KuroTan
09-17-2007, 10:59 PM
Finally, I managed to update.lol. It's been a busy few weeks for me what with the start of classes and all. Anyway, back to the story. It'll be Shuji's turn again.
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“So you can really help me?” Shuji asked Seeker after he told him everything that happened and why Kikko had run away.
“Of course young man,” said Seeker. “Although your narrative has added a little twist to the case. The fact that she has run away means that she will try her very hardest not to be seen by anyone who knows her, lest they force her to return to her home. Hmm… Very tricky indeed.”
Sitting down, Seeker lapsed into silence and frowned his brow in an expression of acute focus.
“Would you like something to drink?” Ran said standing up. “I’m afraid it might be a while before he comes back out of his thinking. Don’t worry, he usually does that.”
“What?” Shuji asked distractedly as he tore his eyes away from the Artful Seeker who was mumbling something incoherently while making little illustrations on the table with his finger.
“I asked if you wanted a drink,” she smiled.
“Oh. Okay, sure,” he answered. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she said as she disappeared behind the curtains. “What do you want?”
“Do you have a Coke?”
“A coke? Let me see,” he heard her open a refrigerator. “Nope. We only have Sprite.”
“That’s okay.”
A moment later she emerged holding a can of Sprite in one hand and a carton of orange juice in the other. She passed the can to Shuji and sat down.
“You must be really worried about her huh?” she said.
“Yeah…”
“Tell me, is she your girlfriend?”
“W – What?” he spluttered, accidentally spilling Sprite on his shirt. Hastily, he tried to clean it up. “No, it’s not like that. She’s just a close friend of mine.”
“I see,” she said with a playful smirk.
“Really, she’s not my girlfriend.”
“I believe you,” she smiled. “But she must be a really special friend for you to go look for her. On a school day too and so far from your home.”
Shuji could feel his ears turn red. She was a very good friend and at times he had caught himself thinking what it would be like if they were more than just friends. But then –
“I got it!” Seeker suddenly cried out causing yet another deluge of Sprite to spill down Shuji’s shirt. “Shuji, you said you rescued her – What have you been doing? Your shirt is wet.”
“It’s okay, I just spilled something,” Shuji said embarrassedly as behind him he heard Ran give a small laugh. “You were saying?”
“You said you rescued her manga. Did you bring it with you?”
“It’s in my bag.” Shuji said as he fished around for her sketchbook. Pulling it out, he slid it across the table. “Why do you need it?”
But Seeker didn’t seem to hear him. He was busy turning the pages of her Kikko’s sketchbook.
“This is good,” he said after he turned the last page. “A shame about the end but I am sure that will not be a problem. It has a good story.”
“You read it all?” Shuji asked incredulously. “You were just flipping the pages.”
“Speed reading is an important skill in my business,” he answered.
“How?”
“If the only way to find a missing lady, for example, is to read her kidnappers receipts to extrapolate where they could be hiding her, speed is of the essence.”
“Really?”
“For me it is,” he grinned. “For your friend I admit it is a little trickier than just inferring from past details where she might be. I believe the best solution is to coax her out of her hiding.”
“Coax her out?” said Shuji. “You mean let her come to us? How are you going to do that?”
“This is the key,” Seeker answered as he brandished Kikko’s sketchbook. “How would you like to turn your friend’s work into an anime?”
“An anime? She’d really love that,” Shuji said enthusiastically. “But then, that’s really expensive. And who would even want to do it?”
“Why, I of course.”
Shuji was silent for a moment. “You’re telling me that you have an animation team?”
“Certainly. Or at least, as close as I can get to owning one,” Seeker said. “Why do you think I live here in Akihabara? Every case I solve gets made into an anime, with some of the more personal details altered of course. It was Ran’s idea actually. She said kids really like a good mystery. In addition to that, I look really cool on T.V.” he added with a laugh.
“But…”
“But what?”
“I can’t pay you that much,” Shuji said sadly. “I only have my allowance, and barely even half of that.”
Seeker eyed him critically. Then he said. “Kid, if I was worried about money I wouldn’t have followed you in the first place.” He gave him a huge smile. “Tell you what, the director at the studio says he’s a bit short handed. Why don’t you ask your friend Kikko when we find her to fill it in? That should cover it.”
Shuji could only look at him in gratitude.
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” he said, eyes twinkling. “Ran, could you bring this to Haruki and tell him I want this done by Saturday, day after tomorrow. He is to put everything on hold and concentrate on finishing this do you understand?” Ran nodded as she stood up. Seeker continued. “After that ask him to advertise this project in every major television network immediately after he has completed anything worth putting into a commercial. Tell him that this will only be shown on the big screen by the plaza at exactly six-thirty in the evening. I want as much publicity on this as possible. Tell him that that is very important.”
He looked at Shuji after Ran left. “As for you, I want you to come back here on Saturday. No rush, just make sure you’re here before six - thirty.”
“Got it,” said Shuji. “I’ll be here by then.”
“Good. Now, I want you to go home and get a good night’s sleep.” Seeker said as he stood up. “Try not to worry too much.”
“T – Thank you very much,” said Shuji gratefully. “Tell me, how can I ever repay you?”
“When you are reunited with your friend again and I see her smiling, genuinely smiling, trust me I’ll know, I’ll consider us even,” he said with a grin.
Shuji blushed. “I – I think she will.”
“That’s good enough for me,” said Seeker as he ushered him out of the apartment. “I really do like happy endings.”
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Almost done. You'll only have to endure a few more chapters before I wrap up this story.^^'
*******************************************
“So you can really help me?” Shuji asked Seeker after he told him everything that happened and why Kikko had run away.
“Of course young man,” said Seeker. “Although your narrative has added a little twist to the case. The fact that she has run away means that she will try her very hardest not to be seen by anyone who knows her, lest they force her to return to her home. Hmm… Very tricky indeed.”
Sitting down, Seeker lapsed into silence and frowned his brow in an expression of acute focus.
“Would you like something to drink?” Ran said standing up. “I’m afraid it might be a while before he comes back out of his thinking. Don’t worry, he usually does that.”
“What?” Shuji asked distractedly as he tore his eyes away from the Artful Seeker who was mumbling something incoherently while making little illustrations on the table with his finger.
“I asked if you wanted a drink,” she smiled.
“Oh. Okay, sure,” he answered. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she said as she disappeared behind the curtains. “What do you want?”
“Do you have a Coke?”
“A coke? Let me see,” he heard her open a refrigerator. “Nope. We only have Sprite.”
“That’s okay.”
A moment later she emerged holding a can of Sprite in one hand and a carton of orange juice in the other. She passed the can to Shuji and sat down.
“You must be really worried about her huh?” she said.
“Yeah…”
“Tell me, is she your girlfriend?”
“W – What?” he spluttered, accidentally spilling Sprite on his shirt. Hastily, he tried to clean it up. “No, it’s not like that. She’s just a close friend of mine.”
“I see,” she said with a playful smirk.
“Really, she’s not my girlfriend.”
“I believe you,” she smiled. “But she must be a really special friend for you to go look for her. On a school day too and so far from your home.”
Shuji could feel his ears turn red. She was a very good friend and at times he had caught himself thinking what it would be like if they were more than just friends. But then –
“I got it!” Seeker suddenly cried out causing yet another deluge of Sprite to spill down Shuji’s shirt. “Shuji, you said you rescued her – What have you been doing? Your shirt is wet.”
“It’s okay, I just spilled something,” Shuji said embarrassedly as behind him he heard Ran give a small laugh. “You were saying?”
“You said you rescued her manga. Did you bring it with you?”
“It’s in my bag.” Shuji said as he fished around for her sketchbook. Pulling it out, he slid it across the table. “Why do you need it?”
But Seeker didn’t seem to hear him. He was busy turning the pages of her Kikko’s sketchbook.
“This is good,” he said after he turned the last page. “A shame about the end but I am sure that will not be a problem. It has a good story.”
“You read it all?” Shuji asked incredulously. “You were just flipping the pages.”
“Speed reading is an important skill in my business,” he answered.
“How?”
“If the only way to find a missing lady, for example, is to read her kidnappers receipts to extrapolate where they could be hiding her, speed is of the essence.”
“Really?”
“For me it is,” he grinned. “For your friend I admit it is a little trickier than just inferring from past details where she might be. I believe the best solution is to coax her out of her hiding.”
“Coax her out?” said Shuji. “You mean let her come to us? How are you going to do that?”
“This is the key,” Seeker answered as he brandished Kikko’s sketchbook. “How would you like to turn your friend’s work into an anime?”
“An anime? She’d really love that,” Shuji said enthusiastically. “But then, that’s really expensive. And who would even want to do it?”
“Why, I of course.”
Shuji was silent for a moment. “You’re telling me that you have an animation team?”
“Certainly. Or at least, as close as I can get to owning one,” Seeker said. “Why do you think I live here in Akihabara? Every case I solve gets made into an anime, with some of the more personal details altered of course. It was Ran’s idea actually. She said kids really like a good mystery. In addition to that, I look really cool on T.V.” he added with a laugh.
“But…”
“But what?”
“I can’t pay you that much,” Shuji said sadly. “I only have my allowance, and barely even half of that.”
Seeker eyed him critically. Then he said. “Kid, if I was worried about money I wouldn’t have followed you in the first place.” He gave him a huge smile. “Tell you what, the director at the studio says he’s a bit short handed. Why don’t you ask your friend Kikko when we find her to fill it in? That should cover it.”
Shuji could only look at him in gratitude.
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” he said, eyes twinkling. “Ran, could you bring this to Haruki and tell him I want this done by Saturday, day after tomorrow. He is to put everything on hold and concentrate on finishing this do you understand?” Ran nodded as she stood up. Seeker continued. “After that ask him to advertise this project in every major television network immediately after he has completed anything worth putting into a commercial. Tell him that this will only be shown on the big screen by the plaza at exactly six-thirty in the evening. I want as much publicity on this as possible. Tell him that that is very important.”
He looked at Shuji after Ran left. “As for you, I want you to come back here on Saturday. No rush, just make sure you’re here before six - thirty.”
“Got it,” said Shuji. “I’ll be here by then.”
“Good. Now, I want you to go home and get a good night’s sleep.” Seeker said as he stood up. “Try not to worry too much.”
“T – Thank you very much,” said Shuji gratefully. “Tell me, how can I ever repay you?”
“When you are reunited with your friend again and I see her smiling, genuinely smiling, trust me I’ll know, I’ll consider us even,” he said with a grin.
Shuji blushed. “I – I think she will.”
“That’s good enough for me,” said Seeker as he ushered him out of the apartment. “I really do like happy endings.”
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Almost done. You'll only have to endure a few more chapters before I wrap up this story.^^'