File 1 – Master of Cipher

"What? Master of ciphers?" Shinichi repeated.

"Yup!" Suzuki Sonoko said cheerfully. Ran was standing behind her with a sweat drop. "The master of ciphers is coming to Tokyo! You have another rival now, Shinichi!"

Shinichi laughed awkwardly. "Rival? Where did you hear that from?"

"Otou-san, of course! He's going to hold an informal party soon, and he's inviting the master! You are invited too, by the way. It's so exciting! I can't wait to meet the master! I wonder how the master is going to appear, maybe with a secret message to tell us when and where the master is coming, and---"

"Wait, you've been saying 'the master, the master' all this time, do you even know where he came from, how old he is, or even whether he's a boy or girl?" Shinichi asked, interrupting her.

Sonoko blinked. She thought for a moment while Shinichi and Ran stared at her.

"I...don't know."

Shinichi almost fell off his chair. "What do you mean you don't know?" Ran demanded.

"It's the master of ciphers, what do you expect?" Sonoko retorted. "But one thing's clear, he---she---is not from Japan. But he or she did send a reply back to Otou-san, only we don't understand it. That's where you come in, Shinichi." She took a paper from her pocket and thrust it to Shinichi. "Obviously, it's a cipher."

"'Suzuki-san, arigatou gozaimasu! I will come to your celebration with light and action. All the best, Ang.' This is not a cipher," Shinichi said, sounding bored. "It's just a note saying that he or she will go to the party. His or her name is...Ang?"

"Seems so, but it doesn't mean anything," Sonoko said, crossing her arms. "Oh well, we'll meet the master soon anyway. It might be a really handsome man..." She looked dreamy.

"It sounds good, doesn't it?" Ran said with a smile. "It would be nice to meet the master of Ciphers. What do you think, Shinichi?"

Shinichi hesitated for a while. He could not hide his curiosity to meet the master of ciphers. So far, he had not found a cipher that would stump him---not even Kaitou Kid's. If this person was as good as it sounded, he definitely had to see who it was. "Sure," he said coolly. "It should be interesting!"

"Good!" Sonoko exclaimed happily, clapping her hands. "Be at Tenni Restaurant tomorrow night at seven! Isn't this exciting?"

Ran smiled. "Yes...if Conan-kun were still around, he'll be very excited too..."

Her eyes suddenly looked misty. R-Ran? Shinichi looked at her in surprise. It was not as if he had not seen this side of Ran---he had seen plenty when he was being Conan, and Ran had been worried about Shinichi. It was the first time Ran was sad over Conan's leave.

"Don't worry about that Chibi-chan, he'll be back," Sonoko said with a grin, patting Ran's shoulder. "It's not like he's gone forever."

Ran smiled. "You're right. At least Shinichi is back."

Shinichi immediately turned red as Sonoko suppressed a cheeky grin. Ran is still Ran. No need to worry too much. He sighed.

---

"Who's this master of ciphers?" Kuroba Kaito muttered.

It was recess, and Kaito was reading the newspaper like always. But this time he wasn't reading Kid news---he hadn't stolen anything for the last few days---but the news on the arrival of the master of ciphers.

"I don't know, but he sounds amazing!" Nakamori Aoko, his childhood friend, said excitedly. She was the one who brought the newspaper. "He must be greater than Kid and his ciphers! I heard almost nobody can crack them!"

Is that true? Kaito thought with narrowed eyes. Well, my ciphers do get figured out easily by that super high school detective...I wonder if this one can actually stump him.

"What? You saw Kid last night?"

Kaito looked up in surprise when he heard someone murmuring. What? I didn't go anywhere last night as Kid, he thought. It was two girls behind him. He pretended to be engrossed in his newspaper, but his ears were pricked up.

"Yeah, I recognize his white clothes from anywhere! But it's strange...was he always that white?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's all white, almost like a ghost. Even his shirt and tie and shoes...it's kind of scary. Oh, and he seemed to be wearing a mask too..."

That isn't me, Kaito thought. I don't wear THAT white. Who could it be...?

"KAITO, were you listening?!"

Kaito snapped his head up, blinking at a fumed Aoko. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked you whether you want to go to the party that Otou-san is invited to, the one where the master is going," Aoko repeated, sounding annoyed. "But if you don't want to go, fine."

Kaito lit up. "Of course I want to go!" he exclaimed, slamming down the papers. "I like to meet this master of ciphers." And see how great he is, he added mentally. I'm sure he's no better in ciphers than Kid is. Wait a second... "How old did you say that guy is?" he asked.

"I don't know. Nobody really knows. They said he's around forty, thirty, or even younger. And it doesn't necessary have to be a guy, it could be a girl. That's how mysterious he is, and it will be first time he or she will be revealing herself."

"Really? Interesting." Kaito smiled to himself. He loved a good challenge.

---

"Welcome, welcome...Ah, Mouri-san, thank you for coming!" Suzuki-san greeted cheerfully, shaking Kogoro's hand. He was dressed smartly in a brown suit with tie. "It's good to have you here. I have to thank you for taking care of a few past events."

"It's my pleasure," said Kogoro with a superior laugh. "Those were no big deals..."

"Oh, Kudo-san!" exclaimed Suzuki-san excitedly, dismissing Kogoro as he walked up to greet Shinichi and Ran, who came together. Shinichi was in a blue suit and tie, while Ran had on a plain dress. He shook Shinichi's hand. "It's so good to meet you! Sonoko told me a lot about you. I hear you can even solve any cipher!"

"That's not really true, Suzuki-san," Shinichi laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "But thanks for the compliment."

"Is the master of ciphers here yet?" Ran asked.

"I don't know, at least I don't think so...we don't really know how he looks like, after all. But I expect he will announce himself soon. Please come in---oh, Nakamori-keibu! You made it!"

Kogoro, Ran and Shinichi turned in surprise. Nakamori Ginzou, Aoko and Kaito came sauntering up. The older man's eye twitched when he saw Kogoro. "Well, Mouri-san is here too," he said with a forced smile on his face. Kogoro's mustache twitched as well, and gave a very tiny smile.

"I see you invited someone too!" Suzuki-san said, not realizing what was going on.

"Ah, yes...this is my daughter, Aoko, and her friend, Kuroba Kaito."

"Hajimemashite!" Aoko greeted with a bow.

Shinichi's eyes widened. That Kuroba...he's like a mirror image of me! Why do I have an odd feeling all of a sudden? He scratched his head in frustration. Kaito noticed Shinichi too, and looked away in shock. H-He's back! How is that possible?

"Come in, come in...my wife and daughters will assist to you," Suzuki-san told them, and they went in.

Kogoro immediately marched away, trying to get as far away as possible from Nakamori-keibu. Nakamori-keibu gave him a cold glare before storming off. "What's up with them?" Aoko asked with a sweat drop.

"Mishaps from catching Kid," Kaito replied with a mocking laugh, recalling the time.

"Let's look for Sonoko," Ran said, pulling Shinichi into the restaurant. But Shinichi didn't bother---he was too busy looking around. Just then, he spotted a person standing by the buffet table. He wore a plain shirt and jeans, with a cap that was lowered over his eyes. His skin was fair, but it gave Shinichi a sudden notion. That person...looks like...Hattori Heiji? he thought in surprise. But it couldn't be, that's only around Ran's height, but--- He narrowed his eyes.

"Hello, Ran-chan, Shinichi!" Sonoko greeted happily, running up to them. "Glad you made it!"

"Hi, Sonoko-chan," Ran greeted back. "Has the master of ciphers arrived?"

Sonoko shook her head. "I don't think so. I hope he hurries up soon, or this party will be nothing!" Ran nodded in agreement.

Shinichi was still glancing around, thinking. He might be around already---but the message wasn't mysterious. What if--- He started. He had understood. So that's how you're going to do it, he thought with a smile.

"Otou-san, has he arrived yet?" Sonoko asked half an hour later when she saw Suzuki-san coming towards them.

Suzuki-san shook his head. "I don't think so. I hope he'll come soon, but we can't wait now. We have to get this started." He walked up onto the stage and picked up the microphone. "May I have your attention, please?" he said into it. When everyone turned to him, he smiled. "Thank you all for coming. First of all, I would like to---"

Suddenly, the lights went off. As whispers and shouts started to drift through the room, Shinichi immediately raced for the door that led to the backstage. He saw it swinging, and grabbed it to fling it open. He ran up the steps, panting slightly. Then he stopped, a victorious smile on his face. "You're the master of ciphers, aren't you?"

The person with jeans and cap turned, smiling. "That means you've figured out the message, haven't you?"

Shinichi nodded, walking towards him. "'I will come to your celebration with light and action.' Obviously, you're going to have a flamboyant appearance with indoor fireworks. All the best, right? I admit it, you almost stumped me."

"Very good," the person said with a smile, his eyes still couldn't be seen. "I'm impressed. I guess I don't have to hide now." He took off his cap---and dark hair fell out. Shinichi's jaws dropped.

It was---a girl.