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Before the smoke had cleared from the gallery, Sayaka bolted for the roof access stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Her legs ached and her lungs burned. Finally! The roof access door. Sayaka slammed it open. With their back to her, Kaitou Ace stood on the edge of the rooftop, holding the Blue Meteor to examine it under the light of the full moon.
"It's over," she panted, her breath becoming vapor in the winter air. "We have you surrounded. You won't get away this time."
"Is that so, detective?" they said, amusement evident in their voice despite the modulator under their white mask.
She let the thrum of incoming helicopter blades serve as her answer.
Pocketing the jewel, Ace turned to face Sayaka and gave a small bow. "It's rude to keep your dance partner waiting."
As Ace flicked their wrist to produce a gadget, Sayaka lunged, pushing past the limits of her stamina to cross the chasm of space and grab Ace by the arm. "I'm not in the mood for dancing."
For a moment, Ace said nothing. Were they in shock? Then they laughed and laughed and...
"Sayaka, wake up."
"No," she mumbled.
"I have coffee."
Lifting her head off the table and blinking the sleep out of her eyes (ugh, she fell asleep in the student council room again), Sayaka accepted the offered mug. A little cream, no sugar, just the way she liked it. She downed half of it in one go. Ah. Good stuff.
"Tough night?"
"Mmm." She took another sip. "That melodramatic thief didn't show up until midnight. Then they nearly impaled me with a chandelier."
"That doesn't sound pleasant, but you saved the necklace. Isn't that good?"
"Yeah, but Ace always returns them eventually, so it doesn't..." The last bit of sleep-haze cleared. "President!?"
Kirari Momobami, in all her radiant glory, sat across from Sayaka with a mug of her own and an indulgent smile on her face. "Good morning, Sayaka."
How mortifying. She could feel heat creeping all the way up from her neck to the tips of her ears. And, oh no, if Kirari was here, that meant Sayaka was already behind on today's work, and the work she missed last night due to Kaitou Ace. "I am so, so sorry, President--!"
Leaning across the table, Kirari raised a finger to Sayaka's lips. "Shush. Relax. I'm not mad."
A polite lie? No. Despite her excellent poker face, Kirari was always straightforward with her displeasure. And her smile? Genuine. While still worried about the mounting emails in her inbox, Sayaka took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and acquiesced to Kirari's command. "Okay."
"Good." She settled back into the chair. "Here's the plan: we're going to finish drinking our coffee, and then you're going home. Meanwhile, Ririka and I will take care of everything."
"But there's so much to do, and I can't skip class," Sayaka protested.
"Last week you were complaining about how all your classes were incredibly dull. And, Sayaka." An emotion Sayaka couldn't discern flickered across Kirari's features. "When was the last time you had a solid night of sleep?"
"Um." Nothing came to mind. Even on weeks without a calling card from Kaitou Ace, she'd often stay up late into the night catching up on work or studying or reviewing previous heists. She winced. "I don't remember."
Whatever answer Kirari had expected, this wasn't it. Her poker face shattered, revealing wide-eyed shock...and guilt? But Kirari regained her composure as quickly as she had lost it. "All the more reason why you need a day off."
"Yeah." Sayaka nodded weakly. "Yes, you're right, President. I can't promise, though. Ace might--"
Something dark and dangerous gleamed in Kirari's ice-blue eyes, and Sayaka couldn't help but shiver. "Should any rogue attempt to disrupt your well-deserved day off, I will personally see them delivered to you in handcuffs."
Sayaka believed her. It should frighten her, this side of Kirari she rarely saw, but her heart warmed with affection.
Afterwards, the conversation moved to lighter topics, and soon Kirari was pushing Sayaka out the door with promises that neither her grades nor the student council would suffer in her absence.
She spent the rest of the morning trying not to crash, haunted by a vague sense of unease. From the sudden and unusual shift in schedule, perhaps? But morning turned to noon, taking the unease along with it for a quiet, restful day. Just what she needed.
And no sign of Ace as afternoon turned to night.
As if fearing Kirari's wrath, Kaitou Ace disappeared, sending no calling cards for the rest of the month. And for Sayaka, no Ace meant not having to balance all the facets of her life and health on a tightrope one bad night away from snapping. The untenable cycle of late night heists and long days at Kirari's side couldn't continue.
Yet here she was, lying in bed and unable to sleep, the light of her phone casting eerie shadows as she browsed, of all websites, a Kaitou Ace fan forum in hopes of finding...Finding what? Proof of Ace's continued existence?
She refreshed the page.
And why did she care? Ace was just a cocky thief who had enchanted the populous with charm and a tailored suit. Not someone worth admiring or emulating or chasing after, unlike the president.
She refreshed the page again.
This time, the forum bustled with new activity. Half a dozen new threads had sprung up, all titled with variations of the same headline: Kaitou Ace spotted in the city.
Tripping over the blankets, Sayaka stumbled out of bed and to her desk. She opened her laptop, logged in, and navigated to a news livestream.
On screen, Ace danced across the rooftops, silver ponytail trailing in the wind, while Sayaka was standing in front of her computer in her pajamas. Not out there (like she should be), but here. The nerve of that thief! Disappearing off the face of the earth for three weeks, then waltzing back to their routine without sending--
Sayaka closed her laptop, shut off her phone, and went back to bed.
It was late. Maybe she'd have a clearer head in the morning.
Not even the light of morning could pierce through the haze of emotions clouding her mind, but somewhere between showering and breakfast, Sayaka found enough self-awareness to recognize it as an irrational combination of anger and dejection. Because her traitor-heart assumed she had something special with the thief, something akin to a grand rivalry.
The assumption wasn't baseless. Sayaka had been a handbreadth away from catching Ace that first night months ago when the police had failed, and she'd only gotten closer since. And Ace had always sent a calling card before now. Why send the cards if they didn't enjoy Sayaka chasing after them?
Certainly Sayaka enjoyed it, even if she was loath to admit it. Because the adrenaline running through her veins and Ace's laughter on the wind elevated her from ordinary, boring "Sayaka Igarashi" to detective Sayaka in a way only comparable to receiving one of Kirari's brilliant smiles.
Be logical Sayaka. She knew the problem, but what could she do about it?
A straightforward solution would be to talk to Ace, but that was out of the question! Besides, how would she get their attention? Blast a demand to meet all over social media and hope for the best? No, no that wouldn't do.
The inability to come up with a solution transformed the morning's haze into a potent miasma that refused to dissipate. By noon, she had snapped at four different people, drifted off during class, and almost scrambled the budget into an incomprehensible mess. At least Kirari wasn't around to witness it, absent due to what the vice president described with a scowl at the morning meeting as a 'family obligation'.
Sitting in the garden by the edge of campus, she stared at her lunch, considering if she should go home before she caused a real disaster.
"It's a shame the lilies aren't in bloom yet."
The familiarity of the voice kept her from jumping. She turned to face Kirari. "I thought you were out today?"
"Things went faster than I expected." Kirari hopped over the back of the bench, then slid next to Sayaka, shoulder to shoulder. Automatically, Sayaka offered an extra pair of chopsticks as Kirari reached for Sayaka's lunch.
They ate in comfortable silence until Kirari said, "Runa told me you gave the acting chairman a tongue lashing so severe he was crying by the end of it."
She winced. Oh. That.
"He deserved it. However, I expect such venom from the other student council members, not you."
"I'm s--"
"No. Ah, I mean." Kirari sighed, then recomposed herself. "Did something happen?"
"It's, um." The words died in Sayaka's throat. Groggily complaining about Ace to Kirari was one thing, but admitting to her foolish obsession? She could never, not to Kirari. A searing wrongness gripped her at the thought. But Kirari was worried, so Sayaka had to say something. "Someone. They're ignoring me. And it's frustrating me more than it should."
"This mysterious person must be quite dull and oblivious."
"No." She grimaced. "They're avoiding me on purpose."
Kirari gave Sayaka a thoughtful look. "If it's another student, I could help, if you want."
Help by intimidation, most likely. Would that even work on Ace? "They aren't a student here, but I appreciate the offer."
"I see." She began to speak, but stopped. A strangely unsure gesture for Kirari. Then, she tried again. "I find, if you are willing to put your relationship at risk, the best method to catch someone's attention is to infuriate them."
"They certainly caught my attention by infuriating me."
"All the more reason to return the favor." Kirari smiled. The gears in Sayaka's head began to turn.
Infuriate them. Sayaka mulled over Kirari's advice during class. How would she go about infuriating Kaitou Ace? Nothing ever fazed them, not that she could tell. Reviewing each encounter in her memory gave only their masked face and machined laughter. Even when cornered, the thief's disposition never wavered.
Facts. She needed to focus on the facts.
One. Ace had returned everything they had stolen. Claimed the item did not match their 'specifications'.
Two. Despite the risk of being caught, or worse, sustaining injury, the thief always pushed their luck on their heists, taking on near impossible jumps, locks set to explode, and more.
Three. They took pride in their personal style. Expressed disgust toward copycat rivals.
Huh. Perhaps she could use that. Perhaps she could--? No, she shouldn't. Well, maybe if she was desperate. And she wasn't that desperate yet.
She was, in fact, that desperate.
The plan came together over the next few days. Faking the calling card? Sayaka had a sizable stash to use as a basis for a forgery. Selecting the target? She knew Ace's tastes from extensive experience. Keeping the police department away from the scene while making sure knowledge of the heist hit the masses? Several members of the force owed her favors.
For each snag, she had a solution until every detail was accounted for.
Almost every detail.
The Momobami family possessed a diamond with similar characteristics to Ace's usual targets, and Kirari had no interest in it. If Sayaka asked, Kirari would certainly allow Sayaka to use it for her scheme. Maybe even laugh at the absurdity and novelty of the situation.
But whenever Sayaka found a chance to ask, she froze up. Her tongue tied itself into knots. The same wrongness from before gripped at her, and no amount of logical thought would dispel it.
Without bait, her plan would fall to pieces before it even began. Asking through the vice president wasn't an option; Sayaka still remembered her first month as student council secretary and accidentally eavesdropping on an argument between the twins, both of them going from clipped, soft tones to snarls while Sayaka's name came up again and again.
Now, Kirari insisted that Ririka liked Sayaka. Though Ririka had never acted maliciously toward her, Sayaka wasn't going to risk igniting Ririka's temper, and thus risking her relationship with Kirari. Not for Ace. She'd rather deal with Midari than--of course, Midari.
Midari Ikishima--head of the Beautification Committee by Kirari's decree, a menace who regularly smuggled a loaded pistol onto school grounds--came from a wealthy family, and might know someone with a jewel suitable for bait.
She found Midari, not in the basement as she expected, but out in the garden by the edge of campus, gloved hands pulling weeds from the soil. As Midari tossed another weed onto the already-substantial pile, she noticed Sayaka.
"Didn't expect to see you here." She stood up, and stretched out her back. "I know I haven't done anything to demand the President's attention, and this can't be about paperwork 'cause I did mine on time for once."
"Yes, and I appreciate it."
While Midari held herself in a lazy, laid-back manner, her good eye traced over Sayaka with a piercing, unsettling weight. "So, what do you want?"
She took a deep breath to steady herself. It was just Midari. They somehow ended up in the same class year after year since middle school. She could handle this conversation. "I'm in need of information for a specific purpose, and I hoped--"
"Come on, out with it already."
Sayaka glared, which made Midari laugh. "Do you know about any jewels that Kaitou Ace hasn't stolen yet I could use?"
"Maybe." She considered it for a moment. "So...does this mean Prez is available now?"
Furious blood rushed to Sayaka's face, and she knew she was blushing. She looked away. "I have no idea what you mean."
"'cause if you're finally doing something about your massive hatecrush on that thief, then maybe Kirari--"
"Will you help me or not?"
Midari shrugged. "What's in it for me?"
"I'm sure the inspector would love to know about your gun collection."
"And I'm sure he'll wonder why you didn't report me sooner." Before the situation could devolve into a stalemate, she gestured to the garden. "Help me finish this up, and I'll see what I can do."
Midari made for terrible company, endlessly needling Sayaka about Kirari and Ace in equal measure, but she kept her promise. The next day, she handed Sayaka a business card with an address scrawled on the back. "Good luck with your date, nerd."
At least she had the decency to only make such insinuations in private.
The rest of the week passed in a flurry of preparation until she gave herself the fake calling card on Friday, during her least favorite class. By lunch, news of Ace's (fake) renewed interest in Sayaka had reached everyone on campus, including Kirari.
"Rumor has it a certain rogue sent you a calling card today."
They sat by the dormant lilies again, yet the familiar setting provided no relief to the tension growing within her.
"Ah, yes, the rumors are true. I was quite surprised."
"May I see it?"
She hesitated--Kirari usually didn't show such interest in anything related to Ace--then she berated herself for her disloyalty. She handed it over.
Ice-blue eyes closely examined the card, turning it over, taking in every detail, the beginnings of a frown growing across Kirari's face. The expression lingered even after she returned it.
"President?"
"Sayaka, I..." A flicker of an emotion Sayaka couldn't discern. "Please, be careful."
Only later, just on the edge of sleep, did Sayaka jolt awake with a sudden revelation: Kirari had never warned Sayaka to be careful upon receiving a calling card before.
Sayaka had been inside the homes of the wealthy before, either through Kirari's meetings or Kaitou Ace's heists, and could discern information on the residents from the smallest details in the decor. The western-style manor had been built during the economic bubble of the 80s, the interior filled with gilded, opulent junk. New money taste through and through. Which worked for her purposes: fake luxury items broke easily.
With carte blanche from the owners to do whatever she needed, Sayaka had easily rigged the ballroom chandelier to fall right in front of her bait. A bit of poetic payback, from the last time she and Ace clashed.
But that was yesterday. Tonight, she double checked her work before hiding in an adjoining room. She bit down the urge to pace. A looming grandfather clock unhelpfully ticked down the seconds to Ace's arrival. Her fingers twitched; she forced them steady. In a previous case, she had waited hours for her quarry without stray thoughts or fidgets. Ace would be here at ten exactly. Five minutes. She could hold it together for just a little longer.
Five minutes was eternity with the unexamined implications of her actions pounding against the back of her head, insistent like the rhythm of the grandfather clock.
And then the clock began to chime.
One, two, three.
(What was wrong with her?)
Four, five, six.
(How had such a petty desire driven her to this?)
Seven, eight, nine.
(Was Kirari worried about her?)
On the final chime, the power cut out, plunging the house into darkness.
CRASH!
And there went the windows, the first move of this familiar dance. Sayaka bolted. Activate the trap. Catch Ace off guard. Catch Ace. Her plan had to work.
The emergency lights flickered on as Sayaka cut the rope.
The chandelier wobbled, creaking and clattering like a warning bell. Ace looked up.
"Oh dear."
Then gravity kicked in, sending the chandelier careening to an explosive impact. Ace dodged. Tile and metal shot up into the air. With an audible crack, one piece hit Ace in the juncture between their mask and jaw, staggering them back.
They brought their gloved hand up to gingerly rub the slowly blooming bruise. "I suppose--" The voice modulator sputtered. "--will have words for me later."
In the dim light, detective and thief locked eyes.
"S-Sayaka?" They looked around the wreckage, tension building in their form. "Where's the rest of the force?"
She took a step forward. Ace took a step back. "This is between us. There's no one else to interfere."
"However, the calling card--"
"I made it."
A small hitch in Ace's breath made it past the modulator, and Sayaka couldn't help but grin, teeth gleaming. What she wouldn't give to see Ace's expression right now! To know how their face contorted when knocked off-kilter, just as they had knocked Sayaka's entire life off-kilter since Ace pulled off their heist without sending her their signature calling card.
"Why?" Ace took a step, and Sayaka mirrored it again, like predator circling prey. "Is this about last month? I didn't realize you'd take such offense to my trap."
"What? No!"
"Then illuminate me, detective. What is this about?"
Those words ripped Sayaka's voice out of her mouth better than any knife. Tore her words apart into babel. How could Ace not understand? Did they think so little of her that one heist without her meant nothing to them?
(Did she matter to anyone?)
"Well, if you have no answer, I thank you for doing my research for me. I'll be taking my prize now."
They darted to the display case. A royal flush of steel-tipped cards shattered the glass. Ace's hand was on the jewel by the time Sayaka's brain finally kicked back into gear.
"Get back here!"
She lunged; Ace stumbled. Together they fell into a tangled heap of flailing limbs and desperation, each struggling to take control of the grapple. Hair pulling. Head butting. No holds barred. Clothes caught and tore as they rolled through the debris.
Kaitou Ace wasn't built for fighting, while Sayaka held her ability to subdue any miscreant who might trouble Kirari as a point of pride. They didn't stand a chance.
When the dust settled, Sayaka was panting, sweating, and straddling Ace, pinning them to the ground. Not that Ace, despite panting as hard as Sayaka, seemed concerned.
(Embarrassment would come later, when she had time to analyze that moment. The moment she could feel Ace breathing. Could feel their heat through their clothes.)
"Congratulations, detective. You've caught me. What will you do without the rest of the force to help you?"
Again, her words threatened to slip away from her. She pulled them back with a steadying breath. "Why didn't you send me a calling card last time?"
A long, painful silence stretched to fill the space between them.
"I don't understand," Ace said, "why you're angry over something so insignificant."
"Insignificant? I've been chasing after you." Sayaka grabbed the lapels of Ace's suit. "Losing sleep over you." She pulled them up. "Letting other parts of my life rot on the wayside." Only centimeters of mask kept their faces from touching. "And you're telling me you don't care."
Whatever she had hoped to find in the black mesh eyes of Ace's mask wasn't there.
"You don't care," she sobbed into their chest, all the fury draining out of her, "if someone else catches you."
Ace reached out with a gloved hand to tuck a lock of stray hair behind Sayaka's ear. "Oh Sayaka, my dear Sayaka," they said. Sayaka's tears slowed as something in her mind desperately tried to click into place. "Please let me prove you wrong."
"How--?"
A hand over her eyes. Breath on her face. Ace's breath, free of their mask. Soft lips met Sayaka's bitten ones. They kissed her. Ace kissed her gently. Shallow. Only a little more than a peck, really. Sayaka deepened it, allowing Ace to mold themselves against her. They tasted like a memory of summer peaches.
And then Sayaka was holding nothing but smoke.
She opened her eyes, scrambled to her feet, and then immediately crumpled to her knees. Kaito Ace was gone. While the jewel still lay in the broken display case, they had stolen something far more important: Sayaka's first kiss.
The next morning at school, Sayaka took her usual seat in the student council room and began working. She worked at a normal pace without interruption. She did not pause, and, if she did, it certainly wouldn't be to space out and sigh like a lovesick fool. She absolutely was not thinking about Ace. And that night. And that kiss.
She had made good progress on her work when the Momobami twins made their appearance, Kirari giving a cheery greeting while Ririka said nothing.
"Good morning." Sayaka looked up from her papers and gasped. On the edge of Kirari's jaw, a red-purple bruise showed through her makeup. She shot up, rushing to Kirari's side. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Ririka scowled and Kirari gave a sheepish laugh. "She tripped."
"You don't have to say it like that, Ririka."
"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
Sayaka let the two banter as she inspected the bruise. She couldn't imagine someone like Kirari ever being clumsy to the point of injury, and the location didn't seem right for a fall. But the President was involved in odd things. "Tomorrow you can start icing it. That should help it heal faster."
Kirari smiled. Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Thank you for the advice. Though, I don't suppose you can help me with it now?"
"Don't," warned Ririka.
"Whatever you need, President!"
She leaned forward, and Sayaka gulped, realizing how close they were. "Kiss it better, won't you?"
Her face grew hot with rushing blood. A flustered objection grew on her lips. She shouldn't.
(But it wasn't fair that Ace had gotten a kiss from her while Kirari hadn't, yet.)
"S-since you asked." And so she kissed the bruise, light and chaste. Just a single moment to catch a faded hint of Kirari's floral perfume.
Her expression of surprise and delight made it worth the embarrassment and Ririka's grousing.
Later that morning, in the student council room, Sayaka noticed a new weight tucked between the buttons of her shirt. She ripped off her blazer, heedless to Kirari's presence. There, a calling card in cyan ink. She stared at it. Turned it over to examine it from every possible angle. The card noted a time further out than Ace's norm--four days instead of one or two--and added to the signature was a heart.
"How did Ace get close enough to me to slip this in without me noticing!?"
Kirari smirked, twirling a pen between her fingers. "Another one already? Seems like the thief can't get enough of you."
"I guess so..." A warmth settled in her chest, similar to one Kirari gave her. "But I can't wait to catch them."
"I know you will."