Author's Notes: The previous two chapters really could have been combined into one chapter... And this chapter's placement was pretty weird to me, but I guess it technically is supposed to prolong the last chapter. Oh well... Time for more side cases. Two plot related ones and one DLC case in between! It's time to see how our wonderful Cyber Sleuth is faring on his own!

~NIGHT~OF~THE~ENIGMA~

Takumi sputtered as he managed to chug down the strange combination of coffee and curry he made for himself. "It's still not as bad as Kyoko-san's version," he shook his head in disappointment and confusion. "Honestly, she must have some sort of weird ability to poison the ingredients or something, but I guess that's enough coffee for now." He quickly wiped his mouth on the back of his glove before returning to the office's main room. "Kyoko-san might be gone but the agency is still here. I wonder if there are any new cases."

"Nope, none!" Pete piped up from the sofa.

The Cyber Sleuth smirked at the Wanyamon lazily curling up on the couch. "Are you sure you're really working?"

"Hmmhmmhmm…" Pete happily rolled around before blinking at the redhead staring at him. "Hmm? You think I'm lazing around like an ordinary cat, don't you?"

"Yeah, it kinda does look like you are," Takumi smirked as he blushed at how cute the Digimon was being. "It's extremely adorable actually…"

"I'll have you know that keeping the sofa warm is important work!" Pete haughtily exclaimed.

"Is it really that important?" Takumi snickered.

"Of course it is!" the Wanyamon nodded. "This helps our clients feel nice and comfy when they sit down!" he purred as he began rolling on the sofa again. "You should sit here!" Pete suggested before jumping to the other sofa. "You'll fall sound asleep!"

"Kyoko-san would kill me if she found out I used the client's sofa for a nap," Takumi frowned but sat down anyways. "H-hey, this really does…" he yawned, "feel nice…" It wasn't much longer before he completely passed out.

Pete worriedly frowned at how exhausted Takumi was. "Ah… you finally took a break…" He jumped onto the boy's chest and rubbed his head affectionately against the human. "Takumi… You're pushing yourself too hard…" Pete lazily yawned before taking a nap of his own on top of the sleeping teen.

Takumi opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "Where am I?" He frowned at the strange Digital Network he was in, but he never remembered performing a Connect Jump. He shook his head as it didn't really matter at this point. "Well, let's just keep going forward for now."

When he emerged at the other side, he took a look around and noticed he was in an area of Tokyo he had never seen before. A bit confused, he wanted to ask the young girl standing next to a statue of a man walking a dog about where he was, but she didn't seem to notice he was there.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" she smiled as she set the bags she carried on the ground. "But look! Look! I've brought food, just like you asked!"

Takumi remained silent as he watched two Digimon approach her. One was a slug-like creature while the other seemed to be a red rodent of some kind. The red Digimon smiled up at the girl as he eagerly wanted to dig through the bags himself. "Fuuka, hurry up! Hurry up!"

"Hey, wait your turn!" Fuuka scolded him. "Lekkie, you'll get yours soon enough! All right, come on, New-New!" she helped the slug Digimon to his share.

"Your food is always so tasty, Fuuka!" New-New happily exclaimed as they began eating.

"Jeez, you two are always such pigs!" Fuuka giggled.

Lekkie looked up towards the brunette. "I wanna play with Fuuka once we're done eating!" he declared.

"Yeah, let's play!" the girl nodded in agreement.

Lekkie quickly turned around and started running. New-New did his best to chase after the energetic Digimon. "Hey, wait!" he cried. "I wanna pla—" the slug Digimon suddenly fell into a coughing fit.

"New-New," Fuuka worriedly frowned as she knelt at his side, "you don't have to rush. Take it slow."

Takumi watched the three of them for a while with a gentle smile on his face before closing his eyes. "A world where humans and Digimon connect to each other…" he wistfully sighed. He opened his eyes again and blinked when he noticed he was back at the agency. "Huh…?" he carefully sat up as he gathered his bearings. "Was that a dream…?" the boy frowned to himself.

"You're awake!" Pete cried from the other sofa. "We've got a new case to solve!" he notified the Cyber Sleuth. "Stop sunbathing like a cat and check the board!"

"Oh, right!" Takumi nodded as he noticed Pete posted a request. "Wait…" he frowned at the Digimon. "How did you put this up? You're don't even have any limbs!"

"I have my ways!" Pete toothily grinned as the boy took the note down.

"You know, that's just grounds for me to make that a case," Takumi chuckled before reading the case brief.

Client: Masanori

Place: Ueno

Details: Help my sister!

"Since Kyoko-san's not around, I went ahead and took this case for her!" Pete proudly stated as Takumi started a new case file.

"Okay, I have to know. How'd you do it, Pete?" Takumi smirked as he petted the limbless Baby II Digimon.

"Don't look at me like that!" the Digimon pouted. "I can answer the phone and do e-mail as well as anyone else!"

"Sure, sure," the redhead chuckled.

"Anyway, onto the case itself," Pete nodded at the note. "Our client's name is… oh yeah, Masanori! And he wants us to… help his sister, I think? That's it?"

"Well, that's what was on the note," Takumi shrugged. A wide smile appeared on his face and he straightened up. "Eh, good enough!"

"Eh? That's good enough for you?" Pete raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Uuuh, I don't really get why you don't need to know more, but work is work, so I'm good. Anyway, he said to visit him in Ueno where he'll explain what he wants more." Pete chuckled at the chance to be working at the agency. "I feel like a real detective doing this sorta stuff!"

"Well, I'm off then," Takumi nodded to him. "Hmm… Ueno…"

"Oh, is it your first time going over there?" the Digimon asked him. "Be careful!"

Takumi blinked at the statue of a man walking a dog. "H-huh…? Didn't I see this before? In that dream?" He knit his eyebrows together as the area seemed extremely familiar despite this being his first time here. He would have contemplated the strange sense of déjà vu a bit more, but a boy's voice caught his attention.

"Psst! Over here!"

"Hmm?" Takumi turned and spotted a teenager hiding in the bushes.

"Here, here. You're the Cyber Sleuth, right?" The strange boy quickly motioned Takumi to come over. "I'm Masanori, the guy who called you up for this. Here, come this way."

"I'm Aiba Takumi," the redhead introduced himself as he approached the boy with light brown hair. "I'm here to take your case."

"Thanks for doing this for me," Masanori smiled at him. "Anyway, it sucks to admit it, but I don't think I can protect my little sister by myself." He frowned to himself. "I guess I should explain what I mean by that. You see, she's been going out every night lately. And I think… no, I KNOW she's hanging out with a bad group of friends! At this rate, I worry she's gonna turn bad herself." Masanori looked into Takumi's eyes. "That's why I need your help! I need you to get rid of them! They're deceiving her!"

"Eh…!?" Takumi blinked at him. "Wait a moment. What are you asking for me to do?"

"I'm not asking you to kill them or anything, I swear!" the overprotective brother shook his head. "Just… put them in their place. Please, I'm begging you here! She comes out here to this park every night. I followed her last night and saw her here! I'm gonna wait here tonight and I want you to stake it out with me, all right?"

"I guess," Takumi sighed. "I'll have to get a look at these friends of hers myself before deciding whether they're actually a bad influence or not though."

"That's fine," Masanori nodded before pulling the Cyber Sleuth into the bushes with him. "Now hide! She'll be here soon!" Takumi yelped a bit but he quickly made himself comfortable before noticing his client tensing up. "Hey, look…! There she is! Over there…"

Takumi looked over to where he was pointing at and his blue eyes widened in surprise. "Eh…!? That's…!"

Masanori frowned at the strange slug and red hamster crowding around his sister. "The hell are those things!?"

"Fuukaaa!" Lekkie jumped.

"You're back! Yaay!" New-New cheered.

"And you two are back!" Fuuka nodded to them. "Come on. Let's play!"

"It's them…!" Takumi gasped.

"Poor girl…" Masanori frowned. "Look at those monsters! Pretending to be her friend and using her…" He turned towards Takumi. "Come on… You need to go teach them a lesson."

Takumi shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't think I can."

"What? Why not!?" the concerned brother asked. "You see what I'm seeing, right!? If we don't do something, Fuuka's—"

"They don't look like they'll hurt her," Takumi pointed out. "She seems to be enjoying their company too."

"Huh…?" Masanori looked back toward his sister and noticed the Cyber Sleuth was right. "She looks like she's having fun… And stepping in would ruin her night…" He sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I haven't seen her smile like that in a while… Ever since Tokyo got all messed up, she's just been so out of it… But there she is… all smiles, happiest girl in the world. She doesn't even smile that much even when I'm around. Heh," he shook his head. "What a dumbass I am. Those guys, on the other hand…" he smirked at the Digimon, "Well, they're not 'guys', but… I should go thank them. Thanks for dropping by today, detective," Masanori turned towards Takumi. "It… it means a lot to me you'd do that."

"I'm just doing my job," Takumi shrugged. "I'm glad it wasn't anything too serious though."

"I'm still a little worried about her though, so I'm gonna stick around a little longer and watch her, just to be sure," Masanori nodded. "I'll see you."

Pete noticed Takumi's bright smile as he returned. "Well, you look content. Does that mean you're done working now?"

"Sure does," the redhead nodded.

"Ah well, good job," Pete praised him. "Did you get your reward for it, then?"

Takumi tilted his head to the side and blinked before his face fell. "Ah! I forgot!" He fumbled with his Digivice before calling his client. "Masanori-san!"

"Oh, hey, detective. What's up?" the boy smiled.

"So about the case's fee…" the redhead wryly chuckled.

"You want your reward?" Masanori blinked at him. "But we're not done yet. I'm not paying up until everything is completely settled."

"Eh!?"

"You have to stay and watch those three, too!" Masanori placed his hands on his hips and frowned. "So you'd better be back at the park tonight, too!"

Takumi sighed as the call ended. Pete sympathetically shook his head at the teen. "That's a bummer… but hang in there," the Digimon encouraged him. "There's still time before nightfall. Why don't you sleep a bit? Everything looks better when you're well-rested!"

"Yeah, might as well…" the Cyber Sleuth nodded. "Maybe I'll see what Fuuka and those Digimon are up to…" he mumbled.

A police officer carefully approached Fuuka and her Digimon friends. "Come here, little girl, nice and calmly… We don't want to spook those guys beside you now."

"Officer," a concerned businessman frowned, "you have to hurry up and get rid of those things before they eat that poor girl!"

"Nuh-uh, they're not gonna eat me!" Fuuka cried. "Lekkie and New-New are my friends!"

"Gah, I guess I don't have a choice," the justice-loving cop frowned. "These monsters have to be stopped! People are getting attacked by these things all over Tokyo… I'm not going to just stand here and watch it happen again right in front of me!"

"No, don't!" Fuuka protectively stood in front of the Digimon. "STAAHP!"

"NO!" Takumi's eyes widened as he suddenly bolted up. He was a bit disoriented by the sudden change in scenery and location, but the teenager stumbled off the sofa.

Pete let out a surprised cry. "You scared me!" He shook his head before worriedly frowning at Takumi. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

"It was more than just a dream!" Takumi shook his head. "The three of them are in danger!"

"I don't really understand what you're saying," the Wanyamon shook his head.

"Fuuka and her friends are in trouble," Takumi frowned.

"It's nighttime now," Pete pointed out, looking out the window, "so you better get going and meet up with our client."

"I'm going!" Takumi urgently bolted out of the office.

Pete sighed at the boy's strange outburst. "Takumi… 'Fuuka and her friends are in trouble'. How do you know that when you've been asleep? 'It was more than just a dream. The three of them are in danger…' Hmm? I wonder if you're unconsciously connecting into a network or something while you're asleep. If Kyoko-san were here, I bet she'd know what's up. Me, I just have no idea," he shook his head. "Maybe it's a sign that your body is becoming unstable…" he worriedly frowned. The small Digimon sadly looked towards the empty desk and whimpered. "Oh, Kyoko-san… Come back soon, please…"

"Please," the officer tried to inch towards Fuuka, "step away from the monsters and come here slowly, sweetie. I'm here to help you!"

"No! I hate you all!" Fuuka frowned at the man.

"This isn't good…" he frowned. His eyes suddenly widened when he saw something behind the girl. "What the!? That's… that's… Sweetie, come here, right now!" he cried out in a panic. "Please!"

"I said no!" the girl shook her head. "You're just gonna bully New-New and Lekkie, I know it! I'm not going anywhere!"

"This… isn't about them now," the officer shakily stated. "There's… something else b-behind you!"

"Huh?" the girl slowly turned around. Her eyes widened as a large yellow Digimon towered over her with a low rumbling growl. Fuuka tried to smile at the new Digimon. "Oh, hi, who are you? Are you friends with Lekkie and New-New?" she asked.

"I… hun..gry…" the Cyclonemon growled. "Need… food…"

"Is your tummy rumbling? Well, I brought some food you can have, if you like," Fuuka said, looking around for her bag. "Wanna eat it?"

The large Dragon Man Digimon roared. "Huuuummmaaaaannnnssss!" Fuuka shrunk back and screamed. "Feeeeeed meeee! Noooooowww!"

The officer let out a panicked cry before running away. Fuuka slowly backed away from the dangerous Digimon but stumbled. "Uh… Um…" she sniffled.

New-New and Lekkie quickly stood between her and the larger Digimon. "Don't cry, Fuuka!" the slug Digimon stated. "We'll protect you!"

"You won't lay a finger on Fuuka, buster!" Lekkie growled. "We'll protect you, Fuuka! It's now or never… We have to evolve!"

"Evolve…!?" Fuuka blinked at the two Digimon.

New-New tried to roar. "Numemon evolve…!"

Lekkie tensed up and let out a fierce cry. "Elecmon evolve…!"

"Ah…!" Takumi's eyes widened as he got closer. "Are they really…?"

"Eh?" Fuuka blinked at her two friends when she noticed they didn't seem any different from before. "Did anything… happen…?"

"I… thought all you had to do to evolve was yell hard enough," New-New frowned.

"Guess not…" Lekkie shook his head.

"Oh no…" Takumi tensed up as he noticed the Cylonemone beginning to shake.

The Digimon let out a roar. "STILL HUNGRY!"

New-New shrieked in fear. "There's no way we could evolve just playing around with Fuuka all the time!"

"That doesn't matter!" Lekkie prepared for battle. "It's the thought that counts! And what I'm thinking is we have to protect Fuuka no matter what!"

"Yeah, you're right! Even if we can't evolve, we can still fight!"

"You guys…" Fuuka smiled at the brave Digimon.

Cyclonemon roared again. "GIVE FOOD NOOOOWWW!"

"Sorry, but we don't have anything for you!" New-New taunted him.

"THEN ME JUST HAVE GIRLLLL!"

"We told you already," Lekkie growled. "She's with us!"

"Wow… You guys are so cool…" Fuuka nodded. "Evolving is amazing!"

Takumi crookedly smirked. "That not how it…" he quickly shook his head before calling out his team. "I better sneak in and help!"

Cyclonemon took in a deep breath before emitting a super-heated beam from his mouth. "Hyper Heat!"

Lekkie and New-New dodged out of the way before returning their own attacks. "Sparkling Thunder!" The Elecmon's tails fanned out before a bolt of lightning shot out of his back.

"Poop Throw!" the slug Digimon cried before assaulting the larger Digimon.

Takumi's Digimon made to rush in, but the boy quickly called them back. "No wait! Just support them from here with long-ranged attacks," he smiled.

His Digimon nodded at his request. "Rapid Fire!"

"Gatling Missile!"

"Lovely Attack!"

Cyclonemon flinched as the powerful attacks came out of nowhere. It tried attacking again, but Lekkie and New-New wouldn't let him it as they continued layering their hits. Eventually, the Adult Digimon stumbled in defeat. Fuuka smiled that her small friends were able to fell such a powerful enemy. "Wow, you guys are so awesome!" she cheered. "You two did great, Lekkie and New-New!"

New-New blushed as he chuckled at their success. "When did we get so strong?"

Lekkie looked around them but didn't spot anyone as Takumi quickly activated his Stealth Hide. The confused Elecmon shook his head. "It's like someone else was there to help us!"

"You guys better come back and play with me again!" Fuuka pouted. "We didn't get to do anything today, you know!"

"Yeah!" New-New nodded.

"Of course we'll come, Fuuka!" Lekkie jumped up and down. "We wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Takumi watched them for a moment and smiled. "Yeah," he nodded to himself. "They'll be fine…" He paused when his Digivice began to ring. The Cyber Sleuth quickly went to the side and deactivated his Stealth Hide before answering.

"Heyo," Pete greeted him. "Is the case all wrapped up for good now?"

"Yup," Takumi brightly smirked as he watched the girl and Digimon laugh together. "There was some trouble with a wild Digimon attack, but I helped take it down without a problem. Have a look for yourself," he pointed his Digivice's camera at them.

"Oh," Pete smiled. "I'm glad she and the Digimon had fun together at least. Wish I could solve cases like a cool ace detective like you…"

"Come on, Pete," the redhead laughed. "You did great supporting me like Kyoko-san always does." He paused for a moment and his expression dampened a little. "Kyoko-san…"

"I wonder what Kyoko-san would say if she were here right now…" Pete wondered.

Takumi closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his chin. "What would she say…?"

He cleared his throat and did his best impression of the detective. "New-New and Lekkie combined forces… New-New the Numemon and Lekkie the Elecmon… If you take the first syllable from their species you get Nue…" Takumi crossed his arms and smirked the way Kyoko usually did whenever she had an interesting thought. "Nue… the chimera from ancient myths… Yes, one could call what happened here tonight the 'Night of the Living Nue'," he chuckled.

Takumi opened his eyes and nodded to Pete. "How was that?"

"Whaat?" Pete smirked at the teen. "Would she really say that? And do you even know what a nue is!?"

"No good?" the Cyber Sleuth crookedly smiled.

"Oh, I get it! You're trying to mess with me!" Pete laughed. "Joke's on you because I'm onto—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Takumi laughed with him. "Anyways, I'm heading back to the agency now. I'll wrap up the case and we'll be able to call it a night." The redhead quickly cut the line and walked away.

As he left, Masanori yawned from his hiding place. "Oh crap, I fell asleep!" the concerned older brother quickly got up. "Huh!?" He looked around the empty area. "Fuuka!? Detective!? Where did everybody go!?"

"I'm home," Takumi called out as he returned.

"Welcome home," Pete flashed him a smile. "No case is finished until you wrap everything up and report it. I'm counting on you to do a good job now, all right?"

"Of course," the Cyber Sleuth nodded as he began working on his report summary. He sat next to the small Digimon on the sofa and let his laptop warm up a bit. Takumi let out a loud yawn before looking down at his case folder.

Pete worriedly smiled at the boy as he sensed the overworked teenager was exhausted from the earlier events. "Hey, Takumi. Maybe it's best if you left the report for tomorrow. You did enough today. Why don't you go home and rest up?"

"No, it's fine," Takumi shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I don't feel like leaving just yet. I'll go once I finish up. Why don't you turn in for the night, Pete? I'll be sure to lock up."

Pete frowned at that but it didn't look like Takumi was going to change his mind at all. Instead of arguing with the working detective, he decided to climb onto the boy's head. "Alright," the Wanyamon yawned. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Eh?" Takumi stopped typing for a moment as the cat Digimon's soft breathing swept through his hair at even intervals. The redhead lightly chuckled as he put his laptop to sleep and set it on the coffee table. He carefully lifted Pete off his head and pet the adorable critter. "Alright, Pete. You win," Takumi yawned as he stretched himself across the length of the sofa. He let Pete sleep on his chest before drifting off himself.

~A~VILLAINOUS~CINEMATIC~CASE~

Client: Sakuyamon

Place: Broadway 3F

Details: A client is being punished for taking movie roles! Please stop this before things gets real bad!

Takumi blinked as he didn't really know where on the third floor to go. He paused though as he passed the used bookstore. A network brightly called out to him and sensing his client was there, he quickly performed a Connect Jump.

"Ah, great timing!" a Sakuyamon smiled at him as he appeared into the Digital Space.

"You must be my client," Takumi nodded to her. "What's wrong?"

"Some Digimon friends of mine were summoned by this letter," she told him. "Here it is…"

Takumi took the letter and read it for himself. "To all villainous-looking Digimon: Wanna star as a villain in a squadron hero movie I'm making? Isn't this a great invitation you don't deserve? This is a great chance to make use of your villainousness! See you soon! Yours Truly, All of Us in the Knights of Justice"

"Isn't that just terrible?" Sakuyamon asked as the boy finished. "I mean, I guess they look a little villainy, but this is just way too rude, right?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

"These guys calling themselves the 'Knights of Justice' just contacted my friends and summoned them to a place somewhere inside this dungeon. I'd like you to stop them before they do something stupid. I'll follow afterwards, but could you go ahead and check the situation out?"

"Sure thing," the Cyber Sleuth stated before heading deeper into the network.

A BlackWarGreymon impatiently crossed his arms and shook his head before turning to his two friends. "Seriously, how long are they going to keep us waiting!?"

The feminine Digimon with a thorny whip at his side scoffed. "They're the ones who called us here and now they make us wait? It's so insulting!"

The third vampire-like Digimon scowled. "I'm going to make them sorry for this. They'll regret it!"

BlackWarGreymon noticed someone approaching them. "Huh?"

Takumi smiled as he came up to them. "You're the ones called by the letter?" he asked.

"Took you long enough!" BlackWarGreymon cried.

"Huh!?" the redhead blinked at him.

"Don't play dumb," the Digimon glared at the boy. "You're the one who called us here!"

Rosemon snapped her whip. "Did you really think you'd get us to help with such a rude letter!? Sorry, we're not impressed."

"Is that how you ask someone for something!?" Vandemon glared at the boy. "You will pay dearly for this!"

"Ah… no! I wasn't—" Takumi let out a panicked cry as all three Digimon menacingly came at him. "Rapidmon!"

"Rapid Fire!" The speedy cyborg immediately fired at them to slow them down as Andromon prepared a follow up attack.

"Gatling Missile!"

"Thorn Whip!" Rosemon cracked her whip at the missiles, detonating them from afar.

BlackWarGreymon roared as he charged up his attack. "Ankoku no Gaia Force!" He threw the colossal orb of dark energy towards the team of Perfect Digimon.

Monzaemon shielded his friends as he took the attack himself, slightly weakening it with his Lovely Charm. Still, the attack did come from an Ultimate Digimon so he staggered a bit before falling to the ground. Vamdemon took advantage of the stuffed bear's opening and with a quick flourish of his cape, he unleashed a dark wave towards the downed Digimon. "Dead Scream!"

"Monzaemon!" Takumi frowned as he quickly recalled the bear. Turning to his two other Digimon, he nodded. "Quickly take out Vamdemon first! He's only a Perfect. Try to evade all of Rosemon's attacks until WereGarurumon (Black) loads!"

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon released a blade of energy at the vampire.

"Dramon Tackle!" BlackWarGreymon rammed his body into Rapidmon before the Cyborg Digimon could react.

Rapidmon frowned at the speedy Dragon Man before the two went at it. Rosemon turned towards the speed battle and snapped her whip around Rapidmon's leg. With a sharp tug, the green cyborg was slammed to the ground, giving BlackWarGreymon a good chance to strike. "Dramon Killer!"

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon's attack managed to divert the Ultimate's attention just enough so that the powerful Digimon missed.

Rapidmon zoomed out of the way of BlackWarGreymon's claws and smirked at the close proximity of the dark Dragon Man. "Rapid Fire!" BlackWarGreymon soon fell to the ground and Rapidmon quickly returned to Andromon's side to help take out Vamdemon.

Rosemon frowned as she wouldn't allow it, but she jumped out of the way as an axe kick came down on her from out of nowhere. WereGarurumon (Black) growled that he missed, but he followed up his previous attack with another one. "Foxfire!" he howled as blue flames came out of his mouth.

Rosemon flinched and brought her hands up to protect herself from the flames, but her whip began to catch fire. WereGarurumon didn't give her a moment to rest as he began punching and kicking at her, wearing her out to the point where he knocked her out with a well-placed punch.

Vamdemon frowned as he soon noticed he was the last one standing. "Night Raid!" he cried as he released a swarm of Familiar Bats at the two Vaccine Digimon he was battling against.

Andromon flinched as he became blinded but Rapidmon quickly activated his sensors. Using the radar system in his ears, the Keen Hound zeroed in on Vamdemon's position and shot a missile from the revolver on his back. "Homing Missile!"

Vamdemon collapsed to the ground and Takumi cheered that his team managed to win. "Great job, guys!" He tensed up though as he soon noticed BlackWarGreymon rising to his feet.

"You haven't beaten me yet!" he roared. "I'm not gonna let you make fun of me like that!"

"That's right," Rosemon struggled too. "I'm still standing! I demand a proper apology!"

"We're gonna make you pay for pissing us off!" Vamdemon picked himself up.

"But I didn't write the letter!" Takumi finally told them.

"What? You didn't send it?" Vamdemon frowned. "What's this about then? Explain!"

"Sakuyamon hired me as a Cyber Sleuth to help her with this case," the boy nodded.

"What? You were sent here by Sakuyamon to stop us?" Vamdemon blinked.

"So then you weren't the one who sent the letter?" Rosemon asked.

"Of course not," Takumi replied.

"I see," BlackWarGreymon nodded. "We misunderstood. Sorry for lashing out at you like that. You must have heard it from Sakuyamon… To make fun of someone you don't even know kinda pisses me off."

"We all may look like villains," Rosemon began, "but even people who look like villains have feelings… It's not very nice to talk to us like that."

"Yeah, I agree," Takumi said as he brought a hand up to his mouth. "But still, you can't just give into your temper like that…"

"Anyway," Vamdemon shook his head, "these 'Knights of Justice' still haven't arrived."

Everyone paused as they heard laughter. "Sorry for the wait!" a voice stated.

"Who's that!?" BlackWarGreymon turned around.

Takumi flinched as a flash of light cut through the air and everything went dark. "Huzzah!" another voice declared. "We cut through evil with light! We slice through evil in a single stroke! In the depths of night, we shine bright, a star in the hearts of all!" When the light returned, a Digimon fell from the sky and landed before them. "Starmon, Knight of Justice!"

"Huzzah!" a third Digimon cried out. "Evil weeps when we appear! Evil runs when we are near! Whenever we hear a cry, we'll cross the earth. We'll cross the sky!" A yellow star-shaped Digimon dropped down. "SuperStarmon, Knight of Justice!"

"Huzzah!" the first voice began speaking again. "The heavens, the earth and evil knows! We are justice incarnate! We'll burn evil from the world with the light of justice! We are fate itself!" Finally a Digimon resembling a masked hero with a flowing red scarf emerged to face them. "Justimon, Knight of Justice!" The three Knights of Justice stood tall as Justimon continued with his speech. "We oppose evil in all its forms. We dedicate ourselves to eradicating it! That which shines within our hearts is a burning love for Justice!" The three raised their fists into the air and colorful smoke erupted from behind them.

Takumi blinked at them before a crooked smile appeared on his face. "Okay…"

Rosemon and BlackWarGreymon blankly stared at them as Vamdemon shook his head. "Are you insane?" the vampire asked.

"So, lemme get this straight…" BlackWarGreymon growled. "You guys called us out here just to tell us about all this justice crap?"

"Yes," Starmon nodded, "sooo sorry for the wait! Prepare yourselves, villains!"

"Why should we prepare!?" Rosemon frowned. "You say all this awful stuff to us and then you have the gall to talk about justice!?"

"Our very existence is justice itself!" SuperStarmon stated. "You guys are the bad guys."

"No, you guys are acting more like self-righteous bullies," Takumi frowned at them before placing his hands on his hips.

"Huh?" Justimon looked the human boy over. "Are you an ally of these villains? Fine, we'll start by dealing with you! Bring it on!"

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened.

"Ridiculous," BlackWarGreymon shook his head. "They're just playing at being heroes…"

Vamdemon nodded to Takumi. "Looks like they've chosen you. You already beat us, so you'll beat them. No problem."

"They called us a villain numerous times! Go get 'em, guys!" Rosemon urged the Cyber Sleuth.

"M-me!?" Takumi's eye widened as the Knights of Justice were ready to face him.

"Hah!" SuperStarmon laughed. "We members of the Justimon Squadron don't know the meaning of the word 'defeat'! We challenge you to a fight!"

"I didn't come here to fight…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"Aww, what's wrong? You're afraid of our leader Justimon?" Starmon taunted the redhead.

Takumi sighed as it didn't look like talking would work here. "Alright, fine! You'll have to hear me out once we win!"

The three Digimon raised their fists into the air. "Justimon Squadron, move out!" they cried before charging towards the boy.

Justimon leapt into the air. "Justice Kick!"

WereGarurumon (Black) quickly intercepted the Ultimate Digimon. "Garuru Kick!"

SuperStarmon raised his arms into the air as he summoned a barrage of meteors above him. "Halley Squall!"

"Meteor Squall!" Starmon added more meteors to the attack.

"Golden Triangle!" Rapidmon destroyed as many of the shooting stars as he could before aiming his arm cannon at SuperStarmon. "Rapid Fire!"

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon quickly took Starmon out.

WereGarurumon (Black) snarled as he continued sparring with Justimon despite his type disadvantage. Surprisingly, the werewolf was able to keep up with the Ultimate's kicks and punches. Justimon frowned as he prepared his mechanical arm for an attack. "Accel Arm!" He slammed his hand to the ground, sending shockwaves across the floor to trip up the nimble Virus Digimon.

WereGarurumon (Black) jumped up though before kicking out blades of energy at his opponent. "Full Moon Kick!"

"Rapidmon! Andromon! Help him out!" Takumi called out to his two Vaccines after they quickly took care of the impromptu meteor shower.

Justimon frowned as he quickly decided to strike the werewolf as he was in midair. "Justice Kick!"

"Xros Combo!" Takumi cried.

"Homing Missile!"

"Gatling Missile!"

"Garuru Kick!" WereGarurumon (Black) spun to the side to avoid Justimon's attack before extending his leg to catch his opponent squarely in the chest. The masked hero ungracefully crashed into the ground in defeat.

"I d-d-don't believe it!" SuperStarmon cried as he ran to Justimon's side.

"We… we lost to the villains!" Starmon exclaimed in disbelief.

"It is the victors who are virtuous!" Takumi triumphantly exclaimed with a wide grin on his face.

"W-wow!" Starmon's eyes widened as he stared at the heroic redhead.

"Although that does sound pretty villainous…" SuperStarmon muttered.

"Hey, we demand an apology!" BlackWarGreymon glared at them. "Did you think we'd be okay with you calling us all villains?"

Vamdemon nodded in agreement. "We're really not happy about what you said. Nor the way you made fun of us," he crossed his arms.

Rosemon frowned. "Don't just judge us by how we look! You seriously pissed us off!"

SuperStarmon bowed his head. "Sorry about that. Looks like we got a bit carried away."

"That's it then," BlackWarGreymon turned away from them. "This stupid game is over."

"It's not a game!" Justimon exclaimed as he got back up. "I swear, we were just trying to make a cool action hero movie!"

BlackWarGreymon paused for a moment before facing Justimon. "Go on…" he said, a bit interested now.

"Well…" Justimon lowered his gaze. "I have always been drawn in by the heroes in old films. I wanted to look cool on the big screen like that, too! So I got together with these guys, all of whom feel the same way, to make a masterpiece screenplay. But… Then we thought 'now we just need to scout out a villain!' and sort of got caught up in it. We didn't really think about your feelings. For that we are deeply sorry," he bowed to the three Digimon.

Takumi looked to the three Digimon as they remained silent. He shook his head and addressed the Digimon aspiring to become a hero. "Justimon, you can't drag others into being villains without explaining to them what's going on. It's what got you into this mess." The Cyber Sleuth frowned. "Your movie doesn't sound so bad, but I guess without a person to play the villain… what are you going to do now?"

"We can't just give up on making our movie!" Justimon shook his head. "We'll try asking other Digimon."

Starmon jumped up as he had an idea. "Hey, I know! How about we get some villain costumes and play the villain parts ourselves?"

"It'd look pretty cheap but…" SuperStarmon frowned, "I suppose if there's nothing else we can do…"

"All right then," Justimon turned away from the Digimon and Cyber Sleuth he inadvertently troubled, "we'll see you all later…"

"Wait…" BlackWarGreymon called out to him. "Can we have a look at that script?"

"Huh?" the scarf-wearing Digimon blinked at him in surprise.

"I'm interested," the Dragon Man nodded, "in being in your movie, I mean."

"Well, you explained yourself and apologized," Vamdemon smiled. "I suppose I'm okay with helping out a bit."

"But you have to make sure the villains look good on the screen," Rosemon added with a nod.

"Huh?" Justimon looked between them. "R-really!? You guys are okay with it?"

"Best get started before we change our minds…" BlackWarGreymon chuckled. "Justimon, if we're gonna do this, let's do it right!"

"Thank you so much!" the Digimon gratefully nodded.

Takumi smiled at the positive turn of events. "That's much better," he chuckled as he placed his hands on his hips. Seeing as he was no longer needed, he decided now was a good time to return to the agency and wrap things up.

As he approached the exit, a voice called out to him. "It seems you've managed to work things out."

"Hmm?" Takumi turned his head and saw Sakuyamon nearby.

"Sorry," she frowned at him. "When I got here, it didn't look like there was anything I could do, so I just watched from over there."

"That's fine," the redhead shook his head. "It wasn't so bad. In the end, I didn't really do much and it managed to resolve itself." He crossed his arms and grinned at Sakuyamon's friends. "They all seemed to be eagerly anticipating their new roles in the action hero film, too," the Cyber Sleuth chuckled as he and his client watched over the group of Digimon for a while longer.

"Awesome!" Starmon happily jumped. "We've just doubled our cast! Things are looking up!"

"Okay, let's have a prep session now!" Justimon suggested. "If anyone has any good ideas, feel free to speak up!"

"Hey, how about if both the good guys and the bad guys each have a song?" SuperStarmon asked. "They'll both be cool. I'll make them and show you!"

"Okay, I'll the main bad guy at the end," Vamdemon crossed his arms. "I'll start trying out different villainous facial expressions."

"We're gonna be super busy from now on!" BlackWarGreymon chuckled. "We've gotta make sure to go over the script carefully…"

Rosemon nodded in agreement. "We need to practice action movie stunts and if we want to get lots of fans, we have to make sure the villains' performances are perfect!"

Sakuyamon smiled at the end results. "BlackWarGreymon and his lot changed their minds and are cooperating with the Justimon guys to make a movie now, it seems. It's all been settled amicably, thanks to you." Sakuyamon chuckled at her friends. "It looks like everyone is having fun. With everyone pooling their talents, I'm sure this will be a good movie," she nodded. "Thank you for making our dream of making a movie come true."

"No problem," Takumi nodded as he grinned at her. "I'm just doing my job as a Cyber Sleuth." He watched as the Digimon excitedly chattered about their project before Sakuyamon also approached them to join in too. "It's nice to see everyone coming together like this," he wistfully stated to himself with a gentle smile on his face. "Connecting to others… Making new friends… Sharing aspirations together… It's moments like these that make all the trouble I tend to encounter worth it. This is why I have to endure." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Isn't that right, Kyoko-san?

In his mind, he could imagine the detective nodding to him with a pleased smile on her face. "Thanks for your hard work, as always. Now we can only hope that 'seedling' you saved blossoms into a big movie star down the line."

He opened his eyes and brought his gloved fist to his heart. "Yeah…" he weakly chuckled. "I'll do my best to grow too in your absence."

~SHINJUKU~FOOD~TOUR~

Takumi turned towards Broadway's exit but paused when he noticed Nokia crookedly smiling at Agumon and Gabumon. "I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" the pelt-wearing Digimon complained to her.

"Nokia, take us, take us!" Agumon jumped.

"Yes, yes! Fine!" Nokia tried to smile. "If I take you will you calm down?"

"Nokia," Takumi quickly approached her as it had been a while since he had seen her in Broadway. "Do you need help with something?"

"Ah! Takumi!" the girl brightened as she lifted her gaze towards him. Her Digimon turned to wave at the kind boy and Nokia's eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "All right, then! You might as well hang out with Takumi," she told her Digimon with a nod.

"Huh?" the boy tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"I'll file the case at the office later, thanks!" Nokia flashed him a smirk.

"Um…" Takumi blinked at the trio as he brought a hand up to his chin. "Did I miss something? Why are you both back at Child level?" he asked the two Digimon. "Did something happen?"

"Huh?" Agumon looked up at him. "You're asking if we combined together, would we become Omegamon?"

"Yeah, we would!" Gabumon nodded. "But we would stick out if we were walking around as Omegamon," he shyly muttered.

"Yeah!" the orange dinosaur agreed. "So we decided we should keep this form whenever walking around the human world with Nokia as much as possible! Also, when we combine together we expend more of our power."

"Yeah!" Gabumon jumped. "We have to conserve our power… That way, when we need it, we can use it to protect Nokia!"

"Aww…" Nokia blushed. "You guys…"

"We can combine and turn into Omegamon whenever we want to…" Agumon stated.

"So don't be afraid!" Gabumon told both humans. "Nokia, Takumi!"

"Aww, shucks…" Nokia grinned at the Digimon. "I may not have much money, but at least I have some great Digimon friends…"

"Good because we'll all need to be at our very best," Takumi nodded.

"Speaking of which," Nokia smirked at the Cyber Sleuth, "Takumi, please go and check the case info back at the office and get to work!"

"Hey, I'll check out your case later, Nokia," the boy chuckled. "I'm working another case right now, but I'll let you know when I'm free, okay? I'll see you later!" he nodded before taking off.

"When you're free?" Nokia crossed her arms and frowned as she watched her best friend stumble out of Broadway. Although it was difficult to tell, the girl swore he had been a bit pale. "Takumi…" She shook her head and quickly started for the agency. "That's it! I'm definitely submitting the case! He needs a break!"

Client: Shiramine Nokia

Place: Broadway

Details: Agumon and Gabumon just want to eat and eat! Take them to Shinjuku and feed them! We'll settle up later!

Takumi stared at the note and frowned at the concerning last sentence his best friend included in the case submission form. "Umm… Nokia… I'm here…"

"Yaaaay! Takumi!" Nokia cheered as he finally had the time to take on her request. "Thanks for taking the case! These kids really want to eat something delicious from the real world…" she smiled down at her two loyal Digimon.

"We want to learn more about humans through food!" Gabumon excitedly stated.

"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" Agumon complained.

"Well, food is the best way to learn a culture," Takumi smiled at the two.

"So, what do you say, Takumi?" Nokia asked him knowing he could never refuse a chance to eat with his friends. "Wanna hang out?"

"Of course!" Takumi nodded. "If there's food involved, I can't say no!"

"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" Agumon repeated himself. "Where are you taking us!?"

"Uhm… well…" Nokia frowned. "Hey, Takumi, where would be best do you think?"

"Well, what about sushi? Wait, no… I've had that here before… Maybe some Italian food? Nah… the teahouse is a bit crowded," Takumi muttered looking at the restaurant behind him. "Ah… I could go for some French food," he shrugged.

"Huh? What!?" Nokia's eyes widened. "Are you crazy!? We can't go somewhere so expensive…"

"Ah… So you really are tight on cash…?" Takumi blinked at her.

She shook her head and ignored him. "We should go somewhere unpretentious and local, where the prices aren't too bad, don't you think? Also, you have to consider the cost of a French restaurant…" she wryly chuckled.

"I suppose," Takumi shrugged. "So you want to go somewhere that's not too fancy."

"Yeah, that's right," Nokia took a moment to consider where a restaurant like that could be. "Oh! I think I remember looking for a family restaurant in Shinjuku before… It's casual. It's cheap… Did I mention it's cheap?"

"But is it any good?" Takumi wondered, more worried about the taste of the food than the cost. He frowned to himself as he hadn't really eaten anything enjoyable in a while. Actually, he hasn't been eating at all due to his worry over Kyoko's disappearance and his body's lack of need for food. His frown deepened as he quickly cleared away those dark thoughts. "Anyway…"

Gabumon looked up at the boy with a worried frown. "Takumi, you're doing that 'Why are you asking me?' face…"

"Eh?" Takumi's blue eyes snapped towards the Digimon. "O-oh… Sorry… So have you decided where to go?"

"Whichever! It doesn't matter!" Agumon pulled on the detective's arm. "Let's just eat! I'm starving!"

"Okay!" Nokia finally decided. "Let's go to the family restaurant in Shinuku!"

Takumi brightly laughed. "Sure," he nodded. "Let's go!"

"Huh?" Nokia paused to sniff the air. "That sweet smell… Where's it coming from?"

Gabumon stopped too to check the scent. After a while he began jumping around. "Oh! It smells so gooood!"

"It sure does!" Takumi agreed as he stared at the entrance to the family restaurant they had been looking for. "It looks like this is the place!" He opened the door and went inside with Gabumon.

Nokia looked around and her eyes widened. "Huh?" She spotted Yuuko staring at a nearby poster. "Yuuko-chi?" The girl didn't seem to hear or notice her before walking away with a small frown on her face.

"Oh! What are you doing, Nokia!?" Agumon cried, eager to go in already.

"Huh?" the girl blinked at her Digimon. "Oh, nothing really…"

"Nokia!" Gabumon called her over from the table he and Takumi were seated at. "This place has such a huge menu! What would you like?"

"Hmmm… Lemme see…" she crossed her arms. "How about the hamburger?"

"Ham…burger?" Agumon stared at her in confusion.

"Everyone in the human world eats it," Nokia nodded. "It's cheap, delicious, popular, and basic!"

Gabumon spotted a strange dish on the menu. "This also looks delicious, but what's 'steak'?"

"That's…" Nokia nervously tensed up. "Everyone likes it, but it's not a common food. It's expensive and high-class."

"Really?" the shy Digimon's eyes widened. "Okay then, I'll have that!" he decided.

"Oh, very nice choice!" Takumi brightly smiled as all color drained from Nokia's face.

"I think I'll try the chateaubriand steak!" Agumon nodded.

"That's also very delicious," Takumi's mouth watered.

"What!?" Nokia frowned as she took a look at menu for herself. "Wh-why are there such expensive dishes in a place like this!?" She turned towards the boy sitting across from her. "Takumi, what'll you have?"

The boy paused for a moment and brought his hand up to his chin thoughtfully. His eyes scanned the menu as he seriously considered his choices. "Rice with hashed meat and shrimp pilaf… Well, this looks like a good, basic family restaurant menu… It all looks so good that it's hard to choose. Oh, what's this?" his blue eyes shone as he spotted something. "Rice omelet… It's simple, so it's a good test for the chef's skill…" He closed his eyes and nodded to himself. "Okay, let's give it a try!"

"Sorry for the wait," the waiter told him before setting the man before him. "Here's your rice omelet!"

"Wow, so this is it…" Takumi smiled. He gently cut through the egg layered on top of the rice with his fork. "Okay, so the egg is well done, not soft in the middle like a lot of places these days…" he nodded in approval before pensively taking a bite of it. "It's done just like you'd expect from a family restaurant. The firmness of the egg is perfect for a traditional rice omelet!" He began poking at the chicken rice hidden by the omelet. "Well, let's see what this is like…" He closed his eyes and scooped a forkful of the rice into his mouth. "Oh! This is delicious! I think the taste of the ketchup base in the chicken rice might be too strong…" he noted before combining both the egg and the rice, "but the flavor of the egg compliments the flavor of the chicken rice beautifully."

"That was delicious!" Gabumon sighed in satisfaction when he finished his steak.

"I'm completely stuffed! And I'm nearly broke, too…" Nokia crookedly smiled at the check.

"Broke?" Agumon tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah, never mind…" the girl quickly shook her head. "So, have you learned about how we eat in the human world?"

"Yeah, but not nearly enough!" Gabumon answered her.

"I want to eat more!" Agumon exclaimed as he began jumping. "I need moooooorreee!"

"Come on, Nokia, please!" Gabumon begged. "Do it for Digimon-Human relations!"

"Uh… I… uhhhhh!" Nokia frowned. She quickly scanned the area and spotted another restaurant across the street. "Well, what about that pork cutlet place? You get a decent portion size and it's reasonably cheap?"

"Oh?" Takumi's eyes widened at that. "That sounds delicious!"

Agumon nodded as they started towards the restaurant. "I could still go for another full meal. I need more food!"

"More food!" Gabumon agreed. "Let's get more food!"

"Yeah!" Takumi grinned. "It's been a while since I've eaten this well!"

"Right! Let's see who can eat the most!" Agumon suggested.

"Is that a challenge, I hear?" the redhead boastfully laughed. "You're on!"

"But… you guys…" Nokia frowned at the three of them. "Couldn't you try to hold back a little? Please…?"

The three didn't seem to hear her as they stared at the menu. Gabumon's mouth watered as he stared at the wonderful pictures. "I'm gonna have a pork fillet and a pork loin cutlet and fried prawns and…"

"What do you want, Nokia?" Agumon asked her.

"I… Umm, I…" the girl crookedly smiled at the menu. She looked over to the Cyber Sleuth and noticed he had his eyes closed. "Takumi, what would you suggest?"

The boy nodded as he pondered over the selection. "You can't go wrong in a pork cutlet place," he told her. "The best choice would be the pork loin cutlet. A light, tender pork fillet would be good, too…" He crossed his arms and thought it over carefully. "Whenever I got to eat at a pork cutlet place I want a nice loin cutlet with oil drizzled on top to bite into…"

"Here you are," the waitress nodded to him, "your loin cutlet…"

Takumi opened his eyes and smiled. "Wow… This is…" He turned the breaded cutlet over with his fork. "It's quite well done," he nodded in approval. "It's cooked to a light brown, but it still stimulates the appetite…" He reached over for the dipping sauce. "Okay, I'm going to put a bit more sauce on this pork cutlet… I know lots of people say the right way to eat it is to put the sauce in a separate dish, in order to keep it crunchy, but…" Takumi carefully applied the sauce directly onto his cutlet, "I prefer it this way because the sauce seeps into the batter and I like how that changes the taste…" He closed his eyes and took a bite. "Oh! This is delicious! Loin cutlet is definitely the best…" he nodded with a satisfied smile on his face. "The flavor pouring out of the fatty portion of the cutlet is absolutely amazing…"

"Takumi!" Nokia glared at the boy as he continued to mutter to himself about his food. "Are you even listening to me!?"

"Huh…?" Takumi's blue eyes suddenly snapped open. He blinked at the girl sitting across from him.

"You were off in your own world again!" she shouted.

"Uh…" the redhead looked down at his delicious dish with a crooked smile on his face. "Right… Sorry. You were saying something, Nokia?" he asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

She leaned in closer and whispered to him. "Can you give me a hand? It's a bit of an emergency…"

The Cyber Sleuth finally noticed how agitated she seemed. "Um… Sure…?"

"Takumi, how much money do you have?" she asked. "I… I don't seem to have enough…"

"It can't be that bad," the boy stated before he noticed the amount of plates piled up on their table. "Eh!?" His eyes widened as Agumon and Gabumon seemed to have been ordering more without him realizing it. He turned back towards Nokia and shook his head. "I don't think I can cover it either!" he urgently whispered to her.

"In that case…" Nokia looked towards the exit, "should we just dine-and-dash?"

"We can't do that!" the lawful teen seriously frowned.

"I'm gonna have to pay it off by working for them!" Nokia angrily pointed out.

"That's not so bad!" Takumi argued. "That's exactly what I'm doing for Kyo—" he paused as he noticed Agumon and Gabumon staring at them. "Ah!"

"Work it off?" Agumon blinked.

Nokia tensed up before slowly turning to face the Digimon. Gabumon guiltily stared at the new plate set before him. "You don't have any money, Nokia?"

The girl crossed her arms as she quickly tried to say something to put the shy Digimon at ease. "Well, I… uh… um, it's not… it's just that… ummm…"

"Do you have it or not?" Agumon asked. "Which is it?" Nokia closed her eyes as she mentally shut down. Her hesitation though led to Agumon looking down at his food. "Awww… Hungryyyy!" he suddenly cried out. He began jumping in his seat. "Yeahhhhh!"

"Huh!?" Nokia stared at him in surprise. "What… what's going on!?"

"Awww… Come on!" Agumon complained. "I'm still hungry! I'm not full yet!"

"Me too!" Gabumon joined in as he started bouncing up and down. "I wanna eat! I need to eat moooorrreee!"

"Agumon… Gabumon…" Takumi looked around as people in the restaurant were beginning to stare. "H-hey, settle down!"

"Uh-oh…" Nokia frowned. "This isn't good… Are they going crazy or something? Agumon and Gabumon are starting to act like those other Digimon that went crazy and rampaged!"

Takumi looked around for something to calm the Digimon down with before picking up his cutlet and throwing it at them. His blue eyes widened when he realized what he just did. "Ah! My pork loin cutlet!" he cried. His face fell even further when he noticed the two Digimon were still hungry after his offering. "Really!?" He shook his head as he began searching for another method to calm the gluttonous monsters. In the end he let out a frustrated groan. "Grah! It's no good! I want another cutlet!"

"Takumi!" Nokia desperately whined. "You're a Cyber Sleuth, aren't you? Hurry up and come up with—" She paused when she spotted a raven-haired girl standing near the entrance. "Huh? Ah! Yuuko-chi!? What are you doing here?"

Yuuko sympathetically stared at the hungry Digimon before she quickly hurried over to help. "Leave this to me!" she urgently nodded.

"H-huh?" Takumi blinked at the girl. "Y-yuuko-san?" He tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I'll pay," Yuuko nodded, "Don't worry about it… Please," she told them, "eat all you want… I'll join you."

"You… you'll join us?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together in confusion.

"It's an awful thing to miss a meal…" Yuuko sadly frowned. "I'd like to make sure they aren't going hungry."

"Um… okay," Nokia nodded. "I don't really see why but I guess it's fine with me… Thanks, Yuuko-chi!"

"W-wait, Nokia!" Takumi quickly shook his head at his best friend. "We can't just…!" He tensed up as Yuuko had already taken a seat in the empty chair beside him. "Y-yuuko-san…!?"

"Eh? Is something wrong, Takumi-san?" she asked him.

"O-of course!" he frowned as he sat back down. "I couldn't possibly—" he paused as he noticed his plate was empty. "Ah…" the teenage boy blankly stared at it for a while. "My pork loin cutlet…"

Yuuko worriedly stared at him. "Please order as much as you'd like, Takumi-san," she simply told him. She kindly smiled at him when she noticed he knit his eyebrows together in concern. "If you want more, please don't hold back on my account," she nodded. "The proper way to enjoy a good meal is as much as you want with good company after all."

"Ah… that's right… You said something similar to me before," Takumi nodded to himself as he crossed his arms. "I-in that case," he crookedly grinned, "I'm going to have the katsudon meal with extra pork cutlet, pork fillet, and egg! All right!" Takumi happily cheered as the waiters brought out their orders.

"Phwah… I'm stuffed!" Nokia smirked as she finally finished her meal. "Thanks! I really owe you one, Yuuko-chi!"

"That's fine," Yuuko smiled, "Don't mention it. There's nothing worse in the world than being hungry," she seriously frowned.

"That's right!" Takumi seriously nodded in agreement.

"Still, you can really pack it away, Yuuko-chi!" Nokia crossed her arms. "You ate as much as Takumi! Maybe even more…"

"That… that's not true…" the raven-haired girl's face went red as she looked over to the thin boy wearing an extremely satisfied grin on his face.

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at her. "But you kept ordering more cabbage and miso soup… Takumi didn't even go that far…"

"Nokia-san, stop it," Yuuko frowned. "You're embarrassing me," she mumbled.

"Ah, um… Sorry," Nokia apologized. "All right then," she nodded to her Digimon. "Let's go home!"

"Awwwww!" Gabumon whined. "Really!?"

"I wanna eat! I wanna eat!" Agumon cried. "I need more foooood!"

"I could probably go for more too," Takumi blinked as he looked around for another restaurant they could visit.

Nokia glared at the three of them. "You guys have had enough for one day…"

"Awww…" they collectively whined.

Yuuko stared at them sympathetically before speaking up. "Would you like some dessert?" she asked.

"Dessert!?" Takumi immediately perked up.

"Huh?" Nokia looked at her in surprise. "No… Yuuko-chi!?"

"There's a dessert place I like to go to around here…" Yuuko gently smiled. "Would you all like to come along?"

"Yes, please!" Takumi eagerly nodded.

Nokia followed her friends to the store and grinned at the display. "I know you just finished a big meal," she crossed her arms, "but you'll want more once you're standing in front of a dessert place…" she stated as she gave into her sweet tooth.

"I always have room for dessert!" Yuuko agreed with a nod.

"Room?" Gabumon blinked. "For dessert?"

"That's right!" Takumi exclaimed as he brought his hand up to his drooling mouth. "Dessert!"

Nokia nodded as she explained it to her Digimon. "Let's see. 'Room for dessert' means that God gave us humans a separate room in our stomachs to use when it really counts… for dessert!"

"A separate room?" Agumon wondered aloud.

"Never mind about all that," Nokia shook her head. "What do you guys want to eat?"

"Those jelly-filled wafers look good!" Gabumon pointed at them.

"I want one of those sweet dessert salads…" Agumon drooled.

Yuuko happily smiled at the staff. "Could I have the shiratama dumplings, mitsumame, shiruko soup, zenzai soup, and tokoroten?"

"Huh!?" Nokia turned to her in surprise. "Y-yuuko-chi! Are you crazy!?"

"No need to worry," Yuuko cheerfully stated, "I have enough to pay the bill…"

"Ah, no… that's not what I mean…" the turquoise-eyed girl crookedly smiled.

Yuuko blinked at her a few times before turning to the boy standing at her side. "By the way, what would you like to eat, Takumi?"

"There's so much to choose from!" he exclaimed with a wide grin on his face. Takumi's blue eyes widened though as he spotted a fish-shaped cake filled with sweet red bean paste. "Ah! Taiyaki!" he cried out as he began bouncing up and down like a little kid. "Yuuko-san, I want taiyaki!"

"Hey, Takumi," Nokia frowned at him. "Calm down. You're… a bit too hyper, don't you think?"

The Cyber Sleuth paused before sheepishly looking away from both girls. "S-sorry," the boy chuckled. "I'm just really excited right now. It's... been a while since I've enjoyed a proper meal..."

"Eh!?" Yuuko stared at him in surprise. "You mean you haven't been eating anything?"

"What!?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "Takumi! I knew something was up, but come on! What's wrong with you!?"

"N-nothing's wrong!" the boy quickly shook his head. "I-I was just too busy with work… And my body doesn't really need food… Besides," he seriously stated as he looked up towards both his friends, "I have to keep the agency running in Kyoko-san's absence," he momentarily paused but quickly shook his head to snap out of it, "so I can't just waste time doing things I don't have to!"

Both girls shared a frown with each other since they sensed his hesitation. After a quick nod, they both turned towards the person taking their order. "Please include extra green tea ice cream with the taiyaki!" Yuuko urgently stated.

"Yeah, and don't forget to add bits of mochi to it!" Nokia nodded.

"E-eh!?" Takumi tensed up at how serious his friends were. "You two..." The Cyber Sleuth smiled at the girls and sheepishly laughed. "Thanks..." He took a bite out of his dessert and savored the taste. "Ah! So sweet…!"

"That was delicious!" Nokia exclaimed as she finished.

"Wow…" Agumon patted his stomach. "I'm stuffed!"

"I'm full now," Gabumon nodded.

"How was that?" their tamer asked them. "Did you learn about human eating customs?" Nokia crossed her arms.

"Yeah!" Gabumon jumped. "Thanks, everyone!"

Takumi widely grinned before gratefully bowing to the person who treated them to such an amazing meal. "Thank you very much, Yuuko-san!"

"It was nothing," Yuuko smiled back at him and nodded.

"Oof," Nokia crossed her arms and crookedly smiled. "I really am stuffed though..."

"In that case, let's all head back to the agency for some coffee!" Takumi suggested while raising his arm into the air. "Don't worry!" he reassured Nokia as she tensed up. "It's just regular coffee! I promise!"

Nokia grinned as she set her empty cup on the coffee table. "Still, you can seriously pack it away, Yuuko-chi!"

"Tha-that's not true…" the raven-haired girl looked away from the Rebellions leader and frowned. She looked up towards Takumi as he was mixing in mayonnaise into his cup. "But, thanks to you guy I've been able to learn about gourmet food."

"Hm?" Takumi stopped stirring his cup and blinked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked before choking down his drink.

"I don't like eating out alone when people might be watching me…" Yuuko admitted.

"I see…" Nokia nodded in understanding. "Girls are always obsessing over that kind of thing… I don't, but…"

"Actually, I want to get to know more restaurants…" Yuuko smiled. "As a matter of fact, I sent a case to your office…"

"Huh? You sent a case?" Nokia blinked.

"I rank gourmet restaurants as a hobby," the raven-haired girl cheerfully told them, "so I asked for a secret food critique…"

"Oh, that was you!" Nokia exclaimed. "Huh? Wait a sec…" she blinked at Yuuko a few times before letting out a surprised cry.

"Eh?" Yuuko blinked at her. "Is that… strange?"

"I don't think so," Takumi shook his head before he paused for a moment. "Well," he lightly chuckled, "I suppose it is a little considering you wanted to try those restaurants, but didn't yourself…"

"Oh, but your report was very well-written," she told him. "I learned a great deal from them."

"Next time, feel free to invite us, Yuuko-san," Takumi smiled at her. "I'd be more than happy to join you! In fact, let's go somewhere else right now! We can go to the Chinese restaurant or teahouse."

Nokia's eyes widened. "Wait, how can you still be hungry?" She knit her eyebrows together as she stared at her best friend. "Don't tell me it's because of your weird body!"

"Nope! My actual body is like this too!" Takumi cheerfully laughed. "So how about it? Is anyone up for another food tour?"

Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth as she thought it over. "It's true that I haven't tried the restaurants here yet. Alright," she nodded, "let's go! Just leave the bill to me!"

"Yuuko-chi...!?" Nokia frowned at her two food-obsessed friends but decided to go along anyways.

Final Notes: Another food tour! Not really going to comment much on it because I'm hungry just thinking about it and it makes me want some tonkatsu too... Although instead of pork, I do enjoy katsu chicken a bit more, especially with curry. But anyway, Takumi's venture into the detective business on his own seems to be going well... He might be struggling a bit, but it's not as though he has experience running the entire agency on his own... Kyoko would be the one to usually handle that stuff after all... Given some more time, I'm sure he'll eventually get into it, but under these circumstances, I guess not. I really like the Ueno case. Mainly because it's a heartwarming job to complete, but it's also rather unsettling to learn that Takumi is beginning to slip in and out of networks without him wanting to... The DLC case really has no bearing on the current events, but because it was available, I decided to put it here anyway. In fact, taking it on with Kyoko absent, you can't really get those extra thoughts she normally has when you turn in a case. You just log it into the whiteboard without so much as a comment from anybody, so I just included here since, of course, Takumi would be thinking of his boss.