You think Your a Man: Chapter Three

[RoseMarie 0]

Authors’ Note: We apologize for the week long delay in posting. We are trying to maintain a two chapter lead on posting and sadly we didn’t get chapters 4 and 5 finished in time to post 3 last week.

Believe it or not we actually did some research for this chapter, some of which we’d like to share with our readers. First of all, we make no claims to speaking Japanese but some internet research provided us with Kaito’s alias. We believe it means “Treasure Huntress” which we found amusing. We also spent a lot of time pouring over the pictures and floor plans of this museum in order to write this chapter and plan the heist, though we took a bit of creative license on where the gem would be displayed. Last of all, we couldn’t find anything about how exams are scored in Japan so we, being the geeks that we are, went with how they did it in Tales of Symphonia and made everything out of 400 points.

Chapter Three: The Set-Up

On Sunday, Kaito stepped off the train at the Ryogoku station wearing a simple skirt and blouse combination and carrying what appeared to be a school satchel. A quick stop in the ladies’ room assured him that his makeup and wig were still intact before heading off in the direction of the Edo-Tokyo Museum. He hummed quietly as he walked, occasionally skipping a few steps, appearing for all the world like a carefree young girl. Though not a hint of it appeared on his face, internally he was grinning. I must have been here a dozen times but this’ll be the first time I’ve ever scoped it out for a heist.

The walk was short, only a block, and soon the museum’s front entrance was in view. Kaito carefully avoided the tiled pool out front. The goldfish tiled into the bottom of the pool were not what he needed after his recent dream. The cool air of the museum’s interior washed over him as passed through the front doors, school satchel swinging in front of him. The young man behind the ticket counter appeared to be in his early twenties and he smiled indulgently as Kaito skipped up.

Kaito smiled winningly as he stopped in front of the counter, expression all innocence as he swung his satchel around behind him, holding the handle with both hands. The fact that this drew attention to his artfully realistic chest was something he pretended to have no knowledge of. “Good morning, sir,” he greeted shyly, looking up through his lashes at the man.

“G…good m…morning, m…miss,” the young man stuttered, flustered by the apparently unintentional flirting. He visibly gathered his composure before continuing in a more professional tone. “Here for a school project?”

“Sure am!” Kaito fidgeted, twisting slightly from side to side as he spoke, hands still clutching his school bag behind him. He mentally cackled as the man struggled to keep his eyes at a proper level. The disguise was perfect. No one would remember “Ryoshi Takara”, not even the ticket attendant. All that would be remembered would be the outfit and the impression that “she” had been polite and rather attractive. “We have to write a report about the Yasuhiro family and exhibit. How much for a ticket?”

Stuttering and blushing, the man finally managed to inform Kaito that special exhibitions cost 650 yen for students. After paying for his ticket and thanking the man with another smile, Kaito skipped off into the main portion of the museum. A stop at the information booth provided him with flyers about the exhibit but a quick perusal revealed nothing he hadn’t already learned through his previous research into the family and gemstone.

The Traveler’s Tear itself was a large alexandrite, which Yasuhiro Masao had obtained in the early 1930s, during his time as Japan’s ambassador to Italy. Despite his best efforts, he had been unable to learn more about the Tear’s background or how Yasuhiro had come into possession of it. It had been found amongst his possessions after his passing in the late 1960s. The brochure went on to explain that the Yasuhiro family felt that the gem’s name represented the heartache of lonely, troubled times and that the beauty of the gem served as a beacon of hope to those experiencing such times. Kaito snorted softly. Load of hogwash if you ask me. Still, the background is mysterious enough to warrant a look.

“Takara” walked slowly through the various displays, apparently fascinated by all that the museum had to offer. Kaito, experienced at this type of reconnaissance, carefully noted the locations of cameras, sensors, and guards. Rooms, doors, elevators, and escalators were all marked off on his mental floor plan. Taking the stairs from the 3rd floor to the 5th floor, Kaito made a mental note to come back and explore the off-limits 4th floor. It’s marked off as storage. Could be useful. The 5th floor provided little in the way of inspiration for the heist but the thief gave no outward sign of this, perusing the displays with the same interest he had shown in the other locations. Ok, so the gem is displayed on the floor above this. Looks like there are a lot of ways to access that floor from here. I count three staircases and the elevator. Nakamori-keibu will have to cover all of them, plus the escalator from the third floor to the sixth floor and the escalator from the sixth floor down to here. Good. This can work in my favor.

With at least the beginnings of an escape route coming together, Kaito took to the stairs again, reaching the 6th floor at last. This floor was split into two parts, connected by a replica of the Nihonbashi Bridge. Heist plans began to take shape in his mind as he stood on the bridge, gazing down at the lifelike models of early Edo. The area which had been cordoned off for the Yasuhiro exhibit was on the larger of the two sections, the Tear itself prominently displayed in the middle. Kaito “admired” the models as he waited for the crowd around the Tear to thin a bit. As he waited, he allowed himself a grin, unseen in the dimness of the area. This is going to make for a fabulous performance.

Moments later a large group broke off from the display and headed for the escalator that would take them down to the 5th floor. Kaito seized the opportunity and moved up to examine the display. Wary of appearing suspicious to the two guards positioned on either side of the display area he fell easily into the role of Takara. “Ooooh,” he breathed in soft, awestruck voice. “It’s so beautiful.” He stared wide-eyed at the gem for a moment before visibly shaking himself out of it. “My report!” he exclaimed as he dug into his satchel, coming up a moment later with a notepad and pen. Using the excuse of taking diligent notes on the life and career of Yasuhiro Masao, Kaito examined the security arrangements as well as the gem itself. It really is a beautiful piece. Its size and color make it look almost like a pale amethyst. The security seems pretty straightforward. This should be easy enough to have a bit of fun with the Task Force. Time to get a better look behind the scenes.

No staircases went up to the 7th floor, so Kaito headed for one of the two elevators. This floor consisted only of a café and the audiovisual library. He grabbed a quick bite to eat at the café, made a brief pass through the library, and then headed for the nearest restroom. Good, no cameras. Unfortunately, the restroom was occupied when he arrived so he stepped daintily into the nearest stall and waited. When he heard the other occupant leave he stepped out and placed a sign on the door. Closed for cleaning, please use the one by the library.

Within minutes his costume change was complete and Kaito stepped out of the restroom, removing the sign as he did so. Wearing the nondescript clothes of the maintenance staff, Kaito once again caught the elevator. Now to get a look at the 4th floor. The next couple of hours flew by as Kaito explored the employees-only areas of the museum, noting guard schedules, camera locations, security checkpoints and access routes. A brief stint in the air ducts provided a backup escape route. Satisfied at last, mind brimming with plans and ideas, Kaito changed once again and “Ryoshi Takara” headed to the train station.

00000

Monday morning found the students of Ekoda High gathered around the bulletin board showing their exam scores. Aoko stood slightly off to the side, nervously wringing her hands together and shifting from foot to foot as she worked up the nerve to check her scores. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered as she edged into the crowd. A quick scan through the N’s produced her score. Nakamori Aoko -- 350 out of 400. A voice right next to her ear caused her to jump. “See? I told you that you were going to do fine.”

“Yeah, what a relief.” She turned to give Kaito a mock glare. “Will you quit sneaking up on me?” Kaito placed a hand over his heart and gave a dramatic sigh. “Ah, Aoko. You take all the fun out of life.”

“You did really well.” She gestured towards the Ks where Kuroba Kaito -- 390 out of 400 was listed. “How you manage scores like that with all of your goofing off I’ll never know.” Keiko, one of Aoko’s closest female friends, nudged Aoko. “Look, he even scored higher than Hakuba-san, though not by much. They’re the top of the class.” Sure enough there was Hakuba Saguru -- 385 out of 400.

“Speak of the devil,” Kaito muttered as Hakuba walked up. Aoko threw him a dirty look even as she turned to greet Hakuba with a smile. “Good morning, Hakuba-kun.”

“Good morning, Aoko-chan, Momoi-chan, Kuroba-kun.” Hakuba gave them all a polite bow and the others returned it with various degrees of enthusiasm. Keiko gave her apologies and headed off towards another group of friends. Turning back to Kaito and Aoko, Hakuba said, “Congratulations on your scores. You both did very well.”

Kaito offered a friendly grin in return. “Thanks. Congrats on yours as well.” Aoko seconded the congratulations with much more sincerity and warmth.

“I am pleased with results, but I am glad they are over. I fear my final exam scores may be less satisfactory as I must take my leave for a time and return to London.”

Aoko looked startled. “What? Why? You just came back not too long ago.”

“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about, Aoko-chan. There are some family issues that require my presence.” Aoko looked embarrassed and politely changed the subject after wishing him a safe trip. “Thank you, Aoko-chan. I’m sure everything will be fine and I’ll be back in a few weeks.” Kaito also wished Hakuba a safe trip, but privately he felt disappointed. Well, this looks to be a boring heist after all.

[Kiel95 86]

Thumbs up! It's pretty good, although, I'm a bit more interested in Conan's stories than Kaito's... either way it was well written!

[Scar Akai 65]

not bad, though more conan scenes would be better

[RoseMarie 0]

We wanted to say that we are sorry for not having cahpter 4 up yet. Sadly GiggleTwinOne was sick.Both of us have work and GiggleTwin Two has school. so we got behind but dont give up on us we will have the next chapter up as soon as we can. Thank you everyone who has enjoyed this story so far.

The GiggleTwins

[Kiel95 86]

ok, i understand ^-^

[Scar Akai 65]

Ok then

[IdentityUnknown 216]

It's good so far...though I must say I look forward to the Conan scenes more. Keep up the good work!

[Cindy-Chen 82]

Aww....you won't put Hakuba-san in it?