Little Bit of Sunshine (Tokyo Debunker x OC)

Chapter 1: Rory

"He had it coming."

Naomi kept her hands over her mouth, "You're joking."

"He only had himself to blame."

She slumped back in her chair in disbelief, "And to think the Academy thought an anomaly was behind it all. A man can really become a monster..."

Such horrible stories were not suited for Hotarubi's peaceful atmosphere. The sky was clear and the air was the perfect warmth. The wisterias hanging above us provided a sweet aroma. In the distance, the sound of a biwa paired with the steady stream of the river.

"I'm just relieved he's behind bars and those girls are safe," I bit into the crème brulee macarons she made. "These are terrific by the way."

Naomi deeply exhaled as she stirred her tea, "You know, I used to be jealous of you going out on missions. You make them sound like something from a spy movie."

"And now?"

"I still am a little envious about your adventures, but I'm seriously impressed. You see horrible things like that and you still go on about your day like it's all sunshine and rainbows."

"We all have light and darkness inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's when we show who we really are."

Naomi's jade eyes blinked in surprise, "Woah....did Haku teach you that?"

"No, Sirius Black did," I snickered.

She playfully pushed me, "Alright, Dumbledork. I'd like to have my friend back please."

I changed the topic, "Speaking of things that shine, I got some new charms and crystals we can use. Reina and Ana also confirmed they're good to go for tonight."

Naomi fiddled with one of her rings, "Do you think Ana could bring over those fancy chocolates again? There's still a couple I'm struggling to duplicate."

"She said she has a special assortment just for you. Reina is also bringing samosas."

Our schedules were all over the place. Almost every weekend, Ana had events to attend to from her parents' company. As the next head, she had to learn the ropes and how the place ran inside and out. Meanwhile Reina always had a full schedule with academics and extracurriculars. She was either tutoring, volunteering, rehearsing or studying.

On our end, Naomi would sign up for any cooking competition available. All the Hotarubi students gladly volunteered to be taste testers whenever she created a new dish. She wanted her resume for culinary school to look as flashy as possible.

Then there was me. Half the time, I had no idea what was going on. I could make plans for one thing, and they always went out the window. All I could do was just pretend like it was all part of the act. The show must go on. Right?

Finding a day and time that worked for all four of us was like scheduling an appointment at the doctor's office. When the stars aligned, we got together to make jewelry and chat over some good food.

Before Naomi and I could get too excited, we received another surprise. This time, it was in the form of a four-legged visitor. One of Darkwick's cats purred against my leg before dropping the envelope from its mouth.

I didn't even get to open it when I noticed Naomi slumped with disappointment, "But you just got back yesterday! You have to go again?!"

"If duty calls...."

Unless you had an unhealed injury, were bedridden with an illness, or had a really good reason, you were expected to look into the case you were given. Bribery could be attempted, but I never heard of anyone having success.

Naomi looked in the direction of the koi fishpond, "You know...I'm sure if you screwed up every once in a while, they wouldn't send you on so many missions."

My eyes widened at her suggestion, "I would expect that from Ana, but never you. How's your boyfriend going to react to you being a bad influence on your unbiological sister?"

"First of all, Ana's in Sinostra, she gets a pass for encouraging trouble. Second of all, Sho's not my boyfriend."

"The time you two spend together at the diner says otherwise. What else are you cooking up in the kitchen?"

Her eyes then squinted in suspicion, "You sure you're not a spy? Or maybe you were one in your past life?"

"Given that my mother and my sisters are all a bunch of chismosas, I wouldn't be surprised if we had spies in our lineage."

To the outside world, Darkwick Academy was an elite private school. Only the cream of the crop would be considered for admission. An even smaller percentage would be accepted.

What the public was unaware of was that the school was an extension of the Anomalous Investigation Institute. Both ghouls and general admission students were sent on missions throughout Japan to capture and exterminate anomalies, creatures that were designed to spread chaos and claim lives. Of course, we did our due diligence of academics, like mathematics, sciences, and social studies. Though, it was normal to hear discussions about one-eyed monsters, murders, kidnappings, and ghosts.

The average person would be spared from such horror stories. It would always remain fictitious to them.

I read over the case file. The evidence. The witness reports. The prime suspects. The areas where victims were found. This was very similar to the case I just handled.

Then I saw the names of the individuals who were supposed to investigate.

"You're in luck, it's not for me," I rose from my seat and fixed the skirt of my uniform, "I'll be right back."

Naomi looked at her watch in confusion, "You still have another few minutes before you have to leave. Where are you going?"

"Frostheim. This investigation order is for them."

"Haku should be back any moment from his errand. Why not have him drop it off?"

"Frostheim's in the same direction as the training grounds. It'll be a quick pit stop."

"If the Captain turns you into a popsicle, I'm going to be extremely unhappy."

"How unhappy are we talking?" I joked. "Like when the next season of Cupcake Wars was cancelled?"

I remember she was so stricken with grief at the news, she locked herself in her room for two days. At least she kept herself nourished and hydrated with her personal snack stash in her room, but she refused to talk to anyone in person.

She really scared our captain as well. Subaru blamed himself for not remedying her depressed mood sooner. Luckily, Haku was able to console him while I dealt with the Lady of Darkness.

"It deserved another season, and you know it, Aurora," Naomi pointed a manicured finger at me in warning. "Now, I may not be a ghoul, but I'll give him a piece of my mind."

"You'll beat him with your whisk?" I joked.

"That man isn't worthy of my whisks. An iron skillet is more effective." She took off one of the many hair ties around her wrist and pulled her blonde locks into a ponytail. "Well, go have fun on your adventure. Any requests for girl's night snacks?"

My mind went through several dishes. "Bandeja paisa, please?"

"What's that?"

"It's from Colombia. I haven't had it in years. It's basically a platter with different meats, beans, rice, and fresh veggies. You can get creative."

"I can also get creative in how to grill Kamurai ten different ways if he-"

"Naomi!"

"Colombian platter it is! Oh, and Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Enjoy your time with His Majesty and Dr. Frankenstein."