The Green-Eyed Detective Girl
Green-eyed detective girl, huh? What now? Things were going so smoothly, but who knew I'd run into an alligator monster in the sewer? And not just any alligator—a bipedal alligator man! No food down here, so how the hell did it grow that big? It had to be at least three meters tall.
"If we fight, we'll lose, right?"
[Do you actually think you can win?]
Of course we'd lose. How was I supposed to take down a monster like that with illusions?
"Do something about it! You're a goddess!"
[Why dump the responsibility on me!?]
"You absorbed the necklace's power! Can't you power up now?!"
[I told you it takes time to fully absorb it!]
True enough. If it absorbed instantly just by touching, I wouldn't have needed to become a phantom thief to steal gems in the first place.
A head-on fight was out of the question. There was only one option: escape somehow. But even that seemed dubious.
The thing was glaring right at me. Turn my back, and those vicious jaws would chomp me to bits.
I pulled out a card first. To escape, I needed to distract its attention. No clue if it'd work, but...
Nothing to lose by trying.
Whoosh!
A single card flew toward it. But it fluttered weakly and dropped to the ground after a short distance.
"Ugh!"
Not over yet. Had to keep pressing without pause.
This time, I took off my hat and held it forward. A bird emerged from inside—not the magician's classic dove, but a crow.
Caw!
It cawed loudly and flapped its wings vigorously. Unlike me, it showed no fear, charging boldly at the beast.
The alligator seemed momentarily startled, then swung its hand to attack the crow.
"What the— it has hands?"
Front paws or actual arms? Whatever. It was swinging them like hands.
Thankfully, the crow dodged nimbly, drawing plenty of attention. Now's my chance!
While the alligator was fixated on the crow, I bolted. It immediately switched targets and charged me.
"Gah!"
So it hadn't ignored me completely!
I ran as fast as I could, glancing back to gauge the distance. The moment it entered range, I triggered my prepared illusion.
Boom!
Smoke billowed from the card on the ground with a bang. The alligator panicked at the sudden phenomenon under its feet.
That was the illusion's full effect—just flashy smoke with no damage. But perfect for a smokescreen right now.
[Almost there! Hang in just a bit longer!]
With the alligator slowed, I sprinted with every ounce of strength toward the sewer exit.
Opening the door and getting out would take time.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"This isn't some horror flick!"
My heart pounded at the footsteps behind me. I yanked the door open as fast as possible and slipped out.
But it wasn't over. If I didn't shut it, the alligator might follow.
"Nngh...!"
Through the narrowing gap, I saw the beast charging full speed.
No! Too late!
Then the crow, trailing behind, pecked its eye with its beak.
"Kweeeek!!!"
The alligator shrieked in agony, slowing again. Seizing the moment, I slammed the door shut—just as the crow squeezed through in the nick of time.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Whoa..."
It pounded the entrance with deafening booms for a while, but the door held. A razor-thin, chilling escape.
As tension drained from my body in sweet relief, the goddess spoke.
[But don't we have to go back in?]
"Ah."
Right. To return the necklace, I'd have to revisit the sewer eventually. Especially before they figured out how it was stolen—I needed to do it fast.
"Maybe it'll go somewhere else along the sewer?"
[Doubt it. Looked pretty pissed off back there.]
Still, reptile brain. Maybe it'd forget quick? I prayed desperately for that.
No matter how much stronger the absorbed gem made me, beating that monster seemed impossible.
[What if it sticks around?]
"...Cross that bridge when we get there."
For now, time to celebrate the mission's success. I stroked my lifesaver crow, tucked it back in the hat, and headed home.
In my hand gleamed the sparkling blue Angel's Stayed Sea.
"So, the necklace vanished, and you don't even know how it was stolen?"
"...Yes."
The museum director fiddled with his eyebrows. Anyone could see the old man was deeply irritated.
"Does that even make sense?"
"I'm sorry."
The female detective, forced to absorb his fury, stood rigid.
"What about the report of someone on the ceiling?"
"It was a balloon, sir."
"A balloon? You got fooled by a damn balloon?"
"...We suspect it was the phantom thief's magic."
The more he heard, the more absurd it got.
"Fine, whatever. Can your investigation find it?"
"We need to figure out how it was stolen first."
"So you don't know."
"Yes, sir."
Bam!
The director couldn't hold back and slammed the desk.
"How do you not know!? Did it fly to the sky? Sink into the ground? How does a necklace just vanish into thin air?!"
"Magic, probably."
His rage only grew at her matter-of-fact reply.
"Magic!? You know the glass case's specs! If it was magic, the wards would've caught it!"
"Then what do you think happened, Director?"
Undaunted by his outburst, she fired back boldly. He let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Ha! You want my theory? One of your cops is the thief."
"Impossible."
"You never know. Excluding our guards, who else could've touched it? Your precious police."
At his blatant accusation, she dropped her composure, her gaze turning icy cold.
"Are you questioning the Britannia Empire's authority?"
"Urk...! Who said that? Just considering possibilities."
Tension hung in the air. Rank-wise, the director outranked the police captain, but as organizations? Police symbolized imperial might alongside the military, commanding special respect.
"With the artifact stolen, investigation authority transfers to the police. We'll recover it on Britannia's honor."
"Tch... Fine."
Out of the office, the detective sighed and removed her hat. Outside, chaos reigned—police and guards combing every inch, yet no leads.
She lit a cigarette with practiced ease. Her black bob fluttered in the cool night breeze. Her slight frown blended with her striking beauty into a decadent allure.
"Captain!"
Her subordinate rushed up panting.
"What? Found evidence?"
"No, not that, but..."
"Then why the panic?"
Anything would do now—even trivial. Leads were scarce; hours in, and progress stalled. Her pride in her stellar record was crumbling, especially under pressure from superiors and the director.
Stress choked her. Please, let this rookie have something useful.
"Someone claims to know Phantom Thief Raven's methods."
"Who?"
"A detective."
She flicked her cigarette butt.
"Take me to 'em."
"Yes, ma'am!"
They headed to the museum entrance and spotted a girl leaning against the wall.
Beige hunting hat over braided blonde hair, short Inverness coat. An eccentric outfit tough for most, but her golden locks and vivid emerald eyes made it striking.
It was obvious she was the detective.
The captain strode up and offered a handshake.
"Heard you know Raven's tricks."
"Yes."
"How? Museum's restricted to personnel only."
"It's my ability."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Mage, huh."
"Correct."
"Got it. Haven't introduced myself—Gadget."
The green-eyed girl replied.
"Call me Sherlock."