A.N. (10/31/21) - Here's the next chapter!

DNAngel (4) - Prohibition

They came to a stop several hours later in front of a modern-looking small house with a duplex tower design. On the way here, he was told that Commissioner Hiwatari didn't live with his son. Seeing the place himself, Nagi had trouble taking in the fact that someone his age was living by himself in a place like this.

Exiting the car, Nagi stood a distance away from the entrance. The elder Hiwatari also got out before smiling at him.

"I already told Satoshi that you were going to be dropped off at this time," he said, gesturing towards the door. "So he should probably be waiting for us now."

"Will it just be the two of us living here?"

"Yes," the man answered with a smile. "Don't worry about living funds, Satoshi has an account where he can draw cash from if you ever need to purchase anything. Although, I hope you won't abuse this for any superficial luxuries. I do keep track of how much is spent every month."

They went into the house, the front door already unlocked when Commissioner Hiwatari opened the door. Inside was a hall that revealed an open area with a wooden desk against the wall and a strange ornate chair sitting in the middle of the room. Nagi's eyes briefly landed upon it as a strange feeling overtook him at the sight.

Jerking his head away, he found that there was a set of stairs leading to the second floor to his left. To his right was a set of doors left open that showed a kitchen on the other side. From a casual glance, Nagi found no cooking utensils or anything that indicated the kitchen was ever used in any capacity.

The sound of footsteps alerted him, and Nagi turned to see a boy his age walking down the stairs.

"Ah, here he is." The elder Hiwatari spoke with a jovial tone. "This is my son, Satoshi." Turning to his son, he gestured towards Nagi. "And this is your newest tenant, Nagi Kujikawa."

He awkwardly raised a hand.

"Hi there."

Hiwatari - the younger one, that is - nodded. "Greetings."

The only adult in the room chuckled as he watched the two boys interact. "Satoshi will show you around the place in my absence. Now I'm sure the two of you will get along, and I think my presence will only get in the way of that. So I'll take my leave here and visit once I'm not busy with work."

Nagi heard the door close as the man left, and he turned to face Hiwatari. "So what now?"

"Have you had anything to eat yet?"

The question surprised him, and Nagi heard his stomach rumble at that moment. He blushed as he realized that the mere mention of food was enough to cause it, making his first impression with his new roommate quite an embarrassing one.

Hiwatari only nodded. "I guess that answers my question. Since there isn't much in the pantry, I'll treat you to a meal at a nearby restaurant and we can talk over lunch."

"Eh?"

Somehow, things were going in a strange direction. Not prepared for the situation, Nagi could only follow after the other boy as Hiwatari exited the house.

"Apologies," Hiwatari said as they walked. "It was my mistake for not remembering my father's notice of your arrival. Had I prepared ahead of time, our food situation wouldn't be so paltry."

"It's alright. Either way, you're going out of your way to take care of me even though I'm on probation. So I don't think that's something you should be worried about."

"...I'll admit that it is comforting to hear you say that."

Hiwatari's face was serious, but Nagi couldn't help but think the other boy was being a bit over considerate. After all, what normal boy their age was expected to suddenly take care of a new housemate with barely any warning? For someone like Nagi, who was arrested for breaking into a private facility, it was too much.

"Really, isn't my presence here troublesome? You're allowed to complain if you want, you know."

"Living at my place was my idea. It would be odd for someone my age to live with my father when I myself do not."

Nagi blinked at that bit of news. When he first heard the elder Hiwatari's plans for him, he didn't know what he was thinking. Hearing this only made Nagi curious at how he got his father to agree in the first place.

"And while you are someone of my age, this is a place of rules," Hiwatari said with a serious voice. "The casual lifestyle you once lived is not something you will have here. While I may not be your official probation officer, you may think of me as your warden instead."

"Is this even allowed? Your father's part of the police, so should he really be allowing someone else to watch me?"

"I am also a part of law enforcement," Hiwatari said. "Despite my age, you are speaking to the Police Commander of the Azumano Dark Task Force."

Nagi didn't doubt that Hiwatari was telling the truth, even if it would have been completely unbelievable in his past life. He learned a long time ago that it was better to not question the strangeness of things in this new life of his, especially given what he knew about certain aspects of this universe.

Putting aside the revelation that his new life was also part of an anime series that he hasn't watched in years, he faintly recalled that there was such a character from the show. The fourteen-year-old Hiwatari was supposedly the rival to the protagonist, the antagonistic foil character playing the role of the detective versus the phantom thief.

They entered what looked like a fairly popular family restaurant, where both ordered their meals and ate in silence. Nagi picked the recommended option while Hiwatari seemed content with ordering the cheapest meal on the menu. Both of them didn't speak until they had finished eating.

"Since you're a late transfer in the middle of October, you'll no doubt draw some attention to yourself." Hiwatari placed his utensils on the plate with a loud clank sound. "Especially since our class has already had another transfer student already join us."

"Another transfer student?"

"Mio Hio," Hiwatari explained. "Another person under the care of my father, although quite different from your own. If you are considered to be under his watch, she is considered under his command."

"Should you be telling me this?"

"I'm telling you because no doubt he'll order her to keep an eye on you." Hiwatari's eyes narrowed. "As such, I will most likely not be your only observer. Even if I may not be able to keep an eye on you at all times, there is no doubt that Hio-san will still be watching in my place."

"I understand." Nagi slowly nodded. "Keep my head down and don't stir up trouble."

"Good." Hiwatari gave out a heavy sigh. "I already have enough work without dealing with someone else in my life, I hate for it to increase if I have to also make sure you behave."

Nagi didn't know what to say to that, deciding to instead just silently finish his drink.

}-{

What are you up to, father?

Hiwatari stared at his newest tenant, a young boy his age that was going to be living with him for the foreseeable future. The fact that it was his father that sought his existence made Hiwatari extremely suspicious of the other boy.

He's human, as far as I can tell. Hiwatari mulled it over in his thoughts. But there's no way my father would go through such great lengths to bring him under his control if he's just a regular person. No, there's something I'm missing here.

There wasn't much about the other boy that Hiwatari didn't know already since he did get a basic report of Nagi's history. Recently orphaned after his father died in an accident, his mother having died when he was young. Moving between schools due to his father's frequent transfers. But nothing that stood out that hinted at how he could pique the interest of someone like his father.

He wasn't a Niwa, nor was he a Hikari.

Maybe he was the descendent of one of their former vassal families. Hiwatari knew that some of his ancestors used to have such groups serving them in the past. Their most famous ancestor, for example, used to have several devout apprentices that helped him create his greatest masterpieces, even aiding during the creation process of the Black Wings.

But as time passed and the Hikari name slowly diminished, such a system slowly grew out of style. As the last of the Hikari line, Hiwatari was fairly sure that the only 'vassals' they had left was his adopted father.

A chuckle echoed in his mind. "Well, maybe you should just ask me. After all, I would certainly know if he were a descendant of our past servants."

Hiwatari grimaced.

He muttered to himself. "Shut up, Krad."

"Huh?" From across him, Nagi looked up. "Did you say something?"

"It's nothing," Hiwatari replied. "I was just talking to myself."

Literally.

}-{

It was late at night, and Nagi was still awake.

Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above him, he couldn't help but think about everything he had learned earlier this day. The things that Hiwatari told him, and the things that he implied.

The implication that Commissioner Hiwatari had much more control over his surroundings than he thought didn't quite scare him, but it certainly did unnerve him. With how much effort the commissioner invested to keep watch over his actions, Nagi had to wonder why the older man even decided to take on the role as his probation officer in the first place.

Thinking back to his earlier revelation, Nagi tried to consider things from a meta-perspective. The knowledge that this was also the setting for another work of fiction called DNAngel made Nagi reconsider everything he knew about his life.

DNAngel wasn't a particularly famous series, either the anime or the manga. Yet for him, it was a bit more personal seeing as it was one of the first anime he's ever watched in his previous life.

That said, because he watched it so long ago, he couldn't quite recall the majority of the details of the show. After all, it's been over a decade since he reincarnated into a new world. Let alone such an old series, Nagi had trouble enough just recalling the details concerning the Persona games.

He turned on his side and stared at the clock, realizing that it was almost midnight.

Midnight.

That was another thing he needed to worry about. The strange thing that happened the other day, that situation was most certainly something that worried him.

The Dark Hour.

That was what the abnormal period between one day and the next was called. When all humans transform into coffin-like objects and all electronics stopped working after midnight struck. The exception being those who possessed something called the 'potential', an undefined aspect of a human that allowed them to experience the hidden hour.

Nagi waited with trepidation.

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11:58

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11:59

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1̵̹̲̂͋2̶̫̼̒̉:̷̽͝ͅ0̵̝̠̄̂0̸̙̮̎́

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He felt the change once it occurred, and Nagi immediately wished he hadn't.

The world turned as his vision blurred, his head unable to think straight. The push and pull of reality around him made his stomach sick, and Nagi desperately tried to hold back the urge to empty the contents of his earlier lunch all over the floor.

Something clicked, and Nagi heard the door to his room open. He tried to turn and see who it was, but a blinding light met his vision and he quickly covered his eyes.

"I see, so you're the one."

Everything was too much, and Nagi realized that he was going to fall unconscious. Falling to the floor, he felt something catch him in their arms as something that sounded like an amused snort rang through the air.

"Hmph, such a troublesome assignment. But I guess I should call this in."

That was as far as Nagi could understand before he blacked out.

To clarify, this is Nagi's second time experiencing the Dark Hour. Because of that, the symptoms that usually occur on first-timers usually cause them to feel sick or delusional. That's what's going on with him at the moment.

As for Krad, I've already hinted at this in a previous version, but yes he can walk around in the Dark Hour.