Phantom thief

"Huo Lin, have you heard of phantom thieves?"

Since Huo Lin had exchanged phone numbers with Sakura and Tomoyo, this was the first time either of them had called her.

The caller was Tomoyo.

The sudden question left Huo Lin rather puzzled.

She had indeed seen similar reports in the papers lately. There was apparently someone called Jeanne, who called herself "Phantom Thief Jeanne."

But she did not attract much attention, because although this "Miss Jeanne" always targeted paintings, none of them were important masterpieces, or even works by famous artists.

And whenever she stole a painting, she left a new one in its place.

The strange thing was that every victim thought the new painting was better, and voluntarily asked the police not to pursue charges against her.

If Jeanne had not sent an advance notice before every theft, the Metropolitan Police Department would not even have bothered.

It was only those notices, which the police saw as something of a provocation, that had prompted them to assign a dedicated team to the case.

This reminded Huo Lin that there had also been a phantom thief in the world of her previous life, though that one had been famous almost internationally.

His code name was "Kid."

He likewise sent advance notices before every theft, and targeted valuable gemstones.

That thief caused far greater disturbances and received much more attention from the Metropolitan Police Department. But right up until Huo Lin was killed, she had never heard any news of his arrest. Instead, he had attracted a great many fans.

Because every appearance he made was like a spectacular magic show, he was also known as the "Magician of the End of the Century."

But Tomoyo had called neither about Phantom Thief Jeanne nor, of course, about Phantom Thief Kid from another world.

Sakura was planning to steal a painting from an art museum-or, more precisely, capture a Clow Card disguised as a painting in the museum.

"Do you need my help this time?"

If it was simply a matter of capturing a Clow Card, Sakura could go herself, and Tomoyo only needed to bring her video camera. There was no need for this call.

So something unexpected must have caused trouble for Sakura.

"The museum received an advance notice."

"Huh? Phantom Thief Kid?" The moment Huo Lin blurted it out, she realized she had been stupid. Of course there was no Phantom Thief Kid in this world. Besides, Phantom Thief Kid was only interested in gemstones, not artwork.

"Not some 'phantom thief kid.' It's 'Phantom Thief Jeanne.'" Over the phone, Tomoyo mentioned the name Huo Lin had also heard recently.

Phantom Thief Jeanne, who had begun operating in Tokyo over the past few months, did indeed target artwork.

"Don't tell me the painting she sent the notice for is the one with the Clow Card?"

"That's right."

No wonder Sakura was at a loss.

Would Sakura, who had only just encountered magic, dare compete with a real phantom thief for the same target?

Probably not.

More importantly, Phantom Thief Jeanne's notice had brought in officers from the Metropolitan Police Department. The museum no longer had just one or two security guards.

Would Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school girl, dare steal something in front of a whole group of police officers?

"But even if you ask me to help, I'm not going to steal something right in front of the Metropolitan Police Department!"

Even Huo Lin had no intention of becoming a phantom thief and confronting the Metropolitan Police Department head-on.

That said, she had promised Clow Reed she would look after his successor. She could hardly let Sakura actually get arrested.

So that night, Huo Lin still came to the agreed-upon bus stop outside the museum. Sakura and Tomoyo were already waiting there.

For every previous outing, Tomoyo had had her family send a van so Sakura could conveniently change into the "magical girl outfits" she had sewn. Now that she had the Device Huo Lin had given her, the Changing Stage, there was no need for the van. They could change anywhere.

Today, Tomoyo had prepared a black stealth outfit for Sakura.

It consisted of a midriff-baring top with little black wings, snug shorts, matching thigh-high socks, and a little dark hat. Overall, it was a bit less conspicuous than her previous outfits.

"So this is the phantom thief outfit?"

"What do you think? I designed it especially for Sakura," Tomoyo said proudly.

"Hmm... it's all right." It did look rather cute.

"If you want one, Huo Lin, I can make a custom outfit for you too. It won't count toward the clothes I promised you."

In exchange for the Device, the Changing Stage, Tomoyo had promised to make twenty outfits. She had already delivered five.

"I'll pass. This style doesn't suit me."

Tomoyo did not insist. She had designed these clothes exclusively for Sakura. They were one of a kind.

"What are you changing into today, Huo Lin?"

"Me? I'm just helping out. I don't need to change, do I?"

"That won't do." Tomoyo had already started filming with her video camera. "This is a 'magical girl operation.' Costumes and props are the most important part."

Filming yourself being a phantom thief would generally provide evidence for turning yourself in. It was like keeping a diary of your crimes.

But Huo Lin did not point that out. They had not really come to act as phantom thieves today. Rather, they were here to stop a phantom thief from stealing.

That so-called "Phantom Thief Jeanne" who had sent the advance notice.

Stealing ordinary paintings was one thing, but now she even dared to steal a Clow Card.

Unable to win against Tomoyo's stubbornness, Huo Lin also used the Changing Stage to change into the red-and-white outfit Tomoyo had first given her. It was supposedly a Christmas outfit, but to Huo Lin, it looked more like a Western-style shrine maiden outfit.

Fortunately, it was late at night, and there were few people on the streets. Wearing something like this in public really would have been rather embarrassing.

Because of the advance notice, the museum was packed with police.

The oil painting targeted by the notice was called "Smile." It was the work of Tachibana Tenkai, a painter who had died the previous year.

It was not a particularly famous painting, and would fetch less than a hundred thousand yen at auction. No one understood why the phantom thief would go to all this trouble and send a notice for it.

But ever since her debut, Phantom Thief Jeanne had stolen nothing but inexplicable things: obscure paintings of little value. No one could understand her motive.

"Are all the security arrangements in place?" Inspector Todai-ji of the Metropolitan Police Department stood in the museum corridor, questioning his subordinate.

"Yes, everything is in place. We've deployed a hundred and twenty officers today, stationed in teams of five throughout the museum. Twenty are guarding the main location. Not even a fly could get in." The speaker was Officer Haruta, one of Todai-ji's subordinates.

Todai-ji was about to nod when his expression suddenly changed.

"This is what you call 'not even a fly could get in'?"

Officer Haruta looked in the direction the inspector indicated, and his expression turned startled too.

The corridor at the main location was completely deserted!

"That's not right. I just stationed them..." As he spoke, he discovered that the twenty officers he had assigned earlier were all standing outside the corridor, in the garden at the center of the museum.

"Hey, what's going on with you lot? Didn't I tell you to guard the painting? Why did you go into the courtyard?" Haruta shouted through the window at the officers in the garden outside the corridor.

The officers were equally bewildered by his reprimand.

"Sir, we were standing in the corridor just now, but before we knew it, we were all here!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could..."

Haruta was still speaking when he discovered that the sound had vanished. His throat was still forming words, but his ears could hear nothing at all.

In just an instant, when he came to his senses, Haruta discovered that he and Inspector Todai-ji had also appeared in the courtyard!

The room where the painting hung was over by the corridor, just one wall away. That side was deserted once again.

"What the... damn it, is this another one of Jeanne's tricks?"