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“You told me we were going to get ice cream, Eri,” Moune complained as she followed her friend back into the house.
“But you enjoyed that cake, didn’t you?” Eri replied, opening the door for both of them and grinning widely. “Besides, we can just get ice cream tomorrow. Or maybe even later this afternoon!” She headed straight towards the couch. “We should ask Alata to come with us. And Agri and Hyde, too! I bet they’ll want some ice cream.”
“No! No more sweets for me today. Oniichan and I are going to train later so we won’t have time to–” Moune paused, noticing that Eri had gone completely still as she stared at the table. “What’s wrong? Eri?”
Five seconds of complete silence passed. Then, with a shriek that could shatter glass Eri launched herself at the table. “M-My diary! Why is it here? I didn’t leave it here! I didn’t leave it at this table!” She grabbed the notebook and hugged it to her chest, before turning to stare at Moune with wide, wide eyes. “I swear I didn’t leave it at this table, Moune! How could it be here?”
“Your diary?” Moune curbed the urge to roll her eyes. “Why would you even keep a diary?”
“Because–” Here, Eri sank down on the couch, defeated all of a sudden. “Because I want to remember all the nice things that happened to us here. When we met Nozomu and the Professor, when I was able to get the Skick Brothers Card, when we… I don’t want to forget when all of those happened, once we go back to Gosei World.” She placed her diary back on the table, opened it at a random page, and stared blankly at it.
Moune crossed her arms and sighed. Nope, still not seeing what was the big deal about all this. “Eri–”
“I wrote all my dreams and wishes here, Moune. No one else was supposed to read it. It’s supposed to be p-private.”
With mounting horror, Moune realized that Eri was going to cry. Eri! The eternally optimistic Gosei Angel, the one who always wore a bright grin and said things like 'I’m sure it’ll work out somehow!’ was seconds away from crying! Moune quickly approached her and placed a hand on Eri’s shoulder. “No! Don’t cry! Eri…”
The other woman’s shoulders slumped even further, before she drew her knees towards her, rested her forehead on them, and stayed silent for several seconds.
Burning indignation coursed through Moune's veins. No one treated her friend like this and got away with it. No one! She glanced at the diary and made a decision.
“Eri. Do you trust me?”
“Eh?” Eri looked up at her questioningly.
Moune closed the diary, held it up, and said, “I’m going to find out who read your diary. And then I’m going to make him pay dearly for it.”
-
Nozomu opened the door and all but bounced inside. “I’m home!” he announced. “Everyone, I–”
And then a curious scene welcomed him.
Alata, Agri, and Hyde were seated in the round table. Eri was on the other side of the room, sitting on the couch and clutching a bright pink, feathered notebook. Moune was standing in the middle of the room, looking pissed as all hell.
Oh, boy.
“Nozomu!” Moune said, crossing her arms and focusing on him. “We’ve been waiting for you. Sit.” She pointed at the vacant chair beside Alata.
Everyone knew better than to argue with Moune when she was mad. As such, Nozomu all but dropped everything he was holding to do what she’d said. “What’s going on?” he whispered to Alata.
“I don’t know,” he answered, looking lost and scared. “But it’s not good. It’s been a long time since I saw Moune this angry.” Alata swallowed and darted a quick glance Moune’s way.
“This is ridiculous,” Hyde said in a low tone, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “I have better things to do than–”
“Hyde-kun! You were saying something?” Moune squinted at him.
The Seaick member of the team, usually so cool and reserved, actually blanched. “N-No. Of course not. You may continue.”
“Good,” Moune said. She walked closer to Eri, then pointed at her. “As I was saying earlier before I was so rudely interrupted–” She glared at Hyde, “–I found out that something unforgivable had been done to the diary of this woman. As a protector of this world and everyone in it, I made it my mission to correct this wrong. Which is why we’re all here, in this room.”
Agri rolled his eyes. “Get to the point, Moune. We still have to do that 300-kilometer run–”
“Quiet!” She slammed her palms on the table, making everyone jump. “Order in the court!”
Nozomu looked down at his shoes. He was wise enough to not correct Moune on where that particular phrase was supposed to be used. Not when she was like this. Not when he valued his young, promising life!
“Now. I’m going to give the guilty party the opportunity to come forward and confess. Punishment will not be as harsh if he does, I promise.” She checked her watch. “Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven–”
Alata, Agri, Hyde, and Nozomu all exchanged alarmed glances, but no one spoke.
No one dared to.
“–Two. One.” Moune shook her head. “All right. You had your chance, but you blew it. I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way, then.”
“The… hard… way?” repeated Alata, scooting his chair closer to Hyde’s.
“Mm.” Her intense, justice-seeking eyes landed on him, and she approached to poke his shoulder. “Where were you this afternoon, A–la–ta?”
“Me?” He pointed at himself, before looking wildly around him. “I was at the market!” Alata pointed at the grocery bags beside him. “I–I was buying ingredients for tonight’s dinner. You know this, don’t you? Ne, Agri? Ne, Hyde?”
The other two nodded reluctantly.
Alata then stood and went to Eri’s side. “You know I’ll never read your diary, Eri. We’ve been friends for so long and I will never do that to you!”
Eri looked up at him, and nodded. She even smiled a bit. “I believe you, Alata. Moune, he didn’t do this. I know it.”
Moune looked unconvinced, before she crossed her arms and shrugged. “If you say so, Eri.”
The other Skick member was visibly relieved by this immediate absolution. “I’m so glad,” he said, nearly fainting as he sat beside Eri. “I don’t even want to think about the punishment for–”
“Quiet!”
Alata abruptly sat straighter and shut up.
“Nozomu,” Moune said. “Where were you this afternoon?”
He frowned at her. “I was at school the whole time, Moune. And then I had to stay behind to cheer my friends when they played football against another class.”
Silence.
“I know,” Moune said, looking smug. “I just wanted to make sure you know it, too. Go on, sit over there.”
Nozomu stood, grinned, clapped Agri’s shoulder, mouthed 'good luck’ to Hyde, and skipped towards the safest part of the house at that very moment - the couch.
“So. Alata didn’t do it. Nozomu didn’t do it.” She paused. “Which brings us down to two suspects. Hyde-kun? Agri-kun? Do you want to say something in your defense?”
“This is stupid, Moune. How can you even be sure one of us did it? It could have been the Professor, you know,” groused Agri, crossing his arms and glaring at his sister. “And you’ve been watching too much TV.”
Eri gasped and hugged her diary tighter. “No! Not the Professor! Everything about us and Gosei World is written here, and–”
“Relax, Eri. It’s not the Professor,” said Moune with a wave of her hand. “And I have not, Oniichan!”
“Dad’s at the convention in Tokyo for two days, remember?” said Nozomu.
“Ah. Which means that Moune has deduced correctly - one of us did it, Agri.” Hyde then proceeded to stare at him.
Which made the male member of the Landick tribe uncomfortable as all hell. He pounded his fists on the table. “I didn’t do it! Why would I do something like that? I don’t even care about Eri’s diary.” He paused. “I didn’t even know she has a diary. Besides, why would I be interested in reading anything that a Skick has to say?”
“Oniichan!”
“Agri!”
“Agri!”
“Tsk, tsk. Such a Landick thing to say,” Hyde commented, before looking haughtily away.
“Oy. What do you mean by that?” Agri demanded, rising to his feet.
“Sit down, Oniichan!” Moune said, pushing her brother down until he was sitting again. She then moved closer to Hyde, poked his arm, and demanded, “Oy. What do you mean by that?”
“I was at the library this afternoon,” Hyde replied instead, glaring right back at Moune. “I couldn’t have possibly read Eri’s diary. You may validate my presence with the community librarian if you wish. I’ll even accompany you.” He let the full meaning of his words settle before looking at Agri again. “Which means you did it.”
“That’s a lie!” Agri said. “I was training!”
“Do you have a witness who can prove this claim?” Hyde asked, raising a brow at him.
“Of course not! I was practicing TensouJutsu, so no one’s allowed to see it!”
“A likely excuse,” Hyde commented. He waved his hand dismissively. “Clearly we know who’s at fault here.”
Agri was on his feet within moments. “Why you–”
“Sit down, Oniichan!” Moune said, pushing him down again. “And yes, yes I know exactly who’s at fault here.” She bounded to where Eri was sitting and grabbed her diary.
“Oy, Moune. You know I didn’t do it, don’t you? You know I’m telling the truth, don’t you? I swear I didn’t read Eri’s diary. I didn’t! You believe me, don’t you? I’m your brother! I won’t lie to you, ever!”
Hyde shook his head and rolled his eyes.
Nozomu nudged Alata. “Poor Agri. I wonder what Moune has in store for him.”
Alata shook his head and shivered. “I don’t even want to think about it. It’s too horrible.”
“Moune. Moune! Moune–”
“Hush, Oniichan!” Moune said. She opened the diary, then laid it on the table in between Hyde and Agri, and pointed at a specific page. “Here. What does this say? This phrase here, the one in English.”
Eri, Alata, and Nozomu rushed to the table just as the two leaned in closer to look.
“Strawberry parfait,” read Agri slowly.
“Oh, Oniichan,” said Moune, shaking her head. “No. It said strawberry parfey. With a slash. And a hastily written 'parfait’ on top of it. In blue ink.”
Silence.
Then as one, the group pointed at Hyde and screamed, “It was you!”
“How could you?” Eri asked in a small voice.
The Seaick rushed to his feet, knocking back his chair in his haste. “I–I didn’t mean to do it!” Hyde said, raising both hands as if to defend himself. “It was just… I was making an effort to understand how you Skicks think and, and the diary was there and you spelled 'parfait’ wrong and I– I–”
“No excuses!” Moune said, bunching her sleeves up and glaring at Hyde. “And you even lied and made it seem like Oniichan was at fault here! Unforgivable! Very, very unforgivable!”
Hyde glanced at her, paled, and then made the most intelligent decision at the face of this adversity.
He ran.
“Hyde! Get back here, you–”
The echoes of Moune screaming after Hyde rang in the house long after the two of them were gone.
The four remaining people in the room were silent for a few seconds, each lost in his or her thoughts.
“Well! Good thing that was solved,” Alata said with a bright smile.
“Mm. I just feel bad for Hyde,” Nozomu said, shaking his head.
Agri nodded. “I’m just glad she didn’t think I did it.” He glanced at the open door and sighed. “Let’s hope he makes it through whatever it is that Moune has planned for him.”
"I just don't understand why Moune had to do this when it seemed like she knew who did it in the first place," Nozomu said.
"Maybe... maybe she just wants to see us squirm?" Alata suggested.
They looked at each other and shivered.
Then Eri slammed her palms on the table, making everyone jump.
“…Eri?” Alata said, instantly worried.
“I know what to do.” The female Skick looked at him and oh-so-slowly grinned. “Who wants to eat strawberry parfait with me today?”