Every moment of his day had turned sour. He had lost Hoka, lost the fight due to his carelessness, and once more had to be saved by Cran and Cheri who arrived just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the gang of delinquents managed to slip away, knowing the district well enough to navigate its various escape routes.

Yamiko may have forgiven him, but no one else uttered a word. As a consequence of letting the suspects get away, one of them had returned to the school's principal, shifting the blame of starting a street fight onto the novice detectives. His made up story of bullying that almost resulted in someone being killed led to weird accusations.

This eventually culminated in Hyde being called to the school's library on a saturday. He arrived late to the room, having spent some of his time sitting and contemplating life in the bathroom.

"You're late. Hyde… Tetsuya." The male teacher read his name off a clipboard with a strange emphasis. Folding his arms and wagging the clipboard towards his direction. "Imagine if your parents heard what you all did." He said.

Hyde smirked, closing the door behind before he strolled into the library. "I don't have parents." He gestured a shrugging motion.

"Dormitory headmaster and owner of the Royal Floral Detective Agency—"

"Yamiko told you?!" Hyde pinched his nose, swearing under his breath. "Damnnit…"

"Please, take a seat, Hyde. I'll bring you up to speed on what's going to happen here." The teacher gestured toward a collection of tables where the others were seated. Hyde let out a sigh and chose to sit beside Dakota.

"There's a bit of ambiguity around both of your stories. I understand you tried to stop a drug deal or something, but we can't simply let you off the hook just because you attempted to act as vigilantes. The school could be legally liable if we don't impose some consequences for both parties." The teacher explained, scratching his head awkwardly. "Consider this a light slap on the wrist. It could be much worse. You could be in jail."

Hyde stood with the raise of his hand. "Excuse me. You see, I'm a detective, and he's a cowboy." He pointed to Dakota. "We can't exactly be sitting around doing the mundane."

"At the end of the day you're still students. Young adults are still beholden to jurisdiction." He said, causing Hyde to slump back into his seat. He aimed the clipboard towards the clock hanging on the wall. "You have three hours to write an apology letter to the parents whose children you hurt."

Dakota tapped the table. "Uhm, shouldn't the school be writing a letter like that?"

The teacher shrugged and moved toward the door, pausing to share one last piece of advice. "Consider it your first steps into adult legality. That work is beneath me anyway hahaha…" He chuckled before exiting the room. The slam of the door sounded the first hour.

"I had one job…" Hyde muttered out loud, and Hoka probably hated him for anything really. She relied on him because he was her bodyguard, a knight in a way, and one who had failed at his duty. At least he got some information from Nakata which he relayed to Midare. He considered himself lucky to not be fired on the spot for messing up.

As if he'd ever admit that. "This is all your fault!" He spun around to point at Mary. "Why'd you let Hoka get in the way of danger? You were supposed to provide me backup. That was the plan we talked about."

"Uwah!?" Mary flinched in her seat before standing up to meet his level. "Why did you steal Nakata's stuff?! You said that the guitar was given as a gift for joining the club, same with your coat."

"I couldn't just leave a sword in the hands of someone like him. You saw what crimes he got up to. As a detective, I can't let someone like that carry a deadly weapon around." Hyde stomped towards her. "My intentions were well mannered."

Mary folded her arms, her expression firm. "But Hoka still got hurt. She rushed in out of nowhere to save you because you were behaving recklessly. At the very least, you should apologize for getting us all into trouble."

"Fine…" His shoulders slouched only to rise again. "But you have to first..!"

"Settle down, Hyde. All your shouting and complaining is distracting." A new sleuth voice said. At first Hyde expected it to be Dakota, but he wasn't the type of person to admonish others for their faults, choosing to stay silent and cool like a cowboy. He remained crossed arms with his hat over his face, and no one could tell whether he was napping or resting his eyes and listening to Hyde's disaster unfold into a new part.

That's when Hyde turned to face the round table at his rear where the new voice sat along with another. Their quiet led him to believe only he and only the detectives present were at fault. The boy who interjected himself unfairly into problems he wouldn't understand had a soft look about him similar to Hyde, a mop cut hairstyle being the only thing intensifying his look.

Tapping his paper with the end of his pencil, he remarked, "That kind of attitude doesn't suit a detective. Just take a seat and work on your paper. The sooner you finish, the sooner we can leave, and you won't even notice the time."

Hyde scratched his hair contemplating the choice but ultimately refused. "What do you know about being a detective?"

The boy stood up revealing, "I'm an investigator." He stated, gesturing toward a girl with overgrown hair bangs covering her eyes. She kept her head lowered and seemed equally unwilling to be in the room. but lacked any courage to speak up. "Same with my partner here. We work professionally and carry ourselves as such. There's little room for childish games in our job."

Mary stroked her chin curiously. "How come you're here then? What did you do that earned you detention?"

"Confidental."

"This guy's horse can't get any higher." Hyde rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Mary, Ruena? Is this guy real?" In response to his question, Mary stroked her chin again, and Ruena boredly nodded her head since he was very much in the same reality.

The boy investigator responded by pulling a switchblade from his back pocket and flipping it open. "This is a knife from Soap. The investigation firm I work with, Noble Third, were mere inches away from catching him and uncovering his identity." He casually strolled forward, stopping at Ruena's table. "Like you, if it wasn't for the girl behind me getting captured, we would've had him cornered. However, unlike you, I know where I went wrong, not following orders. A leader has to be calm, know his limitations, and his teammates' limitations too. Act smartly and you'll survive. Get too grand, and you'll die!" He punctuated his words by stabbing the knife into an empty chair, startling Hyde's newest party member. She would later struggle to pull the knife out of the wood to take it for herself.

Hyde crossed his arms. Their stories of encountering Soap were both the same, so identical that for a split second Hyde thought he was facing a mirror or was locked in a dream where he had to confront his true self, but he would never settle for simply following orders or settling for mediocrity. To show his indifference to the boy's story and lesson, he let out an exaggerated yawn. "Lame… detectives have a bitchin' attitude which is why even when we mess up, we're still standing."

"You just made that up." Mary chimed in with a disappointed pout.

Hyde's phone chimed with a vibrating ring, and he quickly checked the incoming text. Turning the phone, he showed the message to Mary. "New case. Looks like Midare wants us at the train station."

"But can we just leave? This is important, but we might get in more trouble for ditching."

A question which prompted Hyde to shrug. He took to the door, cracking it open and peeking his head out into the empty hallway confirming that no one was watching. They were entirely left alone in what seemed like an empty school. He pointed his thumb back towards the door. "Doesn't seem like anyone is watching. Let's hurry before anyone notices we're gone."

His party of three all got up and went to his side much to the boy investigator's surprise. "H-hey, you can't do that."

As if anyone was going to stop him. "Justice calls." Hyde's excuse for ditching detention with his party. An ideology that left the investigator confused, especially after his recent outburst with his own friends and how quickly they followed Hyde. It didn't make much sense, but perhaps it didn't need to in a world where nothing else did.

"Hey, you're all fashionably late." the barista sporting sunglasses quipped as the party entered.

The last thing Hyde expected was for the barista to be away from his station behind the counter. He wondered what had brought him here in the first place as he approached both him and Midare, who stood under the shade of the outdoor train station. Kashiwara, being a small place, didn't have many passengers waiting for the train to pull in. The detectives were pretty much the only people present here, aside from the staff working in the building.

The excuse for being late was vague however both adults didn't seem to care. When Hyde stood next to the green haired barista he felt so small in comparison both physically and witty. He was really tall but not a single wrinkle ruffled his clothing despite his bulky build. Hyde chalked it up to that being his odd trait, an oddity of strength. "Come on boy, turn that frown upside down." He'd smack Hyde's back in an attempt to lift his mood.

"Ouch!" Hyde winced, really feeling the hurt put on him. Nothing could lighten the mood since he was on thin ice. Midare didn't say anything about yesterday's events thus he pretended the topic didn't exist and never happened.

Midare pulled her own pair of sunglasses to dawn on her face. "Be careful with my detectives, Levin."

"What's this, sunglasses inside? Is that a new fashion trend?" Levin teased and poked her side with his elbow.

"Yamiko showed it to me in a fashion magazine." She replied bluntly.

The banter adults had come naturally off their tongues in a way Hyde couldn't capture himself. Their words were so smooth and they didn't need to spend seconds thinking of something to reply. Teenagers like himself, and Dakota on the other hand, always bit their tongue. Unlike their two cool demeanor, Mary silently scratched her nose, Ruena fiddled her thumbs together struggling to fit into the conversation, and Dakota occasionally opened his mouth only to close it and rethink what to say. Filled with nervousness sending chills down his spine, it was easy to tell how worried he was by the way he hid his face under the shadow of his hat in an attempt to look cool. "I hope this ain’t gonna take long."

Hyde rested a hand on his hip. "So... why did you call us here?"

"I'm going to meet with the Director of the World Government Magic Agency in city hall to request permission to use counter magic. The Queen of France, Reanne, will also be present." Midare explained what sounded like a mashup of plots. The World Government Magic Agency Hyde only had vague memories of—an organization that had been established long before his birth and was common knowledge to all.

Their mission statement was to bring order to magic which was inherently chaotic. The tribulations Hyde found himself in was evidence of disorder, and a common question often brought to light was whether that disorder was due to magic or mankinds inability to conduct itself orderly.

Although countries shook hands to create the WMA, many other countries eventually outlawed the use of magic citing it as the sole reason a calamity took the world many years ago. Banned out of fear, a majority of the world referred to it as black magic, and only a select few allowed magic usage albeit with many restrictions. Japan was one of the few free societies, and assuming the Queen of France's reasons for being here was for more than just talks, he assumed France was also a free society. If Hyde had to choose between living with or without magic, well… it was obvious which side of the opinion he took.

"The magic you'll be learning won't be spectacular. You won't be learning fire, wind, or thunder." This caught the novice detectives off guard. The answer to the magic she would be teaching them; "Illuuuusion." Midare emphasized the syllables with a dry but ghostly tone.

"Scary." Mary commented as her face went pale.

The train poured in from the right, vibrating the platform the novice detectives stood on until it came to a slow crawl then screeching stop. Its automated announcement system coming from both speakers under the shade and inside the train deafened much of the sound heard. A gentle hiss accompanied the brakes locking in place and the doors slid open with a mechanical woosh.

The number of passengers that poured out Hyde could count on two hands. This was a stark difference from when he first arrived in the city.

Midare adjusted her sunglasses. "Cases will be much easier once I convince the WMA to permit us counter magic. We'll be on a smooth snail as they say in France."

"Don’t you mean smooth sailing?" Mary narrowed her eyes at the analogy.

"They’re both slow and boring." Midare retorted. Whereas Mary was fooled by her sarcasm taking it as a rudened fact, only Hyde would see the crack of her lips curled into a smirk. Seeing her smile at all was unreal, and only furthered his admiration for the smoothness adults had.

Levin waved to them, only accompanying the detectives to see them off on their first journey into the next city over. To Kameoka, Kyoto! Hyde cheered in his head once he heard the name of the stop they were supposed to get off. It was an eight hour ride and by the end of it he felt his rear had numbed and fell off without knowing. The excitement of venturing more of the world elevated his tiredness but Dakota leaned on his shoulder having taken a nap on the ride. Exiting Kameoka Station—this city would suffer the same dreary plague, under grey clouds and sky without rain. Where people brought out umbrellas, uncertain if it was going to rain, uncertain of the future and events that were to come.

They met with their escorts, Julius and Cheri. Despite not being in uniform they still bowed as knights for the Queen just for today. Hyde didn't know how to react other than to return the bow—only to see Midare ignore their presence and walk by.

Julius gazed at her with a mix of confusion and surprise as her rudeness and true nature unfolded before him. Though taken aback, he maintained his composure, suppressing the urge to scoff, and swiftly moved forward to take the lead. From there, he guided the detectives towards city hall.

Right this way; Julius opened the doors leading into the grandiose lobby. A chandelier hanging from the high ceiling lit the room in a blue hue that oddly meshed with the orange wooden architecture and royal red walls. Hyde thought he walked into a mansion for a second, looking around and seeing paintings hung from the wall, potted tall plants, and the central stairs in the middle of the spacious room that led to the second floor. There were two halls, one on his left and other on his right. Suited men and women, some in black suits with armbands—likely France's royal army, and some in white suits with blue ties, the coloring of the WMA. The chess board of individuals moved freely in a manner that made the detectives stick out like a sore thumb despite being here for good reason. If there were a third position in chess, what color would they even be?

The lobby started to peter out but the few that stuck around, namely the knights, had something to say regarding Julius' unfortunate circumstance intermingling with commoners. "The blue rabbit has been enslaved by humans. It's so sad to see the captain fall from grace. Has Lord Lemon tried your usefulness?"

Julius grunted hearing their annoying voice though he kept his gaze averted from their right side insults. His rabbit ears flinching was enough of a response to tell them he was listening.

Hyde observed the men, both rabbit rushè themselves, with crossed arms and smirks, eagerly awaiting a reaction. "I don't see the third, so when are you going to get rid of the lady knight too? Don't you know how weak women drag you down?" One of them taunted.

Before Cheri could respond, Julius intervened, urging her to ignore their provocations. "Just leave them alone. Red knights have always liked getting under people's skin," He muttered, attempting to defuse the situation. As Hyde pondered the factionalism within the army, the room fell silent. His eyes drifted up the central stairs then he flinched as his gaze met the Queen's, who stood beside Lemon.

The Queen had an all white look to her just like the girl in his dreams but the rabbit ears atop her head ruined any further similarities. She appeared youthful save for the stressed wrinkles under her eyes. The Queen was older than he would guess, but he'd never say out loud. Her victorian dress was all white save and full of frills, clothing expertly tailored only for her measurements. That style of wear Hyde never imagined to see in person.

A thought intercepted his mind and he hesitantly bowed his head towards the Queen. The other novice detectives saw him fold awkwardly and did the same themselves.

Hyde felt his back be grabbed and forcibly pulled upwards out of his bow. His face paled believing he made a mistake, and his eyes darted to the culprit, Midare. "You don't need to bow. No one here is special." She said loudly enough for the Queen to hear.

"Watch your tongue when you're in the presence of Queen Reanne." Julius said.

"It's fine Julius. If Midare wishes to dig herself deeper into a grave then allow her to." Reanne motioned to the novice detectives standing behind the Boss. "Lemon, If you will, please take care of our guests while I'll speak with Midare."

The Queen's words took the shape of a sword. Hyde looked at his boss wondering out loud, "Is it safe for you to go alone?"

She wasn't bothered or phased by Reanne's presence in the slightest, stepping forward with confidence. Even when smooth talking adults were at each other's throats they still remained composed. "I'll be fine. If things turn bad, I'll know where to get a rabbit's foot from."

The comment made Reanne grimace. She shook her grievances off and motioned for her to follow. "Come, come."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Midare walked up the steps while Lemon went down. They exchanged a brief smirk passing then returned their faces back to a bored look. When Lemon reached the bottom of the steps, he couldn't contain his smile, finally able to meet the novices face to face. "My name is Lemon Kaguya. It's nice to finally meet you, the famous detectives."

"Famous…" Mary muttered, her focus being on Midare being escorted away by Reanne. She shook her head to break the stare. "We just started the job."

"Still, you're Midare's detectives. It's an incredible feat to be near her if you ask me. Speaking of which, follow me. I'll show you something cool." Lemon said and walked over to the right hall with the novice detectives following in tow.

────── 〔✿〕──────

Midare was taken to a balcony with a clear view of the city, Kameoka. If she could argue without being shot by the white suits following her back then she'd say how unprofessional this horizon setting was for a meeting between genius minds. The white suits at her back parted and the doors behind closed sounding their departure.

Reanne moved onwards to a table under an umbrella and sitting there was The Director—a light blue haired female in a white suit and tie. She only needed one security guard by her side, an older blonde in a white double breasted military uniform. That woman Midare knew was one of the few The Director allowed to stay near. Fearing assassination by rogue magicians, The Director kept her acquaintances few and friends none. The thunder magician she kept by was a high ranking WMA official and second to leader of Japan's sector. Whenever armed defense forces couldn't apprend a magician with guns, she came around and the crime would end immediately. The remains of the criminal's body would be too charred and disfigured for any sort of autopsy and the case was thrown out the window, declared closed by all parties involved. That was the use of counter magic and the WMA had plenty of their own magicians that were trained to slay not only people but dragons if need be.

Midare glared daggers at The Director but she never looked up from her cup of tea. The two women clad in white Midare loathed and if there was a timeline where she could get away with pointing a pistol at The Director's head she'd take it.

"Please have a seat." Reanne sat across from the Director.

Midare moved behind the seat for her but didn't sit. "I don't have a lot of time to spare with a tea party. I was expecting 100 seats and parliament."

"There's no telling what you would say in front of the public. Besides, a private party between old friends allows us to speak casually." Reanne wrapped a finger around her teacup's handle. "Now then, you've made no significant progress on your investigation against Soap. Tell us why should we allow you, a war criminal, to use magic for your work?" She said before taking a sip of her tea which was rubbing salt in the wound.

She was direct in her words, cutting deep into the heart of the matter. Calling Midare a war criminal and her progress all for naught. Midare furrowed her brow, somewhat feeling accused of a lie. Standing by former friends, especially ones that she once looked up to made her feel small. Her presence wasn't small. What she had done eclipsed all of their achievements, her presence in the world was larger than life. "We have made progress, slowly."

Reanne grinned mockingly. "Japan is already dealing with an issue of people increasingly using magic. It'll be troublesome for the WMA to contain it if we allow you to use magic above the law."

"I need magic to stop magic. Without it, my detectives will face death at every turn. Without it, more people will die because you sit so high above commoners, sitting in a seat you don't belong in. Losers do not belong in that seat."

Reanne hissed. "Don't compare me to you. I didn't come to be insulted." Sipping her tea to calm down her silent rage, she continued. "Don't forget we can jail you anytime we want for causing a massive divide between Imperia's people and the world."

Before Midare could argue, The Director stood up surprising Reanne, and the tension between former friends could cut like a razor. "Midare, big things are coming and my hands cannot quell Japan's crime. We both know what needs to be done, but what are you attempting to do once this decision passes."

"I'll continue doing what I've always done and reveal the truth to people."

"Truth?" Reanne spat. "Nothing but conspiracies from an Imperial. Imperia is full of people who believe in the improbable."

"Conspiracies become fact when proven. I'll be the arbiter of such." Midare said.

"Grr!" Reanne stood up and slammed the table, knocking her teacup over. "Kill her already!"

The Director closed her eyes letting out a small laugh understanding the lengthy explanation hidden underneath Midare's simple responses. "It's impossible to stop an unstoppable force, which Midare is. She's set on something so I cannot refuse her choice."

"WHAT?!" Reanne shouted, lost in this game only two players could play.

The Director faced Midare, her eyes connecting with reds one last time. "However, I have my own motives. Do not make me regret extending an arm."

A muffled explosion from inside the building rumbled the ground they stood on. The thunder magician flinched for her pistol holstered on her belt but The Director shook her head putting her at ease. Calmly she motioned towards Midare, "You know what to do. I will leave it to you."

With a nod, Midare turned around letting the wind elegantly flip her coat and walked back into the building to find her detectives.

The novice detectives were led into a magnificent library, its vast space filled with what seemed like an endless array of bookshelves, each stacked with countless volumes. As they walked further into the room, the flooring transitioned from marble tiles to plush carpeting. The books within this library weren't merely for leisurely reading; the majority consisted of magic tomes gathered from various corners of the world. Among these tomes were guides that instructed readers on the art of spellcasting, covering everything from practical utility spells to potentially dangerous incantations. Unsurprisingly, many sought knowledge of the more dangerous spells.

That's where the World Magic Government Agency came in, an organization made up of selected individuals from each country meant to regulate magic throughout the world to maintain stability. Many libraries that wanted to house magic tomes required a permit which the WGA made intentionally difficult to get ahold of. Their funded buildings like this one were few and far between, only a handful were situated in the capital of few countries.

"The books you see here cover non magic, arcane, fire, wind, and thunder. Libraries like this have it all." Lemon explained, slowly forming his arms as he then said. "However we can't get our hands on Ice magic. We have to wait for Mariellir to accept agreements but they went cold turkey; keeping their secrets locked tightly to themselves alone. It's probably for the best since ice magic gave humanity the edge to win the war on dragons."

Dakota nodded in understanding. "I can imagine how bad it would be if criminals could use it."

Hyde let his mind drift his arm away to the shelves. First touching the smooth dark oak shelf before his fingers moved towards the first book at the end. His finger dug over the spine and he slid it outー

"Hey, don't touch those books!" Julius shouted, causing Hyde to nearly drop the thick tome out of his hold.

"Relax Julius." Cheri touched his shoulder. "We have to help as best we can. I think this is a perfect chance for them to learn about magic.

"What Cheri said." Lemon nodded in agreement before facing the novice detectives and spreading his arms wide. "To you and only for you detectives, consider this library yours to use."

Julius' eyes widened in surprise. "B-but Lord Lemon!"

"The detectives are going to need all the help they can get to solve their difficult cases and fight off dangerous criminals. They're not as well versed in combating magic like you."

"This is a huge honor!" Ruena clapped her hands together and looked both ways in awe of the many books surrounding her. "I don't know where to begin. Over here are tomes on fire magic, and over here are tomes on thunder magic. Which one will give us an edge in battle?"

"Over here Ruena! Let's start over here together!" Cheri waved in the direction of a bookshelf and Ruena went the opposite way in comedic fashion.

Mary felt the same way she did with how much her world expanded just in this library. She took to Hyde's side trying to peek into the book he took. "What are you reading, Hyde?"

What else but a book on magic? He wished to reply sarcastically. Lowering the opened tome in his hands he showed her the elaborate writings and diagrams that accompanied it. The kanji used was too old for them to understand, unable to piece together written characters that were all lost to time. Returning the book to its place, he pulled another that was easier on the eyes and got to studying. Mary did the same, both sitting against the shelf indulging in words. The text and subtext flowed into his being, discovering that his element was Non among others, and an hour later he'd catch himself reading Crime and Punishment though hid the book within a tome.

Suddenly Mary invaded his space, making him close the book and he couldn't because of its thickness. Her eyes were closed, following her twitching nose to a scent away from him, so thankfully he didn't stink.

"Why does it smell like smoke?" She said loudly for anyone to interject in on her question that seemed like a poor joke at first.

Their puzzled silence was interrupted by a sudden thud as a book fell from above, drawing their attention upward to a cape-clad thief standing atop the bookshelf. With a sack of presumably stolen books in hand, he swung it over his shoulder, attempting to drop it on Hyde. Quick on his feet, Hyde managed to hop back to narrowly avoid the sack of books.

"Soap!" Julius exclaimed but popping out from behind the shelves were another set of similarly dressed thieves, at least three. One dashed forward opening with a slash.

"Sister!" Cheri intervened, stepping in front to deflect the strike with her own sword. With swift precision, she followed up by thrusting her blade forward, effectively incapacitating the thief with a single strike.

"Thanks, but I could have fought him myself." Ruena said, holding up the thick tome in both hands.

"Doesn't seem like any of these guys are Soap, but mimicking him. Either way, let's stop them." Dakota didn't have any weapons on hand but this was a chance to use the magic he learned. The Soap lookalike leaped down from the top shelf and darted past the group like a fleeting shadow.

Lemon quickly issued his plans, "Hyde, Mary, Dakota, Ruena, go after him and keep him from escaping with those books. We'll handle the fight here."

Hyde hastily returned the fallen book to its shelf and took off in pursuit, his party following closely behind. Lemon then issued his second command, "Cheri, Julius, I'll alert the others here. Let's move!"

With that, they split into action.

"Get back here!" Hyde shouted as he followed after the thief in the hallway. He was faster than any regular human could be while carrying a heavy sack of magic tomes, and on his way he knocked over stands, paintings and other decor in an attempt to stop his pursuers. Hyde jumped and swerved around, never losing the distance he kept. The thief thought it would come to a halt when he pivoted to aim a revolver, only for Hyde to smack it out of his hand with a pedestal he picked up along the way.

The thief took the attack in stride, moving to slug the sack over the shoulder, drowning Hyde in a sea of tomes. If there was a time for Dakota to call upon his true power then it would be now. He outstretched his hand shouting the first level of thunder, "Arcel!"

...and nothing happened.

"...ah."

"Come on!" Hyde erupted from the pile and dragged himself through, trying but just out of reach from touching him. In retaliation Soap kicked his stomach causing him to fold and reel back onto the pile of books on the floor. His smirk widened. Then his side erupted with blood from a bullet shot from afar. That alone let Midare know this was not Soap but a wannabe imposter who was going to bleed out before reaching his escape. From her side, Mary stepped forward shouting, "Catch him while he's weak, Hyde."

"Don't need to tell me that..!" He grunted, taking a book from the pile and tossing it. With a swift arm swipe Soap conjured up a wall of flames that desecrated the book in seconds and sealed off the detectives from chasing him. Hyde muttered a swear under his breath and turned around, narrowly avoiding the encroaching fire. Smoke started to billow toward the ceiling, forcing them to retreat out of the building.

They reconvened with Lemon outside the half burnt building; the detectives dirtied in soot and ash on their clothing. Being that there were two important governmental figures, the fire department arrived quickly to extinguish the flames pouring out of the building's cracks. Looking at the building from bottom to top where ash and smoke started to paint the skies dark above city hall, Hyde believed this was the turning point of justice, and the point of no return for himself and normalcy.

Cheri and Julius were the last to exit the building and while Cheri escorted the Queen by hand, Julius hurried to the detectives to groan out of her sight. His shoulders slouched low, "Seems like while our bosses waste our time arguing, Soap and his lackeys are out there already putting his plans in motion."

Midare narrowed her eyes at him, feeling slighted by his remark about her negotiation.

Lemon nodded in agreement with Julius and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If I were to guess his strategy, he's attempting to eliminate every means we have for counter magic. Burning magic tomes, stealing special weapons..."

However, Lemon had a trick up his sleeve to counter Soap's counter to them. "There are some special weapons I hid away in a shrine on the edge of town. I'm not sure if Soap has already found them but it's worth going there before it's too late. Follow the maple road and you'll find the shrine. Hurry there, you're on a time limit." He pointed past the detectives.

Dakota flicked up his hat. "He's smart but we'll act smarter. Let's move!" He was the first to run and take the lead. Lemon watched the detectives follow suit.

"Is it really a good idea to give them special weapons so soon? We don't even know if Midare is trustworthy." Julius said before folding his arms.

Lemon concealed a smirk behind his kimono's sleeve, feeling a sense of superiority. He believed himself and Midare to be aligned in their strategic thinking, like skilled players in a game of detective versus criminal. In his view, they were the chosen few capable of not only turning the tide of the conflict but also shaping the course of the world.

With a single step forward.

Hyde stepped onto a stone bridge covering a river. He stopped, gripping his knees and catching his winded breath. Glancing behind him, he noticed he had reached the outskirts of the city district, where the urban landscape gave way to one of the remaining vestiges of nature. The Maple Road stretched out before him, a path that led into a captivating forest with towering trees. It was as if autumn had reached its peak on this road, with vibrant orange leaves gently cascading onto the stone pathway. Small rivers meandered beneath the bridges and walkways, while woodland creatures scurried along the branches above. The rustling of leaves and the whisper of the wind created a serene symphony that enveloped the area.

The rest of his party would catch up after a minute, similarly with weak stamina they had to stop to catch their breaths. Afterwards they moved deeper into the forest following the dirt trail that brought them to a group of motorbikes parked by a stone stairway cutting into the forest.

Midare glanced up the steps before pointing towards the hill's horizon. "Let's go."

Ruena looked up the hill. "What if someone's up there waiting for us?" She said with a hint of worry.

"You have the means to defend yourself. You survived encountering Nakata."

Just barely. Hoka had almost died thanks to Hyde, and he feared the same might happen once he reached the shrine. He took a deep breath before moving. As he ascended the steps, his companions followed closely behind. Midare remained behind to keep watch for reinforcements or to intercept any thieves attempting to flee if Hyde faltered. Failure was not an option anymore; they had reached the point of no return

Each wide step demanded a lot from his legs, and by the time he reached the top of the seemingly endless, winding pathway, he felt as if he had sprinted around the track field. Once again, he needed a moment to regain his stamina before lifting his head.

"Are these the kids he told us to worry about? Pah! I ain't afraid in the slightest."

Standing in front of the old wooden residence and praying shrine were two men dressed lazily. The shrine building was cracked, old and covered with moss and overgrowth sprouting from the rooftop holes. Only the front of the shrine looked to be clean, managed by a shrine keeper or someone else trying to preserve history. Definitely not the two men standing against them with long objects wrapped in black cloth strapped around their shoulders.

His partner chuckled. "I didn't sign on to bully some children. Let's just ignore them and move on our way."

This time Dakota was the first to rush in, bothered by their dialogue he reeled back a closed fist. "Ignore this!" He said as he ran towards the nearest hired thug to swing.

"Hey!" The thug didn't hesitate to strike back. He caught Dakota's fist in one hand and retaliated with his other. Dakota's weak build and lack of balance caused him to tumble onto his back with a bruised cheek.

Mary was the next to run in foolishly, thinking she could get a hit if she just swung her fist around wildly after getting closer. This earned her the reward of getting struck in the stomach. The thug then grabbed and held her by the arm tightly. "Look at the size of this one. All these young girls are so stacked nowadays, I wish I had one for myself."

His partner chimed in. "Think she'd make a good model? Her body would go for a high price and we'd get to see what underneath those clothes."

"L-let go!" Mary tried to free her arm but the thug's hold was tight and stuck to her like glue.

At this point Hyde wished Cran was here to solve all his problems. He watched as the second thug loomed over Dakota with a foot digging into his chest, and the first about to violate Mary. He looked over to Ruena and came to a quick decision, he'd save Dakota while she rescued Mary. Both moved into action.

"You want some too, kid?!" The second thug raised both arms to shield himself from Hyde's repeated punches.

"I'm bad, I'm dangerous. You have a lot of nerve messing with me!" Hyde continued his barrage of rapid jabs. However his focus on being offensive left him vulnerable to a kick that struck his gut causing him to crumple to the ground in an instant.

The thug then hovered his foot above Hyde's stomach and stomped down mercilessly. "You're not tough at all. You're as weak as a bug on the road. You should've taken a hint and backed off while you had the chance. Now I'm gonna give you a lesson for getting into adult matters."

Each stomp weakened Hyde's resolve, especially after running to reach the shrine and climbing all those steps. "Bitchin'!" He muttered through the pain, "I'll teach you a lesson for looking down on me..!"

The thug reached over his shoulder for the wrapped object. "This one's got a nice mouth. Maybe I'll just kill em here."

"Hyde!" Before the thug could react, Ruena surprised him with a flying kick. Well it was more of a hop then kick, but the momentum and heel dug into his side and it didn't look pleasant from how he recoiled aside. He tried to hide his discomfort as he raised an arm to strike back at Ruena.

"Come on Hyde, let's try to do this right!" Ruena said loudly as she skipped back to avoid the thug's swings.

Hyde rolled over and pushed himself up, driven by an instinct not just to survive but to learn from his past mistakes. Surprisingly, his usual nervousness in dire situations seemed to have subsided, as he managed to keep his wits about him. He felt something brush his back and turned his head slightly to see Mary standing back to back with him. She still kept her head high after Ruena freed her from the thug's clutches, resolute in making up for not intervening in his previous fight with Nakata.

"Take this!" She dashed forward with a punch, reeled back, and struck the thug ahead of her. Then she followed up the attack by butting her head into his face. It might have broken a tooth, judging by the blood he spat.

"Oh yeah, little girl? Guess I have to get serious now." After wiping his mouth, he raised the shoulder strap and dropped the wrapped object behind him. A mistake that Hyde was able to pick up on.

"Mary, that weapon!"

Mary gasped and scrambled for it while Hyde resumed the fight against the thug he was faced with. A swift kick was enough to push him away and allowed the thug to turn towards Mary who was unwrapping the long object. "Shit!" He cursed under a breath but Hyde wrapped his arms under his shoulder in a hold. Remembering a throw he had seen on TV once, he decided to give it a try. By swiping his leg at the thug's knee, he managed to lift him off his feet and toss him to the ground.

It didn't do much in terms of hurting the thug, but it did buy Mary the time she needed to reveal a shiny weapon that emitted a blinding white light, temporarily blinding everyone in the vicinity. As the light slowly faded, it revealed a pure white halberd with a large axe blade in Mary's hands. The weapon seemed to almost reflect its surroundings, giving it an almost transparent appearance. It was the first time the party had seen a special weapon up close, and they couldn't help but be captivated by its mesmerizing presence.

The weapon had a weighty feel to it, something Mary used to her advantage when she swung her full body to slash the weapon down on the Thug Hyde floored.. It cut through him like paper and splattered blood all over the ground at his feet. He collapsed gurgling on blood rising past his throat.

The remaining thug sitting on Ruena stared in horror then reached over his shoulder for his wrapped object. "Damnnit, these weapons are no joke!" He said, scrambling to unwrap the weapon inside.

The distraction gave Ruena the opportunity to flick a switchblade hidden in her pocket into the man's leg. He jumped off her and knelt down to examine the object that had stabbed him. His distraction created an opening for Hyde to kick the thug, causing him to drop the weapon, which was revealed to be a lance, similar in design to the halberd, except it had a white bow tied to the spear.

Summoning the last of his strength, Hyde grabbed the weapon with both hands and thrust it through the thug, allowing the magic-infused weapon to sear his flesh.

Hyde stumbled and collapsed, finally able to relax after the battle. He gazed up at the cool, soothing sky, the sweat on his body and his injuries reminding him of the first of what he suspected would be many real fights as a budding magic detective. He couldn't help but think that this experience was a far better introduction to the world of magic detection than the shootout they had faced a week earlier. Hyde was determined to surpass Cran, and he had a feeling that he would do so in no time. Later on, Midare would return to find them victorious but exhausted, having emerged victorious from the skirmish.