Disclaimer::::
I do not own the characters from 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 Fourteen~~~
~~~Previous~~~
Neuro's severed hand glows before lunging at Sai. It breaks the two blades into pieces before piercing his chest. Sai falls over the side but catches his hand on the hook. Neuro moves his other arm, causing his severed hand to cut the crane at the bottom. It starts to fall, taking Sai along with it. The crane lands on the ground on top of Sai.
I know he is fine, so I use my magic to send a book he can use to protect his mind and a book on shape-shifting. Of course, a note telling him he should read them all the way through.
We head back to the office after I pick up Neuro's hand. He lies on the couch as he connects his severed hand. I gently pick up his arm and use magic to completely heal it before moving it to ensure it is completely connected. "That should do it," I offer softly, still holding Neuro's hand.
"Amazing, it healed perfectly! Are you alright, Neuro?" Yako questions.
I let go of Neuro's hand as he clenches and unclenches his fingers. "I am immortal."
"It sure doesn't look like it. But thank god." Yako lets out a sigh. "Neuro, is what you told Sai true? Being with humans, slowly becoming one...Is it our fault? The fault of the people closest to you..."
Neuro scoffs and opens his eyes. "Don't think so big of yourself."
"Okay." Yako agrees as she sits on the other couch. I lean against the couch Neuro is lying on. "Neuro, can I ask you something that's been bothering me for some time? Why can't you solve the mystery behind our Otou-san's death?"
"The more food you steal from the servant, the hungrier it gets. I need to sleep." Neuro comments before going silent.
"Sasazuka-san said Sai might have been the one who killed our Otou-san." Yako gets up, walks over to the window, and looks outside. The sun slowly behind to rise. Neuro is asleep, so I rest my head against his leg to get some sleep myself.
~~~Present~~~
Due to it being New Year, I decided to wear a kimono. I change into an emerald green long-sleeved Chinese-style kimono with a silver obi and obijime. I wear a pair of green flats and a green bag instead of black. My hair stays the same, and I don't need to change it. I place on my light green coat before following after Neuro.
I hear Yako cheer. I see her looking at something in her hands. Neuro takes them out of her hands when he gets close. "I see, a hot springs trip..."
"Hey, give it back! There's no reason for you to be interested in a hot springs trip!" Yako exclaims as she jumps up and down, trying to get back her tickets.
Neuro holds them up high. "Why shouldn't there be? I used to go to the hot springs in the demon world often."
"What kind of hot springs was that?!" Yako shouts in disbelief.
In the end, we all end up going, even Godai and Akane. Yako sits in the front while I sit in the back with Neuro. "Godai-san, wasn't this car broken?"
"I fixed it a long time ago," Godai smirks.
"Oh, really," Yako says dryly.
"I let this car be used for work, so remember to pay me back for the repair fees." Godai comments.
"Ehh?" Yako exclaims, causing me to let out a chuckle.
"I don't mind." I agree.
We leave the car when we get to the top of the road, overlooking the mountains. Yako stretches her arms in the air. "The air is so fresh!"
"Hey, the cute ojou-san there! Please help us take a picture." The blonde-haired man requests.
Yako goes over and takes the camera. "Are you ready?" Yako questions.
"OK! Tsuyuki-san, smile!" The man states. The woman with black hair fakes a smile.
Yako looks surprised but brushes it off. She places the camera in front of her. "I'll take it now! Cheese!"
"Thanks!" The other woman thanks.
"Thank you!" The blonde man thanks.
"No problem!" Yako replies before walking back over to Neuro and me. "I guess those people are going to the hot springs too... They look so lively!"
"The thought of seeing something new is probably why the excitement is so high." Neuro comments.
"New things?" Yako queries.
"Some things won't have a meaning if you don't see it with your own eyes. No matter if it's a human or a demon, both are curious about new things." Neuro points out.
"What? Isn't that obvious?" Yako states.
"It's the same with anyone when they see different things," I chuckle.
We return to the car, and Godai has trouble getting it started. "The engine isn't working. What a piece of junk. Should we borrow some batteries?" Godai looks out the window. "Hey, you people! Wait up for a sec!" He runs towards their car.
The woman with black hair lets out a scream. "HURRY UP AND LEAVE!" They drive away.
"Hey, I told you to wait! Shit, why did they leave?" Godai curses.
"Isn't she overreacting a bit?" Yako asks, confused. "She was the only one that wasn't lively."
"She seems to be overly scared and worried about something." I ponder thoughtfully.
Neuro opens his eyes. "Hm, even though it's weak, I smell a bit of a mystery."
In the end, Yako, Godai, and I push the car from behind while Neuro stays in the car, though he sits in the front instead of the back. When we get to the town, Godai collapses on the floor, groaning. "I can't move…"
As we were walking about, we saw the people from before. "Oh, it's those people from before," Yako comments, getting their attention.
"Oh, it's the cute ojou-san from before..." The blonde-haired man states when we get close to them.
"Do you want some too?" The brown-haired woman queries. "You better be prepared."
Yako drinks from a bucket. "Delicious!"
The others watch Yako in disbelief. The black-haired lady is looking through her bag. "Ranko...I seem to have dropped my cell phone..."
"No way, didn't you have it a second ago?" Ranko question.
"I think someone stole it." She admits.
"By who? Are you sure you searched thoroughly?" Ranko queries.
"Let's find it together later..." The blonde offers. "Anyhow, tonight is the buffet!"
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that the buffet here is amazing!" Ranko exclaims.
"We should find a hot spring to relax in first." The other man offers.
"Yeah, let's go." Ranko cheers.
"Hot springs! Hot springs! Hot springs!" The blonde cheers as they walk off.
"Is that lady okay?" Yako questions, worried.
"She seems to be overly panicked," I add with narrowed eyes as my gaze rests on their backs.
Neuro eyes narrow. "The smell of mystery has thickened."
Later on, Yako heads off to eat food from the buffet. I go off with Neuro, looking around the building.
~~~3rd POV~~~
The same four people from before walked down the corridor, wearing their yukatas.
"It felt great! The spring was marvellous!" The blonde praises.
"Your yukata suits you nicely." Ranko comments.
"The waist strap is tied perfectly." The other man adds.
"Oh, right?" The blond-haired person turns back to look at them and places a hand on his head. "Oh, Tsuyuki-san, sorry…I'm the only one feeling high."
"Please don't mind." Tsuyuki denies it with a strained smile on her face. "If everyone's happy, then I'm happy."
"Okay, we're here," Ranko calls out as they stop at the door of where the buffet is. "We should eat to our heart's content."
The four of them come to a stop, and a surprise sound escapes their throats. "What is this?!" Ranko questions as they see the empty plates.
"There isn't any food…" The other man trails off in disbelief.
The chef is collapsed on the floor, his face pale and eyes wide. "My beautiful buffet…The ultimate feast, my pride…Totally wiped after only 30 minutes into the feast!"
On a table, there is Yako. Empty plates surround her as she continues to eat, a large smile on her face. "So delicious!" Yako throws her hands in the air. "The buffet was awesome!" She tilts her chair back, her head over the top. Her eyes widen when she sees everyone looking at her, disbelief in their eyes.
Yako gets up and bows. "I'm so sorry! It just tasted so good…I couldn't restrain myself…" She lifts her head and holds up two small pots. "Um…there's some soybeans left…"
The blond-haired person touches his nose. "Oh…not soybeans, never! No, thank you!"
"Anyways, you have an amazing appetite." Ranko comments, eyes wide.
The other male's eyes widen. "Could you be that piggish detective?"
Yako lowers her head. "Yea, I am…"
Ranko lifts her hand and points a finger at Yako. "AH! You're the one who solved Aya Eishia's case!"
The blonde man lifts his fists and rests them in front of his chest. "Oh! There are a lot of Aya fans in our country! The news about her arrest was really shocking."
Yako laughs awkwardly before the five of them sit down at a table. Yako has finished eating the rest of the soybeans. "Everyone here is from the university's cram group?"
"We study the cultures of various countries. My name's Ihara. Nice to meet you." The other man, Ihara, greets.
"I'm Ikeda Ranko. Nice to meet you." Ranko introduces herself cheerfully.
The black-haired woman nods her head. "I'm Tsuyuki."
A smile appears on the blonde man's face as he closes his eyes. "I'm David Rice; I'm an exchange student."
"David is a total Japanophile." Ranko points out.
"Japan is an amazing country!" David praises. "Japanese food is great! So is the rich culture here. Japanese buildings and these yukata are very unique and established." He lifts his hands as a large smile appears on his face. "I want to know more about Japan."
Ihara points his thumb at David. "He originally came to Japan for a summer vacation. Don't mention studying; all he did was sightseeing."
David places his hands on either side of his head. "Oh no, that means I'm being used."
"Of course!" Ranko agrees with a smile, causing her, Ihara, and Yako to laugh.
Tsuyuki stands up, causing the laughing to stop and for them to look at her. "I'm sorry, I feel tired. I'm going back to my room." She begins to walk off.
"Tsuyuki-san, are you okay?" David questions.
"Should I accompany you to your room?" Ihara queries.
"It's quite late now. We should go back to our rooms." Ranko points out.
Ihara stands up. "That's right."
Ranko stands up at the same time. "Then, detective-san, we'll be going first."
"Goodnight!" Yako calls back as they walk off.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
When we meet up with Yako, she is sitting at the table, and three of the people have just left the same table and walked off. We stand behind Yako, causing her to look up at Neuro, whose gaze is on the group of people's departing backs. "The mystery is about to be released."
~~~That Night~~~
Yako and I lay in our futons, but Neuro didn't. Yako looks up at Neuro on the ceiling above my futon. "Neuro, what are you doing up there? I can't sleep with you up there." Yako points out.
"What am I doing? Sleeping, of course." Neuro comments.
"Why on the ceiling?" Yako questions.
"I'm always like that," Neuro states slightly sarcastically.
"Stop talking bullshit." Yako denies.
I hear banging from the cupboard and know Godai is getting ready for bed. Luckily, I gave him his futon so he could sleep comfortably.
"Just then, where did you and Yuuki-nee go?" Yako asks suspiciously.
"There's a 95-degree hot spring in the mountains. I was just enjoying myself." Neuro acknowledges.
Yako pales. "A very satisfied expression...Wait, Yuuki-nee, you went in with Neuro?"
"Hmm, yeah. I might go again later." I agree with a chuckle.
Neuro looks smug. "I let a toy out to play in the hot springs...but it ran away. It's an extremely dangerous creature."
Yako's face goes paler. "I can't go into the hot springs without freaking out now..."
"Hot springs are formed when a huge amount of shouki comes up to the overworld. So, to a demon like me, it's the best place to rest." Neuro points out.
"What is shouki?" Yako queries.
"An energy?" I query.
"Shouki is like oxygen to a demon. In the demon world, I nearly never slept. But up here, with the low amount of shouki, I fall asleep easily. So, I'm not that different from you guys. I need to sleep for at least 3 hours." Neuro adds.
"Like oxygen? That means you're up here on the surface because your desire to eat is more important than oxygen." Yako states.
Yako falls asleep, but I watch Neuro as his face is peaceful. It wasn't long before I tried falling asleep, but I sensed Neuro had opened his eyes before I could. I look up at him. "Mystery?" I question.
He nods, so I wake up Yako, who looks at Neuro. "What is it, Neuro?"
"The mystery is released," Nero states as he gets off the ceiling.
I leave my futon and place my kimono over my emerald green silk nightie. Neuro puts on his jacket while Yako gets up and dresses. We leave our room, and I hear banging further down the corridor. So did Neuro as we went in that direction.
We see David banging on room 801, calling out to Tsuyuki frantically. "Tsuyuki-san, Tsuyuki-san, did anything happen?! Please open the door! Tsuyuki-san, open the door!"
"What is it?" Yako questions.
David carries on banging on the door. "If you can hear me, please open the door!"
Ranko and Ihara come from the other corridor. "David, what is it?"
Godai catches up with us, a scowl on his face. "Why is it so noisy?"
An employee comes to investigate the noise. "I'll go get the spare key." She states as she sees the situation.
She hurries back with the key and opens the door. David, Ranko, and Ihara are the first to rush into the room. "Tsuyuki..."
"What is this smell?" Ranko questions as they cover their noses. Yako does the same as we stand at the door.
"A poisonous gas that suffocates." Neuro comments.
"A poisonous gas?" Yako repeats, horrified.
Tsuyuki is on her back with her hands around her throat. Her eyes are open and wide, and she has foam at the corners of her mouth.
We are made to leave the room and sit somewhere else, waiting for the news of Tsuyuki. Neuro and I sit in the same seat; Yako is next to us, while David and Ihara sit in the other. Godai and Ranko come back from when Tsuyuki was.
"How is Tsuyuki?" Ihara asks.
"The people in the inn are performing first aid. But she hasn't recovered her breath or heartbeat." Ranko admits.
"Anyhow, we called the ambulance. We also informed the police." Godai adds.
David places his hands over his face. "OH NO!"
"Is it really suicide?" Ranko queries, shocked.
"I guess..." Ihara admits hesitantly.
"Suicide?" I repeat.
"Does she have a reason?" Yako questions.
Ihara looks up, dragging his gaze away from the ground. "Lately, there seems to have been somebody...who has been following her around."
"In other words, a stalker. Even at her house, he sent her letters and called her during the night." Ranko adds.
"Due to the stress, she started to become depressed, so we brought her here to help her feel better..." David trails off, upset.
"She didn't eat anything today," Ihara states.
David removes his hands from his face. "It wasn't easy to prepare a quiet room for her."
"The effort has all gone to waste," Ihara sighs.
"I never thought she would commit suicide by poisoning herself," Ranko states in disbelief and denial.
My eyes flash green. It was not a suicide. Neuro looks down at me, and I shake my head. No doubt he knows it wasn't a suicide, but it won't hurt to check to make sure.
"It might not be suicide." Neuro points out, causing them to look at him. "This is a homicide. The possibility of it is not zero; that's what Sensei says."
Yako goes pale but agrees. "Yeah..."
I nod my head. "It's more likely to be a homicide than a suicide."
Neuro stands up and holds out his hand. I place my hand in his, and he gently pulls me up. "Then, Sensei, let's go to the crime scene." He grabs Yako by her head and drags her along.
"Hey, are you sure we can enter the room now?" Ranko questions.
Ihara and David abruptly stand up. "If there's excess gas, then it'll be a problem."
Neuro stops and looks behind him. "The air has been ventilated. Also, Sensei says that if we don't go now, she'll kill me."
~~~At the Crime Scene~~~
"Poisonous gas...It reacted when it touched the air in the room, causing breathing problems." Neuro pushes Yako's head towards the bottle lying on the floor. "There's a little left...This amount won't kill."
"Who... who would do something like this?" Yako questions.
Neuro finally lets her go and walks towards the window. "The windows in this room are the wall kind, so they can't be opened. If you want air from outside, you have to open the door."
"It seems like that." Yako looks at the table. "But, if this is the mystery, what scent you picked up, that means Tsuyuki-san didn't commit suicide..."
"Of course." Neuro walks towards the door. "Before this room was opened with the spare key, it was locked from the inside. Thus creating a sealed room, which makes it look like a suicide."
"Then why didn't Tsuyuki-san open the door? Screaming out in pain... yet locking herself in..." Yako trails off confused.
"She was scared…and panicked, remember?" I point out, causing Yako to nod her head.
Neuro crouches near the door. "The whole point of the case lies in that." He looks around, his gaze stopping on the calculator resting on the table. "Calculator...?"
Yako picks it up. "911333 Yen. What does it mean? It's a big number..."
My eyes widen. If put in via that…then… that person…
Neuro smirks. "I see." His eyes glow green. "This mystery is on the tip of my tongue."
We head back to the others. I listen to David as he talks about Tsuyuki. "Tsuyuki-san was beautiful and gentle. A perfect role model for a Japanese woman. I thought I made a great friend, but..."
"If that's what you really mean, I think Tsuyuki-san will be really happy," Yako admits as we walk into view, stopping next to Godai.
"But she's already passed on..." David trails off.
"Don't be sad! If she heard what you just said, she'll rejoice in heaven!" Yako encourages.
David sighs, and a small smile appears on his face. "Detective-san, after hearing you say that, I feel a little better now. You really are a kind person."
Neuro's eyes glow green, and Yako does the normal movement with her arm. "The murderer is...YOU!" She points at David.
David looks surprised. "Why?"
"After all that praising, suddenly you call him a murderer?!" Ranko questions confused.
"Hey, it's not time to joke." Ihara scolds as Yako lowers her arm.
"Nope, sensei said it because she has absolute evidence. Now let me explain it to everyone for Sensei." We head back to the crime scene. Neuro stands near the window and taps it with his knuckles. "These are for viewing outside; thus, you cannot open them. This is a perfect room to fill up with poisonous gas."
Ranko looks towards the open door. "But if you open the door, you can ventilate the air."
"That is the biggest mystery in this case. Why didn't Tsuyuki-san open the door? That's because the door is locked from the outside." Neuro turns his head slightly.
"What do you mean?" Godai queries.
"By using a different lock to lock the room. The name is the lock of fear." Neuro turns away from the window.
"Fear?" Yako questions.
Neuro points at David. "David-san, you locked Tsuyuki-san in here with your knocking. From our point of view, he is knocking due to the concern of Tsuyuki-san, who is screaming in pain. But from Tsuyuki-san's point of view, If the door is opened, she'll be killed. Believing that Tsuyuki-san...did not open the door, even if she couldn't breathe. You used fear to create a sealed room."
"That is total bullshit." David denies. "You're accusing me of nothing. My country is a law-enforcing empire. I'll sue you big time for insulting me."
Neuro looks down at Yako, not at all concerned with the threat. "He's saying that sensei."
"As if I'll pay," Yako says with a scoff.
"I'm not paying either," I state with a raised eyebrow.
David points his thumb at himself. "Even if I'm the murderer, there are other ways to call for help without calling out loud. She didn't do that, so it means she committed suicide."
"This confidence seems like you believe it. Believe that she'll never leave the name of the murderer." Neuro walks toward the table and opens up Tsuyuki's bag. "Inside Tsuyuki-san's bag, there isn't just no cell phone; there aren't any memo-like things. That isn't normal."
Ranko lets out a gasp. "Now that you mention it..."
"The room should have paper and pens, but they're nowhere to be seen. That's because the murderer stole it first." Neuro states.
David walks closer to the table. "The rate of payment has increased...5 billion, 10 billion."
"Even so, Tsuyuki-san left us a dying message," Neuro adds.
"What?!" David exclaims, surprised.
Neuro looks down at the calculator. "The calculator on the table. After the room service heard her request, they brought it to her. There are six numbers entered on the calculator."
"What can these numbers prove?" David demands.
Neuro picks up the calculator. "Sensei, here."
Yako catches it when it is passed to her. "I don't understand."
"So, will you pay up?" Neuro asks dryly.
"Wait! 911333..." Akane appears in front of Yako. "Akane-chan..." Yako lets out a gasp before looking at Ranko and Ihara. "Try entering the numbers on a cell phone!"
Ranko and Ihara do. They pale in surprise. "Rice..."
"That explains it. Of the customers here, the only one called Rice is you." Neuro acknowledges with a smirk on his face.
"How can that be?" Ihara denies.
"You're lying, right?" Ranko questions, eyes wide.
Neuro turns to look at the back of David's head. "The police are coming...Do you have the confidence needed to pass the search?"
David starts humming as he walks towards the window. "I'm sorry, I lied. Sushi, Takuro, fried shrimp, beef bowls, these things I hate the most." He turns around; his nose has grown much longer. "I don't want something dissatisfying like that. I only want a good body." He pulls off his kimono, ripping it to shreds.
Yako takes a step back. "What's wrong with him?"
"Another creep…" I trail off in disbelief.
"God and those broken buildings, they don't have any meaning." His nose grows even longer. "Also, there's a flaw in your explanation. A knife or anything like that wasn't used to threaten Tsuyuki-san." He puts his hand down his pants. He pulls out a gun. "If I don't have this with me all the time, I can't sleep in peace! In all of the Japanese sayings, I only like one. 'If it doesn't sing, kill it.' No matter if it's that woman or you people." He points the gun at us. "In front of me, you're just little birds. I've been raised to have an emotionless heart. No matter how bad the environment is, if there are resources, I'll have to take them for myself. The resource you have is the ability to follow someone strong. I even tried to show that to that woman. That woman...refused to follow me! I'm not saying that she didn't give me her resources, but she hurt my PRIDE! So, killing her is the perfect self-defence! The person most able to enjoy different cultures can only be someone like me, for a good reason!" He walks towards Ranko and Ihara. "I won't forgive some low life like you people."
"Killing someone just because you got rejected, you're the one who's messed up!" Yako scolds.
"It's pathetic. Such worthless pride." I comment dryly.
He points his gun at Yako and me. "Shut up! It seems like you want to die."
Ranko and Ihara are quick to run out of the room. Godai tries to get the gun away from David. "You bastard."
"Stop." David points his gun at Godai's face. "Those eyes, they've been annoying me ever since I saw them." He hits Godai around the head with the bottom of his gun.
"Godai-san!" Yako and I call out, worried.
He points the gun at us once more. "Shut up! Lowlifes are not allowed to call other people lowlifes. In other words, you're not allowed to call me a lowlife! Go die." He presses the trigger, releasing a bullet.
It gets closer to Yako, who has her eyes clenched shut. Neuro flicks the bullet back at David, making him fall to the floor. "How can you rank people like that?"
"My nose! It's broken! It hurts!" David cries as he falls to the floor.
Neuro walks towards him, no doubt eating his mystery. David collapses on the floor after Neuro takes a step back. He crouches near David's body. "The first step of understanding a culture is to follow the culture." David falls to the floor face-first. Neuro lifts his head via his hair with soybeans in the other. "You should have a taste of what you call a 'lowlife country'." He places the soybeans on his face and tongue.
"It smells! It tastes like shit! It stinks!" David curses as he tries to wipe the soybeans away.
The police finally arrive and take David away. "It seems like he messed up on the meaning of understanding other cultures." Yako comments.
"The feeling of when you're together with lowlifes..." Neuro places his elbow on Yako's head. "I have a perfect understanding of that."
"I guess..." Yako agrees before wandering off towards the hot springs.
The next day, we head back home in the same seats as on the way to the inn. Once again, only Yako and Godai are talking.
"A rare chance to go on a vacation, only if we could've stayed a few more days," Yako says happily.
"Anyways, why didn't I get my own room?!" Godai demands.
"Because we gotta cut costs!" Yako admits sheepishly.
"Why is it like that?! Hey!" Godai shouts, annoyed.
"Due to this car, we've been losing a lot of money." Yako points out.
"But why do I have to sacrifice?!" Godai complains.
I let out a soft chuckle due to their argument before looking out my window.
/Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review. Your opinions are appreciated.\