Would You Love Me?
Okay. Here I am again, after the maelstrom of the past year called consecutive holidays, rising from the shadows. Ugh, cigarette prices went up so I'm currently saving for an electronic one. It works like a club fog machine, a 'shisha', or a portable salbutamol nebulizer. Your mileage may vary.
Now that all those festivities have come to an end, I'm up to write again. I can't apologize more for the delay, but then, if you're a busy man like me, well…
This covers the Kubo Mitsuo rescue, so the insanity will be more than eminent, if I know how to write insane in a span of several paragraphs. I'm currently in a sulky mood so that should help a lot. Having a one bad day after the other can make you think weird things. Add the fact that I'm playing Corpse Party on my PSP and it pretty much distracted me.
Oh and here enters Shirogane and all that bishounen Kuma goodness.
Enjoy this mildly I-dunno-how-to-explain-it Scent.
DISCLAIMER: The same as usual. I don't own anything except Kageyama Haru. He's mine. All mine.
Scent 6: I… Killed THEM.
The Chaos Mage (Channel 1)
"Damn it!"
Sitting around here at Aiya doesn't change the reality that hit us all this morning. Tch. Rise-chii took the week off school after being confined in that, ugh, strip club. And she was so charming too~
Anyway, that's not the issue here.
Tatsumi slammed his fist on the counter. "I thought the victims were just those who got fucking seen on the TV! Not even once!"
"We didn't even see Morooka-sensei on the Mayonaka TV either," Amagi said glumly, her fingers clutching her arm in apprehension.
"Why does this have to happen," I put my other two yen in. Aibou's elbows are brushing against mine and I could figure out that he's shaking slightly. He fell silent since we went in; can't blame him, for all that transpired. He put up this nice mask to keep his cool and to prevent others from breaking out into a fray of fried nerves. How gourmet–
"Ends up that it's all a coincidence, huh?" Satonaka mumbled, hands picking on a soy sauce bottle at the center of the table. "Mayonaka TV might not be related to the murders after all…"
"That can't be," partner butted in. Of course, it can't be, but what if it really isn't connected to the damn channel?
"Then how do you fucking explain it?"
Whoops. That didn't come out as I wanted it to be, but hell…
"I-I don't know, Hanamura."
Stop making that face, aibou. Tch.
"S-sorry man. I was just getting frustrated, you know," I apologized, guilt slightly gnawing on my insides. Narukami can't be held liable for anything for we've been crawling in the dark since day one of this damned Inaba murder chain.
"This might be too much for us to handle, nah? No way for us to get a hold of the perpetrators who keep on dodging the police radars…"
"The fuck? Out of the question, Hana-senpai," Tatsumi yapped. For Kami-sama's sake… Won't you stop giving me a headache? "You got involved because the helpless cops cannot and most likely won't ever be able to crack this case in the first place. Care to shimmy out of those panties when we're the only ones who can go in and out of that damn TV and do the seemingly routine rescue operations?"
You talk big, kouhai. But damn, I think you're right that it certainly makes damn sense.
"…"
Bam.
What's a big nikudon doing here? Wait, not big. Make it extra-mega-overly big.
"Huh? We didn't order anything!" I exclaimed, eyeing the stoic Aika-chan who went back to the counter getting a few more bowls for the Team.
"It's on the house – a special part of the menu that we only offer during rainy days."
"Anou… Ah… Thanks?" Amagi said with curiosity. "But why?"
"Today's an exception, so dig in." With that, Aika-chan went back to her usual business.
"Therefore, I conclude that it's chow time!" Satonaka squeaked and split her chopsticks. Tch. When it comes to meat, you really have no discernment, eh? And oi aibou, stop staring at that nice piece of meat. It's unnerving.
Twenty minutes later…
"Protein loading? Damn, no matter how much I eat, I can't see the rice at all," I blubbered, not minding if it's bad manners to speak when masticating something. The nikudon's tasty, but fuck, it's like we're surveying for a rice mine with gold and diamonds underneath. Others didn't even make a tiny nick on the whole thing…
Another gruelling twenty minutes and…
"Meat, meat, grease, fat, grease, and more meat…" Narukami chanted like a litany as he inspected a few layers of the accursed beef bowl.
Tatsumi was the same thing. "What the hell's with this freaking kaijuu…"
Amagi got a table napkin and wiped her oily mouth with it. "At least we made a bit of a dent on it… I guess?"
"This is too much food!" I piped in, sighing as I rested my poor elbows on the back of my chair. "Seriously, I'm neither Nagase nor Ichijo who can polish it in a few bites… I couldn't even get to the bottom of this even if I eat it the whole effin' day!"
"…but we'll get to the bottom of this if we press on."
Aibou?
"Right. The road to the end is quite long, but eventually, the end can be reached, ne?" Satonaka affirmed, smiling a bit as she tried to grab another bite and chewing it utterly slowly.
"I'm sure of it!" Amagi chimed, becoming a tad enthusiastic about the ordeal. Of course, we're not pertaining to the beef bowl per se.
Tatsumi turned around from the counter and replied with a rain of meat and grease.
"Damn right."
"We may never see the end, but we need to grin and 'bear' it anyway, so let's just do what we're doing so far."
Hah. This is my Narukami mode. Damn, all it took was a never-ending nikudon to renew our convictions.
"I really… can't see the bottom of the bowl…"
"What the? That's all you can say, aibou?"
He sighed and put his chopsticks down. "At the very least, we levelled-up after this battle with a meat monster…"
"That's 3000 yen each," Aika-chan said, popping out of nowhere.
"You said it was on the house?!" I spazzed out. I can't believe this!
"That's right. It's on the house – if you finish it," the calm voice of the part-time waitress-slash-our-classmate stated matter-of-factly. Tch. She even pointed out the poster describing the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge. Fuck, should I have known…
"Ah. Welcome to Aiya."
Kageyama-senpai? Oh, with a bunch of sports aficionados with stomachs capable of breaking the time-space continuum…
"It didn't cross my mind that you're hanging out here," the dark senpai said as he noticed us, saying a quick "yo" at aibou. They're wearing weekend clothes despite tomorrow being a school day. Huh?
"Hn… I told you it wasn't a brilliant idea, Ichijo. Group dating didn't even help in our quest for romance," Daisuke mumbled in defeat, slumping at a chair behind me. "Believe me guys, you won't dare doing it. Learn from us, Hanamura, Narukami."
"Daisuke, you idiot!" Ichijo screeched, flushing a bit when he took notice of the girls and sat next to the soccer freak. "You didn't have to say that out loud… Besides, senpai hoarded the girls to himself so it's your stupid fault that we didn't get any."
"A Mega Beef Bowl, eh?" Kageyama-senpai raised an eyebrow and paced to Narukami and judged the junior's prowess. "Not bad for a beginner."
Ah, that reminds me, he's a…
"Ichijo! Here!"
Satonaka slammed the unfinished nikudon in front of the still-red basketball captain.
"All yours now!"
With that, she winked at Amagi and traipsed towards the exit, the fan-wielder following her trail.
"Hanamura-kun, we'll hang out at Junes. Later!"
They left, leaving an imaginary dust trail like some cowboys in the Wild Wild West.
"Oi!" She didn't just put the foot of the bill on me?
"Is it okay for me to… you know… dig into this?" Ichijo said, sounding embarrassed but enthusiastic nonetheless. Huh?
"Who cares? It's a blessing so just say 'Itadakimasu' and get your ass rolling," Nagase retorted, shrugging while he scanned the menu and called Aika-chan to take his order. Kageyama-senpai, however…
"I claim this," he said, sitting himself regally in the vacant seat in front of aibou, grabbing his bowl and chopsticks and started devouring the accursed nikudon with gusto.
"You waste food too much so you'll pay for this, right Narukami?"
Tch. Such a fucking tightwad of a glutton… Damn you, senpai. Anyway… Tatsumi's keeling over but hell, he should pay for his fucking bowl. And I have to pay for Amagi's too…
Wait, wait, wait, wait… Did senpai just had an indirect kiss with aibou? I should've seen that coming, but hey, I'm just a normal guy liking girls so it kinda irked me a little. Justifiable.
Right?
We somehow ended up raiding the Junes electronics department in hopes to ask Kuma if someone got thrown inside the TV when we weren't looking. It wouldn't hurt to confirm that, ne?
Out of pure damn luck, the section supervisors are huddling over the TV area. This stupid unlucky streak goes by ever-so-painstakingly-slowly.
"Hope they didn't find out something about that TV."
Way to go, Tatsumi.
"By the looks of it, we're pretty much screwed if they did."
How calm, senpai. Thank you very much for enlightening me. That does not remedy the risk of jeopardizing the Team's 'standard' operations so I just need to man up and ask what was wrong.
"Ah! What's the matter?" I blubbered after reaching the three guys talking about something and pointing at the massage chair area. Whew. That was a relief.
"Ah, perfect timing, Yosuke. Kuma-tan came by."
What the… "Eh? Kuma-tan, you said?"
And lo, there he was, currently enjoying (I think?) the vibrating goodness of an insert-a-hundred-yen massage couch. I'm beginning to wonder if hollow bears can have sore muscles when they're in fact, well, hollow.
"This feels beary good!"
"Whoa! He's here!" Satonaka screamed, earning a few looks from the prospective customers browsing the electronics.
Kageyama-senpai crossed his arms and sighed. "Of course he is," he uttered with the air he usually had.
Tch. Satonaka, I pity you. At least we're quits now. But what good does it bring if she didn't even realize that she's being called an idiot without even saying the damn word? Talk about dense.
"Looks comfy. Can I try it too?" Oh no. Narukami is on the idiotic side of the situation as well…
"The hell are you doing here?!" I screamed, not minding the surroundings. We're a weird crowd, so doing weird things come out naturally.
"You finally showed up! I was getting a bit lonely so I went out and waited. Am I lucky today or what?"
Amagi surely was aghast. "Kuma-san, is it fine for you to leave the TV?"
"You can?" Tatsumi seconded. Seriously, repeating yourselves over and over is kinda irritating…
"There's an exit after all," Kageyama-senpai replied and stook his thumb out towards the huge LCD TV that we use during 'standard operations'.
"Sugoi! Haru-chama is sooo smart!" Kuma praised. He levelled-up in the brains department just because of that? And what's with the cutesy '-chama'? Guess I'll never know.
"It just never occurred to me before. Buuut~" the stupid bear trailed off and rolled his stubby shoulders (Does he have one?) in bliss. "After hanging out with you guys, I suddenly got interested and went out!"
"Yeah, that happens."
The bear gleamed. "I knew sensei would understand! Oh, someone asked me for my name, so I said 'I'm Kuma!' like the way it should be!"
"I should've known this could happen sometime," Satonaka grimaced. Haha. But…
There are a lot more important things that we should worry about.
"Kuma, we need to ask you something."
"Huh?"
"Let's gather to the food court, shall we?"
"So, no one got thrown inside the TV?"
"Nope!"
"You hundred percent sure about that?"
"That's what I'm saying all the while, Yosuke! I was all alone as I worked out to regain my beautiful fur! Besides, the nose always knows. No two ways about it!" He emphasized, flailing his arms while he's at it.
"Okay, so Moron King never went inside. What gives?"
I'm currently out of ideas so Kami-sama help me.
"Perhaps the killer did it in the real world?"
No shit? Don't even instigate from that line of thinking, aibou. However…
"Maybe he hadn't been successful using the TV so…" Amagi supported Narukami's hypothesis.
Satonaka sipped her juice and chewed on her straw. "Probably. We saved four people in a row now."
"Impatient, eh?" Tatsumi pondered aloud, leaning over the table before inhaling deeply in exasperation.
"Doesn't seem farfetched. Kinda fits the bill if you ask me," Kageyama-senpai tossed his two yen in. "What do we do next, Narukami?"
Tch. Kuma's getting twitchy all of a sudden.
"Gragh! It's getting beary hot now!" He abruptly calmed down and…
"I can do this… No chickening out… All I have to do is to pull the zipper…"
"Fuck, Kuma! Kids are watching!" I screamed in alarm. "Ever heard about the risk of traumatizing them if they saw a mascot moving and talking without anyone inside it?" Without ado, I lunged at his fluffy head and grabbed it, never allowing him to even do such a creepy thing.
"That hurts, Yosuke! I'm not empty anymore!"
Now I savored the fruits of his training. Damn, he got strong. Where's the bear that I easily pushed around when we started raiding the TV?
"Off it goes…"
…am I watching a bishounen anime? Who would've thought? Blonde hair, blue eyes, annoyingly cute androgynous face… Hell, when did you –
"You're… not empty anymore?"
Blondie just took a deep breath and, fuck, are those flowers? "Ah, what a nice breeze! Ever fitting for my nice, hot body…" And with that, he took a sip of juice that I had no idea how he did that a few minutes ago with that bulky 'head' of his. Fuck. He literally has two heads now.
Nice, hot body, huh? Narukami's way beyond… Oh crap.
"Y-you must be joking…" Satonaka, can I pinch you on the cheek to confirm that?
"I'm not dreaming, that's for sure."
Kageyama-senpai already did so to himself and that red spot on his cheek was the sole evidence.
"I feel greeeeat! I grew a body so I can score with Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, and even Kanji, Yosuke, Haru-chama and sensei!"
"Now that you said it…"
I thought that Kageyama-senpai wasn't capable of blushing. I'm totally wrong.
"Perhaps, I wouldn't –"
"…just for that?" the kung-fu girl said, her jaw dropping on the ledge.
Amagi wasn't beary impressed. That caustic expression explained everything. "How many times must you bring that up?"
Even Tatsumi is having a nosebleed. What's with you, guys? Seems like Narukami is down for some reason. He was mumbling about manga, Basketbelles or something, and bad idea for a moment.
"Maa, do you have any clothes on you?"
We're wearing them now, for your information.
"I'm bear as a newborn baby…" the now not-empty bear continued with a wanton look. Tch.
"Wah! Haru-chama! Where are you taking me!"
And there goes the dark senpai, clutching at the bear's lower costume at the zipper, hoisting him like a jacket and strutted fast-pacedly towards the automatic doors.
"We're going to shop."
"So he grew a body all by himself?" Tatsumi stage-whispered, sniffing back the rivulet of blood coming out of his nose.
"Good for him," Narukami sighed. "I wish I were a little more picky when it came to the tankoubon that I brought him months back."
Ugh, what?
"No fucking way. What the hell is he?!"
Ah, my flair for the dramatics. Now sue me.
We stayed a bit longer to come out with the next plan of action and ended up arranging a meeting with Risette to discuss the things that happened so far.
Pi pi pi pi~
"Ah, Kageyama-senpai," Satonaka answered her phone, excusing herself from our crowd to get a quieter location.
"Uh-huh? You can do that."
What's with that victorious look on your face?
"Nah… won't mind… Okay!"
I have the feeling that this won't be pretty.
It turned out that my gut instincts were right. I knew I couldn't trust Satonaka's schemes. After praising me for being such a well-off adult, here's what I get?
"Who said you could charge it to my account?!"
Hell, the savings for my moped! I was so close too… You even betrayed me, Kageyama-senpai… What irked me more was aibou's being insensitive about it.
Crap. He knew he was – and certainly will always be – a tightwad.
"I'm short on cash, and Kuma just ranted about my choice of clothes being itchy. His taste on fabrics is way off the charts so we settled on the expensive stuff. Besides, your apparel is too high-priced so we got the cheapest ones available," the traitor said slowly, sighing every now and then. "And he's so squirmy too when I tried to get that… uh… shirt on him. You still owe me for the trouble but I'll let that go for now."
You put that burden on yourself.
"You could've told me, senpai!"
Satonaka got between us and tapped my shoulder. "It's all for good cause, Hanamura. Besides, you're the Prince of Junes, so it's just a few coins from your gold stash."
"Absolutely right, Satonaka. Good job, Kageyama-senpai. Kuma now looks respectable."
Tch. Why are you nodding like it was a very good idea, aibou?
I'll kill you one day Narukami Yu.
Fuck, I paid for Amagi's nikudon, I got ripped off by a scheming kung-fu girl con obnoxious senpai duo, and shelled out a thousand yen to Tatsumi to get Kuma some Topsicles. I'm currently in a bad mood right now.
The cat-eat-dog-eat-cat fight between me and Satonaka (I don't have a fighting chance if I took on Kageyama-senpai for sure) got interrupted when we saw Amagi and aibou in front of Marukyu speaking to a tiny boy situated near the store.
The same boy Tatsumi was talking to back in a month or so.
"Hm. I'll check it out. You guys coming?"
No need to ask that, senpai.
"Narukami!"
The boy squinted and gave us a quick visual inspection.
"Oh, you're all here too. I still haven't introduced myself." He took on a business-like aura and continued. "Shirogane Naoto, a detective. The police required help to investigate the serial murders so that's where I come in."
"A detective?" Narukami repeated. He doesn't seem convinced. So do I.
"Indeed. Also, may I ask you for your opinion on something?"
Gulp. I don't buy that but hell, as we have no other leads as of now, might as well get this done and over with. We're way behind schedule. Meeting Risette is the highest priority as of now.
"W-what is it?"
Damn, I sounded like a lie-weaving idiot.
"Wasn't the latest victim, Morooka Kinshiro-san, a teacher at your school?"
"What of it?"
Oi, Satonaka, don't give him the wrong idea that we're involved in this. Secrecy, remember?
"The second victim, Konishi Saki-san, attended the same institution."
Tch. So what? You never know anything. Even the police can't ascertain that those people were killed inside the TV. I'll bet the remaining yen in my account on that.
"The media is currently viewing the case along that perspective, but that isn't what I am pointing at. There's something peculiar about this case that I'm quite certain that I'm not amiss."
Enough of your riddles, boy.
"So? What are you getting at?"
The Wheel of Fortune just ground to a halt.
"Morooka-san was never seen on the TV, unlike the others, namely Yamano-san, Konishi-san, Amagi-san, Tatsumi-san, and Kujikawa-san."
Bulls-eye.
"What do you think of that?"
Narukami's shoulders tensed, but I hope that didn't give him away. Well, that surely didn't. I'm quite skilled in Narukami-reading so there.
"Beats me."
The scent of burning tobacco assaulted my nose. Soon enough, the boy's orbs trained on something behind me before nodding with a smile.
"Very well. I simply want to close this case as quickly as possible. I've got my eye on you. Later then."
After he was gone from our sight, the lingered on, along with the faint tinge of cancerous smoke.
"What was that about?"
"Should we meet Rise then?" Kageyama-senpai blurted from behind, back leaning against a telephone post, his foot trampling on the spent cigarette and blew some smoke sideways. "Fuck, that boy's gaze annoys me."
"Kageyama-senpai, you smoke now? I never thought –"
Narukami got cut off as soon as he started.
"Who are you, Narukami? My mother?" he snapped, slapping his right hand on his jeans as if they're dusty. Then he became a little out of it before scratching his spiky head in annoyance. "Ah, just drop it. Let's go, hn?"
There might be a storm going on this side of town.
The shrine nearby was a nice choice. The riverbank is too far, not to mention crowded by people at this time; totally not conducive for the 'talk' that we'll be having.
"Sorry to bring you here. Obaa-chan would be dead worried if she overheard this," she spoke solemnly, he cute figure leaning against the concrete fence.
Narukami, the ever precocious one, started the niceties. "Are you well?"
"Yup. I'm doing well now."
"Mou…" I grumbled. "Risette, you positive that you didn't get a glimpse of that bastard's face?"
"Mm-hm. I was in that club when I came to."
"So it was the same as Kanji-kun, senpai and me…" Amagi trailed off, finding her feet the best thing to settle her gaze at.
"Anou…"
Damn, Risette is fidgeting over something… How cute~ She really is Risette! I can do a victory dance now! But, hell, that's so lame.
Well, aibou's as cool as always.
"What is it?"
"Um… thank you… for saving my life. I'm very grateful!"
"Ahahaha… Don't sweat it. It's not a big deal, you know. We just did what we can," Satonaka said lengthily.
Senpai almost chortled and hid it in a smirk, biting the filter of his half-finished cancer stick. "Stop doing that Rise. Hanamura might puke hearts and rainbows."
"Not cool, Kageyama-senpai. I'm still mad at you."
"Eh? I can't see why you shouldn't be."
But hell, I can't stop blushing! This is Risette that we're talking about!
"You're the real Risette… I can't believe my own eyes…"
"Ne, would you be in trouble without me?" she ignored my musings. Aw. I don't mind at all.
…huh? What's with that frown, aibou?
Nah, I'm just seeing things. And damn, senpai. Wipe that cocky smirk off your face.
"Yeah! Hell yeah!"
"Ah. It'd be a big help to have you in the Team." Narukami handed those pink Mayonaka TV lenses with a smile.
"Is this proof that I'm one of you now?" she asked excitedly, wearing the said eyepiece on in no time.
"Pretty much, yeah," senpai replied with a drag of smoke. Tch. How obnoxious, but he seemed damn cool doing it. I won't try that anytime soon. How come he doesn't smell like an ashtray? Dojima-san faintly smells like one if I recall correctly, but his aftershave works wonders, I think. Narukami sometimes has this whiff of that thing on him at times. Argh. So much for such trivial thoughts. I should be focusing on Risette!
"Everyone wore them in the TV, right?"
"Yup," aibou affirmed. "Glad to have you aboard."
"Yep! Now we're friends!"
That hit me. Risette? Me? Friends? This is the best thing that ever happened in my life! A real-time celebrity joining our bunch of weird characters in a hunt for the mysterious killer? Who knew?
"I'll finally get to enjoy my rose-colored youth!"
Death By Sleep (Channel 13)
How boring.
Skipping club offers me a lot of free time after classes and snoozing off during Calculus refreshes my mind. Ah, what to do now?
I sucked on a vanilla-chocolate combo lollipop that I somehow got from my locker during lunch. It seemed safe to eat so I kept it for later use. If you itch for a smoke and you're within the perimeter of the school grounds, it makes a good alternative. Too bad you can't see the cancerous thing dissipate in the air. Some teachers are hot on my trail now so I should keep it low for the meantime.
"I… I-"
"What do you need her for?"
"Moron! You'll regret this!"
Tch. Noisy.
Huh? This damn kid has some nerve to just breeze through me and hit me while he's at it. I took a gaze uphill and saw my kouhai staring at this Fisheye-san. Hm. He appeared to be a troublemaker, now that I realized it. Narukami messaged me about that when I woke up from my midday classroom nap. He might be the one, but I'm not too sure.
"Oi. Watch your step, kid."
Ah. So he can bare fangs, eh?
"Want a piece of me then?" I crunched on my sugar ball and cracked a few knuckles. Tch. Nobody gives Yu-chan and his merry troop of friends a headache and runs away from it unscathed.
Hah. Scared as a sewer rat, I see. Better run off while you still can.
"Kageyama-senpai."
I glanced at the silver boy and the rest of the gang. "Hm. Mind if I join your walk home?"
Summer afternoons can't get any brighter than this.
"So that Fisheye-san is the same guy then?" I queried, sucking on another stick of lollipop. I tried to share since it's a 10's box but the juniors declined politely. Not a fan of sweet things? The bleached blonde freshie thinks the otherwise and asked albeit nervously for two more. Haha. I think I like this guy.
"Uh-huh. Threatened Nanako yesterday at Junes too when I went back to get Kuma's head."
A tinge of worry streaked Hanamura's face and whipped his head towards Yu-chan. "You didn't tell me that, aibou."
"I shouldn't make you worry. We've got too much on our plates now; that'd just spell another problem for the Team too. Besides, she's okay and told me not to wallow on it. She requested for Yosuke-nii's presence when she goes out shopping the next time though," my silverette explained with a grin. Refreshing. I wish it were me. I can't wait to meet this cousin of his one of these days.
"She can count on Yosuke-nii for that! Haha!"
"Oi, you shotacon. Stop making advances on Nanako-chan. She's way out of your league," Satonaka grumbled and Amagi went on her signature laughing spree. Kami-sama…
The floodplain looms near and for some reason, Tatsumi stopped near the gazebo.
"You guys go on ahead. I have plans. See ya at school tomorrow, senpai."
Not too soon, squeals of a young boy perked up my ears. Far away…
"You came! You really came! Haha! Let's go on a date now!"
"Idiot. What did you tell your okaa-san? If you go home late, you'll get scolded again."
"I said I'm going out with Kanji. She just said 'Alright. Make sure you tell Kanji I'll order three pink alligators.' and shooed me away. She doesn't care if I came home before seven as long as I told her I'm hanging out with you. Besides, you always walk me home so that takes care of it."
"Tch. Figures. Well, at least that order makes good yen."
"That's it! Oh, can we go to a sweet shop? My treat!"
"Hell, you're getting into my nerves, brat. I'm not your girlfriend. You accompany girls to the damn store, not guys around eight years your age."
"Mm-hm. Right, Kanji. Okay. That makes you my boyfriend then."
"Say what now?!"
Satonaka giggled, smacking Amagi lightly on the shoulder.
"Pfft. Tatsumi's so pawned by a kid!"
I was glad we're out of those two's earshot. Tatsumi's rage reflects Take-mizakuchi's wrath. "Now that's real shotacon."
"Haha. Good blackmail material, eh?" Hanamura schemed, setting his hands behind his head as he walked leisurely along the floodplain. "Anyway, I'll walk you home too, aibou."
The silver boy became surprised. "Huh? That'd be totally out of your way."
"I got him covered." Tch. Real smooth. I hope he didn't get the wrong idea.
"Well, I haven't seen Nanako-chan for a while, and it's a big bro's duty to see her from time to time, ne?"
"So that you could 'score'? Ugh, how disgusting," Satonaka growled, causing Amagi to laugh further.
"Hahaha! That's something Kuma-san would say! Score! Ahahaha!"
"Eh, Yukiko… I thought you didn't want to hear the 'scoring' thing?"
She changed from giddy to dark and angry in a flash. For once, it creeped me out.
"Definitely."
Then there goes her darn happy hormones. "But at this time I can't stop laughing at it! Oooh, my stomach…"
Satonaka stopped at the fork at the end of Samegawa, clutching a still giggling Amagi. "We're heading this way. See y'all tomorrow."
…and they trailed off.
"So, it's us three again, ne?" Hanamura commented jovially, pacing himself in stride with Yu-chan. When can I have some alone time with him? Oh right. Hanamura is the self-proclaimed right hand man.
"I hope you wouldn't suggest a sake night again, Hanamura. My head almost killed me that morning."
"Yeah, right. And you were sleeping like a log. And way too heavy too you felt like timber on my bed. I think my arm went asleep whole night long, bastard. Well, I guess that's because we're men in the making, na?"
"Fuck you and your no-hangover gene, Hanamura."
"Well, thank you, aibou. You're not so bad yourself, but you still have a lot to learn. Pfft. Lightweight."
Huh? They slept together?
I'm itching for a cigarette right now.
"Ah, I forgot something. I'm heading off to the convenience store. Hanamura, you see Yu-chan home. And don't forget to study. Finals are just a few days away." With that, I steered away from their old married couple conversation.
Tch. That brown-haired Prince of Junes really grates into my neurotic synapses. Oh well, bitching around won't do me any good. How far did they go?
Damn.
"Kageyama-senpai! The konbini's that way…"
Crap. Of all people, why was Hanamura the one to ever tell me that?
At last. Finals are over. More time slacking off. I wonder how I did? My former PE teacher gave me a set of cards with wands (Sometimes with cups, or coins, and fuck, swords?) on it when I make it to the top three of the class. I don't know what those were or how to use them so I kept them in my old notes box. Anyway…
"For Kami-sama's sake, what's with the long faces?" I asked the Investigation Team members who were in varying levels of dazed, slumped, and albeit dreadful; save for Yu-chan, sipping a lemon soda with no desperate reaction whatsoever and Amagi munching on some crunchy snack made of green peas (it said so in the label).
"I think my brain turned into vichyssoise," the music idiot replied glumly, his forehead red from hitting the edge of the table for no less than five times.
"How gourmet," Yu-chan chided, stretching his arms before knocking the brunette's head gently. "You could've said my brain just got creamed."
"It's just a plain, cold potato and leek soup, asshole," the other retorted, swatting the silver boy's hand away with little venom, in the very least that's what I thought. Fucking lovebirds…
"I'm glad we're done for the week, aibou. No more exams until the next term rolls in. And please, don't rain on my already ruined parade."
Rise is just as pissed and relieved. "Mou, what's with English? If that was the case, I should've hired an interpreter instead."
"That's not the point…" Tatsumi growled tiredly.
"Ne, Yu-senpai! How did you do?"
"My pen wouldn't stop moving."
"Wow! How impressive!"
He surely is, Rise.
Amagi barged into the conversation. "That reminds me, where's Kuma-san?"
"Isn't he living with you, Hanamura?" Satonaka responded lazily, her hand supporting her slightly chubby cheeks. Okay, first, he's hoarding Yu-chan. Now, he's having Kuma too? Under the same roof?
What a playboy.
"Ah… Ne… He's paying for it by being the mall mascot. It's easier to keep him that way. He also paid off what he wore the last time by doing that job too."
"So, you forced him to wear that, Hana-senpai," Tatsumi concluded, a smug grin breaking out of his face. "You changed him back."
Kuma soon noticed us looking at him handing out those balloons to a group of children and ran towards us in a hurry.
"How's everyone doing? Let me know if you're going stud hunting."
"Don't bring that up anymore," Amagi said with a chilling tone. For a Fire-persona user, she's the ice-cold-scary-when-provoked type. Much more freezing than Tomoe's icicle disaster when we tried raiding my dungeon for training.
"Oh, right. This is more like a group date than picking each other up! A triple date!" the music idiot beamed, his expression telling everything about youth and good days. Ugh.
The yakiniku girl slammed the ball back at him. "We'd never go on a group date with you guys."
"Ditto," I said simply. "As far as group dates are concerned, count me out."
"Whoa! Haru-san, that's harsh…" Rise blubbered with a mock-pout. Damn, that look. She knows something. Now, I'm securing an escape route. "Or perhaps, you have somebody you like?"
"We should go scoring then, Haru-chama!"
With all those stares… Okay. I give up.
"More or less," I stated simply.
"I knew it! Best of luck for us!"
What's with the 'us' part? Fuck, Rise. Can you be any clearer? You kinda lost me. Give me your interpreter. Now.
"Well, Moron King would've blown a fuse and started yapping at us if we really were in that kind of situation," Hanamura digressed. Grudges? But this seemed a little light.
"Moron King, huh?" Yu-chan trailed off, staring into some empty space.
"He was an ass," Satonaka reminisced, a bitter, slightly irritated air wafting from her.
Amagi seconded. "I didn't like him either."
Hanamura fumbled with his drink straw and muttered solemnly. "No one ever liked that creep. But… No one deserves to pass away like that."
Yu-chan shot up. "We have to catch the killer," he stated with conviction. Tch. That attitude blew me away every single damn time.
"My sentiments exactly, aibou. Mayonaka TV is currently cool as of the moment, but we have to check it often."
"That won't be necessary."
Ah, that Shirogane boy again.
"They've identified the culprit. You should leave the rest to the police."
Tomoe's other glanced up and asked curiously. "They did? Who was it?"
"They didn't tell me. What I do know is that he's a high school student pretty much like you."
"A high school student, you say?" Amagi asked rhetorically, her tone somewhat disbelieving the said statement. Well, if it came from the police, it can be considered a fact now, more or less.
"As such, your little game is over."
Yu-chan suddenly became pissed. Why? Because I know.
"We aren't playing around."
And as for the theatrical part, Rise stomped right in.
"A game?! Weren't you the one not taking it seriously?"
"So… Is it the affirmation of your involvement?"
Whoa, don't break the poor table. And please, stop pressing those, uh, lady lumps together. I know they're quite big, but that pretty disconcerting as of the moment since I'm getting a 45-degree view of it.
"I don't freaking care if you're some detective. All you do is solving this and assembling together pieces of that. Treating this case like a jigsaw puzzle… You're the one considering it a game!"
"Someone dear to us got tangled in this gruesome killings. I've got no time to play around," Hanamura added fiercely. He calmed himself after a few seconds like how Yu-chan usually did, and turned to face Kuma.
"Besides, we still hold on to that promise, ne?" he continued with a wink, creating a teary-eyed fluffy bear.
"I'm the one treating it like a game? Hm. Maybe you're right."
"So, what's our oh-so-famous detective doing here? Did they kick you out after they caught the damn killer?" Hanamura said caustically, taunting the boy further. Tch. I don't know, but this Hanamura is kinda threatening.
"My job is over now that the killer has been held in custody. Although, I admit that it's sad that they cut me out at their earliest convenience. I'm used to it though."
Tatsumi had the audacity to barge in. "You're…"
Ah, somehow, I kinda feel bad for the boy. Got fired after the party's over, huh?
"Well, I must be going now."
He left, leaving a weird feeling that bugged me – no, perhaps all of us.
Amagi appeared distressed. Her slight shaking gave her away. "Is it… really over?"
"I can't say. If the things he said were true…"
Hanamura?
"Are… we done getting together like this?" the Priestess blurted, unsure on how to rephrase the said sentence in a better way.
Yu-chan's flabbergasted face tells the whole internal turmoil he was having.
Summer rains are a drag. Umbrellas are a pain in the ass to carry, but what can I do? This isn't the city where there are sidewalks where you can literally strut along without having to worry of getting your clothes wet. Alas, this is the sticks, but hell, I have to grin and 'bear' it. That Kuma… Oh, is that him?
"Yo, Narukami."
My silver boy twisted in surprise, along with the former Team members of class 2-2.
"Senpai." Yu-chan acknowledged and the rest turned to face me.
I paced towards them, seeing Hanamura in tad high spirits. Whoa. The Magician is on the roll even in such crummy weather. The case's results are today's highlight and everyone's talking about it.
"It shows that Shirogane's story was for real," Hanamura said, yawning after his share of words.
Satonaka replied a bit dolefully. "What's left for us to do? They found the killer after all."
Amagi's statement was a hard pill to swallow.
"There's nothing left."
Even I can't shake this feeling off my chest. Ugh. Since when did I have this kind of internal dialogue? Huh? Yu-chan stopped walking… I wonder…
"Not yet."
This is what I've been talking about.
"Huh?" Hanamura noticed his 'aibou' wearing this pensive look.
"Well, it's raining today, so I think we might as well check Mayonaka TV tonight."
I spared Yu-chan a sideways glance, grinning at his plain yet somehow broken confidence. Just keep pressing on, ne? With that, I just ruffled his silver hair like I did before. "That's the way, Leader-san."
"Yeah. Of course we should," the headphones boy replied as if it was a normal thing.
Midnight struck. I should get used to this. However, if you believe that seeing your TV come on in its fucking yellow glory without it being connected to the mains a normal scenario, then you might be mistaken.
There's no way this is normal. Hell, I'm still trying to wrack my brains out for a reason why this is happening, but to no avail. Despite Enma-o being an alleged judge of the underworld, for one, he doesn't seem to know much about it either. Well, your Other is basically you, so you share the same knowledge pool.
Fisheye-san is the victim now? Who would've thought? Though my brain tells me that I want him to stay there and get eaten by his own Shadow for being such an ass to my kouhai, well, Yu-chan wouldn't like that. Tch. I thought he's the one contracting my germs; in actuality, I might've been infected with Narukami virus. Hmph. It doesn't matter. Perhaps this is what you call a change of heart.
Dialing the phone was quite a chore when you're yawning. When you saw the typical midnight poop on the tube that you were sorta expecting and the line was busy a few seconds after, much like prior to Rise's rescue, your mind works overtime thinking who could've made it before you.
Seems like it'll be a routine now: that uber-early morning SMS (got a timestamp at around four, mind you) telling us that it's mission time after school.
I must get some sleep. No use wasting time on shoulda-woulda-couldas. A smoke and I'm off to slumber.
A trip down the memory lane.
The strata in all its 8-bit glory. Cheesy midi music. A low-definition world chock full of pixels. Plus, a box showing NewGame, Load, and Option.
"Aibou! We're in a real-world RPG!"
"So we are."
"Yukiko, this is just creepy…"
"…like being trapped in a Famicom cartridge."
"I'll provide support! Scan away, Himiko! Oh, just keep track of Kubo-san, ne?"
"Wai! Rise-chan has a better nose than me!"
"Ugh, Kuma, you still wearing that thing? I believe Kage-senpai brought you something to change in."
"I'd prefer Yosuke's or my regular bear suit than Haru-chama's itchy ones."
I apologize for having such cheap weekend clothes. If it's a crime, then I'll surrender silently.
"Anyway, he broadcasted 'Catch me if you can' so he thinks of it as a game," Tatsumi barked, adjusting his smoky lenses, appearing to be pumped up. Ah, such youth. I never held an old-fashioned game system (though I emulate them); I'm a PSP type of guy. Ero-games are cool.
"Ah game, huh? Now I'm pissed! I'll kick his butt until it forms another crack!"
Whoa. Enthusiastic, are we?
Fuck!
"Narukami, you idiot! Don't go barging all alone!"
He's a well-seasoned student, but when he's all irrational, he's worse than a fucking moron! Paying no heed to Rise's warnings… Getting swallowed by that miasma… Tch. Exhaustion is my weakness. Good thing I've got a soda from Kuma earlier – which he got from that frozen TV – no, icebox courtesy of that idiot Yu-chan.
"Tomoe, strengthen Tatsumi! Tarukaja!"
Tatsumi bathed in a red glow and grinned nervously. "I'll put that to good use. Take-mizakuchi, ram those damn blocks to dust! And bring out senpai while you're at it!"
Rise wailed. "There's an opening! Go for it!"
"Kyaaah! Tomoe, Black Spot, now!"
Nice piece of work you got there. Time to shine for a bit.
"Enma-o, bestow a blissful rest. Hamaon!"
Tch. What a waste.
"Haru-san, Light attacks aren't working! Try switching to Agi skills and combine with Yukiko-senpai!"
No shit, Sherlock. Damn. For all we know, Yu-chan might be suffocating inside those blasted Lego blocks for quite a while now. Could there be a faster way to do this?
"No, wait! It changed properties! A Fire attack might be powerful, but he's now guarding against it…"
"I'll aid ya," Hanamura offered with all urgency, along with a round of a nice breeze, Sukukaja. "Amagi, do a nice Fire Break in front and spam Maragion afterwards. We'll flank it with senpai. Can you do that?"
Hm. I commend you for being in control despite the panic we're having. Eager to save Yu-chan too, eh? Freaking lovebirds. Alright. Have it your way, Second-in-Command-san.
"As far as my flames can reach, Hanamura-kun," she nodded in affirmation before cracking a Snuff Soul and basking in its calming scent. "You heard that? Now go, Konohana-sakuya!"
"Care to join the beat, senpai?"
"Hell yeah."
Damn, I could only blast a round of Agidyne and I'm done for. But, as a senpai, it'll hurt my pride if I let these kids down.
"Per-kuma! Booyah!" Kuma exclaimed frantically, summoning Kintouki-douji and sent a spell akin to a nice summer rain to everyone. "Energy Shower, for insurance! Pain, exhaustion, go away!"
"Tch, why didn't you do that sooner?!" Tatsumi screeched and sent a fist flying to the bear's skull. "We could've saved a lot of stamina."
"You're so mean, Kanji!" he cried, but saw me panting and threw me a Snuff Soul too, much to my surprise.
Hanamura tilted his head, gesturing that we go now and kick some 8-bit ass. "I'll fan your flames," he said with a determined façade; his slight frown tells me the otherwise. Tch.
"Magarula!"
"Agidyne."
Close to perfect. All the blocks are now turning to embers. Your shoulders somehow sport a good head on it. Kudos. A Judge of the Underworld and a Superhero Frog can be a good tandem. I'll take note of that. That doesn't mean I like being around Hanamura. Hmph.
Yu-chan, how long are you gonna keep us waiting? We've been hacking and slashing endlessly, and we still can't find a lock of your hair. This is becoming a deep pile of shit.
"Yu? Yu!"
Egghead. If you want to follow Yu-chan, I don't care. Just a question: did you oil your gears properly? Losing your marbles now makes for a nice losing situation at our Game Over scenario. I don't know about you, but I plan on ending this game, even with a D- grade.
"Stay back! Narukami's trapped there, Hanamura. Are you stupid enough to have yourself gobbled up too?"
Music Idiot-san flashed me a feral gaze.
"Now you stay back."
Oh, I get it. You owe me one.
"Amagi, burn those flying blocks overhead."
The Priestess stared before nodding in affirmation. "Seems tough but I will handle it."
"Satonaka, that Black Spot? Keep it running so that area won't close on Hanamura. Tatsumi, do me a favor and accompany Tomoe. We require a good view of him in case things get nastier than it is."
"Got it, senpai," the two said in unison and did as they were told.
Damn, time's running out! Those blocks are annoying me!
"Kuma, cover Rise and be 'beary' wary about our status. Energy Shower and Mediarama, for Kami-sama's sake."
A salute? Tch. Alright. At least you understand what I said.
"Rise, continue feeding us information about the Shadow. Tell me new openings, hm? Stay calm."
The Lovers smiled weakly. "So that's how Yu-senpai got that air around him. No worries. Himiko and I will do our best."
Why she knew, I dunno. My mind's occupied with other things. Much more crucial ones.
Thankful of the Sukukaja boost, Enma-o and I tried being the decoy, doing a feint to cast Shadow Kubo's attention away from that idiot. For a squishy, SP-eating man like me, I was a little glad that Enma-o made me resistant to Agi. That damn baby is currently raining that on us now.
"Haru-san! The blocks have dissolved! An All-out Attack is possible now!"
"About fucking time. Guys, converge!"
That mushroom fallout cloud was lovely and reminded me of matsutake. However, it won't go down as I was expecting. Talk about being tough as a beef jerky.
"Yu? Hey! Hold out your hand!" Hanamura squealed in agitation and relief, digging his hand into some portal on a green Lego block.
These guys…
"There! Alright! A little more!"
A giant, shuriken-wielding stuffed frog cushioned the Fool and the Magician in its rather big hug. Holding hands and grinning madly?
I'm jealous.
"Thanks, Yosuke."
I think… my heart had a tiny crack just now.
Fuck. Is this how Yu-chan felt long ago? I'm absolutely unsure on how I will take it, but now isn't the best time for romance. There'll be time later – if we get out of here alive. Mentally smacking myself for thinking such girly thoughts might be the first step to do.
"Narukami! I'll kick your ass for worrying us like that!"
"Sensei! Welcome back!"
"Naru-senpai!"
"Narukami-kun! Thank goodness! You alright?"
"Yu-senpai! Oh, somebody have an SP recovery item? He badly needs one."
Hanamura turned Boy Scout and fished his pocket for a bag of gummy bears. Ain't that cute? Ugh. The Fool inhaled it on the spot. Someone's hungry.
Everyone's Personas kept the blocks at bay, leaving the baby vulnerable – but not for long. Hanamura screamed and resumed being in command, making others crush the perpetually-rebuilding fence of Shadow Kubo.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Yu-chan turned and gave us a worried smile. He then shifted to his Leader-san image and bellowed.
"Let me remind you… I'm… not empty!"
A-amazing. Are those…
"Makami!" Fireballs lunged out of the ofuda-like dog thing and hit the damn baby's defense squarely yet it didn't make a scratch.
…his plethora of Personas?
"King Frost, Bufula!" A rain of ice shards flew yet the barrier didn't falter.
"High Pixie!" The bolt of electricity hit the invisible wall, and for some reason, the darn infant charged with an Agi-type attack. We're toast if that connects…
"Jack-o'-Lantern!"
… but was absorbed in that flimsy-looking gas lamp of his. The spontaneity of Yu-chan struck me silent. I'm too much in awe to speak.
Tch. Is that Shadow using a hex code breaker? Having all elements in his arsenal definitely reeks of cheating.
"Yu-senpai! That's a Mabufula! Defend everyone!"
"Yamata no Orochi!"
Chilling wind hit us harmlessly as the eight-headed serpent dissolved the dreaded blizzard with ease. Honestly, can his body sustain the insane invocation of multiple Personas? Enma-o is quite a handful and he eats up my strength somewhat quickly.
"I heard that. Dost hath a trouble with me?"
Sorry. Just wondering.
"How many Personas can he wield?" Hanamura pondered in awe. My thoughts exactly. And it seems like his deck isn't done yet.
"Leanan Sidhe!"
"A glittering Tentarafoo! How exquisite!" Rise squealed, hearts literally popping out of her eyes. Okay, you have the permission to be all genki-girl since you're an idol, after all.
Tch. You angered the kid, Yu-chan. I hope you have something to back that move up.
"Rakshasa!"
The barrage went on; the red-skinned Persona sliced the blocks like a hot knife through butter. Freaking amazing. That doesn't mean that this is already over. Stray blocks homed into trajectory and decided to hit us instead. Fucking bastard of a fetus.
"Ara Mitama!"
…a physical resist barrier? Hm. I might ask Rise about the details later. She's more attuned to those kind of stuff.
"Izanagi!"
…
How anticlimactic; the kid got enraged and ended up being stabbed in the head.
"Yo, Narukami. Deep breaths," I instructed. Hell, oxygenation of the body after a strenuous activity is a total must. One should have a proper cooldown or the whole system might riposte on them nastily. The Leader's trip to the hospital can be a very unwelcome nuisance and I think the others will agree.
"Yup, senpai…" he said in between pants. Fuck. You worried me.
Ka-tonk~
"Ouch! What was that for, senpai?"
Hmph. I hit you in the head. My gloved fists bring a whole world of pain.
"For being a chivalrous idiot."
Kuma barged in rather quickly. Ah. I forgot I told him to watch everyone. And, argh. If you threaten someone, make it believable. You look cuter than scarier, you stupid bear.
"Mediarama!"
That took care of the bump. Now get out of my hair.
Once we turn this guy over to the police, I'm soaking in a hot tub and… and… gragh. Maybe I'll think of something decent to do on the way home.
The Hermit, huh? Rise told that earlier, before that stupid Yu-chan got himself swallowed whole. A tarot book in the library said that it is a depiction of a person capable of handling himself despite his isolation from the society. By what it looked like, he seemed to be the otherwise. His Shadow, however, portrayed the right representation, though it certainly deviated from what it was.
Hmph. I'll try to email sensei. Perhaps he could bring light to this. He talked about stuff like that and I wasn't really interested. I'm definitely regretting that now.
…oh well. Too much thinking rots the brain.
Omu…make? [Channel (xsquared/10^2) + (ysquared/15^2) = 1]
Sure enough, the afterparty was held at the Dojima residence after the last day of school prior to the much-awaited summer break – a cook-off, as the silverette put it simply. The kitchen turned upside down, cracked eggshells littered the bin in a controlled chaos since one can identify who the chef of a certain meal just by looking at the off-white, calcified remnants.
"Bland. Absolutely tasteless," the Emperor deadpanned, wondering how in Inaba did the Priestess' concoction turned out to be extremely unreactive to the Investigation Team's gustatory senses no matter how many ingredients the poor girl threw in there.
The Fool seconded in surprise. "It's like chewing on raw wheat gluten."
"T-the taste is just too sophisticated for you!" the Priestess retorted, paling and having a loss of words at the panel judging of her culinary prowess. She eyed the Justice in hopes for salvation.
"It's good!" the Justice beamed, currently polishing a few rice grains off her mouth.
Saved by an angel.
"Well, let's try Satonaka's next," the Magician bellowed, taunting the meat skewer-loving girl in the process. He's confident enough that the said girl will fail in epic proportions, as far as his experience last school camp was concerned.
"It's totally awful!" the Star exclaimed, complete with his bishounen look and flowers sprouting everywhere. Seriously, how can one be so blooming and perky despite having a taste of a totally obnoxious mass of food?
The Chariot deflated on-the-spot. Literally.
"Hahaha! Awful! Totally gruesome! How can you make this?" the Priestess stated in between her laughfest and rather unbecoming loss of finesse due to speaking when her mouth is full of, well, crap.
The Justice took a bite and said "It's good too!" with the same enthusiasm like she had earlier.
The Chariot stared at Dojima-ochibi with glazed orbs. "Nanako-chan…"
However, the Death remained silent, seemingly brooding, but when you take a closer look, he's eyeing the Fool's orthodox ketchup-flavored omurice like a buzzard circling over a deer being devoured by a pride of lions.
"Let's see how Rise-chan fared in this royal battle!" the Priestess muttered confidently and had a spoonful of the weird, unusually red, sinister aura-leaking hell of a rice omelette. Fuck, it contained foie gras too.
You can actually hear a bell signalling an instant KO.
"Taken in one blow!" the Fool sweatdropped, thanking his lucky stars that he didn't even try to get even a nibble at the Lovers' competition piece. The said girl then blabbered about how the whole crowd was still not of the right age to appreciate the pleasures of mature food (whatever the hell that was) and began tearing up beautifully. Hah, as expected of a teen idol, but the narrator digresses. However, Justice must prevail and bestow fair judgment towards the worthy and the otherwise.
"I-it's a l-little spicy, but it's good," the mini-Dojima said, her eyes welling up too. Tch. A little spicy, eh? Someone will really get a scolding pretty soon. Don't worry; the narrator isn't really keen on breaking the fourth wall, if you might ask.
The Lovers instantaneously stopped her "acting". Perhaps there was a clapper and a director screaming "CUT!" in the background.
"Crocodile tears?" the Death finally spoke, raising an eyebrow at the scene that just commenced. He sounded bored, but his expression afterwards told the contrary: he still hawked over the Fool's work.
"I hate you, Haru-san," she mock-pouted, pushing away the dish holding her concoction of the Priestess' doom.
"But… Onii-chan's is the best!" the younger Dojima announced, her tiny iron hands of Justice therefore bearing the conclusion of the fun and albeit messy food war by setting the spoon down after taking a bite.
"Time to dig in, ne Narukami?" Death chortled and swiped a huge chunk of the poor omurice, effectively earning him a glaring Magician, a still smiling Justice, and a surprised Fool who sported an expression as if saying "That's totally expected, but hell, what's with the feral look?"
The night went by, and chips were scattered across the coffee table of the Dojima household. Chuckles, giggles, and light-hearted conversations peppered the air around them. Despite the tribulations that they went through, this time around, the cases are over.
And outside, the Star was beaming, shining brighter than ever along with the mellow Justice, as if they were sharing a secret.
"Na, Yu…" the Magician interrupted the Fool's observation mode. "You know how the shopping district is holding a festival? How about we go together?"
The latter thought a little and shot up with a shocked look for a second. Soon, he fiddled with his mobile in silence.
"Eh?" Jiraiya's other interjected and raised an eyebrow, plastering a 'What's wrong with what I said?' expression over his already stupid-looking face.
On the Hierophant's lawn, a sharp gaze from Death sniped the oblivious Magician.
"Tch, why now of all times? I should've asked him earlier today…" he cursed under his breath, taking a long drag of smoke afterwards. Good thing Dojima-san had overtime work tonight. His bad influence streak will certainly go up a notch if he saw the detective within the vicinity.
"Are you saying something, Haru-chama?" the Star asked, complete with flowers and dreamy eyes.
"N-no. Nothing."
The Magician's phone went off, its owner scrambling at the vibration it sent through his pants' pocket. The Fool had this playful spark in his gray eyes as his Hanamura-proclaimed partner spazzed and stood immediately to fish his mobile from his tight jeans.
"Ah. Alright, alright, I'll get it!"
From: Aibou
Subject: Re: The Festival
Message:
Two things. First, I heard that there will be a festival from the school's rumor mill. Second?
"How about we go together?" you said.
Are you asking me on a date?
Jiraiya's mirror image paled instantly, eyes wide in putting two and two together.
"Of course, Yu! I m-mean of course not! I said 'How about we all go together?', didn't I?" the poor Magician explained, arms flailing in a hummingbird's pace, getting flustered in the process.
"Yeah, that's about right..."
The Fool flashed a hint of disappointment, but soon he replaced it with a smile. The Magician seemed relieved and hid his mobile before sitting next to his partner, scratching his brown locks.
"Sounds good to me, Yosuke."
"Oh, Yosuke-nii just called Onii-chan Yu!"
After the Justice's blatant observation, the duo looked at each other and simply grinned at the implicit conclusion: their bond just got closer.
"What? What? What's going on? Would you tell me?" the Star immediately turned and crawled cutely inside, not the one to miss the juicy details, whatever 'juicy' meant for him.
"None of your business!" the duo replied in unison; the Fool was smiling easily while the Magician seemed to sweat in bullets at the scanning gaze of the former Investigation Team's raid backup.
"Oi, Bakamura. What was that all about?"
The Lovers glanced at the Headphones-senpai, her Yu-senpai, and the now brooding Shadow-senpai outside.
"This seems interesting. I won't give up though! I swear it on my ultimate foie gras omurice!"
The Emperor rolled his eyes and shrugged. "You didn't even touch it."
"Man, this is so going to be a long night," the Magician sighed, crossing his arms and sunk towards the table's edge.
Whew. That's a bit shorter than usual. Hope to have the omake posted within the week. I'll update as soon as I can.
My internet connection sucks right now and I can't do anything much but rant about it. Tough luck for me. Argh. Hell. Too much adult problems and I still have the urge to write? That's new. Hope I can get through all of this. I don't want to have our lot getting sold to others. I'm so clinging onto it so I'll hang in here and do whatever I can.
So much for that. Enjoy for now, even if this piece is and will always be unbeta'ed. The bonus Channel will be up since it's definitely a must for me to do them every single Scent.
- Sakuraba Ryuichiro, burning his fifth cancer stick in a row
UPDATE: 7 May 2013
*Added the omake part
*Did some minor checks
*Fixed Rise's Haru-senpai to Haru-san for consistency
There! Argh. After so long, my DSL connection is now up and working. More inspiration for me. Yay. Just snagged a home-based job and I'm currently running to and fro from the university and the internal revenue office to get my job requirements. I'm on a day-off though and as per usual, I wish to get a long Scent done before the end of the day. No MMORPG and other extra-curricular activities since the next chapter was waaaaaaaaay overdue. I hope I still have you guys around. Lol.
- Sakuraba Ryuichiro, wolfing down a tall glass of ice scramble (shaved ice, milk, and vanilla whipped with a little air and a tinge of pink food coloring, topped with chocolate syrup and candy sprinkles) and taking a long drag of red Luckies