Every Phantom thief needs a Piano

Chapter one: liar, that's not your voice.

*Ring-ring-ring!!! Ring-ring-ring!* it repeated for the fifth time.
I clung onto the phone, my mouth was dry but I still swallowed.

Finally the person on the other line picked up. 'Hello my dearest Akamatsu-san!' His voice was different, deeper, disoriented, even without my trained musical ears I could tell he was using a voice changer.

I didn't know what to say, but I did know I at least wanted to yell out him for ruining my show but the words fell silent.
'Hello...' I weakly replied back, I didn't have the energy to fight or shout, or maybe I didn't want anyone to hear.

Either way, his response to my greeting, a cocky laugh, it made me wish I had lashed out on him, but I digress.

'Oooo my! That's not what I was expecting at all!' He choked on his laughter, the sound drew away, seemingly he had heaved back from laughing so hard.
I felt my face light up, inflamed with red, now I really wanted to throw every insult I had, but I choked back my pride, and took a breath.

'How did you.. make my piano disappear?' I asked wearily as I gripped the phone's case hard with both hands.
My back arched into my chest, like a curved doorway.

His retorts came to a halt, I could almost see him licking his lips underneath that mask of his as he sat in his grand lair, or maybe that's just me projecting the image I have of him.

'Find out.'-

'What?'

*Bzzzz~~ beep!*

He hung up.
But before I could get offended, I thought back to his voice right before he hung up on me. It was... mellower, shadowed in deepness, much... more drear than his happy-go-lucky tone before. It was like he was challenging me.
And I would accept.

***

'Shuichi! Hoo- sorry for the wait!' I huffed mid jog, and when I finally got up and close with Shuichi, I rubbed the back of my skull for my apparent ditziness.
I had weakly waved my palm to him, as my awkward smile solidified itself on my face.

'Kaede! I was getting worried... what took you so long?' Shuichi enquired as he drew closer, his eyes glistened in the light.
'Just my stubborn dress! It just wouldn't come off!' That was a lie, I had no trouble, that's one of the reasons I chose that dress, it was easy to move in and super easy to take off. But Shuichi didn't know that, or he didn't *have* to know.

'O-Oh I see... I could have helped if you asked...' Shuichi scuffled the back of his head, not realising what he had said, and how it came out...
'Eh?' My blank smile probably clued Shuichi in, and made him think back to what he had said.
'Nonono, I d-didn't mean it like t-that!' He waved his arms frantically as his mouth rushed out an answer, 'I-I... wasn't thinking....' Shuichi's shoulders slumped as he drew his hat over his eyes.

'It's fine.' I rubbed the back of my skull as I gave him a reassuring closed-eye smile.

'Let's just get going.' I gestured toward the glass exit door, and as I did, I saw the annoyed look on the woman at the desk, clearly having had to wait for me and Shuichi to leave so she could lock up for tonight.

Had it really gotten that late! I thought as I turned to the clock on the wall. It really was late... I sighed, my exhale relaying to the rest of my body to slump.

'What's wrong?' Shuichi worriedly asked as he hovered his hand near me, struggling on whether or not to grabbed my shoulder.

'Oh. Nothing! Just realised how late it's gotten. Sorry...' I whispered that last part to the girl as I clapped my hands together near my face as I drew my head down.