Steal #4: Steal Their Hearts Away! - Part A

It was another peaceful morning at the Niwa residence…

"Mom! I'm late!" Daisuke shouted as he's running towards the door.

"Daisuke! Come back here! I'm not done! We still need to talk about that jerk who stole your target!" Emiko Niwa shouted back.

"How about later? I'm really late!" Daisuke said.

"Alright then, sweetie. Here's your lunch," Emiko said.

"Thanks, Mom. Bye!"

"Be careful, Daisuke sweetie!" Emiko called after her son.

"Pheew," Daisuke sighed as he walked to school." I thought Mom would never stop bugging me about that guy in white."

"Well, maybe you're the one who's taking it to lightly," said Dark from inside of Daisuke's mind.

"What do you mean?" Daisuke asked.

"You know, I'm pretty annoyed myself," said Dark. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever stolen anything from me, The Phantom Thief Dark, before."

"Wow. I guess Mom has the right to fuss…" Daisuke muttered.

"Daisuke!" a girl's voice called out from behind.

Even without turning Daisuke already recognized the owner of the voice.

It's Riku! Daisuke gulped.

"Morning, Riku…" Daisuke called back as he turned around. But then his voice trailed off. Riku was nowhere to be seen.

"That's odd. I'm sure Riku was behind me," Daisuke said doubtfully. "Probably it was just me."

"No. It wasn't just you," Dark said, his voice tense. "Riku was behind you. I heard her, too."

"Then…"

"Something has happened to her. Something bad…"

"Maarooon!" Miyako yelled, "we're gonna be late!"

"I'm coming!" Maron yelled back from behind the door. She opened the door and came face to face with Miyako's angry face.

"Well, come on!" Miyako urged.

"Wait. Where's Chiaki-kun?" Maron asked.

"I don't know. I already knocked several times and no one answered. Maybe he left early, or maybe he doesn't feel like going to school."

"Aah! Look at the time! We have to hurry Miyako!" Maron yelled as she sprints down to the elevator.

"Wait for me!"

Akira walked through the kindergarteners; his head is turned from side to side as if he was searching for someone.

"Ah! Azuya-jo!" Akira called out.

A kindergartener with long lilac-colored hair turned around in response.

"Ijyuin-senpai? What's wrong?" Nagisa Azuya asked as Akira as he ran towards her.

"Have you seen Ogawa-san?" asked Akira. "She was supposed to turn in a report on the preparation for the CLAMP Annual Cherry Blossom Festival today," Akira started to explain, "but she never showed up." "Chairman Imonoyama said that it's not like Ogawa-san to be so careless and so…" Akira started to blush, "so he asked me to check up on her."

"Well, she didn't come to school either today, which is unusual considering her position as a chairman,'' Nagisa replied. "Do you think she is okay, Ijyuin–senpai?"

"I hope so…" Akira muttered.

Steal #4- Part A End.