#minato-division03

[niigata-division]

Darkness glossed over the city of Niigata as Lyall Shiba’s birthday drew to a close.

Just as Lyall was ready to wind down from a hectic day, the front door alerted him to a new visitor outside.

However, there was nobody at his doorstep, save for a large package with an open-face letter stuck to it. Written across the card was a letter dedicated to him in midnight blue penmanship

“Happy Birthday,

I didn’t recognize straight away, but I remember you from the industry we were both part of. You were gracious enough to send me present for my birthday, it’s only right that I send something back. I feel like you and I may be alike, so this is just a little something to protect you from negativity for the year. Hang this on your door handle and I think you know how these work.

Have a tranquil and peaceful birthday

— Miku Shirazuki”

Lyall picked up the present and brought it inside, immediately taking notice of the gentle chimes that emitted from inside the package. Despite being somewhat noisy with every movement, the chimes were rich and almost calming.

Inside was a set of protection witch bells, adorned with small jars of both black and white salt.

Lyall hung the bells on his door, and with every chime, he could sense a calm serenity. Something that didn't happen often for the homicide detective was because he was either stressed with his cases or his own dark spiral into his thoughts. Those were some of the worst nights. Still, the raven haired male was grateful for the gift. Protection magic was not something he was talented in.

“I have to ask Miku next time I see what spells she used for this. I can feel their intent from here.” 

[naradivision]

“Merry Christmas,

I wasn’t sure of the things you’d like, but I do know your division’s famous for its deer parks, I thought this might be something you can get behind. Have fun with this little guy.

— Makina Setsukura from Akihabara Division (did you know that? I dunno, maybe you do, maybe you don’t)”

Yuuya Kanata chuckled, shaking his head as he set the little notecard down. He lifted the lid to the present that was delivered to him.

Inside was a somewhat firm stuffed animal in the shape of a deer that was almost half the size of his upper body.

At long last when the reddish haired boy had returned to his home after relaying his Christmas presents to another division due to the ‘Secret Santa’ campaign, it seemed like his turn had come to receive some gift from his secret ‘Santa’ too.

Looking at the big deer plushie while softly chuckling, Yuuya picked up the fluffy stuffed animal from the box he found at his doorstep and took it inside his room.

“Here we go, newcomer. Why not befriend Mr. Greenie over there?”

The boy gently placed his stuffed animal gift beside the dinosaur plushie he received from his graduated senior last year, then he recalled his secret Santa’s name.

Makina Setsukura? Oh, that’s the gamer girl whom he and Hi-chan had sent some birthday presents to previous September. Nice to know that she still remembered him even if he didn’t really interact much with her in person. And if he wasn’t mistaken, she was one of those numerous streamers Takane had befriended online.

Takane was the name of his classmate who, in fact, had an alter online-sona known under the name ‘Aozora’ and was actually Makina’s upperclassman at the academy —Only if she knew his true identity. This low-energy friend of his was also happened to be the regular client of Kiyozaki-san as well since he still had some problems with his insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness ongoing from past two years. 

But Yuuya was sure his friend didn’t know that one of his online fellows did turn out to be a resident at his therapist’s place too

—Pfft, internet and coincidence were definitely curious things, weren’t them? 

Suddenly, he felt the intense glare from somewhere behind his back.

“Phew. Is it just you, Ojou-chan?” 

Facing off his intensely staring kitten who was now hiding herself in the empty present box, Yuuya gave out a sigh of relief. He was never good with the spooky kind of stuff and that made him wonder how those two streamers could have fun playing some hair-raising horror games even in the middle of night.

“I’m afraid this unfortunately isn’t your new toy. I just got this from one of my friends out there. Uh, so, no scratch on this one please?”

“Meowwrrr.”

“Okay, okay. Aren’t you satisfied with the new toy I got for you last week? Fine, want me to add some more scratching posts to your house?”

“Meowwwrrrrr.”

“This isn’t it? Eh... Then what else can I do…”

Slightly tilting his head as if using his thought, he soon followed the direction of her stare and finally understood why his petite kitten was glared daggers at him.

“—Wait, are you looking at this thing? Hi-chan had made it for me and everyone in the team, so don’t worry, it can neither hurt you nor me.” 

He picked up one end of the weird-looking cat scarf on his neck and hurled it around in the air to show his petite roommate that this lifeless piece of cloth can’t be harmful to anyone.

The Siamese kitten looked at him in disbelief as she gave her final hiss while jumping out of the box. She cautiously stepped back, still eyeing his scarf like some kind of paranoid predator until she thought herself was far enough and ran away.

Even though she was always behaving like a little kid with him, somehow Yuuya felt like his Ojou-chan was a tad bit more understanding than normal cats. 

But, oh well, this funny thought might be nothing but his imagination anyway.

—Thank you for the gifts and Merry Christmas! 🎄

[arakawa-division]

Diệu settled herself on the park bench, tying up the laces on her pointe shoes. Even on her own birthday, there was no chance of her skipping her daily ballet performance at the local park.

She reached into her purse, pulling out a red liquid lipstick and slathering a thick layer over her lips.She set the lipstick back into her purse.

In seconds, there was a tingling sensation that arose in places where the lipstick had come into contact with her lips.

She winced and jumped up from her seat.

With a screech, she wiped at her lips vehemently and repeatedly.

Even with the product wiped away, it grew increasingly more uncomfortable and surely enough, it was starting to burn.

In the worst way possible.

She took a nearby bottle of water, pouring some into her hands and cupping them over her mouth, dousing her burning lips in the cold water.

Scowling, Diệu uncapped her liquid lipstick, peering inside.

It smelled… spicy? Like hot sauce… with an intense scoville level that felt deadly…

How she didn’t notice the smell beforehand, she would never know.

Her eyebrows raised when she heard a small ‘ping’ from her phone.

A text message from an anonymous number…

“Heeheeeeeeeee!! That reaction was just too good!!!! What a great show from where I’m sitting!”

Confused, she peered up from her phone screen.

Most people around her were distracted and minding their own business. There was no telling who had just messaged her.

Another text message came her way.

“Thanks for being my entertainment, girlie! No but in all seriousness, your real gift if waiting for you back at your house! But I think I hid it well, so good luck finding it 🤪”

As Diệu was preparing to apply her lipstick, she suddenly stopped. Subtly looking around, she couldn't help but get the feeling that someone was... observing her. Though no one in particular was paying her any attention, she could definitely feel someone's eyes on her. Being a member of the Triads, you learned to trust your instincts. After all, it saved her life more times than she could count.

"Ah, the scent of intrigue," Diệu said, speaking to herself, the lipstick capsule still in her hand. "Or... is it capsaicin?"

Looking at the lipstick container in her hands, nothing about it looked out of place, but still...

"A little test, shall we?" Diệu asked, still speaking to herself. Turning the capsule upside down, she drew a small dot on her arm with the lipstick. At first, nothing happened. But then, she felt her arm slightly itch a bit.

"There it is, the telltale tingle of mischief." Diệu shook her head, expecting this. Discarding the lipstick in a nearby trash bin, the jewelry designer then began what she had previously come to the park for: to practice her ballet. As she did, she, not surprisingly, began attracting a number of people who stopped to watch the performance. As she danced, she began speaking out loud.

"Nice try, my anonymous admirer. But my thanks for keeping me on my toes."

Ignoring everyone's looks, she continued speaking, spinning on her toes as she danced.

"Thank you for the birthday entertainment. It's always refreshing to see someone trying to play the game. Until next time, keep your wits about you. You'll need them."

With a wink, the femme fatale continued her routine, much to the delight of the people in her city.

[edogawa-division]

The cloudy blue skies of Edogawa slowly turned to darkness as night fell.

Kaoru Shinozaki, upon seeing the notification on her computer that there was a small package just outside, made her way to the front door.

Surely enough, there was a small cardboard box sitting on her doorstep. On the side was the sticker with Kaoru’s address. It didn’t take long for her to realize it was a present that someone had ordered online and sent to her address.

Curious but no longer surprised, she brought the present into her home.

Excited, she lifted the lid off the and found a rectangular machine.

Shortly, a storm of indigo glitter spewed in every direction from the machine, landing all over the table, the floor, even on Kaoru herself.

Kaoru spat, watching the purple glitter fly out of her mouth, absolutely dumbfounded.

Her phone chimed and she pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the text that was just sent to her.

‘Happy Birthday, you old hag’

‘Didn’t take me long to find out it was you that hijacked my birthday stream a few weeks ago, so here’s payback. There’s cameras hidden in this thing and I gotta say, that expression you made just now is gonna forever be a personal favorite’

‘Oh btw, I’m not that mean. Your actual present’s inside the box’

Kaoru carefully peered into the box and found a palm-sized white box and with all the caution in the world, took a look inside.

It was a trio of enamel pins in the shape of Ancient Greek icons: Athena’s owl, the Caduceus, and the Hippocampus.

"Makina….you little…." Kaoru seethed, already making plans to get the streamer back. Kaoru was brought out of her frankly villainous scheming as she heard footsteps approaching.

"Kaoru…." Yuriko paused, taking in the scene in front of her. Glitter was everywhere in the living room. From the floor to the furniture and all over Kaoru. Yuriko could feel her eyebrow twitching. Kaoru felt a shiver run down her spine as the temperature of the room dropped several degrees.

"Kaoru…clean this mess up or else."

"Okay, but this wasn't even my fault-"

"Now."

Kaoru immediately shut her mouth, knowing Yuriko was not in the mood. Not wanting to see the state of her living room anymore, Yuriko turned around, leaving Kaoru alone in the glittery mess.

"Goddamn it, Makina. I'm in so much trouble because of you."

Thank you for the gift!

[kanazawa-division]

The blue skies of Kanazawa was slowly fading into darkness as evening was beginning to hit the city.

Kyler, not even surprised to see a deliveryman outside his door anymore, allowed them to wheel in a flat, wide package that was half his already tall height.

Carefully setting the package on its side, he opened it and dragged out what could’ve been inside it.

It was a metal art piece, with three-dimensional accessories protruding from it.

He peered inside the package again and he found an envelope with a birthday card inside. He opened the card and did what he could to read through the black scribbles that was his sender’s penmanship.

“Hey there,

It’s your birthday, yeah? You probably don’t know it, but you helped me a lot in a previous hunt. You saved me a ton of time and a tens and thousands of yen. Since I found out your birthday’s today, I did feel the need to give you something as thanks. Just as courtesy, okay? Happy Birthday.

— Shian”

Kyler looked at the art piece he had hanged on his wall not too long ago, he wasn’t gonna lie, it looked amazing, he wasn’t one for art, mainly because he didn’t really understand it but he can appreciate something if it looks good and this was exactly that. He couldn’t help but think back to the letter and the person who wrote it, Shian, he wasn’t familiar with the name but he couldn’t help but feel like he knew something but he wasn’t sure what, Kyler had been on many missions since beginning his career as an agent and during that time he had met many people from different backgrounds with only a few unique individuals standing out from time to time, he wondered if this “Shian” was one of them? Ah well, no matter, he’ll figure out that mystery later.

Thank you for the gift!

[katsushika-division]

Night befell the city of Katsushika.

A small, gloved hand placed an item on the doorsteps and knocked on the door quickly.

Without waiting for the person on the other side to open the door, the mysterious figure walked off.

Touya Kisaragi made a beeline to the front door upon hearing the random knocking. He looked in every direction for any signs of a person, but there was nobody, save for a palm-sized velvet box with a folded note taped to it settled on his doorstep.

Not wrapped up, not packaged, just a jewelry box that could’ve easily been missed or stolen.

Carefully, he opened the box to see what lied beneath the velvet box.

It was a silver heart necklace with a small dagger straight through it, held together by a staple chain.

Touya did a double take at the note that was taped to the velvet box, and unfolded it. He immediately noticed the contents of it being fully printed, rather than handwritten.

“Greetings,

My teammates are not aware of my little secret surprise for you, but I think it is a perfect day to spoil you so. Do enjoy this necklace that I crafted with my own two hands. It’s quite stellar, no?

By the way, my dear, should the Party of Words ever allow you to roam free from the restraints of Death Row, you and your teammates are more than welcome to come to me. I have the perfect job, a job that only the three of you could pull off.

Regards,

Her Majesty, The Queen Card”

Touya marveled at the necklace that someone had hand crafted for him. He didn't think anyone would go so far for someone like him, especially not someone as regal as Queen Card. Touya had seen clips of her online before, and he had always been amazed at what she did.

Although he was curious, why would someone like her need him, let alone the rest of his team, for a job. There was a reason why they had been the only ones locked up in their section of prison. Where only the worst of the worst resided. Touya giggled. Well, if Queen Card went through all the trouble making him this, then perhaps he'll do the job for her. She would only have to wait just a bit. They still had a bit of work to do before their plan could commence. The world won't know what hit it until it was far too late.

[okinawa-division]

🖤 for all three!

Ace has never killed anyone before, not surprisingly. Has he gotten into brawls and fights? Yes, but that's what they all are: brawls. He's never killed someone, be it with a weapon or his own hands. As far as someone's trust or heart goes, Ace has, unfortunately. One memory that sticks with him is the week after his grandfather passed. He and Evelyn got into a fight because he was suffering from depression and in the midst of it, he angrily stated that he never wanted to see her again, which broke his girlfriend's heart. Of course, Evelyn soon forgave him after he got help, but that memory still sticks with him because it reminds him of how weak he was.

Evelyn is the same as Ace. In fact, asking her if she has ever killed anything would probably get you stared at like you were crazy. Like Ace, she has been in fights before, though she's never killed anyone. Has she ever wished someone dead? Yes, but not to the point of actually doing it herself. On matters of the heart and trust, she feels she betrayed Ace's trust when she went off to university. When she was going through a bad time in college, she recalls that she once got drunk at a party and wound up having unprotected sex with a guy.

Even worse, she thought that she was pregnant with the guy's kid since she repeatedly had morning sickness for up to two weeks. Fortunately, it turns out, it was just a pregnancy scare and it was just her anxiety acting up. It was after that, though that the cheerleader started having issues about her self-worth because not only had she been treated like she was 'easy', but she had betrayed the trust of a guy she really loved and cared for. To this day, she still hasn't told Ace about that.

Rashaad, unfortunately, has killed someone before, and he regrets it to this very day. After he had awoken from his coma and had been told that he had to repeat his last year of high school due to missing so many days, he was incensed. He dropped out of school and joined a street gang, which engaged in numerous crimes throughout his neighborhood. Though a close friend of his tried to get his life back on track, the future bartender was stubborn. It was only after he accidentally shot his friend during a shootout that he realized what he had done.

Rashaad has never forgiven himself for killing his friend, who, unlike him, actually had a good head on his shoulders and was trying to make something of himself. Before he left New York for Japan, he made a makeshift grave for his friend since he couldn't attend his funeral. He still keeps his friend's memory close to his heart, and he hopes and prays that he can someday accept his death and come to peace with himself.

Thanks for the ask!

[hakodate-division]

💔 for all three!

Kotan's most well-known negative trait is his inability to see his own worth. As the head of his tribe, he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders and is trying to lead them in the right way. Unfortunately, due to the fact that he took over for his father after he died, there are still some aspects of being a leader that Kotan has not yet grasped.

As a result, he often gets hung up on his failures and shortcomings and bemoans the fact that his father 'wouldn't have made an error like that'. His grandmother and some of the other people of his tribe have frequently lectured him about this, trying to get him to stop comparing himself to his father. Unfortunately, though he knows what they are saying is right, Kotan still feels like he has upset his father's spirit every time he does something wrong.

Ted's negative trait is his stubbornness, though this stems more from wanting to keep himself and his son safe from harm than anything. After the death of his wife, all Ted has left in this life is his son, whom he loves and treasures more than anything. He believes firmly that the government recruited his wife because of her strange ability to commune and understand the feelings of animals, something that his son has inherited.

To protect him, Ted has done everything he can to hide his son's ability. Though he has nothing but hatred for Chuohku for all that they've done, he has done little to help thwart their plans. In his words, he could less if Chuohku 'takes over the whole bloody world, so long as they leave him and his son alone.' Though many understand the woodman's train of thought, just as many believe him to be a coward who is only concerned with his own happiness.

Kokomi's negative trait is, perhaps, her reluctance to take pride in her accomplishments. While she doesn't suffer from self-doubt like Kotan, one aspect of the snowboarder's personality is, she absolutely despises being made out to be something that she is not. This stems from her father, who, before she relocated to Japan, used to work as her manager. At first, he proved to be an effective businessman and spokesperson for his daughter. However, as her reputation grew, so did her father's ego and his belief that his daughter could do what he could not.

He eventually started making Kokomi out to be more than what she was, which put a great deal of strain on her. He would get upset over her for little errors or mistakes, and would tell her not to get 'hung up over one victory'. It eventually got to the point where the pressure became too much and she was sidelined for an injury. After that, she cut off ties with her father and ran away to Japan. As such, she dislikes people putting her own on a pedestal, or making her seem like she is some sort of goddess or queen. She is humble, but sometimes, she can be too humble, which often causes her to underestimate herself.

Thanks for the ask!

[taito-division]

💯 for all three!

Three random facts about Azusa:

One of Azusa's hobbies, when she isn't practicing with her sword, is meditating. Though most people can only meditate for 20-30 minutes, Azusa has been known to meditate for hours on end. Her record for the longest amount of time she has meditated is five hours. She would have gone longer, but she had to help her mother prepare dinner. Now, she has an alarm set whenever she meditates so she knows what time to stop.

Though she gives off the air of being a calm and focused woman, which she is, Azusa becomes an entirely different person when she is drunk. In fact, her tolerance for alcohol is so low, she has been prohibited by both her friends and her father from consuming any sort of alcoholic beverage. The last time she drank a bottle of sake, she was forced to pay reparations to the tavern she was at, after she accidentally destroyed it.

Besides being an outstanding swordswoman, Azusa is also an expert at blacksmithing. Though blades and other such weapons are outlawed due to the law put in place by Chuohku, Azusa and her family still keep their ancestral katanas. In fact, despite them not being used, when she notices that they have rust or are in danger of becoming worn, Azusa will often use her family's forge to improve them.

Three random facts about Fleuret:

At first, Fleuret was skeptical about entering the D.R.B., despite her boyfriend, Rio, being part of it. The reason is considered the D.R.B. a "dishonorable" way to handle conflict. After she viewed her Hypnosis Mic and how it resembled a sword, she got over it.

She, not surprisingly, was often teased and made fun of in high school for her "honor" shtick. It even got to the point that, because of her appearance and her lineage, many started calling her "Joan of Arc". Unfortunately for them, she took to the name quite nicely, even telling them that Joan was one of her ancestors (It's unknown if this is true or not).

Like Azusa, her family also still carries their ancestral swords. Despite Chuohku banning weapons, she regularly trains with a rapier at least once a week. She and Azusa have fought to a draw, and have not had time to fight each other again.

Three random facts about Eldrid:

See here

Thanks for the ask!

[kobedivision]

“Package for… Kaiji Sano?”

Kaiji, blinked, staring at the deliveryman in bewilderment.

Right, his birthday…

Shouldn’t have even come to him as a shock anymore.

He took in the package and brought it inside.

After a moment of inspection, Kaiji ripped open the package.

Inside was a white box and inside, nestled on top of a bed of pink tissue paper was a pink handbag, it’s reflective metal heart chains and pearls serving as it’s handles.

And hidden inside was another box, hiding inside a smartwatch that was so incredibly decorated that it could’ve passed for a bracelet.

Also plopped clumsily inside the purse was a letter addressed to Kaiji. Scribbled on the card was a message addressed to him. Despite the red scribbles barely being legible, he did his best to pick apart the words.

“Hey, again,

Hope your birthday’s been good to you and your present got to you on time. Really fond of your cosplays.

— Shian Meizono from Akihabara Division”

"Aw, Shian! This is so sweet!" Kaiji gushed as he admired the watch on his wrist and held the bag close to him, people would be surprised that he and Shian knew each other but not only was she one of his fans, they were also friends with benefits for a time before Kaiji got together with his current boyfriend, of course, they still kept in contact as friends.

"Halloween is coming up, maybe I can send her a few treats to say thanks." The snow haired cosplayer thought as he played with his new smartwatch.

Thank you for the gift!

[shizuokadivision]

The day was reaching its end, equally marking the end of Sakura Kito’s birthday.

All festivities had come to a close and Sakura felt in dire need to wind down.

However, there was yet another knock on her office door.

Her assistant quickly set a black velvet box with an open-faced letter attached to it onto Sakura’s desk, politely bowed, and saw himself out.

Sakura sighed and pulled the box closer to her, reading through the letter that was addressed to her.

However, rather than being handwritten, the contents of the letter were completely typed and printed out.

“A Happiest of Birthdays to you, my dear

It is only fitting that the queen bestows a gift for you on your special day. A one of a kind gift crafted with my own two hands.

May this year bring you bliss and joy. I do predict it will…

Regards,

Her Majesty, The Queen Card”

Inside the black velvet box was a traditional hairpiece, adorned with red spider lilies and various other ornaments.

“It is quite pretty I’ll give Queen Card that. She does know how to make some amazing-looking items. At least it's not something cherry blossom related.” Sakura grumbled with no real heat behind her words.

As much as Sakura bitched about all the cherry blossom gifts she didn't mean it not really. Reaching inside her desk’s bottom drawer Sakura pulled out of the most precious thing she owned. It was an old worn photo of a ginger-haired woman and in her lap was a little girl with crimson hair tied into pigtails both had huge grins on their faces as the woman hugged the little girl close. Sakura’s gaze softened as she stared at the photo of her mother and younger self. It was the only photo she had of her mother that she had managed to keep over the years any other photo she had had been destroyed by her jealous bitter hag of a stepmother. The only other thing Sakura had of her mother was her name and even if it didn't quite fit her Sakura would gladly wear the name given to her by the woman who should've had the chance to raise her daughter.

“Still, I wonder what sort of life Sakura Amamiya would’ve lived compared to Sakura Kito.”

[shinagawa-division]

“Package for… Sumire Shinomiya?”

She really shouldn’t have been all that surprised. It was her birthday, after all. The sun was beginning to rise over the city of Shinagawa and Sumire’s 21st birthday was only getting started.

She quickly thanked the delivery man and carried the package with the word ‘DELICATE’ printed over it.

After tearing through the wrapping paper, she was met with a letter addressed to her in small, bubbly handwriting.

“Well hey there again, Diabla,

It’s that time of the year again and it’s time that I send another present your way. Lets game again so I can kick your ass, girlie. I’m kidding.

Not really.

-Screen Shot (you know me, from Akihabara)”

Inside was a fluorescent resin lamp with a grotesque alien crawling through neon terrains.

Sumire looked at the letter then at the gift before snorting and giving a smirk, leave it to Makina to come up with the most weird yet creative gifts. “It has been a while since I’ve been online, I can only imagine what my place on the leaderboard looks like now.” She mumbled to herself as she examined the lamp, she could appreciate the originality and it definitely did fit in with the aesthetic she has.

Unbeknownst to her, Seizou had sneaked up on her while she was looking through the gift and eyed the lamp with curious eyes, without warning, his scorpion tail had shot out of his back hand wrapped around the lamp, snatching it from Sumire’s hands (and scaring the absolute shit out of her in the process) and bringing it over to him so that he could look more closely.

“HOLY FUCK-SEIZOU!!!” Sumire yelled, one hand gripping the area over her heart as she snapped her head to the young AI. “What the fuck?! Don’t do that! You almost gave me a heart attack! How did you even get in here anyways?!”

Seizou merely looked at his creator, blinked, and looked back at the lamp. “Seizou cannot identify what species is inside this enclosure, Seizou suggests that we just destroy it to increase safety.”

Sumire blinked once, twice, before sighing and giving a light chuckle, “Sei…” She affectionately ruffled the boy’s hair, earning a monotone protest in response. “The creature in there isn’t real, it’s a lamp, sweetie, a friend of me gave it to me as a gift.”

That seemed to register in the young AI as his eyes flashed in recognition and he nodded slowly. “Seizou understands, Seizou is sorry that he scared Creator.” He lowered his head and gave the lamp back to Sumire, retracting his tail. Sumire looked at Seizou then back at the lamp before making a mental decision and smiling. “Hey Seizou, why don’t you keep it? Maybe you can put it in your room? Study it a little? Look, it even has a tail like you!” She pointed out the similarities between the alien’s tail and Seizou’s scorpion tail.

Handing the lamp back to Seizou, the boy looked at it with a sense of wonder, as much as he can feel of it anyways. “Is Creator sure? This is a gift meant for Creator, Seizou does not want to take it away if Creator wants it.”

“Nah, it’s fine, I don’t think Makina cares what happens to it, at least it’s getting used…probably not in the way she thinks it is but it still has a purpose.” Sumire waved off Seizou’s concerns and grinned as she watched Seizou nodded and wandered off most likely “eager” to examine and take apart his new toy to see what makes it tick.

Thank you for the gift!

[saitama-division]

Though her birthday was merely minutes from being considered “over” and about to pass on to the next day in Saitama, another package had landed on the doorstep to the birthday girl Sayaka Miyuki’s house.

Plastered across the seam of the package was a large sticker with the word “FRAGILE” printed across it.

Stunned, Sayaka lifted her head and looked in all directions, her soft amber eyes eventually landing on a certain individual with bright strawberry-red hair who was getting into their black sports car.

Locking eyes, the redhead of Akihabara tipped off her black biker hat, acknowledging the birthday girl.

Sayaka waved back as she watched the redhead get into her car and back out of the driveway. She carefully brought the package inside, being extra careful knowing that the contents were fragile.

She opened the seam of the box, being met with an open-faced letter nestling on top of a bed of bubble wrap. She did a double take upon seeing it. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t the chicken scratches handwriting that she was met with. She sighed and squinted, doing her best to properly decipher whatever this letter was.

“To Sayaka Miyuki,

Wishing you a Happy Birthday in spite of the chaos this year has brought everyone. Go have a relaxing day and enjoy yourself.

— Shian Meizono

P.S. maybe be careful with having these around the toddler.”

Inside was a high tea set. The teacups, teapot, spoons, and saucers all entirely made of glass and lined with gold and laminated pastel butterflies of varying colors.

"Ooooh, was that Shian?" Lola walked over as Sayaka came in with the tea set, Lola whistled as she inspected the delicate china. "Oh, this is the real good stuff, Shian never disappoints with her gifts, lucky you, mama."

"It's very beautiful, I'll have to remember to thank her the next time I see her." Sayaka beamed as she stood up to gather some tea packets and boil some hot water, it was a good time to have some tea with her surrogate sister and chat the night away. "Which flavor do you want?"

Lola got cozy on the couch with a cat-like smile. "Peach, love."

Thank you for the gift!

[niigata-division]

Hours remained until the special day that is Ayumu Hayami’s birthday would come to a close.

And yet a new package had been delivered to Ayumu’s household. Peaking his curiosity, he took it and brought it with him inside the house.

It was when he set the it on his living room table that he noticed a little open-faced letter taped on the side of package, words written in neat little scribbles.

“Happy Birthday!

From me to you, I’m wishing you a joyous birthday. That’s all I have to say, hope you’ve had a great birthday so far, mister.

Regards,

Anika Kiyozaki from Akihabara Division”

Inside the package were two mugs. Two very… interesting mugs.

Ayumu burst out laughing as he saw the mug. Though he quickly tried to silence himself not to wake Sara as he just put her to bed for the night. He had always enjoyed silly little gifts like this than some of the more extravagant gifts he'd been given over the years by the vultures known as the upper class. Every time he got one, it felt hollow like they barely put any thought into the gift besides making it obscenely expensive. So the mugs were a great change of pace even if Ayumu was going to keep one of them hidden if only so Sara didn't ask what the word “bastard” meant.  

“Anika-san huh? I gotta remember to thank her next time I see her.”

[edogawa-division]

Several, several hours after a certain… battle fiasco took place in one certain home in the city of Edogawa and several more hours worth of cleanup later, Kaoru Shinozaki’s birthday had already come to a close.

It was hardly morning the next day when Kaoru finished up the last bit of cleaning and she wanted nothing more than to just get to her room and knock out— a feeling which was foreign to her. She was used to staying awake for several weeks at a time, so this dreadful wave of tiredness was a rather unpleasant feeling. Moreover, that was more than enough physical activity for her.

A small open-face card had been taped to her bedroom door.

Scribbled across the card in cute, bubbly handwriting was a little message addressed to her.

“Hope you had a great birthday yesterday. But I guess you spent half of it cleaning shit up outside. So just get some good shut eye after a long day yesterday.”

Suspicious as it was that this unsigned note had been left for her, Kaoru was too physically drained to give it a second thought.

Ignoring the card, she placed a hand on her door handle, twisting the knob and giving the door a push.

The second the door had been pushed open, an avalanche had smacked Kaoru right in the face and collapsed into the rest of the house.

From floor to ceiling, her bedroom— which was like a sanctuary to her— was covered in tens and thousands of packing peanuts.

Fighting her way through, her head emerged from the mountain of packing peanuts that had spilled into the hallway. She gasped for air and trudged her way through the packing peanuts that slowed down her movements and yanked the card off of her bedroom door.

On the back of the card was another message left for her.

“Yeah right. That’s for getting me in trouble on my own birthday. Don’t ask how I set this thing up. Have fun cleaning again, you old hag.

— Screen Shot”

Ah… I’m in trouble again, aren’t I… Kaoru thought as a shadowy figure towered over her.

“Kaoruuuuu…” Yuriko smiled the twitching vein in her forehead telling Kaoru that despite her seemingly cheerful attitude that she was truly pissed on the inside. “Don’t you think you’ve made a mess of my house enough by now?”

“Yuriko! Mom! It wasn’t my fault!” Kaoru stammered immediately shutting up when Yuriko leveled a toxic green gaze on her. She let out an eep when Yuriko grabbed her by the back of her shirt lifting her out of packing peanuts. Kaoru let out a gulp when she was brought face-to-face with Yuriko.

“First it was last year with the glitter and now it’s this year with the peanuts.” Yuriko ominously spoke. No, if anything this was the Black Dahlia speaking. “I’ll only give you one more warning Kaoru Shinozaki. Another event like this and I will leave you on an abandoned island for a whole week with no technology and the clothes on your back.”  

“Yes!” Kaoru nodded her head not waiting to piss Yuriko off anymore. 

“Good.” Yuriko mencingly smiled placing Kaoru back on her feet. “Now clean this up. I want it all gone when I come back.” 

“Y-Yes ma'am.” Kaoru saluted. “But uh…where are you going?”

Yuriko’s smile did not let up if anything it seemed to have gotten bigger…which sent a shiver down Kaoru’s spine. 

“I just need to take a quick trip to Akihabara Kaoru. Don’t worry your little head about it.” 

- Later -

Makina Setsukura snickered at the idea of Kaoru having to clean all those peanuts as she headed to her room. Serves the old hag for the paint prank back on her birthday. Sitting in her chair Makina was just about to turn on her computer to begin streaming when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Thinking it was Anika Makina nearly jumped out of her chair when she turned around. 

Yuriko Kuromiya had her hand on Makina’s shoulder a huge smile on her face as she placed a finger in front of her mouth telling Makina not to say a word or scream. 

“Makina-chan I know you and Kaoru have this little prank war but I’m quite tired of people making a mess of my house.” Yuriko scolded that same huge smile on her face before it dropped. Dark shadows now across her eyes making them look like they were glowing. 

“Do it again and I’ll leave you with Kaoru on an unmarked island in the middle of the Pacific for a week.” Yuriko hissed. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Excellent.” Yuriko hummed as she watched the streamer rapidly shake her head. 

“Now carry on Makina-chan. I know you were about to stream. I’ll just take my leave now.”

[kanazawa-division]

The day was coming to a close in the city of Kanazawa as the previously blue skies had turned pitch black.

Joey was busy tearing through the gift wrap that covered his birthday present that had just landed on his doorstep minutes before.

Inside one box was a pistol. Or rather, a tic tac gun with a strong enough spring that could fire individual lollies a distance up to seven feet. Nestled next to the pistol were several containers of tic tac ammos.

“Hey,

Happy Birthday. Didn’t think your birthday was so soon since the last. You first present is a joint gift from Anika, Makina, and I. Hope you have fun with it (try not to get in trouble since firearms are banned and everything). Your second gift is just a little bonus gift from me. I think with the way things turned out, you’ll need it.

— Shian Meizono (from Akihabara Division)”

Second gift? Joey thought.

Interestingly enough, there was a second box that somehow fit at the bottom of his package.

Oh.

Lifting the lid to the box, he peered inside.

Presented to him was an embroidered white towel with… a rather interesting message across it.

"Ha! Joke's on you, Meizono, you're about 5 hours too late!" Joey stuck out his tongue as he saw the towel but there was no real heat behind his words, in fact, the detective actually found this hilarious, the tic tac gun however was very cool to him and the freckled male could already feel a grin forming on his face at the thought of pestering his coworkers with tic tacs (in his defense, some of them actually need it).

"Heh, better count your days, Aaron."

Thank you for the gift!