It was only after another thirty minutes Kaito and Jii returned to the bar. The former was definitely surprised by the sight of his friend chatting so casually with us, but that seemed short-lived. Apparently he did not appreciate that and the first thing that left his mouth was why she did not ring him on his cell. The girl responded, somewhat annoyed, that he would not have picked up anyway and why he was acting so dramatic. That comment made him angry and a heated discussion broke out between them. Dino and I only glanced at each other, but neither of us said anything. We stayed out of this. As strangers, interfering with a fight between friends was never a good idea.

After some minutes Kaito had enough and strode to the bar in a rather bad mood. Aoko crossed her arms as she puffed her cheeks. "Honestly, what's wrong with him today? He's more annoying than usual."

"He'll come around." Dino reassured her and I nodded in agreement. While neither of us had said anything, we both knew why Kaito became so upset. If we placed ourselves in his mind-set then it was something like this. His friend was chatting with two, possible suspicious, people who probably knew his secret identity as Kaitou Kid, thanks to my confusing words from last night. Not knowing whether his secret was safe would obviously make him irritable. Anyone would.

However, Dino and I knew better then to talk about certain topics to outsiders. After all, we were both bound to the omertà. The reason why I invited Aoko was to learn more about her friend and his family, and it was actually quite insightful, aside of the many complaints of Kaito teasing her. We learned that Kaito is an only child and that his mother has been travelling around the world, leaving her son on his own. Kaito's father died in an unfortunate accident eight years ago. He was a magician and passed away on the stage when one of the magic tricks went awfully wrong. When we asked for his name, Dino and I were surprised as we both recognised it. Kuroba Toichi, a world famous and skilled magician. Both of us saw him perform in one of his shows, albeit in different cities and time. Even so, we both made the link of why Kaitou Kid disappeared eight years ago. The original died. Still, that was only part one of the mystery around the Magician under the Moonlight. When I brought up the subject of the phantom thief himself, Aoko almost went into a mode of rage. She despised him. Always causing trouble for her father and everyone in the police force. Even demanding reporters to broadcast the heist on a few occasions. The thing she hated the most was that Kid returns the stolen goods in pristine condition. For what reason did he steal it in the first place then? In her opinion, the bastard did it to get attention and nothing else.

While it was refreshing to hear a complete different opinion of the phantom thief, it still did not answer the question of why Kaitou Kid returned. Better worded, why Kuroba Kaito had resumed his late father's work. However, I stopped at this point. Brainstorming with almost no probative information was pointless, and ultimately, lead to headaches. At times like these I really hated my mind for being so curious and my intuition for being so damn accurate. All because my guts reacted to 'Gem X'.

"He's probably just being jealous that you're having a good time without him." I teased as Aoko's cheeks slightly reddened. While we were talking, it did not escape me that she held more feelings towards her friend than she would let on, but that is just for me to know. "Say, do you mind if I take this to the bar?"

I was already stacking the empty plates as the girl shook her head.

"While you're at it, Sharon, could you also bring me a glass of red wine?" Dino added as I balanced the glasses on top of the china.

"Sure thing. Just don't expect the ridiculously expensive wine you usually have." I laughed as I lifted up the stack without effort. "Aoko-san, would you like to have anything else?"

"Another ginger ale, please."

"Will be right up!"

Walking towards the bar, Jii was already smiling and I placed the plates on the counter. "Thank you for the food, Konosuke-san. It was lovely." I smiled in return.

"Glad you liked it." Jii answered as he took the plates from behind the bar. "One red wine, one ginger ale, and what would you like to drink, Lin-sama?"

"For me a lemon tonic, please." I replied as I felt an unpleasant stare on me. Turning my head to the source, I saw Kaito glancing away quickly and I sighed quietly. While his attitude towards me did not bother me personally, I did, however, feel responsible for his current foul mood. If my presence was the cause of his bitter attitude towards his friend, then I should confront him instead of dancing around the subject. So, walking over to the foul-mooded pre-adult, I sat on the stool right next to him and leaned on the counter with both my elbows.

"Listen, I'll be straight with you. If you're sour because your stomach hurts, I won't apologise. You deserved that punch." I said, just loud enough for him to hear. "Be mad at me as much as you want, but don't vent your frustration towards your friend. It's not her fault. Besides, it's not that we deliberately came to this place. My uncle brought us here because of a certain situation earlier today. I was just as surprised as you when I noticed you were… you know, from yesterday."

Honestly, I was not sure what to expect when I finished, but an awkward silence was certainly not one of them. Hearing no reaction of any kind, I carefully glanced sideways, and for a moment I was stumped. There, I was met with the blankest face I had ever seen. Kaito's facial features looked way too strained to be neutral and I had trouble not to snort at his empty expression. If this was his poker face, then he should practice more. Much more.

However, when he noticed my expression, he recovered in a whim. "I have no idea what you're talking about, onee-san." He replied naturally as he watched me with a keen eye.

Noting the tone and his watching expression, the amused feeling from before vanished. Instead I smiled ever so slightly, accepting his lie and façade. Why should I not accept it? It was after all a lie to keep outsiders out. One that I have used numerous times.

"Then I apologise for the confusion." I said, playing along as I smiled more meaningfully. From the corner of my eye I saw Jii pouring the last drink of the order, and I changed my tone to wrap this up. I had done what I came for. "But really, you shouldn't be angry at your friend while she's not at fault. I invited her to have drinks with us in the first place. If this has upset you, then I'm sorry."

Without hearing his response, I spun a quarter on the stool and got off, walking over to the owner who had just put away the bottle of wine.

"Shall I bring it to your table, Lin-sama?" Jii asked.

Shaking my head, I took the serving tray from the counter. "Thank you, but that is not necessary, Konosuke-san." I smiled before turning around.

After serving the drinks, I returned to my seat next to Dino as I noticed Aoko curious look. The moment our eyes met, the girl looked away in fluster as if she caught herself staring and I could only smile at her actions.

"You can tell me, Aoko-san." I said gently, as the girl herself grew even more flustered. "Of course, only if you want to."

Seeing that she was not going to respond, I took a sip of the carbonated drink. Feeling my companion's stare on me, I glanced sideways to see what he wanted. Seeing him leaning on his palm while swirling the wine in his glass in his other hand, I sighed ever so slightly when I read his expression.

"I've clarified some things with him." I answered the unspoken question as I turned my head to the blonde. "If he's upset because of…, well, he knows now…"

Leaving my sentences only half finished, I quickly eyed in the direction of the teenage girl, indicating that I could not go into detail. Dino responded with a small nod before he sipped his beverage.

"W-What… Eh…?"

Hearing Aoko's flabbergasted voice, my eyes travelled to the girl in front of me. She was visibly confused and it did not take much effort to figure out why. After all, Dino never asked of what I had told Kaito aloud, so in anyone else's perspective the one-sided conversation looked awkward, if not, incomprehensible.

Smiling, I leaned on the back of my palm as I watched the girl amusingly. "Telepathy among close friends, I guess?" I grinned at the baffled girl, but the comment made her even more confused and I chuckled. Once again, I answered a non-spoken question. "Maybe I should say read. Dino and I have known each other since we were kids, so we can kinda guess what the other thinks."

"Correction, it's usually you who reads my mind though." Dino added dryly, making me snort again.

"Well, you're making it easy for me to read you." I teased, eyeing the blonde. Seeing him grimace, my smile broadened. Sipping my drink, I looked at the brunette in front of me. "Say Aoko-san, if I may ask, when did you meet Kaito-san? You two seem to known each other well."

The girl's cheeks reddened again at the question. Her eyes were shifting nervously, but returned to me shyly. "W-We have known each other since we were little. One day I was waiting for my dad... He was late from work, and it was slowly getting dark. It was then that Kaito popped in front of me and he showed one of his magic tricks."

As she was talking, a fond, but shy, smile appeared on her lips and I smiled with her. She definitely cherished their first meeting.

"I did it only because you looked lonely." Kaito's voice entered from the bar. "I couldn't help it. It was unbearable to watch you like that."

Aoko's face turned bright red as her eyebrows trembled. It was a rather sharp comment and the girl was definitely affected by it.

"Well, my dad was late! I couldn't help to feel lonely while I was waiting. I was only seven!" She retorted while holding back her emotions.

This was not going in a good direction and before another argument broke out, I cut in. "Nevertheless, I think you have to thank your dad for being late that day, Aoko-san. If it wasn't for you being lonely, Kaito-san might have never seen or approached you. The friendship you have now might have never existed. Whatever the reason may be, I think everyone should cherish their first meetings with their close friends. It's a good memory, after all."

Aoko's hurt expression had dissipated, and she glanced over to her friend at the bar. Her eyes quickly darted away as her face coloured crimson once more.

"U-Ung." Aoko stammered shyly.

As an awkward silence set in, I glanced at each teen. Both were looking away from each other and I realised that they both held each other more dearly than they would let on. Talking, or teasing, one on their crush was somehow alright, but when they both liked each other was for some reason difficult to handle. It made me feel oddly uncomfortable. Seeking for help to break the silence, I glanced over to Dino, who was smiling in slight amusement. He had noticed my inability to continue.

"Anyway, you live around here, right?" Dino asked, gaining both Aoko's and Kaito's attention. "Which non-tourist places do you recommend to visit? Due to some circumstances Sharon and I haven't been able to sightsee this weekend."

Feeling thankful, I touched his upper arm with my own as I took a sip of my drink.

"You know… Aoko's been wondering… Why are you spending your afternoon here?" Aoko asked, tilting her head in a cutesy manner, as if she had already forgotten the former ordeal.

"And what do you mean by "circumstances"?" Kaito added, suddenly interested.

Dino and I both noticed the slight tone change of the phantom thief and we glanced at each other in question. Refusing to tell would make us suspicious and would also make the situation awkward. Telling the truth could be too much for a normal person like Aoko to handle, so half-truths? Anecdotes?

Deciding to go with that, we both nodded ever so slightly.

"We were at Beika Department Store this morning," Dino started, putting down his almost empty glass. "we had breakfast with a few acquaintances, and afterwards Sharon and I were idling around, looking at stores mostly. While minding our own business, I received a call from one of my assistants, reporting that he saw something out of place. He asked me to escort Sharon out of the building and Ivan brought us here, asking us to stay here until he returns later today."

"I wonder if anything has happened, though. It sounded quite serious." I added, before taking another sip of my drink.

"Something did happen in Beika Department Store." Jii said, making us look at the elderly behind the bar. "It was on the news one and a half hours ago. They said it was a bombing attempt."

"A bombing attempt…?" I repeated, aghast at the news. That was not what I expected. From what I know, professional assassins eliminate their target, and their target only. Involving bystanders is usually not part of their modus operandi. Could it possibly be a cover?

"Yes, Aoko heard about this during lunch." The girl in front of us added. "Apparently the bomb malfunctioned. It's so scary to think something like this almost happened in such close proximity!"

Not sure what to think of it, I sighed as I leant on my palm. The weekend was getting more dangerous by the hour. "Well, to be honest, I think Tokyo's a city full of crime." I said blandly. "I mean, ever since we set foot in this city Dino and I have been involved with one thing after another that required the police. But I might be biased, perhaps we just have bad luck, or something." Glancing over to the phantom thief, I continued. "By the way, Kaito-san, this is what we meant by "circumstances"."

The phantom thief did not show anything on his face and that was alright. Our attention was drawn to Aoko soon enough. Despite that she was the one who said how 'scary' it was, she kept thinking of plausible theories; from why Beika Department Store was targeted to whom might be culprit. With the latter, Dino and I knew that the topic could turn dark quite fast, so we made sure that the flow of the conversation was kept light and enjoyable by making jokes with each option. Even Kaito joined in, ridiculing one crime syndicate after the other. Moreover, he boosted that he could take on any of them using his special magic tricks. I was not sure whether to take him serious or not, because I learnt that Kuroba Kaito is quite the joker. Nevertheless, it really got our chat going and soon enough we returned to small talks as well as informing ourselves on different hotspots in and outside the city, in case Dino and I decide for another visit. As the conversation went on, it actually felt like we have known each other for ages, and soon enough we headed over to the pool tables.

"Say, Kaito-san?" I started while I scanned the green velvet surface, attempting another try in the game. Lowering myself behind the cue ball, I spun the cue a little, looking for the balanced spot. "Were you serious when you said you're going to take back the Legendary Cue? It could still be in the hands of that shady organisation Konosuke-san spoke of."

"I'm as serious as I can be. Shady organisation or not, they cheated on Jii-chan and that's unforgivable." Kaito replied as I recalled the feathery techniques from before, while humming in acknowledgement of his response.

"I'm just curious here, but are you even of age to enter the bar?" I heard Dino inquire as I tried a different approach. Instead of thrusting the cue, I tried just to poke the ball ever so slightly. "You don't seem to be in college yet."

As the white ball rolled only two inches from its original spot, I hung my head at my failed attempt as a sigh escaped my lips. I definitely preferred more physically demanding sports.

"Aoko and Kaito are in our second year in high school." Aoko answered and I looked up to the girl in surprise. While she was smiling innocently, I could see the boy frown slightly at her words. Apparently he did not want that fact to be shared. Still, high school second years in Japan usually means that students are seventeen years old. Meaning that Kaitou Kid is just seventeen years old.

"So, you guys are just a year younger than me?" I blinked at the thought that the phantom thief was actually younger than me. Not counting the years I lived before.

"Eh? Sharon-san is a third year?" Aoko gasped, almost dropping her wooden cue. Blinking at her surprise, I straightened myself to face her. "Aoko was sure you were in college, b-because…"

The girl faltered as her cheeks slightly reddened and I tilted my head in curiosity. "Because?" I inquired, edging her to continue. Though, I could more or less guess what she was going to say.

"B-Because…" She repeated as she looked down the floor as she was hesitating to tell the reason. After taking a short, deep, breath, she looked me directly in the eyes and called out, "Because Sharon-san is so mature!"

I knew it.

As Aoko was trembling in embarrassment, I sighed inwardly, forcing a small smile on my lips. Another line that I have heard plenty of times. Well, considering my past, I would say it is only natural that I have held my composure in a more 'mature' fashion than my peers. I could not possibly act like a child at all times, especially because my mind was not of one. I would have most likely lost my sanity if I had done that. To describe it simply, our wavelengths differed, or still differ.

"Well, you are childish compared to her." Kaito teased as he leant towards the brunette girl. "Remember that time…"

"No! Stop! Not in front of Sharon-san!" Aoko shouted, swinging her fist towards the boy to make him stop, but he easily dodged her punch.

As the two were making a commotion, I felt Dino eyes on me and in reaction I glanced back. Meeting his brown orbs, he smiled tenderly. "I'm just glad you've given me a chance." He whispered knowingly.

Returning the smile with my own, my view returned to the duo as I leant against the pool table behind me. "Ages aside, legally speaking you are not allowed to enter that place." I said, after clearing my throat to gain their attention. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I have no problems if you'll pretend to be college students or a married couple or whatso–"

"M-Married couple!?" Aoko shouted. Apparently, my statement caught her so off-guard that she let go of her cue.

"Wha-? W-Who said this klutz is coming along?!" Kaito sputtered in his defence. Also he seemed to have lost his composure from the comment.

"I'm not a klutz, you idiot!" The girl countered, glaring with a flushed face.

"You're the idiot, moron! Who does even want to marry you?"

"Hmpf! You'll end up dying alone!"

"Bett–"

Clearing my throat loudly, I interrupted Kaito before he could say anything that he may regret later. The phantom thief was not pleased with the interference, and he was ready to retort. Not wanting to hear any of this, I darkened my expression to the point where he instantly stiffened. Seeing him gulp silently, I sighed lightly, dismissing the threatening façade.

"If I've offended you, I'm sorry. I only assumed Aoko-san was coming along, because I thought it was easier to gain access when a guy is escorting a lady." I explained calmly. The phantom thief listened with a grimace while the girl was watching me with an expression that reminded me of admiration. Shaking off the questions of why she would admire me, I resumed. "Anyway, whatever your cover is, please keep in mind that you may go against a potentially dangerous organisation. Discretion is definitely a must. There is always the possibility of getting hurt during the act."

Almost seeing the sparkles flying from Aoko's eyes, I refrained a frown. Whatever I did to make her act like this, I wished I could redo that action. Kaito, on the other hand, was now observing me with a calculated look. It was only after ten seconds of silence that he smiled in a somewhat scornful way.

"Then would you like to join this activity, if you know it so well?" He jeered.

Somehow I found his criticising tone amusing and I chuckled a bit. But before I could reply, Dino cut in.

"A flattering invitation, but we must decline." He said, eyeing me meaningfully. Dino was telling me not to react to the phantom thief's taunt. Getting involved with this affair was not a good idea on several different levels, and he knew that I was aware of that. "We have a plane to catch tonight."

"Sorry, Kaito-san. You've heard the gentleman. We can't." I added while giving Dino a body language of 'alright, I get it'. The blonde only responded with a deformed smile. Apparently, he did not like my wording. Grinning apologetically, I turned towards the phantom thief while still smiling, ignoring his irritated look. "We can, however, be practice partners in pool as long we are here. Since the other party owns a billiard hall too, a challenge for the Cue sounds the most reasonable. Don't you think?"