Chapter Text
“C’mon, Master!!! Up, up, up!!!!! We’re done with the emo mopey routine!! Get up!!!”
Yuma heaved a small sigh as he pushed himself up off the couch into a sitting position. He rubbed at his dry eyes tiredly and just sat there for several moments, his mind a total blank and his body feeling so… numb. That televised execution was still fresh in his mind, a couple of days after the fact.
‘Karen. I failed to protect Karen.’ And there came the intrusive thoughts, as he knew they would.
Just as predictably, Shinigami theatrically groaned as she hovered in front of him, arms drooping.
“C’mon already!!! How long are you gonna sulk like a teenager with no life?! It was one girl, just one! You saved those other jailbaits, didn’t ya?! Why are you so hung up on a bitch that was gonna leave you to die?!”
Yuma squeezed his eyes shut, almost willing himself to un-hear the death goddess’s sharp jaded words. He also ignored the hot boulder of rage bubbling up in his chest, already having yelled enough at Shinigami yesterday. They kept going round and round in circles, the death goddess uncaring about the lives of criminals, and Yuma believing they had a right to live and atone for their sins.
They just weren’t getting anywhere. Not like this. And Yuma knew everyone was worried about him. He knew that he possessed a determination to protect everyone…
But he couldn’t do even that much for Karen. The girl whose soul he convinced to confess her crimes, just so they wouldn’t have to end her life. Nobody but Melami knew why Yuma was so guilty over all this… Well, Melami and Shinigami. The latter simply didn’t care and wanted to go back to solving mysteries like it was no big deal.
Yuma was human. Unlike Shinigami, he actually had a heart, and wasn’t able to just… carry on…
The lilac-haired man huffed bitterly as the intrusive thoughts switched tracks and vented on Shinigami’s callous, uncaring nature… He didn’t feel good about it, but between grouching about Shinigami and hating himself for being so powerless… Well, Yuma was too tired to stop his brain from setting the death goddess off all over again. He was numb, and just not listening to her.
“Yo, kid?” Yakou waved at the trainee from over at his desk, when Yuma opened his eyes and peered over at him. The bluenet massaged the back of his neck awkwardly and frowned minutely, his eyes conveying concern for the young detective. “How about you go on a meat bun run? Get some air.”
Yuma smiled wobbly, ducking his head in embarrassment. The Chief wasn’t ‘demanding’ meat buns, for once. It’s clear his intentions were for Yuma to get out and clear his head. … Although he probably wouldn’t mind his beloved Kamasaki meat buns, if the trainee was in a charitable enough mood.
“Sure, Chief. On it.” The lilac-haired man murmured in subdued gratitude and fetched his hat and coat, which was more in the style of a cape.
Again, ignoring Shinigami, mind you. Which was a herculean task all on its own. But he did it, because he wasn’t in the mood to argue with Shinigami, and he wanted to get back in time so that he and Pucci could start their day.
Traversing the sewers and the rainy streets was second nature by this point. The sewers especially were putrid and disgusting, but Yuma had learned a simple trick of breathing through your nose, or better yet holding your breath for as long as possible until you got past the worst parts. The traffic on the upper part of the sewers was no different from normal, nor was the street the young detective stepped out onto after ascending some stairs.
He didn’t even see the other detectives yet, so they were most likely still at the hotel and having breakfast.
‘I could always swing by, the hotel’s right there…’ Yuma mused to himself as he got a to-go order from the stand owner, carrying the small bag with ease.
However, just as he was within arm’s distance of the hotel doors, the trainee froze and reconsidered. Morning meetings in the sub were short, but they all ended up attending anyway. More a formality for the Chief’s sake than actual necessity, since it was apparently something the Nocturnal Detective Agency always used to do. But Yuma could respect tradition in this case. With ten of them here in the city, it was better to assess how everyone was doing, if anyone was getting sick or particularly fed up…
Besides. For all that Yakou groaned about how rowdy they could be sometimes, Yuma felt that having these meetings at the start and end of the days just… In the subtlest of ways, it made Yakou happy. Like they were giving him something that he’d lost…
…
“Where the heck are you going?!” Shinigami grumbled as the lilac-haired man changed trajectories and turned down the street that the bus stop was on, and ambled on without stopping.
Yuma smiled thinly as he heaved a small sigh.
“Chief told me to go out and get some air. So… I’ll do just that.” It’s not like he needed to tell the death goddess that his mind was an unpleasant place to be right now.
And besides, the meat buns could always be reheated if the mild patrol around Kamasaki District took too long. It’s not as if Yuma was looking for trouble, he only wanted to do his part in keeping Kanai Ward safe… And anyway, this early in the morning? There weren’t many people up and around. Give it another half hour, and the streets would be more packed. This quick little jaunt truly was just clear his head.
… Well, as much as he could clear it, anyway. Yuma hadn’t had much success yesterday. And today started out on miserable footing.
As expected, the streets were pretty quiet. The few citizens milling about were either walking in the direction of cafes or workplaces. A couple kids who were most likely heading to school… Really, nothing extravagant.
“…” Shinigami huffed bitterly to herself, crossing her arms and turning away from her Master as they walked.
It’s not like she didn’t care that her Master was all down in the dumps. Whether or not it was smart, the death goddess cared a great deal about Yuma. What was difficult to comprehend for her was that Yuma’s kindness extended to someone that just didn’t deserve it… So what if that kid and her dad got executed on live TV? Sure, it sucks, but they were just gonna let Yuma take the fall for that girl’s murder… Shinigami had no sympathy for that slu*t.
… But she couldn’t just ask Yuma to ignore his huge, suffocating, compassionate heart. Technically she was, but it’s not like she expected the faux-trainee to heed her demands. As much as Shinigami wanted Yuma to move on, she knew it was unrealistic.
The death goddess was simply… impatient. She made a promise, swore an oath to make a great detective out of this dense, self-depreciating, selfless goober. Truth be told, at the time she had no idea her Master would turn out like this, just had that warning that it would likely take a lot of work… But she was trying her hardest, dangit!!!
Babysitting this guy was a full-time job. And Shinigami hated the times when they butted heads… But as of this latest case, with the conclusion of the Mystery Labyrinth, she was forced to face facts. Sometimes – rarely! – Yuma might… be… right about some stuff. Shinigami believed she knew everything about the Mystery Labyrinth, or at least the important parts. So to be so eloquently proven wrong that you had to execute the killer every time to get out of there… Shinigami was left cursing the labyrinths purging her memories somewhat over the many years. When it came to those magical places, Shinigami was no different from her oftentimes oblivious Master. She was a greenhorn, an upstart, all too eager to flaunt what she “knew” about such supernatural wonders.
Shinigami didn’t like admitting that she was a greenhorn. She despised it. And yet, it was pointed out to her quite so staunchly. Evidence clear as day. That was an additional reason why the execution didn’t impact her as hard as Yuma, because Shinigami was used to that being the outcome.
And yet… perhaps she was being too bitchy and insensitive. For all that Karen had it coming, Shinigami didn’t necessarily want the slu*t to end up dead. … Wellllll… Maybe she did a little. Just a teeny-weeny bit. But not at the expense of her Master, dangit!! He did work hard to spare that girl’s life… For all that Shinigami thought the brat was undeserving of the honor. It was cruel to have her Master’s efforts so viciously spat on by that megalomaniacal Peacekeeper f*cko.
Shinigami sighed tiredly, arms drooping miserably as she continued facing away from the lilac-haired man as they walked and floated along, respectively. Her promise obligated the death goddess to keep trying to support Yuma. Regardless of her conflicted feelings and opinions. Yuma had proven her wrong once, maybe he’ll do so again. But for that to happen, Yuma needed to find some new resolve…
Even if she didn’t like where he picked it up from… Like those hussies at the academy… Jealousy over pubescent girls was better than watching her Master drown himself in misery and anguish. Shinigami was just gonna have to deal, if she couldn’t cheer the faux-trainee up on her own.
“Hmm? What’s that?” Yuma blinked owlishly, having been mindlessly wandering while his partner was so lost in thought, herself. He was now at a complete halt and hearing some… meaty thuds and hushed, aggravated voices. Shinigami perked up as she paid more attention to their environment, too.
Apparently they were near that alleyway where Kurane blackmailed him. The one that was two levels beneath the bookstore. As the lilac-haired man approached the alley to gain a clearer picture of what was going on, he froze and went ghastly pale at the scene before him. Three people – three men if he was identifying them correctly… Two of them were ferociously attacking the third man, who was slumped in the corner of the alley. Both of the aggressors were wearing red raincoats with their hoods up and backs to Yuma as they went about their nasty business. One of the strangers was a slender, thin man that was kicking the downed man in the green raincoat. The other attacker, though, had bile rising in Yuma’s throat as he gaped and shuddered at the sheer size of the brute. He was smaller than Dominic, but he had to be at least as tall as Vivia, just with a lot more muscle definition to his arms, legs, and torso; whereas the wiry man was delivering kicks, this towering brute was savagely punching his victim in the head.
‘Wh-What in the world…?!’ If it had been two Peacekeepers doing this atrocious deed, Yuma wouldn’t be surprised. But these guys didn’t seem like Peacekeepers.
More than that… what was he supposed to do? Yuma felt a chill go down his spine as he watched the men beat the sh*t out of the suffering victim for several painfully long moments. It would be one thing if he was a combatant like Halara… Or a wizened veteran like Zange… But Yuma was out of his depth here. This wasn’t a situation he could safely defuse, especially not in his frazzled state of mind that was overwhelmed at the savage violence before him.
The wisest thing to do would be to run to the hotel. Fetch at least one of the others and rush back.
… But if he did that… What would happen to this poor man? From the sounds of the hits, these thugs were not holding back. In fact, Yuma could swear he heard some bones cracking, and he couldn’t be certain if that wasn’t just all in his head. It was all too easy to imagine that in the few precious minutes that he ran to fetch someone, this man cowering and helpless on the ground would be killed. The fact he was hesitating, wavering between his two courses of action… It only dwindled what little time he had.
“Master…!” Shinigami hissed, purposely floating in front of Yuma’s face to obscure his vision of the ghastly scene. She stared into his very soul as she leaned forward. “I know that look in your eyes. You’re being very, very stupid. Don’t you dare run in there without a plan. I can’t protect you when there’s no mystery involved – you charge in there now, you die…! I know it’s a risk, but you’re just gonna have to fetch one of the others. No throwing your life away for a complete stranger, you hear me?!”
Yuma trembled as he stood there. Oh, he heard her loud and clear. For once, Shinigami was saying some things that made sense, and wasn’t just plain heartless or mean. However, just because the death goddess made some good points doesn’t mean he can just act… rationally. The scene before them was overwhelming, and Yuma absolutely didn’t want this man to die.
He couldn’t save Karen, but maybe… just maybe he could save this stranger.
The skinny attacker ceased his kicking suddenly, making the lilac-haired man jolt in panic and worry. Regardless of what he ended up doing, Yuma might have been perceived. However, to his bewilderment, the man reached into the depths of his red raincoat and withdrew… a switchblade knife.
Yuma’s eyes bulged even harder at the sight of the grizzly tool, and he heard the larger man cackle and rumble with dark delight as he drew back as well.
“Yeah, it’s about that time~…” The gorilla of a man mused as his compatriot slowly advanced.
Shinigami’s arms drooped miserably as she deadpanned at the two thugs.
“Oh, f*ck me…”
Fight-or-flight instincts were kicking in, and Yuma was dangerously tipping toward the more hazardous side of the spectrum… If he survived, Chief and Pucci were absolutely going to tear him a new one. He also made a silent prayer to Kurane to forgive him for being so… headstrong.
Yuma truly hoped he’d make it out of this.
“H-Hey, you guys…!!!” The trainee called out with as much authority as he could muster. Which… unfortunately for him wasn’t that much. Because of course his voice was scratchy, cracking, and anything but calm, imposing, and demanding like the tone Halara usually took. Regardless, the pair of men swiveled towards him menacingly, their faces concealed by the ominous shadows of their hoods. Yuma took a step back on instinct as he held up his hands. “I-I… I just had my friend go and contact the Peacekeepers!! If you don’t stop r-right now, you’re going to be taken… i-in…!”
Shinigami facepalmed. Loudly. Why was her Master such a maroon?!?!
The two hooded strangers exchanged unreadable expressions before they continued facing Yuma with an eerie calmness.
“Can you believe this kid?! He’s got balls of titanium, stickin’ around~…” The musclebound gorilla crossed his arms intimidatingly as he sneered. The deep baritone voice absolutely sent shivers down Yuma’s spine.
“…” The other man elected to say nothing, instead casually juggling the switchblade knife between his hands expertly without hurting himself.
The first man seemed to take the silence as some kind of response, though as he began cracking his knuckles.
“Yeah, you’re probably right… He’s just another empty-headed brat with bright, bushy eyes that scream, ‘I wanna be a hero!’” The mountain of a man shook his head sagely as he belted out a derisive laugh. “Worst choice of your life, idiot. You know what they do to heroes in Kanai Ward? Let’s give you a personal demonstration~…”
As the giant man declared that, he stomped towards Yuma with hands held out, conveying a dark promise of what would happen if the young detective was foolish enough to continue standing there so recklessly. Yuma shook his head fretfully and backed away with nervous energy. He let out a shrill shriek as the switchblade knife suddenly flew past his shoulder, narrowly avoiding cutting into him. And Yuma was further unsettled when he stepped to the side on instinct just as some cord attached to the handle of the knife brought it dangerously close to slashing into his neck.
Just as Yuma registered this near fatal accident, hugging the alley wall as his panicked eyes watched the skinny man yank back his weapon and put on a little demonstration of twirling and swinging it around his body without hurting himself. Shinigami watched all of this in morbid, haunted silence as Yuma continued leaning on the wall to keep himself standing.
The giant man was amused at the young detective’s doomed plight as he kept laughing away.
“Better start runnin’, kid~! The only one getting handicapped today is you~…! And that’s if I don’t snap your neck!!!”
Yuma screamed out again as the boarish brute came running at him. Like a train. The lilac-haired man’s eyes became pinpricks as he did what came naturally. … He ran like hell. There were some nearby stairs that went down into the sewers, and Yuma did not hesitate to bolt down them, taking two steps at a time – almost three towards the bottom. In his rush, he wound up smacking into the wall directly ahead and stumbled back in a panic as he had two choices to run in.
“GAHAHAHA~!!!!!” The mountain of a man’s cruel laughter shook Yuma to his very core as he knew not to look behind him – wouldn’t dare to look back – and scurried to the left path as he heard a weighty thud where he’d been standing mere moments before. Only then did Yuma dare peek behind his shoulder to see the thug had leaped down the stairwell and charged into the same wall that Yuma had.
Yuma hyperventilated as he kept running down the left path. Really, there was only going to be one way for him to go, and that was take the stairs right back up to ground level. Shinigami anxiously hovered next to him as he ran, only sometimes screeching out to run faster because the brutish man was catching up.
The young detective didn’t even rightly recall where he’d end up as he hurried back above ground. But to his relief, it was the bus stop next to the hotel. However, upon hearing a suspicious sound to his left, Yuma backed away hurriedly just as he dodged the skinny man who was suddenly up in his personal space, slashing with the switchblade knife.
Yuma yelped as a car horn honked behind him – the vehicle speeding past as the trainee came close to getting run over. Nevertheless, once the car was gone Yuma did a one-eighty and bolted away from the hotel and into the nearby T-intersection alleyway and hung a right back to the street he was previously on. He didn’t have to look behind him to know that the skinny man was in pursuit, and Yuma didn’t care about that so much… Because he could hear the giant was back above ground, in his uproariously cheerful mood as ever, and that was the more urgent threat.
… But more than that… the two had abandoned their initial prey. This gave Yuma the opportunity to double back and get the man to hide, if not get away. The young detective didn’t mind becoming the new target. Just as long as he could save someone…!
“For the record, you’re batsh*t crazy, Master!!!!!” Shinigami spat out in frustration as Yuma skidded to a halt in front of the alleyway and jogged down it to approach the fallen man, who had yet to get up.
“S-Sorry about all this… Can you stand?” Yuma bent down and shook the man by the shoulder.
“Unghhh…” The man in the green raincoat groaned, sluggishly rising up to lean against the wall and sit there to haggardly breathe. His hood fell back to reveal a pale face and short dark hair. There were bruises around the man’s head, but mercifully his face remained untouched. He blinked owlishly at Yuma. “… Who the heck are you?”
The lilac-haired man wrung his hands fearfully as his eyes darted back and forth.
“Th-There’s no time for that!! We need to go. C-Can you stand up?!”
“…” The dark-haired man said nothing to that, squinting at the young detective curiously.
“Well, well, well~…!” The thunderous voice that immediately froze the blood in Yuma’s veins had the two of them and Shinigami whipping their gazes toward the entrance to the alley, where the thugs were standing menacingly. The big one had his thick arms crossed, while the skinny one was once again brandishing his knife. “Returning to the scene of the crime to hand yourself on a silver platter…? How thoughtful of you~!”
Yuma squeaked in terror and trembled. Shinigami attempted to fly towards the aggressors and fend them off… for all the good that did them. The dark-haired man blinked slowly and drank them in, wobbly standing up at last.
“… Right. We’re doing this now.” He breathed a sigh and lazily dusted himself off.
Yuma swallowed thickly as his eyes darted from his new companion to the thugs at the entrance.
“Wh-What is even going on?! Why are you attacking this man?!”
The musclebound gorilla of a man sneered at the young detective’s ignorance.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, brat? I’d be more than happy to regale you~… But you’ll be dead in just a minute.” He cracked his knuckles menacingly. “All you need to know is that traitors get stitches. And since you poked your nose in our private business… Well. That’s your own fault for being born a dumbass. Just stay right there, and I’ll make it as quick as possible~…”
Yuma hardly knew what he was doing by this point. He stepped in front of the man in the green raincoat, as terrified as he was, and threw his arms out weakly as a last line of defense. The muscular thug and his lanky compatriot menacingly advanced… But before they could even make it halfway, some sort of can flew past Yuma’s shoulder and nailed the mountain of a man before spraying out a thick cloud of gas. The two aggressors began hacking and coughing as the cloud grew in size.
“Wh-What in the world…?!” Yuma gaped at the sight. So awestruck he jolted as the man in the green raincoat shook him by the shoulder and jerked a thumb to their left.
“Tear gas. It won’t buy us much time, let’s go!” The dark-haired man hissed, and this seemed to get Yuma to finally notice that… yeah. This alleyway wasn’t a dead end. He forgot.
A quick look to the left revealed stairs that led up to the second level of Kamasaki District. Without preamble, the young detective and the green-coated man, with Shinigami right behind them, charged up the stairs and hung a right. As Yuma dreaded, he could hear that thunderous voice yelling after them and knew it would only be a matter of time before they would have pursuers again.
They kept running along the second level, past the umbrella shop and down some more stairs into the T-intersection alleyway before sharply turning left around the corner near them and screeching to a halt in a street all too familiar to Yuma. If they hung a left, they’d reach the meat bun stand and the hotel. And if they hung right…
“G-Go right…!” Yuma urged, pointing vaguely in the direction of the entrance he knew would take them down to the sewers. “W-We’ll hide out in the sub…!”
The dark-haired man seemed to snort bitterly at that suggestion.
“And owe Yakou a favor…? Not on your life.” Instead, he darted over to the nearby car parked in the street, over to the driver’s side of it… And too quick for Yuma to catch what was going on, he opened the door and climbed in – unlocking the passenger side for the young detective.
Yuma’s eyes were pinpricks as he heard the commotion from their pursuers nearby, and against his better judgement, climbing into the passenger’s seat where the dark-haired man forced him to duck down in the seat, as far down as he could go.
“Th-This is your car?!” The lilac-haired man squeaked, unable to believe how lucky they were.
The dark-haired man snorted again as they stayed ducked down out of view from the windows.
“… Something like that. Now kindly shush up, hero-kun.”
Yuma blinked owlishly, shaking his head. There were far too many questions bubbling up in his mind.
“B-But seriously, what is all this about…?! Wh-Who are y…?!”
“Shh!!”
At the dark-haired man’s heated insistence, Yuma clamped his mouth shut. And just in time, too… Because even though he couldn’t see outside, he could hear the earth-shattering voice of that muscular man as he came to a stop somewhere nearby.
“Where’d they go?! Guh… The nerve of that bastard…” A heavy sigh as something was mumbled by his compatriot, too lowly for Yuma to make out. Then the big guy spoke up again. “Yeah, I know. But we can’t just let ‘em go. I’ve got a reputation to uphold… C’mon. You go below ground, I’ll stick up here and keep an eye out. Now go!!”
A couple of moments later, Yuma could hear one of them running off – presumably toward the sewers, closest to where the agency was. He didn’t hear any other movement, and the lilac-haired man attempted to sit up and peek out… But the dark-haired man clamped his head down and kept Yuma from doing anything. … For several, painfully tense minutes. In that time, the young detective heard a few people walking past on the street… He couldn’t be too sure if any one of them was the muscular guy – Yuma hoped so… He wanted this to be over.
Eventually, however, Shinigami finally yapped in his ear.
“Coast is clear~! The asshole’s finally gone!!”
The lilac-haired man released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He squeaked out as the dark-haired man kept his hand firmly on the young detective’s head.
“L-Look… um… Sir…” Yuma nervously tittered, knowing how weird this was going to sound. “I know you don’t have any reason to believe me… B-But I think he’s gone. I-If you want, j-just look for yourself…!”
A few more tense moments passed between them. Slowly, the man sat up just enough to peer out the window, keeping Yuma’s head down… Then, he nodded stiffly and let Yuma go. Slowly, the man reached over to buckle his seatbelt. Yuma blinked owlishly as he sat up and looked around.
“Erm… Not that I mind, b-but… where… are we going?” He had hoped that with the aggressors gone, they’d be able to sneak back to the agency… Although with the skinny man patrolling the underground, that might have been too risky to attempt. The lilac-haired man squinted as he noticed his new… friend(?) doing something strange. “… What are you doing?”
The dark-haired man stuck out his tongue in concentration before finally getting the car to start.
“Hotwiring the car, what else~…?” He murmured as he backed up and then turned the car around to drive off.
Yuma was baffled at the man’s clarification. He tilted his head in bemusem*nt.
“… Why would you need to hotwire your own car…?”
The dark-haired man beamed innocently and chirped far too cheerfully for the young detective’s tastes.
“Somebody else’s car. I’m just borrowing it. We’re not sticking around here to play ‘Hide and Seek’.”
Yuma’s eyes bulged in alarm as he whipped his head around to gape at the stranger.
“A-Are you nuts?! W-We can’t just steal someone’s car!!!”
The dark-haired man half-liddedly deadpanned as he kept his attention on the road without much effort.
“Not stealing, it’s borrowing, hero-kun~… We’ll bring it back. … If I remember.”
Yuma just continued staring dumbfoundedly at the quirky dark-haired man.
“O-Okay. I’ve got a million questions…! Just who are you?! Why were those guys trying to kill you? A-And… And where are we going?!”
The silence stretched on way too long for the young detective’s liking. However, eventually they reached a stoplight, and the dark-haired man leaned back casually, one arm drooped over the steering wheel.
“You haven’t heard of me? I’m hurt.” The dark-haired man gestured at himself with his free hand. “I’m the one and only Handyman of Kanai Ward, kid~… Souta Crawford. Nice to meetcha~…”
Yuma repeatedly opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to say… anything to that nonchalant introduction. But the words just wouldn’t come out. Instead, he just awkwardly sat there as the light changed, and Souta kept driving. Shinigami hovered there with a “I’m so done with this.” expression, and Yuma couldn’t blame her. This was a lot to take in.
Awkwardly, the lilac-haired man mustered a response a few minutes later.
“W-Well, I’m Yuma. Yuma Kokohead. I’m, uh… a detective at the Nocturnal Detective Agency. S… Sort of.”
Souta huffed in amusem*nt at Yuma’s flustered introduction, rolling his eyes.
“Detective, eh~… I remember being one of those. That sure takes me back.”
Yuma jolted as he mechanically turned to peer at the dark-haired man incredulously. Shinigami theatrically gaped as well.
“Y-You used to be a detective?!” The lilac-haired man yelped.
Souta gave the trainee a strange look out of the corner of his eye.
“Yakou didn’t tell you?”
“H-He said that all his coworkers and assistants quit years ago…! Ch-Chief didn’t give us names!!”
The ex-detective made a nonchalant noise as he kept his eyes on the road ahead.
“Typical tightlipped Yakou. Well, it’s only fair. I wouldn’t want to open up to a bunch of kids either. Talking about the past never changes anything.”
Yuma wrinkled his nose as he squinted up at Souta, but the quirky man didn’t elaborate. Instead, a few minutes later they pulled over to an unfamiliar parking lot and the ex-detective turned the car off, opening his door as he lazily stared at Yuma out of the corner of his eye.
“Welp, let’s go. Car’s outta gas, not much else we can do. Hide and Seek it is.”
The lilac-haired man shivered, not budging in his seat as he hauntingly stared at Souta.
“Are… Are those guys seriously going to be out here?!” Yuma didn’t want to encounter them again. Neither one of them. Even the skinny one had that knife…
Souta shrugged uncaringly as he got out and stretched, slamming the door shut. Yuma grudgingly emerged from his side and darted over to Souta nervously.
“Beats me, hero-kun. We’re still in Kamasaki. I wouldn’t count on them giving up anytime soon. Let’s just find somewhere to hide ‘til the heat dies down~… They know all of my usual haunts, so I can’t go to any of them.”
Yuma whimpered as he looked around anxiously.
“They know where you l-live…?! Ughhh… Who even are they? What’s all of this about…?!”
Souta smiled with an unreadable expression, reaching out to pat Yuma on the shoulder. … It wasn’t very comforting.
“They know most of my clientele, too. We should be fine if we keep moving around~… Tomorrow will be a new day, and they might give up by then.”
Yuma shivered in dread as he peered up at the ex-detective.
“Y-You seriously think this might take all day…?!” He wanted to get back in touch with his friends. Halara would definitely be able to handle these guys… At least Yuma hoped she would be able to…
Souta shrugged again, peering around with wise eyes as he seemed to recognize their general whereabouts.
“With how determined they are, I’d wager half a day at least… Calling the Peacekeepers in won’t do a damn thing, and do you really wanna drag your friends into this?” The ex-detective arched an eyebrow curiously, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Yuma deflated miserably as he bowed his head and shook it glumly.
“… No…”
Souta grinned, though it didn’t quite meet his eyes.
“Let’s get ya some grub. I know this cozy diner just around the corner. Can’t stay there forever, but I doubt they’ll come looking for an hour-ish.”
Practically all the hope was snuffed from Yuma’s eyes by this point as he heaved a tired sigh.
“I… I guess. F-Fine…”
As Souta took the lead, Yuma and Shinigami followed, uncertain where the future would take them. Yuma vaguely felt a faint nostalgia walking behind Souta, like it was his first day again in Kanai Ward, and Chief was showing him the way to the agency… It was strange. And yet… Yuma didn’t dislike the nostalgia. For all that he didn’t know Souta at all, the man did appear to know the Chief. Carried the same tired, experienced energy as the Chief.
… And that was enough for Yuma to place his faith in the man.
~*~
After their impromptu breakfast at the diner was cut short by the musclebound thug storming the joint… Yuma, Souta, and Shinigami by default slipped out back, and the ex-detective guided them to a new hidey-hole in Kamasaki. They stuck to the more dilapidated side of Kanai Ward because Souta assured them that the ramshackle buildings gave them more options for quick, effective exits.
… And that’s how the trio (or duo, as far as Souta knew) wound up in an abandoned bar that shutdown three years ago. With the doors and windows of the homely building boarded up, no one would suspect the bar was still in use by anyone. Few citizens seemed to remember that there was an underground tunnel used for transporting booze to the cellar; and that tunnel was connected to the kitchen.
As Souta poked his head out of the trapdoor and confirmed that the bar was as empty as he’d last seen it, he hopped up deftly, then moved to flick on the nearby light switch, which only flicked on a single dangling bulb tethered to the ceiling via a string. Yuma poked his head out and squinted at their surroundings, wrinkling his nose somewhat at the old, putrid smells left in the bar.
Souta snorted as he gestured lazily for Yuma to follow him into the main room.
“C’mon, slowpoke~… We won’t be safe forever, but it’ll be a couple hours before they think to look in here.” He passed through the doorway before poking his head back in for a moment. “… Oh. And leave that trapdoor open, mmkay? We’re gonna need it later~…”
Yuma sweatdropped before sighing breezily and leaping up into the dusty old kitchen, peering around curiously and Shinigami flew about to get a lay of the land. Everything looked… sad. Tools and supplies left abandoned and forgotten. The single bulb flickered, but kept swinging lazily and kept the room lighted… albeit dimly. He stepped into the main room, and Souta turned the lights in the bar on at that exact moment, leaving the young detective somewhat disoriented but at the same time bemused to see the bar left in even greater disrepair.
Almost like the last thing that happened in here was a bar brawl… There were even some darkened stains left on the floor and walls, and Yuma didn’t know what those stains were… He hoped they were just stains from spilled liquor, and not defecation…
… Or blood. Yuma dearly, dearly hoped they were not old bloodstains.
Souta commandeered a booth seat in the corner in the time that Yuma and Shinigami were ogling the old bar. He appeared to be unconcerned with their current situation as he sat by what appeared to be a backpack and a laptop left on the table.
“Souta…? What is this place?” The trainee couldn’t hold his questions back any longer.
The ex-detective snorted as he reached into the backpack and plucked out a notebook and pen, idly twirling the latter between his fingers.
“It’s an old bar that Yakou and I used to frequent. Well. All of us in the Nocturnal Detective Agency blew through here once or sometimes thrice a week. Even Serika thought this place was pretty good. For a bar in Kamasaki District, anyway.” Souta craned his head to peer around at the old girl, frowning with an unreadable expression. “Closed down three years ago when the pub owner mysteriously vanished. And considering it was three years ago, well~… The employees sure didn’t want anything more to do with it. Not after the state it was left in. They boarded up the whole joint like it was cursed~…”
Yuma blinked owlishly as the ‘three years ago’ reference flew over his head. His frown deepened as his eyes lingered too long on a particular massive stain left on the floor.
“He didn’t… You don’t think the owner got murdered, do you?”
Souta shrugged nonchalantly as he reclined back in the booth seat casually.
“That seemed to be the popular theory back then. Nobody could find the old coot, and everything was so hazy and unclear. Peacekeepers took one look at this place and declared it a crime scene, and left the employees to board everything up. They had too much on their plate to care about one measly bar.”
The lilac-haired man blinked very slowly as he mechanically turned towards the ex-detective.
“And… you use this old crime scene as… some sort of hideout?” The trainee figured he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Souta’s clarification on this.
Souta smirked childishly as his eyes twinkled with mirth.
“Kid. You’ve never had to live as a fugitive before, so lemme tell ya~… It sucks. Always looking over your shoulder. Struggling just to survive. You’re lucky if an abandoned residence falls into your lap. I would have killed for a place like this four, five years ago… But alas. I got my life back together three years ago, and I’ve just used this old slice of nostalgia as a backup home in case Yomi Hellsmile decides to use me as a chew toy again. Not that he will, but~… I’m never taking chances again, that’s for sure~!”
Shinigami, who just returned from floating around the whole establishment, squealed in shock as she drew back from Souta’s general area.
“A-A fugitive?!?!?!”
Yuma’s eyes were similarly bugging out as he gaped at the ex-detective in disbelief.
“P-P-Pardon if this sounds rude, b-but are you a… a criminal…?” The lilac-haired man flinched as Souta co*cked his head slightly, regarding him with an unreadable expression.
“Seems pretty late to be asking me that, don’tcha think~…? You got in that car with me. I took you out to eat. Brought you back to my fabulous pad~…” Souta sprawled out his arms in a far too nonchalant manner. “You tell me, Yuma~… Am I a criminal? What are your deductions, O Great and Mighty Master Detective?”
The lilac-haired man flinched at the jab and rubbed at his arm vulnerably, dipping his head in shame. It’s not as if he wanted to doubt the man that he saved, but Souta’s phrasing had been pretty iffy… No. Yuma wouldn’t use that as an excuse. He massaged the back of his neck anxiously as he kept his gaze averted.
“I don’t… know what to make of you. I’m only a detective-in-training. B-But… I saw you were in trouble. And I couldn’t… I couldn’t just leave you to die.”
Souta’s mouth pressed into a thin line as his expression turned blank and unreadable again. He kept twirling the pen through his fingers idly.
“Messiah complex, eh… And… you didn’t have a way of punishing those guys with your super amazing Forte ability?”
Yuma blanched as he stared up at Souta with a haunted gaze, shaking his head fearfully.
“I-I told you I’m a trainee…! I don’t have a Forte!!” There was no way he was going to reveal Shinigami’s powers to this strange man. They couldn’t have used the Mystery Labyrinth. And Yuma could not speak of Shinigami to anyone… Those were the rules. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t go around killing people…!”
Souta hummed noncommittally as he maintained an utterly neutral expression.
“No need to snap, it was just a question.” The dark-haired man fell quiet as he twirled his pen idly for several long tense moments. Then, like flipping a record, Souta took on a more soothing, congenial tone. “Y’know I would hardly blame you, right? If you kill someone to save another… If that person was going to kill anyway. do they really deserve tenderhearted mercy…?”
Yuma choked on some saliva as his eyes bulged, staring down at the floor, feeling at a loss.
“That’s… I don’t… I don’t think anyone should make such judgements. Killing shouldn’t be justified… Nothing can ever make it okay to snuff out a life…!”
Souta eyed the trainee with his ever impassive, unreadable gaze.
“Even if that person at your mercy was Yomi Hellsmile? You wouldn’t dream of killing him? After all the brutal executions, the cruel tortures, all the innocent lives he’s ruined for his own ends?”
The lilac-haired man stiffened, eyes hauntingly glued to the floor as he involuntarily shivered. Against his will, Karen’s face flashed in his mind, as well as her father… standing up on that stage… being smashed to death by Dominic… Eventually, he mustered a heavy nod as he kept his gaze averted.
“Y… Yes. I would want him to answer for everything he’s done, but I would want him to live to do it. A dead man… can’t be punished.”
Souta steepled his fingers together, flicking his eyes over to Yuma pensively as an uncomfortable silence fell between them. The ex-detective tapped his fingers casually after a while.
“There’d be many in Kanai Ward who disagree with you~… You can indeed find very creative ways to punish a man through his execution. Many families torn apart by that man’s machinations would not rest until he’s in the dirt. Buried and forgotten. What right do you have as an outsider, as a detective, to decide how such monsters are punished~…?”
Yuma squeezed his eyes shut painfully before he breathed out a ragged sigh, shaking his head in rejection of such notions.
“I don’t doubt many would want him dead. It’s not my place to question let alone understand why people feel the way they do…” He reopened his eyes solemnly, a certain grit there that hadn’t been there previously. “But we can be better than Yomi…! His way is to always get what he wants, and step on whoever is in his way. There’s no due process. There’s no justice… You just think you’re getting instant gratification. But it won’t make you feel better. Not really.”
The ex-detective’s smirk took a hollow edge to it. His eyes shining so dully.
“A model answer from a wet-behind-the-ears rookie… You’re one of Yakou’s kids alright. I’d recognize that idealistic sense of justice anywhere~… The kind that Kanai Ward so desperately needs. Real shame the current regime is so determined to erase your existence.”
Yuma’s shoulders sagged, feeling so miserable and drained after reaffirming his stance so vivaciously.
“Yeah… That’s the problem. To truly help Kanai Ward, we’re going to have to dismantle the current Peacekeeper system and… and rebuild it from the ground up. But we detectives won’t have a full say in that. All we can do is try and do something about Yomi… The rest would be up to the courts.”
In a catlike manner, Souta flipped open his notebook as he maintained eye contact with Yuma and playfully smirked at the lilac-haired man.
“How ‘bout as thanks for saving me, I help you organize all that information you’ve compiled and set reasonable goals?”
Yuma stared at the ex-detective in baldfaced bemusem*nt.
“Erm… Th-That’s alright. We’ve been doing that sort of thing for weeks now. I… I wouldn’t want to bother you.”
Souta’s eyes flashed with barely veiled as amusem*nt as he also flashed a smile with far too many teeth.
“Sooo~… You already know your next steps? You’re not spinning your wheels. At all.”
Yuma squirmed uncomfortably, massaging the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. Shinigami deadpanned at the trainee.
“Y’know, he has a point. We’ve kinda gunned for any and every mystery in our path, no real goals…”
Yuma deflated, leaning forward with slumped shoulders and feeling every bit like Vivia.
“I, er… W-We’ve been helping everyone we can…!” Really, they were trying!
Souta rolled his eyes before clicking his pen empathically.
“That’s always been Yakou’s policy, yeah. Can hardly blame the guy. He’s always viewed detectives as heroes. And that’s why I was needed to keep him grounded in reality~… We built the Nocturnal Detective Agency, Yakou and me. Just give me a chance to act like the senpai that I was supposed to be~…”
The trainee wrinkled his nose briefly before regarding Souta somewhat warily. There was just something about all of this that didn’t seem… right… Like he was about to make a big, big mistake.
“O-Okay…? How much do you want to know? Wh-Where should I begin?”
Souta beamed innocently, clicking his pen obnoxiously.
“Let’s start at the beginning~… Your arrival in Kanai must have been harrowing~…” His eyes twinkled with mirth.
Yuma gaped and a helpless croaking sound escaped him. It’s not like he’d been in Kanai Ward for years, but that was weeks ago…!
“Y-You want me to start from the beginning?!”
Souta smirked impishly.
“Do you have anywhere else to be? Any hot dates I don’t know about~?”
Yuma deadpanned as he slumped further in misery. Shinigami crossed her arms and nodded sagely to herself.
“Right! This guy rubs me all the wrong ways~… But I like the way he thinks~! Master’s gonna be here forever! Kyahahaha~!”
The lilac-haired man paled in dawning horror as his eyes flitted between the death goddess and the troublesome ex-detective.
Great. There was two of them now…! Two devils. What did he do to deserve this?!
~*~
Another day…
Yuma wasn’t sure what to expect when Desuhiko decided to invite him up to the old agency’s rooftop… Out of impulse, Kurane invited herself along without giving a defined reason, either. But for the trainee’s part, he was more concerned with his fellow detective. The disguise enthusiast was acting… antsy.
To be honest, it had Yuma feeling butterflies in his stomach, too.
“N-Not to rush you, Desuhiko, b-but… Is there a reason you wanted to talk?” The lilac-haired man tilted his head curiously as they stood by the railing that overlooked the hotel.
The scrappy young man blinked owlishly as he squinted at Yuma in shock.
“Eh? Um, well… I-Isn’t it nice up here?!” Desuhiko wound up dodging the question via small talk. … Again.
Yuma sweatdropped as he shook his head and heaved a small sigh.
“It’s been over half an hour… Is it something you have trouble talking about? I don’t know if you wanna ask me a favor or something else, but you’ll have to talk about it first…”
Desuhiko gulped as he nodded anxiously.
“Y-You’re right… I’m just a bit afraid is all…”
Shinigami’s expression became rather droll as she half-liddedly glared at the ‘Superstar’, arms drooped tiredly at her sides.
“We’re rather busy today, so could you hurry it up?!”
“All right! Here I go…!” Desuhiko sucked in a deep breath unevenly.
Yuma nodded reassuringly.
“Right!”
Desuhiko coughed nervously as he gestured vaguely.
“Um… There’s a big reason why I called you here today… U-Um, will you…? Join my…? B… Ban…?” He trailed off helplessly, expression becoming so fearful.
“Ban…?” Yuma echoed, vaguely recognizing that’s not the full word the disguise artist was trying to use.
Unbeknownst to both boys, Kurane jolted and her eyes turned into pinpricks. Clearly she knew what was up, but the quiet girl wasn’t about to breach the topic on her own.
Desuhiko tried playing it off casually.
“D’oh, w-well, you know~…” He was sweating buckets whether he liked it or not. Eventually, the scrappy young man huffed as he flailed his arms, all flustered. “Gah! This is too embarrassing! I can’t say it! My man…! You should know what I’m trying to get at!!”
The lilac-haired man startled as he drew a step back in bemusem*nt.
“Bwuh…?! Y-You sound crazy…!” Yuma attempted to calm himself down as he stroked his chin. If he didn’t take a stab in the dark, they’d never get anywhere. But considering Desuhiko’s interests, the kind of person he was… “Y-You want me to join your… band…?”
Desuhiko bobbed his head up and down awkwardly.
“Y-Yeah…! How about we form a band?!” He crossed his arms, trying to ooze with confidence. … Even if he was anything but. “Y-You know… stars and bands go hand-in-hand…! I always planned on going solo, but sharing the spotlight with a buddy of mine wouldn’t be such a bad thing… For the first time in my life, I’ve met someone I’d want to form a band with… It’s because I finally met you… my man.”
Yuma and Shinigami both gaped at the brash young detective. Just a week ago, he wouldn’t have given Yuma the time of day… And now he wanted to…
“Desuhiko…” The lilac-haired man murmured, feeling truly at a loss for what to do here.
Even though Desuhiko didn’t retain his memories from the labyrinth, clearly he retained enough that wanted to form a broship with Yuma. … And the trainee was so stupefied by this…
“H-How about it?! Wanna make a band together? Let’s journey on a path of stardom, side-by-side…!”
Before Yuma could open his mouth or even begin contemplating a reply, Kurane suddenly stepped forward with an intense expression.
“Absolutely not!!!”
Yuma, Desuhiko, and Shinigami all peered at the normally reserved girl like she’d grown a second head.
“Eh…?” The lilac-haired man intelligibly queried.
Desuhiko pitched a dramatic fit.
“Why not?! Yuma and I would be awesome together!!!”
But Kurane wasn’t having that. She wasn’t having any of that. The yellow-eyed girl shook her head sharply.
“If Yuma forms a band with you, he won’t join Lizzy’s choir…!”
Now the boys blinked owlishly, exchanging bemused looks with one another.
“Lizzy’s…?” The scrappy young man trailed off.
“… choir?” The lilac-haired man finished his friend’s thought.
Shinigami merely snickered to herself at this sudden development. Kurane nodded excitedly, a determined fire blazing in her eyes.
“Elizabeth-chan’s been working super hard on her death metal choir, and if anyone should play alongside her, it should be Yuma…!! I-I won’t have it any other way!”
Yuma’s expression went blank as he tried to think back to who Kurane must have been referring to… And then it hit him like a ton of bricks. All because of that ‘death metal choir’ wording.
“… O-Oh…” He trailed off weakly as he placed a face to ‘Elizabeth’.
The nun. Kurane was talking about the slave driv… errrrr… The very strict nun. The nun that absolutely had Yuma whipped.
…
“Whaaat?! Yuma can do way better than that chick!!!” Desuhiko spluttered, crossing his arms stubbornly. The disguise enthusiast had bad memories about that nun. And it was all Melami’s fault!
Kurane shook with barely contained fury.
“You take that back…!”
Desuhiko waved the wallflower girl off blandly.
“You haven’t even listened to me play~…! If you did, you’d know who was the better musician! And besides~… My man knows who’d stand by his side through thick and thin~! That nun’s just a crazy, scary lady that’s a total amateur at music… T-Totally. … Y-You’re not gonna make me back down on this, either, spooky girl!!”
The scrappy young man said that, but he did wind up wilting under Kurane’s oddly incited expression. Yuma sweatdropped as he realized just how much Kurane appreciated the nun and loved her music… This was going to come to blows if he let them keep going at it.
“W-Wait…!” Yuma cried out as he held up his hands peacefully just as Kurane opened her mouth to keep arguing. “H-Hold on, h-hold on…!!! I-I’m f-flattered you guys… w-want what’s best for me…”
Desuhiko scoffed airily as he gestured vaguely.
“Well, of course~! I know how hard you work, my man! And I want you on my team!!”
“… Your band.” The lilac-haired man blankly corrected his friend.
“That’s what I mean~! They’re the same thing!” The disguise enthusiast insisted.
Kurane trembled with a mix of anger and nervousness.
“Y-You can do so much better th-than this upstart, Yuma-kun… O-Once you hear Lizzie’s music, you’ll know th-the difference between p-professionals and a-amateurs…”
“Stealing my line now, are we?!” Desuhiko placed his hands on his hips challengingly.
… Kurane wasn’t backing down, if her nostrils flaring was any indication. Yuma gulped as he sucked in a deep breath.
“L-Listen, you guys…!” He cried out, attempting to gain their attention again. Shinigami was content to sit on the sidelines with her popcorn. For now. Yuma massaged his brow tiredly, flashing a wobbly grin. “J-Just… Just listen… I’m f-flattered you guys want me to join a band… B-But I’m not good with any instruments. So I wouldn’t…”
Of course the disguise enthusiast just had to cut in again.
“We’ll just put you on drums~! You don’t hafta study that hard to be great banging some drums. I’ve got guitar and vocals. So. We’ll be all set~!”
Kurane deadpanned at the ‘Superstar’ like he’d just insulted her ancestors.
“O-Of course you’d suggest such a thing, ph-phillistine… D-Don’t worry, Yuma, I-I’m sure Lizzie would be more than willing to s-set you up with a tutor, i-if she didn’t do it herself…!”
Yuma spluttered as he drew a step back, blinking bemusedly at the normally reserved girl.
“Wh-Why are you so insistent on this?! Desuhiko I kinda get, but you, Kurane…?”
Kurane flushed in deep embarrassment as she averted her gaze sharply to the rooftop.
“Erm… I-I just thought… If we c-could find you an instrument you liked, and y-you got good at it… It’d h-help build up your c-confidence… A-And you’d look g-good while doing it, too…!” The yellow-eyed girl blushed hotly, the tiniest of smiles lighting up her face.
Yuma and Desuhiko stared at the girl in shock, clearly not expecting that. Shinigami had set aside her popcorn and was cracking her knuckles for some reason.
The lilac-haired man massaged the back of his neck as he chuckled anxiously.
“… W-Well, I’m flattered you think so highly of me… But I, um… Don’t really have the time to study music, I’m afraid. Even as a hobby, I j-just… I’d rather spend my time helping people. I don’t even know if I’d be any good at music. The best compromise I’ve got is that I can… I can be a fan of your guys’ music. … B-Both of you.” He quickly amended, eyes darting from Desuhiko to Kurane, weary of another argument starting up.
Unfortunately, the normally reserved girl was still glowering at the ‘Superstar’, who appeared to adopt a thoughtful expression. One that Yuma wasn’t so sure that he would like whatever came out of his friend’s mouth next.
“It’s true my man’s a bit of an overachiever… As much as I wanna turn you into a lady killer with godly music powers, I do gotta be careful about overloading your kittens with too much awesome…”
Kurane’s glare became smoldering at this point.
“K… Kittens?” Yuma echoed, brow furrowing in bewilderment.
Desuhiko gestured blandly as he shrugged nonchalantly.
“Sure! Pucci-chan, Kurane-chan, even Kurumi-chan’s getting all affectionate with ya~… That doesn’t even cover Waruna-chan, Yoshiko-chan, and even Fubuki-chan as possible kittens. I mean, we both know Fubuki would be a lot of work… But she’s cute, so what the hell, right?”
… Kurane’s glare was willing the scrappy young man to melt right now.
“Wh-What are you talking about?!” Yuma spluttered, flushing in embarrassment as he drew a step back cautiously.
“Your kittens, my man! Your kittens.” Desuhiko repeated, like it was the easiest thing in the world to understand.
… Which it was not. Not for Yuma, anyway.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, but by the look of it you’re upsetting Kurane…” Yuma trailed off nervously, trying to make his friend take a hint.
“She’s just jelly that Pucci-chan beat her to the punch and she has to share you with all the other kittens~!” Desuhiko chirped all too innocently, and Yuma yelped as Kurane hissed as she leaped forward to try and scratch at the mouthy brat of a man…
Yuma hurried to massage her shoulders to try and calm her down, of course… And it worked. For the most part. But Kurane was still hissing somewhat at the disguise enthusiast, who looked too smarmy despite nearly getting his eyes clawed out.
“C-Can we change the subject, please…?!”
Shinigami deadpanned at Desuhiko smolderingly.
“… Master. I’m just gonna boom-kill everyone. Mmkay? Kay.”
Yuma was very, very glad that she could not carry out that threat…
~*~
Another day…
Upon exiting the manor, Yuma bowed deeply in apology as Halara and Souta followed his lead. The door was slammed shut by a servant behind them.
“I’m so sorry, Halara…! I… Th-There’s no excuses, I know… I ruined everything. I’m so sorry!”
The prodigal detective breathed a heavy sigh as she placed one hand on her hip, expression as impassive as ever.
“Yuma. It’s alright. I had a feeling that this client wasn’t going to be a keeper. Any further inquiries that I had were going to set them off worse than what you pulled off. They wasted my time, not you.”
Souta grinned lopsidedly as he reached into his pocket for a smoke and lit one up.
“You apologize way too much, rookie~… Rich stiffs like these? They lie all the time. They’ll sugarcoat the damage on an appliance, telling you it should just be a quick, cheap fix… And you pull it open to take a deeper look, and whaddaya find? That it’s cheaper to get a new one than replace the innards of the damn machine.” The ex-detective jabbed a thumb back at the manor’s entrance. “Then you get these types. The ‘truth’ doesn’t matter to them. If something’s stolen, they want you to prove a particular someone’s responsible. They wanna hear their truth coming out of your mouth.”
Yuma’s eyes widened as the dark-haired man put it quite so starkly. Even though he’d had Kurane as a client, the trainee was still unfamiliar with the concept of people lying to his face. Knowingly, and quite possibly maliciously. Halara narrowed her eyes at Souta, wrinkling her nose before striding off. Yuma scampered off after her, and the ex-detective brought up the rear at a leisurely pace.
“S-Still…” Yuma rubbed the back of his neck in shame as he stared down at the road as they strolled along. “I know you take every job given to you with the intention of completing it. That’s why I feel terrible about ruining this one for you… After you brought me along as an assistant and everything.”
Halara continued walking briskly as she nodded stiffly.
“I do work honestly for the payment I’m well due. But if there’s anything I truly hate in this world… It’s liars. Especially traitors. Those ‘clients’ just now were never going to be upfront with me. And I despise such people who think they can just use me if they have the cash… I refuse to ruin someone else’s life that hasn’t earned it. We’re detectives, not mercenaries.”
Yuma winced in sympathy, and Souta hummed neutrally as he puffed out a small plume of smoke.
“Some people, especially in this town, fail to see the difference~… Detectives don’t work for free. The penniless and homeless suffer cuz no one’s on their side. And we wonder why crime is so ‘rampant’ in the slums~…”
Halara hawkishly stared back at the flippant ex-detective as the lilac-haired man shuffled his feet awkwardly, head remaining bowed down.
“Clearly that isn’t the case, or Yuma wouldn’t be here. If you fail to comprehend that each detective operates under a different set of principles, perhaps it’s best that you did retire, Crawford. There’s much more to detective work than just investigative prowess and keen intelligence. As tacky as it may sound to you, an agency thrives on teamwork. Abandoning Yakou to carry on alone is the cruelest thing you could have done.”
Souta threw his hands up in mock surrender as he came to a dead halt.
“No need to shoot the messenger, Halara-chan. For an openminded gal such as yourself, you sure are frosty to me~… But I read ya loud and clear: three’s a crowd. I’ll just leave you and Yuma-kun to it~…” And with a mock salute, Souta waltzed off on his own in the opposite direction.
Halara bristled at the ex-detective’s nerve, but said nothing in farewell. Yuma anxiously alternated looking at the prodigy and the receding back of his new friend.
“Th-That was kind of harsh, Halara… Don’t you think? Souta was giving us fair warning about… the people here. Not everyone’s receptive to us. And I can’t blame them if they don’t trust us… They’ve all suffered for three years without anyone in their corner.”
Halara wrinkled her nose distastefully as she crossed her arms stubbornly.
“He wasn’t raising an argument to be the devil’s advocate. You have to look beyond the surface, Yuma. If he wasn’t being simply contrarian, that was a pitiful attempt to get us to investigate Dohya District. I don’t know what Crawford wants, but I know that he’s bad news. You should be careful around him.”
The lilac-haired man rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly as his frown deepened. His eyes brimmed with concern for his bespectacled friend.
“But what if you’re wrong, Halara…? I know Souta can be a handful sometimes… But he’s the Chief’s friend! He made a mistake a while ago, but he wants to make up for it. I… I know he does. Isn’t he giving you a bunch of new clients through his network…? Isn’t that enough to give him a chance?”
The bespectacled woman pressed her mouth into a hard, firm line. She narrowed her eyes as she kept her arms crossed. Obviously, Yuma was a kind, trusting soul. Even after everything he went through at Aetheria. The prodigy couldn’t fathom why he wasn’t more jaded after all that… As a detective alone, he should be naturally more suspicious of others. And yet he was willing to give the benefit of the doubt on most if not almost all occasions.
… That said, none of this would sway Halara Nightmare from scrutinizing every iota of Souta Crawford. It wasn’t just him, Halara was slow to trust anyone. As it should be. Trust must be earned. And Crawford had smashed it to pieces when he turned his back on the Chief years ago.
And yet…
“I haven’t forbade him from associating with you all.” The bespectacled woman brusquely insisted, making Yuma wilt in disappointment. She turned back the way they were walking, and began moving again. “You’re a good person, Yuma. I hope I’m wrong about Crawford, if only for your sake. He’s dubious, but you would benefit from his experience. You all would… I am simply incompatible with his sort.”
Yuma winced as he trailed after his prodigious friend and stared down at the road contemplatively. Shinigami floated alongside him and peered at her lilac-haired Master curiously.
“She’s got a point~… If the lazy butt abandoned ol’ Fuzzhead once, there’s nothing to say he won’t abandon the agency again, Master. You need to be more careful. I don’t want an encore of Aetheria…!”
Yuma clenched his eyes shut painfully and sucked in a shaky breath as he gritted his teeth.
‘I know I should be careful. I know. I just… I want to believe in him. I’m giving Kurane a second chance, and I want to give Souta the same opportunity… Souta and the Chief are both good people. They’re lazy, they want to avoid trouble, and I guess they can get a bit greedy at times… But they care in their own ways!! It’s not fair to expect them to be these… perfect sleuths after years of suffering in Amaterasu’s shadow… If Souta’s broken, I’ll… I’ll help put him back together. He’s helping us, it’s the least I can do for him…!’
The death goddess huffed out a patient sigh.
“Master… You really are too softhearted.”
Yuma knew that Shinigami didn’t mean that as a compliment… But he took it as one anyway. Clenching his fists, he peered up at Halara with renewed vigor.
“I-It’s okay if you don’t trust Souta right now… I know you have your reasons for suspecting others. But I’m going to work real hard so that I can be a friend that you can rely on… Even if you can’t trust me, either.”
Halara stopped for a few brief moments, but deigned to say nothing in reply. Yuma flashed a chagrined smile as they resumed walking again with the conversation just ending there. That was okay. He didn’t need a perfect friendship with Halara, he wasn’t expecting her to open up to him or to do him favors… Yuma simply wanted to be there for her.
As a trainee detective with no memories, supporting his friends was the least that he could do.
~*~
Another day…
Yuma combed a hand over his hat-covered head, feeling somewhat conscientious as Waruna walked alongside him. As Kurane’s friend, he knew that the tough girl probably meant well… But the fact that she was growling lowly and raising a challenging fist every time a passerby drifted too close to him, and thus making the other people walk around him… Put simply? Yuma was embarrassed at the insistent displays of protections.
But there wasn’t much the young detective could do about it. He allowed Waruna’s antics to go on for too long, and they were nearly at the Golden Path Café anyway…
Still, once they were right outside the establishment, Yuma bit the bullet and asked what he should have a while ago.
“H-Hey, Waruna…? Not that I mind… B-But what’s with the intimidation tactics?” The lilac-haired man hoped to all that was good and holy that the pigtailed girl wouldn’t slug him for being nosy. She seemed to be in a… mood.
“Hah?” The tough girl co*cked her head as she placed one hand on her hip. “You’re Kurane’s little pal. Why wouldn’t I protect ya?”
Yuma sweatdropped as he waved his hands in front of himself peacefully.
“Are you… always this territorial of friends of friends?” He asked meekly. Again… please don’t punch him!
“…” Waruna pressed her mouth into a hard, firm line. Her eyes darted to the side as she huffed with mild exasperation. “Yoshiko’s got way too many, so… no, I don’t. ‘Sides, most of those chicks can handle themselves.”
The lilac-haired man blinked owlishly.
“… I can’t?”
The girl with pigtails snorted like that was a bad joke.
“Nope. You, Mei, and Kurane are all nervous wrecks. You’re also the first ones to get picked on and bullied the moment we turn our backs.”
Yuma slumped tiredly as he deadpanned.
“B-But I don’t see you nearly as squirrely around Kurane…!”
Waruna wrinkled her nose as she was forced to think on the spot. A short silence fell over them before the tough girl spoke up again, like some great epiphany just hit her.
“So few people notice Kurane…! Yeah. She’s a pushover, but she’s like a ghost, too. That’s it.”
Yuma groaned as he massaged his temple.
“Waruna… You’re not making any sense…”
Waruna grunted with stubborn tenacity as she crossed her arms and glowered at the young detective.
“Yeah, well…! Ugh. Fine. That was a weak excuse. … Like those noodle arms of yours.”
Yuma’s bland expression became deadpan again as he blinked at the tough girl with so much confusion dancing in his eyes.
“Was that really necessary?”
“Yes. If you’re gonna stick around Kurane and the others, you gotta man up, shrimp.” Waruna bit out, scowling as she turned her head away again, keeping her arms crossed. “Look, I just don’t wanna come out and say it cuz it’s too embarrassing. Too sappy.”
Yuma gesticulated helplessly as he groaned again.
“At this point, I’ll take sappy over being completely flummoxed…! You don’t have to keep your cards close to the chest, Waruna. Like I’ve been telling Kurane, you can talk to me anytime you need to!”
The pigtailed girl narrowed her eyes, but kept her gaze facing away from the young detective.
“…elpedmyparentsout.” She mumbled, both far too softly and far too quickly for Yuma to catch that.
He blinked owlishly again.
“P-Pardon…?”
“You helped my parents out, alright?!” Waruna burst out, cheeks heating up as she glowered at him with renewed vigor. At his blank expression, she huffed impatiently. “The other day. When you and the awesomesauce chick exposed those counterfeiters.”
Yuma stroked his chin as puzzled this one over, not quite getting the references.
“Counterfeiting…? Oh!” His eyes lit up in understanding, going oh-so-wide. “That counterfeiting ring on the edge of town…”
Waruna nodded gruffly as she returned to having one hand on her hip.
“Y-Yeah… You seriously did my folks a favor by dealing with them. That slimeball Catsonell kept threatening my dad to have him arrested as a member of that ring if they couldn’t put the case to rest. We’re the only bank in Kanai Ward, so it’s a pretty freaking huge scandal when fake money winds up circulating through us. It wasn’t my parents’ fault, but Peacekeepers being Peacekeepers, they just wanted a quick, messy resolution. They didn’t give a sh*t who took the fall, so long as they came out smelling like roses.”
The young detective smiled blandly as he massaged the back of his neck, feeling all conscientious again.
“Honestly, Halara did most of the work… After we laid out the facts, the ring tried to silence us. Halara took them all down in the blink of an eye, just like she always does.”
The pigtailed girl brightened up far too much for Yuma’s liking as she nodded along contentedly, her eyes sparkling.
“’Course she did~! That chick’s a badass. A one-woman army. S’not like I can thank her again, though. My parents already did that, giving her a generous reward for clearing the Stormbreaker name. I know ya didn’t help out much beyond the deductions, but you still chipped in. Mom wants me to keep an eye out for you two especially, in case another scandal comes up. We… need detectives. You have no idea.”
Yuma nodded along while reaching up to straighten out his hat a little, not really understanding the background, but at least he could appreciate that Kanai Ward in general really did need detectives.
“So your parents… are in charge of the bank in Kanai? The… only bank?” He parroted back, expression becoming baffled as he crossed his arms.
Waruna gestured vaguely as she puffed out a small sigh.
“Marunomon Bank. Chalk it up to typical Amaterasu cornering the market bs… Amaterasu officially runs the show. My folks are just the managers. The security there is state-of-the-art, but that doesn’t stop some bastards from trying the counterfeiting game. Amaterasu lights a fire under our asses whenever crap like that comes up… As if we have any control over what goes on outside the friggin’ bank…!”
Yuma nodded sympathetically as he pursed his lips thoughtfully.
“… And you said Swank was the one pestering your parents?” He wasn’t about to forget that gaudy, coarse Peacekeeper Chief anytime soon.
The tough girl grumbled sourly as her visage darkened.
“Even with everything settled, that asshole’s been reassigned to the bank as a ‘token of apology’. Now instead of grilling my parents, he’s kissing and slobbering over their asses cuz they write his paychecks!! I’d be thrilled if I didn’t hate his slimy guts.”
The lilac-haired man winced in sympathy as he grinned nervously.
“W-Well… I don’t blame you for feeling that way. But maybe… maybe Swank will mellow out a little, if your parents have authority over him? I know this other Peacekeeper – Seth Burroughs – has come around a bit ever since he was demoted. I-It’s a long shot, but maybe things can work out?”
Waruna narrowed her eyes before shaking her head in mild exasperation.
“I’m not soft like you, Kokohead. After what happened to Aiko… There’s just no way I can look at those asshole Peacekeepers the same way again.”
“… That’s fair.” The young detective wished things could be different, but he wasn’t about to tell anyone in Kanai Ward how to feel. He only just got here.
The pigtailed girl stuck out her tongue in distaste, glowering down at the sidewalk before shaking her head gruffly.
“I don’t wanna think about those asshats right now. Let’s just get in there before Kurane thinks something happened to ya.” She pointed towards the Golden Path Café, and Yuma sweatdropped as he scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“I-I don’t think she’d jump to that conclusion…? N-Not right off the bat?”
Waruna deadpanned at the young detective, clearly not sold.
“It’s Kurane.”
Yuma slumped in defeat as he nodded in concession.
“Y-Yeah… It is…”
~*~
Another day…
Yuma rubbed at his eyes blearily as he stifled a yawn. It’s not as if the day had been particularly long or grueling… But Zange had been poring over the notebook for the past few hours. Only occasionally positing questions. So it shouldn’t be a surprise when Kurumi poked her head into the office sometime after 5pm. A couple of hours after Aetheria let out.
“What’s up, guys?” The cheerful informant tilted her head curiously as she invited herself, hands shyly clasped behind her back as she looked between Yuma, Zange, and Vivia, who was nestled in the fireplace like always. All of them seemed absorbed in their own worlds…
Or in Yuma’s case, just bored out of his mind.
“H-Hey, Kurumi…” The trainee waved and greeted somewhat lamely as he slouched on the purple couch he was sitting on. Zange didn’t look up from his perusal of the notebook as he sat on the sofa opposite him, nor did Vivia contribute more than a lazy wave as he turned a page in his current novel. “Nothing much, it’s been pretty slow today. H-How’ve you been?”
The blue-eyed girl beamed kindly and sat down on the couch next to the young detective, sighing contentedly.
“Oh, you know~… Yoshiko wanted to pay me back for last week when I showed her my ‘typical’ day as Kanai Ward’s informant. She was all frazzled by the end, so Yoshiko thought it was fair play to make me experience being her assistant in the theater club… Although she must’ve forgot she was on hiatus, cuz Kotomi pushed us both right out and said Yoshiko should pamper herself. I never thought Yoshiko knew how to make the kicked puppy face, but she sure made one when Kotomi closed the door in our faces~…”
Yuma sweatdropped and scratched his cheek uncertainly.
“That… Y-Yeah, that sounds like a… day…” He mumbled, unsure of what to add on to that.
Kurumi chortled a little as she blushed faintly, winking at the lilac-haired man and forcing him to blush up a storm and look away in the process.
“More like that was just the middle of the day~… She still had me mediating between her and the other girls that kept coming to her for help in-between classes. And after we got the boot from Kotomi, Yoshiko decided we needed to be proactive and create a whole new club. Even if it was just the two of us, plus Kurane and Waruna… Miss Hana didn’t know what to make of it since we’re so late into the year… But Yoshiko got her way like always~…”
The lilac-haired man blinked owlishly before squinting at the cheerful informant in uncertainty.
“Waruna… But she’s in the club, too, isn’t she?”
Kurumi nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, but she decided to take a break, too. Waruna and Yoshiko still want to get into acting, but there’s no reason they can’t have other interests~… I mean, Waruna likes makeup and fashion. And Yoshiko likes sewing. So they know that the stage doesn’t have to be their whole world~…”
Yuma hummed neutrally as his lips tugged downward thoughtfully.
“You guys are a few months away from graduation, right? Seems kind of a shame to take a break at the final stretch, doesn’t it? There can’t be many opportunities left for productions.”
The bubbly blue-eyed girl shrugged innocently as she just kept smiling away, kicking her legs a little casually as she reclined on the couch with the young detective.
“Maybe~… But honestly, their plans for post-graduation are pretty much set. There’s a theater company based in Marunomon District that’s just salivating for fresh new talent~… Yoshiko and Waruna are being offered generous contracts to join up with the troupe. Karen had the priority as a Stromwell, but she… well…” Kurumi briefly became crestfallen before shaking it off like a dog drying herself. “A-Anyway! They’re begging for Kurane to join, too. But now she’s reconsidering.”
The young detective frowned in mild concern as this point was brought up. He knew that Kurane was an accomplished actress long before he’d ever come to this city. A part of him felt guilty for tearing the quiet girl away from a fulfilling career that was being offered on a silver platter…
Even though he didn’t quite understand why she was reconsidering in the first place. It just felt too coincidental with recent events fresh in their minds. Yuma just wanted Kurane to be happy, she didn’t have to change herself to be something else if she didn’t want to.
Shinigami snorted at her lilac-haired Master’s depressed face.
“Master, if Gloomy Ghoul is too stupid to take a free job like that, she’s not worthy to be your assistant~… You should definitely shoo her away at the first opportunity!! I’m the most magnificent, perfect assistant ever~! Kyahahaha~!!!”
Yuma didn’t bother mustering a response to that. He didn’t get why the death goddess was so mean to his friends – especially his new ones – but he didn’t appreciate her humor. Kurumi, upon seeing the young detective’s dimming, guilty eyes… She looked around the office, particularly over at Zange who had yet to say a word. Anything to help Yuma get his mind off of whatever was eating away at him.
“So, uh… Whatcha guys doing? I know I’ve been talking your ears off.”
Zange shook his head slowly as he turned a page in the notebook, his sharp, eagle eyes roaming over every word. Every sentence.
“Nothing you need concern yourself with, girl. I’m merely being careful.”
The cheerful informant’s smile dipped mildly and her brow furrowed as she turned to Yuma for clarification. The young detective blinked slowly before shaking his head to clear away the dismal thoughts.
“Erm… Zange was curious about the notes that Souta wrote up and left in my care. We, uh… When we met last week, Souta asked me to go over practically everything since coming to Kanai Ward. We came up with some ideas of how to proceed with our investigation into Amaterasu… Though it’s nothing case-breaking. We’re just throwing darts at the wall to see what sticks. And… so far nothing has.”
As Yuma stroked his chin, Kurumi tilted her head as her eyes glittered with intrigue.
“Souta… He’s the Chief’s childhood friend, right?”
The lilac-haired man nodded faintly as he mindlessly kept stroking.
“Mmhm. He’s apparently a handyman… I never did think to ask you about it, but have you heard of him, Kurumi?”
At this inquiry, those bright blue eyes practically glowed as her face lit up ecstatically.
“Who hasn’t heard of Crawford-san?! I’m not saying that like he’s royalty or anything… But around three years ago, he became this ‘legend’… in a way. Whenever you needed help, Crawford-san was there. He already had a wealth of know-how under his belt… But when he encountered a problem he couldn’t tackle on his own, he engaged his contacts to find a solution. If a door is locked or jammed, Souta can crack it open! If the water in your house isn’t running properly, Souta can fix the flow. He knows how to work circuit breakers, he can puzzle out appliances and electronics that are malfunctioning… Souta’s not a god, he does take time to work his magic. But with enough research and elbow grease, he eventually gets there.
Kurumi sighed contently as she gazed down at the carpet warmly. She knew that Yuma was hanging onto every word, and she didn’t mind sharing what she knew about Kanai Ward’s ‘Handyman’.
“When I began filling in for my grandfather, I was so proud to hear someone else working for Kanai Ward’s benefit. Souta became my idol, someone that I tried to emulate… Though honestly, it didn’t mesh too well. I was an informant, and he was a handyman. Without detectives, my sleuthing wasn’t going to be much benefit to anyone… But still, I couldn’t help admiring how selfless Souta was. It’s not like he accepted every job, and he could be pretty rough around the edges… But everyone was so grateful to have him around. I don’t know if he ever realized it, but with the number of people he’s helped in this city, Souta has a vast web of acquaintances, contacts, and favors that people owe him… That’s another reason I admired him so much. I wanted to build a reliable network just like him. So that when detectives eventually returned, I could give you guys everything… But… Souta’s got seniority. I’m only a teenager. Of course he’s gonna outshine me…”
Yuma grinned lopsidedly as he massaged the back of his neck bashfully.
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself… Like you said, Souta’s not perfect. In the time I’ve known him, he’s made just as many mistakes as he has succeeded in showing off. Halara could tell you that not everyone he recommends as a client is worth it. Pucci could tell you that he has zero business sense. I dunno the context really, but I think he’s been giving Aphex… weird ideas. He messes around with Fubuki too much… And there are especially times when he’s so much like the Chief that I can’t believe they’re not brothers!! He knows he’s gotta work, but Souta prefers goofing off or being lazy… I don’t know. Souta’s a great guy, but he’s… I don’t even know how to describe it. He’s… He’s so much like the Chief.”
The cheerful informant nodded indulgently as she crossed her arms under her chest, her grin becoming a touch chagrined.
“Yeah… I guess when you spin it like that, he really is like Chief Yakou, isn’t he? People all over town love and hate him. I never imagined he used to be a detective in this agency…”
As the young detective and informant devolved into lighter, more casual topics, Zange frowned minutely. He wouldn’t deny their perceptions were a part of who Souta Crawford was… Humans are complex, possessing many facets… The veteran detective admitted that he could be reading too much into this.
… But as his eyes lingered on the notebook that the ex-detective left to Yuma… He couldn’t help noticing. Souta asked Yuma a lot about his time in the city. There were so many notes. In an initial readthrough, one might easily assume that the dark-haired man was merely helping his junior and giving him short-term goals to aim for. The handwriting was neat, orderly, and concise…
But. Zange had been around the block more than a few times. He learned to make connections even in the densest, most detailed reports… There was something peculiar about the notebook. Much of the information that Souta asked about pertained to their arrival in Kanai Ward – the incident on the Amaterasu Express; the Nail Man incident; and the incident at Aetheria Academy.
There was so much information here that Zange couldn’t pinpoint what Souta was fishing for. But seeing as how those three incidents were the most fleshed out, the veteran detective could come to no other conclusion than Yuma being a point of extreme interest to the ex-detective. Why was that? Yuma was a brilliant detective in his own right, but he was still a trainee. He still had much to learn.
What about these incidents warranted thorough analysis and scrutiny…?
Zange narrowed his eyes at the notebook, committing each page of the data to his memory. When he returned to his room, Zange would use his Forte to copy all of that information into another notebook. Yuma didn’t need to know. More importantly, Souta didn’t need to know. This was merely a precaution.
Because if someone was targeting a trainee of the WDO… If Crawford gave the slightest hint of ill intent… Zange would put an end to these machinations. The veteran detective would discern what was significant about these incidents… And if the need called for it, he would intervene.
Yuma had much potential as a detective. Zange would see that potential reach its zenith someday. Yuma would become a Master Detective. Mark his words. And though he said nothing either… Vivia shrewdly eyed the old man, having used his own Forte to peruse the notebook alongside his senior. He came to similar conclusions as he skimmed the thick volume of information…
Something was going to shake the foundations of their paradise of peace and tranquility. And Vivia wasn’t too happy about such implications…
~*~
Another day…
Melami smirked wryly to herself as she and Yuma stood there in the church, fellow prisoners in the strangest medley of death metal and… choir music. Elizabeth, the nun, was practicing with a cacophony of churchgoers that served as fellow members and choir members combined. The music was… very harsh on the ears…
A few pews in front of them, Kurane and Desuhiko were sitting there, arguing heatedly under their breaths as they pointed toward the band in the middle of performing. Clearly, Desuhiko was thinking that he could perform “better” than this group. Kurane just as clearly disagreed, and it was fascinating to behold the quiet girl getting so worked up~…
And Yuma and her…? Well.
“I, uh… I didn’t know music like this existed.” Yuma muttered to himself with a blank expression.
Not that Melami could hear him very well over the din of electric guitars and drums, in conjunction with the singing of the choir. The blonde fashionista shook her head wistfully as she leaned back and crossed her arms.
“Nor did I. It’s… unique. Even so, you may have to get used to it. Your new friend seems quite passionate~…”
The lilac-haired man paled and blanched as he stared up at Melami hauntingly.
“I-I… I can’t have heard you right…”
The medium snorted and shook her head fondly, reaching her hand over to rustle the young detective’s light purple locks.
“Yes, you did. You know Kurane-chan has sung high praises for the nun’s music~…”
Yuma gulped as his pupils dilated in horror.
“I… I d-did, b-but…! Melami, this is too much!! I never would have guessed Kurane was into this kind of music…!”
The playful fashionista smirked challengingly and continued playing with Yuma’s hair idly.
“So do you regret befriending her~…?”
Upon hearing this, Yuma blanched again and shook his head sharply in disagreement.
“Never!! I just…” He hung his head dejectedly. He fiddled with his hands in his lap anxiously. “I told her I would be a fan to both Desuhiko’s music… and Elizabeth’s music. B-But I didn’t know it would be like this…I didn’t know what I was getting into. And I don’t want to disappoint Kurane. I don’t want her to feel weird for enjoying what she does… H-How am I supposed to approach this? I-I feel like I’m stuck now…”
Melami tilted her head as she considered the young man’s dilemma. This did seem like a typical Yuma situation, struggling so hard to please everyone… Making promises before he knew what he was getting into. Eventually, she shrugged nonchalantly and adopted a soft, neutral expression.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for you, Yuma-kun. Honesty may be the best policy, but I’m aware that you could hurt Kurane’s feelings. I’m aware that’s your concern. But if you try to lie, or force yourself to like something… Kurane-chan will see right through you. You’re an open book. Regardless, it seems that you’ll wind up hurting her no matter what you do… That’s assuming this is significant enough to mean something to her. The question you should ask yourself is… How much of your fear is legitimate? Are you perhaps worrying too much?”
Yuma nibbled his lip nervously as he mulled everything over. Kurane might be disappointed no matter what… He wouldn’t be able to control how she reacted to his sense of being overwhelmed… The trainee didn’t like the idea of hurting Kurane. She’d gone through enough without worrying about whether they liked the same kinds of things…
But… maybe some differences of opinion were okay. They didn’t have to like all the same stuff. He wanted to make her happy, but that didn’t need to become an obsession. Yuma himself was struggling to find his own path; one that wanted to recover his memories, yet one that had his own valid thoughts and opinions as they were right now.
Yuma was… as weird as it was to consider, it’s very possible that the “Yuma” before he lost his memories, and the “Yuma” of the present were two entirely different people. In that regard, he wondered about the value of his lost memories. Of course he still yearned to remember who he was… But if that past version of him wasn’t something that he liked or approved of, should he even bother…?
As shaky as it was, Yuma was finding his footing now. He was helping people. He was discovering happiness in that selfless lifestyle… It left a big, huge question mark of his own wants and desires outside of helping others… Perhaps his friends could help him establish that new identity. In the end, wasn’t he struggling against those efforts because he wanted to regain his memories?
Maybe it was okay to give in to the flow. Maybe it was enough to be who he is now… After all, this is the “Yuma” that everyone knows. He doesn’t want to throw that all away and become a stranger to them. In the same way, Yuma wants Kurane to have confidence in her tastes. Her opinions. It’s the exact same thing…
The lilac-haired man gave a small, wry grin as he continued staring down at his lap and clenching his hands into fists.
“… I’ll tell her the truth. And… I’ll at least try. Th-This music isn’t bad, it’s just… just… different. N-Not what I’m used to. … Maybe I can change that. I won’t know until I try.”
Melami’s mysterious grin became fond as she resumed crossing her arms and leaning back. Good, Yuma was learning. Little by little. He still had this habit of relying on others to help him sort through problems…
But perhaps that wasn’t such a terrible thing. Synergy was a powerful, beautiful force to behold. And she just knew that the young trainee would be able to keep surprising everyone with his way of tackling problems~…
Melami was proud of him. She really was.
~*~
Another day…
Seth closed his eyes warily as if he was warding off a headache. He reached up to massage his temple slowly and methodically… And when that didn’t stave off the migraine, he huffed out an impatient sigh and reopened his eyes to glare pointedly at the honors student.
“… Miss Nocturne, I think you should handle your family’s affairs more wisely. Leveraging that particular favor now is… frivolous. Wasteful. Moreover, if I hadn’t been put in charge of this crime scene, your tactic wouldn’t have a prayer of working.”
Yoshiko kept her arms crossed under her chest as she kept a tight, controlled scowl etched on her face.
“I’m using that leverage now because you’re here, Burroughs. Just because my dad never asked for anything these past seven years, doesn’t mean he’s forgotten you. He still worries about you.”
The bespectacled Peacekeeper winced as he averted his gaze and sucked in a quiet breath.
“… He shouldn’t. I was reassigned to guard your father’s lab back then because of my own incompetence… I shall never forget the kindness Mister Nocturne bequeathed to me, not only in his glowing reports about my performance as a guard, but the many small graceful gestures he offered me throughout the few months I was there… It’s because I am indebted to your father that I am uneasy about you, his daughter, calling in that favor. … It does not feel appropriate.”
The brunette narrowed her eyes as she jabbed an index finger into his chest emphatically.
“My father’s lab is in the most secure part of Amaterasu headquarters. There’s a chance he will never call in a favor – and it’s all because he remembers how you were seven years ago, and not as you are now! When I found out that you knew my father, even in passing, I was appalled because the ‘Seth Burroughs’ that I know, and that the rest of Kanai Ward knows, is a shameful, conniving man that enabled a serial killer just to pocket some bribes from the church of all places…! I’m not sorry at all that you were demoted and razed for your corruption. You deserved it!!”
Yuma watched uneasily as the life seemed to drain out of Seth. The former section chief was normally pale and sickly looking, but watching him now, the man seemed… one foot in the grave. The young detective felt awful, and he reached a hand out to Yoshiko’s shoulder hesitantly.
“H-Hey…! You don’t need to go that far, Yoshiko…”
The honors student didn’t deign to give the lilac-haired man even a glance. Her hard eyes never left Seth, who was slumping his shoulders miserably.
“Yes, I do.” Yoshiko insisted brusquely, waving at the former section chief dismissively. “if he’s one of the ‘better’ Peacekeepers, then he needs to listen and think hard about everything he’s done. I refuse to hand him a free pass!”
“Yoshiko…” Yuma mumbled, feeling his skin crawl uncomfortably. He didn’t doubt this was personal to the prodigal actress, especially since Seth was wrapped up in the Aetheria investigation…
But this just seemed way too brutal for Seth, who was already making concession after concession after concession with the detectives. Sure, the man was still limited in how much help he could give, but he was far more lenient that most other Peacekeepers!
The bespectacled man closed his eyes patiently and pressed his mouth into a hard, firm line.
“Perhaps you are not wrong about me. After all of this time, I am still… pitiful. Even after my punishment, all I’ve ever thought about is… repaying Miss Electro and surviving… I’m still terrified of Director Yomi. I’m still just a… pawn.” Seth glumly shrank in on himself as he quivered slightly, keeping his eyes clenched shut. “… I doubt the Director will care about this incident. He seems distracted with seizing Stromwell’s assets… Miss Nocturne.
Seth paused as he mustered what small scraps of determination that he could, and reopened his eyes and peered at the highschooler with a mixture of sympathy and regret.
“I will allow you and the detective inside to investigate. But the debt I owe your father… I won’t let this be the repayment for that. I refuse to sink that low. I will repay him, and him alone for everything he did for me… Instead, this shall be recompense for the Aetheria debacle. I can… at least do this much for you.”
Yoshiko and Seth maintained a tense standoff for several moments. Eventually, the honors student nodded stiffly and motion for Yuma to follow her inside. The lilac-haired man anxiously peered back at the former section chief as they advanced past him; he made no moves to impede them, nor did he offer any backward glances. He remained rigidly at the entrance.
… Yuma still felt bad for the brunette being so harsh with the man. He ignored Shinigami’s immature jabs and insults aimed at Seth, and instead homed in on the honors student who strode with purpose and aplomb. She really was something else…
“H-Hey, Yoshiko…” C-Can we just… take a minute?”
The brunette huffed impatiently as she whirled around and placed a hand on her hip and lightly scowled.
“What? What now? I got you in, didn’t I?”
The lilac-haired man held up his hands peacefully as he anxiously grinned… The smile didn’t meet his eyes.
“Y-You did… And I still think you were a bit too… intense back there… I-I just want to know… Why are you going so far for me? If it was Kurane, Kurumi, or even Waruna… I would understand. But you… You’re the most hesitant of the group, a-and I get that… I j-just want to know what… what changed your mind. I-If anything?”
Yoshiko’s scowl remained in place for several moments before it, eventually, grudgingly faded. She pursed her lips and averted her gaze to the side with an unreadable expression.
“… I still want you to leave us alone if the stakes are too high… A-At least keep Kurane, Waruna, and Kurumi out of it…” She huffed bitterly before crossing her arms, her eyes remaining locked on nothing in particular off to the side. “But Yuma… I’ve gotta do better. I know I… can’t stay away forever. Not after we formed that club.”
Yuma blinked slowly, caught off guard by the last statement.
“Club…?” He echoed, attempting to gain a clearer picture.
But this seemed to be the ‘wrong’ thing to do because Yoshiko’s face suddenly blazed hotly with embarrassment as she glared at him icily.
“D-D-Didn’t Kurumi tell you?! Sh-She said she did…!”
The lilac-haired man frowned minutely before his eyes widened in remembrance.
“Sh-She mentioned you guys made a new club, but she never said what it was about!! Wh-What is it, anyway?” He tilted his head curiously.
The purple-eyed girl moaned theatrically as she facepalmed.
“Kurumiii…! You did that on purpose!!!” The brunette shook her head sharply before turning to the side and clenching her hands into fists at her side. Her cheeks remained stained red in humiliation. “It’s… It’s not important. It’s… just a club. N-None of your business!!”
Yuma crossed his arms as he frowned in bemusem*nt, brow furrowing.
“Why are you… flustered? Is it something bad?” … He wasn’t about to suggest that it was something perverted. Shinigami sure was, and he didn’t want to imagine what Yoshiko would do to the death goddess if she heard the demon…
“Yes!! … No!” Yoshiko groaned as she fully turned and around and groaned in frustration, stomping away emphatically. “Look, let’s just get this dumb investigation over with, alright?! I’m ditching school because of you!!!”
Yuma’s eyes bulged as a stray, random idea hit him. It couldn’t be something like that… could it?
“You guys aren’t… I mean, I figure I’m off-base…” The young detective rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “… Is it a mystery club of some kind?”
Because he could see Kurane insisting on that avenue, and the honors student grudgingly going along with it… Kurumi, of course, would love it. Waruna probably wouldn’t mind. But it would explain Yoshiko’s flustered state.
The brunette froze mid-stride as she gnashed her teeth.
“It’s a detective club, alright?! K-Kurane wouldn’t shut up about it…! Miss Hana thinks we’re just reading novels and stuff, and I’m not inclined to correct her assumption… We’re just… L-Look, we didn’t form it to help you guys, n-not exclusively, but if we have that club then maybe the girls won’t ditch as much…! I wanted to give them incentive to stay in school!!!”
Yuma grinned wryly as he scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“… Kurumi says you guys formed it after Kotomi enforced your hiatus from the the theater club…” He mumbled, and jolted as Yoshiko devolved into a rant about ‘responsibilities’ and how she wants to go back to theater club, but everyone has a point about her being all stressed out, and…
Yeah, Yuma had a feeling they wouldn’t be investigating for a while. The honors student sounded like she needed to unload an awful lot off her chest, and even though she looked to be mouthing off on autopilot, he still approached her and patted her shoulder consolingly as he resolved to listen to her. The trainee could do that much, surely.
By the end, Yoshiko was panting for breath after 15-20 minutes of ranting, and Yuma didn’t bother resisting the hug that the brunette swept him up into. Really seemed like she needed the hug. The lilac-haired man smiled meekly and massaged circles along the highschooler’s back, offering all the comfort that he could.
… These Aetheria girls really loved their hugs, huh?
~*~
Another day…
Yuma chuckled nervously as he sat on a barstool at a ramen stand in Kamasaki District. … The only ramen stand, to his knowledge. And the reason he was uneasy? Well… he was sandwiched between two girls.
Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. Kurane worked so hard to keep everyone happy, and Pucci could keep her cool around most people… Sure, when the pink-bowed young woman was triggered, she went off… But still. Pucci was usually so calm, collected, and helpful. He figured that she and Kurane would hit things off pretty well.
They did get along. Yuma knew they did. It’s just that sometimes… very rarely… They got in this… mood. As if they would enjoy nothing more than ripping off each other’s head. It was… interesting to see them all civil one moment, and then the next they’re exchanging barbs with one another.
At least they never went much farther than cutting words and sharp, moody glares at one another. Yuma wasn’t sure what he would do if they got physically violent. That would be way too far…
Still! Wasn’t it uncalled for to glare at each other literally over his head? Kurane could do that because she was that much taller than Yuma and Pucci… But the stoic blonde certainly wasted no time in answering the challenge in Kurane’s deadpan glare with a fiery one of her own. Yuma could feel the smoldering heat on his left, and the frigid, subzero cold on his right… Yuma wasn’t so sure he should be in the middle of them like this. But at the same time, he felt anxious about letting the two sit next to one another… So the middle seat it was for him.
“N-Not that I’m complaining, but, um… Was there a reason you wanted to come with us, Pucci?” Yuma chuckled meekly as he could barely even glance at the proud Master Detective seated on his left.
For all intents and purposes, Pucci had this air about her like she wanted to bite Kurane’s head off. Yuma sweatdropped as she grudgingly answered him, not daring to let up on her ‘match’ with the usually subdued wallflower to his right.
“… I was merely free, and I wished to enjoy a quiet evening with you.” The blonde intoned in that matter-of-fact way that she was known for speaking.
“A-Ah…” Yuma mumbled as he flushed with mild embarrassment. Now it made sense… a little. Pucci was getting fairly attached to him as the weeks flew by. And he couldn’t deny the growing fondness that he had for his friend, as well.
Most evenings, Pucci liked to unwind in her room or at the agency, if it was empty enough. And they just… sat in a tranquil silence, allowing Pucci’s ears a reprieve from otherwise bustling, busy investigations and meetings. Yuma didn’t mind the heavy silences; it took some getting used to at first, but eventually he got past the instinctive ‘need’ to say something… The fact that Pucci seemed to genuinely enjoy ‘quiet time’ with him… Yuma could respect and mutually enjoy the intimate bonding as well.
… Because yeah. Pucci had gotten bold lately, and contented herself to nuzzling into his side and listening to his… heartbeat. Yuma didn’t quite get it, but the prodigious detective declared with such conviction that it soothed her.
…
Yuma coughed awkwardly and massaged the back of his neck anxiously.
“W-Well… I hope you don’t mind, but Kurane invited me out for dinner.”
“… For dinner.” Pucci echoed blandly, for once breaking eye contact with her ‘rival’ and regarding the lilac-haired man with a seeming thirst for answers.
“Y-Yeah!” Yuma nodded, reaffirming his point.
The blonde pursed her lips as she flicked a cursory glance around the ramen stand.
“… I would have expected meat buns, not ramen. They seem to be the go-to meal for most people in Kanai Ward.” Pucci mused – not with any real heat, but genuine befuddlement. She hadn’t even known about this ramen stand… Was it new?
The lilac-haired man chuckled awkwardly as he grinned lopsidedly.
“Y-Yeah, well… Apparently Kurane found this place just yesterday. She said the ramen’s too amazing for words, and she wanted to share it with me.”
Pucci barely batted an eye.
“Ramen… Truly?” She arched an eyebrow, this time aimed at the quiet girl, who sharply turned her face away from the blonde and stubbornly scowled.
“You don’t have to stick around if it’s too low-class. I wanted to treat just Yuma-kun, anyway.” The girl with the red bow grumbled sourly, shrinking in on herself.
“I don’t need your charity.” Pucci declared with such haughty defiance.
“Well, good, cuz I’m not giving it!!” Kurane testily snapped back at her.
Yuma sweatdropped as he awkwardly massaged the back of his head, alternating staring between the two girls who were at odds with one another.
“I-It’s fine… I can pay for Pucci’s bill. I don’t want her feeling like she’s unwelcome…”
He chuckled nervously as the blonde’s expression became one of unyielding steel, and Kurane blanched at what she perceived as audacity.
“Absolutely not. The bill is mine to pay.”
“Yumaaa!! You don’t owe this rude twit anything!”
… Well, they finally agreed on something tonight. How about that?
Pucci glowered back at Kurane, her brow twitching in irritation.
“If anyone here is the rude twit, it’s you for throwing the first stone. It’s fine. I will pay for everyone’s bill. Yuma must be spoiled, and you are still a brat in high school. I need to be the adult here.”
Kurane fearlessly glowered right back at the blonde.
“This is my date with Yuma, you just stay in your corner!!!”
“So it is a date…” Pucci hissed, hands twitching restlessly in her lap.
Yuma’s eyes bulged in alarm as he waved his arms about peacefully, flipping back and forth as he regarded both girls.
“Wh-Whoa, whoa, whoa…! I-I don’t know anything about a d-date, th-this is just an outing between friends! Friends!! C-Can we please just… enjoy a meal together? It’s been a long day…” His shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
Pucci hawkishly glared at Kurane, who frigidly glared right back. This went on for several more tense moments, Yuma thinking that his pleas might have fell on deaf ears… But then they both stiffly nodded and seemed to reach a truce. … A truce to stow their antics that night at least while in the young detective’s presence.
But the moment they had time alone to themselves…
Well. Yuma simply didn’t need to be around for that. They both wanted to spoil him, so they would. Together. … Very awkwardly splitting Yuma’s bill amongst themselves. The stall owner gave them weird looks as he accepted the money they had a sharp dispute over for a good solid minute…
Yuma apologized profusely for his friends’ eccentricities, and they soon left the stand after enjoying some quality ramen that surprised all of them. Even Kurane, who had eaten there before, fell in love with the ramen all over again… And Pucci and Yuma experienced it for the first time, and couldn’t deny that it was pretty good. Easily the best ramen they’d ever had, or at least Yuma thought so.
… Pucci seemed reserved in giving her opinions, but Yuma could tell that she liked the meal.
The return to the hotel was… just as awkward as dinner. Because turnabout is fair play, apparently. Just as Pucci invited herself to dinner, Kurane invited herself into Pucci’s room. The bonding was a bit more tense and there were more sparks flying than usual… But Yuma preferred to imagine they all had a great time.
… Really. He wasn’t coping. He was not.
~*~
Another day…
Yuma wasn’t really sure why. Apparently, bringing that photo back to the agency – the sub – and asking about the people captured on film… The Nocturnal Detective Agency of old… It was enough to warrant a spontaneous trip to a bar in Kamasaki District. Or so Chief Yakou declared, anyway.
For the lilac-haired man’s part… He wasn’t interested in getting “wasted.” What he wanted was some answers. Not because Yuma needed the info for an investigation… But because he just wanted to hear about the Chief’s past. Even a little bit.
… Souta sure wasn’t forthcoming with details, and he’d been there when Yuma had found the photograph in the old agency’s office. All the ex-detective did was lockpick their way in to give them a ‘tour of the old girl’, and then volunteered to accompany Yuma when he inevitably asked the Chief about the old team.
Pucci and Kurane had – grudgingly – departed for the night. Still giving each other stinkeyes. This left Yuma alone with the Chief and Souta, once they relocated to the cheap bar in Kamasaki. The trio lounged at a big booth table, able to seat one person on each of the three sides. Yakou sat at the back, which acted like the head of the table. Yuma sat on his right, and Souta sat on the bluenet’s left.
Yakou… took a few drinks to loosen his lips, and the entire time he was staring down at the photograph with an unreadable expression.
“… The Nocturnal Detective Agency, huh…” The Chief muttered, running a hand through his unruly hair. “I never thought I’d… It’s been a long time since anyone ever asked about the ‘old days’… I figured those memories would be buried forever. Hell… I almost wanted them to remain that way. That was… Kanai Ward was so different back then. The world was black and white, not this hideous gray that Amaterasu dragged us into… This was our home. Detectives actually had a place here.”
Yuma fell quiet as the Chief vented his grief, his joy, every emotion he felt as he regarded that piece of history nestled between his fingers. He had questions, but he wasn’t in a rush. Souta lounged back lazily as he took a sip of his current drink… His fourth shot.
“You’re always so sappy. You do realize Kanai Ward wasn’t a utopia before Amaterasu sank their claws in, yeah? There was just as much darkness back then.”
Yakou puffed out a small sigh as he drank his fifth shot in one go, and lightly slammed the empty shot glass down on the table.
“… I know that. But the way people treated us, Souta… You know what I’m talkin’ about. There was no Amaterasu in our way ‘til seven years ago. That’s when things really went to hell. … Or at least started to.”
Souta’s frown didn’t waver, but he shrugged indulgently.
“I guess being a detective did mean something. The Nocturnal Detective Agency was always your dream.” The dark-haired man mused casually.
The bluenet wrinkled his nose as a waiter brought them another round of drinks.
“Yours, too!! Though… I guess we had different motivations. I just wanted to help save this city.”
Souta grinned lopsidedly as he raised his new glass in a one-sided toast.
“Hey, now~… You’re the bleeding heart of an optimist. I was always the level-headed realist. Becoming a hero isn’t… worth my time~… I’m too selfish. I want proper compensation for my good will efforts~…”
Yakou rolled his eyes as he downed another shot like he was guzzling water, and summoned the waiter for yet another round.
“Level-headed realist, my ass. You loved the thrill of detective work. That whole process of outwitting criminals, even outshining the police. Everything was like a game to you.”
The ex-detective chortled as he sipped his drink and cracked a wobbly grin.
“And you always took everything so seriously~… We balanced each other out quite nicely, Ya-kun~… Without me, you wouldn’t have gotten a cohesive team as quickly as you did. Without you… Eh. I’d probably have lost my soul years ago.”
Yuma squirmed uncomfortably as Souta said that so nonchalantly. Like he didn’t care what happened to himself. It reminded the trainee of that fateful first meeting… Souta had shrugged off his near-death experience at an alarmingly fast rate.
… Was this how everyone else viewed his selfless actions? Yuma liked to think he wasn’t suicidal… Although, given enough incentive to make his death worth it…
…
Nope. Yuma was going to stop thinking about that and jump to his little… Q&A.
“S-So, uh… Chief. I’ve heard about Souta quite a bit… How he’s a jack-of-all-trades. What about the other guys, though?”
Yakou’s brow crinkled as he mulled over the other ex-members before he sighed breezily and downed another shot.
“… Daryan was our heavy-hitter. If there was ever any thugs we needed handled, or something heavy we needed removed… He was our man!” The bluenet cracked a cheesy, self-deprecating grin as he chuckled meekly. “But… as you might imagine, he wasn’t just our bouncer. Daryan was a detective in his own right. Whereas I was the negotiator, and Souta was the planner and our handyman, Daryan was… He was great to have around whenever a case of assault or blackmail came up. You might not believe it looking at him, seeing how big and intimidating he was… But Daryan had some crazy charisma.”
Souta nodded distractedly as he swirled his drink around casually, still leaning back without a care in the world.
“A real heart of gold. If there was a kid too scared to testify, or a woman too coerced into silence… Daryan always knew how to cheer them right up. His enthusiasm was damn near infectious~… Sure, he was obsessed with working out and living life to the fullest, but that was a great selling point to potential clients. Daryan always knocked out two birds with one stone, running laps around Kanai and squeezing in his patrols, checking on people and dishing out ass-whoopings when needed~!”
Yakou nodded furtively in agreement, pointing at Souta with a goofy grin. Clearly, Daryan brought back some good memories for the Chief. Yuma was relieved this was going so well.
“So Daryan was the… strong one.” The lilac-haired man pursed his lips. “What about the gray-haired guy?”
Yakou blinked slowly as he peered back down at the photograph. Then he made a noise of understanding.
“Ahh, Hayate~! He was… erm… To put it kindly, he was terrifying.” The bluenet muttered this with the blankest of expressions.
Yuma recoiled somewhat as Yakou just left it there.
“T-Terrifying?! More intimidating than the bodybuilder?!” He just couldn’t bring himself to believe that.
Yakou just stared blinkingly at the young detective, baffled at how Yuma came to that conclusion. Souta snorted and rolled his eyes as he reached over and knocked the bluenet on the side of his head with his knuckle.
“Idiot. Context, Yakou, context. You’re leaving hero-kun with more questions than answers~…”
Yakou tilted his head at the ex-detective, definitely spacing out as the booze was kicking in.
“Uh… Well. I’m not backing down. Hayate was a devil with computers. Aside from the website he set up for the agency, just about everything else he did freaked me the hell out!”
“Computers…” The young detective echoed, brow furrowing as he gained the slightest bit of insight.
Souta sighed theatrically as he sprawled out his arms in defeat.
“Hardware, software, Hayate-kun was a wizard with machines. Any security camera footage was within our grasp, so long as we had Hayate~… Just about everything online was in Hayate’s domain. The places he couldn’t hack, he found workarounds for most of them. Hayate mostly handled cybercrime cases, and even the small stuff like people forgetting their passwords, but the police also came to him when they suspected footage was tampered with or erased. Hayate-kun rarely left the office, and yet he had quite the reputation in Kanai Ward as a ‘cyberdog’ of the police~… As you can see, Yakou has the most joyous things to say about Hayate-kun~…”
Yakou glared half-liddedly at his childhood friend.
“Oi. Just cuz I was scared of how fast Hayate worked with computers, doesn’t mean he wasn’t my friend, Souta. … All of you were my friends. The best friends I could have asked for.”
Souta smiled thinly, his eyes dancing with an unreadable emotion.
“… Yeah. I’m well aware.”
Yuma frowned with determination as he steeled himself for his next question. He somehow knew that this might be the inquiry that got a reaction out of the Chief. The trainee wasn’t looking forward to it.
“And… finally, that woman…” He trailed off, trying to put it as delicately as possible. “Who… is she?”
The table grew so quiet they could hear a pin drop. Yakou and Souta both staring at Yuma, both of them wearing indecipherable expressions.
“… Serika…” Uh-oh. Was the Chief beginning to sob?
Yuma jolted as Souta reached over and patted the bluenet’s shoulder with a strange emotion dancing in his eyes. One that the trainee couldn’t make heads or tails of.
“It’s alright, Yakou. Let it out.”
Without fanfare, Yakou threw his upper body over the table and sobbed with his face buried in his arms. Obviously, Yuma wasn’t going to be getting an explanation, not anytime soon, and he just felt… He felt awful for opening up an old scar like that. Because… he heard, like many of the others had by now, that the Chief’s wife was named Serika… and she was gone.
Yuma felt like such a fool… He should’ve put two and two together.
Souta smiled blandly as he handed over his wallet.
“Could ya use that to pay our tab, hero-kun? We’re done for tonight. Don’t fret the small stuff, this was gonna happen eventually. I’ll get Yakou home. Get some air if ya need it. Oh yeah… You’ll probably need this.” After rifling through the bluenet’s pockets, the ex-detective plucked out the switch for the submarine. Yuma accepted it numbly, eyes glued to Yakou as he cried his heart out.
He really needed to make it up to the Chief later… Maybe he wouldn’t remember tonight, maybe he would. In either case, Yuma felt that it was his obligation to apologize. Serika was an enigma to the trainee, but it was one that would quite possibly never be unraveled. The Chief shouldn’t have to talk about his dead wife… There wasn’t some big mystery to solve.
Shortly after paying the bill and watching Souta leave with the Chief draped over his shoulders, Yuma pondered what else to do that night… Maybe confide in Pucci for a while. It didn’t feel right to go straight back to the agency… Yuma wouldn’t abandon the Chief tonight, but he’d give the man some space. He deserved that much.
The Nocturnal Detective Agency… was the closest thing to a family that Yuma had. He didnn’t want to imagine life without them. He could perfectly understand the Chief’s content nostalgia, reliving his memories of his past friendships… For whatever reasons, the old agency drifted apart.
… And Yuma absolutely didn’t want that to happen to this era of the agency. They needed to stay together after resolving things in Kanai Ward… For Yuma’s sake. For the Chief’s sake.
Unbeknownst to Yuma, however, a short couple of days later, his home would be sunk into the river, casting all of them adrift as Yomi Hellsmile celebrated from on high.
~*~
Faded, static-y memories began to filter through the young man’s mind. A lonely, cold underground corridor that was filled with lights along the walls. The walls were made of stone. And then there were two hazy images of an older man and a trainee walking side-by-side. They paused as a third figure passed them by, holding a mysterious book. The third figure seemed… familiar… with that hat and cowl.
“Good day, sir~!” The older man greeted as the third figure passed.
The trainee seemed curious.
“Who was that?”
The older man scoffed lightly.
“You don’t know? I guess not, since you’re still new… That’s Number One, the leader of the World Detective Organization!”
“Th-That’s him?! I had no idea…!” The trainee seemed utterly enraptured with this revelation. “Why would that someone high up be here underground?”
The older man explained.
“There’s a book vault here. It’s a secret book vault that only Number One can enter with his biometrics. It supposedly contains data from generations of great detectives, sealed books, and so on…
“Huh, didn’t know that…” The trainee mumbled, sounding truly chuffed.
The older man placed a warning hand on the trainee’s shoulder.
“Don’t even think about going in there, newbie!”
“I-I know…!” The rookie whined at the stern warning. Then he grew curious about something else. “Hmm… wasn’t Number One carrying an old book just now…? I wonder what that book was?”
“You’re curious? Well, how about you go investigate?” The older man suggested. “You may be a trainee, but you’re still a detective!”
“Investigate…? Me…?” The rookie echoed uncertainly.
The older man chuckled warmly.
“Haha, I’m kidding~! Don’t take it so seriously, Yuma~!”
The memory ended with the trainee eyeing the mysterious purple and jewel-encrusted book in Number One’s hands…
Yuma startled awake as he jolted up in the unfamiliar bed. He gazed around the strange new room in alarm… It looked highly luxurious.
“H-Huh? Wait! Where am I?!” The lilac-haired man exclaimed.
Shinigami shrugged indifferently as she smoked a pipe that blew a skull-shaped cloud.
“Beats the hell outta me~!”
Yuma furrowed his brow in bewilderment.
“But weren’t you by my side the entire time? Don’t you know what happened to us? Like that time back at the Amaterasu Express…”
The death goddess shook her head in rejection of that idea.
“I was only able to stay awake back then because we had just made the pact and we weren’t fully synchronized yet~! But that didn’t work this time…” Shinigami deflated as a miserable aura surrounded her. “When you lose consciousness, my vision also goes dark!” She puffed up irritably. “Actually, do you remember drifting in the river after the explosion?! You almost died!!! Hell, even as a death god, I thought I was gonna die! Kyahaha~!”
Yuma shook his head impatiently as he whined.
“This is no laughing matter…!”
Shinigami wagged her finger as she held up a steaming cup of coffee.
“Anyway, because your biological activity stabilized, I was able to wake up! Everything’s A-Okay now~! Now let’s go find out where we are! I wanna go exploring so bad, my eyes are watering~!”
“That’s… a bit dramatic…” Yuma muttered, unimpressed. Then he stood up, glad he could still move around and seemed unharmed after nearly drowning in the river. “Where… are we…?”
He began exploring the spacious master bedroom, marveling at all the elegance and refinery. There were some kind of abstract paintings along the wall, and elegant vases on small tables. Shinigami shrugged casually.
“Let’s check things out for now~! Oh my, this is quite nice~!”
Yuma found the double doors leading out of the room, and nervously steeled himself as he nudged them open. The detective and death goddess found themselves in a much wider open penthouse suite location, where there was a kitchen, a living room, and an upstairs area among other decorations and features. There was also large magnificent windows that gave an amazing skyline view of Kanai Ward.
… There was also a hot tub, apparently. Yuma could see someone’s head poking out from behind a rock. The person stood up, upon hearing Yuma enter the room.
“Wh-Who’s there?!”
Whoever they were, the person was wearing a towel around their waist…. Had long pale hair… and… a smiling mask? A creepy one with its tongue sticking out cutely, and the mouth was stitched up. The mask also only had a single eye.
“Hi there, nice to meet you~!” The strange man waved nonchalantly, his voice light and welcoming. He then waved a hand in front of his chest and politely bowed toward Yuma, ominously leaning his mask toward the detective. “I sure look suspicious, huh?”
Yuma staggered back in shock. What… had he gotten himself into this time?
