“Kacha…”
With a mechanical sound, Riko pulled a gun from a holster on her thigh. It was a semi-automatic pistol made by the German Carl Walther Sportwaffen company, the Walther P99.
Even the main character of the famous spy film series “007,” James Bond, used this gun.
But what Riko took out from the holster was not just one, but two Walthers.
Gripping these two guns, Riko aimed them at Aria, and a cruel intensity akin to setting eyes on prey surged in her eyes.
This kind of gaze was something the previous Riko would never have revealed.
Simultaneously, a powerful murderous aura emanated from Riko’s body.
This was also something the previous Riko lacked.
As an A-Rank Butei of Inquesta, Riko had always attracted attention with her exceptional information-gathering abilities, rather than her combat prowess.
However, from the murderous aura Riko was releasing, it was evident that this young girl had concealed her true strength all along, only to reveal it now.
“Ugh…!”
Stimulated by that murderous aura, Aria, without any hesitation, raised her Colt, and pointed it at Riko.
It was only then that Fang Li spoke with an indifferent attitude as if he didn’t care about all the drama that was happening in front of him, “Are you the Butei Assassin?”
That extremely calm voice caused the murderous aura in the air to dissipate involuntarily, bringing down the temperature a notch.
Aria then realized another issue.
Namely, the unusual relationship between her partner and the descendant of the Phantom Thief before them.
“Fang Li…” Aria couldn’t help but speak, somewhat concerned, as she looked at Fang Li. Even the madness in Riko’s eyes dimmed slightly as her gaze finally shifted to Fang Li’s form.
She smiled and said, “Long time no see, Li Li. Have you missed Riko?”
Her expression and tone suddenly reverted to how they used to be. The abrupt contrast left Aria, who was usually relaxed, somewhat unsettled.
Only Fang Li’s expression remained unchanged throughout the process. He looked at Riko standing on the railing and said, “At this point, I won’t waste words asking if you’ve been deceiving me all along.”
“I just want to ask you one thing.” Fang Li spoke calmly, “What is your objective?”
“Objective?” Riko smiled, yet her eyes lacked any trace of amusement as she said, “Riko’s objective has always been quite clear.”
With these words, Riko turned the Walthers toward Aria.
“That would be you, Kanzaki-Holmes-Aria.”
“My objective is to defeat you.”
From Riko’s words, Fang Li sensed a strong emotion.
It was determination.
And moreover, a determination bordering on madness.
“Over a hundred years ago, Sherlock Holmes and Arsène-Lupin fought to a draw, unable to determine a winner.” Riko stared at Aria intensely as she said this, “But isn’t that strange? Since they were completely different individuals, one must have been stronger than the other. Why did it end in a tie? I just can’t fathom it!”
“However, that provided me with an opportunity.” Riko suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with extreme danger as she continued to speak. “Since our great-grandfathers reached a draw, as long as I can defeat you, a descendant of Holmes, wouldn’t that prove I’ve surpassed my great-grandfather, surpassed the first-generation Lupin?”
“What… what?” Aria uttered, somewhat disbelieving, “You… you became a Butei Assassin for something like this?”
“This kind of thing?” Riko’s smiling expression faded, turning almost doll-like, as she whispered, “Yes, Aria wouldn’t understand. She wouldn’t understand why Riko did this, why Riko joined I-U, why I gained power.”
“I-U.” Aria immediately reacted to the name and even Fang Li’s eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at Riko.
Coincidentally, Riko also glanced at Fang Li, meeting his gaze as she continued, “You know? Actually, I never really wanted to hand you over to Aria. Do you understand that, Li Li?”
These words even managed to slightly startle Fang Li.
Riko then seemed to lament something, saying, “Holmes is a Family that needs a partner to unleash their full power. Even the first-generation Holmes became a legend because of the excellent partner by his side. But what Riko has to defeat is Holmes, a Holmes who can utilize their full ability— not someone like Aria, who’s considered defective.”
“So, to achieve this goal, Aria must find a partner first,” Riko mused to herself. “But in Butei High, there aren’t many who can become Aria’s partner. Aria couldn’t find one herself, and I only identified two potential candidates.”
“These two candidates were you and Tohyama Kinji,” Riko looked straight at Fang Li. “Both of you achieved an S-Rank Rating in your first-year entrance exam at Butei High. If it’s either of you, you can undoubtedly meet Aria’s partner requirements.”
“After investigating, both in terms of intellect and strength, you outmatch Tohyama Kinji,” A slight smile tugged at the corner of Riko’s lips as she said these words.
“Given that, you are the most suitable to be Aria’s partner. Only then can Aria utilize her full strength. Moreover, Aria has also been inquiring about your information all this time. So, I took the opportunity to plant a bomb on the bus, ensuring you two would meet.”
Hearing this much, Aria had already failed to react.
Conversely, Fang Li finally understood something.
“No wonder the bomb detonated after Aria had removed it.”
‘According to Fang Li’s investigation, during the bus hijacking incident, the Butei Assassin’s objective was to get Fang Li onto the bus and then detonate the bomb, killing him. The reason the bomb didn’t detonate the moment Fang Li got on was because the convertible with a surveillance camera had been tampered with, rendering the Butei Assassin unaware of the scene and mistiming the bomb detonation.’
Fang Li had believed this all along.
However, now it seemed that it was all part of Riko’s orchestrated drama.
“If you want to deepen the bond between a man and a woman, what better way than the hero saving the damsel, right?”
Riko’s tone suddenly reverted to its previous demeanor. She blinked at Fang Li, giggling playfully as she spoke, “To increase Li Li’s favorability with Aria, Riko has been working very hard, you know?”
“You…!” Aria aimed her gun at Riko again, feeling furious as she exclaimed, “So, it was you all along causing all this trouble!”
“Yes.” Riko smiled sweetly, her voice, however, turned bone-chillingly cold.
“Then, it’s time for you to be satisfied and die, isn’t it?”
……
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