Chapter Summaries

Aria asked Fang Li to become her partner, explaining that she needed one to unlock her family’s true power. Fang Li recognized her as Kanzaki Holmes Aria, Sherlock Holmes IV, and learned she had become an armed detective because she lacked her ancestor’s gift for deduction.

• Aria asked Fang Li to be her partner, and he wondered whether she meant they should form a team.
• Aria clarified that she meant more than a teammate and said she needed a partner to bring out her family’s true power.
• Fang Li revealed that he had learned Aria’s full name and identified her as Sherlock Holmes IV.
• Fang Li explained that Aria descended from Sherlock Holmes, and Aria said her family considered her defective because she had not inherited his deductive abilities.
• Aria said she had become an armed detective to approach her great-grandfather in another way.

Aria asked Fang Li to become her partner, explaining that each Holmes needed a partner to make up for their shortcomings. Fang Li agreed on the condition that Aria would cry for him if the person most important to him ever died, leaving her with an expression she would never forget.

• Aria explained that the Holmes family relied on partners who could complement their abilities, and said she had finally found someone in Fang Li.
• Aria asked Fang Li to become her partner, admitting she had been searching for someone who could keep pace with her and make up for her shortcomings.
• Fang Li reflected on his own defectiveness and considered what Aria might need to make up for if she became his partner.
• Aria threatened to shoot Fang Li if he refused, and Fang Li agreed to become her partner on one condition.
• Fang Li asked Aria to cry for him if the person most important to him ever died, and she saw an illusory expression on his face.

After the bus hijacking, Fang Li and Aria completed their separate reports and collected their reward. Back in Fang Li’s room, Aria told him that investigators had found no useful clues, and Fang Li concluded that the real Armed Detective Killer had carried out the incident and had been framed for the earlier arrest.

• Fang Li and Aria gave separate accounts of how they had resolved the bus hijacking, then finished the procedures by evening.
• Fang Li returned to his room and found Aria waiting there after she had entered using a copied Key Card.
• Fang Li asked Aria about the investigation, and she said the criminal had left no useful evidence and used stolen vehicles and altered lodging records.
• Fang Li said the real Armed Detective Killer had committed the hijacking and had likely been framed for the reported arrest.
• Aria lowered her head and began to cry after hearing Fang Li’s conclusion.

Aria told Fang Li that her mother had been falsely accused of crimes committed by the powerful organization I-U, and asked whether he regretted becoming her partner. Fang Li said he would honor their agreement and help arrest the Armed Detective Killer first.

• Aria revealed that her mother had been framed as the Armed Detective Killer and blamed for crimes committed by I-U.
• Aria vowed to arrest I-U’s criminals and clear her mother’s name, then asked Fang Li if he regretted becoming her partner.
• Fang Li welcomed the chance to face I-U, hoping it would help him complete his remaining missions.
• Aria told Fang Li the organization’s name was I-U, and he committed it to memory.
• Fang Li said they would arrest the Armed Detective Killer first and affirmed that he had no regrets about becoming Aria’s partner.

Aria moved into Fang Li's room and joined him for breakfast, prompting Kinji Touyama to mistakenly think Fang Li had brought home another girl. At school, their classmates celebrated them as a team, while Riko appeared to accuse Fang Li of abandoning her.

• Aria moved into Fang Li's room, saying that partners could share what they had, and woke him early the next morning because she was hungry.
• Fang Li and Aria ran into Kinji Touyama, who thought Fang Li had brought another girl home while Shirayuki was away and promised to keep it secret.
• Aria said she had chosen Fang Li over Kinji, and Kinji sneezed and tumbled down the stairs.
• Fang Li and Aria entered their second-year Class A classroom to find their classmates cheering about the bus hijacking and speculating that the two S-Rank Armed Detectives had teamed up.
• Riko appeared in tears, claiming Fang Li had abandoned her for another woman, while Aria believed her and Riko secretly smiled.

Riko teased Aria by claiming she was Fang Li’s girlfriend, provoking a classroom uproar and leaving Aria convinced Fang Li had cheated. Fang Li dragged Riko out to settle the prank, while Aria remained stunned by the supposed romance.

• Riko told Aria that she had stolen Riko’s boyfriend, prompting the students to gossip about Fang Li and Riko’s relationship.
• Aria fired her Colts into the ceiling and threatened the students into silence.
• Riko accused Fang Li of cheating, and Fang Li struck her on the head before deciding to take her outside for a talk.
• Fang Li dragged the pleading Riko from the classroom as the students recalled her past troublemaking.
• Kinji Touyama compared Riko’s predicament to his own past, while Aria remained fixated on the idea that Fang Li had cheated.

After classes, Riko surprised Fang Li and walked home with him, speaking about his growing closeness with Aria and asking whether he would miss her if she disappeared. She kissed Fang Li before running toward the school gate, leaving him with the feeling that she had said goodbye.

• After asking Aria to buy him bullets, Fang Li left the Assault Department and was surprised by Riko.
• Riko clung to Fang Li's arm and walked with him across campus, drawing curious looks from other students.
• Riko told Fang Li that she had expected him and Aria to become close, then asked whether he would be sad if she disappeared from Armed Detective High School.
• Riko recalled that no one had celebrated her birthday after she turned eight until she came to Armed Detective High School.
• Riko tripped Fang Li, kissed his cheek, and ran toward the school gate as Fang Li watched her disappear in the sunset.

Fang Li worried that Mine Riko had disappeared after she failed to appear in class, and asked Kinji Touyama to tell him if she showed up. Aria questioned whether Fang Li and Mine Riko were romantically involved, but Fang Li’s phone vibrated before he could answer.

• A teacher explained the Combat Disciple system and told the second-years to consider taking on underclassmen as disciples.
• Fang Li spent class worrying about Mine Riko’s absence and recalling that she had spoken of disappearing the previous day.
• Fang Li asked Kinji Touyama to call him if Mine Riko attended the Detective Department’s specialized class.
• Aria asked Fang Li whether his relationship with Mine Riko was romantic.
• Fang Li’s phone vibrated, and he narrowed his eyes at the standby screen.

Fang Li and Aria investigated the Armed Detective Killer’s text warning and identified a likely target: the opening ball aboard the cruise liner Matia Haida on April 18. They left the story preparing to confront the killer at the event.

• Fang Li showed Aria the Armed Detective Killer’s message hinting at fireworks over the ocean and a grand feast.
• Fang Li and Aria returned to their dorm to investigate, since they had few other leads and could search online themselves.
• Fang Li reasoned that the warning pointed to a nighttime event aboard a large cruise liner.
• Fang Li found news about the Matia Haida’s April 18 opening ball, and he and Aria concluded it was the crime scene.

With three days remaining before the grand oil tanker's opening ball, Fang Li arranged formal attire while Aria secured invitations. Aria then took Fang Li to meet Leiji, who was carefully servicing a Sniper Rifle in an almost completely empty room.

• Fang Li and Aria divided the ball preparations, with Aria handling invitations and Fang Li arranging their formal attire.
• Fang Li visited the C Research Department, brushed off its admirers, and commissioned an acquaintance to make his ball attire.
• Aria led Fang Li to an empty room on the top floor of the second girls' dormitory to prepare some backup.
• Fang Li found Leiji in a small adjoining room, silently disassembling and meticulously servicing a Sniper Rifle.

Fang Li and Aria hired Leiji to provide sniper support for their investigation of the Armed Detective Killer on April 18th. As Fang Li and Aria left, Leiji warned him that something extraordinary was approaching, echoing Shirayuki’s earlier prediction.

• Fang Li recalled his past two-month assignment with Leiji and how little he knew the emotionless S-Rank sniper.
• Aria explained that she wanted Leiji to watch the surroundings while she and Fang Li entered the ballroom to investigate the Armed Detective Killer.
• Aria hired Leiji for April 18th at the same price as before, and Leiji agreed without speaking.
• As Fang Li and Aria prepared to leave, Leiji warned Fang Li to be careful because the wind around him was growing violent and he would soon encounter something extraordinary.
• Fang Li connected Leiji’s warning to Shirayuki’s prediction that an event would bring tremendous changes around him.

Fang Li and Aria attended a high-society ball aboard the Matia Haida, using their formalwear and manners as a cover while discreetly assessing the situation. As they boarded, they confirmed that Leiji was watching from a nearby rooftop, while a mysterious girl observed them from the ship’s top floor.

• Aria explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had quickly provided invitations to the ball, while Fang Li arranged a limousine for their arrival.
• Fang Li offered Aria his arm, and she linked arms with him as they approached the tanker.
• Fang Li and Aria presented their invitation and were welcomed aboard the Matia Haida.
• Fang Li noticed a glint on a nearby rooftop, and Aria quietly identified Leiji as the watcher.
• A young girl watched Fang Li and Aria board from a room on the tanker’s top floor and smiled dangerously.

Fang Li and Aria kept watch for the Armed Detective Killer’s possible bombs aboard the cruise ship while Leiji monitored them from afar. Sayonari appeared and made pointed remarks about Fang Li’s partnership with Aria, leaving Fang Li wondering why the instructor kept targeting him.

• Fang Li and Aria stayed apart from the other guests and discussed searching the cruise ship for bombs.
• Leiji reported that the ship’s rocking frequency had changed, though she saw no suspicious people.
• Sayonari approached Fang Li and Aria at the ball and explained that the organizers had invited him.
• Sayonari implied that Fang Li was taking advantage of Aria’s noble status and warned her not to spoil him.
• After Sayonari left, Fang Li wondered why he had been targeting him.

Fang Li and Aria discovered that the oil tanker had unexpectedly set sail and came under attack from Armed Detective Killer’s unmanned speedboats. As the guests fled inside, Fang Li called for reinforcements and headed with Aria toward the bridge, but a heavy shot was fired at her.

• Aria guessed that Sayonari was rejecting Fang Li, though Fang Li did not know why Sayonari disliked him.
• Leiji warned Fang Li and Aria that the oil tanker’s engines had started and the ship was heading out to sea.
• Fang Li told Aria to evacuate the guests, but unmanned speedboats armed with submachine guns appeared and opened fire on the deck.
• Fang Li asked Leiji to request rescue from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Armed Detective Bureau, then went with Aria toward the bridge.
• A heavy gunshot rang out and a bullet flew toward Aria.

Fang Li and Aria pursued the Armed Detective Killer aboard the tanker Matia Haida and discovered that the killer was Riko. Riko revealed herself as Mine Riko Robin IV, Arsène Robin’s great-granddaughter, and challenged Aria to a deadly showdown.

• Aria instinctively dodged a bullet aimed at her while Fang Li spotted a figure on the tanker cabin.
• Fang Li and Aria evaded gunfire and rushed into the cabin after the fleeing figure.
• The pair emerged onto the deck and found Riko singing on the railing as speedboats surrounded the tanker.
• Riko revealed her full name, Mine Riko Robin IV, and declared that she was Arsène Robin’s great-granddaughter.
• Riko challenged Aria, calling her Holmes IV, and vowed to defeat her.

Riko revealed that she was the Armed Detective Killer and explained that she had manipulated events to make Fang Li Aria’s partner. She wanted Aria to reach her full potential so Riko could defeat her and surpass their legendary ancestors.

• Riko drew two Walther pistols and aimed them at Aria, revealing a fierce killing intent.
• Riko admitted that her goal was to defeat Aria, driven by an obsession with surpassing Arsène Lupin after Aria surpassed Sherlock Holmes.
• Riko revealed that she had joined Ishtar to gain power and had deliberately chosen Fang Li and Kinji Touyama as possible partners for Aria.
• Riko explained that she considered Fang Li the better partner and had planted a bomb on the bus to bring him and Aria together.
• Riko confessed that she had staged the bus incident to strengthen Fang Li and Aria’s bond, then told Aria to die.

Riko revealed that she had arranged for Aria and Fang Li to meet, then fought Aria in a close-range gun duel. After Aria ran out of ammunition, Fang Li intervened and prepared to face Riko himself.

• Riko taunted Aria and admitted that she had engineered her encounter with Fang Li to help Aria find a partner.
• Aria and Riko exchanged gunfire, then charged at each other when they realized neither could hit the other from a distance.
• The two fought at close range, knocking aside each other's guns and firing into one another's bulletproof uniforms.
• Aria ran out of ammunition, and Riko lunged at her.
• Fang Li fired an Invisible Bullet past Riko to stop her, then told Aria to stand aside as he took over.

Fang Li confronted Riko over her decision to oppose him and used his Invisible Bullet to disarm and wound her. Riko blinded him with a Flash Bullet and revealed her hair-controlled blades as she attacked, believing she had won, but Fang Li had already disappeared.

• Fang Li warned Riko to apologize for standing against him, but she challenged him to fight.
• Fang Li used his Invisible Bullet to knock both Walthers from Riko’s hands and strike her Bulletproof Uniform.
• Riko threw a Flash Bullet that filled the tanker’s deck with dazzling light.
• Riko charged through the flash, used her glowing hair to draw two hidden blades, and lunged at Fang Li.
• Riko believed her attack had won, but Fang Li’s figure had already vanished.

Fang Li defeated Riko after she revealed her psychic ability, and Riko explained that she wanted to surpass her great-grandfather for freedom. Sayonari then appeared, shot Riko, and revealed himself as Fang Li’s enemy.

• Riko used her hair to wield two blades, but Fang Li remained unharmed while she fell to her knees.
• Riko said she had hidden her psychic ability as a trump card and insisted she wanted to defeat Aria at her best.
• Riko explained that surpassing her great-grandfather was necessary for her freedom, then prepared to attack Fang Li.
• Sayonari emerged from the cabin and shot Riko in the back with a silenced gun.
• Silver-white wolves appeared around Sayonari, and Fang Li realized Sayonari had sent the wolves that attacked him earlier.

Sayonari revealed his contempt for Fang Li and his control over Riko, who had been imprisoned and treated as breeding stock. After Aria identified him as Vlad, Sayonari explained that he was the human shell of an ancient vampire, whose true form emerged when the host became intensely excited.

• Sayonari mocked Riko as his possession and said he would return her to her cage after dealing with Fang Li.
• Sayonari described Riko as genetically inferior and fit only to produce superior offspring, confirming Fang Li's suspicion that she had been denied freedom.
• Riko recognized Sayonari as Vlad, and Aria identified Vlad as I-U's second-in-command and one of the criminals who framed her mother.
• Sayonari denied that he was Vlad yet and explained that an ancient vampire had evolved by consuming blood and copying human genes.
• Sayonari revealed that he was the vampire's human shell, which would give way to the creature when intense excitement triggered a surge of neurotransmitters.