The Knights Himura

#25: Mr. Manic and Sister Cool

"Okay, what's up, Sylvie?" Haruka prodded.

Haruka, Tsukiko, Sylvie, and Kazuo all sat in a booth at a fast food restaurant. The noon sun bathed their surroundings in a clear, white light. The air outside was cool and refreshing, but the air inside was a bit stuffy as the smell of food wafted around.

The beeping of machines and the chatter of the other customers created a soft wall of noise. It made it a bit difficult for Tsuki to focus. There were so many things on her mind, but it all got reduced to a blurry mess.

The table the group sat at was somewhat scuffed up and the seats were uncomfortable. There was hardly enough space for them all to sit together. Haruka had chosen to squeeze herself next to Kazuo, leaving the other end to Sylvie and Tsukiko.

"I think I've found a new lead." Sylvie announced with pride.

"That right?" Haruka smiled a toothy grin.

"Do you even care?" Sylvie's pride deflated.

"Huh?"

"I know that grin, you really don't care, do you?" Sylvie frowned.

"Not exactly." Haruka sighed.

"They've dragged another person into this. The least you could do now is listen." Tsukiko scolded.

Haruka shut her eyes and groaned. "Sylvie, your leads suck."

"There's only been like two." Sylvie countered.

"Neither of them took us anywhere." Haruka quickly spoke again.

"If you're just gonna sit around until something falls in your lap, you can do the waiting somewhere else. Go back to your Mom's place and sob like a little bitch like you used to." Sylvie's words cut like razors.

Haruka stared at Sylvie blankly. "...the hell's your deal?"

"Can we not fight right now?" Kaz yawned.

"Yeah, it's just petty." Tsukiko crossed her arms.

"...fine. What's the lead?" Haru tapped the table.

"I found out who took Lily." Sylvie spoke quietly.

"Wait, you sure?" Tsuki turned to her.

"Someone in the gang pointed them out. Apparently they're a big shot in the Shakudos. Dude's got these weird gashes on his mask." Sylvie continued.

The group stayed silent for a moment before Tsuki finally spoke. "She's right."

"How would you know?" Haruka raised an eyebrow.

Tsuki fumbled around under her jacket before producing a photo of the mask. "Here, look at this."

"Holy shit, that's it!" Sylvie pulled it out of Tsukiko's hand, showing it to everyone at the table.

"You weren't kidding. Looks like someone went at him with an axe or something." Haruka tried to lean in for a better look.

"Even then, how do we know that's true?" Kazuo scratched his head.

As Kazuo moved his hand back down to the table, his revolver fell out of his coat and down to the table. The group jumped in their seats at the sight of the weapon.

"What the hell?" Tsuki panicked.

Kazuo grabbed it and put the revolver back in its holster. "Sorry, it just does that sometimes."

"What, it falls out of your jacket?" Haruka jabbed him with her elbow.

"No, it just sorta shows up. I left this back at Aurelia's shop, but now it's here." Kazuo shrugged.