Now Chop Them Both Down

“Magic is a peculiar thing. Sometimes you get the power to alter the forces of nature itself, and sometimes you get cacti for hands.”

Walter Schweickart

Sapporo was a city with a peculiar mix of old and new. Peppered amongst the shiny new buildings of the city were a wide variety of traditional styled buildings. Agents Suzuki and Shimano found one in particular, not too far from Sapporo Station, with what appeared to be a swordfish jammed into the roof.

As they entered the house, an older woman greeted them without even looking at them.

“Ah, Kaito Suzuki,” she said, “what an unpleasant surprise. You're here to ask for some favors, yes?”

“How did you know, Belinda?” Suzuki asked.

“Life has many doors, Kaito-boy,” the woman, identified as Belinda, replied. “And many doors have eyes looking for trouble.”

“Can you say that in a language I can understand?” Suzuki asked her.

“Ah, yes,” Belinda understood Suzuki was never one for her strange poetic language. “My magic allows me to see things that even those who use second sight cannot. I knew you and your friend were coming here. You're looking for someone; you want to know where they're going.”

Shimano could see Belinda was hard at work on a stew of some sort. The stew smelled sickly and wretched.

“Don't tell me you eat this,” Shimano said without considering her feelings on the matter.

“Don't be silly, Riku-boy,” Belinda told him. “I don't need to eat that in order to use my sight. But you do.”

“Uh… ma'am? Are you sure about this?” Shimano asked her. “This soup looks rather… unappetizing…”

“Are you scared, Riku-boy?” Belinda asked. “Have the yuki-onna frozen your knees?” She then handed him a bowl of the stew. “Drink. This potion will enhance your second sight.”

Shimano did as he asked, though not without reservations. He took one sip and immediately spit it out.

“This stew tastes like rancid onions mixed with rotten cabbage and radishes!” Shimano complained.

“Drink,” Belinda commanded. “You wouldn't want your boss to think you a coward, would you?”

Shimano had no other choice. He had to drink the potion if he was to get the answers he and Suzuki sought. He swallowed the entire stew in one huge gulp. Once the potion took effect on him, his eyes glowed an intense, icy blue. As his eyesight expanded beyond even his own second sight, he let in a great gasp of air.

“What does that soup do to you?” Suzuki asked Belinda.

“The potion allows you to see exactly what you want to see, Kaito-boy,” Belinda explained. “No matter what, no matter where, as long as it's what you desire.”

“What do you see, Shimano?” Suzuki asked his assistant. 

“Women,” Shimano answered while giggling with absolute euphoria. “Lots of hot women dancing in Hawaii… Their grass skirts flowing to the rhythm of steel drums… The sweet taste of champagne… The beautiful moonlit night… So peaceful…”

“Focus, Shimano!” Suzuki shouted. “Where is the catgirl?”

“Oh, right…” Shimano corrected himself. “The girl…” He readjusted his vision in an attempt to locate Melody and Kenta. “I see… I see… They're at a yakisoba bar…”

•

Inside the yakisoba bar, Melody and Kenta were discussing their next move.

“You know,” Melody said, “I never would have expected you to take this whole being kidnapped thing so well.”

“Oh, trust me,” Kenta replied. “I'm still not happy about it, and I would love it if you took me back home. But if what that secret agent guy said is true, then…”

“I'm not going to let that happen,” Melody told him. “I have a job to do, and I'm going to see to it that it gets done. I just need to get you to Tokyo. What happens afterwards, well… We'll see what happens when we get there.”

“Where exactly are we headed?” Kenta asked. “Surely this Saber Rider person told you where to take me. The shinkansen would take us there in about four hours.”

“He said to call him once we got to Tokyo,” Melody explained. “He would send someone to escort us to our destination.”

“Seems awfully sketchy for someone you say works for the government,” Kenta pointed out to her.

“Your meals are ready,” a waitress told them as she handed them their plates of yakisoba. “On the house.”

“On the house?” Kenta asked, his eyes widened at the thought of free food.

“Oh, you don't have to do that, Nami,” Melody told the waitress.

“Of course, I do. And you know exactly why,” Nami answered with a wink.

As Nami left them alone, Kenta asked Melody, “What was that all about?”

“I may have helped her out with a little gnome trouble,” Melody smiled.

“For a top wanted criminal, you don't actually seem all that bad,” Kenta said.

“Just don't get on my bad side,” Melody replied. “You saw what happens when you do.”

“Noted,” Kenta said as he continued enjoying his yakisoba.

•

Before he could listen in on their conversation further, Shimano found the effects of the potion beginning to wear off. Fortunately, however, he and Suzuki had heard just enough to make their next plan.

“So they are headed to Tokyo,” Suzuki said with plenty of excitement in his voice. “We'll need a way to beat them there, as it's confirmed that they'll be taking the shinkansen.”

“That's what I saw,” Shimano replied as the effects of the potion fully wore off. “If we can somehow beat them there, we'll be able to ambush them when they arrive.”

“Miss Belinda,” Suzuki said, turning to the old woman, “you wouldn't happen to know a spell that would get us to Tokyo faster than the shinkansen, would you?”

“Of course, I do,” Belinda answered with a warm smile. “Old trees have secrets as numerous as their rings, Kaito-boy. And this one won't even require a potion.” She gathered the two agents together and chanted, “Max Express Shipping!!”

•

Tokyo

In an instant, Suzuki and Shimano found themselves in Tokyo, right where the Tōhoku-Hokkaido Shinkansen route ended.

“We made it…” Suzuki said.

“How can you tell?” Shimano asked in response. “You can't even see!”

“I can feel it in my nose, Shimano,” Suzuki replied. “Tokyo has that certain smell to it. Smog.”

“We got three hours to kill,” Shimano noted. “What do we do now?”

“Call in reinforcements,” Suzuki replied instantly. “We will need all the help we can get. You saw what happened in Sapporo. We cannot let them escape this time.”