Author's Notes: Hmm... Okay... Another plot chapter. Well anyway, I really didn't bother setting up Takumi's DigiFarms but I guess for those curious, Takumi keeps an army of Baby I and Baby II Digimon there because he's weird, likes adorable things, and would never endanger anything so cute. He'll evolve them sometimes to fill out his Field Guide, sure, but their personalities are much better suited for helping him investigating cases and developing items. Which reminds me... I didn't give him the DLC Agumon wearing costumes... Mainly because... it's a shame to evolve them and lose their costumes. Still on a New Game Plus, it's completely possible to get them back again, but having three Agumon on his team is pointless.


"Okay," Kyoko nodded to Takumi as it was about time for them to return to their investigation. "What's our next move going to be? I think we need to get more information after all. We've got the Digital Waves happening all over the place, the Mystery Incidents, plus your half-cyber body. Plus there's the Kamishiro case that Matayoshi is working on. There's a lot we need to keep our eyes on."

"Yeah," Takumi nodded, "It's only been a few days but—" he stopped when the door to the agency opened behind him.

"Oh, my," Kyoko looked over to see who it was. "We have a visitor."

The woman wearing an officer's uniform looked around the strange detective's office in wonder. "Well, well. So this is Matayoshi-san's secret weapon."

"Eh!? Date-san!?" Takumi frowned.

The brunette narrowed her gaze on the teen. "Whoa, something is fishy! What's going on here?"

"Welcome to the reliable and experienced Kuremi Detective Agency," Kyoko smiled at the woman. "Do you have a case for us, Cyber Crimes Unit Special Office's Assistant Inspector Date Makiko?"

"Huh, you already know everything about me?" Date looked towards the blonde detective. "That makes this even fishier!" The inspector put her hand on her hip. "Well, I've taken the liberty of looking into you, too. That makes two of us. I guess we'll meet again."

"Eh…" Takumi nervously scratched his cheek as he didn't know what to make of the situation. "Just… what is going on…?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko thoughtfully mused. "Fishy, you say? That's a rather lackluster way of putting things for someone as unique and individualistic in their word and fashion choices, Assistant Inspector."

"What?" Date frowned at her.

"So you say 'fishy', but what exactly do you mean by that, I wonder? Is there actually some foul stench you've turned up? Or was that just a figure of speech?" Kyoko seriously frowned behind her hand. "You've piqued my curiosity."

"Hey now! What's that got to do with anything?" Date asked.

Takumi tried to calm the woman down. "Now, now… You came for a reason, right, Inspector?"

"Well… Since you know so much already, I'll just cut to the chase," she nodded. "You're helping Matayoshi-san with his investigation, right? Then that means you're helping me with my investigation as well." She cracked her knuckles threateningly. "Right?"

"Eh…?" Takumi took a step back, ready to run if necessary.

"But of course," Kyoko smiled at their prospective client. "As lowly detectives, we cannot abrogate our duty to assist the police." She turned towards Takumi and crossed her arms. "Isn't that right, my dear assistant?"

"Eh!?" The boy didn't like the way the detective was smiling. "Don't tell me…"

"My duties are yours," she stated with a nod. "And your duties are yours. Carry them out to the fullest." Kyoko quickly glanced at the wall clock. "Oops, I have to be going. I have an appointment with a client," she said, standing from her seat.

"W-wait! Kyoko-san…!" Takumi called out to her but she didn't even glance back at him as she disappeared out the door. He shakily laughed to himself since that left him alone with the strange inspector. "Ah…" he turned to look at the woman and noticed she was just staring back at him.

The two stood silently for a few minutes before Date finally spoke. "Ah? You were just thinking dirty thoughts, weren't you?"

"N-no, I wasn't," Takumi seriously shook his head.

"Hmph," the woman continued to stare at him. After a few seconds of deliberation she shook her head at him. "Okay, you're under arrest."

"E-eh…!?" Takumi backed away. "H-hold up! You're here for a case, right!? Just take a seat on the sofa and I'll hear you out! D-don't just arrest me for no reason!"


After he managed to get the inspector to settle down, he frowned as the situation was still a bit too much. Date leaned back in the sofa and rested her feet on the coffee table as she waited for the teen to take a seat. Takumi's blue eyes darted around the office for a while before he shrugged to himself. Since Kyoko was out, the responsibility to take the case fell onto Takumi so without another thought, he sat at the detective's usual spot on the sofa.

"So what can I do for you, Inspector Date?" the red-haired boy asked her as professionally as he could.

"You've heard the rumors?" she roughly asked him. "Of the 'Akiba Disappearances'? Nearly ten people have gone missing in Akihabara. Half of them haven't been officially reported yet and it hasn't even developed into a major case. But for a bunch of grown-ups to suddenly vanish, poof, without a trace, for no reason? In a span of a measly two months!?" Date frowned and shook her head. "That's weird, I'm telling you! This is a BIG deal! But as far as the top brass is concerned, since there isn't any valid connection between these incidents, we don't actually have a case. But my gut's telling me to investigate this."

Takumi crossed his arms. "I see…"

"You got a problem with that?" Date cracked her knuckles. "Then shut up and let me do my job!" she blew up at him.

"N-no… I'm listening!" Takumi quickly cried.

She paused and frowned to herself. "I lost my cool and started yelling at the top brass, at which point Matayoshi-san had to smack some sense into me. So the higher-ups stepped back and left me alone." An apologetic expression washed over her face. "Matayoshi-san saved my bacon yet again. Be that as it may…" she tilted her head to the side, "I finally got why that stubborn old man would back away from that case so quickly."

"Huh? Even Matayoshi-san?" the boy blinked. "Why would he do that?"

"To use his secret weapon for an investigation," she seriously answered. "So there should be no complaints if I use it too, then," Date smiled.

"R-right," the teen nodded. "I guess I have no choice but to accept then."

"Yeah, you do understand!" Date nodded. "Let's just get down to business!" She quickly sent the Cyber Sleuth some data and Takumi checked the file. "I just sent you the list of people who have gone missing. The 'Akiba Disappearances'," she told him. "We don't have much in the way of details 'cause it's not an official case. I used my gut to help pick out individuals here in Tokyo who might have a connection to any of the missing persons."

"Uh…" Takumi scanned the names but it didn't seem as though the people seemed related to each other. Their jobs, ages, and genders were all over the place and nothing seemed to match up. Just looking at it, the entire list was a disorganized mess. "I-I see…"

"What? You have a problem with that?" Date frowned at him.

"Uh… N-no," Takumi shook his head. "N-not at all…" He gulped as he worked up the nerve to say something though. "But—" he was cut off by a ringing Digivice.

Date tensed up as she stared at her cell. "Shit! Matayoshi-san is calling me! All right, I've got to go!" She flashed the boy a stern glare. "You should gather info on the people on that list for now! Something is bound to turn up. Some person in common? A place? A shared hobby? That's how it is on TV, right? All the time."

"Okay, but—"

"Oh, and do NOT tell Matayoshi-san about this," Date warned the boy. "If word gets out… You know what'll happen," she threatened him.

"Y-yeah," Takumi quickly nodded.

"As long as we're clear on that," the woman smiled. Without another word, she left.

Takumi let out a sigh as he studied the list of names again. He paused though when someone else came into the agency. "Welcome home, Kyoko-san," he crookedly smiled.

"How did it go?" the detective smirked at her assistant. "Did you youngsters have fun?"

The boy crookedly smiled. "Well, she gave me a case. Do you have time to hear the details?"

Curious, Kyoko nodded as she took a seat at her desk. As soon as Takumi finished with the basic summary, she seriously studied the list Date had sent him. "Jokes aside, we're caught up with a pretty rough customer now. That's your… no, that's my karma at work. Regardless, you took on the case, so I expect you to do a good job."

"I know," Takumi nodded. "But what about Detective Matayoshi?"

"I'll stay out of Detective Matayoshi's way by not making any moves out in the open," she stated. "Relax, though. I'll still be supporting you."

"That makes me feel a bit better," the boy chuckled.

"Well, let's get down to it. What are you planning to do?" she quizzed him with a smile.

"I was thinking of heading over to Akiba," Takumi answered with a serious nod.

"I see," she smiled. "To get information on the missing person from Akihabara? A detective needs to tread the same path over and over again." She chuckled at how much of a veteran the boy seemed now compared to before. "But I can tell you know that already."

"Of course!" Takumi confidently smiled.

"By the way…" she seriously began. "When I checked, 'fishy' had meanings like shady, dubious, and tricky. And certainly, a detective might unknowingly take on a fishy air, I suppose. But I think that's just a front and I'm not alone in that."

"Well, you have to admit that you can be pretty shady sometimes, Kyoko-san," Takumi smiled. "Of course, the same goes for me too," he frowned, staring at his unnatural body.

"As it is, you're an unconventional Cyber Sleuth," she smirked in agreement. "I'm looking forward to catching a whiff of whatever stench you wind up emitting."

"Er… Thanks…" the boy chuckled. "I think…"

"I'll leave the case to your discretion," Kyoko nodded to him. "As my assistant, I expect you to perform well."

"So this will be my first case on my own," Takumi crossed his arms. He smiled at that thought and nodded to his mentor. "Alright, I understand. Just leave it to me, Kyoko-san."


Takumi blinked as the strange nerd he had approached suddenly backed away from him in surprise. "What? No way!" the odd boy cried. "Is this an investigation? Are you a cop?"

"I'm a Cyber Sleuth," Takumi seriously answered.

"Oh, you're a 'sleuth'," the boy relaxed. "Then in that case, I have some info for you. I won't let it go for free, though."

"What is it?" the redhead asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I'm not asking for much," the nerd nodded. "I'm certainly not asking for money or anything. To tell you the truth, I… um… am in love. Pure, pure love."

"Love?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"It was love at first sight for both of us," the other boy nodded. "But here's her deal, right? She's shy, but maybe it's her first time being in love. She's so pure, like a picture come to life. I've tried talking to her, but the words won't come out. So that's where you come in. I want you to go ask her something. Like, for her contact information. Her name, address, and her DigiLine ID. Could you do that one thing for me?"

Takumi frowned at that. "It's not love if you don't know her… And it certainly isn't love if you aren't the one asking her for that yourself. Why would I even agree to do it?"

"Cause we're, like, friends and stuff," the boy pushed up his glasses. "Right? Best friends, even?"

"I don't even know you," the redhead shook his head.

"No way. Really? You won't?" the boy asked. "You'll really won't!?" He smirked at the Cyber Sleuth. "But it's really good info! Really, really super-good info!"

Takumi frowned as there didn't seem to be any other way to get the information from the boy. "Fine, I'll do it," he sighed. "How do I find her?"

"Well, if you see her, be sure to hit her up for her contact info," the boy nodded. "What does she look like? She wears glasses, has long hair… She's very prim and proper…" he wistfully sighed. "Oh, and she loves me. I lost track of her a while ago in Akihabara. Thought she might still be here," he frowned. "Oh, she works at a florist. If you ask there, they'll know. So I guess I'll see you around."

Takumi sighed as he prepared to start his search for the girl. "Right… Your information had better be worth it…"

"C'mon, man! I know so many things. I'm talking ultra-rare, gold-level deets!" he cried.

Takumi took a deep breath before setting off. He asked a few girls he came across before noticing a young woman with glasses staring at the nerd from across the street. He carefully approached her and noticed she was muttering something to herself. "You're still present. Please leave."

"Excuse me," Takumi got her attention. "Are you a florist by any chance?"

"Huh? Florist?" the woman turned to him in slight surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"That man across the street," Takumi looked over towards the nerd, "why are you staring at him?"

"What? Why am I looking at that person?" She frowned to herself. "That's, well… because I… Because that weird guy is stalking me! So I'm hiding here until that creep goes away. I'd hate for him to follow me home."

"Ah…" the boy seriously nodded. "I had a feeling…"

"By the way," the woman blinked at him, "who are you? You wouldn't happen to be…"

"I work at a detective agency," Takumi told her.

"What? A detective?" She looked over towards the strange nerd again. "That weird guy… hired you to ask after me?"

"In a way, yeah," Takumi nodded.

"Um… Can you tell him something for me?" the girl requested. "I am totally turned off by weird guys, and there's no way I would return the affections of a weirdo like him."

"Of course!" Takumi frowned.

"Please," she begged him. "You have to do this for me." She gave the boy a relieved smile. "But I'm glad you came along. If this kept up, I might have done something drastic."

Takumi blinked as her words were strangely ominous. "What do you mean? Could you have worked something out?"

The woman gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. "I said that 'I'd be able to work something out'?" She shook her head. "No. 'It will work itself out somehow' would be more accurate. You have quite a memory. I suppose that befits a sleuth. It's admirable," she praised him.

The redhead smiled to her before turning toward the crosswalk. "I'll be sure to take care of things for you then. 'Stalker', directed by Tarkovsky!" he randomly cried out before taking off.

The nerd brightened as he saw Takumi returning. "You're back!" He frowned though when he noticed the blue-eyed boy had an intense glare on his face as he came charging towards him.

"You!" Takumi roughly grabbed the nerd by his shirt. "Listen up, weirdo! What was that, 'pure, pure love' nonsense!? You're a stalker! I'm gonna report you, you creep!" The other boy let out a shrill shriek and began trembling. Takumi dropped him and intensified his glare. "All right, buster! Time to spill it! And stay away from her from now on!"

"Yow!" the man stumbled backwards. "I'm so sorry! I'll tell you whatever you want!"

"What do you know about the Akiba Disappearances?" the sleuth interrogated him.

"Um, yeah, so there's this guy I know, okay?" the boy protectively brought his hands up over his face. "And he's in and out, okay? Of a certain forum in EDEN, okay!? And that guy knows somebody, okay? Who disappeared in Akihabara, okay!? And there are people… That guy knows somebody who knows somebody else who knows somebody, okay!? And they're all disappearing, okay!? Maybe, okay? Maybe that forum is related to the disappearances!? Just my opinion, but I wanted to share it, okay!?"

"WHERE is this EDEN forum?" Takumi asked.

The nerd fumbled with his Digivice. "It's r-r-r-right here! The Comic Mania forum. Or the 'Comimani forum' for short!"

"THANK YOU!" Takumi continued to loudly yell.

"You're welcome!" the boy shakily nodded before taking off.

Takumi took in a deep breath and calmed himself down. "It's like someone flipped a switch or something," he shrugged to himself. "It works when you lose it sometimes though," Takumi chuckled. He shook his head as he watched the nerd continue to fumble down the street. "But falling for the florist girl? How trite!" When he could no longer see the stalker, the Cyber Sleuth finally took the time to look at the URL he just received. "Anyway, I got the info. I'm off to EDEN's Comimani forum." He started down the street but paused. "And while I'm on my way, I think I'll skip reporting into Kyoko-san."


"It's the Comic Mania forum, or the 'Comimani' forum for short," Takumi blinked in surprise when he arrived into the forum room. There were more people here than he had expected, but that was actually a good thing. "Let's get info on the missing individuals!" he nodded to himself. He spoke with a few of the visitors before a country girl with short blonde hair blinked at him in surprise.

"Huh? You're a detective? Lookin' into the Akiba Disappearances?" she asked him.

"That's right," the boy nodded. "Is there anything you know that you can tell me?"

She frowned at him and dropped her voice down to a whisper. "Maybe we shouldn't be talkin' quite so loud about this," she suggested to him. "I reckon I have a hunch who the culprit is."

"Eh!?" Takumi stared at the girl in surprise. "You do!?"

The girl shushed him with a frown. "Hush now! I told you, not so loud!"

"S-sorry…" the redhead lowered his voice.

"We'd be in it for sure if the criminal heard us!"

"Okay, but what makes you so sure the criminal might be around?" Takumi asked her.

"Right? It's like I know what the criminal is thinkin'!" the girl giggled. "At the very least, it was someone who'd been hittin' up this forum."

"So a regular?"

The girl looked around them. "It's too risky to talk here. Can we talk in the real world? Come to the used bookstore in Nakano."

"You mean Mandarake at Broadway?"

The blonde smiled at him and nodded, glad he knew what store she was referring to. "Okay, then, I'll be waitin' for y'all!"

"She left," Takumi blinked. "I'll go to the used bookstore when I'm finished," he decided, seeing as there were still other people to talk to. And who knows? He might be able to encounter the culprit themselves if he was sharp enough. After going around the entire room, Takumi stopped walking. "I think I've got enough information. It's about time I headed to the booksto—" he paused when he saw a tall boy entering the forum room. "Arata!?"

"Hm?" Arata looked up towards the red-haired boy. "Hey, what are you doing…? He did a double-take and stared at the Cyber Sleuth in surprise. "Whoa! Takumi!? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Working," Takumi simply replied.

"Oh, you're investigating a case, huh?" Arata asked, avoiding his gaze. "Hmm? What's the investigation about?"

Takumi remained silent for a while. "Sorry, but… I can't say. It's one of those confidential things."

"Huh!?" Arata put the shorter boy into a headlock. "Why the attitude all of a sudden!? I thought we were buds! Come on, spill the beans!"

"Arata…!" the redhead complained. "Let go!" When the older boy didn't seem to be relenting, he sighed. "Alright! I'll tell you! I'm looking into the strange disappearances that have been occurring at Akihabara. I traced it back to here where a member might be the culprit."

"The Akiba Disappearances?" Arata let him go and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I heard some folks from this one forum went missing. And one of the members is the perpetrator?"

"That's right," Takumi nodded. "Ah…" he remembered the girl from before. "I'd better get going to Broadway…"

"That sounds cool," the older boy smiled. "I'll give you a hand. I'm free right now. Let's go to Nakano, then. We're going to meet with our informant there, right?"

"Why are you tagging along, Arata? I mean… you were here for a reason, right?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head.

"Was there something I needed to do here?" Arata asked, averting his gaze. He quickly put his hands in his pockets as he came up with an answer. "Not particularly. It's not like that. I just happened to be passing by. That's all."

"Eh…?" the younger boy stared at his friend.

"Is there something on your mind?" Arata frowned at him. "Like maybe, what's the Comimani forum? Like if it stands for something really out there, like 'Communist Manufacturing' or something?"

"Arata…" Takumi seriously looked into the older boy's eyes.

The raven-haired teen tensed up as he knew the redhead was way sharper than he let on. "I'll go on ahead!" he stated as he hurried towards the terminal to get away from the nosy Cyber Sleuth. "Don't keep me waiting, okay?"

Takumi tilted his head to the side as the older boy walked away. "Eh…? But I already knew you liked comics, Arata… Why hide that you're a regular here?"


The country girl brightened as soon as Takumi came up the escalators. "Hey! Detective, over here!"

"Ah, you're here," Takumi smiled at her.

"Hey, how long were y'all gonna make me wait?" she frowned at him. "I'm getting' gray hairs waitin' on ya!"

Takumi tilted his head to the side. "You were?" he asked, staring at her blonde hair.

The girl stared at him oddly. "What? Hey, you… You ain't gonna make no complaint? Could it be…? Are you that kind of feller? In one ear and out t'other?" she asked him.

"Huh…?" the boy blinked at her.

"Well, anyways… Just be careful next time!" she scolded him. "Going back to what we were talking 'bout… I don't reckon that the criminal is a Comimani member."

"Wait, but earlier you said—"

"That forum's a place for manga fans, yeah?" the girl cut him off with a smile. "There are some manga artists there, too. A little while ago, someone uploaded an original manga to the forum. And it was really good, what with the drawings and the frame breaks 'n' all. The story and characters seemed sorta familiar. It weren't not exact copy or nothin' but there was a right strong feelin' of déjà vu."

"Okay…" Takumi nodded.

"But there were these idiots who left a bunch of trash comments on this comic," she frowned. "I'm guessing you know what's coming next? They were the first to disappear."

"What!?" the blue-eyed boy frowned at that.

"But non-members can comment on the site as well, so people who aren't connected to the forum have gone missin' as well," the girl stated. "I'm bettin' it's the folks who left crummy comments who're the ones who went missing. Only official forum members can upload manga to the site, though."

"I see," Takumi nodded, bringing a hand up to his chin. "That certainly narrows down the pool of suspects."

"So the way I figure it, the culprit's gotta be…" the girl shook her head and smiled. "Well, I ain't got not proof or nothin'. And the manga and the comments have long since been deleted."

"There's no helping it then. You gave me a lot of good information though, so thanks."

"There's no way to identify the perpetrator now. But even still, I've been a big help, right?" the girl brightly smiled. "To be honest, I don't want no trouble," she frowned. "I don't know, but the forum's vibe has changed since members started disappearing. It's strange, I know. I mean, it's cyberspace. But still, I seriously get the shivers sometimes."

Although Takumi understood the feeling, he asked his question anyways. "What do you mean?"

"It's like… someone's starin' at me. You know the feeling?" the girl asked. "It was awful and nobody would wanna talk about it. Yeesh," she shivered. "I got goosebumps just talkin' about it. I ain't been to EDEN for a while."

"I see…" Takumi frowned.

"Well, then, detective, good luck, y'hear?" the girl wished him well. "Y'all need to break a leg!"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her. "What are you talking about!? Break my leg? Why would I do that? I'd end up in the hospital, wouldn't I?"

"Whoa, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" the girl stared at him in surprise. "I thought you were listenin' all serious-like and now you're tryin' to be the funny one?"

Takumi smirked at her. "What?"

"Jeez, what's your deal?" the girl shook her head at him. "This is serious talk and you're goin' all funny on me. This is hog-wild." She shrugged it off. "I'm guessin' this must be a Tokyo thing." With that, she went into the bookstore.

Takumi chuckled as he placed his hands on his hip. "At least she seems to be in a better mood…"

"Hmph…" Arata smirked as he stood directly behind the laughing Cyber Sleuth. "So, the data's all been deleted, huh?"

"Arata!?" Takumi whirled around to face the older boy.

Arata focused on the information they just got. "I suppose a newbie might think that."

"What do you mean?" the younger boy asked with a tilt of his head. "Do you think you can recover the data?"

"All right, leave this to me!" the hacker nodded. "By which I mean, can I use your agency's PC?" Without another word, he walked away.

"Arata headed off to the Kuremi Detective Agency," Takumi narrated to himself. He tilted his head to the side. "Hmm… Okay then," he shrugged as he followed his friend.


As he returned to the agency, Takumi noticed Arata sitting at Kyoko's desk, typing away at her keyboard. He blinked when he noticed Kyoko standing directly behind the raven-haired hacker, watching his every action with intrigue. "Eh!?" Takumi looked at the both of them. "You actually let him use the desktop?"

"Yeah," Arata smirked. "Hand on just… one… sec!" He smugly chuckled. "Here it is! The site log. Now we can track down the data that was deleted. Even when users think they've deleted data, it still exists on the server. The region where it's stored is protected and the data itself is encrypted, but…" he finished his work and hit the 'enter' key with his index finger, resulting in a successful ping. "If I can break into EDEN's ordinary servers, then this should be a snap for me" he boasted.

"Oh?" Kyoko blinked at the screen. "That's brilliant."

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Arata shrugged. "Now, do you want to look for the data in question? If we restore the comments we should be able to find what we're looking for."

"Can you?" Takumi asked him.

Arata nodded and frowned at the results that came up on the screen. "What is this data?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "If that's what we're looking for, then it was put together by a very unique program."

"Could this be…? Is this a Digimon program?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "I've never been able to properly analyze one."

"I see…" Kyoko nodded in agreement. "The structure is certainly similar but… If so, then it's been significantly altered."

Takumi stared at the data himself and nodded. "This is just like what happened with Baku… but not quite…"

The detective smiled at his insight. "It's been affected by 'something' that can't be expressed with zeroes and ones. Or maybe that's what that very something is."

"It's also possible that an Eater was involved!" Arata stated, crossing his arms. He chuckled at how everything turned out. "This is pretty cool! If I keep running across stuff like this, maybe I could be a Cyber Sleuth too." He shook his head as he quickly got up from Kyoko's chair. "But hanging around here won't help! Let's check it out, Takumi!"

"Eh!?" the boy was a bit surprised by his zeal. "Where are we going?"

"Unsurprisingly enough, this weird data was sent on to Cron after it was deleted," Arata stated. "This way we can check it directly and if it's a nasty program like an Eater we can just use our Digimon to fight it off. We should strike while the iron is hot! Let's meet at Galacta Park in Cron!" Arata quickly took off to find an access point.

"Arata…!" the redhead called out after him, but the older boy was already gone. "Ah…"

Kyoko chuckled at her assistant's friend. "Well, you've got one talented partner there! If he's your assistant… then that makes him my assistant's assistant," she smiled. "Well, then, my dear assistant! Yield to your assistant's zeal! There's an old saying. 'With skill comes luck'. When you really look at it, the fact that you and he have formed this connection shows your own luck… along with your skill. Respect that, or you're sure to regret it."

"It's like my bonds with the Digimon, right?" Takumi asked before putting on a smile and nodding to her. "Understood! Well, I'm off! I've got to meet Arata at Galacta Park in Cron!" He started for the television but paused as Kyoko crossed her arms.

"Hm, so the case is coming along well, then," she mused to herself. "There's probably nothing to worry about…" She sternly looked up towards her assistant. "Even so, don't think you can slack off," she reminded him.

"I know," Takumi nodded. "I'll be back with the results soon, Kyoko-san!"


"Shucks, that detective ain't here no more," the blonde country girl frowned as she looked around Broadway. "I was hopin' he might come with me to the cops. I don't want no trouble…" She smiled to herself. "But I can't just leave it like this! I'm the sweetest girl in all of Japan. Is the detective still around here, I wonder?" The girl paused when she heard someone coming towards her. She smiled when it was a familiar face. "Oh, it's you! Heck, it's been an awful long time! No contact, wonderin' how y'all were… We were all so worried! Wonderin' if you might'n've disappeared…" Her friend didn't say anything but turned around. "Hey! What's the matter? You're freakin' me out!" The other person motioned for her to come along. "What? Go to Akihabara? Now? Sure… Sure, I guess… Shall we, uh… get goin' then?"


"Okay, you ready?" Arata seriously asked Takumi before they set out on the search. "The data we need should be somewhere on Cron's first level and we're going looking for it."

"Of course!" Takumi cheerily smiled.

"It could potentially be a nasty program," Arata smirked. "Be careful when you check it out, okay?"

"No problem!" the redhead made a fist and brought it up to his chest.

"What's with you?" Arata frowned at the odd boy. "You're really into this. Except the look on your face is weirding me out."

"Don't worry about it!" Takumi chuckled at his assistant. "With skill come luck!"

"Huh?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "Sheesh. I just do not get you sometimes," he shook his head.

"That's how I occasionally feel about Kyoko-san," Takumi laughed. "Now let's get going!"


"This has got to be it," Arata nodded at the files Takumi just scanned. "Okidoke, I'll see what I can do." He pulled up multiple monitors and began analyzing the data. "Hmm. It's not protected at all… But there's hardly any data here…" He paused as he noticed something strange. "Wait, what's this? I'm getting some weird feedback. Does this link to somewhere else?"

Takumi sensed a wave of static wash over him before he noticed a strange presence. "A Digimon!?"

Arata stopped whatever it was he was doing. "Watch out, Takumi!" he warned the younger boy. "I accessed something strange on the other end of that link. It's coming!"

"I sense it!" Takumi nodded as sent his Digimon forward to preempt the Digimon that suddenly appeared. "Everyone, go!"

"Dum Dum Upper!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!"

"Freeze Fang!"

Arata's eyes widened as the younger boy was able to quickly defeat the cloaked Perfect-level Digimon so effortlessly with a team of Adults. With the strange Digimon down, Arata quickly worked to have it analyzed. "Wisemon?" he frowned as it wasn't a breed he had seen anywhere before. "Just what kind of Digimon is this?"

Wisemon slowly got up and groaned. "Don't… look…"

"What!?" Arata glared at the Digimon.

"Don't look…" the Virus stated again. "Don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook!" It frantically repeated the phrase over and over again before Takumi sensed another wave of static washing over them.

"It's trying to escape!" he cried out as he tried to reach out to the Digimon as it began to disappear.

"Hey, don't let him get away!" Arata cried out. He quickly opened up a monitor and collected the data from Takumi's quick scan. "Whew, got him! That was pretty damn close!"

"Did you find him!?" Takumi urgently asked.

Arata chuckled to himself. "I told you to leave it to me! I followed him like a hawk! Looks like he was running toward… Akihabara! There's an Internet café called Arahabaki in a building down some sketchy alley. It's been out of business for some time now. I know the place. There's a used book store downstairs from it." Arata quickly deactivated his hacking tool. "That's bingo, with a triple seven! Jackpot!" he smugly stated. "Maybe that's where the culprits behind these missing persons cases are making their hideout!"

The red-haired sleuth paused to seriously consider something. "I'd better report this in to Inspector Date."

"What?" Arata frowned at him. "Call it in to the police? You want backup from that detective chick doing the cop cosplay?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "She was the one who requested this case."

"Hey now, no thank you!" the older boy shook his head. "Calling her is just asking for trouble! At least wait until we figure things out first!"

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth and thought it over. "I suppose I can wait until I get proper results…"

"Anyway," Arata turned towards the exit, "we should hurry over there. If he gets away again, we're screwed. Promise you won't call anyone in?" he frowned at Takumi. "Not even that old guy, Matayoshi or whatever. I'll be waiting in Akihabara, so hurry up! And you wait for me, too! We're solving this one together! Do you have my back in this, pal?" he asked with a smile. Arata didn't wait for Takumi's answer though as he quickly took off without the younger boy.

The blue-eyed boy watched Arata get farther away before frowning to himself. "There's something not right with this case…" He closed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. He didn't have time to waste right now. "I'm off to Akihabara!"


"I didn't call for you," Arata crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes on Takumi as he arrived, "cop."

Takumi smiled at the older boy. "I came on my own accord," he played along. "It didn't matter whether you called or not."

"Even if I did, I wouldn't help you anyway," the older boy tried to be difficult. "Our partnership is through." Both boys chuckled before turning towards the alleyway the old Internet café used to be. "Hey, back there!" Arata pointed out the location. "I wonder what's waiting for us there."

Takumi followed Arata a bit before sensing a strange Digital Wave. "Arata!"

"Wh-what is it?" Arata tensed up as the world around them glitched with static. Before they knew it, the area around them warped into a strange half-digital, half-real state. "Seriously!?" the older boy exclaimed. "This is the same phenomenon as the one we saw in the Shinjuku Underground! So does that mean there's an Eater here!?"

"It has to," Takumi frowned, "but I don't think it's completely related to the case at hand though."

"Yeah, I guess so," Arata agreed. "Come on. Let's keep moving."

"From one thing to the next," Takumi smirked.

"What do you mean, 'from one thing to the next'?" the older boy sighed. He shrugged it off though and smiled at the interesting younger teen. "That's true though. It's never boring when I'm with you." The two teens began exploring the new labyrinth, but Arata paused when he spotted a familiar blonde girl caught up in the mess. "Look, over there!"

Takumi blinked when he recognized it to be the person who gave him information about the perpetrator. "Huh? Is that…?"

"Mari!" Arata ran over to her.

"Arata!?" Takumi's eyes widened. "W-wait…!"

The raven-haired boy ignored him though as he examined the girl. "Mari! Hey, Mari!" He frowned as the girl didn't really respond. She just stood there with a blank smile on her face. "Snap out of it!" The girl remained silent so Arata turned to Takumi for answers. "Why Mari? Did she just get caught up in this by accident? No way. Did whoever's behind all this get her, too?"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he tried to calm his friend down. "Uhhh… Keep calm and carry on luggage?"

"Yeah… I know, I know," he took a deep breath as he dismissed the redhead's poor joke. "Panicking isn't going to solve anything. We have to take care of this Eater. Then this phenomenon goes away and Mari will go back to normal."

"Maybe," Takumi nodded as he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of an Eater or that Digimon from before.

"Okay, let's resume the investigation," Arata stated. "There might be other people caught up in all this. Let's have a look around."

Further into the labyrinth, Takumi slowed down as he saw a dark grey-haired man. "You…!" he frowned.

"S-suedou!?" Arata blinked in surprise.

The scientist looked away from the intriguing buildings and towards the pair of teens. "Oh my, well if it isn't you two."

"What are you doing here?" Arata asked, putting his hands into his pockets. "You didn't actually predict that the phenomenon would occur in Akihabara, did you?"

The man chuckled at that. "I did, as a matter of fact! My research is rapidly advancing to the point where I can pinpoint a Digital Wave state. I can identify the area where the shift will occur… Within some degree of precision, anyway," he shrugged.

"Shift?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "You mean this phenomenon?"

"Yes," Suedou nodded. "I have named it a 'Digital Shift'!"

"Huh!?" Takumi frowned. "Hey, that's the 'labyrinth' phenomenon! When you formally publish, you should call it that!"

"Labyrinth?" the man smirked at that name. "Hmm. That does have a nice ring to it. It conjures up a vague sense of nostalgia." He shook his head at the redhead. "But it's already been decided. This phenomenon shall be known as the Digital Shift!" he let out a squealing chuckle.

"Labyrinth sounds cooler!" Takumi glared at him.

"Whatever you want to call it," Arata shook his head, confused as to why his friend was so riled up, "whenever the phenomenon occurs, an Eater appears. Defeating the Eater will return things to normal?" he asked Suedou.

"Indubitably!" the man nodded. "As you proved once before! For which I must thank you again!" he smirked at the boys.

Arata crossed his arms. "There are other people in here besides us. Things are strange across the board. Is that also due to the phenomenon of yours?"

"Hmm. That may indeed be the case," Suedou shrugged. "I can't imagine there being extreme effects on anyone's physical or mental state just from the Digital Shift," he stated, staring at Takumi curiously. "We're perfectly healthy right now. There may be long-term effects after a while, however."

"Then the cause must lie elsewhere," Arata surmised.

"Like I said before, it's probably that Digimon we were chasing," Takumi seriously stated.

"An Eater or that Digimon we let get away," the raven-haired boy nodded as he didn't know which of the two was more likely, despite his friend's certainty.

"Nothing would surprise me if it happened in the real world," Suedou said. "I must say, at any rate, that this phenomenon fascinates me. There aren't any possibilities I can rule out."

"So then the only way to know what's going on for sure is for us to go have a look firsthand?" Arata raised an eyebrow at the man. He chuckled before turning back to look at Takumi. "I'm guessing that was your intention all along, huh?"

"Of course," Takumi nodded, still glaring suspiciously at the scientist before them.

"That's right," Suedou nodded. "That's right! That's exactly how it is! I have some more investigating to do around here. If you need anything, feel free to call upon me!"

"Alright then," the redhead took the man up on his offer. "So did you discover anything new about the labyrinth?"

"Indeed, the occurrence of Digital Shifts is related to the density of the Digital Wave," the man told him. "When a 'catalyst' is applied to locations where the Digital Wave is at its most dense, it digitally transitions, or 'shifts'. Thus, the term 'Digital Shift'."

"I see," Takumi brought a hand up to his mouth. "And what about these people? They don't seem to be responding normally. In fact, they appear to be in a comatose state without being in a coma."

Suedou smirked as he realized what type of information the boy was searching for. "You know of the 'immune system', yes? The body treats germs as 'outsiders', fiercely resisting them."

"The body does its best to fight off anything foreign so as to preserve its normal functions," Takumi nodded.

"This makes external interference difficult. Thus, we find it takes a very long time for genes to change… Resistance acts as a throttle on the speed at which something can evolve." Suedou paused for a while before shaking his head. "But I digress. What this means is that thanks to the human body's obstinacy, we see resistance even in abnormal environments such as this. But the cause of these people's conditions is a different matter. You see, when a soul is without a body…" he frowned as he intently studied Takumi's neutral gaze, "well, they just aren't very sturdy."

"Is that so?" Takumi carefully kept his cool.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Suedou smiled at the curious red-haired teen.

"For now? No," the Cyber Sleuth looked away from him. "Now if you'll excuse us… We have a Digimon and Eater to take care of."

"Please don't hesitate to come again," Suedou waved at the boys as they went further into the labyrinth.

"What was with those questions?" Arata raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"I just wanted to see if he could explain a few things for me," Takumi shrugged. "Anyway, let's focus on—" he paused when he saw a boy with glasses frozen in the labyrinth with his arms covering his face. The redhead walked up to the nerd and thoughtfully stared at him. "It's that weird guy. He must've been taken, too!"

"Yeah, who is this guy?" Arata frowned at the strange person. "You know him? He's not a member of the Comimani forum and he wasn't on the list."

"He wasn't…" Takumi nodded as his mind rapidly began working something strange out.

"But isn't that a bit harsh," Arata turned to his friend, "calling him 'the weird guy' like that?"

"He's a stalker though," the blue-eyed boy plainly responded. "He thought she was the florist girl!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Arata shook his head at him. "I don't really get it, but he has nothing to do with the manga that was uploaded to the site. But that might not be enough," the raven-haired teen crossed his arms. "Just because he's not a member of the forum isn't proof of anything."

"Hm?" Takumi tilted his head to the side as he stared at Arata curiously. "How do you know he's not a part of the site, Arata?"

"How do I know he's not a member?" he blinked. Takumi nodded and Arata quickly looked away from him. "Well, he's… I don't know… There's just… something about him." He shook his head. "He just doesn't seem like a member of the Comimani forum, y'know?"

"He doesn't?" Takumi brought his hand up to his face and closed his eyes. "But just the fact that he became involved means that he got caught up with someone who is a part of the forum… Given the culprit's MO, he was probably targeted for trolling or harassing…" Takumi's blue eyes snapped open as something clicked. "That florist…! I knew what she said sounded a bit too ominous to not be a threat!"

"Takumi!?" Arata was surprised when the younger boy took off without him. "Did you figure something out? Hey!" The hacker frowned as he quickly went after the Cyber Sleuth.


Takumi frowned to himself when he spotted the prim girl he met earlier in Akihabara standing in a dead-end, painting with a large ink brush. "Have to draw…" she muttered, "more… Have to draw…"

"So the culprit is you!" Takumi stated, placing his hands at his hips.

"No. Frickin'. Way…" Arata stared at the girl in surprise. "YOU'RE the culprit behind those disappearances!?"

"Do you know her, Arata?" Takumi looked to his friend in surprise.

The girl stopped drawing and smiled when she saw Arata. "Huh? Sanada-kun? Is that you, Sanada-kun? Ah! It's Sanada-kun! It's really Sanada-kun!"

"Nishino-san… Are you serious?" the raven-haired teen asked in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"You can't tell by looking?" she asked with a smile. "I'm drawing a manga! Here, look! Look!" She began frantically painting again. "Look, look, look! See how much I've done? I've been able to draw as much as I want! It's not fanfic! It's an original work! It's completely original!"

Arata hid his frown behind the collar of his jacket. "Nishino-san…"

"How is it!?" Nishino asked him. "What do you think, Sanada-kun? I-I'm incredible, aren't I? If I can draw this well, I should have no problem breaking into the industry and becoming a pro!"

Takumi frowned at the girl's delusions but said nothing as Arata tried to get through to her. The older boy shook his head. "You say you're drawing a manga? I don't get it. How is that a manga? Seriously, I'm not laughing."

Nishino stopped again and seriously stared at the teen. "Even you're trashing my manga, Sanada-kun. I knew that would be your reaction. I knew it." She let out a shaky breath.

Takumi tensed up as a familiar presence appeared. "Arata!" He tackled into the older boy as an attack came at them from out of nowhere. "Wisemon!" he cried out as the Perfect Digimon emerged behind Nishino.

"Whoa, that Digmon!" Arata tensed up as Wisemon loomed over the three of them. "Why the hell is it so damn big!?"

"You're the same as the others, Sanada-kun," Nishino psychotically stated. "You ignore, then insult… my… work, then you trample all over… my… dreams, laughing, and shaming me… You smile and go on living as if nothing happened."

"Dammit, Takumi," Arata reluctantly stated as he prepared his Digimon for a battle. "I think she's missing a few screws."

"Is the Digimon possessing…?" Takumi shook his head. "N-no… it's different… She's possessed the Digimon…" He clenched his fists as there was nothing else he could do but fight. "We'll defeat Wisemon and save everyone," he adamantly declared.

Nishino laughed as she began drawing again. "But I wiped the smirks off their faces. Here, whatever I say, goes. Whatever I draw in my manga becomes true. You won't be laughing at me for long. Of course, I won't kill anyone. After all, once my manga is complete… I'll need you guys to be my readers! You will be utter captives to my comic brilliance!" she cried. "Now could you please be quiet until I'm done? Please, until it's ready, don't look at anything! Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look…" She frantically repeated the phrase before screaming at the boys. "DON'TLOOK!"

"Arata! Let's go!" Takumi called out to him. The Cyber Sleuth quickly sent his Digimon forward to attack. "Xros Combo!"

"Gatling Arm!"

"Snowball Fight!"

"Foxfire!"

Wisemon quickly countered them by pointing one of the stones he carried at their barrage of attacks. "Pandora Dialogue!"

Takumi watched as the three attacks were recorded into the stone and returned to his Digimon with twice the speed. "Everyone!" He hurried over to his injured team and fumbled with the recovery patches in his belt pouch. "Hang in there!"

"Damn!" Arata grit his teeth as he had his Chrysalimon try its Data Crusher attack on the enemy only to have the Wisemon quickly disappear. "Not only is he bigger, but he's also stronger and faster! We can't hit it!"

Takumi scanned the field and frowned when he noticed the Digimon's presence kept shifting all over the place. With the enemy constantly moving around, he had trouble giving out good orders to his team. Still, his Digimon gradually became used to dodging the attacks as Takumi told them which direction they came from. "If this keeps up, we'll be too tired to continue," the redhead mused.

"Data Crusher!"

"Foxfire!"

Both attacks missed and both Chrysalimon and Garurumon (Black) had to dodge out of the way as Wisemon returned the wolf's flames back at them. Arata frowned as he tried to come up with a plan. "Takumi! Have your Digimon use long range attacks again!"

"Galgomon! Use Gatling Arm!"

The Beast Man Digimon fired at Wisemon and the Perfect Digimon quickly countered him. "Pandora Dialogue!"

Arata smirked. "You're open now!"

Chrysalimon quickly to advantage of the Digimon's blind spot. "Data Crushing!"

Wisemon soon noticed him though so warped out of the area. When he reappeared, Takumi quickly called out to his team to jump out of the way as the large Digimon continued to abuse his sped up copy of Galgomon's Gatling Arm. The Cyber Sleuth's eyes widened though when he noticed Nishino was in the open. Without thinking, he tackled into the girl before Wisemon's attack could hurt her.

She screamed as she was torn away from the large book she had been drawing in. "My manga!"

Takumi turned his head towards it and watched as Wisemon faltered as the shots hit the book. The redhead frowned a bit, but held his right hand out towards the book to scan it. "Ah…!" the boy cried out when he realized the target they were attacking wasn't Wisemon's true body. "Arata! The book! Attack the book!"

"What!?" the raven-haired boy frowned at Takumi, but paused as the other boy's Garurumon (Black) began to spew fire on the large book. Wisemon roared in pain and Arata understood at once what Takumi had discovered. "Chrysalimon! Go!"

"Xros Combo!" Takumi cried out.

"Freeze Fang!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!"

"Dum Dum Upper!"

"Data Crusher!"

The Wisemon let out a pained cry before his body disappeared from space. Nishino fell to her knees in despair when her only means of fulfilling her wishes vanished without a trace. "My dreams…" she shook her head. "They're all… Without them… I can't draw anymore…"

Takumi sadly shook his head at the woman. "Nishino-san… That's not true…"

Arata nodded and knelt before her. "Nishino-san… I was really looking forward to your manga. You know how you like to draw manga?" he flashed her a smile. "I was jealous of that, because it looks so much fun, but all I can do is read them." The woman frowned as she considered his words. "I honestly can't believe things turned out this way. No, I don't WANT to believe it. I guess I just never realized, Nishino-san."

Nishino lowered her head apologetically. "Sanada-kun… I just… wanted everyone… to enjoy it… But something started to… swell up inside me… I couldn't stop it…" she shook her head. "Why? Tell me… Why?"

Takumi felt a tingling shiver run down his spine before he caught a glimpse of a ghostly boy. "Ah!?"

Arata saw it too and he quickly grabbed Nishino's arm in an attempt to get her back to her feet. "This is bad. RUN!" he cried to her in a panic.

"Huh?" the girl looked up at him in confusion. She paused as she sensed something behind her so turned to see what it was. The sight of it, though, only made her scream.

Arata could do nothing as the Eater that appeared behind her suddenly swung a tentacle at her, eating her data. The raven-haired boy watched the girl he was holding onto fall to the ground. "N-nishino-san!?"

"Arata! Get back!" Takumi cried out.

"Damn you!" the older boy seethed in anger. "How dare you!?"

"Arata!" Takumi called out to him again as he sent his Digimon to help him.

"Misconnecting!" The tips of Chrysalimon's tentacles glowed as he fired energy from them.

The Eater reeled back for its Erode Device attack before launching its tentacle towards Arata. Takumi tackled into the older boy as Garurumon (Black) rammed into the Eater.

Arata quickly shoved Takumi off of him before glaring at the Eater. "Chrysalimon! Destroy it!"

"Arata, calm down!" Takumi told him before relaying more orders to his team. The red-haired boy grit his teeth as Arata recklessly started for the Eater again. "Arata!" The younger boy quickly wrapped his arms around the older teen's legs, causing him to trip. "Calm down!"

The raven-haired boy blinked at the Cyber Sleuth in surprise. "Takumi!" he tried pushing himself off the ground, but Takumi refused to let go. "What the hell!? That thing ate Nishino-san! You think I can just let it go!?"

"Losing your cool won't change anything!" Takumi sternly stated. "You'll only get eaten if you get any closer! Nishino-san wouldn't have wanted that!"

Arata tensed up that as he knew Takumi was right. He looked away from the younger boy and let out a frustrated yell. "Damn it!"

The Cyber Sleuth finally let the older boy go before turning his attention back to his Digimon. "Garurumon (Black)! Freeze Fang!" Takumi called out to the wolf to quickly finish off the Eater.

As soon as the Eater disappeared, Arata hurried over to Nishino's limp body. "Now everything'll go back to normal!"

Takumi remained silent as he stared at Nishino. "Not everything…" he muttered as around them the street reverted to normal. He frowned to himself as he knew they failed in protecting Nishino from the Eater and EDEN Syndrome.


Date frowned at Takumi after he finished giving her his report on the case. "Tch, you really solved it," she crossed her arms. "How the hell did you do it? Especially seeing as it was such a bizarre case!" Takumi glumly frowned at the ground and shook his head. Seeing as he didn't seem to feel like answering, Date decided to leave it at that. "We followed up on your report and found all the people who were missing. They're safe, but none of them have any memory of what happened," she told him. She scratched the back of her head in confusion. "And the perpetrator has fallen unconscious. Seems she's a victim of EDEN Syndrome."

"Yeah…" Takumi sadly sighed.

"So now I don't have anyone to question!" the woman shook her head. "What's with all these bizarre cases lately!? And then you…!" Date cracked her knuckles. "You really don't know anything? Huh!?"

"If you want to know, you can ask Detective Matayoshi," the boy told her.

"Tch!" Date frowned at that. "Whenever I learn any good intel, somehow it always gets back to Matayoshi-san. I'll let things slide this time!"

"Thanks…" Takumi managed to crack a smile at that.

"All right, get going!" Date waved her hand to shoo him away. "Get out of here before Matayoshi-san shows up!" The boy shrugged as he started to leave. "Oh, and thanks for your help!"

Takumi crossed the street and noticed Arata had been watching him the entire time. "So!? What happened!?" the raven-haired teen asked him. "Marippe… Nishino-san… What's going to happen to them!?"

"Marippe-san and the other victims don't really recall the incident, but as for Nishino-san," Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "She contracted EDEN Syndrome."

"EDEN Syndrome?" Arata stared at him in disbelief. "Nishino-san!?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded.

"When the Eater attacked Nishino, she must have contracted EDEN Syndrome," Arata guessed as he crossed his arms. "Eaters consume data… If, say, humans could exist in a semi-digital form within the Digital Shift… Nishino-san could have been partially consumed. Maybe it just ate her consciousness in data form."

"Hm!?" The redhead considered something. That would mean that it doesn't matter where you get eaten, real or digital, if an Eater gets you, you'll contract EDEN Syndrome… In that case… this is getting to be serious…

"Your avatar…" Arata continued to theorize, "Your mental data is devoured by an Eater in EDEN, but your physical body remains in the real world. That's what EDEN Syndrome is!" he finally realized. "But what can we then do to cure it?" Arata asked aloud. "If we defeat an Eater, does the data it gobbled up come back out? No," he shook his head, "we defeated that Eater, but Nishino-san is still unconscious."

"It's probably more complicated than that," the Cyber Sleuth stated. After all, I've had EDEN Syndrome for a few months now, but nothing seems to have really changed… There's also the fact that I'm an irregular victim… Was it because I had been in the middle of logging out when I was eaten? Or is it because I had a strange program embedded into me prior to the Eater attack? Or maybe it's something else entirely?

"It's no good!" the older boy cried. "We just don't know enough! We need to find Suedou and ask him!" Arata turned to leave. "For now, I'm going to go looking after the Eaters some more. See you around."

Takumi frowned as the other teen took off. The blue-eyed boy stared down at his half-cyber body. "There's no cure for EDEN Syndrome? Then that means that my body is going to…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that!" With a determined nod, he decided to return to the agency.


"Hmm… That's quite the adventure!" Kyoko mused after she went over her assistant's complete report. "A labyrinth, some disappearances, and a giant Digimon to boot. It's that giant Digimon that warrants the most attention, though," she stated. "Let's think back on that man who was being controlled by that one Digimon."

"You mean the Growmon?"

The detective nodded at the boy's excellent memory. "That Digimon had influence over him, but this girl seems to have had the influence over the Digimon," Kyoko stated. "Her deep-seated delusions, her desperate need for approval… The workings of her mind called a Digimon to her and she wound up in complete control over it. The bond between them then grew stronger when the labyrinth appeared, to a supernatural degree."

"Their bond?" Takumi's eyes widened at that. "But… if that's so, what does that mean about my bond with my Digimon?"

Kyoko frowned at her assistant's unusual outburst. "She was no hacker, though. She was just an ordinary person, only weakly connected to Digimon."

"Ah… R-right…" the redhead frowned. "S-sorry, Kyoko-san…"

"Regardless," she continued, "this incident occurred as a result of the fact that the Digimon was enhanced. There are phenomenal powers hidden away within the realm of human consciousness." She stared at Takumi and watched him nod in agreement. "Anyway," she smiled at him, "congratulations on resolving the case. Thanks for all your hard work. You are not only blessed with good luck, but also continue to exhibit great skill."

"Do you really think so, Kyoko-san?" Takumi wryly smiled at her.

"I couldn't ask for anything more," she proudly nodded. Her smile grew as her assistant's easy-going personality returned.

"W-well…" the boy sheepishly scratched his cheek and grinned.

"I am concerned about Suedou Akemi's activities, however," Kyoko moved on. She watched as his mood immediately soured again. "Why was a man of his caliber alone inside the labyrinth despite all the dangers he would face? Maybe ordinary people like us can't fathom the behavior of geniuses? Rather, that is to say, their motives are beyond our understanding. Inferences become conjecture, leaving the actual facts behind, I suppose." She shook her head. "I might be thinking too hard about this, getting lost in my own labyrinth of thoughts and emotions."

"Kyoko-san…" Takumi tilted his head to the side in concern as he felt as though he was also doing the same thing. He glanced up at the agency's motto and let out a heavy sigh. Endurance… he reminded himself. We have to be patient with this…


Final Notes: Yeah, given the way I play, Takumi won't be getting Perfect level Digimon until a couple more chapters. And the way typing works, I really did give Takumi a preference in using Garurumon (Black) and Rapidmon over his other members... Poor Togemon... Even when I play, I struggle to have Data types in my team for some reason... Fighting Vaccines is a nightmare without them, but oh well. Not a lot of the bosses are Vaccine anyway. It's just a pain when I need to use Code Scan and I have no Data Digimon to help me with that hacking skill though... And then I never use Free Digimon, but that's not really a problem considering I don't use the force encounter skill...