#my art style remains inconsistent *sigh*

[raticalshoez]

Green, Crimson, Gold

i've been following @autumnwhistles' Last Life Musical project and i've been going INSANE over the song concepts and ohhhhhh the song about joel going red really caught my attention because joel is one of my fav loserboy lifers

Version without text:

[moonsandmelodies]

My Top Albums/EPs of 2018

I'm pleased to report that I’ve found quite a few enjoyable new releases this year. It's hard to have a 'definitive' outlook as there remains so much for me to catch up with, but here are the highlights from what I've heard so far.

(To keep things from getting redundant here, my 2018 halfway list's honorable mentions won't be featured here. Read that list here if you're curious about them.)

Top 8 Albums

8. Steve Hauschildt - Dissolvi

ambient techno / progressive electronic / ambient

Hauschildt is known for his role in the defunct drone/ambient group Emeralds. I'm yet to 'get' the appeal of Emeralds, but I've enjoyed a great deal of songs from Steve's solo career, which veered away from his droney roots into more melodic territory. Dissolvi is more transparent/airy in texture than his last few albums, and often less inconsistent. This is great knowing how one of my main issues with his other albums was the lack of consistency. There's a mild techno element here through the subtle use of rhythms, which gives the songs an interesting aquatic pulse.

Dissolvi may be my favorite album of his besides the popular Tragedy And Geometry from 2011. While some songs loop or repeat too much, most of them have plenty of evolving layers to keep this a fluid and hypnotizing listen. This is most apparent on the 7-minute "Alienself", which goes on about 1-1.5 minutes too long but also contains some of Dissolvi's most impressive textures and atmosphere. Also notable is the title song, by far the most rhythmic and tense but retaining some needed subtlety through soft synth hums. A promising step up.

Listen to "Lyngr"

7. Tess Roby - Beacon

art pop / gothic / synth pop / dream pop

Balancing folksy vocals, synths and Durutti-like guitar, Tess Roby is like a lost 4AD/This Mortal Coil collaborator. It's not the most surprising she's on Italians Do It Better, but at the same time it's a bit different from what I expect from the label. These songs are moody and elusive, with a semi-gothic tone save for one or two more tender moments like "Ballad 5". They drift along subtly, but not without shifts in tone or instrumentation. At eight songs long it ends pretty quick but at the same time this keeps it digestible and interesting. My favorite has to be the sinister folk/synth combination of "Borders".

Listen to "Borders"

6. Noname - Room 25

jazz rap / hip hop / neo-soul

Noname is someone I've been meaning to listen to for some time now. And my first thought, of course, is 'why didn't I listen to this sooner?' Room 25 is full of blissful jazz groove, even subtler in execution than the likes of Nujabes and Digable Planets (check this out if you like either one). The excellent live band she assembled for the album enhances this effect with it's free-flowing style, one that tends to disobey common verse-chorus structure. The smooth keyboards (piano, e-piano) and Noname's own unique delivery are sure to lull you into a peaceful daze.

I do think Noname tends to mutter a little too much, which can obscure the lyrics, but she has a great flow that blends in very well with the music. She includes plenty of guests and sung sections for these songs, but they don't disrupt the album's flow. They're fitting and natural rather than thrown-in. One great example of this is the way "no name" begins with one brief rap verse before 2.5 whole minutes of singing. If someone else tried that, it could've wound up boring, but this may be the loveliest moment on an already rich album. 'Your life is your life / Don't let it pass you by', the voices repeat over strings and piano until it (and thus the album) ends. I'll be very interested in Noname's next move.

Listen to "no name"

5. Music House/Various - Scandi Disco

electro-disco / synth pop / electropop / synthwave

'If you’re bored of the sheer quantity of 80s retro music out there, maybe don’t listen to this. But if you’re like me and love this music enough to still give the continuous new releases a chance, I recommend this recent library album. I enjoyed almost every song on this one, a bit surprising seeing how there’s no hype at all surrounding it. I found it only because I was looking through other, older releases by this label, Music House, and this happened to be their most recent album. Everything about this album is shiny, stylish and fun with plenty of energy and melody. The production is impressive as expected from a stock music label, and while it has a prominent modern polish they tap into the huge potential and legacy of electro-disco very well.'

Listen to "I Can Feel The Fire"

4. Reni Jusis - Ćma

dance-pop / electropop

If you've followed me for long enough you may know I've become a big fan of this semi-obscure Polish singer/producer. However, her '16 album BANG! was a let-down. It hopped on all of the worst mid-10's mechanical bass-drop trends I hoped she would evade. I sighed and moved on. But that's when a single ("Tyyyle Milosci") popped up in May. A GOOD one, too, a reflective ballad-like song lacking BANG!’s pitfalls. A great surprise, but I didn't know what to expect from an album. But the press release claims the album is Reni's return to dance music after the 'experiment' of BANG!...

And like I hoped, the album is much more uptempo than BANG!. Shimmering pop anthems, hypnotic melodies, and of course, the abundant synths are all here. All kinds of pleasant textures pop up, forming some great transitions and grooves. Even in more 'experimental' moments (e.g. "Ćma"'s dizzy end cool-down; tracks #6 and #9) there's the kind of spacey atmospheric touches that popped up in her 2000's heyday. It would've been fine if she didn't bring that part back. I thought it was too much to ask for - but there it is!

Ćma has plenty of flaws. A few songs are inconsistent, the huge repetition lowers replay value, and her delivery gets bombastic at times. Many areas would benefit from some tweaking. But I finished Ćma feeling relieved. She did come through with some jams, and she revived the sound she does best. It's a big step up from BANG!, and for that I'm grateful. I recommend this to anyone looking for good modern electro-pop this year.

Listen to "To Tylko Podróż"

3. U.S. Girls - In A Poem Unlimited

art pop / psychedelic pop

As I wrote in the 2018 halfway list:

'While I did find the previous U.S. Girls album Half Free a bit inconsistent, In A Poem Unlimited feels like a step up. There were only about 2 or 3 tracks that I didn’t enjoy here. The album has a warm semi-70s feel thanks to the band put together for it. There’s also a sense of eclecticism that’s executed better than on a lot of other albums with similar ambitions. The voice of Meg Remy, the one true ‘member’ of U.S. Girls, can be quite twangy and takes a bit of getting used to at first, but it’s somewhat grown on me since then, and it got some time to shine here. This is most often when she does a kind of nervous falsetto like in two of my favorites, “Rosebud” and “L-Over”. While the many styles that Remy explores here aren’t much new (70s funk, jazzy rock, general quivering psych weirdness, a bit of synth pop), the variation of it all and the will to experiment helps keep things interesting, and most of them evade the boring cliches that tend to pop up in so much music lately.'

Listen to "Rosebud"

1/2. Suiyoubi No Campanella - Galapagos

j-pop / electronic / art pop / downtempo

Cult J-pop group Suiyobi no Campanella released this 'EP' in June, though I don’t get why it’s considered an EP, since it’s the length of an album. It did receive some deserved acclaim upon release but since then, I've heard little about it - seems it didn’t stick. I’m wondering if the promotion as a mere ‘EP’ is part of it - were they wanting to keep a lower profile for this? If so, why, when it’s this elaborate?

The first thing I noticed was how much these songs morph and change, often in unexpected ways. “Bamboo Princess" sets the scene. It begins wistful and hushed but soon evolves into a thrilling chorus of strings and horns. The song also seems to reference an ancient Japanese folk tale. "Matryoshka" relaxed mallet groove mutates and evolves many times through it’s duration. Despite all this, the last two songs calm things down. "A Cat Called Yellow" is a gorgeous end to the album that sounds like both a farewell and a lullaby, covered in this blanket of thoughtful ambience.

Matching the creative song structures is a wide-ranging palette of sounds. There's percussion, sampling, aquatic keyboards, mallets, clean guitar, synth bells, some kind of keening violin ("Bamboo Princess") and even hang (a recent creation similar to the steel drum). It's cold and tropical all at once. Listening is like dipping into the water at a beach resort, watching all these colors blur into the water.

Galapagos has some of the most impressive production I've heard all year. These are more tapestries than songs, and I mean that in the best way possible. This album is an ideal summer-evening mood piece. It may be winter now, but you should listen to it ASAP anyway.

Listen to "Matryoshka"

1/2. Fishdoll - Noonsense

wonky / dream pop / electronic / downtempo

'Fishdoll, an exciting new artist from China, manages to recall everything I miss about electronic music of the earlier 10′s. First I thought of ‘wonky’ producers like FlyLo and Teebs who had such interesting and creative taste in electronic production and samples. Take a gander at the amazing operatic vocal/harp sample that ends “Beijing Well” or the spacey fluttering chords on most of the songs, for example. Secondly, Fishdoll adds subtle effects to her own voice that say, Grimes or Washed Out became popular for, creating a similar kind of airy surrealism.

It doesn’t do enough justice to Fishdoll to make so many comparisons, though, since this album really does feel unique. Which is exactly why it's one of my favorites of the year - it’s an electronic artist doing something unique and doing it well.

I’m looking forward to Fishdoll’s next musical move, and I’m convinced Noonsense deserves more than a bit of Bandcamp popularity, which seems to be all it got upon release.'

Since writing this in the first halfway list, I was also asked to write a brief review of Noonsense for the Rateyourmusic front page in October, which you can find here.

Listen to "Bubbling Bop"

Top 5 EPs

5. Barker - Debiasing

minimal techno [?]

A lot of the hype around this one deemed it 'techno without the drums'. Sounded like a nice idea on paper, but I didn't expect Barker to pull it off this well. I guess I'm too used to the tedious repetition so many techno producers tend to throw into their creations. But while these songs may lean a bit on the minimal side, their steady evolution help keep this EP sounding interesting at very least. Barker also puts a lot of emphasis on my favorite part of techno, which is all the hypnotic synths and chords and effects.

Every song revolves around thoughtful-sounding arpeggios, graceful in a way. "When Prophecy Fails" and "How Hard I've Tried" are almost shy. They sound like the sensitive core of a giant mechanical structure. Overall this is one of the better examples of techno I've come across for sure. I recommend this if you're like me and looking for techno that's not so grounded in repetition+bass drum overkill.

Listen to "When Prophecy Fails"

4. Ravyn Lenae - Crush

contemporary R&B / pop / neo-soul

A brief but warm and breezy EP from an up-and-coming R&B vocalist, who happens to be hardly any older than me. My very obvious favorite is the dynamic and catchy single "Sticky", but the other songs keep up that song's pleasant retro soul style and with such a short length it's very digestible. I'll be interested to hear her next project.

Listen to "Sticky"

3. D A V I I C I - W sercu pozostaje tylko to co wypalone ogniem

synth pop / hypnagogic pop

'His sound is similar to that of Adonis listed below - a kind of lo-fi trippy synth pop, but it makes sense since they’re on the same label. This EP is a bit more ghostly and empty, though - D A V I I C I puts his voice through what sounds like autotune to a very weird, bordering-on-creepy effect. This is most noticeable on the songs “Skruszone serce“ and “Czas przez pryzmat“ which are also my favorites of the bunch. I have to say that while I like the idea of ‘hypnagogic pop’, it’s often bored or disappointed me; D A V I I C I and Adonis, though, have impressed me to an extent I didn’t expect.'

Listen to "Skruszone Serce"

2. Elysia Crampton - Elysia Crampton

latin electronic / huayno / folktronica / experimental

I'm not familiar with Elysia Crampton's previous work but judging from this I'll have to change that. This EP has a wild mixture of layers and styles thrown in, ensuring that it never gets boring. There's complex percussion, fuzzy distortion, a varied choice of samples, the occasional regular synth ("Orion Song") and, oddly enough, a bit of airhorn.

These are windy, intense sounds, anchored by the kind of frenzied rhythms that suggest a journey on horseback. "Orion Song" is my favorite for combining this with simpler but still majestic synth patterns and a surprisingly peaceful outro. It ends quick at six tracks but it's obvious from the get-go she packed a lot of creativity into this EP. It has an ear for adventure that I love to hear in electronic music.

Listen to "Moscow (Mariposa Voldora)"

1. Adonis - Wiosenna Ofensywa Nie Trwa Dłużej Niż Do Letnich Wakacji

'I only came across Adonis through Bandcamp recommendations and he’s still a bit of a mystery to me [Update: though he did thank me for including this on the halfway list in a Tumblr message!]. This is in part because all the info and lyrics are Polish. But I’m glad I found this EP, since I enjoyed every one of these five songs - while I’ve been blasting the incredible title track all June. In a similar situation to Scandi Disco, it may not be very new, since it’s pretty much a collage of 'alt 80s’ sounds, but if you love the sort of music that entails (e.g. synth pop/shoegaze/dream pop) like I do, I certainly recommend it.'

synth pop / hypnagogic pop

Listen to "Wiosenna ofensywa nie trwa dłużej niż do letnich wakacji"

Honorable mentions

Ariana Grande - Sweetener

pop / contemporary R&B / pop soul

Listen to "Breathin"

Angelique Kidjo - Remain In Light

afro-funk

'I was very intrigued when I learned Angelique Kidjo from Benin was to revamp the entire Remain In Light album by Talking Heads. According to her interview in LA Times, she heard “Once In A Lifetime” long ago and recognized the African influence in it’s sound, which is what eventually led to this cover album. Although part of me wishes some covers were a bit closer to the originals than they are, most of the interpretations are still very interesting and enjoyable with an excellent sense of energy and rhythm.'

Listen to "Born Under Punches"

Empress Of - Us

synth pop / electropop

Listen to "When I'm With Him"

George Clanton - Slide

synth pop / chillwave

Listen to "Make It Forever"

Lena Raine - Celeste

video game music / electronic / chiptune / downtempo

I forgot to mention this game OST in my halfway list somehow, but it's worthy of honorable mention at very least. It has a distinct style that reminds me a bit of the BGM you hear in Steven Universe - very colorful and spacey at the same time as varied; sometimes relaxed, other times epic. 8-bit bleeps and more modern synths blend with the twinkle of piano often. The best example of this mixture, to my memory, is the bright and productive "First Steps". With so many songs it's hard to evaluate how well it works as an album, but it's more understandable for a game soundtrack as I figure some of these sound better in context. Whether it works that way or just misses the mark, there's no doubt this is an impressive piece of work.

Listen to "First Steps"

Pastel Ghost - Ethereality

synth pop / dream pop / gothic

Pastel Ghost doesn't tend to explore new ground with her songs. It's not surprising and I don't think she needs to do that all the time, per se. The issue here is more that those same cliches are even older now than they were in 2015. Read: excess 808 hi-hats, your usual stompy goth-club bass patterns...

But I realize this was more of a grower for me than Abyss. While the vocals and rhythms were disappointing, the synths only got better. Here, PS does a great job of layering distinctive timbres together and forming rich textures and harmonies out of them. I love those twinkling aquatic tones in songs like "Tears" and "Underwater" in particular.  She hasn't lost the more distinct part of her sound that first drew me to Abyss, evolving it all at once, which is what matters most in the end.

While Abyss was all about being spooky and sinister, Ethereality is murky and bittersweet. You could say the 'pastel' caught up with the 'ghost' (ba-dum-tish!)... It's not a huge change but it takes you elsewhere, like the depths of an ocean rather than a gloomy forest. Songs like “Emotion” and “Possession” just wash over you like a waterfall thanks to the production - there’s a crystal-clear quality to it that makes this an easy listen even in the lesser moments.

Ethereality, right down to the silly title, could be less predictable, especially in 2018 after there's so many others doing this sort of thing. A lot of the vocals are too breathy and twee, moreso than before. But it's hard for me to ignore the skills on display. Her ear for melodies, synths, etc. continue to distinguish her from the pack and I continue to enjoy her take on this music.

Listen to "Sakura"

[neo---blue]

HAMATORA THE NOVEL pt.I - Things More Important Than Money (ENGLISH TRANSLATION)

H therei!! d (ba-sudei) and avery (@minimums​) here! finally finished translating the first part of hamatora the novel! but before anything, please, please, please read this!

although we opted not to state this on our official foreword, both avery and i felt it shouldn't remain unsaid. please remember that this is a fan translation first and foremost, as well as something we put a lot of time and effort into. it is a fan translation because we are fans of hamatora, and felt that even all these years later the material deserved to come to light. yes, it is 2018, and not 2014. we know what year this is, and we are fans anyway. hamatora had its shortcomings, flaws, inconsistencies, and issues, just like every other series in existence. however, we both felt that since our love for it remains, translating would be “better late than never.” and while we hope that others still feel the same, we understand many won’t— and don't. if like us you still love hamatora, please enjoy our efforts! if you don't, all we can ask is that you please don't dismiss, make fun of, or dampen them. translating is not easy, and certainly neither is creating a series. so, without further ado, please enjoy Hamatora the Novel part 1!

ハマトラTHE NOVEL - I. 金より大事なもの 【英訳】 HAMATORA THE NOVEL PART I - Things More Important Than Money (ENGLISH TRANSLATION) 

under the cut~ (there’s also a download link to a pdf!! still, please reblog and spread the word!)

[DOWNLOAD LINK - Mobile-Friendly PDF]   ^ highly recommended over reading it on here!  Foreword from the Scanlators (scans by minimums, translation by ba-sudei)

✢

"hi, i'm avery, aka minimums on tumblr or gayhacker on ao3. i did the scans! hamatora is a series that has meant a lot to me for a while now, and still very much does. i originally bought the novel for the poster that came with it; i had no idea anything like this would ever come out of that purchase, but i'm so glad it did! D has put in a lot of hard work with the translation, so please enjoy hamatora the novel part 1!"

✢                                

“hi~ d here , aka ba-sudei on tumblr and d_n__ on twitter! i translated this thing!! avery’s worked really hard to make sure the scans were clear for me and has been helpful overall and i can’t thank him enough! i wish i could promise an accurate translation— but, all i can promise is that i truly did my best to make this translation a good quality one. this goes without saying, but i have loved (and suffered much for) hamatora since 2014, and i’m still here. i’ll always be here. i hope this translation helps rekindle your love for hamatora! so please enjoy hamatora the novel part i!!”

✢

✢ please feel free to get in touch with us on our socials ! ✢

✢ ✢ ✢

      “Now then, shall we work hard today, too?”

    The boy with bandages on his face and headphones around his neck spoke loudly to a girl. His name is Nice; he’s a detective.

      The girl’s name is Koneko. She is the broker of requests for Hamatora Detective Agency, which operates under Nice and his partner. She is also the owner of Cafe Nowhere, where Hamatora Detective Agency have set up their office on one of their tables.

       “Any requests come in today?”

    Nice asked Koneko with a lively tone and a smile on his face, forgetting the sad reality that the few coins in his pocket were literally all he had.

      Koneko's ponytail swung as she smiled and slightly tilted her head.

     “None.”

      It wasn’t surprising, but Nice still doubted her answer; the smile he unconsciously had on his face fell and his expression became serious.

     “Seriously?”

       “Seriously.”

       “Why?!”

    “Who knows...”

    Despite Nice’s franticness, Koneko’s smile didn’t falter.     The nerve on Koneko’s temple twitched but not because of Nice’s moodiness.

     “By the way, Nice-kun. When do I get anything out of lending you a table for your office?”

       “Uh, uhhhh...” Nice nervously looked around the interior of Nowhere.

      Over the counter was a man polishing a cup, the cafe’s master.

    Master is the one who stands in the kitchen and cooks food on the menu, while Koneko, the owner, is in charge of customer service and miscellaneous affairs.

    Master continued to work in silence, purposely trying not to meet Nice’s eyes.

      In front of Master on a seat across the counter was a girl drinking milk. She’s an assistant of the Hamatora Detective Agency— or so she’s supposed to be. But at the moment she was becoming a mascot instead. She is Hajime.

    Hajime finished her milk then held out her cup towards Master.

     “Seconds. You can charge it on Nice-kun’s tab.”

       “...Nice’s tab is just about all piled up, though.”

    Master took the cup and refilled it with milk before handing it back to Hajime.

      Hajime moved the cup towards Nice lazily.

    “Thanks for the meal. Cheers.”

       “Wait, wait, don't cheers to this, Hajime-chan! I haven’t had anything to eat since last night!”

       “Poor thing,” Hajime said with blandly, and began to drink the milk.

      Nice slumped his shoulders, turning his gaze towards a table in the back, where a young man wearing glasses was seated and looking through the newspaper. His name is Murasaki. He is Nice's partner.

      Murasaki, through his glasses, fixed Nice with a cold look.

    “Nice. Can’t you tell that you’re suffering the consequences of your actions?”

       “I can tell... but what did I do?”

      Nice looked clueless. Good grief, Murasaki sighed.     “Before this, who was it that turned down the request to investigate an affair?”

      “I did.”

      “And before that, who was it that turned down the request to do background checks for a delinquent high school student?”

   “I did?”

     “Not to mention, before that, who was it that, when a lady who was having trouble with a stalker following her around came and begged for something to be done, sent her away saying ‘you can do something about that yourself’?”

       “Ah, you make it sound so harsh! It was just a lovers’ quarrel, they shouldn’t involve other people to solve their problems for them. You think so, too, right, Koneko?”

    Nice waited for Koneko to nod and agree with him, but Koneko only looked away.

       “I don’t know about that.”

       “...Huh? Does that mean I got that wrong?”

       “See, that’s what I’m talking about.  You’re in your current situation because you’re always so picky with the requests you take. If that’s not suffering the consequences of your actions, then what is it?”

       “Okay, but even so. This is work after all, I wouldn’t do that to people who are seriously in trouble. Everyone I turned down was just requesting stuff for their own convenience. It’s not a big deal if I don’t help them, is it?”

       “I guessed that would be your reasoning. You mean that it shouldn’t be acceptable in this society.”

       “It’s a sad society, really.”

       “Can't deny that society is sad— Another woman seems to have gone missing.”

    Murasaki put the newspaper down onto the table and tapped an article lightly with the back of his hand.

      Nice went over to Murasaki's side to have a look at the newspaper.

    “Another one?”

      In this town, Yokohama, girls have continuously been going missing.

    Whether these cases were plotted or coincidental was unclear. The commonalities among the missing people were that they were young and attractive; there seemed to be absolutely no correlation among their workplaces, schools, and relationships.

       “Yeah, this is the fifth one already. Looks like it’s a high school girl this time. She’s said to have gone missing two days ago.”

        “Two days ago...? Maybe she’s just been staying over at a friend’s place or something?”

     “Things would be fine if that were the case. But there are some short articles in the newspaper that say that the family was set on reporting it to the police.”

        “As an incident?”

        “It’s not a job for us detectives, an investigation like that. It’s for the police.”

        “The police, huh... I wonder if Art’s busy right now.”

     Art. He is a young man Nice has been keeping company with for a long time.

     Art is a police officer from the Yokohama police department. After graduating from a special educational institution with outstanding achieve-ments, he continued to make extraordinary efforts and became the police superintendent at quite a young age.

       “I wonder if Art’s having some trouble.”

       “Art might not be the one put directly in charge of the continuous disappearance of those girls. Besides, he’s excellent, so I don’t think he’d be having any trouble.”

      “That's true,” Nice agreed, knowing Art as a guy who’s overcome all his difficulties with sheer effort; he’s one of the few people that Nice can respect from the bottom of his heart.

     “I can tell that that guy’s working hard. Looks like I don’t need to worry that much after all.”

    Nice cleared his throat and went silent. The rest of the inside of the cafe quieted, too, until the sound of the television took over for everyone to hear. There was a variety show airing.

       ‘We are inside a shopping mall in Yokohama. There is an exhibit by Aomiya-san, a doll-maker who’s been much-talked-about lately. Since today is the last day, the venue is packed.’

    voiced the reporter. Nice and company turned their eyes towards the television.

    The event space was in a familiar shopping mall nearby, and it was decorated with many life-size dolls. They were all female dolls in luxurious gothic-style dresses.

     ‘Look at the infamous lifelike dolls, they look like they’ll start moving any second now! Aomiya-san’s work is going to be auctioned at New York this year, and many bidders are ready to bid over a hundred million yen!’

      Next to the reporter introducing the dolls appeared a strange-looking young man.

    The man had hung several marionettes, the type one can manipulate with strings throughout their bodies.

    The reporter introduced this man who had a strange, confident smile on his face:

     ‘The world-famous doll-maker Aomiya-san has arrived! It’s a pleasure to have you here today despite your busy schedule. ’

       ‘It’s no problem. This is an opportunity to propagate my aesthetics, so the pleasure is all mine.’

    Aomiya brushed his hair out of his forehead with one hand; it was a gesture that made him look like a decent man.  That motion bumped into several marionettes, making a dry sound.

       “That's some weird fashion. Do you think he lives like that?”

    Nice quipped. Murasaki replied indifferently,

     “It’s probably part of the production, since he’s a doll-maker and all. Can’t say it’s a good hobby, though.”

      Hajime, uninterested, averted her eyes from the television and continued to drink her milk.

      Koneko smiled wryly and opened her mouth,     “It stands out, so isn’t that a good thing? You can’t go wrong with it, it’s a famous doll exhibit.”

      “Koneko, do you want to go?” Nice asked.

      “No, not really... Actually, dolls that look just like humans are a little creepy...”

      “Creepy?”

      “Uhhm, you know. Isn’t it like those urban legends? Where they dress up human beings to make them living dolls... O— of course, I don’t believe in such urban legends.”

    Koneko quickly shook her hands in front of her face as if to cover her expression. Nice chuckled.

      “I won’t laugh at you whether you believe those or not. But hm... Living dolls, huh?”

    Nice stared at the lifelike dolls next to Aomiya.

    The man called Aomiya was talking about something proudly, but his voice didn’t reach Nice’s ears.

      “—You’re right. It does give off a strange vibe. Plus it’s creepy and spooky.”

    It was when Nice coughed a small cough that the cafe door clicked and the bell on it rang.

      It seemed someone had arrived. Everyone except the one who was paying attention only to her milk saw who it was.

      There came a woman who was slightly overweight and dressed in brand.

    She looked to be in her forties; she held what looked like a branded handbag and wore unfashionable glasses with gilded rims and metal carvings.

    She raised her glasses above her eyes with a hand and surveyed the store restlessly.

     “I heard that the detective called Hamatora would be here.”

      “Oh, if you’re looking for Hamatora, that’s us.”

    Nice confidently raised his hand. The woman’s eyes widened behind her glasses; she was visibly doubtful.

    “...You?”

    The woman seemed to have thought ill of Nice’s appearance for a reason or another.

      When Nice noticed, he felt an instant irritation. Before Nice could say anything in retaliation, Murasaki had raised his hand after folding the newspaper and straightening his back.

     “Do you have a request? If that’s so, you can talk with me.”

    Unlike Nice, Murasaki is able to read the mood when it comes to others and phrase himself accordingly. This is a testament to his maturity.

      The woman initially looked at Murasaki from head to toe with contempt.

    Murasaki and Nice both wear street-style clothes, but thanks to his glasses, Murasaki appears more honest in disposition. The aggression disappeared from the woman’s eyes.

     “So there is someone here who I can talk with properly. Good.”

      “Then, have a seat,” Murasaki gestured to the table, inviting her.

      ‘Good’ my ass, Nice muttered, leaving the table abruptly and plopping down next to Hajime by the counter.

    “Piss off,” Nice grumbled in a whisper. Now now, Koneko hushed him in a low voice.

      The woman sat down on a chair Murasaki had pulled out for her, and did not even wait until Murasaki could seat himself opposite her before she started talking:

    “I want you to search for my daughter. You can do it, right?”

    While the woman was saying this highhandedly, Murasaki took his seat, unfazed.

      “A person-search request, I see. Of course, we can accept it. Could you share with me the specific circumstances?”

      The woman fidgeted and leaned towards Murasaki.

    “My daughter hasn’t come home in two days, and you know! You’ve heard of it, too, haven’t you? Of the cases of beautiful daughters going missing in this neighborhood. I’m almost sure, she must have gotten involved in an incident like that...”

    She continued without pausing for breath,

    “If she got caught up in that incident, oh, what will I do? This is why I don’t let her to go out even with her friends. Recently, though only once in a while, she’d be a little late to her curfew and I didn’t think much of it, but if the friend she went out with was a man, it could’ve been the criminal of the incident—”

    she kept rambling to Murasaki.

      “Ah, please calm down—”

      “How can I calm down—?! If I knew this was going to happen, I would’ve made her attend an all-girl’s school all this time from kindergarten! Why is such a thing happening to me? If I lose that child, whatever will I do—?”

    The woman was on the verge of a breakdown. As if to change the flow of the conversation, Murasaki picked up the newspaper he’d folded and set aside to spread it in front of her.

      “For now, could you read this article? Is it possible that perhaps your daughter is the one mentioned on this article about a missing person?”

      The woman fixed the position of her glasses and skimmed across the newspaper article. She seemed to regain composure.

    “Y—yes, that’s right. I also reported it to the police, but I couldn’t just stand still so I came here.”

    The woman pulled out an envelope from her handbag. It was considerably thick.

    “For the retainer fee and advanced payment for necessary expenses, I’ll deposit this much. I can guarantee twice this amount once my daughter is found safe and sound.”

      Koneko was the first to react to how thick the envelope was. She lit up, enthusiastically putting her hands together by her chest.

    “With just that, you could already pay off everything accumulated under your tab...”

      “Can’t be helped,” Master said, unmoving.

      Murasaki shifted his focus to Nice.

   “We’ll accept this request, okay—?”

     “No thanks.”

    Nice shot back instantly. Murasaki stood up, his chair skidding.

     “You’re still saying that? Just what on earth about this doesn���t sit right with you?”

      Nice spoke past Murasaki to the client:

    “Hey, just wondering. Haven’t you thought that your daughter going missing might just be her going out with a friend?”

      “Of course I have. In that case I would have asked her for her friend’s name!”

    the woman answered testily.

     “You probably don’t think about how your daughter feels. Don’t you think she felt suffocated at home and ran away?”

      “Suffocated? Impossible. She’s my only child and I care for her, I’ve given her a life without inconvenience. I let her take any class she wants, I give her enough pocket money. What else could she complain about?”

      “...That so?”

    It was all Nice said back, before getting up from the bar stool and heading for the exit of the cafe.

      “Hey, Nice!”

    Without looking back, Nice waved Murasaki off after hearing him.

      “You can handle it, Murasaki. I’ll go look for a job by myself.”

    He likes to have it his way, Nice heard Murasaki explain, but went on outside without stopping.

    He raised his arms and stretched them.

    “Having to breathe the same air as her feels so suffocating. Her daughter probably couldn’t breathe.”

    Anyway, Nice recollected his thoughts and headed out.

       “Even a detective can walk around without running into trouble. Well, at least for now, it’s peaceful like usual...”

    Fuwah, Nice yawned, as he strolled along the river that leads to the sea.

      The river flows under an elevated highway, and the riverbank is fortified by concrete, so it’s not very windy. On the far end of the boulevard across the river is the famous Yokohama Chinatown. Nice was walking from a back street along the river, a few minutes away from the bridge.

      “Guess I'll go to Chinatown. Where there’s a bunch of people, there’s bound to be some work!”

      Chinatown is well-known as the place to get meat buns. There are shops that sell steamed meat buns with shrimp, and fresh fruits. It’s a place where one can get good food anywhere.

      I’m starving, Nice groaned, thrusting a hand into his pocket.

    Nice felt the shapes of the coins with his fingers to count them, then hung his head.

    “...No good. It’s all I have, it’ll all be gone if I buy a meat bun. But eating that’ll keep me full for longer. It’s the only choice I have!”

    Nice raised his head with a bitter smile. Suddenly, he noticed a cruiser mooring close to the bank.

      It was a huge cruiser, one that looked like it could go out into the open sea. It just barely passed the bridge.

      “Is it really alright to stop a ship around here in this river? Won’t it break down like that? Ah, I mean, I’m sure a ship like that’s freaking expensive... I heard that even an ordinary one would cost a couple hundred million yen. I wonder what kind of guys buy that kind of... Ah— At the very least, I bet they don’t have to think about money all the time. I want to be like that so I can eat meat buns without worrying. Maybe I’ll go see the ocean for a change of pace.”

    Nice decided to ditch Chinatown for the sea; nearby is a park where one can look out into the ocean.

    He went on over to the wide crossing. Past it is the entrance to the park he was headed to.

      The pedestrian signals were red; Nice stopped walking when he saw it.

    Right next to Nice was a little girl he hadn’t noticed.  She was wearing a black dress that matched her long hair, with red shoes. Her height just barely reached Nice’s hip, and she looked like she was about kindergarten age.

    Her skin was so white it seemed almost transparent, and her features were remarkably fair. It all made her body up to look quite delicate.

      Kinda looks like a doll. That was Nice’s first impression of the little girl.

      Though the little girl was expressionless, she was looking all around her. She seemed to be looking for someone.

      Nice looked around the area as well. On the other end of the pedestrian crossing, there was a young boy, even smaller than the little girl, playing with what looked like a vinyl ball.

    “Hey, isn’t it a little dangerous to be playing with a ball on the sidewalk?”

    Nice had thought in that moment to call out even if he was all the way across the street.

      The ball rolled into the pavement, and the boy playing with it ran after it, not seeming to care that the pedestrian signals were red.

      “I said don’t play there!"

      Beside Nice who was surprised, a small shadow moved. Moving like she was weightless, the little girl came rushing onto the pedestrian lane, all the while the signals were still red.

      “Hey!!”

    Out of the corner of his eye, Nice spotted a large truck coming.

      When the truck caught sight of the young girl, the horn honked as the brakes screeched.

    But it was too late— it was obvious what was coming next.

      At this rate, the little girl was going to be hit by the truck right in front of Nice—

    Without missing a beat, Nice put on his headphones and snapped his fingers.

    The sound from his headphones drowned out the horn, and for a moment the world stopped moving.

      Everything stood still in an instant, the truck, the little girl— even the leaves falling from the trees by the street.

    The special ability Nice possessed, <Speed of Sound Minimum>, was activated.

      There exists a special ability that only a handful of people are naturally born with.

    A small miracle— a Minimum.

    That is, an ‘extraordinary individuality’ actualized.

    A person with a Minimum Ability is called a Minimum Holder, and Nice is one of them.

      With <Speed of Sound Minimum>, up to 5 meters from the activation point, Nice can run as if he were side by side with sound.

    But it goes by in the blink of an eye for anyone else.

      In a world where everything was stopped, Nice sprinted into the pedestrian crossing, grabbing the little girl less than a mere meter away from the truck’s bumper.

    —Isn’t this kid awfully light?

    With this iffy feeling, and with all his might, Nice flew forward. Right after this, the world started moving again.

      Once the sound of the truck brakes faded, surprised voices rang out:

    “Wha— what!? She disappeared!”

    “Wah—!”

      The road was more than five meters wide— more than Nice can use his Minimum.

    Nice would have been hit by another car on the other lane if he hadn’t made haste cutting across the pedestrian lane. But as he did, he kicked up the ball rolling by and started dribbling it like he would a football.

      It was only by the time Nice had gone past the pedestrian crossing that the car came to a complete stop. The driver shouted at him:

     “You idiot, you wanna fucking die?!”

      “No friggin’ way—”

    At Nice’s retort, the driver honked his horn even louder.

      The little boy who was playing with the ball was sitting on the curb of the street. His face was twisted in shock.

     “Wh-wh-what-t what—”

    The little boy got on his feet with a start and burst into tears.

      “Ah, I didn’t do anything!”

    the driver cried irresponsibly, starting his car and fleeing.

      Confused, Nice forgot all about putting down the little girl he was holding.

    “Hey, I won’t know what to do if you cry like that, you know?”

    Nice took the ball he was dribbling and passed it deftly towards the chest of the crying boy in a loose arc.

      The boy caught it quickly, still in tears.

      “My child, why are you crying?!”came a woman’s hysterical voice from beside them. Nice saw a young woman with gaudily-done makeup making her way towards them with heavy steps. She seemed to be the mother of the little boy.

      “Oh, no, I didn’t make him cry—”

      “But he’s definitely crying! And just now I saw you kick the ball with your feet!”

    The woman lifted the little boy, moving him away from Nice.

       “No, that’s— I mean, I did kick the ball, but that’s not why he’s crying—”

     “God, young people these days sure are rotten, bullying little children like this.  I’m calling the police right now, don’t move!”

    she spat, holding her child and stomping away.

      “What’s with that woman? If she cares about her child so much, she shouldn’t let him play ball in a place like this!”

    Nice muttered, finally thinking to let the little girl down. But as he did, she clutched onto Nice’s clothes, refusing to let go.

    “Guess there’s no way around it. It’ll be annoying if the police come, so why don’t we escape while we can?”

    Still carrying the little girl, Nice made a beeline for the park.

      In the park facing the sea, there’s a terminal for boarding pleasure cruises. Anchored right next to it is a large cargo ship that people can visit for observations or field trips any time.

    There weren’t many people in the park. From the nearby boulevard, one could hear the sound of cars passing by and sea birds chirping, making it a relaxing atmosphere.

      Nice deemed their position to be far away enough from the crossing. He settled beside the fountain in the center of the park and drew a breath.

    “Hah. Whew. I wonder if the police can track us all the way over here... But, well, as long as you’re here you can tell them about what actually happened, right?”

      “Yo, broke detective. You having so much trouble getting anything to eat these days that you switched jobs to kidnapping?”

    said a teasing voice. Hearing these words, Nice panicked and whipped around.

    There, he found a man wearing sunglasses, a thin smile playing on his lips.

      It was someone Nice has gotten along with for a long time. His name is Birthday; he works as a handyman.

      “Don’t talk shit about people like that, Birthday. Who the heck are you calling a kidnapper?!”

      “Well of course, you, Nice.”

      “You’ve got it all wrong. This kid was about to get run over by a truck, I just helped her. Right?”     Nice prompted, putting down the little girl he’d been carrying. She wordlessly tilted her head.

    “You were thinking of helping that kid with the ball earlier, too, right? That was really reckless, damn.”

      The little girl did not respond to anything Nice was saying. She only looked up at Nice, staring, completely expressionless.

    Her eyes were so pure and clear that Nice felt like he could be sucked into them when he saw his reflection.

    Feeling disarmed, Nice looked away. Then Birthday questioned him,

      “By the way, who is this cute little kid?”

      “No idea.”

      “Then, it’s a case of a lost child, isn’t it? If it’s like than, then leave it to Birthday-sama!”

    Birthday sucked in a rough breath and puffed his chest out proudly.

      “The heck are you acting all high and mighty for now?”

      “From little girls to older women, I’m a friend to every lady, didn’t you hear?”

      “Oh yeah? And what if the lost child was a boy?”

      “A boy? Well, a man must overcome difficulties on his own, of course!”

    Birthday exclaimed with a laugh, crouching down to be in level with the little girl. Still expressionless, the little girl tilted her head in the opposite direction.

    “Hello, little lady. First things first, come closer. Yup, yup.”

    Birthday closed his hand and presented it to her.

    Then he opened it to reveal small flowers. They looked like toy flowers.

      The little girl peered at the flowers but did nothing more. She remained expressionless.

      “Huh? You didn’t like that? Then, how about this?”

    He closed his hands around the flowers then held them wide open the next moment.

    There appeared little flags, the ones that looked like they would come on children’s meals. Out of nowhere, Nice laughed.

      “Ahaha, what a shabby magic trick—”

      “Nice, you bastard, it’s not cool to say shit like that!”

    Embarrassed and turning red, Birthday rushed to get back up.

      The little girl was still expressionless, and though subtle, she was trembling. She seemed surprised.

      “Birthday.  Is it me or did you just make her uncomfortable? Not a friend to ‘every lady’ now, are we?”

      “Tsk,” Birthday clicked his tongue. He plastered his smile back on and looked at the little girl.

     “Sorry, sorry. Don’t get mad, OK? From now on, I’ll only give my best, so could you please cheer up?”

      The little girl blinked. Though she was still expressionless, there appeared to be expectation in her eyes.

      “Your best, huh?” Nice mocked.

      “It’s gonna be good, so just watch.”

    From the pocket of his pants, Birthday slowly slipped out something that resembled a rope. There were countless LED lights attached to a wire cable; they were used to decorate Christmas trees.

    “And here—”Birthday threw the lights up and twirled, swinging it as if it were a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon, turning round and round until it was wrapped around him.

    Then, with his empty hand, Birthday took a stun-gun from somewhere.

    “Here it goes!! Ahm—”

    Birthday had opened his mouth wide and put the stungun in it, then switched it on. A zap, then there was electricity— Birthday’s hair stood on end for a moment.

    Lightning coiled around the hand he was using to hold the wire, then all at once the decorative LED lights lit up.

      Using <Electric Shock Minimum>, Birthday can freely manipulate and amplify electricity through his body. Just like Nice, he is a Minimum Holder.

      Nice and Birthday have known each other since they were much younger. When they were kids, they met at Facultas, a top academy and educational institution that gathers Minimum Holders and gives them special training.

    Both of them dropped out of the Academy— Birthday for health reasons, and Nice for his own reasons.

      Teeth to the stun-gun, Birthday made a cocky face.

    “Fhowizt, cuztomwahn—!”

      “How is it, customer-san? is what he said. Should just friggin’ take the stun-gun out.”

    Nice commented. Birthday lowered his stun-gun, striking a pose as the decorations sparkled with electricity.

      “What do you think now, Nice? Right now I’m shining just like a human Christmas tree!”

      “It’s not shining anymore, though. Looks like she’s not buying it.”

     “For real—?”

    Birthday looked back at the little girl in dismay. Despite having a curious look in her eyes, she was still expressionless.

      “Maybe if it were actually Christmas, she’d take it, don’t you think, Birthday?”

      “To think that even this won’t work...  She’s so hard to please, this little girl. A world where I can’t even make children laugh— it’s just so damn sad...”     After saying a such a lofty thing, Birthday fell to his knees.

      “Let me take it from here, Birthday! I want to make children laugh, too.”

    Nice held his hand out to Birthday. Birthday grasped it tightly.

      “...I’ll leave this to you. If anyone can find the perfect quick trick, it’d be Nice-kun, ‘Hama’s laughingstock!”

      “Who are you calling a laughingstock? Don’t friggin’ call me that.”

    Nice complained, smiling anyway. He stuffed a hand into his pocket and took all the coins there, then opened his palm in front of the little girl.

    “Here. Two one-hundred-yen coins, one fifty-yen coin, and three ten-yen coins. This is all I have right now.”

      “That’s a pathetic amount, you can’t even use it to buy a meat bun in Chinatown.  Even a meat bun is about three hundred yen.”

    dissed Birthday. Nice countered,

      “Sometimes you can get it by haggling! Don’t say useless things!”

      Fine, fine, Birthday backed off, shrugging his shoulders.

      Nice shifted his gears, speaking to the little girl again:

     “Ah, well... This money is super important to me. It’s something you should never let go. Do you understand?”

      After a short pause and a gulp, the little girl nodded.

    “That’s why, this money will never go away. Even if you do something like this!”

    Nice gripped the coins then tossed them all up in the air.

      The little girl’s round eyes watched the coins fly towards the sky.

    While she was distracted, Nice put on his headphones.     She could only watch as all the coins fell from the sky, to a distance Nice’s hands could reach.

      —Perfect. I calculated correctly. Throwing them upwards was a good idea.

    Nice snapped his fingers and activated his <Speed of Sound Minimum>.

    Right when the coins stopped falling, the water fountain behind Nice also froze, like a crystal sculpture.

    Nice plucked the coins out of the air one by one. With the last coin in Nice’s hand, the water in the fountain started moving again. The Minimum’s effect had run out.

    Nice took off his headphones and offered his closed fist to the girl, opening it with a tada!

    On his palm were the exact same number of coins he’d shown her earlier.

    “See? Something important like this won’t just disappear!”     Nice put the coins back in his pocket triumphantly.

      Boo, boo! Birthday hurled his booing at Nice.

    “Why would she buy something like that? Didn’t you just totally rip us off? You totally cheated and used your Minimum!”

      “Didn’t you use your Minimum too, Birthday?!”

      “Okay, that’s true, but you couldn’t make her laugh either!”

      “No way!” exclaimed Nice, looking the little girl over again.

    Nice, just like Birthday did earlier, fell to his knees.

     “If I made a wrong move then I could’ve lost all my money for nothing...”

     “Yeah, this one’s a tough cookie...”

    Birthday sniffed loudly and turned away from the little girl, shaking Nice’s shoulders.

       “This one little girl, we can’t make her laugh,” Nice wailed. “...It’s hopeless...” Birthday admitted.

      Without Birthday nor Nice realizing it, a small group of people had gathered around them in a circle.

    It’s because they kept doing things that made them stand out.

    However, neither Nice nor Birthday cared much for the onlookers. The only thing they cared about was the little girl in front of them who wouldn’t laugh. Nice and Birthday croaked out:

       “But Birthday, we...”

     “Yeah, Nice. We can’t let it end like this.”

      They felt in sync with their determination. There was only one thing left they could do. They shouted, voices overlapping: “Our Last-ditch Attempt!” “Our Secret Technique!”

    ‘Funny faces!’

    Using all their fingers, Nice and Birthday pulled as many funny faces as they could think of.

      Laughter erupted from the circle of spectators.

    “The heck is that?” “Super weird!” “They’ve gone crazy!” “Young people sure are full of energy!”

    Everyone around them was buying it. Except the most crucial one of them; the little girl didn’t even crack a smile.

      Nice and Birthday moved their hands off their faces and let them fall, lowering their heads.

    “Hey, Birthday. We did all we could, right?”

    “We did. We really did all we could, Nice.”

      But just as Nice and Birthday said that, the little girl touched their heads with her small hands.

      As soon as she did, for a moment, an image of a girl flashed in Nice’s mind.

    “Wha— just now—?” “What did I just see?”

    Nice and Birthday looked at each other.

      “Just now, did you see it too, Birthday?  That girl?”

    “Yeah, I saw it! I’m not a lolicon, but that girl looked cute, whoa!”

      A beautiful girl: these are the words that fit her. She looked to be around elementary-age.

    She had long, glossy black hair. She had a somber look on her face, but it was a look that was suited features.

    Her beauty, almost artificial, somehow resembled that of the little girl who wouldn’t laugh.

    The little girl withdrew her hands from Nice’s and Birthday’s heads. She was as expressionless as ever, but Nice felt like he could see something in her eyes.

      “...Could it be, you were looking for that girl?”

      Languidly, the little girl bowed her head.

      “You want us to look for her. Is that what you’re hoping?”

      The little girls eyes wavered. She hesitated, but even if it was a small one she had given a nod.

    Help me. Nice felt as if he heard a voice call out to him.

      “Alright. I accept your request.”

    Nice stood up, carelessly wiping his palm off on his shirt before holding it out towards the girl in greeting.

    Very nervously, the girl let Nice shake her hand. Her fingers were unusually stiff, unlike how soft her childlike face appeared.

    Nice tucked the sense of discomfort away in the back of his mind and introduced himself:

    “I’m Nice. I’m a detective.”

      Birthday got up cheerfully and started gathering the lights he’d tangled all around his body.

    “Then shall we? You gotta do some work to find people, you know... Hi, hi, sorry for the ruckus~”

   Birthday sang to the crowd, out of courtesy, before he began to walk.

      Slightly surprised, Nice asked Birthday:

    “You’re gonna help me? We’re not gonna make any money out of this. And actually, Birthday, don’t you have any handyman work today?”

      Birthday stopped to spare him a glance.

    “Work? Well, there was a request to be some disagreeable fella’s bodyguard, but that’s fine. I mean, since it’s come to this, we should listen to the wishes of a girl who’s so troubled she can’t even smile.”

      “So that’s it,” Nice laughed in agreement. Then, taking little girl’s hand, he began to walk as well.

    “‘Cause there really are some things more important than money.”

  ✢

     “Sheesh, that Nice. He really does just do things his way.”

    Murasaki complained to himself after the client who requested the search for her daughter left. Damn it, Murasaki sighed.

    “...I know you’ve told me before, Nice, we have to only accept serious requests. I get where you’re coming from. But that’s not how the world works. Not everyone will understand what you believe. So I end up having no choice but to do this.”

      Since that woman client had left, there were no other customers in Nowhere. It’s fine to check how much this is now, right? thought Murasaki as he opened the envelope containing the advance payment.

    The envelope was snatched from beside him. Murasaki turned in that direction in surprise, shifting his eyeglasses. There Koneko was smling widely, envelope in hand.

    “Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden—”

      “It’s not all of a sudden or anything. I’ll take care of this, for the stuff that needs to be paid off.”

    Though Koneko was smiling, the light in her eyes shone with conviction. Murasaki let out another sigh, smaller this time.

      “Can’t do anything about that, we have been borrowing money. That’s mostly Nice’s fault... If there’s any money left after the overdue fee for using the table, and that idiot’s tab for food and drinks are all paid off, give it to me.”

      “Mhm, I’ll properly and fairly return what’s left of it after everything’s paid off...”

    Koneko nodded repeatedly, looking quite satisfied. Murasaki readjusted his glasses with a hand, getting up after looking towards where the woman had entered before handing them the envelope paying for her daughter’s search.

    “Are you going out, Murasaki-san?”

      “Searching for people takes hard work and a lot of time. I don’t have the luxury to be warming chairs with my ass.”

       “Take care,”

    Koneko called out, wishing Murasaki off.

    At that moment, Murasaki heard Hajime order, “Three large servings of curry. On Nice’s tab.” But Murasaki, thinking he had no obligation to tell Nice about it, let himself forget all about it right on the spot.

    He was only thinking about the request he’d just accepted.

    “At any rate, it’d be best if I could get any help.”

    Right as he left the cafe, Murasaki brought out his smartphone. He dialed a contact he considered reliable, hoping he would answer. After two rings, the call went through.

      ‘Murasaki? What is it?’

      “Ratio, do you have a minute?”

      On the other end of the call was a man named Ratio. He is a doctor who works for a large hospital, but he is also Birthday’s partner in handyman work.

    ‘Yeah, it’s fine. I’m free, I got off just now.’

      Thinking of Ratio's appearance, that he’s always wearing a white coat and an eyepatch on his right eye, Murasaki continued:

    “You’re free? Great, I want you to ask Birthday to help out with a request. It’s to search for someone.”

      ‘Unfortunately, I’m the only one on who’s free. It’s Birthday’s fault.’

      Upon hearing Ratio’s explanation, Murasaki got a good grasp of the situation.

    “...So your playboy went off somewhere and left you with all the work too, huh?”

      ‘There was a bodyguard job request but it seems he’s got some more important business to take care of. In any case, it’s probably about a girl— So, what’s the plan? If you’re fine with me, I can help you out. I’m off work today because I spend my unpaid leaves to help Birthday with his odd jobs.’

      Ratio is more coolheaded than Murasaki, and also more mature. But from his placid tone, Murasaki could sense his frustration. Phew, Murasaki sighed lightly.

    “...We both suffer, don’t we?”

      ‘I’m used to it. You, too, Murasaki, you’ll get used to it eventually. Truth be told, if we get angry at our partners every time, there’ll never be an end to it.’

    Ratio chuckled. It made Murasaki feel at ease.

      Ratio and Murasaki, just like Nice and Birthday, are from Facultas. Ratio dropped out of the academy in the same season as Birthday, while Murasaki studied at the Kansai campus of Facultas, so they weren’t acquainted during their time as students.

    Murasaki only met Ratio in the last year when he quit the academy. And though they haven’t known each other for very long, Ratio has become someone Murasaki can count on.

      Birthday and Nice are the same breed, so Ratio’s suffering is something I can understand.

    Without voicing his empathy, Murasaki spoke,

    “No end to it, huh... You’re right about that. All we can do is fulfill the requests we accepted— It’d be better to tell you all the details by showing you. Can you leave there?”

      ‘I can, no problem. Should I go to Nowhere?’

      “No, let’s go to another cafe. There’s one closer to the hospital where you work, right, Ratio? There would be fine.”

       ‘Roger that. I’ll go right now, meet you there.’

      “Right, thanks.”

    Once the call was over, Murasaki began putting his phone in his pocket but stopped his hand mid-gesture.

    “...Should I call Nice? Nah, I won’t. Since it’s him, he’s probably started doing something else. Well... He’s probably not gonna get any money out of it though.”

    Laughing once, Murasaki put his smartphone in his pocket and headed for the meeting place.

  ✢

       Once Murasaki had gone out, Koneko brought out a laptop she uses specifically for bookkeeping and began to work on accounting; her first order of business, naturally, was liquidating Nice’s debt.

    “Master, can I have the account book with Nice-kun’s tab?”

      “Wait for a while... I’m finishing a serving, see.”

    Master put out the dish for Hajime’s order of large curry servings.

    On the large dish was more than twice as much rice and curry as there would be on a regular serving.

      Hajime is a small girl and looks delicate, but she loves eating, and she loves eating a lot. Her large curry was three serving’s worth.

    Having been waiting with a spoon in hand, Hajime tasted the curry as soon as she received it.

      “Now, to get that book...”

    Master retreated into the backroom of the cafe. Seeing him turn his back, Koneko began to type away at the keyboard.

      Koneko stopped her hands for a second to look at Hajime.

    “Ah, I just remembered! Hajime-chan, Hajime-chan, can I ask you to do me one favor?”

      Her cheeks stuffed with curry, Hajime replied:

    “Me? What?”

      “Ah, well, there’s a book I’d like you to buy.  Just a magazine with shoujo manga.”

      Hajime swallowed the food in her mouth and drank some water before answering.

    “Right now, I’m facing off with this curry with everything I’ve got, so I can’t.”

       After answering frankly, Hajime turned away and started eating her curry again. To her profile, Koneko said,

    “If you go buy it, I’ll make you a parfait to go with that.”

      Hajime about-faced instantaneously, and without even changing her expression, complied.

    “Tell me the title of the magazine. As Hamatora Detective Agency’s number one assistant, I’ll acquire the magazine without fail.”

      “Really?! This month’s issue is going to be sold out soon because it has rare bonus materials! Can you do it now?”

      “Just one second. I’m gonna finish my food first.”

    Hajime vigorously shoveled spoonful after spoonful of curry into her mouth. Koneko watched as the big serving of curry disappeared. Lastly, Hajime finished her cup of water and put her spoon down.

    “Thanks for the meal. Tell Master that I’m having my second serving with that parfait when I get back.”

      “You got it. Now here’s the title of the magazine and money to buy it.”

    Koneko handed Hajime a 500-yen coin and a memo with the magazine’s title on it. Hajime glanced at the memo and put it in her pocket along with the coins.

      “Roger. I’ll get going now.”

    she said in her usual bland tone, and with light footsteps, as if she were skipping, Hajime left the cafe. As if to replace her, another girl in the same generation as Hajime entered the cafe.

      It was a sweet-looking girl with beautiful big blue eyes, and long blonde hair tied into twin tails. She was wearing a white coat that was reminiscent of a researcher’s lab gown.

    “Hi, Koneko. Long time no see~”

      “Ah, Honey-san, welcome!”

      Honey. She is half-German, half-American. She and Koneko are acquaintances.

      “Oh? Where’s Nice and the others? Out on a job?”

      “Nice-kun and the others went out just a while ago, do you have business with them?”

      “Nhn, not really. Just kinda wanted to see them. I’m meeting with Art today. Do you mind if I kill some time here?”

      “Not at all. Please go sit at any table you like.”

    Closing the laptop, Koneko switched her mind into service mode.

    Koneko immediately prepared a tray with cold water and a moistened hand towel, then headed towards Honey’s table.

    “Are you ready to order?”

      “Then, your house-blend. No need for milk and sugar.”

      Koneko felt like she’d heard somewhere at some point that Germans like to drink good coffee.

    If you look at her, you’d guess she’d be more of a tea person. But to begin with, she’s also part-American, isn’t she? I wonder if Americans like coffee over tea, too...

    Thinking this but deciding not to say anything unnecessary, Koneko took her order.

    “Got that... Wait a second, Master hasn’t come back yet...”

      As if on cue, with perfect timing as Koneko turned around, Master had reappeared with a notebook in one hand.

    “Here’s the account book— oh, a customer? What’s the order?”

    Master set the notebook down somewhere within his reach and put his working face on.

      “Our house-blend,” said Koneko. Master started preparing the coffee drip right away.

      Honey felt a tad bit sheepish.

    “Could I have gotten in the way of you doing some accounting work?”

      “Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s just about liquidating Nice-kun’s tab, so I can push it off.”

      “Liquidating his tab? Did he get some incidental income?”

      Nice is always in a tight spot at the end of the year; Anyone who knows Nice even a little can guess that he’s that type of person.

      “Yes, that’s right. It’s from a payment for a request Murasaki-san accepted, to search for someone.”

      “Search for someone?” inquired Honey. Koneko pondered how she should reply.

      Honey works as a bodyguard. With a great man named Three, they take requests to just about anywhere in the world, not only to be bodyguards but also to clean up messes.

    Since they are agents effective at resolving messes, they also often receive requests from even the police.

    The person Honey said she was meeting is Art, a police detective from the Yokohama Police.

      As it seemed, the request Murasaki had accepted might also concern the police. If there is a connection between his case and the continuous disappearance of attractive women, Murasaki might find himself involved.

      A detective’s gone off to go look for a missing person. Koneko wondered what Art and Honey would think.

    In some cases, civilians will just do more than they have to even if everyone’s told to practice caution, so it’s not that strange.

    —Koneko thought better than to say anything.

    “As an intermediary for Hamatora Detective Agency, I cannot divulge any details.”

    Koneko wore a business smile. Honey giggled.

      “If it’s not gonna mess with the police, you would tell me, right?”

    It appeared Koneko was found out. Having no choice, Koneko smiled timidly.

    “As expected of Honey-san who has the <Information Analysis> minimum.”

      Honey was in the same batch as Nice, Birthday, Ratio, and Art at the Academy. While Nice and the others dropped out, only Honey and Art graduated.

      Honey’s Minimum Ability allows her to predict up to ten minutes into the future through a unique urban-grasping system application that she developed herself, <Mighty Script>, with the help of her special computer terminal, a tablet called  <Mighty>. But just now, Honey didn’t use <Mighty>.

    “I didn’t have to go as far as to use my Minimum, it was simple reasoning. I was just wondering if that has something to do with why Art called me. I won’t ask anymore. I’ll keep it from Art for you, too, at least for now.”

      “Thank you very much.”

    Koneko bowed after seeing Honey smile.

    “By the way,” Koneko changed the topic. “So it’s gotten to this point, Honey-san, you and Art-san. I wonder how that will go?”

      “How what will go?”

      “Aren’t you two getting together? Uhm, I suppose you guys suit each other...”

      Honey’s eyes grew wide.

    “Me and Art?”

    Right after she said that, she started cackling,

    “Ahahahaha! I’ve never thought of that!”

      “W—was... Was what I said really that weird?”

    Koneko asked, feeling extremely flustered. After a while, Honey stopped laughing out loud and flashed her another small smile.

      “Well, if it weren’t a weird thing, I wouldn’t have a weird reaction, right? But Art, huh...  He’s like my comrade in arms.”

      “Comrade in arms?”

      “That’s right. Art is someone I respect, and I have faith in him. If a situation ever comes where he has to shoot me, I won’t even have a problem with it because I believe in him.”

      “...Somehow, that kind of relationship is better than being lovers...”

      “I don’t think about it that way. Like, sure it’s special but it’s not about being lovers.”

      The expression on Honey’s face changed suddenly; Koneko thought it was the expression of an innocent girl. No doubt that Honey has someone she’s interested in, Koneko thought.

    Someone popped into Koneko’s head; a big man who always had an austere look on his face— It was Three.

    Honey and Three are as far apart in age as a parent and child would be.

    No way, that’s not possible. With this in mind, Koneko decided to ask anyway,

    “I know you’ve been working with Three-san for a long time, right? What about Three-san?”

      Honey’s face suddenly flared, and she blushed up to her ears.

    “Wh-wh-wh-what are you saying so suddenly, I didn’t hear—?”

    Honey hurriedly gulped down some water, choked, then ended up coughing.

      Koneko watched Honey with a warm smile.

    —Ah, so is that it...?

      After a long while, Honey wiped her face with a handkerchief she took out from somewhere and spoke with it over her mouth:

    “Th—that guy, look, he’s got that kind of face but he’s actually sensitive— I mean, he’s got plenty of soft spots here and there, too. He’s got some weird hobbies like reading shoujo manga, but it’s also kinda endearing... Ah, oh no, what am I saying? Geez, it’s because Koneko asked—!”

      —Uhm. I don’t remember ever asking about that much though...

      As Koneko troubled herself over how to respond to that, the scent of coffee suddenly spread throughout the cafe.

      “Coffee’s ready,” Master announced.

      “Well would you look at that! Go and bring it here!” Honey commanded hastily, as if to dodge further questions.

      Feeling deeply relieved, Koneko smiled, said “Yes, I’ll be right back,” and went back to the counter.

      On the tray was a cup of coffee on a saucer as well as a few almond chocolates on a small dish.

    “Just a little extra service.”

    Past Honey’s exchange with Koneko, Honey might be able to feel grateful for Master’s thoughtfulness.

      Thank you very much, Koneko said to Master before taking the coffee.

    When Koneko had delivered the coffee to the table, a young man entered the cafe.

      He had shadowy but delicate features, and a lithe body dressed properly in a suit.

    “Hello,” he greeted in a refreshing voice; it was a police inspector from the Yokohama police department, Art.

      Honey turned around and waved at him.

    “Hi, Art!”

      “Sorry for being a little late. Koneko, could I ask for a cup of tea?”

    Having apologized to Honey and ordered from Koneko in the same breath, Art took a seat opposite Honey at her table.

      “Yes, tea coming right up. Please wait for a little.”

      Koneko glanced at Master. Without her having to repeat the order, Master had already begun preparing tea. Art’s usual order is tea, and Koneko mused that she’d never seen Art drink coffee.

    “Oh, Art-san, won’t you try some coffee next time? It’s delicious, Master’s coffee.”

      “The truth is, I’m really not a coffee person. It’s my bad, even though you’re very considerate.”

    Art said with shame, chuckling wryly.

      “Ah, my bad as well for saying something unnecessary, I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet so I don’t interrupt you anymore.”

    After apologizing, Koneko left the table. Art then turned to Honey.

      “You guys coming is a big help, Honey. What business do you guys have in Japan? If you guys are very busy, I won’t bother you anymore.”

    Art told Honey. She made a slightly off-putting expression and made a sidelong glance.

      “...It’s Three.  He said there’s a shoujo manga magazine that he really wants to get today.”

      A shoujo manga magazine? Those words worried Koneko but she didn’t say anything so as not to disrupt the mood of their talk.

      “Ah, now that you mention it, Sensei does really like shoujo manga.”

      Art calls Three sensei. Three is a guru of a military-style ‘command self-defense’ type of wrestling.

    Three is also adept in Jiu Jitsu, and Art had learned Judo from him.

      Art continued after getting that remark out,

    “But is it really worth all the effort to go buy them physically? Electronic versions are available these days.”

      “It’s pretty difficult to get the magazines overseas as it is, and somehow the e-versions are less interesting. But it’s a good thing, isn’t it? Because we get to see each other like this now. So, what do we have to do?”

    Honey’s expression became thoughtful, as did Art’s.

    “I need you to do something for me, even if it’s just for today. I’m certain that your information-processing ability will be a great help.”

      “Had a feeling it would be that. Can I have the info ASAP?”

      “Yeah.” Art brought something out from the pocket of his suit, then he looked towards Koneko.

    “Where are Nice and the others today?”

      “They’re out. I don’t think they’ll be back for a while.”

      “That’s a relief. This time, these photos really can’t be shown to anyone except people involved in the investigation. Koneko, you too, could you pretend you didn’t see anything?”

      “I understand,” Koneko replied. With a small nod, Art spread out the articles on the tabletop.

      There were five photos, all of which were of young and attractive women.

    Additionally, there were five sheets of printed paper.

    They seemed to contain succinct summaries of the women in the photos.

      “Recently, there have been incidents of girls disappearing quickly one after the other. Although there’s a possibility that they were kidnapped, we hardly know anything yet.”

      “I read about the incident on the newspaper before I came here. Well, I’ll borrow those for a bit.”

    Honey fished her computer terminal tablet out of her bag. It contained an urban-grasping system application called <Mighty Script>; it is also called <Mighty>.

     Using the camera on <Mighty>, Honey took photo after photo of the documents.

    <Mighty> then displayed the photos and profiles that were converted into data.

    Honey organized the information on <Mighty>, taking sips of her coffee every once in a while. She put one almond chocolate in her mouth and bit down on it, muttering once she was sure,

    “...I got it.”

      “Have you already figured out what’s behind the situation?!”

      “Don’t be so hasty, Art, it isn’t like you. What I got is that the information is severely insufficient. Even if I use my Minimum, it wouldn’t be enough.”

      “...My bad, it wasn’t in my place to go off.”

    Despondently, Art shrank back, and the cafe quieted all over.

      “Tea’s ready.”

    Master announced. Koneko went to the counter and carried back a tray with nothing but black tea on it this time.

      “Sorry to make you wait.”

      “...Thank you.”

    To cool his head, Art took a sip of the black tea.

    “In times like these, when you think about the horrible things those missing people must be going through, it’s so hard to calm down no matter what I do. The only thing I can do are straightforward investigations.”

    Because unlike you guys, I don’t have a Minimum.     Art said this in a long breath.

      Art was also from Facultas. However, unlike Nice and the others, Art did not have a Minimum Ability. Though he exhibited Minimum Aptitude, he could not manifest it into an ability.

    Neverthelesss, putting great effort into everything, Art managed to graduate Facultas with an exceptional record.

    After graduating from Facultas, he passed the Government Employee Career Exam, and young as he was, attained his position as police superintendent. He is seen by the police organization to be an extremely excellent officer with a very promising future.

    There was absolutely no one who had ridiculed Art’s efforts, and no one who could even come close to him.

      “Alright, time to hurry this up.”

    Honey drank all her coffee and put the rest of the almond chocolates in her mouth. While chewing, she put <Mighty> in her bag and got up.

      “This information really is nowhere near enough. So first of all, let’s use these photos and get more information. What’s that you said, Art— don’t you think everything starts with a good, straightforward investigation?”

      “I guess so.”

    The determination returned to Art’s face.

    “I’m sorry, Master. Looks like I won’t be able to finish all the tea you brewed for me. I’ll leave my payment here. I’ll drop by again, please send my regards to Nice and the others, too.”

    Art cleaned up the materials he laid out on the table, pulled out two bills from his wallet, and set them down.

      There was obviously more money than was payment for both the tea and the coffee, but Koneko accepted it without trouble, knowing it was hush money for the information she’d seen.

    “Yes, we’ll look forward to your next visit. Please take care.”

    Koneko saw Art and Honey off with a smile, then took to cleaning the table.

    She tilted her head slightly.

    “A shoujo manga he wants to get today, was it? Three-san will probably run into Hajime-chan, won’t he? This month’s issue will be super rare...  What if they clash—? No, no, that won’t happen...”

    Koneko interrupted herself with a giggle, then went back to doing accounting for Nice’s debt.

  ✢

       “Hey, you foreign-looking guy over there, hold it!”

    called a girl’s voice at the street corner, to a man whose big, martial-arts body was covered in a pastor’s vestments—

      Three stopped in his tracks to turn around and was mildly surprised to see someone unexpected.

    “If it isn’t Hajime. What is it?”

      Three and Hajime are acquainted with each other. They have seen each other several times.

      “Ah, it’s Three. Now that I look at you, your face is pretty scary.”

      Because Hajime raised her voice, he had a surprised look on his face.

    On Three’s big, square-ish face is his nose, thickly sculpted and reminiscent of a lion. There is also a scar that looks like an X, spanning from his forehead, through his eyebrows, all the way to his cheeks.

    He always has such a serious look on his face that children could cry if he approached. But even if he looked like this, he’s actually fond of children.

      “Sorry for my scary face. What do you want, Hajime?”

    he asked, in a low and soft tone that was gentlemanly. Hajime answered after a short silence,

      “The clerk at the convenience store said that a foreign-looking guy bought that last copy. So, please give it to me. I can pay for it with money properly.”

      In Three’s hands was a plastic bag from the convenience store, and in it was the shoujo manga magazine.

      I came to Japan because I really wanted it on the release date, but the bookstore I went to was sold out already by some fate, and I finally found it in a convenience store and bought it right out of their storefront inventory.

    Oh no, Three groaned. It was the wish of a child. Any other time, he would have given it away without hesitating, and for free, too.

    However, he couldn’t let go of this one volume so easily.

    It was because this was a completely new work with unserialized stories from one of Three’s favorite manga authors who hasn’t announced new content in several years.

    “...It pains me to say this, but I can’t hand this magazine over.”

      “—Even if I said I would pay for it with money? You won’t change your mind?”

      “I absolutely can’t. If you’ve looked all over the place for this, too, Hajime... Then you’ll understand. If I miss out on this, I might never get my hands on it ever again. I have a good reason not to give up on it.”

      “Me too, I have a good reason not to give up on it. Even if I have to beat you up or kill you, I’ll pay for it.”

      Three couldn’t have known that Hajime’s reason for not yielding was so that she could have a parfait.

    Judging by Hajime’s weighty words and the serious look on her face, Three thought that it must have been a deep reason.

      “It’s in my principle not to wage violence against girls... But I don’t think I can give up, no matter what. I have no choice. I’ll have to treat becoming your opponent as training.”

      There was a time not long ago when Three had fought Hajime; he was aware of how strong Hajime was.

      Three, thinking it wouldn’t be right of him to hold back on a girl like Hajime, put the plastic bag containing the magazine on a nearby post.

    “If you defeat me, just take it. At that time, the payment won’t be necessary anymore.”

      “I said I would pay for it!”

    Then, Hajime disappeared in a flash.

      “What—?!”

      Hajime caught Three off guard, and he was wide open. Three felt wind blow behind him.

      Instinctively, Three turned around, and came a few centimeters face to face with the heel of Hajime’s boot.

    Her kick was aimed right at his chin. Three felt a chill run up his spine.

      Hajime’s kick, targeted at Three’s face, relentlessly blew through in a sharp arc.

      Three crossed his arms in front of him and took the attack.

    Three immediately felt the impact on his arms.

      Hajime’s body is small and light, but if she put enough power into it she could have easily fractured Three’s face.

    Her technique was beyond even a karate dojo’s instructor.

      —Her skill’s even sharper than when we fought before. Does that mean she wasn’t serious then?

    So you can do this much if you get serious. Three braced himself.

    If I draw this fight out, I might get myself injured by Hajime one way or another.

    If I want to make this quick, I have to do a locking technique in Judo and make her give up.

      Three is a guru of a ‘command self-defense’ type of wrestling. He knows throwing techniques, locking techniques, even strangleholds; there was no way he could lose in a professional fight.

      —It’s awful of me, but I have to get serious now!     Dropping his guard, Three caught Hajime’s ankle as she kicked him. He planned to put pressure on her ankle while he was at it.

      But the moment Three caught Hajime’s ankle, she punched his elbow.

    The precise blow numbed Three all the way to his fingertips, making him release Hajime’s ankle from his hold.

      Hajime just did a move from Chinese martial arts when she raised the knuckle of her middle finger in her fist and sharply struck Three’s elbow.

    Then from that extreme stance, Hajime flipped backwards away from Three.

    She landed on her feet without a sound. That movement made her look as flexible as a cat.

      “Ryuuzu-ken is a difficult move to master. You might get injured if you don’t train yourself to do it properly.”

      “Ryuu-what-ken? I didn’t know it was called like that. I just know it hurts a lot when I do it.”

    Hajime usually wears fingerless gloves that have small, protective armor shells. They reduced the effect of the Ryuuzu-ken by half, but also reduced the damage that would come back to her by that much.

    After swaying, Hajime took her stance once more. Her body was utterly overflowing with endless power.

    “So? Do you feel like giving up now?”

    Although she looked like a child, within her was an elite fighter. Three acknowledged Hajime.

      “You’re really formidable, Hajime.”

    A big smile grew on Three’s lips.

    “How interesting! I said this would only be training, but that’s okay! I’ll take you on seriously as my opponent!”

      Three is a Minimum Holder that possesses the <Beast Minimum>.

    “Oh Lord. Please forgive me for staining these fangs and claws with blood. I am the beast—”

    Offering a prayer to the god he believes in: this is the condition for invocation of Three’s Minimum.

   His hair stiffened as he immersed himself, and a beast’s instinct manifested itself in his appearance. In his eyes were an irrefutable glint: he was the ruler of all the animal kingdom.

    “Roooooaaarrr!!”

    Hardly worrying about drawing attention in public, Three let out his beast-cry.

  ✢ ✢ ✢

 HAMATORA THE NOVEL PART I END

thank you for reading! please look forward to part ii!

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