Part 9

Update 9:

Since the first case ended in a complete and total failure, let's see what the guys at the Narumi Detective Agency are up to:

Oh dear! Boring voiceless intro!
Funny expressions, though


"Hmph, I could do without the demons and red soldiers anyway. Too much hassle. Why can't there be a case that's both fun AND interesting? ...Hm?"



Oooh, a possible client?



Or some sort of previous acquaintance Narumi had? In any case, she's got a camera. And appears in the cover, and the intro movie, so she must be somehow important, right?


Narumi is so bad at lying.




"Gosh, you're impossible."

"Would you stop it with the business cards? I could build a home with all of these."



The eyes!


Oh boy! Second Episode!


"Okay, so whaddya want? We've got a lot of work to do here, so, if you just want to hang out, do it somewhere else."

"Hang out? Excuse me! I came here today as a client! "

"Ohhhhh no. No way, no how. Now beat it, y'hear? Take your noise somewhere else, like I said, we're really busy."

"Really? 'Really busy', huh? If you are going to feed me lines, I'd appreciate it if you did a better job."


No point in being dishonest, Narumi is a lazy bum.


"See that? It's nice to have an honest detective in this town. Just be a man and listen to me for a minute, okay?"

"Fine, okay, you made your point, dollface, I'm listening.
So, what's the caper? Did you drop your wallet somewhere?"


"I was on my way to Ryugu in Ginza-Cho for an interview the other day. So, on my way back, I spotted a big crowd in front of the restaurant. I asked for the skinny, and this guy tells me the Red Cape had shown up."



*gasp*


"That's right, I figured you would have heard of him.He's some strange fella who's been seen all over the Capital, supposedly to kidnap children and attack the elderly. Before that, I had assumed he was just a fictional character. Just a rumor, started by all the anxiety of the Capital today. But, this photo I took right as I was leaving the restaurant... Take a look."


Oh dear. It is.

"This would be enough to change anyone's mind. The Red Cape's no rumor! He really exists right there, clear as day!"

"And you want us to catch this Red Cape?"

"Exactly! How did you know? You couldn't let a mystery like this slip by, could you?"

"Slow down there, Tae. No reason to put myself in harm's way."

"Are you sure about that? The owner of Ryugu told me something interesting during our interview...
How are you going to pay all those bills, Mr. Narumi? Aren't they stacking up pretty high?"


She got him.

"I don't mind paying up in advance."



Well, that's it, he's gonna accept the case.

"We would be honored to accept your request, Ms. Asakura!"


"*sigh*
At any rate, I figure you'll want to hold on to this picture for the investigation."

"Here you go, Raidou. It's time for you to rustle up some information on Red Cape."


Hooray!

"Yeah, that's mutated Kiyoshi, alright. No doubt about it. We let him escape from the Daidouji residence, but we'll get him this time. It's a good thing he turned up, at any rate. If we can nab him, it should get us one step closer to finding Kaya."

"So, Tae, baby! Where's that money?"


"I am sorry. I'll just have to pay you later. I am sure I can get you the money before Raidou wraps up this investigation."


He fell for it. Harhar.


"Raidou, I've got a... Special assignment for you at Ryugu. It's not somewhere I can easily go..."
Paying the bills?


Time to give a visit to the old Konnou Ya. They got new stuff.


Everything is damn expensive, though.

Well, then Victor will surely have something new, right?



"The result is a brand new process; A fusion method unlike any other! Gaze upon it in awe! I call it... Sacrifice. It's a process for transferring the powers of one demon to another. Ah, Sacrifice, this process allows you to easily strenghten your demons. You can transfer an ability from a demon to another. Unlike Binary Fusion, your demons do not need the utmost loyalty to perform it. However, you can only power up a demon so many times. And remember, it's called Sacrifice for a reason: After the process, the demon is gone."


"To warp and mutate the human body without the help of alchemy... Very interesting. If you can capture and bring it here, it would greatly aid my research."

Well, that was useful, except that all the demons currently held by Raidou are useful, and can't be readily replaced (since he is poor, and can't afford Victor's recorporization fees).



"He can really zoom around, huh? I wish I could do that, then I wouldn't hafta buy train tickets."



And that's exactly what Raidou is gonna do.


"Raidou the 14th, Devil Summoner of Kuzunoha, is there something amiss?
It seems thaty ou have grown in strength since we met. You shall henceforth be known as Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, Taisho Swordsman. You may found these of use now."




Oh hell yes, two new tubes. Carrying capacity for demons = increased.






Two items that are destined to be used in Konnou Ya. Yes indeed.





"Probability is high that he will turn north in front of the station and procceed to Shin-Sekai."



What the hell? A robot? What?




"They say he'll drink my blood, but I know that there's no such thing as the Red Cape."




"This is a place where those who know the secret going-ons of the world, light and dark, gather. Everyone knows the truth of demons here. Feel free to talk to the patrons and exchange information."


Just here for the news and a healing Soda, maybe later for the other things.


"The Red Cape is reported to attack people from behind, leaving nothing but blood-soaked corpses. Thought to be a hoax, our intrepid reporters have confirmed that the vile beast does, in fact, exist."


"What you overhear may be of some use to you, Mr. Kuzunoha."



Yeah, whatever.



God damn Orthrus. Weak to Ice. Unfortunately, Raidou only has expensive Ice bullets, and no Frost order demons.


"I've been taking the same route to Ryugu ever since I was a boy your age. Yes indeed."


Then Raidou is waylaid by a... Damsel in distress?


"Did you happen to witness the accident that ocurred during the last full moon?"




"My husband was assaulted while driving his taxi... And that caused an accident. He was seriousy injured, but the police haven't found any suspects. So, I thought by asking people who passed here I might find a witness, though I haven't had much luck so far. Sorry for wasting your time, I appreciate your honesty."

Full moon, eh? Probably was no accident at all.




"So, he can pay you a salary, but can't pay his bills? How nice.
Sorry, was just mumbling to myself. So, it's Raidou, right? How can I help you?"




"Oh, I saw this in the Capital Daily. He wrecked one of our customer's cars. Don't think he'll be coming back again.
*sigh*
It was in Ms. Asakura's article. She came here and showed me the same photo. Saying he's a monster is an euphenism, right? He's just some lunatic the police should be after.
Chased all our customers, is what he did. The police is never around when you need 'em.
Is there anything else?"


"Daidouji? Oh, you mean the wealthy man from Yarai-ku. I haven't seen him since his company went bankrupt. Back when he had the dough, he was in here more than once a week. He was a very courteous gentleman. I'd gladly give him a job here. He got along well with Denpachi, our Rickshaw runner."



"He's one of our employees, the rickshaw runner.
He's been here even longer thanme, so he's quite the old-timer. Maybe Denpachi knows something about Mr. Daidouji that I don't. He lives in Fukagawa-Cho, in Senju-Ku. Tell him I sent you."

Well, time to go there. Yes.



This crazy hobo might have more insight than he knows. Or not.




With that name, how could one not?



"Maybe he had a late night in the lab again, he sometimes forgets to sleep..."



"I'm not actually drunk, mind. I just feel that way cos I'm broke."
Mindread"A transmission from Jupiter can be heard...
The more you drink, the stronger you get!
Some folks lose control when they're drunk. I guess you really can do anything with no inhibitions."


Oookay. ADVANCIN'!



Cute dog! Let's read its mind!


"Will you listen to my story?
That's very kind of you, I'll begin.
Humans are shaping the future with the technology and convenience of the modern world. But, they've stolen our future from us to build their own. The modern world has no place for us. Mountains stripped bare of trees, rivers that flow with industrial toxins... I can still remember the faces of my friends who died rather than leave their beloved homes. I grew to hate words because they are the foundation of modern human society, but those hated words also led me to kind humans, like you. Maybe someday all humans will show your kindness. My dream is to return to that forest where I grew up. That dream gives me the strength to stay alive. If you don't mind, cuold you...
Share your dream with me?"



VOTING TIME: What is Raidou's dream?