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 Three~~~
~~~Previous~~~
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.
~~~Present~~~
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
I change into my emerald green and black dress in the same design as my antique red and sapphire blue one before heading to my cafe/restaurant. I let Neuro know, and now he decided to come with me.
The building is just across the street, further from the office. The building itself is white with three floors. The window and the balconies are chocolate brown and slide open. The door to the cafe/restaurant is the same. The name of my place is 'The Emerald Lily'.
On the ground floor, there is a glass counter with different desserts, shelves, boxes with different loaves of bread, and a fridge filled with drinks. Of course, another one holds two tills in the middle of the glass counters.
On the same floor, there are two rows of seats. These seats are enough for two people, with a square table in the middle.
On the second and third floors, the layout is the same. For bigger groups of people, they can request a private space. Surrounded by a glass lined with gold-tinted brown squares, there is a long table in the middle of the space with a grey couch on either side. Each couch has square cushions and enough space for three people. The light is circular and lined with the same gold-tinted brown. Each space is the same.
The floor on each level has chocolate brown wood floorboards and gold-tinted beige walls.
Normally, I don't need to come to cook, but the person who normally does is busy until after 3. Neuro sits on a stall, watching as I work. Only need to bake some desserts and make some beverages today.
The kitchen isn't big, but it's not small either. On the back wall, starting from the right, is a door leading to the pantry, a large silver fridge, a floor-to-ceiling cabinet with a microwave and oven attached, and a long brown counter with a large square sink.
The left of the room has a long, black marble counter. Along the top is a silver ventilator with two cabinets on either side. On the counter, there is a built-in over with six hobs. In the corner is a block filled with knives and a pot filled with spoons. At the front of the kitchen is another ceiling-to-floor cabinet attached to another counter with a bonsai plant in the corner and stools in front.
~Yako's POV~~~
While eating my lunch with Kanae, a heavyweight male student approached me, asking me to sign his top. I take the marker and sign my name hesitantly. "Si-Sign…" The boy mutters, causing me and Kanae to be creeped out. "SIGN!" He shuffles backwards before sprinting away in the other direction.
I put that in the back of my mind before getting something for my lunch. "Our school's cafeteria food is the best!" I take a bite before taking some more rice. "Especially the rice, it's super-delicious! No matter how much there is, I can gobble it all up!"
"How much ARE you going to eat?" Kanae questions in disbelief before sighing and having some of her rice. "Is everything okay, Yako?"
I stop eating and look at her. "What?"
Kanae scratches the side of her head with her chopsticks. "Just asking…but don't hesitate to call me if anything's on your mind, okay?"
I lower my chopsticks before a smile appears on my face. "What are you talking about all of a sudden? Don't worry about it! I've gotten used to it!"
After school, I pop back home. I look in the mirror and force a smile on my face. After my otou-san died, everything changed. My okaa-san is a freelance writer and, after the incident, went overseas to cover stories. But that's her job, so it can't be helped.
I move to the living room and have a flashback of our family breakfast. Of happier times. My stomach grumbles, and I place my hands over it. "I'm hungry…"
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
I head to the pantry to get ingredients to make a few desserts and some beverages, Neuro watching me all the while. I decided to make Mitarashi Dango, Japanese Strawberry Shortcake, Japanese Cheesecake, Kabocha Flan, Cherry Blossom Madeleines, Cherry Blossom Milk Pudding, Fruit Parfait, Chocolate Banana Smoothie, Pumpkin Smoothie, and Japanese Cream Soda.
My employee returns from her appointment before three, so Neuro and I head back to the office and wait for Yako.
It isn't long before the door opens, and Yako walks in. "Sorry, I'm late!"
Neuro lunges forward, claws embedded in the wall around Yako's head, feet on the ceiling. "Yako, huh?"
Yako stayed hanging where she was. "Yeah...it's me...what are you doing?"
"I was trying to kill that fly, but I accidentally almost killed you instead. Not that there would have been much different." He removed his claws from the wall.
"Definitely not an accident." Yako deadpans as the fly lands on her nose.
"Neuro's bored," I comment with a chuckle.
~~~Later that Night~~~
Yako has her hands and face against the window, gazing outside at the streets below. "Godai-san is taking so long...Even though he's just getting Manpukutei Bentos...how long can he take? Slow, too slow!"
"If you're so hungry, then let me treat you." Neuro takes out some cards. "Choose whatever you want." He throws them at Yako.
Yako catches them, and I watch in amusement as her face goes pale. "Hey...These all seem to be poisoned."
"Jokes without a killer punchline wouldn't be so funny, would they?" Neuro comments with a smirk on his face.
"Geez, I'm not in the mood to joke with you!" Yako exclaims, annoyed as she crumbles the card into a ball, throwing it towards the bin.
"I don't need jokes," Neuro states.
"Ah, is that so?" Yako states as she walks over to the bin and puts the rubbish inside. "What is this bump on the wall?" She pulls the wallpaper back, pale as she lets out a gasp. "Neuro, Yuuki-nee, there's a human form in the wall..."
I walk over to Yako while Neuro just appears on the wall. "It looks like there's been another resident in this room."
"I didn't sense her there at all," I comment as I look at the plait. My eyes narrow and heat up. I close my eyes and let out a soft sigh.
"Looks like? That's all?" Yako queries.
"It won't talk, don't worry about it," Neuro states.
"Even if you tell me not to worry..." The black plait moves, causing Yako to scream. "It moved!"
"Looks like I gave this half-dead soul a strand of hope for survival," Neuro states nonchalantly. He gets a computer and keyboard and places them underneath the plait. "Yako, try asking it some questions."
"Er...what is your name?" A reply is typed. "Akane-chan, is it? Maybe she was k-killed by the ex-Loan Shark Godai-san?" Akane moves from side to side. "No?"
"Godai doesn't seem to be the type to do such a thing in the first place, Yako." I scold softly.
"Hmm, Akane, is it? Looks like you're troubled by a mystery as well, just like Yako. Just wait; one day, I will consume your mystery as well! In other words, you're hired. From here on, you'll be worked so hard you'll wish that you cut that hair from your corpse. As for wage...How about hair conditioning and grooming five times a week?" Neuro offers.
Akane whips her hair about happily. "She's really happy!" Yako exclaims in disbelief.
"It has been a while since her hair was pampered." I point out with a chuckle.
"Yuuki-nee!" Yako exclaims with a pout on her face.
"Well, I'll be looking forward to your work!" Neuro comments as he turns his head away.
"Does that mean I'm handling her hair treatment?" Yako queries in disbelief.
"Of course, " Neuro agrees with a smirk.
Yako bows her head. "Don't worry, Yako, I'll help. We can take it in turns." I offer with a soft chuckle.
Yako clings to my arm. "Yuuki-nee!"
I let out another soft chuckle as Yako calmed down and let my arm go. Yako's phone rings, so she goes to answer it. "Comedy, huh? It comes with a complimentary bento? I'm down! Haven't been to Shimokita in a while! The ramen shop near the station should still be there, right? The tsukemen there is amazing."
I look to see Akane has searched up manpuku. Neuro's hair starts to float slightly, and his triangle clip lets out a wave of energy. "This live performance might have some good mysteries...Go, just eat and let the mystery act on its own. Understood?" Neuro orders Yako.
While Yako leaves, I stay with Neuro. I sit on the couch and read another one of my books, 'Bite Me, Your Grace by Brooklyn Ann'. Well, I try to. After Godai got back and ate the bento he brought, he laughed non-stop.
Neuro stands up. "I'm counting on you, Akane. Yuuki, we're going."
I put my book in my bag, put on my bag and coat, and followed after him. We get there to hear Yako's conversation with Sasazuka. "There's a laughing chemical in the Bentos. But we're not sure if there's a direct correlation between that and their deaths."
"Inspector Sasazuka." One inspector calls.
"Later." Both inspectors walk off.
"Poison that'll kill you if you laugh?" Yako queries confused.
"Yako, you are two Bentos with that stuff, didn't you?" Kanae comments.
"Is it that your stomach can digest any kind of poison, or is it that your slow brain couldn't understand the jokes, so you didn't laugh?" Neuro questions sarcastically as he holds her head while stretching her mouth and cheek.
"But maybe my Bentos didn't have the chemical in them." Yako queries.
Neuro lets Yako go, causing her to fall to the floor. "No, all Bentos should've had them. Servant Number Two had the same thing happen to him when he consumed the same bento."
"Eh? Then Godai-san..." Yako questions hesitantly.
"He didn't die, and the poison should be wearing off by now," Neuro smirks.
"He's probably really annoyed with himself, though," I chuckle.
"We may have to contact all of you again for questioning. We apologise for the inconvenience, but please cooperate with us." An inspector apologises.
"Yako, Yuuki, let us prepare to eat some mysteries." Neuro kneels on the ground. His face glows green before turning into a bird. He opens his mouth, and a bunch of eyes fall into his hand. "777 Tools of the Demon World, Evil Friday."
The eyes scurry out of his hand on his legs and hide in different places all over the room. "W-What is this?" Yako asks in disbelief.
"Observation." Neuro's right eye is completely glowing green. "I see."
"Sorry, inspectors." The old man apologises.
"We only added laugh additives into the Bentos." The old woman adds.
"Dad! Mom!" Manpukutaro exclaims, surprised.
"If we didn't do that, then no one would laugh at your jokes!" His dad cries.
"How could that be...Not even one person?" Manpukutaro bows his head sadly, the bone falling out of his hair to the ground.
"Well, come down to the police station for further questioning," Sasazuka states as they walk away.
"What, isn't it solved already? No chance for us to show off!" Yako comments with a smile.
Neuro grabs Yako by her cheeks and throws her towards the inspectors. She bangs into Ishigaki, sending the pair of them to the ground. "Hold on one second!"
"Ya-Yako-chan..." Sasazuka trails off surprised.
Neuro bangs his hands together. "Laughing additives aren't enough to kill. That's what Sensei said."
"That much I know." Sasazuka agrees.
Neuro dangles Yako, her feet above the ground. "Moreover, if you check the recording for tonight's show, you'll understand. The people who showed symptoms of the laughing additive and the people who died don't coincide. Laughing additives take some time to take effect. The first half probably finished their bentos before the show started, while the rest probably ate their bentos after the show started. In other words, there was someone who mixed a different type of poison into the Bentos at another point in time. That's what Sensei said as well!"
"So that's who that was!" One of the males exclaims.
"I remember now!" A female points. "That's the schoolgirl detective."
"Eh? That famous schoolgirl detective?" Manpukutaro exclaims, surprised.
Yako laughs awkwardly before her phone buzzes. "Oh, a text message."
Neuro swipes her phone out of her hand. "Give me that, it's from Akane."
"From Akane-chan?" Yako questions.
Neuro reads the message as a smirk appears on his face, and his eyes glow. "Hmph, so that's it, is it? This mystery...is already on the tip of my tongue. Now, Yako..."
"The criminal is...You!" Yako points to the man on the stage near the speakers.
"Doudou? What?"
Doudou laughs awkwardly before pointing at himself. "Me? It can't be me! I never left the control room once during the entire show!"
"You didn't need to leave the room," I state.
"But it's still possible for you to have committed the crime. And the secret...is on the ceiling!" Neuro points up with his middle finger. "Before the show, you froze poison-soaked ropes and tied them to the catwalk. Then, when the guests opened their Bentos, you turned on the laser lighting. The ropes began to thaw, and the poison slowly dropped into everyone's Bentos."
Yako puts her hand on the top of her head, touching her hair before pulling it back and staring at it. "Then, back then..." She rubs her hand on her jumper.
"It will be fine as long as it doesn't go in your mouth." I offer, causing Yako to let out a sigh of relief.
Neuro lifts his hand. "In addition, Doudou-san, between the time that you retired as a comedian and your return as a stage technician, you were arrested twice by the Substance Control and Monitoring Department. Am I wrong?"
A smirk appears on Doudou's face as he laughs. "Doudou...You..." Manpukutaro trails off.
"You idiotic humans are so very funny!" He laughs as his appearance changes.
"He crossed the line..." Yako states.
I nod my head in agreement. "Yes, he has. So creepy looking as usual."
"This is.. the joke I thought of!" His hair is longer and hovering in the air, his teeth are sharp, and his tongue is sticking out while constantly laughing.
"Why would you do something like this?" Yako demands.
"I've always struggled in the comedy world! But my mentor has always said, 'Your jokes don't kill,' and ignored me. After that, my life went downhill! That is why I pursue the killer punchlines! I bred different strands of poison! I did research! And finally found the poison of all poisons!" He laughs, hand on head. "How funny!"
"It's not funny at all," Yako says softly.
"No, it isn't. Not one bit." I agree.
"Why not? Just constantly laughing and laughing until the end, until you die. Isn't it great?" He says before laughing.
"I don't think so!" Yako disagrees, causing him to stop laughing. "An agenda behind laughter, that kind of thinking is wrong! Isn't laughter a way to rejuvenate ourselves for a new start? Everyone is just here for a good laugh so they can cheer up for another tomorrow! Even you! When you first started comedy, didn't you feel the same way?"
"Shut up! Shut up! Laughing to the death is the best!" He takes something out of his pocket. "Go die! Then you'll understand!"
"What's he planning?" Sasazuka queries.
"When I press this button, that smoke machine will spray out poisonous gas! All of you, go die!" He laughs.
"Don't do anything stupid!" Ishigaki yells.
Sasazuka reaches into his jacket. "Don't move! Put your hand down! Hey! Schoolgirl detective!" Doudou yells before pulling a weird pose. Yako looks confused. "It's a gag! Don't you want to laugh a bit before you die?"
"She wouldn't laugh; that joke's not the least bit killer." Neuro comments.
"What?" Doudou demands.
"That's what Sensei said!" Neuro adds.
"I didn't say that!" Yako denies.
"Though Neuro isn't wrong. It isn't." I agree.
"You bitches..." Doudou curses.
With Doudou distracted, Sasazuka takes a chance to take out his gun. He shoots the lights, causing Doudou to look up. A piece of glass falls towards him, so he jumps off the stage, falling to the floor, the control sliding away. Ishigaki jumps on top of him. "Freeze!"
"Shit!" Doudou curses once more.
Sasazuka gets the control. "I got it!"
"Oh no!" Ishigaki cries. "My gun!" Doudou is holding up Ishigaki's gun to his head.
"Ishigaki!" Sasazuka calls out, worried.
"You bastards, I'm gonna blow his head open!" Doudou shouts.
Neuro laughs. "How comical. This is much funnier."
"What?! I'll start with you, asshole!" Doudou states, pointing the gun at Neuro.
He shoots the gun. It hits Neuro in the eye as he is sent backwards. Yako and the others scream.
"Neuro! Neuro!" Yako and I scream.
Both Yako and I run over to him. I kneel next to his head while Yako is at his side. I see Sasazuka is about to move. "Don't move! Isn't it delightful? To die while laughing?"
Yako glares at Doudou while I look down at Neuro, who gazes back, clearly seeing my disapproval of his actions. "Who's laughing?" He sits up, eyes uninjured. He coughs, and the bullet lands on his hand. "I didn't come here to eat this." He flicks the bullet back at Doudou, hitting his forehead. "777 Tools of the Demon World Evil Comedy." A purple mask goes on his face, the point near his temples. He starts laughing non-stop.
Doudou appears on the web, still laughing with his eyes waving about. Multi-coloured energy glows around his body. "The instant that the mystery is solved, high-level energy is released from the host. This is the most delicious food for a being of the Demon World like me." Neuro appears near Doudou's head. His face changes into his true form. "Itadakimasu!"
Doudou falls to the floor unconscious. "Gochisousama."
Inspectors take him away while he is still laughing. Yako looks up at Neuro. "Is your eye okay?"
He grabs her head and stretches her mouth. "I'm immortal."
"Even immortals can be injured, Neuro," I add before whispering to myself. "Especially when reborn into a human body, waiting for it to catch up with the immortal soul."
~~~3rd POV~~~
Of course, Neuro heard what she whispered. He soon realised she was immortal, but her body was not. Though he still hasn't figured out what she is just yet. Not enough clues for him to figure that out. Not long before he does.
This raises his interest in Yuuki even more. His heart skips about when thinking about Yuuki before he snaps out of it and walks away.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
Oops, I said too much. Hopefully, nobody heard me. Though I do wish my body would hurry and catch up. I have the feeling a couple more days/weeks it will, but it is a hassle to wait.
Neuro turns to look at us as he stops. "The low-calorie mystery only increased my appetite. Come, it's time to hunt for more mysteries."
Yako and I share a smile before running after him. "Hey, wait!"
/Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review. Your opinions are appreciated.\