Fists and Lipsticks 2: The Silver Crescent

CHAPTER 47: Wits, Words, Weapons, and Wine

 CHAPTER 47: WITS, WORDS, WEAPONS, & WINE

Wine in, secret out.

- a Hebrew proverb

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He felt the need to step back.

 His ears, his eyes, even his heart and mind – Kosuke felt as if he were a time-bomb ticking down to zero, ready to explode. No, he was not capable of absorbing anything further, at least for the moment. True that he had been yearning for answers all these years, but discovering who his real mother was seemingly flushed his curiosity down in an instant, replacing his zealous feelings with indecision. And so, earlier that day when Kaoru Hiro asked him whether he was willing to hear the rest of the story, he opted to ask for time to mull over, to assess if he had the courage of knowing more of the secrets of the Crescent, and to know if he truly was indeed ready.

"Miyazawa Keiko is Lily Akiyama?"

Back in Kaoru Saori's unit that night, Kosuke picked up another champagne bottle and twisted the cap open. He guzzled the contents, stopping only when half the bottle had been consumed. Letting out a heavy sigh, he placed the bottle next to the eight emptied ones on top of the living room table. His vision blurred from time to time but returned to normal each time he closed his eyes. Kosuke, who was sitting on the floor, leaned on the sofa’s edge and rested his head against it with his eyes closed.

"Miyazawa Keiko is Lily Akiyama," he repeated. "Is he… kidding me… *hic*…?"

Is Kaoru Hiro telling me the truth?

Ayane-chan, did you already know all about these?

Ayane-chan, where are you right now?

He opened his eyes and reached for his right pocket.

"Huh? Where is it?"

He reached for his left pocket next, but his mobile phone was not there either. He crawled towards the other edge of the sofa where his black coat was hung. He checked all its pockets, but still none.

"Gah, must have… dropped it on the mountain… *hic*…"

"HEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY CHAMPAGNE!"

"WAAAAA!"

Arriving just in time to pester Kosuke as usual, Saori ascended from the hi-tech hidden platform beneath the dining room table, wearing her usual tacky police investigator uniform. She looked and acted rather 'normal' compared to how excessively euphoric she had been for the past few days.

Her eyes widened upon seeing the empty champagne bottles on top of the living room table.

"YOU STOLE MY CHAMPAGNE!"

"I'm not stealing them… *hic*… I gave these to you before, remember?"

"You gave them to me so they're MINE!"

"Not when I've decided to take them back," Kosuke said, sticking out his tongue. "Bleh."

"Are you trying to look cute? Ughhhh," Saori grimaced, marching towards the table to take away the remaining unopened champagne to preserve her daily ration of alcohol. She placed them back on the bottle stacks along the walls and plopped down in front of Kosuke. "If you wanted to drink champagne, go buy your own!"

"How am I going to buy my own if you two are locking me up here for a reason I don't know?... *hic*…"

"Why don't you go and escape from me then?"