For the last two years, there have been numerous reports from nobles of robberies in their own homes. The reports are always very similar; the household goes to sleep at night. The guards neither see nor hear anything unusual; no one is awakened or alarmed. In the morning, however, a single item of value is missing. Such comparatively small losses may seem insignificant compared with the threats of Fade (T2) and the "ninja" (T3), but the problem with this cunning burglar (nicknamed "The Wind" because of his or her ability to come and go unobserved) is that in addition to objects of value, he is stealing the sense of safety that the nobles have within their own homes. He has not engaged in violence; but there is a persistent feeling that he could do so at any moment, with impunity. In short, the Wind contributes to the general lawlessness of Ryoko Owari - a sensation that the Emerald Magistrates are powerless to stop him. This, more than any theft, is his greatest crime.
That said, it is worthwhile noting a number of unusual aspects of the crimes of the Wind.
• In every instance, he steals only a single object.
• These objects are invariably small but precious - jewelry,
gold or silver. The largest object ever taken was a necklace with a pendant the length of a finger.
• In several cases, the Wind has taken objects of lesser value that were left lying out when more valuable items were nearby, but out of sight.
Naritoki's theory was that the Wind (possibly like Fade) is a wayward noble. The ingenuity required by these crimes certainly argues for an intellect higher than that possessed by peasants. Furthermore, the taking of a single object argues for a motive other than pure profit - perhaps a misplaced sense of adventure.
At the welcoming banquet, both Shosuro Kimi and Iuchi Michisuna described their experiences of having objects stolen from their chambers in the night, presumably by the elusive thief known as "The Wind". Kimi had a silver hairpin taken from her third-story room. Michisuna had a peony blossom removed from his while the valuable lacquered box it rested on was not so much as nudged aside.
Having held the monkey Hiccup in custody for over a week without any further incidents, the magistrates suspect that they have successfully resolved the situation. Upon returning the monkey, they found that Genki herself had gone missing. She told her father she was visiting her mother's grave and he has not seen her since.
Without a confession or the recovery of any of the stolen objects, only time will tell.