The Phantom Thief YAMANEKO (怪盗 山猫)

2013 A Certain Country

Bushido...

Bushido literally means "the way of the warrior" and is used to describe the way of samurai life and moral values.

like the sakura blossoms which symbolize Japan...

is a flower with roots in the soil of this country.

The social system fostered by bushido...

disappeared long ago! BUT!

Just like the stars that are far away and once existed...

it's a noble light that continues to shine on us even now!

Born as a child of feudalism, the light of bushido...

will outlive it's mother...!

2016 Tokyo

The aim for January 6 while loudly singing about love and peace...

is the young political organisation called...

Shining Peace!

Or rather, their source of money.

Well, actually, they earn their income by committing remittance fraud.

Huh? Hey, the customer data just disappeared.

Wildcat! The security system is back in operation!

What happened?

Does this mean someone's been messing with us?

Come to think of it... it must be Mao.

Mao (魔王) means "Devil King".

Mao?

A hacker. He's the only one who could do something like this!

Wildcat, the police has arrived.

A new face who's going all out. That's hot.

I can sue you for sexual harassment. - Go ahead. I'll just get the case squashed.

Why did the cops come that quickly...

Is that Mao's doing too?

What are you doing? Hurry up and run!

Hurry!

Aaah, it's too late!

Let's run! - Wait...

Fantastic!

Over there! Turn back! - Roger!

Both hands up!

They already are.

You're the Wildcat, aren't you?

Hands up or... - I'm telling you!

They were up already!

Don't move!

If you were going to shoot, you'd do it straight away. Right, New-face-chan?

Ciao!

Bang!

How did you know he'd be on the rooftop?

Because invasion from above is the blind spot in their security.

Knowledge alone is just a portion of this.

It's pointless if you don't arrest them too.

He makes me sick...

Sakura-chan!

Eh? Katsumura-senpai?

Eh, what are you doing here? - I learned about the uproar online.

Is it the Wildcat?

Since he robbed them, that means Shining Peace have done something wrong, right?

To be honest, they're committing remittance fraud...

I'm sorry, senpai. See you soon!

Ah, it's...

The young political organisation "Shining Peace" has stolen about 50,000,000 yen...

by committing remittance fraud behind the scenes.

The mysterious thief 'The Wildcat' judges crimes and steals money without killing anyone.

Is he a gentleman thief? Or a villain?

Is this justice? Or evil?

Ouch!

What's the matter, Minakami-san?

You're lucky, aren't you? With the bosses liking your series about the Wildcat.

Everyone likes stories about violence...

While you were sleeping, a woman tried to contact you.

Sakura-chan... Wait!

Kirishima Sakura "I'm waiting for you at 14:30 in room 430 of Karaoke Django."

It's long past 14:30!

430...

EXCUSE ME!

Oh, you finally came?

Sorry.... where is Kirishima Sakura?

Eh?

You wrote this, didn't you?

The Truth About the Mysterious Thief 'The Wildcat'.

That last sentence.

That's a reference which is also in Bushido songs.

Why did you use it?

Why, you ask...

Because I saw the Bushido in what the Wildcat is doing.

He feels like the spirit of a real samurai that Japanese people these days have already forgotten about.

A real samurai?

Yes.

You're not getting being shy now, are you???

That's cold! What are you doing!

And who are you even? - That was a pretty interesting article.

But there's two mistakes. - I asked who you were...

Number 1!

I'm not a gentleman thief. - I??

Number 2!

I'm not The Mysterious Thief 'The Wildcat'.

I'm The Mysterious Thief Detective 'The Wildcat'.

Mysterious Thief Detective...

Wildcat!?

Meowwwww!

Meow?

Yamabe, the representative of Shining Peace arrested for remittance fraud the other day...

seems to be a close friend of you, Daimon, governor of Tokyo prefecture.

I only met him a few times.

It's strange, isn't it?

But there have been a series of sightings of him going in and out of the agency.

That's nonsense.

And to assume that just because he went to the agency...

he was engaging in backroom dealings... pffft.

I don't get it. - Backroom.

What is that. I never heard of it before.

What, you ask...

Magazines... you'll have read it in the magazines, right? - What kind of magazines?

You know, I once did come across a short account...

What's with you? That's almost like an investigation, isn't it?

I came to talk about Tokyo's future, you know.

Ah, my apologies. But this is indeed an important matter concerning Tokyo's future.

Don't play with me! You're making fun of me.

It's over. I'm leaving.

Oh my. That troubled him.

On this program only, forgive me if I sometimes...

abandon journalism and become an investigator.

That caster is Toudou Kenichiro, isn't it?

I bet he does this this all the time!

Ah, but about this... My serial story has become quite the topic..

If it's published as a book, I can give autograph sessions, and I'll be totally popular and super excited about the royalties.

Ey! That's great! - Well...

Where are we going? - Huh?

You want to know about me, don't you? - Well...

This is our hideout.

Don't tell anyone!

That guy... really is an idiot.

Welcome.

Quick. Get in! - Eh?

Come! Hoi hoi! - Ah, wa...wai...

That is Rikako who is in charge of driving...

and this is fat Hosoda, our electronics expert.

I'm not fat! I'm chubby! And who the hell is this?

Katsumura Hideo. He's writing the series about me in a magazine.

Wildcat! - Eh...

Is this person really the Wildcat?

What, you didn't believe me?

Uwaaah! Wa...wai...

But... isn't that too open?

An unidentified master thief is giving his name and whereabouts by himself...

Fearless and elusive...

that is Wildcat-sama.

Ah, make cup ramen for him too! - Eh?

The salty kind, okay?

Why did you bring a magazine writer with you?

We may not be able to let him live and leave.

That guy wrote the series about Mao before.

Why does that matter?

If you say Mao... you mean THAT Mao?

Yep, THAT Mao who bothered us earlier.

He tried to expose Mao's true identity with his writing.

Right?

But suddenly stopping your series is pretty unnatural.

So a certain thought occurred to me.

That he managed to find out Mao's real identity.

How about that, Katsumura-chan!

Tell me! - True!

Tell me! - Yes...

I eventually found out who Mao really is.

Mao is a woman. Moreover she's a high school student.

You've got to be kidding me...

That genius hacker is a high school girl?

But I couldn't bring myself to condemn her.

Why? - I can't tell you that.

I see.

IIIII seeeee!

Sooo, it's okay if this is gets spread around?

Our journalist is a voyeur!

Furthermore, she's a detective! - Well...

I didn't take this picture!

That was taken by a junior at university when she was there.

You think she'll believe that?

I don't think so.

Me too, I'd say going by her laugh lines she looks around 40.

Waah, cold! - How come you have this photo?

Ah? I went into your apartment.

That... - I'm digging in.

How can you just act like nothing happened?

Ah, I get it.

Because you know my weak spot, I'll never reveal your true identity.

That's why you were so open until now! - Mm...

This is not funny!

I'm just some unimportant journalist.

Even if I have to risk my pride, I will not give in to such a threat.

Hey, look at this.

Oh... she's really tied up.

Eh? Is it that? It's that, isn't it?

Is that a whip? Is that candles? - Ho...hold on!

Heeee... So she likes these kinds of games.

What is the pride of a journalist anyway?

Takasugi Mao. A 17 year-old high school student in second grade.

Mao and Mao... that's some pun.

真央 - her real name, means Center of Truth. 魔王 - pronounced the same way, means Demon King.

Someone so cute is easily forgiven...

Ouch! - Lolita Complex.

And?

Mao is a genius hacker.