A Phantom Thief Troupe That Solves Problems Professionally

Kisaragi Hōzui stared solemnly at the canvas. He reached out and touched the abruptly added black streak, intending to see whether the ink had dried.

His residence was quite large, and going up and down the mountain took considerable time. Since Yusuke Kitagawa had no car of his own, getting in and out was particularly inconvenient. Therefore, whenever he had nothing else to do, Kisaragi Hōzui would usually spend an extra ten or so minutes escorting him all the way to the road at the foot of the mountain.

He valued peace and quiet. Aside from himself, only the butler and servants responsible for cleaning occasionally came and went through the house. With such a long span of time involved, it was hard to say who had done it.

And what this culprit had done—both the damage to the work and the mockery implied within it—filled Kisaragi Hōzui with restrained anger.

When his fingers met the unusual texture of the black paint, Kisaragi Hōzui froze for a moment. He hesitantly withdrew his hand, then touched it twice more to confirm.

He raised his hand and looked at the bright spots left by his fingerprints on the ink, unable to believe it.

Having personally overseen the printing and design of many of his own works over the years, he understood this kind of process. It was thermochromic ink, which gradually lost its color as the temperature changed. Judging by the feel, it might even have been quick-drying.

"What on earth is this..." Kisaragi Hōzui was utterly confused, his train of thought interrupted.

He could more or less guess at the motive if someone had come to vandalize his work out of dissatisfaction with him or his student. But breaking into his studio and turning his student's practice piece into a scratch-off