Toys, miracle blossoms flowering in the hearts of the chosen. Some bloom into pure flowers, others, into poisonous ones. It is the Age of Great Detectives. These two flowers wage war to see who is the most beautiful.

Merry Lardmas!

It was the happiest day on Earth. Buta, the false God of Lard, had been toppled by a group of detectives known as Milky Holmes. All the fat he had absorbed from around the globe was returning to the people who had lost it. Their bodies absorbed the greasy snowflakes, falling from the sky with a gentle sound, and regained their normal forms. Humanity cannot persist on muscle and bone alone. This was the lesson the God of Lard had sought to teach those who may have blamed its follower for the crisis that befell the Earth.

The names of the heroines who had brought the world back to normal would be left unremembered. They were at the epicenter of the chaos, the eye of the storm where the waves of lard and failure radiated out and damaged the Earth. It was only by dumb luck that they had forced the Toys of the world's worst phantom thieves out of the false god's form. No one had been there to witness their shining moment.

Their heroism would go unsung for generations to come, remembered only in the form of poems and legends passed down through detective schools across the globe. Sherlock Shellinford, Hercule Barton, Nero Yuzurizaki and Cordelia Glauca; these were the names of the four brave girls who fought to end the tyranny of lard. They were last seen dancing into the snowfall of lard, fading into silhouettes on the horizon. For though they had slain a god, they were not gods themselves. They sought the approval of someone else.

This is her story.

Henriette Mystere, the second daughter of the esteemed House of Mystere, was a star on the international stage. She was of French descent, with a notable bust to show for it, and could speak Japanese fluently. She was elected the Student Council President after a fierce campaign against Dorothée LeBlanc. That election season had changed everything.

Her work at Dupin Academy had made Henriette a strong contender for the role. Dorothée was a girl from a circus family, more entertainer than politician. Henriette, her best friend since the two of them entered Holmes Academy, had told her to be proactive and do something to improve the lot of the students. She didn't think Dorothée would take this to mean "run against her." At first, this didn't affect anything. No matter who won, the school would get a trustworthy president to their name. It was friendly competition.

Behind closed doors, Henriette and Dorothée were friends, rivals and lovers. Dorothée was the only one outside of Henriette's private sector who knew her true nature. She was the descendent of Arsene Lupin, and had taken on his name. At night, she would go out into town with her underlings and steal the finest treasures from around Yokohama. If word ever got out that a thief was running for the presidential post of a detective school, her campaign would be doomed from the start. Dorothée was the only person she could trust.

One night, in Arsene's lavish dormitory, she was resting on her side on her bed, wearing her finest lingerie. Stone River, Twenty and Rat admired her, but they knew Henriette's heart did not belong to them. She was an admirer of wine, women and treasure. The door to the dorm room squeaked open. Dorothée, her long hair trailing down to her waist, greeted Henriette. Arsene's eyes examined her body, clad in simple underwear, up to her cute face. There was something different about her this evening. An ornate diamond necklace jangled just above her chest.

"Where did you get that?" asked Henriette curiously, stepping off her bed. She ran her fingers across the grooves of the diamonds. "These diamonds are real. Something like this had to have been expensive, and we're students living abroad. Have you been saving?"

"It was a gift," said Dorothée, nervously backing away.

"A gift? From who? If you wanted it so badly, I could've stolen it for you," said Henriette. "Something like this would take a few nights of planning, but it would be a memory for both of us."

"I... I can't say. It's a private matter," said Dorothée. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Are you having an affair with another girl? Or is it a man?" asked Henriette, eyeing Dorothée with a hint of malice. "We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Then why aren't you telling the school your true colors?" said Dorothée. "You act like that outfit of yours is some sort of disguise. A domino mask isn't nearly as good a veil as it used to be. The students are being trained to discover ways to find you out every day."

Henriette's eyes sparked. The sign of someone using their Toys. Henriette created a ring of copies of herself. Except for the one standing in front of Dorothée, they were all tricks of the light. "Then I'll change the curriculum," said the Henriette brigade in sync. "The Mystere family has more power than you're aware of."

"Corrupt! That's what you are, corrupt!" said Dorothée. "I'll crush you in the election, Mystere! I won't let you ruin this school just because you have the blood of Lupin! I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Dorothée slammed the door behind her. Henriette would only find out after the election that the necklace had been a gift from her mother, who was supporting their relationship. Dorothée transferred to another school shortly after. Henriette had been elected student council president, but it was a hollow victory. She put her underlings into the school to be her eyes and ears. She chose to stay in her office, watching the students enjoy themselves. The blow from losing Dorothée was too much for her.

That would all change at the start of her third year. Opera Kobayashi had formed Milky Holmes, a group made of the rawest talents with the most potential in the school. Henriette was walking around the school grounds at sunset. Her Arsene uniform, a skimpy black piece, was beneath her school uniform. She had mastered the art of the quick change, but it required her to actually have the second set of clothes on hand. She always felt sleepy around this time. Her body needed to rest before she changed personas on the stage of Yokohama.

The leader of Milky Holmes, herself also sleepy, was staring at Henriette from a distance. She looked like a stray cat in a box, calling out to the people walking past. She perked up when she recognized Henriette. The pink-haired girl sprinted across the campus towards Henriette, calling her name all the while. Henriette was only half paying attention. She noticed Sherlock only when she bumped into her chest. Her nose was buried deep in Henriette's cleavage.

Sherlock struggled to get out. She took a deep breath. The scent of Henriette's flowery French perfume and sweat entered her nostrils, making her feel light headed. Sherlock struggled to break free, but the more she tried, the more Henriette's breasts shook. This girl was hardy enough that she made Henriette feel like she wasn't wearing a bra. The president pulled Sherlock out of her chest and back into the humid afternoon air.

"Are you lost? I can escort you back to your room if you wish," said Henriette.

"I know where my own room is. I was looking for Nero. She said something about the science lab, but I wanted to grab something to eat first. Sorry, miss president. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Sherlock Shellinford." she said. "I almost forgot! Tonight's our first group case!"

"I hope you succeed," said Henriette. She put on a big smile. "Make your school proud."

Sherlock's hand got caught in Henriette's blouse while she was walking away. She yanked down the uniform. Henriette's nightwear became exposed. The large collar of her Arsene outfit popped out. The flesh of her breasts became visible underneath the golden orange light. Sherlock's hand slipped away. She heard Henriette let out a little yelp, and turned back. Henriette had fixed her uniform before Sherlock could notice. The two parted ways.

When Henriette had looked into her eyes, she saw someone different from Dorothée. Someone better. Sherlock looked up to her like a big sister, but the beating of Henriette's heart made her want to change that to lover. Henriette transformed into Arsene.

She had a new modus operandi for her crimes. Draw out Milky Holmes and make Sherlock face her one to one. Sherlock was a girl who hated thieves. Her relationship by day would be full of cuddling and longing embraces, but by night, there would be punches thrown and mutual admiration cast in the heat of an exciting battle. She greeted the night with a new found exuberance.

The relationship would last for half a year, until the day when Milky Holmes lost their Toys. Henriette tried everything she could to get them back. She succeeded with the Yokohama Gorge strategy, but that fight resulted in them losing their powers once again. Henriette was feeling worse than she had with Dorothée, until the day when she snapped. The police, Milky Holmes and her own minions fought against her, but her power had reached the point of unstoppability.

This led to the Lardmas Day Battle. Arsene played a crucial role in the fight, but it was Milky Holmes who had won the day. She wanted to see Sherlock again. Her heart ached for the girl detective. Henriette wanted to let Sherlock know that everything she had put her and her friends through was for their own good, and happy days could be here again.

She would greet them as Arsene. Lovers don't keep secrets from each other. It's time Sherlock was in on her darkest secret. She sent a message through her cell phone informing the Three Cards that she had returned, but that they had no need to search for her. She walked through the streets of Yokohama with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face. Yokohama's first Lardmas was in full swing.

People danced beneath the white, greasy flurry. Lovers caught it on their tongues and kissed. The flavor of lard flowed through everyone's bodies. A group of children played on a slide at a nearby playground. The lard coating the slide had made it slipperier and faster than ever. Arsene took off her domino mask for a moment and returned to being Henriette. She greeted the children with a smile.

"Merry Lardmas!" she exclaimed.

"Merry Lardmas!" answered the children in return.

Not all of the lard absorbed was from living creatures. A great amount of it had been sitting around in tins and warehouses waiting to be sold. This excess lard fell to the ground, creating lardbanks along the Kishamachi Promenade. Henriette saw a noticeable gap in the skyline. The location where Holmes Academy had once been. Now was not the time to feel sad about it. She walked through the gate into Cosmo World.

The theme park was bustling with crowds. In spite of that, it felt strangely empty. The people weren't paying her any attention. A small silhouette, about the same size as Sherlock, stood in front of the Cosmo Clock Ferris wheel. She had two antennae bobbing about her head. Her uniform was not from around here. She leaned against the Clock's signboard, chewing the fat falling from the sky.

"Mori Arty," Arsene whispered.

"The fallen phantom thief has returned to Yokohama," said the cutesy falsetto voice. "You don't have to play nice with me, president Henriette. School's not in session. Nor will it be again. We all know whose fault that is."

Mori stuck out her tongue and pulled down her lower eyelid. A lardflake fell on her tongue. She swallowed it happily, and glared at Henriette.