DDI: The Case of the Favorite Cookie
I. Nishijin Ward
Recommended Music: https://youtu.be/eNMfvWwDClg
Inigo and Hoge emerged from the house, their good deed done. They strolled along the vibrant streets of Kyoto's Nishijin Ward, the air filled with the crispness of early September. The streets were quiet, except for a few locals running errands and small packets of tourists immersing themselves in the beauty that the ancient capital offered.
A plain-looking girl with messy green hair popped open a window from the house they just left. She waved at them. Inigo waved back. "Mizu-chan! If you need more help, just let me know! Gigan and I will come right over," Inigo offered with a cheerful grin.
Hoge chimed in, her tone a bit more serious, "Please make sure you always come to school with clean clothes. As a Shiketsu student, you have a reputation to uphold." The green-haired girl nodded appreciatively, half of her face hidden. "Th-thank you! I'll keep that in mind!"
As they walked away from the house, Inigo skipped forward, his hand reflexively moved to take Hoge's.
"Man, it's nice to see a happy ending. She had a heart-to-heart with her family and now she's going back to class with a fresh start," Inigo remarked.
Hoge seemed less impressed. "We wasted our time helping someone who couldn't help themselves. And this lead was a dead-end," she grumbled, she let slip some of the frustration that's been bubbling inside her the whole time. She had mixed feelings. They had gone out to help someone that's been in the same situation as her less than a year back. But nobody had helped her back then...
"Yeah, but we had to look into it. It's crazy weird that one of the leaked papers had a random general course sophomore on it."
"I'd agree. It was strange that it had information about her depression and past hikikomori tendencies too. Judging from her grades, she was a week away from being expelled," Hoge reminded him,
"What do you think the bad guys would want with her? It doesn't look like she has a lot of stuff. Her family's poor too," he pointed out, trying to make sense of the situation.
"She does have a peculiar quirk in reshaping porcelain. It's potentially useful."
"It's too bad she's not the best artist, or she could make money off it," Inigo held up a small porcelain figurine that Mizu-chan had given him as a gift. It looked like a jester with long spider-like limbs that's been mashed with a sealion. "Y'know, it still has the essence of Popsy. At least she tried."
"The trail's gone cold again, and we weren't able to find any leads, even after we got her to talk," she admitted, the frustration evident in her wavering outline.
Inigo held up a finger. "Oh! I did pick something up. Her info matches the medical history in one of the papers in folder G," he shared excitedly. "She has a childhood scar right here." Inigo reached behind Hoge's hair, gently brushing his fingers against a spot just behind her ear, along the back of her neck. "Did you see that?"
Hoge muttered under her breath, correcting him, "Posterior cervical region. That's what you mean."
Inigo chuckled sheepishly, "Uh... yeah, I couldn't come up with a name for the spot." His hand lingered.
Hoge's voice seemed softer, "Ini.. we already knew that medical records were leaking out."
"I know, I just thought it was weird that she's on the first page for both folders, and she's barely in my girl-stats book. The only thing I have on her is that I saw her talking to Karuga Ito-san in the lockers once."
"Do you still fill that out?"
"Not really, I only have a Hoge-stats book now," He winked. His face felt warm as he gazed into her eyes, they had stopped walking.
Hoge was prettier than ever today, Inigo thought to himself. She slowly placed a hand over his. He decided to lean in.
Their moment was interrupted by a loud truck blaring its horn, causing them both to jump. Inigo glared at the large truck with a cookie symbol on it. It was speeding too! Why was it going so fast? That's the third time this week. He tried to regain his focus on her, clearing his throat awkwardly. "So! Yeah! No more leads?" he asked.
Hoge shook her head and looked the other way. "N-no more leads."
They continued walking quietly for awhile. Inigo sighed inwardly. The moment had passed. His mind wandered. "How about we circle back to those delivery period tables? Someone's sneaking stuff through hero patrols," he suggested, hoping to spark a new line of investigation.
Hoge dismissed his idea with a shake of her head. "We wasted too much time on that already. Unless it's a teleport quirk, no one can deliver things that fast. And why would they even need to know hero patrol schedules if that's the case?"
"Guess not."
His eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, I got an idea! We could use our detective powers for other things!" He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a flyer. "Check it out! It's a missing cat poster. Her name is Fuzzkins. Last seen following a large black cat! 2000 yen reward! "
Hoge shook her head emotionlessly. "No."
"Why noooot? It's a good idea! A good deed and some cash," he insisted. Gigan, his shapeshifting dragon, let out a cheer of support from Inigo's pocket.
Hoge shrugged, "Missing cats are better left to public services, and I'm only doing this because it threatens the school and our class. " She continued walking pulling Inigo along.
"You mean you don't just like hanging out with me?" he said, feigning like he just got stabbed in the heart.
"T-that's not the point! We really shouldn't waste our time on pointless side missions. We should be training and studying, or doing other things like-" her voice trailed as she argued, though her eyes wandered, betraying her true feelings.
"But this was kinda like training. Do you want to do some parkour stuff?" he suggested hoping to keep her around longer.
Hoge's voice got louder as she made more effort to be heard. "It's too cold, and I need to get home."
"It is getting late huh? But just so y'know, this wasn't a waste of time for me. I got to spend the day with you," he confessed with a smile.
Hoge's blushed, her resistance weakening. "Baka. We could've done other things if you wanted to spend the day together," she mumbled, her eyes avoiding his gaze.
Inigo shrugged playfully. "I know, but this was fun. Hey, since it's a long way back to my apartment, let me tell you about another mission I have." He looked up at the gray skies above them. "So, it started yesterday. I call it the mystery of Junichi's favorite cookie."
II. Inigo's Apartment
Recommended Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaNwni-e-cc
There we were playing the new DLC Mech Raidz for Mecho Corez 12 when it happened. The sounds of yelling, mechs and rapid-button presses filled the room. We were busy defending our 10-win streak.
Junichi: "I fucking hate Polar Artic, why does this damn map keep popping up?"
["Shields down! You're in critical condition!"] The game announced.
Inigo: "Bro, I love this map. It's open season out here!"
[Triple Kill!] [You're unstoppable!]
Junichi: "Cause all you're doing is camping their spawn.."
["I'm pulling back!"] [Repairing!"] ["Heavy Machine Gun!"]
Inigo: "The new mortars are so broken. It's hilarious! I'm getting all the new achievements. Can your mech fly? Come up Tower with me."
[New Achievement: Mortar City - 200!]
Junichi: "FUCK! I'm too busy defending the Point! Come to C!"
[We're under Attack!] [The Enemy has taken the Lead!]
Inigo: "Fine fine."
Junichi: "I can't believe this shit. Where are they coming from?"
Inigo: "Bro, we're gonna lose anyway. The rest of our team is gone. It's 3v10. The other guy's a bot."
Junichi: "Fucking cowards."
[Mortar Support Incoming!] ["Rise Up and Fight for Zheon, soldier!"]
Inigo: "You yelled at them until they left.. One dude cried!"
Junichi: "Good. Those losers don't deserve to win. You better not hit me with that mortar!"
[Killing Spree!] ["You've retaken the lead!"]
Inigo: "I'm trying! You're- everywhere at once! How are you stacking so much armor?"
Junichi: "Focus on capping their base. Fuck the defense points."
Inigo: "They're gonna get around us..."
Junichi: "It's our only chance. They're running the timer down."
Inigo: "I'm bombing east side. Move out the way!"
[Massacre! You're on fire!] [New Achievement: Mortar City - 300!]
Inigo: "Almost there!"
Junichi: "Corez Power in 5.. Hold them."
Inigo: "I'm tryin! Sniper on left platform."
Junichi: "Got him!"
[QUADRA-KILL!] ["You've earned a promotion to Mech General!"]
Inigo: "They're too scared to come out."
Junichi: "WE GOT IT! CMON!"
["We have them on the run!"] ["Corez Power ready to go!"] [Base Killer!]
Inigo: "Bro.."
Junichi: "NO!"
[THE ENEMY HAS CAPTURED A POINT]
[DEFEAT!] ["The Argo Empire Will Never Rise Again Desu~!"]
Junichi: "MOTHERFUCKER! THE PIECE OF SHIT BOT CAN'T EVEN DEFEND A POINT FOR 2 SECONDS!"
Inigo: "Damn. They snuck up behind us.. gg."
Junichi: "I hate it. They broke the game with the dlc."
Inigo: "Bro, we almost 2v10'd. We need like a third person and we got this."
Junichi: "Skill issue.. Let's do a rematch and get our streak back."
Inigo: "Eh, the matchmaking's bugged again. It's another one-hour update..."
Junichi: "Of course.... I hate Day-1 bugs. I hope they nerf mortars." He glared at the screen and sighed. He reached for a party-sized bag of chips only to find it empty.
Inigo: "That's my build, bro. Maybe I'll switch to Railgun instead." He looked through his Mecho loadouts.
Junichi: "Hey, you got anything to eat?"
Inigo: "Yeah, check it out." Gigan brought up a plate and Inigo grinned.
Inigo: "It's a cookie platter. Got it from a secret admirer in B-1. The Boys are pretty popular in Shiketsu and it comes with perks. We got a ton of welcome back gifts in our lockers. Although someone did put a large rock in Sandy's locker. Help yourself!"
Junichi stared at the plate of assorted cookies.
Inigo: "C'mon, pick your favorite!"
Junichi, shaking his head: "Nah."
Inigo: "I got another platter! How about this one?" He holds up another platter of assorted cookies.
Inigo: "My fave are the Christmas ones with jam."
Junichi: "Nope! Not after I almost got ran over by a cookie truck today." He stood up and headed for the door.
Inigo: "You too? They're all over, bro."
Junichi: "I'm heading out to buy a pack of smokes. You coming?"
Inigo: "And why the hell not! Tell me!"
Junichi: "Huh?"
Inigo: "What's your favorite cookie, bro!"
Junichi: "I'm- I'm not telling you. It's none of those."
Inigo: "I swear I'll figure it out! It's weird that you won't share it. You're usually one of the first to answer these things." '
Inigo got up, adjusting his tie as he joined Junichi.
Junichi: "You'll never know."
The two boys made their way to the convenience store, with Inigo making incorrect guesses the entire time.
III. Junichi's Apartment
"-and that's why we're here." Inigo said, finishing his story.
Hoge frowned and adjusted her silver-framed glasses. She had hoped for more interesting gossip about Inigo's strange friend, and what she got was a nonsensical story about a video game and cookies. Her instinct would've led her to wander away a long time ago if she could let go of his hand. What's just as disconcerting was the strange apartment building that they now stood in front of. It was old and dark. The building looked like it had survived a bombing and attempts had been made to stabilize the five story building with plastic tarps and spare wooden boards.
"I guess it's not that interesting huh? But I'm telling you, he usually answers prompted questions. Something's up and I need your help!" Inigo said grinning lamely as he followed her eyes. "It's his apartment. Can you believe it's even shittier than mine? And we live in the same block. C'mon, let's go in!"
Hoge planted both feet on the ground to keep herself from getting pulled forward. "I told you, no side missions, and I don't have time for this. Just because the only academic rival I had in class has lost his mind doesn't mean I can stop focusing on maintaining a perfect record."
"But that'll just take a second! I'll even fly you home afterward!" He said, smiling as he turned to face her. He rested his free hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
Hoge shook her head. "I-I still have my fear of heights. That's why we can't do that. Yet." She said, as her eyes looked in every direction except directly at his. "You'll have to wait until I'm ready, Ini."
Inigo tilted to the side, trying to catch her wandering gaze. He felt a familiar pounding in his chest. "No rush, we'll go at your own pace. But I have so much to show you when that time comes. Weird roofs, secret gardens, Hijack-sensei's funny garage." He grinned. "You know I won't let you fall right? I'll always catch you."
"Yes. I know. It's not about that." She said, blushing as she took a step in place with each foot to calm herself, her quirk causing her to blur. Purely to distract herself, she looked beyond Inigo to the dark staircase leading up the building. "Okay. Let's go visit Junichi."
Somewhat disappointed, Inigo took a moment to adjust his tie and then perked up again. He led the way up to Junichi's apartment. "Oh! We're not here to visit! I need you to sneak inside and steal something from his place while I distract him. Gigan's being a big baby and won't help." Gigan's little head popped up from inside Inigo's blazer and frowned at him.
"Stealing?" Hoge blinked, she was caught off guard.
Inigo nodded as they stopped on the 3rd floor. "He doesn't have any food. He only has bread for toast. It's his only breakfast! If we take that he'll have nothing."
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not against cruelty to your unemployed friend, but why?" Hoge seemed more interested now.
"So he'll be so hungry that he has to pick a cookie! Don't worry, I'll take him out for breakfast." Inigo knocked loudly on Junichi's door. "Yo! Joon, it's me! Open up!"
"Yeah yeah. I'm coming," He heard Junichi's voice through the door.
IV. Mitsurugi Dojo
Recommended Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYAXD3_Voco
Morning light streamed in through the shoji screens, broken only by the shadows of swaying trees outside. Within the largest room of the Mitsurugi dojo stood Inigo and Junichi. He had invited Junichi here for breakfast, and they had flown to the dojo. Gigan had almost gotten lost due to the forest fire that's recently scorched the area and made it unfamiliar from above.
The pair had taken up Momo's invitation to be dueling partners with Chihiro, surprising the young master of the dojo who was in the middle of practicing with Hoge at the time. They had decided to demonstrate their sword skills while Chihiro and Hoge took a break at the side and watched. Inigo had left it up to Chihiro to explain how she knew Junichi to the inquisitive Hoge, much to the dojo master's discomfort.
Junichi swung his bone sword towards Inigo, who deftly blocked it with a sword formed from his construct. The two blades clashed together with a loud smack.
"You've gotten better with a sword," Junichi said, resetting into a fighting stance. "But you still telegraph your moves."
Inigo grinned, twirling his construct sword casually. "I don't need to be sneaky when I'm this good-looking."
Junichi scoffed and lunged forward again, unleashing a flurry of strikes. Inigo reacted quickly, parrying each blow as he gave ground. The sharp clacks of their practice blades echoed through the dojo.
"Speaking of sneakiness, I know you stole my bread yesterday," Junichi accused between strikes. "Someone left 200 yen in my cupboard. Gigan's the only one who would do that!"
Inigo jumped back, creating some space between them. "Wasn't me or Gigan, I swear!" He looked over at Hoge, who was sitting quietly near Chihiro watching them spar. She quickly avoided his gaze. She hadn't stolen the bread. The weirdo had covered her tracks and bought it from Junichi.
"Likely story," Junichi replied, before charging again. Their blades met in another clash of wood on bone. The two strained against each other, faces inches apart.
"If you didn't steal my bread, how'd you know I had no breakfast?" Junichi asked.
"Uh well, just a guess-" Inigo stammered. He swung wildly and Junichi stepped around the slash, countering with his own strike. Inigo resisted turning his sword into a shield and staggered back.
"Inigo, your footwork seems a bit unstable when blocking overhead strikes. Perhaps widening your stance could help?" Hoge suggested from the side.
Inigo glanced over, surprised by the advice. "Oh yeah? I'll give that a try, thanks Hoge-chan!"
He adjusted his footing as Junichi came at him again. This time when Junichi swung down hard from above, Inigo was able to absorb the impact without stumbling. Inigo twisted and thrust the butt of his blade against Junichi's stomach.
Junichi gritted his teeth and stepped back. "Okay. No more playing around." He charged again, swinging expertly. Junichi's bone blade crackled against Inigo's constructed sword as he pushed Inigo back across the dojo floor. Step by step, Inigo gave ground, until his back hit the dojo wall. With a fierce shout, Junichi unleashed a barrage of strikes, forcing Inigo to block and parry desperately.
"Got you now!" Junichi yelled, readying a powerful downward swing.
Inigo just winked up at him. "I know something you don't know."
Junichi hesitated, blade still held aloft. "What?"
"I'm not right-handed." Inigo's constructed sword suddenly floated up on its own, hovering in the air.
Junichi frowned. "Cheater!"
"Nor left-handed." The blade darted forward, forcing Junichi to parry.
"Or any-handed!" Inigo winked and rolled away from the wall while Junichi was distracted. His disembodied sword continued attacking on its own.
Junichi tried to counterattack but was driven back by the autonomously moving blade.
"No fair, you didn't say we could do that!" Junichi protested, barely blocking a thrust.
"Now for a sneak attack!" Inigo moved to grab Junichi from behind.
Seizing the opportunity, Junichi forced Inigo's floating sword up, twisted into a turn, and swung low, sweeping Inigo's legs out from under him. He fell hard on his back with a loud thud. Junichi pointed his bone blade at Inigo's throat triumphantly.
"I win," he declared.
"Oh yeah?"
In a burst of green, Inigo's sword swung in front of Inigo and transformed into a hooked sword, disarming Junichi in one smooth motion. The bone sword went skittering across the dojo floor as Inigo hopped back to his feet.
"You were saying?" Inigo smirked. Scowling, Junichi held out his hand and grew a new bone sword from his wrist. He swung it in front of Inigo's face, just stopping short.
"Ugh, forgot you could do that. You got me then," Inigo conceded with a wink, dissipating his weapon and turning Gigan back into a dragon. "Good match!"
Junichi sighed and let his bone blade crumble away. They clasped hands as he helped Inigo stand back up. "Good match, now where's breakfast?" The two boys smiled despite themselves, amused by the other's improvisation, they headed over to the side for a break. Chihiro handed them both water bottles. "You both did well," she said quietly. "But please be more careful and observe proper forms. You can use the practice words instead of your quirks if you'd like."
Inigo rubbed his head sheepishly. "Yeah. My bad, and thanks!" Junichi just grunted, gulping down water from his water bottle.
Inigo smiled at Hoge knowingly as she stood behind Chihiro. She really had bought that bread, even if Junichi didn't know it.
Chihiro moved to pick up a bokken from one of the racks lining the wall. "If you'd like to stay, we will practice disarming techniques next." Hoge followed after her teacher, picking up her own practice sword.
Junichi replied first, "Thanks, we're about to have breakfast. Is it okay if we just watch?"
Chihiro nodded. "That's okay. There's a table in that side room you can use."
Inigo picked up a black bag he had arrived with from the corner of the room. "It's going to be a good one. You, ladies, are welcome to join us if you get hungry. Just give me two minutes to set up, bro." He scrambled to the other room and began setting up plates.
When Junichi arrived, Inigo greeted him with a flourish. "Welcome to the first annual Junichi Cookie Festival! We might as well celebrate your new promotion to Mook leader while we're at it."
Junichi sighed. "Is this about the cookie thing again? This isn't breakfast," he said.
"It's freshly baked and better than toast. Just give em a try, bro," Inigo grinned widely.
Junichi looked skeptical but reached forward to try the cookies. He maintained his stoic demeanor even as he systematically worked through the platters, trying cookies of every shape, flavor, and color. Inigo watched eagerly, but Junichi did not react to any cookie. After tasting the last cookie, Junichi started to leave without a word. Inigo jumped in front of him insistently.
"Come on man, just tell me! I put so much work into this," Inigo pleaded.
Junichi shook his head. "Don't worry about it. This was...nice of you. But it's not a big deal."
Inigo's face fell. As Junichi turned to leave, Gigan caught Inigo's eye and gestured to the simple sugar cookie station. Inigo suddenly recalled Junichi abstaining from that cookie earlier.
"Wait! Is it...this cookie? You didn't try it!" Inigo grabbed a cookie and held it out.
Junichi hesitated, then sighed and took the cookie. He ate it in one bite. For a moment, his expression softened.
"Yeah... This one reminds me of...better times," Junichi admitted quietly. To Inigo he seemed sad. Not angry like he usually was.
Inigo's blinked twice. The cookie may have brought up some memories for Junichi. Perhaps bitter ones. He decided to leave it be. Maybe some things were more important than solving the mystery.
"Hey, man? How bout' we get some more practice in and we can grab some real food after? My treat," Inigo offered.
"Uh, sure. Thanks. " Junichi said, a bit surprised.
They started to clean up as Inigo glanced over to the two girls in the other room. Hoge lunged forward with her bokken, aiming low at Chihiro's legs. Chihiro effortlessly parried the strike and spun her blade around Hoge's, twisting it from her grip. Hoge's sword went up but she maintained control and stepped right back into her stance. She had gotten better.
He turned his attention back to Junichi. "Yo, show me how to do that sweeping move you did!"
After a vigorous morning of training, Hoge, Inigo, Chihiro, and Junichi sat resting in the shade by the side of the dojo. A large plate of watermelon slices sat between them as they chatted lightly, enjoying the refreshing treat after working up a sweat.
Inigo bit into a juicy wedge of watermelon and looked off into the distance. "I can't believe I'm the worst one with swords here."
"You need to stop trying to turn your sword into a giant mecha sword," Junichi spoke his mouth half-full of melon.
"Bro, it's hard sticking with one weapon. Guess it's time to learn though," said Inigo as he picked up another slice off the plate.
"The dojo is available for new students if you're interested," Chihiro stated matter-of-factly with no emotions in her voice.
"Thanks. I'll think about it," Junichi said.
"Hmm I would but I'd get too distracted with Hoge here, plus she might not want me around?," Inigo teased.
Hoge looked down and pulled lightly on Chihiro's sleeve. "It's up to- sensei. I'll respect her decision."
They shared a look. Chihiro calmly placed a hand on Hoge's hand. "More students will not interfere with your training." Hoge nodded appreciatively.
Inigo smiled as he watched them. He glanced up at the clouds floating above the dojo. "Y'know, I might have to find my own master. Junichi-sensei teach me!"
Junichi shook his head quickly. "Nope."
Inigo looked hurt for a moment before turning his attention to the woods beyond the dojo. "Hey, that forest fire with that villain was pretty bad, huh? Do you think it's healing alright, Chihiro?"
Chihiro gazed sadly toward the scorched treeline. "I'm most worried for the boars. That area was their main habitat. I hope they found a new place to shelter."
"That's gonna be tough," Junichi grumbled through a mouthful of watermelon. "We saw a trail of trash and graffiti on our way here. And have you seen those creepy guys hanging around the woods?."
Chihiro sighed. "Yes, I've spotted them a few times. I think they may be scaring the wildlife away which is troubling. But they mostly come out after dark when I'm not around."
Hoge had been listening quietly while nibbling her watermelon. "Sensei, we could do something to spook them off for good. If the four of us worked together."
Inigo's eyes lit up. "Hey, yeah! We could totally prank those jerks. I'm great at jump scares."
"I don't know..." Chihiro said uncertainly. "I wouldn't want to put anyone in danger. But perhaps just a harmless fright to keep them away."
"I'm game," said Junichi.
"Leave it to us!" Inigo grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he half-raised his fist toward Chihiro. "It's the least we could for ya for giving us those pointers and letting us crash your dojo!"
V. Burnt Woods
Under the cover of night, Hoge, Inigo, Junichi, and Chihiro stealthily made their way through the shadowy forest. In the distance, they could see the flicker of dozens of flashlights and hear loud raucous laughter. The group they were seeking to scare off was close.
"Alright team, you all know the plan," Inigo whispered. They all nodded and split up to get into position surrounding the group of hoodlums. At Inigo's signal, Junichi stepped out into the flickering flashlight beams, using his quirk to transform into a horrifying skeleton beast with jagged bone spikes.
The punks shrieked in shock and fear. Taking advantage of their panic, Inigo and Chihiro began making ghostly wails and shaking chains, the eerie sounds echoing all around. Hoge took her turn, Gigan clung invisibly to her back as she swiftly maneuvered, circling the group. Suddenly, ghostly figures began appearing around the terrified punks. Her after-images trailed behind her as she moved around. Gigan transformed partially to alter Hoge's silhouette as she moved, making it seem as if the punks were surrounded by shifting, unnatural shapes.
"Let's get out of here!" yelled the leader, voice trembling. Before they could run, Inigo snapped his finger. Now buddy. Gigan enlarged next to Hoge, towering over the half-drunken intruders. It let out an earth-shaking draconic roar, its form terrifying in the darkness.
That was the final straw. The targets screamed and fled blindly into the night, desperate to escape the haunted forest.
One by one, the four teenagers came out from their hiding spots, exchanging only quiet smiles to hide their presence. They spent a moment to collect the stuff left by the tresspassers. Inigo picked up a few of the stranger's things; a wallet and a weirdly shaped-key.
It wasn't the most thorough plan, but it had worked, and the boars could now return. They made their way back to the dojo under the moonlight. A comfortable silence falling between them as they walked, broken only by the rustling of leaves, the buzzing of cicadas, and rhythmic sounds of the bamboo fountain.
bzzzt. bzzzt. donk.