Author's Notes: Somehow, this chapter is even shorter than yesterday's. Probably because there's less exposition... and really, the task you're assigned is super simple.
"Doggedly and with all your might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron," Takumi reminded himself as he looked up at the agency's motto. "Don't worry, Kyoko-san, just leave the office to me." He turned when the door suddenly swung open. "A client!?" he smirked as he turned around. "Welcome to the Kuremi—" his smile fell when a certain brown-haired detective came in. "Ah… Inspector Date…"
"Oh, it's just you?" Date frowned at the boy. "It's true then. That fishy sleuth woman really has disappeared."
Takumi sighed. "Do you really have to say that out loud?" A concerned frown appeared on the redhead's face as he sadly wondered where the detective could be.
"Don't look at me like that! You've got a bad attitude!" Date glared at him. "I'll arrest you," she threatened him as a way to cheer him up.
"You know… that doesn't sound so bad…" Takumi glumly muttered. If I'm in a pinch, maybe Kyoko-san will… His face scrunched up in even more pain.
"Hey, there's no use getting down over it!" Date shook her head at him. "Just wait it out! That sleuth lady friend of yours will be back before you know it."
Takumi let out a heavy sigh but shook his head as he had to keep believing Kyoko would return. "Y-yeah…" he tried to crack a small smile. "In the meantime, I'll have to do my best for the agency."
"Still, I didn't think you'd be the only one here," Data scratched the back of her head. "Man, what am I gonna do?"
"Oh?" the teen's grin widened. "You have a case for the Kuremi Detective Agency? Or are you planning to arrest a depressed kid?"
"You're really annoying…" Date frowned at him. "But that's better than being depressed," she shrugged.
"Of course!" Takumi nodded. "So what can I do for you, Inspector?"
"Guess I've got no choice but to go with you," she crossed her arms. "I need the help anyway."
Takumi tilted his head to the side as his usual pep for work returned. "What sort of case is it?"
"I'll say there were extenuating circumstances…" Data frowned.
"Can I come out now?" a muffled voice came from behind the sofa, causing Date to worriedly turn towards it.
"Oh, yeah. Come on out," she called to the voice.
"Yay!" a small brown bunny Digimon resembling Terriermon ran towards Takumi. "I'm Lopmon. Nice to meet you!"
Takumi's blue eyes widened. "So cute…!" A silly smirk appeared on his face before he realized what was going on. "W-wait, does your case have to deal with Digimon!?" he asked in surprise.
"Is this the one?" Lopmon asked Date. "The one who'll hear me out?"
"This is your client," Data told the teen. "It's a missing person… I mean, 'missing Digimon' case."
"Please have a seat," Takumi nodded to the adorable Digimon and inspector and extended his arm towards the client's sofa. He continued to smirk as Lopmon sat on Date's shoulder as she relaxed on the couch. "So I'm looking for a missing Digimon…" he nodded to Lopmon.
"Um, so, I've lost my friend Tokomon," the brown bunny explained as he pulled out a childish sketch of the missing Digimon. "He's so small and now he's lost. Please help me look for Tokomon!"
"I found Lopmon just wandering the streets," Data explained. "I couldn't just leave him out there. And then I thought about you guys. You're good with this sort of weird case, right?" she asked.
"I guess you can say that," Takumi nodded.
"There are cases like this all over Tokyo now," the inspector frowned. "It's pandemonium out there. Even us police officers aren't sure what to do. But then, I came across this little fella. I can understand him. He's not violent. And…" she averted her gaze from the Cyber Sleuth. "He's so… so… He's so gosh-darned cute!"
"Right?" Takumi brightly smiled as he shared her sentiments.
"Hey!" Date glared at him. "Did you just laugh at me? Sorry for, um, breaking character like that!"
"E-eh!?" the redhead blinked at her. "N-no… Uh…"
"Anyway," she shook her head. "It's not like me to just take it out on them because they're Digimon. He's harmless and in trouble, so I let him tag along with me."
"Excuse me," Lopmon turned towards the woman, "but there are lots of kinds of Digimon. Calm ones, wild ones…"
"Never mind that," Date apologetically frowned at the small Digimon. "The same is true for humans, after all. But… But lemme touch your ears later…" she smiled. "How'd they get so fluffy? I bet they're soft!"
"I wanna try too," Takumi smiled.
Date gasped as she remembered the redhead was there. "Anyway!" she cried, "I've got to go help out at Matayoshi-san's place. I'm leaving Lopmon with you! Keep an eye on him! Got that?"
Takumi brought his hand to his mouth and closed his eyes. He tensed up as he thought he could hear Kyoko speaking to him. "A client is a client, whether human or Digimon. No matter what!"
He snapped his eyes open after an image of the detective appeared before him, sternly nodding to him. "I understand, Kyoko-san," he muttered to himself before lowering his hand. "Just leave this to me, Inspector," he seriously nodded to his client. "I'll take care of it."
"Thank you!" Date smiled at him. "The rest is up to you. Make him cry and I'll never forgive you!" She got up and started for the exit before remembering a message she was supposed to pass onto the boy from her superior. "Oh, yeah. Matayoshi-san told me to tell you something."
"What is it?" Takumi asked, noticing the seriousness in her tone.
"Your friend… Arata, I think his name was? A warrant has been issued for his arrest," she told him.
"Arrest?" the redhead frowned. "But Detective Matayoshi said before that he was only a person of interest!"
"Well, he's on the national wanted list now," Date stated. "Some top-brass idiots think that Arata was the key figure behind all of this weirdness. Don't get me wrong. Matayoshi-san went above and beyond to try to clear things up. But it was in one ear and out the other," she frowned. "When Arata ran, he looked even more suspicious."
"Arata…" Takumi made a fist with his right and brought it up to his chest.
"Hey, don't worry!" Date quickly tried to reassure him before he would fall into depression again. "Matayoshi-san is on it. It'll all work out in the end!" She smirked as she admitted something to the boy. "I was a brat sometimes too when I was a kid. Just look after that fella for me, okay? There was a reason behind what you did, right? Then don't fret! Matayoshi-san doesn't give up on people just like that."
"Yeah…" Takumi nodded in understanding. "Thanks, Inspector Date."
"Well, see you later!" she flashed him a smirk before turning toward the door. "Look after the little guy for me!"
Lopmon frowned up at Takumi. "Your friend is lost too?"
"Ah…" Takumi looked towards the small Digimon with a sad frown on his face. "Yeah… Not just one either…"
"We'll look together, then!" Lopmon jumped off the sofa and onto Takumi's shoulder. "We'll find them, I'm sure!"
"Right!" Takumi quickly smiled at the adorable Digimon's actions. "Let's get started!"
"Okay! Now that that's decided, let's go friend-searching!" Lopmon raised one of his ears into the air.
"Ah…" Takumi blinked as he looked around the empty agency. "I'll need someone to look after the office…"
"Leave that to me!" a voice cried out from the office kitchen.
Takumi turned around in surprise. "Pete!? What are you doing here?"
The Wanyamon smirked as he settled down on the sofa Kyoko usually sat at. "Hey, I was able to come to the real world too! I know it's 'cause bad stuff is happening, but… it's so nice to be here with Kyoko-san and everyone!" He noticed Takumi frowning since the detective wasn't really here. "I wonder where Kyoko-san went. I know it's a little lonely…" he stated as he affectionately rubbed his head against Takumi, "but since she's gone, I'll help you instead!"
"Thanks, Pete," the Cyber Sleuth smiled at him. "Well, we're off," he nodded to his work partner.
"Have a safe trip!" Pete grinned at him.
Takumi frowned as he looked around Shibuya. The Scramble Crossing was a huge mess with Digimon running about but he focused on his task. "Do you see Tokomon?" he asked the bunny standing on top of his head.
"No…" Lopmon frowned.
"Let's go a bit further in," Takumi suggested as he crossed the street. His eyes widened though as he spotted Nokia calming down a small group of Baby I Digimon. "Nokia!"
"Takumi?" the girl was a bit surprised to see him outside of the office. "What are you doing out here? And what's with the Digimon hat?" she crookedly smiled at him.
"I'm helping Lopmon search for his missing friend," Takumi explained. "Here, I have a picture," he showed her the handmade drawing of Tokomon.
"What?" she blinked at the sketch. "I see! So you're searching for his friend?" Nokia smirked as Takumi nodded. "Excellent, Takumi! Good job! You're a great Rebellions prof! But where's the prof-it in that, right?" she joked. "Never mind! I'll help look! The Rebellions' motto is 'No Digimon, No Life!' Oh, and also 'To the Digital World'!" she exclaimed. "I can't leave these cute Digimon alone!" she crooned over the Baby I Digimon she rescued.
"Alright," Takumi nodded with a smile on his face. "But back to searching for Tokomon…"
"I'll gather info in the real world," she told him. "You should look into that friend in EDEN!"
"Sure," the Cyber Sleuth nodded.
"Okay! Find out all you can!" Nokia cheered before beginning her search.
"I'll leave this to Nokia and head to EDEN," Takumi told himself. "Let's go, Lopmon."
Takumi looked around EDEN's free area before spotting Yuuko. His face lit up as he approached her but he paused when he noticed she was wearing a Digimon on her head too. "Yuuko-san…?" he blinked at her.
The girl suddenly turned around to face him and her eyes widened. "Oh, Takumi-san." She noticed the brown rabbit napping on his head before noticing his cheeks were turning pink.
"So cute…!" Takumi goofily grinned. Yuuko didn't say anything as she quickly averted her gaze. Her face was also beginning to heat up as he continued to stare at her. The redhead didn't mind though as he smiled at the adorable little Baby II Digimon on her head. "Hey, Yuuko-san, who's your little friend?"
"Umm… He seems to have taken a liking to me," she uncomfortably frowned.
Takumi studied the white Digimon affectionately hugging her head before blinking. "Hmm?" He gently shook Lopmon awake. "Hey, isn't this Tokomon?"
The brown bunny rubbed his eyes. "Oh-ho? Oh-ho-ho?" he brightened.
Tokomon finally looked up from Yuuko and blinked back at Lopmon. "Kyu?"
Lopmon began jumping happily on top of Takumi's head. "Hey! It's Tokomon!"
"Kyu, kyu!" Tokomon began jumping too. "Lopmon!"
Yuuko blinked as the two tackled each other for a hug. She frowned when Takumi's strange smile widened. "Ah…!" he happily grinned. "So cute!"
"Tokomon! Thank goodness!" Lopmon circled the smaller Digimon. "We were looking for you!"
"I'm sorry I had you so worried!" Tokomon cried.
"Isn't this great, Lopmon?" Takumi wore a gentle smile. "You found your friend…"
"I see," Yuuko said as she stood at his side. "You came here looking for this little guy."
"Yeah…" Takumi nodded. "Lopmon and I were looking around the real world for a while before we came to EDEN. So how did you come across Tokomon, Yuuko-san?" he asked as he watched the two Digimon play.
"While I was making my rounds in EDEN, he was here the whole time, shaking in the corner." Yuuko frowned at how terrified Tokomon had been, "The poor thing."
"Eh? Making your rounds?" Takumi turned to look at her in mild surprise.
"I was checking up on EDEN actually," she told him with a nod.
"But why?" he asked.
"Kamishiro is short-staffed right now," she answered, "so… I figure if there's anything I can do to help… And actually, I'm also trying to bring the truth about Rie-san into the light as well," she seriously stated. "Once everyone knows that the real criminal is Kishibe Rie—no, LordKnightmon—then Arata-san will be cleared of any suspicion."
"That's true…" Takumi nodded as he understood her reasoning.
"To do that, I'm bringing back the executives that Rie-san kicked out of the company," Yuuko continued. "With their help, I'll release all the information Rie-san was keeping secret to the public so that we can rebuild a new EDEN. The fact EDEN is being restored so quickly is thanks to them," she smiled before looking at the world around them. "They may be few in number, but they excel at what they do. The appearance of Digimon has Tokyo in an uproar," she frowned before giving Takumi a determined look. "That's why the EDEN Network, the key to disseminating information, must be strong. And Fei is helping me as well. She should be guarding EDEN while I'm chasing down Rie-san."
"I see," Takumi gently smiled at her. He paused when he noticed Lopmon and Tokomon rushing towards him. The redhead knelt down and tilted his head to the side. "Is everything all right?"
"Thank you, Detective," Lopmon smiled at him as he continued to jump up and down. "Thank you, nice lady," he nodded to Yuuko.
"Thank you!" Tokomon squeaked.
Yuuko knelt down and smiled at them. Takumi blinked at her happy expression and quickly turned away to hide his blush. "So cute…"
Yuuko giggled at him, thinking he was referring to the Digimon. "The EDEN my father built took away so much," she sadly stated, "but the true EDEN should not be like that. Bringing together human with humans, Digimon with Digimon, and humans with Digimon!" She remembered that had been what Takumi loved most about EDEN. "The new EDEN will be that kind of place," she told her friend with a nod. "You'll see."
"I look forward to seeing that EDEN," Takumi nodded, looking back at her.
"Let me know if there are any new developments," she worriedly told him. "I'll help out where and when I can."
"Shouldn't I be saying that to you, Yuuko-san?" Takumi asked.
"Eh?" she frowned at him.
The redhead shook his head and smiled at Lopmon and Tokomon. "You're already doing so much to repair the damage Kishibe caused to Kamishiro Enterprise. If there's anything you need, just give me a call. I want—no, I need to do all that I can while Kyoko-san is gone…"
Yuuko noticed the sadness in his usually brilliant eyes. "Takumi-san…"
"Eh?" Takumi quickly shook his head and tried to erase all traces of his melancholy from his face. "Oh, by the way, thanks for helping me, Yuuko-san. I'm glad you found Tokomon before something happened," he chuckled as he stood back up.
Yuuko got back up too but noticed Takumi was doing his best to avoid eye contact. "I'm glad I could help," she smiled. "But, Takumi-san, you should rest every now and then," she worriedly told him.
"H-huh…?" the taller teen blinked at her.
"For me, a quick ice cream break does the trick!" she stated with a determined nod.
"Ice… cream?"
"That's right," the raven-haired girl smiled. "I feel better the more I eat and I know an excellent vendor that serves all-you-can-eat ice cream. Although… I think only fifteen scoops is my limit," she frowned. She shook her head as she stared straight into Takumi's blue eyes. "I'll take you there the next time you need a break!" she offered.
"Ice cream…" Takumi took a moment to consider it. "That sounds nice actually," he smiled. "Alright," he nodded. "The next time you're free, we'll go for ice cream."
"I look forward to it," Yuuko nodded before turning towards the terminal. "Now then…"
"Yuuko-san," Takumi called out to her as she started walking, "thanks…"
"Uh… it's n-nothing," she stammered as she looked back towards him before taking the terminal somewhere else.
Takumi watched her disappear before smiling to himself. "Ice cream," he nodded before pausing. "I… scream…?" He weakly laughed at that. "No… I don't have time to waste screaming and feeling sorry for myself. I even made Yuuko-san worry…" He quickly shrugged off his depressed thoughts before turning back to the two reunited Digimon. He was about to call out to them but his Digivice began to ring. He answered with the slight hope that it could be Kyoko. He didn't allow himself to waver though as he nodded to the caller. "Hey, Nokia. What's up?"
"It's no good, Takumi," she frowned. "There were no witnesses in Shibuya. What's next?"
"Don't worry about it!" Takumi gave her a reassuring smile. "Tokomon turned out to be in EDEN after all. I have him here with me right now."
"What?" she cheered up. "You found him already? That's great! Uh, I mean, hey, great work! You sure know your stuff!" she praised him, just in case he was feeling down. "Now that's a true detective! A real professional! Or is this like Project Z?" she smirked.
"W-well," Takumi wryly chuckled, "Yuuko-san was the one to actually find him… She's the one who deserves all the credit here…" He shook his head. "Anyway, we'd better do something about the Digimon."
"Okay! Let's meet up at the agency then!" Nokia nodded.
Nokia sighed in relief as Lopmon and Tokomon jumped around on the sofas. "I'm so glad you found him!" she told Takumi. "You say he was at Yuuko-chi's place?"
"Yuuko-san found him in EDEN's free area," Takumi nodded.
"Thank you for helping me find him!" Lopmon happily smiled at the Cyber Sleuth.
"Thank you!" Tokomon cried.
"Like I said, Yuuko-san deserves the thanks," Takumi chuckled. "But… Nokia… What should we do with them?"
Nokia chuckled at his question. "You can count on me! Rebellions are friends to lost Digimon!" She gave the pair of Digimon a concerned smile. "Do you two have a proper place to live? Can you return to your world?"
Both Digimon stopped jumping and Lopmon frowned. "We fell from that gigantic hold that opened in the sky a little while ago! We lost each other while running from the Eaters who fell from the sky with us."
"I see," Nokia frowned. She quickly brightened though as an idea came to her. "Well, then! Why don't you come to my place?"
"Your place?" Lopmon tilted his head to the side.
The girl nodded. "Together with Omegamon, we're creating a haven for Digimon with nowhere to go. The more the merrier!"
"Omegamon?" Lopmon began jumping again in amazement. "Of the Royal Knights! Wow! We get to meet him?"
"But of course!" Nokia grinned. "Come with me. I'll introduce you." She turned towards the Cyber Sleuth and nodded to him. "Leave these two to me, Takumi!"
"Are you sure?" he asked in concern.
"Of course! Besides, you need to be a good detective while Kyoko-san is gone!" she pointed out. "If the reputation of the agency suffers while Kyoko-san is away," an ominous frown appeared on her face, "there'll be a warm spot in Hell just for you!"
"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her as she took the two Digimon and left. When he was alone again, the boy chuckled at both Yuuko's and Nokia's attempts to cheer him up. "It's as you say. I've got to handle the cases while Kyoko-san is away! Besides," he sighed, "I don't think I could handle Hell."
Final Notes: I find the chapters with Kyoko missing to be painfully lonely... It doesn't help that Arata is also gone too so the sudden loss of two of the main cast really does negatively affect everyone's morale. Still, it's reassuring Takumi isn't completely alone. He has Nokia and Yuuko to assist him! A rather odd team, but it's better than nothing. Oh, let's not forget Pete! Although... I wonder how clients would react to seeing such an adorable cat Digimon greet them as they come in... I suspect it makes the agency look even sketchier...