❝You gotta have some excitement
in life, don't you agree?❞ just a textbook lousy detective;
a bumbling jester with a
hunger for cheap cabbage.
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tracking: #foggiestidea
Here goes the tempest. Seems like a habitual scenery by now — it all begun with the downfall of someone he considered closer, genuinely closer, that is. He tries to gore out as many of these creatures as his ability allows him too. Despite he considers himself adept with his weapon, he is not a super human, in the sense that he’s gradually getting exhausted over swinging the blade through the rows of shadows. They still manage to scratch him, hurt him. There are groans of light pain that come from a dry mouth, several times.
Adachi tries to burn his conscience with his demons, demons he so well hid for months — tricked everyone. It hurts, how fool could have they been — could even say it feels like some sort of betrayal against his persona, but … does he have the right to say such selfish thoughts? Not in the slightest, seemingly. However, his thoughts are cut off when he manages, surprisingly - but not unexpected, to stand up so sickeningly gracious. His grip on his only defense tighten — it was for naught, and it makes his teeth clench due the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion he’s starting to feel.
He falls, and by reaction he swats Adachi’s hand away with force. He could feel the hard pieces of destroyed rocks and other materials against his back, and they hurt at contact. They stand up almost at the same time, but Narukami’s slower — inhibitions decreasing. He doesn’t stand up completely — knees against the ground to recover a little bit of energy with little effort, end of the blade working as some kind of walking stick.
“You’re the only using them, you called them here. They’re the only barriers that distances me from you. I don’t know what you were expecting…,” Gradually his words are getting less and less, making obvious the feeling of weariness that’s growing within him. This pause is enough to catch a bit of breath, but the mixture of the fog, the weird smells and many other things are bindings that try to make him sink and plunge.
He doesn’t waste valuable energy he needs to answer to his taunting. Steeled eyes fix on how the creatures surround them, like a bunch of barbarians seeing the fighters’ combat until one of them is on the cold, heartless ground. But this time, for good.
The cut on his cheek drop blood on the floor, tainting its gray tonalities with some fitting crimson. Glasses getting cracks as the battle goes on and forth. Visibility lowering, but still manages to be aware of his environment, and what he sees is something… badly surprising. The blade is identical to his, leaving aside the hues. He’s fairly at disadvantage, but regardless — even if he wanted to yield, it’s too late for that now. For now he only stands up, knees slightly weak but is able to prepare himself for the worst outcome.
“I called them here? Me?” Adachi gestured to himself in an exaggerated manner, clearly amused by the boy’s accusation. “Are you sure about that? I mean, just take a look around, Yu-kun: all eyes are on you.” And it was true; embedded within the writhing black wall that surrounded the two were dozens of red eyes, all of them hungrily fixated on Narukami. “Yeah, they listen to what I say -- usually, anyway -- but you’re the one they came to see. And who can blame them? Just look at you."
"Handsome, smart, polite...” The detective released a small sigh, his attention devoted entirely to the rusted sword he’d pulled from the rubble; he ran a thumb and forefinger up and down the blade, pausing to examine the occasional nick he received. “Everybody in Inaba wants you, so I guess it’s only natural that their Shadows would, too.” There’s a sourness in his voice that’s reminiscent of a child’s pouting, but Adachi's quick to remind Narukami that his temper tantrums tend to produce a far more deadly outcome: “Do you think there’ll be enough of you left over for all of them to share?”
Despite Adachi’s clear advantage over the boy, he lacked the knowledge and finesse Narukami had come to acquire when it came to his weapon of choice. The detective gripped the sword with one hand rather than two, hoisting it above his head before letting it swing down upon Narukami like a guillotine.
CLANG
The discord of steel against steel rang throughout the dungeon floor, causing the surrounding Shadows to momentarily squirm in discomfort. Adachi gritted his teeth as he applied more force to his blade in an attempt to break through the boy’s parry, but this proved to be too tiring; the detective pushed the boy away with his foot, releasing a heavy sigh in the process.
“Y’know, for a second there,” he paused to swallow, catching his breath, “I was actually a little worried... but I knew I could count on you not to make this boring, Yu-kun.”
“Sir, how many times do we have to go over this? If Namatame’s lawyers found out you–”
“To hell with his lawyers!” Dojima slammed his fists down on the bed’s table tray, sending a bowl of untouched apple slices onto the floor with a clatter. “Do you think his lawyers give a damn about what he did to Nanako? Do you? I just,” the senior detective heaved a frustrated sigh, burying his face into his hands, “I just need some answers… I just want to talk…”
“Talk. Right.”
Adachi released a sigh of his own, screwing his eyes up towards the ceiling. For a guy who’s just lost everything, Dojima sure was persistent. As much fun as locking his superior and Namatame together in a room to play ‘seven minutes in Hell’ would undoubtedly be, Adachi was actually planning to walk away from all of this unscathed – he just wasn’t so sure Dojima would be able to walk away with him. The younger detective moved to the other man’s bedside, and leaned in.
“Is this what Nanako-chan would’ve wanted?” he asked softly.
Dojima slowly looked up at his partner, regarding him. “It’s what I want,” he finally said.
“…”
Without breaking eye contact, the junior detective retrieved his radio and began speaking into it. “Adachi here. It looks like Dojima-san’s managed to get out of his room again. I’ve already got doctors and nurses searching for him, but can Yagami-kun and Kagura-kun help by doing a sweep of the third and fourth floors? I’ll come watch Namatame in case that’s where he’s heading.”
“Shit, again?” a voice – Kagura’s, maybe – replied. “All right, we’ll let you know if we find him.”
“Thank you…” Dojima murmured, looking down at his lap.
Adachi liked to think himself creative; he could probably come up with some kind of excuse in case Namatame winds up a little black and blue. “C'mon, Sir,” he urged, grabbing a nearby wheelchair and sliding it towards Dojima. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
Perhaps Adachi should consider a career as an improv actor; when the two reached Namatame’s room, they found that it was, in fact, unguarded. The junior detective glanced down at Dojima, noticing how white his knuckles were from the way his hands gripped the armrests. He looked so tense, like he was going to spring out of his seat the moment Adachi opened the door.
“Five minutes,” he whispered into Dojima’s ear. “Okay? Then I’m taking you back to your room.”
Dojima said nothing, his eyes staring intently at the door. Adachi sighed, “Here we go…”
As soon as the door opened wide enough, the older detective wheeled himself inside. Before Adachi even had a chance to react, Dojima made an odd discovery: “He’s – he’s not here!”
“Not here?” It was true; Namatame was nowhere to be found. “But how–”
“Damn it, Adachi!” Dojima interjected. “Don’t tell me this is the wrong room!”
“No, this is it! Top floor in the second surgical ward, furthest room back! You saw the guards before!”
“Then…” The senior detective furrowed his brows as he connected the dots. “… He must have escaped! Adachi, you radio the others; I’m not letting that bastard get away!” Dojima forced himself to his feet, ambling out of the room and towards the elevators whilst supporting himself against the wall.
Adachi opened his mouth to protest, but decided to let Dojima go; he wouldn’t make it very far without help, and the doctors could just stitch him back up if he got himself hurt again, anyway. No, this was far more interesting. The detective’s gaze immediately turned to the large TV, which greeted him with a slightly obscured reflection. Could Namatame have entered the world inside? It wouldn’t have been the first time, but Adachi couldn’t imagine his last visit ended on a high note.
Movement – out of the corner of his eye, the detective noticed the curtains fluttering ever so slightly. The window was open? After giving it a once-over, he supposed it was large enough for a grown man to fit through, but that seemed like such a ballsy move, a feat which required something that Namtame clearly lacked. Adachi brushed the curtain aside and peered out the window, wondering if he’d see the man’s flattened corpse on the pavement below, but found something – someone – different entirely.
“… Yu-kun…?”
He’s become uncomfortably familiar with Narukami’s nighttime silhouette, having seen it coming towards him during so many evenings at the gas station. Even from this distance, he could tell that the boy stories below him was Dojima’s beloved nephew. What was he doing out in front of the hospital? He seemed – unsteady. Adachi watched as the boy stumbled towards a trashcan, only to fall down on the ground and – was he vomiting? His coughing and retching, though faint, managed to reach the detective’s ears. What was wrong with him? Was he ‘sick with grief’ over Nanako?
Another figure quickly joined Narukami. It must have been that Hanamura kid, judging by the way he rushed to the boy’s side and patted his back. Adachi’s eyes wandered to where the Junes brat had come from and found what he assumed to be the rest of the super sentai wannabes nearby. All of them looked so uneasy, even from far away; their arms wrapped around themselves, looking down at the ground. If Adachi didn’t know any better, he would have thought they had done something bad.
The detective glanced back towards the TV. Experimentally, he touched the screen with the tips of his fingers and watched them slowly slide past the barrier between this world and the next. The sensation reminded him of Mayumi Yamano and the way he’d pushed her inside the TV at the Amagi Inn – and the way the other world had spit her body back out.
She didn’t want to believe it— didn’t want to think that such a twisted reality could actually exist. It was his voice, Senpai’s voice. But the way it carried was not him at all, nor was the crooked smile that narrowed his expression in a sinister way. Rise felt a chill begin in her heart and drop down to fill her stomach, her arms subconsciously wrapped around her body to contain the trembling that threatened to take over.
❝Naoto-kun…?❞ She whispered dumbly, shaking her head slowly back and forth. One of her feet took an un-sure step back and felt her knees trying to buckle beneath her.
She tried desperately to think of what to do, even to sort out what exactly was standing before her. A shadow? Could that be it? Was it just like before…? But if the shadow was here, then where was Yu-senpai? And what he said about Naot-kun couldn’t be true… it just couldn’t! A bit of fire sparked in her, brows furrowing and dark eyes shining with unshed tears
❝I don’t believe you!❞ And with a whip of dark tresses she turned and ran. Her feet beat at the ground like they never had before, faster and more driven than she had ever moved in her life. She had to find the others. She had to find them no matter what.
However the nightmare only continued to thicken around her. No matter how far she ran, no matter how long, she would only return, and he was always there. Calm, chiding, smug. Ivory teeth peeking out from pale lips, eyes piercing her like a a dagger through the heart. She kept turning around, kept trying to get away. Her lungs seared in pain, each breath burning her throat. Her legs screamed for relief, exhaustion building against her.
She watched her feet slow to a jog, eyes squinted closed for a brief moment, when she looked up she ran right into him, body sliding against the seemingly familiar frame. Instantly she shrieked and shoved out her arms, but it only sent her off balance and she collapsed upon the floor. She sucked in a shaky breath, only able to look up at her effortless pursuer, face a mixture of terror and defiance.
His laughter only grew more raucous at Rise’s sudden outburst; the impostor made no attempt to pursue her as she turned tail and ran, too preoccupied with trying to quell his fit: one arm wrapped around his stomach while the other supported itself upon his knee, head dipped forward and face obscured by silver bangs as he struggled to catch his breath. When he finally looked up, Rise had disappeared into the surrounding fog. He grinned.
What a good girl, going through the trouble of wearing herself out so he didn’t have to.
It didn’t matter how many steps she took or how many corners she turned – he was always there, like a nightmarish game of ‘peek-a-boo.’ The impostor smiled and waved to her each time she passed by; after the fourth lap, he’d taken a seat on a pile of broken TV sets and tattered police tape, staring down at his wristwatch and drumming his fingers atop his thigh as though he were bored. Sometimes, he’d just be watching her, his expression inscrutable.
Alas, Rise’s endurance was a finite resource – as was her tormentor’s patience.
“What, no hug? But we were getting so cozy just a few minutes ago!” He chuckled again, softer this time; if it wasn’t for that twisted grin on his face, she might have wondered if he really was Narukami – or at least some version of him. “Geez, what a face! If looks could kill… You really shouldn’t be frowning so much, you know? It’ll give you wrinkles. And nobody wants an idol with wrinkles.”
He sighed, shrugging lightly. “Watching you run around was pretty fun, but that’s probably not how you want to spend the rest of your time, yeah? Well, what little of it there is, anyway. So I have a new game for us to play.” Where there was once a sword, the impostor now brandished a small handgun. With a thin smile, he slowly pointed its barrel at the girl.
“If you can guess where your precious 'Senpai' is, then I won’t blow out your knee.” The click from his gun as he switched the safety off was almost deafening. “And since I’m such a nice guy, I’ll even give you a hint: he’s ‘hanging’ out, hahaha!”
Maybe it wasn’t his fault that it was empty? It was possible that the gift could have fallen out of it. But the true question was, could he fix it? If it was broken, that was one thing. But how could he fix something that wasn’t even there? With the look of ever growing confusion setting on her face, she holds out the box to him.
Watching him move his hand over the box, she peered in. There was nothing there…until he hit the bottom of the box. When the confect suddenly sprung up, she jumped. She didn’t let go of the box, but it was enough to completely startle her and catch her off guard.
“Wow!!! Oji-san!!! That was amazing! How did you do that??!!”
Looking this way and that way, she peered under the box where his hand was. Any sign of a hidden trap or the such, and in the box as well. When she saw nothing, she stared back at him with the same amazement she had before. He must truly be magic!
The corner of Adachi’s mouth curved upward upon seeing her face light up at the colorful explosion of glitter and streamers and flowers. He’d almost forgotten how easy kids were to amaze, especially when something as fantastic as ‘magic’ was involved. The detective offered Nanako a mischievous grin, only to be juxtaposed with a solemn shake of his head.
“Sorry, Nanako-chan, but a good magician never reveals his secrets.” He gently handed the gift back to her, careful not to let the flowers brush against her face. “But, if you promise to keep being a good girl, then maybe I could teach you some magic tricks; you could become my magician’s apprentice! That way, I'd be able to show you how to do all kinds of neat stuff without breaking ‘the rules.’”
“All you have to do is be good -- think you can handle that?”
My pain is constant and sharp and I do not hope for a better world for anyone. In fact, I want my pain to be inflicted on others. I want no one to escape.
There it was again… that stomach churning uneasiness; yet again it was shoved to the back of her mind, hands still hovering about the warmth of his body. His voice soothed her, made her feel safe, and that was all she wanted. Nothing else mattered. She wasn’t hurt, but her body ached and trembled as she attempted to recover simply from being so frightened.
She obeyed the press of his hands almost without thinking, not feeling quite up to walking at the moment. She sucked in a breath of ‘false’ air, her head still fuzzy from the television world’s effect. She turned her head, nestled into the bulk of her hair upon his shoulder. She selfishly indulged in the comfort he offered, not bothering to think about anything this moment, her hands released their hefty grip on his jacket to rest more easily upon his chest.
Her mind cleared, bit by bit, and her worry continued to mount. She knew the other’s had persona to protect themselves, but that didn’t mean something couldn’t befall them. They were safest together, and she had to force herself up to find them. She just needed one more breath, and she would rise. She inhaled through her nose, seeking the scent of the real world through him… but couldn’t find it. Somehow it was… different.
It was enough of a difference to put a drop of suspicion in her head. Almost hesitantly she dug into the corridors of her mind for Himiko, who came to her like fingers sending a series of ripples across still water. When she cast her persona’s vision towards Yu—
It wasn’t him.
Rise stiffened, her body going rigid as she carefully drew away. Her heart skipped a beat, it’s only brief return to a calm destroyed. She tried to pull herself away, all voluntary touch retracted as she pushed to her feet and stepped back unsteadily.
❝Who are you?❞ She asked uneasily; then, more bravely, ❝you’re not senpai.❞
Narukami hummed in approval once Rise wordlessly agreed to his suggestion, the sound reverberating deep in his chest and against her hands not unlike the purr of an animal he's come to adore. When she placed her head upon his shoulder, the boy responded in kind by pressing his cheek into the top of her head, briefly shaking back and forth whenever a stray hair tickled his nose. They stayed like this for a while, taking comfort in each other amidst this hostile world they had charged into -- carelessly so, it seemed. It was then Narukami realized just how warm Rise’s body was against his, especially compared to the hard concrete beneath them, and leaned his face in closer to hers.
“Rise, there’s something I --”
The boy paused, perhaps startled by the way her body suddenly stiffened and untangled itself from his embrace. He glanced up at Rise, her question eliciting a confused expression from a face that was typically reserved; the accusation that followed, however, received a much more disturbing response.
“Man, I couldn’t even get a kiss before you figured it out?” Narukami -- or rather, an impostor -- rose to his feet, grimacing a little as his joints popped. “Y’know, for a former idol, you’re pretty smart. If anybody was going to see through my disguise, I thought it’d be your wannabe detective pal -- but she threw herself at me just like that!” He snapped his fingers for emphasis, chuckling to himself.
“Senpai this, Senpai that -- but I guess deep down, despite all that talk about deductions and logic, she’s still just a girl, huh? In the end, I think I even made her feel like a woman!”
His face -- Narukami’s face -- twisted into sheer mania, spewing forth a cackle that echoed throughout the dungeon’s walls and that seemed to shake the very ground they were standing on.
“I’s no’ my faul’ I go’ this accen’, Adachi-sensei. An’ I don’ go’ no one ta be a doctor ‘er a mad scientis’ ta do i’ wimmie. All my friends are either goin’ ta parties ‘er babysittin’ ‘er have other costumes in their mind. I haven’ heard no one talkin’ bou’ bein’ a doctor. –Wai’! Could youse do i’? I go’ tons of make up lef’, an’ some scissors! We could cu’ up a sui’ an’ some stuff!”
“This is for that 'haunted house’ thing at Yasogami High tonight, right? Sorry, but some of us have to work; I’ve got a double-shift today because Dojima-san's convinced there’ll be tons of pranks and petty crimes going on, what with it being Halloween and all.” Adachi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “He’ll probably want to look for any leads on our main case, too, since we don’t have any -- uh, the point is, I can’t help you out. Sorry.”
“Hmm... I don’t know. Maybe you should get a zombie doctor, or a mad scientist character to do all the talking, and you just stand there looking creepy? Don’t get me wrong, the costume’s good, but then you started talking -- and the only scary thing about you was that I could barely understand you.”
Without knowing, she seemed to have shut her eyes, awaiting the seemingly inevitable fate of the creature’s teeth upon her body. However, the moment never came. The sharp spark cracked the air like a whip, her eyes snapping open to watch the shadow crumple with a low groan. When the katana pierced through from the opposite side her face was speckled with black ooze that evaporated away as quickly as it touched upon her skin. As it continued to sink into the ground, she could finally see the face of her savior, the person she had been wishing for this entire time.
For a moment something felt oddly wrong, the way his shoe came down on what remained of it’s form sending a wave of unease through her gut. The thought was quickly shoved aside as the low placidity of his voice found her ears. Relief flooded over her like a wave in the ocean, and instead of taking the offered hand she pushed to her feet and let herself fall against him.
❝Senpai—!❞ She breathed in a desperate exhale, half of the word lost as she tumbled into him.
Her arms wrapped around his chest and her fingers dug into the fabric of his coat. Tears filled up her eyes and spilled out onto her cheeks. It was not accompanied but sobbing, but felt more as if her body was expelling it as her legs quivered with the waning anxiety. She clung to him like an anchor amidst a storm.
❝I couldn’t find you…❞ She said softly, voice still unsteady. ❝I couldn’t find anyone…! I— …I’m so glad you found me…❞
He nearly lost his footing from having Rise’s weight thrown against him, her display of affection catching him off guard in both its suddenness and immensity. For a moment, Narukami does nothing but look down at the top of his friend’s head as she buried her face into his chest, feeling her words as well as hearing them; then, as if a switch inside of his head were to be flipped, the boy came to life and wrapped his arms around Rise in an attempt to comfort and soothe her.
“Shh, Rise… It’s all right. We managed to find each other, so I’m sure we’ll be able to find the others – and we’ll do it together.” Narukami’s hands moved along her back in slow circles as he spoke; they were clumsy at first, like he was trying to imitate something he saw in one of those cheesy romance movies Rise had dragged him to see in Okina, but gradually became more confident and meaningful.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt? Maybe we should rest before we start looking for everyone. It’s probably not a good idea to stay in one place for long, but we won’t be able to defend ourselves if we’re exhausted.” With his hands now resting comfortably on the dip of her spine, the boy gently encouraged Rise to kneel down onto the dungeon floor with him.
I'm a go-getter guy with a gun on my hip
I'm just searching for that someone to be firing it
I've narrowed down the field and I'm taking a glance
and I'd say you've got a pretty good chance...
to be my girlfriend.
Every step in the tv world came back to you in several echoes, despite there being no walls to reflect the sound back. It made you wary, as if someone was following you. Almost every second step the girl would confirm this, head snapping back over her shoulder with a swing of warm curls. The fog obscured a fair amount of her vision, all slight of movement could easily be a fabrication of her mind… or not. She kept moving, sweat beading along her hairline, stomach clenching. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t locate the rest of the Investigation Team. It was like she had no signal, despite how well she knew her friends. Once, for a brief moment, she felt the slightest inkling of what might have been Chie, but the link was snuffed out like a candle flame.
She paused, even thought she was only moving at a brisk walk her body felt heavy. She rested the bellies of her palms on her knees and swallowed several gulps of air. The fog offered no cool tinge to the air, it was neither warm nor hot, only heavy. The more she stayed here the sicker she felt. She wanted to get out of here- with everyone. Rising back to her feet Rise laced her fingers tight before her chest and reached deep down to draw Himiko forth. The persona came in a refreshing burst, like a breath of fresh air, clearing the clutter from her mind and offering momentary clarity. She spread out her mental feelers for anyone, anything, and found something. However, it wasn’t the friends she was searching for.
A black puddle rose like tar from the ground, and the creature born from that was a bizarre mixture of teeth and tongue. She was unable to contain the gasp that spilled out of her lips, taking an uneasy step back as the shadows manifested before her. Through Himiko she could see their weakness, pick apart their flaws, and yet she could do nothing to stand against them. Fear gnawed at her insides, blood rushing to her head. She saw the attack coming, but her body was frozen in place. When it’s body slammed into her the impact sent her tumbling back, and when the world stopped spinning it was as if she had to recall had to breath. Her persona vanished like a wisp of smoke, and she found herself feebly trying to get to her feet.
It was never like this before. With everyone at her side sometimes it felt like a game, a game they always won. She pointed out a weak spot and her friends cut them down, banishing the shadows like nightmares. Now it was like the first time she’d been thrust into the television all over again; alone, frightened, and worst of all, helpless. Her brain kept screaming ‘you can’t give up!’, but her muscles shook and refused to obey.
It was closing in again now, white gnashing teeth in an almost human grin bobbing in the air. It looked like it was laughing- perhaps it was. She had to get up. She had to at least try to run away. She had to find the others and they all would go home and talk about this together. Everyone would sit together in the Junes food court and figure out how to make sure they were never separated again. She believed it with all her heart. When her eyes rolled up it was suddenly almost on top of her, a strange shimmering saliva making repetitive ‘plip’s as the droplets splattered near her.
A single arc of lightning crackled through the air, striking the Shadow just as it had begun to lower its maw over her petite form. The beast yelped as it was practically hurled off its would-be prey by the force of the strike, its gelatinous body trembling from temporary paralysis. Upon recovering from the surprise attack, the Shadow turned a hungry eye towards its assailant, who ran a blade through what passed as the creature’s face, slicing its ‘head’ clean from the rest of its body and letting it fall to the ground with a wet splat. The Shadow gurgled and flailed, its viscous arms struggling to find purchase on a pair of uniform pant legs as if to plead with their owner for mercy -- only to receive the heel of their boot, which dug into its remains until nothing but a black smear was left.
“Rise..."
Narukami turned away from the beast that had been cowering before him mere seconds ago and looked at his friend with a blatant concern. She seemed so scared, even now -- shell-shocked, maybe, from having to look death so closely in the face. He could see now that pursuing Adachi so quickly after discovering the truth about the detective had been a mistake; of all the scenarios he and his friends had imagined, being split up from each other wasn’t one they were prepared for.
“I was so worried; I’m glad I found you before...” Narukami decided not to finish that train of thought, letting his words be consumed by the black and red sky instead. He shook his head as if to clear it, then offered his free hand to the girl with a small smile. “Can you stand?"
It took a bit of control to not say anything to Adachi, Not only had he insulted her gender, he insulted her family and skill. However, she kept her stoic mask, looking at the other. Here he was, trapped, like a rat in a cage. One thing she disagreed with was Adachi’s punishment, Yu was content to make him face justice, Naoto on the other hand felt they should have left him in the TV World to die.
“You’re rather smug for someone who’s little more than a trapped animal.” Naoto had spoke her first words of their meeting. Unusually, she allowed a smile to come to her face. “And to answer your question, Adachi-san, I was already on my way to the Shirogane hall of fame. You simply accelerated my movements.”Naoto says his name with nothing but malice, practically spitting at him. “Senpai may have decided to spare you, but if it were up to me…I would have left you there to rot.”
Her tone dropped to a low whisper, with the last phrase being hissed at Adachi. It was a rather shocking swerve of emotion, especially coming from someone like Naoto. It showed just how much she truly hated Adachi. Not for what he caused, but the fact that he seemed to be unrepentant about his crimes.
“I’m not the one who took a trip to the zoo just to laugh at the animals.”
Adachi slowly leaned back in his chair, regarding his visitor as if she were some kind of interesting specimen. Of all the brats he’d had the displeasure of meeting in Inaba, Shirogane was the last one he expected to see again. She had struck him as the type to wash her hands of a case once it was solved; trying to kick the former detective while he was down seemed more like something that Hanamura kid would do, given how hard up he was for that Konishi girl.
Maybe he’d underestimated just how pathetic Shirogane really was.
Adachi seemed taken aback by her admission, but only momentarily; what little surprise had etched itself into his face quickly dissolved into a bout of laughter so unrestrained, the former detective doubled over and buried his head into his hands in an attempt to control it.
“Well,” he finally said, once again meeting her gaze, “that’s one thing we can agree on, at least.”
“But unfortunately for us, your ‘Senpai’ is a dumbass.” Adachi paused to lick his lips, and tasted nostalgia. “It’s just not fair, is it? I mean, Mayumi and that Konishi girl had to suffer in a place like that, so why shouldn’t my ‘punishment’ be the same? So, let’s say you did leave me there, and I wound up just like them...” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then leaned in close to the glass.
“Who do you think the police would suspect for my death, hm? Even if you somehow managed to find that letter with my fingerprints, being dead kind of rules me out for being the culprit, don’t you think?”
Taking care not to tear anything, she unraveled the wrappings around the box and carefully opened it. When she peered inside, it was incredibly hard to hide the sheer disappointment on her face. Nanako knew she wasn’t so supposed to act spoiled or anything of the sort, but why would he give her an empty box? Maybe the box was the gift? Fixing her face the best she can, to only resemble mild confusion, she looked back up to her uncle figure.
Adachi took the box from her and examined its contents -- or rather, its lack thereof -- and seemed to be genuinely puzzled when he found that it was indeed empty. The detective scratched his head and glanced back at Nanako, offering her an apologetic smile. “Here, let me see if I can fix it...”
With Nanako’s birthday on the line, he set to work: Adachi closed his eyes and waved a hand over the gift box, knitting his eyebrows together to show just how concentrated he was. Without warning, he suddenly smacked the bottom of the box, causing a colorful bouquet of flowers to pop out in a cloud of equally colorful streamers and confetti!
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