Hello there! This is the author of Phantom Thief Red, Shin Akigi.
This volume featured a fake Phantom Thief Red. The Red brand must be pretty famous now for there to be a fake… Although, they were hardly like the real deal.
Now that you’ve seen the phonies for who they are after reading this volume, let’s bring back our character interviews to see what they thought about them!
With that said, today’s interview will be with the muscle and executor of Phantom Thief Red’s operation (and kind of an animal in Kei’s opinion)—Asuka!
“Hey, guys! Wait a second, this introduction sounds insulting…”
No, no, no! Not at all! Kei is the one who thinks it.
“What did you just say?”
You know what, never mind… (I mean, you look like a lion staring at its prey right now…)
Okay, so the reason I wanted to interview you today was to ask what it takes to be a phantom thief like you.
What do you do for practice?
“Hmm, nothing in particular, really. I guess climbing buildings without ropes and sparring with my dad.”
Hmm, that sounds pretty particular, actually… What about something regular people can do?
“Regular people? Let me think… Wait, you made it sound like I’m not a regular person?”
I mean, you’re not! No regular person could be Phantom Thief Red, after all!
“I guess… Somehow, it feels like you’re just making it sound nice…”
You might be overthinking it. So, have any ideas?
“Let’s see… Jogging, maybe?”
That is pretty regular.
“It’s important to stay in shape, after all. Phantom thievery requires stamina every step of the way; you can’t do anything when you’re really out of breath. When it comes to stamina, you want to do a lot of eating and exercising!”
You definitely eat a lot.
“I’m my happiest when it’s mealtime! I only accepted this interview because you agreed to take me out for steak tonight!”
Yeah… Of course.
(Steak… My wallet hurts already…)
“What’s wrong? Why did you just peek into your wallet?”
Oh! It’s nothing!
Let’s finish off with a message for the readers.
“Kei and I are going to keep working hard as Phantom Thief Red, so please keep cheering us on!”
Thank you!
(I can already hear her stomach rumbling as she leaves the interview… I hope I’ll have enough to cover tonight’s bill.)
Now, then!
Today’s interview is a little special, because we have one more guest!
It is the rival of Phantom Thief Red, the Middle School Detective, Hibiki Shirasato.
“Hello. I heard you would be interviewing me today.”
Yes, I will be!
(A simple interviewer… That’s what I am. Definitely not the author…)
So how did you become a detective?
“It just happened, really. I come from a long line of police officers, so they were always talking about cases at home. I’ve been interested in them ever since I was little…”
Ah, yes. You solved the Hanasato case when you were an elementary school student.
“How do you know that?”
Huh…? Oh, uh, well…rumors…
(Whew, that was close. It might’ve been a problem if he figured out my identity.)
Let’s change the subject. What do you need to become a detective?
“What do I need…? You need to always remain calm and never give up.”
Oh… That’s not what I expected to hear. I was expecting something along the lines of “an analytic mind” or “observational skills.”
“Yes, those are both important as well, but even the brightest brain and the sharpest eyes aren’t useful if the person can’t keep their nerves under control.”
Yes, yes. What do you mean by “never giving up,” exactly?
“When the detective gives up, it means the case will go unsolved. It means that the people hurt by the crime will never get closure. To never give up means to pursue a case no matter how difficult it may seem.”
Ah! But being a detective does mean you need to use your head, right? Like when you solve secret messages.
“Yes, indeed. How about I leave you with a secret message?”
A secret message from Hibiki! Sounds interesting—let’s hear it.
“It’s u;kkfwrtiymews.”
Wh-what am I looking it? I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean…
“I’ll give you a hint: left.”
But what does that…? And there he goes.
“Left”? That’s his hint?
Hmm, I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean.
Something tells me this is going to keep me up at night like Kei’s riddle did.
But yeah, Hibiki never gives up.
Sounds to me like Phantom Thief Red is going to hear more from him.
Though, I’m sure Red will pull through somehow!
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And finally, Asuka did some pretty dangerous things this volume, so make sure not to try and do it at home, okay?
For now, though, I’ll be seeing you next time!
✦ ✦ ✦
Shin Akigi