Ch.16: Reversal

Following Kaito's debut at Ekoda as the new transfer student, the week pasts by as he tries his best to keep a low profile. At the tail end, however, he decides to take some matters into his own hands.

A curse passed through Kaito's mind when he heard the sound of someone approaching the house.

His attempt to talk with Nakamori along with providing tips on some of the inspector's cases had derailed his sense of time for a bit. But it only delayed his departure by a few minutes, so his mind hurriedly scrambled to find a reason why the girl would come back sooner than he expected. Had she rushed home for a reason he didn't account for?

By the time the inspector's daughter opened the door, he had his own shoes back on and stood at the opposite end of the entranceway.

Predicting that the girl should be confused as to why the new guy showed up at her house out of the blue, Kaito forced a polite grin. His other escape route was to run inside the house and go out through the back or a window, but Nakamori stood in front of the half-opened sliding door and blocked his way.

A smile and an excuse to leave at the ready, Kaito saw the girl step in with a conflicted expression that soon changed to pure shock.

Before he could even utter a single word out, he was similarly surprised to see her suddenly swing an umbrella at him. Narrowly avoiding an overhead hit, he sidestepped towards the wall. Eyes focused ahead, Kaito ignored her and planned a running path to slip past her.

Thanks to his time practicing at heists, he weaved his way through without a hitch. But just as he had a foot set past the door frame, a rough thrusting force shoved his upper body out of the house.

"Gyargh!" He stumbled and tripped on his own feet, falling to his knees. The next thing he knew the door slammed shut behind him, and he was left to crawl back to his feet.

Feeling the burning sting on his back, he shot a look behind him. "What the hell is wrong with her…" Of all the ways she could have reacted, this one was not what he had prepared for.

After patting his clothes to remove any dirt marks, he walked away as casually as he could with a bruise that was surely forming right on the center of his back. All the while, his thoughts were preoccupied with the events of his first day at the school.

Nakamori's daughter had been so cheerful and friendly a few hours ago, and he made sure he had responded to her courteously. Had he somehow made a mistake and offended her?

"Well, at least I'm free now…" Thinking about his tumultuous day put him in a sour mood. Once he retrieved his school bag and strapped on his helmet, he was ready to go home and make preparations.

One down, and however many more days left to go. At least Golden Week was arriving soon to allow him more time away from Ekoda.

Rain poured down for the following days, keeping the students confined within the building. At first, Hakuba had believed the bad weather would trap Kid inside, and therefore make him easier to find. That was quickly disproven when he could not spot a single hair of the thief during break times.

Just as fast, Hakuba learned it was a false conclusion to think that Kid would be found more easily indoors. Kid practically specialized in evading prying eyes within an enclosed space.

When Kid wasn't in class during lessons, the thief seemingly vanished into thin air the moment he walked out of the classroom. And with the addition of him playing the quiet and aloof student during school hours, Hakuba had difficulty picking the correct time window to approach. He didn't feel comfortable knocking directly at Kid's front door either. After their last talk at the start of the week, Hakuba remembered that he wanted to ask one more thing.

Fortune struck when the skies cleared away on the final day of school before Golden Week began. A bright sun presided over the skies, providing good weather to be outside. Like the past week, Kid nearly bolted out of the class as soon as lunch break started.

Heading to the sporting field, Hakuba was on the lookout for Kid. A single scan around the perimeter later, he saw a foot sticking out from behind a storage shed. Spotting where Kid had retreated, Hakuba walked to him. The instant he rounded the corner to see him sitting against the shaded wall, Kid spoke.

"You told the Nakamori girl about me, didn't you?" he said with narrowing eyes, and then loudly finished the rest of his juice cartoon.

"I did." For most of the week, Hakuba had wanted to tell Kid about what he revealed to Aoko. But it seemed like he didn't have to worry about that anymore. "Has Aoko-san—"

"I can't believe you're such a pain in the ass outside of heists too…"

The glare Kid shot back along with the accusation surprised him. "Wh-what did I do?"

"Do I have to explain that actions have consequences?" He heaved a sigh, slumping back against the shed.

Hakuba's mind began searching for what Kid could be upset by, but he found none. "How about you tell me without any of your petty riddles? We have plenty of time." Nineteen minutes and fifty-six seconds left, according to his pocket watch.

The frown on Kid's face eased a little, making him appear more tired than angry. "All right, it's not all your fault, but still…"

Walking around until he was facing Kid properly, Hakuba tilted his head to the side. "I'm curious, what's got you so drained?"

In response, Kid scoffed as he picked at the top corners of the empty juice box. "School. Is that concise enough for you?"

"But shouldn't this be a simple task? Compared to your usual activities." In contrast with what Hakuba imagined Kid would complain about, this wasn't anywhere close.

"I don't just sit and twiddle my thumbs at home after school. I have things to do," he huffed, flipping over the carton in his hands to work on the bottom corners.

"Things such as?"

"Checking museums and scouting out exhibits. I don't need a big show to check the gems that are already out on display."

Hakuba resisted the urge to groan after Kid's plain admittance to continuing his 'work' behind the police's back, tempted to reinstate a surveillance team around Kid's home address. But he relented with a slow sigh. "Then don't expect me to offer sympathy, you idiot. Your exhaustion here is none of my fault."

"I'm a thief who doesn't play by the rules when nobody is watching. What a shock." With the press of his hands, the carton was flattened. "My point stands that you complicated things for me!"

He shook his head with a click of his tongue. "I'm afraid that I still don't get it. How about you start making sense?"

"I—Well, how can I say it?" For a brief second, Kid looked away to find his words. "I've been avoiding that Nakamori Aoko, in case you haven't noticed. And each time I need to drop by the inspector's house during the evenings, I wait until she's in her room. But it rarely happens now because she's watching out for me like a bodyguard around him. Even my energy and patience has limits." Finishing his complaint, Kid hung his head while looking beat.

"Ah." Come to think of it, Aoko didn't seem too happy when he had told her about the new student's identity. She had been giving Kid the cold shoulders at school, a far cry from the first day when they met. "I…honestly didn't expect you to go to the inspector's place for real." Even more surprising to Hakuba was that Kid had been making an active effort to dodge Aoko. He had to laugh a little. "Are you scared of her?"

A flash of indignation appeared on the other guy's face. "N-no, I just prefer not to risk being chased out by a violent airhead whenever I need to talk with the inspector. One time is already one too many."

Kid then went on to mumble about having to stay awake during lectures, all the while Hakuba stood there and listened. Hearing him grouse about a girl and school was also something Hakuba would've never anticipated to witness. "I don't claim to be in the exact know-how of your position, but do you want to hear my opinion?"

"What is it?" He rose up to throw away the flattened drink box into a bin sitting on the other side of the storage shed.

Nudging a pebble with the tip of his shoes, Hakuba prepared to express his thoughts on Kid's demeanor so far. Even to him, it sounded a little disparaging of his efforts but Hakuba believed his words to be necessary for Kid's sake. "I personally think that you're overextending this 'normal' act. Do you understand what I mean?"

"…" With his back still turned, Kid stared ahead at a group of students occupying the baseball field until a breeze passed by to stir the air. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"You do."

"Explain." Putting his hands inside his pockets, he pivoted in place to stare at him with a look of displeasure.

Hakuba exhaled slowly, finding a way to elaborate his point of view without threading on the other's toes. "By my standards, this area is relatively safe. The likelihood that someone will know who you are here is absurdly low. I've screened every staff member, and no one has doubted your backstory."

"Or, here's a simpler answer for you." With flat eyes, he ambled closer towards Hakuba. "I'm really not liking it here. It bores me to tears."

From his observation and past experience with Kid, Hakuba detected a shift in his attitude. Although what Kid said held some truth to it, there was also a subtle defensive tone from the way he suddenly showed no signs of his previous frustration. "It's just my suggestion, unless you prefer what is basically house arrest. We can't let you roam around. There is no negotiation for that."

"Fine, fine. No need to remind me." Kid tilted his head back in a manner reminiscent of an eyeroll. "Anyways, don't you have better things to do? Go annoy someone else and leave me already." The tone of his words was akin to a hand swatting Hakuba away like a fly that was pestering him.

Not letting it get to his nerves, Hakuba breathed in. "Yes, I'll leave you be. But first." His hand reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to present it outward after unlocking it with a swipe. "Here."

Kid's eyes narrowed slightly before looking back up at him. "Yeah?"

"Add yourself on my contact list."

"Huh?" With a slight wrinkle to his nose, Kid stared at Hakuba as if he had just presented him a pile of paperwork out of the blue. "You know, you could've looked at my files and gotten my contact info way earlier."

"Just do it." Hakuba insisted by jerking his hand forward. "And don't try to add a fake number either."

Maintaining his stare of suspicion, he reached out and took the phone.

During the entire process, Hakuba kept his eyes sharply on Kid's hands. The last thing he wanted was for the thief to mess around with his personal belonging.

"I don't get you sometimes…" Kid mumbled as he handed it back.

He did one last check before pocketing it. "You're correct in that I could have acquired your number by taking a look at your case file. But this is more natural, no?"

After a few blinks, Kid crossed his arms. "And that matters because…?"

"Common courtesy." The previous annoyance Hakuba felt towards him returned, but with the addition of pity this time. "If we are to work together in the near future, then it's best that we get along beforehand."

Rather quickly, Kid flashed a toothy grin. "But we are getting along swimmingly. I don't understand your need to be such a stickler for etiquette."

"That is simply how I am." Extending an open hand, he then recited a simple greeting. "Hakuba Saguru, consultant detective. I look forward to your cooperation."

For a solid moment, Kid spent time looking straight at him in silence. Following that, he seemingly drew his conclusion and accepted the handshake. "...Kuroba Kaito, but I'm sure you knew already."

A small eye-opener to hear him use his real name, but Hakuba had a guess that it was mostly out of a repressed spite. Their first meeting face-to-face hadn't been in the best of circumstances, especially when they were going to join forces. Relying purely on what amounted to extortion would have left a bad taste in his mouth. As much as Hakuba wanted to believe his mind worked on pure logic and evidence, sentiments affected him just as much.

Sorting through the list of compiled names in the police was tedious. Every individual the task force had investigated so far showed no signs of suspicious history or activities. Even with his father's authority backing him up, reaching out for more help to quicken things up would mean getting more outsiders involved. With Spider's daytime alias still performing in Japan for the next week or so, the risk of the assassin infiltrating their ranks was too high. Perhaps once Hakuba received proof that Spider was outside of the country, he would be willing to bring in more people to the mix.

Unlike the whole business of looking for moles however, Hakuba felt like he was making progress on school grounds more than anywhere else—as childish and insignificant as it was in the grand scheme. Reaching a form of friendship, which Hakuba loathed to admit out loud, with the person behind 'Kaitou Kid' was an unpredicted milestone he had set out for himself.

It was when Hakuba had shown his hand that Kaito remembered they never truly introduced themselves properly. Stiff and procedural as the detective was, it was a promising show of integrity. After that, they parted ways and resumed their routine act of being mere acquaintances at school. The biggest bother to surface from the conversation wasn't Hakuba and his uncalled-for remarks. No, the thing that irked Kaito the most was the detective's reaction to him telling about his troubles with the inspector's daughter.

The sound of the school bell rang throughout the entire building, marking the end of another day. Among the people heading out instead of staying behind on cleaning duty, Kaito was one of the first. Rather than going straight home to begin working as he had done the past days, he made a detour. His talk with Hakuba sowed an idea that sprouted inside his mind—one that demanded he dealt with as soon as possible.

Knowing he was guaranteed to arrive earlier than the girl, Kaito took his sweet time to walk up to the Nakamori residence. Whether he was spotted by anyone nearby or Aoko herself as she hurried home, it no longer mattered.

He marched up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A handful of seconds later, the inspector answered the door. The man's eyes widened the split second he recognized Kaito.

"K-Kid? Is there something—"

"Nope, nothing's wrong. Just dropping by early because I can." Wearing a pleasant smile, Kaito stepped past him. He read the confusion in Nakamori's face clearly. "Since I've got no plans for the rest of the day, I'm pretty bored right now." That was a blatant lie, as he could be scouting for his next target.

The inspector pushed the door but he didn't shut it completely. "I, uh, was about to leave. Some of my officers need me to check and approve papers."

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Kaito looked back behind him. "Hm? Should I come back later?"

His mouth opened and closed without sound, searching for the right words before speaking. "How about you come with me? Maybe you can help out or—"

"Actually…I'll pass." Kaito wanted to add that he wished to take a break from thinking about Jii's case in its entirety, but he didn't want to sound like he didn't care anymore.

Nakamori's movements halted. "Y-you sure?"

"Yeah." Kaito loosened his arm, letting the weight of the bag pull it down. "I'm just going to hang around until you get back, if you don't mind."

The man gave him an odd stare before turning to make his leave. "Seems fine to me. I'll try to be quick then."

With that said, Nakamori left his house after Kaito gave him a wave of a hand. Now finding himself alone, he relaxed the grin he wore. After leaving his shoes behind in its proper place, he walked into the living room beside the entrance hall. Treating the place like his own, he plopped down on the couch and waited. The more he stopped by the house, the more the scent grew familiar to him.

Compared to his first visit, the subsequent ones were much briefer in part due to Aoko and his own tiredness. Kaito could only be glad that the inspector didn't seem to mind, letting him drop a greeting and then leave. The late hours probably helped speed up those cumbersome check-ins. So far, they consisted of telling what he did during the day and if there was any information he would be willing to share. For the most part, he kept talking his way around. There was no need to tell anything new, including the fact that he had been continuing his heists on the down-low. If his words were enough to keep the police happy at the present moment, so be it.

His secrets are his to reveal—well, the few that remained at least. Kaito tried pushing it down, but the irritation over how Kudo and Hakuba dug through his background so easily still surfaced whenever he thought about having to work with them and the police. Considering the outcome of everything that happened, he should just bide his time and endure until his mind shoved that moment out of his memories.

However, tied to it was his conversation with Nakamori at his hospital bedside. His recollection was weak in some parts on account of the drugs the doctors had pumped into him, yet Kaito could recall the way the man reacted upon discovering that the original Kaitou Kid was long dead. This was the first in a series of many things he noticed about the inspector.

It was the look of a man that wanted to help but didn't know how to.

"Speaking of which…" Kaito lifted himself off of the couch. A solid minute had passed and he did not catch the sound of a car engine starting. Quietly, he glided towards the window and peeled back the blinds just enough to allow him to take a peek outside.

Past the fencing at the front of the house, Kaito spotted Nakamori standing with his arm leaning on his open car door. The man had his head pointed a little behind him, eyes facing ahead. He began to wonder what held Nakamori's attention, but he didn't have to for long.

Running up to the inspector was a girl with slightly tousled hair. One of Kaito's brows lifted up as he observed the father and daughter pair talk. From watching the movement of their lips and expressions, he understood the gist of what they were discussing. It began with a greeting and a regular exchange on how their days went. Then the girl asked where Nakamori was headed to. Kaito watched as her face went from peacefully oblivious to appalled when her father pointed a thumb back at the house while saying words he didn't bother to lipread.

He had difficulty holding back a smirk as he let the part of the blinds fall back in place. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he spun on his heels and waltzed to the center of the living room. A couple of seconds later, he heard the front door unlock and open.

"Don't be late for dinner!" No sooner than the door closed, she dropped her calm façade. Stepping foot inside and laying her eyes on him, Aoko had a heavy scowl. "Kid."

Raising the corners of his mouth into a grin, Kaito greeted her. "Good to see you in a pleasant mood, Aoko-san."

Her hands were balled into fists, while her face tensed up. "What makes you think you can come in here again?"

"I'm a guest. Your dear old dad invited me. And how could I refuse such a sincere invitation?" Slackening his shoulders, Kaito responded with a light, casual tone to really rub the last part in.

She had both feet planted firmly on the spot, unmoving. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

With mock surprise, Kaito gasped. "Please do tell me what I've done wrong. I don't mean to—"

"Stop this crap!" Without warning, she threw her school bag at him.

This time, Kaito was prepared for her to launch an attack. He merely tilted his head to the side, hearing the bag hit the wall behind him with a heavy thud.

The death glare she was aiming at him remained unchanged. "It's frankly disgusting how you act all nice at school and around Dad. It's annoying as hell, so stop it!"

In a sense, the girl was right and so was Hakuba. He was tired of playing the role of the quiet, docile student. It was high time he took a break.

Replacing his disinterested appearance, he let the roguish smirk of his 'Kaitou Kid' self show through. It was a side of himself he had to learn to tone down whenever he wasn't alone with Jii or at a heist. The change in the air was stark enough for Aoko to suddenly go still.

"Well…" Kaito pulled off the glasses he used during the day and proceeded to twirl it around his index finger. His other hand rested in the crook of his elbow. "For someone who claims to not like me very much, you sure do pay a whole lot of attention to me."

Although Aoko still held a look of disdain, there was an added sense of discomfort now. One of her feet shifted back. "Y-you…creepy rat!", she hissed.

"Call me what you want." Flicking the glasses closed as it hit his palm, Kaito then stored them away in his pocket. "Anyhow, I came here to tell you to expect to see me here again, Nakamori Aoko. No more playing hide and seek."

The livid colours on her face deepened with each passing second, not unlike her father when he would fall for his tricks. "You're being a nuisance wherever you go and you enjoy that, don't you?"

She must have held those sentiments for a while, judging by how her eyes were seething instead of wild like before. Barely changing his smug expression, Kaito returned to sit on the couch. "Your point being?"

Her eyes trained on him, carefully following his movements. "Not only did you evade arrest, you're also using the police like pawns by pretending to be their friend. Aoko will not fall for your lies and let you off the hook so easily."

"Not that you can arrest me for real yourself, Nakamori-chan." Sinking back against the couch, Kaito shot a smirk back at her. Ruffling her feathers in this manner was unseemly, yet oh so fun.

She chewed at her bottom lip, face darkening. Her voice came out low. "You're such an asshole, Kid. Coming here just to taunt me, and I can't even punish you for the rotten thief you are. Must be nice, being able to do anything you feel like doing and always getting things to go your way…"

He felt one of his hands twitch as his smirk faltered and returned to a flat line. With nothing else to keep himself occupied, he twisted the button on his cuff.

"Don't pretend to not hear me." She stomped closer to his side with her knuckles white. "I hate how you don't seem to care about anything. You'll never understand what it's like to watch someone's job take over their life, all while not being able to help. Letting you free after they caught you, and now you come in like it's nothing…Everyone's gone crazy because of you!"

Acting as if she wasn't looming over him with a storm on her face, he stared straight back up at her and smiled. "You're right. This is pretty crazy, huh?" Apart from throwing objects, the girl was capable of slinging some rather harsh words his way. If he had to choose between her swinging improvised weapons or being yelled at by her, he'd rather not pick.

"Wha— Are you making fun of me again?"

"I meant what I said." Putting an effort to keep still, Kaito leaned on the armrest. "This could be a lot worse."

The cold, confused look on her only grew. "What do you mean?"

"I could be dead, and your father injured or worse."

Eyes narrowing, she wasn't entirely convinced by his words alone.

Kaito saw her doubt. Straightening back up, he hooked the end of his sleeve with a finger after unbuttoning the cuff. With a few twists from his arm, he exposed his forearm which had been unbandaged only a few days ago. Whatever concoction was used on him, it made for a slow healing process and left its mark in the form of a slight indent on his arm from the needle. "This doesn't look like much, but it's part of what made me fail the heist. Your father could've been a victim too. A hitman using poison and hypnotism snuck in to kill me, believe it or not."

"Y-you're lying to Aoko. That scar could be from anything. And Dad only got a scratch. He didn't say anything about a killer on the loose." She crossed her arms, still giving him a suspicious glare. "For someone who can do all those tricks and slip from the police like a slimy eel, I'm having a hard time seeing you hit by anything."

"But here I am. I wouldn't be here if it didn't happen. He probably didn't want to scare you by telling you what went down." His sleeve was returned to its proper place and smoothed out. He then shrugged. "Trust me, I would be sleeping all day instead of going to school with you and that Hakuba. But I've realized I can only do so much by myself, so I kinda need to work with your father if I want to get this over with as soon as I can. It sucks for everyone involved, if that's what you wanted to hear. Happy?"

"…You're more of an immature jerk than Aoko thought."

One of his brows lifted up with a grin. "Kid is my name."

Having enough of this, Aoko walked away. "I'll never understand why some grown man calls himself Kid…Hanging out with high school students like some perv to boot."

His sweet moment of victory came to a halt. "Hey, I won't tolerate slander of that kind."

"What? Aoko is right!" After bending down to pick up her school bag, she flipped her hair back behind herself. "Aoko bets you like having all those clueless girls talk to you in class."

Just when he was starting to get comfortable on the couch, Kaito pushed himself off to follow her toward the kitchen. "Is that really what you think?"

"Yes." With her bag on the dinner table, she took out the assignments and workbooks.

"I suggest you pick a better hobby than observing me all day at school. Hakuba and the witch is already enough." The last thing he wanted was for her to gossip and spread rumors to ruin his reputation as Kaitou Kid.

Her annoyance reignited. "I'm keeping an eye on you for a good reason. Without that pretty mask, you won't be fooling anyone. How about you take it off right now!"

"I-I can't. See?" He pinched his own cheek until it began to hurt. Her request to peel off his own face aside, something occurred to him. "Wait, you think I've been wearing a mask…?"

"Y-you're still trying to mess with me? Then it all has to be makeup!"

He met many people in his lifetime, but none came close to testing his patience like her. Drawing a slow breath, Kaito resisted the urge to yell in the same volume that had been directed at him. "Listen, Nakamori Aoko. What I said about needing the police's help is the truth. If things go well, you'll never hear from me after this. It'll make both our lives easier if you'd stop being so paranoid."

"Well, you're not making it easy to trust you, Kid. I know what you're famous for, and that's deceiving people!"

Standing on the other end of the table, he rested a hand on his side. "Your father had more experience dealing with me, yet he trusts me. Even those stuck-up detectives agreed to work with me. Didn't Hakuba say anything along those lines?"

"…Th-that does seem to be the case I guess… F-fine, I'll let some things slide but on one condition." She walked around the table to march right up in front of him and put her hands on her hips. "Apologize."

"For what?"

"Stealing Dad away from Aoko, and wasting everyone's time by being a scumbag thief, that's what." Her gaze turned downcast as sorrow mixed in with her anger. "He's all I have left of my family. Dad has to break so many promises just for his job, and each time I see how much it hurts him even when I say I understand."

"Then I have nothing to apologize for. I did what I thought was right, and your father knew what he did would demand him to sacrifice his time. I didn't force him to take this job," replied Kaito with an air of indifference because he couldn't rewind time and give it back to her like some god.

"How could you say that?! It's not just a regular job like some convenience store cashier. He swore an oath! First of all, Dad is leading a task force because of your actions. You started it and kept it going. He deserves a life outside of his duty!"

Kaito backstepped a little. "Well, he's home more often now. It shouldn't be an issue anymore."

What came out of his mouth seemed to be a poor choice of words as the girl went on to scream, "Only because you're not being a problem out there! Now you bring trouble here, and Dad comes back home just as tired as before. I know he's been stressed out the same too. So the least you can do is apologize after barging into our lives like you don't give a damn!"

Before he answered, he let her take a moment to breathe. "You got a point. From a wider scope, I'm nothing but a stranger who wormed his way in here for his own selfish gains. But…I still won't apologize for being 'Kaitou Kid'."

"...!" She gulped some air, straining to keep herself calm. "You better explain yourself."

His heart began to race. "You have the right to be upset, but so do I. My family has been entangled with this mess for years, and I will see it through to the end. I can't be sorry for what needed to be done in order to bring justice."

Aoko stared at him intently as if in search of something before breaking eye contact. "...If that's a story you made up, then I really won't forgive you."

"Enough with the accusations already. I would also love for things to go back to normal and be done with this whole affair." The way she kept questioning the legitimacy of his answers was so infuriating, especially when he was setting his fabricated names aside for a change. "Before all of this, I was no different from you. 'Kaitou Kid' wasn't even my thing until…Agh, forget it. Go ahead and believe what you'd like. Just stop acting like a watchdog, got that?" Having nothing more to add, Kaito headed back to the living room to recollect himself.

As for her, she quietly went to her seat at the table and got started on her school work. The expression on her face was like a statue, still and somber.

At that moment, both of them wished the inspector would come back soon to break the heavy silence that was only interrupted by the occasional page flip and pencil scratch.