Mission 2: Festival Frenzy
"His neck?"
"Mm." Amuro nodded. "He usually keeps it covered, right? I once saw it uncovered, but..."
"But what?" Haibara curiously said, remembering when she tried to uncover his neck herself. She recalled what he said to her.
'Beyond here is my area... and not your territory.'
"He had a mask on. He took that off too, but kept his mouth covered. Do you think he used some kind of trick?" Amuro suggested.
"A mask?" Haibara thought about one of Agasa-hakase's many inventions. 'I KNEW they were in on something!' Haibara frustratingly thought about a certain four-eyed brat.
"We gotta get that scarf!" She suddenly stood up.
"You think so too? But how? He's a pretty sneaky guy." Amuro said.
"Who knows. But I'll yank off that scarf no matter what!" She said with fury.
KNOCK KNOCK
Their conversation was cut short when they heard a knock on the door, the visitor being none other than Okiya Subaru. 'Speak of the devil.' They both thought.
"Okiya-san! What brings you here?" Amuro said with a forced smile.
"I could say the same thing to you. Am I interrupting, princess?" Subaru asked, tilting his head to Haibara. She just rolled her eyes and went back to the couch.
"I just came by to invite her, you can come along, if you like." Subaru said while handing him a flyer. "There's a festival tonight, it looks really fun."
"A festival?" Amuro suddenly had a thought pop in his head. "Of course! We would love to. Doesn't it sound like fun, Haibara-chan?" He said, turning to her.
She simply waved her hand. "Do whatever you want."
"Great. I'll pick you two up later." Subaru said, excusing himself.
"What was the point of that?" Haibara asked, annoyed.
"He'll have his guard down! His scarf can 'accidentally' slip off, and we'll be sure if he's hiding anything. Besides, you will look so adorable in a yukata!"
She scoffed. "I'll just be going in some casual clothes, thank you very much."
He stuck his tongue out. "No need to be so shy, princess." He teased.
"Watch it." She said as she gave him a glare that could kill.
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The three had arrived at the festival. The area was packed with families and kiosks with lots of food and activities.
Their first stop was at a Kingyo Sukui stall, where Haibara was failing miserably to catch a goldfish.
"Want me to catch one for you?" Subaru offered from behind.
"No, thanks. I don't need any help from you." She said, looking away from him.
"Oh, don't say that." He insisted, suddenly guiding her hand.
"H-hold on!" She said frantically.
"And.. there we go!" He said gleefully, catching the fish. "For you." He handed the bright orange goldfish to her.
She gave a mumbled "Thanks", quickly taking the bag. He gave a sincere smile, amused by her stubbornness.
"Hey guys!" Amuro interrupted. "I grabbed some yakitori and sodas for us from that stand over there. Here, try some!" He grinned as he passed the skewers to his two companions.
"Thanks Amuro-kun! These are really good." Subaru smiled as he bit a piece of chicken off of the skewer.
The three began walking together, admiring the lights and decorations. Haibara glanced at Amuro's hand, which was shaking a can of cola.
"Here, you must be thirsty, Okiya-san." Amuro turned to Subaru. "I'll open it for you- Oh no!" He feigned surprise. The cola splashed over Subaru's scarf and collar.
"I'm so sorry! Here let me help." Amuro gasped as he tugged on Subaru's scarf.
"No worries!" Subaru smiled as he began to unwrap the scarf.
Haibara and Amuro held their breath in anticipation, watching the fabric slowly fall into Subaru's hand, revealing…. another scarf?
"It's a good thing I came prepared!" Subaru grinned as he took the half-spilled can of cola from Amuro's hand, taking a sip.
Haibara and Amuro just stared in disbelief.
"Mm, very refreshing!" Subaru nodded. "Look, there's some open space. Let's go sit down." He said, walking up ahead.
"Tch. This guy…" Amuro mumbled.
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As the three sat down in the grass, Haibara held up the fish and smiled at it.
"Like your boyfriend's gift? We should give him a name! How about... Shuu?" Amuro decided to have some fun with her.
"Oh, shut up. And where'd the name 'Shuu' come from, anyway?" She asked, annoyed.
"I think it suits him." Amuro said, thinking of a certain FBI agent.
She looked away.
"Whatever."
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Haibara, Amuro and Subaru continue to look at the kiosks, stopping at one in particular.
"Hey, you two look like you'd have good aim!" A vendor called out.
"Why don't you try out my stand? Just shoot at a prize, and if you hit it, it's yours! Wouldn't you like to win something for this little lady?" The vendor asked, motioning to Haibara.
"Sounds fun, what do you say, Amuro-kun?" Subaru asked as he held the plastic toy gun.
'Hmph, you might be an expert marksman Akai, but I can hold my own too.' Amuro thought as he confidently put money on the counter. "Sure, first rounds on me!"
The two men took their places, with an intense gaze in their eyes, and simultaneously pulled their triggers.
Of course, something like this was a piece of cake for the two spies.
"Wow! We've got two winners, folks." The vendor clapped as he picked up the two prizes.
"Here you go, care for another round?" He asked as he handed them tins of fruit candy.
"Not bad Amuro-kun." Subaru said as he popped a piece of candy in his mouth.
"Thanks." Amuro smirked. "How about some friendly competition? Let's see who gets the hardest target first."
Subaru smiles, putting down some money, much to the delight of the vendor. "You're on. Hey, what's the hardest prize?" He asks.
"Oh, that would be this one." The vendor says as he points to a Kamen Yaiba toy hidden way in the back. "Lots of kids try to win this guy, but no one has gotten it yet!"
'Of course they haven't, it's practically impossible to hit…' The three thought simultaneously.
"Do you like Kamen Yaiba?" The vendor asked Haibara.
Holding back an eye roll, Haibara exclaimed loudly. "Oh, I love Kamen Yaiba! Will you win it for me?" She asked them. 'When Subaru aims the gun, he's just low enough that I can reach his neck…'
"Is that so?" Subaru chuckles, much to her annoyance. "Well then, we have no choice…"
The two try a couple of times, just barely missing the shot each time.
"You're not holding back on me, are you Amuro-kun?" Subaru asks.
"I could say the same to you, Okiya-san." Amuro grins. "With that form, you seem to know your way around a gun."
"Oh, just something I learned from action movies" He said as he took another shot, slightly missing the toy again.
Amuro tried to miss a few more, giving Haibara enough time to slowly creep to Subaru's neck.
Although he didn't react, Subaru knew exactly what their plan was. He internally smirked at the girl behind, ready to dodge another move by them.
"Oh my, Amuro-san. It's a good thing you're not a cop or something, you're really bad at this!" Subaru laughed. "At least I'm hitting closer than you!"
"Aha, I guess you're right." Amuro said, gritting his teeth.
As Subaru lowers his shoulders to aim at the toy, Haibara's hand lightly tugs on the scarf. 'Almost... got it…' She thought as her eyes widened.
"Oh no!" Subaru feigns missing the shot, letting Amuro take the hit.
"I got, I got it! Take that!" Amuro laughs as the vendor hands him the prize.
"Did you see that?! Haibara…chan?"
Haibara gives him a harsh glare as Subaru stands up straight, fixing his scarf that almost slipped off.
"Um, here…" Amuro nervously smiles as he hands her the toy.
Haibara snatches the toy from his hand, tossing it to the nearest kid.
"Wow, a Kamen Yaiba doll! Can I really have this?!" A young boy smiles.
Haibara sighs. "Yeah yeah, whatever." She mumbles as she walks away.
"Oh? I thought you wanted that toy. What a kind princess." Subaru teasingly smiles as he catches up to her.
"Oh, hey, there's a performance happening on the other side of the festival. Why don't we check it out before it ends?" Amuro suggests, trying to distract Haibara from his mistake.
Subaru nods. "That sounds like a great idea."
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As the three continue to walk, Subaru manages to avoid Amuro's attempts left and right. Every quick movement was met with a subtle dodge, irritating Amuro to no end.
They stand together to observe a group of dancers and musicians.
"Psst! What are we gonna do about the plan?" Amuro whispered to Haibara. "We're gonna go home soon..."
"I have an idea. Although I really, REALLY don't want to do it." She said regretfully as she tastes a piece of the candy Amuro won earlier.
"Whatever, just do it!" He said. 'How bad could it be, anyway?'
"Ugh... fine." She muttered, pulling on Subaru's pant leg.
He kneeled down to her. "Yes, princess?" He asked, smirking.
Haibara mustered up all the strength not to smack him right then and there. She put on an overly sweet, childish facade.
"Subaru-san, I can't see the dancers! Will you give me a piggyback?" She asked as she raised her arms.
His eyes widened for a split second, and he smiled for a moment.
'Hmph, lolicon.' She accused him in her head.
"My apologies Haibara-san, but I seem to be having some back-aches." He said, an obvious lie. "I guess Amuro-kun really gave me a run for my money at the shooting game. I'll hold onto this fish for you." He says as he takes hold of the bag.
"Amuro-san, do you mind carrying her?"
"No, not at all." Amuro said politely, but had a few choice words for him in his head.
"Geez, you could have tried a little harder." He whispered to Haibara, now on his shoulders.
"Let's see you try to climb his back." She retorted.
They both looked at each other. Sigh...
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Amuro went back to his apartment, leaving Subaru to walk Haibara home. "Did you have fun?" He asked her as they walked together.
"It was alright." She simply said. "Although it would have been better with anyone else." She said, although not convincingly.
"Oh?" He chuckled. "Wish you were alone with Amuro-san, eh? You two seem very close." He teasingly said.
"Ara, are you jealous?" She asked.
"Do you want me to be?" He asked.
"As if." She angrily denied.
"Oh, come now. If you're mean to me, I might not give you a piggyback." He teased.
She was about to say something back, but he beat her to it.
"Here we are, don't forget Shuu!" He said as he handed her the fish.
'He must have heard what Amuro said earlier.' She thought.
"Do you like him?" He asked, pointing at the fish.
"Yes, I like him much better than you." She said, trying to insult him, but...he looked happy?
"I see. So you like Shuu better than me?" He chuckled.
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" She spat out, wondering why he looked so glad.
"No, no. I'm glad, actually." He said before walking away.
'Weirdo.' Haibara shook her head as she entered her house.
"Ah, welcome back, Ai-kun. How was the festival?" Agasa asked, noticing the bag in her hand. "You won a fish! I'll go get something to put him in." He said as he got up from his seat.
She held up the bag and stared at it.
'I guess he's not so bad after all...
but I still don't trust the guy!'
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
*The moment Haibara recalled in the beginning was from File 811, episode 685.
**Kingyo Sukui is a goldfish scooping game.