#i didn't have room for seika ;_;

[raposarealm]

Today’s defense team~

That’s not a ranked fight, that’s a friend battle against what I’m pretty sure is one of Muffin’s alts. 

I lost that fight by the way, Ayaka hits for absolute jack shite.

[kaibutsushidousha]

The Story of the Boy Who Left to Pick Up Sand from the Moon (Sagrada Reset 4) - Chapter 1

[INDEX]

On July 25th, the blue in the 5 PM sky was serene.

The sun had waned considerably, as expected of the time, but still, in the midsummer, it was too early to call that time slot "evening".

Due to the summer vacations, the boy had lost track of the days of the week. July 25th was Tuesday, but there was no significant difference between Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

Raising his hand to avoid the sunlight, Asai Kei climbed the stone stairway next to Kamisaki Shrine. Haruki Misora was immediately behind him. The stairs were too tight for them to climb side by side.

The sweat going down his neck was disgusting. When tried to wipe it out with his hand, he heard Haruki's voice behind him.

"Do you need a handkerchief?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

"Alright."

Her voice was deep and husky for girls standards. It was a pleasant voice. At the very least, a lot more comfortable than the loud cicadas chirping nonstop above them.

The stairway eventually ended on an unpaved mountain path. With the road getting wider, Haruki speeded up and lined next to Kei. The hem of her blue dress swayed and her bag made clanking noises.

"What do you have in the bag?"

"I brought water and cold barley tea bottles."

(Makes sense. That was the sound of ice.)

"Do you want some?"

"I'll drink when we get to Nonoo."

A few more minutes on that road took them to a tiny shrine. A girl could often be found there with cats. Meeting her, Nonoo Seika, was their goal of their little mountaineering trip. A Service Club mission required asking her questions.

They first met Nonoo 10 days ago. They needed to track a cat, so they sought her expertise in cats. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Kei had taken a liking to her.

"Why did it have to be so hot today? It's hard to believe it's already past 5.", said Kei, flapping the collar of his shirt.

He didn't dislike the summer, but daytime went on for too long.

"You mentioned before that summer is always hot, Kei."

"I might have said that, but isn't this year going a little overboard?"

"That's what you said last year."

"Did I?"

Both knew he remembered exactly when he said those things, along with his exact words and intonation. Nonetheless, he feigned ignorance. Summer was not only the hot season, but also the season of whining about the heat, he believed. Preserving silence was more of a winter thing.

"The moon's surface must be a lot more chilly.", Kei said after looking at the sky.

"Would you like to go to the moon?"

"Perhaps. I'm certainly interested."

He wouldn't survive being in the moon with his light summer gear, and a space suit didn't look very comfortable to move in. The extremely low gravity was appealing, but too much work and something he could easily go without.

"I'd rather lie down comfortably in a room with air conditioning than go to the moon, though. I'm not needing any sand from the moon right now.", Kei answered.

Last night, a boy disappeared.

His last words were, "I'm leaving to pick up sand from the moon".

Two hours ago, the Service Club tasked Kei and Haruki with investigating the boy. The initial objective was to confirm the boy's safety.

Soon enough, the small shrine came in sight. One girl sat atop the shrine's three-step stairway, at the center of a circle made of a dozen or so cats.

Nonoo Seika.

She was the last person to talk to the boy who departed to the moon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nonoo Seika was doll-like. Unbelievably light-skinned.

(I don't understand how she manages to go this untanned in summer. Maybe there's a supernatural force at play.)

Her eyes were closed. She was surrounded by cats. Her ability lets her share her consciousness with cats while she's asleep or absentminded to the same extent. In other words, while she's not remembering who she is.

For some reason, Nonoo wore her uniform despite being on summer vacation. Once Kei reached her, she slowly raised her pretty eyelids.

"Good morning.", she said.

"Good morning. Did we wake you up?"

"No. I was waiting for you two."

A cat climbed Nonoo's knee. She put her hand on it before continuing.

"You're here because of Shouta, right?"

"Yes, exactly."

The name of the boy who went missing after saying he'd go pick up sand from the moon was Kusakabe Shouta.

"How much do you know about Shouta?"

"Not much, really. Only that he's a 10-year-old elementary-schooler with an astronomy hobby. He came to Sakurada 3 years ago and will move to another city in 2 days from now."

He read all that in the Bureau's report sheet. He also knew the boy's address, birthday, etc. but didn't think those were relevant information.

"Also that this is the place he usually goes for his stargazing."

Nonoo nodded, petting a cat.

"That's about as much as I know."

"But haven't you two known each other for a year?"

"I'm impressed you know that."

"It's because I was talking to his parents before."

He got an overview on who Kusakabe Shouta was and checked his room. There wasn't much in the room, as they were packing to move away. The shelves without most books and the closet without most clothes gave off the impression of a cast-off shell.

"What do you think happened, Nonoo?"

"The boy went to the moon and can't come back."

"Any other ideas?"

Nonoo lowered her gaze to the cat on her lap and stroke the scruff of its neck with gentle handwork. The cat squinted in comfort and yawned wide.

"Only that. What's your guess?"

"The Bureau determined it's a unique runaway situation. For now, the most likely motive is opposition to moving out of town. But there's a high likelihood his ability is at play."

Kusakabe Shouta vanished before Nonoo Seika's eyes. The report tells he very literally vanished and couldn't be found. They were at the scene of the incident.

Vanishing acts are a staple trick of stage magic, but it's not natural to assume a 10-year-old pulled this off outdoors. In this city where half of the population had unique abilities, unknown superpowers were more believable than physical contrivances. The second most reasonable possibility would be that the only witness, Nonoo Seika, gave false testimony, but so far, he couldn't find any reason why she would.

Nonoo raised her head and looked at Kei.

"I don't think he ran away."

"Care to tell why?"

"We're scheduled to meet here in the morning the day after tomorrow."

(The day after tomorrow... That's when Shouta is leaving Sakurada.)

"The Bureau's assessment is wrong. What do you think, Asai?"

"I don't know anything yet. I'm here to hear you out precisely because I can't draw any conclusions."

"What do I need to tell you?"

"Do you have any idea why Shouta wanted to pick up sand from the moon?"

A gray cat with a crooked tail coiled around Kei's leg.

Kei squatted and pet the cat.

"There was this one cat.", said Nonoo.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a cat.

Small build, yellow eyes, pure white fur.

The cat knew he was close to his final hours. He couldn't dash as fast as before. He wouldn't get fatter no matter how much he ate. Not that he could eat that much because his appetite was lower, his sleeping hours took progressively more time, and his nose was getting worse. He didn't fully understand the concept of death, but he could feel his body on the way to losing all of its function.

Accepting that, he looked at the sky.

It happened to be night and the moon happened to look beautiful. A large full moon.

That was all it took. In daylight, he would have fallen in love with the sun or the white clouds instead. But what the cat found when he looked at the sky was the full moon, thus, the full moon was beautiful.

The cat wanted to go to the moon.

The cat dreamed of being there when his body loses all function; when he's unable to see, hear, smell, or meow. If his body were to no longer move, he wanted to stand immobile in the most beautiful place in the world.

Climbing trees wasn't enough to reach the moon.

Climbing roofs wasn't enough to reach the moon.

The cat learned the moon was outrageously high up.

Thus, in search of a taller place, the moonlit cat wandered into a mountain.

Nonoo Seika had the ability to share her mind with cats. She frequently shared it the white cat seeking the moon.

[You can't reach the moon], Nonoo thought within the white cat's mind.

The moon was somewhere beyond a cat's reach.

Nonoo and the cat shared and mixed each other's minds. The cat initially believed Nonoo's thoughts were his own, but still argued against it.

[I won't know until I try.]

Nonoo's thoughts reflect into the cat's mind and vice versa. He continues to "answer his own questions" in what resembled a soliloquy.

[Climbing the tallest tree got you no closer to the moon, remember?]

[I simply have to find a taller one.]

[You can't. Look at how heavy your limbs are. Even you find a tree tall enough to reach the moon, it'd more impossible for you to claw your way up to the top.]

[Is that so? I'm a pretty good climber. Not to mention...]

[Not to mention what?]

[My whole life, I never failed to go where I wanted to.]

[Really? Suit yourself, then.]

[That's what I always do.]

[Uh-huh. I'm rooting for you.]

Little by little, the cat noticed the abnormalities in his mind.

He understood someone other than himself was in his head.

[Hold up, you're not me, are you?]

[Wow, what a surprise. You're the first one to notice me.]

[Who are you?]

[Does it matter? I love you, I have my worries about you, and I'm wholeheartedly rooting for you. What else could you ask for?]

['s that so? No matter, then. I'm taking you to the moon with me, baby.]

The cat wandered the night mountain. He searched for the tallest tree, his ticket to the moon. Nonoo watched him through his mind.

And that night, they met a boy.

The trail was dark. The exhausted kid sat down at a tree root, watching the sky.

The panicked cat hid in a bush.

[Holy crap, what the hell was that?]

[A child. A human child.]

[No, I got that part. The question's what's the brat doing here?]

[He must be lost. Oh, he has a backpack and a telescope.]

[What's a backpack and a telescope?]

[Hey, could you tap the kid's shoelaces a little?]

[Haha, no way. I don't care about any stinking humans.]

[Me neither, but now that we found him, we can't do nothing about it.]

[Uh, we absolutely can.]

[C'mon, please. It won't happen again. I'll give you your favorite food later.]

[My favorite? Anything goes?]

At the moment, the cat imagined tiny moon-colored scraps.

The cat didn't know what those yellowish-white scraps were called. But Nonoo, sharing his mind, recognized them.

[Cheese? You like cheese?]

[Hohoh, cheese's what the thing's called?]

[If you do me this favor, I'll give you cheese.]

[Why are you capable of that?]

[You'll know soon enough. Go ahead, do it.]

The cat grumpily approached the boy and scratched his shoelace.

The boy looked down.

"A cat?", he whispered.

[Did it. Was that enough?]

[Yes. Excellent work. Now slowly walk to the right.]

[Can't I run instead? I'd rather get to a safe distance as soon I can.]

[You can't. Turn back for a moment and meow. It doesn't have to be loud.]

He frustratedly wondered what was the point of it all.

But since it was for cheese, the cat meowed as told. The boy stood up and slowly approached.

[Yeah, that's it, keep going.]

[For the life of me, you ARE going to give me that cheese, right?]

[Oh, trust me, I'll feed you all the cheese you could ever want.]

The cat advanced guided by Nonoo.

The boy trotted behind it.

The cat climbed down the mountain until it reached a small shrine.

It was a strange place. It had a human with her eyes closed under the moonlight. A number of cats surrounded her.

[Oh goodness, what am I looking at?]

[That's me.]

[You? You're human?]

[Unfortunately, yes. I didn't want to be born human, but there's nothing I can do about it, is there?]

[What the heck is wrong with you? You make no sense.]

But she wouldn't answer again.

The moonlit human surrounded by cats slowly opened her eyes.

"I'm called Nonoo Seika.", she said. "You've been of great help. As promised, I'll buy cheese for you."

Cats don't understand human languages. He couldn't comprehend what Nonoo was saying.

Nonoo knocked on her head.

"I'll come visit your mind again tomorrow."

"Are you talking to the cat?", the human boy asked her.

"Don't be silly. Cats don't understand human languages.", she answered clearly not joking.

Nonoo then stood up and walked to the boy.

"What's your name, kid?"

"It's... Kusakabe Shouta."

"What are you doing here this late at night?"

"I was looking for a place where you can see the sky well."

"The sky? You can see it from anywhere."

"But I want to take a closer look at the moon."

"Heh.", Nonoo smirked looking at the cat. "Lucky you, you're not alone on this one."

This is how Nonoo Seika, Kusakabe Shouta, and the nameless cat met.

The trio of two persons and cat watched the moon together on a roughly weekly basis.

Half a year later, the cat died before he could reach the moon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kei interrupted with a few questions along the way, but for the most part, let Nonoo tell her whole story. Her voice was calm, concealed affection, and resembled someone reciting a fairy tale.

"Shouta said he'd pick up sand from the moon for this cat."

With her story concluded, Nonoo exhaled.

Kei bowed slightly.

"Thank you. I learned a lot."

Behind them, Haruki took a bottle and paper cups from her bag. She poured tea in a cup and offered it to Nonoo.

"Do you want some?"

"Thanks. You're well-packed."

"I also have cookies in here."

"This is starting to feel like a picnic."

Nonoo had an amused smirk. She showed frequent signs of liking Haruki. Kei wanted to put these to talk one-on-one some day. There was a chance they could hit off well.

Haruki offers another cup of tea to Kei. He thanked her and took a sip. It was still pleasantly cold and tasted excellent.

Nonoo drank her tea in one gulp.

"I can't understand Shouta's train of thought."

"What part?"

"Him going to pick up sand from the moon for that white cat. He died over half a year ago. It's too late for the sand to matter in any way."

"Does the white cat have a grave?"

"He does. Shouta made it. What about it, though?"

"Isn't he going to offer the moon sand to the grave?"

"That's pointless. There's only a corpse buried under there. Corpses can't be pleased."

"I'm not so sure about that."

Kei's doubt was about a part completely unrelated to the answer he gave.

The cat wanted to die on the moon. The boy tried to pick up sand from the moon for the cat. The two facts feel related, but they don't exactly connect.

(All the cat wanted was to die on the moon. The moon's sand was not a factor. If he gained the ability to go to the moon, the more natural idea would have been to bury the cat there. Though there'd be huge commotion if people ever found a dead cat on the moon's surface.)

"You liked that cat, right, Nonoo?"

"I love every cat. But I did get along particularly well with him. To this day, he's still a favorite."

"Did you say the same thing to Shouta?"

"We had a similar conversation last night, immediately before he disappeared."

Kei nodded.

He got the general idea of what Shouta was trying to accomplish—and for whom.

"Do you really believe in the ability to go to the moon?"

Kei's answer to Nonoo's question was yes.

"I obviously can't discard the possibility."

Sakurada's abilities were infinitely varied. Any ability imaginable had a chance of existing. There were no grounds to assert it as inconceivable, at least for now.

"But aren't abilities only usable in Sakurada? The moon is not part of the city."

Abilities don't leave Sakurada's territory. No one can bring theirs outside. That is a logic premise of Sakurada's abilities, and one people consider an absolute rule.

However, Kei disagreed.

"You don't lose your ability by leaving the city. All that happens is that you lose your memories of it."

No one can use an ability they don't remember exists. That's why there's no precedent case for an ability being used outside Sakurada. At least as far as Kei knew.

Nonoo frowned.

"That's worse. What will happen to Shouta if he goes to the moon and forgets how to use his ability?"

A suitless human being can't survive on the moon.

"That's what we fear the most. Even if with his ability, I believe it's very difficult to safely make a round trip from Sakurada to the moon."

Suppose his ability is teleportation with no distance limit. That would enable him to go to the moon, but only that isn't enough to survive on its surface. Or, if his ability is to survive on the moon, that wouldn't be of any help because he would forget how to use.

The very idea of using an ability to go to the moon was dangerous.

That's why Kei was operating with intent to use Haruki's ability if they fail to find Shouta. Her Reset can simulate a time rewind to the point of her Save.

Her latest Save is dated to July 23—Two days ago. Meaning they can return to a time before last night, July 24, when Shouta vanished.

"Doesn't the Bureau know anything about Shouta's ability?"

"No. Whatever his ability is, he obtained it very recently."

The Bureau regulates abilities all over Sakurada.

Twice a year, Sakurada's schools run tests to discover who has abilities and who doesn't. Just like they do the health checkups and physical fitness tests. It's very uncommon for an ability to manage to slip past the Bureau's examiner. It's not 100% surefire, but there's not much reason to doubt them.

(Shouta's school ran its tests in June. It was determined that Shouta still didn't have an ability at that point. We should assume he only got his power after that.)

Nonoo moved her finger in front of the cat on her lap. The cat watched the finger intently. Perhaps mistaking it for prey.

"Were your frequent encounters with Shouta planned?"

"No. He would occasionally appear while I was here late at night. We didn't schedule anything."

"Even yesterday?"

"Yeah, it's all coincidence."

The cat swung its paw at Nonoo.

Nonoo swiftly pulled her hand back, making the cat's strike miss its mark.

"When was the previous time you met him?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe one week ago."

His parents told that Shouta went stargazing every night for the past 3 days. It's never been that frequent before.

(He possibly wanted to find Nonoo. Why? Most likely because he got a new ability.)

Giving up on the hunt, the cat curled up on Nonoo's lap and closed its eyes.

[niaswish]

For Want of Common Sense

Chapter 12 summary:

With Ideal and Gourmet by his side, Wato goes after Workaholic to confront Doleful for the last time.

Chapter 12: The Final Confrontation

It didn't take long to catch Seika and Gourmet up with the situation as they hurried back towards the command center. Workaholic going after Doleful was trouble waiting to happen; what with Workaholic feeling guilty not only for his role in the kidnapping incident 10 years ago on top of being Doleful's mentor.

"We can't let Workaholic go after Doleful alone." Wato said firmly.

Seika seemed as worried as he was. "The Quartering Duke is too much for Workaholic to handle on his own. You said that the active SPXs were all out of the way?" Wato nodded. "Then we do not have to worry about the others for now. Our priority is finding Workaholic and the Quartering Duke."

Relief swept through him and he shot Seika a grateful look. She rolled her eyes at him before turning towards Gourmet. "Do you think you could track Workaholic?"

Gourmet gave a sharp nod that contrasted with the easy smile she still wore. "I can follow the smell of blood if we need it~." Wato hoped so, or that they could spot them on the monitors.

The command center was empty except for a map spread in front of the monitors. A quick glance through the cameras showed nothing moving except the captive SPXs. "Gourmet?" Seika asked after a moment.

"He's still bleeding." Was all she said before heading back out of the room, Wato and Seika following quickly. Gourmet led them through the twists and turns of the maze without hesitation, her confidence that of a bloodhound hunting down a prey.

After what seemed like forever, Gourmet slowed down just as they started hearing raised voices.

At least 3 of them.

Wato shared a glance with the other two detectives as they slowed their approach. While there wasn't any reason to worry about the SPXs, Doleful undoubtedly had other weapons at his disposal.

"... going too far! If you wanted your revenge then why didn't you kill me before?" Workaholic shouted, likely at his protegee.

"Hehehehe! Because it'd be boring, right?~ It wouldn't be good entertainment ~. You had to suffer, hehehe. Suffer like I did!" Came the manic reply from Doleful.

Then someone he hadn't expected spoke up. "That's enough, Doleful! It's like, totally not the right way of doing things! I realize that now!" Downtown was there? Wato's pace grew a bit faster, Seika and Gourmet close behind.

"Kehehehe." Renegade too? "Oh, how cruel to be you, Reo Gray. Abandoned by everyone, including the two very detectives you planned on sacrificing for your pitiful plan. But then again, you've always done that haven't you? Just like you abandoned us once we weren't on any use o you~."

"Shut up!" Doleful roared back. "What do you know, you crazy mutt?"

Wato didn't need the flash of Denouement - Renegade attacking Doleful. Blood spilling from a pierced hand as a manic grin filled the normally shy boy's face, Renegade responding with his own. Workaholic rushed forward as well, a grim expression showing his determination to kill Doleful even if it meant his life. It did. Renegade jerked the knife out of Doleful's hand and swung again, only for his target to stumble forward from the force of his movement. The knife aimed at Doleful's neck sliced through Workaholic's instead. - to know that Doleful was at the end of his rope and about to lash out with only one goal in mind.

To destroy everything.

A quick glance to Seika showed she had likely seen the same thing.

Thankfully, they were right there and able to act. Gourmet turned the corner first, followed closely by Seika then Wato. They found Doleful pressed into a literal corner of the hall, Renegade and Downtown blocking his path forward while Workaholic was closest to them, barring anyway back.

"Everyone!" Wato called out as their group came to a stop beside Workaholic. He caught Seika giving Workaholic a disapproving but worried glare before shifting her attention back to Doleful.

"How nice of you to join us, Ideal ~." Renegade sniggered. "And here I was going to..."

"Get yourself killed?" Seika interrupted sharply. "Just stay still for now." She turned her attention to Doleful, taking a moment to examine him before she spoke. "You've lost, Doleful. Please do not make this any harder than it has to be and surrender."

"Lost? Lost? Hehehehehe." Doleful spread his arms out wide. "I haven't lost this little game of ours~. Noooo. I'm just getting started."

"Are you seriously asking that?" Gourmet snapped, her usual playful attitude disappearing. "You have been caught red-handed, Quartering Duke. Or are you going to pretend otherwise?"

"Oh no but haven't you realized what will happen if you reveal the truth of the Quartering Duke cases?" Doleful said with a twisted smile.

Wato frowned as he noticed the others tense up. All except Seika, that is. "We are detectives, Quartering Duke, revealing the truth is our duty."

"Even if that will lead to all those poor, poor victims being seen as killers? What of their families? Their friends?" Doleful turned to Downtown. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Downtown. After all, you faced this choice before, didn't you? You found out the truth. And all it did was make you despair. To lose hope, didn't it?" He gave a low chuckle.

Downtown flinched, bringing one hand to her chest. "But that was... Like, I didn't..."

"Didn't what? Get hurt even worse that your precious friend didn't trust you? That she decided that you weren't worth living for? That..."

Wato had heard enough. He was tired, hungry, and beyond done with Doleful's twisted view on the world. So, while Doleful focused on Downtown, he stepped past Workaholic, brought one fist back and hit him with as much strength as he could muster. Doleful went stumbling back, hitting the back wall with a loud thump before sliding down in his shock.

"Incompetent?!?" Multiple shocked cries followed the brief moment of stunned silence.

Wato stared down at Doleful. "We've hardly had this talk, Doleful. But since the others didn't hear it the first time around, I'll gladly repeat it. Even if the exact cause of their deaths was suicide, it doesn't change the fact that they were driven to it by your words and actions. If all the DA says is that the victims actually committed mutual suicide then yes, it will cause a lot of harm."

"That's why we have to explain the situation completely and openly. That they are still victims. That you, the Quartering Duke took advantage of their fears and worries, pushing the idea that the only way for them to escape those emotions was to die. That you did the exact opposite of offering them help by causing them further harm, and twisting their thoughts until they could consider nothing else but death as a way to feel safe and happy."

Doleful shook his head, his twisted smile returning as he retorted, "Oh my, how idealistic you are, Incompetent! Do you really..."

"I don't care." Wato interrupted as he swooped down to grab Doleful's collar and jerking him back to his feet. "So what if its idealistic? That's the only way things will change, isn't it? By dreaming of a better future and working for it. Therapy exists, even if Japan is pretty shit at it right now, so as long as the people push for Japan to improve their mental health system then it will happen and be successful."

He didn't give Doleful any time to say anything as he shoved the Quartering Duke towards Renegade. "Feel free to gag him if he starts speaking nonsense again."

Renegade cackled as he grabbed Doleful, a curious gleam in his eyes as he seemed to reassess Wato. "Sounds like fun for me ~. Unless you have an issue with that, Ideal?" He glanced over at Seika, who had a hand hiding her mouth even as her eyes crinkled with delight.

"Not at all." She said. "Please keep Doleful from causing further harm to anyone."

Wato shook out his arm as he half-listened to Seika giving out orders to find and rescue the rest of their friends.

They had done it. They had escaped from the Quartering Duke's trap without anyone dying and completed their goal, solving the case.

-The End-

A/N: And that's it! Thanks to everyone who read and kudoed/commented on this story!

I kinda ran out of steam at the end as I didn't like what I was writing. I have kept some of the previous versions of these last few chapters, which I will be adding as omakes over the next few days.

Happy Halloween!

[chocosea]

Suite Precure Novel Chapter 6 Summary

Chapter Title: I Can't Trust Anyone Anymore

Otokichi tries the pipe organ but it likewise didn't work. Hibiki looks behind her and she sees Kanade there; Kanade apparently ran after her when she bolted.

Kanade says she knows Hibiki has something to say to her and demands to know what it is. She says that they're best friends so she knows this much. Ellen and Ako also came and are agreeing with Kanade.

Hibiki says that she feels that Kanade has changed because she skipped out on piano practice and doesn't take advice from her dad or Seika anymore. Kanade insists she hasn't changed. Kanade is on the verge of tears which Hibiki feels is wrong because Kanade is someone who hates to lose. Ellen and Ako are asking Hibiki if they've changed too and Hibiki feels like they have.

Hibiki yells out that Kanade is possessed by Vanish and that she isn't the Kanade she knows. Kanade says she hates Hibiki and walks away; Ellen and Ako follow her. Hibiki continues hearing Kanade's voice in her head. She starts thinking that Kanade must have been praying to the dark cloud that night her figure was on the balcony.

Hibiki returns to her room. She still hears Hummy, the pipe organ, and Mephisto and Aphrodite in the distance.

A few days pass and Hibiki hasn't responded to any texts and hasn't really been eating, just curling up in her futon. Her dad told her to go out and meet Kanade so she goes to Kanade's store, which has now been shuttered. She doesn't know what to say and starts heading back.

Ako and Ellen spot her and come up to her to talk. Ellen is mad at Hibiki for accusing Kanade like that. Kanade has been crying every day since then apparently. Hibiki is trying to explain why she thinks Kanade is possessed. The others don't heard the weird resonance thing that she does.

Hibiki wants the other two of them to help her recover Kanade's heart from Vanish. She has admitted that she's been hearing Kanade's voice in her head. The cloud above them makes a non-resonating thundering sound and Ellen/Ako hear that for the first time.

Hibiki is saying that she knows that the one making people disappear isn't actually Kanade but Vanish, but inside she's doubting herself on that. Since she still feels like it's what Kanade wanted.

Ellen grabs Hibiki by the shoulders and tells her firmly that Hibiki is the one who's changed, not Kanade. Ellen and Ako tell her that she hasn't been acting like she used to, where she would argue with Kanade and then quickly make up afterwards. They tell her that at the farewell party she blew up at Kanade in front of them and told Kanade she hated her. Hibiki has no memory of this because of all the fogginess during that whole thing. Apparently no matter how hard Ellen and Ako tried to stop Hibiki, she wouldn't stop saying mean things to Kanade.

Ellen asks Hibiki why she's changed so much and then starts crying. Ako says she's sad in a weak voice. Hibiki is hearing the voice in her head that's telling her to erase everyone who's making her sad. the voice no longer sounds like Kanade and now a chord of Ako and Ellen's voices.

Mephisto, Aphrodite, and Hummy have summoned the rainbow keyboard to fetch Ako. Ako is yelling at them to leave her alone because she's in the middle of an important conversation and she has to do something about Hibiki acting weird. Hibiki is staring blankly as this is the first time she's ever seen Ako display her emotions so openly. Ako is crying too now at how Hibiki could doubt her Precure team when they've all fought together. Mephisto is telling Ako she has to take shelter because she can't fight as a Precure currently and Ako yells back, "But you were the one who abandoned me!" probably referencing the time he was evil before. Hibiki is convinced Ako would never say this, so this Ako isn't the Ako she knows. Ellen is also glaring at Mephisto.

Hibiki yells "Watch out!" and Mephisto and Aphrodite get taken by the cloud. Ako and Ellen don't say a thing at first, which spooks Hibiki. When what happened registers to them, they calling up at the sky for Mephisto and Aphrodite now, but Hibiki doubts them. Hibiki is convinced that Ako and Ellen are the ones who changed and not her. Hummy had clung onto Mephisto and Aphrodite but they got taken so she's fallen right in between Hibiki and Ako/Ellen. She tells Hibiki to believe in people.

Otokichi comes running at them, saying that it's dangerous and they should run. Hibiki reflexively says, "Watch out!" to him and he gets grabbed by the cloud. Hibiki runs after him and takes his hand (and I guess pulls him out?). They make it to Shirabe Mansion, where Hibiki tells him that everyone's acting weird. As she's talking to him, a voice in her head that sounds like Otokichi is telling her to trust her intuition.

Otokichi tells her to think back to the incident that started all of this. Hibiki starts thinking about the farewell party and and suddenly Otokichi's kneeling on the ground now and crying and saying that it's not his emotions but the sadness is pouring into him.

Otokichi tells her that she needs to think back to the original incident and that she's probably the only one who can unravel this mystery. Hibiki runs out of the mansion and Otokichi follows her, but the moment he steps outside he's taken for Real by the cloud. Hibiki tries to grab onto his hand again but this time the cloud is too strong. Otokichi shouts that the culprit is likely close to her.

Hibiki goes to find Ellen and Ako because she feels like she needs to do something as a Precure and therefore needs a team and they're on the beach. Hibiki is convinced that it's everyone's fault that this is happening and is refusing to think about herself as the problem. (which probably means that she is indeed the problem.)

Hibiki has decided that if Ellen and Ako are also infected then she will be too soon (lol.) So she takes their hands and says she wants to make sure that no one else will be taken. She apologizes for doubting Kanade and is saying that there isn't just one culprit. (doubt/?) They go in for a hug but Hibiki's head voice tells her not to trust anyone but herself and she jerks back. The other two are asking her why she's running from them.

Hummy comes running in and asks Hibiki what's wrong and tells them that they shouldn't be fighting. Immediately, she's taken by the cloud. (goodbye hummy. hardly knew ye)

Ako begins to ask why Hummy would be taken, but then she gets taken too. Ellen grabs onto her hand and is taken with her.

Pii-chan has appeared and is chirping at Hibiki. Hibiki starts doubting Pii, too. She runs away from Pii. Pii is just looking at the sky and crying out sadly

As Hibiki runs past the clock tower, Kanade's family is calling out to her, asking her to help Kanade. They get taken by the cloud in front of her eyes, too.

Hibiki still can't figure out who the culprit is even though the culprit is clearly herself but she's going to find Kanade.

Personal Commentary:

Okay I was half joking before but it really is all Hibiki's fault and she is the one possessed. all right.

Also, saying that she's never seen Ako display her emotions so openly? The characterization in this book is just weird as hell. She has seen Ako like this about Mephisto before, and when Otokichi was taken also. Ellen also hasn't gotten a Single weird moment in this entire book which is just so counter to her silly personality. Like she can be serious and calm, but she's also got whimsy that just isn't here at all anymore.

It's possible that Hibiki is the contagion and anyone who gets close to her has their emotions warped and the cloud is responding to all of them when it takes people. Hibiki was the one who wanted Ouji to disappear because he was causing trouble between her and Kanade. Kanade maybe wanted Seika to disappear. Ako and Ellen got rid of Mephisto and Aphrodite. This would be the kindest explanation where everyone can be similarly culpable, but this probably isn't the case given that Hibiki keeps denying her part in anything, which is probably narratively indicating that everything is actually just her fault. She probably is taken over for a few seconds and then wishes random people to disappear and then forgets about it and is like shock emoji. Or the cloud just reacts to the slightest amount of doubt / discord.

If it's not a group fault thing though this book is too messed up. How is any of the Suite team supposed to be friends after this, and especially with Hibiki? Oh yeah, our leader got basically everyone killed and wouldn't believe us at all. We still carry trauma from Mephisto even when he was possessed, so we will forever be hurt by Hibiki, too, BFFs amirite

Also, is Noise really downgraded this far that he's just going to stand around and do nothing? Come on. So much for our bad guy and living with sadness or whatever. Makes the ending of Suite rather toothless if he doesn't present any sort of possibility of danger anymore. Also, having him pitch in would also not be bad given that he's been learning to live in community as a bird with them. Give back after turning everyone to stone that one time.

[hitheryon]

For your undercut verse, how did you come up with the names for Bakugou's friends from junior high? I love them!!!

Ooh!! Anon, how did you know I absolutely obsess over names?? Anyways!! For all the names, I use this handy-dandy little website called Tangorin. It's the absolute love of my life and it's saved me SO much time.

For most of the crew, I started out by picking out certain traits I wanted to be represented in their name, whether that pertains to physical appearance, personality, or Quirk. However, for some, I also picked names that were thematically sound or had certain reasoning behind the naming. Both of these are very reliant upon the kanji I use to spell the names, as well.

There are plenty of examples within the Katsucrew alone for all these reasonings, so I might as well just go over all of them, huh?

So, with Kariage, his name was actually pretty easy to come up with. For him, I was looking for a name with any particular meaning, I just wanted one that I could validly take Kariage from. As some of you already know, that's the name the Japanese fandom came up for him, courtesy of his hairstyle, and it's since become decently known in our little corner of the fandom. And thus, if you rearrange the name I created for him in the Western way, it'll give you ashiKARI AGEi.

Unintentionally, however, I did give him a name that represented him in some way. His surname has kanji that give meanings that align with his personality (relaxed, quiet), and his Quirk (in how he must apply many techniques, and often uses it to trick opponents). His first name also gives insight to what he'd do as an Underground Hero (hunt down criminals, raid villain bases, gather intel.)

With Kanji, her name came about due to it having a primarily thematic purpose. The kanji I used to spell it have the meaning of perfect motive, which in terms of importance to the story, emphasize how she, before all else, is the one who inspires Kariage to be the very best he can be. She is the reason he wants to become a Hero, and for the longest time, she was the only thing keeping him going. It's a pretty minor thing, since not many people care for the meanings of names in a story, but it was one of the first details I ironed out, and one that I believe makes the storyline just that much more enjoyable for me.

As for Yasushi, the name I settled on actually wasn't the first one I thought up for him! The first I had in my notes was actually Sashi Terunobu, and admittedly, I do like how this one aptly described his Quirk in the name (quite literally meaning finger and stretch). However, when I went through much investigation on whether Katsuki's childhood friends had canon names, I actually found an info book that listed Yasu's canon surname as Dehisa, and had the first part of his given name (Ya) shown. Since I didn't quite have a lot of room to work with, I did the best I could, and thus ended up with the name I have for him now. While not as exact as the first name I thought up, I really like how his canon surname has the meaning of long time, as it comes across as rather accurate in regards to how long he and Katsuki have known each other.

With everyone else, I had a good amount of wiggle room, though! Seika's pretty unique in how long it took for me to pick her name. In the end, I settled on the names I thought fit her best. Her surname described her most prominent trait (large eyes) and personality (radiant, sparkling) pretty well, and her first name did so much justice in regards to explaining her Quirk on the surface level (blue/green vortex), so while it took some time to settle on something good, I'm happy with what I decided for her.

Henshuu's name was the most difficult to decide, I think, out of everyone. Many of the meanings I wanted to include in her name weren't quite compatible with kanji, so it was hard finding loopholes and attempting to piece together something cohesive. In the end, her surname effectively described her Quirk (salt bubbles) and her given name included both a reference to her appearance (braid/plaits) and a surface level understanding of her personality (in how people tend to flock around her).

Out of everyone, I think Mito's name is the most cohesive. It's actually quite funny how succinct the meaning of her surname is in regards to her Quirk (literally fire hand, I love it), and her first name is rather lovely in how it potentially describes her hair (beautiful orange). Overall, I like the simplicity of Mito's name most out of everyone, excepting maybe Kanji.

Lastly, Hifue's name is one that gave me a bit of trouble. Her last name was found quite easily, actually, and I do feel quite proud of how it outlines her Quirk (small, float and mind, air are the most prominent meanings, which is pretty great since her Quirk is literally floating small things through the air with her mind so). Her first name is one I wasn't quite satisfied with because it was really a last minute decision, but it grew on me after a while. After all, it does tie into how her Quirk works (two fingers must be outstretched for her Quirk to work), and I now adore how much it describes her now that I've fleshed out her character and story a bit more (flourish, prosper, and splendor are all very apt, in my personal opinion.)

Anyways, I feel like that's everything!! In summary, I pretty much picked certain traits and vibes I wanted to shine through and went with it!! I'm really happy you love their names just as much as I do, Anon. They were created through the labor of love, and I'm happy that they resonate with you!! <33

[niaswish]

For Want of Common Sense

Omake 2: Finding allies

(Takes place in the same version as Omake 1)

Without hesitation, Wato dropped to the floor as two figures shot over him. A third hurried to his side, "Are you alright?" Seika asked him, extending a hand to help Wato back to his feet.

"Ya... just out of breath." Wato accepted her help, keeping an eye on Gourmet and Renegade as they made quick work of the SPXs. "What about you?"

Seika chuckled, "I'm fine. Have you found anyone else?" 

"Workaholic, he's in the room the SP used to watch us during the experiments; and Bookworm and Techie, I left them to help Mystic by pissing the Duke off and making him focus on me. That's all."

".... You're not allowed to complain about our lack of common sense anymore."

"A calculated risk is not a lack of common sense." Wato shot back half-heartedly. He was starting to believe that a lack of common sense was contagious, considering how he's been acting since reuniting with the others earlier.

Or was it yesterday?

He bit his lip as he considered the issue. The DA's rescue team should have arrived between the time they had left the maze and when Wato had woken up inside it. 

Considering that Doleful had:

1) Found cameras for all the SPXs.

2) Found bands that were wide enough to mask the weak points of the SPXs.

And 3) Put them on the SPXs.

Then hours must have passed, perhaps even more than a day. So why did Doleful seem so laid back?

"Fuck." Wato hissed out as he realized something. When Seika glanced over, he quickly said. "It's not just Senior and Downtown working for the Duke." Her sudden hitched breath told him she understood what he was suggesting.

"We can't expect any help then."

"And why not?" Gourmet asked as she returned to their side, Renegade doing something to the black SPX with an almost manic smile. "Good to see you safe and sound again, Incompetent.~"

It didn't take long to fill her in as Wato hurried to grab his radio. "Workaholic! Are the others safe?"

"Yes. They're still in the treatment room if you all want to regroup together. Senior Detective is on his way there as well."

Seika opened her hand expectantly, smiling at Wato as he gave her the radio with a sigh. "I'm glad to hear you are safe, Workaholic. Have you been able to find Posh, Downtown, Armor or Rowdy?"

"....Downtown is awake but hasn't tried to escape since I spotted her. She's halfway between where you are now and the jail. There aren't any SPXs from what I can see." That was worrying. "I haven't been able to spot Armor, Rowdy, or Posh so far. However, I'm almost done resetting the SPX command program. I should be able to shut them down once it's done."

"Hehehe." Renegade came sauntering over, giving Wato his first good look at him. There was a blood stained bandage wrapped around his upper arm. "Who else but our dear Workaholic could do such a wonderful job."

"Enough Renegade." Seika sighed. She turned to Gourmet, "Can you go to Downtown and bring her back?"

"Of course ~" Gourmet looked over at Wato, who handed her a radio. "You heard that, Workaholic? I'll be counting on you ~" Without hesitating, she headed off in the direction Workaholic indicated.

"And what will we be doing, wondrous leader?"

"We're heading to the treatment room to gather with the others then move from there." Seika stated. "We will discuss what to do once we have regrouped."

Wato nodded as he took the lead, stopping only long enough to shove the broken SPXs out of the way. Gourmet and Renegade had done short work of the SPXs, cutting through the bands to get to the weak points Techie had mentioned.

The black SPX was still on, but it seemed that the two detectives had quickly noticed the broken blades and chosen to simply knock it over. Wato looked over it and considered whether it was worth taking the time to completely destroy it.

Probably not since Wato had disabled its weapons, and Doleful would have to come in person to straighten it if he wanted to use it again. Satisfied that the black SPX was no longer a threat, he led the way through the maze back to the treatment room.

There was another SPX right in front of the door, a clear sign that the Duke was aware of their general position. Not that it proved to be an issue as Renegade dealt with it before Wato or Seika could say anything.

"How nice of dear old Doleful for giving me something fun to do!" He snickered as he kicked the SPX over, clearing the door so they could go in. Renegade knocked on it as he called out. "Anyone still alive in there~?"

Seika shook her head with a resigned sigh as they slipped into the treatment room. "Ideal, Incompetent, Renegade." Senior greeted them with keen eyes, keener than Wato had ever seen from the old man. "I'm glad to see you doing well."

"Oh really, old man?" Renegade chuckled. "I'm flattered ~" 

Senior merely raised a brow as he shot back. "Oh ho ho! I see you're enjoying the situation, Renegade. I suppose that means you won't mind dealing with the most dangerous activities?"

As Senior and Renegade annoyed each other, Wato felt himself relax a bit. They were safe. Mystic was moving with more ease, though still slowly and easily winded, and Senior's injuries had clearly been rewrapped.

In one corner, Techie was sitting on the counter, working on something mechanical. By his side, Bookworm was writing on some yellowed papers as Mystic kept an eye on them. 

Wato moved over, looking over the room as had become his habit, looking for anything they might be able to use. "The girl has already made a medical kit." Bookworm stated as she pointed at a box set by Mystic. " 'Are you hurt, Incompetent?' She asked with some worry."

"No but Renegade is." Wato glanced at what she was working on and nodded approvingly. "That's a great idea Bookworm."

Spread over the yellowed papers was a map of the maze, carefully marked with locations of changing walls and locking puzzles. Bookworm had also marked where they were and where they had been kept.

" 'It is merely common sense.' Stated the girl with a sly grin."

"Incompetent isn't allowed to tell anyone they're lacking common sense~!" Seika gleefully said.

Wato rolled his eyes as he shot back, "Calculated risk!"

Mystic chuckled, "I see you are in good form, Lady Ideal. What do you propose we do now?"

Seika hummed as she though for a moment before turning to Senior. "Do you know anything about Doleful's plan? Your and Downtown's suicide must have been part of it."

Senior sighed, shoulders slumping as he passed a hand over his face. He looked exhausted as he leaned against the far counter, his eyes unfocused for a bit before he gathered himself and shared what he knew. 

"The Duke called it the 'Detective Elimination Project', a plan to use myself and Downtown as a replacement for Doleful so he could continue with his work. As you figured it out, Incompetent, Downtown was to be scapegoated as the Quartering Duke with me as their final victim." Here he paused, lifting his bandaged covered hands to stare at them as he gave a deprecating laugh.

"How odd that it is only after coming so close to my own death that I realize my own foolishness. Doleful convinced me... No, enabled my own conviction that I had missed my chance to die that day. That I should have died but failed, and because I hadn't died then those children did."

He shook his head, dropping his hands back down as he continued. "I knew he sought to get his revenge for what happened on this island ten years ago, but I was unaware that he planned on completely destroying the DA. Doleful provided us with the plan to ensure our own deaths and simply asked that we not hesitate."

Seika frowned, "What about the others at Snark? Was that something Doleful planned or was it you?"

"It was planned." Senior admitted after a moment. "Those who gathered on Snark in advance were involved in the experiments ten years ago."

Wrong.

That was wrong. Wato glanced over at Seika and saw that she was also aware of that.

"How did you know that?" She asked carefully.

"Doleful confirmed it for us."

On the other side of the room, Renegade started cackling, bending over as he laughed so hard that his breath came in spasms. "And... you just... believed him???"

Senior glared at Renegade. "Of course not. I checked the DAs internal records and confirmed that they had been part of the investigation team looking into the disappearance of the children, either as active detectives or support. They found out that the Special Police were involved and did nothing."

In a moment, Renegade had stopped laughing, a manic grin still on his face as he leered at Senior. "You were right! You are an absolute fool." He enunciated each word as though speaking to a toddler. "I will confirm it right now. Other than Workaholic, no other DA member has been or ever was involved with the SP or the experiments. There never was a search for any of us."

Senior tensed up, ready to snap back at Renegade but as the detective continued speaking, Senior grew paler and paler. 

"Who would notice a bunch of parentless kids going missing? No one. So how could an investigation have been started while we were missing? Impossible."

Renegade threw his arms out with another bout of laughter, "Hahahaha! You were completely fooled by Doleful!" Senior staggered as he stared at Renegade, eyes filling with despair and hopeless denial for what Renegade was saying.

"That's enough, Renegade." Seika said. Renegade stopped with an annoyed sigh and glaring at her. She stepped in between them, forcing Senior to focus on her rather than Renegade. "What else do you know about Doleful Detective, about the Quartering Duke?"

"That.... I....." Senior Detective trembled as he tried to process what Renegade had said while answering Seika.

"Focus, Senior Detective." Seika demanded. "The trapped room? Was that also something you and Downtown arranged?"

"That... No." Senior seemed to regain some focus. "I wasn't aware of the trap or the passage it opened."

That made some sense considering the passage led to the jail where he and Seika had been imprisoned as children. And yet.....

Was it just bad luck that the trap still worked?

No.

The door had been tied open, which meant someone had known about it and deliberately left it as a trap.

"I think that was by a third person working for Doleful. Someone who has been to Morgue recently but wasn't invited to solve the Quartering Duke case." Wato said out loud.

"Or choose not to come." Techie's voice was soft as he put aside what he'd been working on. "Like my mentor Gentleman Detective."

Seika gave a short nod. "He wasn't the only one but yes, that is also a possibility that we will have to explore once we have left. For now, we have to focus on escaping here alive and apprehending the Duke."

"Then this should help find where he is!" Techie smiled excitedly as he showed off his newest friend. "If we can plug (name) into one of the cameras that Doleful is using, then we'll be able to find him!" 

"That is wonderful news, Techie." Mystic praised the boy. "Now the question is how to get a camera."

"That's easy." Wato shrugged as he reached for his radio. "Workaholic? Can you ask Gourmet to grab a working camera on her way back with Downtown?"

"I'll let her know." Came the quick reply. "They are already on their way. I've also managed to get the old SPX system working to some extent. Do you want me to shut them down, Ideal?"

"Would the Duke be able to reactivate them?" Ideal leaned over to speak. 

"Unlikely. It seems like the system still uses the old priority list so unless he managed to get his hands on a higher authority code than mine, the SPX would prioritize my orders over anything else."

Seika shared a satisfied look with Wato as she told Workaholic to do so then come join them.

It was their turn to counter attack.

[niaswish]

For Want of Common Sense

Chapter Summary:

Wato meets some detectives, is frustrated by the general lack of common sense and faces an old nightmare.

Chapter 2

Wato stared at Ideal Detective, who had just explained that she was responsible for asking Senior Detective to bring him here. He was glad that she had apologized about the whole kidnapping thing, even if that had been Senior's decision and his alone.

Passing a hand over his face, Wato confirmed that he understood the situation properly. "So the DA has gathered a bunch of detectives," Some of which were mere kids for some reason? "to try and solve the Quartering Duke case." Ideal nodded with a smile.

"And you specifically asked Senior Detective to bring me here to help?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Wato didn't understand. He was just an apprentice detective. Inexperienced as shown by his failure in stalking Senior. Why would anyone even know him, much less think he could help in solving such a big case?

Ideal chuckled, "I have my reasons. You are a much better detective than you think."

"Alright." Obviously, she had no intention of telling him the truth. Very well then, Wato would help in this endeavor, if only to get a chance to learn from the more experienced members of their group and figure out how this place was involved in Seika's a. "What do you need me to do?"

Ideal seemed surprised by Wato's easy acceptance, her expression becoming confused for a brief moment before smoothing back into a smile. "Well then, why don't you help me coordinate the investigation? Here, I'll show you how."

The next few hours are spent stuck with Ideal, investigating different areas and providing instructions through the dPad in her name. They stopped by Senior's room a few times to check up on the resting detective, whose injuries were thankfully non-life threatening.

Throughout it all, Wato took stock of the various things that were spread throughout the manor. He had seen most of it while looking for a first aid kit earlier, having grabbed a bunch of useful stuff during his initial search, but watching as the detectives pointed out small details was impressive.

After a while, Ideal decided that the investigation was over and called for everyone to gather together. Wato followed Ideal to the living room where everyone, including Senior, had gathered. As Senior recounted what he remembered happening after he had left Wato in the forest, Wato found himself paying more attention to how people were reacting.

Renegade was watching him like a hawk, an almost hungry glint in his eyes. One that had appeared after he'd managed to side step the man's earlier pounce attempt. Wato had still gotten shoved against a wall right after, but Ideal had quickly dealt with the issue with some kind of threat.

Workaholic wasn't outright watching him yet Wato had noticed that the man had taken a position that put him between Wato and the rest of the group. It was clear Workaholic didn't trust him despite Ideal vouching for him.

The rest of them seemed unconcerned by his sudden presence among them despite his general incompetence. It wasn't the detective name he would have liked to have, but he couldn't say he could deny his inexperience.

He straightened, ignoring the glance Ideal gave him, as he pointed at the blood and asked, "Did someone get injured while investigating?" His words interrupted Posh mid-explanation, drawing her ire, not that Wato cared as he moved to grab the first aid kit still in the room.

"Is that blood not from Senior Detective?" Snarked Posh.

Wato shook his head. "The drops are too far from the couch or door for it to be from him. Not to mention I did try to clean up the blood stains after I was done bandaging him up." He turned back to the group. "So? Who got hurt?"

"Um..." Doleful hesitantly stepped forward. "I cut myself on the wires. Sorry..."

Wato shrugged, "An easy fix at least. I'll clean it up and bandage it quickly. Sorry for interrupting the discussion, everyone." With that he had Doleful sit on the edge of the couch so he could take care of the cut. It wasn't very deep so some ointment quickly put a stop to the bleeding.

The discussion concerning the situation about the lab, which was apparently filled with dead laboratory staff due to some poison, continued for a small time until they all came to an agreement concerning the trap and the Quartering Duke's involvement.

Since he had dismantled the traps, the only new information was concerning the Duke's involvement and presence among them. The possibility was disturbing but it made sense as well.

Everyone here had some kind of link to the Duke or the Dayless Night incident. He wasn't sure what his own involvement was, but maybe it was whatever had happened to him and Seika before her death?

Wato shook his head to clear his thoughts. This wasn't the time to worry about it. The detectives were all discussing what to do, the proposed options all rubbed him the wrong way.

Passing a hand through his hair, Wato interrupted. "Shouldn't we be getting Senior Detective to a hospital first? His injuries may not be fatal but an infection might be."

They all looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "And allow the Quartering Duke to escape? How foolish though I supposed I can expect nothing else from an incompetent peasant." Posh declared.

"Minus 10 points." Senior said. "A detective should prioritize solving a case in times like these. To do otherwise is to put countless other lives in danger."

The others seemed to agree with the decision so Wato raised his hands in defeat. "Alright. I get it. I'll follow your lead on this then." Why was he the only one with any common sense here?

Was it some kind of prerequisite for being a great detective? To have no common sense? If so, then he might have to reconsider trying to become one.

Or maybe he'd just become the first detective to have any common sense.

=-=-=-

Lights at the helipad. Wato remembered passing by it when he made his way to the manor and just as the others said, it had been empty. As they brought up the idea that it might be the Duke, Wato chimed in, "Is there any chance it might be some kind of motion sensor that got triggered by an animal?"

Doleful shook his head, shaking like a leaf for the last few minutes. "N...no! I'm.. I'm sensing a lot of danger so it has to be something big." Wato wasn't sure he believed the whole danger spider sense Doleful seemed to have, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful nonetheless.

Holmes took it in stride as she gave her orders, leaving several detectives at the manor while taking the stronger members with her. Doleful's insistence in coming with them was admirable but Wato wasn't sure how useful the thin and terrified boy would be.

When Holmes turned to him and asked what he wanted to do, Wato hesitated. Going running into a likely dangerous situation was stupid but on the other hand, staying back might be an even bigger mistake.

"I'll come with you." He finally said, a hand going to touch his belt and the small bag hanging from it. The Duke seemed to like setting up traps, so it was likely another one. If he went with them, Wato might be able to dismantle it.

As they descended the mountain towards the helipad, Wato was glad to see they were being somewhat careful, not running towards the danger but rather taking a more cautious approach. When Wato heard Rowdy describe the source of the light, something about it seemed somewhat familiar.

"Rowdy Detective," Wato called out. "Is the light approaching us or staying at the helipad?"

Rowdy seemed surprised by his sudden question. She peered into the darkness for a moment before replying. "It's comin' towards us. Why are ya asking?"

Wato knew Holmes had figured out why he had asked as she suddenly straightened and ordered, "Back to the manor, now!"

"Ideal?" Gourmet asked even as she turned back towards the manor just as ordered.

"If the light was the Duke trying to get away, Rowdy would have seen it stay at the helipad, not come towards us! Whatever that thing is, we should confront it on our own terms, not his."

Hearing that, no one hesitated any longer as they all hurried back towards the manor. Workaholic and Mystic were waiting by the doors, both straightening in surprise as their group rounded the bend into view. Workaholic exclaimed, "Ideal? What happened?"

"The Duke prepared a weapon for us." Ideal declared, as she came to a stop beside them. "It is on its way and I will not risk fighting it unprepared. Let us face it on our own terms once we have had the time to observe it." She motioned for everyone to get into the manor, though she stayed where she was.

They all found themselves within the manor but still within view of the path. The atmosphere was tense with expectations as everyone waited to see what the Duke had prepared for them. Wato glanced over at the pile of sharp wires still by the door, and considered trying to get the detectives to install them into the trees.

Before he could bring the idea up with the others, the thing appeared. Wato's breath froze in his chest as he got a good look at it. That was??? How could it be possible for that machine to be here?

That was the thing that killed Seika!

Wato's gaze jerked towards Holmes, her tense frame at the center of the doorway, standing right in the path of the machine. "Close the doors!" She ordered as the machine came closer, Workaholic and Armor jumping forward to do just that.

The doors slammed shut with a thud, silence filling the air for only a few moments before something slammed against it. The door rattled against its hinges as the slamming continued without a pause.

The door would hold. It had too.

A/N: A reminder that anything not specifically discussed/shown here happens like in the game with minor adjustments for the people who should have died but lived.

[kaibutsushidousha]

Cat, Ghost, and Revolution Sunday (Sagrada Reset 1) - Chapter 3: Sunday’s conclusion (part 5)

[INDEX]

Kei went from the café to the shrine.

He remembered when he first met Nonoo Seika. He Reset twice, and now the world had finally gone a few hours after that. The stalls were still being built, but the takoyaki stand had already started selling. Kei bought a pack before climbing the stone stairs.

He was already used to the mountain tracks he was proceeding through. Nonoo was by the inner shrine, surrounded by cats, exactly like she was the first time.

As always, Kei admired her looks. Her eyes were closed. The only difference was that there was one more cat by her. A gray cat with a crooked tail. It yawned comfortably, with its eyes closed.

"Hello.", he called her. Nonoo slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh, it's you.", she responded.

"Want some?"

Kei offered the takoyaki in his hands. She gladly accepted it, opened the pack, and commented they had no mayo.

One of the cats stood up, giving room for Kei to sit. After he did, the cat clawed his way up atop his head. It was quite heavy.

Nonoo took a takoyaki to her mouth. Cat tongues are sensitive to heat, but hers wasn't. Kei was slightly disappointed. He ate a takoyaki from the pack, taking care not to let the cat on his head fall. He could hear a lot of hustle and bustle at the distant festival site below. It was only getting crowded for real after it got dark, but at that point, the grounds were already far more busy than usual.

"Why aren't you talking?"

Kei reacted with a smile.

"Couldn't think of anything to say. It happens sometimes."

"You came here for no reason?"

"I wanted to climb a tree."

(Sometimes you just want to go somewhere high and watch everything from the distance.)

"Did you know that we once discussed which words were kinder? We went through pairs one by one and decided that welcome is kinder than hello, whipped cream is kinder than cake, etc."

Nonoo thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't remember that."

"You lost that memory. We used an ability for that."

"Then I couldn't possibly know."

"That's right."

The cat finally climbed down from his head.

A single cloud flew across the sunny sky. The pure sunlight added more heat. Children napped, hiding from the sun under the lush green of the trees. The sound of the cicadas clashed and resonated. The air they breathed had the smell of grass. The cat yawned again.

"We weren't trying to find an answer back then.", Kei spoke.

They were simply discussing kind words and agreeing on each other's picks. Neither of them was expecting anything beyond it.

"We knew how pointless the discussion was."

"Sounds likely", Nonoo answered.

(Murase is just trying to convey a message, but even she is not sure what she's trying to say and to who. She's just unable to say the right words the right way. Tsushima was also only trying to say something. He wanted to tell Murase what he thought of her. That's all there is to it. Things could have been so simple if we had words for every possible situation. Those two simply couldn't find the right words in this one year since Murase's brother died. Words can be so powerless sometimes. When you have a message to convey, you have to be lucky to find the right words to express it.)

A girl once told him she loved messages.

Kei had given up on the idea of finding the kindest words before he even tried.

"I'm going to do something horrible tomorrow."

Even if everything went as Kei imagined, he'd still make someone cry. All because he, like everyone else, didn't know the right way to convey his message.

"You can just quit.", said Nonoo.

"I can't, actually. Me quitting won't make things less bad."

"Is there any other solution?"

"Maybe, but I can't think of any."

"You might know someone who can."

"Can you help?"

"You know what I can do. If that won't help, don't ask."

A comfortable gust of wind blew on them. Kei shook his head.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really feel all that guilty."

(But I do wish was I doing anything else. Something that would make people happy, like saving a cat's life.)

"So what are you here for?"

"I really meant it when I said I just wanted to climb somewhere tall. You know, watch everything from the distance."

(But even here, I can only see what's in front of me. My distaste for tomorrow is clouding my view.)

Nonoo whispered without changing her expression.

"Just admit that it hurts."

"I don't think I was hiding anything."

"Then talk to Haruki. She'll love to see you this open. And will know a much more precise answer than any I can offer."

"That's actually the part I least want to do."

Kei stretched himself before standing up.

(What was I doing? That was a ridiculous moment. It's not like me to vent like this.)

"Already leaving?"

Kei responded with a nod.

"Yes. I'll bring you cream puffs next time. Even better than takoyaki with mayonnaise, right?"

"Depends on my mood, but the probability of me preferring cream puffs is high."

And then she grinned.

"Come again later. I had fun seeing you so vulnerable."

"Not to boast, but I'm almost always vulnerable."

(I don't have many memories of ever achieving an ideal result, much less without getting hurt.)

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Haruki Misora walked the twilit town, on her way to the shrine.

She stopped by a clothing store along the way and looked at the display window. She wasn't interested in the products. She just wanted to see her own reflection on the glass, but it wasn't effective as a mirror, either due to the level of light or the glass' composition. Haruki could only see the vague silhouette of the plain purple yukata she was wearing.

(I ironed it so much yesterday. It should be perfect. But I still should check the stretched sleeves, just in case. ...What am I doing?! If I find a problem this late, what I could I even do to solve it? Being late is out of the question.)

Her only disappointment with her attire was the hairpin. She had walked all over the shopping district after school last night but couldn't find anything to her liking. Nothing in any shop felt right, she went home empty-handed. She didn't know many stores because her interest in fashion was still very recent, if you even could call it an interest.

She steeled herself and moved to the stone staircase, where Kei was waiting for her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting.", she called out to him. He responded with a smile.

"You're still 10 minutes early. I was just wandering the area because I didn't have anything else to do."

"Okay."

(Why weren't checking the stalls if you had the free time? Well, not that I would want to see the festival alone either.)

"I was sharing takoyaki with Nonoo until just now."

"Nonoo is here?"

"I don't think she wants to be part of the festival. She's at the upper shrine, surrounded by cats."

Haruki intentionally put a displeased expression on her face.

"You've been around a lot of girls lately."

"And I'll be with Murase tomorrow, too."

"Will I come along?"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it."

(That was an unusual turn of phrase. What's wrong? I can't see well what his face is like under this sunset.)

"This yukata looks great on you.", he said.

"Thank you."

Haruki's smile was natural and sweet like dissolved sugar.

"I hope this goes well with it."

Kei offered her a plastic bag. She accepted without looking inside.

"What is it?"

"A present, simply put."

She was surprised. She held her breath for reasons she couldn't explain and quickly opened the bag. Its contents were a second surprise.

A simple, deep crimson hairpin. Her ideal hairpin. The one she spent the whole evening looking for the previous day. She was glad she didn't find it. Receiving it from Kei was completely different from buying it herself.

"Why?"

(Wait, no, I don't care why. That's not an issue.)

With shaky hands, Haruki thanked and put on the hairpin.

(Agh, why do I not carry a mirror on me? I judged my classmates for doing make-up in the classroom, but they were completely right. I need to learn to be ready for all occasions, honestly.)

"Does it look... weird?"

Her question was timid, but his answer was casual.

"No, it looks fine."

Haruki smiled. She was happy from the bottom of her heart.

The remaining shreds of reason inside her questioned the present. It was extremely rare for him to give her anything for no reason. Even buying her a can of soda was rare for him, but that's beside the point. This was only the second time he gave her a real present outside of her birthdays and Christmas.

(There's a reason behind this. But do I care? I don't imagine any reason making a difference.)

"Wanna pray?"

Having asked that, Kei started climbing up the stairs. Haruki followed next to him. She managed to restrain herself from humming a song.

After tossing her coin into the offering box and joining her hands, a question crossed Haruki's mind.

"What god is this shrine for?"

With his own hands joined, Kei quietly answered.

"I don't know either. Whichever it is doesn't make a difference if were just here to say thank you for everything."

Haruki nodded and thanked as told. She threw in 5 yen more to make a wish but couldn't think of anything she wanted.

They walked to nowhere in particular, simply going in the direction that would avoid the crowd, and after 7:00, when the sun finally decided to set, they bought candy apples.

Haruki enjoyed the festival a lot better after dark. The way the dim lights of the stalls reflected on her candy apple was very beautiful.

She savored her apple slowly. She looked at the goldfish scooping stall, and after some hesitation, decided not to play the game because taking care of the fish she would win was too tiresome. Kei played the balloon fishing game and grabbed a prize with his first balloon. With the second one, he aimed for a prize visibly sunk too low to be hooked and failed, since he thought one prize was enough.

After her hands were freed from finishing her apple, she was given a water balloon, which she promptly proceed to delicately squish with her fingers. The water wiggling inside it had a comforting sensation.

She had takoyaki and ramune.

She got nothing at the shooting game.

Kei was smiling. Knowing he hated crowded places, she was planning to suggest for them to leave a lot earlier, but she missed her chance.

She was so happy that a lot of things stopped mattering.

When was done enjoying all the games, Kei spoke.

"There's something I want you to do tomorrow."

She could tell the request wouldn't be pleasant. Remembering the hairpin made her more nervous. But she was going to obey Kei's instructions no matter what they were. She had already decided before she heard what it was.

He calm and slowly told her everything she was going to see the next day. It was appalling to hear. Haruki took a long time to nod.

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(This moment between going to bed and falling asleep is probably when people think about the past the most. It's a time when only memory and fantasy are allowed, but fantasy is something we save for when we're dreaming, leaving only memory to rule this instant.)

In his bed, Kei was remembering a past event. "Remembering" isn't the most adequate word. Kei doesn't forget the past. His ability doesn't let him.

A day 2 years prior is recreated in his head. It was in the height of autumn, not long after the girl's death.

"Everything is on track.", said the Kei in the memory. Kei wasn't pleased to hear his own voice from a time when he was misunderstanding everything. It was like listening to a record of himself singing when he was 6. His body cringed with embarrassment, but he had to accept the facts as facts. His only solace was to think of it as a better alternative to forgetting and repeating the same mistakes.

"On my command, your loss becomes inevitable."

Behind Kei, there were two girls and one boy. One of the girls was Haruki Misora. Kei didn't need to turn around to know what her face was like: completely expressionless. That was the only expression Haruki had back then. Her repertoire of expressions still isn't the most varied nowadays, but compared to that time, she gained a lot.

And Kei's own expression goes without saying. He was smiling. He had the natural smirk of someone convinced that he is powerful. That he can do anything. He's the kind of person the current Kei would want to avoid, but since this is his own past self, there's no escaping the sour taste in his mouth.

His grin was directed toward numerous members of the Bureau. His target was the woman in her mid-twenties standing at the back of the group. Her name was Sakuin. A woman with authorization to access all information regarding abilities.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing, boy?", she said.

Kei nodded.

"Of course."

Sakuin rejected the notion in no time.

"No, you don't. You wouldn't pull this ridiculous act if you really understood what it meant to antagonize the Bureau."

"I wonder? The way I see it, I couldn't have gotten this far if the Bureau operated as efficiently as they say it does."

"This far? How much power do you kids think you have?"

Kei shook his head.

"It's not about power, Sakuin. It's about how you can still not take us seriously despite all the decisive moves we made."

Sakuin slightly raised her eyebrow and ran her eyes across Kei's group.

"I know everything about your abilities. They combine in interesting ways, but I don't think that's enough to compete against ours."

"We certainly can. We know all of your abilities, as well as every move you're about to make. There's no room for error."

Sakuin didn't ask what he meant, but Kei continued talking.

"This is the second time we meet here at this hour. We reset time. And I remember everything. In fact, we had this exact same conversation the first time, word-for-word. Hearing you repeat yourself verbatim is, how do I put it... Comical."

"If you're telling us you Reset, then we have to change our approach."

"You said the same thing in the first timeline. You are bluffing."

"This is so stupid."

"Yeah, I knew you say that too."

Kei's grin widened.

"Can you even do anything different from what you did in the first timeline? Take your time to mull over the question. Think about what you would, then about how I'd react to it, and then what you'd do in reaction to my reaction. That will be what you did in the first timeline."

Sakuin stared at him for a long time. Then, she asked a quick question.

"What's your goal?"

Kei had been waiting for this moment. Regardless of their reason, his opponents were willing to listen to what he had to say. The Bureau members weren't allowed to ask this kind of question, since Kei was very plainly the villain in this situation. They were supposed to just beat him and be done with it.

Yet, she asked the question. There was room for negotiation. Everything was going perfect, or so Kei thought.

"We're looking for an ability that can bring a girl back to life."

But there was none.

Kei couldn't find that power no matter where he looked. For this simple question, he involved multiple people in an extortion scheme to locate and lure out Bureau members. He did it with no remorse for the aggressiveness of his methods and no concern for its future consequences.

But no ability Sakurada could revive the dead.

Laying in his bed, Kei silently thought about a past he learned to accept. Murase Youka might be trying to revive her brother.

But even if she took over the Bureau, she wouldn't be able to.