April 29, 2013

Outside the Ikebukuro Police Station

'...Okay... So, what do I do now that I'm here...?'

Celty mulled over the question as she stared across the street at the entrance to the police station from a gap between two buildings, having parked Shooter elsewhere in a less conspicuous place, to Shooter's slight dismay.

She hadn't really considered it through throughout the ride to the station from her home. Once she received the message, she bolted straight out of the apartment she shared with Shinra and drove here without any hesitation. Upon further thinking, Celty wondered if that had merely been out of instinct, for she could not think of a plan of action now that she was here, or if there was a need for such a plan in the first place.

'...Barging in there would surely cause all sorts of trouble... And if I sneak Anri-chan out, that would only make her even more suspicious...'

However Celty tried to think of a way, she found that she couldn't without potentially putting Anri in an even riskier position than she was currently in. It would be defeating the purpose, and so the Dullahan remained where she was, at least until she could verify that Anri was safe.

Thankfully – or not, as it would quickly appear to her – she didn't have to wait for long.

'...Hm? Is that...?'

Sure enough, there she saw him. The person who had sent her the message. The person whom Anri had regarded as so important that she would do something as outrageous as agreeing to absorb another otherworldly essence into herself in order to protect him. The person whom Celty knew as Ryuugamine Mikado.

It didn't come as any surprise to Celty to see Mikado at the station, at this juncture. What did, however, was that Mikado seemed to be alone, looking to his right and to his left with a pensive look tugging at his youthful features before turning to a nearby corner.

Celty spent the next few moments watching him until his back figure completely disappeared behind the corner, before she stepped out of her hiding spot. She couldn't explain it, but seeing Mikado like that reminded her of what she had witnessed and overheard during last year's Golden Week, and the headless fairy couldn't help but flinch a little.

'Something's...not right.'

There was something about the boy that continued to make Celty feel uneasy.

In the first place, why did Mikado send her that message? Even if he had been hoping for her to bust Anri out of the station, he should have already realised that the last thing Anri needed right now was to be found to have an association with the Black Bike. It would cause even more unnecessary complications that would not do Anri, and Mikado should have understood that.

If that was the case, then there had to be another reason for why Mikado thought he needed to inform Celty about Anri's being taken in by the police. Something that he felt Celty needed to be involved in.

And it was most likely something that Celty wanted to be no part of.

But that was precisely why she couldn't just leave him alone like this now. If Mikado was intending for something he needed her help with, it certainly couldn't be any minor matter. At the very least, she could do something about it, unlike what happened last year. Maybe pull him out of whatever he was involving himself in, or stopping him from doing anything reckless.

So, the Dullahan followed him, until she got close enough to hear his voice.

"...not you, right?"

A brief moment of silence passed before he continued.

"Alright, I believe you. ...No, I had a feeling you're not involved, but I decided to ask just to be sure."

Then, he raised his voice to his normal, bright-sounding pitch. Celty could hear something akin to a nervous chuckle.

"I'm glad," he said. "I really don't know what I would've done if you had told me you did something. Um, so, we'll continue to keep each other updated? ...Okay, great. Yeah, that's all. Hope to hear from you again soon, Aoba-kun. Well, um, take care."

The conversation which sounded like a monologue ended with a beep tone. Celty waited until Mikado pocketed his phone before she walked up to the boy, whose back was facing her. She reached out to tap him on the shoulder.

Mikado gave a yelp as he spun around, baby blue eyes as wide as saucers before blinking. He let out a shaky breath, pressing his palm against his chest.

"O-ohh i-it's just you, Celty-san... Y-you surprised me..."

[Sorry, didn't mean to startle you like that.]

Celty knew that Mikado was anything but startled by her presence, but decided against asking what, exactly, the boy was so afraid of. It wasn't too difficult to figure out that it was being found like this, right after making that phone call.

"Ahh, it's okay. I just didn't expect you to be right behind me," Mikado replied with a sheepish chuckle. "So, um, you...got my message, then?"

The Dullahan nodded.

"I-I see. Haha of course you did, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

[So how is Anri-chan doing now?]

Mikado's face fell slightly.

"Well... She's still being questioned, I think. But the policeman Masaomi and I spoke with said that they'll let her go when they're done."

[That's...good, I suppose.] Celty wasn't too sure if she ought to be relieved, however.

"In a way," Mikado agreed, looking a bit hesitant himself.

Celty regarded the boy for a moment, before she typed out his name and showed the screen to him. He tilted his head to the side but didn't say anything, and so Celty continued to type:

[Why were you speaking with Aoba-kun?]

Mikado's eyes widened slightly, but it didn't take longer than a few seconds before they narrowed, the edges sharpening. The shift in his demeanour almost made Celty flinch.

"...You heard that?"

Celty's fingers hovered over the screen of her PDA for a brief moment.

[I heard everything.] She replied.

"...I see." Mikado shook his head. "No, I shouldn't even have asked. Of course you did. Come to think of it, something like this happened last year too, didn't it?"

[What is Aoba-kun asking you to do?] Celty typed. [What has he involved you in?]

"Huh? O-oh, please don't misunderstand, Celty-san. Aoba-kun isn't doing anything this time," Mikado explained, sliding back into his usual self. For a moment Celty wondered what it would've been like if Mikado had been in either Izaya or Shizuo's shoes and thrown into the TV. She suppressed a shudder at the thought.

[So then, why the phone call...?]

Mikado fidgeted. "Um, well... Actually I was the one who involved Aoba-kun in this, in a way. I wanted to make sure that what happened with Sonohara-san wasn't his doing, so I called him up to ask. Thankfully he didn't have anything to do with it... But I guess you already heard that, huh?"

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Celty considered his words carefully, considered the things that had happened to Anri lately and the things that had happened to herself, Shinra, Shizuo and Izaya, and the things that were about to come. She wiped the previous message clean off the screen of her PDA.

[It's not just Anri-chan you've been worried about, is it?]

Mikado stared at the words for a moment. The air around him seemed to shift when he regarded Celty with a hardened gaze again.

"...What do you mean?"

[Lots of strange things have been happening to this place.] Celty pointed out. [Including...the incident with Risette yesterday. The incident that also…had something to do with the Dollars.]

"..."

[Mikado please whatever it is you're thinking of doing, please stop while you can. You don't have to get yourself involved yourself in this. It's too dangerous for you.]

Mikado's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. The deafening silence that soon enveloped them both had Celty wondering if she had made a horrible mistake and wishing she could take those words back.

But just as that thought appeared in her mind, Mikado started beaming.

"Thank you, Celty-san."

'...Eh?'

"Thank you," Mikado repeated himself, as though he had detected Celty's confusion. "I think...I just wanted someone to say that to me. Someone other than Masaomi, I mean."

[...So... You really were about to...?]

"Do something about it?" Mikado finished the sentence for her. When she nodded, he continued with a contemplative frown, "I guess so. I don't know. It's hard to say. Probably?"

[But, um, what you told Aoba-kun...]

"Ahh, I'll make another call back to tell him not to bother anymore," Mikado reassured her. "If things are that dangerous, I don't want Aoba-kun involved in it either."

[No, I mean... What will you do with whatever information you asked Aoba-kun to look up for you?]

"I..." Mikado paused for a moment, his frown deepening. "I'm not sure. I haven't thought that far."

Celty nodded again. [That's a relief to hear.]

"Ahaha, is that so?" Mikado gave another meek laugh. "W-well, I guess I should get going now. Masaomi's gonna be wondering where I've gone to by now."

[Then you'd better hurry.] Celty agreed. [Oh, and... If it's not too much trouble, could you keep me updated about Anri-chan? I don't think it'll be good for the both of us if I stay here for too long, so...]

"Yes, of course. It's no trouble at all," Mikado replied with a smile. "Well, um, I'll take my leave now."

[See you around.] Celty gave him a wave of her hand as she showed him the message. Mikado bowed before he briskly walked away from the area.

In a car, along a road in Ikebukuro

"...Rise-chan..."

Rise turned towards the man seated beside her. "Hm? What is it, Inoue-san?"

"Are... Are you sure you want that person to be your bodyguard?"

The young idol innocently blinked her eyes. "Who do you mean by 'that person', Inoue-san?"

"Cut it out, Rise-chan, you know who I mean," Inoue chided.

Rise couldn't help but giggle, which was all the answer her manager needed.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure," Rise replied, though her mischievous smile probably was not the least bit reassuring as the grimace was still plastered on Inoue's face.

"Are you absolutely, absolutely sure?"

That was when Rise fell into a pout. "Don't you trust me to make decisions for myself? I'm not a kid anymore, Inoue-san."

"It's not a matter of whether I trust you. On that note, I do believe that you should be able to decide on your own, don't get me wrong," Inoue quickly amended and clarified himself. "It's just... I've heard...things about that man, so I'm not so sure if he's a suitable choice as your bodyguard."

"He's not as scary as the rumours say, Inoue-san," Rise said reassuringly. "I've talked to him before."

"Ah... So you have, huh?" Inoue mumbled, mostly to himself. "Well, I thought so, since you personally singled him out... But that's not really what I'm worried about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Rise-chan, you mentioned it, I think. And so did the other guards. That the man who took you hostage said he was working for some other boss, or something like that... Something to do with the organisation called the Dollars." Inoue paused. "And what I heard is... The man you selected as your bodyguard is a member of that same organisation."

There was a few seconds of silence before Rise broke into another giggle.

"So that's what you were worried about," she said.

"Hey, it's no laughing matter, you know," Inoue responded with a grave expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," Rise said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "But really, Inoue-san, you don't have to worry about that. I mean, he's not a member anymore."

Inoue shot her an uncertain, wary glance. "Are you sure?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

Rise couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "Yes, Inoue-san, I'm sure."

Seemingly grasping the reason for her displeasure, Inoue let out a sigh. "Sorry, I'm just a little...uptight. After what happened to you yesterday..."

Rise softened at that. "It's okay, Inoue-san, I understand you're just doing your job looking out for me."

"Glad you realise that," said Inoue with a small smile.

"Oh and don't tell anyone else," Rise lowered her voice, sounding as if she was whispering, causing Inoue to tilt towards her a little while keeping his eyes on the road. When she finished murmuring the secret, the man recoiled so swiftly that his glasses nearly bounced on the bridge of his nose.

"Wha—?!"

"The road, Inoue-san, the road!"

Inoue made a quiet choking sound before giving his chest a pat, as though to calm himself down. He quickly readjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat, smoothly recollecting his composure while still facing the road with slightly widened eyes.

"Is... Is what you just told me true?"

"Of course it is, Inoue-san. You know I wouldn't tell you these things if I didn't get my facts right."

"R...right. Right. Sorry, it's just..."

"Hard to believe?" Rise cheekily finished the sentence for him. Inoue nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, I mean... From what I know, they're such different people that it hardly seems like they're related that way. But now that you mention it, I think I'm starting to see the family resemblance..."

"So do you trust my decision now?"

"...Well," Inoue began saying after a beat, "the most important thing to look out for in a bodyguard is his trustworthiness, so if you trust him that much, then I fully support you in your decision to employ Heiwajima-san as your personal bodyguard. At least, until the investigation is over."

"Really? Oh, thank you, thank you Inoue-san!" Rise cheered.

"Not so fast," Inoue added with a chuckle. "We still have a few details to sort out before we officially extend the offer to him..."

In the security room, at Ikebukuro General Hospital

"...Go back."

"I'm sorry?"

"Please, go back," Naoto repeated herself, keeping her tone even.

The security guard – a man looking to be in his early thirties – complied, and rewound the clip to the time point Naoto verbally requested him to. She watched the same scene unfold before her eyes again, and then politely asked the guard to set the clip to pause.

"May I ask why nobody filed an official report with the police with regards to this patient's absconding?" she questioned, pointing to the figure of Harima Mika on the screen. The girl who was of Naoto's age was dressed in the standard patient attire while taking a barefoot step out of the entrance to one of the hospital wards. The angle of the CCTV managed to perfectly capture her side view, revealing one wide and dazed eye, as well as her wrist which was stained with a thin trail of blood.

The guard looked mildly affronted, but Naoto detected no traces of displeasure in his voice as he spoke, "The standard protocol is to first conduct a hospital-wide search for the patient as well as gather as much information as possible from the staff managing the ward. The security tapes also have to be reviewed and scrutinised, and the patient's family or caregiver also needs to be contacted. It is only after confirming that the patient has indeed absconded that the hospital will file the report with the police. ...For this patient, we had completed the search according to the protocol and were about to file the relevant report when the Slasher incident took place."

Naoto did not reply immediately. She first checked the exact date and timing of the clip they had been viewing, and noted that Mika was last recorded in the security camera at 3.20pm – nearly three hours before the attack on Anri in the streets.

'...Considering the distance between the site of attack and the hospital, it wouldn't take her that much time to reach the venue... So the question is, had she been lying in wait until Sonohara-san came along...? But how would she have known that Sonohara-san would be there? Or was she wandering around until she spotted Sonohara-san? And if she had been out and about, how could no one have noticed someone wearing a hospital attire and walking around in public barefoot...?'

That particular train of thought came to a pause as another possibility surfaced in Naoto's mind.

'Or... They did notice. But they were commanded to forget."

Naoto had a feeling that had been what truly happened. But feelings alone were not entirely reliable, particularly in an investigation. She had to find some way to substantiate it. And also, if such a possibility did indeed turn out to be true, then Sonohara Anri's efforts in the Velvet Room would have nearly amounted to nothing save for buying sufficient time to rescue Orihara Izaya before he disappeared permanently.

That thought was not the least bit reassuring.

'But assuming that was truly the case, then why would the enemy allow the attack on Sonohara-san be publicised to this extent? ...Unless...'

"Shirogane-san?"

At the mention of her name, Naoto blinked and returned her attention to the present moment.

"Ah... My apologies. I was trying to recall the time at which the incident took place."

"Of course," the security guard replied, most likely out of politeness.

"In any case, you were right about the protocol. My intention had been to establish a common agreement about the timeline of events. I did not mean to offend."

"I understand, Shirogane-san. After all, she is a victim of the Slasher, right? So it's no surprise if you are concerned for her safety." The man's eyes flicked to the monitor. "In any case... It is strange, isn't it? That a Slasher victim such as her would end up trying to slash someone else..."

Naoto, too, turned towards the screen, allowing apprehension flashing across her features. "...It is," was all she said.

"It's almost like a relay team or a game of tag or, something. Like, the victim will turn into the next Slasher and then the next Slasher passes it on. Maybe that's why the identity of the Slasher has been left unsolved until now." The man's eyes then widened as he swallowed a gasp back down his throat. "Ah... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said something like that."

"No, no, it is perfectly alright. It is not an unreasonable conjecture. In fact, you have brought up an interesting possibility," Naoto reassured him.

"I have?"

Naoto nodded. "Indeed. And I believe it may be useful to explore the case from such an angle. Thank you for sharing your thoughts."

That got a chuckle rumbling from the security guard. "No, it was just a lucky guess... I'm glad it'll be of use to you."

Naoto flashed him a curt smile of acknowledgement. "Anyway, let us return to our discussion about Harima-san's absconding."

The man quickly caught the shift in her tone and the atmosphere. His lips pulled to the same thin line he had had on his face since Naoto approached him for his aid. "Yes, let's," he said.

"While your team as well as yourself conducted the search for the patient according to the protocol, did anybody notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"Hmm..." The guard rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I don't think there was anything of particular to... No, wait, there was. Hang on, let me bring up the tape for you to view."

Naoto waited as he did. The screens were quickly replaced by another image, that of the interior of a ward which Naoto assumed had been the one Mika had been staying at.

"When my colleagues asked the staff on duty, the staff mentioned that they noticed a group of people entering Harima Mika-san's room after she disappeared. It wasn't long after that that a woman and man were seen entering the room as well...followed by the earlier group leaving. My colleagues intended to ask the men who left the room about Harima Mika-san's disappearance, but I think they refused to answer... Here it is."

The security guard had explained all of that while letting the clip play, ending only when the screen displayed the moment the aforementioned woman appeared in the ward. He hurriedly hit the pause button.

Naoto took a step closer to the screens, her arms folded across her chest. She drew in a gradual breath. 'That is... Yagiri Namie-san?' Now that explained why the older woman had been so eager to take her leave from Shinra's apartment yesterday, as well as where she had gone to.

"So your colleagues noticed that she had entered Harima-san's room?"

"That's right," the security guard replied, quickly understanding that had been his cue to resume playing the clip. It showed Namie entering the room as he had described, and then not long after that he set it to pause once again. "And this is the man that followed her in," he said, pointing to the figure on the screen.

Naoto bit the inside of her cheek. She recognised that gaudy sense of fashion anywhere, even though they had only met once.

'...Kishitani...Shingen.' The fifth in the Shirogane line of detectives loosely clenched a fist, questions racing through her mind so rapidly they are almost painfully incoherent. 'But... Why?'

In a laboratory somewhere in Tokyo, exact location unknown

"So how's it looking on your side, dear niece of Seitarou?"

"Absolutely wonderful, considering that I'm handling the workload meant for two people all by myself."

"Now don't be like that. At least I'm giving you the chance to do something you're truly interested in again. With the additional benefit of temporary protection from the filthy world out there."

The former head of a pharmaceutical company snorted at that, and for a moment continued going about her work before she lowered her gaze and slowly placed her apparatus down.

"...Hey."

"Hmm?"

"What you told me yesterday... Was that true?"

If Shingen didn't have that gas mask on, Namie guessed she might've been able to see him raising a brow at that question.

"Are you doubting my words again? I thought you've already been through this with those kids from Inaba."

"I'm not referring to that," Namie retorted, regarding Shingen with a pointed look.

Shingen drawled out a muffled sigh. "Oh… About that, then. Well, how else do you expect me to prove it to you? Like I said, I don't have a subject you can test it out on."

"Yet," she corrected sternly. "You don't have a test subject yet."

The older scientist took an exaggerated step back, raising his arms as though to defend himself. "Hrm! You catch on faster than I thought."

"That's because you do a poor job of hiding your horrible intentions," Namie pointed out accusingly.

"Horrible? Me? I don't exactly want to hear that from you." Shingen scratched the chin of his mask. "Hmm... But for you to say that, the possibility that you really do care for your employer seems all the more likely now."

"Former employer, former," Namie emphasised, clenching her teeth. "And don't go pretending that you know me that well when you actually don't. I can't care less about what happens to that guy, alright?"

"Ohh what's this? Has Seitarou's niece actually been a tsundere at heart this entire time? No, wait, or should the more accurate term be kuudere...?"

"Keep that up, and I may start slipping this into your tea without you noticing," Namie threatened, holding up a beaker containing a cloudy suspension.

"Well luckily for me, I don't drink tea," Shingen replied with a chortle. "Or wait, wait, perhaps you're actually a yandere instead..."

Namie actually considered that for a moment. "For my beloved brother, maybe," she said. "But definitely not for who you're thinking of."

"If you insist." Shingen gave a flippant shrug. "Just remember these words of advice from a responsible, well-liked adult such as myself who has experienced much in life: denial doesn't do you much, if any, good. It's because of that that things like Shadows exist, after all."

"...You're only saying that because you've been wanting to say such a line to someone."

"U-urk!" Shingen choked and coughed into his mask. "H-how is it that you always seem to see right through me?!"

"Gee, I wonder. Perhaps it's because there is nothing to deny about my opinion towards that horrid man?"

Shingen, having recovered quickly as he always does, leaned in closer. "And that opinion would be...?"

"That he's probably one of the worst human beings in the entire world? That he's a complete and utter jerk, or bastard, or lowlife, or asshole, or vermin? Or all of that at once?" It was Namie's turn to shrug, then. "Take your pick. I can probably think of more."

"And yet you think I'm horrible for what I intend to do to such a man?" Shingen questioned.

"That depends. Will you actually hold true to your word about that?"

"What kind of question is that? It sounds as if you're saying I'm not normally trustworthy."

Namie gave him a look that seemed to say precisely that. Shingen's shoulders slumped.

"Fine. If you really want a firm answer – then yes. Yes, I fully intend to see it through, and I'm looking forward to that day when I can finally realise it."

"I'll hold you to that, then," Namie said, resuming her work. "It's one of the reasons I agreed to help you with this, after all."

At an apartment along the Kawagoe Highway

Celty did not, in fact, return to the apartment she shared with Shinra straight away after parting with Mikado.

Instead, she had gone back to the shadows of the alley directly across the police station and waited until she finally saw three familiar high school students step out of the building. It was only then that she could feel a weight lifted off her chest. Aside from the obvious exhaustion marking her features, Anri appeared to be doing fine otherwise, and kept bowing before her two friends until they eventually convinced her otherwise. She waited until they had begun walking off before she, too, took her leave and departed from the area.

She gave Shooter a gentle stroke, thanking it for its patience, and it rubbed its handle against her thigh in response. With a silent chuckle, Celty hopped on, and they both headed home. She felt her PDA vibrate along the way, but did not stop to answer it, knowing that it had to have been Mikado's message as he had promised, and so continued on their journey back home in peace and relief.

Celty returned home to a Shinra who had glued himself to the door and crying her name. When she asked how Izaya had been during her absence, all elation drained from the doctor's face.

"Ehhh? You're finally back home and the first thing you ask your future husband is something about another man?"

If Celty could breathe, she would've choked at what Shinra just said.

[Shinra... Are you jealous...?]

"Of course I am?!" His answer was immediate and almost sounded hysterical. Which only served to make Celty flustered as she tried to type out her response.

[Seriously...?! Oi, you're talking about me and Izaya you know?! Shinra, are you alright?!]

"Can you blame me?" Shinra whined. "Especially after what you told me yesterday, I can't help but think..."

[Well you're overthinking it!] The shadow that normally trailed out of her neck formed a small exploding cloud that sent her helmet flying to the ceiling. [Anyway didn't I already explain it to you last night? The one Izaya had...close...ugh...contact...with...wasn't...me...] Celty shook her "head" furiously, and with one more message: [Arrghhh I can't believe you're making me say this again!] she clenched a fist and delivered a swift punch to Shinra's gut, causing him to double over.

"O-okay... I-I get it... I get it, Celty... So please, don't get mad...?" Shinra said after a coughing bout.

There was another small burst of smoke as Celty's way of huffing, but once it disappeared she kneeled over and helped Shinra back to his feet and led him to the sofa. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, she pushed the screen of her PDA to his face.

[Just so we're on the same page: I forgive you, and I can understand your concern. But seriously!]

Shinra laughed, but it came out broken and truncated as the offended part of his stomach continued to ache.

"Sorry, sorry... I'm really sorry," he apologised over and over again, wearing a fond smile as he faced his beloved directly. "But I can't help it, you know? You said it yourself that your head is still connected to you. So if Orihara-kun has kept your head by his side this entire time... Doesn't that mean he's been in possession of a part of my Celty? As your husband-to-be, I can't quite accept that, you know?"

[Stop it, you're making this sound like some strange, fantastical love triangle. And also, I don't recall ever agreeing to marrying you.]

"Ehh? But I thought you're finally warming up to the idea of regarding Father as your father-in-law..."

[I never said that. You're getting delusional.]

Shinra smiled coyly as he inched closer to the love of his life. "So what happened last night was all just a figment of my imagination?"

Celty stiffened. [Y...yes. Yes it was.]

"Hm-hm, so... When we made our vows of eternal love to each other – was that just a delusion too?"

[Wait we never had something like that!]

Shinra nodded teasingly. "Right, so Orihara-kun must've been imagining things when he said, and I quote, that I already 'technically touched you last night' as if he knew what happened when he wasn't there while we were having our conversation."

Celty's neck went poof for the third time that day – three times too many for her liking. [Th-th-that's right! N-nothing happened between us!] When Shinra's words registered in her mind, she hurriedly erased the previous message and typed: [Wait... What did you just say?]

"And also, when he turned right in the direction of the door when you ran out this morning, even though you didn't come in to show your PDA... That must've just been because he was hearing voices, right? I think we can even say he was being delusional too."

[Hang on, Shinra, I have no idea what you're talking about...]

"And just now, you found me already waiting by the door, right? That's because Orihara-kun told me you'd be coming back soon. When I asked him how he knew, he wouldn't tell me, just that he 'had a feeling'."

Celty's hands slowly fell to her lap. That was when she realised Shinra was no longer smiling.

"Celty," he said, lowering his voice. "I think we can't put this on hold until tomorrow anymore."

Then, with a pause, he stole a glance at the door to Izaya's room, before he turned back to Celty and said, with all seriousness:

"We need to talk this out now. The three of us."

Outside Mikado's apartment

"...Well," Masaomi broke the silence that had descended since dropping Anri off at her apartment, flashing Mikado a grin, "guess we've arrived at your place."

Mikado made a non-committal sound, returning Masaomi's grin with a small smile of his own.

Masaomi gave him a pat on the shoulder. "So I'll see you and Anri-chan in school tomorrow, then."

"...Yeah," Mikado spoke. "Thanks for today, Masaomi."

The blond barked out a laugh. "Now you're suddenly sounding all sappy," he remarked, which caused Mikado's cheeks to turn pink. "Alright, alright, get going now. It's been a long day, and we gotta get up early tomorrow."

"Right," Mikado chuckled, turning for the stairs. "See you tomorrow, Masaomi."

"See you, buddy," Masaomi replied with a wink. He stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched his friend disappear behind the door to the run-down building before the grin instantaneously vanished, replaced by an emotionless expression as he fished his phone out of his pocket.

'...Well then,' he thought to himself as he unlocked his phone. 'Guess it's time for me to make a move.'

He raised his head, gluing his eyes to the door to Mikado's apartment. '...I'm sorry, Mikado. But this is for your own good, as well as Anri's. ...I'm sorry.'

There were many things Masaomi was apologising for, but he had no idea where to begin from, so even in his mind he could not say more than the words "I'm sorry".

Sliding one hand in his pocket, the blond walked away from his best friend's home, and waited until he was at quite a significant distance before he tapped on the screen of his phone and placed it against his ear. He did not have to wait longer than a second before the other party picked up.

"What's the situation?" Masaomi muttered under his breath.

"It's quiet for now," came the reply. "But there are a handful that keep loitering around."

"...Then it should be them," Masaomi concluded with a sigh. "Thanks for keeping a lookout, Yatabe. Sorry for taking up your holiday. You can go home now."

"But... What do you intend to do, Shogun?"

"Don't call me that, I'm not your leader anymore. Besides, I'm not doing this in capacity of the position I used to have."

"Shogun will always be Shogun to me," Yatabe insisted. "And I'm not the only one thinking that."

"Stop it, I... I can't. You guys know that."

Yatabe didn't press the issue. "...Alright," he conceded. "But I still want to know what it is you plan on doing...about those guys."

"...I thought that would've been obvious by now," Masaomi chuckled wryly.

"Sh-Shogun... You can't! I won't allow it!"

"I understand the dangers, but I have to do this, Yatabe. You can say all you want, but you won't change my mind."

"At the very least, allow me to—"

"No," Masaomi cut in sharply. "This is my fight. I won't drag you into it."

"Sh...Shogun..."

"I'm the reason for this," Masaomi murmured. "I made my decision back then, and I'm going to keep standing by it. If this is part and parcel of the decision I made, then I'm going to take full responsibility for it. So if I see you getting yourself involved… I won't forgive you. You hear me?"

"But still..."

"Oi oi, do you have that little faith in my skills?" Masaomi laughed in spite of the situation. "I wasn't your leader in the past for nothing, you know."

Masaomi could imagine Yatabe biting his lower lip. "I...I know," he responded hesitantly, before heaving a huge sigh over the phone. "You're right, Shogun. I shouldn't have doubted you. It's just..."

"...It's okay, Yatabe. I get it, even without you telling me." A corner of Masaomi's lips curled upward. "So... Thanks. For worrying. You really are a great pal to have."

"Shogun...!"

'...Okay, what's with all the sappiness today? Now this is becoming really awkward.'

Masaomi cleared his throat. "Anyway, you'd better leave now. I'm already almost there, and we both know you're not going to like what's about to happen."

"...Okay," Yatabe complied, his voice going softer. "Be careful, Shogun."

"I will," Masaomi replied, and then he ended the call. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket, but not before catching himself staring at the screen upon ending the call. His eyes narrowed as he recalled the private message that had been left on the chat last night.

The Dollars want their Boss back, nya.

And they'll do anything to get what they want—

—even if it means having to work together with the Slasher. Nya.

Some of them will be waiting.

Where the first Dollars meeting took place.

I think you already have an idea of what to do. Right, nya?

His fingers began curling so tightly they nearly drew blood from his palms.

A/N: Whew, lots of things going on in this chapter! As a quick recap - Mikado and Celty have a talk, Rise's idea from the previous chapter is revealed here, Naoto is starting to find Shingen suspicious, Shingen's motives are hinted at (the identity of the "test subject" he has in mind should be no secret by now, I made it pretty obvious) and Namie has agreed to assist him, something is going on with Izaya and Shinra has decided it's time Celty has that talk with him, and Masaomi is heading off for a possible confrontation...?

I had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter. We're finally making some plot progress :'D Things are going to move along even more quickly after this chapter, so not to worry - the questions will eventually be answered. Probably not any time too soon, sadly (the next semester is going to be really packed for me, and I'm currently busy preparing for exams...), but they will be answered.

Thank you for all your support! :) So sorry about the slow updates D: