Puzzle II

The younger generation of Steam Bison residents was unaware of the existence of an abandoned area in their cherished city. The older generation referred to this area as the eastern side of Steam Bison. This area looked underdeveloped. The buildings were beige-colored, and the streets were designed with gray-colored grid patterns. There were two non-functioning steam-powered trains, two cars, a double-decker bus, and a monorail. This area has since become a hideout for different criminal groups. 

It was the early morning when Viktoria made her presence known to the leaders of Serpent Phantoms and Inferno Shadows, Roger Moss and Zackary Kent. Viktoria, Roger, and Zackary were in an office. Roger sat behind a brown shell desk on a rusty brown executive chair. Zackary sat on an old gray sofa chair. 

Roger has dyed ruby hair with long layers and soft blue eyes. He wore a gray-blue cotton-buttoned long-sleeved shirt under a vintage brown vest, dark navy jeans, and black biker boots. He wore a loose black necktie with orange stripes, golden round sunglasses with black lenses, and a black fork hat with golden goggles and golden chains. 

Zackary has dyed darkish green hair in a crew cut style and gray eyes. He wore a white, long-sleeved, laced-up medieval-style shirt and black military pants with a long silver chain attached to the pants. He also wore a black fork hat with silver goggles and silver chains. Unlike Roger, Zackary was a bespectacled young man. 

"So, those fools did not do their jobs." Roger snickered, leaning on his chair. "And here I thought the kid was their usual target. Shit is slow at your brother's end, Vikky?" He smirked mockingly at Viktoria. 

"Oh, fuck off, Roger." Viktoria rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. 

"And we all know that kid isn't a pushover, especially now he has that mentor of his," Zackary added. "So, who is the new target?" 

"Suzume Mizuno," Viktoria answered coolly.

"And why should we waste our time on this Suzume Mizuno?" Roger frowned at Viktoria.  

"I do not question my brother's sources or goals," Viktoria shook her head. She was too lazy and disinterested to clarify. "All I know is the girl has an item my brother has been searching for. A very rare necklace, I suppose. Probably worth a lot of money." 

"So, if we find the girl and steal the necklace from her," Zackery looked at Viktoria hopefully. "Shall we be rewarded for our efforts?" 

"That's what my brother told me earlier, before I left his place," Viktoria confirmed. "Here is the info on the girl," Viktoria tossed a folder at the desk. "According to what Zen, Reyson, and Nebula told me." 

Zackery stood and walked over to the desk as Roger opened the folder and read the information about Suzume. A picture of her was attached to the document. Zackery looked over Roger's shoulder. 

"This girl is a tourist, her first time in Steam Bison." Roger looked at Viktoria, confused. "And your brother ordered those morons to capture the girl. Where in the hell did your brother even get the knowledge of the girl even before she arrived in Steam Bison?" 

"Yes, this is strange," Zackery agreed with his partner. "As if he knew the girl was coming to Steam Bison."

"Look," Viktoria sighed impatiently. She uncrossed her arms and placed her hand on her hip in a saucy manner. "Like I told you, I don't question my brother. So, are you two in or not?"

"Wait, let me read more on this girl to see if she is worthy for us to target next." Roger refocused on reading the document. Then, he burst out laughing. "She threw flash grenade balls at Zen and his dimwits?!" 

"No fucking way!" Zackery joined in the laughter. "I hope those idiots didn't become blind as shit!" 

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it off." Viktoria annoyingly took out a glass nail file and shaped her nails with it. 

"And she kicked Zen in the face?!" Roger gaped in shock. 

"Seriously?!" Zackery raised an eyebrow, also in wonder. 

Roger and Zackery laughed hysterically. Viktoria stopped shaping her nails and growled. 

"Are you two done, being so damn impressed with the girl?!" Viktoria exclaimed, very irritated. 

"Geez, Vikky. Jealous?" Roger regained his composure and smirked at her.

"No, asshole. Y'all are all so interested in the girl! Now, get y'all asses out there and don't fuck up!" Viktoria power-walked out of the office impatiently. 

"Yep, she is jealous!" Zackery snickered, finding Viktoria's annoyance in amusement. "So, we're in, partner?" Zackery smirked at Roger.

"Hell yeah," Roger stood and popped his knuckle. He smirked in thrilling excitement. "I'm interested in this Japanese chicka. I got bored with damsels in distress anyway!" 

Roger walked out of the office and went to a meeting room where his men were relaxing and eating breakfast alongside Zackery's men. They had woken up earlier. 

"Yo, men! We got a new job! Our new target is a Japanese female tourist named Suzume Mizuno!" Roger announced excitedly as he tossed the document to his men. "Take a good look at the picture of the lass! Now, get out there and look for her! We will join you once you do find her!" 

"Be cautious," Zackery added warningly. "This girl is not a pushover."

"YES, SIRS!" The men crossed their arms to show their obedience to their leaders' commands. "WE WILL NOT FAIL!" The men quickly headed out to the Western side of Steam Bison. 

Mochinoki City was pretty quiet compared to the steam-powered machine noises in Steam Bison. Suzume did not get enough sleep last night. She spent the whole night self-teaching herself more English, marking the days of her summer break on her calendar, and hearing a couple of loud, drunk idiots breaking things outside the window. 

It was the afternoon. Suzume yawned. A cute steam-powered robot brought her lunch earlier. Suzume learned that the hotel offered free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but the hotel guests with extra money usually eat lunch or dinner somewhere else. Suzume felt grateful for the free services. She needed to save her money for the hotel and essential supplies. 

Suzume ate her lunch and did quick squats. She was still wearing her summer sleepwear and had her long hair loose. When Suzume was an early teen, she wore cute pajamas. Nowadays, she wears a simple spaghetti-strap tank top and shorts in the summer and a set of long-sleeve shirts and pants in the winter. 

"Do you have an idea why they've targeted you?" 

As Suzume sat at the desk, staring at her necklace in her hand, she thought of Luke's question from last night. She recalled that Logan and Yorina were near the hotel when Luke dropped her off. There were also a few tourists entering the hotel, and their names were Griff, Milly, and Chloe. A bystander named Price was fixing his hair, trying to impress a pretty blond-haired girl in pigtails named Sandy, who greeted him with a smile. Glancing at the blonde's roller skates, Suzume recalled her attempt at ice skating back in middle school.  

"I have no idea. You should go home, kid. It's too dangerous for children to be out this late." 

Suzume had lied to Luke. Zen clearly said the reason why she was targeted. She did not want people to get involved in her own personal issues. Suzume did not even see Luke's reaction to her answer as she turned around and walked back into the hotel.

'I hope that kid got home safe,' Suzume concerningly thought of Luke. 

A soft knock on the door woke Suzume out of her thoughts. She looked at the door, wondering who it was. 

"Hey, Miss Mizuno. It's me, Yorina. My father and I will be heading to a museum. We're wondering if you want to come." Yorina's voice asked. 

'A museum...Well, I gotta start from somewhere.' Suzume stood with her necklace in her hand. "Sure! Let me get ready. I'll meet you and your father in the lobby!" 

Suzume wore a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a red ribbon tie, a navy blue knife-pleated skirt with decorated buttons, navy blue thigh-high stockings, and high-platform black Mary Jane shoes. Suzume usually wears those types of shoes with her long skirts. Suzume wore her long hair in a half-up with a white ribbon. 

It was a decent day with nice weather. Children played on the sidewalks or in parks, while teenagers hung out at cafes, malls, movie theaters, and arcades. It was quite strange for Suzume to see arcades and movie theaters operating on steam-powered technology. She was starting to wonder if there was even a difference between the uses of steam-powered and electricity. 

Suzume, Yorina, and Logan transited the streets on a steam-powered train. The train ride made Suzume nervous as the train was driverless. She kept herself unflappable by joining conversations with Yorina, Logan, and the other riders on the bus. A few people mentioned Luke and his puzzle-solving mysteries, which stirred uncomfortable and intimidating feelings in Suzume. She became silent for the rest of the train ride. 

'I need to focus on my purpose in Steam Bison.' 

Suzume, Logan, and Yorina arrived at the Steam Bison museum. Griff, Milly, and Chloe were there, chatting about how great Steam Bison was so far in their visit. The two-story museum looked decent enough to capture the attention of tourists. The architecture was in the Colonial Revival style. The colors of the building were russet brown and tawny with dusty grayish cyan window frames.

A tall golden robot with a brown cap handed over newspapers as it walked by. It was carrying a dark gray, thick fabric bag full of newspapers. A golden robot elephant walked by on the streets. 

"Damn, this city is too much," Griff laughed. 

"It is called STEAM Bison for a reason!" Chloe giggled. 

"Let us go in. I bet we will find more discoveries." Milly smiled. 

The tiro entered the museum. Logan, Yorina, and Suzume followed them. The cleaning robot and the elephant robot amazed Suzume, but she didn't have the words to express her astonishment, or perhaps she didn't feel like sharing her thoughts with a group of strangers. 

"So, how is Steam Bison for you so far?" Yorina asked, curious about Suzume's first expression. 

"Oh," Suzume was startled by Yorina's question. "It is interesting so far. It is strange to see robots around, doing the hard work. I do wonder if the residents even still have jobs." 

"Of course, they do!" Logan cheerfully commented. "I mean, these robots can't be made and maintained on their own, ya know? 

"Oh, right," Suzume agreed with him.

"You are such a pretty lady, Miss." Chloe gazed at Suzume in joy. 

"Ehh?" Suzume widened her eyes at the young girl, feeling flustered by her compliment. "Umm...thanks......" 

"You aren't used to compliments, hmm?" Chloe grinned at her so innocently. 

"Yes..." Suzume responded quietly. 

As far as Suzume knew, Megumi Ooumi, her favorite pop idol, and her best friend, Mariko, were the pretty ones, unlike her, who was a plain Jane compared to the two. Even her old transfer classmate, Shion Hibiki, was also cute.

Jealously. 

Now, Suzume thought about it, she was such a stupid girl back then. 

The last she had heard of Megumi and Shion, the former was on a world tour and the latter was attending a university in Tokyo. Unsurprisingly, Kiyomaro, Megumi,and Shion were still in contact with each other. When Kiyomaro offered to share Megumi's and Shion's contact information with Suzume, she refused politely. 

Suzume was still suffering from self-loathing. Shion, Megumi, and even Mariko deserved better people to befriend than her. 

"What's wrong, lady? You looked so sad." Chloe has a sympathetic expression. Then, she thought of a positive idea. Oh! I know a way to cheer you up! Did ya hear about Eggmuffin's workshop?"

"Eggmuffin?" Suzume blinked at Chloe. "As in the American breakfast sandwich?"

Suzume had once eaten an egg muffin from a cafe in her hometown. 

"Nope! Eggmuffin is the name of a descendant of the Steam Bison's inventor!" Chloe jumped excitedly. "He runs the workshop in the area near Garget Street!" 

"WHAT?!" Logan exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widened. "You mean to tell me, there is someone related to this city's inventor?!" 

"No way..." Yorina was also surprised. 

"Yes," Milly confirmed that she was a resident of Steam Bison. "He offered free tutorials on building things in his workshop. He is a very kind man." 

"Yes. I met the guy! He tells us stories about how his ancestor invented Steam Bison!" Griff added, grinning brightly at Suzume.

"Ummm....I'll stop by when I get the chance..." Suzume smiled at Chloe softly. "Maybe I'll build something..." 

"Yay! Let's go visit together after we're done here!" Chloe held her hand and dragged her to an admission desk where a young man in a black suit waited. According to a name tag on him, his name was Terry. "Hi! Do you know where we can sign our names?!" 

"Of course," Terry smiled politely. "The logbook is right here." He pointed at a brown-colored logbook on a bookstand. 

"Thanks, sir!" Chloe responded happily and skipped to the bookstand. "Ugh. Can't reach!" She jumped and attempted to reach the bookstand. 

Suzume gazed at the young girl softly. Chloe reminded her of innocence,  which was something she lost four years ago. Her chest felt so warm suddenly. Suzume walked to the girl and picked her up, so the girl could sign her name on the logbook. 

"Thanks, Miss!" Chloe grinned at Suzume.

"It is no problem." Suzume returned a kind smile, putting the girl down. 

Suzume wrote her full name down in English in the notebook and waited for Logan, Yorina, Griff, and Milly to sign their names. Once everyone had signed in, they headed towards the interior. 

The interior looked very impressive. There were hanging portraits in a blue frame. The color of the walls was reddish brown. There were a couple of sofa chairs and coffee tables around. A cleaning robot rolled by, carrying a broom and dustpan in its hands. Yorina and Logan looked at the portraits, and Milly and Griff sat on the sofa chairs and chatted. 

"Hey, Miss. Want to go somewhere else? Let's go to the second floor." Chloe asked cheerfully.

"Sure.." Suzume answered quietly. 

"Okay!" Chloe looked back at Milly and Griff. "I'll be with the Miss on the second floor." 

"Got it. Stay with the young lady." Griff answered quickly and continued chatting with Milly. 

Once they arrived on the second floor, Suzume gazed at the young girl skipping ahead to a bronze statue of a man displayed behind a glass. She smiled softly as she recalled doing the same thing as a child when her parents would take her and someone she knew to an amusement park. 

Suzume froze on the spot. Her hands trembled, and her eyes twitched. Her heart raced. She felt like she was suffocating. 

"Are you okay, Miss?" Chloe's voice snapped Suzume out of her moment of dreadful memory. 

"Oh," Suzume looked down at Chloe and smiled at her. "I'm fine. I was spacing out. Don't worry about me." 

"Okay! We're still going to Eggmuffin's workshop, right?" 

"Of course."

"Anyway," Chloe gazed at the bronze statue. "I've seen this man at the Byron Square. This is a small version of the big statue!" 

When Suzume first arrived at Byron Square, she did not notice the statue of the man Chloe had spoken of. She focused on the statue. It was a bearded man in overalls, holding a wrench. Suzume cast her eyes on the name and the description of the man displayed on a golden label. The text was in silver. 

"Byron the Hero..." Suzume read it.

"Do you think he protected the city from bad guys?" Chloe grinned at Suzume excitedly. 

"Do you think he may have been the founder of Steam Bison?" Suzume speculated, resting her chin on her hand in deep thought. "And an ancestor of Eggmuffin? It'd make perfect sense for him to be a hero..." 

"Oh?" Chloe has an interest in her eyes. "Do tell me more, Miss!" 

"It's just a theory." Suzume chuckled. "I have no evidence, and the description of the hero is vague. Maybe they are keeping his background a secret..."

"The secret sounds...." Chloe paused. Then, she smiled whimsically. "...weird!" 

"Ah, yes. There are weird secrets indeed." Suzume giggled, smiling mischievously at Chloe. "Anyway, let's go and check out more mysterious things." 

"We meet again, Miss Mizuno." 

Suzume flinched nervously. This was her second day in Steam Bison, and she was already familiar with the voice of a particular tiny robot. She looked down slowly. Coindar was standing there, looking up at her. 

"Hi." Coindar waved at her. 

"Hi...Triton is here, is he?" 

"Yes,"  Coindar nodded to her. "He, his mentor, and his father are in a meeting with the museum owner. A group of thieves had stolen artifacts from the museum." 

'He should just leave the matter to the police....'  Suzume thought, lifting her eyes to the ceiling in disapproval. 

"What a cute robot!"  Chloe picked up Coindar to examine him. "Who the heck made you?" 

"Luke Triton!" Coindar answered proudly. 

"Oooooh! The Detective Luke that everyone has been talking about?!" 

"That's him! He's actually over there in that room." Coindar pointed at an office located in the corner. 

And the door opened, and the first person who walked out was Luke. When Luke's eyes locked onto hers, Suzume backed away timorously. Logan, Yorina, Logan, Milly, and Griff emerged from the first floor. Perfect timing for her. 

"I see you at the workshop, Chloe. I've gotta go." Suzume hastened to the stairs. 

"Hey, wait!" Luke called after her. "Miss Mizuno!" 

"Heeey! I wanna go with yoooou!" Chloe whined. 

'Here is Garget Street. Finally.' 

Suzume had taken a long walk from the museum to Garget Street. She has asked directions from locals. When she was younger, she didn't have no sense of direction and often got lost. Thank goodness she developed a sense of her surroundings as she got older. Suzume walked to a store called Canyon. 

"Pardon me, sir." She politely spoke to the shop owner. "I am searching for Mr. Eggmuffin's workshop. I heard it is close by somewhere here."

"Oh, Missy! Would you like to buy something from me? I'm Vic Lee, and this is my store." 

"Oh, so if I buy something, you'd give me information?"

"A good exchange, don't cha think?" Vic Lee grinned at Suzume. "Oh, I got it! A friend of mine has a problem with his "buddy". He is blocking the path to the workshop."

"Oh, okay. So, what does your friend need?" Suzume has her hand close to her lips in a thoughtful pose. 

"Engine bolts for his motorcycle." 

"Oh, I got it. I'll pay for those." 

"Good! I need the money to feed my family, ya know." 

"Yes. I understand." Suzume smiled at Vic Lee, giving him the money. In return, she received the engine bolts in a paper bag. 

"Nice doing business with you. The area around Eggmuffin's workshop is just over there." Vic Lee pointed at the outdoor stair concrete tiles in the corner. 

"Thank you." Suzume walked to the steps, carrying the brown bag. 

'What am I doing? I should be searching for my father....' Suzume thought sadly. She paused on the steps. 'Why did I get so nervous around Triton? It isn't like the kid is such a bad one...He's just a boy who happened to have an innate ability to solve mysteries.' Suzume gripped the brown bag tightly, her eyes lifeless. 

"Hey! Did ya hear?! There is a Japantown in this city!" An excited feminine voice called out. 

"No freaking way! Let's go check it out!" A second voice, also female, reacted in enthusiasm  

'What?' Suzume spun around and glimpsed two teenage girls running off to the opposite pathway from hers. 'Darn it. I still need to take these to the shop owner's friend...' Suzume cast down her eyes at the brown bag. 'I'll ask around for Japantown after.'  Suzume continued her path to the area around Eggmuffin's workshop ahead of her. 

Thanks to the girls, Suzume had snapped out of her anguish.

Suzume noticed a man with a motorbike in the middle of the pathway to a funny-looking building behind him. There were a few guys around, complaining about the path being blocked. Suzume approached the man. 

"Hello, Mr. Vic Lee sends his regards. Here are the engine bolts." Suzume handed over the paper bag to him, who reacted in happiness. 

"He couldn't have! I told him I'd buy the parts once I get money somehow!" 

"Don't worry about it. I've already paid for the parts." Suzume smiled kindly at him. 

"Thank you very much! What is your name, Miss? My name is Biker Barklegar." 

"Suzume Mizuno."

"I shall repay you next time!" 

"There's no need, sir." Suzume chuckled. "I'm heading towards Eggmuffin's workshop to check it out."  She noticed there was actually open space to move around his motorbike. 

"Ah, Eggmuffin! His workshop is special," Biker grinned. "You might learn a few things about the history of Steam Bison." 

"Got it. See you." Suzume farewelled and headed towards the workshop.