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"Doctor, what are you doing?!" Akira of course had been taken by surprise when Karigari appeared behind him and wrenched the TV remote from his hands.
"Changing the channel to Akasaka TV," he replied, doing as he said.
"But we were watching that!" Yusuke exclaimed, reaching behind him to grab it back. Unfortunately, he and Akira were on the couch, while Karigari was standing behind it, making it easy for him to just step backwards out of reach.
Karigari turned away from the screen and sighed to himself.
"Miss isn't on anyway. With that string of incidents this city's been having lately, I was falsely hopeful. But they're just showing some boring scheduled drama." He switched the channel back. "Enjoy your boring drama instead."
Karigari flung the remote back at them, which Akira barely managed to catch, despite falling off the couch in the process.
"What would we do if it broke?" he whimpered, slowly crawling back up.
"Doctor would probably program a new one. Like the time he accidentally smashed it in half with his metal hand when he saw Kurumada get an engineering award on TV. I understand, because Doctor really deserved to win. But... Anyway, let's be quiet! We're almost up to the dramatic part!"
Karigari, having nothing better to do, decided to watch the conclusion of the drama his subordinates had on. He wasn't at all familiar with the setting or characters, but it seemed simple enough to follow. If those two could follow it, it had to be simple.
The setting appeared to be a convenience store, where a young woman was working behind the register. She was chatting with a customer she had been ringing up, and it appeared that the two were friendly.
'What a rude practice, holding up the line like that,' Karigari thought to himself. Although there didn't actually seem to be a line. That was one of the most unrealistic things he'd ever seen.
"Your change is 15 yen," the cashier said, placing it on the tray.
"Thank you," said the customer, as he awkwardly pushed the coins off the table into his hand. He was a rather unattractive man, Karigari noticed. With his messy hair, the way he spoke and moved, he seemed like the typical TV loser. The nerdy type who never got the girl, because he was only there for normal people to laugh at. "B-b-by the way, Akiko-san… there's something I wanted to say before I go."
"Hm?" The cashier, Akiko, stared at him as he started shuffling through his pockets.
"You know… I'll be leaving for a project overseas. It might be a long one this time. But I hoped… you could change my mind and give me a reason to stay!"
He had pulled from his pocket a ring.
"Marry me, Akiko! Please!"
"Umm…" Akiko just continued staring blankly at the man. "I'm sorry. You've always been an important friend of mine, but you're really not my type. By the way, can you go now? You're holding up the line."
"What line?!" Karigari exclaimed. But when the camera angle shifted, there was miraculously a long line behind the rejected man. Karigari shook his head. "What an idiotic show. And disheartening at that. I was hoping maybe he had a chance."
Karigari couldn't deny the fact that he imagined himself in the man's place, and Sasagawa as Akiko. Well, it was a similar situation, kind of. She was young and beautiful. He was a mad scientist with a mask over half his face and a metal arm. He actually thought he had quite the aesthetic, personally, but Miss was a normal person, the type who would be watching a show like this. She'd never said as much, but she probably thought he looked hideous. Well, there was one reason why he typically didn't watch this sort of show.
Karigari turned and began to walk away, when suddenly his phone indicated that he'd gotten a new message. It was from Miss!
Excitedly, Karigari read the short and cryptic message.
'Aww… I'm kinda depressed now.'
He could have spent time pondering on it, as Miss was rarely the type to be depressed unless it had something to do with Cyclone Interceptor suffering a grim defeat, something he knew hadn't happened recently. Instead, he mailed her back.
'What seems to be the problem, Miss? If there's any way a genius could assist you, I happen to have plenty of free time.'
The reply came back a couple minutes later.
'I was watching this drama. And I thought it was going to be so romantic. But the heroine got proposed to in front of a lot of people and she flat-out rejected her best friend without a care in the world! That's not romantic at all!'
'That… that's the same drama I was watching!' It had to be, Karigari thought. Then, he was right in his theory that the show would appeal to people like Miss, but he was quite satisfied that she seemed just as perturbed by the ending as he was. Enough to vent at him.
'That is the cruel reality in which we live,' Karigari's reply began. 'And why I favor engaging programs bursting with positivity such as your morning Fortune Corner.'
"Good episode, right, Bro?"
Karigari overheard Akira's voice, and could hear that the two were walking towards him.
"It was a tearjerker!" Yusuke replied. "That was probably my favorite."
"Even Miss agrees that it was idiotic," Karigari said.
"Miss?" Yusuke looked at him curiously. "How did you know she was watching?"
"You didn't put hidden cameras in her bedroom, did you?"
"You fools!" Karigari shouted. "I would never do something so shameless! Miss sent me a mail about the program. And I can't say I'm surprised. She's an intelligent woman, so of course she would be turned off by such an ending."
"Maybe it's a sign!" Akira exclaimed.
"Yeah, like she wants you to propose to her!" Yusuke added.
"Don't be ridiculous." Scowling, Karigari put his phone back in his pocket. "Miss would reject me in a heartbeat. Besides, that would be getting far too ahead of myself. A genius knows how to properly pace. Miss and I have yet to even have a single date."
"Then ask her on a date!" Yusuke replied, without missing a beat.
"Idiots like you would never understand…"
"No!" Yusuke argued. "You're the idiot for never even asking!"
Karigari was about to respond when his phone indicated that Miss had replied to him. It was only after reading her reply that he wished he hadn't stopped to do so at all.
'It's not always so cruel. Actually, I was meaning to tell you something else, but I wasn't sure how. I have a date tomorrow night! I'm really excited!'
Karigari wasn't even sure, at first, if he'd read the message properly. Of course, he was a genius. He was never wrong about anything. But he hoped this was the once-in-a-lifetime exception. After all, Miss was…
He wasn't wrong. How could someone beat him to the punch? Karigari heard a cracking sound. It was only the glass protector, it seemed, but he'd tightened his metal hand down much too hard over the phone.
"Doctor, is something wrong?" Yusuke asked.
"You look like you're in pain," Akira commented. "Constipation, maybe?"
"Mere pain does not begin to describe how I'm feeling right now," said Karigari. He wasn't sure why he even humored them by answering, but it served as a distraction, he supposed.
"Appendicitis?" Yusuke asked. "I heard that's really painful."
"It's probably just food poisoning," said Akira.
"Idiots!" Karigari stamped his foot on the ground, in hopes that it might make the two of them shut up. "The pain I'm feeling is not physical, or I would have a precise remedy in mind already. I'm going to bed. The TV is yours for the night."
Karigari supposed he owed Sasagawa some kind of courtesy, given that she'd likely wanted a reply. It wasn't as if he was going to be getting sleep anyway. Really, it was his fault for never even asking her on a date. He knew that clearly. And it was true that he wanted Miss to be happy. That was something he always strived for. If she was happy, he should be happy. Even if it were someone else making her happy. In theory that were true. In practice… it was a lot messier.
Yes, he had to say something to her. If nothing else, it made him look less petty. Besides, he didn't want to trouble her, making her think she broke his heart and crushed it into irreparable pieces forever, even if it was true. Miss didn't need anything distracting her from enjoying her blissful moment to the fullest.
'A date?' he began his reply with. 'I'm certainly startled. With whom? I hope it's someone extravagant. You deserve no less than that.'
He sat in his bed scowling until a reply came.
'I'm not sure about extravagant, but he's very handsome. He actually works for Roppongi TV. I met him at the scene of an incident. If he's from a rival network, that makes it kind of forbidden, don't you think? He also thinks Drive Head is cool! I can't wait! We're going to a family restaurant near my building for dinner. It's not that fancy, but I guess it's okay to take it slow in the beginning.'
Upon reading the message, Karigari could easily deduct which restaurant she was referring to. It really wasn't very fancy, though the food was passable. His subordinates enjoyed it. Well, even if he did seem like the perfect match for her, perhaps Miss wasn't too serious about this man yet. He'd half-anticipated her reply excitedly declaring they were flying to Paris the next day and not coming back. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"What am I thinking? I must support Miss, as her biggest fan."
Karigari typed up a quick message.
'I hope tomorrow night goes perfectly.'
He wasn't sure if he actually believed it.
Reading Karigari's message as she lay in her own bed, Sasagawa smiled.
'I didn't know if he would even reply.'
Sasagawa stared up at the ceiling. She had wondered why it was so difficult to just let Karigari know. It wasn't as if she'd only found out about the date moments ago. It was planned for a few days. Usually, she felt she could tell Karigari anything, and she loved to message him any chance she got, given that meeting him in person was rarely an option. But this time, for some reason, it was different.
'I'm over thinking it. Besides, Dr. Karigari sounded excited too.'
She couldn't wait to go on a real date. It wasn't her first, but she'd be lying if she claimed to have much of a love life. She was always busy with work, but putting that aside, love was never something she had much luck with. She always hated company events when most people came with their significant other. She was one of the few who went alone. Even the one time she decided to ask her very quiet cameraman to join her, she was surprised to find that he actually preferred men, and had a steady boyfriend.
But, now all of that would come to an end. Maybe she'd even find herself married by the next event. She couldn't help but picture herself in a white dress, having accepted a moving proposal unlike the character in that poorly-written drama did. Like Karigari, Sasagawa knew she wasn't going to get much sleep either.
"Mitani!"
Wearing a light-blue spring dress she'd picked out just for the occasion, Sasagawa ran up to the car which arrived in front of her home.
"No need to be so formal," came a voice through the opened door. "It's Kentarou. Please."
"Right, Kentarou." Sasagawa smiled and climbed inside, taking a seat. The car was a bit worn looking. Far from an extravagant ride. It wasn't anything like Karigari's silver flying car she'd seen many times, which was actually the Viper of a customized Walker Vehicle. She'd always wished she had the chance to get a ride in it. But that was not something she should be thinking of now, she realized. She had an amazing guy before her, and a whole evening reserved just for the two of them.
They talked about their days on the ride to their date spot, making the time pass by quickly. There weren't any disasters, so it had been a rather slow day for TV news reporters, but days like that were also a blessing, Kentarou had said. Sasagawa certainly agreed, although she loved to watch Drive Head save the day any chance she got.
Once they'd reached the restaurant, Sasagawa got entirely too much delight over asking to be seated at a table for two, rather than one like usual. Not that she didn't go out to eat with friends sometimes, but that wasn't quite the same rush.
"What would you like to order?" Kentarou glanced over his menu, across the table at Sasagawa. "It is my treat."
Sasagawa smiled.
"Hmm… I haven't decided quite yet." A lot looked appetizing to her. She didn't want to pick something too messy and embarrass herself, which helped to narrow it down a little. Sasagawa eventually settled on a house salad. Her eyes kept gravitating towards the desert menu, leading her to decide she'd splurge on something there later. They also had a number of tasty looking fruity drinks that caught her eye.
"I'm definitely getting this too!" Sasagawa pointed to a berry tea which was a bright blue color. "The color reminds me of my Cyclone!"
"Never would've made the connection," Kentarou replied, looking amused.
"I'm surprised. You said you're a big Drive Head fan," Sasagawa replied.
"Not as big as you are."
"Doctor, are you sure we can't go in?" Akira was pushing on the locked Viper door.
"Absolutely not!" Karigari exclaimed. "The only reason I came here was to ensure Miss is having a good time. As soon as I see her walking out with her arms wrapped around that man's and a wide smile on her face, we're leaving."
The Viper was parked in the lot of the restaurant where Sasagawa was seated.
"But this is totally stalking," Yusuke said.
"It isn't stalking!" Karigari's voice sounded adamant. "I can't even see Miss. All I can do is assume she's inside. Besides, I brought along dinner for us as well. We can just enjoy it in a different setting tonight."
"But you brought steak. I wanted to get the omurice!" Akira exclaimed.
"I brought a healthy balanced meal with protein and pristinely fresh vegetables," said Karigari. "The two of you should learn to eat properly, rather than having ice cream as your lunch."
"But you have steak for breakfast," said Yusuke.
"And I enjoy it," Karigari replied. "As I'd like to enjoy my dinner now, without alerting Miss to my presence here, so please shut up and join me!"
"Doctor's definitely in a bad mood," Akira whispered to Yusuke, not quietly enough that Karigari couldn't hear perfectly.
"I know," said Yusuke. "He should go in and tell Miss he likes her! She'd definitely leave that boring guy."
Karigari began to cut his steak, doing his best not to aim the knife at the two chattering in the back. As he began to eat, he could hear raindrops start to crash against the Viper roof. It was quite a heavy rain.
'How depressing,' he thought to himself. 'Not to mention, appropriate.'
"You know, Yuri…" Kentarou began talking again as soon as the waitress who took their order left. "Don't you ever think it's kinda scary? The work we do, I mean."
Sasagawa frowned. "I suppose so."
There were times when it was quite dangerous, where she was lucky to have lived through the day. But she didn't really dwell on those times much in hindsight. At least not the danger part. Only the part where she was saved heroically by Interceptor, or even Dr. Karigari. "But I think it's more exciting than scary."
"Well, I'm not sure," Kentarou replied. "The pay's great, and you do get to see some pretty cool stuff, but I've gotta wonder sometimes if it's right for me. Ever since that pole shift mess there's been more and more natural disasters. And now there's been that string of crimes. The Mobile Rescue Police even revealed that horrid evil scientist turned out to be alive, after all these months. I'd make a bet he's to blame for every crime we've had lately."
"Huh?" Sasagawa could only gape at him for a moment. "That's absolutely not true! Dr. Karigari isn't that kind of person!"
"You know him personally?" Kentarou was clearly taken aback by her response.
"Umm… actually…" Sasagawa sighed. She wasn't even sure she could say she and Karigari were close, even if she liked to think as much. But she did know him. She did talk to him, quite regularly as of late. "We've met before," she finally answered. "And I'm sure that he's not to blame for anything that's happened to this city recently."
"Well…" Kentarou folded his arms. "It doesn't really matter who's behind it. What matters is it's dangerous. That's why I've been thinking to myself… I'm already over 30. I need to settle down with a nice wife. Have some kids. Not wonder if some day I'll go to work and not come home. That's why I asked you out. You're pretty. You'd make a great wife. Truth is, I don't care much about those Drive Heads either way. I just thought it made for a good conversation, a segway to ask you on a date with me."
"But you… Wait!" Sasagawa stared into Kentarou's eyes. "Didn't you tell me the other day that you love your job, almost as much as you love Drive Head?"
"Yeah, I probably did," said Kentarou. "I say a lot of things I guess. Doesn't mean I'm serious about all of them. Heck, maybe I won't quit my job. My parents are proud of me at least. But Yuri, you're the one who's defending a criminal. Pretty sure that's a lot shadier than saying stuff I don't really mean now and then."
"Because Dr. Karigari is a good person!" Sasagawa exclaimed. "He's my hero!"
Although anger was what she felt the strongest, when she actually took another look at the man across the table, the man she wondered about sharing a future with just hours ago, she found herself unable to shout anymore. Her chest felt tight, and tears started to well up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," said Sasagawa. "This isn't going to work…"
Failing to fight back the tears, she ran out the door, into the pouring rain.
'Oh…' Sasagawa hadn't realized the weather had taken such a turn while she was inside. It was a mild day just before. She wished she'd come in her own car. Well, she could call a cab at least. This wasn't a serious problem. She'd just have to wait. But, inside?
Sasagawa rushed to where a small awning was over the side of the building, where the trash was kept, and stood against the wall beneath it. It became obvious to her right away that it wasn't enough to keep dry, but it made little difference when she was already soaked enough just from running to that point. At least she could hardly notice her tears, with the rain water pouring down her face.
Why even bother calling for a taxi now? By the time it got here, would they even want her in it? She slumped down against the wall, burying her face into her arms.
"I thought you to be more sensible than to sit out in the middle of a monsoon."
Sasagawa slowly lifted her head at the sound of a familiar voice. "Or perhaps you're offering yourself as bait to lure the Drive Heads out for a rescue, Miss."
"Dr. Karigari!"
Sasagawa couldn't believe her eyes, though the man hovering over in what seemed like an attempt to shield her from the pouring rain was unmistakable to her. "What are you doing here?"
Her voice came out strained, as she never had quite stopped herself from crying.
"Let's discuss that from inside my Viper," said Karigari, his hand reaching down awkwardly. "I'd rather not have either of us catching colds.
Sasagawa took his hand in hers without a second thought.
Once both he and Sasagawa had gotten inside, Karigari sighed to himself. He wanted to ask exactly what happened, as something clearly did happen, but he wasn't sure she wanted to talk. Instead, he reached into the back of the Viper and tossed a towel over to her, taking another for himself.
"A genius naturally carries practical items in his car," he spoke, desperately trying to avoid watching her like the stalker he really hoped she didn't think he was right now. He had to focus on drying himself off, starting with his right hand.
Sasagawa had already been able to calm herself considerably by the time Karigari gave the towel to her. Still, her entire mood was shot, and being drenched through her clothes wasn't helping.
"Thank you, Dr. Karigari," she mumbled as she ran the towel over her hair. "But... really. What are you doing here?"
True, it wasn't the first time Karigari showed up out of nowhere to save her. But she'd never quite figured out how he found her the first time either.
Karigari cringed to himself, but he knew he had to answer. As honestly as possible.
"I'm sorry if you thought your message cryptic, Miss, but any genius could determine where you were meeting. I couldn't sleep since I heard. I wanted to be sure you were happy at least, but it doesn't take a genius to know something went terribly wrong. I only wish I was also able to deduct the man's identity, as my loathing of him has only grown throughout the night."
"I guess... I can sort of understand now, why someone would turn down a marriage proposal," said Sasagawa, attempting to crack a smile.
"A... a marriage proposal?!" Karigari's mouth hung open. How terrifyingly fast was this man?
"Well... he didn't quite propose," said Sasagawa. "But, he talked about proposing. I absolutely wouldn't marry him had he asked. Mitani isn't my type at all!"
"Mitani! So that's the imbecile's name." Karigari clenched his metal fist. He preferred clenching that one when he needed to, as he didn't feel any pain regardless of how tight. Still, realizing just how ridiculous he probably looked, he loosened his grip, letting his arm drop to his side.
"I'd use this as a reminder never to watch his programs, but I never cared for the rival networks to begin with." He was fidgeting with one hand behind his head. "Well, even if the next person you want to date is wise enough not to make you cry and jeopardize your health by not even coming to stop you when you're standing out in the pouring rain, I suspect I still won't like them very much. The truth, Miss, is that I didn't want to see you with another man. Because I love Miss and mourn the fact that this tasteless Mitani asked you out on a date before I could!"
Realizing how much his attempt to be honest with her led him to spilling, Karigari slumped back in the seat, his face feeling as if it were probably on fire.
"Dr. Karigari… you…"
The words didn't take Sasagawa by as much surprise as she thought they should have. "You followed me here because you were jealous?"
"An unsightly emotion, I admit," said Karigari. What struck him the most was that Sasagawa's voice sounded almost… excited?
"Now it all makes sense." Sasagawa rubbed at her eyes, trying to wipe away the remaining traces of tears, or rain water. But now, she was smiling, as she crawled closer to him. "That's why I felt weird about telling you I was dating Mitani. Because I think all along, it was you I hoped would be the person who asked me on a date. I think… no, I'm absolutely positive… I couldn't fall in love with Mitani even if he was as great as I thought. Not when I'm in love with you, Dr. Karigari!" As her eyes met with his, she felt a rush of warmth come over her face. But more than an uncomfortable feeling, that warmth was mixed with a sense of pure relief. "That you got jealous when a rival for my heart appeared and followed after me is really cool, you know? I feel like the heroine in a drama! But that wasn't quite as cool as showing up to pull me out of the rain. You really are my hero!"
Karigari felt he could hardly breathe, seeing Miss' face so close before him, saying the words he never in a million years, in all his genius calculations dreamed he could hear. But he was ecstatic. And he didn't want the moment to ever end.
"Miss, I hope you don't mind if I kiss you."
"Does a dreaded criminal have to ask?"
"No." Karigari smiled. "But a gentleman who doesn't want to ruin with a single misstep what might possibly be the happiest moment in his life does."
Sasagawa leaned her head in even closer.
"You're not ruining anything."
Their first kiss wasn't quite picturesque, an entanglement of sticky, soggy hair and clothing as the two held each other close. But maybe torrential downpours weren't so bad, if this were the result, the both of them started thinking.