Reluctant Hero

3. Aoko's disbelief

"Good morning."

Aoko spun around, her face fell lax from before she beamed when she realized the greeting was meant for her. "Good morning." She chirped back to the old security guard that was standing behind her with a warm smile. Something about old people always relaxed Aoko; the way they spoke in such a slow and calming manner, maybe.

The old man poked his black, security guard hat up, revealing the wrinkles by his bright eyes. "Are you waiting for someone?"

She shook her head. "I'm here by myself."

"Oh?" The guard blinked in surprise. "I thought you came here to pass time while waiting for your date. So you're here to look at paintings?"

Aoko glanced down at her clothes. She wondered how her lame-looking shirt and jeans could give an impression that she was going for a date. But anyway, besides that point- "Yeah. I'm here to look at the paintings."

"Well, that's even more unusual." The guard smiled before gesturing the empty, large museum hall they were in and a convenient clock hanging on the wall that showed ten minutes pass nine. "Isn't this too early for you to look at paintings?"

"Because I learnt my lesson." Aoko blurted before she could stop herself. She cringed at her stupid mistake for speaking out that comment, while hoping she didn't sound as if she was bitter, even if she inwardly was.

The guard tilted his head. "Lesson?"

Aoko glanced around the hall, just to check if they were still alone before looking back at him. Something in her gut told her to keep her mouth shut and move along, but her chest felt uncomfortably bloated, probably from the sudden reminder of her frustrations, what's more that she met him recently too-

Then again, she really, always had been, very relaxed and chatty around old people. The guard probably wouldn't mind a break too, right? He came up to her afterall.

"Kaitou Kid." Aoko paused. "Do you know that thief?"

"Kaitou Kid?" Although there was no trace of emotion in the guard's tone, there was something strange about the lines between eyebrows, as if he was putting on some effort to keep up his nonchalance. "Yeah I do. But what about him?"

"Well… Half a year ago, there was this Vincent van Gogh exhibition that I really wanted to visit, but at that point of time I was busy with my work so I thought I'll go on the last day. But, well, Kaitou Kid stolen them right on the second day."

"Oh, right. I remember that Van Gogh heist." He nodded absently. "So you're here so early because you want to see the paintings before he ever gets to steal them?"

Aoko nodded aggressively. Finally it seemed like someone actually understood her point for her early visits. Keiko never did, much less her other friends and even her father.

"But how would you know if he's stealing anything from here?" He asked.

"It's the same as how I didn't know he'll steal the two Vincent van Gogh's painting too." Aoko explained. "So from now onwards, I'm taking precautions for all kinds of exhibition I want to go."

"Isn't that tiring?"

"That is the lesson I learnt."

The guard nodded his head slowly and looked at the painting that Aoko had been admiring a while ago before he came and talked to her, but for some reason, his eyes were a little out of focus. "Maybe Kaitou Kid should send an advanced heist note then?"

"I don't think it's a good idea." Aoko straightened. "There will be a surge in visitors, and I'm sure they are more interested in his thieving schemes then coming for the actual purpose of the exhibition; it's going to be a chaos." She huffed, inwardly rolling her eyes at the thought of those hysterical fans. "Rather, if he really wants to steal something so much, he should be courteous enough to wait for the exhibition to be over."

"You're right. Your suggestion is a good idea." The guard chuckled loudly in a manner that Aoko didn't understand, until he spoke again as he pointed at the painting. "So, to repent for the many inconsiderations, how about I steal this painting for you?"

Something instantly clicked in Aoko's head and she took a step back. "A-Are you…"

"Hi." He said, his tone no longer pitched in the comforting, old man's tone. It was honeyed, confident and snarky, all shining out in his voice despite only saying a word.

Aoko widened her eyes. "Y-You!"

He gestured at the painting again. "So is this enough to ask for your forgiveness?"

"What- I'm- How-" Aoko then shut her mouth, because if she continued, it would all just be nonsensical blabbers. She took a good second to calm herself down, smile bitterly, and take out her phone from her pocket instead.

"Oh," Kid wagged his finger. "No phones are allowed here."

"I'm calling the police." Aoko said and tapped exactly the numbers to it. But before she could press dial, Kid snatched her phone out of her grip and cancelled the call.

"What for?" He drawled. "To ask them come and look at paintings? You're—"

"Give me back my phone!"

"—wasting the taxpayers' money, you know?"

"I'm calling so they can catch you; thief-plotting, identity-stealing criminal that is up to no good."

Switching off her phone, Kid handed it back to her. "You're petty."

"Petty?!" Aoko grabbed her phone and clutched it tightly to her chest.

"Can't believe you'll hold a grudge for this long. And all because of two paintings?"

"I'm not holding a grudge. I'm for justice."

His jaws cracked open a yawn as he bade a lazy goodbye. "K. I'm off to work. Nice talking to you."

Aoko stalked after him to stop his tracks. "What work? Are you plotting something?"

"I don't go around stealing everything in plain sight every time." He side-eyed her. "Even criminals need some break from the bad stuff."

"Then what are you doing? Being in a disguise and all."

Kid lightly rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's none of your business. And—" he cut in, before she managed a chance to rebuke. "—I'm not going to steal anything. If I am, I will tell you; to give you a good head start to try and stop me. But, no. I'm not stealing, not today."

Aoko scoffed. "Are you expecting me to trust you on your words?"

"Why not?" He stared at her, not in defence but seemingly out of curiosity. "I never lie."

"First thing first, your identity is a lie—"

"Hmm, I guess you got a point."

"—Second, the fact that you talked to me means you are up to something."

He blinked, caught off guard, but smiled again. "Up to what?"

Aoko scowled when her mind came up with a blank. "I-I don't know? Ask yourself."

"To be frank, I don't know why I came and talked to you." Kid shrugged. "I guess I was bored."

Not knowing what to reply (because it wasn't something she expected), Aoko glared at him; It was probably the only appropriate reaction she had to give.

Kid sighed. "I'm seriously not stealing anything. Trust me."

"I can't."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. You don't have to. But there's nothing else you can do either."

He was right about that. Because right at the moment he said it, the lights in the hall flickered a couple of times, surprising Aoko as she whirled around to check her surrounding. And by the time the flickering stopped and a few museum staffs came to the hall to check what was going on too, Kid was already gone.

At least, though, all the paintings were still there.

.o.

For the next three days, Aoko had been keeping tabs on the recent criminal news, refreshing the internet once in a couple of hours to see if there was any updates about anything being stolen from the museum they met. There had been nothing so far, but Aoko was expecting some news to come sooner or later.

And it did, sort of, but the news came by a phone call.

"Did you see the news?" Keiko said before Aoko could greet her on the phone.

"What?" Aoko asked blankly as she dropped the file she was looking through for her current case. Judging from Keiko's energetic tone on the other line, she assumed it wasn't something bad…?

"There's going to be a Vincent van Gogh's exhibition soon!" Keiko chirped on the other end.

Aoko straightened, her jaw ached when she split her cheeks into a smile too fast. "W-What? Are you serious? There's a new exhibition?"

"Yes- No, not exactly new. You'll understand once you look it up."

Immediately after Aoko hung up, she opened a new tab and typed in the search.

Her eyeballs nearly rolled out when she saw what appeared on her screen.

Top News (15 minutes ago): Thief returned the two stolen Vincent van Gogh's paintings six months later! Museum owner planning to hold an exhibition after its two-weeks appraisal period. Read more…

Aoko clicked in to read, but truth to be told, her mind was too much in a whirl to process the words. So after skimming through the third related article, she gave up and closed her laptop, and for the next twenty minutes of deafening silence, she spent her time trying to guess why Kid did what he did.

But even from that moment till the day she went to the actual exhibition two weeks later, she never came up with any conclusion for that matter.