"You want to solve a case together, Shiramon?" I repeated while leaning on the wall as I looked at Dad, Shiramon and Angoramon.

"Mmhm. With you and Bokomon," Angoramon confirmed.

"Is there something I'm not aware of? Because you guys didn't seem all that interested in solving cases."

"Well, we do want Bokomon to work on his stamina to fight if he's cornered by Perfectio at one point." Shiramon shrugged. "Plus, you haven't been doing stuff with Ismaya for a while now right?"

"I guess?"

"You should! You guys are family anyway," Remdepiamon urged.

"You really still want to hang around?" I was perplexed by that, actually. Even after everything?

"You act as if any of us haven't murdered before!" Dad snapped. "Don't even try to refute this, Luno. We're doing this whether you like it or not."

"I have a human right to refu-" Angoramon suddenly grabbed and wrapped me up in a hug. Considering how freezing the weather was even in Cho-Taiyo, since it did reflect the four seasons somehow (Michelle had mentioned how the weather in Southeast Asia was similar to the one here, what with having 2 seasons.), I found myself sinking into the hu- wait no! I could not give in! I couldn't, I didn't deserve-

Too late, I was sinking in. Oh Kami no!

"Well? Ready to reconsider?" Shiramon gave a toothy grin.

"M-maybe," I muttered.

"And if we say Uju is coming along as well?"

"WHAT?!" I gasped. But Uju-

"Why not be his knight in shining armor then?" Dad had an evil grin and much to my annoyance, it was working all too well. "Keep him safe from the random case we pulled out from the pile Blues printed out."

"Are you for REAL now? Ruri, back me up!" I stared at the only person who HADN'T ambushed me.

Ruri only shrugged. "Blues could probably lend Uju a Digivice for Shiramon! But otherwise, it's futile. They decided they wanted this and they're gonna stick to it."

"Ugh, fine..." I sighed, pulling myself free from Angoramon's fluffy hug, "I'm gonna get a kit for Bokomon and Bakumon. I'll meet you guys at the entrance then."

"Alright, see you there!" They waved before I walked away, grumbling about these stupid people who blackmailed me into doing this.

But... why?

🕵🏻‍♂️ Camera Shift 🕵🏻‍♂️

"Are you sure that Aoi or Uju could be Perfectio members?" I asked Angoramon as the three of us waited for Luno at the entrance.

Angoramon nodded. "The voice we heard when we were on the roof was feminine, but Uju's also suspicious because he showed up shortly after Perfectio showed up. Not to mention his grandparents were also DigiDestined in the same group as Menoa, as it seems to be the connection between all those in Perfectio."

"His dynamic with the former members was also very natural, but... it's all circumstantial evidence. We need concrete proof to show Luno that she's being used."

"I don't know about that... why would he disclose about his grandparents in the first place to Mom? Why would he help out against Perfectio if he's a member?" Ruri asked. "Why be so open to Mom if he hates him? Surely it would have cracked by now. Even then why would he even approach Mom in the first place? He was the one who figured out the pattern."

"It could have been given to him if he was a member," Angoramon pointed out.

"I... don't think that's the case," I spoke up, making them turn to me as I continued, "The Agumons confirmed that they had been acting on their own to save their partner somehow, so even if he is a member, he would have to figure it out on his own. Plus, if he were truly a member, wouldn't he have misled her on the off-chance that she had her partners? I doubt he would have been able to guess what Luno would do considering the warped view the rest of Perfectio had about her."

"Good point... and the voice WAS feminine..." Angoramon muttered.

"I asked Storm to check everyone's rooms for the Digivice we saw too, but I doubt we'll find it. The traitor probably brings it on their person. That's why I asked Blues for a tracking device using the Digilemma Digivices we have while he's fixing them to make them natural evolutions, which... he's having a lot of fun with," Shiramon sweat dropped. "Amoramon was telling me about how he got this evil grin on his face every time he found a flaw in the programming."

"Hopefully we can solve this issue... I don't want to suspect anyone..." Ruri frowned.

"Me too, Ruri, me too. But... it's for everyone's sake. If we want to take down Perfectio, the group that acts like a family... we need to flush out the issue in our own group first," I said while placing a hand on her shoulder.

A part of me didn't get why Angoramon had suggested Aoi in the first place, but... once I heard of her deeds, I didn't judge. What Aoi had done... traumatizing Ruri about Digimon, forcing Mei to fight against the bird that took her brothers' lives, and being the source of Kiyoshiro's trauma and fear of the supernatural, it was a wonder she was still seen as a friend...

Then again, I had no right to talk about it. A former serial killer, anyone?

I sighed. Either way... "Don't worry. We're taking Perfectio down, so don't worry. We'll definitely find the traitor."

(I wish I hadn't said that now...)

🕵🏻‍♂️ Camera Shift 🕵🏻‍♂️

"Oh, Luno!" Uju jogged over with a bow and arrow, making me blink as I turned over with Bokomon. "H-Hey! How are you?"

"I'm good," he reassured me. "How are you feeling, though?"

"I'm fine," I smiled. "Anyway, I'm surprised you're still around, especially after seeing how insanely dangerous things can get."

"Are you kidding? I may be scared but I'm not a coward!" He said with a grin. "I won't hold you back, I promise!"

"Alright," I smiled back before asking, "Do you want to walk to the entrance together?"

"Sure! Why not?"

Since Blues' lab was on the third floor and Uju also temporarily stayed on the same floor, the two of us decided to use the stairs for some exercise. As we descended, I decided to ask, "Hey... Are you okay, after Philip-san told us everything, about your grandparents?"

"I..." he went silent. "I don't know how to feel. My grandparents were most probably murdered, but... how? Why? And what was the mysterious disease that took their lives....?"

He looked down. "I... I just want to know... and yet-"

"Not many answers? That's normal, but what's abnormal is finding a way to figure out their secrets in the right way, or accepting that some things may be better off unknown. And I think that being normal is dumb, so... don't let others define you. Know you and utilize you to the best of your ability."

"You... have a point there," he admitted with a small smile showing. "Thanks, Luno."

"Hey, no problem. It's the least I can do considering how you put up with me."

"You're not that bad of a person," he giggled, and it did sound a bit feminine, I thought. "You're the only person I've met who is my age and doesn't treat me badly."

"Why would they?" I frowned as we descended down the final flight of stairs.

"Because..." Here, his footsteps slowed, and I turned around. "U-"

He suddenly had me pinned against the wall, and my face flared up while he leaned into my ear and-

"I... have Klinefelter syndrome."

"... Oh." I quickly realized my error in reply. "Ah, wait I'm sorry I was just-"

"No it's fine!" He laughed, and it felt like bells were ringing as he continued, "I get, it's surprising, but I look more feminine than most people so I try to hide it with baggy clothing."

"Oh... I can relate," I admitted. "I was born a male, but identified as gender fluid before I met the others."

"How did you figure it out, though?"

"A victim of a case had been killed due to LGBTqphobia, and I took it upon myself to honor her with a thorough gender assessment. To remind myself of when I failed to save those similar to myself, those who have no feelings of attraction in any way, so I don't repeat the same mistake again. The good that did me, though..."

"Luno..."

"But I realized from all the research that what I believe I am is enough. That labels are just temporary and that I can change my labels to fit my self-concept. And... Pain and suffering will always be around but you can still push through as long as you have the right people around you."

"I... see..."

"So that's why I wanna beat Perfectio. They're hurting innocents and they're all suffering so... I guess I want to help." I laughed a bit. "It's dumb, and it's probably not for Akira but I wanna give it a try. Forgiveness I mean."

"Interesting," he mused, and a smile formed. "You're truly something, aren't you?"

"I hear that all the time, both positive and negative, but... I want to look on the bright side for once."

He then gave me a hug and said, "We'll figure it out, together. I promise. So let's kick some Digimon butt first!"

I grinned at his fist raised out and answered him, "It's a promise then!"

We soon arrived at the entrance, and Bokomon got on my head while Ruri gave me the request paper.

"Huh? Marionette Puppet?" Uju repeated the title.

Curious, I began reading the message.

Everyone around me has gone insane! They all claim they heard music, but I don't hear a thing, and then they start acting seriously weird, as if their limbs had been controlled by some other entity... The attacks are normally centered around Hazakura Academy too...

"Hazakura, huh...?" I remarked quietly.

"I'll use my badge to get us in there, but I'm not sure what we're going to find," Dad said.

"We don't really know since these are cases, so don't worry, Ismaya. We'll definitely crack the case," Angoramon said, making Dad smile. "Thanks, Angoramon. It helps a lot."

"It's nothing much." He waved it off, and Shiramon pecked him on the cheek. "My darling rabbit knight."

As he stuttered and blushed, a small part of me wondered, was this what love truly was? I was beginning to doubt whether I truly loved Uju. For all I know, the feelings could have been faked by my heart because of his kindness; the thing I hated about the saying, "The heart doesn't lie."

It definitely does, otherwise there wouldn't be bullying and such.

Maybe... The real reason I had killed had to do with the fact that I refused to listen to my heart even though it acted out far too often.

Darn it, at times like these I wish I didn't have any emotions! Would make life easier. If not, I needed to ask Mei how to numb the self down so badly.

... Then again, Mei was both logical AND emotional.

... Right. That was another lost cause.

I gave a weary sigh. "Let's just go. I need some rest after this because I am way too exhausted and need some naps. I'm starting to see why Wuliang loves them so much."

"Oh Kami, no, don't follow Wuliang. He sleeps far too much." Dad rubbed his temple.

"Hey, don't trash talk Helios!!" Was Alec's response from a corridor over as the sounds of ordinary (AKA no Luminising) Buddyfighting echoed with it.

"Go back to the game, Alec!" I yelled back to him, and then it was quiet.

Good. I was getting tired of the racket.

Time to go and solve a case!

+ SPIRITUUAL DIGILEMMA+

"So you don't know what they're hearing, but it's affecting them?" I asked the requester, who nodded while she looked down. "Please help... I'm scared for my family and friends..."

"Don't worry. We'll figure out what to do, so you should calm down." Dad held her shoulders.

Well, tried to. She swatted his hands away. "Don't touch me! Please!"

"Ah, forgive me, I should have a-"

"It's fine. It's really fine so don't sweat it," She said. "Now please leave. I need to go now. My family wants me home by lunch!"

"Alright, thanks for your help," I thanked her, and she waved before she ran away, leaving us at the gates of Hazakura.

"Did she ever give her name?" Ruri blinked while looking at her retreating figure.

"Nope," I said. "But honestly, maybe that's for the best. If the culprit wanted to get to her as well, they would have been able to get it from us. Plus, better safe than sorry."

"True," Dad nodded. "Let's go then. I'll go with Uju and you go with Ruri?"

Huh? Even though they had teased me so badly?... "What do you mean?" I was beginning to suspect there was something more to their sudden proposition. What did they want with Uju?

"Ismaya can protect himself even without Remdepiamon, so wouldn't he be the best fit to protect Uju? Blues refused to let a non-DigiDestined have a Digivice because of the possible side-effects, so-"

"I can handle myself, though?" Uju gestured to his bow and arrows. "I learnt how to shoot and my aim is pretty good, so I can do it."

"Still, the Digimon can go fully corporeal and objects will just phase through." Bokomon sighed from atop my head.

"Bokomon brings up a good point," Dad said.

"Yeah, he does... Alright then, good luck, Uju. And Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Whatever you guys planned this for, I don't know, but please, I don't want Uju hurt over it."

His eyes widened, but Remdepiamon reassured me, "We won't let anyone hurt him. That's a promise."

"Thank you," I said, feeling a bit more relieved before we split up. Ruri, Angoramon, Bokomon, Bakumon, and I headed right to the dorms while Dad, Remdepiamon, Shiramon and Uju headed to the school.

"I guess I should have known you would pick up on it..." Angoramon looked down. "I'm sorry about this, Luno."

"I just want an explanation, Angoramon. What is the purpose behind all this?" My footsteps slowed as I turned to him.

"W-Well..."

🐺 Camera Shift 🐺

"Nothing here, for some reason," I called out to the slowly regrouping team I was currently teamed up with. "That Digimon is pretty elusive."

"Agreed," Ismaya nodded as he leaned on the wall. "I'm very concerned about this. What kind of Digimon would do all this?"

"Well, ideally, and most commonly... Pinocchimon would be behind it," Remdepiamon hummed. "But he should be dead from what Luno and the others told us."

"Maybe... some Digimon can become ghosts?" Uju suggested out of nowhere. "Wasn't there a Digimon that was half-corporeal on Perfectio as well?"

"Huh?... Wait, you have a point," Ismaya said while getting his phone out and looking up pictures of the nine members. "Yeah, you're right."

"... Wait, that's... RobinHoodmon...!" Remdepiamon paled.

"Wait, that's RobinHoodmon!?" I took a closer look. "He looks more like a kid than an actual Digimon!"

He stood at around Mojyamon's height, with a red fedora and a white feather attached to it adorning his head while his beige cloak covered most of his outfit, but I could see a white collared shirt and blue pants peeking out from underneath, not to mention orange shoes.

"He does, doesn't he?" Uju hummed. "That's interesting."

"So does that mean his Tamer, if he has any, doesn't actually have a partner?" Ismaya asked.

"That isn't exactly the case. Even ghosts have partners, you know?" I spoke up. "I mean, are you familiar with YOUKAI?"

"Point taken," he muttered. "And... Eosmon was the same way, wasn't she? Did RobinHoodmon get hit by that Code as well and it triggered its effect after Luno killed him?"

"That would make sense, but we don't actually know how she got hit with the Code. Philip wasn't clear on the how," Remdepiamon pointed out.

"We technically never asked." Uju's statement made us all sweatdrop. Fair point.

Still, looking at him, I couldn't help but feel... that there was something familiar in that tone of his. I didn't know how or why.

And then there were the Daikis. For some weird reason, they gave off an awfully familiar vibe...

I shuddered. I didn't want to think about it. "Let's keep looking. We need to cover all the ground we can get if we want to get through this."

"Alright." The other three nodded, and we were soon back on the search, unaware that the aforementioned Digimon was watching us.

"... Interesting."

🐺 Camera Shift 🐺

We met up again where we had split up, and Uju shook his head as we came over. "Nothing. It's so weird. How can we not find any clues?"

"No digital aura or residue... It's like the culprit doesn't exist..." Angoramon frowned.

"Hm..." Shiramon hummed. "Haven't there been cases of Digimon possessing or controlling humans before?"

"That's true... And the requester, she... she didn't hear anything...!" My eyes widened. "It can't be!"

"Our... client is our culprit...!?" Ruri gasped.

"But why approach us...?" Remdepiamon asked. "... Unless... You don't think..."

"Perfectio?" My eyes narrowed. "That could be it. But I don't recall killing a Digimon like th-"

Music suddenly began playing all around us. A haunting yet soothing melody... One that made me feel like my knees were going limp...

https://youtu.be/6qqOI04uo_c

"Wait what is g-" The area around us suddenly turned into a digital arena, revealing our client and... a Jazardmon...

"That was easy," she sighed. "Alright, let's get this over and done with. I rather not spend time with you lot for too long."

"Huh? What are you talking abo-"

"Derision Crow!"

"Sonic Vulcan!" the girl commanded, and the Digimon complied as the guns on its shoulders whirred into action and shot the Puppet-type Digimon multiple times, but the Digimon was fast enough and moved away while continuing to sing that haunting melody.

"Wait, hold on... Don't tell me you tricked us into coming here to help you battle this Digimon!" I realised.

"Apparently, Nohemon was a friend to my grandmother before she passed away. RobinHoodmon pleaded with me to help him solve this case, so who am I to deny him that? He's been through way too much because of a certain someone." Her sharp red eyes glared at me as she said that.

I met her gaze while saying, "But you can't beat him on your own. Isn't that why you lured us here with that fake report?"

It made sense now. Normally we believed the cases at face value, so Perfectio could have used that to their advantage. Just one of the cons of dealing with online-sourced cases.

She grunted. "Maybe. Either way, you're here so might as well do it."

"Wasn't even gonna say no," Ismaya said. "Remdepiamon!"

"Ah!?"

"Angoramon!"

"Ruri!"

"Boko! Shira! Pu-" I paused. He wasn't here just in case, so... "Let's go!"

Angoramon Evolve to....!

Bokomon Evolve to...!

Shiramon Evolve to...!

"SymbaAngoramon!"

"Wizarmon!"

"HanShiramon!"

Time to kick some serious butt!... Is what I would like to say, but Nohemon was crazy strong. Even though he was a Champion Digimon, he was definitely very off power wise!

"Ugh! We need to go all out then! Jazardmon!" The girl got a brown and blue-rimmed Digivice.

Jazardmon Fragment Evolve to!!

"Arturomon..." A polar bear slumped over before the girl yelled, "Jogress Evolve!"

Arturomon + Setonimon Jogress Evolve to!

"Schizomon!"

What stood beside us now was a bipedal polar bear with light brown fur and a bunch of armour as a wide smile formed on its face despite its droopy eyes.

Then the girl commanded, "Please use Pyromanic Magic!"

"Okay!~" Schizomon giggled while fireballs appeared all around before it threw them. Some of the attacks nearly hit us, though, making me yell, "Hey, chill out!"

"Nooo! I'm the champion of the world!" It laughed while the girl rubbed her temple. "Dang it, Schizo... I should have evolved to Setonimon before Jogressing.... Arturomon as the main body is a bad idea. Ah, whatever. Beat Nohemon first!"

"If that's the case, Mega tim-"

"Derision Crow!"

Why... Why did I feel so drained out of nowhere?... I fell to my knees while Dad struggled. "My... Body..."

"I feel so... Unenergised..." Ruri gasped out.

Angoramon grabbed something. "I-Ismaya, d-did you kill this Digimon or something?"

"I-Is this an actual question?..." Dad was trying to get up. "I would have known... If that was the case..."

"Ugh, ****ing crow... It's... The one making it hard for us to do anything..." The girl groaned.

"H-Huh... Hold on... So the.... Crow is the main body...?" I forced out.

"Yeah... According to Robin... At least," She said.

Jazamon growled as he tried to get up, but he was also struggling... "We need to take... That crow out... And stop it from singing too... It's.... Acting as a catalyst to the attack..."

"So... Knock out... The crow?" Uju repeated. "Then..."

He barely managed to get a catapult out, and his hand managed to find a stone as he pulled it back, even though his aim was definitely going to be off.

"Uju, make sure... That you aim straight... For the crow. Anticipate... Its movements..."

"G-Got it," He said, and as he continued to pull it back, I swore the girl's eyes held... Sadness? Some sort of melancholy in them, befitting the mark of Melancholy and Hubris on Schizomon's forehead too.

Had to... Remember th-

"Ow!"

I felt my body lighten up a lot, and I pulled myself to my feet before helping Uju up. "That was a great shot, Uju! You kicked ***!"

"T-Thanks," He said while blushing a bit. "You tried your best too, though."

"Shucks I didn't do much. You really came out as the MVP!" I hugged him.

"Yeah, Nohemon is knocked out through and through," Ruri said while poking it. "Nice one, Uju-san!"

"Ehehehe... I really owe it to Young-halabeoji," He said with a wistful smile. "He was the one who taught me archery while Beom-halabeoji taught me self-defense. I wouldn't be here without their guidance."

"Honouring your loved ones is like a mustard seed," Angoramon chuckled. "It's small but meaningful."

"True," Dad smiled. "Let's wait for Nohemon to wake up then. We should talk to-"

"Dantella."

"Huh?" We all blinked as we looked at the girl.

"Dantella... Parkinson." She averted her eyes. "My name... Is Dantella Parkinson. You're... Not all bad, but you're... Not all good."

"Isn't that part of being human, though? Having both good and bad parts?" Ruri asked.

"H-Huh?"

"Mom isn't perfect, but it doesn't stop her from trying. And I can see you're trying too, so I would love to be friends with you!" She grinned.

Dantella looked surprised, but soon she sighed despite the slight smile on her face as she handed her an envelope. "A challenge for you all. Same as everyone else before me. I want to meet you here again tomorrow morning. You've already seen a bit of Schizomon's attacks, but it's not just that, so prepare yourselves."

"We will," Dad promised. "You take care of yourself too, Dantella."

She rolled her eyes slightly, but fondness was clear as she said, "Make sure Asagao, Rinomi, and Heng are there too. I... Would like to see them again before the battle, though I warn you that we won't lose, right Jaza?"

"Yeah." He smiled slightly while avoiding my eyes, which I honoured by looking away. "See you all tomorrow then."

"Bye bye!" Ruri waved and then-

We were at the entrance, but they weren't there. Neither was Nohemon, now that I thought about it!

But for some reason, I felt... Okay with this kind of ending to a case.

Somewhere, I felt that Dantella would take good care of Nohemon.

"Let's head home, guys. It's been a bit of a long day," Dad decided.

"Yeah I'm beat too. Plus, we need to build up our energy for tomorrow." Bokomon nodded.

Angoramon was smiling too as we walked away. Looks like Uju was okay on his book now!

I couldn't describe the wave of relief that crashed over me as I realised that.

(The bigger wave behind it would crush all in its wake.)

venusaura owns Amoramon!