toshi doves

Dear Yamato,

Thank you! 

I'll look forward to the day you'll nominate yourself as my personal secretary. Until then, best regards and good luck.

P.S. Bring the stockings by then.

When the music finally died down and he could hear himself think again, he flipped his notebook open again and leaned against one of the windows as the same slight frown from before appeared on his face.

"Looks like we got it wrong," he said, smiling apologetic to A-no before returning his gaze to his notes again, "Is there something we missed? I felt like we were on the right track. What did we do wrong?"

"Oh…" Suddenly, the penny dropped. “The last digit should be a 4 instead of a 5…”

They must have been so enthusiastic about solving the mystery that they accidentally miscounted the last digit. Such a tiny mistake and at the very end as well. It was like backing bread without salt. 

You hear a masked voice.

"Moshi moshi, Mayor desu! You finally solved the mystery, oh how delighted I am! How great! But you weren't the first. How unfortunate!"

A slot of the phone pops out, making a lot of items fall out. Oh boy, what is this! Upon investigation, you find the following items;

Leftover confetti

The stuffed animal from earlier

A pile of amethysts, each engraved with the letter [N].

Some glitter

Ahem. Might as well show some courtesy. “…..t-thanks.” Once he had stepped inside, Charlie had pushed her way in as well, waiting until he’d close the door to speak once again.

"…do you think so?" Aha, there! So she wasn’t as incompetent than she had presumed. And — as proven on several occasions — nor was this fellow. "..let’s try it, then. Do you want me to read off the numbers as you dial..?"

"No need for that" he replied to the other’s question, picking up the phone with one hand and dialing with the other. A breath. He inhaled softly as he used his amazing powers of recollection to repeat the numbers; "22 4 4 18 0 18 4.”

Okay, you might find it impressive that he remembered such a random string of digits, but to be honest, he had cracked the code a little earlier while Charlie was still brainstorming. Unless you find it all the more incredible.

The suspense is intense as you dial each number, putting the receiver to your ear and waiting. With each ring the suspension grows. Will anyone even answer? Perhaps you had gotten the wrong code after all. What a pity.

But wait!

Slots in the sides of the phone booth open up, and confetti bursts out of them! A banner drops from the ceiling with the words "CONGRATULATIONS" painted on it in hazardous colors, and crazy strobe lights throb as great music plays.

It's a rave!

You're a little overwhelmed even as a masked voice erupts from the phone receiver, laughing in amusement.

"Good job! You've solved my riddle. Now it's party time!"

The line goes dead as a slot in the phone pops out, dropping a pile of things on the floor. What is this!

Several fake amethysts, each engraved with the letter [N]. Use them as you see fit!

More confetti.

Glitter.

A letter.

Two Nyan Cat keychains.

"Ah, well… I think what we’re looking for is a phone number. ‘Everything starts from zero—’ Couldn’t that be the first digit? And then there’s the last sentence of the riddle… Why would they start each word with a capital letter?”

Just for this occasion, Hibiki had taken a tiny notebook and a pen with him. He took them out of his pocket and flipped the notebook open on an empty page. With a light frown on his face, he started to write something down. 

"Would you have a look at this. If we take just the capital letters from the last sentence we get WEESASE, but seeing as we’re looking for a phone number… wouldn’t it make sense to count the letter from the alphabet? A is one, B is two, C is three and so on…"

After a moment of counting together, A-no and Hibiki got the number: 2355191195. For good measure they added the zero they had gotten from the first part of the riddle in front of the number, but they then faced a problem. 

"No good. The number has one digit too much. I’m sure we’ve got to do something with that zero, though… What could it be?"

They thought about it for quite some time. They even started counting from Z to A to see if they then would end up with a phone number of 10 digits, but it was to no avail. However, suddenly the solution came to them. 

She was amused, though. His eyes seemed to glow as his brain worked smoothly from one problem to the next. He was excited but at the same time calm and collected, which was why he could work out the problem so smoothly.

"We really have a number now…I have small change right here, let’s call the number together? Especially because it is kinda creepy, who knows what will answer us, let’s call together!" Since they were both teenagers and didn’t take up much space, anyway, they fit both into the phone booth. Admitted, it was a bit tighter than comfortable for a boy and girl who just met but this wasn’t about comfort, it was about solving the mystery. With shaking hands A-no took off the receiver, leaving Hibiki to input the number they figured out.

As you dial the number and the phone rings, the door on the phone booth behind you closes, and curtains drop over the windows! In the pitch blackness, a disco ball descends from the ceiling of the booth and crazy lights fill the small space.

It's a party!

Music is playing and it's hard not to break into dance, but somehow you manage to resist the urge as a masked voice emerges from the receiver of the phone. Could that be? Your precious mayor?

You never can be quite sure, can you?

"Hello, my dear citizens! It seems you've solved the mystery, congratulations. Actually, just kidding. You got it wrong! Completely and utterly wrong. Though, I am a kind person, so I will give you a prize for trying!

In between your feeling of disappointment, a hatch above you opens, and something soft drops down! What is that, is it...?

You bet! A seven-foot snake stuffed animal, to be shared between you. Please take care of it, or it might get mad and bite you!

“Ah, I suppose so.” She hadn’t really considered finding others to help with the mystery, aside from the bonus of having more pieces of the puzzle and minds to collaborate with. Now that Clear had mentioned it, she recalled that it had been more enjoyable to solve the riddles with someone. “That would be nice.”

As he stepped closer to the well, Clear let out a sigh tinged with childlike excitement for what he and Aigis might discover within. It certainly showed its age with the stones worn and patched with moss in some areas. He gripped the edge of the well and tipped his upper body over to peer down into its depths, keeping an eye out for any clues. “Aigis-san, do you see anything interesting down there?” Caught up in his enthusiasm, he tipped even further to get a better look without realizing that his feet were nearly off the ground and that he was in danger of falling in.

So you arrived at the well! Wonderful. As you perceived earlier, the well is indeed old and well.. mossy. It smells a bit, actually. Either way, smell and moss aside, when you look at the ground near the well, some items strike your fancy. There's a large array of items placed there.

A hammer, magnet, rope, thread, razor, measuring tape, flashlight — At this rate, this is starting to look more like a garbage dump than anything else. What was the Mayor thinking?

shizaribon:

bokukakkoi:

Knight in shining armour… that girl had way too many comments she should have kept to herself. He was only being sensible, there was no point to staying in a creepy place like this, mystery or not. Surely, the only person enjoying this right now was A-ya, so what did they all want to stay here fo—

…. Mansion? What? There was a mansion in store for them if they solved this? Why had no one told him this beforehand? In their defense, he hadn’t asked, but even so…! That wasn’t the real problem here. They were going in that tent? Seriously?!

"… What are you saying, haha.. we’re following the laughter?" Basically C-ta’s way of saying, didn’t we learn last time that we shouldn’t mess with creepy lights, sudden music and strange cackling from afar? You know, when we almost died.

But it wasn’t like he could protest any longer. A-ya had already insisted in going inside, D-ne would have just taunted him, and B-ko wasn’t giving in at all. He couldn’t just leave his helpless childhood friend, either. Damnit… into the big top they go, and he felt himself regretting every step.

That sudden outburst from A-ya (note to self: sleep on different sides of the mansion.), sudden statement of determination from B-ko, along with some more…whatever that was, going on. And then there was C-ta..being himself.

Not usually one to get swept up with other people’s goals. But goddamn did she want this mansion just as badly as the rest of them. The girl just knew how to hide it better. Screw the solving of a mystery.

With a sudden rush of her own determination, D-ne managed to set foot into the unknown greeted by mind-numbing laughter and music. Which was a curse and a blessing. The only blessing being well…They had finally reached their goal. It didn’t take long for her to turn around and glance at the other three with a rather ‘nonchalant’ expression. Expecting them to follow shortly. 

"Now or never, right? We’re practically at the finish line." hoping to every God out there something didn’t pop up. This ground looked too hard to faint on.

Aah, everyone being scared, it kind of amused A-ya because he loves to see people’s reactions to these things but at the same time annoyed him for a bit. He tried to ignore it and listen to the song that was playing and to the laughter, that it strangely makes him have a good sensation.

Finally, they were in the end. He looked at everyone and A-ya still wondered why they were so scared…But he can’t really say something, since A-ya knows himself he is the one to enjoy these things the most. Well, not time to talk about this now. If they were to finish this, finish it soon.

"Okay, so let’s just enter…" He slowly entered the place where was the end of the mystery. He took a look around and made sure everyone entered, too. He turned his face to the three others. "Well, we did it, we entered." With a playful voice, still amused by the facts that happened minutes before.

Keeping her body practically stuck like glue on C-ta, she was nodding at both of her friends, who were apt to enter and get it over with. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? It wasn’t as if Toshi was.. Like their old hometown, there were no scary rumors that lead to results of death. (Or so she thought.)

With all of this settled, she kept her hold even tighter, afraid that if she were to not have someone by her side, that something horrible would suddenly happen. With that, she’s moving into the place right behind the other two, and well.. Surprised that nothing major seemed to happen.

A different song starts playing and minutes after you enter, the center of the circus tent lights up. To be revealed is a puppet, mounted upon a cross on a small podium. Nothing happens yet... until you move closer.

Suddenly it starts shaking wildly and a glitchy laugh leaves its body. Finally, after a while, it starts speaking. "Welcome to my theater!" the human-size jester exclaimed while it moves its limbs. It doesn't appear as anyone is controlling the puppet with strings or the like, so why...?

"This circus tent is home to my story. A dramatic play that will make you LAUGH--!" It claps its hands onto its own cheeks and starts laughing loudly, wilder than ever. "-- And CRY very dearly, JEWELS rolling off your cheeks." Like it did before, it makes movements matching to his words and for a moment, it looks like a real person is wiping their own tears.

Except a real person wouldn't do it in such a theatrical way, probably. Not to mention you notice small objects being dropped to the floor very obviously. Indigo in colour and shiny of surface; they appear to be gems?

Despite all that, the jester keeps talking; "And who are the main characters, you ask?" Another laugh. "Well, it’s none other than you players! Good luck with the rest of the mystery hunt!"

The jester slowly falls silent after all that and drops its movements completely. Now it just hangs there on its precious cross, as if it's sleeping. Rather a creepy choice of puppet stand, dear Mayor.

But more importantly, let's pay attention to the loot dropped to the floor. When you come closer you find the following objects;

A large amount of fake sapphires. These have the letter [I] engraved on each of them. Feel free to take as many as you like and to trade with or gift these to your friends.

A letter.

A few suspicious heart-shaped keys.

A set of refrigerator magnets. They are either decorated pictures of doves or in the shape of them. Looks like the Mayor's own personal merchandise.

shizaribon:

bokukakkoi:

Naturally, C-ta was no stranger to A-ya’s intentions. Although they had not come to light just yet, they were probably going to, soon, and he could only imagine it had to do with heightening the fear that being in an, uh, sort of abandoned area.This place had been long out of use and it was obvious, because not only did Toshi seem to use it for events only, but it was completely shut down.

For the most part. Speaking of lights…

"It said we’ve to look around in mine, but didn’t it mention something about a lit path in yours, A-ya?" Certainly, it would explain why they wouldn’t be able to see it in broad daylight, but were they supposed to look for some amusement?

Stumped but remaining level headed, C-ta picked up the pace and hastily entered the grounds. Lights… clowns… jesters, even, but—

"Did this place have a big top? It isn’t a circus, but…"

Finally arriving at the long since abandoned fair, sent a few chills down D-ne’s spine. In fact the only thing keeping her going was the thought of the mansion reward…and of course solving a mystery. 

Following hastily behind them, acting like the background character she was born to be. This ‘lit path’ was surely something that only appeared in darkness. Like those jackets people wear when cycling so cars can spot them at night. 

"A lit path…Perhaps it’s a path that directed people to the ‘main event’ like..a big top?" which lead her to ‘scanning’ the area in search of any clues, which was hard considering the time of day. A flashlight or something would be handy right now.

The lit path…It might be an important part of his riddle, not really sure, though. Perhaps if they found it, it could be like D-ne said…”…Yeah, perhaps it is.” He agreed with the long haired girl.

If that lit path could be found in the fair, then it certainly was the path mentioned in the riddle, that should head somewhere, making it easier to solve the mystery. They just entered the grounds, so of course they wouldn’t face the path directly now…the way was just searching around.

Looking around, that ‘abandoned’ place was such a good thing for A-ya…but the fact that B-ko seemed a bit scared amused him, too. As they walked, A-ya quietly slowed down his walking, approaching B-ko’s back without her noticing. And the finale, breathing her name besides her ear.

“Biiiikoooo…~”

All this talk about finding the lit path had her slightly more focused than usual. Which was saying something when it came to these mysteries the foursome got themselves into. But finding this mysterious path, and wherever it lead, was incredibly important!

Wandering as close to the group as she could, B-ko didn’t notice much that A-ya started to tag behind her. Wanting to keep close to both C-ta and D-ne, in fear of something creepy to appear, and leave her screaming loudly. Right on queue, did she feel a hot breath on the nap of her neck, and her name being called ever so eerily. Her body jumping to the nearest person (haha c-ta) and latching on to them.

But it doesn't take away that the grounds are eerie and on top of that, a disturbing background song plays. It couldn't be heard earlier, but now that you have found the path, it sounds loud and clear. So what now? Perhaps you decide to follow the path, but your thoughts are quickly to be interrupted--

The clocks around sound. Such a thing makes sense, it is 11 PM now, but something doesn't seem right. Bells ring loudly and then you hear it: a faint laughter from afar.

"Ruby City?" She repeated the title aloud in hopes that it would jog her memory, but not even a faint memory came to mind. It was entirely possible, however, that it was simply a location created for the mystery itself.

"I have no idea. I suppose we’ll find out."

[DUN DUN DUN DAA]

Upon opening the book, you find out it is no average book! It appears a large rectangle has been cut out of the pages to create a storage space. Isn't that a thing they did during WW2? How crafty of you, Mayor.

The book holds several items;

A big amount of fake rubies. Engraved on each of them is the letter [R]. Perhaps because you are the first ones to solve the mystery, there are still so many left. Feel free to take as many as you like and trade or gift them to friends.

A tape player.

A letter

A coupon for Nagare☆Toshi Fair for 3 people. Using this will allow you to use all the rides for free. What's this? It says you can't use the coupon until after the 9th of July. How peculiar!

Which left asking this enigmatic mayor for help as the best way to proceed. Well, she wasn’t about to give up any kind of advantage she could get.

Dear Mayor,

Greetings. My name is Celestia Ludenberg, and I have recently moved to this city. I must compliment you for running such a fine city.

There, greetings and appropriately flattering small talk done. Now, how was she to get a pie to this mysterious Mayor…?

I am afraid that having only just moved in, I do not yet know a good place for cherry pies. However, in lieu, I have enclosed what should be a sufficient amount of money. I do hope that is adequate recompense for this hint you mentioned.

I await your response, Celes

Money was the one thing she was hardly lacking in, after all. The amount she had placed into the envelope along with the letter was likely enough to buy two whole pies and still have enough for a good meal left over, but better to err on the safe side.

Dear Celestia,

A new child in my precious town! How very nice to meet you. I have heard quite a few stories of you. I hope you are enjoying your time here so far.

Perhaps you are stumped by my first mystery, but it seems that after finding partnership, it's getting a little easier. I know that white-haired man. A rebellious fool, but I'm sure his heart holds good intents.

Everything starts by investigating the locations holding my precious mysteries. But behold: while the first mystery can easily be solved by simply going there, the second mystery has a trick up its sleeve.

If you read the second part of my riddle, you might understand what I mean by that. Be careful though, I don't want you to go out at night alone. Many beasts lurk in the darkness after all.

Hereby I will accept your apology for not sending me a cherry pie and take the money in return. Albeit a bit disappointed, but I will remember this for next time. The money will carefully be donated to the Pies For The Mayor Fund. Thank you.

Good luck with my mysteries!

Signed, The Mayor

Aigis was contemplating simply regrouping with Minato to consider the possibility that they had guessed the location incorrectly when something drew her attention. The pin-drop-silence in the library made it possible for her to catch an unfamiliar (for libraries, anyway) sound. It had little to do with their two clues, but it was something.

[BUUUUURN MYYYYY DREEEEAADDDDDD]

[BUUUUURN MYYYYY DREEEEAADDDDDD]

[BUUUUURN MYY—]

-click-

Minato turned off his MP3 when he noticed Aigis coming. Music coming from deep in the library…? He awkwardly turned down the volume on his own device. There’s no way he can know how loud it is to others, after all.

"Let’s take a look." And he followed Aigis to where she had heard the music.

There is one book, however, that probably catches your eyes. It has a cover that shows a brilliant shade of red, not to mention there is an obnoxious heart sticker on the side. Moreover, it seems the title of the book is The History of Ruby City.

"Alright. Let’s go." And off they went to Edamame Library. As they walked, he sent messages to the two people missing, explaining where they were and that they should meet up.

Minato paused to read the placard on the desk. The usual rules. Alright. He was very, very used to library etiquette, despite not having visited this particular library.

…Wait.

This is a library. How many books are even in here?

That's when you hear it. A faint music playing from afar. It looks like it is coming from the end of the library halls. Perhaps from the section where all the history books are kept?

How did you get a letter and a pie to somebody you neither knew nor had any contact information for? Why he was even trying in the first place, he couldn’t say. Maybe it was because the riddle had been bugging him all afternoon after returning home.

Perhaps one of the messengers that had been dropping letters around the city would be kind enough to return one for him.

On a whim, the swimmer had returned to the gate with a store-bought pie—the cherry kind—in hand and a handwritten letter, addressed simply to ‘Mayor’ on the front of the white envelope. He couldn’t deny feeling absolutely ridiculous when facing the large gate, though he was here now so might as well finish what he came to do.

Mr. Mayor,

Should this letter find you, I’ve left a cherry pie at the foot of the old gate in the forest in exchange for a hint.

I would have sent it to you myself, but you forgot to mention in your letters how you could be reached.

Regards, Haruka Nanase Roble Apartment, Room 2

Dear Haruka,

No need to worry about the pie. It took my doves a little while to find it, but I'm sure that the box brought to me was yours. Thank you, as it was delicious. Was it from that small store near Central Fountain? It must be!

As for why you sent me a letter, the answer is obvious. Having a bit of a hard time figuring out the riddle with your friends? It appears a lot of the first riddle pieces have gone missing. How unfortunate.

So I will tell you now: go to a place where knowledge is gathered and writing is powerful. After all, the pen is stronger than the sword, is it not?

And no, dear Haruka-kun, I don't mean for you to visit your school again. You've been there plenty and it's summer now. Go play a little! Like solving my little mysteries.

Good luck.

Signed, The Mayor

Hibiki was surprised to find another letter of the Mayor so quickly after the other. The first letter he had received was only a small part of a large mystery, it seemed. He would have to try to get into contact with other people involved in this… this thing quickly… somehow.

But before that, Hibiki wanted to send the Mayor a letter back. He wasn’t sure if his reply should be formal or informal, so just to be safe he chose to be formal. 

'Dear Sir,

I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, so let me introduce myself. My name is Hibiki Kuze. I’ve been living in your city for about 8 months now, which is nothing, but feels like a very long time.

I must say I’m quite enjoying my stay. Your city has many things to offer: not a day is boring in Toshi City. I’m glad to see the Mayor is just as lively as the city itself.

Which brings me to your gate and your mysteries… I’m not that good when it comes to solving mysteries, so a hint of any kind would be appreciated. If you would like we could talk while eating some cherry pie at this cosy cafe I know? At my expense, of course.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully, Hibiki Kuze’

Dear Hibiki,

How honoured I am! To be invited by such a dashing, young man like yourself. With your spirit and kindness, I'm sure many people fall for you. How natural!

Unfortunately, I don't think I can make it to a lunch date with you, as much as I desire to. I am a busy man, might you know? Many letters are still to be written. But I don't mind that, it keeps me alive and playful.

Perhaps now that school is over, you should invest yourself in education of some sort. Work has kept you busy as well, is that not? I'm sure a book or two might rest your mind. A healthy mind results in a healthy body, after all.

I don't have much to say besides that. Adieu, my precious friend, but thank you for the offer of a pie date. Perhaps I will take you up on it in the future.

(But do not hesitate to send me a pie by mail.)

Signed, The Mayor

After you have received the letter, the dove made its way to disappear quickly. Not many doves are around anymore, so sending a letter back now seems quite hopeless of an idea.

Was there a reason for even doing this? Yamato didn’t care anymore. He neatly writes something on a piece of letter. 

Dear Mayor,

I’m going to adopt Hidenori to be my younger brother.

- Yamato Hotsuin

Dear Yamato,

Oh!!! Congratulations on having found someone to indict into your family! I am overflowing with pride and joy for the two of you. So overflowing, in fact, that I do believe there are parts of me leaking onto the floor! Thank you for telling me about this joyous occasion. I've even included a gift to express my congratulations. Naturally, you'll invite me to the ceremony, won't you?

The, er, adoption ceremony.

Signed,

The Mayor

"Darling please, nobody knows when they use the phone you just used. I’m the all knowing.

"No specific important reason, actually! I just wanted to give my precious citizens something fun to try out ♥ It was certainly joyous for me too.

Darling, I hope you had fun talking to the Mayor as well. Do share your experience with others! Adios!"

Click.

"Don’t call me sonny," the Italian spits, then regains his composure, lost in thought— then he’s got it.

"Sure thing! Wait at the phone boot a little and I will send the money right over. My doves are pretty quick, you know."

Click.

It appears they've hung up on you.