Puzzle VIII

Inside an office with white walls, Suzume sat in front of an older brunette woman with hazel eyes and medium-length wavy hair. Suzume was wearing a long white sundress and a wide-brimmed, white sun hat. The woman was wearing a white suit with a skirt. She wore gray-colored sunglasses and a white and light blue cocktail hat. 

"It is rare to see your hair down," The woman commented on Suzume's long hair. "Did you curl your ends this morning?" 

"No, madam. My hair is naturally wavy," Suzume twirled her curls with her fingers. "I usually straightened my hair." 

"You do look beautiful with your natural hair type." The woman complimented her, causing Suzume to blink in surprise. "I suppose no one ever once complimented your looks." 

"Well, there was one guy, but he was strange," Suzume admitted. 

Suzume talked about a young skateboarder named Eita Kubozuka. She met him when she was in middle school, and he was a high school dropout. He flirted with her, and she politely rejected his advances. It was the last time she had seen him. From what she has heard, Eita has gone back to school and made new friends named Haruhiko and Seibei. 

"I heard you were in a choir club in middle school."

"Yes." 

"I've been to one of your choir concerts. You have the potential to be a pop idol like Miss Megumi Ooumi." 

"I appreciated your comment," Suzume smiled at the woman, but I have no desire to sing. Her eyes softened in sadness. "I did have a different desire when I was twelve years old. I wanted to be like my mother." 

"Then will you become the next Takara Miyama?" The woman smiled at Suzume in a sweet, hypnotizing way. 

Did Suzume space out and daydream about that interview she had with that agent? She believed the agent's name was Minako Yamada, a retired fashion model and pop idol. Suzume politely rejected the high status of reality in her interview. 

She was sitting at the table, eating a traditional American breakfast that Alfendi had ordered for takeout from the diner. Alfendi and the Steam Bison Irregulars were having a discussion with Luke and Layton in a room. She did not pay mind to the museum robbery details. The robbery has nothing to do with her. Suzume stared at her half-eaten plate. She was used to small portions and side dishes on separate plates. 

Eggs, Pancakes, Bacon, and hash browns on the same plate just looked too unappealing to eat, but Suzume ended up eating the whole damn plate since she did NOT get the chance to eat that burger last night, thanks to Zen and his moronic lackeys. She washed her plate, knife, and fork at the sink. 

"Oh, good morning, Miss Suzume," Shion yawned from one of the bunk beds. 

"What the?" Suzume spun around to see Shion sitting up in the top bed. "I have no idea you slept in the beds here." 

"Yep, I did." Shion climbed down the ladder. "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Leftovers." Suzume eyed the food box containers on the table. 

"I guess I eat the leftovers." Shion goes to the table, still half-sleep. 

Moxie, Rosemary, and Hazel suddenly walked out of a room, carrying a brown-colored tote bag. Suzume wondered if they had come from the underground pass. She thought they were in the meeting room with Luke, Layton, Alfendi, Kevin, and Miles. 

"We brought you a fresh set of clothes!" Moxie grinned, handing the bag to Suzume. "And we know. You like cute long skirts." 

"Thanks," Suzume smiled, accepting the bag. "I was about to head back to my hotel." 

"As an excuse to get away from our Detective Luke, ehh?" Rosemary giggled, grinning with her bright, perfect white teeth showing. 

"No," Suzume stared at Rosemary, annoyed. "I'm not scared of that kid." 

"Suuuure! Is that why you keep running away from him?" Hazel smiled at Suzume, her eyes full of amusement. 

"I just do not want that kid's help." Suzume goes back to the bedroom.

"You would not believe what he thought about you last night, Miss Suzume~" Shion's teasing voice spoke out behind the door.

'Like I give a shit.' 

Suzume thought, displeased with the idea that the boy was still so curious about her when she had given him the hint to back off from her personal business.

"Hey, Miss Mizuno, may I come in for a second?" Rosemary asked from behind the door. 

"Sure," Suzume opened the door to let Rosemary in. 

"Moxie had forgotten to tell you that you can take a shower here," Rosemary said, locating the shower room in the wall. 

Rosemary slid the wall door open, revealing a small bathroom with a toilet, a sink with a mirror, and a shower tub with a tan-colored curtain. The color of the wall was rosy brown. The colors of the toilet, shower, tub, and sink were dark gray and white. 

"Tada! I know, it is so small that only one person can fit inside at a time!" 

"I have no idea that there was a bathroom hidden behind the wall." Suzume took a peek into the bathroom in surprise. "How did you girls even get the bathroom down there?" 

"We got our ways~" Rosemary grinned proudly. "Anyway, we'll be waiting for you, and you know what I mean by we, Miss Mizuno~." 

'Great. Triton will definitely be there,' Suzume has a pale expression. 'That kid still makes me feel anxious. Well, Mr. Layton will also be there, hopefully to keep the kid in check, so I'm not too worried about his presence.'

Rosemary giggled and left Suzume, who was suddenly nervous, alone in the bathroom. 

"You are so silly for an adult, Miss Mizuno," Rosemary said, amused as she closed the door. 

'She is so naive.'  Suzume thought, sighing at Rosemary's comment. 

Suzume turned on the shower and started to undress. She noticed a fresh set of lace, light blue and white, bra and panties on top of her outfit for the day. It was a good thing the girls also included the bra and panties because Suzume did not want to wear the same dirty ones. She loosened her long hair with curls at the end. 

'I looked so hideous with my natural hairstyle,' Suzume frowned at her reflection in the mirror in disgust. 'I need to straighten my hair.' 

Once Suzume was fully undressed, she stepped into the shower and closed the curtain.

Suzume was wearing a blue pinafore dress with a long, fluffy skirt, a long white dress shirt with long sleeves, a red string ribbon tie on her collar, navy blue thigh-high stockings with a garter belt, and black Mary Jane high platform shoes. She has blow-dried and straightened her long hair and tied it up in a half-up do bun with braids and a white ribbon.

'It is too quiet. Do not tell me that kid is the only one here...' Suzume has a gut feeling that Luke was outside the bedroom. She took a peek outside and saw Luke sitting at the table, writing in a notebook. She closed the door quietly. 'Damn it! Where the hell is everyone?! Did they all ditch me on purpose!?' 

Suzume wondered what Luke was even writing about in his notebook. Was he writing down important information about the museum robbery case from his memory? She leaned against the door in a thinking pose.

'Maybe if I joined him in the investigation, maybe it would give me a lead to my father...' 

Lenna had flashed in Suzume's mind. She still needed to search for that woman. Lenna was the only one with a lead on her father so far. What if Zen and his gang, Serpent Phantoms and Inferno Shadows, also have something to do with her father's disappearance?

'My family heirloom...' Suzume placed her hand on her chest. 'According to my great grandmother, who had told my mother, this heirloom was a gift to my great great grandmother from a dear friend of hers...This heirloom must be worth a fortune. Still, I will not give up, no matter what happens.' Suzume breathed, her eyes closed for a second, putting her hands behind her. She reopened her eyes. 'I should just rather well interact with Triton. There is no point in avoiding him.' 

Suzume exited the bedroom. Luke lifted his head, locking his eyes onto hers. Coindar was sitting on the table with a golden coin in his hands, looking at her. Suzume turned her eyes away. There was something in Luke's eyes that looked familiar to her.

"So, where are Mr. Layton, Miss Shion, and the children?" She asked. 

"The Professor and Miss Hibiki have gone to the museum, and Alfendi and his friends are gathering information," Luke answered, his gaze refocused on his notes.  

'I was hoping Shion would buy a one-way ticket back to Japan, but knowing her, she isn't leaving me alone on American soil.' 

Suzume thought, kinda annoyed with Shion neglecting her own safety. Has Shion forgotten that she was taken hostage a few nights ago? She crossed her arms, pouting like a child. She could NOT believe she had to socialize with a detective kid just because he was everywhere she went in Steam Bison. She was not that familiar with Luke's reputation as an amateur detective. 

"So, Alfendi has told me that you are a detective..." Suzume said skeptically. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm fourteen," Luke answered, his eyes still glued to the notebook. "And yes, I am known as the Great Detective Luke. I've solved some mysteries and puzzles in the city in the past."  

"Ehhh?" Suzume twitched her left eyebrow in a mixed feeling of surprise and annoyance.

"How old are you, Miss Mizuno? If I have to take a guess, you must be sixteen years old."

"HUH?!" Suzume exclaimed at Luke in irritation. "I'm nineteen."

"You are...?" Luke gaped at Suzume in surprise. "You do not look like nineteen. You looked much younger than your age." 

"Well, blame it on Asian genes, and no, my hair is not dyed, and I'm not wearing eye contacts." 

"Huh? I wasn't commenting about your hair and eye color, Miss Mizuno."

'Bullcrap. You were giving me that peculiar look, kid.'  Suzume thought, narrowing her eyes at Luke suspiciously. 'At least your hair color and accent are normal for your nationality. My accent is broken as hell when I speak broken ass English, and I still suck at my English skills.'

"Are you really this quiet about your feelings?" Luke gazed at her in curiosity. "I suppose I was right when I spoke to Miss Hibiki last night."

"Yeah, I heard. So, what did you think of me, kid?" 

"I thought of you as a distant young lady..." 

"Huh?" Suzume blinked at Luke, stunned. "Well, I have my reasons."

"As I thought," Luke rested his chin on his hand, his eyes turning away. "You are too uncomfortable to speak about your missing father and your family heirloom." 

Suzume gasped, her eyes widened in shock. He figured out her true purpose in Steam Bison. All it took for him was hints from Alfendi, those goddamn thug groups, and the residents to read Suzume like an open book. 

Suzume did try too hard to hide her true intentions. She felt so damn exposed to a fourteen-year-old boy who had no idea what he was getting himself into and was just playing detective like it was a game to him. 

"I have no idea what you're speaking of, kid." Suzume denied. 

"You do, Miss Mizuno. It is quite obvious. The residents in Japantown have told me that you've asked them about your missing father, and you have three well-known crime syndicates targeting you for your family heirloom." 

"How convenient for you, Triton." Suzume laughed coldly at Luke. "You once told me that you are assisting the police in the investigation of Zen and his group, Inferno Shadows and Serpent Phantoms." 

"You think I wanted to help you out of convenience?" Luke locked his eyes onto hers in an upset manner. 

"What is wrong with me NOT trusting a fourteen-year-old, Triton?" 

"There is nothing wrong with your feeling. I'm used to it. Some of the residents and the police force are still skeptical about me as a puzzle-solver." 

"Look, I did not mean to upset you," Suzume sighed in grief. "I'm just not ready to speak with you about my father. Let me try to search for my father alone first."

"I told you before. I am involved in your cause. You may know how to protect yourself, but it'd be a matter of time until you get too overwhelmed." 

Suzume burst out in a bitter laugh at Luke's attempt at seriousness. 

"If I do get overwhelmed, then be it." Suzume locked her burgundy-colored eyes onto him.

Luke was NOT messing around. He has such a sharp, pensive look in his eyes. Suzume froze in shock. As Luke's gaze remained on her, she was reminded of her father and Kiyomaro when they were serious. Honestly, Luke's serious stare frightened Suzume to the point she wanted to run away.

'Maybe Triton is genuine about helping me. After all, he is just a kid. He does not know any better. Triton would never hurt me...Why must I keep repeating myself about his age? There are some young prodigies out there. Least Triton is not arrogant, unlike Takamine when he was around his age....Again, I do NOT know Triton well as a person.' 

Now, Suzume was older and wiser, she had thought Kiyomaro was such an arrogant jerk to her and their middle school classmates because he felt his intelligence was superior to theirs. Of course, Kiyomaro changed his ways after he met that blond-haired child, Zatch, and became friendlier. 

"Miss Mizuno, please tell me what you are really thinking..." Luke softened his gaze at her in concern. "It is not good to bottle up your feelings." 

"Your innate ability-," Suzume finally admitted to him, her eyes turned away from him. "reminded me of someone I know..." She smiled softly. "He is also good at solving mysteries and puzzles." 

Suzume respired. She felt a little better, sharing such a personal feeling with Luke. Still, she was distrustful of him. She hardly knew Luke besides his reputation as Detective Luke and the boy who kept butting into her personal business out of his concern for her. 

'I'm just running in circles,' Suzume rubbed her forehead, her eyes closed. 'Accept Triton's help or not?' 

"Miss Mizuno."

"Huh?" Suzume reopened her eyes. Her gaze was on his. She still does not like that soft gaze from him. "What is it?"

"You do not have to accept my help right now," Luke said apologetically. "I'm sorry. I must have been pushy about the idea of you as a client of mine." 

"Ah," Suzume chuckled, feeling embarrassed by his apology. "You are still a kid, Triton. You are bound to make mistakes at your age." 

"I'm not a kid," Luke groaned childishly. "I'm a gentleman." 

"I appreciate your kindness, Triton."  Suzume smiled at him gratefully. "But, I would handle things on my own for now. I'll let you know when I really do need your help."

Luke blinked at Suzume in surprise. His expression brightened. He smiled at her gently. Luke's cute smile alone reminded Suzume of a lost loved one she knew. Suzume quickly and anxiously turned her eyes away from him. She was not yet ready to face her past. 

Her chest tightened. Her eyes watered. It hurts. A lot. She hastily wiped her tears away. She does not want Luke to see her in such a vulnerable state. 

"I need some fresh air," Suzume quickly left for the exit out of Alfendi's hideout.