Chapter 2: Petals Born on Spring, pt. 2

Hearing the nice music wasn't what Shizuka was listening for, but she still followed it in case the shamon-related folks had some members that could actually play well. She was surprised to find herself in front of a restaurant that Homura and Claude were already located. Walking up she noted the photograph but didn't touch it as it fell into the water. She caught most what Claude was saying, but at the moment it looked like Homura was going on a date with the guy instead of investigating.

"Homura-san you can't go seducing people when we're at work! Or is this one of the musicians from the attack?"

She wasn't quite sure who he was, but based on Claude's reaction Shizuka surmised that this could be the so-called criminal photographer. She still didn't see any evidence he did anything illegal but she didn't mind humoring Claude and asking him some questions. However, Shizuka had no intention of arresting him like Moriyama wanted. It just didn't feel right to her unless there was some proof he was sharing secrets or stalking someone on the team.

"Oh! Is this that guy who was bothering you, Claude-san? Are you sure? He doesn't look as sneaky and agile as I thought..."

Shrugging, Shizuka quickly produced a badge from her hakama and showed it to the barman. The look in her eyes changed to a more hardened, professional stare.

"Mister Otoya Sawatari, my name is Officer Gozen. We can go to a police station if you do not feel comfortable talking out here, but I need to ask you a few questions related to the recent shamon attacks. After that you can go on your date."

She continued speaking for a short while as she spouted off his various rights and options, as if she had given the same speech many times before. Before she started asking him anything she wanted to see how he'd react, since if he really was guilty of sharing petalframe secrets he'd likely panic more than usual.

Though she didn't really think much of the young barman, Homura felt her heart go slightly aflutter at the brief but skillful melody dedicated to her. Not bad...

"Otoya, huh? That's a nice name. If you shoot as well as you play, I might be convinced to model for you sometime," she teased. "I'm Homura Kusakabe, but you can call me Homura if you want."

She watched Otoya seemingly struggle to find enough money for cab fare, an unimpressed sweatdrop rolled down her forehead. Seriously? After talking so big?

Despite her exasperation, she began to offer to cover it for him. "It's fine, I can-" She stopped when the photo fell from his pocket.

Is that...!? She knelt down and quickly picked it up, her cheeks flushing and her eyes burning with fury. If Otoya was carrying this, it meant he was the one snapping photos of her during the last attack, or perhaps he acquired a copy from the one who did. Either option infuriated her, and honestly, she already believed the former. As far as she was concerned right now, he was guilty. She stood up as Chimera and Shizuka approached.

"Oh, he's someone, alright." Homura grumbled in response to Shizuka, too angry to even deny the misconception that she was seducing anyone. She was using her charms, but it was for the investigation! And partially, her stomach.

"Did you take this!?" Losing patience, she grabbed Otoya by the collar while he was being read his rights. With her other hand, she held the indecent photo right before his face. She was unconsciously radiating heat, which made being within five feet of her feel like a sauna. "You're dead meat if you've been spreading this around!"

Abenanka turned, about to respond to Claude, when she noticed the other girl had gone. Raising a sardonic eyebrow, she shrugged and carried on with her investigation. She'd find them again once she followed the inevitable trail of carnage, the one worse than the Shamon left behind. Once again she found herself tailing this unknown man, though this time she didn't have her birds with her to give an extra view. Not that it mattered, not particularly.

If he hadn't noticed her following him by now, then he must've been blind. She didn't exactly blend in, her charms and totems making her stand out like a sore thumb as she followed after him. She considered for a moment asking Homura or Rinka for some fashion advice but then pushed the thought aside, that came later.

Probably about the same time she worked up the courage to give Homura a lecture on being reckless.

Before Homura can offer to share the cab's expenses, he again starts his dramatical act, slowly drawing his violin, "Listen, noble cabby: I'll pay you with something much more valuable than mere money, that worthless thing... I'll pay you with the soothing grace of one of my sonatas~"

Neither the cabby had time to protest (which he surely seemed he'd do), or the violinist time to play, as Claude enters the scene. He abruptly turns to face her, holding the photography, "Oh... Hello there, miss~ I don't think we've made the acquaintance, but I wouldn't mind you calling me Oto-ch-"

His words cut short, he gives a look at the photo and then ata Homura, and then at the photo again, and again at Homura, rinse and repeat. "Woa! No wonder you weren't unfamiliar, hehe~ Wait, Homura... Homura Kusakabe?? No way!!" With a coy smile in his face, "I'm an admirer of you work, Homura-san~ I have all of the magazine issues you star at, and-" Once again he's interrupted by Shizuka, bringing her badge and with that, terror, to his face.

The terror put away, he starts, almost whispering, "But officer... Whatever I've done- I mean, whatever you think I've done, I didn't... And even if I did it, surely it was for a good cause! I'd never hurt even a fly, if I've found her to be innocent in her heart-"

...And once again, he's interrupted, as Homura grabs him by his collar. He gasps, but quickly recomposes himself, giving not a drop of shame in his gaze, "Oh, H-homura-san, isn't that a bit rushed..."

"Ah, this photo..." He scratches his temple, "Uhm... I wouldn't deny I did take it~ But, just for artistic reasons! I'd never seek profit over your image, Homura-san... Gee, it sure is hot in here, don't you think? Would like some ice cream? I know a nice parlor close to here..."

Finally, as the latecomer Chimera appears, ready for a fight, he snaps, "A shamon?! Alas! Ladies: behind me, I'll protect you!" He says, still leashed by Homura's unflinching grasp.

---

On the meanwhile, Abenanka, on her attempt to follow the man, is surprised as he turns and comes at her, she can notice how his sweaty, his hair messy, his left eye twitching and his hands trembling.: "You there! Why are you following me?? Please leave, it isn't safe..." He says, before his face contorts in pain.

"If you don't... You'll get hurt."

At that moment, a car passes by, honking, which makes the man jolt and punch a nearby streetlamp post, slightly bending it and leaving a dent. "Argh! I got to go!" He then turns back and hurriedly starts walking away.

Shizuka sighed inwardly since the guy didn't seem like an evil conspirator, but rather a creepy stalker that was obsessed with Homura. She seemed ready to burn his face off, which Shizuka could understand. Stalker situations weren't well covered by the current laws in Japan, so they were often filed away as "domestic disputes" and ignored by police until something violent happened. So if Otoya happened to get a little burnt, Homura wouldn't get in any real trouble.

"...Right, so you admit to entering a military combat zone so you could take photos of Miss Kusakabe. That pretty much answers a lot of questions I had alreaady. Since it looks like you already made copies of that photo, what did you do with the other photos you took?"

If he ignored the military's warnings got caught entering a combat zone again he'd likely get targeted as a threat, but that didn't prove he did anything illegal yet. However, if he did admit to sharing any photos then they'd have reasonable suspicion that he was some sort of agent or that he could have 'accidentally' leaked information about the SPF.

When Chimera arrived to fight the shamon, Shizuka sadly shook her head.

"No demons yet, detective. Just a guy who lost touch with reality. He might be on drugs, or worse, he's lonely and horny."

"'Bothering' is too strong a word, but I'm inclined to believe this is the fellow our colleagues wanted to meet."

---

Claude waits patiently for Homura and then for Gozen to finish speaking, then gives Otoya a long look. "Is that so? Clearly the officer needs to know."

Homura shook Otoya by the collar. "For 'artistic reasons', my ass! Don't you dare try to butter me up with compliments or ice cream! If you can't even pay for a cab, you wouldn't be able to pay for a cold, delicious, refreshing sundae." Her anger seemed to cool a bit just from imagining herself having a hot fudge sundae all to herself.

However, she snapped out of it quickly and restoked her ire. "Gozen-san, it seemed like he was already in the combat zone when the attack broke out. However, this clown decided to stick around taking photos of me and Sunrise Flare instead of evacuating with the other people. He left the other photos behind in the Nihombashi plaza, so I destroyed them," Homura explained. She turned her gaze back to Otoya, glaring at him. The air around her only got hotter. "For his sake, he better not have any copies, but I guess we'll know soon enough. We're going to find out where you live and search every square inch, Sawatari-kun."

Finally, she let him go with a rough shove, but only because she noticed his collar had been starting to smolder in her grasp. "Needless to say, I'm confiscating this!" She slid the photo into her kimono.

"My money's on drugs, Gozen-san." Homura snickered. "I mean, he does have a sort of vacant look in his eyes. He's also suffering from serious delusions if he thinks he could protect us. The outfit also strikes me as something an addict might find stylish."

Abenanka also jumps at the sound of the car horn, and flinches at the damaged lamp post. She keeps her eyebrows raised at the sight, though she forces the other part of herself to calm down since it's just city living. Weird how the growl of a wolf or the stamping of a boar wouldn't panic her in quite the same way, even if they both represented far more mortal danger.

Thinking about mortal danger, though, which seemed a lot of Abenanka's life right now, she planted her hands her hips. "Excuse me. Where are you going?"

She wanted to reach out and grab the man's arm, but she didn't feel comfortable enough. That's not how things were done, well not unless she wanted to do more than just grab his arm. Things hadn't escalated to that point yet though.

"You can't leave roundabout threats for a girl and then not have the courtesy to answer her questions."

"Why did you have to say that out loud?" Claude glances at Homura, but then returns attention to the photographer. "It seems that we will indeed need to either take advantage of this invitation, or extend one of our own. We should probably consult with our betters at the estate, letting them know of this wonderful coincidental meeting and decide whether they would be interested in seeing you as a host or guest, but in either case, you are now on the fast track to meeting them, Oto-chan," the noble smiles politely yet mysteriously.
"So it seems you were right, Gozen-san. Good catch."

Upon hearing that he had an apartment full of the photos, Shizuka pinched the bridge of her nose. Turns out they would have to go after this photographer after all, even though fighting the shamon was more important. However, she snapped out of it with a smile and decided to get it over with while they had the chance.

"Okay, you'll take me to your house, Otoya-san. Then we can deal with all the photos you took. My Rooster still needs repairs so I won't be much help here anyway, and that'll let you three deal with the musicians. And don't forget about Abenanka!"

She placed a hand on Otoya's back pushed him away from the cab as is sped off in the opposite direction, and gave a little wave to the other pilots. They didn't know the specifics but knew he lived somewhere around Ueno Park.

"Lead the way mister expert photographer, don't make drag you~"

Even though she was speaking in a somewhat serious yet playful tone, Shizuka wouldn't hesitate to twist his arm around if he didn't cooperate.

Homura blushed upon realizing her mistake. "Oops... D-Don't worry about what a Sunrise Flare is! Just forget you heard it."

She was starting to calm down somewhat, so her mind returned to what they were originally here to investigate. Yes, the photos were a secondary concern at best compared to the shamon. She nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Gozen-san. Leave it to us. And don't be afraid to break his legs if he crosses you!" Homura chuckled deviously, returning the wave.

She turned to Chimera and Claude. "Right, I had a lead about the musicians. Turns out one of them actually escaped from his hospital room so he could play at the fancy restaurant up the street. That's where I was headed with Sawatari before I found out who he was, the rotten little...!" She fumed momentarily before collecting herself again.

"Ahem. The lobster shamon might pop up again when that musician plays, so we should be there just in case. I can easily hail another cab for us," she offered. "I'm sure Abenanka will be close by. We really should start carrying radios for times like these.

She imagined trying to fit a bulky handheld transceiver into her purse. Or maybe not.

Abenanka gives a muted frown in the direction of the distortion, more mildly uncomfortable than anything else. She crouches next to the man, a hand on his shoulder in her best attempt at being reassuring. The appropriate protocol for someone like her comforting someone like him, who didn't even look to be following the standard Japanese styles, was entirely beyond her. With an awkward attempt at a smile she asks, "Are you sensitive to sounds?"

It seems a silly question, but worth asking at the time. She has to raise her voice a bit to be heard, though, which only serves to make her feel even more self conscious. "If it's the case I can take you somewhere more comfortable, or perhaps a hospital?"

Or maybe somewhere I can deal with your extremely suspicious behaviour?

"I have some highly capable- Uh, some adequate... hmm... my associates are hard working and dutiful, I'm sure they can keep us all safe from whatever you're worried about."

Somehow Otoya slipped away from Shizuka and scampered back towards the others. He didn't seem to care that the military unit he admired was marking him as a threat, and it was obvious he was doing anything to avoid answering questions or helping clear his own name. In fact he was acting downright insane for someone that was just being questioned by the police, and to also be so eager to play music when a shamon had just attacked a group of musicians down the street. At this point it made more sense that he was connected to the recent shamon attacks.

Due to her injuries, however, she decided not to throw him to the ground immediately. Instead she approached him, grabbed his raised fist as he gave his little speech, and then slapped a pair of handcuffs on both of their wrists. Shizuka had a deadpan expression as she jingled the chain in front of Otoya's face to show that they were both now linked together.

"I told you I'd drag you there if you didn't cooperate. For every hour of my time you waste, one of your violin strings might get snapped. So, let's get going already and you might make it time for your gig at the restaurant."

Again, she gently shoved him forwards in the direction of Ueno Park and this time she was watching carefully for if he tried to slip away.

Claude seems distracted, and when everyone starts moving, just goes with the flow, not taking initiative.

A pretty-face airhead. Oh well. Could've been worse. At least this is one of the first almost straightforward people I met here, if not the first.

When Gozen snaps the handcuffs on the photographer, Claude just shrugs and changes the marching order, now walking on Otoya's uncuffed side, occasionally taking side glances at him.

"Oh take your chivalry and shove it. You'd only get in the way if things got dangerous." Homura snapped at Otoya. "I know from experience," she added under her breath.

It seemed like they were staying together a while longer and walking to their destinations rather than taking a cab, so Homura went along with the rest. She caught how Claude was glancing at Otoya, so she walked close to the French noblewoman and whispered.

"Are you really taking a liking to him? He's a saccharine twit." Homura grumbled incredulously.