Masked Robbery

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Kuki Shinobu was not having a good day.

Her masks had been stolen, each one of them. A fact to which she would look for other solutions if it were not for the meeting of special relevance she would have in about four hours. She interrogated each member of her gang and thought of possible enemies. However, she drew no convincing conclusions.

She was now pretending to be just another citizen. She wore more traditional clothes and had her hair down. Only the most attentive people would manage to realize that she was the underboss of the Arataki gang. Fortunately for her, that had never happened. At least, until that moment.

Someone put a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she frowned and prepared to attack the intruder. When his fist was stopped by this same person, she got a better look at who he was. She was relieved that he was a certain detective because she was looking for him. Then she lowered her arm and sighed. His olive eyes looked at her attentively and curiously.

"Kuki Shinobu without her precious mask," Heizou commented aloud, smiling. "I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced you. I see you're not having a good day. Basic logic tells me it's because you're missing a very important part covering your face."

Shinobu was filled with hope. She trusted Heizou and her impeccable powers of deduction. Even Sara, her friend and general of the Tenryou Commission, was able to see his full potential. She released her grip on him and took him by the hand immediately to lead him to a more discreet location. Behind a building, at the edge of the river, they would surely not be disturbed.

"Heizou." She began solemnly. "I will do whatever you ask. I need your help to find my masks, someone has stolen them. I have tried to investigate by myself, but I have not been able to find a culprit, nor them. They are very important to me. I have ordered more, but they won't be ready for a couple of days and I require them now. I have business to take care of in a few hours."

She could cover her face with anything else, she did not deny it. But her masks were made of a special fabric, elementally manufactured by a master of deception. Besides those in her gang, there was only one person perceptive enough to recognize her with and without it: the boy standing in front of her.

"Well, if you ask me, I'll be happy to help you, my dear Shinobu." That last sentence sounded slightly seductive. Shinobu arched an eyebrow with flushed cheeks, his smile widening at it. "I'm not usually one for lost and found cases, but I'll make an exception for you because this one is a robbery. Could you comment on those matters while I help you, my cookie?"

Shinobu felt her pulse quicken treacherously at that nickname. Few people dared to flirt with her. And Heizou, once again, was no ordinary person. She decided to turn a deaf ear. Actually, it did not bother her that much to be called that.

"Information in exchange for your help is how we always make our deals." She stressed. "So I don't see why I shouldn't tell you this time."

"All right, cookie, let's go find those masks then." He leaned toward her, gesturing with his hand to go ahead. They started walking. "Well, we should start at the crime scene. Tell me more about it and take me to where you usually keep them."