A night and a day later, Tsukiko's body was healing, but her mind remained restless, and unfocused. As she sat around with Aurelia in the house by the beach, she found herself wandering the corners of her mind she'd rather not explore. With but a glance, Aurelia understood exactly what she needed to help her relax.

Tsukiko stood, in her bartending uniform once more. She'd pleaded with Aurelia to let her back out onto Tokyo's streets. Aurelia only gave her half her wish.

She was, for all intents and purposes, home. She wasn't doing her usual patrols, however. Tsukiko was stuck working.

It wasn't bad, just not what she wanted to be doing. She wanted to be out, fighting back against Themis.

"Tsuki?" Lily's voice broke Tsukiko's concentration. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Tsuki blinked and looked around.

"Are you just gonna stand there cleaning that glass all day?" Lily was looking up at her.

"Oh, uhh... Sorry." Tsuki shook her head around to try and wake herself up. "I've got a lot on my mind."

Lily nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

"Too much work?" Tsuki cocked her head.

Lily leaned forward, her hands on her cheeks. "I miss hanging out with you."

"Me too." Tsukiko let her head hang down in shame. "I'll do my best to see you more often. Can I get you anything?"

Lily looked up, trying to move on. "I... I dunno."

"Oh, right. It's not exactly a good place for a kid to be. I can't serve you anything hard, but..." Tsukiko looked under the bar. "There's a lot of stuff down here. Maybe there's something I can whip up."

"Yeah! Sounds great." Lily's face lit up a little.

"Now, what am I gonna do here... I'd ask Aurelia for some advice, but she said she'd be out back." Tsuki looked around. "Something about... a dress?"

"A dress?" Lily seemed interested.

"You know anything about that?" Tsukiko grabbed a bottle.

"Nope." Lily said stiffly.

Tsukiko put a bottle on the counter. It was a dark green bottle with an embossed name on it. It was a foreign language she could hardly even read.

What really mattered was what was written on the paper label. It described the mix within as a sour lime syrup, typically used for mixed drinks. Tsukiko could think up loads of ways to use it.

"You like sour stuff?" Tsukiko asked.

"Yeah!" Lily's face lit up.

"Alright, alright..." Tsukiko looked around.

First, Tsukiko poured some of the syrup into a short, round glass. It was dense and thick, staining the side of the glass as it slowly slid down. It was a much darker color than she'd expected.

Aurelia had told her that one of the spigots released carbonated water for some of the more interesting drinks. In this scenario, it worked perfectly to create a lime soda.

The water shot out like a jet, mixing with the green syrup. A dark green soda formed, with lime fizz at the top. Tons of little bubbles ran from the bottom to the top.

Tsukiko reached into a cooler and plopped in a few ice cubes. She was proud of her creation, so she got the nicest looking ones she could find.

"Wow..." Lily reacted with awe. "It looks so cool..."

"Try it!" Tsukiko urged her, hoping for the best.

Lily stared the glass down. Condensation formed around it as the ice cooled the mix down. She slowly slid it toward herself.

Both hands wrapped themselves around the drink. Lily brought it up to her lips slowly, her eyes watered as she took the first sip.

"Sour." Lily's face scrunched up a little as she tried to force her way through the stinging sensation in her mouth. "Really sour."

"Oh, should I--" Tsukiko moved quickly to grab some sugar, but Lily held out a hand to stop her.

"No." Lily let out with a strained voice. "This is good."

"Uhh... okay." Tsuki watched Lily struggle with the drink. "You sure it's not too sour?"

"Yep." Lily's voice was a little hoarse.

The bar's front door swung open. Two familiar customers wandered in. As soon as they noticed Lily, they bolted for the seats next to her.

"Asuka? Tanaka?" Tsukiko raised an eyebrow. "What're you doin' here?"

"Getting a drink." Asuka said bluntly. "Right?"

"Tryin' to get a good scoop, duh." Tanaka was even more blunt.

Asuka turned to Lily. Lily clearly didn't want to talk. She took a long sip of the sour drink.

"Giving alcohol to minors?" Asuka accused.

"It's lime syrup and soda water." Tsukiko glared back. "Don't get it twisted."

"Oh, she's good!" Tanaka laughed, mocking his own partner in the process.

Asuka scolded him. "C'mon, focus."

"Right." Tanaka cleared his throat and adjusted his crooked tie.

Tsukiko sighed. "Don't you guys have... normal lives?"

"We do." Asuka replied bluntly at first, but her voice trailed off as she had more to say. "But a good, valuable interview is enough to make a normal life... luxurious."

"Is that why you celebrate every good article with the real cheap beer?" Tanaka raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, so I can go to the spa, or get a massage... Alone." Asuka had no problem defending herself against Tanaka's playful jabs.

"Just don't bother my customers, alright?" Tsukiko made herself clear. "And make sure you pay for your drinks."

"When do we ever skip?" Asuka chuckled a bit.

"I wasn't talking to you." Tsuki turned to Tanaka.

"Hey, that was like... three drinks!" Tanaka argued at first, but gave up quickly. "I usually pay."

"Usually." Tsukiko repeated.

"So, Lily..." Asuka turned.

"If she doesn't wanna talk, she won't." Tsukiko answered for her.

Asuka sighed. "Don't take it as me being rude. Journalism's hard work, especially now."

The jukebox in the corner suddenly stopped playing. It whirred mechanically for a second, before starting a new track. It was a slow, jazzy tune.

"I'll give you another interview if you leave her alone." Tsukiko blinked.

"Really?" Lily's face lit up.

"Really?" Asuka's face lit up too.

"Rea--" Tanaka didn't get to finish his exclamation.

"Yes, really." Tsukiko shook her head and steeled herself. "Ask away, alright?"

"Mmm." Asuka made an odd sound. "You got anything, Tanaka?"

Tanaka produced a notebook. "This is why you come prepared, Miss Inaba."

"Just don't throw me anything weird." Tsukiko pleaded. "I'm not exactly trying to land on a tabloid yet."

"Is this the first interview you've done?" Tanaka asked.

"You interviewed me like... last week." Tsukiko scoffed.

"Right." Tanaka scratched something off a list. "What were your other interviews like, then?"

"Well..." Tsuki paused. "I got interviewed on TV a few years ago. It was a short thing, just something about the Shakudos."

"So... you're the one that took down the Shakudos?"

"Well, yeah." Tsukiko raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do it alone, but--"

"Who helped you?" Tanaka held up a voice recorder.

Tsukiko took a deep breath. "The other Knights. Concerned citizens. Friends."

"Friends like..." Tanaka prodded as naturally as he breathed.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"...I wouldn't wanna name names." Tsuki lowered her head. "They're entitled to their privacy."

"Fumiko Nakano?" Tanaka said.

"Yeah..." Tsukiko sighed. "Fumi."

"Who is she to you?"

Tsukiko paused, knowing what to say, but feeling awkward saying it aloud. "She's my... girlfriend. We've been together for the past few years."

Tanaka looked her in the eye and smiled. "No need to be shy."

Tsukiko broke their momentary eye contact. "Is this important?"

"Everything about you is important." Asuka's words sounded more like flattery than honesty. "You're an important person."

"Folks like to know more about their heroes." Tanaka assured her. "It's... humanizing, relatable."

"Yeah!" Lily raised her voice. "You're cool."

Tsukiko reluctantly agreed to more questioning. "If you say so..."

"So, what's so special about Fumiko?" Tanaka asked.

"Special?" Tsukiko repeated. "I love her."

"Why?"

"Why?" Tsukiko repeated him again. "What do you mean, why?"

Asuka moved her hands, as if her motions were somehow going to help explain. "Well, what do you like about her?"

"What kind of article are you writing?" Tsuki didn't let herself be bashful, simply laughing instead.

"A Knight's love life?" Asuka explained her business plan. "It'd sell like hotcakes."

"It's a tabloid piece, huh?" Tsukiko let out a groan. "Didn't I just..."

"No comment." Tanaka said in a professional voice.

"I ain't answering that question." Tsukiko shook her head.

"C'mon!" Tanaka leaned forward, urging her to answer.

"I'll ask you something instead." Tsukiko glared.

"What is it?" Asuka straightened up, interested in the Knight's game.

"Why're you bothering Lily so much?"

Lily began sipping her sour lime soda again. Her face started to pucker up, but she didn't stop, letting the drink speak for her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Asuka raised an eyebrow. "She's the world's youngest billionaire."

"Huh?" Tsukiko turned to Lily.

Lily looked away.

"Hey, look at me!" Tsukiko suddenly sounded like a very angry parent. "Lily?"

"You didn't know?" Asuka asked.

"No!" Tsukiko's vision went blurry. "I knew her as a little homeless girl with a big inheritance. I didn't know it was that big!"

"Yep." Tanaka nodded. "The Guillemot Company's huge!"

Lily's eyes watered from the sour taste, but she wouldn't stop sipping her drink. Tsukiko leaned over her with an intense glare, her eyes boring into the top of the poor girl's head. Lily simply moved her face away and kept drinking, nearly coughing from the overpowering taste she'd brought upon herself.

"So now do you wanna let us interview her?" Asuka's red lips curled into a smile, as she shamelessly tried to exploit the Knight's outward shock.

"Hell no!" Tsukiko shook her head and slammed a hand down on the counter. "I made a promise, billionaire or not."

"Then tell me your hobbies!" Tanaka continued his interview, hoping he could bring back some semblance of peace.

"You're a vulture, Tanaka." Asuka couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Uhh... mostly games." Tsuki stuttered a little as she tried to return the conversation to a more normal path. "Collecting records... I'm a bit of an audiophile. My girlfriend and I like to travel out to the country a lot for walks."

"That's not what I would've expected out of you. Every good interview comes with some surprises, right?" Tanaka wrote her answers down. "Favorite food?"

"...cheeseburger." Tsukiko hesitated.

"Favorite drink."

"Beer, not the cheap stuff." Tsukiko stopped herself. "No, whisky."

"Height!"

"One hundred eighty three centimeters!" Tsuki replied quickly with a slight smirk.

"In heels?"

"Nope!"

"How'd you learn how to sprint in heels, anyway?" Asuka cocked her head.

"Uhh." Tsuki paused to think up a good answer. "You learn fast when you keep missing trains."

"Huh." Tanaka paused, tapping his pen against his lower lip. "...measurements?"

Tsukiko thought for a moment.. "I dunno."

"You don't? Not even your bust?" Asuka asked.

"I get my stuff custom made, so my tailor has the sizes." Tsukiko shrugged. "Not sure anyone would really care about that kind of thing anyway."

"Well, there goes that topic." Tanaka sighed miserably.

Lily finished her sour drink. Her tongue had a slight green stain to it and her eyes were watering. Clearly, Tsukiko needed to tinker with the recipe. That, or Lily had to find some better way of avoiding unwanted interviews.

"So, Lily." Tsuki knew she couldn't weasel her way out of answering. "Were you ever planning on telling me about the Guillemot Company?"

"...can I get another drink?" Lily pushed her glass forward.

The Knight turned bartender did her routine once more, mixing another lime soda. However, she took another glance under the counter to grab what was labeled as simple syrup. She poured some in and the next time Lily took a sip, she wasn't scrunching up her face in pain.

"Jeez..." Asuka muttered.

Tanaka nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "Very impressive!"

"Huh? What'd I say?" Tsukiko asked.

"This is great stuff." Asuka looked through her notes and smiled. "It'll sell like hotcakes."

Tanaka seemed quite excited too. "Yep. Folks love those goofy little details."

"I don't think anyone gives a damn what I eat." Tsuki didn't bother arguing. "Maybe the paparazzi know something I don't."

"Well, it's more for the fans." Tanaka scratched his head.

"The fans?" Tsukiko felt stupid even saying it aloud.

"Yeah, y'know... You guys are pretty famous now." Tanaka sweetened his words. "You've even got an online following."

Tsukiko raised an eyebrow. "This is about that... message board, huh?"

"Yeah." Asuka confirmed. "Don't worry, it's just a general discussion thread, nothing too weird. It's called Tokyo Knights General."

"Harmless, but valuable." Tanaka continued Asuka's sentence. "You wouldn't believe it, but they pay for good info relating to the Knights."

"I'm aware." Tsuki was a bit annoyed. "I don't read it."

"You're missing out." Tanaka laughed a little.

Lily cautiously entered the conversation. "What do they even talk about?"

"Well, it depends." Tanaka checked the site on his phone. "Some days, it's simple stuff like popularity polls and Knight sightings."

"And other days?" Tsukiko asked.

"Rumors. About the police and about the gangs you guys fight. Anonymity's a hell of a drug." Tanaka leaned back a little.

Tsukiko rolled her eyes. "It's so easy to speculate when you're not involved."

"It's the audience's advantage." Asuka gave Tsuki a lecture. "You only have a second to make a decision, but the Internet's got an eternity to sass you for it, and a council of morons dedicated to telling everyone what would've been a better choice."

"The thread's been more active of late, since that Themis gang keeps popping up here and there." Tanaka checked his phone.

"Is it really that bad?" Tsukiko spoke softly.

"It's not every day a gang attacks a police conference and gets away with it." Tanaka had a strange tone to his voice. "I would've expected Ishikawa to go nuclear on 'em, but he didn't."

"I'm guessing the Internet has its theories." Tsukiko knew where the conversation was going.

"Of course it does." Tanaka checked his notepad, flipping between two pages over and over. "He's been accused of bribery, conspiracy, cover-ups, all sorts of stuff. None of it's got any evidence to back it up, though."

"There never is." Asuka rolled her eyes.

"At least it's entertaining." Tanaka shrugged.

"Who..." Tsuki held herself back at first, but continued anyway. "Who's leading the polls?"

Asuka chuckled a little. "You're first, usually. Then the other two duke it out for second place."

"Nice." Tsuki said in monotone.

"How's it feel to be the most popular girl in Tokyo?" Tanaka joked. "Are your numbers to your liking?"

"I was just curious." Tsuki folded her arms.

"The most attractive poll is pretty split, though." Tanaka scrolled through the site. "Says your heels and black hair are your best features."

"Anything important?" Tsuki raised an eyebrow. "Anything related to Themis?"

"Themis? Not much. Just rumor mongering." Tanaka admitted. "You're asking a lot from a bunch of faceless strangers online."

"True." Tsukiko sighed. "It's probably all shitposting."

"Eh?" Asuka made a weird sound.

"I'll have to take a look." Tsukiko nodded. "I know someone who'd probably know the situation better than I do."

"Just temper your expectations before you get involved." Tanaka took another sip of his beer.

"Must not be too nice having to share the spotlight with Merlin, though." Tanaka scratched his head.

"Merlin?" Tsukiko repeated. "What's that?"

"Merlin." Tanaka repeated again. "You seriously haven't run into her? She's the talk of the town nowadays, fightin' crime alongside the Knights."

"Jeez, how long've I been out?" Tsukiko let out a disappointed sigh.

Asuka smiled. "I'm surprised you're so... okay with this."

"It's all good as long as the folks there stay outta my way." Tsukiko adjusted her blouse. "We can't just... start deciding what folks can and can't say about us. That'd just make it worse."

"I don't know if--"

"Are you going to order any drinks?" Aurelia's voice called from the back.

"Huh?"

Aurelia stepped out from the backroom. She was already in her own bartending uniform. Her eyes were focused on Asuka Inaba.

"A beer?" Aurelia offered.

"Uhh... sure." Tanaka nodded.

Aurelia got to work pouring him a beer. It poured into the tall glass quickly, filling it with foamy amber liquid. She slid it over to him and he took a small sip.

As the conversation died down, Lily put her hands together. She'd waited for a good time to talk. The others were aware of this, staying quiet to give her the spotlight.

Lily turned to the two journalists. "Can we make a deal?"

"A deal?" Asuka narrowed her eyes.

"If I pay you, will you help Tsuki?"

"Help me?" Tsuki cut in.

Asuka took a second to react. "We have journalistic integrity, we can't accept bribes."

"I'm not asking you to write anything." Lily countered. "I want you to do some investigating."

"What's the pay?" Tanaka asked with a smile.

Lily leaned in and whispered something into Asuka's ear. Asuka's eyes widened, then she turned and whispered to Tanaka.

"...sweeten the deal a little more." Tanaka said through his teeth.

Lily and Asuka turned to him. The looks on their faces told him everything he needed to know.

"We'll take it." Tanaka lowered his head and submitted.

"Wait, we don't even know what we're looking into yet." Asuka stopped the deal last second. "What would you wanna know?"

Lily turned to Tsuki. "Tell them."

Tsuki looked at Lily, then at the journalists. "I'm trying to find out more about Themis."

"We know that." Asuka seemed much too eager to work. "What exactly are you trying to figure out?"

"I wanna know what they're doing, where their hideouts are, what kind of business they're involved in..." Tsuki said whatever came to mind. "I wanna know everything."

Asuka moved side to side for a moment. "It's risky, but the pay is good..."