A/N: I FINALLY GRADUATED! Sorry for the long wait, but I've been so busy with my last year at university, but now I'm done! Now all I have to look forward to is job searching and MORE WRITING! Enjoy this update, all you loyal followers!

The Gala

The next morning saw the Hamatora gang welcomed by the unusual sight of Nice, who, after missing for a few days, not only showed up early at the café, but was also currently sitting with a Café Nowhere customer/potential client for Hamatora, both nursing a cup of coffee ("Since when the hell did Nice start drinking coffee?" Birthday murmurs). Although, gathering from the client's attire—the hat and veil obscuring almost the entirety of her visage and the black Gothic dress—everyone realized there was only one reason she would come all the way down here in clandestine:

She must be desperate.

Of course, the only people who weren't surprised were Master, Koneko, and Hajime, who was already headed towards the bar for her ritual burger.

Nice barely paid them any mind, which was also unusual, even for him. So, as was his usual way, Birthday took it upon himself to address the elephant in the room:

"Where the hell have you been, asshole?!"

As if seeing his friends for the first time in months, Nice immediately quirked up and smiled. "Hey, guys! I got us a new client!"

Slowly, everyone by the door disbanded and went to their usual spots. They weren't sure what evoked this sudden change in demeanor in their ardent friend, but they decided not to question him, at least not until after their guest was gone.

The opportunity came faster than expected as Nice and the guest suddenly stood from their seats and shook hands, the woman leaving without so much as making eye contact with any of the other members of Hamatora. As soon as the door closed, everyone, with the exception of the barkeep, his assistant, and the ever stoic Hajime, swarmed Nice.

"Seriously, what the hell?!"

"Where did you go yesterday?"

"Who was that woman you were just speaking to?"

"Did you find that son-of-a…?!"

Nice drowned out the rest of their inquiries as he approached his partner, wrapping an arm around his shoulders casually. "So listen. Do you have a tux I can borrow?"

Murasaki frowned as the brunette blatantly changed the subject. "Do you have plans tonight?"

"As a matter of fact, we do." He held out two tickets, allowing Murasaki to briefly read the context. They were for an exclusive event at some historical museum in Yamashita Park. "We are exclusively invited to the Maru Hikawa gala."

"The what gala?"

"It's the anniversary of some old ship, so there's going to be a charity gala. The woman I spoke to is a donor of the museum and her piece is going to be on display tonight." Birthday opened his mouth to make a dirty joke, but Nice and Murasaki were already out the door before they could hear it. "Apparently, there's been a string of mysterious robberies happening during these charity events, and the only victims so far have been the socially elite. She wants Hamatora to catch the thief."

"Isn't this something more suited for the police?"

"That's what I said. The thing is no one knows what this guy looks like, or if it's even a guy to begin with. All of their robberies have been successful so far, and since there's no chance of them canceling this event anytime soon, this is a golden opportunity for the thief to strike." Murasaki looked at him incredulously. "I know it seems impossible, but I thought this might do us some good considering the rotten luck Hamatora's been having lately finding jobs. Anyway, she wants us to blend in with the crowd so we don't scare any of the guests, so I wondering, since, you know, I can't afford anything fancy—"

"You assumed I had something to spare?"

"… Yes?"

Murasaki glowered once more. "Did this woman give you a name?" After the Cap debacle, he was much leerier about any potential clients; he wasn't going to take on any cases if he wasn't 100% certain that the clientele wasn't of the shady variety.

"Her name is Maru Hikaru. Her family owns the ship." Seeing the bespectacled man's harsh glower nearly matching the intensity of the sun, Nice quickly backed away. "I'm not even joking! That's the name she gave me. Why would she lie?"

How do you know we can even trust—"

"She paid upfront."

He presented his uptight friend with a check, and the Gravity Minimum Holder scrutinized it vigorously. "This is a real check."

"And that's only half of what we're getting. She'll give us the rest when we catch this guy." Nice smiled in premature victory knowing that Murasaki would take on the case despite the shifty circumstances. "If you don't have a suit, I'll just use some of this"—he snatched the check back—"to rent one. Better yet, I can just buy one, as soon as I cash this baby." He skipped off in a random direction, whistling merrily as he turned a corner.

Murasaki ran to catch up with his profligate partner. "Hang on! You're not spending any of that money! That check belongs to the agency!"

"You can have the other check once we catch this guy!"

"If we catch the guy!"

"That's the spirit!"

Even though Nice seemed to be acting himself, Murasaki was smart enough to know that he was just putting on a façade. He would never forget that look on the brunette's face when he and the others came into Café Nowhere moments before. Whatever business Nice had with this "Cap" was clearly not over, but seeing as Nice was not going to bring it up anytime soon, Murasaki acquiesced with their normal routine so long as this affair didn't further impede Hamatora's business.

Nice made a mental note to thank Master for allowing him to borrow one of his suits. The older gentleman even took it upon himself to have Nice fitted. Everything was tailored perfectly, except for the oversized overcoat that came with the outfit, so the young man ditched it, claiming that it would "clash his style". His headphones also remained where they were as Nice couldn't activate his Minimum without them.

Murasaki had managed to obtain a suit without using any of the money from the check (which he quickly deposited into a clandestine account he opened for their business. He knew better than to trust Nice with their shared profits). He was wearing a light grey, double-breasted suit, which was gaining much attention from the ladies.

So much for blending in, Nice thought somewhat crudely.

He wouldn't have minded this so much if Hajime was here, but the client had only given them two tickets for the PI duo. He didn't want to force her into a situation that made her uncomfortable, anyway, even if it did help him forget his current troubles. It would've been fun to watch her stuff her face with the fancy hors d'oeuvres or simply stand off to the side, a solitary wallflower amongst the social butterflies. Although he didn't care about all the unnecessary attention Murasaki received due to his good looks, it was hard to ignore the growing feeling of loneliness, and that feeling only brought about more thoughts and concerns of his missing friend.

He went back to that bar three times to see that barmaid, Ruby, but each time he'd just missed her. Her boss had already decided he didn't like him, so he was no help. Three days with no more replies was frustrating, and Nice was beginning to doubt if this Ruby had any answers for him at all. So he went back to Café Nowhere, hoping if he groveled enough he could get a free burger out of Master, when a new, mysterious client greeted him. It couldn't have been a coincidence. Even so, at least it would take his mind off the fact that his missing friend was still, in fact, missing…

Damn it, you can worry about Cap later! he scolded himself. For now, just focus on this case.

He shook his head of the rest of his morose thoughts and averted his attention back to the party. Those who weren't vying for Murasaki's attention were engaged in pleasant conversations all around the ballroom, observing the art displays, and listening to the live entertainment. In the middle of the room was the crown jewel: Maru Hikawa. The model ocean liner was displayed on a pedestal inside a bulletproof glass case, the only thing protecting the piece of art from possible larcenists, and it was blocked off several centimeters so no one could get too close. It was a priceless artifact as it was crafted the same year the actual ship had been made. At least that was what Nice read on the display plaque. It was the perfect bait.

"You clean up nicely, Nice."

The brunette briefly glanced away from the model ship to acknowledge the party guest. "What are you doing here, Art?"

"Security measure. The Maru clan didn't want to take any risks what with the illustrious 'thief of the elite' showing up at events such as this. I'm guessing that's why you're here."

"Don't you have other pressing matters?" Nice heard about the missing rich kids. It seemed the elite had recently become the victims of these Minimum outbreaks, though that didn't surprise him.

"I put Gasquet temporarily in charge of that investigation while I dealt with this myself."

"What makes this case so special?" Art didn't answer this time. His gaze was appointed elsewhere.

Nice followed his line of sight towards the stage where a woman was currently singing in front of a band. He had to admit she was gorgeous. Her hair, which was pure pigment red under the stage lights, was parted on her left side, covering a majority of her right visage, but that could barely conceal the fieriness in her unveiled eye. Her dress, which was as red as her hair, was long and form-fitting, except where it flowed just below her knees, and had a slit that started halfway up her thigh. Gorgeous and classy. He could see why Art couldn't take his eyes off her. But there was something else in his gaze: familiarity.

"You know her?"

Before the superintendent could reply, another unexpected and equally unpleasant voice interrupted. "Well, if it isn't superintendent Art and the less than better half of Hamatora's PI duo!"

Nice grimaced as Birthday and his taciturn sidekick approached them. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"We were personally invited."

Nice and Art turned to Ratio for clarification. "We've been hired as escorts."

"Handsome escorts."

"Do you even know what an escort is?" Nice asked Birthday.

"Of course I do. We show up with a couple of a lovely young ladies, posture in front of their snooty, rich friends, and then at the end of the night we get layed. Or we don't. Either way, we get paid just to look good. As you can see, my reputation precedes me."

All but Birthday rolled their eyes. The Odd Jobs division of Hamatora did get some weird requests, but this took the cake. Nice couldn't believe Ratio agreed to do this, but sometimes the doctor tended to adopt some of Birthday's strange proclivities.

"There you are, Birthday-kun!"

A young woman in a strapless micro dress suddenly appeared at the blonde's side and clung to his arm. Her ebony curls cascaded over her left shoulder, revealing a very expensive-looking broach pinned over her right bosom. Everything about her screamed over-privileged. Another young woman calmly walked up next to Ratio, showing much more restraint than what could only be her twin sister. She wore a blue yukata embroidered with white lilies, her hair pulled up into an elegant bun with a pair of lacquered chopsticks with jewels hanging from the ends. Although they both acted differently, the women were physically identical to a tee.

"Are all of your friends this handsome?" the flirtatious one purred.

"Hie," her sister scolded.

Birthday put a hand over the one in the crook of his arm. "Guys, meet our dates."

"Maru Hie. And that grump over there is my sister, Heian."

After shooting another glare at Hie, Heian addressed the other two, "Thank you for coming, superintendent." Art nodded humbly. "And you must be one of the private investigators from Hamatora. We're very grateful that you could come tonight as well."

Nice shrugged nonchalantly. "I should thank your other sister for hiring me and my partner. Where is she, by the way?"

"Other sister?"

"Yes, she is busy at the moment." Heian shot her twin another glare.

Hie laughed. "Right, right. I forgot. Well, it was nice meeting you, detective-san and investigator-san! Oh, Heian! Come dance with me! I love this song!" Hie grabbed her twin before she could protest and dragged her to the dancefloor.

Murasaki joined them as soon as they were gone. He glared at Birthday and Ratio. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"They're here with the hosts of the event," Nice explained. "As escorts."

Murasaki took a moment to process this before turning to Art. "And why are you here?"

"Extra security measure."

Nice turned back to the stage where the redhead had been singing. She was now chatting with the Maru sisters, and as they were talking she caught his eye and winked. Nice felt his neck heat up and quickly turned away, scratching his head.

He had a hunch about who this mysterious robber might be. It was obviously a Minimum Holder, but that still narrowed down the culprit to be… basically anybody occupying the room right now, and there were about a hundred guests in this room alone. There were many strange things happening, even though they didn't really pertain to the larceny case. Art was here, alone, investigating the same case that he and Murasaki were hired for, coincidentally; Birthday and Ratio were hired to accompany the hosts of this event, who also happened to be the wealthiest people in the room; and then there was the missing Maru sister, who probably didn't even exist considering Hie's reaction when he mentioned her.

As far as suspects went, the Maru sisters and the singer were the only viable ones, even without motive. As far as the case went, there were still a lot of holes that needed to be filled, like how was the robber supposed to steal the model ship from under the noses of all these people without getting caught?

This guy either has a seriously powerful Minimum, or…

Eyes sweeping the crowd, Nice did a final onceover of the ballroom before settling his sharp blue eyes back on the model. As guests passed the display, he spotted a glint of light and narrowed his eyes. In a moment of impulse, Nice went over to the fire alarm and pulled the switched. As soon as the sprinklers came on, the party was over. Some of the officers that were with Art began to lead the disoriented party guests to the closest exits as organized as they possibly could. He turned off the alarm as soon as everyone left.

"Nice, what the hell were you thinking?!" Murasaki exclaimed.

But the brunette ignored him. He noticed that Birthday and Ratio were missing a Maru sister. "Heian, do you know where your sister is?"

Heian's cheeks turned a glowing red as she answered. "Before the sprinklers went off, I saw her… go behind stage with one of our guests."

"I'm on it!" Birthday jumped onstage and disappeared behind the curtain before anyone could stop him.

The missing twin came out from the other side as soon as he'd gone in. "Heian-chan, what's happening? Everything's wet!"

"Hie! Where have you been?" Nice stepped in front of Heian before she could approach her sister and began walking up to Hie, his hands in his pockets in a nonchalant fashion.

"Where's Birthday, Hie?"

The flustered young woman twirled a strand of curls innocuously. "W-What do you mean?"

"You should have run into him when he went backstage." She stopped twirling and started fiddling with her hands. "And where's Hikaru?"

"How should I know? You think that I keep tabs on my sisters every god damn minute of the day?" Something shifted in her eyes when she snapped. They were suddenly more… transparent.

Slowly, Nice put his headphones over his ears. With a snap of his fingers, he was right next to Hie, ready to throw a punch, ignoring the others' objections once more. But just as his fist was about to reach her cheek, the young woman disappeared.

"Hie?!" Heian cried out in astonishment.

"What the hell is going on!" Murasaki exclaimed.

"Obviously, that's not Hie," Nice deduced. "It's our infamous 'thief of the elite'."

Maniacal laughter suddenly echoed from the stage, and everyone turned to see the imposter with an equally maniacal smirk on her face.

"I gotta hand it to you. I didn't think anyone would be able to catch me, let alone discover that I was a Minimum Holder." Her features suddenly turned sharper. The color of her eyes changed from blue to green, and her long, black hair shortened just above her shoulders. She also grew a few centimeters taller than the woman she was imitating. There wasn't much of a difference between the missing Maru sister and her copycat, but Nice was not as surprised about the transformation as he was about her other ability.

Two Minimums? How is that even possible?

"That certainly explains how you were able to steal priceless artifacts while you're surrounded by so many people," Art assessed coolly as he joined Nice's side. "You disguise yourself as one of the guests and then teleport before anyone can figure out who you really are. But you didn't this time."

"It's because she wasn't after the ship," Nice deducted once again. "It's harder to cover your tracks when trying to steal a priceless artifact in front of hundreds of witnesses, but it's not so difficult if you just get the cash upfront from the wealthy guests that have donated to the museum tonight."

"Congrats, you figured it out," said the imposter sarcastically. "Not that it matters since you'll all be dead soon…!" The mimic accordingly pulled a gun from behind her back and pointed it directly at the superintendent. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as everyone prepared themselves: Murasaki removed his glasses; Ratio pushed Heian behind him protectively and began removing his gloves; Nice, with his headphones already on, snapped his fingers quietly; and Art just stood there as if there wasn't a gun currently pointed at his face.

But before she could pull the trigger, a loud WHACK! reverberated throughout the ballroom, and all of a sudden, the teleporting mimic was lying face-first on the stage. Behind her was the redheaded singer, her hair significantly less red as it resembled the color of a campfire, and her leg was lifted in a fashion that indicated how she knocked out the Minimum Holder. In one hand, she had a red wig. She turned to the small crowd in front of her, gauging their reactions. She was not impressed.

Not a moment too soon, Birthday joined the party with the real, unconscious Hie hanging over his shoulder like a sack of flour. In his free hand, he was dragging a young man who held a slight resemblance of the mimic. Seeing the unconscious girl in front of the redhead he'd run into backstage, he nearly deflated. "Aw man! Did I just miss a chick fight?"

"Is she going to be okay?"

The quiet doctor replaced his eyepatch over right eye after he examined Hie with his X-Rays Minimum. "She's fine. She was just knocked out with chloroform. She'll wake up in a few minutes."

Heian's eyes filled with tears of relief, darks bags hanging underneath from the stress of the night.

The police had been outside ready to take in the thieves and the stolen money when the Hamatora gang, superintendent Art, the Maru heiresses, and the mysterious redhead came out. The male thief confessed that he and his sister had only committed a few of the elite robberies that had been happening in Yokohama. He even included some explicit information about the source of his sister's Minimums. It turned out the guy that gave her these abilities had put them up to their first robbery. "We found his e-mail by accident," he explained. "He asked us if we wanted a gun, power for an equal world or something like that. I didn't want to do it, but my sister—she made me! As soon as she clicked 'yes' we got the gun the next day. He told us to rob this lady's house and if we didn't comply he'd kill us, so we went along with it. After that, my sister got these strange abilities, and each time we succeeded, she got a new one…" The confession set Art off into investigative mode, and he and the redhead went to consult with other officers as the rest of Hamatora tended to the Maru sisters.

Needless to say, the elder twin heiress was beyond grateful the thieves had finally been caught. "Thank you all so much for your help. And I'm sorry we lied. We needed someone to help us without jeopardizing our own safety, so Rouge posed as our other sister and hired you for us."

"Rouge?"

"The superintendent's partner." She pointed to the redhead. "It was their idea."

"Really." Nice looked back at the couple as they continued to discuss with their colleagues.

"I want to compensate you for all the trouble we caused…" Heian reached into her purse and pulled out a couple bills. "Here."

"Thank you, but that's not necessary." Murasaki quickly slapped Nice's hand away before the spendthrift could snatch up the money.

"But I insist. I know we promised you we'd double the fee after you caught the thief, but I feel like after tonight the payment we agreed on isn't enough."

"Really, there's no need. But there is something I want to know. Why…?" Murasaki gestured to Birthday, who was trying, and failing, to flirt with a female officer.

Heian sighed and shook her head. "That was Hie's idea. Our father keeps trying to set us up with potential suitors, so she put out an anonymous ad to anger him. He and Ratio were the first ones to respond to it." Ratio refused to comment.

After thanking them once more, Heian joined her sister in the ambulance. The Hamatora gang joined Art when they saw he was done consulting with the other officers.

"So Art, when were you going to tell us about your 'friend' there?" Nice teased.

There was no trace of humor in his lilac-haired friend's face. "She is a police consultant, Nice. Do not approach her." He left before they could ask any more questions.

"Jeez, what's up his ass?" Birthday came up to them sporting a shiny, red, hand-shaped mark on his cheek.

"This night probably could've gone better if Hamatora hadn't interfered," Murasaki concluded. "I don't blame him for getting upset."

Nice watched his friend with tacit concern. He knew Art had been under a lot of pressure lately, but he had been so distracted these last few days he forgot to check up on him. Looking over at the other side of the parking lot, he saw Art's redheaded partner leaning against his car with her arms crossed patiently. Her peculiar amber eyes met his blatant stare and she winked subtly before turning to the superintendent.

Tonight left him with many unanswered questions—most of them circumventing the young woman. He knew something big was happening in Yokohama, and for some reason, Art decided to trust her to help him instead of asking Nice himself. But seeing as Art wasn't in the mood for any questions tonight, Nice decided to postpone his curiosity. After all, he still had pressing matters of his own.

Fun fact: The Hikawa Maru is a museum ship in Yamashita Park, Naka-ku, Yokohama. Heian Maru and Hie Maru are her sister ships, but they were both lost in WWII. They were all named after Shinto shrines.

R&R!