---
Chapter 25: The Case Is Closed
On the day Charlie and D had their fight…
Somewhere in the United States, at an unknown location, stood a massive structure that resembled a military base.
Inside a monitoring room, two soldiers were watching several devices when suddenly the readings spiked wildly for a brief moment before returning to normal.
“What the hell? What just happened?” the first soldier asked in confusion.
The second soldier immediately replied, “Report this to the commander.”
“What do I tell him?” the first soldier asked.
“Tell him there was a sudden spike in energy somewhere in the Arabian Sea.”
“Alright.”
The first soldier left the room.
The second soldier leaned back in his chair and muttered to himself,
“I just hope it’s not what I think it is…”
He was a veteran who had been forced into a desk job due to a severe war injury to his left leg.
---
Back to the Present
After a brief conversation, Charlie was still reluctant but far less aggressive toward D.
She had built a life for herself over the past few years and was proud of it. The girl who once ignored rules was now following proper procedure—at least for the moment.
D found it strangely amusing.
While observing Charlie, D also glanced around the room, studying the people around her.
His eyes stopped on someone standing close to Charlie. The person looked new.
“Hey, Charmander…” D shouted.
Charlie immediately shot him a death glare.
“What? Why are you glaring at me like that?” D said, deliberately using the nickname he had given her years ago.
“You’re asking me why?” Charlie snapped.
“How dare you call me that name!”
D smirked.
“How can you say that? Haven’t I always called you that? Did you forget I gave you that nickname when we first started working together?”
“That was almost twenty years ago,” Charlie replied defensively.
“I was young and naive back then. I’m not like that anymore.”
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“You know I call you Charmander because—”
“Because it reminded you of the Pokémon with the same name,” Charlie finished automatically.
D laughed.
“Yeah, that—and because just like Charmander’s tail, you’re always on fire.”
Charlie sighed in frustration.
“Okay, stop it. Are you here to help me or just mess with me? I haven’t had a decent meal or sleep in the past three days. So please shut your trap and do your magic or whatever it is you do.”
“Tch. Can’t you be a bit friendlier?”
Charlie gave him another death glare.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” D said. “I may not be Detective Conan, but I’m still good enough.”
“Who now?” Charlie asked, pretending not to know.
“Did you already forget? I made you watch a lot of anime so you could understand my references.”
“Oh, that Detective Conan,” Charlie said casually.
“How could I forget? Now get back to work.”
“Yare yare…” D muttered.
He began examining the surroundings carefully.
“Take a look here,” he said. “The thief most likely entered through the front gate, but there are no signs of forced entry.”
“So there are two possibilities.
First, the thief had a key.
Second, she’s extremely skilled at opening locks.”
“There’s another possibility,” Charlie interrupted.
“Someone might have let them in.”
D looked at her like she had said something ridiculous.
“Who made you a detective? How can you be this dumb?”
Charlie frowned.
“If that were the case, what about the other locations? She can’t possibly have an inside person everywhere.”
Charlie sighed.
“Fine. You’re right. But you keep saying ‘she’. How are you so sure the thief is a woman?”
D smirked.
“Good question.”
“A man wouldn’t move this gracefully. The body size and flexibility don’t match a typical male build. And don’t tell me it’s a short guy.”
He pointed at the ground.
“Also, see these dust-like particles? Biscuit crumbs.”
Charlie frowned.
“What about them?”
“They weren’t eaten,” D said. “They were dropped deliberately.”
“Why would someone drop biscuit crumbs on purpose?”
“Because she’s trying to copy someone else’s style.”
Charlie blinked.
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I’ve seen this style before,” D said while scanning the area.
“And so have you.”
Charlie grabbed his arm.
“What are you talking about?”
D finally looked at her and smiled.
“That person… is you.”
“What?!”
“Yes,” D said calmly.
“Someone is copying your old style. More specifically—
the Jewel Thief of Europe.”
Charlie’s eyes widened in shock.
“Don’t look so surprised,” D continued.
“I may have stayed away from the fighting, but I never stopped watching the world.”
“All in all, we have a copycat on our hands. That’s going to be troublesome.”
Charlie sighed.
“Let’s talk to the shop owner. Maybe we can find more clues.”
D shrugged.
“I’m pretty sure he’ll just tell you that only diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and other jewels were stolen. The thief didn’t touch anything else valuable.”
Charlie still wasn’t convinced, so she went to speak with the shop owner.
Moments later, the man confirmed exactly what D had said.
Charlie returned looking irritated.
“This all started when you came into town,” she said, pointing a finger at him.
D grabbed her finger.
“Are you implying that I’m involved in this?”
“Yes,” Charlie said bluntly.
D’s expression darkened.
“Well, until now I wasn’t.”
“But now I am.”
He turned away angrily.
“For fuck’s sake… I can’t believe you don’t trust me even a little.”
After everything we’ve been through…
“You’re seriously accusing me?”
He began walking away.
“I think the lack of sleep is getting to your head.”
---
Charlie’s partner arrived after hearing the shouting.
“Hey partner, what happened? Why did the guy the boss brought in leave like that?”
Charlie looked conflicted.
“It’s… more personal than work.”
“So you know him?”
“Yeah… something like that,” Charlie said quietly.
“It’s complicated. I can’t really explain much about him.”
“But one thing I can say with confidence…”
“His analysis is never wrong.”
“Wow,” her partner said. “He must be someone really important to you.”
Charlie looked surprised before quickly regaining her composure.
“It’s nothing like that. I’m married—and happily.”
“Yeah, yeah,” her partner teased.
---
After this incident, the police began calling the thief The Ghost Jewel Thief.
After two more robberies, the GJT suddenly disappeared.
With no solid leads left, the higher authorities officially closed the case, claiming the thief would likely never return.
Charlie was furious.
---
The Next Day
D appeared outside Charlie’s house.
Charlie opened the door, clearly irritated.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m here because you told me last week that you’d give me a chance,” D replied calmly.
“And I’m here to redeem it.”
He handed her a stack of documents.
“The case isn’t even solved,” Charlie said.
“You were supposed to help me catch the criminal—not give me some half-baked theory about a copycat.”
D smirked.
“It wasn’t incomplete.”
“And why do you think the case was suddenly closed?”
Charlie’s eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me…”
She quickly began reading the documents.
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” D said casually.
Charlie slapped his arm.
“Ow! That hurt!”
“Now tell me what you did.”
D shrugged confidently.
“I figured out who was involved… and had a little chat with them.”
“That’s it?” Charlie asked in disbelief.
“Yep. That’s it.”
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I never said I’d help you catch the criminal.”
Charlie sighed.
“Fine. At least tell me who it was.”
D completely ignored the question.
“Be ready tomorrow morning,” he said.
“We’re leaving the city. I need to show you a few things.”
“Hey! What the hell, man?!”
D walked away without answering.
“Oh, and one more thing,” he added.
“Tell your partner…”
“The Devil says hi.”
And just like that, D left—leaving Charlie standing there with a thousand questions running through her mind.
---
