Chapter Text
Emiko had prepared a surprise celebratory dinner for her twins' birthday and Dark's return. However, Daisuke excused himself as soon as he could and went up to his room, hoping his exhaustion would get the better of his brain and the continuous reel of today's misadventures would stop replaying in his head.
Dark meanwhile has continued to keep quiet since he came home. Daisuke felt bad for him.
"Uhm, hey, Dark..?" He called softly. Dark only stirred and didn't speak. "Hey uhh... you know I'm really not used to all this so... Well, it's your first time back in four decades too. So I guess you're also pretty disoriented about things. We probably didn't meet in the best circumstances, that's why--" Daisuke sighed, realizing how incoherent his thoughts were. "I guess what I'm saying is, c-can we be friends?"
Dark raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise.
Friends?
"Well, you know. We're going to be uhm... living together in a sense? It would be better if we were friends."
Dark chuckled. Yeah, I know that. I'm just surprised that you're even asking.
"So we're friends?"
Unless you despise me.
"No! No, I don't! It's just that," Daisuke sighed, "this is all... weird. I don't really know how to be Phantom Thief. There are things that no training could prepare me for. I'd appreciate it if you'd help me. And also... I still don't like that we left Risa behind like that."
Dark smiled. Daisuke may appear very gentle, but he is assertive where it matters. You're right. That was my bad. As you may have guessed, I've never really had a sister.
"Heh, well congratulations on getting one!" Daisuke chuckled. "I have to warn you. It could be a handful. But also a lot of fun."
Dark remembered how unhinged the Niwa girl is. Fun must be an understatement.
"Well then. Good night, Dark."
'Night!
Just as Daisuke pulled his blanket over his head, he heard a knock on the door.
"Daisuke, it's me." Risa called out from behind the door. "I need to tell you something."
"Can't this wait tomorrow? I am pretty exhausted."
"Sorry, but it's really very important! It's about the--" Risa looked over her shoulders to check that no one was within earshot then lowered her voice. "--the guy at the museum."
Daisuke raised his eyebrows. "Okay? Fine. Come in."
Risa quickly slipped into the door. She had a plate of strawberry shortcake with her.
"Ah, you didn't need to--" Before Daisuke could finish, Risa ate a spoonful of the cake. "Oh."
"Sorry, I need my emotional support shortcake," Risa said as she plopped onto her twin's bed.
Daisuke sighed as he sat up to face Risa, "Okay. But please be careful not to drop any crumbs."
"Yeah, yeah. Okay, listen. This is very, VERY big. That guy that you saw in the museum earlier?" She said waving her fork around, "He's in our class."
"What?" Daisuke's eyes bulged from their sockets. "When did that happen?"
"He transfered just this morning! Today, on our 16th birthday, just when Dark is about to return!"
"Wait, so he transfered to our school on purpose?"
Risa swallowed another spoonful of cake. "Most definitely! I mean, he's a Hikari and all!"
Daisuke jolted. His jaw dropped and all he could do was stare at his twin. Even Dark was startled awake by the bomb drop. "What?"
"He told me himself!"
"You should've led with that! Why didn't you tell me sooner? We should tell Mom--"
"No no, wait-- nooo! If you tell her, she'd figure out I left the house and I'd be grounded 'till I'm as old as Gramps and I'll never. Get. Married!"
"But he could hurt you! He almost captured Dark too--"
Excuse me that was you--
"--And even you! You're lucky you escaped!" Then, Daisuke's brows furrowed. "Wait. But how did you escape?"
"Hm? Hmm..." Risa puffed her cheeks.
"Well?"
"Actually," she murmured, "he let me go."
"Huh? Why'd he do that?"
"Dunno..."
"Is he actually... nice?"
"Heck no! Don't make that mistake with him, Daisuke! He's an absolute jerk--" Risa said, stabbing the air with her fork at every word.
"Crumbs, Risa!" Daisuke scolded, picking off cake from his bed. "But why would he let a Niwa go just like that?"
Risa shrugged. She remembered the words of the Hikari boy. I promise no one will know you're involved in this mess.
Her brows furrowed. Why would he go as far as to say something like that? Would he actually do that? But what's in it for him?
"Does he have a crush on me?" She mumbled to herself. But Daisuke--and by extension, Dark-- heard what she said word for word, and the eyes they both share rolled into a very judgmental side-eye to their sister.
Wow...
"Yeah, I know," Daisuke mumbled, cringing. Risa saw his reaction and smacked him on the arm.
"Hey, it's not impossible!"
"Ow! You just met today though?!"
"If someone's charming enough, anyone can fall in love in an instant!"
No wait, yeah! It is NOT impossible. His other self concurred, obviously pertaining to Riku.
"Ugh, not you too, Dark."
Risa's ears perked when Daisuke addressed Dark.
"Dark agrees with me! See?"
Daisuke cringed, "No?? That's really not--hey, wait, you're swerving off topic! The Hikari guy! You said he'll be at school tomorrow!"
"Sensei sat him right beside me, so before he gets to you, he'll have to face me first."
"That's not very reassuring, Risa! You can't chase him with a mop again, and especially NOT at school!"
"Oh, we'll see about that."
"I'm serious. Don't do anything risky."
Risa sighed, "I can't promise anything if he tries to hurt you."
Daisuke mirrored his twin's sigh. He knew he'd do the same for her. But if the Hikari let his sister go voluntarily, can he really be that bad?
---
Satoshi plugged in his earphones as he walked through the crowded school corridors; a force of habit to avoid conversation. It's been three years since he attended university for his degree, and high school felt like half a lifetime ago. In the past, he got stares for being a little kid carrying huge high school books. Now, he was just the right age to blend in easily. But somehow, he still couldn't seem to shake off people's attention.
He would often feel people's stares on him. When he turns to look, most would avert their gazes. Others would be so bold to continue staring. He hated it. Now, as he walked to his classroom, he can see some students whispering in his periphery. Despite the earphones, he can sense that it has become unnaturally quiet. If only something could break the silence and--
"WAAAHH!" As if on cue, a sharp scream broke through the tension, followed by the tumbling and clunking of several bins to the ground. He whipped his head back to see a student on the ground among felled trash bins.
"Yo, dude!" A boy with black hair and yellow armband approached the one who was literally down in the dumps. "You all right?"
"Ah, sorry!" The boy suddenly emerged from among the bins. Satoshi almost jumped back. It was Niwa Daisuke. He had only met him as the Phantom Thief last night, but he'd recognize that hair and face anywhere from the photos in the dossier. What on earth was he doing to be in that situation?
"Dude. You fell flat on your face. Why are you apologizing?"
"Sor--I mean! I'm okay. I'm good."
Satoshi's eyebrows twitched. The boy had a goofy smile on his face. A stark contrast to the smug smirk of the Phantom Thief.
"You sure?" Another student came to the commotion to help the boy up. Masahiro Sekimoto. Also in their class. "That looked like it hurt."
"No, really--"
"Bro, is your nose bleeding?!" The one with the armband said in a panic. It was Saehara Takeshi. The inspector's son. The Dark tamer's friend.
"Huh?? WAAAH!"
At this point, Satoshi was just staring slack-jawed at the scene before him. The Commissioner had always warned him about the Niwas, and he knew that the men of the family go through rigorous and extremely tough training to be Phantom Thief. In fact, he was a witness to his athleticism last night. Surely, he couldn't be this...
"Hey, somebody get Risa-imouto!"
"Ah, no! I'm good! It's fine!" He was clearly not.
The boy pinched his nose and tilted his head back, a common mistake in treating nosebleeds. Satoshi's feet were aching to take him away from the commotion, yet his disappointment kept him rooted in place. There's about 20 bystanders here. Does no one know how to handle a nosebleed?
Against his will, Satoshi walked right into ground zero, the center of everyone's attention.
"You're doing it wrong."
Daisuke's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"Ah, right, Daisuke. This is Hiwatari. New guy in class. Hiwatari, this is Daisuke. He's twins with the girl you're sitting next to."
Takeshi was kind enough to do the quick introductions, which, for the people involved, were not necessary at all. The eyes of the two boys met for a moment, but the redhead immediately looked away.
"H-hi..." Daisuke said, looking to the ground. Satoshi noted the split-second hesitation. He took out his hanky and to everyone's surprise, kneeled and held it up against the Niwa boy's nose.
"Here. Pinch this. Don't look up. Breathe through your mouth. Can somebody get some--"
"Ice!" Risa barged through the crowd to where his brother was sitting. "Saehara-kun, could you fetch some ice from the cafeteria? Daisuke, can you--"
"Ah, Riha!"
The girl's heart pounded as her brain processed the scene before her. She only registered three things: his brother on the floor, the Hikari touching him, blood.
"What did you do to my brother?"
She grabbed the hand of the Hikari and shielded Daisuke against him.
"No, wait, he was just--"
Satoshi sighed. He calmly untangled Risa's hand from his and handed his hanky to Daisuke.
"You can keep that," he said and stood to leave.
"Ah--wait!" Daisuke called after him.
"Are you hurt?" Risa asked, worriedly checking her twin's face for any bruise or wound. "He didn't punch you, did he?"
Daisuke shook his head at Risa, looking at her like how their Mom does whenever Risa forgot to put the milk back in the fridge.
"What?"
The boy sighed and pinched his nose the way he was instructed. "We need to apologize."
---
The first periods of class elapsed with the events of the morning pricking Risa's conscience. She kept glancing at her seatmate.
Did he really do that for Daisuke? Risa gnawed at her lower lip. No, but what if he's only pretending to be nice to get to Daisuke?
But her brother was adamant. They were going to make amends with the Hikari boy, no matter what. The hands of the clocked ticked closer and closer to lunch break. Her palms were starting to sweat. All of her being protested against the idea. There was no way--
Riiiing!
The entire class erupted into chatter as they all stood up to go have their lunch. The blue-haired boy next to her did not move. He only took out his phone and wrote in his little notebook.
The thinning crowd felt to Risa like receding sand in an hour glass. If she stayed a moment longer, her twin would surely rope her into whatever friendship scheme he was thinking.
Ugh. I can't do it. I can't! I'll just escape while everyone's moving out and say I have plans with Riku.
"Riku! Come with me!"
"Oh no, sorry! I have a meeting with the lacrosse team. Aren't you having lunch with Daisuke-kun?"
"No, I-I can't--"
Riku's phone rang. "Sorry, girl. I have to go. Later!"
"Aand there goes my alibi..." she mumbled as she watched Riku jog out the door.
"Risa! Hey! Where are you going?"
Risa closed her eyes tightly. Daisuke saw her escaping. Damn it.
"Was that Riku-san just now?"
"Yep. My ticket out."
Daisuke sighed. "Risaaa, come on. He did us both a favor. Thanking him is the right thing to do," Daisuke said, putting his hand on her shoulder and leading her back to where the Hikari boy sat. Everyone else has left the room.
"Hrrgh. But I didn't ask for any of that!"
"And that's all the more reason to thank him, right?"
"Oh, Daisuke. I CANNOT with your puppy logic! You trust people too easily! You just said last night that he could hurt me or you--"
"Shhh, be quiet," Daisuke cleared his throat. "Uhmm, e-excuse me, Hikari--"
"Hiwatari!" Risa immediately corrected, elbowing her twin.
"Ah! I meant Hiwatari-kun!"
"Why would you call him Hikari?!" Risa hissed at her twin.
"It's because you kept calling him--"
The boy cleared his throat subtly. Or rather, wearily. Both twins clammed up and looked at him in perfect synchronization. The boy's light-blue eyes were peering up at them behind his glasses. Seeing those eyes up-close again, Risa's felt warmth and other things she didn't like, so she quickly pushed her brother forward and hid behind him.
"Go, Daisuke!" She said, patting him on the back. The boy sighed.
"Uhm, hi! I'm Daisuke. Niwa," he said raising his hand. "But you already know that..." he mumbled, looking away and scratching his head. Satoshi observed closely for any sign of deception, but he seemed consistent from this morning. Consistently awkward. Consistently jumpy. And consistently... no. He couldn't let his guard down. "Sorry for all this. I just really wanted to say thanks for this morning and apologize for the misunderstandings. Risa does too!"
Daisuke said, stepping aside and pushing his sister upfront. "What! Hey!"
Risa's eyes met with the Hikari's, and it was as cold as ever. She puffed her cheeks and reluctantly bowed.
"Thanks," she mumbled and looked away instantly. "And sorry, I guess..."
"What was that?" Daisuke whispered.
"What? I said it! What more do you want?"
"I dunno, some sincerity?!"
"That WAS sincere!"
"In what universe?!"
"I don't know what the two of you are trying to pull here," the boy sighed, rolling his eyes, "but if you're somehow thinking I wanna be friends with you, you're making a mistake."
"I told you he's a jerk--"
"Hey, shh!" Daisuke covered his sister's mouth, much to the girl's annoyance, and turned back to Satoshi. "But, last night you helped Risa. And this morning--"
"I was not trying to help you; I was only playing fair. I said it and I'll say it again, Niwa Risa: I let you go with a warning. And as for you, Niwa Daisuke, quit it with that innocent act. You'll always be the Phantom Thief in my eyes, and I won't stop until I capture you."
The red-haired boy remained frozen as the one who just declared him his sworn enemy stood to leave.
"Hey you--" But Daisuke tapped Risa's arm gently to stop her.
"Hiwatari-kun, I know a friendship sounds almost impossible after all that's happened between us so far. I mean, my sister did... attack you last night, and Dark also..." Daisuke sighed. "I also took your family's artwork. But I swear, we don't actually hate you or anything! I-it's nothing personal! Sorry!"
Daisuke bowed low toward him. The boy stopped in his tracks.
"Nothing personal?" He scoffed. "All this is 'nothing personal' to you?"
The boy looked over his shoulder. His expression made Daisuke flinch. But not out of fear. "Unfortunately, that's where we differ, Niwa Daisuke."
---
"I told you, didn't I?" Risa sighed, pushing a cup of hot cocoa to Daisuke before sitting down across him at the dinner table. It was almost midnight. There was no heist that night, so the adults have retreated into their rooms.
"I don't think he's ever gonna listen." She took a sip from her own cup. "And before we know what he's truly capable of, we also can't let down our guard."
"But he seems really... mad, Risa." Daisuke said, taking his spoon and stirring his cup absentmindedly.
"Heh." Risa scoffed. "Ya think?"
"No, no. I don't mean at us, exactly--" Daisuke sighed. He thought back to the expression he saw on the Hikari boy's--on Hiwatari-kun's face. It was an expression he understood, because he knew he was capable of feeling the same exact way. "I mean, for sure, he is too. But also... also, maybe he's mad because it's all unfair..."
"Unfair?"
The thoughts and feelings that Daisuke had pushed down from when he first learned that he had to be Phantom Thief started bubbling to the surface. He had no avenue to complain, and somehow, he felt like he had to be proud--grateful even--that he's bearing this destiny. Could the Hikari boy, who was carrying the other half of the Black Wings, be feeling the same thing?
"Risa..."
"Hmm?"
"I need your help."
"No."
"Please?"
"No!"
"I'll do your chores this weekend!"
"I can do them myself, thank you very much."
"Please? I'll do the dishes after breakfast."
"Nuh-uh. Dishes are easy. I enjoy washing dishes."
"Laundry?"
"I'm dropping them off to the laundromat."
Daisuke groaned. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"
"Mom wants me to dust the artwork downstairs. That's like a gajillion things. I have plans in the afternoon!"
"Oh, okay." Daisuke perked up immediately. "Call!"
Risa rolled her eyes. "That's hardly a chore for you, you like being down there," she sighed. "But, okay. What do you want me to do?"
"We need to win Hiwatari-kun's trust. Or at least make him feel that we're not a threat."
"Kinda hard when we constantly have to nab his family's art from all over Japan, no?"
"Risaa!"
"Okay, okay! Hmmm..." Risa crossed her arm over her chest. "How about I cook him some lunch?"
"I said befriend him, not poison him."
"I will not do anything! I promised--"
"No, your cooking will poison him."
Risa scowled at Daisuke. He chuckled. She flicked his arm.
"It's true though," he said, rubbing at the point of impact. "But you're onto something..."