Chapter 3 - "Old dogs can still learn new tricks."
Sakaguchi Museum for Arts…
8 o'clock pm…
West wing end…
A group of young men were stationed in the room. Their platoon leader arrived shortly, making them stand in attention.
"2 more hours before the allotted time but we should not let our guards down. Am I clear?" his stern gaze was immediately answered by the platoon.
"SIR! YES, SIR!" all of them shouted.
He soon exited the room. As soon as he did, one of his subordinates smiled wryly for a second. All of them kept silent.
In the main exhibit area in the South Wing of the Museum, a sword was shown to be lying inside a cube-shaped thick metallic glass. 4 guards were stationed around it, paying attention to their surroundings.
2 hours later…
Museum Main Entrance…
The masked woman wearing her customized tuxedo appeared in front of the museum. She then slowly entered the building. As she arrived inside the ground floor of the building, a group of police welcomed her. Most of them covering the exits she might take. Her usual enemy wasn't around, the noisy detective with a lisp.
All of the police charged to her, thinking that 1 person won't stand a chance against them. She just smirked as she vanished in the sea of policemen. All of them thought they got her but was shocked to see that she was nowhere to be found.
"Where is she?"
"Damn! She's really good at this!"
"Let's find her!"
Amongst the confusion, a police officer then went to the highest ranking officer among them. "Sir! I'll report to the people inside that she has arrived! They have to know!"
"Alright! Make it quick!" the police officer didn't even bat an eye on the lower ranking officer and was thinking how the woman got away from all of them.
In the East wing end, a ninja whose gi had no sleeves could be found standing upside down on the ceiling. His arms were crossed, seemingly finished in his mission. Around him, numerous policemen had been knocked out. In the speakers of the museum, the 2nd movement of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony 11 was playing, seemingly not helping with the current situation.
Meanwhile, in the west wing, all the guards were lying on the ground. A smirking police officer was standing in the middle, holding a stun gun on each hand. He then vanished from sight.
In the South Wing of the Museum, the Police Officer who was from the Main Entrance was still running to reach the Main Exhibit room. When he did reach the room, he was greeted by 2 stern looking guards who looked heavy and were buffed to the point where one would fear their life. He saluted both of them and stated his rank and file.
"She has arrived! She came through the main entrance!" the police officer was panting.
"I see. You may leave now. We'll tell the Detective instead." The guard on the left wasn't going to budge with the message. "That's all?" he added.
"Y-yeah…" He was out of breath. "I'll come back now." He then turned around. As he was going to withdraw, the guard on the right then raised an eyebrow when he saw the police officer's uniform.
"Hey, wait a sec." the guard from the right side of the door then came forward. "Why did you come all the way here when you have the receiver?" he asked with a stern gaze. "From which platoon did you come from again?" he added.
The police officer was at a loss for words. He then smirked as his voice changed into a deeper voice of a woman's. "I guess I've been found out, eh?" She smirked as she removed her police officer disguise.
"Heh." The guard on the left side said. "I guess we'll have a raise after this." He then cracked the joints of his right hand fingers and then left hand fingers as he wore a pair of brass knuckles.
"It's all thanks to me anyway." The guard on the right said, removing his police officer shirt, revealing his ripped body. He then cracked the joints on his neck, loosening up his neck muscles.
The woman in front of them was barehanded. The left guard then charged at her, releasing accurate punches from his left arm and right arm as the woman dodged effortlessly. His right leg then released a kick which was aiming for her chest which she blocked with both of her hands as she skid backwards by the sheer amount of force, the friction given by her shoes stopping its momentum.
"Not bad." The left guard said.
"Likewise." she said in return as she removed her hands from blocking her chest. He then charged once more, putting his whole body into the right hand punch. The woman who was facing him then smoothly caught his right hand, turned around, matching the man's velocity and used the momentum of the man's body to throw the man to the ground.
"Gakh…!" The left guard then turned around, trying to stand up while lying on his stomach. The woman then walked to his side and incapacitated him by the neck.
The woman then looked at the right guard and taunted him to attack her with her finger signaling him to come for her. He then charged at her, giving extreme blows from his left and right fists. The woman was dodging his attacks rather easily and even yawned, igniting him further.
"You little--!" He launched his punches faster, not letting the woman come close to him. He launched multiple left and right hooks in succession, however, the woman came close and was dodging them fairly easily. She was now inside his box and when he realized this, it was too late. She gave him a right uppercut to his jaw. It looked weak but it was more than enough to knock the right guard out. The guard staggered for a bit and then collapsed on his back.
She then shook her right hand. "Oww…" She then rotated her right hand, biting her lip for a bit. "I'm really getting rusty. Or they're just too heavy." She then wore her disguise once more as she opened the door to the room. She entered the room, all 4 guards were now looking at her. She then panted. "I just got here! When I looked, both of them were knocked out!" she added, successfully imitating a deep man's voice once more.
All the guards were silent. They then pointed all of their pistols at her.
The door behind her then closed. Behind her was the Detective. He then clapped as he walked in front of her. "You thought that wash the lasht of me, didn't you?" He then looked at her intently. "You're not fooling anyone here, Phantom Thief."
She then sighed. 'I guess old dogs do learn new tricks, after all.' She then kicked him the groin as the place suddenly became covered by a thick smoke.
Haruto then knelt down in pain. "Agh… Shit!" He then turned around and ordered his men. "Protect the sword!" He wanted to puke due to the stimulus of being kicked in the groin but it wasn't the right time and place for such a thing.
As the thick smoke dissipated, the men found the metal glass case still intact, but the sword wasn't inside the case anymore.
"Sir! The sword has been taken!" one of them shouted in agony.
"Dang it!" Haruto punched the floor in anger. The fact that he couldn't move and that they lost once more was haunting him.
Meanwhile on top of museum, the woman was walking slowly on top of the roof. The police lights were all following her every move. "I have won once more. And I will be back for more. Museums that have claimed the liberty of common people, your end is nigh." she then jumped off on top of a group of policemen below her and vanished, a rain of poker cards greeting the expecting police officers instead.
Meanwhile, inside a white Toyota HI-ACE, 4 people were chatting.
"Such flashy speech. Much flex. Is it steal? Wowe." a smirking man wearing a police officer uniform muttered. He was holding the sword in the stone, a gilded sword with diamonds on its hilt and a blood colored ruby on its pommel. His voice or her voice sounded really distorted.
"Hephaestus, shut it." Azrael hissed at the teasing individual.
"Oh shut it. I just want to sleep." the guy named Fuujin stretched his arms. "God of Ignorance, why is it that only your getaway vehicle wasn't spotted?" he asked. "The dudes were totally coming for me a while ago. Good thing Hef's disguise was perfect." he added.
"Old dogs can still learn new tricks. Right, Az?" the person called God of Ignorance looked at her. Hephaestus's voice could be heard in the background, saying the words 'Much disguise. Very infiltrate.'
Their driver was eerily silent.
As this was happening, on the center of the roof of the museum, a man wearing a ninja gi could be seen, the gi was also sleeveless, but his arms were covered with mesh. His eyes were stern, the lower part of his face covered by a mask. He only had 1 sheathed kodachi tied behind him. "At this pace, the police will never win." he muttered as he disappeared into the night.
11 o'clock pm…
Hakata Private Academy Shrine…
Iriyama Arthur was waiting in the shrine, looking at the night sky when he heard the offering box's contents clattering. He was only a few steps away as he was only standing beside the wall for the wishes of the students in that area. Curious, he then moved closer to check the offering box. He then saw the famed sword, humbly presented on top of it. He then cried and bowed in front of the shrine, offering all the coins inside his purse. "Thank you…" he then raised his head. "If you need anything, I'll send it." He smiled gently then went his way down the shrine and rode his car home.
The next day…
July 26, 2015…
Sakura woke up by herself this time. Her eyes looked really tired. She glanced at the girl on the bed several steps away from hers. She saw that the girl's eyes were almost lifeless and the smile she was giving off started to become creepy. "A-aoi… Are you alright?" she asked.
"Non." she answered. Her voice almost sounded robotic.
A moment of silence took over the room after that certain response.
Several minutes later, both of them were now in the school grounds. Preparing themselves because today is the day that the French Visitors have chosen to visit their school.
Several minutes later, Fuchigami-sensei who stayed up all night to prepare for this moment was now orienting them outside a vacant room about the program when a certain duo walked up to them. It was a priest and a nun.
"Ah… Err… 'cuse me but, where's the toilet?" The priest asked them. He spoke in such a funny dialect that Sakura immediately recognized that the man was from Osaka.
"Uhm… It’s to the right of the room you're currently in front of right now."
"Ah. Ah. Okay. Okay. Thanks." He then rushed to the toilet as the nun bowed in front of them and left, waiting in front of the toilet.
Sakura then looked outside of the window and saw a group of policemen who looked foreign to the city. She squinted her eyes, looking at the emblems of their uniforms. "Kansai Police? What are they doing here?"
"When it comes to security, Kansai people top everyone in the country. That's why they're here." Fuchigami then looked outside and was weirded out. "Why is the Senior Commissioner for Kansai Region here?" she added.
"Senior Commissioner? That really charismatic Yamamoto Sakuya?" Sakura looked outside and saw the renowned 'Phantom Thief Killer'. Yamamoto Sakuya was one of the only 2 known Police Officials to reportedly catch a Phantom Thief and execute them. The other one to do so was Takahashi Minato of the Police Headquarters in the Kanto region. Despite his kind aura and handsome face, he was feared by criminals.
Aoi was looking outside the window, admiring the face of the said official.
They then saw him laughing to a Military Official, the Chief of Staff of the Ground Self-Defense Force, Fukumoto Akio. "Why is a High-ranking official here?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"That's what I was wondering about. Maybe one of the investors is a bigshot?" Fuchigami's eyes were focused on them. Sakuya noticed them and winked gently as he continued walking.
Aoi then knelt down, remembering Sakuya's wink. "Sakura, I think he's the one." She said, now lovestruck.
Sakura sighed. "Sorry to burst your bubble but he's already married." she glared at Aoi.
"¡No!" Aoi's dreams were shattered.
"Hey, we're going to speak in French, not Spanish." Sakura's glare intensified.
"Now, now. Let's continue where we left off. There's this mass that will occur before the reception. Now, please don't sleep on the Father's sermon." Fuchigami warned them.
"I'm fine but I don't know about Sakura." Aoi confidently answered, crossing her arms.
"You’re the one to talk, Aoi. You slept through one of the lectures last week." Sakura glared at her.
"Ihh... I was tired that time, okay? It doesn't count." Aoi pouted. "At least appreciate my efforts." she added, staring at Sakura.
"This is why the older generations think we all want entitlement, Aoi." Sakura was not having her excuse now.
Hakata Private Academy Great Hall…
8 o'clock am…
A mass started in the Great Hall. Everyone was required to attend, majorly to encourage investors that the school respects their religion.
The Priest was a baby-faced man in his 30s. He had a strange accent coupled with his Kansai dialect which made him sound funny and not even serious about what he was preaching. The priest's name is Ogasawara Masaru.
"Everyone… Let's raise our hands to the Lord!" He said, charismatically raising his hands to the air. He walked to the center of the aisle. "Come! Everybody, stand and raise your hands." he added, his eyes closed as if feeling an invisible entity.
Yamamoto Sakuya who stood guard and had his back against the wall felt weird about his sermons. 'I thought he was preaching in an Orthodox Catholic style. Why the heck is he doing a Protestant way of interacting with the churchgoers?' he thought, glaring at Masaru.
Everyone who sat in the pews stood up and raised their hands.
"Let's all throw away our sorrows, problems, worries, and anxieties to the Lord, our God!" he then looked at everyone. "Let's hold hands and celebrate this mass!" he added.
A male student then came and held his hand which earned an automatic response. "DON'T TOUCH MY HAND!" he angrily exclaimed, shocking the student as if his words were electricity. The student was shaking on the ground. He then walked back to the front of the aisle and continued preaching 'God's words'. The nun looked really dead inside while the service was ongoing.
Sakura saw what just happened and was shocked herself. 'What the actual…?' she then felt weird throughout the entire mass. She then looked beside her, seeing that her friend, Aoi, was so absorbed in the mass it wanted to make her laugh.
After the mass had ended, the church pews were removed by the Janitors of the school and were replaced by tables and chairs. The guests were asked to wait in the lounge connected to the sides of the Great Hall as the school staff prepared the banquet for their special visitors.
The Student Council save for Chihiron were busy cramming French phrases to the last minute. Sakura however had to multi-task by studying and keeping Aoi functioning at the same time.
Several minutes later, the guests were called back to the Great Hall. A huge feast was before them. The chairs and tables looked fancy, and a large empty space was at the center, possibly for dancing.
The Student Council members plus Natsu were all wearing their respective outfits for the party.
Natsu was wearing a light blue and black vertically striped vest over his white shirt, its cuff links buttoned while wearing his standard black pair of trousers and shiny black leather shoes. His hair was his usual hair: messy and wavy.
Rui was wearing a white shirt that has its top button unbuttoned under a black blazer, its sleeves rolled up which earned the ire of the Student Council President. He was also wearing a standard black pair of trousers with a shiny brown leather shoes. His hair was his usual hair as well; middle length and messy.
Moriyasu was an eye catcher for he was wearing a black shirt under a white blazer, paired with a white pair of trousers. He was wearing a shiny black leather shoes as well. His hair was short and slicked back.
For the girls' side, Sakura was wearing a shirt which was transparent yet had a bluish hue on the area above the chest and a non-transparent black on the area of the chest down to her waist, its collar was a non-transparent white, and the area where the buttons are looked more opaque than the rest of the shirt. She was wearing a vibrant red-violet skirt adorned by rose patterns which appeared to be made of silk, reaching up to the area above her knee. Her simple 2-inch sandals were not to be under-estimated for it makes her stylish by covering her ankle. Her hair was styled like a model's, the back portion was braided, a few of her fringes in the side were curled. Her makeup was simple yet made her look fierce and her lips has a glossy brown tint to it. For accessories, she was wearing a pair of black triangle earrings.
Aoi's image changed from a cutesy image to an adult one simply by looking at her outfit. She was wearing a sando vest which showed the area above her chest. It was covered by a blue green and black checkered blazer that was just the right size for her. She was also wearing dark blue denim jeans. Her shoes was an open black faux suede loafer. For accessories, she has a heart-shaped pendant on her neck. Her hair was simply let down. She was also wearing a pair of round glasses. Her pink lips completed her simple and rebellious outfit.
Chihiron's outfit took a break from making her look nerdy and instead made her look a fashionable adult. She was wearing a long black one piece dress which had a white dot pattern upon closer inspection. The dress had buttons on the chest area, apparently for the convenience of the person wearing it. The sleeves of the said dress reached her wrists. However, she was wearing a black cashmere trench coat over it. She wore a simple open black faux suede loafer with a ribbon on top of it for her footwear. Her hair was simply let down. Her makeup was her usual makeup for everyday attendance to school.
When they looked at each other, Sakura was good to see that the boys followed the dress code but was staring down at Rui due to his rolled sleeves, making him sweat bullets. Sakura then checked the outfits of the girls, looking at Chihiron first who seemed to be looking fine for the party. Not too formal, and not too casual either. She then looked at Aoi who was basically rebelling against the dress code, wearing casual wear.
Natsu looked at Aoi as well, and was impressed with how she looks mature despite being cute at the same time.
She then dragged Aoi to a corner. "What are you wearing, Aoi!? I thought we told you that it was supposed to be formal!" Sakura was mad.
"Ihh…! But I like my clothes better." Aoi pouted.
"No buts!" Sakura silently scolded Aoi then dragged her to the nearest dressing room. Natsu could only look at her as she was being dragged away by Sakura.
Several minutes later, Aoi came out with Sakura but she was wearing something else entirely. She was now wearing a frilly gothic white shirt, with a black ribbon tied around the collar and a long black skirt which reached up to her ankles. Her shoes were a pair of closed black boots which covered her feet up to her ankles. Her hair was now curled slightly and the frilly cuffs of her shirt was not undone.
Natsu was amazed once more. Moriyasu then went to the left of Natsu and told him, "You like that kind of girl?"
Natsu just glared at him. "What's wrong with admiring such a cute girl?" He then went back to admiring Aoi. Moriyasu's eyes widened, weirded out and shocked at the same time.
She watched the crowd as she enjoyed the music and atmosphere. She then noticed her friend, Aoi, who had been conversing with some of the French investors. She then heard a weird but overly familiar piece of music coming from the same direction. "D-don't tell me…" She then walked swiftly to Aoi's direction. And her hunch was right.
The Imperial March was playing in Aoi's background and she conversed with the investors. Sakura then listened to their conversation.
"Mademoiselle, do you mind if you repeat what you said earlier?" one of them said. It was a blonde French man in his 30s. He was chuckling gently as he looked at Aoi.
Aoi then closed her eyes and calmly looked at the said investor. "Bonjour." She then did a finger gun pose at him. "Laissez faire. Merci."
He then laughed. "Tu est belle!" he smiled at Aoi.
Aoi then looked at Sakura. Aoi felt scared after seeing Sakura's gaze at her. But instead of showing said fear, she did a finger gun pose at Sakura. "Pew pew." she muttered.
Sakura's jaw dropped but she remembered what the investor said. She thought that they probably think she's a cute kid and that she's the pet of the current Student Council.
Before the party ended, the guests and some of the staff had the chance to dance waltz in the center of the great hall.
Natsu knelt in front of Aoi, which shocked the said girl, as he offered his right hand, asking her to dance. "Mademoiselle, would you be my first dance?" he smiled at her.
"Certainly." Aoi answered as elegantly as she could. She then gave him her right hand. Natsu was delighted with her answer as he stood up and guided her to the center.
Moriyasu went to Chihiron's seat, bowed slightly, and with an uneasy smile, offered to take her on a dance. Chihiron, though doubtful, removed her trench coat, revealing her black dress, and took his hand. His uneasy smile changed to that of a kid's as he walked with Chihiron to the center.
Sakura, who was watching gleefully, noticed a certain hand at the corner of her right eye. It was Rui, albeit nervous and was scratching the back of his head, and he was quite brave enough to ask her for a dance. "Too bad I'm not Meru but… Would I really suffice?" she smiled, letting him get off the hook for once.
"Why won't you be? You're one of the most popular girls in school. And the boys would literally kill for a dance with you." Rui smiled bitterly.
She then felt a familiar presence near them which made her grin. She stood up and buttoned the top button of Rui's shirt. "A smart and talented man like you should act finer. Come with me." She then pulled him to the center.
"Sakura-san, I'm not really good at dancing but please bear with me." Rui frowned.
"Don't worry, I'll guide you." She then placed Rui's right hand on her waist and placed her left hand on his shoulder. She then guided him. "A clue to dancing this style is to lead. How would you get her heart when all you could do is whimper at the sight of her?" Sakura helped him maneuver around the center part of the room.
"You're right, Sakura-san!" He had some sort of a confidence boost after hearing her words.
She then removed his hand from her waist and let go of his hand. "Now go and ask her to dance. She's watching near the door in the lounge." She smiled once more and walked back to her seat.
Meanwhile, Aoi and Natsu finished theirs as well. Aoi was walking back to her chair then looked at Moriyasu and Chihiron and saw that they're almost finished as well. The moment Chihiron and Moriyasu went their own ways, Aoi stood up and ran to Moriyasu. "Maki~ Let's dance!" She pouted.
Maki glared at her. 'Is she for real?'
"Oh come on, just a friendly dance! Sorry I'm not Sakura or Chihiron." she pouted once more.
He sighed. "Sure. Sure." He then bowed slightly and offered his hand.
"Yay!" Aoi took his hand and both of them danced to the music.
Rui ran to Meru who was hiding in the door separating the Lounge and the Great Hall. "Meru! I… I…" Before he could finish his sentence, Natsu came to their direction. "Oh. What's up?" Natsu asked.
Meru then clung to Natsu's left arm. "Matsuoka-san! Dance with me!" she was lovestruck. And Rui? Devastated. Natsu who was weirded out, nodded and Meru immediately pulled him to dance.
Sakura saw all of it happened. She then stood up and ran to Rui's side. "Ah…" She didn't know what to say. "I'm… Sorry for your loss." She then patted his back.
A popular female model who attended the party saw what happened as well and went to comfort Rui. "Hi. I saw what happened." She smiled bitterly. "It's alright. You can take a photo with me if you want." She then stared evilly at Rui. "And then brag to her that I tried hitting on you." she added.
Sakura then went in between them. "No thank you." she said as she felt weirded out with the model's words.
July 23, 2015…
3 days before the French Investor Visit…
Conference Room in an Unknown Location…
A conference of several masked individuals was taking place. There were 12 people in total. Their masks were simple white masks which covered the upper area of their face, from nose to eyes, even eyebrows. They were all seated around a huge round table. Only one of them is really sitting in that room for all of them were hologram projections. A video played on the hologram on the center of the round table.
It was the video of the Phantom Thief named Azrael.
“Fare thee well, Detective.” The Female Phantom Thief jumped off, spread her cape, and then flew off to a building several meters away with a billboard which turned out to be a disguise for the latter’s true escape vehicle, a helicopter. The Helicopter quickly took off, leading to an unknown location.
Silence followed after the video finished playing. A highly censored voice broke it, however. "So what do you think?"
"She's good. At least better than the current generation of our Organization." a voice of an unknown gender answered. His hologram was wearing a blazer, with a white shirt under it, together with a black necktie.
"Oh come on, they're still trainees. They haven't even debuted, Perfection." a seductive female voice retorted. It belonged to someone wearing a white coat. Her cleavage could be seen.
"Porn mag, I do not care. They suck." the masked guy called Perfection then groaned.
"It's Seduction, not Porn mag. Don't make me go there. I know where you live." the woman threatened.
"Fine, fine. I'm sorry. According to reports, the Police have been speculating that she has at least 2 to 3 accomplices? Not bad." he then rested his head on his right hand. "At least they don't go stealing like they're on a fieldtrip." he added sarcastically.
"Perfection!" the woman called Seduction retorted angrily.
A man wearing a black trench coat then intervened. "Now, now. We are here to discuss about our first heist after retiring for at least 7 years now. We don't want it to end with all of us behind bars, right?" He was quite buffed for his age.
"Whatever, Gentleman. Why are we even doing this?" the man called Perfection was steadily losing interest.
"I don't know what you guys are talking about." a deep emotionless voice answered. It belonged to a slender man with a long hair. His hologram was wearing a white shirt under an apron. "I mean, nobody has seen me or even caught a glimpse of me in my 7 years in service." he's basically flexing his stealth abilities now.
"Oh sorry, Joker. I was really bad at doing my job, no?" Seduction stared him down.
The guy called 'Gentleman' and a man wearing a full collar black shirt were snickering upon hearing Seduction's words.
"Shut it. I'll kill you both, Gentleman and Wizard." Seduction threatened.
The man called Wizard then stopped. "Okay, okay. Let's get to the matter at hand. Since Perfection and Perfect Girl's wedding anniversary are almost around the corner, why don't we help with Cameron's clients and whatnot?" he then stood up. "That's right. A special collaboration between all of us!" he added.
"Yeah! Let's do it! Let's do it!" An enthusiastic female voice answered. "Perfect girl wants a collab!" the woman was sitting on the armrest of Perfection's chair.
Seduction then sighed. "Perfect Girl isn't a member of our group though. Are you sure it's fine? I mean… She was under a different Organization." She then looked at a woman with a slightly curled middle length hair. "What do you think, Chaos?" Perfect Girl frowned upon hearing this.
The woman then played with her hair. "I guess it's fine. She did become our temp when we were near retirement. Seducting Hag should really just retire though." this statement just now earned the ire of Seduction.
"Who the heck is Seducting Hag? It's Seduction!" she retorted.
"Whatever." Chaos then remembered something. "Wait a second, what's going to be our target then?"
A masked woman who moved timidly then answered. "U-uhm… It's not target but targets."
"Why thank you, technically-correct man-- I mean… Ghost." Chaos answered. "Eh? Targets? What are those then?" she added.
"Cameron's lost paintings." a woman who sported a bob cut tilted her head a little.
A rowdy man then leaned forward. "Somebody actually stole those, Reverie?"
"Yeah, Madness. According to Cameron, he wanted to reclaim them but he couldn't do anything because they were museums."
"So when? I mean… Sakaguchi's Museum for Arts is obviously the place so… When are we doing it?" Chaos was getting impatient.
"Let's do it on the 26th."
"I have a photoshoot that day. Make it 28th!"
"I have host duties that day. Let's go 27th!"
"Guys, I have a cooking class that day. 29th is the day, I swear."
The timid woman called 'Ghost' by her peers then broke her silence. "I…! I checked all of our schedules and 31st seems to be a good day…"
They then all nodded to her idea.
"Then it's set. The 31st shall mark the day we wreak havoc in the town of Hakata." Perfection said as he ended the meeting. His smirk was the last thing they saw before all of the hologram apparatuses turned off. Only the man called Joker remain seated.
July 26, 2015…
8 o'clock pm…
The party ended up with no casualties. At least on the outside. Rui was so depressed Sakura had to ask Moriyasu to make sure he keeps Rui company. The guests left already and so were they. Sasshi was granted more funds and was happy with the Student Council's help.
***
Several days after the party, specifically the 31st, Sakura was sitting on the couch, watching television due to Aoi trying to catch up with her lessons. The sky was already dark and the sun had already set. As she was wasting the fragile thing she calls life while watching the obviously boring TV shows, the channel immediately changed to one stating 'Emergency Broadcast'. This made her raise one of her eyebrows.
Aoi heard the announcement on TV as well and stopped studying or at least pretending to study. She joined Sakura on the couch and watched the news.
A certain group of men and women clad in white tuxedoes decorated the screen. The background was dark and they were all wearing white masks. "Attention to all citizens of Hakata: We, the Original Naniwa Phantom Thieves are going to start a show tonight! You are all invited to watch us amaze and outperform the heroic people you all call Security. Life is all about the little things they say. And thus, tonight, we would be taking the 24 paintings of Kaneko. Be amazed in the little performance that we have organized for this show tonight."
A following footage then showed a group of men and women clad in white tuxedoes who were running left and right in the museum. They ran as fast as the wind and the security guards couldn't do anything but watch.
Two of them were confronted by a group of the security guards. A man and a woman. The duo then started a comedy skit which bewildered the guards. Several minutes later, all of them were already laughing so hard, they couldn't do anything. Both of them then smirked. The woman made several hand gestures which made the water from a nearby fountain rise and move to the feet of all the guards and then freeze, rendering them immobile. They then ran to the next area, the man making several hand signals which made wood from the walls cover the path.
Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Are they…" she muttered. Aoi then looked at her. "The Original Naniwa Phantom Thieves?" she added. Aoi had no idea what she was saying. However, she moved closer to the TV set, expressing her admiration for the group of thieves that are currently doing an exhibition.
Meanwhile, a certain woman clad in red, who joined the several men and women clad in white, captured Sakura's eyes. Sakura was really shocked now. The woman was elegantly dodging capture from guards left and right. "P-perfect girl…?" was the only words Sakura could manage to mutter.
The woman clad in red was efficiently moving, not wasting time as she dodged, evaded, and escaped from her pursuers. "At this rate, you'll never catch me, Guard-kun~!" She playfully said as she disappeared from their sight.
In the right wing of the Museum, the guards were distracted by a certain woman with a middle length hair slightly curled and was clad in white. She ran all around the guards, her hands containing a needle. She then reappeared in front of them. "I just pricked all of you with this needle. And this needle is covered with a poisonous venom I got from a huge selection of venomous snakes."
The guards were now scared of what she just said. They then slowly felt paralyzed and were weakening. One of them was even turning red.
"You won't feel them immediately but you won't wake up again." She smirked. The guards then slowly lost consciousness one by one.
The woman then sighed after the last of them fainted. "That was a lie. I used a Sleeping Draught." She then slowly walked away from them. "And a weak one at that too." She added as she went for the paintings. "The power of human mind is really amazing."
Meanwhile, in the left wing of the Museum, the guards cornered a certain airhead looking woman who was also clad in white.
"You're not getting away now, Phantom Thief!" said one of them.
"If we turn her in, we'd be famous!" said another.
The woman then tilted her head as all of the guards looked directly into her eyes. They then froze as if they were robots who were out of battery. She then ordered, "Prevent the Police from getting inside the Museum. Thank you! Please do your best, okay?" she then walked away as if the guards were nothing but her pawns.
"Yes, my Lord." the guards answered in chorus. The guards then moved in a robot-like motion and stood guard outside the Museum.
In the blink of an eye, the leader of the group appeared on top of the museum roof together with the woman clad in red. He then smirked at the police below who were having a hard time getting in due to the museum staff who are currently stopping their tracks. He then spoke, carrying a really charismatic voice. "The show has officially ended. Thank you to all who participated in this night's performance." He then bowed his head with his right hand on the left part of his chest. He then raised his head as all of his comrades appear beside him, now carrying all 24 paintings. They then vanished into thin air as it rained gilded cards containing the words 'Naniwa Phantom Thieves'. The TV then returned to its original broadcast.
The theft happened so fast Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was faster. No. They were faster. Faster than the group of thieves that usually steals from that museum. Faster than Sakura's own group of Phantom Thieves.
Meanwhile, in a mansion several kilometers away from the said Museum, a young woman, who was seated on a gold throne and holding a glass of red wine, clenched her teeth and threw her wineglass near the 24-inch flat screen television screen. The interior of the mansion was dyed in red, the floor covered by red carpet. A certain memory suddenly took over her mind. The young woman then regained her composure. Her eyes were now cold and indifferent after seeing the moves of the Phantom Thieves on screen, she then muttered. "The Hidden Village of Hakata needs to rest."
A butler then bowed slightly and raised his head with his right hand gently placed on the left part of his chest. “Yes, your highness.” He then vanished into the darkness.
-=To be Continued=-