Akako Koizumi was at a complete loss over what was happening- or rather- what was not happening. For several months now Aoko Nakamori had been acting quite strangely. While this in itself isn't a problem for her, what was a problem was how it affected Kaito Kuroba.

Ever since meeting the magician, Akako had done everything in her power to get him to yield to her. The more he resisted the more she wanted and despite what her servants believed, it had nothing to do with control.

At least, not entirely.

It was the fact that for the first time in her life someone had seen the real her-not the facade she wanted them to see. Kuroba-kun being a magician and sworn enemy to people like her had only made winning him over more enticing. It was not like she liked him for real. No, never that. A witch of her status does not fall in love, but has others fall for her.

Regardless, any spell or potion she had tried had ended in failure. It had not taken long to see why.

The relationship between Kuroba-kun and Nakamori-san was an eyesore to be sure. At first, Akako believed Nakamori-san to be the root cause. 'She must be hanging all over him refusing to let any woman get too close. Poor thing probably didn't know that being his childhood friend automatically booted her from the running of ever becoming his lover. It was difficult to see someone in a romantic light if they grew up as bratty kids together. Kuroba-kun probably sees her as something akin to a sister and not much else.'

It was with these thoughts that Akako had placed a wager to Nakamori-san during their school field trip to the ski-slopes. Of course she had rigged the bet in her favor by placing a spell on Kuroba-kun but that was beside the point. Imagine her utter shock when all it did was prove how it was Kuroba-kun that was attached. Even after Nakamori-san had chosen a different partner for the ski contest, Kuroba-kun could still not get his mind from her. Looking back at his mannerisms on the ski lift she was a fool for thinking her charm was working.

After that incident, it became clear to Akako that the only weakness Kaitou Kid possessed was one Nakamori Aoko. It is with this understanding that led to Akako becoming friendly with Nakamori-san.

'It's not because we're friends!' Akako would think every time she would let Nakamori-san borrow an eraser or give the girl advice on how to make herself more appealing. Every interaction that Akako had involving that girl was just a way to get closer to Kuroba-kun. Maybe she'd even find out why the girl was so special in the first place.

Akako cursed aloud when another attempt at checking Nakamori-san's fortune had ultimately failed. 'Why was this so hard?' It had had never been difficult for her to divine anyone's future like it had been for months now. It only seemed to happen with Nakamori-san and it felt like there was an invisible power forcing her into a dead end each time. Now that Akako thought about it, she never had a need to check Nakamori-san's fortune before. Normally she'd wake up, get ready for school, check her fortune, and then check Kuroba-kun's. She never particularly cared about checking anyone else's and Nakamori-san never asked.

"Madam," came the reply of her servant, "perhaps it's nothing."

"I will decide whether that is the case!" She snapped at him and no sooner had the response left her lips did she regret her tone. It wasn't his fault that her magic seemed to be taxed. "Why is it only coming up 'great changes'?" She wondered aloud.

Telling fortunes was her primary specialty and she took great pride in her work. Even other red witches would measure the accuracy of their predictions to hers, why then was it being so vague now? It was hardly like she was trying to predict another witch's fortune against their will.

Talking to Nakamori-san left no clues and it was clear she was hiding something. Akako had even asked Kuroba-kun about the odd behavior but he had stiffly answered that whatever Nakamori-san was doing was her own business. This response made Akako roll her eyes as it was clear to anyone how anxious Kuroba-kun was of late. Whenever Nakamori-san wasn't looking (which was often), Kuroba-kun would stare at her expectantly almost as if he was waiting for something. If it hadn't been for the two of them continuing to speak to each other normally, Akako would have thought Kuroba-kun had confessed his feelings for Nakamori-san and was waiting for her reply.

Finding no other option, Akako resorted to the one person she loathes to speak to- Keiko Moimoi. The pigtails-wearing brunette had been Nakamori-san's friend for as long as Kuroba-kun himself. Surely she'd know something, and being a source for gossip within their school, Akako figured it wouldn't take much to pry the information from her.

After class had ended and Nakamori-san had hurried off to gods-only-knew-where (flashing Kuroba-kun an apologetic smile on her way out), did Akako make her move. Taking slow deliberate steps so as not to frighten the mousy girl, Akako approached her target. Moimoi-san was gathering her things along with the other girls in her group.

She was hardly ever alone, and Akako thought this to be just like prey animals. They too always herded together to make themselves appear stronger. Unlike animals which are easier to manage when they are separated from the herd, Akako knew that tactic would only make herself appear more suspicious to the girls. Instead, she would have to approach them as a classmate not an interrogator.

"Isn't it strange," Akako asked next to the group, "how Nakamori-chan is always running around now?" Akako deliberately added the '-chan' suffix to further sell her concerned classmate role.

Moimoi-san's back straightened and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Before Akako could really begin to worry, Moimoi-san plastered on a forced smile.

"Is it so strange to have somewhere to be, Koizumi-san?" Moimoi-san giggled harmlessly but Akako knew it was an act.

"I'm just worried she's spreading herself too thin!" Akako did her best worried face. "She seems so tired too. . ."

"She does seem more distracted than before." A girl from the group agreed. The others nodded in worry.

"Aoko-chan is also a lot happier too, and it isn't as if her grades are slipping," Moimoi-san defended. She looked at the other girls and then glanced across the room. "When was the last time any of us have seen her this focused and determined on something other than school or her dad?" There was a long pause as Moimoi-san seemed to wait for an answer. When none came she spoke again. "I can tell you."

Moimoi-san locked eyes with Akako causing the witch to wonder how she had ever seen this girl as mousy. "You don't know this Koizumi-san, but Aoko-chan wasn't always this cutesy." Moimoi-san looked at something behind Akako, and with a quick glance over her shoulder she realized... Moimoi-san was looking directly at Kuroba-kun.

"She was talented, smart, creative, and loved magic almost as much as Kuroba-kun." Moimoi-san glanced back at her and for once Akako had no words.

"For the last six months she's been really busy, but she's also been happy-truly happy- like she has something that she's working towards again. Not for her dad, or me, or anyone else. Something she's working towards for herself." Moimoi-san continued to gather her things again.

"Honestly, as long as she's still getting good grades I don't see a problem!" One of the girls in the group added.

"You're concern is sweet though!" Another girl said trying to diffuse the tension.

"Yeah, Koizumi-san is a good friend!" Another agreed before the group hurried through the door but Momoi-san stopped in the hallway.

The bespectacled girl turned around and her eyes were hidden in the reflection of her glasses as she added, "Aoko not only loved magic, she was good at it too." She lifted up her head and her eyes held the strength of all the memories of a Nakamori-san that Akako never got to meet. Then glared at Kuroba-kun seemingly daring him to contradict her statement.

"She was," Kuroba-kun agreed in an empty voice.

Moimoi-san nodded her head and left without a goodbye.

Akako gathered her things in silence letting the new information sink into her mind. What was left of the class had filed out leaving her by herself. Evidently there was quite a few things about Aoko Nakamori that she didn't know. She turned to leave the classroom and was surprised to see Kuroba-kun still there, waiting on her.

"My, my, waiting for me? How chivalrous of you," She teased.

"Koizumi-san I will only ask you once." Kuroba-kun looked into her eyes with an expression so serious she wondered if he was ever really happy at all. "Please stop digging in Aoko's business."

Akako bristled, thoroughly affronted. She had done this all for him after all! He was the one out of sorts and almost depressed over Nakamori-san's secret. "I thought you out of everyone would want to know the most." She shouldered past him. "Wouldn't want Kaitou Kid to lose precious sleep over someone like her."

Akako could almost feel the indignation rolling off of him. "Who I lose sleep over is my concern." He bit back through gritted teeth. Belatedly he realized the unspoken implication and added, "and who said I was that thief anyway?"

Akako made no comment and kept walking. It appeared to her that Kuroba-kun was slowly losing his nerves. She thought back to his request to leave Nakamori-san alone. It was the first time he had asked her for anything. Thinking back to the conversation with Moimoi-san she made a decision. If Kuroba-kun wanted to torment himself over this then it was his funeral. She would only need to be there when or if the broken pieces fell.

Kathrine Ohara was sipping her morning earl grey rose and going over some of the latest recruits for the Hand when one of her fellow administrators came barreling into the lounge room completely seething.

Kota Orai was a well-known instructor for the Basic Training Program and other than herself was very adept at scouting for talent. Unfortunately since almost 3 months ago, his sanity has been in a consistent decline due to one particular student. It wasn't that this student was disrespectful or even dense.

He ruffled his dark hair and tore open his advanced training lesson binder. His eyes scanned through the last pages desperately and Kathrine already knew he would not find what he was looking for.

"There has to be something. There has to be something!" He repeated desperately while clutching his papers as if his career depended on it. It didn't of course. There was no way the Hand would ever let go of a talented assistant and instructor such as himself. Even if he was at his wit's end with one of his students.

Katherine was traveling with her master, but was told to stay and advise some of the younger instructors on certain teaching techniques. At least, that was what she had told them. In truth she was here for only one reason and she so happened to be the same reason why Orai-san was having yet another meltdown in the lounge.

'That girl, I'll have to speak with her again about how swiftly she's learning.' Kathrine sighed and took another long sip of her tea. Feeling a bit guilty for Orai-san's state. If it hadn't been for Jii-kun and to some extent her own tutoring he may not be all worked up now.

Suddenly Orai-san threw the binder across the room in a fit. He began muttering and tearing the room apart for any additional lesson he could teach without crossing the Basic Training line.

Kathrine sighed again and collected the binder from the floor, gently placing it back on the shelf. "Another mastery from our dear Nakamori-san again?" She didn't know why she needed to ask.

"She's only been here for 3 months and she's already learned everything we have to offer about stage handling, setting and upkeep! I've never had a student as advanced as this!" He threw a few more books on the ground and gritted his teeth in frustration.

Finally he fell to the floor in an over dramatic sign of defeat. "Why doesn't she just sign up for the Hand and be done with it?" He let out a long, keening moan. "There's nothing else for me to teach her." He choked on a sob and fell to his side. "It takes everyone a year to get through my training. I leave no stone left unturned!"

"Now Orai-san, it isn't so bad. Why, I bet if it wasn't for your outstanding teaching she would not have gotten as far." Kathrine heated up her kettle again intent on calming the despondent young man.

"Don't try to butter me up Ohara-san, you said that girl had no stage experience!"

"No, I said she had little stage experience. Clearly she is a fast learner- a natural at stage maintenance! That isn't going to reflect poorly on you." Kathrine handed him a cup of chamomile and helped him back to his seat.

"It will if she decides there's nothing for her here and goes solo." His shoulders slouched as if a great weight settled upon them. "The Hand needs people like her! If I mess this up and she has no more interest pursuing her career with us-"

"Has she given you any inclination that she's unwilling to sign on with us?" Katherine patted his back and tried to use her most soothing voice.

"Well, no but-"

"Has she ever missed or been late to the classes?"

"No, she shows up early every time."

"Has she been rude, arrogant or displayed an otherwise disagreeable temperament or attitude to you, or her fellow classmates?"

"Absolutely not! Nakamori-san is always attentive and respectful even when she has a right not to be!"

"A right not to be respectful?" Katherine raised an eyebrow in wonder. As an assistant respect was a paramount pillar to their association. Second only to loyalty. "Explain."

"Well, as you know Nakamori-san is very young and incredibly advanced. Many of her classmates are much older than her and well... you can imagine many don't take kindly to having a high schooler outperforming them..."

"Am I to understand that Nakamori-san has... bullies in her class?"

"Bullies is a strong word choice, but there are times where I had to remind my class that part of being an assistant is working together. They tend to leave her out a lot." Orai-san's face twisted back up in concern. "What if that deters her?"

"Then she wasn't Hand material to begin with." Katherine finished flatly.

"Ohara-san young ladies are sensitive and can get discouraged easily."

"This isn't a club, Orai-san this is a career. If she can't take a little pestering than this isn't the choice for her. We are here to raise the best stage assistants in the world and to make lifelong commitments, not to play around." Katherine's hard voice turned softer, "has she ever complained to you about these things?"

"No. She never complains."

Katherine felt herself relax in her chair. "Then why not trust her to make the best decision for herself on what to do? What she chooses has nothing to do with us."

"I just don't want to see her talent go to waste. It would be amazing to see her out on the circuit!"

Katherine smiled and agreed. When she noticed Orai-san still pouting she figured she'd offer him an out, seeing as how he grown so attached to Nakamori-san's success. "Why not ask her what she'd like to learn?" He looked up at Katherine questioningly. "Obviously we can't show her advance magic tricks or anything like that but, surely there are things our program didn't cover that she has interest in? We won't know unless you ask."

Orai-san straightens his back and his once pouting face was replaced with a slowly growing smile. Before she could react he reaches for the keys to the theatre room and runs out of the lounge area.

Katherine smiles to herself and manages to send a text to Jii-kun before Orai-san came back to take the chamomile tea with him thanking her once again for her help.

'You're girl is growing up fast. She has officially completed the entire Basic Training Course. Congratulations .'

When Jii Konosuke had received the text it was hours later and it happened to be during a very stressful heist. Normally he would never dream of taking his eyes off of the monitors when he should be noting the security team's movements, but given his companion he felt he could relax for a bit.

Stretching behind him in the small van designed to resemble a news vehicle was the young and vigilant Aoko Nakamori-san. He didn't have to turn around to feel her gaze flickering through each monitor like a runner anxiously awaiting their signal. Her shoulder length hair was tied up and pulled through a cap and held notes of gray streaks. She had made sure to dress in dark, baggy clothes. Her eyes were currently covered with large sunglasses, but Jii knew that if he asked her to take them off he would hardly be able to recognize her due to the makeup and contact lenses she had put in place earlier.

"So what's the name of this character Nakamori-chan?" Jii turned to her with a raise of his eyebrows.

"I haven't decided." She placed her fingers under her chin in thought. "Given the wrinkles I placed on myself I'm thinking a strong or stern sounding name." Nakamori-chan (as Jii had recently been referring to her) tapped the side of her cheek in thought before pointing to the screen where a disguised Kid pushed a trash can down the western hallway. "He's in position."

"Good luck Nakamori-chan, try not to overdo it. You have a performance tonight."

"Don't remind me." Nakamori-chan waved dismissively before leaving the van and casually strolled up to the side of the building's fire escape. With a graceful and practiced move she had climbed the side of the safety rail and sailed through the slightly opened window of the third floor.

Jii let loose a breath he had been holding. It had been 6 months since the fateful night she had walked into his bar and he began training her as an assistant. It was 5 months since she began officially assisting the heists. She began her job and training at the Night Rabbit 4 months ago. 3 months ago she had officially enrolled in the Basic Training course and surprising even himself, she had managed to clear it with seemingly ease if Kathrine-san's text was to be believed.

Despite all that she has learned and how much she had grown a small part of himself couldn't help but worry over her still. He was her mentor after all so he felt particularly responsible for her. Her accelerated growth as assistant, accomplice, and lately a distressed performer was both a cause for concern as much as a cause for pride. She reminded him a bit too much of himself only much more energetic, hence his concern.

Often he wondered is she was perhaps too invested in her desire of being an accomplished assistant. It didn't take much for Jii to recall his time in the Hand and how his insatiable appetite for knowledge and skill had ultimately been a detriment to finding a willing master to serve.

They say a magician is only as good as his tools. They also say there is no tool more useful than a talented assistant. So what does it say about a magician who is contracted to an assistant that is more technically talented then they are?

One who would assume a too-talented assistant equates to a happy magician, but one is not taking into consideration the pride of the performer.

Magicians are artists and like any good artist they are very particular about the art they make. Like any good performer they are strict in how their shows and stages are handled. The best performers are competitive and naturally don't appreciate their show being stolen from them or threatened in any way. Hence why being 'too good' can become and even bigger hindrance than being not good enough.

Jii took his hat off and rubbed his head in a soothing circle. Back then, he had all but given up hope that he would ever find a master that was willing to take a chance on him. Touichi-sama, due to his overwhelming confidence was an outlier who was delighted to find an assistant so skilled. He had even accepted Jii despite how much older he was than other members of his class.

'But even Touichi-sama had challenged me before making the contract.' Jii sighed and rubbed his head harder in an attempt to stop the aching and uncomfortable thoughts.

He looked at the monitor of the screen that hosted the security cameras and saw Kid suspended above a platform in the center of the reception area. There were a small crowd of people taking pictures and filming the whole exchange between Kid and the gem's owner.

In another part of the building Nakamori-chan was systematically creating small, unnoticeable openings for Kid to escape all while evading and luring the police standing guard away from her target locations. Once they had followed whatever trick she had used she would either put them asleep or prevent them from escaping by baring them inside. Her swift and playful movements were a little disconcerting to the wisened Jii who felt a pang of sympathy for the guards. She was like a shadow, disappearing into the darkest corners of a room. A cattle dog herding her unsuspecting sheep.

He sat back in his chair watching both of the high schoolers complete their agendas while seemingly making a great time of it.

A chuckle escaped his lips as Kaito-bocchama pulled a giant paint ballon out of an officers jacket pocket no doubt warning him not to let it pop. He then tossed the balloon to the still stunned man who had not caught it resulting in pink paint splattering all over the police force. Only the paint began to thicken resulting in a sticky foam that forced the unfortunate officers to struggle in order to move.

Nakamori-chan who was just upstairs had somehow managed to turn one man's hair green causing their partner to break into peals of laughter. She used this as a distraction to drop a fake insect into the collar of the laughing man in clear view of the green haired officer's line of sight. No sooner had the 'insect' hit the back of the laughing man's neck did his face scrunch up in a loud scream that Jii was pretty sure he heard even being safely outside of the building. The green haired officer tried in vain to get the fake bug off of his flailing partner but couldn't because his partner-in a fit of spastic movements- had tripped into the store-closet area they were scoping out and fell inside taking his green haired partner with him.

Now that her sheep were in their designated containment area, she easily slid and locked the door using a door jam. She had done all of this without being seen, and thanks to Jii controlling the camera's from a different position no one else ever would.

Jii was barking in laughter at this point and had to hold his side in support, all previous concerns forgotten.

A/N: Yay, chapter 8 is finally done! I really wanted to post this before 2022because this kinda fits in line with it narratively but tbh I lost inspiration to continue this for a bit.

I'm sure I'm not saying anything new but, it's hard to keep my fire burning for a series that isn't as talked about. Ironically enough this being a series and Aoko being a character that isn't spoken of much was a big reason why I felt compelled to write to begin with. I guess it's a double-edged sword in a way?

So while I have managed to gather up interest thanks to tumblr users (seriously, the analysis on dcmk characters is currently the lifeblood of this fanfic), I wanted to continue because frankly I made a promise to myself to write this story idea out. I still don't know if it'll have a proper conclusion because that is still pretty far out right now but I'm mostly excited to get Aoko's training for the Hand going.

That being said, the more Aoko learns, the more confident she becomes but despite not being 'ditzy' she still is super energetic and positive as this is a reason why I love her so much. She will continue to be straightforward, honest, and true to her feelings. The only thing I really wanted to change is her skill set and the part she plays in helping Kaito.

Speaking of her lower confidence, she always sells herself a little short in her POV so I really wanted to write outside opinions on how fast she's growing due to her obsess-I mean her persistence in learning new things!

P.S. I love Keiko with all my heart and I will die on this hill because she and Aoko are friend goals. Keiko is like the Sonoko to Aoko's Ran and as we all know, every Ran needs a Sonoko in her corner.

No hate to Akako but I never really saw her as a part of Aoko's close friend group. I know Aoko would love to have Akako as a friend she can do stuff with (ex. Shopping) but Akako has an agenda towards Kaito and wouldn't usually do things with Aoko because she genuinely has an interest in her friendship... at least not yet.

Eventually.

I personally like Akako's character because she is so different to Aoko but currently Akako's understanding of Aoko is lacking as Akako only does the bare minimum background check when it concerns anyone who isn't Kaito or herself. Right now she sees her as childish but in reality, it isn't childish to have a lot of energy and a zest for life. At least, I don't think so anyway.

Anyway, I hope everyone is staying safe and hanging in there. These are crazy times after all.