She and Teo moved closer to get a better look, but managed to stay in the shadows of the trees. It was more of a wall than a gate, ten feet high, hewn of a pinkish stone inlaid with scattered brick that was supposed to look chic and accidental, but really just looked pretentious. Armed guards sat inside bulletproof enclosures at intervals along the wall, ready to open the giant iron gates for anyone with proper identification.

One of the guards pulled a lever from inside his glass enclosure, and it triggered the opening of the gates. The carriage rolled through at a slow pace.

“That’s when we can get past,” Aina said, pointing. “The other guard can’t see us from his position, and the guard facing us won’t be able to either. There’s a blind spot when the gate opens for a carriage to go through.”

Teo nodded, then pointed at a few willow trees lining the wall. “We can use that for cover too. We’ll have to move fast to keep up.”

They settled in to wait for another chance. In a few minutes, another carriage approached the gates, this one with white letters on the side declaring that it belonged to the Spennard Cleaning Company.

The guards opened the gate for the cleaning company’s carriage to make its way through. It rolled toward the gate, gravel crumbling beneath it, and blocked the guard’s view.

“Let’s go now,” Aina whispered.

Keeping low, she led the way toward the willow, with Teo behind her. Once they reached it, she stepped onto Teo’s cupped hands to push herself up the wall, then pulled him over as quickly as she could manage. His weight nearly knocked her off the narrow ledge, but she steadied herself and jumped down. She crouched and held her breath as she looked toward the glass enclosures with the guards. Their plan had worked; no one had seen them.

They ran swiftly behind the mansions. Before leaving the Dom earlier, Aina had asked the Fox, Mirran—Kohl’s best thief—where exactly Kouta’s mansion was in Amethyst Hill. Mirran knew the area well from past robberies of these mansions, and told Aina that Kouta lived in the northernmost one. As she and Teo made their way to it, she tried to conceal her disgust and jealousy at all the luxury surrounding her. Who in the world needed a three-story home as wide as a city block with a backyard as big as a forest? Lattice screens surrounded windows lit by electric light from within, while children starved in the streets a few miles away.

The sun had fully set by the time they reached the Hirai mansion. It was the largest one they’d seen yet, its gardens massive and perfectly maintained, the smooth white façade of the house sickening in its luxury. Maple trees lined the sides of the house like pretty soldiers, their leaves brushing against the cream walls. Servants waited at the front doors, somehow managing not to drop dead from the boredom of standing there all day. Only two people actually lived there, Kouta and his younger brother, Ryuu. She couldn’t fathom why they possibly needed so much space.