Interlude #1: Dollars Internet Chat
Tanaka Tarou: Hello!
Bakyura: Konbanwa.
Setton: Doumo.
Tanaka Tarou: How are you?
Setton: Fine, it's been a while, huh? Ohisashiburi desu ne.
Bakyura: Yeah! Hey, Tanaka!
Tanaka Tarou: What's the news?
Setton: ...
Tanaka Tarou: We haven't heard from Kanra in several weeks... :-/ Seems like she always has the latest good stuff...
Izaya giggles. No one has ever guessed his identity. He should get a new screen name, and see what happens. He's lucky he thought to steal a moderator's privileges before Mikado upgraded the website; he still has them, and the invisibility is proving quite useful. He can wait a while before thinking up a new identity.
Bakyura: Did she make good on his promise to go underground?
—Invisible, dara-dara?
—Prima-donna example of a good Dollars member?
How true. Masaomi's instincts have always been so good!
Tanaka Tarou: It seems so. Stop snickering.
Setton: It's all right. I see Bakyura came back! :))
Tanaka Tarou: Welcome back!
Bakyura: Ohaiyo! Die, Kanra
Oh, that hurt. Izaya clutches his heart, mocking the "throes of death" while dying of laughter.
Tanaka Tarou: Kanra's not on, Bakyura. (...)
Bakyura: An ill-wishing wouldn't hurt her...
He's right about that.
Tanaka Tarou: Be nice! Please remember, I have to mod...
Setton: Don't hold your breath. He'll be back. Before you know it, so enjoy it.
Saika: Tanaka Tarou Tanaka Tarou Tanaka Tarou
Tanaka Tarou: Missed you too!
—So, what are your plans for the winter?
Saika: I think—nothing happens really in the winter...
Clearly, Izaya has not been diligent enough in stirring up trouble. He'd never noticed that his patterns might have corresponded to the weather. Now that he thought about it, it may have been true... Intriguing, this idea. Should he shake it up?
Bakyura: Hey! Don't sell winter short! Typhooooon!
Thank you, Masaomi. I don't have to do anything now.
Tanaka Tarou: Since when—? Wait, isn't winter in a couple of months? What am I talking about?
Bakyura: I sure don't know. Don't you remember, I'm still on vacation?
Tanaka Tarou: Oh, yeah...
Bakyura: Lovestruck?
Tanaka Tarou: Hey! Shut up! Just because you are, doesn't mean the whole world is also! ...
Bakyura: You know, they can hear you.
Tanaka Tarou: Aa, ah! *is mortified*
Setton & Saika: *giggle*
Bakyura: I mean, read you. I wonder who was more embarrassed, me, you, or the people of the outside world? I enjoy teasing you so much, but Saki's calling me. See ya later, sore ja ne.
Izaya laughs. So Tanaka also has a girlfriend now. Sick. How come all my stunningly intelligent protégées all want to grow up and get married? Then they leave me behind. They could do better. I hope Saki's enjoying herself. I can only imagine how long it will take before Masaomi's pigheaded, arrogant naivety will start to grate. But perhaps anyone is better than me, me, me... Izaya spins in his chair.
Namie spots him right away. He's only so gleeful when he's being evil. Namie says, "What are you doing, Izaya?"
Izaya: "Listening to gossip." (still spinning)
Namie: ...
Izaya stops, and says angelically: "I know, I'm just so immature."
Namie walks away. She doesn't want to know. But if she does that, she'll never figure out how important gossip is to Izaya's business. He wants her to learn. He thinks Namie could really have a knack for making trouble, if she tried her hand at it. He thinks that with the right waves, she might even win her business back. With a sigh, he turns off the computer monitor and gets dinner — ugh, leftovers. His stomach hurts.
Well, what did he expect? Everyone hates Izaya. Especially his experienced students.