In the mid 16th century's Edo, the Time Detectives investigated the Imperial Palace, the castle standing out clear from the houses, temples, shrines, stalls, and other buildings. "So you're saying this is Tokyo city in the past?" Fiamma asked Mobius.
"Yeah, it's called Edo now, and it will be until they change the name over 300 years from today's current date, ironically during the late Edo Period."
"So Godzilla and the other monsters won't likely make any appearances here for a few more centuries... that's no fun." The Fire Giantess huffed.
"Hey, you've got a potential ninja Loki to chase after already; you don't need to go looking for other suitors already." Mobius teased.
"Suitors? More like dinner!" Healer corrected.
"With her, they'll probably end up as both." Sylvie snarked.
"Myabe the latter, but I was thinking more along the lines of a pet, something I can hitch a ride on." Fiamma remarked. "Anyway, back to the serious business... judging from their tracks here, it looks like they headed north. Do you detectives have any maps on those time travel devices of yours?"
"Yeah." Mobius brought up a map of Japan on his TemPad. "The next city to the north would be Mito."
"Alright, animal team, sniff out a northward path for us!" Loki instructed.
The golden serpent Jörmungandr and the striped dog Wanwan sniffed out the trail of the second horse-pulled wagon, after Loki managed to convince the canine that the gigantic snake was on their side. However, the pooch still eyed the gigantic snake warily, while Watari, still in her natural fox body, did the same towards Wanwan as she helped them track.
"It's ironic how you're afraid of a dog your size, while a snake whose head is several times larger than you doesn't even faze you." Loki told Watari.
"The size is a bit intimidating, but I don't have to worry about snakes: I love snakes! I snack on them all the time between meals!"
Loki raised his eyebrows and gritted his teeth, glancing behind him to make sure Jörmungandr didn't overhear. "Shhh! Don't let him know that, or he might take that as a challenge! I mean, you're still puny compared to him, but it's disrespectful nonetheless! And disgusting!"
"See? It is not only me who thinks they would be deliciousss!"
Loki shook his head. "Healer, could you please just..." He sighed.
"Stay focused? Am I making you uncommmfortable?" Healer paused, waiting for his host to confirm something, until he chose to communicate privately. "Do you want to talk it out?"
"No, we have already."
"Yet you still feel uneasy from time to time since... since I hurt you. I notice, Loki, we are oneee: you should never feel afraid of me when we are one. You trusttt me, do you not?"
"...Yes. Yes and no. Now isn't really the time for a therapeutic discussion; let's just focus on finding our real adversary for now."
"Okeydokey, Loki!"
The detectives followed their animal companions out of Edo, keeping check on their surroundings for any sign of human-like movement. After about half an hour of walking, Loki hopped on his pet snake's back while he slithered onward, helping Mobius and Sylvie on, and taking special care to help his fiancée find a comfortable position for both her and their unborn baby. He then conjured up some cushioned seating for her.
Approaching the city of Fukushima, Kōrima, disguised as a merchant, carefully uncovered his own trail, using his ninja arts to see the tiniest details hidden on the ground below him and the trees above. When he reached the outskirts of the city, he was suddenly beckoned with a "psst!" He looked to see an elderly woman, sitting in a wooden enclosing and fanning herself with a leaf.
"Looking for something?" She casually asked him.
Kōrima nodded. "I have been separated from my horse-drawn wagon: they were heading to the north when we stopped in Mito, and it seems they had forgotten me there. Have you seen one pass through recently, ma'am?"
"Iiiii might have... one with a special treasure inside, right? With shrine guards in travelers' uniforms guarding it?"
"Yes, that's it! ...How do you know what we're guarding on the inside?"
"Ohhh, that is a trade secret! Heheheh, I can see a lot of things people try to hide, and I can see where they're going right... this... moment!"
"Is it still heading north?"
The old woman snickered. "Maybe. I'll tell you where they went... if you get something for me in return!"
"Would you like some sake?" Kōrima offered. "I could easily bring you some from town."
"No... well, yeah, that sounds good too, but that's not the main thing I want: too obvious!"
"What do you need from me, ma'am?"
"To find out what I want... that I will tell you, but you'll have to solve it in riddle form first!"
Kōrima remained unfazed, secretly eager to test his wits against the mysterious elderly woman. "Very well, let's hear it."
Meanwhile, the detectives reached Mito, passing through it undetected as Loki's magic over the group continued to conceal their presence. "I'm sure they'll notice a huge trail in the ground coming from nowhere!" Yatagarasu mentioned.
"Better that than letting them see who's leaving it." Loki replied as he re-covered up the ground, hiding the obvious snake tracks from pursuers. "If they start a panic, it'll only distract Jörmungandr from doing his job." So the humongous serpent slid right through the city, passing through it quickly towards the road to the next big city.
Hours passed until they reached Fukushima, and they immediately noticed the old lady's stall in the middle of the city outskirts. Jörmungandr skidded to a halt, apparently losing the scent and taking particular notice of the old woman. She grinned. "Hello, you invisible snake, you! Sniffing out a trail, are ya?"
"She can see us?" Loki turned to Watari and Yatagarasu. "Do either of you know her?" They both shook their heads, and Loki revealed his team. "Excuse me, Ms..."
"Just call me Yuki."
"Ms. Yuki, how did you know an invisible snake was making this trail?"
"I have my ways. I can see many things, including the wagon you're chasing after."
"Loki sama, I don't trust her." Watari spoke instead. "She knows too much, and she smells of..." She sniffed the air. "Tanuki!"
"And a kitsune!" Yuki recognized, and both she and her wooden structure transformed into a raccoon dog. "And just what are you sniffing around here for, fox?" Yuki questioned, now speaking in a male-sounding voice.
"That is none of your business, trickster!"
"You're calling me a trickster? What next hypocrite, you going to make fun of my bushy tail?"
"Not your tail, just an undersized part in the front to match your tiny brain."
The tanuki gritted his teeth in a defensive stance. "You stuffy, flea-bitten-" Yuki turned to Wanwan. "You know that's a big orange chew toy you're riding around with, right? You're on my side, aren't you?"
Loki then interrupted them. "I don't mean to intrude on your round of snarky banter, but do you really know where the wagon is, Yuki san, or is that merely a trick as Watari stated?"
"That's probably not even his real name." Watari mumbled.
"I'll have you know it's a nickname for Tatsuyuki: Tatsuyuki the Tanuki, and yes, I really know where the wagon is. But... you'll have to solve my riddle to find out from me! Oh, and that big-mouthed fox isn't allowed to answer!" He then wrapped his leaf around Watari's mouth and transformed it into a magical muzzle.
"And how do we know you're telling the truth?" Sylvie interrogated. "You tricked us, same as she did!"
"Kitsune, especially that stuck-up one, trick people with transformations for personal gain and nefarious purposes: I disguise myself because it's just plain funny." Tatsuyuki snickered.
"He's telling the truth too." Loki told his fiancée and the others, holding up his TemPad. "Verified by my variant's friendly human lie detector!"
Sylvie turned to her fiancé. "Well, we could probably get the information out of him the Sylvie way, but you'd rather solve the riddle like a true detective, wouldn't you?"
"Your deduction is correct. I'm terribly sorry for the rude things our kitsune client said to you... she naturally has an aversion to canids, you see, and fear often leads her to say things she doesn't mean. Before we begin, Mr. Tatsuyuki, may I offer you some sake?" With a wave of his hands, a pitcher of the famous beverage and a few glasses appeared. "Not to be presumptuous, but I heard that tanuki are very fond of it, as are many humans."
"Oh, that's very thoughtful of you, thank you." Tatsuyuki happily filled a bottle. "Funny enough, the shinobi who was looking for the same wagon you are offered me sake too, before he solved my riddle."
"Great, he already knows where it is?" Mobius sighed.
"Mayyybe. So, here's it goes: are you ready?" Tatsuyuki played a drumroll on his belly. "'In this beautiful shape, enlightenment can be found, whether in person or in a scroll bound. And also, it's round! It's the main weakness of many mortal men, but it's easy to find again and again. It's only discovered when it's uncovered.' What do I seek?"
Loki and his team huddled up. "I don't suppose he's referring to the moon."
"A round shape, weakness of many men... sounds like a chocolate-covered brain to me, or for the non-brain-eaters, some cake balls, but since they don't have chocolate here yettt... maybe some dango?"
"I don't think it's food, Healer."
"Aho, aho! Tanuki tend to be simple and cruder than kitsune in their tastes, at least from my experiences." Yatagarasu told them. "They're hardly the philosophical type, so this riddle shouldn't be too complicated or difficult to solve."
"No, I think I know what he's referring to already."
"So do I." Sylvie seconded. "He's a mischievous sort, so he probably thinks like us."
"I know what he's describing too." Fiamma thirded. "The question is, which of us has to present them to him?"
"Now that's quite a bit too crude!" Loki objected. "He said in a scroll, so I should think a picture would suffice." Still unable to speak, Watari pulled out a scroll and showed it to them. "Ah, perfect. Thank you! We've solved your riddle, Mr. Tatsuyuki."
"Really? You have in that scroll the beautiful shape that brings enlightenment, the weakness of men when revealed?" He summarized his riddle.
"We remember." Loki passed him the scroll, and the tanuki's eyes lit up as he beheld its contents: an image of a naked woman.
"Yes, yes, that's it, it's boobs! Good job, detectives!"
"Pervert, pervert!" Yatagarasu crowed.
"I agree with Yata-yata, but... it is a nice drawing." Sylvie admitted. "I might like a copy to hang on my wall."
"Pervert, pervert!" Loki mimicked.
"Oh shut up!"
"So, which way is the wagon headed?"
"To the northwest... they're in Niigata right now, stopping to rest. I'm just going to keep this scroll... and I'll need my leaf back!" He transformed the muzzle back, and Watari exhaled in relief.
"See? He's disgusting!" The fox exclaimed.
"If he's so disgusting, what were you doing with that scroll?" Mobius questioned her.
"Studying it for transformations... of course!"
"...Of course."
"Then let's get going!" Sylvie immediately opened a portal to the northwestern city, but before they left, Tatsuyuki called to them.
"Oh, and don't worry about your shinobi: he's headed northeast towards the eastern coast!"
Loki scrunched his face. "Why? Did they change directions when they heard?"
"Nah, I just gave Kōrima the wrong directions. I heard about his theft back in Kyōto and how he tricked the guards into attacking one of my statues... just plain disrespectful! And even though your pet fox was rude too, at least you detectives have decent manners!"
"Pet!?" Watari repeated. "I am the messenger of goddess, Inari sama!"
"Oh, excuse me, the goddess Inari's pet! Anyway, you guys should beat Kōrima there by a longshot! Good luck!"
Loki smirked. "Again, thank you." They left for Niigata, searching for the wagon until the guards found them.
"Detectives, Yatagarasu san, do you have news on the thief?"
"He is the legendary Kōrima the Undying, and he has both of the other treasures!" The crow relayed.
"We've come to give you extra security, in case he finds you as well." Loki explained. "We know how to combat his powers, and we can stop him and recover the other two treasures from him!"
"Now can we get some sushi?"
Loki nodded. "Indeed we can!"
After their meal, they entered the horse-pullled wagon, where Loki inspected the curved jewel from a distance. "Nice, it's even green."
"It looooks like an overgrown lima bean."
"Still thinking about food... I can't say I'm surprised."
Healer then spoke privately to Loki once more. "Now that we're on the road and waiting for your plannn to play out, we have time to talk some serious therapyyy. I can assure you that I will never harm my host ever again! I only eat unneeded organs from others, remember?"
"I know... if you wanted to eat my internal organs, you would have done so back when you first threatened me, when we first met."
"That... that was so long agooo... but... if you are still frightened of meee, then we are back to that stage of our relationship. Like you and Sylvie said about the fox lady, if we cannot trust each other, then we cannot move forward."
"I- I realize that. It's just... it just wasn't until you actually hurt me from the inside that the full realization dawned on me... how easily you could..."
"Lokiii... when I bit into your tummy, it was on impulse... I was not planning to harm you, even though you harmed us earlier."
"You know damn well we were both under emotional manipulation earlier! And the next time I unknowingly say one of your secret trigger words, what's to stop you from acting on one of your 'impulses' then, hm?"
"What will stop me is the same realization that's bothering you right now: how easily I can hurt you! When I hurt you, I felt the same pain you did, like you did when you stabbed me with your fire sword. Our symbiosis is complete, unlike my bonds with my previous hosts, so anything I do to you I do to myself! I promise you, Loki, you have nothing to fear from me!"
"...I know. I know, Healer, and yet... the thought of you being able to kill me from the inside before I've even realized... I know you won't, because you need me and you feel all the pain that I do, as you said, but still... the very idea just... unnerves me. I have an ominous feeling."
Healer scowled. "I callll it paranoia. On top of that, you're still worried about Mobius aging when he leaves the Null-Time Zoneee. Worrying is not good for that big brain of yours: just because you hop back and forrrth through time for your job... doesn't mean it is healthy for your mind to do so with your future."
Loki scrunched his eyebrows again. "When did you become so philosophical?"
"You know when, Sherlokiii."
Loki nodded. "Fine then. The only one who shall need to fear for his future will be Kōrima!"
