(12/15/10)

Saturday, after classes...

Pinky's family cafe became our defacto "usual place" ever since we hung out there. It was very quaint, relaxing and sophisticated. It was filled with the latest cafe technology. There was an indoor garden and an artificial waterfall.

The girls worked there too, saving money for the coming Christmas day. Excited as I was, I was also anxious, since I wanted to be with Minako, but I didn't know how to paraphrase it. Also, I had Yukari to contend with. How would she react? How could I tell her of everything and still make her happy?

Minako gave me my grande latté.

"You are one distracted guy." She muttered.

"Oh, uh, sorry." I apologized, "I was just wondering about who'd be Top 10 again."

"Huh." Minako said as she went back to work.

Since the boys were acting like baboons, arm wrestling and eating cake, I decided to hang out with Naoto, who was busy with her case file yet again.

"Hello." I greeted, "Is this seat taken?"

Naoto gave a small gasp, "Oh, yes, please do."

I took a seat.

"How is the investigation going so far?" I asked, "Is Cato involved?"

"Oh, it's rather frustrating." Naoto said with a sigh, "I can't get any leads as of now, other than Marcus Porcius being an ancient Roman statesman..."

"Is that right?" I mused.

"On a side note, I am so glad that I have a place to do my research at. The tea and scones here are just delightful." Naoto said contentedly.

"Yeah... I heard the girls made that themselves-" I trailed off when a strange old man entered the cafe. He was tall and had seen many winters. He wore a black cape and an older version of Naoto's detective hat and a black cat accompanied him. He also had several traditional containers named 'Kuda'. He took a seat opposite ours.

I sensed Naoto getting breathless at the man, "Is he famous?"

"Famous?!" Naoto said breathlessly, "Yes! That's- Detective Raido Kuzunoha!" She stood up and rushed the man. She stood in front of him, breathing deeply.

"Er... Is there anything I can help you with, Young Man?" He asked.

Naoto nodded slowly while grinning. Minako and Yukari came by me, "What's wrong with Naoto?"

"Nothing... Starstruck." I muttered, "Her- I mean, his version of fangirling."

I went forward with Minako and Yukari.

"Hello Mr. Raidou!" I said, "I'm Minato, and this is Yukari and Minako."

"Hello!" Minako and Yukari said, before Naoto brushed them aside.

"Mr. Kuzunoha! It is such an honor!" Naoto said excitedly, "My name is Naoto Shirogane! I hail from a long line of Detectives!"

He raised his brow, "Shirogane, you say? Are you the Grandchild of

THE Kazuya Shirogane, esteemed patriarch of the Shirogane clan?"

"YES!" Naoto cried, proud of the recognition, "His grandson!"

"I didn't know Kazuya had a grandson..." He muttered.

"He...uh... doesn't talk about me much!" Naoto said as she hawked and tried to spit out a loogie, but the saliva just runs from her mouth.

Raidou leaned to me, "I can see why... The boy is an absolute lunatic!"

Minako and Yukari snickered.

"Just call me Raidou-san, Naoto-kun." Raidou said, supressing a laugh.

"Did you hear that, Minato-san?" Naoto said with a hushed tone, "He considers me a friend!"

"Not really..." I said.

Strangely enough, Naoto, who was the most mature person I've met, was gushing uncontrollably, "I am a HUGE fan! I've read and reread all your exploits a myriad of times! My grandfather gave me an autographed photo of you! Now, I can stare at you as much as I want without my grampa reprimanding me for endangering my vision..."

"Er... He...He's not dangerous, is he?" Old Raidou whispered to me.

"Actually, he's a genius." I said.

"That's not really reassuring..." Old Raidou muttered.

"Don't worry. Nao-kun's just excited to meet you." I said.

"I see... And that hot little redhead and the brunette are your girls?" He asked.

"Uh... In a sense, yeah." I said.

He chuckled, "You're the real genius."

"Oh, such a cute kitty!" Naoto squealed, girlishly this time as she petted the cat.

"That's Gouto-douji, but what's with the voice-"

Then, a man wearing a black trench coat and Ray Ban shades entered the cafe and locked it. He held something inside his coat, like a pistol.

"All right, listen up! I don't want no trouble!" He roared, "Give up all your money and jewelry and there won't be no problem!"

Quan took his wallet and threw it at the robber's feet. So did Junpei and Kenji.

Quan moved, "Don't make me-"

The robber strode to him, "What, you one of them rappers? Tupac? Eminem? What's that? A Rolex? A platinum chain? Give it up!"

I recognized him, "Lee? Lee?"

The robber smiled and drew out his gun- his index finger as the barrel and his thumb as the hammer.

"Bang... Bang... Bang..." He aimed and shot at Quan, Junpei and Kenji with his imaginary gun.

"Get your ass here! Leave those boys alone!" I said, while everyone laughed hard.

"Hahaha! You see those fools almost handed their wallets out! As if I needed another 2,000 yen! Hahaha, you jerks are all right!" Lee laughed along with everyone else as the three picked up their wallets, "Had them shaking in their little-"

He was tackled by Naoto, who cuffed him, "You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law!"

"Yo, yo, yo chill, man, chill!" Lee cried, "It's me!"

Naoto uncuffed him and gave him a dirty look.

"Short people pack a punch..." Lee muttered as he rubbed his wrists.

We returned to Raidou.

"I see you're a remarkable detective as well." Raidou mused.

"Well, I am a bit gifted..." Naoto said pompously.

"Hahaha, anyway, what's that paper?" He asked while Naoto handed him the paper.

He read it carefully.

"Interesting..." He mused, "Curious... very curious..."

"Excuse me, but what's curious?" Naoto asked.

"Well, you seem to have a masked client. It seems the person you're employed to investigate might be the very same person who commissioned you to do so."

"Really?" Naoto said, with a high pitch voice this time.

Raidou's eyes narrowed, "You're female, aren't you?" He whispered.

Naoto gasped, "N-No! I'm not!"

Raidou nodded and opened one of his Kuda containers. Although I heard a 'whoosh' sound, I didn't see anything.

Raidou smiled, "You are a female. Don't deny it."

"H-How did you know?" Naoto whispered.

Raidou considered that question, "I've been in the business a long time."

"Well, it's almost as if you read her mind or something." I said.

Raidou chuckled, and so did the cat, in short mews. Almost as if they shared a private joke.

"Mind reading? That's ridiculous." Raidou said, "Mind explaining why you hide your true gender?"

Naoto bowed her head, "Well... The Police Force is a male-dominated occupation and tend to discriminate females..."

"So you lie about your true self to people who don't matter even if you love doing what you do?" Raidou asked.

"Well..." Naoto blushed.

"Naoto-chan, just because you're female doesn't mean you can't be a great detective. I have a good friend, Nagi, who dreamt of being Geirin Kuzunoha the 18th. And she made that dream a reality." Raidou said.

I took a sip of Minako's apple juice she left behind while tending to a customer.

"I see..." Naoto said.

"And what happened to Nagi?" I asked.

Raidou smiled, "She's the mother of my children and my wife. True love really stems from great friendships."

I sighed as everyone seemed to have great luck with love. Everyone with age.

"Well, I won't tell." Raidou winked, "I need to leave now. Give Kazuya my regards."

"Yes sir!" Naoto said.

Raidou smiled and headed out.

Junpei came by, "Who was that geezer?"

"If you would please stop breathing through your mouth!" Naoto said, "That was Raidou Kuzunoha, the best detective in the world! And my idol as well!" Naoto added.

"So, Naoto, you're a detective, eh?" Junpei said, "Well, I'm a bit of a detective myself. Junpei, Ace Detective at your service!"

"What?! More like Stupei, Ace Defective!" Yukari said, reappearing suddenly.

"Where did you come from?!" Junpei cried as Yukari went away to serve tea.

Minako then arrived, looking pooped. She sat beside me, and tried to sip her nearly empty glass. She then looked absolutely pissed.

"Who drank my apple juice?!" Minako said angrily.

Junpei shook his head.

"Don't you roll your eyes on me, Stupei, I knew it was you! That's why I popped a loogie in it!" She said, though it sounded like a bluff. Though with Minako, it was plausible.

Junpei looked disgusted.

"Oh my God! You spat in it?!" I said in dismay.

"Aha! So it really was you!" Minako cried.

"Yeah... Sorry." I said timidly.

"You're dead!" Junpei whispered, "She's gonna kill you!"

She pursed her lips and punched me lightly on the arm, "Well, I guess it's fine. After all, we share everything, right? Except underwear!" She added hastily.

"WHAT!?" Junpei cried, "I cannot believe you're letting him go THAT easily!"

"What, you were expecting him to be hanged, drawn and quartered?" Minako asked dubiously.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're in love with Minato!" Junpei cried.

"Sigh, Junpei, you really earned the name 'Stupei'..." Yukari sighed as she served the table next to us.

"There she goes again!" Junpei cried, "Anyway, it's true, right?"

"It has to be." The customer beside us said.

"Hey, stay outta this!" Minako chided, "As for me liking Minato... Well..." She bit her nails, "All I can say is that he's incredibly special to me."

"That's a code for You're-Totally-Into-Him!" Lee said.

"No it's not!" Minako argued, "Cause I'm in love with someone else!"

Everyone gasped. My insides turned to ice. I felt like melting on the spot. It was a wonder how I didn't spontaneously combust.

"But don't worry, he's nice, stoic, brave, fearless and charming. He's also my best friend." She said, "I know he'll treat me well if he knew."

Fortunately, Junpei sensed my obvious distress and steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Hey, er, did you see the news recently? Apparently, crooked teeth are considered cute in Japan!" Junpei said.

Quan scoffed, "If that were true, I'd be the Don Juan of Japan."

"First, bagel-heads, now this? Japanese beauty fads are pretty diverse..." I said.

"Well, I know what I'm doing now!" Junpei said, "I'm gonna go chew on a sidewalk..." Junpei said.

"Typical Stupei..." Yukari muttered.

I was about to add the bagel heads, when our hated rivals entered the cafe.

Cato strutted to a table with his sycophantic lackeys, Hide, Yo, Michonne and Hortez.

"Here comes the Preps..." Minako muttered.

"Hello... Commoners." Cato flashed a smile, "You there, uh, 'Lee' how about serving us some coffee?"

"Sure thing. Want a side order of teeth or would spit do?" Lee said.

"Be nice, Lee." Cato said, "Especially to your Elders."

"My middle finger won't go down. How do I wave?" Lee said.

"What do you guys want anyway?" Minako asked.

"Oh, Meenako, you are such a putain!" Michonne said, "'aving Meenato in your arms... Truly a putain. Serve me some puttanesca."

"Well, at least a prostitute makes money for being a hoe. You gladly do that stuff for free." Minako shot back.

"BURN!" Quan shouted.

"Don't be hassling the customers." Pinky said, "That's my job."

"Don't flatter yourself." Cato said, "While I do admit the coffee, tea and scones here are top notch-"

"Why thank you!" Pinky said appreciatively.

"You're welcome." Cato said, "We're observing something. Naoto, how is your... research going?" He said cautiously.

"Sorry, but that is highly confidential." Naoto said bluntly.

"Making any headway?" Cato insisted.

"Slight headway." Naoto said curtly, "That's all I'm to divulge, I'm afraid. My employer would be displeased if I reveal any information."

Cato nodded, "I see, I see..." Cato mused, "Great work ethic... Five frappes please." Cato said.

After waiting a bit, they girls served him and he actually left a generous tip of 5,000 yen each before leaving.

"He sure is a big tipper, eh?" Yukari said.

"Yeah... Makes me feel bad being rude." Minako said.

"5K yen is a grain of sand to Cato." Quan said.

"Cato..." Lee hissed, "My middle finger gets a boner everythime I see his face."

"He'd be handsome if he didn't have that scar and wasn't so evil." Rio said.

They began a debate between Cato being good or evil. I, on the other hand, had an oncoming call from Grandma. I went out to answer, since Lee started another tirade of cursing.

"Hello? Grandma-san?"

"Hello Minato! I'm in Iwatodai! How is everything?" She asked.

I told her of the latest happenings. Especially about the other guy.

"Oh there. You see? The first punch has been thrown." She said, "You've been KO'ed by Mr. Charming."

"C'mon Grandma-san, maybe she's not his type?" I said hopefully.

"What if she is?" She said, "Then it's done. You'd be defeated."

I truly began to fear and loathe my new rival. What if Minako liked him more than me?

"Does it have to be like that, Grandma?" I asked, and saw Minako heading outside.

"Oh, sorry, Minako's coming outside, I'll speak with you soon." I said.

"Okay, good luck, Minato-chan!" She said.

"Thanks Grandma." I said before hanging up.

Minako stood next to me and stared into the greying sky.

"Look... We're going to have a white Christmas..." She breathed as she squeezed my arm while watching the tiny flakes of snow fall from the greying sky.

"Old Man Winter has finally come, eh?" I said, "Let's go inside, before we catch a cold."

"Hahaha, like when you said you wouldn't streak with us, but you did?" Minako teased.

"That was-"

"Or that time I told you not to spend the night at Tokyo?" She said.

"I said that!"

Minako began teasing me of all the things I did wrong.

"Okay, are you gonna report what I did wrong when I was a fetus?" I said jokingly.

Minako put a finger to her chin, "Oh, is that the term they call a baby lizard these days?" Minako joked.

I put a finger on my chin as well, "Why? What did they call you when you were a baby?" I asked.

"Hmmmm...! Cute baby!" She said in triumph.

"Minako, ALL babies are cute... Even the ugly ones." I said as I entered the store.

"Hey!" she slapped my arm, "You tactless moron!"

Later, the two of us would walk home. Yukari, Rio, Kenji and Quan split and went of the opposite direction while Jupei and Lee went to the arcade.

"Tell me about him..." I said, "The jerk- I mean your Crush."

She thought for a while, "He's like you. Smart, handsome and with great hair."

I ran my fingers to my hair, "So, essentially, it's almost as if you had a crush on me?"

"Hmmm... You could say that."

My heart galloped.

"But totally different." She said, "You're my best friend." She said as she punched me lightly on the arm.

Oh, how I wanted to carve my heart out. If she'd cursed me and said something awful, I would not mind.

"Anyways, if you want to meet him, I'll arrange a date with the three of us tomorrow at Museo de Mirror." Minako said, "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"I'll think about it." I muttered as I turned to my house, "We'll see!" I said more cheerfully.

She smiled and entered her house.

I went to bed, hoping to erase the mere thought that Minako harboured romantic feelings to anyone but me.

A/N: finally done. I would have updated earlier, but the net sdied n me.

Anyways, the questions will come soon. Please review!