On that day, Yokohama vanished.

Like roasting sugar, the blue buildings in the administrative division melted.

On the coast, there was a chemical industry that evaporated quickly as if

scorched by the sun.

On the paved roads, there were swarms of nicely arranged cars, and as if
granted permission from the existence of a whimsical god, an ashen color
became to shimmer and suddenly all the humans disappeared.

From a window, there was a young man staring at the blue sky.

There was also a pair of lovers holding hands as they walked on the seashore
(of a public park).

There was also a group of criminals planning to perform evil deeds in the
underground.

Everything happened suddenly, and no one noticed nor feared of disappearing –

but in one moment everything seized to exist.

It was as if it was performed by the slight of a magician’s hand.

However, it is not a magic trick, and with a radius of 35 kilometers, nearly 4

million people vanished, and not even a magician’s thoughtless wink could
return them again.

And even far away from the shores of Yokohama’s heart, the “high fever” left
nothing in its wake and left; everything was gone. However, somewhere far away
there is a place where one can never leave for good.

The only things that were left behind was a simmering red liquid that
glistened as if they belonged to the souls of the dead and the summer’s deep
blue sky that reached towards the universe.

There was only a strange quiet.

Even loneliness was gone.

Up above, only the summer’s bright cumulus clouds swam at a leisure pace as if
not interested in the giant vanishing city.

Summer is here.

Just only 55 minutes ago from then, zero hour announces the time to disappear.
Yokohama’s Disappearance 55 minutes ago.

Atsushi Nakajima was on the ocean.

A speedboat frantically crashed through the white waves, scattering them into
white splashes.

Atsushi stood on the bow of the high-speed craft with the wind spraying
droplets of water that bathed his entirety.

“Oi, Atsushi! You know you will stumble into the ocean the way you’re
standing!”

Atsushi looked back to the cabin where the voice was calling from.

“Kunikida-san! This is my very first time riding a fast ferry! The weather
feels nice at this speed!”

The youth with glasses called Kunikida frowned from the cabin’s door.

“I realize and know (the weather and the speed),” Kunikida said as he took out
his notebook from his bosom.

“For today’s weather, there is a 0% chance of precipitation. The south and

southeastern wind speeds have a wave height between 1 to 1.5 meters, and so—”

“The same as ever with your journal, you write everything in there…”

“My diary includes a schedule for the entire universe. It’s good to keep track
of everything with a notebook. There was even a time when I was a part of
Japan’s Meteorological Agency when the forecast was off.”

Atsushi watched him close the notebook, and with his back turned away,
Kunikida said in a vicious voice, “Anyway, get in the cabin, and don’t move so
quickly on the boat. We have a job to discuss about.”

“Ah, alright. I understand.”

Atsushi obediently jumped away from the ship’s bow.

Above, in the sky, a seagull flew following the ship while it sang.

Watching Kunikida’s back, he followed him into the cabin where cool air hit
his face.

Inside the cabin was a lounge. On the walls there were maps, life jackets, and
a group photo of crew members. In the middle of the room there was a long desk
used for meetings that was surrounded by milky white chairs.

”Look, all the detective agency members have gathered already and have been
waiting for you.” Kunikida pointed (indoors).

“They were waiting…here?” Atsushi looked around at the members.

There were 4 people sitting in the lounge.

Atsushi wondered what could they be waiting for.

“Nnn, ughh… I feel awful…. Isn’t the boat swaying a bit too much, Naomi….?
Aaa, the world is swaying…. Just like my digestive track…. I’m feeling worse…
ughhhhh.”

“Ahhhh, oniisama, my pitiful oniisama.  You can let it all out because Naomi
will take care of you. So, go ahead and vomit, ufufufu.”

Tanizaki, who is stretching all over the innermost part of his seat, is one of
the detectives closest in age to Atsushi, and he is also one of his seniors.
His face is blue, and is thrust into a metal basin where he is muttering
something.

His sister Naomi is carefully nursing him while she bears a face of ecstatic
joy for some reason.

For all Atsushi knew, his sister, Naomi, enjoyed seeing her older brother in
trouble, and he did not know the reason why.

Next to them —.

“This picture isn’t very good. The lacerations on the mandible isn’t displayed
clearly. What ‘good’ quality.  The shot bulges out of the small intestine, the
pancreas, and the spleen, and the sacrum is blown off completely. And then,
this was magnified and pasted onto the Detective Agency’s wall.”

The Detective Agency’s exclusive female doctor, Yosano, was carefully sorting
the photographs side by side on a desk.

Positioned in the photos was a terrible murder scene of a body left behind.
The body was shredded, with the neck severed, and its bones protruding. There
were ten pictures of the scene that she was bringing closely to her face, and
from time to time she would sigh happily at them.

Next to her…

“Mumble…mumble… Mouko, you’re such a wonderful cow. You’re eating healthy,

right?…Mumble…”

The smiling boy who is sleeping peacefully is named Kenji, and he is the
youngest member of the group. Before he worked in the agency, he raised cattle
and lived in the countryside where there was no electricity. He came to
Yokohama after he was discovered by the President. He has a good-natured
personality, and is not suspicious and does not doubt anyone he meets. Despite
his personality, he is still able to work well and get good results for the
agency.  He is also very vicious when woken up – enough to send people from
the underground running, so no one in the Detective Agency forces Kenji to
wake up.

Atsushi looked at all the detective agency members from one end of the room to
the other. Afterwards, he looked at the opposite side of the room and stared
at the seating order.

Then he stared at Kunikida.

“Waiting….?”

“Yeah….” Kunikida’s face squinted. “That’s it…that’s what we’re waiting for:
other people.”

“Dazai-san doesn’t seem to be the type to wait even if you asked…” Atsushi
looked around. “Where is Dazai-san?”
“That idiot,” Kunikida rubbed his temples. “He jumped into the ocean and said
‘I’m going to swim!!!’ to the harbor where we’re supposed to meet.” It was too
troublesome for him help out, so he left to swim to the harbor. Around this
time, sharks would be looking for meals.

The man called Dazai is also from the detective agency, and he was the person
who had invited Atsushi to join it.  No one can read his thoughts (on what he
will do next), and his behavior is strange. He is the type of person that
claims his hobby is “suicide,” and Kunikida struggles to keep Dazai in line,
but in Atsushi’s point of view, there will never be a day when he is not doing
his duty.

They were the armed detective agency.

The armed detective agency is an independent group of ability users situated

in Yokohama. It responds to requests and also helps with dangerous cases that
cannot be left to the police. The members are called “ability users,” and most
of them have unusual powers. The citizens of Yokohama and its government
places a huge trust on them, however….

“Let’s begin the meeting. Attention, everyone!” Kunikida shouted, but no one
reacted to him. Tanizaki was still in pain, Yosano was still crazily selecting
photos, Kenji was still sleeping, and Naomi was paying full attention to her
brother.

“The same as ever,” Atsushi thought.

The Detective Agency members all have strong personalities, so it is very

difficult to control them. In a unit of two individuals they work well
together, however, in a group situation it is usually Kunikida who is burdened
with leading them.

“Attention, everyone!” Kunikida’s voice was once again absorbed by the cabin’s
walls in vain.

Atsushi fidgeted as he watched Kunikida. Kunikida could still not gather

everyone’s attention, and no one responded.

“S…So, Kunikida-san, what was the discussion about?” Atsushi asked bashfully.

“Ugh, it can’t be helped. Atsushi, since you’re the only one who wants to
listen, I’ll tell you.” Kunikida cleared his throat, and their eyes met. “I
don’t know the details about the request, but there is a client on
an island where this ship is heading to. The request was that we capture some
thieves on it.”

“Thieves?”

“Yes,” Kunikida nodded. “We’re exterminating thieves, and with our

lineup, we shouldn’t make our arrests extravagant.”

Kunikida and Atsushi stared at the people inside.  Each member of the agency
continued to spend their time individually.

Atsushi thinks. For this request, if anything the thieves are to pity.
Strangers could not imagine this, but the people here now are the best members
of the armed detective agency. Each member of the agency had powerful
abilities that could destroy, not only the thieves, but one entire tiny city.
He wonders if Kunikida will be right about having a non- ‘extravagant’ arrest
with them.

It seems that the client’s request intends to have all employees mobilize at
once. The client must be incredibly prudent and have an incredibly large
wallet.

“Mumble mumble…. Mouko… If people and cows talked to one another with all
their hearts, they could truly understand one another….If you can’t, hit them
with a bucket….Mumble…”

Kenji murmurs in his sleep.

“Ugh….I feel awful….Naomi…. Can you give me a glass of cold water?”

“Of course, let me help you drink! Here, let’s do it mouth-to-mouth!”

“No, normally….”

The Tanizaki siblings are not nursing each other.

“Mmm, when you look at the body and flesh in this way, it makes me want to
unite all the femurs and decorate them. Ne, Atsushi…give me your femur!”

“I will not!”

“Milk will cure you.”

“It will not!”

Explaining how great these people are will probably be too difficult.

“Ah, actually, Kunikida-san…” Atsushi asked suddenly thinking of something.

“About the request on the ‘Thieves Extermination’…. Why did the client choose
to rely on the Detective Agency and not the Police?”

“You mean to say you came not knowing about that “island?”” Kunikida
questioned. “The reason is simple: Strictly speaking, the police have no
investigation rights on that island because that island isn’t a part of Japan.

Not a part of Japan?

“You’ll witness it at it’s earliest,” Kunikida said and pointed at their line
of sight outside of the ship. “Around this time you should see it soon.” They
looked at the sea outside the ferry’s window.

“That’s….!?”
The first impression Atsushi gets when he sees it is – an “island of
machines.”

Rather than an island, it was like a huge plate floating above the ocean. From
a distance, he could see a sturdy building made up of stone with about three
floors. The structure is supported on a metal plate and not the earth. The
walls are supported by countless golden pillars, and the pillars are submerged
in the sea. At the back of the pillars there seems to be a large turbine
propeller rotating.

There’s no nature there, only a tremendous machine floating on the sea.

“The large floating island is called ‘standard island,’”Kunikida said as he

flipped through his notebook. “The voyaging island was jointly designed by
three countries: Germany, England, and France, and is also co-governed by the
three countries. The island is self-sufficient without relying on earth, and
independently steers itselfwith a combination of operations using ocean
thermal energy conversion, wave power, solar power, and wind power generators,
etc.

It drifts in the Pacific Ocean, searching for a climate that is suitable for
its power generator, so that is why it near Yokohama. It’s more like a ship
than an island, though.”

“A ship….” Atsushi stared at the exterior of the island in awe. That entire
floating island that the city was on is not the size of a ship. “It does seem
kind of funny to be an island.”

“No, that island is a joke in itself,” Kunikida shook his head. “Prepare
yourself. Once you step foot on that island, anything might happen.”

Before entering the island, a rigid identity check was done in the high speed
boat.

In addition to checking fingerprints and retina, there was also a thorough

examination of belongings beginning with inspections of explosives, chemical
substances, and drugs.

The strict examination was similar to entering a military facility or entering

an airport in a country in the middle of war. Kunikida said that this ship was
the only way to enter the island and its thorough identity checks prevent
dangerous activities and crimes from entering the island at the border.

Without fail, Atsushi and the others passed the inspection. They then
proceeded to get off the fast ferry at the island’s entrance and finally
stepped onto the island itself.

Looking at the island’s scenery, Atsushi admired it.

The entire island felt like a foreign country.

Covering the sidewalk there is a pavement with various shaped stones in navy
blue. They are lined up on both sides of the sidewalk. All the buildings are
made of bricks the color of vintage wine. Every house also has windows
decorated in lime-paint, and there are porcelain porches between columns.
Nearby, there is a watermill hut rotating water.

Before Atsushi and the others, there was a horse-drawn carriage pulled by an
actual horse with ashen-colored hair causing a rattling noise as it went
through traffic. Beyond the streets there was a clock tower with outer walls
made out of honey stone, and they found the huge needle clock pointing at
11:12.

“This is the British territory,” Kunikida said while looking around. “The
layout of the area simulates the streets of London in the 19th century, but
nevertheless, it is packed with state-of-the-art technology in its foundation
and interior. There’s no reason to fuss over nothing, so relax.” (Here, he
literally says: 生水で腹を壊すことはない which means “No need to break your
belly with unboiled water.” So, I figured it was best to write “No reason to
fuss…” instead.)

“It’s confusing to the eyes…” Atsushi sighed.

“First of all, this is for everyone.” Kunikida said, and took out several
silver coins from his bosom.

“What is this? A reward?” (Lit. said: ‘Reward/Tip/Rent?“)

"Is there even a reason for a reward?  …This is an identification badge for
the island I got from the client.” Kunikida hands out the coins one by one to
the employees and started to walk. “Ordinary tourists have copper coins, but
with ours, you can put the identification signal emitted from the copper coin
on doors, and you can enter a classified area where no normal tourists can
enter.” Atsushi looks at and turns around his received coin. On the surface,
there is a figure of a god who seems to be, in particular, a God of the Sea
who is holding onto a trident. Somewhere else there is a king’s face engraved
on the surface as well.

“If you are stopped by security guards and you do not have this coin, you will
be expelled outside of the island and identified as a suspicious
person."Kunikida looked at all the detectives. ”Do not lose this, and do not
accidentally spend this in a shop!“

Around that time, a horse carriage was heard rattling, and arrived in front of
Atsushi and the others.
"Haaaa….Is this the Armed Detective Agency party?”

Atsushi looks back to the voice that had given out such a grand sigh. A young
man wearing blue working clothes comes down from the carriage, and he gives
off the impression of a badly aged 30-year old. Atsushi thought that he looked
like a tired person.

“I am the captain of Standard Island….Haaa…. I am Captain Walston. I arranged

for all of you to come. Haa… I am the client. It is a pleasure to make your
acquaintance.”

“You’re the captain?” Kunikida stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,
thank you. You look quite exhausted, though, is everything okay?”

“Haa…… I’m worried, I’m afraid, but… This is my usual behavior, so don’t mind
me.”

“Haa….”

He gave a hopeless sigh similar to Atsushi’s.

A tired face in blue working clothes. Atsushi thought he looked more like a
repairman working in the ship’s engine room than a captain. Nevertheless,
despite his gloomy behavior, he is the most important person on the ship.
“Captain Walston, I’d like to ask about the details for this request
immediately." 

Suddenly, an electronic tune played causing distraction.

It was the sound of a chalmera ringing from a ramen stall. (Chalmera is a

flute that is well known throughout Japan. It usually is played for ramen
stalls.)

"Haa… Sorry. It’s the phone.” The captain took out his mobile phone from his
bosom. “Hello?”

Atsushi saw the tired expression on the captain’s face. He definitely chose a
unique ringtone. He wonders if he likes ramen.

“Yes, it’s done! I’m terribly sorry! I’ll definitely find it……Yes, but by all
means don’t bother anyone!”

After apologizing for something for a while, the captain hung up.

“He also seems to be in a constant position of worry.” Kunikida said in a

strange tone of sympathy.

“I sense six empty stomachs just now,” The captain murmured under his breath.
“Well then, haa…. I’m terribly sorry for being so impolite. There is an inn
for you just around the corner. Let me explain the request while I guide the
way.”

“Haa…..That’s it.”

Captain Walston said as they were passing through the exotic streets.
“The request is that I want to get rid of the thieves who are trying to steal
rare and valuable items. It’s that kind of request.”

“Thieves…. What kind of people are they?” Atsushi asked.

“Originally, this island strictly checked the identity of the person entering.
Furthermore, there is also sufficient security the wealthy resort to.
Therefore, there are many people who keep some kind of valuable things on this
island.”

“And the thieves are targeting them.” Kunikida nodded. “So, what is the
valuable item?” Walston shook his head slowly at Kunikida.

“It’s food.”

“Food?”

“Europe’s white truffle, which is regarded as the world’s most expensive food
ingredient, is a visionary ingredient that is traded at a price that is four
times as much as gold of the same weight. Right now, we are keeping the
highest record ever of the food by the name of a Truffle called "Jewel.” It’s
said that it’s value is priced at 1 million.“

"I see. Because food is perishable, paintings and jewels in comparison are
easier to buy through the black market, which means foodstuffs are more
valuable than collectibles. From a thief’s standpoint, it’s a golden
opportunity.” Kunikida said while entering the contents in his notebook. “It
is our duty to protect that valuable.”

“Yes, and I received information from Scotland Yard that three thieves are
aiming to steal that item, so I implore you.”

When Atsushi heard that, a feeling of uneasiness settled in his chest.

“Uhm…I’m sorry,” Atsushi asked timidly. “I know this is a thief extermination,

but…is there a reason why you requested for a lot of people?”
For this request, all seven members of the detective agency were dispatched.
As a general rule for the detectives, they usually worked in pairs, so it was
unusual.

“Certainly there’s a reason to Atsushi’s question.” Kunikida tilted his head.

“So what about it, Captain? Is there a secret?”

“S-s-s-secret? There’s no such thing!” Captain Walston suddenly jumped. “The

reason you were all called here was to make sure everything would be safe,
that’s all!" 

Atsushi and Kunikida stared at each other.

"Uhm….well……Oh! We’ve already arrived to our accommodation! Here we are!”

If one looked at the direction the captain pointed to, one could certainly see
a four story structure. The accommodation’s appearance was more that of a
fantasy than modern. 

“Come now, please come in. The island’s hotel is so popular that it has a
waiting list. Please go ahead and rest from the exhausting trip….and, truly
nothing will happen that you all should be concerned about, so…!”

After that, the captain sighed as quietly as he could. “…………Haa.”

In one hotel room, Atsushi opened his traveling bag.

The hotel was also built in a time reminiscing old London. A lamp imitating a
gas light, illuminates the room. The beds are carved with fine ivy and flower
decorations. There are black and white photographs of the world’s oldest steam
locomotive decorated on the wall.

“Kunikida-san, aren’t you a little bit bothered by the captain’s request?”

As Atsushi asked, Kunikida, who had just confirmed the number of items in the
washbasin looked back.

“There’s nothing to be bothered by” Kunikida said without changing his

expression.

“But a request is still a request, and we know that the client is not a saint
without secrets. We just do the job the president ordered for us to do.”
“What is worrisome is the reason why the President took up this request this
time around. He decided to dispatch this number of investigators, and also
decided not to let Ranpo-san come to the island. I think–”

“You think?”

“I think that someone persuaded the President.” Kunikida asserted. “As soon as
the President had a meeting with someone outside the company, he gave orders
to all of the employees. Someone persuaded him. But, it’s useless to think
about it. By the way, Atsushi.”

Kunikida suddenly called out, and Atsushi raised his head.

“I thought you were carrying an excessively large traveling bag. What’s it

for?”
Following Kunikida’s gaze, Atsushi looked at his bag.

“What is it for? It’s luggage. Since our work is staying on an island over
night…. I never traveled abroad before, so I thought I should prepare
thoroughly.”

Atsushi started to arrange the things inside of his luggage one by one on the
bedding.

“A lunch box, portable umbrella, water bottle, towel, bandage plaster, plastic
wrap, oranges, cocoa powder, then….”

Kunikida stood up and watched Atsushi with his eyes fixed.

“……I should have said that it’s "not an excursion.”

Atsushi hurriedly waved both hands.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry! It’s the first time I’ve stayed at a lodging, so I can’t
help it! But… I haven’t forgotten that I came to the island to work! I
prepared all of this in case of emergency.”

“Then, for example…these hanafuda, sugoroku, playing cards, and throw

pillows…” ( Hanafuda is literally: Flower Cards used for many games, Sugoroku
is a board game in Japan, I included links to Wiki if you want to read more
about them.)

“IS THIS A SCHOOL EXCURSION?!” Kunikida shouted.

“Even though you think about the work, you only think about having a good time
to hang out and have fun at night!”

“S-sorry!”
Atsushi apologized, frightened.

“…T…That’s, well, it’s because I’ve never stayed at such a wonderful

accommodation before, since during my time in the orphanage, I was mostly on a
dirty floor like the outdoors…. I didn’t have any friends, so, that’s why…….
I’m sorry.”

Kunikida stared at Atsushi, and then slowly breathed in, and said. 

“The lights will go out at 2.”

Atsushi was walking on the cobbled street alone.

After completing preparations at the hotel, and after a quick meeting about
future plans, Kunikida instructed Atsushi to go and meet the Captain.
Kunikida will come afterwards. 

For whatever reason, someone had made a procedure error in the accomodation
and Tanizaki and his sister, Naomi, were given the same room.

“This is no good at all,” Kunikida then ran to correct the procedure error
with his face changing colors.

Atsushi looked around restlessly at his surroundings. Everything that caught

his eyes seemed new. The stucco houses with a slate blowing roof, the stone
gargoyle statues standing still while gazing at the sky, the white libraries
with elaborate eaves were not part of the land he was born and raised. Only in
books, would he be able to see the scenery of London from old photographs.

I really seem to be in a new country, Atsushi thought. He had no experience of

overseas travel, so that was why the ship was, in a sense, his first foreign
experience.

Atsushi almost felt like he was in a fairy tale. 

In a backalley, there is a fairy, there is a king and queen in a castle, and

there’s Jack the Ripper sharpening his knife with a creepy smile in the dark
underground. He breathed in, the fantastical vision spreading even to his
lungs.
Then when Atsushi looked down at the scenery, he heard a loud voice.

“Run away, follow me!”

Quietly, a loud and noisy voice reached Atsushi’s ears. Busy adults were
rushing through. What are they fussing about? Atsushi stretched his neck.
“Call the police squad!” “Did you see the face?!” “Quiet about the stolen
goods!”
Atsushi responded swiftly to the word “stolen.”

There was an uproar in the southeast. Something was stolen.

— The request was to catch a thief on the island.

Kunikida’s speech came back to him.

Atsushi ran almost reflexively.

The noise seemed to be taking place in the cargo area near the harbor.　It was
an area that carried in luggage, different from the passage Atsushi and the
others entered from.

There are warehouses made of bricks. Several men in blue uniforms who seemed
to be officials on the island were running away in the stone wall alleys of
London.

“Hey, you. Have you seen a tall man with black hair around here?”

Suddenly, one of the officials spoke to him, Atsushi widened his eyes in
alarm.

“Eh…ah, no, I didn’t see anyone…” He finally answered.

“If you see them, please report to the police department!” With that said, the
official ran.

“U-UHM!” Atsushi called out to the officer who’s back was retreating. “What
happened? Was anything stolen?”

“There was an illegal entry!” The staff cried before running away from the
alley and becoming invisible.

“Illegal entry?” Atsushi tried to imagine a face in his head. There was an
illegal entry in this island…What did that mean? People who did not have
permission to enter. But what in the world for?

“Atsushi-kun, hey, Atsushi-kun!”

For a moment, Atsushi looked around his surroundings. The uproar was far away,
and there was no one around the vicinity.

“Atsushi-kun. Ufufufu. What are you doing in a place like that? I’m over here,
over here!”
This voice…

Atsushi looked for the source of the voice, and suddenly kept an eye on a
street corner.

There was a zinc garbage can. It was painted in an inconspicuous gray so as

not to stand out in the English city landscape.

The garbage can must have been near the height of Atsushi’s waist. It also was
sealed by a tin cover.

The garbage can was shaking and rattling. Bewildered, Atsushi approached it.
Placing a hand on the lid, he dared to open it.

“Baa!”
“Uwaa!”

Surprised, Atsushi fell on his butt while still holding onto the lid.

Dazai was within the garbage can.

Disheveled hair and a sand-colored coat. White bandages wrapped around a neck.
An unreadable face laced with a smile.

“How unusual for us to meet at a place like this?”

“W-...What are you doing in there, Dazai-san!” Atsushi shouted.

Kunikida had explained that Dazai was supposed to have been at the gathering
place. 

…Could it be…

“Hey, you. Have you seen a tall man with black hair around here?”

“Dazai-san, are you….the illegal entrant?”

“That’s great, Atsushi-kun. Just like a detective’s reasoning. It’s so

pleasing to have one’s subordinate grow up so fast.”

Dazai laughs happily. As for Atsushi, he was not able to understand half of
anything Dazai was talking about.

Dazai is his senior and the first person to admit him into the detective
agency.
To Atsushi, he is a senior, a superior, and a benefactor who had saved him.
He is all of those things, but…
“Ahh, I was so successful with entering, but I was found out by the staff on
the way, so I hid in the garbage can to escape the trouble. Since I didn’t
have time to take out any of the trash, my body is so smelly, right now.
However, there’s a wonderful feeling to being a part of meaningless trash, I
wonder if I should live here.

No other words came out from Atsushi other than "Ha……”

The ADA can never read Dazai’s actions.
Kunikida and the others, and every time
cases involving Dazai are always solved
And each and every time Atsushi watches
is going to tie up the next case.
At work, Dazai often collaborated with
he has a stomachache. Even so, the
in an ideal way for some reason.
him, wondering how in the world Dazai

“But Dazai-san, even if you do not have trouble entering the island illegally,
shouldn’t you have just ridden the same boat as us?”

“There are three answers to that question,” Dazai wagged his finger. “First of
all, I wanted to see what goes behind the scenes around here since this is a
strange island. Secondly, Kunikida has recently got too used to my behavior
and his reactions have become too normal, so I am aiming to surprise him! And
lastly, it’s still in the midst of progress, but there’s another order we’ve
received regarding the method of smuggling inside this island.”

“Ha….Another order…is Dazai-san’s work different from the thief

extermination?”

“The thief extermination is only a part of the danger occuring on this

island,” Dazai’s said with his smile suddenly disappearing.

Atsushi felt the surrounding temperature drop to several degrees just from
that.

“A….danger…” Atsushi somehow squeezed out of his throat.

“That’s right. …Please report to me if you see a man with a camera hanging
from his neck, he wears a black suit and carries an attache case. Oh, and you
better not try to capture them, they’re a very dangerous person. If you make
one wrong move, you could blow up Yokohama.”

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, Atsushi felt dizzy and furrowed his brows. Yokohama might blow up?
“What does that mean….?”

“I’m still in the middle of investigating further details. But, for now, you
guys will have to concentrate on exterminating the thieves because if that’s
not done, then I cannot continue from here. Also, would you please take the
lid for a moment?”
Dazai’s smile returned as he pointed at the lid at Atsushi’s feet. It’s the
lid that belonged to the garbage can that Dazai was in. Atsushi handed it
over, puzzled. 

“Thank you,” Dazai said when he received it. “Oh, I almost forgot to mention,
I knew before arriving here that there would be Port Mafia members on the
island. Up until now, I didn’t know who, but you better be careful.”

“The Port Mafia…?”

Atsushi frowned. He had no good memories of the Port Mafia. It is an unlawful

organization that takes residence in Yokohama. And it is tied with the
Detective Agency of whom has had conflict with many times.

“Don’t make such a scary face,” Dazai said with a gentle voice. “They will
rarely appear in places with many people. Even if something does happen, no
one can catch up to Atsushi-kun fleeing!” Dazai smiled kindly. “Now then, I
will pray for your success in work!”

Dazai then re-entered the garbage can and closed the lid on himself. With a
light voice, the trash can jumped and rolled sideways all the way to the back
of the alley and down a slope.

“Bon voyage!!!”

Leaving with an unnecessarily bright voice, Dazai rolled away.

Rolling down the hilly slope, the trash can vanished in due time.

Later, Atsushi was left alone standing still.

“Got used to that person…huh...Kunikida-san is amazing…”

On the same day, 16 minutes ago.

On Standard Island, a large-scale city floating on the sea, tourists arrived

on a pier.

A man wearing a black mantle over his entire body shows dislike for the sun.

Concealing his face, he wears a black cloth over his mouth. Only his eyes are
exposed which are strangely sharp.

There is another person wearing glasses; a young woman with honey-colored hair
that reaches her shoulders.
She seemed to be a young and very talented woman who wore a black business
suit and sunglasses.

“We entered the island safely,” She said.

“Of course, there isn’t a place that Yokohama’s sea breeze can reach that we
cannot enter. We’re the Port Mafia.” The man cloaked in black replied. Upon
entering the island, they were given the labels of “general tourists.”
However, the procedure was cleverly counterfeited.

Changing their careers, manipulating their photographs, and passing

confirmation by dangling money or showing violence; everything is possible
with the Port Mafia’s strength.

The sharp-eyed male has a name: Akutagawa.

He is an ability user who is bound to the Port Mafia.

The woman with honey-colored hair goes by the name Higuchi. She is an
administrative assistant to Akutagawa.

“Number of enemies.” Akutagawa asked while narrowing his eyes.

“It is estimated to be four people,” Higuchi responded competently. “They are

traitors to the Port Mafia who tried to invade the Port Mafia’s banks last
night. The traitors attempted to steal money from the safety deposit box, but
they were found out and escaped. One of our members was an accountant who was
assigned to manage the bank; they were killed during the escape.”

“Insurgents?” Akutagawa laughed a bit.

Reddish blood slowly spilled from his mouth. “Those who rise against us,
whether it is from disobedience or circumstance, will not have to wait for
long to become a corpse. This is who we are. This is the meaning of our
existence.”

“I agree,” Higuchi nodded. “I don’t think that the bank robbers knew they
infiltrated the Port Mafia’s banks, but as soon as they gained information on
the murdered accountant, they ran away to the island without taking the money
they robbed. They must have thought they could escape the Port Mafia’s revenge
by coming to this island because it is an extraterritorial jurisdiction.”

“Ignorant fools,” Akutagawa’s smile was colder than a snake’s, and the exhale
he made more sinister than an evil spirit’s. “But, I congratulate their
idiocy. They played an important role by giving the Port Mafia a reason to
demonstrate the length and intensity of our revenges. I’ll scatter their
organs and make their screams long and breathless.”
“There’s no enemy that can stand before Akutagawa-senpai!” Higuchi exclaimed
passionately.

Akutagawa nodded while clenching his jaw.

“Let’s go forward, Higuchi.”

“Yes,” Higuchi said while following Akutagawa. “Oh, by the way, Senpai.”

“What?”

“There is this world class resort on this island. Is it not important to rid
of mental and physical fatigue? After the mission, the two of us should go
sightseeing, visit the beach, and more!”

“No.”

Akutagawa started walking away.

“Senpai, in the evening, there seems to be masquerade balls that are held at
the central square. Would you like to join me? Just the two of us.”

“No.”

Akutagawa did not turn around and continued walking.

“Senpai, before we begin our mission, we need a base. In fact, we have a room
secured under a false name at the high-class hotel, but it’s only one room. We
could take a break there first.”

“Do you not understand ‘no’?”

Akutagawa continued to walk down the stone pavement without slowing down.

Higuchi stared up at the blue sky with a defeated look.

“…I know..right…”
After parting with Dazai, Atsushi headed towards an area called the “engine
depot. “The island was roughly divided into residential areas, experimental
districts, tourist areas, and engine depots. The residential area was where
the managing staff lived on the island. The experimental district was where
power-generated facilities and various experimental examinations took place.
The tourist area has music auditoriums, accommodations, beaches, and shopping
districts. And the engine depot is a part of the island where the necessary
facilities to sail the "ship” are lined up. It is said that the “Jewel
Truffle” that Atsushi and the others were meant to protect is kept in a safe
room located deep in the engine room.

Atsushi walked passed modern Berlin buildings to head towards the Security
Guard section. The clock tower that can be seen beyond the townscape had a
different design engraved on it from the British side. Even from a distance,
the time could be read; it was 11:27.

Atsushi gazed at the surrounding cityscape from the clock tower.

“Hmm...the buildings in this neighborhood have a different atmosphere then

from a while ago…” Atsushi murmured while staring. “The buildings’ walls and
frames are square-shaped, they look like building blocks. A-ah, that shop’s
sausages…they look delicious….hm?”

Atsushi stopped walking. On the other side of the large sidewalk, in a

recessed part of a building, there was a group of three tourists who were
sitting down and talking.

They were a strange group of three. They were not enjoying any sightseeing,
nor were they looking at a map, the three people were talking to one another
face to face near the wall.

Atsushi could not hear well due to the distance, but a few words were carried
by the wind: “I forgot,” “At an important time like this?” “What should we
do?”

Atsushi tilted his head. Did the tourists leave something behind? They did not
appear to be officers on this island. One of them was a bald man, the other
looked like a tired office worker, and the third was a boy who looked a bit
younger than Atsushi. Just by the tone, they seemed as if they were in some
distress.

Did they lose a map? If they’re lost, he should help them. It was on the way
towards the three strangers that Atsushi realized they were in trouble for a
slightly different reason than he had expected. As he got closer, he could
hear their conversation clearly.

“It wasn’t a difficult conversation. Weren’t you the one who said that boss?
You said, "At most, I only remember how to count up to 12-column digits, and
all the names of every woman I slept with up till now.”’ It was the middle-
aged man wearing a business suit that wore a tired expression that gave the
troubled voice. His hair was thin and his body looked as if he had
insufficient exercise. He was a man who has worked with money as a middle-
level manager for twenty years.

His expression invited sorrow.

“That’s what was said…  That’s what I definitely said. Is there something
wrong?”

The complaints came from a muscular, bald-headed man with a frown on his face.
He was taller than Atsushi by a head, but shorter than the Detective Agency’s
Kunikida.

“I’m the boss of the bandits. So, you all need to support the boss’s every
action with full effort! If the boss forgets the 12 digit cancellation code,
then make up for it somehow, and show me how it’s done!”

Atsushi stopped for a moment. It wasn’t because the bald-headed man who forgot
how to count to 12 digits had such a defiant attitude, but of course because
he heard the word “bandits.”

—— I received information from Scotland Yard that three thieves are aiming
to steal an item –

He remembers when the captain spoke those words when he was talking about the
treasured truffles.

“The boss is amazing! So cool! If something were to happen to me, I’d be safe
with the boss!”

It was the third person who spoke in a very vibrant voice. His face was
bright, but he was dressed poorly. His eyes shone with trust at the man called
boss. He was probably younger than Atsushi by 2 or 3 years.

“ Fuhahahaha! That’s right, boy! Give me more praise! I’m the leader of the
bandits; the reincarnation of Kaitou Thief: Arsene Lupin!”* (Kaitou Thief is a
popular term in Japan for Magical thief. A very popular character that has
kaitou thief qualities is Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. Arsène Lupin is a
fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created by French writer
Maurice Leblanc.)

The boss laughed in a way that made his pectoral muscles burst.

“Of course the boss’s greatness is something to behold, yes,” The middle-aged
salary man lowered his head tiredly. “But, no matter how low I bow my head to
the Earth and worship the boss, I can’t stop the surveillance cameras unless I
have the 12-digit cancellation code.”

“The surveillance cameras, you say?  Work together and do something about it!”

”There’s nothing that we can do! I’m going to cry!” the middle-aged man gave a
sorrowful voice.

"Or, you know, it’s okay to use that. You know, that roundish thing you
brought. Where you do…something like…this.”

“The mouse.”

“Yeah, the mouse. And when you push it, it does this sort of…”

“A click.”

“Yeah, a click! WELL, IF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT MUCH, HURRY UP AND DO IT!”

“Boss is amazing! Let’s do it!” The boy with sparkling eyes said.

“You’re already 43 years old, are you sure it’s okay to cry out in public?”
The middle-aged man lowered his head.

There was no doubt about it. Atsushi hid himself behind a tree located near
the sidewalk and pulled out a mobile phone from his bosom.

“Kunikida-san” without waiting for a response from the other, Atsushi

whispered in a loud voice, “It’s Atsushi. I found the three-person bandit
group.”

“What?” Kunikida breathed behind the receiver. “Where are you, right now?”

“Uh…” Atsushi looked around. “I’m close to the Engine Depot, it’s next to the
white art museum.”

“As for the bandits?”

“There is a really incompetent boss, a young boy who admires his boss a lot,
and a very pathetic middle-aged man.”

“...Pathetic…What?” Kunikida sounded confused.

“Uhm, well…They seem to be trying to disable the surveillance cameras or

something.”
“What do you mean disable the surveillance cameras?” beyond the phone, there
was a sound of Kunikida turning pages in his notebook. "There is an
underground passage in the museum, and it is connected with other facilities
on the island, and…”

Overlapping Kunikida’s voice, the three bandits were speaking.

“Eeyy, you’re sluggish!” The boss shouted at his two subordinates. “My power
is amazing when reflected on surveillance cameras! For the people who want to
see, I’ll show them!”

“Uh, uhm, wait a minute - boss?!”

“Let’s go, it’s time to steal!”

All three people stood up and gradually began to advance to the darker side of
the building.

“Kunikida-san, it looks like they’re starting to make their move!”

“Don’t lose sight of them,” Kunikida ordered hastily. “Keep surveying them
from afar. "Along with the number of guards we have, we will time ourselves
and surround them. I’m on my way!”

Atsushi ran after the three people keeping silent.

Before long, the three people were already behind the art museum. A lawn was
spread on one of the areas, and sprinklers watered the other side.

The three people then unexpectedly went off the road and took a turn towards
the building’s entrance gate, suddenly vanishing from Atsushi’s view.

They did not see Atsushi when they turned around the corner, nor did they look
back once.

You could say that Atsushi was lucky. Atsushi hurried following the crooked
thieves’ path.

However, Atsushi’s luck ended there.

“-?!”

It was a dead end, and no one was there.

The building’s outer walls created a cavity. To the left and right were just
white walls. There was also a wall ahead. All the walls were flat. There
weren’t even windows or gutters to enter in.
Atsushi grabbed his mobile phone with trembling hands and made a call.

“Kunikida-san.”

“What?”

“I lost sight of them.”

“WHAT?!”

It was strange. He was only a couple of seconds away from the thieves until he
lost track of them. The walls were as tall as 4 stories. Even if you boasted
any physical abilities, you couldn’t do tricks to rush up these walls without
leaving a clue behind. However, if in the case of a special power….

“It couldn’t be…”

Atsushi placed both hands on the other side of the wall. Lowering his head, he
gazed at the wall closely. Footprints were easy to leave on this side where
soft grass grew, and Atsushi could clearly see the footprints he himself left.

Oh, he found theirs.

There were footprints that belonged to three people. Two of them belonging to
adults, and one belonging to a child. They were the footprints belonging to
the thieves, and even though the foot prints were placed in front of the
walls, they continued forward without any missteps, and then…

They faded into the wall.

“Kunikida-san,” Atsushi spoke on his mobile phone. “The other party seems to
have already invaded the museum.”

“What? Did you find the people you lost sight of?”

“No, but their footprints have disappeared straight towards the dead end,
although the details are unknown…” Atsushi cut off his sentence and breathed,
“There might be a person with an ability.”

“An ability…?” Kunikida breathed over the phone. “There’s a possibility

someone possesses an ability?”

“Probably,” Atsushi said while thinking. “From the looks of the footprints, it
must have been an ability that goes through walls.”

“Thieves that can slip through walls…!” Kunikida struck his tongue. “Shit, if
that’s true, we have to reconsider our entire security plan! We’re headed
there soon, but it will take us at least 5 minutes to arrive. As it is, you
are the closest! Do whatever you can, enter the building and chase after those
thieves!”

“…Yes!”

Atsushi gazed at the wall.

The building’s entrance was located on the main street. But he didn’t have
time to go back to the entrance.

The walls were the height of four stories, and he had no clue where he should
start grabbing. It’s impossible to climb such a place in a mathematical
second. One must use a special power.

Atsushi closed his eyes and began to breath.

He envisioned a tiger.

It was a white tiger. It had a huge oral cavity that can swallow humans, and
strong limbs like steel melded together.

It’s forelimbs were like big tree trunks, and its leaps could jump over a
valley. It was a white tiger of violence, completely opposite to his weak
self.

As the night cooled the earth, the weakness stored inside him, and a violent
ferocity reared itself.

There was no other tiger like this anywhere in this world. It only existed
inside him. Arrogant and timid. Proud and Ashamed. The more he tried to
conceal his weaknesses, the more the tiger appeared on the other side.

Atsushi’s hair was standing. His skin became wavy, and his bones began to grow
abnormal. The tendon of his legs started to elongate, and his growth extended
into his boots and clothes. A white coat sprouted out like a living thing and
covered his legs. A voice like a beast leaked from Atsushi’s throat.

The gait undoubtedly belonged to a tiger.

It’s position was similar to that of felines’ with it’s knees bent. The long
lower limbs sprung like a coil.

Firmly digging it’s nails into the ground, it looked like it was standing on
its tiptoes.

Atsushi jumped.
In one leap, Atsushi was halfway up the wall, and in one leap he was facing
the building’s white walls laterally. The wall’s materials broke under his
nails while he jumped, and he continued to jump to the opposite walls as he
went further up.

While kicking against the walls, the tiger made a zigzag while rushing up them
vertically.

If it was an ordinary person watching him, their eyes could not catch up to
Atsushi’s high speed as he rushed up the wall, and made one last jump before
making a semiturn in the air and landed on the building’s rooftop.

“……hu….”

Atsushi stopped gasping for air.

He then quickly explored his surroundings after using his tiger’s ability to
reach the rooftop.

Apart from the wind turbines that were used for the wind power generators
lined up, it was a flat and empty rooftop. He needed to find a way down to the
lower floor.

And he found exactly what he needed.

There was a colonnade from a huge exhibition that extended from the first
floor and continued to the atrium. From the roof’s edges, numbers of banners
with museum events written on them hung below one another.

Atsushi jumped over the handrails.

In an instant, gravity pulled Atsushi down. He fell through the air. Giving a
scream of despair, the tourists from the first floor noticed Atsushi from his
commotion.

Atsushi twisted his body in the air and grabbed onto one of the banners.
Immediately after, the shape of his wrists changed into a tiger’s arm. The
tiger’s nails created an irritating sound as it tore through the banner
vertically.

Ripping through the cloth, Atsushi used his power as a brake, and then landed
onto the first floor. Immediately, he rolled forward using his knees and
shoulders to disperse the shock.

Raising his head, the faces of many tourists stared at him startled.
“Haha….I’m causing trouble.” He smiled bitterly to suppress the awkwardness.

From there, he then ran towards where the thieves were headed.
At that time, his mobile phone began to ring. It was Kunikida. “I got in touch
with London.” Kunikida seemed impatient. “I know the thief’s true ability.”

“Really?”

“There was information in Scotland Yard’s Special Ability Criminal Department.

The name of the bandit is "Nemo.” He is a giant with a bald head, and he’s
stolen from all over the world and is wanted.“

Atsushi quickly recalled the thieves’ faces. It must have been the
unreasonably optimistic man called "boss.”

“As you’ve guessed, he has the ability to go through walls. Furthermore,

anything he happens to touch - whether it be equipment or friends - can also
pass through the walls. However, he cannot go through walls that are more than
5 centimeters. From there, we should be able to narrow down the invasion route
to some extent.”

Atsushi replied in agreement and once again turned to look forward.

He clenched his backteeth while running.

As expected the other party had an ability.

The thief “Nemo” had a very deceivingly careless behavior, but he is a

formidable person.

Rather than going down the stairs, Atsushi kicked off from one of the walls
and reached the 2nd floor in 10 seconds. It was already confirmed that there
was a passage leading to other facilities in the basement.

He just needed to find the thieves after that.

However, there was no need to because suddenly, the thieves jumped out before
him.

Atsushi was surprised, but the thieves were even more surprised.

Suddenly, before their eyes, an ultrafast youth appeared. Everyone’s mouths

hung open.

There were fireworks scattering in Atsushi’s field of vision.

“Oou!!” The thieves boss’s voice was projected clearly. “This island is pretty
interesting. Look at that, Gab. That boy came from out of nowhere.”

“That was amazing, boss!” The boy called Gab said enthusiastically. “There’s
bound to be extraordinary things happening whenever boss is around!”
For a moment, Atsushi wasn’t able to move.

Of course it was painful crashing into the wall, but it was the matter of
making a sudden encounter that left him unable to react immediately.

“Hey, boy. You’re pretty interesting. Are you a tourist? How did you do that?
Do it again.”

“No, no, boss. How ever you look at it, it’s really suspicious!” The middle-
aged man in a business suit interjected. “It’s not a speed that an ordinary
person should possess… with that, if the person belonged to the guards then…”

Atsushi stiffened. This was bad.

“Are you an idiot?! There’s no such thing as an organization using

impoverished children for security! He must have entered in one of the
artillery’s set up and by mistake he blew himself away in one of the art
museum exhibits!”

“I’ve never known such a person to do that….” The middle-aged man weakly said.

Atsushi stood up while supporting his staggering feet with his hands.

He had to make time for Kunikida and the rest to arrive and give aid. There
were no clear chances of winning in a battle, so he had to stall for time by
conversing with them to prevent them from leaving.

“Uh-uhm…”

“Huh?”

Somehow, After uttering just one word, the boss reacted.

“I….” Atsushi’s head was spinning at a high speed. He had to somehow draw
their attention. Anything would be okay.

His head kept spinning, and his mouth kept moving.

“You….You lost something!"Atsushi shouted.

"Hah?”

The boss scratched his neck.

“I’m an ordinary tourist with no special features, and you seemed to have lost
something, and you seemed to be looking for it, so I followed you!” Atsushi’s
head was shaking as he rocked back and forth. He didn’t know what was what.
The middle-aged man seemed to smell foul play as he watched Atsushi.
“Boss….please, he seems really suspicious.”

“Hmm, but the amazing and great phantom thief does not judge an opponent in an
unreasonably doubtful manner.”

The boss then turned to face towards Atsushi with a sturdy look. “So, what’s
the item that I lost, boy?”

“What?” Atsushi had not thought of anything beyond his plan, and
unintentionally stared in puzzlement.

“Like you said, the thing that was lost…”

“Aa…ehh?” Atsushi was weak when it came to adlib. When trying to come up with
contents and act and talk at the same time, it exceeded his mental tolerance.
As a result, he becomes defenseless.

“T-that is…you, you should know that the best, don’t you?!”

“Ha?”

“Ha?”

“Ha?”

All three bandits scratched their heads at the same time.

Atsushi wanted to die a little. However, he couldn’t stop anymore even if he

wanted to. He had to stall for time.

“When you lost it, you….you didn’t notice it, but you certainly had it once.”
Atsushi was embarrassed as he continued to speak, his head was spinning, and
he felt like he was going to die. Even if you know that you are on the road to
hell, at least you only go through that road you chose once. “What’s wrong?
The thing that you valued so much, you lost it!"Atsushi spoke faintly. He
didn’t know what it was. Please, someone stop him. He was about to die in
shame. Rather, someone kill him.

However, the boss’s carelessness was beyond Atsushi’s.

"Ooooh!!!” Atsushi’s disorder was suddenly drowned out by the boss’s cry.
“You’re absolutely right, boy! I gave my entire life up to become the greatest
phantom thief! And yet, nevertheless, even now..!”

Watching the boss’s exaggerated grief, Atsushi became a little calm.

“Boss! Please, calm down, boss!” The middle-aged man panicked and began to
shake him. “Boss, even now, you’re enough! You are desperately thinking of
nothing else, but what else to steal! Stop talking on the spur of the moment
already!”

“Oh…what?” The boss’s lamentation quickly stopped. “If that’s what you say…I
guess you could say that.”

“Hey, hey, you shortie!” The youngest colleague stepped forward with
excitement. “Didn’t you just try to trick our great boss? We should tie you up
and throw you in the middle of the ocean, you white-haired bastard!”

Atsushi began to sweat. It seemed like everyone was being cautious now, and he
didn’t really remember how it all became like this.

“I am the great phantom theif’s pupil! I am Gab of the swift wind! If you can
dodge this dagger, then dodge it!” The boy took out a blue shining steel blade
from his bosom. The drawn dagger was made to be concealed in one’s pocket.

Alarm bells started ringing in Atsushi’s head when he saw the cutlery.

“Wait, wait,” Atsushi reflexively stepped away. “Let’s talk this over, again!”

“It’s useless!” The boy started rushing towards the center with the dagger.

He had no choice, but to fight.

Atsushi’s tiger power began to pour into his arms, and instantly his forearm
muscles began to bulge explosively. The tiger’s hair blew out from under his
clothes, and the sound of a tree twisting could be heard as his fingers turned
into huge tiger nails.

Knives or bullets could not go through the tiger’s hair. If he could prvent
the dagger with his arms, he had a chance of winning.

Atsushi’s train of thought stopped; however, when a piercing scream cried.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, WHAT IS THAT? IT’S SCARY. I’M SCARED!”

The boy retreated and fell on his butt.

“…..Uh, pardon?”

“What is with that arm! Don’t get any closer, stop right there! The hair just
grew out of nowhere! Ahhh, I’m scared! I’m traumatized, sorry boss, but can I
go home?!”
“Ahhhh, isn’t this what I’ve been telling you, boss?!” Said the middle-aged
man with a miserable face. “We shouldn’t have brought Gab along! Of course,
Gab’s an excellent follower….but look at him, he loses his nerves so fast!
He’s the best pupil only because the other ones quit!”

“Eh.”

Was that so?

Atsushi’s eyes became tiny dots. Should he just advance?

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. So, you go, Bilgo.”

“M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-ME? That’s impossible! I’m only a technician! Technical

support is my job! I disable surveillance cameras and extract security codes!
Fighting is not in my contract.” The middle-aged man called Bilgo lowered his
head like a small animal and retreated.

“This is….”

Atsushi raised both his arms and shouted. “This is different from what I
imagined!” His soul was crying.

“No matter how you imagined it, it’s no longer a problem, since we can
complete the request.” A low voice resonated in the corridor. “Well done,
Atsushi.”

“Kunikida-san!” Atsushi shouted.

Behind Kunikida, armed security guards from the island came along.

“The head of the serial group of thieves, Nemo.” Kunikida said out loud while
reading his notebook. “While having a powerful ability that allows you to go
through many walls, because of excessively irresponsible and reckless plans,
your robberies fail every time. You exhaust your relationship with your
subordinates, where only the people remaining with you are amateurs who have
barely any work experience. 

While repeatedly failing at your robberies and being captured, your nature of
going through prison walls has been a repeated offense. The number of times
you have made a jail break has been 89 times. While it’s impossible to call
you a master thief, we can honor you as the jailbreak king.”

“Guuu…uuunu..” The boss’s face stiffened. “Oi, you bastards, do something!”

“S-sorry boss, somehow I was careless.”

“I’m nothing but an engineer. For that reason, I surrender, so please consider
my case.”

The young boy was crawling on the floor while the middle-aged man raised both
of his hands in defeat towards Kunikida.

Atsushi finally caught up with the situation. Apparently, Atsushi had thought
that originally the robbers were 100 times worse than they actually were.

“Atsushi, please contact the client- the captain.” Kunikida narrowed his eyes.
“We can finally pull the curtains over this fun game of tag with
these pleasant thieves.” Kunikida took one step as the circle of security
guards surrounding them also narrowed gradually. “Boss…boss! I’m sorry…I’ll
hold them back, so please run away!” The young boy said in a hurried voice.
The boss gave no response.

He merely stood there on his thick legs while glaring at his surroundings.
“Escape on my own?”  There was no hint of impatience in his voice. “The great
mysterious Lupin neither had an ability nor a subordinate, and he still
performed thefts that, even now, are too difficult for me, and, so he remains
in the hearts of people. I knew long ago that I couldn’t be like him.”

The boss’s eyes stared quietly at a point in the air. His eyes grabbed hold of
something from far away. “I’m different from Phantom Thief Lupin. Because of
that, I have to hold onto something that he doesn’t have, keep it in mind, and
lay a foundation to ascend into becoming a great Phantom Thief.”

Atsushi noticed something suddenly. The boss was slouching just now. His face
was hard, a shadow from a light fell from the ceiling’s fluorescent light. "My
ability is the ability to slip through objects less than 5 centimeters in
thickness - in other words, if they are objects of a certain thickness, it
means that they can stay in an overlapping state without interfering with my
body.”

Atsushi watched.

Something was coming out from the boss’s thick chest. There was no sound, and
something fell through the boss as if his body did not exist. It was about 5
centimeters thick. The width was as big as a book, it was a square metal
plate. Something fell through the boss’s body. Atsushi and the others were
surprised; their reactions were delayed.

“I definitely will not abandon my subordinates!”

“Bo-!” Kunikida shouted. “Bomb! Get down!”

A flash of light filled the corridor.

Atsushi took off quickly with the tiger’s reflex. Kunikida took the security
guards and pushed them down; they all lay on the floor together. Fierce smoke
and wind blew through the area.

“Geha….ha..” Atsushi coughed in the smoke as he got up. The strong sound of
the explosion pierced Atsushi’s ears and rung to the center of his brain. 
Because of the white smoke, he couldn’t see what state the corridor was in.

The boss applied his ability of going through walls, and reversed it. He
slipped and hid the bomb in his body. No physical examination or observation
could find out if he had a bomb inside him with the ability. That is probably
how he brought some work tools to the island as well.

Even so, there were no major bruises or pain. Atsushi quickly inspected his
own body. He wasn’t bleeding from anywhere. If it was detonated nearby, then
this small damage shouldn’t be possible.

”Damn!　It was a distraction!“ Kunikida yelled from the other side of the
smoke. "They probably ran to the other side of the wall!”

What Kunikida said was right. He had checked where the thieves were last, and
no one was there. There was only the cold floor.

They escaped.

“I’ll go after them!” Atsushi shouted back to Kuninkida. He explored the wall
by hand due to his vision being blocked by the smoke. The underground walls
were thick. If Nemo had escaped with his two subordinates, he should have had
his eyes on the wall’s thickness beforehand. Fumbling around, Atsushi
immediately found something. It was an automatic side door. It’s a door
painted in the same color as the wall, but it seemed like the thickness was
thinner than the other walls that he had touched. There was a high chance of
escaping beyond this door. However, it was locked, and it would not open even
if you pushed or pulled it.

“Kunikida-san! They might be beyond this door!” Atsushi cried while the smoke
was fading. “Please tell me how to open the door!”

“It’s probably a security door for certification ceremonies.” Kunikida came

running furiously. “Use the silver coin on the door’s certification board.”

Atsushi then remembered the silver coins that were given to them when entering
the island. They had an identification transmitter built-in, and they should
be able to open places where tourists couldn’t go.

Atsushi took out the silver coin from his bosom and in a hurry brought it
close to the door. However, a dull electronic beep resounded, and the door did
not appear to open. “Show it to me!” Kunikida approached the door. “…This is
strange. I can’t even open the door with my silver coin.”

“Please, back away.” One of the guards came close. “No one is allowed to enter
that door.”

“……What?” Kunikida turned around and looked back at him. “What do you mean?”

“The destination is a special confidential area, and only people with

permission can go in. Please get away from it.”

“Get away?” Kunikida’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Hey, we were hired to catch
the bandits who are running away as we speak. Are there any other secrets or
things that need permission? If you’re so obedient, open it and catch them!”

“We are not given the authority to enter as well.” Somehow, the situation was
becoming suspicious.

During the initial explanation of their duties, there was no word about the
Detective Agency being unable to enter an area. Even with this situation, it
was not the time when thieves were escaping now. “WE’RE MAKING NO PROGRESS.
Atsushi, contact the captain! Hurry so we can have this door open and enter
inside!”

“The captain also has no authority,” The security guard said without
expression. “If you need confirmation, you’re free to call him.”

Atsushi took out his mobile phone. Even though they were underground, there
were radio signals. Looking through his phone, he pressed the captain’s
contact. “Kunikida-san,” Atsushi said while listening to the phone. “I can’t
connect to the captain.”

“What?”

No matter how long they waited, the client was not picking up the phone,
however…

“Hey, do you hear something?” Kunikida said while looking around. Atsushi
started to hear the sound as well. It was a strange electronic sound – the
sound of a chalmera ringing from ramen stalls.

“It’s the captain’s phone that’s ringing…”

“From the other side of the door?” Kunikida said while touching the wall. At
that time, the door opened automatically suddenly.

“Hugh!?” Kunikida said in panic.

Beyond the door, there were soldiers.

They weren’t just soldiers. They had large automatic rifles with bulletproof
equipment. There were more than 10 of them. One could not see their
expressions because their faces were covered with bulletproof masks. “Beyond
this point, you are prohibited from entering this area. Leave immediately.”

“What did you say?”

“Leave, you have only one warning. If you do not obey instructions, then it
will be considered appropriate to use firearms.” They hoisted their automatic
rifles; their black muzzles shone dully.

More than 10 fully armed soldiers pointed at Kunikida and were ready to shoot
at any time. The intimidation the soldiers emitted was the equivalent of
plunging headfirst in a Lion’s mouth.

However, Kunikida did not change the tone of his voice nor was he frightened.
"I also have a warning, and I’ll say it once. We are a detective agency who
was assigned to capture thieves for a client. Even if this island is an
extraterritorial property, there are extraterritorial laws for pointing a gun
at a general member of the public, and don’t think that I will allow you to
threaten one.” Kunikida’s entire body emanated a murderous aura. The
opportunity to capture the thieves was being blocked due to irrational
reasons, and it seemed like he was considerably angry.

“Hoho, this person has a backbone.” An unexpected voice came from behind the
soldiers. “Everyone, rescind your weapons. There’s no use trying to threaten
this person with a gun.” As soon as the hoarse voice ordered the soldiers, the
soldiers pointed their guns down. They moved perfectly like a machine.

When the soldiers moved aside and made a clearing, an old man dressed in a
military uniform appeared.

He was a small old man. When surrounded by strong soldiers, his stature stood
out even more. He had a mild expression and a fluffy gray beard running down
his wrinkly face. If he were not wearing military clothes, he looked like he
would belong in the country side as some teacher.

“You’re the head of this group of soldiers?” Kunikida asked in an angry voice.
“We are pursuing thieves, and I would like you to allow us to enter this
area.”

“Well, if you aren’t a young man with a considerable spirit. If you trained
with a battalion, you would make a good soldier.” The old man laughed with
eyes similar to that of a teacher’s. “However, I cannot approve of this entry,
unfortunately– but, if it’s the case of a gold coin then…”
“You possess silver coins that are given to the general staff. Besides that,
on this island, you must be in possession of a gold coin for confidential
areas. If a person enters this area without a gold coin and information leaks
outside, then he or she can be immediately shot to the death. This is the
island’s absolute code of conduct. The leaders of your country have signed a
consent form.”

Atsushi stared at the silver coin in his hand. Certainly, ordinary tourists
received copper coins. In other words, there were many places that could be
entered depending on which coins: copper, silver, and gold in order.

“However, let it be known, out of respect for your sense of justice, that the
thieves have been caught.”

“Is that so?” Kunikida said surprised.

“The inside of the confidential area is strictly guarded by surveillance

videos, and the amount of soldiers in here is incomparable to the ones
outside, so be relieved.”

Kunikida glared at the man for a few seconds before slowly speaking. “If
that’s the case, let us confirm from the client. Would you please give me your
name?”

“There is no name to be given. I am called 'Colonel’ by everyone here.”

“Colonel…You’re certainly a military employ.”

Atsushi once again looked at the old man’s face. Although he had the
expression of a school teacher, there were some white wounds that have faded
in the old man’s face if looked at closely. His shoulder width was solid, and
was indicative of having been forged in the past despite his small size.

Suddenly, a wretched smell came through.

Atsushi’s five senses become sharp when using his tiger ability. He is able to
pick up sounds and smells that no one can usually notice. The tiger’s senses
must have stayed when he had transformed.

The tiger’s nose caught the smell when he had sniffed. He had smelled this
scent many times after entering the detective agency, but still he could never
get used to it. It was an unpleasant scent, it was….

“It can’t be…”

Atsushi darted quickly without thinking. He forcibly shoved himself through

the confidential area blocked by the soldiers.
“Hey, what are you doing!?”

Ignoring the soldiers’ shouting, Atsushi looked around the area. There was
another corridor that continued from the entrance. There was little difference
between the place and its interior.

“Get away from the door! Do you want to be shot dead?!” The soldiers’ warnings
were ignored by Atsushi.

Atsushi’s eyes then caught onto a color.

There was a red color within the confidential area. The red stretched tightly
in the corridor, and scattered from the wall to the ceiling. It was definitely
the source of the unpleasant smell. “That is…!” Atsushi’s eyes widened. It was
no mistake. There was a brilliant red on a white wall, and a body lying in the
center.

There was blood and a corpse.

“Get down!”

Atsushi was brought down by a soldier. Forcibly pushed by a firearm, Atsushi

staggered and fell on his back.

Kunikida ran to him.

“Hey Atsushi, are you ok?”

“Kunikida-san….” Atsushi said dumbfounded. He saw it for a moment, but there

was no way it was a mistake. “There was a dead body.”

“What?” Kunikida widened his eyes. “It couldn’t be…was it the thieves?”

When Atsushi instantly smelled the blood, he had also thought that, however…

“No…” Atsushi raised his head. The image was burned into his mind.

“Well….did you see it boy?” The old man called Colonel gave a shrewd face. “As
I said earlier, the information in this area is confidential, and there is a
code of conduct that we cannot abandon regardless of what the situation is.
It’s too bad…it won’t be easy for you to go outside.”

“What? Atsushi, what did you see?”

Blue clothes resembling those of a repairman. A tired face. The sound of a

chalmera ringing from a ramen stand. With a faint voice, Atsushi spoke.

“It was the client….the captain is dead.”