"At midnight, under the moonlight, I will take Apollo — Kaitou Kid."
A small card was delivered to the Gotham Museum without anyone noticing, but no one took it seriously. Everyone just thought it was a bad joke.
"Jason, shouldn't we take this seriously?" The new guy, Pantheon, who had just graduated and started working as a security guard at the museum, asked Jason, the head of security and also his senior.
"A joke, a joke. What kind of thief sends a notice before stealing something? Penguin wouldn't, Scarecrow wouldn't, not even that lunatic Joker would. I've never even heard of this Kaitou Kid, it's definitely some clueless punk messing around." Jason took a sip of bitter coffee, relaxed his brow, and continued calmly, "Besides, even the curator doesn't care. We just need to do our job."
Even though he said that, Pantheon, who had just stepped into society, was still a young man full of justice and responsibility. He told himself that tonight, he'd keep a close eye on Apollo.
The Apollo gem, a round yellow gem shining like the sun, was donated by Wayne Enterprises. It was said to be a treasure found by one of Bruce Wayne's ancestors in the New World during the Age of Exploration. It was donated to celebrate the opening of the Gotham Museum and is one of the most valuable items in the museum.
It was already evening, and Pantheon had to stay for the night shift. As the new guy, it was natural for him to take on the toughest jobs. And night shifts are hard on anyone because people are used to working during the day and resting at night. Night shifts are basically against human nature, but no matter how much you complain, someone's gotta do it.
"Pantheon, thanks for your hard work tonight. I left you some coffee." Jason was ready to clock out, but since he was heading out for the night, he took a sip of the coffee meant for the night shift guards to give himself a boost.
So, Pantheon was the unlucky one stuck with the night shift, and his only weapons were a flashlight and a rubber baton. The huge museum only had him guarding it at night. He had already heard that strange things often happened in the museum after dark — like the legendary Batman crashing through the glass skylight on the roof, or evil criminals sneaking past through the museum's sewer pipes, making creepy noises that would send chills down your spine.
Of course, real criminals don't send warning notes, which is why no one cared about it. Pantheon's lonely footsteps echoed through the museum, which held artifacts and treasures from different parts of the world and different periods of history. Every piece in the collection had its own history, its own story, and working in the museum had really opened Pantheon's eyes.
But tonight, he went straight to where the Apollo gem was kept, right in the center of the museum, in a display case. This case had a gravity-sensitive alarm — if the gem moved even a little, the alarm would go off, and the police would arrive within three minutes. Plus, there were 360-degree surveillance cameras with no blind spots, so anyone who got close would be spotted from the security room.
Honestly, Pantheon didn't think anyone could actually steal the Apollo gem, but he couldn't shake the unease he felt, which is why he stayed here.
Above him was the museum's biggest skylight. Looking out, he could see not just the moonlight but also the shadows of distant buildings.
By now, the moon was right overhead. Pantheon checked the time on his wrist — only a few minutes left until midnight.
Suddenly, everything around him seemed to go quiet, and his heart started to race.
Pantheon calmed himself down. Wasn't it always this quiet here? Nothing to be afraid of. Deep breaths.
He silently repeated these words, trying to adjust his state of mind. He didn't even know why he suddenly felt so tense.
Maybe it was the back-to-back night shifts wearing him out. Maybe it was because he didn't drink the coffee earlier and now felt sleepy. Either way, Pantheon started making excuses for his uneasy feelings.
At some point, the moon seemed to stop right above his head, making the young guard momentarily forget everything around him.
A white figure slowly descended, light as a feather, shining under the moonlight as it made its entrance.
White suit, white gloves, white shoes, white cape, white top hat. The person's face was hidden under the brim of the hat, and the moonlight behind him made it hard for Pantheon to see his features.
But the figure wasn't strong or bulky. Pantheon compared him to himself and realized this guy was actually a bit smaller than him.
A kid? That thought flashed through Pantheon's mind.
But he quickly realized this wasn't the time for random thoughts. This uninvited guest was clearly the thief who sent the notice. He blurted out the name of the white figure, "Kaitou Kid?!"
"I sent a notice, but no audience came to watch the performance of the Moonlight Magician."
Pantheon could hear the annoyance in that young voice, as if he was upset that no one took the notice seriously.
But this guy was a thief, right? Why so flashy? Talking about an audience? Pantheon had never heard of a thief with demands like that.
"Don't move! You're under arrest." Pantheon remembered his duty and pulled out his baton, pointing it at Kaitou Kid.
Kaitou Kid didn't react. He jumped down from the Apollo gem's display case, light as ever. His landing didn't even make a sound.
Then, ignoring Pantheon, he looked at the display case. "Oh? Just an outdated gravity sensor? Pretty cheap for guarding a gem."
"Freeze!" Pantheon shouted again, praying someone in the security room would see what was happening and call the police.
"Those cameras have already been jammed, so no one's coming. Why don't you go back to your break room and take a nice nap?" Kid said as his hands moved quickly, lifting the glass cover and pulling out a special card.
"I said don't move!"
But a phantom thief wouldn't stop just because a security guard told him to.
With a flick of his hands, the gem and the card had swapped places, and the gravity alarm didn't go off.
"Got it." Then, "See you around."
Kaitou Kid pulled out a white gadget gun and fired it at the ceiling.
Pantheon looked up, eyes following him, but suddenly a cloud of smoke filled the air. Thinking it might be a bomb, he quickly crouched down and covered his head, only to realize that the smoke was just confetti and streamers — the kind people use for birthday parties.
When he looked up again, the pure white figure of Kaitou Kid was gone.
The skylight was still intact, but the thief had vanished, like a magician, appearing and disappearing in an instant — only this time, he took the gem with him. Pantheon stood there, stunned for a long time.
Inside the glass case, the Apollo gem was gone, and in its place was a card that read: "The Apollo gem is in my care — Kaitou Kid."
Ten minutes later, the police cars finally arrived at the museum with sirens blaring. They searched every corner, but found nothing.