BWDC:SDDK Chapter 70: Koizumi Akako's New Prophecy
Ekoda High School, Class 2-B.
As a regional high school far removed from Beika Town—a place practically crawling with gods and monsters—the students of Ekoda High were notably more normal. Of course, within this group of normal students, there were two who were slightly less so. One was Kuroba Kaito, who spent his days pulling magic tricks to test the patience of the class health representative.
The other was Koizumi Akako, the idol of the school who occasionally claimed to be a real witch.
"Why do I feel a bit off today?" Kaito muttered to himself.
A few days ago, aboard the Queen Selizabeth, he'd had a brief skirmish with a superhuman calling himself Batman. The result? He'd been punched clear off the map, welcoming a long-distance swimming session.
At the time, they were a considerable distance from Tokyo. It had taken him half a day of swimming to reach the city shores. Along the way, he had several unsettling encounters with some terrifyingly strange fish, which resulted in a two-day cold. He'd only just finished his medicine yesterday.
So why did he feel uncomfortable again today? Could it be... another cold?
"No way, right? Give me a break... I was planning to send out a new heist notice today," Kaito whispered.
It was already unusual for him to stay inactive for this many days. If he stayed quiet any longer, the online forums would probably start claiming that Phantom Thief Kid had hung up his cape for good.
Poke.
Something prodded Kaito in the back.
Kaito instinctively started to turn around, but he immediately caught the teacher's disapproving glare. He quickly straightened up, putting on an expression that suggested he hadn't been daydreaming at all and had been listening intently to the lecture.
Only then did the teacher on the podium look away.
The girl sitting behind him whispered, "It looks like you're about to run into trouble again."
The person sitting behind Kaito was none other than Koizumi Akako.
She was a self-proclaimed "Red Witch" with a serious case of eighth-grader syndrome. Beyond that, she was incredibly narcissistic, having claimed more than once that no man on earth could resist her charms.
She also enjoyed dropping mysterious "magical prophecies" on him from time to time.
Back when Kaito was planning to steal the Clock Tower's Time, Akako had told him that a "Demon of Light" stood by the tower and that a sinner like him would vanish into the light. In reality, that detective named Kudo Shinichi had only caused him a bit of trouble. In the end, hadn't he escaped successfully as usual?
The only exception was the prophecy regarding the Queen Selizabeth...
"I'm telling you, that Bat seems to be looking for you again."
"Do you have any intention of getting in touch with him?" Akako said softly.
The surrounding students didn't notice Akako speaking to Kaito, though Nakamori Aoko, sitting in the next seat over, glanced curiously toward Akako.
Aoko didn't find it particularly strange. This wasn't the first time; usually, Akako would finish talking to Kaito, let out a classic villainous laugh, and run off. It only made Aoko feel that Akako's delusions were getting worse by the day.
"I say, did you hire that weirdo calling himself Batman to beat me up?"
"N-no, I mean... did you hire that Batman guy to beat up Phantom Thief Kid? How else could he have camped out at the Kid's extraction point in advance?" Kaito retorted in a low voice.
Because he'd slipped up mid-sentence, he stubbornly corrected his phrasing before continuing.
"I'm telling you, a mere Batman couldn't possibly defeat Phantom Thief Kid. Especially now that the Kid is prepared for him... Believe it or not, even if that Batman fellow showed up next to the Phantom Thief again, the Kid would deal with him instantly."
While this was just Kaito's usual bickering with Akako, he actually felt fairly confident.
That guy likes to hide in smoke, right? Fine, I'll just swap my flash-smoke grenades for knockout gas. The more he hides in it, the faster he'll go down. As long as I'm prepared, dealing with that guy is a breeze.
Kaito grew more smug as he spoke. "At the end of the day, he's just an ordinary guy holding a coffee cup. Maybe his physical stats are a bit high, but I still think Phantom Thief Kid is better!"
Thanks to his specialized "poker face" training as a magician, Kaito managed to keep his expression steady while whispering, preventing the teacher from noticing his slacking.
"Kaito, look..." Aoko's voice sounded faintly.
Only then did Kaito look back at the blackboard. He saw the Dean of Students standing at the classroom door's inspection window, staring directly at his seat.
Kaito: "?"
I admit, when it comes to stealth inside a school, you teachers are the real masters.
In the hallway.
Kaito leaned boredly against the wall, glancing sideways at Akako, who had been sent out with him. He asked curiously, "Didn't you say you could see the future? You didn't see this coming? Or did you do this on purpose so we'd go down together and stand out here as punishment?"
Hearing this, Akako smiled slightly and whispered, "I just wanted to find a time to have a proper talk with you. Because you'll be leaving school immediately after class to prepare a new heist notice, won't you?"
At this point, Akako's expression became solemn as she delivered her prophecy.
"When the eight-eyed illusionist weaves a web of death, The Magician Under the Moonlight shall break his wings upon a tower of lies. Yet as the Blood Moon rises, the messenger of dark wings shall awaken from the abyss— In the gap between the tolling bell and the raven's cry, The Bat shall carry away the poison blade meant for the heart, Continuing the silken thread of fate for the white-clad raven."
"Does it have to be that scary?" Kaito's eyes widened in surprise.
He didn't believe in magical prophecies. Besides, Phantom Thief Kid was the type of person who would charge ahead even if he knew danger lay in wait. Even if Akako used her "magic" to wrap up warnings about information she'd gathered, it wouldn't scare him off.
"Alright, I'm not Phantom Thief Kid, so telling me this is useless. But I bet the real Kid would go anyway, even if his life was on the line. After all, the Kid has reasons why he can't afford to stop." Kaito replied in a light tone.
Then, he heard Akako's serious follow-up.
"I know you will go. That's why it is necessary for you to meet the Bat."
"If my magic hasn't failed me..." Akako said earnestly, "The Bat is the existence that can become your savior."
Really?
The habitually stubborn Kaito didn't buy it. Then, he suddenly noticed the sound of someone else breathing behind him.
Kaito whipped his head around.
There stood Ren Ichimonji, appearing out of nowhere as usual, holding his refreshing cup of coffee. He said in a low voice:
"I'm listening. Tell me more."
End of Chapter
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