Aria and I were worn out after the fight with Vlad, and had decided to spend the night sleeping on the bench inside Yokohama Station. She was curled up on my lap, her little demon horns that she always wore poking me in my sleep. My body was too tired for Hysteria Mode to activate, and the two of us fell asleep very quickly. The next thing we were aware of was the sound of trains running through the station for their morning commute, and of the sun breaking through the buildings to greet us with its warmth.

"Aria...?" I asked.

She was still soundly sleeping. I slid down the dewy bench, taking off my jacket and bundling it up, placing it under Aria. Her pink hair was falling off the bench in every direction, and she was muttering something about Leopon in her sleep. I pulled out my phone and checked when the next train was coming.

I heard the sound of someone's stomach growling. Aria woke up. Her face turned to a saddened expression, and she clutched her stomach. Instinctually, she moved her hand down to her legs and pulled out her gun.

"Kinji, what were you doing with me? I have something on my mouth, and your clothes are..." she muttered.

"That's drool," I said.

"Really? I'll blow a hole in you if you're-," Aria's stomach growled again, "I'm hungry."

"It'll be an hour before we can get back to Tokyo, and the next train isn't coming for half an hour," I said, scrolling through screens on my phone. "Do you want to run to the convenience store?"

"Can we get peach buns?" Aria asked excitedly.

I gave a tired, but confident smile. "Sure."

There was a store not far from the train station. The clerk looked at us as though he recognized our uniforms. I couldn't tell if his expression was one of fear or of gratitude. Our very presence, especially an S Rank like Aria, could attract potential trouble. I gave him a wave that said we'd be out of here quickly.

Aria ran to the sweets aisle and started grabbing as many peach buns as she could. Her arms had three boxes of the treats, and she hadn't even gotten something to drink yet. I was waiting by the front of the store, looking up at the ceiling and reflecting on everything that had happened last night when I felt someone bump into me.

"A girl?" I asked of myself, "Then why isn't Hysteria Mo-..." I looked downward to see a familiar face. She was in high school the last time we met. Though so many years had passed, she was still shorter than me.

A large pair of headphones covered her ears, and she was dressed in the bright blue and gold jacket worn by the Yokohama Police. A lollipop was in her mouth. She had stopped by here to pick up more. Her voice was disinterested, but not unobservant. Her hair was a bolder shade of pink than Aria's. What is it with me and pink-haired girls?

"Kishi," she said, "It's been a long time. Anything interesting happen?"

That's one way to put it. "Saku," I said, "So you're with the police?"

"Not just any police. Genius 4. The smartest group of thief-catchers in this city," said Saku, "The stuff they teach you in Informa comes in handy sometimes, but every case is different. You have to improvise."

Aria snatched the plastic bag containing her peach buns and two drinks off the counter. She turned around and saw me and Saku talking. She dropped the bag. The cardboard and plastic clunked against the tile floor. Aria drew out her gun and pointed it at Saku, not caring if she couldn't hear.

"Kinji's mine! I'll pump you full of holes!" said Aria, before realizing she had exhausted all her ammo in the fight with Vlad.

"Aria, calm down!" I said, grabbing her arms and pushing the firearm closer to its holster. "She's my cousin."

"Cousin?" Aria asked, dumbfounded by the idea of us being related.

"Saku Tohyama. Peace," she said, giving a quiet V-sign. She turned to the clerk. "Don't worry, sir. I'll take these two down to the police station." She leaned close to me and whispered "Just go along with it. You too, shorty."

"The name's Aria!" she said.


The three of us walked into the police station. It was largely empty, save for two people silently conversing amongst themselves at one of the tables. Saku hooked up her laptop to the wall and started typing up a form briefly detailing Aria's incident. She kicked her feet around under the table, coming across something soft. She reached down without changing her expression once, and pulled out a pink and yellow deerstalker cap.

Someone was heard clanging their head under the table. A girl with pink hair tied in two large circles crawled out from under the table, a small stream of tears rolling down her face. She had a large bump on her head.

"Sherlock," said Saku.

"Sherlock?" Aria said in surprise, "A-as in Holmes? There's another one of them out there?"

"Ow, my head," said the girl with the cap, slumping over beside Saku on the desk. She perked up instantly, "Oh, Saku, you haven't seen Kamaboko, have you?"

"Are you listening to me?" said Aria, "I asked who you are."

The girl called Sherlock stood up proudly, swiftly placing the deerstalker cap on her head. She pulled out a purple cat-eared magnifying glass with a ribbon on it, and held it to her eye, making it look like she had a monocle on her face. We saw something flash in her eye, like tiny sparks of electricity. Sherlock held the magnifying glass above her head. She would've hit the overhead light humming above her, but she was far too short.

"Milky Holmes' leader, Sherlock Shellinford!" a pink aura surrounded her, pulling down the iron cables suspending the light on the ceiling, "But you can call me Sheryl."

The leftmost cable completely snapped. The light swung downward. Saku ducked out of the way, and Sherlock was knocked to the ground. She stood back up, ignoring the second bruise on her head.

"How can you possibly be a Holmes?" Aria said, "My great-grandfather was a great detective! He pioneered crime-solving and self-defense. You're...as weak as stupid Kinji!"

"Aria," I said quietly, "I'm standing right here, you know." I looked around the room, and noticed a picture hanging on the wall. Saku's group, Genius 4, was standing outside the police station with a humorless gray-haired man in a gray suit. At the front of the picture, standing on top of an orange crate, was a short blonde girl.

"Ah, that's us," said Saku.

"Your leader is a 13-year old girl?" I asked.

"That's Kokoro-chan!" said Sherlock excitedly. "Aren't you...Butei, you said...led by a 13-year old girl too?"

"I'll pump you full of holes, you false Holmes!" said Aria.

"Aria!" I grabbed her arms, restraining her. She kicked me on my back with her legs. That girl is nimble. "That's what got us into trouble in the first place."

"She's not a false Holmes," said Saku, throwing out her lollipop and placing a new one in her mouth before my eyes had time to notice, "Aria H. Kanzaki...looking at the family registry, it seems she's your second cousin. Lived in London most of her life before coming to Holmes Academy."

"We have an Academy?" Aria said, her face in shock and her eyes white with disbelief, "How much of my family business am I being left out of?"

The phone started ringing on Saku's desk. She picked it up and nodded. The shuffling of paper and the swinging light were the only other sounds in the room. Saku put the phone down and closed her laptop. She waved her finger around the room and pointed at Aria. More confused silence followed.

"You're coming with me," she said, "Reports are coming in from Kamitsu about Arsene and Lupin downtown. I want a Holmes to back me up," Sherlock was jumping in front of her excitedly, "Who won't break things. Solve this case, and I'll pardon you for the convenience store. Deal?"

Aria checked her back to make sure her swords were in place. She took one gun out of its holster and clicked it. "Provide me with some more ammo, and it's a deal."

"Done," said Saku. She started walking out of the police station, and turned to me. "Kinji, protect Shellinford. I don't want her screwing up another case. You're good with women, right?"

The door slammed shut. I could see Aria giving me a wistful face. She was still my partner. This was just like old times. Cousin Saku had a way of convincing me to do her menial tasks so she could focus on fashion or gossip or hacking. Sherlock Shellinford hung at my feet like a puppy. She wasn't much taller than Aria.

Sherlock pressed against my chest and looked me straight in the eye. "We're going."


The Boyne Jewel was a finely crafted blue gemstone from Ireland. Its rounded shape and smooth cleavage made it stand out. The gem had been brought to Japan in tight storage, almost several sizes too small for it, causing the public to wonder what mystical powers it held. To unhook the security around the gem and expose it to the fresh air of the world was Arsene's goal. With her new kin, she may actually get it done.

"Prepare yourself, Yokohama!" said Arsene, tipping her small hat.

The sound of a grappling hook gun was heard beside her. Riko ascended to the ceiling of the museum, dressed in an outfit almost identical to her cousin's. The edges of the costume had been decked out with lace frills, and some white had been stitched across the black to make her stand out more.

"Riko's never worn anything this exposing before," said Riko, rubbing her arms across her chest, "She never knew the Lupin family was this flashy."

Arsene reached around her waist and pulled out a glass cutter, making sure to take out two windows on the rooftop. Her cape blew in the morning wind, brushing past Riko's stomach. Riko tried to resist the urge to laugh, yet covered up her hand with her mouth. "Committing crimes from the shadows is never how we've done things. Getting away with it in broad daylight is much more exciting. Your name and your legacy will be remembered. If you kill someone, you'll be cast as a villain. If you steal something, you'll be treated as a hero."

"Even if Riko's a thief?" said Riko.

"Especially so," said Arsene, "You're already doing things that great-grandfather never thought of." She pulled up on the glass panes and grabbed Riko's grappling hook from the rooftop, "Your new legend starts today."

Arsene and Riko descended into the museum, hovering just above the glass case where the Boyne Jewel lay. Arsene took off her crown, revealing a tiny canister of spray. She asked Riko to cover her nose. A light mist spread throughout the museum, revealing the cube of lasers keeping the jewel safe.

"Where's your Empire?" Riko whispered.

"I sent them chasing after a lottery ticket," said Arsene, "That'll keep them out of my way for a few hours."

Arsene produced a small mirror in her left hand and held it in front of the lasers on the corner of the cube. The beams of light reflected outward, hitting the bronze statues and old paintings that also occupied the floor. She nodded to Riko.

Riko reached into the front of her outfit and pulled out another hand mirror. She wasn't used to the feeling of gloves on her hands, and her grip around the metallic edges was slippery and incomplete. The mirror got caught between the valley of her cleavage. Riko felt her body slip on the wire, plunging her breasts and the mirror in between the lasers, sending them across the room.

"Stay like that," Arsene said.

"Is being a Lupin meant to be this embarrassing?" asked Riko, "Riko doesn't want to do this if Kii isn't here."

Arsene stretched out her hand and, using the same glass cutter as before, traced a hole in the top of case. She grabbed the Boyne Jewel, setting off an alarm. Red lights flashed and sirens glared. Riko spun around on her rope and landed on her feet. Arsene clutched the jewel in her hands.

"Riko has to get out of here," Riko said. Arsene grabbed her by the back of her collar, running her finger down the nape of her neck. Riko felt her second cousin's breath on her back, sending a chill up her body. The mirror stuck between her chest jiggled.

"This is where the fun begins," said Arsene.

"Riko!" shouted a high-pitched voice from the end of the corridor. A girl with demon horns in her hair, two swords drawn, stood at the end of the hallway. Beside her was a girl with a laptop and headphones, currently spinning out a cable into the wall to get the floor plan of the museum.

"This is the police," said Saku, not changing her cadence, "Stick 'em."