A single month was naturally nowhere near enough to master the essence of disguise and voice-changing techniques. Although Ritsu still couldn't quickly transform himself into another person, given enough time he could complete a disguise so convincing that even people familiar with him wouldn't recognize him.
Using the identity of Nanase Tōru, he left Tokyo International Airport and flew to Brussels Airport. After arriving, he headed straight into a restroom stall to prepare his disguise. Dyeing his hair a rare misty blue and putting on a pair of gold-colored contact lenses. Once both his hair and eye color were altered, his entire aura shifted as well.
Pushing open the stall door, he looked at his completely changed reflection in the mirror. To heighten the contrast, Ritsu changed into a black vertically striped yukata, something he would normally never wear, with faint bamboo patterns on it.
After putting on black leather gloves and confirming he looked nothing like his previous self, he strode out.
The mission was to steal a ruby known as "Carmen Lucia." The gem would be exhibited at the Brussels Museum and the mysterious organization had likely dispatched a towering man with the codename Leo. Ritsu's task was to stop him and investigate Leo's identity.
Per that gentleman's orders, capturing him alive would be ideal. If that proved impossible, then kill him.
Moreover, the boss had specifically said that "Carmen Lucia" must be returned to its rightful owner, perhaps feeling that theft was beneath the organization's dignity.
Yet hadn't they previously sent him to steal Romanov dynasty artifacts? The boss's thinking was as inscrutable as ever.
By the time Ritsu arrived at the Brussels Museum, it was already 4:29 PM, 31 minutes before the exhibition of "Carmen Lucia." Standing among the crowd in line, he quietly observed his surroundings, unsure whether Leo would also be in disguise.
But that thought quickly faded.
About seven or eight meters to the northwest, beneath a stone pillar, stood a blond man in a military-green jacket. Nearly two meters tall, heavily built, with a scar across his face, matching Vermouth's description perfectly.
'Found him.'
Without drawing attention, Ritsu moved closer, intending to see exactly how a codename member of the organization would steal the gem. The method alone would reveal his skill.
4:59 PM, one minute before the exhibition.
Leaning against the pillar, Leo suddenly took out a metal-cased lighter from his pocket. However, he didn't take out a cigarette. Having been watching him closely, Ritsu immediately sensed something was off and sharpened his focus.
Sure enough, without even flipping open the lid, Leo pressed a button on the side.
In an instant, all the lights in the museum's waiting area went out, plunging everything into darkness.
Prepared in advance, Ritsu locked onto a streak of fluorescent color moving in the dark—his own hidden marker, placed precisely to prevent Leo from exploiting a blackout.
He quickly pulled out a night-vision device to conceal his face. After putting it on, he followed the fluorescent trail outward, carefully minimizing the sound of his footsteps to avoid detection.
He had expected Leo to enter the exhibition area in a more elegant way.
Instead, with half-lidded eyes, Ritsu watched Leo pry open a ventilation shaft and awkwardly crawl inside, sticking his rear up in the process.
Silently, Ritsu turned away and abandoned that method altogether. Taking advantage of the chaos in the waiting hall, he ran straight outside.
Meanwhile, inside the ventilation shaft, Leo crawled forward with effort. His large build made moving through such a cramped space rather difficult.
After some struggle, he finally reached the ventilation opening above the exhibition area. Using a prepared wire, he pried open the small metal hatch and slipped out successfully.
Dusting himself off, Leo surveyed the exhibition through his night-vision goggles. Just as he expected, the anesthetic gas released during the blackout had already knocked out all the security guards.
Without that person interfering, stealing gems had become much easier in recent years.
Listening to the commotion outside, Leo took out the lighter again, flipped open the lid this time, and pressed a hidden blue button.
From the waiting hall came screams and shouts. The sudden release of gas only made the crowd panic more, fearing it was poison.
"Too noisy. Go to sleep quietly. When you wake up from your sweet dream, the gem you came to see will already be gone."
Leo turned toward the glass display case surrounded by railings.
His dark gray pupils suddenly shrank in shock. Clearly, what he saw was completely beyond his expectations.
Ritsu, wearing night-vision goggles, was casually sitting atop the display case. With his left hand, he aimed a gun at Leo, while his right hand rested lazily against the edge, his head tilted in a relaxed pose.
"W-Who are you?!"
"You can call me Arsène Lupin."
Borrowing the name of the fictional character created by Maurice Leblanc, that shouldn't be illegal, right? Ritsu simply couldn't think of a suitable alias, and the name "Arsène Lupin" just happened to pop into his mind.
He suddenly realized the disguise had been unnecessary. The night-vision goggles already obscured most of his face, and under their effect, even his skin tone was indistinguishable.
Completely redundant.
"Arsène Lupin?" Leo frowned, his expression wary. The man before him felt dangerous and he already had the advantage. He needed to create an opening to draw his attention and buy time to draw his gun.
"Are you here for Carmen Lucia too?"
"No. Compared to the gemstone, I'm more interested in you, Mr. Leo."
Sensing Leo's subtle movements, Ritsu didn't give him the chance to draw his weapon. He fired immediately.
But as expected of a codename member, Leo's combat ability was exceptional. Despite his large build, he was agile, truly deserving of the title "king of beasts."
Still, not quite enough.
"Ugh!"
He failed to completely evade the shot. The shockwave from a bullet grazed his ankle, tearing a strip of flesh and causing him to stagger. A final shot struck his right shoulder precisely.
So, his dominant hand had been seen through?
Why was this man interested in him? Could it be… his target wasn't the gem at all, but the organization behind him?
"Do you want to continue?"
Leo didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out a syringe and injected something directly into his arm.
"?"
Ritsu had intended to stop him, but hesitated, uncertain what exactly had been injected.
"You will pay for what you've done, Arsène Lupin!"
----
You will pay for everything you've done.
—Arsène Lupin.