Became the Academy Romantic Phantom Thief

fake artist

“after···.”

He hurried out and sighed.

After all, witches are too playful. Every time I visit, I feel like I’m exhausted.

Naturally, the offer was rejected. Still, I’m glad I didn’t take it seriously and went straight to it.

As I have emphasized several times, I am a pure-lover.

No matter how attractive a woman is, he has no intention of easily succumbing to the temptation.

Anyway, now that you have received the letter of introduction safely, go to the place indicated on the card and meet the copycat. You’re asking him to steal a copy of the lighthouse painting.

In fact, I know something about imitators.

It’s a character that has appeared in the original. However, I remember him as a mysterious man who is not a big deal and is a mystery in many ways.

But surely there must be a connection between the witch and the imitator.

When I thought of connecting the two, I realized later that there were quite a few similarities.

Anyway, figuring out the exact location of the copycat is a pretty big boon. He is a person who is optimized to receive help from various phantom thieves, so he should make the most of it.

“Is it here?”

I checked it carefully by comparing it with the address written on the card.

As it is written, it seems that this is for sure.

It was a surprisingly ordinary place than I expected. The basement of a street lined with residential areas. I thought it would be just an ordinary pub to passersby, and I felt like I could pass it by.

I went down the stairs and carefully opened the tightly closed door.

The door, which had not been locked, made a creaking sound and loudly showed off its presence.

Slightly stuffy underground air. The cool breeze made the nape of my neck go goosebumps.

[This is an unusual energy. He doesn’t seem like an ordinary man. Be careful.]

An unusual, serious warning from the goddess.

Certainly, the world embodied in reality and in cartoons have different dimensions to the extent that it is embarrassing to compare them.

After swallowing his saliva and trying to calm his mind, he carefully opened his mouth.

“Is nobody there?”

“You are a stranger after a long time.”

The voice of a dignified man can be heard from inside.

When I looked there, I saw a man sitting on a chair under the dim lights.

He was staring at this side with the white canvas in front of him.

“haha···.”

scary. I almost got tired of it by adding a little exaggeration.

The reason I was overreacting was not simply because of the terrifying atmosphere.

It’s because a man’s attire is not normal no matter how you look at it.

The bandages were wrapped around him, but the level was so high that he couldn’t see his bare skin at all except for his eyes.

It is comparable to the mummy, the Egyptian mascot.

If she hadn’t worn a fedora and a black coat, she would have looked exactly like a real mummy.

Even though I knew what it looked like through the cartoon, I was shocked the first time I saw it.

I have to say that I’m glad I didn’t show a big reaction on the outside.

I smiled, pretending to be relaxed, and greeted each other.

“haha. hello. Imitator Mr.”

“This is a pretty famous star. The world is buzzing with your story these days.”

“It’s like a breeze that blows for a while and then disappears.”

“Is that the virtue of humility? That’s great.”

what is it Obviously, when it comes to words, it’s a common saying, but the impression of the speaker was so strong that it sounded like a poignant sarcasm.

After thinking about it, I handed him the card.

The address of this place was written on the front side, and the witch’s brief introduction was on the reverse side of the opposite side.

“indeed. Were you her customer?”

“I owe a lot to Mr. Witch.”

“She is definitely a good girl. Except for revealing too much money.”

haha. But why do you keep asking me for something weirder than money?

“So what happened to the phantom thief all the way here?”

“I want to entrust you with an order.”

“indeed. In a way, imitation and phantom thieves are inseparable.”

What he does is very simple. True to its name as an imitator, it creates fakes.

There are practically no limits. If you can prepare only the right materials, the imitator can create anything, no matter what. Except for the fact that it’s fake.

“What do you want to imitate? You monster.”

“Lighthouse on a stormy night. That’s what I want.”

“indeed. If it’s just a drawing, there’s nothing difficult.”

An imitator who throws an ok sign as soon as he hears his name. Of course, it can’t be free.

“How much?”

“I don’t take money. The deal with me is a little special.”

I was just guessing Because he demands a special price from the main character even in the original.

“I have the ingredients I need. You just have to bring it. It’s not particularly difficult.”

Isn’t it difficult?

As someone who has read the original story, I know what it means.

It’s definitely not wrong. It is true that it is actually very easy to get the materials he asked for.

However, when the main character goes to find the ingredients, things get twisted and turn into a difficult task that almost kills him.

“I want to get the picture right away. Do I have to bring the ingredients first?”

“Hmm. This time, I’ll give you a special billing after payment. I don’t think our relationship with you will end this one time.”

“haha. thank you.”

great. In this case, it is safe to say that there are virtually no variables.

The most important thing in obtaining the material he asked for is time.

“Then how long does it take for the fake to be finished?”

“One day is enough. Come visit us tomorrow at a convenient time.”

“All right.”

Fortunately, the transaction went much smoother than I had feared.

Contrary to his overwhelming first impression, he was a much gentler gentleman than I thought.

“Then we will see you again tomorrow.”

Just as I was about to say goodbye and leave the basement. The imitator called me, who had turned his back on me.

“Hey. A phantom thief.”

“yes. Anything to say?”

“The fake real and the real fake. Which of the two would you choose?”

The content of the question seems quite familiar. It was an unknown question that he posed to the main character in the original work.

At that time, the main character, Layered, clearly said this.

If you think it’s real, it doesn’t matter if its essence is real or fake.

It was definitely the main character’s answer.

If so, I’ll have to give my own answer.

“Do I really need to choose between the two?”

“Hmm?”

“Even if you steal both, that’s enough.”

As if he had not expected such an answer, the imitator looked over the bandage for a moment and then let out a low laugh.

“What a stupid answer.”

“Because that’s a phantom.”

“okay. Right.”

As he nodded his head in acknowledgment, his complexion looked quite bright.

It seems like my answer was right.

“Come in carefully. You stupid thief.”

“I think it would be okay to leave out the previous modifier.”

Even if I admit it, I feel really bad when I actually hear it.

Anyway, after that conversation, I came out of the copycat’s basement.

***

The imitation, the most important part of the plan, was also ordered.

Now it was my turn to meticulously craft the trick, waiting for the imitator to finish the drawing.

Naturally, I’m blown away by the fact that there is a fake picture! And it is impossible to steal the painting.

Whether swapping with a fake or looking elsewhere, the priority is to create a route to steal the target painting safely by infiltrating it.

First, I fully understood the structure of the museum.

‘Certainly simpler than a museum.’

[Perhaps it has become more strict than before.]

it’s bound to be I felt the humiliation of being completely fooled and robbed of the exhibits by myself, who I ignored as a mere thief, so I will be much more concerned about defense so that it doesn’t happen again.

Conversely, the art museum that we are aiming for this time is a private art museum run by an individual. In addition, it is difficult to see that art works of great value are on display from an objective point of view.

Therefore, it was natural that the structure and security of the building were simple and sloppy.

Of course, if you send a notice, it will change in an instant.

The police are looking for me with their eyes turned on, so the moment they send a notice, they will run to the art museum and build a fortress.

So, more meticulous trick design is important.

In addition to the structure of the building, I skimmed through information that was even a little bit related to the museum.

“I think the owner of the museum is quite a villain.”

[What are you going to do? return? donation?]

“This time, I’m going to donate.”

I’m not a good person enough to have to return the picture. Then it would be better to give it to someone who needs it more.

The profession of a phantom thief is an existence that goes against capitalism.

Strictly speaking, even though it is a criminal, before considering capitalism in the first place.

Let’s stop thinking nonsense and focus on trick design again.

Obviously, it is much more lax than the museum, so there will be more gaps to attack.

Staring at the blueprint, I ran the simulation in my head.

So finally. I created the best route I could weave in my head.

“Good. Now we just need to get the counterfeit and send us a notice.”

[You are quite confident.]

That’s not natural.

To be honest, I am confident that even the underworld Sherlock will not be able to easily detect this.

“To expect. Everyone will be astonished when we rob the museum this time.”