"Kid, how's our getaway looking," the Phantom Lady asked through their ear pieces. Kaito glanced over the route they'd planned from his position on the roof.

"All clear, Phantom Lady," he told her. "Though you seem to have a fairly persistent tail tonight." Kaito watched through his binoculars as Inspector Nakamori and his officers pounded steadily after her, even though they'd long since lost any sightline on her.

Speaking of, Kaito made another sweep over the adjacent buildings, searching for the flash of a scope.

All clear.

Acting as lookout wasn't exactly fun, but it was good to have someone with eyes on any potential blind spots. Normally Jii would take that position while they tag-teamed whatever group they were infiltrating, but Jii had taken a hit at their last heist and was still recovering. (Stupid mistake, they should have been more careful.)

Next time, his mom would take the lookout spot unless Jii recovered before then. Kaito sighed and kept his eyes moving from roof to roof, then through the upper floors…

"Phantom, we have a friend joining the fray. Haido Hotel, thirty… fifth floor, to our north."

"Is that so? Guess we'll have to switch to Plan B. You have a disguise ready?"

"I do."

"Excellent, because I'm 30 seconds out, and coming in hot."

"I'll set up the dummy."

Thirty seconds later, Kaito and his mom effortlessly shed their costumes in the officers' confusion, deploying their dummy of Kid to the north, watching side by side to see if the sniper would take the shot. When no gunshots were forthcoming, they allowed themselves to be swept out of the building with the tide of officers.

They moved with the group hitting the streets to see if they couldn't track the glider and, once they were alone, shed their disguises for civilian wear.

"That was a good catch, Kaito. You have a good eye," Chikage praised, ruffling his hair.

"Practice makes perfect, I guess," Kaito shrugged, frowning. "That was close, though. They're waiting longer to set up than they used to. That's probably why Jii…"

"Or Jii is just getting old, dear. He should have retired from such dangerous work a long time ago," Chikage sighed. "His loyalty to your father is stronger than his good sense, I think."

"You're probably right, but we still need his help, don't we?"

"We do. Hopefully this will all be over soon," Chikage patted her bag, gazing into the distance as they walked. "A friend of mine might have picked up another lead if this one doesn't pan out, but it could be just another dead end. She'll let us know when she learns more. In the meantime, I think we should take a break to gather information ourselves, hm?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kaito agreed. He had a lot of homework to get caught up on and a project that needed finishing touches sooner than later, just in case something came up.

When he got to school the next day, Aoko waved him over to where she was speaking with Keiko, looking far too excited for a Tuesday morning. Was she excited about the gem being returned so soon after the heist? (Another dead end, another waste of time.)

"Kaito, did you hear?" Aoko asked, beaming.

"How should I know? I don't even know what you two have been talking about," Kaito rolled his eyes. Keiko returned the eye roll.

"The whole school has been talking about it, but I guess I'm not surprised you don't remember," Keiko said, shaking her head. "Koizumi Akako is transferring to our class today."

"Koizumi…" Kaito tipped his head back. He thought he remembered someone going by that name in their grade. Someone really popular … Maybe uptight, too, come to think of it…

"Honestly, Kaito, don't you pay any attention?" Aoko asked, puffing out her cheeks. Kaito shrugged; he was a little busy these days. "Akako is the most beautiful girl in the whole school. Everyone is in love with her."

"They used to be, anyway," Keiko amended. "Something happened, and rumor has it whatever power she always seemed to have is gone now."

"I heard it was her grandfather," Aoko said, voice dropping with sympathy. "I think she's all alone now. She must be so lonely…"

Kaito knew immediately what was going to happen. There was an empty seat in front of his chair. Aoko was going to draw this Akako girl into their social circle and make sure she was happy and no longer alone. Kaito sighed and made his peace with it. He just hoped she wasn't too uptight or anything.

Ms. Konno called the class to order and, as Aoko and Keiko predicted, announced the introduction of a "new friend."

"My name is Koizumi Akako. I'm transferring from 2-C. It's a pleasure to meet you all," she bowed. Her voice was softer than he expected, her manner understated. She was beautiful, but she looked like she wasn't sure of herself, like she wasn't comfortable in her own skin.

When she took the seat in front of Kaito, Aoko leaned across her own desk, smiling enough to outdo the sun.

"I'm Aoko and this is Kaito. We're happy to meet you," Aoko introduced.

When Koizumi glanced his way, her eyes seemed to harden for a moment, but she shook whatever it was off. Her smile was weak, but otherwise honest.

"It's nice to meet you." At least when she smiled at Aoko it didn't look forced.

"Keiko, Kaito, and I were going to get ice cream after school," Aoko said, making plans without consulting the other parties involved, as usual. "Would you like to join us?"

Koizumi seemed taken aback, frowning with what Kaito thought was confusion.

"Are you sure? I don't want to get in your way…"

"Nonsense, the more the merrier," Aoko cheered. Koizumi smiled again.

"Then, thank you, Miss Nakamori. I'd love to."

"Please, call me Aoko."

"I would be honored, then, if you'd call me Akako in return."

Aoko smiled for the rest of the day, even when Ms. Konno called on her, trying to catch her off-guard for chatting. Even when Kaito teased her about it, she kept smiling.

After they were done at the ice cream parlor, Kaito realized that he was going to be going the same direction as Koizumi while Aoko headed to Keiko's to work on their projects together. (Koizumi and Kaito were both finished early.)

Aoko and Keiko waved a cheery goodbye before heading off toward Keiko's house. Koizumi sighed under her breath after her hand dropped.

"Well, seems like we're heading the same way. Do you mind walking together?" Kaito asked. She seemed like she wanted to be alone, or didn't want to walk with him.

"We might as well," Koizumi allowed, turning without another word.

Kaito fell into step beside her.

"You know, there was a day not too long ago, I would have been jumping at this chance," Koizumi said after a long moment. "You were the only boy I didn't have under my spell, and I had you in my sights."

"What changed?" Kaito asked, deciding to take the admission in stride. He could worry about the rest later, in private where he could drop his poker face.

"I did. The power I possessed left me. You are the least of my problems now, Kuroba Kaito. I can barely see the future, let alone possess the hearts of men," Koizumi said, her expression turning somewhat melancholy.

Kaito laughed, feeling shaky, "What kind of power did you have again?"

"I was once an heiress to a powerful type of magic. Now, I have barely enough magic in me to do much of anything. It's as good as useless to me," she sighed.

"I guess that means you need to find something new," Kaito tried, rolling with her admissions.

"You're taking this very well, Kuroba."

"I've heard of weirder things than witchcraft," Kaito shrugged.

Koizumi chuckled to herself, "I suppose that's true. After all, a magic gem granting immortality must seem like a silly thing for people to take so seriously in a world as rational as yours."

Kaito's blood ran cold. "Sorry?"

"I told you, I used to be a very powerful witch. I made it my business to know things about the only person immune to my charms. Kaitou Kid was once someone I considered an enemy, but now there's really no point."

"So that's why you told me so much? Sharing a secret because you think you have one of mine?"

"I'm too tired to play this game with you, Kuroba, and frankly, there are other people you should be more worried about learning your family's secrets," Koizumi said, waving a hand. "I have no power with which to destroy you, not anymore."

"That's reassuring," Kaito muttered.

"It should be," Koizumi countered. "I've decided to use the little power I have remaining to help you. Aoko is probably the first person to…" Koizumi hesitated, shaking her head. "For her sake, I've decided to help you stay safe. A storm is brewing, you know. A murder is gathering on the wind, and a dole and a hawk are no match for them alone."

"What?"

"You'll understand soon," Koizumi said. "I'll see you in school tomorrow."

Without another word, Koizumi strolled in the doors of an apartment block three streets from his own house. Kaito crossed his arms, watching the door for a moment. She was a strange girl, that was for sure. And she knew far more than should be possible.

He'd have to ask his mom what she thought he should do.

"A witch, huh?" Chikage asked, glancing over her shoulder at him, hands pausing over the noodles she was cooking.

"An ex-witch, I think," Kaito corrected, though he wasn't entirely sure what her status was, seeing as she still had magic, weak or not.

"Well, I've never been one to turn away a helping hand. Did she say anything else?"

"Yeah, something about birds? Definitely a hawk, and I think the other things she mentioned were supposed to be groups of birds? A murder, like crows, but I don't know what a dole is. There was also a storm involved?" Kaito dropped his head to the counter. "I dunno, Mom, she was very cryptic and very weird."

"A dole is a group of doves, so doves and a hawk and a murder of crows… Either way, it seems like she's been through a lot, if what Aoko said is true, Kaito. Treat her kindly," Chikage turned back to her pot, stirring. "The day may come when we need her help. There is a storm coming, after all. Anything could happen."

"We are chasing a magic gem," Kaito mused.

Chikage laughed, but it sounded strained, anxious. Kaito knew the feeling.