The results or consequences came a few days after when Hyde and Dakota were personally requested to go to the agency by Yamiko for a super important reason. Her choice of words, and she never elaborated on what that super important reason was. They were just told to go to the cafe whenever they were free, and that day would come on Saturday when Dakota reminded Hyde that they had somewhere to be.

Truthfully Hyde forgot, but admitting his mistakes was uncool for a cool person to do. After getting dressed in casual wear, a buttoned black long sleeved shirt and jeans with the cuffs folded above his shoes; he met with Dakota waiting in the lobby.

"You ready?" Dakota still wore that cowboy hat, and his casual wear was a navy blue turtleneck sweater and black pants with short boots. Fitting attire for a cowboy making his name.

"Let's go." Hyde replied with a deepened tone to make the situation look incredibly serious.

However before they left, Mary rushed down the stairs, her foot slipping on the last step and causing her to fall flat on her face. Immediately she jumped up and exclaimed. "H-hey! Where are you guys going? Have you been hanging out without me?"

Her casual clothing was a white and brown striped off shoulder sweater, green plaid skirt with black leggings. On the back of her bobbed hair was a black bow she always seemed to have.

Hyde fiddled with a hair strand as he asked, "Don't you have other friends to hang out with?"

"Everyone says I talk too much. That can't be true right? I'm trying my best to get along with everyone, opening up and open to new ideas but-"

"Okay!" Hyde interrupted loudly. "I guess you can come with us. We're going to the agency if you're interested in seeing it."

Mary brightened up at the idea. "Whoa! So cool, let's go!"

Mary has joined the party! Hyde hoped she would simmer down her personality a little. Together they ventured to the cafe with an invitation this time giving them reason to be there. This time the cafe wasn't as packed and staff were few, one of which was the fox-eared maid Hyde met at the arcade. Being the only person he knew he naturally approached the front counter where she was stationed.

Casually she waved but still spoke to him like he was a guest. "Pleasure to meet you again. Come to order something?"

"Yamiko gave us the order to come." Hyde said.

The maid's gaze widened and she motioned over to a table by the wall where the black haired detective he helped sat all by herself. Her black hair was curled into large drills that gave off a regal flair and glaring ruby red eyes could be seen from miles away captivating any person's eyes. She looked too pretty to be fighting, the patch covering the scar across her nose stained her lady flair. Although, If she wanted to be seen like how he saw Yamiko then she'd have to earn it respectfully.

Disrespectfully, Hyde invited himself at her table and Dakota stood at his rear ready to jump in at any time if this woman were to point a gun at him. Mary stood a bit farther for some reason. Nevertheless, Hyde casually sat his elbow on the table top. "How's it going?"

She reciprocated the same passive aggressiveness he brought, though her tone remained flat. "Why are you here?"

A smirk grew on his face. "I was told by Yamiko to come here."

She leaned back in her seat muttering to herself. "Yamiko… so this is the boy you were talking about." Her rise was abrupt, and with a swift slam her hand struck the table. The sudden boom of wood startled Hyde down to the bone. "Thank you for helping me. Don't do it again." She replied.

"A-alright." He leaned forward after collecting himself. "Yeah, it was nothing special, just doing the right thing. By the way, my name is Hyde Tetsuya. Behind me is Dakota."

"Midare Amayda." She boredly introduced before then circling around to Dakota, eyeing him up and down. A swift swipe and before the cowboy knew it, she had taken his hat and placed it on her head. Smoothly she placed a finger on the edge and traced across the rim. "There be a cowboy..!" Saying the line in a pirate accent to further annoy Dakota.

"Are you gonna tell us why Yamiko wanted us here?" His brows knitted.

"You've been recommended to join the Detective Agency. After seeing your skills yesterday, I think we can skip the interviews and put you to work."

Dakota was about to place his hand on his hat but awkwardly moved his hand over his face. "I knew this day would come. Hyde, this is our opportunity. It’s time."

"It’s time…" Hyde awkwardly added.

"...Time for what?" Mary felt out of place in the whole ordeal.

Midare placed her finger on the edge of the cowboy hat. "Let's discuss upstairs in my office. Your first client is there."

Dakota snatched his hat away from her dirty mitts. "Yeah we'll go. Come on, Hyde." The two boys parted to the stairwell across the cafe, leaving to where the real agency awaited.

Mary on the other hand was stopped by Midare's hand. "You weren't recommended."

The red head furrowed her brow "But why? I'm capable of being a detective too. And this is my last year just like Hyde's, so you can't say I'm too young."

She would give reason after reason and each one furthered Midare's frown. Her persistence broke through Midare's hard exterior and she gave in, but under the strict condition that she would obey every order above all else. If Midare told her to jump, then she'd have to or else risk being fired.

"Right! I promise I won't get hurt." Mary said with a nod. Together they would go up the stairs to the detective's office.

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While they were in their little spat Hyde got to meet his first client and it turned out to be Hoka. Of all the people—how was a little girl the catalyst of a case? He eyed her directly this time, suspicious if she was the culprit because in many mystery tales, the one least expected was the killer. Staring at her also brought a weird sense of deja vu, not from when they stood at the school gates but from earlier in his life. There was some odd obstruction that gave him amnesia, something blocking all the memories before he met Yamiko.

"Somein' bothering you partner?" Dakota asked and yes, Hyde was bothered by his forced dialect

But on a serious note. "Hey Dakota. Tell me about life before high school. Why do you wear the cowboy hat?"

Dakota grinned at the question. "Well you see…" There was a pause that made him stop to think about why he wore the hat. The fact he had to remember why he took on this weird trait was in itself evidence for Hyde that Kashiwara was more than just strange. He couldn't entirely remember. "Uhm, it's the only thing I have to remember my father. I think."

"You think?" Hyde tilted his head in confusion.

"L-look, it was a really long time ago." Dakota stuttered.

Mary and Midare stepped into the office, interrupting Hyde's little interrogation.

The room contained a solitary desk adorned with a clutter of papers, a computer, and various other items that didn't grab Hyde's interest. Dim light seeped through the closed shutters, casting a gentle glow and relieving the otherwise somber atmosphere. The room lacked excessive decoration, save for a crimson couch positioned against one wall, accompanied by a small table for private consultations with clients. On the opposite wall stood a closet and a shelf hosting a collection of books, and hopefully model pistols.

Despite being a professional office for the detective, Midare was unprofessional whenever she was in her own space, choosing to sit on the edge of her desk where files sat, and crushing them under her jeans. "You all look certain of this decision. Are you aware of the dangers you be thrusted into?"

"Yes! I want to fight for justice." Hyde said with a raised arm.

Dakota nodded in agreement. "Better to do something than watching a criminal commit violent acts. We can catch Soap for sure."

Midare folded her arms. "His violence is just collateral damage. The news doesn't know his ulterior motives." She pointed to Hoka. "That girl has a very unique type of magic he wants. I believe he was using her magic to find something. Since she chooses not to speak, Soap merely kept her around as an accessory and though he didn't chase me when I took her, she's still an accessory he wants to have around."

Dakota snapped his fingers understanding the gist of their mission. "Alright. We just have to protect Hoka right?" He inquired if there was more to the case.

Midare nodded. "That'll be your main objective, along with other cases you will receive from me. It should be easy for you since she is obedient towards those older than her."

Essentially Yamiko had already given Hyde the task of protecting Hoka without directly saying. He didn't like the mission but he wasn't opposed to it either. Their debriefing came to a halt when a strange visitor entered unannounced. Walking in was a dark haired female wearing a kimono patterned with lemons. Hyde thought to himself again the absurdist fashions of the residents here. The newcomer eyed the three novices then spoke softly in a male voice. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

Midare shook her head. "I’m preparing our new recruits, Lemon. Yamiko sent them."

Lemon inspected them from top to bottom again. Hyde returned the stare wondering how a man could look so feminine. If he didn't speak then Hyde wouldn't have known. "They look as fresh as a flower. Anyway, whenever you have time, let's chat."

He turned around and left the room in a hurry. Their interrupted debrief was pretty much over and Midare pointed them out of the room. Work began immediately, objective; protect Hoka.

────── 〔✿〕──────

After a day Hyde already felt fed up with the mission given to him. He boredly kicked a stone as he strolled the after school sidewalk, choosing to leave Hoka with the other two who cared more about protecting her than he did. When going to Yamiko begging for something to do, she tasked him with going to the market to fetch some ingredients to prepare for a case. Dragged by excitement, his false expectations led him to believe her words until he stepped out of the convenience store with a dour look on his face realizing he'd been tricked into buying ingredients for a food case.

The dormitory had one of those all can eat snack display cases, lined with donuts and whatnot. Personally Hyde wasn't interested in partaking in delicacies or even preparing it but Yamiko's orders were resolute. He spun the grocery bag like a flail thinking to himself if he had said something different then maybe he'd be out combating crime on the street with a flail. His hand itched to swing a sword.

A loud commotion of laughter took his gaze and simultaneously he halted in place, turning his head towards the direction of the sound. Finding himself at a plaza, in the center of it was a foundation empty of water and a group of female students from his school standing by and conversing amongst themselves.

At first Hyde took no interest in whatever shallow topics girls talked about, until one mentioned magic.

"This street seller was doing something like a yard sale. He was giving away magic artifacts that can bless you, make you insanely lucky, and other stuff as well!" The female student surrounded by her peers said. They eyed the amulet around her neck with starry eyes, as if they never saw a gold necklace with gems in it.

"What does your necklace do?"

"Do you feel like a magician?"

"How much did it cost?"

"Well…" Faced with a multitude of questions, the female student blushed anxiously and swayed her hands to get her friends to settle their curiosity. "It's not that special. Though the guy who sold it to me said it was once worn by a princess in France. This necklace can ward off evil spirits and dragons."

"No way! Is the magic of dragons still around?"

"Evil spirits..?" Hyde muttered. Following the stroke of his chin he dug into his pocket and took out a book on magic Yamiko had given him.

The magic in the world was relatively basic, although it's a supernatural phenomenon turned commonplace, there was no such thing as magical spirits or curses. From what Hyde read there were two categories of magic; simple and complex. Simple magic included fire, thunder, wind, light, and dark, the commonly used elements and easiest to learn. The next category of magic was complex. This was quite the leap since an advanced category has yet to be made for various reasons. Complex magic was difficult to learn since the elements weren't something that could be simply defined.

For example "non" magic was an element that lacked an element thus it had no weaknesses or strengths. It's often described as the contradiction to France's Grand Magic Theory for its strange properties.

Looking back at the collection of girls, Hyde figured that element was what the amulet was enchanted with.

"The necklace was on sale for 550 yen. I just had to get it. It'll cure my streak of bad luck!"

ーOr maybe it was all a facade of scammers. The knowledge of street thugs stealing ounces of money from unsuspecting fools was just another cog in Osaka's crime machine. Crime wasn't all getting stabbed in an alleyway and abandoned for naught, it was sly. The new normal of shaking hands but holding back crossed fingers. If everyone was robin hood, then everyone was robbing under hoods.

Hyde shot the group a dejected look from afar until one of the girl's noticed him. Quickly he shut his book and sped walked away before rumors could spread about him creepily eyeing on girls from a distance.