1. A Challenge from the Junior High Detective!

“Ugh, it’s so hot…!” I groaned the second I woke up.

I looked at my alarm clock. It was just after eight. If this was a school day, I’d be leaping out of bed, but it was summer vacation. Life was good. I wanted to sleep a little more, but it was too hot.

Might as well get up!

I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Since I’m on the top bunk, the white ceiling was right in front of my face. Being careful not to bump my head, I peeked at the bottom bunk. My cousin, Kei—who’s the same age as me—was still snoozing away. He was breathing peacefully, and his face was calm.

How could he sleep in this heat?

I sighed. He looks so innocent here. When he’s awake, he acts like he has no emotions and he makes fun of me. It’s a little annoying. A lot annoying.

But as much as I hate to admit it, he also gets me out of a lot of tight spots. Especially when we’re Red.

Still leaning over the edge of my bunk, I gently pushed myself off and flipped onto the ground. I made a soft thump when I landed, but Kei didn’t even twitch. I think he stayed up pretty late again last night, so he’d probably sleep in a little more.

I went into the living room, where a delicious smell was in the air. My stomach grumbled.

“Good mo— Whoa, you’re up early, Uncle K!”

Uncle Keiichiro was sitting at the low table in the living room, reading the newspaper. I didn’t see Dad.

I blinked and glanced at the living room clock. It was only a few minutes past eight. I almost wondered if it was eight at night…but it was too bright out for that.

“I’m offended, Asuka! Why are you so surprised to see me?” he said, looking up from the paper.

“You’re almost never up so early! And if you are, you’re a zombie.”

“A zombie?” He smiled sheepishly.

But it’s true! If Uncle K or Kei are even awake before ten, they can barely open their eyes or hold their heads up. For a while at least, they’re totally useless. I mean, on school days, I think Kei is half asleep until lunch. But every time the teacher calls on him, he always knows the answer. Wish I could look inside his brain one day.

“I stayed up all night,” Uncle Kei admitted. “I’m going to sleep soon.”

Now that made sense. He’d probably be a zombie when he woke up again.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked.

“Taking the trash out.”

“Oh.”

With nothing better to do, I sat in a chair near Uncle K.

Now, if you just saw us talking like this, you might think we’re a normal family. But actually, we have a huge secret.

So, you’ve probably heard of Phantom Thief Red, right? The modern Robin Hood who can sneak past the tightest security in Japan and never get caught. The one who only steals from bad guys. That’s me and Kei—we’re Phantom Thief Red!

Dad and Uncle K were Red first, but this spring vacation, Kei and Uncle K moved in with us, and Kei and I took over. We’ve had some close calls, but I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job lately!

I wasn’t so excited about living together at first, but now I’m completely used to it. I’ve forgotten a couple times that they haven’t always been here. I don’t even mind having less space in my room.

“Bored, Asuka? Here, maybe this’ll wake you up,” Uncle K said, holding out the paper he’d been reading.

“Uh, I’m not much of a newspaper person…”

I only read the TV listings and the comics. I’m not proud of it, but I mean, the news is so boring, and there’s hardly any pictures!

“Just take a look,” he said, pointing to the front page. With a sigh, I took the paper and glanced at the article.

“This one that says, ‘Junior High Detective Cracks Another Case’?”

“That’s the one.”

Huh. A detective in junior high? That sounded like me and Kei. Of course, detectives and phantom thieves are usually on opposite sides.

“Let me see…,” I muttered. This could be interesting.

The article read:

Last night, Haruto Tada, a four-year-old boy who had been missing since the fourteenth of this month, returned safely home. He had the famous fourteen-year-old detective Hibiki Shirasato to thank.

Shirasato independently discovered Tada’s whereabouts after an unsuccessful investigation by the police. He then worked with the police to retrieve the little boy and arrest the kidnapper. Shirasato has helped solve over one hundred cases to date, earning a place among the famous detectives of our day.

“Wow, it’s amazing he could pull that off. But what’s it got to do with me?” I asked.

I was impressed that someone so young was a detective, but was I supposed to be surprised? I mean, Kei and I are basically the same age.

“I wouldn’t be so carefree, Asuka.”

“Oh, hi, Dad!”

I hadn’t realized he was looming in the doorway, dressed in a bright-red apron. He must have just come back from throwing out the trash.

Wait, he went downstairs in that?! I hope none of the neighbors saw him! People have already been talking about how weird we are ever since Kei and Uncle K moved in!

But I didn’t have time to bug him about that right now.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Turn on the TV, and you’ll see.”

“Why so mysterious?!”

I clicked the remote. A familiar talk show was on, where the host chats with commentators.

“I don’t see… Huh? …Wait, what?!” I blurted out when I saw the words on the screen. “What the heck?”

I looked at Dad and Uncle K, then back at the TV. Written in red and black letters were the words:

Showdown: Junior High Detective vs. Phantom Thief Red!

We were having a showdown?! But Red hadn’t done a single job since summer vacation started!

The shot switched to a view of a teenage boy surrounded by reporters. He was pretty good-looking, and his trendy glasses made him seem smart. He was wearing a white jacket (even though it was summer). He was slender and a little taller than me, but I could tell he wasn’t weak. Judging from the way he kept his footing even as the reporters jostled him, he probably did some kind of martial arts.

Was this Hibiki Shirasato?

“Mr. Shirasato, I’ve heard you were asked to provide security,” one of the reporters said. Huh, the grown-up was calling this kid “Mister.”

“That’s right. I will be helping guard the Red Star, which will be in an exhibit that begins this weekend.”

“Does that mean the Red Star has already been threatened?” the reporter asked.

“Not at all. The owner is simply acting from an abundance of caution,” Hibiki said, looking straight into the camera. Even through the TV screen, I could feel the determination in his eyes.

“Wow. So you aren’t concerned about any potential theft?”

I could sense the excitement drain from the crowd of reporters. They must have assumed Hibiki Shirasato’s involvement meant imminent drama. But he shook his head.

“Who can say? Thieves don’t necessarily announce their crimes in advance. What I can tell you is that as long as I’m guarding the Red Star, it will not be taken…not even by Phantom Thief Red.”

2. Three Kids Visit an Art Museum

“Wow, it sure is crowded,” I said as I surveyed the line outside the art museum.

“That news story must have been good advertising,” Misaki said, joining the back of the line.

I’d come to look around the museum where the Red Star was on display. I still wasn’t convinced we should do this, but Kei had promised I’d understand when I saw the real thing, so I figured I’d at least go along.

Meanwhile, Kei…uh…

“…Blargh…”

He was standing behind us, his face white and his hand over his mouth. I think he was about to pass out.

We had to ride the train for about half an hour to get here. Kei gets really bad motion sickness—he can’t even ride a bike. That’s why he walks everywhere. But the museum was too far, so we had to take the train. I think it was pretty rough for him.

“Hey, Kei—Asuka and I will buy the tickets. Why don’t you rest on that bench?” Misaki said, looking at him worriedly.

“I’m f-f-fine…” He grimaced. He did not look fine.

“You shouldn’t push yourself,” Misaki said.

“He said he’s okay. He knew ahead of time he’d have to ride the train,” I pointed out.

“But…”

Misaki looked like she wanted to say something. She’s so nice. I’m used to Kei by now, so I don’t worry that much about him. Also, I knew he’d feel better soon.

Oh, I forgot to say why Misaki was with us on our trip to case the museum for Red. Short version—I invited her. She’s an art person, and she’d told me a little while ago that she wanted to see this exhibit. I figured she might as well come, since we were on summer vacation. Also, I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of going out alone with someone as logical as Kei. I didn’t know if he would agree, but he didn’t even complain. I was expecting him to be like, “We’re not going there for fun” or something.

“This architecture is so lovely! Don’t you think so, Asuka?” Misaki asked me.

“I guess,” I said.

I looked at the building. The walls were about three stories tall and made of wine-colored bricks. Something so tall and solid should be imposing, but this one was more inviting.

There was a glassed-in terrace café on the first floor where I could see customers enjoying their drinks. Garden beds full of flowers and other plants surrounded the building. It wasn’t new, but it had a pleasant atmosphere that I guess you could call elegant.

“The museum was designed over sixty years ago by a Dutch architect. Last year, it was designated a national cultural property,” Kei explained as I stared at the building. He wasn’t any more chipper than usual, but at least his color was coming back. If he could speak, he must be feeling better.

“Wow, you know so much, Kei!” Misaki said, sounding genuinely impressed.

All three of us are in the same class in junior high, so we talk a lot. Kei just listens most of the time, but Misaki likes his random facts. It’s interesting to hear things we don’t learn in school, but his speeches give me a headache. I guess it’s just too much information for me. My brain starts to feel like it’s going to explode.

“Asuka, it’s our turn,” Misaki said, standing by the door and gesturing for me to go in.

“Oh, right!” I said, hurrying after her. “Mmm, it’s so cool in here. I’m coming back to life.”

The air-conditioning was blasting inside. My sweat turned cold.

“We’re looking for the special exhibit, so…this way, I think,” Misaki said, examining the pamphlet she picked up at the front desk.

“What’s that?” I asked, not familiar with the lingo.

“Museums have two types of exhibits. Permanent exhibits are where you can see the museum’s regular collection, and special exhibits are where you see artwork from other museums and stuff that’s only on display for a little while.”

“So it’ll go away soon?”

Maybe that was why most of the people inside were walking toward the SPECIAL EXHIBIT sign. The place was full of families and high school and college students on dates, too. That’s summer break for you.

I was glad I was there with Misaki. How embarrassing would it have been if people thought Kei and I came here as a couple?!

We followed the crowd down the hallway to a large sign that said, THE ART AND JEWELS OF THE NETHERLANDS. This was what we came for. Kei, Misaki, and I walked in.

Inside was much quieter than the hallway. Paintings of many sizes covered the walls of the room.

“Wow, there’s all kinds of stuff,” I said.

“Asuka, you’re supposed to go this way,” Misaki scolded. She was standing in front of a sign with an arrow on it.

“How come?” I asked.

“The people who work at the museum want you to see the paintings in a specific order. They organize them by era, by style, stuff like that.”

3. Asuka Gets Mad

I was pretty sure the gem display was up ahead.

Stepping out of the river of people, I sped through the exhibit. Kei and Misaki were so absorbed in their conversation, they didn’t seem to notice me leave. Actually, it’s amazing Kei found someone his age who he can have a conversation with. I’m not sure who his “friends” are, but my impression is they’re all grown-ups at universities and research centers in foreign countries. Misaki’s pretty impressive, honestly.

“It must be around here…,” I muttered.

After passing through three rooms, I came to a room full of sparkling gems in glass cases. There were accessories decorated with multicolored jewels, along with crowns and swords. The colorful, twinkling light lifted my spirits.

Wait, I wasn’t there to gawk!

Where’s the Red Star? Is that it?

A crowd was gathered around a glass case in the center of the room. Nearby was a sign reading, THE RED STAR, THE DISCOVERY OF THE CENTURY!

The jewel must have been past all those people, but they made a wall so dense, I couldn’t see anything.

Now what?!

I could easily leap over a crowd this size, but that would draw way too much attention to myself. Kei had warned me to never do anything too “flagrant.”

As I was pondering what to do, I suddenly caught sight of a familiar face.

“Huh?”

A boy in a white jacket was standing in front of a group of men in suits. Now where had I seen him before…?

Oh yeah! That’s Hibiki Shirasato!

No doubt about it. He was identical to the guy I saw on TV. And just like when I saw him on TV, I noticed how handsome he was. He looked more like a model than a detective.

But why was he…? Oh, right. He was handling security for the Red Star. Of course he was here.

I wasn’t prepared for this!

And then he looked at me.

Oh no!

Our eyes met.

I tried to turn around, but it was too late. He smiled and walked away from the men in suits, toward me.

Wait, what? Why’s he coming over here?

“…Is something the matter?” he asked kindly, standing right in front of me.

“Um, with me? N-n-no, nothing in particular…,” I managed to answer.

“Oh, that’s good. I noticed you watching me.”

His smile was so friendly. Maybe he was genuinely concerned?

At least he didn’t seem to suspect anything.

I sighed with relief. Then anger welled up in me.

It was this guy’s fault that everyone assumed we were having some big showdown!

“You’re Hibiki Shirasato, the junior high detective, aren’t you?” I asked, trying to keep it cool.

“Yes, I am. I’m surprised you recognized me. Did you see me on TV?”

He smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“Yes, but shouldn’t you be guarding that jewel? Red might steal it while you’re not looking, you know,” I said, pointing at the Red Star. Maybe it was a little mean.

Of course, Red would steal it no matter what this guy did.

I mentally stuck my tongue out at him.

He gaped at me for a second, then smiled. “Red? I’d never let that hypocritical Robin Hood wannabe steal the Red Star.”

“Robin Hood wannabe?!” I yelped.

I knew everyone was staring at me, but I couldn’t let him call Red names like that!

“Oh, are you a fan? I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m going to catch that thief one day.”

How could he be so sure?!

He was infuriating!

“Red won’t be that easy to catch!” I snapped.

“We’ll just have to see,” Hibiki answered.

His smile vanished, and his face suddenly turned serious. His eyes were full of determination. I squeezed my hands into fists.

“Red can make excuses all day, but a thief is a thief,” he said. “A common criminal. As a detective, I cannot sit by and watch.”

“B-b-but…!”

You don’t understand what Red really does! I wanted to say that, but if I wasn’t careful, I might give away my identity. I bit my lip and stared at him. He gazed back at me, then smiled a little. It was like he’d come back to reality.

“…I’m sorry. What am I saying? None of this has anything to do with you,” he said gently.

What the heck?!

His sudden attitude shift took the wind out of my sails.

“I’m sorry to detain you for so long. It looks like your friend is here, and I’d better get back to guarding the Red Star,” he said.

4. The Secret of the Red Star

“So, Kei, why do you want to steal the Red Star? You never did tell me,” I said.

I was lying on my bed while he pounded away at his computer.

“…”

His fingers kept flying over the keyboard. He’d been like this ever since we got back from the museum almost two hours ago. When he gets hyperfocused on what he’s doing, he probably won’t talk to me until he’s finished. It was almost dinnertime, though.

Just then, his hands stopped. “…Done,” he mumbled.

I stuck my head over the edge of the bed. “What’s done?”

“I can tell you my reason for stealing the Red Star now.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll come down.” I leaped off the bed and walked over to Kei.

“…Look.” He pointed at his computer screen.

“What?”

I peered at the screen. There were two pictures of differently shaped red jewels next to each other. They were more 3D than regular pictures, though. One of the jewels looked familiar…because I’d just seen it at the museum.

“That’s the Red Star, right?” I asked, pointing at the picture on the right.

“Strictly speaking, it’s a 3D-CGI based on a photo I took today.”

Uh…what?

“3D-CGI is short for three-dimensional computer-generated imagery. Simply put, they’re virtual 3D images.”

Virtual 3D images? How the heck is that simple?

I was totally lost, so I figured we could move on.

“Today at the museum, I took photos of the Red Star from various angles,” he explained.

“You’re allowed to take photos at the museum?”

I felt like I’d seen a sign saying, PHOTOGRAPHY PROHIBITED.

“The reason they say not to is that a camera flash emits powerful light that contains ultraviolet rays, which can cause damage to a painting. I adjusted the digital camera I used today so that it can take high-resolution pictures inside without a flash. Also, no one saw me,” he said.

Um, that wasn’t really the issue. Still, this was a Red job, so we could probably afford to bend the rules a little.

“Okay, but why did you need a 3D image?” I asked.

“The image on the left is a similar model of a jewel that was stolen a year ago from a millionaire in England. When you lay it over the image of the Red Star…”

Kei clicked his mouse, and the two images slid to the middle of the screen.

“…Hey, they look alike!” I said.

At first glance, I would have said they were pretty different, but with the images together, I saw they matched up perfectly in a lot of places.

Could it be a coincidence?

“They do. Because they started out as the same jewel.”

“What?! Yeah, it kinda matches, but the shape is still different.”

“Precious stones mined out of the ground are cut in ways that take advantage of their natural shape, especially when they’re this huge and valuable. Each one has distinctive qualities. Typically, it would be impossible for two large jewels to match up this closely.”

“What are you saying?” I asked, though I had already guessed the answer.

“The Red Star is the jewel that was stolen from England a year ago and then reshaped. Someone has agreed to buy it from the current owner for an even higher price when this museum exhibit ends.”

“So…”

I looked at Kei. He nodded.

“It’s time for Red to step in,” he said.

5. Something Seems Strange

It was the dead of the night. Aside from the streetlights, everything around the museum was pitch-black. I stood in front of the museum wall, dressed in my Phantom Thief Red uniform. I was on the back side of the building.

I’d asked Kei and Uncle K to change the skirt on my uniform to shorts. Last time Red snuck into a building, the skirt got caught on something. It was cute, but I like the shorts, too.

As for my trusty partner, Kei, he was waiting on the roof of a building about half a mile away. When we do Red jobs, we each have clear roles. Kei takes charge of strategy and guidance, while I’m the one who actually steals stuff—the boots on the ground, you could say.

I was wearing a pair of sporty sunglasses equipped with a digital video camera Kei designed to send him video and sound.

“…All set?”

Kei’s voice came through the special receivers in my ears. The sound quality was great.

“Yup,” I answered.

“Use the break-in route we talked about.”

“Got it. Let’s give that kid detective a good scare!”

I took a few steps away from the wall. It was about fifteen feet high. Even I wouldn’t be able to jump onto the top without a little help.

“Can you make it?” Kei asked.

“Of course!” I answered.

I ran toward the wall and kicked off the ground as hard as I could, but I was still a few feet short of the top. That was all part of the plan, though. Mid-jump, I shoved my foot toward the wall. Kei had made me a special pair of shoes with antislip soles designed to stick to walls.

“Here goes!”

I kicked the middle of the wall and launched myself up again. This time, I easily reached the top. I grabbed it with both hands and vaulted over. Dropping to the ground on the far side, I was about to do a quick scan of the area when I sensed someone nearby.

I looked up. A guard was standing about ten feet away. He noticed me right away, and his eyes widened.

Uh-oh!

“Ph-Phantom Thief…Re…”

That was close! If I hadn’t flicked a capsule filled with sleeping gas at him just before he started shouting, he would have alerted the other guards.

“Asuka, do you see anyone else?” Kei asked sharply.

I glanced around anxiously. Luckily, I didn’t. I’d expected the place to be crawling with guards, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Even if you don’t spot anyone, stay alert,” Kei warned.

“I know that… Oh, there’s the back door.”

I spotted the staff entrance as I walked along the base of the wall. The door was steel and locked with an electronic key card. According to Kei, this kind of lock was hard to pick, and the key cards were hard to copy. Also, thanks to Hibiki Shirasato, the doors were programmed to only open from the inside, key card or no.

That left just one way to get in.

I checked my wristwatch. It was one minute to midnight.

“Here goes,” I said.

“Don’t screw this up,” Kei said.

Of course I wouldn’t!

I took out the small device he’d given me. According to his research, during the five-minute interval where the guards switched out, someone opened the door from the inside when a signal was given outside. But why did they go with that method when an electronic key card would have been more secure?

“To make it harder for Red. Our usual pattern is to steal akey from a guard, like we did with the Green Sea, so they assumed we’d do the same thing this time.”

Okay, that made sense. They were tailoring their defense specifically to us. But that wouldn’t stop Red. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times, then twice, then four times.

“Who’s there?” a voice asked from inside.

I pressed PLAY on the voice recorder in my hand.

“Takasaki. It’s time to change shifts,” said a man’s voice. Kei had rigged this up.

“Okay, I’m opening the door,” came the answer.

I stepped back. The heavy-looking door swung slowly outward.

“Hey, that’s strange. No one’s— Oof!”

As soon as the guard stuck his head out, he sank to the ground as the capsule of sleeping gas I’d flicked at him exploded.

“Night night,” I said to the middle-aged man, peering inside.

I didn’t see any other guards nearby. Heaving the sleeping guy out, I stepped in and shut the door. It was summer, so he wouldn’t catch a cold, right?

…Still…

“Isn’t it weird how few guards there are?” I asked Kei.

“…Yeah. It bothers me, but you can’t stop now. Keep going.”

“Okay, got it.”

Still uneasy, I walked through the museum. The floor was carpeted, so I didn’t have to worry about the sound of my footsteps. On the other hand, that meant I couldn’t hear anyone else, either, so I had to be extra alert.

I made my way along, dodging the security cameras. I ran into a couple more guards, but I put them right to sleep.

So far, there was no sign of Hibiki. Did he go home at night? He talked the talk, but maybe he didn’t walk the walk. They’d never catch Red with this few guards!

“That’s the room,” Kei said.

I nodded and slipped into the room with the Red Star. Nobody was even in here. Now this was bizarre.

“Kei?”

“I know. But we’ve never messed up yet. Keep following the plan.”

He was right. We hadn’t failed at any previous mission. We’d be fine this time, too! Maybe I was worrying too much.

Before approaching the glass case with the Red Star inside, I covered the security camera with a red handkerchief. That would buy me a little time. The guard monitoring the security area would probably come to check, but I’d have the Red Star before anyone got here.

I was finally in front of the case.

According to Kei, it was designed to shock you if you tried to force it open.

I pulled on the custom-made rubber gloves that blocked electricity and took out the tool Kei had made to cut a hole in the glass case. He told me to think of it like a math compass with an even sharper tip. It worked like one, too.

“Be careful, or you’ll still get a shock,” he said.

Hey, don’t scare me!

“If the glass case moves, an electric current will be emitted, and an alarm will sound. If you press too hard and move the case, it’s over,” he added.

That only made me more nervous!

I fearfully applied the compass needle to the glass.

Hands, do not shake!

I rotated the compass tip around the needle, and it cut a hole about a few inches across in the glass.

“Whew…”

Carefully, I removed the circle of glass and placed it on the floor.

“Good. Now you just need to take the Red Star. The guards are probably on their way, so hurry.”

Yeah, yeah. I know.

Talking to people was not Kei’s forte.

I put my arm through the hole in the glass, being careful not to touch the sides. Slowly, I reached out and grabbed the Red Star.

“Got it. Now that kid detective—”

Weeeeeoooooweeeeeoooooweeeoooo!!

An earsplitting alarm rang out.

“Wait, what?!”

It happened so suddenly, my mind went blank. I had no idea what was happening.

“Asuka!”

What did I do?

What do I do?!

“Asuka! Stay calm!!” Kei shouted.

I flinched.

“Wh-what’s going on?” I asked.

“Looks like the Red Star was rigged.”

“Rigged how?”

“An alarm was set to go off if you touched it! Argh, I only knew about the case…,” he groaned.

Kei had never fallen for a trap before. Was this that detective’s fault?

“Just get out of there! Take the Red Star with you,” Kei said.

“Got it!”

The Red Star glittered in my hand. It was gorgeous, but this was no time to gawk.

“First, you need to escape that room. Ideally, you’d leave through the back, but most likely…”

I dashed out of the room, listening to his instructions.

“Look, there’s Red!!”

6. Red’s “Beginner’s Mind”

“Phew…”

I collapsed over the living room table and let out another huge sigh. I’d lost count of how many times I’d already sighed that day. I was drained.

“Oh, come on, you’re too young to be sighing so much!” Dad said as he efficiently prepared dinner. He gave me a look.

It was still early for dinner, but Dad was working at the restaurant later. On nights he worked, he made dinner before he left. All I had to do was pop his handiwork in the microwave, and I had an incredible meal. That alone was enough to make me glad I had him for a dad.

But today, even the delicious smells from the kitchen weren’t enough to cheer me up.

“This looks like a serious case of the blues,” Dad said, putting down his knife and walking over to me. “Are you in shock because that kid beat you?”

Ouch.

He knew how to hit where it hurt. I slumped lower on the table. All the TV shows and newspapers were shouting about Phantom Thief Red’s botched heist!

Or as the headlines put it, Junior High Detective Wins Sweeping Victory in Showdown of the Century!

Heck yeah I was blue. How could I not be?

“But this Hibiki Shirasato boy proved the Red Star was stolen. The leaders of the criminal organization behind the transaction were arrested, which probably means the rest of the organization is done for, too. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“…I mean, yeah, but he used Red and got all the credit for it! They should be praising us right now! Argh!!”

I sighed again. Dad stared at me solemnly.

Uh, Dad…?

He’s almost always in jokester mode, so that look makes me nervous.

“…What?” I asked fearfully.

“Asuka.”

His right hand moved.

Was it time for a fight?! Now?!

I closed my eyes reflexively, but his big hand landed softly on the top of my head.

“Huh…?” I looked up at him.

He was gazing kindly at me.

“…Asuka, why do you think Phantom Thief Red exists?”

Why?

To stop bad things from happening in the world, of course! To help people in trouble—people being hurt by criminals.

Dad and Uncle K were the ones who told us that in the first place!

“Then what are you upset about? The bad guys got their dues, right?” he asked.

“B-but it’s so frustrating!”

Kei and I had been so certain we’d never let anyone beat Red!

7. Off to the Sky Towers!

My fears about the weather were unfounded—the next day was clear and blazing hot. Misaki was walking next to me, and slightly behind us was Kei. He’d left the house two hours before I even got up to walk here. When Misaki and I arrived by train, he was already sitting on a bench near the station with his laptop open.

He must really hate getting carsick. He pretended not to care when we went to the museum, but I know he did.

“Wow!” I said. “It’s even better than the pictures!”

Three huge skyscrapers loomed above us. So these were the Sky Towers, completed a month ago.

They were really, really tall. I tilted so far back to see the top that I felt like I was gonna flip over.

“Look, the right one is blue, the middle one’s red, and the one on the left is yellow,” Misaki said, pointing at them.

“Yeah, it’s so fun!” I answered.

Each tower had enormous patterns on it, one for each color. They looked like circles that had been twisted in a cool way.

“I think there was something about that in the pamphlet…,” Misaki said.

“They’re Möbius strips,” Kei said, before she could open the pamphlet.

“Oh, you’re right! Möbius strips,” Misaki said, nodding excitedly.

Mobile strips? I could see the strip part, but what made them mobile?

“They’re named after the German mathematician August Ferdinand Möbius. Simply put, they’re nonorientable two-manifolds,” he said.

Um, what? Are we still speaking the same language?

“Kei, could you put that in layman’s terms?” Misaki said.

I don’t think she understood, either. Of course she didn’t. His “explanation” obviously wasn’t meant to explain anything!

He sighed.

“Okay, if I leave out most of the details, it means there isn’t technically a front and back. Do you notice anything strange about the pictures on the towers?”

They were just weird loops—what else was strange about them?

“If you trace it mentally, you’ll see,” he said.

Trace it mentally? Pouting, I followed the loop with my eyes. Misaki did the same thing.

“…Hey, the front became the back!”

As I followed the front of the loop, it twisted around so that I was suddenly on the back.

Which side was the front?

“That’s what makes a Möbius strip unique. Anyway, did you want to tell us about the towers?” he asked.

“Oh, right!” Misaki said.

Hey, since when was he the leader?

“Let’s see,” she said. “They’re called Sky Blue Tower, Sky Red Tower, and Sky Yellow Tower. Each one has a different use.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Blue Tower has restaurants and clothing and accessory stores. The Red Tower has movie theaters, art museums, and other things to look at. The Yellow Tower has cutting-edge video games and activities to get people moving—things like that.”

“You sure came prepared, Misaki,” I said. She hadn’t even been looking at the pamphlet when she reeled that off!

“I read up before we came. Otherwise, we’d never get through this huge place in a day.”

That made sense. These towers were way bigger than the building with the Green Sea in it. And there were three of them! No way we could see everything in one day.

8. Are You Afraid to Fail?

“Ahhh, that was so fun!” I said, plopping down on a bench to catch my breath.

“You need to chill out,” said Kei, who was sitting on the bench grumpily.

But moving your body is such a blast!

I’d just finished trying out all the fitness games. I did minisoccer, three-on-three basketball, climbing, and some other stuff. I especially liked climbing. There was a wall covered in fake rocks called “holds,” and you could put your hands and feet on them to climb.

I did what’s called “bouldering,” where you climb without a rope. The wall was only about ten feet high, though, which wasn’t nearly enough for me. There were various routes according to difficulty level. I had the computer show me a special super-hard route. Of course, I sped right to the top!

The instructor was really surprised, by the way, and asked how long I’d been climbing. I couldn’t exactly tell him my dad was a very special coach, so I just smiled and said, “A while.”

“Where’s Misaki?” I asked.

“She went to get a drink,” Kei answered.

“Oh. You know, I was surprised you came with us today. I was sure you wouldn’t want to.”

“…Whatever, I just felt like it.”

I know Kei well enough to know he doesn’t do anything without a reason.

9. Trouble Ahead!!

The Red Tower was much quieter than the other two towers. It had movie theaters and exhibit halls and stuff like that, so most of the visitors were grown-ups.

“I’ve been wanting to see this exhibit ever since I decided to come here!” Misaki said. Apparently, she had an ulterior motive for this trip.

“They’ve gathered famous paintings from all over the world. An exhibit like this just never happens,” she explained.

“Wow.”

I didn’t know much about art, but getting paintings from all over the world sounded hard.

“It’s a little weird. Usually, foreign art museums do shows focused on a certain era or country, but this show has everything from da Vinci to Picasso. Another strange thing is that they didn’t even advertise it until the last minute,” she said.

That was a little strange. I mean, how would they get people to come?

“Then again, maybe they didn’t know what paintings they’d be able to get until the last minute. Who knows?” Misaki said.

Hmm. That was kind of suspicious. I glanced at Kei. He must have heard us talking, but he showed no sign of joining in. His face was as cold and blank as ever.

“Misaki, I think I’m going to skip the museum,” I said.

“What, why? Is it boring for you?”

“Honestly, yes.”

“Then should we do something else?”

“No way. You wanted to see it, right? You and Kei should go together. I’ll wander around while you’re at the exhibit. When you’re done, you can give me a call, and we’ll meet up.”

“Yes, but…”

She looked uncertain.

“You just said it was super unusual for so many famous paintings to be together in one show, right? You’ll regret it if you don’t visit. Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay, fine. I’m sorry. I’ll call you afterward.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I’ll see you soon. You’re going with Misaki, right, Kei?”

“Yeah, I’ll go with her,” he said so firmly, I was a little surprised.

“Uh, okay,” I said.

Misaki was blushing. But that blockhead Kei probably didn’t mean anything by it.

After leaving Kei and Misaki, I decided to head back to the Yellow Tower. What can I say? I’d rather get some exercise than look at paintings in an art show.

Following the maps posted around the tower, I found the connecting passageway. There was one on each floor leading to the neighboring tower. I headed down the path to the Yellow Tower.

“I guess they both enjoy looking at art,” I muttered to myself.

Even if I think some paintings are pretty or impressive, I wouldn’t go out of my way to spend a long time staring at them.

By then, I was almost at the Yellow Tower. Now, what should I—?

Abruptly, the cheerful background music switched off.

What was going on?

“Attention all visitors to the Red Tower,” a gravelly male voice said at full volume over the intercom.

What was up? There hadn’t been any announcements like this earlier. As I was puzzling over it, the man went on.

“We have taken control of systems in the Red Tower. In tenminutes, all gates will close. Please exit the Red Tower immediately. This is not a drill. Let me demonstrate.”

Huh?

What?

What was he talking about?

Was this some kind of performance?

Everyone around me was stunned. But a second later—

Boom! Boom!

—there was a loud noise in the distance. I realized right away that it was the sound of the gates between the Red Tower and the Blue Tower shutting.

“We cannot guarantee the safety of anyone remaining in this building in fifteen minutes,” the voice said. “Hurry, if you want to get out in time. However, we request that all guests in the exhibit hall on the fifteenth through seventeenth floors stay where you are. We are taking the liberty of using you as hostages.”

The announcement abruptly ended. For a few seconds, everyone was silent.

“What’s happening?”

“We need to get out of here…”

“Run!! We’ll be trapped!!”

That was when the stampede started from the Red Tower toward the Yellow Tower. I saw them barreling toward me with the force of an avalanche.

“You gotta be kidding!” I shouted.

Misaki and Kei were in the Red Tower. And—

10. Power Team

I slipped into a nearby women’s bathroom, checked that no one else was inside, and hung the CLEANING IN PROGRESS sign on the door.

“Sorry, this will only take a minute,” I muttered.

Inside a stall, I quickly changed into my Phantom Thief Red outfit. I’d gotten Kei to compress it way down so I can always carry it with me.

“Now all I gotta do is…”

I peeked out of the bathroom. No one was nearby. I was good to go.

Everyone seemed distracted by the chaos.

I shot a wire straight up to the air vent on the hallway ceiling, and it hooked on the grate.

“Nice!”

Reeling in the wire, I hoisted myself almost to the ceiling. I pulled off the vent cover and climbed into the space above the ceiling.

“Blech, it’s so dusty!”

11. A Tightrope Across Certain Death

The wind was howling. Hibiki and I stood on the roof of the Yellow Tower.

Obviously, the door to the roof was locked. Hope no one minds that I picked it with a wire. Everything else aside, doors are often a weak spot in security.

“I knew the wind would be strong, but not this strong,” I said.

“It’s because there are three towers in a row. It makes the wind tunnels worse. Air gets especially turbulent when it hits skyscrapers… Anyway, do you really plan to cross here?”

“Of course! Do you have a better suggestion, Mr. Detective?”

“No…I do not.”

He pouted. Yeah, he was a lot like Kei—both his logical mind and competitiveness.

“Are you sure you want to come?” I asked. “The police might miss you.”

“Nah. They’ll do just fine without me. Also, I told a captain I trust that I was going to break into the Red Tower alone. I asked them not to rile up the criminals in the meantime.”

“Okay. I’ll take your word for it.”

I got the rope ready. I was planning to get to the adjacent building with a line between the two roofs. At their closest point, the roofs of the Red and Yellow Towers were about thirty feet apart. The pedestrian passageways were about sixty feet long, but the roofs were closer because they jutted out like plates.

Still, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to cross thirty feet on a rope. The fierce wind would probably swing it back and forth a lot.

I picked up the rope, which had a grappling hook at the end, and stood at the edge of the roof. The wind from below whipped against my cheeks.

“Taking the wind into account, you should throw it at an angle of about sixty-three degrees. Aim for one step to your right, and you’ll be good,” Hibiki said.

“Sixty-three degrees? You mean you calculated the wind direction?”

“Yes. It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Um, no! First Kei, now this guy. Why was the world littered with so many smart people? And why did they all gravitate toward me?!

“I’m going to throw it, so can you move back?”

He nodded and took a step away. I began spinning the end with the hook above my head like a lasso. It was one of the techniques Dad taught me, so I had some experience. I’d never done it on a roof, though. Plus, the conditions weren’t exactly ideal. But if I failed now, we wouldn’t be able to save Misaki and Kei!

“Go!” I shouted, throwing it as hard as I could.

The rope left my hand and flew straight toward the Red Tower. The wind buffeted it, but just as Hibiki had calculated, it went right where I hoped.

Bam!

The claw hooked onto a post on the Red Tower!

“Yes!” I crowed.

“Nice!”

I grinned at Hibiki—then quickly looked away.

Oops!

We’d agreed to a temporary truce, but he was still my enemy.

“I’ll go first. Watch how I do it,” I said.

“Will you be okay? The rope is moving around a lot in the wind.”

He was right. It was bouncing in every direction. I definitely would not call this safe.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” I said.

“I didn’t say that!” he snapped.

He sounded kind of offended.

Come on, no need to get angry!

I pulled the rope, testing to make sure it was hooked securely to the post. I’d tied my end tightly to a post on this side.

“Okay, looks good! Here I go.”

“Be careful,” Hibiki said.

“So you’re worried about Red’s safety now?”

“If you mess up, the hostages won’t get rescued. That’s the only thing I’m worried about!”

“Yeah, yeah.” I laughed, tying a rope with a pulley on it around myself.

Hibiki was more emotional than I thought. Interesting. Nothing like Kei.

The pulley was already attached to the rope between the two buildings. This was my lifeline. I’d like to say it meant that I’d be fine even on the off chance that I fell…but I didn’t know how long it could hold my entire body weight.

If I was left dangling in midair, rescuing me would be impossible, and in this wind, I’d get blown all over the place. And I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if I got slammed into the tower itself.

“Phew…”

I exhaled, trying to take slow, even breaths.

I was already over the fence. One more step, and I’d be in midair. I think Kei said it was almost eight hundred feet to the ground.

If I fell, I was done for.

A chill ran down my spine—but I had to go. Screwing up my courage, I wrapped both hands and both legs around the rope and pushed off the roof.

The pulley carried me smoothly toward the Red Tower.

A gust of wind pushed me back and forth.

Just a little farther.

…Almost there…

…Did it!

I was at the Red Tower roof. I reached out one hand, grabbed the fence, and hoisted myself up.

“Smooth sailing, Hibiki! I’m sending the pulley your way. Do it just like I did,” I hollered, trying to outshout the wind.

I could see him nod. He grabbed the pulley, awkwardly wrapped himself around the rope, and started crossing like I had. The wind was getting worse, swinging him back and forth in great arcs.

“Just a little farther!” I shouted.

He was about ten feet from the Red Tower. Only a little more, and he’d be able to touch the fence.

“You’ve made it this far, so— Ah!”

Just as he reached out toward the roof, the strongest gust of wind yet blasted up from below.

12. A Strange Enemy

“First, let’s go to the control room,” Hibiki said, heading down the stairs.

I’d already opened the rooftop door to head inside the Red Tower. The security camera might have captured me, because according to Hibiki, it was impossible to avoid the cameras in this building. Given he was in charge of security, he probably knew what he was talking about.

“Why the control room? Shouldn’t we rescue the people in the exhibit hall first?” I asked, following him.

“As long as they have the control room, we won’t be able to safely free the hostages. We’ve got to capture the culprits first.”

That made sense.

He really does think like Kei. I bet they’d get along.

“What floor is the control room on?”

“The twentieth. Don’t you think you should at least know that much, Red?”

Oh, shut up.

Kei probably knew, but I didn’t. What could I say?

Naturally, we didn’t see anyone else in the building.

“This place was packed earlier. It feels a little lonely…,” I said.

“I know,” Hibiki answered with surprising ease.

I was starting to wonder if he was one of those people who was impossible to hate. Of course, Kei would probably call me a softy for thinking that.

…Click.

I stopped walking.

Did I just hear something?

“A sound? I didn’t hear anything,” Hibiki said.

Click-clack!

This time, there was no mistaking it. Hibiki and I exchanged glances.

“Maybe someone’s hiding in there!” I said. “Not everyone made it out.”

“Wait! It could be a trap!” Hibiki shouted.

Pretending not to hear him, I burst out of the stairwell. We’d only made it to the thirty-third floor. There could be bad guys around, so I was cautious, of course. But I didn’t see anyone.

“Maybe I was wrong… All I see around here is a guide robot,” I said.

“Let’s hurry up and get to the control room,” Hibiki answered.

“Fine.”

The robot standing against the wall didn’t move. Had it been turned off or something? I walked casually past it.

“Watch out!” Hibiki warned.

I jumped back. It was a conditioned response—I didn’t have time to ask what to watch out for.

Something slammed right where I had just been standing.

What the heck?!

I only figured it out after stepping farther back. The guide robot had suddenly swung its arm down.

“So this thing’s on after all!”

It was standing on its own two feet—and it started moving!

“…Red, we’re surrounded.”

“What?”

I glanced around. Four guide robots, including the one that had tried to hit me, plus two small round machines had circled around us.

“What are those little things?” I asked.

“Cleaning robots. They’re basically the janitors around here. I heard it’s a trial deployment,” he said.

“Fine, but they’re also designed to attack people? Isn’t that dangerous for visitors?”

“I doubt they were designed that way! Whoever took over the control room probably rewrote the robotics program. That’s the criminal’s strong suit, after all. In other words, this is a trap.”

Computers aren’t my thing, but rewriting a robotics program sounded pretty impressive. Couldn’t those people use their brilliant minds for something better?

“So, Red, what’s your plan?”

“Escape. I don’t want to fight those robots. Let’s get out of here quick!”

Punching one of them would probably hurt, and I bet submission holds wouldn’t work on them, either. Plus, they cost tens of millions of yen each. I’d hate to pay for breaking one.

“We can’t,” Hibiki said.

“Why not?”

“They move extremely fast. They’ve got two legs like humans, but there are wheels and motors on the back.”

“That’s not fair!”

Did that mean we’d have to fight them?

“Nope, it’s not. So what’s our strategy?” Hibiki asked.

“Why are you asking me?”

“You’re the fighter, aren’t you?”

“I guess so, but…”

I was nervous without Kei’s guidance, but at least combat was my area of expertise. Just dive in, I guess!

“Mr. Detective, can you fight a little?”

“I’m a black belt in judo.”

Judo, eh? Kendo would’ve been better. Those robots wouldn’t be easy to pick up and throw. I guess judo was better than karate, though. A karate chop wouldn’t do much to a robot.

“Then you watch out for yourself!” I told him.

“Hey, what about the plan?”

“I’ll think about it while I fight!”

I dived toward the closest guide robot. I couldn’t strategize without seeing how they responded in a fight. As I approached, the robot’s fist shot straight forward. I jumped back and… Uh-oh!

The robot charged me.

Dang, it’s faaast!

I was jumping back, so I couldn’t dodge to the side. The robot’s arm was still extended. It was going to hit me!

I clenched my teeth, getting ready for the pain.

“I told you they were fast!” Hibiki landed a kick on the robot’s stomach, pushing it toward the wall.

“Hibiki Shirasato!”

He was standing where the robot had been.

“Didn’t you say you did judo?!” I called.

“I do, but I can still manage a kick or two! What were you doing, diving at it like that? They look human, but they’re not. If you treat them like humans, they’ll crush you!!”

“Sorry…”

He was right. I’d been reckless.

“…Anyway, I’ve paid you back now,” said Hibiki.

“For what?”

“For the roof.” He pushed his glasses up.

When I caught him? He thought he owed me one? I hadn’t thought of it like that at all.

“Anyway, there are still five left. Be careful, but be quick. We can’t waste much more time here,” he said.

“I know,” I replied. “That’s why you have to think of a strategy.”

“What? Why me?”

He looked surprised.

“Because you’re better at that stuff! I’m counting on you!”

With that, I turned to the robots. This time, I was more careful and didn’t dive at any of them. Gotta learn from your mistakes.

A robot approached, arm out. I pushed its arm to the side and grabbed it with both hands. At the same moment, I swept my heel under its feet from behind, and it crashed to the ground.

“How’s that, robot? Betcha can’t flip someone… Whoa!”

The robot stood back up like nothing had happened. What did it think it was, a roly-poly toy? I scuttled away from it.

“Looks like a throw isn’t enough to harm them,” Hibiki noted.

This was no time for cool analysis!

“So?” I asked. “You got a plan?”

“They’ve probably got under an hour left of battery power. Also, they’re waterproof.”

“That’s some lousy intel, Mr. Detective!”

“I never said we’re out of options. There’s an off switch at the back of their necks. If you flip it, they stop moving.”

So there was a way! Why didn’t he say so sooner? This is no time to play your cards close to the chest!

“…Do you think you can flip the switch when they’re moving that fast?”

Oh…

No, probably not. They’re just too quick.

“I have a plan. First…”

He explained it, but I wasn’t sure. Really? You think that’s gonna work?

But we were after the same thing right now, and I didn’t think he would lie. Time to give Hibiki Shirasato’s plan a try!

13. A Double Trap in the Movie Theater

“Hey, robots, over here!”

I burst through the circle. One of the guide robots thrust out its hand, but I twisted away, avoiding it by a hairbreadth.

That was close!

And my reflexes aren’t exactly normal, either.

The robots swiveled toward me and charged. I was the one making a run for it, so they were choosing to go after me instead of Hibiki. Good. I ran down the hallway at top speed, glancing behind me.

“One, two, three, four robots. Darn, I was hoping to draw away all of them.”

Maybe I was getting greedy.

“Man, they’re fast! No fair!”

Since they had wheels, they could keep up with an average bike. I’m fast myself, but they were on my heels. I veered down a hallway to the right. They probably couldn’t make sharp turns at that speed.

Yes!

As I predicted, they slowed down just before the curve.

…Still, I didn’t have many options. If I was in the Blue Tower, I would have had all sorts of knickknacks to work with, but this was the Red Tower. It was full of exhibit halls and movie theaters, which didn’t give me much.

“If I don’t do something, they’ll catch up with me…” I glanced around. The entrance to a movie theater was just ahead. “There it is!”

I dived into the theater. The lights were down inside, so it was pitch-black. I switched to my infrared goggles and kept going. Inside the theater, I took out my rope and tied several seats together, pulling the rope taut along the aisle. Good thing I decided to bring it with me after we got across the roof.

“Just one more thing…and done.”

I hoped it would work. I was nervous about setting a trap without Kei, but I couldn’t afford to worry. I had to save him!

The robots filed in from the entrance, and I stood in front of the screen. If they wanted to get to me, they’d have to cross the rope.

Come on, guys…

I watched them hopefully. They started moving. They were heading straight toward me.

It’s working!!

And as soon as that thought crossed my mind, one of the guide robots leaped into the air in front of the rope.

14. One Chance in a Hundred

We returned to the stairwell and headed down toward the control room on the twentieth floor. I was on alert for more problems, but we didn’t run into any. I mean, there didn’t seem to be anybody left in the place.

“You think the bad guys didn’t bring many people for this job? They must’ve seen us on the security camera footage, but they haven’t sent anyone to intercept us,” I said.

“Probably not. I’d say five people or less. More likely two,” he answered.

“Two?! And they did all this?”

I couldn’t believe it. Just two people to take over an entire tower?

“The control system’s completely computerized, but that backfired. If you seize hold of that system, the rest is easy. You can close every entrance at once, and if you take hostages, the police can’t do much. Even if someone breaks in, all you have to do is reprogram the robots to attack. Still, there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“…What they’re after?”

“Yeah.”

I’d been wondering the same thing. Why would they hole themselves up in this tower?

“Normally, when someone does this, they’ve got a demand of some sort. And these guys took hostages. But I haven’t seen any demands. They’ve refused all contact from the police, too. The only time I heard their voice was during the initial announcement,” Hibiki said.

This was getting stranger by the second. I had a bad feeling. Which reminded me—Kei had been worried about something earlier. Could this be connected to that?

“We’re here. The twentieth floor,” Hibiki said, stopping.

“So this is it…”

It felt more open than the other floors. There probably weren’t any exhibit halls or movie theaters here. Posters for art exhibits and movies hung on the walls. The lights were still on.

“The control room is down this hallway, on the left,” Hibiki said, walking ahead of me.

I followed. We were both on high alert. At the same time, I doubted they would attack us again. If they’d wanted to, they would have done it sooner.

“Can I ask you a question?” I said.

“What?”

“Why did you decide to team up with me? Doesn’t this go against your beliefs?”

“I’m not sure myself…but I figured it was okay since we both want to save the hostages. That’s all.”

Huh. I could understand that. The first time we met, at the art museum, I thought he was a horrible person, but now…

“…Maybe we’re like a Möbius strip,” I said.

“How so?” he asked.

“You’re a detective, and I’m a thief. At first, I thought we were on opposite sides, but now it seems like the two sides are connected.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t sure what I was saying.

“…Don’t put me in the same category as you,” he said.

Ugh, this guy!

By then, we were standing in front of the control room.

Hibiki looked at me. “I’m going in,” he said.

Pressing myself against the wall, I nodded.

Click.

The door wasn’t locked. It swung right open.

“It’s over!” “Surrender!” we shouted as we dived into the room.

Whoa…

I mentally gasped as I looked around. Toward the back of the room were dozens of monitors. Below them was some kind of machine. Kei would probably know exactly what it was, but to me, it just looked like a big computer. Sitting in front of it was a young man, turned toward us.

Was this him…?

He was thin, with a mop of dyed brown hair. He looked like your average dude—except he was grinning at us after we just busted into his control room.

Was this the last free member of the criminal organization Hibiki had mentioned? I glanced at Hibiki. He nodded. Apparently, my guess was right.

15. Red or Blue?

I left the control room and started running down the hallway. I never expected Kei to say something like that. He left Hibiki speechless. It felt good!

“Where to now, Kei?” I asked over the phone.

“The fifteenth floor. When you get here, get into the ventilation shafts.”

I wondered if that was where the bomb was.

“I’m almost sure it is,” he answered. He sounded as confident as ever, but based on what? “The security sensors in the exhibit hall are very sensitive. The bomb’s not in here. I’ve checked. That leaves the air shafts or some other place people can’t usually see as the most likely possibility.”

Interesting. But how did he know it was on the fifteenth floor?

“If the bomb is rigged to explode when the door opens, it has to be within a certain range of the door for any remote signals to reach it,” Kei continued. “I’m guessing the criminal is confident in the bomb’s precision. He wouldn’t put it in a placewhere it might malfunction. They probably confiscated our phones to keep electromagnetic waves from affecting it, which is another reason I doubt the bomb is far from the door. Using cell phones is prohibited near the art, but if they let people keep their phones and they all happened to get a call at the same time, that could have caused problems.”

Wow.

He sure did deduce a lot from a tiny bit of information. I was so impressed, all I could do was sigh.

I glanced at my watch as I ran. Only eight minutes left!

“Also, I know why they went after this building,” Kei said.

He knew that, too?

Even Hibiki couldn’t figure that out, and he met the mastermind!

“There’s a reason the Red Tower was the one they went after. The criminal has a connection to the owner of the building.”

“He does? But how do you know that, Kei?”

It was like he knew it from the start.

“I’ll bet Hibiki Shirasato recognized that guy.”

“You’re right, but isn’t that because Hibiki is connected to the police?”

“He doesn’t have any more information than me. A lot of the paintings in this exhibit are suspicious. Some have been stolen and recovered. Some of the thefts were solved only recently, and very suddenly.”

What did he mean? How was that related to the current crime?

“When I looked into those thefts, a familiar name kept coming up—the organization that Hibiki Shirasato broke up after the Red Star incident.”

No way! So that’s how everything was connected?

“It seems Shirasato couldn’t dig up any evidence, but the owner of these towers used to be connected to that organization, and when it went down, he stole their profits.”

Very sly.

Oh, that was the man who had yelled at Hibiki. So he was a bad guy!

“Normally, when a criminal organization is broken up, the stolen artwork typically isn’t retrieved right away because it’s put on the black market. The owner of this tower sold the works back to the museums they had been stolen from for a high price. As a condition of those sales, he forced them to loan the artwork back for this exhibit. That’s why the content of the exhibit wasn’t decided until the last minute, and the advertising wasn’t done sooner. My theory explains everything. The criminal’s goal was to get revenge on the owner of the tower. As long as he achieved that, he didn’t care if he was arrested.”

That must have been why he didn’t resist when we broke into the control room. He’d already done what he needed to do. He was just waiting for the bomb to explode.

Kei sure is amazing…

He figured out the truth so quickly!

“I’m on the fifteenth floor. Where should I go now?” I asked.

“Come to the door to the exhibit hall. From there, get into the air shafts,” Kei answered.

“Got it.”

Five minutes left!

I headed for the exhibit hall where the hostages were being held prisoner.

“Kei and Misaki are in there…”

But I didn’t have time to go in.

It was so frustrating!

I checked out the ceiling, then used a wire to get into the crawl space, like before. I switched on my light and looked around. I didn’t see anything that seemed like a bomb.

“I’m up here,” I said to Kei.

“I have an idea of where it might be. There’s one painting in particular that’s getting a lot of attention. It’s supposed to be a newly discovered Vermeer.”

“Isn’t Vermeer the painter Misaki was talking about when we went to the other museum?”

“Yep. But I’ve seen this painting before. I’m friends with a Dutch mathematician who knows a lot about art, and we went to see it together.”

So…?

“At that time, I was told it was painted by someone else.”

“You mean this is a fake?!”

“Maybe. But that’s not the issue right now. Even if it is fake, everyone thinks it’s the most valuable painting in the Red Tower. The criminal included.”

“You’re saying the bomb is over that painting?”

“Exactly. We don’t have much time. Hurry!”

“I know that!”

Four minutes left!

I followed Kei’s directions through the crawl space. I shone my light around as I went, inspecting everything carefully.

“Aha!”

To the left in the distance, I caught sight of something that looked mechanical. I approached.

“This is it. I found the bomb, Kei!”

“Good. Is there a timer on it somewhere?”

“Yeah. It says just under three minutes!”

“That’s how much time is left. Send me a picture on your phone.”

“Okay.”

I hung up, snapped a picture, and sent it to Misaki’s number. Kei called me back right away.

“I’ll tell you how to disarm it. Can you do it?”

Disarm a bomb? My heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking, but it was either me or no one. I was the only person who could save all those hostages!

“I can do it.”

“First, take off the outer box.”

“Okay…”

I took a deep breath, then touched the bomb.

It was cold. When I took off the outer box, I saw a big mess of wires inside.

I took another photo and sent it to Kei.

Two minutes left!

Kei started giving me rapid-fire instructions. I cut and moved the cords he told me to.

I let out a breath. We were short on time, but I had to get this right. My nerves were going crazy!

I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

There were only two wires left.

Red and blue.

One minute left!

“Which one should I cut?” I asked.

“…”

For the first time, Kei was silent.

“Kei? Quick, tell me!”

“…I don’t know.”

What…?

“Whaaaaat?! W-wait a second. Why not?”

Everything had gone so well until now!

“Only the person who made the bomb knows. It’s a classic move, but the most effective one possible in this situation.”

“You mean…there’s really no way to tell?”

“Normally, you’d freeze it with liquid nitrogen.”

That was obviously impossible! I didn’t have any liquid nitrogen on me. Plus, we were almost out of time.

“Wh-what do I do, Kei?”

“…It’s up to you,” he said decisively, after a pause.

Thirty seconds left!

“Up to me? But I have no idea!”

Everyone’s life depended on this!

If the bomb exploded…of course there was no way I’d survive. Kei and Misaki probably wouldn’t, either. Not even Hibiki, who trusted me in the end, would get out alive.

“I asked Misaki to move all the other hostages to the seventeenth floor. On the off chance it explodes, they might survive.”

That couldn’t be true!

If it was, Kei would never have told me to come disarm the bomb.

“Then where are you, Kei?”

“I’m right below you,” he said, like that was natural.

…Did he believe in me?

If he did…I was glad.

“Ten seconds left, Asuka.”

I reached out my shaking hand.

16. The Famous Detective Confesses

The next day, I was lying on my bed reading a manga. As usual, Kei was on his computer.

“By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” I said to him without getting up.

“What?”

“Did you know the whole time that something bad was going to happen at the Sky Towers?”

After all, he seemed to have researched the owners of the towers before our visit. Plus, it was awfully strange that he’d come along with Misaki and me for no reason.

“I suspected something might happen. But since the likelihood was under five percent, I didn’t see the need to tell you.”

Meaning he was being considerate?

And he’d been worried about me, too?

That must be why he came with us. Kei, of all people! It made me all warm and fuzzy.

“Hey, guys, Shirasato’s on TV,” Dad called from the living room.

He couldn’t be challenging us to another showdown, could he?

I jumped off my bunk. For once, Kei stood up and went into the living room with me.

“Oh, you joined me! The reporters are just about to interview him.”

Why so pleased, Dad?

“Think he’s gonna say something mean again?” I asked.

“Nah. They’re talking about the incident at Sky Towers yesterday,” Dad answered.

“I’ll bet everyone is giving him all the credit. No one has any idea what Kei and I did!”

“Stop sulking,” Dad said. “Remember, Phantom Thief Red…”

“…doesn’t do things for public praise, right? I know, Dad.”

Still, it was frustrating to never get any recognition. Especially when Hibiki Shirasato got all the credit!

“…It’s not true that no one knows,” Kei said without taking his eyes off the TV.

What did that mean?

“The police aren’t idiots. They have to realize Shirasato didn’t do it by himself. Also, Shirasato doesn’t seem like the type who enjoys taking credit for other people’s work.”

Interesting. Kei doesn’t praise people often.

“I’m not praising him. I’m analyzing his personality,” he said.

Really now?

“The police probably told him to keep quiet about Red,” he went on. “I bet they’re scared people will think they’re incompetent if they find out we were involved.”

What the heck? Why would they care if we were involved? The point was that lives were saved!

“Oh, there he is!” Dad said, shifting his gaze to the TV.

Hibiki was surrounded by reporters. He was wearing his trademark white jacket. But was it just me, or was he looking kind of glum?

“Mr. Shirasato, once again, you saved the day,” a reporter said, holding the mike toward him.

“It wasn’t just me…,” he began.

“No need to be modest. Everyone knows we have your talent to thank.”

“That’s not true…,” he said awkwardly.

“He’s acting weird,” Dad said, cocking his head.

Yup, he sure was. Just then, Hibiki raised his eyes and looked straight into the camera.

“Viewers, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it? Another crime?” the reporter asked suspiciously.

“It’s about the incident at the Sky Towers. I’m being given credit for everything…but it wasn’t me.”

“It wasn’t?! B-but you went alone into the Red Tower to free the hostages…”

“I wasn’t alone.”

“You weren’t?! Then who was with you?!”

“…I was with Phantom Thief Red.”

“Ph-Phantom Thief Red?! Really? Red was there?!”

The reporter was blinking in surprise.

Uh-oh. He said it. Now what?

“We ran into each other by chance, and Red was the one who suggested we sneak into the Red Tower. It was also Red who ultimately disarmed the bomb and saved the people locked in the exhibit hall. I don’t know if I could have done it alone.”

“But this could be taken as an admission of defeat by you and the police,” the reporter said.

Hibiki looked at the reporter and shook his head. “You’re wrong. If I meet Red again, I will arrest them. You have my word as an agent of justice.”

His eyes glinted behind his glasses. The reporters cheered.

Oh boy. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a headline run across the screen saying, Hibiki Shirasato vs. Phantom Thief Red. I switched off the TV.

“Think he’ll get in trouble for saying that? I thought you said the police probably hushed him up, Kei,” I said.

It’s not that I was worried about him, but I couldn’t help wondering what would happen to him for telling the truth about us.

“He said it so confidently, the police won’t have any choice but to admit it. If they criticize him, the media will be all over them. I’m sure he took that into consideration.”

Interesting. So everything was part of his plan. He and Kei really did have similar personalities.

“The more important point is that he called Red ‘them.’ He could at least have said ‘her’ since he was with you!” Kei said.

“Do you think he was covering for us?”

“I’m not sure. He may intend to keep the information to himself. Whatever the case, there’s no question that we’re up against someone tough.”

He was right. Hibiki did seem tough. But didn’t that mean he accepted Phantom Thief Red as a worthy opponent? After all, in the past, he hadn’t acted like we were on his level. The thought energized me.

“Then we better up our game!” I said, leaping up from my seat.

“Very true, Asuka,” Dad said. “I was planning to give you the day off from training, but on second thought, let’s do it!”

Shoot.

“W-wait a second. That’s not what I meant! I think I could use a day of rest. Hey, Kei, why are you running back to our room?!”

“I’m going to investigate our next target.”

He disappeared into the bedroom.

Have you no heart?!

“Let’s get out there!” Dad said, dragging me along.

“What did I do to deserve this?!” I moaned.

Afterword

Hello! Shin Akigi here, secretary for Phantom Thief Red.

In this volume, Asuka and Kei butted heads with a junior high detective—who’s said to be one of the greats! As their secretary, I’m on fire.

I think it’s true that phantom thieves shine brightest when they’re up against a rival. Yes, I’m sure of it!

Phantom thieves always have great detectives for rivals. Just think of Arséne Lupin and Herlock Sholmes or Kaitou Kid and Detective Conan.

…Asuka is giving me the evil eye. Hey, why so upset?

Wait, I think she’s saying something.

“…T…r…ai…tor?”

What? No, never!

I would never expect Red to lose!

Darn it, she just went off in a huff. She’s got such a short fuse.

I’d better bring her a chocolate cookie later to make up. Sigh…