"The Humble Beginnings Diner was an anomaly among it's kind. It boasted
the same Formica tables, painted metal chairs, and garish but somehow homey
decor as other similar establishments. What set this particular joint
apart from the rest was the fact that every inspectable and uninspectable
surface in the place was lather up and scrub down clean. We're talking dim
the lights or blind the patrons kind of clean. Although no one ever had,
you probably could eat off the floor. Between that, the good food and the
good service, the place actually made money. The regular's all agreed that
Mits, the owner, had a cure for all that might be ailing you.
So it was here that Nuriko and Tasuki, private detectives, set up their second base of operations . . ."
"Where do you come up with this stuff?" Tasuki grouched from his seat in the corner booth.
"Just showing you how it's done." Noriko replied casually, flipping his braid over his shoulder and leaning back comfortably.
"Yeah, well, this is my story so I'll tell it the way I want. Got it?"
"So tell it already!"
"Ummm . . . right . . ." Tasuki settled himself a little more comfortably. "So . . . uh . . . what's to eat?" Noriko walloped him with the menu.
"I was talking about the case! You've got the menu MEMORIZED!"
"Maybe Tasuki was asking about the specials?" Shoka, waitress extraordinaire, deftly place 2 coffees and a vanilla milkshake in front of her regulars and gave them her winning smile. "It's the Open Faced Roast Beef, two sides and a peach cobbler. But I'm guessing you'll want your usuals: right? How are you boys doing? Working on a case?"
"Yeah, we're looking for someone this time. Some girl lost track of her boyfriend yesterday so she hired us to track him down."
"Hired you, did she?" Shoka shook her head in feigned bewilderment. "She must have gotten some bad advice somewhere . . . unless your excellent tree climbing abilities have brought your little group into the limelight, Tasuki."
"HaHa! Very funny. Can't a guy do a little charitable work now and then without getting dragged through the dirt about it?" Tasuki hunched his shoulders, glared at the menu, and slurped loudly on his milkshake.
"Well, now . . . as I recall . . . wasn't it the big red chow dog from across the street that actually chased you up the tree?" Nuriko took great care in studying the pristine ceiling.
"Yeah, Tasuki. The same one that chased the cat up the tree to begin with?" Chiriko added, his cheeks ablush with juvenile innocence. Tasuki grumble behind his menu, only looking up long enough to glare at his partners.
"Our regular orders will be fine, thanks Shoka." Nuriko concluded with a smug grin plastered across his face.
"Ok, I'll have it up in a bit. And I'll send Mits over.?You boys look like you could use the help."
"Is it that obvious?" Chiriko asked Nuriko as Shoka made her way to another table.
"Only to anyone with eyes." Nuriko shrugged. "Tasuki will you pull your head out of that menu and get serious." With one final glare in Nuriko's direction Tasuki placed the menu down on the table with as much dignity as he could muster.
"Ahem . . . here are the facts: Miss Yuuki lost track of her wayward boyfriend around lunch time yesterday. Mr. Pretty Boy tends to attract all kinds of trouble just by breathing. This guy, Schnakagogo, is our only suspect."
"Schnaka-who?"
" . . . and we don't even know who the guy is!"
"Ayuru Gi: Head of Ry?g? Entertainment and goes by the name Nakago," Mits broke in as he wandered over the table. "The world's largest provider of paid entertainment."
"You mean . . ." Gulped Chiriko and then dropped his voice to a mere whisper, "Ladies of Ill Repute?"
"No. I mean Video Arcades."
"Are you sure there aren't any, er, 'Ladies of Ill Repute?'" Tasuki inquired casually and Mits gave him a look. "I was just asking!"
"Anyway, his company has game centers all across this city and most of the free world."
"Maybe we should go have a talk with Mister Entertainment." Noriko mused aloud.
"You won't be able to see him."
"Huh? Why not?" The three boys looked at Mits in surprise.
"He never sees anyone without an appointment."
"An appointment, huh? So why don't we just make one?"
"You're not important enough." Mits replied without even twitching.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Tasuki countered with his usual tact and volume.
"It means we have to find another way." Nuriko distracted him.
"Oh, yeah? And how do we do that?"
"What if we won?" Chiriko offered.
"Won what?" Nuriko and Tasuki queried in chorus.
"Well, if we kept winning at all the games wouldn't he get curious?"
"That is hitting him pretty hard in the wallet . . . at least if we could win enough." Nuriko mused aloud.
"We'd have to be winning some big bucks to get a guy like that curious. How good are you guys at arcade games?"
"We could always cheat." Nuriko suggested eyes passing casually across the ceiling.
"Oh, yeah, and how do you propose we do that?" Tasuki groused and Mits reached across to steal his napkin. "Hey! That's mine!" Mits glared at him briefly.
"Oh, shut up, Tasuki. It's not like they don't have any more." Nuriko leaned forward eagerly trying to see what Mits was scribbling down.
"Here, tell him I sent you." Mits dropped the napkin in Nuriko's eager hands and made his way back to the kitchens. Nuriko smoothed the rough map out on the table where they could see.
"Well, guys, here's our direction. We can head right over there . . . er . . . right after lunch."
As if on cue, Shoka sidled up to their table with a loaded tray.
"Here you go, boys. Oh, and Mits said Tasuki needed some more of these." And with that, she plunked what amounted to a small rainforest of napkins into Tasuki's waiting lap.
Author's Notes:
Yeah! Another Chapter! Geez, I'm slow!
Ok, I extrapolated a little: Ayuru is Nakago's real name according to one of the Fushigi Yuugi Gaiden novels. According to the novels Gi Koyuu was his father.
Yeah, ok, so it's not much of an author's note . . . I'm lame : P
So it was here that Nuriko and Tasuki, private detectives, set up their second base of operations . . ."
"Where do you come up with this stuff?" Tasuki grouched from his seat in the corner booth.
"Just showing you how it's done." Noriko replied casually, flipping his braid over his shoulder and leaning back comfortably.
"Yeah, well, this is my story so I'll tell it the way I want. Got it?"
"So tell it already!"
"Ummm . . . right . . ." Tasuki settled himself a little more comfortably. "So . . . uh . . . what's to eat?" Noriko walloped him with the menu.
"I was talking about the case! You've got the menu MEMORIZED!"
"Maybe Tasuki was asking about the specials?" Shoka, waitress extraordinaire, deftly place 2 coffees and a vanilla milkshake in front of her regulars and gave them her winning smile. "It's the Open Faced Roast Beef, two sides and a peach cobbler. But I'm guessing you'll want your usuals: right? How are you boys doing? Working on a case?"
"Yeah, we're looking for someone this time. Some girl lost track of her boyfriend yesterday so she hired us to track him down."
"Hired you, did she?" Shoka shook her head in feigned bewilderment. "She must have gotten some bad advice somewhere . . . unless your excellent tree climbing abilities have brought your little group into the limelight, Tasuki."
"HaHa! Very funny. Can't a guy do a little charitable work now and then without getting dragged through the dirt about it?" Tasuki hunched his shoulders, glared at the menu, and slurped loudly on his milkshake.
"Well, now . . . as I recall . . . wasn't it the big red chow dog from across the street that actually chased you up the tree?" Nuriko took great care in studying the pristine ceiling.
"Yeah, Tasuki. The same one that chased the cat up the tree to begin with?" Chiriko added, his cheeks ablush with juvenile innocence. Tasuki grumble behind his menu, only looking up long enough to glare at his partners.
"Our regular orders will be fine, thanks Shoka." Nuriko concluded with a smug grin plastered across his face.
"Ok, I'll have it up in a bit. And I'll send Mits over.?You boys look like you could use the help."
"Is it that obvious?" Chiriko asked Nuriko as Shoka made her way to another table.
"Only to anyone with eyes." Nuriko shrugged. "Tasuki will you pull your head out of that menu and get serious." With one final glare in Nuriko's direction Tasuki placed the menu down on the table with as much dignity as he could muster.
"Ahem . . . here are the facts: Miss Yuuki lost track of her wayward boyfriend around lunch time yesterday. Mr. Pretty Boy tends to attract all kinds of trouble just by breathing. This guy, Schnakagogo, is our only suspect."
"Schnaka-who?"
" . . . and we don't even know who the guy is!"
"Ayuru Gi: Head of Ry?g? Entertainment and goes by the name Nakago," Mits broke in as he wandered over the table. "The world's largest provider of paid entertainment."
"You mean . . ." Gulped Chiriko and then dropped his voice to a mere whisper, "Ladies of Ill Repute?"
"No. I mean Video Arcades."
"Are you sure there aren't any, er, 'Ladies of Ill Repute?'" Tasuki inquired casually and Mits gave him a look. "I was just asking!"
"Anyway, his company has game centers all across this city and most of the free world."
"Maybe we should go have a talk with Mister Entertainment." Noriko mused aloud.
"You won't be able to see him."
"Huh? Why not?" The three boys looked at Mits in surprise.
"He never sees anyone without an appointment."
"An appointment, huh? So why don't we just make one?"
"You're not important enough." Mits replied without even twitching.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Tasuki countered with his usual tact and volume.
"It means we have to find another way." Nuriko distracted him.
"Oh, yeah? And how do we do that?"
"What if we won?" Chiriko offered.
"Won what?" Nuriko and Tasuki queried in chorus.
"Well, if we kept winning at all the games wouldn't he get curious?"
"That is hitting him pretty hard in the wallet . . . at least if we could win enough." Nuriko mused aloud.
"We'd have to be winning some big bucks to get a guy like that curious. How good are you guys at arcade games?"
"We could always cheat." Nuriko suggested eyes passing casually across the ceiling.
"Oh, yeah, and how do you propose we do that?" Tasuki groused and Mits reached across to steal his napkin. "Hey! That's mine!" Mits glared at him briefly.
"Oh, shut up, Tasuki. It's not like they don't have any more." Nuriko leaned forward eagerly trying to see what Mits was scribbling down.
"Here, tell him I sent you." Mits dropped the napkin in Nuriko's eager hands and made his way back to the kitchens. Nuriko smoothed the rough map out on the table where they could see.
"Well, guys, here's our direction. We can head right over there . . . er . . . right after lunch."
As if on cue, Shoka sidled up to their table with a loaded tray.
"Here you go, boys. Oh, and Mits said Tasuki needed some more of these." And with that, she plunked what amounted to a small rainforest of napkins into Tasuki's waiting lap.
Author's Notes:
Yeah! Another Chapter! Geez, I'm slow!
Ok, I extrapolated a little: Ayuru is Nakago's real name according to one of the Fushigi Yuugi Gaiden novels. According to the novels Gi Koyuu was his father.
Yeah, ok, so it's not much of an author's note . . . I'm lame : P