1 Act 1: Aspiration!
In a world of magic and technology, there exist all kinds of people, including thieves who roam the world by creating havoc around them, but most importantly, pieces of art who have always been considered the fruit of our imagination started taking life, plumbing the world in much darker chaos.
" You're doing those tricks again. You never get tired of them, do you?"
" Asa, it's you. When did you get here?"
" What do you think?"
I'm Yuichi Hanagawa, a third-year middle schooler, and the one who just showed up is Asa Asami. We've known each other since childhood and have been friends ever since. Also, I'm a trickster or an illusionist, if you prefer. It's a kind of trick that's meant to deceive others. Although it's not magic per se, and it's illusionary, it gives smiles and happiness to others.
" I'm practicing Asa. If I want to be the best trickster there is, then I have to be the best at my craft."
" Those tricks are getting you nowhere, Yuichi. Why don't you focus on something more valuable?"
Asa had never liked me being a trickster, nor had she ever supported me. For years, she's been telling me that I should find something more valuable, and I'm seriously getting tired of it.
" Like what?"
" I don't know, Yuichi. Something that could benefit the community in catching those phantom thieves, for example."
" Catching those phantom thieves is the job of the police, as to say your father's job and of the police department."
" Those phantom thieves aren't easy to catch, even for a well-trained police officer. They're very tricky and cunning, as they always get away when we think we got them."
At the sound of those words, an idea started cooking up in Asa's mind, and I knew it wouldn't be anything pleasant as she grinned at me joyfully without reason. She always does that whenever she has a favor to ask of me.
" Yuichi! My best friend in the world, I just thought of something very interesting. Do you want to hear it?"
" No, thank you! I'm good!"
As I tried distancing myself from her, she got even closer than ever, making it unable to escape her.
" Don't be like that! I'm sure you'll like my idea when you come to hear it."
" I doubt it, but say it anyway."
" Thank you!"
(I don't want to hear her out, but she won't let me off if I don't).
" You were right, Yuichi."
?
" Your tricks are the best things in the world, which I never knew until this very moment."
?
" You may not possess any mana whatsoever, but your tricks are top-notch. You make it so believable that if I wasn't acquainted with you, I would mistake it for magic."
?
" You have such an amazing ability and all these years, I've been showing you my discouragement. I'm very sorry!"
?
" You know, I've been so stupid. Why haven't I ever thought of this possibility before today?"
?
" With your skills, you could easily lend us a hand in catching those thieves, couldn't you?"
?
" What do you say, Yuichi? Am I a genius or what? Don't I have the best ideas ever?"
?
(So, this is what she was thinking about. It may be an excellent idea, but I don't think it could work, as there are many flaws that she hadn't taken into account.)
" Yuichi, why aren't you saying anything?"
…
" Asa?"
" Yes!"
" I'm leaving! Classes are about to start."
" Wait, Yuichi!"
…
" We're not in a hurry. We still have twenty minutes ahead of us. I want to hear your answer before we head to class."
" I want no part in your plan, Asa. Find somebody else!"
" But I don't know anybody else who's as perfect at playing tricks as you."
(She had never supported my dream of being an illusionist, not even once, but now, she's all over me, thinking my card tricks could help in catching those thieves. What the heck? In the end, she's just using me and I want no part in this.)
" I can teach you if you're interested in learning. I don't mind being your teacher, as it's for a noble cause."
I glared at her with a cold stare, making her shiver. Never in her life had she seen me act this way towards her, so she was a bit startled by my sudden change of speech.
" Yuichi, what's wrong? Why are you acting so differently? Had I done something to upset you?"
She was lost, not realizing what she could've done wrong, and that threw me off even more.
" It's nothing! Let's head to class!"
I head to class, leaving Asa there alone. Classes went by pretty smoothly without a hitch. When I was leaving school, I was accosted once more by my childhood friend.
" Yuichi, wait! There's something I want to say."
…
" I'll be late for my part-time job. Let's talk later!"
" It'll only take a minute. Please!"
Asa was insisting so much that I decided to hear her out. What could she want to talk about, I had that thought cross my mind as I wondered what she could want.
" Yuichi, I'm sorry!"
?
" I know I've hurt you increasingly. I'm very sorry. Please, forgive me!"
…
(She apologized to me. That means she understood what she did wrong, didn't she?)
" I shouldn't have said what I said. I don't know what got into me. I'm truly sorry!"
…
" Thank you!"
?
" Why are you thanking me?"
" For apologizing to me...… I was upset when you said those words, and I was even more upset that you didn't realize what you did wrong. I'm glad that you apologized, and I sincerely forgive you. Later!"
After leaving Asa, I headed for my part-time job, which was at a convenience store. I worked there after school as a means to help my family with the household expenses. We're a family of three which consists of my father, my elder sister, and me. Due to my sis courses, she only works on the weekends.
" I'm home!"
" Welcome home, Yuichi!"
" Thanks, sis!"
This is Ayame. She's two years older than me. She's more of a mother to me than a sister. I love her so much, and she's the only one who values my opinions and dreams.
" How were school and work?"
" The usual. Work was okay."
…
Whenever I get home, Ayame would ask me how school and work were as she worries about me. She feels guilty as she can't work as much to support the family and that I have to work, although I'm a middle-schooler.
" Where's dad?"
" He's still at work."
…
" I'm going to get changed. I'll see you for dinner."
…
Two hours later, I joined my elder sister for dinner. The atmosphere was quiet as none of us was talking.
" Sis, you haven't told me about your day. How was it?"
" School was fine."
" That's good!"
The atmosphere got tense again until we finished having dinner. Right when I was about to wash the dishes, Ayame stopped me.
" Let me handle it!"
" I'm always the one who tends to the dishes. I'll do it and you can rest."
…
" You're always the one who tends to the dishes, as I'm usually busy with schoolwork. Today, I'm free and want to help."
…
" You can help, Aya. You're always welcome to do the dishes whenever you want, but it wouldn't be wise to let you do all the dishes. I suggest we do it together. What do you say, Aya?"
" Okay!"
Ayame and I tended to the dishes. It was a good feeling and most of all, I enjoyed the moment we spent together just the two of us, which was usually so rare. Our dad got home when we were finished with the dishes.
" I'm home!"
" Welcome home, dad!"
" Welcome back, dad! How was your day?"
" Exhausting!"
Ayame took our dad's bag and put it away. After our dad sat up, I got him water.
" How come you've come home so late today, dad?"
Our dad, Yasushi Hanagawa works at a major company as a secretary. This isn't the first time he got home from work so late. Due to his work, he has to always be on call 24/7, and we nearly have time to spend together as a family.
" Work finished a bit earlier today, but—----------------"
Our dad got anxious as he had just started talking.
" What is it, dad? Why have you stopped talking?"
…
" There was an attack on my way back from work.
" An attack?"
" The town was attacked by strange-looking individuals. According to the police, those were the phantom thieves."
(Phantom Thieves?)
" Why do you say it like that? Don't you think it was them?"
…
" It couldn't be those phantom thieves who are causing all this."
" Why do you think so?"
" I couldn't see clearly, but the one who attacked the town was a good-looking woman."
?
?
" Not only that, but she didn't want to cause any harm to the civilians. Although she was far away, there was something that stunned me, which I found rather strange."
…
…
" First, she was crying as if to ask for help, and second—---------------"
Dad stopped talking halfway again. This was the second time he left his sentences unfinished, which got us wondering why it was so.
" What's second?"
" The woman, I know her from somewhere."
" You know the woman who attacked the town?"
" Yes! The place where I had seen her before was the ARX Art Gallery."
" The ARX Art Gallery! Are you sure you didn't mistake her for someone else?"
" I couldn't be wrong about this, Ayame. It was her that I saw and no one else. That woman was the artwork, 'Diana' of the ARX Art Gallery."
Paintings and Art Works which were once regarded as masterpieces and objects of creativity and praise are now used for evil. Three years ago, the world was plunged into utter darkness, and ever since that day, strange things started happening. Art Works, as well as paintings, started appearing in our world as if it was alive and things started going downhill from there. As for the original artwork, they've turned pure black as their source of life has been sucked out of them.
" What about the police? How did they handle the situation?"
" They couldn't do anything as their powers were insufficient against it. As of now, Diana is still on the run."
Our dad got worried, and we could perfectly understand his state of mind. Diana wasn't only an artwork, but she was also increasingly beautiful. She was the heart of the ARX Art Gallery, and it received nearly 500,000 visits a day.
" Don't worry so much, dad! Things will get back to normal soon."
…
" Don't forget that we have our hope with us. The Anti-Thieves League will restore things to normal. They have never failed us, not even once."
The Anti-Thieves League? While the normal kind of thieves steals and rob things from civilians, the Anti-Thieves League restores things to their proprietor.
" You're right! They're going to restore everything. If only they had more help at their disposal—---------------"
At the sound of those words, my hands started itching for no reason. Something was coming and by the sound of things, it was huge.
…
" I'm going to bed. Good night, dad! Good night, Aya!"
" Wait, son! There's something I want to talk to you about."
…
My dad stopped me as I was heading to bed. What could he want to talk about, was the most logical thing that crossed my mind at that very moment. Whatever it was he wanted to discuss with me, I had a bad feeling for some reason.
" What is it, dad, that you want to discuss with me?"
…
" This may seem odd to you, but I'd like for you to become a thief."
(I knew it. I knew something was off the moment he started rubbing his hands against each other.)
" Dad, you're joking, right?"
…
" No! I'm very serious. I'd like you to become a thief."
(First, Asa is asking me to be an aid to the police department, using my tricks as a decoy, and now this? What's wrong today? Did I wake up from the wrong side of the bed or something?)
Yuichi thought he heard his dad wrong, but it wasn't the case. His dad asked out of nowhere that he becomes a thief, and it didn't seem like it was a joke.
" What's your point? Why are you asking me such a strange request?"
" I never supported your dream, as I knew you could do more with your tricking abilities. This may seem selfish, but I think you'll make a great thief."
…
" Dad, besides all the careers that exist in this vast world, you want me to become a thief? That's humiliating, dad!"
My dad didn't understand why I was so against his idea. By thief, I knew he meant joining the anti-thieves league, but for me, that didn't change anything. Thieves are thieves, whether they're good or evil. Their nature doesn't change, and neither does their greed.
" Grandpa will be here tomorrow for your birthday."
" Grandpa will be here tomorrow for my birthday? I can't wait to see him".
Grandpa Alex is my superhero. He's so amazing at everything he does, and I want to be exactly like him when I grow up. He's the one who taught me everything I know about card tricks. He's always going on adventures and due to it, I don't get to see him much, because as soon as he's back from his first adventure, he just goes on to the next. For him to be back for my birthday is a thrill. I wonder what he's going to bring me as a present.
With that thought in mind, Yuichi fell into a profound sleep, and then morning came.
" Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"
" Happy birthday to you, Yuichi!"
" Happy birthday, son!"
" Thanks, dad! Thanks, Aya!"
My dad and sister wished me a happy birthday and handed me my present. My grandpa was nowhere to be seen. When I thought he wasn't going to show up, he appeared out of nowhere.
" Happy birthday, my dear grandson?"
I heard my grandpa's voice, but he was nowhere to be seen. There were apparitions afterward of dazzling little fairies, with each of them singing me a birthday song. It was dazzling and beautiful. The trick dissipated two minutes later and there was my grandpa. He was standing there, wearing his white cape and white hat. He was holding a box in his hand, which I guessed to be my present.
" Happy birthday, my grandson!"
" Thanks! Thanks for coming for my birthday, and thanks for the show. I liked it very much."
I hugged my grandpa, showing just how much I've missed him.
" See what I got here."
" Is that my gift?"
" Yes, it is! Do you want to open it and see what's inside?"
I opened the box and at the end of it, there was a dark golden book inside.
" You brought me a book? Thanks, grandpa!"
" This isn't a normal book you're holding."
?
" What you're holding isn't a book, but a grimoire with unequal magical abilities."
?
