavy curtains were hanging.” “Because he inserted this tool through that gap, Shōtarō-kun couldn’t see the person outside the window at all.”

“Moreover, this tool’s wire was so thin and painted black. Since he inserted it from a direction perpendicular to Shōtarō-kun’s bed—unlike if viewed sideways—there was no worry of being noticed at all. If you were to extend this tool two meters to lift a vase, the wire would show. But since that vase was placed right by the window, they only needed to extend it half that length—one meter—and avoid detection.”

“The floating cigarette was also done using this tool. For that one, he attached a thin metal piece to the end, ran a thin rubber tube along it, and inserted the tip of the tube into the mouth of the rolled cigarette. Attached to the base of the rubber tube was a rubber bulb for sending air, which the culprit would press and release from time to time.”

“Each time they did this, smoke would emerge from the cigarette, making it appear exactly as though an invisible man were smoking it.” The camellia flowers were no different. “The culprit was hiding in the thicket 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 at.” “And since the background was a bluish-black thicket, the thin wire didn’t catch anyone’s eye.” “The camellia flowers stayed perfectly still in midair for a while.”

Yamaguchi tied this tool to a tree branch in the thicket, left the spot, pretended to approach from a distance, and abruptly lunged at an invisible opponent. At that moment, he plucked the flower from midair and stuffed the wire tool back into the thicket. "Then he launched into a fierce solo sumo performance." It was an exceptionally clear unraveling of the trick. The adults were thoroughly impressed by Kobayashi Boy’s logically structured explanation.

“Oh! So that’s how it was!” “But you’re so smart!”

Suddenly, a childlike voice rang out.

Mr. Endō’s child, Shōtarō-kun, had entered the basement without anyone noticing.

“Oh, Shōtarō. You should stay by your mother’s side.” Mr. Endō said reproachfully. “It’s all right. There are so many officers here. But more importantly, Dad, Kobayashi-kun retrieved the pearl elephant and gave 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 was the toughest part.”

“Ah, thank you. You’re truly a remarkable child. I had read about your exploits in the newspaper, but I never imagined you were this skilled. I must thank you properly.” Mr. Endō looked thoroughly impressed.

The Final Riddle

After a while, wrinkles gathered once more on Mr. Endō’s forehead—he who had been delighted to hear the treasure had been retrieved.

He still wore an expression of unresolved doubt. “But you see, Kobayashi-kun. “There’s something I just can’t figure out. “There is more concrete evidence that the Invisible Man existed. “At Dr. Matsunami’s house, a scroll case that was placed on the table was stolen when only a human wrist appeared and took it.”

“This was something the child next door actually witnessed. Moreover, Dr. Matsunami also saw the wrist holding that box flying through the air as it escaped. No, that’s not all. This evening, Dr. Matsunami witnessed only the Invisible Man’s footprints being left on the ground and followed them all the way to my house. Dr. Matsunami, that’s how it was, wasn’t it?” “That’s correct. I indeed saw only a wrist flying through the air. I also saw only footprints being left one after another on the ground.”

Dr. Matsunami nodded deeply and declared firmly. “Kobayashi-kun, we must solve this riddle.” “Can you solve this one?” Even Kobayashi-kun couldn’t answer this question. There was a reliable witness in Dr. Matsunami. There was no way the doctor would lie. Kobayashi-kun—stuck for an answer—remained silent.

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

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

“Oh, I see. Then please show them in right away.” Mr. Endō said happily. Someone had arrived. Who on earth could have come?

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

Shōtarō and Dr. Matsunami called out simultaneously. It was none other than Detective Akechi and Inspector Nakamura from Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department.

Kobayashi Boy, disguised as a maid, introduced Detective Akechi and Inspector Nakamura to Mr. Endō. After the greetings concluded, Mr. Endō was beaming, “Your assistant Kobayashi-kun is truly impressive.” “He’s completely solved all the mysteries.” “And he found the culprit.” “He says Yamaguchi is Twenty Faces.” With that, he pointed at Yamaguchi Takeo, who stood handcuffed.

“That’s correct.” “I had sensed from the very beginning that Yamaguchi was Twenty Faces.” “I had also instructed Kobayashi-kun to investigate with that intention.”

“Twenty Faces... It’s been a while.” When called out by Akechi, the young man Yamaguchi gave a bitter smile. “This is how it is,” he said, showing his handcuffs. “I was just listening with admiration to Kobayashi’s riddle-solving. But you see, Akechi-kun—I haven’t lost yet. For one thing, Kobayashi still has an unsolved riddle left.” “Yes, that’s right,” replied Akechi. “I came here precisely for that. The unsolved riddles must be the wrist Dr. Matsunami saw and the footprints. Before that, a boy named Nishima Shouichi witnessed a wrist appearing on the second-floor table at Dr. Matsunami’s house. I read about it in the newspaper and solved the riddle immediately. Kobayashi-kun should know this too—go ahead and explain.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

Kobayashi-kun began to speak.

“That was a trick using mirrors,” Kobayashi Boy explained. “Twenty Faces’ signature technique. Two mirrors had been stretched diagonally between the table legs. The culprit hid behind them, extended only their wrist above the table, and seized the scroll case. He waited for a boy named Nishimura to look over from the neighboring house’s window before executing the act.” “The mirrors beneath the table reflected the wallpaper on both sides of the room. Since the pattern matched the wallpaper behind the table, the space below appeared completely empty. There was no way to tell someone was hiding there. That’s why only the wrist seemed to crawl across the tabletop.”

“That’s correct.” “However, there’s something odd about this story.” “Attaching mirrors to table legs isn’t something done spontaneously.” “If they were installed beforehand, Dr. Matsunami couldn’t possibly have failed to notice them.” “This detail feels distinctly suspicious.” With that, Akechi fixed his gaze on Dr. Matsunami’s face. “Oh? Are you doubting me, Mr. Akechi?” “Are you implying that I’m lying?”

Dr. Matsunami closed in on Akechi. “That’s right. You’re lying. Shall I show you the evidence?” Akechi signaled Inspector Nakamura, who was standing next to him. Upon this, 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 was holding their breath, wondering what would happen. Before long, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and the detective appeared, leading a single person.

Unexpected.

When everyone caught sight of the person’s face, they gasped, utterly stunned.

Who do you think that was?

It was none other than Dr. Matsunami himself. But hadn’t Dr. Matsunami been in the basement all along? Indeed, he was still standing in his original spot. Then another person—an exact double of Dr. Matsunami—descended 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 man 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. His hair was jet-black. He had skillfully disguised himself with carved wrinkles and such on his face, but he couldn’t conceal his youth. He was a man around thirty years old. “This guy is one of Twenty Faces’ disciples and, as expected, a master of disguise.” “This impostor had been substituted ever since Dr. Matsunami was moved to the new house.”

The real Dr. Matsunami had been confined in the storage room of the Ancient Research Institute's basement. It goes without saying that Twenty Faces and his gang had confined him. This impostor had been commuting to the Ancient Research Institute every day as its director, without batting an eye. And they secretly provided only meals to Dr. Matsunami, who had been confined in the storage room.

“By now, you must understand. Both the floating wrist and the footprints left behind were all fabrications by this fake doctor.”

The enigma that had been so tangled completely unraveled. Kobayashikuni,

“You truly are Mr. Akechi. You did well…” He was so overjoyed he could hardly contain himself. The detectives also handcuffed the fake Dr. Matsunami. The real Dr. Matsunami, in a weak voice, greeted everyone, and then,

“I was rescued by Mr. Akechi.” “Before, you prevented the Egyptian scroll at the Ancient Research Institute from being stolen, and this time, you rescued me.” “You’ve helped me in two ways now.”

With that, he expressed his gratitude.

“No, there’s still one thing left. “We had managed to prevent the Egyptian scroll from being stolen once, but during the second attempt, it was taken using the Invisible Man trick.” Detective Akechi said this and shot a piercing glance at Twenty Faces. “You’ll naturally return that to Dr. Matsunami, won’t you?” Then Yamaguchi—the young man who was Twenty Faces—smirked. “Now that I’ve been caught like this, I suppose I have no choice but to return it. But Akechi-kun, Twenty Faces is a sorcerer, you know. There might still be some tricks up my sleeve.”

“You know my tricks well enough,” Twenty Faces taunted. “You’d do best not to lower your guard.” Detective Akechi’s laughter rang out sharp and clear. “Hah! Ever the showman. If you’ve got schemes brewing, rest assured I’ve prepared counterschemes to match. Let’s both stay vigilant… wouldn’t want either side growing complacent.”

Detective Akechi was not about to lose either.

And so, it was finally decided to take the two culprits to the Metropolitan Police Headquarters. To Twenty Faces and his disciple, one detective each was assigned. One side of the handcuffs was fastened to the criminals’ wrists and the other to the detectives’ own wrists—this way, if they tried to flee, the detective’s wrist would be pulled, allowing immediate detection. But that wasn’t all. By doing this, they couldn’t possibly drag the detectives along and run away, so no matter what happened, everything would be secure.

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

Detective Akechi, who had been walking behind everyone, approached Kobayashi Boy and whispered something in a hushed tone. Then Kobayashi-kun,

“Don’t worry. Pocket Boy is properly keeping watch.”

he answered in a quiet voice. Pocket Boy was one of the urchin squad members in the Boy Detectives—around fourth-grade age but so small he could practically fit into a pocket, hence this nickname.

He was an extremely nimble and clever child, and had often used his small size to accomplish feats in the past.

Now, things were getting interesting. Just what kind of role was that Pocket Boy going to perform now?

Pocket Boy It was when the two criminals emerged at Mr. Endō’s front entrance with their wrists cuffed to detectives.

In the pitch-dark garden between the gate and entrance, a man crouched in the shadow of a tree, observing the situation. Because he was wearing dark clothing, no one noticed that someone was there. The man clicked his tongue—*Tch*—upon realizing Twenty Faces and his disciple had been captured, then darted out through the gate via the shadows and hurried off down the street.

This man may have been one of Twenty Faces’ subordinates. Perhaps Twenty Faces, as a precaution, had stationed a subordinate outside the entrance to keep watch and arranged in advance for them to act this way should he be captured. This must have been the hidden trick Twenty Faces had mentioned.

When one turned the corner into an alley about 100 meters from Mr. Endō’s gate, there was a car parked there.

The man abruptly jumped onto it and took his seat in the driver’s seat. Then, grabbing the radio transmitter’s handset that had been installed in front of him, he began speaking hurriedly.

If this man was indeed one of Twenty Faces’ subordinates, then Twenty Faces’ gang had a car equipped with a special radio transmitter. The other party was undoubtedly another subordinate hiding at Twenty Faces’ hideout. What could they have discussed over the radio transmitter?

However, there was yet another mysterious occurrence. The man, thinking he hadn’t been spotted by anyone, got into the car with relief—but in reality, he was being followed by something strange. It was a jet-black creature resembling a thumb-sized figure. A monster whose small body—about seven or eight years old—was wrapped in a jet-black woolen shirt and pants that clung tightly to his frame, his head entirely covered by a black mask with two holes through which only his eyes were visible.

The thumb-sized figure had followed the man from within Mr. Endō’s garden, but the man hadn’t noticed at all. The area was pitch-dark, and with this tiny black figure tailing him through the darkness, it was no easy task to spot it. As the man got into the car, the small black figure stealthily circled around to the rear, used a lockpick-like tool from his pocket to silently undo the trunk’s latch, then quietly lifted the lid and slipped inside.

Could this small monster perhaps be Pocket Boy of the urchin squad, whom Kobayashi-kun had just whispered about to Detective Akechi? Pocket Boy in his black attire had frequently appeared in previous cases as well. This was undoubtedly Pocket Boy. Then, the suspicious man’s car departed from there and sped off to parts unknown, and just around that time, in front of Mr. Endō’s gate, Twenty Faces and his top disciple were being loaded into a large patrol car.

Though a bit cramped, four people had settled into the back seat. With the two criminals in the middle, detectives were stationed on both sides. What’s more, since each detective and criminal pair had their wrists handcuffed together, Twenty Faces and his group couldn’t possibly escape. Detective Akechi and Kobayashi Boy boarded the Akechi Ichigō automobile, while Inspector Nakamura and the remaining officers got into a separate patrol car, and they set off to follow the criminals’ vehicle.

Though it was past midnight, when they emerged onto the main street, many automobiles were still running.

The car carrying the criminals who had gone ahead was moving at considerable speed. At the traffic light, they had fallen a hundred meters behind the two vehicles following them.

From the main street, they turned into a narrow road. One side was a shrine’s grove, the other a long wall.

It was the most desolate stretch between there and the Metropolitan Police Headquarters. When he glanced back, the two cars following behind had not yet turned the corner. An empty truck approached from ahead. The headlights were terrifyingly strong, nearly blinding their driver. The driver tried to avoid the truck. But then the truck veered toward where they were swerving. There was no time to think. In the blink of an eye, they collided with terrifying force.

The driver here slumped limply over the steering wheel. The glass shattered, and blood was flowing from his face and hands. In the truck ahead, someone was shouting something incessantly. The two detectives who had been guarding the criminals decided to open the door and step outside. Because the criminals were handcuffed by the wrists, they thought it was safe. However, no sooner had they opened the door and stepped outside than the two detectives were suddenly sent flying by a terrible force.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Twenty Faces and his top disciple had slipped out of the handcuffs. As you readers are well aware, Twenty Faces is a master of slipping out of handcuffs, but his disciple was no less skilled. Seeing the thrown detectives collapse there, the criminals suddenly dashed into the shrine’s grove. The truck that had collided 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. Twenty Faces and his gang had managed to escape. Small Country Man Twenty Faces and his subordinate, who had taken refuge in the shrine’s grove, quickly passed through the forest and emerged at the back of the shrine.

There was a wide open field where a car with its headlights off waited with doors open. When the two jumped inside, the car immediately started and began winding through town after town. This car was being driven by the man who had been observing the situation earlier inside Mr. Endō’s gate. Of course, he was one of Twenty Faces’ subordinates. This man had used the wireless radio installed in the car to inform Twenty Faces’ hideout that their leader had been captured, so another subordinate drove a truck to collide with the vehicle carrying Twenty Faces, thereby aiding the leader’s escape.

This was something Twenty Faces had planned in advance; they had arranged to collide in front of the shrine.

After driving through desolate towns for about thirty minutes, the car carrying Twenty Faces and his subordinate arrived at a large house in Setagaya Ward’s Yashikicho. When the car stopped inside the gate, Twenty Faces and his subordinate opened the front door and entered. The man who had been driving the car also disappeared through the door afterward.

At that moment, the lid of the car’s trunk opened smoothly and quietly. Needless to say, inside the trunk was Pocket Boy in black attire, hiding.

A form-fitting black shirt, black pants, and on his head—a black mask with only the eyes cut out. The small black-clad figure leaped out of the trunk, closed the lid back in place, and quietly approached the entrance door.

Luckily, the door was still unlocked. He opened it soundlessly and slipped inside. Would he be alright? What terrible ordeal would a child face, sneaking alone into a phantom thief’s hideout, if he were discovered? However, Pocket Boy was accustomed to such adventures. He had even hidden inside a large suitcase, infiltrated the mountain hideout of a fiend, and performed a remarkable feat.

Not only was his body extremely small, but his entire figure was pitch-black. Moreover, he was terrifyingly quick, so he was rarely ever caught.

He moved along the dim corridor, hugging the wall, peered through a door's keyhole, and once confirming no one was inside, slipped in quietly to examine the room's interior.

Then, he went from room to room examining them, completely memorizing the layout of Twenty Faces’ hideout.

Twenty Faces had gathered his subordinates in his room and was discussing the night’s events. Pocket Boy pressed his ear against the door of that room and eavesdropped. “If Akechi had been in the same car, we might not have escaped. If that guy had been watching us, we couldn’t have slipped out of the handcuffs. The cops didn’t know we’re masters at slipping out of handcuffs, so it went smoothly.”

He could hear such a voice.

After getting a general sense of the situation, Pocket Boy returned to the entrance and went outside.

And he melted into the shadows of the dark town, vanishing to parts unknown.

Art Room Twenty Faces had no idea that Pocket Boy had sneaked in.

He had gathered his subordinates in his room and had been talking for about an hour now. “No one would ever suspect this house is Twenty Faces’ hideout. “The nameplate says Kinoshita Shōtarō, after all.” “He’s the president of a trading company.” “The neighbors believe it, and the police don’t suspect a thing.” “We’ve been cautious and haven’t shown any suspicious behavior even once.” “Ha ha ha ha….” 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 drove the car, and among the remaining three, the face of the man who had driven the truck earlier was visible. In this house, besides the five subordinates, there were only two maids.

“Now, finish your drinks and retire to your rooms to sleep.” “I’ll enjoy myself in the art room as usual for a bit before retiring.”

When Twenty Faces said this, the five subordinates raised the whiskey glasses they held in their hands above eye level,

“Here’s to the boss’s health! “Congratulations on your scheme’s success.” “Bravo!” After voicing their cheers in unison, they downed their whiskey in one gulp and filed out of the room. Twenty Faces, left alone now, entered the art room situated slightly apart from the main quarters and flipped the light switch. The illuminated space revealed itself as a truly splendid chamber. Glass-paneled display cabinets lined all four walls, their shelves crowded with carvings, gemstones, and intricate gold-and-silver artifacts. Every piece had undoubtedly been acquired through theft.

In the center of one shelf sat a silver box. It was a box that looked somehow familiar. Ah, so that was it. It was the box containing the Egyptian scroll stolen from the Ancient Research Institute. Twenty Faces had placed that treasure here. Large sculptures that did not fit into the display cases were placed along the walls. Bronze-cast nude male figures, wood-carved nude female figures, and ancient Buddhist statues were displayed alongside silver Western-style armor from ages past.

In the center of the room stood a splendid table and chair that also appeared to be artworks. The chair’s back was astonishingly high and adorned with intricate carvings. Twenty Faces settled comfortably into the chair and surveyed the surrounding artworks.

"Heh heh heh... Quite the collection I've amassed." "That Akechi always gives me hell." "Every time, they take back all the artworks I painstakingly collect—but give me six months, and I'll gather this many again." "No matter how often they catch me, I'm untouchable." "I'll never stop collecting artworks." "Heh heh heh... It's a battle of endurance with Detective Akechi." "And when all's said and done—I'll be the one left standing."

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 skill. But both Detective Akechi and Kobayashi-kun had fallen right into my trap, hadn’t they? I always have a backup plan ready.

Twenty Faces was muttering to himself with evident pride, but then he suddenly fell silent and pricked up his ears.

A strange voice could be heard from somewhere. It was a stifled, snickering voice.

Somehow, it seemed to him that it wasn’t coming from outside, but rather from inside the room.

Twenty Faces snapped his eyes wide open and scanned the entire room. There was no one. Yet the voice still reached his ears. The voice seemed to be gradually growing louder.

Twenty Faces had started to feel uneasy. Then, in addition to the voice, another strange thing occurred.

The Famous Detective's Hidden Hand

This art room faced the garden to the south and east, with two windows on the south side and one on the east side—three windows in total. All the window panes should have been securely latched from the inside, yet they seemed to have come open unnoticed. The thick curtains hung over the three windows swayed gently. If the windows had been closed, they wouldn’t have swayed like this. The snickering sound of stifled laughter grew even louder.

It was definitely inside the room.

“Who’s there? Who is it?!”

Twenty Faces involuntarily shouted in a loud voice. “Heh heh heh… Ah ha ha ha!”

It was no longer stifled snickers but outright laughter. However, there was no sign of anyone anywhere.

“Who’s there? Where are you hiding?!” He shouted again. “Ah ha ha ha! Twenty Faces, I’m right here.” “This is my hidden hand!” The suit of Western armor that had been standing in the corner swayed unsteadily—wasn’t it now walking toward them?

The armor’s hands rose up and removed its silver helmet.

“Ah! Akechi Kogoro!”

What appeared from beneath the helmet was the face of Detective Akechi. Twenty Faces suddenly lunged at the armor. Look out! Akechi, encased in armor, couldn’t move freely. If it came to a grapple, he would undoubtedly be overpowered by Twenty Faces. “Look. See there—look at the window curtains.” Akechi shouted scoldingly. Twenty Faces started and directed his eyes to the window curtains.

Ah! A pistol. From the gap in the curtains, the pistol’s muzzle glared menacingly in his direction. From the first window, the second window, the third window—from every curtain, identical pistols were aimed at Twenty Faces. “Twenty Faces, hands up!”

The seams of the curtains swiftly parted, and outside each of the three windows stood a uniformed police officer, pistols at the ready. With no other choice, Twenty Faces raised both hands and began to back away.

Backing away inch by inch until he reached the entrance door, he suddenly turned around and tried to wrench it open to flee.

“Ah! Here too?!”

Outside the door, the one waiting with a pistol at the ready was none other than Inspector Nakamura of the Metropolitan Police—a familiar face.

“Bwahahaha… This time I won’t let you escape! We’ve captured all five of your subordinates and the two maids. You’re all alone. You can’t pull any more hidden tricks now!”

“Hey, you lot! Handcuffs aren’t enough! Tie him up with rope. Bind him so tightly he can’t move a muscle!” The two detectives behind the inspector, holding a long thin rope, approached Twenty Faces from both sides and bound him tightly without allowing a word of protest.

“The prisoner transport vehicle will arrive out front soon. It’s a secure prisoner transport vehicle with no windows. This time, escaping midway won’t even cross your mind!”

And so, Twenty Faces had fallen completely into Detective Akechi’s hidden trap. “Well, I lose.” “I won’t resist anymore.” “Truly, Detective Akechi’s skill is something to behold.” “Still—how did you figure out my hideout?” “For future reference—would you mind telling me?”

“Alright, let me reveal the trick.” “Pocket Boy, come here.”

When Akechi called out, Kobayashi Boy—who had been lying in wait down the dark hallway—appeared before Twenty Faces, leading Pocket Boy clad in black by the hand. “You! Pocket Boy!” “Done in by this punk again?!” “Exactly,” Akechi replied. “Pocket-kun hid in the trunk of your getaway car. He tipped me off about this hideout and your art collection scheme. That’s why I concealed myself in this suit of ornamental armor and staged this little charade. Ha ha ha ha….”

Twenty Faces was utterly defeated. Trussed up in coils of rope, he sat in sullen silence.

The battle between the giant and the fiend had finally ended in Detective Akechi’s victory. Eventually, Twenty Faces was placed into a secure prisoner transport vehicle. There was no longer any prospect of escape. And so the prisoner transport vehicle quietly made its way through the midnight town toward the Metropolitan Police Headquarters.