It's his worst nightmare, and not even Aoko's supporting presence can alleviate even the smallest bit of his pain.

"I'm sure that we'll find him quickly and then we can leave," she reassures. His fingers tighten on her arm and she sputters a cough as Kid gives him a flirty wink and runs mischievous eyes over him.

Of course, the real Kid certainly never wore a skirt that short. It wouldn't be practical given that he liked to climb high places and jump from rooftops. A mini-skirt would never fare well there. But if he suspected for even a moment that it would throw someone off, he's certain Kaito would be wearing one soon.

The Kid cosplayer, not even wearing the right size top hat, smirks as she passes, cape billowing dramatically in her wake.

Several people compliment her as she goes.

Hakuba takes in the vast room, at least the size of a small neighborhood, and every last inch is covered in Kid memorabilia and stuffed with cosplayers.

"What is wrong with people? Who thought this was a good idea?" he asks, shaking his head at the very sight of the room.

"I think Suzuki-san actually started it, and then once people found out about it... Well, you can see what happened." Aoko isn't any more impressed than he is, but she's not daunted by the challenge either.

A steampunk Kid and a lolita style Kid pass them by, and a group of small children all dressed in little suits, capes, and top hats follow after like ducklings.

"If we find the biggest event, we'll find Kaito," he says, "And I don't know how much of this I can stand, so we better hurry."

Aoko hums her agreement, taking his hand so they aren't separated as they dive into the crowd.

There's magicians in Kid t-shirts showing off sleight of hand tricks. There's a bakery table with jewel-encrusted cupcakes and geode style cakes for sale. A booth with laminated news reports of Kid's heists. A band performing jazz music. Booths selling t-shirts, hoodies, messenger bags, phone charms, and all other merchandise with Kid's caricature.

The particularly unsettling booths are the ones selling manga about Kid. They've guessed at everything from his age to his facial features, but they all perfectly capture his smirk.

Some of the manga are relatively tame, but Hakuba makes it a point to avoid looking at the booths where he sees images of himself and Kid in close contact.

After Aoko starts laughing, he hurries her along.

"But that one had you dramatically declaring your love-"

"No!" he shouts, backtracking into a more reasonable tone when it startles the group around them. "No. I definitely don't want to know anymore."

"What a twist that would be, huh? Kid and one of his detectives falling madly in love." She sighs and leans into him. "I should go back there and buy one of those manga. Maybe give it to Kid for advice."

"I know you're joking, but I'm about to be physically ill, so please refrain," he says.

Aoko laughs, hiding her face in his shoulder.

Kid is the most poplar cosplay choice here, but there's a few other thieves hidden among them. Chat Noir, Lupin, Spider, Dark Mousy, and Phantom Thief Joker are interspersed in the crowd of Kids. There's even a slew of police officers and more than one Detective Nakamori.

"I think our best bet will be there," Aoko says as she points over his shoulder.

There's a contest for best Kid cosplay in one of the halls, and there's no way Kaito would not be entered in that.

Kid can't have someone else claim to be Kid, after all.

"Good job," he says, and he leads the way into the packed hall. It's clear they're near the end of the contest, and it's the only bit of good luck he's had all day.

There are five Kids standing on the stage, large numbers pinned to their hats, and each one is holding a classic Kid pose.

"And our winner, Entry 42!" The host steps up next to Kid, offering the microphone with a flourish. There's applause around the room, and Kid acknowledges his fans with a bow.

"Thank you," he says, "Let's have a round of applause for our losers!"

The other Kids look mutinous, and it'll be justice if they end up pranking him, maybe dumping glitter and feathers over him for a change.

"So, without further adieu, let's raise some applause for your chosen Kid!" Kid spreads his arms as wide as he can. "And go!"

At the first clap, he throws a smoke bomb on the stage and laughs as it swallows up the other contestants in a purple glittery haze.

When the smoke clears, the other Kids are all tied up and a Nakamori cosplayer is leading each one off the stage.

"This is pretty good," Aoko says, clapping at the sight of four Kids in handcuffs being lead away.

"I'll take that in the spirit it is meant," Hakuba says.

"Now, who would like to see a magic trick?" Kid holds the microphone out and the crowd screams in delight. "I said, who wants to see a magic trick?!"

"Not so fast!" Hakuba starts towards the stage, towing Aoko through the crowd, and he points at the magician. "It's time to give up, Kid!"

"Tantei-han! You made it!" Kid looks delighted, and jumps down from the stage to pinch his cheek. "And it's the real one! Let's give some applause to Tantei-han for his dedication to Kid!" Kid dodges back from Hakuba's swipe, and Aoko holds him back. He glances over at her, but she's smothering laughter with her hand and pointing at the stage.

Hakuba looks passed Kid at the man on stage behind him.

It's Kuroba Kaito, pulling off the awful homemade Kid suit jacket, ill-fitted and not a true bright white, and laughing with... That's Mouri Ran in her own fitted Kid suit.

"Now! Count down with me! Three!" Kid says, winking at Hakuba.

"Two!" The crowd screams back.

"One!"

All the lights go out except the spotlight over Kid and with a bow to the crowd, he disappears as doves appear from every corner of the room, covering him entirely, and then fluttering off, leaving behind a Kid card with his doodle.

The crowd applauds and the lights come back on.

"Hey, Aoko! How'd you get Hakuba here?" Kaito asks, appearing at his left.

"Looking for you, dummy. Daddy needs a magician's knowledge for a fruad case, and of course, he thought of you! Saguru-kun and I volunteered to find you," she says, "Too bad you didn't win."

"That's fine. The better Kid did win," Kaito says, relaxed about it, which is terribly unlike him.

"Hello, Ran-chan," Aoko greets, and then she nudges him with one of those bizarrely strong and pointy elbows and he remembers his manners.

"Hello, Mouri-chan, Kuroba. Did you come here together?"

"I thought it'd be fun and they invited me along," Ran says, smiling down at her outfit and pushing up the brim of the hat.

"They?" Hakuba asks, because so far, no one else was coming over, and he didn't realize Kaito knew Ran outside of their Kid-Detective dynamic.

"Shinichi, of course," Kaito chirps, pure manic delight, the same tone to his voice when he's just played a horrible trick on Hakuba.

The Kid who won the contest appears like he was summoned, draping an arm over Kaito's shoulder. Kaito leans back into him and his smirk widens.

"Hello, Hakuba-kun. I didn't expect to see you here." Kudou Shinichi removes the monocle from his face, handing it over to Kaito and tips his hat back so it doesn't interfere when Kaito leans in to kiss his cheek.

"You're one of the detectives pursuing him!" Hakuba accuses.

"So? He's got a certain charm. It's all harmless anyway; some of the profits are being donated to programs that help criminals reform their lives." Kudou turns lovesick eyes on Kaito, smile turning even softer.

Hakuba is officially the last sane man in Edoka.