I split up with Kei and ran down the hall. The security was busy dealing with the panic, so they wouldn’t notice me slip away. I’d staked out a room earlier that seemed relatively unused, and just as I expected, there was no one inside.
In a flash, I changed into my Red costume. Once I put on the earpiece, I could hear Kei call out to me.
“You ready?”
“Yup. How are Misaki and Yuzuki?”
“They’re fine. They both managed to evacuate.”
All right. That means I can focus on this.
“My analysis of the fake Red duo aligns with Kiyose’s. While they’re skilled infiltrators, they don’t have the hacking or phantom-thievery expertise that we do. Because of that, I didn’t think they’d even attempt a heist that required them to make a direct approach, but…”
“Is something wrong?”
It was strange for Kei to stumble over his words.
“It’s nothing—there’s just something on my mind.”
“And that is?”
“It doesn’t matter at the moment. Right now, we need to focus on catching the fake Red. They got away last time because we slipped up.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
“I’m not trying to blame you for it or anything. It’s both of our faults. Anyway, let’s work together to make sure it doesn’t happen again, okay?”
“Okay!”
I carefully emerged out of the closet and into the hallway. There were no security guards in sight, but it wouldn’t take long for them to get here. After all, we had the best of the best working for us.
“There are guards coming from the hallway to the right. I want you to head down the left path and make your way into the ceiling.”
Following Kei’s navigation, I went left and found an air vent that would let me get into the ceiling. I could hear the security team’s voices as I did.
“Don’t worry, men. Our security is rock-solid. Red won’t be leaving this building. Just stay calm and stick to the chase!”
If I got caught, they would assume I was the one who stole the gemstone and not the fake Red.
I used a wire to hoist myself up into the ceiling, then waited for the security team to pass by before following Kei’s navigation to a different vent.
I found myself taking a peek through one of the vents below, and what I saw shocked me.
What’s going on…?
“I see, so that’s their plan.” Kei knew exactly what was happening just by catching a glimpse through my camera. “We need to move, Asuka! We’re headed somewhere else. I know what their aim is now.”
“Huh?! Not the courtyard? But that was where Rio set up her trap…”
“They know it’s a trap. They took a different route in.”
“What do you…? Ah, never mind!”
I almost asked Kei to explain himself, but we didn’t have time for that.
I’ll have to trust Kei for now!
I continued my way through the ventilation system.
“You’re going to hop down from here. You can’t use the vents beyond this point. Be careful.”
“You got it.”
I found a spot where there were no people under the vents and dropped to the floor.
Tap.
Barely making a sound, I landed on the floor below.
“Follow this hallway, and there should be a door at the end of it—that’s our goal.”
“Our goal? Meaning the fake Red will be there?”
“No, they won’t be here yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“They will need to get ready before they can come here.”
There was a door at the end of the hallway.
“That’s the door.”
Following Kei’s directions, I opened the door. Carefully, I looked into the room. It was large and empty. There were no tables or chairs, and there were tall shelves lining its edges.
“Red is gonna come here?”
“Yeah, I know they will. Trust me,” Kei declared.
Okay. Then there’s only one thing I need to do.
I need to get ready for the fake Red duo to come!
Clack, clack…
I heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door.
I was hiding quietly behind one of the shelves, waiting for the door to open.
Ka-chak… Creeeak—
I heard the door open, and through it came…two security guards!
The pair of guards walked toward the far end of the room, their sharp eyes scanning the area carefully.
Ah! They’re coming this way!
I could feel my heart beating faster; I put my hand over it to calm myself.
After I made sure I recognized them, I was ready to go.
Tap.
I jumped out behind them, landing with a light sound that made both guards jolt in surprise. They quickly spun around to face me.
“What’re you doing here…?” said the smaller of the two security guards.
“You two need something on the roof, fake Reds?” I said with confidence.
“Wh-what do you mean?! You’re the real Phantom Thief Red! We’re gonna catch you!”
“Go ahead, call for backup… I’ll wait.”
The two glared back at me.
“Well, shoot. If the jig is up, no point in fakin’ it anymore!”
They scoffed to themselves before removing their uniform shirts.
✦ ✦ ✦
And there they were—the fake Red duo.
Just like Kei said!
“How’d ya know we’d be here?” the little one said, putting his fists up for a fight.
“It was easy. You two wouldn’t be able to escape the building without fingerprints, and the courtyard was obviously a trap. The one way for you to get out was the courtyard, so this was the only place left for you to go.”
“So ya figured it out, too…,” the little one said with a sour look.
I looked out the window, pointing at the accommodation facility where we had our things.
“The distance between this building and that one is twenty-three feet—except for this spot. The other building has an outdoor stairwell, which sticks out three feet, and this window also protrudes another two feet, making it an eighteen-foot gap. You could attach a rope to the stairs to cross it, especially given how acrobatic you two are.”
The fake Red duo walked back a bit, and I follow their pace by taking a step forward,
“Opening the window could sound an alarm, sure, but you would be well across the gap before any police made it here. And the security for the other building is nothing compared with the museum, so you’d probably have no problem making your escape.”
That’s what Kei told me to say anyway. It also helped that I just so happened to glimpse two security guards knocked unconscious in another room where art was being stored—without their uniforms. So it was easy to picture what they would be wearing.
“Nothing gets by you, huh, Phantom Thief Red? We figured you’d make yer move, too, but we never thought you’d guess our whole plan.”
“It was an obvious plan.”
Well…for Kei, at least.
“I’ll make you return the Red-Hot Crown and the Blue Star!” I said, crouching down in a fighting pose before the fake Red duo.