Chapter 21: Beginning of the End

"Hmmm…" He looked back and forth between a simplistic black business shirt that could come off as 'casual' and a t-shirt he'd gotten from his university's gift shop a long time ago.

Pairing it with a compatible pair of jeans and shoes would be really hard too. Why did dressing up seem so obscenely difficult? Sure he could go in just a shirt and tie, but would that come off as too business casual?

Tsukauchi was in a rather terrible dilemma. The outing wasn't until a few more hours, but it felt sooner. He didn't have any sort of outfit prepped just yet. Why did Sunday have to come so soon?

Maybe a quick jog to–no, I can't. I'd smell funny if I ran full sprint to a shop. Have to use your resources here and now….

He stopped to open his closet full of various types of business shirts ranging from dark blue, burgundy, to a deep tan. To the left of the monotonous rack of apparel were five jackets to choose from. All save for one may make any aspiring onlooker wilt with depression at his lack of fashion.

He pulled on the sleeve of his trusty tan trench coat and shook his head. Next was the dark brown leather jacket he had forever. Something his sister left behind as a parting gift before she left for the U.S.

It was darker than any other set of clothing he had. It was called Ebony, or maybe Havana… Something fancy and more suited to be shown on a television than for casual wear. Damn that Sister of his. Always choosing gaudy stuff to spite him somehow.

It was a zip up, but he didn't think it'd look great zipped up, but paired with the black shirt underneath….

Would that work? He pulled it free from the rack and slipped the coat hanger out, tossing it onto the bed behind him. Slipping it on was humbling to say the least. It felt snug around his shoulders and biceps. It pulled taut when he tried to stretch his arms in it, so it wasn't really practical to wear in case of emergencies. Plus, only two pockets? He'd like multiple for his wallet, phone, notepad, pen, and any other items on hand.

But it's just a friendly outing between friends, Tsukauchi. No need for anything other than your phone.

He walked over to the bathroom to check out how the amalgamation of clothes he chose would look.

Tsukauchi immediately balked at the sight; he looked sillier than a clown. He couldn't wear this. Shaking his head and striding back to his bedroom in defeat, Tsukauchi reopened the closet and had to choose ole' reliable.

Slipping into a navy-colored business shirt felt like a second skin to him. Nothing else would compare. He began opening up a few of the top buttons on his neck to air it out and make it appear more 'casual'. Flaring out the collar too would help lessen the 'serious' look it had. Business casual was still a thing, he could make it work.

Humming in approval, he opted for the matching straight-cut jeans and dipped his white-sock feet into a pair of trusty brown plain-toe oxfords. Striving back to the bathroom mirror never felt greater as he looked about the outfit with a smile. It wasn't much, but it did the job. No need for a run to the shop or anything.

He checked his watch and saw that it was 6:45. Still two hours to go until it was time to meet her for their outing.

It's going to go great. We'll laugh about it and I'll get to learn more about Hayakawa. It'll be fine.

And yet it felt like something was building up in his heart. Whether it was jitters, butterflies, or dread, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that it was just an outing.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Taking the cab to the Takoyaki restaurant was the smartest thing to do if he was going to be drinking some alcohol tonight. He'd long since forgotten how many months it's been since he's indulged in casual drinking mixed with socializing.

The streets were bustling with night-time goers and tourists - stands of varying foods, merchandise, and such littered the streets while he squeezed past groups of youth parading through to go to the next stop.

"Hey!" He heard a voice call out to him. "Detective!"

Turning around, he caught the sight of Hayakawa, her black hair let down and cascading her shoulders in a long-sleeved white shirt, faded denim jeans, and black canvas shoes. Her smile beamed upon seeing him as she walked up with a judging appraisal of his outfit.

"Still couldn't tear yourself away from the business, could you?" She joked. "I supposed I was anticipating too much to think you'd wear anything less than shirts like these." Hayakawa's fingers pulled at his sleeve. "But I'm glad you made it; I was worried you'd gone and left me, what do they call it…. 'High and dry'?"

"I'd never." Tsukauchi flashed her a smile as he gestured to the loud restaurant in front of them - a neon sign blinking bright shades of purple and red. "So, Natsumatsuri Waves?" He said the name of the place aloud with a whistle.

"It is a lot busier than I'd remembered." Her expression faded lightly. "Oh well, it's not like we're staying too late out. It'll be quick." Hayakawa conceded with a dry chuckle. "Come on then. Let's go on in."

He followed after her, his nose picking up faint notes of what smelled like white jasmine mixed with a few other floral notes of Hayakawa's perfume.

Where had I heard of white jasmine from before…?

As they went in, the volume level escalated with raucous laughter, countless conversations going to and fro in several tables, and the cashier taking a call. The old woman pointed at the two of them to take a seat at the waiting area next to the right where another couple sat.

"We could always try another spot–"

Tsukauchi's hand went up. "Like you said, we're not pining for time. We can wait. Besides, we can talk, can't we?"

Hayakawa nodded with an appreciative smirk. "Yeah, we can."

He opted to give his phone number to the waitress to notify him of whenever a table would open up. Giving a bow to the lady he opened the door for Hayakawa as they ventured out onto the street. "What now?"

"Perhaps a little late night drinking?"

"On an empty stomach?"

"We can always eat some appetizers at a bar, you know."

"You are dangerous, Hayakawa." He laughed. "Fine. Lead the way."

Walking down the street in the dark amidst the busy night owls felt surreal to him. He was never one for nights out like this, and it further solidified as they found a bar called Astro Sands.

"ID." The bouncer said with a stout look about him - his v-neck t-shirt doing little to hide his humongous pecs and biceps that likely yearned to rip free from the pitiful fabric.

Handing them over, the bald tan brute eyed them meticulously, especially looking at Hayakawa with an appraising stare at her hips… Rude.

"You're good. Enjoy your stay." He gruffly said, handing them back and stamping their wrists with a palm-tree logo.

Upon entering the boisterous and loud bar, Tsukauchi and Hayakawa were stopped again by a woman guarding the main dance floor with a cash register and a gaudy stanchion rope to prohibit anyone from just waltzing in without paying an entry fee.

"Oi… It's 1000 yen to get in, y'know?" She said with her hand extended outward, expecting bills or a card to be handed to her.

"1,000 is no issue." Hayakawa said, handing the woman her card. "For two, please."

The card went through without any delay and the woman stamped their other wrist with a similar palm tree logo, but it was a bright red instead of the stark blue this time. "Just don't get too crazy."

Tsukauchi followed after Hayakawa and the loud techno-music playing wasn't at all pleasant. They sat down at the bar and were immediately greeted by a pig-tailed bartender with a bright wavy smile. "Heya! What can I get'cha two?"

" Maybe a single malt scotch - neat." She rested her elbows on the counter and looked at him. "How about you?"

"Ah… a gin and tonic." He winced at the frown the bartender gave him.

"A G huh…? C'mon, your partner's drinking something refined like. Should follow suit, dude."

"A gin and tonic will be fine."

"Tch… Your loss, bozo."

The two shared banter of what they did today; how their paperwork went, and eventually their drinks came to them - Hayakawa's glistening like amber gold while his was given to him with clear disdain….

"You don't deserve her, dude." The bartender hissed as she handed him his G . "Better wake up before the wolves come and get 'er." The girl's acrylic nails pointed at the group of what Tsukauchi would assume were bachelors eying up Hayakawa and making comments.

The music was too loud to really hear anything though, but those men hugged the wall like weeds, standing there with their drinks in hand and attempting to dance.

"I don't think we should go out there." He said aloud in Hayakawa's ear as they waltzed over to a booth to sit down, pointing at the full-floor of men and women enjoying themselves. Some stumbled over each other; more danced in sync; a few stomped their feet in an attempt to look like they were dancing.

"Agreed. I'm more of a casual drinker and less of a party-goer. Besides, it'll kill time for us to just talk."

"Yeah, thanks. I was worried you were going to pull me into that mess."

"It would be a sight." She jested. "Seeing the well-known Detective Tsukauchi doing the running man or the worm."

A plate of pot stickers had eventually been served between them to help ensure they won't be suffering later on in the evening. "I take it you're no dancer too then?"

"No, but if I had to, I could pull off a decent shuffle." She smiled into a bite of her appetizer.

Their conversation was soon interrupted by a loud cry of pure joy as some youthful college-aged guys tore up the dance floor - trying their best to impress what Tsukauchi could only assume were their dates.

He and Hayakawa watched on in silence for a bit - the college men easily taking the main event and dancing to the beat with skill. Sweat gleamed off their faces while they did some wavy move with their hands that got the crowd to join in.

"Eyyy, ohhh!" The crowd cried out with them and the song that was playing - a foreign song apparently as it had English words in it. "Weeey! Ohh!"

Still, the song got the crowd pumping and it made Hayakawa chuckle as she pushed away her finished drink. "Shall we join in for a bit? Wave our hands?"

"I mean, if you're up–ohh!" His hand got pulled by her surprisingly strong grip - eventually they found a tiny spot inside the large mosh pit. He hesitantly put his hands up, raising them up high with Hayakawa as they did their best to ride along the hype of the song and crowd.

"How's everyone doing tonight!?" The DJ said aloud in the mic as he held it to the crowd who could only reply with screams of affirmations. "Let's bump up the noise!" The man, dressed in a off-white flannel shirt and large colorful glasses, put his headphones back on and began dialing up his machine.

Tsukauchi found himself laughing with Hayakawa. Neither of the two really sure what to do until the songs eventually died down for them to slip away to the bar counter, slight sheen of sweat on both their foreheads.

He had to tug and air out his shirt from the humidity of body heat that was in that moshpit. "Shall we go check on our table?"

His partner nodded. "Yes, let's."

"Alright, let me just go and use the bathroom, and I'll be outside."

"Very well, just don't go throwing up. We haven't even gotten to eat takoyaki yet." She grinned, letting him go as she stayed at the bar counter.

Tsukauchi tried to squeeze past the group, ignoring the smell of booze and sweat until he found the bathrooms. Several men came out of it with laughter and jests until he found the booth. He ignored the various graphic drawings on the stall to his right where a man was busy emptying his horrid bowels with groans.

The smell was atrocious, he had to leave as soon as possible.

Taking care of business and heading to the sink proved slightly weird as a man with conspicuous intentions was next to him, eying him up and down and looking to the door. "Hey… You."

Tsukauchi pointed to himself. "Are you talking to me?"

That earned a groan from the man as he adjusted his glasses and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, who else would I be speaking to - the god damn guy shitting his guts out?! Of course you!" He pointed at him. "You're with that woman, right? The one with glasses?"

Tsukauchi's eyes darkened. "What of her?"

"I'm just a concerned party - don't mention me, please. Just… People need ya. Like really need ya. Don't go with her. Just don't."

"Why?" He asked with suspicion.

He shushed Tsukauchi's lips with his finger, its tip moist from the soap, gross….

"Shhh! She could be hearing us…." He said in pure paranoia. "It's taken all my balls to even be here in the same place as her. I can't tell you directly because she'll know that you know. Fucking bitch, I should've known she literally had 'ears' everywhere..." He pushed a note into his hand. "You didn't see me. Don't know me. And, if you have any heart as a detective - don't mention me to her. If you value a concerned citizen's life, don't tell her anything about this little talk of ours."

He left in a flash after that, not even bothering to zip his fly as the door barreled open, leaving Tsukauchi puzzled.

He flipped open the crumpled letter that simply read: 'She's not who she says she is. Leave the date while you can.'

Tsukauchi scratched his head and shrugged, simply tossing the paper into the trash bin and heading outside.

He found Hayakawa idly sipping some water and standing up, brushing off any crumbs from some dessert she'd got from the bartender. "What took you so long?"

"Ah, just some weirdo talking to me. Maybe a drunken one at that. Said not to bother with you, weirdly enough."

"Did he have a gap in his teeth?" She said with amusement at Tsukauchi's astonished stare.

"How did–"

"That's the jilted lover I was telling you about. Let me guess, something along the lines of 'I'm not who I say I am, or so?"

"Word for word… Should I go tell him off?" He said, looking around for the guy.

"Mmm, such a forlorn creep. Trying to stop the inevitable. Just ignore it. He's simply jealous that I'm seen with you."

"If you say so. Let me know if you see him again or if he bothers you."

"He won't. Him coming here won't change anything. He knows it as much as I do." She said with an indifferent shrug. "Come, let's go see if our table is ready."

They left the bar and felt the cool breeze from the beach not too far off. Walking along the sidewalk with her felt awkward after having met what he could could fathom was a messy ex of Hayakawa's… The man didn't look well at all.

Baggy, bloodshot eyes, disheveled hair, and moppy hair didn't strike him as a guy to be Hayakawa's type…

"Still on about that ex of mine?" She said, leaning forward in his field of view. "Don't let it bother you. This is just an outing, remember? Think nothing of him and we should be just fine."

Eventually the two found themselves back inside Natsumatsuri waves. They waited for at least twenty minutes before a table was finally freed up and granted to the two of them. He followed the waiter who settled them at the booth with a window of the beach.

The night sky did it great justice as the moon reflected off the water with the smooth swell of the waves lapping gently at the sandy beach below. There were a few bonfires lit down below with people huddled around them; others chased each other in laughter; some drank what he hoped wasn't alcohol and played songs.

"Wow… That's–"

"Amazing? I know, I thought of the same when I stumbled onto this place a while back." She said while sipping on some water. "Ah, can I get a beer, actually, make it two?" Hayakawa looked to him with a glance.

"Sure, I'll take it. You're paying, you say?" He grinned, resting his palms onto the booth's table, tapping his fingers while looking at the menu.

"But of course; I did say I'd treat you to some delicious takoyaki."

The two waited for the waitress to write down their orders and as the women left, Hayakawa leaned forward, elbow propped up on the table with her chin resting on her palm. "So, how's life been besides work?"

Tsukauchi stopped sipping at his water and set the clear-plastic cup aside. "Stressful. I doubt I've gotten a full eight hours of sleep in months." He fiddled with the straw, swirling the ice cubes inside. "You?"

"Mmm, much the same." Hayakawa's eyes drifted to her left, watching over the busy tables of other patrons laughing and eating their meals. "Say… I've got a question for you. Not the romantic 'are you single,' of course." She held a hand up, almost causing his stomach to drop. "A philosophic one, if you may."

"And here I thought I'd get to know what your favorite animals are, or maybe what color you like." He sighed.

"Indulge me."

"Fine. Shoot away."

She rested her back to the cushion behind her. "What do you, in your honest opinion, think of quirks?" She asked, staring intently at his face with her expression taking on a determined look.

"Quirks…? Like in general?" His brow furrowed at the question. "What brought this up?"

"Just curious is all. We are only human - no quirks really brand us as special or portray our image as all-powerful."

"That is true… I guess I could say that there is a time and place for them." He stopped her before she could make her assumption. "What I meant is that quirks are useful, I'll admit that. But… sometimes I wish they weren't. It's divided the world as a whole. We've taken two lunges forward, and forty backflips into the past."

"Oh?" Hayakawa leaned forward with both elbows on the table this time. "Would you prefer that they didn't exist at all?"

"Sometimes, but people like All-Might," Tsukauchi noticed a brief frown appear on Hayakawa's lips before it could hide itself with a sip of water. "...Showed me that quirks are signs of greatness. That they can be used for the better of the world."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here." Hayakawa thanked the waitress as she brought in two large mugs of beer, setting them onto coasters and bowing.

Their conversation continued with occasional sips or swigs of the strong brew. The taste is just right.

"You are right in that. I can't, as a member of the law, in good conscience consider them part of justice when quirks can just as easily be misused. We've seen countless villains use them for truly awful things."

"True that." Hayakawa hummed, taking her attention away from him and accepting a hefty plate of fresh hot takoyaki, pushing the intricate ceramic toward the middle of the table and reaching for chopsticks. "What if, hypothetically of course, quirks ceased to exist at all?"

"I'd eat my own shoe if that were the case." He chuckled, prepping his own chopsticks. "We'd all be equal then."

"Equal…" She murmured with a disagreeing glare, taking a swig of beer. "I don't think we would. There would be, let's say, other outliers that people would clamor towards to ensure they were superior than the other." Setting down her mug, she sighed. "It would be start though. A start to setting the world right."

"Would you prefer a world like that though? Free of quirks. Free of suffering. Free of everything bad?"

"Bad?" He looked confused. "Define what you mean by 'bad'."

"War, death, famine. Everything that causes the world suffering."

"Well, not everyone sees everything as 'bad,' Hayakawa. Take movies for example; some are seen as incredible works of cinematic art, while others may say its the worst thing they've seen in their entire life. It's a matter of perspective. So, I guess I wouldn't want a world like that."

"Movies, huh." She sighed in disappointment. "I really do dislike bad movies. Her eyes glanced at him, or rather behind him. Likely she was zoning out, reminded of a memory. Crap, did he say something off-putting?

He had to save it. "What considers a movie 'bad' in your eyes?"

"The chaos of them. Movies like that have no place in the world. They're flawed, poorly structured, and rarely enjoyable."

"Maybe you've not seen a lot of 'good' movies then." He joked, but she didn't laugh. Ouch… Okay not a good choice.

"I have seen a lot of movies; a majority of them are just that: bad."

"Some people do like those sorts of movies though." He countered, wincing at the light glare he got from her. "Just hear me out: what you hate is what another person might love. We can't control things like that."

"But if we could? If we could live in a perfect, controlled world like that?"

"It wouldn't be a world worth living in. Everything, even bad movies, have value to people."

She stayed silent, taking another bite of takoyaki and downing it with a swig of the beer. "I was hoping you'd see things my way, but, mmm." She munched on some food. "To each their own, I guess." Hayakawa said that with thinly-veiled venom.

Tsukauchi had to cringe a bit. He didn't want to sound like he was disagreeing with her.

You're doing wonderfully, you idiot.

He had to steer the conversation to something else. "Let's forget philosophy. I don't want to babble on about stuff that might get us to hate each other."

"But I do dislike you, Tsukauchi." She said, her face morphing into an indifferent stare. "Every moment with you fills me with such dislike that I cannot even fathom how it is possible. You're the second most ridiculous person I've had to put up with." She slowly took off her glasses, setting them aside on the table. "But you're no Denji, so that's fine. You get points for that."

Ouch… Okay, this was not on his bingo card tonight. "Have I done something to offend you in any way? If so, I can apologize–"

"You can't." She cut him off. "Because at every turn you are there - like a scuttling lice that refuses to leave my scalp at every turn. At the hospital; at the USJ; at the station; everywhere." She said with heavy exasperation. "And every time that mind of yours refuses to cave to me"

Mind…? What was she–

His eyes widened as she snapped her fingers, her normally black hair slowly fading into a red hue. Her other hand was forming into a finger-gun gesture.

"And I finally figured out why, Tsukauchi. Why I dislike you so much." Soon the loud raucous laughter in the entire restaurant paused. He glanced about, taking note of how every patron, every waitress and waiter, even the cooks, stopped and stared at him.

All around, the people began pulling the strings on the blinds, shuttering them close, and locking the door to the restaurant. The waitress from earlier flipped the sign from open to closed.

His heart was thumping in his chest like a wardrum - telling him to get the hell out of dodge.

Hayakawa let out a dry chuckle, wiping her cheek with a napkin. "It was a funny fantasy, though. Thinking you and I could ever really be friends."

She rose from her seat, aiming her finger at him. "I can't have you interfere with the Sports Festival. I can't have you interfere with what will fix this world."

AN:

Tsukauchi: "We're so back!"

*Sees Makima's air gun* "It's so over..."

Should've listened to that gap-toothed jilted lover, man... Would've saved you the hassle. Darn bar bathroom conversations.

Anyways here's the 21st chapter of ATI! Hope you like it and has you sweating for our boy Tsukauchi.

Again, always appreciate your words and love for this story! We're nearing the Sports Festival Arc!

Also, I've noticed Chapter 20 is sometimes disappearing, which is weird... Darn website making things funky. Hopefully it'll be fixed, if not I may republish it so it's visible.