The Mythical Detective Mayura

IV: Watson

"I can't believe it." Loki muttered, watching the pink-haired girl roam around the sunny garden of her mansion a few days later. "This is the goddess of wisdom?"

"Well..." Yamino didn't know how to answer the new assistant's question. "Miss Mayura isn't exactly intelligent, she just has random bursts of pure wit and wisdom."

"In other words, she's a moron but sometimes says smart things?" Loki asked, watching the detective accidentally run into a tree while trying to catch a butterfly.

"Um..." Again, Yamino had no idea how to answer that. "Kamiya-san, didn't you see her magic? Isn't that proof enough?"

"I saw it. I guess I do believe it...even though it's totally wrecking my belief system." Loki muttered as Mayura ran over to the pair.

"Okay!" She announced, sitting at the picnic table across from Loki, "I have a question for you."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Other than me, who is your favorite Greek god or goddess?" Mayura asked excitedly.

"I heard Artemis was quite the lady." Loki grinned, not even considering. "Or Aphrodite..."

The pink-haired goddess' cheeks puffed up. "Aphy is a meanie butt who only cares about her hair, and Artemis likes women!"

"Oh...what?!" Loki snapped to attention. "Seriously?"

"She always seduces them. Apollo yells at her because she manages to find more than he does. The legends make her out to be a feminist, but she acts like a boy." Mayura said calmly, as if this were completely normal. "She actually admires men."

"I definitely didn't expect that. And wait, these gods are trying to kill you...?" She had explained everything earlier, but Loki couldn't remember the details.

Mayura gave him a single nod. "Yes, they are..." She said sadly.

"Because Hades took over Olympus." Loki tried to remember the details.

"Well..." Mayura sighed and tried to explain...

The tall, frightening man took the throne and glared down at the formerly superior gods. "Bow." He ordered, and watched as his brother Zeus bowed. Hera, queen of the gods, followed.

Watching from afar, the beautiful Artemis turned to her elder sister. "Athena, you have to run."

"What?" The youthful looking goddess blinked in confusion. "You want me to leave you?"

Artemis' twin, Apollo, nodded. "You have to. We'll try to follow, but Hades intends to control the minds of everyone on Olympus. You can escape."

"Why can't we all?" Athena asked, glancing between the two. "We can all run away or we could all fight him--"

"You're the only one who can resist his mind powers. As the goddess of wisdom, you are able to block out his new mind control techniques. But I'm the goddess of the moon, and he's the god of the sun. We just can't do that." Artemis explained. "Your brain is stronger. Although sometimes it's hard to tell..."

Ignoring that, the pink-haired goddess turned to Apollo. "But I've never been to Earth! What if it's terrible? How will I live there?"

"Take your loyal one." Artemis advised.

"Take...?" Athena frowned, not sure what her sister meant.

"Y'know, the one who rules over--"

"Artemis, she understands. Listen, sis, when we see you next, we may try to kill you. So could Ares, Aphy, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia...so be careful. Go get ready to go, and we'll tell you when it's safe." Apollo interrupted.

Athena looked down and nodded.

"Miss Mayura, let's not discuss the rest." Yamino advised her, and she blinked, unaware of how much she had told Loki.

"Sorry. This must be difficult to take." He said to Loki.

"No, it's fine. I'm the one who wanted an adventure." Loki muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing..."

X

"That's...odd." Koutarou said, blinking at Loki with a look of pure confusion. "You met a gorgeous ditz and are now her assistant detective?"

"I'm the one who wanted to do it." The darker blonde answered, frowning at his friend. Loki had only transferred to this academy a few months ago, but already he felt close to Koutarou. They shared many traits...

"Think she can solve the school's latest mystery?" Koutarou chuckled.

Loki blinked. "Which one?"

"There's apparently a ghost who hovers here at night, possessing whomever he finds. He comes to school wearing that student's form, determined to hunt down the body that it most like his own. When he finds a suitable body, he will keep it. Forever. Scary, I suppose. Fake." His friend explained.

"Don't mention it to Mayura." Loki deadpanned.

"We have a new student, despite it being so late in the year." The teacher beamed. "Here is Mr. Narugami!" She shoved a slightly annoyed brunette boy into the room.

"I like justice and the education system. And hard work." The boy said with a bow.

"Weirdo..." Loki heard Koutarou mutter.

"Take a seat by the blondes." The teacher suggested, and Koutarou moved aside so Narugami could take a seat between him and Loki.

Narugami glared at Koutarou as he sat down, and the rich boy frowned at him in turn.

Loki decided that Koutarou was indeed correct--after all, who glared at a stranger?

As the day progressed, Loki felt no better about his new classmate. The boy had a tendency to mutter to himself, take assignments WAY too seriously, and kept tapping his fingers, as if bored.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Narugami fled the school. Koutarou waited for Loki and the pair headed outside.

"What a lunatic. Did you hear him muttering about how he had things to do?" Koutarou grumbled.

Loki nodded. "That was weird, wasn't it? I wonder if the detective will want to investigate. Maybe I just won't tell her about it."

"Tell me about what?" Mayura asked, appearing out of nowhere.

Loki jumped and nearly hit a tree. "Mayura! Where'd you...?" Oh, she was a goddess. She probably could appear out of thin air...

"This must be the detective. I'm Koutaro--" His best friend used his ladykiller smile with Mayura, but was interrupted.

"I'm Daidouji Mayura!" Mayura gave him a huge bow then looked at Loki expectantly. She wondered if she was doing the correct cultural gesture...

He just nodded.

Koutarou smiled. "Well, I'll let you explain the mysterious new student to the detective, Loki. See you." He waved and wandered off, unable to hide a smirk.

"Jerk..." Loki muttered as Koutarou left him with the mystery geek detective.

"Fushigi mystery! A new student?"

"His last name's Narugami. We didn't get his first. He mutters to himself and is generally weird." Loki answered with a frown. "But you don't need to investi--"

"What if it's my brother? Apollo? Or my dad, in disguise?"

"Mayura, this isn't a god." Loki rolled his eyes. "He looks normal."

Mayura blinked. "Don't I?"

He frowned. "Well--"

"Excuse me!" Narugami ran by, pulling a noodle cart. "Noodle express coming through!"

Both sweat-dropped.

"That's him?"

"Yes..."

Mayura smiled. "Let's investigate, then!"

X

Know who Narugami is here? I'll give you this hint...I originally had him as one god but changed my mind while writing. It's someone you've definitely heard of, but maybe you won't think of him immediately? There were a few hints in this chapter...

Next time: Narugami revealed!