Disclaimer::::
I do not own Harry Potter or Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro characters. Only my OC Character (s).
I don't make any profit from any of my stories on this website.
Rated M for future sexual content and language
"Characters Speaking"
Characters Thinking
/Author Comments/
~~~Chapter Two~~~
~~~Previous~~~
It all started half a year ago. It started when Papa was found dead, well killed, in his study, which was locked. He was pinned to the floor, covered in blood, and his head had been removed. The police ruled it a suicide, but those type of injuries makes suicide impossible.
Yako was depressed. My presence helped to a degree, but it couldn't eliminate all her depression. We were in Yako's new room as we moved. Yako was kneeling on the floor, looking at a frame. I remember Yako's thoughts as she gazes at it. 'There's no way my Otou-san would have committed suicide! But how am I going to expose the truth behind my Otou-san's death? I don't really know.'
It was while we were sitting there that Neuro appeared. "Do you want to unravel the mystery?"
Yako looks up from the frame, surprised. "Who's that?" She questioned. She looked around the room, scared as no one was there. "Is someone there?" I was looking at where Neuro was from the beginning. He seemed surprised that there was no fear in my eyes, just curiosity.
He only looked away from me when Yako gasped at the ceiling and moved back.
With his eyes glowing, he stated, "You will be perfect as my disguises!" Of course, he freaked Yako out with his laugh.
I remember narrowing my eyes up at him. "You are freaking her out with your laugh."
I remember him looking at me with interest in his eyes before they went back to normal.
But it all started on that day when we met Neuro.
~~~Present~~~
~~~Yako's POV~~~
Shortly after we moved, he appeared before us.
"Do you want to unravel the mystery?" He questioned, causing me to be confused while Yuuki-nee continued to stare up at him. "If you want to unravel the mystery, work for me!"
Of course, I was very afraid at the time…even with Yuuki-nee with me. But more than that, I felt a strange sense of hope in this guy. So, I decided to cooperate with this 'Neuro.' Maybe, with his help, the truth behind my otou-san's death would finally be revealed. That was what I thought…
~~~3rd POV~~~
A large group waits at the intersection for the lights to turn green. A high school girl was focusing on her phone, and at first, she didn't realise that the light had turned green. She looks up when she notices the people around her moving before looking back at her phone as she follows after them.
A group of people walk past her before her phone falls to the ground and bounces slightly before falling back to the floor. The high school girl blinks before looking down at her chest. She lets out a slight gasp as blood appears on the left side of her chest, coming through her blazer. Her bag slips off her shoulder before her eyes go blank, and she falls to the floor.
A group of people stop walking and surround her. "She fell down."
"Are they filming a movie?!"
"Hey, shouldn't someone call an ambulance?"
It isn't long before the police arrive on the scene. The same inspector from the previous case crouches next to the outline of the high school girl's body.
"Sorry for being late!" Ishigaki states as he goes under the yellow tape and comes over.
The older inspector stands up. "And?"
"I brought it!" Ishigaki says happily as he lifts a box. "A TOMCAT veteran anniversary special edition bicentennial coloured version!"
The older inspector takes hold of the box before throwing it to the ground and stomping on it, causing Ishigaki to scream as tears stream down his cheeks. "So, who is the witness?"
"There are no witnesses," Ishigaki states.
The older inspector looks up. "Another 'Zero Incident,' is it?"
Ishigaki kneels on the ground. "Yeah, it's already the third case at a crowded intersection like this. It's totally odd that there isn't a single witness."
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
While Yako is at school, I head to the office after changing into the same clothes as yesterday but sapphire blue and black instead of antique ruby and black. I spend the morning sitting on the couch reading one of my books, 'Red Moon by Elizabeth Kelly' in English.
I didn't make any lunch, but then again, I don't truly need food as I can get energy from the elements, like the sunlight. And with the sun out, I am getting just that.
~~~Yako's POV~~~
Kanae holds up her phone. "This! This! Links!"
I look up from my bread. "Ah! That really popular community website!"
Kanae lowers her phone. "How about it? You should join in! It's fun to meet all sorts of different kinds of people!"
I look away before taking a bite out of my bread. I chew it happily before replying. "I'm not very good with that kind of stuff." I let out a laugh before taking another bite from my bread.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
I just finished reading my book when Yako walked through the office door.
"Ah, Yuuki-nee, what are you reading?" Yako questions as she sees me.
I look up from my book to look at Yako, who has a happy smile. "Hmm, 'Red Moon by Elizabeth Kelly'. One of my favourite books. Your back early. You didn't stop anywhere to get a snack?"
"No, I had a lot of melon bread at school," Yako admits sheepishly.
I nod my head. "Fair enough. You'll probably be hungry again later."
Yako sits at the other desk and reads a newspaper mentioning 'Links', the new popular community site.
Neuro is sitting at the larger desk, feet crossed over the top. "Is there anything that you are good at? You creatures who are rated class B or lower."
"Your evil tongue is in top form, as usual, right, Yuuki-nee?" Yako comments as she reads the paper.
"Yeah, it is. But did you truly expect anything different?" I agree with a chuckle.
"Ahh, true," Yako says with a nod.
Neuro looks at Godai. "You seem like you have something to say, servant number two."
"Of course!" Godai gets up and slams dog food on a cabinet. "I told you, 'I'm not a goddamned dog.' And like hell, I'm your servant!" He comments with his gun drawn and points at Neuro.
Neuro's face is blank for a few seconds before returning to normal. "It appears that you have not received enough punishment yet..."
Yako jumps in front of Godai. "Enough, enough, Godai-san!" Yako moves in surprise due to the gun and waves her arm before her. "That dangerous thing can be put away now, right?"
"If you are thinking more clearly now, go out and distribute some flyers to advertise this place." Neuro orders.
The gun is thrown in the bin. Yako pushes Godai out the office door. "Here we go then!"
I stand up, ready to follow, but Neuro stops me. "Not you, Yuuki. You stay here."
"Okay." I agree, sitting back down. As I did, something fell out of my pocket...my music box. An emerald green and sapphire butterfly lined with silver and an emerald green gem in the middle, at the top of the butterfly's body. It opens and begins playing the melody to the lullaby Mama Lily used to sing... 'Angel Watch Over My Baby (Girl)'. I listen to the melody before shutting it securely and placing it in my bag.
~~~3rd POV~~~
Yako begins to hand out flyers after letting out a sigh. "Here you go! Here! We are the Katsuragi Yako Demon World Detective Agency; please visit sometime!"
Godai looks down at the flyer he is holding. "Are you a retard? Like anyone will come with this kind of advertisement!" He screwed the flyer up into a ball.
Yako sighed before dropping her head to look at the flyer in her hand. Yako's eyes widen as she looks up to see a young girl sitting on her father's shoulders. Yako follows them with her gaze as they soften.
Godai looks at her and turns his gaze to where she is looking. He stands up and moves forward, blocking Yako's gaze and causing her to look at him. "Hey…Why do you stick around with that guy anyway?"
Yako makes a surprised sound before turning her head away and lowering her gaze. "I just want to…unravel the mystery…"
"What the hell?" Godai queries.
"Maybe he'll consume my mystery…" Yako trails off.
Godai slightly scoffs before looking up as the street lights turn on. "That guy is voracious. You'd better be careful." He looks at Yako before they widen when he sees Yako drooling over food. "She wasn't even listening!"
A person walks close and picks up one of the flyers on the ground. "Isn't this Yako?"
Yako turns to see Kanae. "Kanae!"
"Perfect! I was about to head to your place." Kanae admits.
"My place?" Yako questions.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
I could feel Neuro's gaze, but I ignored it, and we sat in peaceful silence as I read another book (A Bit of Bite by Cynthia Eden), at least until Yako and Godai returned with Yako's friend, Kanae. She has red hair and black eyes. She wears the same uniform as Yako but has a yellow jumper and isn't wearing a tie.
She starts to tell us about the incidents that have been happening. "'Zero incident'? The rumoured murders at crowded intersections that end up without a single witness?" Yako queries.
Kanae slightly nods her head. "Yeah, my friend was murdered just like that in front of so many people, but they couldn't find a single witness."
"Wait, who is that friend? Someone from school?" Yako questions.
"I say, friend...But, I've never met her." Kanae admits.
"What?" Yako says, surprised.
"We met on Links," Kanae states as she lifts her head.
"Links..." I hear Neuro murmur.
"Ah...that website?" Yako comments.
"That suspicious site?" I query softly.
Kanae bows her head, eyes on the ground. "After adding me as a friend, we talked about a lot of things, and we got along pretty well."
"Kanae..." Yako trails off sadly.
Kanae lifts her head, hope in her eyes. "Yako, please, please catch the criminal!"
"About that..." Yako starts but is stopped when Neuro leans over and holds the top of her head and her chin, squeezing her cheeks. "Don't worry! Sensei will definitely catch the criminal! Right, sensei?"
Yako has a look of defeat on her face. "Leave it to me..."
"Really?" Kanae asks happily.
"Of course! Leave it to us!" Neuro agrees with a smile.
"Thank you so much, Yako!" Kanae says happily.
I let out a soft chuckle at the look of defeat on Yako's face.
~~~Next Day near the Crossroads~~~
Yako and Kanae crouch on the ground where they have placed a bouquet of pink, light pink, and white flowers in white packaging tied with a black ribbon. Neuro and I stand off to the side.
"Oh, did you two know the victim?" A voice question.
I look to see a blonde-haired girl (her hair is in a corkscrew) with hazel eyes. She wears a black and white dress with puffed-up long sleeves and a yellow parasol. There is a large group of people standing behind her.
Yako and Kanae stand up. "I guess...We met on a website called Links."
"What a coincidence! I'm also connected to this incident through Links!" The girl says happily.
"Really?" Kanae questions.
"She joined the community that I lead." The girl comments.
"Oh? So, you're Hime?" Kanae queries.
"Hime?" Yako questions, finally speaking.
"But regrettably, she recently left our community." She says sadly.
"Then, everyone here is from Links?" Yako asks, looking at the group standing behind Hime.
"You've never logged onto Links, have you?" She asks.
"I'm not really good with that kind of stuff." Yako admits sheepishly, hand behind her head."
"It's really fun once you get started, and you'll be connected to all of us. How about it?" She offers.
"Nah, it's okay." Yako declines.
People start muttering from behind Hime. "Hey, she just rejected an invite from Hime-sama."
"Doesn't she know what she's passing up?"
"What a rude woman."
"Don't say anymore!" Hime scolds.
"Is everyone here today to mourn?" Yako queries awkwardly. "Everyone is so kind."
"I only suggested it on the community site as an event, but I didn't think so many people would attend!" Hime giggles.
"An 'event'? What a terrible way to put it." Kanae whispers.
I narrow my eyes. A narcissistic person…
"Links is truly great! Friends who don't even know each other will get together to mourn a friend's passing. It's great, so great! This is the stuff that they call true friendship!" Hime ends with a laugh.
~~~At the Office~~~
"That so-called Hime person gives me bad vibes," Yako admits.
"True, she gives off a self-centred vibe," I add.
"Hime, huh? A name that stinks like the waves of slime of the demon world." Neuro comments.
Yako kneels on the couch, looking at Neuro. I sit down on the same couch, sideways leaning against the armrest. "You know, Neuro, it's impossible that there would be no witnesses at an intersection like that."
Neuro lets out a low 'Hmph' sound. "Your brain is still smaller than a worm's, huh?"
"Yeah...Yeah...I'm sorry it hasn't grown at all." Yako says with a sigh.
Neuro gets up and stops in front of Yako. He twists his knuckles on either side of her head, on her temples. "If the victim was covered by something and was out of sight at the time of the incident..."
"What do you mean by covered?" Yako questions.
"There's a way, isn't there? For instance, a wall formed by you lower life form humans?" Neuro states.
"A large crowd used as a cover." I point out.
Yako looks surprised just as the office door opens, Godai standing there looking quite smug, case in his hand. "I got hold of something interesting!"
"That's the intersection! The date and time...Don't tell me this is the tape from the day of the incident. How did you get this?" Yako asks, looking at Godai.
"Like they say, snakes follow the way of serpents. There are all kinds of people in the underworld." Godai comments smugly.
"Well done, Godai." I praise softly.
The disk starts playing. "That's the victim?" Yako asks.
"Yeah. It starts here." Godai says as the victim gets in the middle of the crossing.
Yako lets out a gasp. "No matter how you look at it, that group of people isn't normal!"
"Take another look." Neuro orders.
Yako starts the footage again. "Stop. Look here," Neuro says, pointing to the screen.
"Oh? That's Hime!" Yako exclaims, surprised.
"Who is that?" Godai questions.
Yako stands up. "We should speak with the inspectors first." Yako heads to the phone.
"For a servant, you do pretty good work." Neuro praises.
"I'm not your damn servant!" Godai shouts.
Neuro points at him. "Okay, I'm promoting you to servant number one."
"I'm not number one or number two!" Godai denies.
Yako picks up the phone. "There's actually no difference between the two. Wait, does that mean I'm number two?!"
"Yako, now isn't the time." I scold softly.
Yako snaps out of it and rings the inspectors.
The two inspectors pop around to see the footage; the older one, who I now know is Eishi Sasazuka, is the first of the pair to speak up. "Hime, real name Himemiya Ruri."
The other inspector, Jun Ishigaki, stands up. "She's the criminal after all, huh?"
"'After all,'?" I repeat. "She was suspected?"
Ishigaki turns to look at Yako, one finger held up. "There is one similarity in all the 'Zero Incidents.'"
"Similarity?" Yako questions.
"That suspicious site?" I query.
"Links," Neuro states, looking out the window.
"Very sharp perception." Sasazuka praises.
Neuro grabs Yako and places her in front of him, hands on her shoulders. "Hanging around Sensei every day, I've picked up a lot!"
"I know of her connection with Links, but what is her connection with the cases?" Yako queries.
"All of the victims of the 'Zero Incidents' are members of Himemiya Ruri's community. Everyone met this fate after leaving her community." Ishigaki offers.
"Then, she is the criminal after all." Yako agrees.
"Despite our conjecture, there's been no evidence at all," Ishigaki adds.
"Isn't this image evidence?" Yako asks, confused.
I shake my head. "More evidence is needed."
"If you don't capture the instant that the act of murder occurs, then it can't be decisive evidence," Sasazuka states, still looking at the screen.
"Her father is also an influential politician. So, if we arrest her without any evidence, it'd be a serious affair." Ishigaki adds seriously.
"Then, what do we do?" Yako asks.
"We use bait to lure her out," Neuro states as if it were obvious.
"It's dangerous," Sasazuka advises.
"True, but...We have the perfect bait here, Sensei." Neuro comments.
Neuro, Sasazuka, and Ishigaki stare at Yako, causing me to chuckle softly.
It isn't long before the inspectors leave. Yako follows them out before coming back in. She throws a fit when she sees the computer. "Hey, what is this?"
"We've registered you on Links, that's all," Neuro comments dryly.
"What is my community for?" Yako asks.
"The group for the fans of Tantei Katsuragi Yako, of course!" Neuro states.
Yako scrolls down the page. "And what's all this?"
"'A notice to the feebleminded culprit behind the 'Zero Incidents'. ' The brilliant Tantei Katsuragi Yako has already figured the whole mystery out.' ' To me, your level of crime is below that of a petty thief-'" Neuro repeats with a blank face.
Yako crosses her arm in the shape of an X in front of her. "STOP FOR A SECOND! Hey, what's with this kind of provocation?"
"How about it? Isn't it perfect?" Neuro says smugly.
"It will set her off," I admit.
Yako points at the screen. "What if the culprit sees this?"
Neuro closes his eyes. "That's exactly my intention. That woman called Hime seems to possess quite a level of worthless pride."
"That's why it's so troubling!" Yako shouts.
"All we have to do is lure her out with the bait, then capture her in the act of committing the crime," Neuro states, ending the conversation.
"Don't worry, Yako. I'll be there hidden." I comfort softly with a chuckle.
~~~Next Day near the Crossroads~~~
I place a disillusionment charm on myself before I follow after Yako. Have to make sure she doesn't get injured in any way as the older sibling. The light flashes red, and people start walking across. Yako snaps out of her thoughts before following, looking around as she does. I hear her gasp and look to see a large crowd of people in front of her.
She walks cautiously, looking in every direction for danger before looking in front of her. The crowd parts, and Hime is there with her Parasol open. She shuts the parasol as she sees Yako. "Die!" A long sharp point appears out the top of the parasol. She lunges towards Yako, but before I can do anything, a man steps in front of Yako and gets stabbed instead.
Yako kneels next to him. "Are you ok?!"
"Getting involved with you really is a bad idea." The man states as his wig falls off and reveals Godai.
"Godai-san!" He lets out a groan. "Someone call an ambulance!" Yako orders.
"Shut up! Y-You think I...can't take...a wound like this?" Godai stammers.
"Stop talking already! Hurry! Someone call an ambulance! Hang in there, Godai-san! Godai-san!" Yako yells, panicking.
~~~Back at the Office~~~
We watch as Godai shouts on the phone. "What? You failed to capture it!? You call this kind of work professional? Hey, talk goddamnit! That guy is just a Peeping Tom junkie, what a fucking joke! Ow, it hurts."
"Are you okay, Godai?" I question softly.
"I'm such an idiot to have trusted that guy," Godai admits, annoyed.
"I'm well aware of your lack of intelligence," Neuro states.
"Shut up!" Godai shouts before groaning. No doubt pulling his wound.
"Stop shouting and moving about so suddenly. You'll open your wound back up." I scold.
Yako looks at Neuro worried. "So, what do we do about the evidence?"
"Don't worry. This mystery...is already on the tip of my tongue." Neuro comments as his gaze locks on the door.
"Coming here, huh?" I comment softly.
The office door opens, and Hime walks in, a large group of people behind her. "What business do you have to have called me somewhere so dirty?"
Neuro stands up, a sweet face making its appearance. "We're very sorry to have bothered you with your busy schedule. The truth is that Sensei says she has an urgent matter to discuss with you."
"Huh? Me?" Yako questions confused.
"Isn't that right?" Neuro states, eyes glowing green.
Like at the restaurant when confronting Shirota, Yako's arm glows green and moves by itself. "The culprit...is you!" She points at Hime.
Hime looks surprised before she snaps out of it. "What? You called me out here, and that's all you have to say."
"How dare you accuse Hime-sama!" A man exclaims angrily.
"Do you have any evidence?" A woman demands.
"Exactly. Do you have any evidence?" Hime comments.
"Like how my imotou was almost murdered by you at that intersection?" I query, annoyed.
"Do you have that kind of evidence, famous detective?" Hime asks as she holds out her arm.
"About that..." Yako trails off.
"I think you know that my Papa is a politician, right? I can't stand people who would call me the culprit without presenting any evidence. I can have my Papa take legal action, you know." Hime brags.
"This really doesn't have anything to do with evidence or the law, does it," Godai states as he stands up.
"He's just someone who lives in the lawless mafia underworld." Neuro points out.
"And who are you? Just a piece of human trash? If you have nothing to do with the situation, stay silent." Hime comments, annoyed.
"I'm going to return that stab to my ribs many times over..." Godai states.
"Stab? Why would I do something like that to you? How stupid." Hime says with a scoff.
"He's talking about how you stabbed him the other day at that intersection," Neuro adds.
"How silly, the man who was stabbed was a salaryman in a suit..." Hime starts before cutting herself off as her eyes widen.
"You heard that, right Sensei, Yuuki?" Neuro queries.
"Yeah! I did!/Indeed." We both agree.
"Why would you know the victim was a salaryman in a suit?" Neuro asks.
Hime's eyes widen before they go back to normal. "Because I read it in the papers."
Neuro opens a newspaper. "Revenge or 'Zero Incident?' A man was stabbed at an intersection. How odd, there's no mention of him being a salaryman!"
"That..." Hime trails off, slight panic in her voice.
Neuro holds more than one newspaper in his hands. "It's the same in all the papers; there are no mentions of a salaryman at all. That means it was something that only those at the scene of the crime would have known. And you knew!" Neuro points at her.
"Godai," I call out softly.
Godai puts on the black wig and square-rimmed glasses. "It really fuckin' hurt back there." Hime and the others let out a gasp of surprise. "Let me 'judge' you under the laws of the underworld. And all of your accomplices, too!" He holds out a sharp knife.
One male takes a step back. "But I didn't do anything!"
"Me neither!" A female agrees.
More and more people take a step back. "All we did was follow her orders!"
"Yeah! That's it! I was forced!"
Hime starts shaking. "You are all supposed to be my guards; why aren't you protecting me? You worthless trash! I am the queen! Worker bees work for the queen without thinking about anything!"
"You're not a bee but a human," I mutter with a roll of my eyes.
"Hime-san, why did you go so far? Was there a need for murder?" Yako questions.
Hime turns her head away from Yako. "Because leaving my side is something unforgivable. From the time I was small, no matter where, doing no matter what, I was always alone. Alone every day, with nothing to be happy about. Then I discovered Links. There, I recruited companions with similar beliefs. Then, more and more friends of friends began to join, and it became a beautiful social community. But some of the members who only escaped loneliness because of me said they wanted to expand their social circle and left my community, leaving me all alone. Who do you think rescued you in the first place?! Absolutely...Absolutely unforgivable!"
"How can you decide on your own?" Yako questions.
"The one deciding wasn't just me! The members here all decided on their own to aid me in murder! This is the beautiful love companions share!" She looks at us. Her pupils are small, her teeth are sharp, her eyes are wide, and she has a purple triangle under her eyes. She lifts her hand, showing her nail, which is long and sharp. While laughing, yellow liquid falls from the corner of her mouth.
"Is she a monster?' Godai mutters.
"She crossed the line of humanity," I stated softly.
"No matter how many times this happens, it's always just a foolish human." Neuro comments, bored.
Hime pulls out her parasol, holding it out in front of her. "I will not forgive anyone who looks down on me!" The sharp point at the top comes out as she lunges at Neuro. "Die!" It stabs him.
"Neuro!" Both Yako and I shout.
A smirk appears on Neuro's face as the room turns dark. "777 Tools of the Demon World, Evil Illusion!" An umbrella of sorts appears behind Neuro, covered in eyes. His eyes glow green. "If you're so proud of your loneliness..."
I watch as multi-coloured energy surrounds her as she looks around in the darkness. "Where is this? Why can't I see anything? Where has everyone gone?" Eyes appear from the darkness. "Someone…?"
Glowing green eyes and a beak appear from the darkness before lunging towards her, causing her to scream before she passes out in Neuro's arms. He drops her to the floor, running his finger under his lips. "Gochisousama."
"Neuro." Yako and I say quietly.
"What's happened? Seems like she exhausted all her strength." Neuro comments.
~~~Later~~~
Yako is on the computer, closing her Links account while I sit on the couch watching Godai and Neuro.
"That umbrella definitely stabbed you!" Godai says with his arms folded.
Neuro is sitting on the couch next to me, an arm on his chest, legs crossed on the table. "Yeah, good thing I work out; my rock-hard abs saved me."
"How the hell could that be?" Godai demands.
"Hey, servant number one," Neuro calls.
"Huh, me?" Yako questions.
"Take this annoying servant number two and start handing out fliers." Neuro orders.
"How dare you demote me! No, wait, I'm not your damn servant at all!" Godai yells.
"Okay, let's go hand out fliers, Godai-san," Yako says as she stands up.
"Who's going? It's not like anyone will come from handing out those stupid fliers!" Godai states.
Yako pushes him forward. "Let's just go!"
"Hey! Don't push me!" Godai says, annoyed.
Yako pushes him forward once more. "Go!"
"Ow, that hurts!" Godai yells as he pulls his wound once more.
I let out a soft chuckle as they left the office. This second life sure is amusing.
/Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review. Your opinions are appreciated.\