"I couldn't find it."
Akira said, pursing her lips cutely. Kenji smiled bitterly and nodded as if he had expected this. That reaction made Akira tilt her head instead.
"Aren't you disappointed?"
"Not particularly. I had a hunch to some extent."
"......That sounds like you didn't trust me."
"Not that. I also scoured Trinity for a year but found nothing."
What Kenji had asked Akira to find was a passageway existing in Trinity that led elsewhere—namely, an entrance to Arius. Originally, Kenji also knew the coordinates of those entrances, but a year ago, after being released due to Beatrice's schemes, all the coordinates changed, and the way to enter Arius disappeared.
It was a disaster. After his body recovered, he planned to build a foundation and then go kill Beatrice. But even getting to find her became impossible. If even a remnant of Fear had remained stuck under her shoe, he could have taken time to find the entrance, but whether that lazy woman checked under her shoes or not, the remnants had vanished without a trace.
So he took to the streets himself. Whenever he had time over the year, he visited Trinity to look for a passageway to Arius. But there were no results, and all he learned were the types of bugs living in the back alleys.
That's why, even though he asked Akira, he didn't have high hopes. He just asked on the off chance, not genuinely thinking she would find it. And as expected. It would be a lie to say he wasn't disappointed, but that was all. There was no major emotional change.
Kenji leaned his head back slightly and exhaled a long breath. It was a habit formed since he started smoking. Whether the scent of cigarette still lingered on his tongue, a strong peach fragrance wafted. It was just the smell of cigarettes anyway.
"Anyway, good work. Thanks for helping."
"Don't mention it. So? Do you have any more tasks for me?"
"Why, will you do them?"
Kenji asked playfully. Akira shrugged her shoulders, then took out and opened the parasol hanging at her waist.
"No. I should return to my main profession too."
"Stealing?"
"Please don't equate my art with such mere criminal acts? I just want to show everyone the artworks people have hidden."
"Is that so, Benevolent Phantom Thief. What about changing your alias to Phantom Thief Kid?"
"I am a Lady, not a Kid."
"Just a thought. Forget it."
Kenji chuckled and lightly tapped Akira's forehead. Akira didn't refuse his touch. Instead, she stood opposite Kenji with a confident expression. Her rose-colored eyes gazed into his black pupils.
Eyes that sparkled like obsidian. They lacked the vitality to be called a night sky, but they had the unique beauty and antique feel of a polished gemstone. Akira stared intently at Kenji's eyes like that, then smiled slyly and put the mask she had taken off back on.
"Someday, I'll send you a calling card."
She said in a cheerful voice. Kenji tilted his head.
"......? I don't really have anything."
"But you've entered my sight. I never let go of a target once I've chosen it."
She folded the parasol behind her back. Then the white cloth turned into a dove and flew up into the sky. The handle became a cane that looked like a gun, and a white tail tinged with pink swayed gently. Kenji quietly watched the scene.
"Someday. When I can clearly define the emotion I'm feeling now."
"......"
"Then, I'll send you a calling card. Spectacularly. Perfectly. And elegantly. With a riddle only you can solve."
"......"
"So, Cult Leader? Could you call my name just once? I think it will help me think about when and what kind of calling card to send."
She said while leaning against the railing. Kenji thought for a moment, then called her name in a calm voice.
"Akira."
"......As expected."
Her cheeks turned reddish. She trembled at the corners of her mouth and turned her body.
"It won't be too far in the future."
Whoosh! She flung her body over the railing. A rough wire sound followed. Kenji stood blankly, waiting until the sound faded, then checked the wallet in his pocket and let out a sigh of relief.
Luckily, it wasn't stolen.
Phantom thieves aren't all that, it seems.
My skin stings, probably from being exposed to sunlight for too long. Thanks to wearing clothes that cover my skin and standing in the shade, the pain wasn't severe, but pain is still pain. I just didn't show it in front of that person; honestly, it hurt just as much then too.
"But I saw his face."
I could endure this much pain. Akira thought so and hummed a tune.
Today was a lucky day. Not only did I see that person's face, but he also said nice things, didn't he? Akira took out the voice recorder she had tucked away and smirked. It was a smile that looked both seductive and dangerous at the same time. Whatever, there's no one around to see anyway.
Without any hesitation, she lowered the recorder's volume to the minimum and slowly brought it to her ear. Then she played the recorded voice.
-Isn't the name Akira better?
-Akira.
-Is that so, Benevolent Phantom Thief.
-Akira.
"Ahh......"
She opened her mouth wide and replayed the same part repeatedly. It was the part where Kenji called her name without hesitation. For a long while, she savored that voice, unaware of time passing. A drop of saliva flowed from between her parted lips. The saliva clinging to her canine teeth had a sticky viscosity. An atmosphere as if she would devour something right away wafted strongly from her.
Akira lowered the recorder only around the time the sun began to slowly set. A satisfied smile hung on her face.
Since it's only the second meeting, I haven't collected much of a collection, but with precise editing and manipulation, I think a satisfactory result will come out. The completed voice would be good to listen to while preparing for work or before sleep. She laughed, huhu, and brushed back her sweat-dampened bangs.
That's when it happened. A presence that shouldn't be felt suddenly was detected nearby. Akira's cat ears perked up straight. She immediately aimed her cane toward where the presence was felt.
"......Who are you?"
"Long time no see, Akira."
A familiar voice came. Akira clicked her tongue and called the owner of the voice.
"Kosaka Wakamo."
"Let's skip the small talk. It's not like we're on good terms, are we?"
Red pupils flashed in the darkness. Akira let out an incredulous, hollow laugh and grasped a card with her left hand. It was a card with a Joker drawn on it.
"Hoo...... How did you find this place? I have no intention of cohabiting with you."
"I also have no intention of living with a female cat in heat. Moreover, if that cat is a thieving cat, even more so."
"......A thieving cat?"
Behind the mask, Akira blinked her eyes. Wakamo burst out laughing, ha, and took a step toward her.
"Daring to record my husband's voice. That crime, you wouldn't be forgiven even if you died a hundred times."
"......Husband? Did you just say husband?"
This time, a clear laugh flowed from Akira's mouth. She looked directly at Wakamo and made a gesture as if wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
"What a joke. Are you perhaps suffering from delusional disorder? Oh my, how pitiful. Shall I recommend a good mental hospital?"
"It's you, who records voices to listen to them, who should go to the mental hospital."
"Eavesdropping is a crime, not a mental illness. The place I should go is prison, not a hospital."
"You do know."
"You don't."
"......"
"......"
Silence flowed. Wakamo and Akira stood still, glaring at each other. Both were under masks, so their gazes weren't fully revealed, but the atmosphere was extremely murderous. Moving carelessly would get one's skin completely sliced.
A few minutes passed in that state, and Akira broke the silence first.
"You don't know his value."
"......Me? Ha! Who do you think has been hovering around him for a month, saving him from danger?"
Akira didn't answer her question. Instead, she declared in an ecstatic voice.
"I alone know his value. A target I've chosen, who cannot be yielded to anyone. Not even you are an exception, Kosaka Wakamo."
"What do you, who merely dabbles in petty theft, know......"
"I know more than you. Ah, I wonder what reaction he would show if he knew about you? If he found out a woman he hasn't even had a proper conversation with calls him her husband and stalks him, wouldn't he detest you?"
"A question not even worth answering. He and I are connected by a red string of fate. There's absolutely no room for you to intervene."
Wakamo sneered, puhut*, and subtly raised her gun barrel.
"And isn't the one who would be detested you, not me? If he saw you arbitrarily recording his voice, editing it to your taste, and getting in heat while listening to it...... Even I would be creeped out. Would my husband be any different?"
"......Damn fox."
"Shut up, cat in heat."
Overt killing intent emanated from both of them. They glared at each other and placed their fingers on their triggers.
That day.
Unbeknownst to him, Kenji acquired two stalkers. One was a fox, and one was a cat.
Coincidentally, both were female.
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