One last setup before things start to heat up again. And we start by completely roasting Tohsaka. This is gonna be good. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the Fate series, Lupin III, Ni No Kuni, or My Hero Academia.

Chapter 24: Old Fashioned Heist

Tokiomi was being grilled by Zenigata and Akimi in his manor. He was rather annoyed by the situation. "I'm still having trouble understanding this," Zenigata said, "You say that you couldn't take care of two kids, but your financial situation at the time of Sakura's adoption was actually rather good." "Money wouldn't have protected my daughters once the association learned about their gift for magic," Tokiomi clarified, "Rin has incredible potential for elemental spells. Sakura has less variety, but her ability to use Imaginary Numbers means she could be an even greater magus. And families are only ever allowed one heir."

"That's stupid," Akimi pointed out, "I mean, you can try and convince me that it's to keep outsiders from learning about magic. But at the same time only keeping to one heir per family runs the risk of a family running out of magic potential, the same the Matous were apparently going. Not to mention you apparently didn't even look too closely at what Zouken Matou was doing with his magecraft. I'm sorry, but even knowing the reality behind what was happening it's still a completely sickening way of going about things."

Tokiomi grumbled. No matter what he said, these people just wouldn't understand. "I know that look," Zenigata said, "it's the look of a man who thinks he knows better. Get with the times, Tohsaka, that whole one heir per family thing was outdated in the 1800s!" Tokiomi actually flinched. Zenigata cleared his throat. "Anyway, we're still doing some follow-up investigating, primarily hoping to find Sakura. Once we've confirmed Kariya wasn't involved, custody will no doubt default to him, since his grandfather went missing and is presumed dead, and his brother is in prison."

Tokiomi raised an eyebrow. "Zouken's… Presumed dead?" "The last anyone saw of him was while he was approaching the local church," Akimi explained, "He was never seen leaving, and Father Risei only knows that he approached the front entrance but never entered." Tokiomi placed his hand over his mouth in thought. If Zouken was dead, that would nullify their contract. Though to be honest, he felt that Kariya could definitely take care of Sakura if it came down to it, assuming he was still alive. Then again, he hadn't felt All Might's death yet, so he likely was.

"I'm sure you investigation will show he had nothing to with this," Tokiomi assured the detectives, "Actually, part of the reason Zouken wanted to adopt Sakura is because Kariya disowned himself from the family, and Byakuya's son Shinji has no gift for magic, or even magic circuits for that matter. Zouken was… Insistent for some reason." Zenigata raised an eyebrow. This was likely the extent of Tokiomi's knowledge on the matter, but that left the question of just why Zouken would insist on this. He had clearly been planning something, not that it mattered if his theory was right and Lupin had insured he was eliminated permanently.

The two partners walked out of the manor. "What are you thinking?," Akimi asked. "For now we don't have enough to determine whether Tohsaka can be considered an accomplice to Zouken's actions. He's told us all he knows, that much is clear. But there's still the fact that he gave away his youngest daughter to a psychopath who had intent of giving her a proper home. Byakuya's tight-lipped, so we just need to see how things are with Kariya. In the meantime I'll be going through Zouken's research material. I'd like to know just what the old fossil was planning."

Meanwhile, Lupin had slipped a small envelope into the police station's mailbox. He then returned to the Fiat and got in the driver's seat. "I must admit," Kirei said, "This seems rather mundane a heist all things concerned. Especially compared to some of your other actions." "Even a simple job like this can get exciting if the security is a challenge," Lupin explained. What the two were talking about was a simple cash grab. Lupin had been bored with the lull in the War, but had found something interesting in the papers that piqued his interest.

"I can understand why you called in that favor from Jigen," Kirei said, "But why bring Kariya in this? I doubt All Might will take part in criminal activity." "That's not he's involved in this," Lupin said, "What do you think will happen when word of my latest heist reaches the media's ear?" Kirei nodded in realization. "Archer will pick up the trail and try to attack you. So that's why you need All Might's help." "Bingo," Lupin replied, "Our mighty Berserker has already proven Archer equal in combat. Of course, if he can't actually beat Archer, I do have a backup plan. That's where the special bullets I smelted come in." He drove off in the direction of the Shinto district.

Waiting in an abandoned bar where Jigen and Kariya. Kariya was looking a lot better after Jigen took him to that private doctor. The worms had been removed, and the after-effects had actually strengthened his magic circuits. "You sure you can pull this off?," Jigen asked. He had a small idea of what Lupin was up to. It was a competition of sorts, but Lupin wouldn't go into details. Kariya was part of that, but was making an alliance with Lupin for the time being. "All Might already proved he can take on Archer," Kariya noted, grateful to finally be able to enjoy beer again as he took a swig from his mug.

"To be honest the whole thing is kinda hard to believe," Jigen noted, "But I once saw Lupin getting possessed by King Tut's ghost, so it's not the weirdest thing in the world." Kariya chuckled. "You want to talk about weird? You know the marine biologist Jotaro Kujo. He has a power that can stop time briefly." Jigen chuckled as he took a drag of his cigarette. "LUPIN THE THIRD IS ONE HELL OF A GUY!," came Lupin's voice. "What was that?," Kariya asked. Jigen sighed. "The password. And I still don't know why Lupin chose it." He opened the door to reveal Lupin and Kirei.

"Come on Jigen, it's a foolproof password," Lupin complained, "Most people who hear it will simply think I'm bragging. I mean, it's accurate bragging, but that's beside the point. Here's what we're doing this time." He brought out the newspaper, which featured an ad about a bank who boasted such tight security that not even Lupin could steal from it. The ad even featured a cartoonish picture of the bank waving goodbye to a dejected Lupin. Jigen scoffed. "So the bank's cashing in on your presence. I bet they don't even have the right insurance."

"They don't have theft insurance?," Kirei asked. "They don't have Lupin insurance," Kariya clarified, "Lupin is such a prolific thief that there's a separate insurance made just for him." Kirei nodded. "I see. So this whole thing is being taken as a challenge." "It's really stupid when you think about it," Jigen noted, "But that's Lupin for you." Lupin handed Kirei a set of instructions. "Make sure you go over these. This is an important part of the whole deal. Jigen, I was earlier telling you about those Owl guys coming back? Well I don't want them catching wind of my plan, so you need to sharp shoot any hoots who show up." "Consider it done," Jigen said with a nod.

"Of course, we all know this sort of action is likely going to bring Archer running," Lupin noted, "Kariya, is All Might ready." "Oh yeah," Kariya said, "He's got something special ready to deal the final blow. And assuming Archer survives it?" "I have a special little tool for that situation," Lupin replied, "Hopefully I won't have to use it, I only have so many, but they're there if we really need them." 'And with luck I'll be able to save them for later,' he thought, 'After all, having a bullet strong enough to kill a Servant in one or two shots will definitely even the playing field.'

The action picks up next chapter, and boy is it gonna be a doozy. Read and review.