Back to Keisuke. Another more laid-back chapter, though it covers a bunch of little things.
Case 6:Deduction
Arata booked Takumi's 18th birthday at Hudie's to get a friend's discount. Keisuke wouldn't be able to work on cases while the cafe was so noisy, so Keisuke decided he might as well relax and join in. He didn't really know Takumi, so he brought him a variety plate of sushi as his gift. Most people liked sushi, right? Though he wasn't sure how well it would go with Yuuko's cake.
The birthday cake was...extravagant. Made by an American chef, each layer had a different flavor. It probably belonged at a wedding instead of a birthday party. If Keisuke didn't already know Yuuko and Fei were dating, Keisuke would have suspected Yuuko was trying to woo Takumi. But no, she was just stupidly rich because her dad ran the Shikishima company. Her twin brother Yuugo was still too weak to attend, but he and their mother-in-law Rie gave warm wishes over DigiLine. Apparently the cake was her gift. Yuuko and Yuugo's were their favorite flavors of riceballs.
Trying to show up her kids-in-law at their friend's birthday party, classy, thought Keisuke. But he wouldn't expect anything less from a woman like her. At least no one else appreciated her interference either.
Other gifts include some Jimmy Ken merchandise from Ryota and Sakura, though Takumi seemed lukewarm about it at best. Arata got Takumi enough manga to last him at least a month. Nokia's contribution was a Terriermon T-Shirt, and making everyone wear party hats. Kyoko wasn't here, but apparently her gift had been a week off work to use whenever Takumi wished.
Oh yeah, and everyone showed off their Digimon on their Digivice screens to Takumi, who greeted it with an awkward smile. Keisuke assumed they were real Digimon, but relegated to their own little world, so it should be fine...probably...
"Man, this Digimon thing is really taking off isn't it?" said Yu.
"Yeah..." said Keisuke. Were the worlds merging again? How long until DigiCapture got invented again too?
"So..." Yu asked, lowering his voice. "How long until those two start dating, you think?"
Keisuke didn't have to ask for more detail. The way Takumi and Arata always stuck close together, consciously or not. Not to mention the lingering glances between them... "Soon. Very soon. If something hasn't already happened." Maybe Takumi was still in the closet though? He seemed a little nervous as well as attracted. Or maybe he noticed Ryuji's jealous scowls. Didn't he mention dating Arata at one point?
Uh-oh, Takumi was so nervous he had mixed wasabi in his coffee. That was meant for sushi, and that amount would probably burn his tongue raw...
"Hey, uh, you sure you wanna drink that?" Chitose sounded genuinely concerned.
Takumi froze "Oh...um..."
"What, you never drink wasabi coffee before?" asked Arata, striding over. He stubbornly wore his party hat like a necklace, which only made him look even more ridiculous. He took some of the green paste, stirred it into his own coffee, and downed the whole thing in a few gulps. "Wimp."
Everyone was silent for a moment. Arata's face slowly twisted and flushed, either from embarrassment or the heat of the wasabi. Maybe both.
"Uh, you doing o-" Chitose began.
"A-And you know what goes perfectly with wasabi coffee? Cake!" Arata rushed over to get a slice.
"...Oh my, it's worse than we thought." Yu almost sounded smug. "Maybe this really is a wedding cake."
"Wedding or birthday cake, I'm getting more," said Keisuke, heading over.
So did Takumi, though he seemed more interested in checking on Arata. "You...didn't need to do that, Arata. I know my tastes are...strange..."
"Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?" said Arata.
"Uh...okay?"
Both were quiet.
"Hey," said Arata. "Is...everything alright?"
"Yes?" said Takumi. "Why?"
"I dunno, you just seem...down lately? Kinda out of it too?" said Arata. "Is there something I can help with? Or...did I do something wrong?"
Takumi shook his head. "It's not you, or anyone else. It's only me being..." Takumi only seemed sadder. "Just know that none of this is your fault." He walked away, perhaps a little too quickly.
"Hey, wait-" But Arata cut himself off. "...Wait..." That word was small, almost...scared? He stayed that way even as Takumi cheerfully chatted with others.
It was strange, hearing Arata sound so insecure. Keisuke had seen him cool-headed, annoyed, even mad...in more than one sense of the word...but never insecure.
Had there been a big fight already? Maybe this relationship wasn't as destined as Yu thought it was.
Everything up to this point has been the calm before the storm. Next time is when the plot really starts to kick off.