Chapter Four

Day Two || 12:50 || Molco

Shiiko yawned widely, one gloved hand held delicately over her mouth. She had woken up only a few seconds prior, but already her eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed at her new surroundings. As far as she could recall, she and Owen had reached the 104 easily, and then even moved on to Dogenzaka before the two of them had suddenly become incredibly sleepy – sleepy enough, in fact, to drop where they stood. The two of them were now mysteriously in front of Molco instead, although Owen appeared to be sleeping peacefully still. I wonder how they did that? she thought to herself. Did the Reapers hypnotize them to put them to sleep, before dragging them bodily to a different location? Or had the Reapers teleported them using some kind of magic? Shiiko's mind began to wander down several different possibilities, each more fantastical than the first.

It wasn't until Owen groaned that she was distracted from her intense theorizing. With a glance to her side, she saw that he remained on the ground, shifting only slightly in his slumber. How long does he need to sleep? If the mission comes and he's still not up, we're gonna be in trouble…

She checked her phone. It read the time as 12:55. Definitely a time to be up and about, not snoozing. It took her less than a second to come up with the perfect plan to wake her lazy partner.

"Wakey, wakey, Oweeeeen!" She called as she began digging through her bag. When he did not stir, she grinned deviously and pulled out a small, black case. With a soft click, she opened the lid, revealing the pieces of a small piccolo nestled in the soft cloth within. It was her prized possession. It was like a child to her, something to be kept safe above all else and treated with tenderness.

It was also very loud, and very piercing.

Owen awoke with a start, gasping as though he had just gotten a mild heart attack. It took him a couple of seconds to see the tiny instrument in her hands, and then make the connection. His expression fell immediately into one of intense annoyance. Shiiko giggled in response.

"Like it? It was my mom's!" She held it out for him to see, even though she was fairly sure he couldn't care less. Oh well. It was his fault for sleeping in.

Though he first looked at it with deep suspicion, it didn't take long for him to get over the unorthodox waking method and become genuinely interested in the piccolo. "So that high-pitched sound from yesterday…" he said slowly. Shiiko stuck out her tongue, only a little embarrassed that he had heard her the day before. "Sorry! That was probably me. I don't really get the pins, so I use this instead!"

That made Owen pause. He was clearly confused. "…Does it actually work?" he asked. Shiiko nodded, although even she was a little uncertain.

"I don't know why, but somehow it hurts the Noise when I play. Maybe my playing is just really bad," she laughed. The piccolo was a difficult instrument to master, and while she could produce sound from it, she had a difficult time actually controlling the assortment of squeaks and shrieks that came out of the little metal tube. Still, it seemed to be almost natural to her to battle the Noise with her "music," and as far as she could tell, it really did damage them. It was a strange mystery indeed.

Owen looked to be on the verge of replying, but before he could, their cell phones beeped. The pair automatically pulled out their respective phones, checking their messages.

"Momotaro must challenge the oni once more.

Reunite him with his friends before the battle.

You are granted 180 minutes for this quest.

Fail, and face erasure.

-The Reapers"

The timers burned, causing both to wince in unison.

"Momotaro…?" Owen frowned. It was easy to see that he wasn't familiar with the story. Seeing no other option, Shiiko launched into an explanation.

"Momotaro! He was found by an old couple in a giant peach, and when he grew up, he went to fight the demons on oni island," she began. It was a well-known tale, after all. She could still remember her old book of such stories. Although, she reflected, they probably aren't so well-known in America…

"So by friends, they mean…?" Owen interrupted her thoughts. He really was clueless.

"Well, on the way there, he meets a dog, a bid, and a monkey, and they join him on his journey. He fed them the food he had brought with him when they were hungry."

"So a dog, a bird, and a monkey… Where are we going to find those?" He clearly thought that they had been given an impossible mission. Shiiko on the other hand, made the connection easily. Then again, she was probably quite a bit more familiar with the brands than he.

"I don't think it has to be real animals," she said. "Just… something that represents them. Like… something from Natural Puppy, or Jupiter of the Monkey for the dog and the monkey. Plus, 'pavo' means peacock, and that's a bird, right? So we can check out one of their stores, too. Even if we're wrong, we'll probably find at least a clue about what we're supposed to do," she reasoned. Owen stared at her with one eyebrow raised, obviously surprised by her clear thinking. She couldn't help but smile proudly. See? I can be useful, too!

"Okay, so we just need to check out stores that deal with those brands," Owen said quickly and a little unnecessarily.

"That's easy. Pavo Real is by Hachiko, Natural Puppy is at Cadoi City, and Jupiter of the Monkey is on Cat Street. And," she continued excitedly, "Jupiter of the Monkey is right next to my favorite store!"

"Maybe if we have time," Owen said, noticing her intent. "We'll go to Natural Puppy first. I think that one's closest, right?" Shiiko pouted, but only for a second. Even she could see that Owen really wanted to win, and she knew it was more important to finish the mission than do a little shopping. She quickly swallowed her disappointment.

"Okay then, let's go!" She quickly disassembled her piccolo and snapped it smartly into its case. She had hardly finished before she reached out and grabbed Owen's hand, dragging him in the direction of the store. He recoiled at first, but seemed to accept it as inevitable and allowed himself to be led.

Good, she thought, he would get lost trying to find it on his own. Owen looked to be more familiar with Shibuya than most foreigners, but even he was overwhelmed at times. It was better if she led the way.

The partners arrived quickly – Cadoi City was not exactly far in the distance from Molco. As the two headed towards the store, Owen stopped in front of a window, jerking Shiiko back. "Wah! Wh-what's wrong?"

The American was staring intently at a poster pasted on the clear glass. Four pins were displayed under large, pink lettering that read "Tin Pin Event!!!" She looked to the extra description below:

"A new event is taking place at Molco this Wednesday! All players must use the brand new Momo pin in this epic battle for the one-of-a-kind Oni pin!! Three "Momo" pins have been released and can be found at participating Pavo Real, Jupiter of the Monkey, Natural Puppy, and D-Vine retailers!!"

A little predictably, the Natural Puppy pin was highlighted. It appeared to have the name "Doggie" and featured a pastel blue silhouette of a puppy against a pink background.

"They must have meant these pins," Owen said after a moment. He wasn't as fast as Shiiko when it came to reading, but for good reason. "Look, they've got the peach for Momotaro, the dog, the rooster, and the monkey. It's got to be this."

"Then let's go in and buy one!" Shiiko was about to walk in, but Owen held her back.

"Wait. We don't know how much it is. How much money do we even have?" His voice was carefully calm, but Shiiko realized he must have been worrying about this from the start.

"I completely forgot about that!" she exclaimed. Owen grimaced – he had expected that. "Umm… hang on. I think I picked up some pins from those frogs we fought. There were lots of them, so…" She dug around in her bag and withdrew a handful of red pins. Each had "¥100" printed on it. Owen, too, dug through his pockets, pulling out a few identical pins of his own. He quickly counted them all up. "…Okay, we've got ¥2100 in all," he said finally. Shiiko tilted her head, her mouth the shape of a small "o."

"That's a lot! I didn't think we had earned so much…" Her voice was full of awe.

"…Odd. I didn't think so, either." He shared at the smile pile in his palm. With a shrug, he pocketed the entirety of the sum. "I'll hold on to our money." Shiiko nodded agreeably.

"Yup, yup! I trust you, besides, if it were me, I'd probably lose it all!" She smiled brightly It was a bit of an exaggeration, but having one person handle the money really was a good idea. Owen seemed to be a practical enough person – he would probably keep track of their money well.

The both of them headed into the store, going straight to Natural Puppy. Racks of clothing greeted them, the majority featuring either a shade of blue or some sort of pastel color. While the colors were alright, Shiiko found that she simply could not approve of the style of the clothes themselves. They simply did not suit her tastes. She tugged idly on the sleeve of a turtleneck as Owen went off to purchase the pin. "Boring… these clothes are all boring!" She murmured to herself, eying the plain designs critically. You would never catch her in those clothes. No, the only clothes that really fit her were…

Owen had found the pin quickly. He was soon by her side, the small piece of metal in one hand. "Got it. Let's head to Jupiter of the Monkey now." Looking up from the clothes, Shiiko shook her head.

"No! Let's go to Pavo Real first. Jupiter of the Monkey and D-Vine are right net to each other, so if we have time afterwards, we can just look around!" She gave him her best puppy-dog look. "Please? D-Vine is my favorite store ever. We just have to check it out!" Owen took one look at her and sighed. She could see him thinking about it, wondering if it was really worth it. She increased her frown accordingly, looking as pitiful as possible.

"…Fine. But only if we have time," he said finally, defeated. Excitement welled in Shiiko. She would be able to go back after all. She could hardly contain her joy.

"Yay! Then let's go! Quickly, quickly!" With a burst of new energy, she dashed out of the store, hardly allowing for Owen to catch up before she took off again, this time in the direction of Hachiko. The faster they went, the more time they'd have for shopping afterwards. And at a place like that…

Her smile widened. She couldn't wait.

Day Two || 13:49 || Cat Street

The street was quiet. It was a weekday, and not many were wandering the streets.

Owen was bent over double, his hands on his knees for support. Shiiko had run all the way to Pavo Real, and then all the way up to Cat Street like it was nothing. Owen, on the other hand, was exhausted. He didn't have the endurance to run a block, must less several one after another. If I make it through this, I really need to exercise more… Assuming running around like this doesn't spell the end of me first.

"We made it…!" Shiiko panted for breath. She was winded, but not in nearly as bad of a shape as he was. Owen suspected that she had made it primarily due to her anticipation. Like a puppy being taken for its first walk.

"Come on! Let's go…!" Her enthusiasm was diminished only slightly by her exhaustion. Straightening up, she marched up to Jupiter of the Monkey, Owen lagging only a little behind her. For the third time that day, Owen entered a store and began looking around for the pins while Shiiko wandered off, glaring at the clothes. What's up with that, anyway? He wondered as he came upon the pin selection. It's not like she has to come in… Turning his thoughts away from his odd partner, he looked instead to the display for the pins. Much like the Doggie and Birdie pins, the Goku pin featured the silhouette of its animal, this time in bright orange on a blue background.

¥300, just like the others, Owen thought as he went up to the counter. The clerk was a little odd, making up a short rap as Owen paid for his purchase, but he had more important things to worry about than crazy cashiers. Nearly done… this is almost too easy. When he had first gotten the mission, he had been certain that they would be forced to fight for their lives again. But somehow, they had yet to see a single sign of Noise. Owen couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't some kind of catch to it all.

Grabbing the pin off of the counter again, he turned to go find his partner. "Shiiko!" he called, "Hey, I got the pin! Let's go already!" Despite the shop being more or less empty, there was no sign of the eccentric girl. Scowling, he began weaving between the racks, mumbling to himself. "Geeze, that girl…"

She really was an enigma. They had been partners for only a short time, but Owen still had no clue what the hell made her tick. Sometimes, she was helpful – or if not that, she seemed to at least be making an effort to be useful. At others, she was like an easily excitable kid who couldn't get her priorities straight. Like she was playing for fun instead of trying to win back her life.

Or, Owen thought, as if she doesn't actually care what happens to us.

Either way, Owen felt uncomfortable with his partner. She was just so… bizarre. Spontaneous. He honestly did not know what to make of her, ever. And every time he tried to figure her out, he ended up thinking in circles. It was frustrating, and reminded him of trying to catch water with one's bare hands; he would finally come to a conclusion about her, only to watch it all leak away as she did something that conflicted with completely with his prior observation.

Maybe this is a sign I should just stop thinking about it, period. With a soft sigh, he turned a corner around yet another clothes rack and nearly ran smack into the very same partner he had wondered of.

"Whoa!"

"Waaah!" Shiiko jumped, startled. From the looks of it, she hadn't seen or heard him coming at all. "Wh-where did you come from?" she gasped, putting a hand over her heart.

"I found the pin," Owen replied, holding it up for her to see. Her expression lit up as she ogled the shiny new pin, reaching out to poke it.

"Wow! That's three out of four… we're almost done already!" she exclaimed happily. Owen nodded, hesitating a little. He contemplated admitting his fears that something was fishy with the whole mission, but decided not to almost instantly. Knowing Shiiko, she probably wouldn't have anything particularly insightful to say on the subject. Though he was fairly sure that there was little that could bother her, it occurred to him that she could be needlessly worried by what could easily be ungrounded fears on his part. No, talking about it was pointless.

"Hey… Owen? How much time do we have left?" Shiiko asked meekly. A little surprised at her sudden change of demeanor, he held up his hand for the both of them to see. It read: "1:56:22", the last two digits ticking down at second-long intervals. "Nearly two hours. Why?"

"It's just been a while since I ate, and I was wondering… do you think we have enough to go buy some food?" She tilted her head a little to the side, but didn't try changing her questioning expression into one of begging. It appeared to be a more natural variant of the puppy-dog-eyes that she had subjected him to a few times in the past already.

"…I guess… as long as it isn't too expensive. The pins are all ¥300, and we've got ¥1200 in all right now. So whatever we buy has to be ¥900 at the most." He rattled off, doing the calculations quickly in his head as he spoke. Shiiko nodded eagerly.

"There's a café around here that I've always wanted to go to. We should try it out!" Without even waiting for his reply, Shiiko made a dash for the door. "Come on, come ooon!" she called, her hands cupped around her mouth. Owen rubbed his head, already feeling a headache coming on. "Right, right. Coming," he replied, wondering if he would soon regret letting her choose where to eat.

He did.

WildKat definitely had that small, artsy café feel about it. Even as they entered, Owen found himself eying the… unique wallpaper. Much like Jupiter of the Monkey, the place was practically empty save for a group of teens who had scooted several small tables together so that they could sit with one another. The small party looked up in surprise at the two partners, and Owen suddenly felt like the odd man out at a gathering in which everyone else knew one another. Even the shop owner had been chatting with the kids, obviously on friendly terms with all of them.

Unfortunately, before Owen could quietly back out and pretend that nothing happened, the shopkeep was shuffling up towards him. "Hey, welcome. What can I get you kids?" He had a kind of slouch, and was a little scruffy to boot, but seemed nice enough.

"Hmmm…" Shiiko looked over the menu, conveniently located by the entrance. "I'll have a coffee and some donuts! Oh, unless…" she looked a little guiltily towards Owen, who soon saw why. The total cost of those two items alone was ¥870. Evidently the prices were as artistic as the décor.

"It's fine. I'm not hungry, anyway," Owen said coolly. Considering he was dead and all, Owen doubted that he really needed to eat. He wouldn't deprive Shiiko of her snack.

"Coffee and donuts. Got it. You can take a seat wherever you please," the shopkeep said with a grin as he headed towards the counter, no doubt to retrieve the requested food. Shiiko merely beamed, before heading to a small table in the corner with two chairs. Owen followed, self-consciously checking the timer on his hand. Could the other patrons see it? He didn't quite dare experiment. A quick glance in their direction confirmed that he and Shiiko had become the new topic of conversation. The kids all talked quietly, sometimes breaking into giggles. Sometimes, Owen's eyes met theirs as they looked at him curiously. Whenever one was caught, he or she instantly looked away embarrassedly. It was after about the third time that one of the boys finally muttered something to the offender – a girl with short, black hair. After that, the stares stopped, more or less.

The shopkeeper returned presently with the coffee and donuts, and Shiiko thanked him politely before digging in. To Owen's surprise, she offered him one of the donuts before grabbing one for herself. "We're partners! We should share, just like we do with the money." Seeing that she probably wouldn't let him refuse no matter how many times he said he was not hungry, he accepted the proffered pastry and took a small bite. It was soft, but not under baked. Actually, it was pretty damn good.

"Hey… Owen?" Shiiko practically murmured, the guilty look on her face again. She looks like a kid who has to tell mom that she just broke a vase or something, Owen thought. Though he felt a slight sense of dread, he pushed that thought aside and replied: "Yes?"

"I meant to ask… You don't have to answer if you don't want to anything! I was just curious. But… umm…" she paused, clearly wondering if she should continue at all. Owen remained silent, patiently waiting for her to hurry up and ask him already.

"How… how did you die?"

Chapter Four: "Life and Death Is Just Peachy"

End