Work Text:
"Luluka, you will soon meet a king." Mashutan proclaimed as she finished her fortune telling.
In this day and age, there were not many kings. And if you limited it to those who would have the humility to come to a place as basic as Makoto Mirai Town, then that number would likely be zero.
That was if Luluka only took real kings into consideration. If fiction was allowed, then there was one king in particular that stood out among the rest. The "King of Lies", a being so powerful that they were able to alter reality to their whims, plunging the world into lies.
She, like every other fledgling star detective, had been cautioned about this being. In the agency's words, it was "to warn them about the dangers of hiding the truth.". By the second or third 'caution', it came clear to Luluka that it was merely their way of keeping them in check.
Luluka still didn't like how the most probable candidate for Mashutan's prophecy implied that a tale she refused to believe was real.
It was fine. Everything would be fine. 'Meet' likely implied that it would be a one off instance. Luluka wouldn't have to deal with some sort of eldritch being present in her day to day life.
===
Two days later, Luluka met Howa Kurea. More specifically, she crashed into Howa Kurea.
She was out and about investigating for her current case while Kurea just finished a delivery. Both girls, too absorbed in their own thoughts, failed to notice the other's presence.
Luluka was still dusting off her coat when the bluenette's hand reached out to help her up. "Thank you." She said as Kurea helped to pull her up.
"No it's nothing! It's really my fault for walking into you." Kurea reassured her, "I really need to stop spacing out…" Her pout soon morphed into a smile, "anyway! I'm Howa Kurea, I work at Patisserie Chu Chu."
'Patisserie Chu Chu?' Luluka sifted through a mental map of Makoto Mirai Town until she landed at a bakery, situated along one of the streets close to the canal, a row of lily bushes lining the patio. She had passed it a few times, but never found the time to stop by to purchase a baked good.
"So, how about you?"
Luluka fished through her pockets, pulling out her business card and passing it to the bluenette. "Moria Luluka, I work at the CUREtto Agency branch here. If you have any cases that need to be solved, you can come to me."
Kurea stared at the card in amazement, mumbling an "I see." in the process. Luluka continued to stand there awkwardly, feeling bad if she were to ditch Kurea after giving her her business card.
Plus, she may or may not be a bit mesmerized by her. The way her blue locks bounced in the soft breeze, the light of the sun reflecting off her piercing yellow eyes in almost the perfect manner.
Mashutan lightly smacked Luluka's back with her tail, causing the girl to gasp softly. She locked eyes with Kurea, who seemed to have been snapped out of her thoughts by the earlier gasp. For a moment, her heart ceased to pump. Then, it returned with a renewed fervour, spreading a heat through her chest, down her arms and up her face.
"Oh god I got lost in my thoughts again! So sorry for making you stand there!" By some stroke of luck — maybe she was being watched over by a luck fairy if one of those existed — Kurea remained blissfully unaware of Luluka's crisis. "I'll let you go back to your case. See you around Luluka."
Another tap from Mashutan reminded Luluka that she had legs. With a deep breath to steel the raging flood of emotions, the detective checked her notebook and headed to the next suspect's home.
If Luluka had looked back, she would've noticed the dirt and dust on Kurea's work attire magically disappear. As if the reality "Howa Kurea and Moria Luluka crashed into each other" turned into a lie.
===
Knock. Knock.
Luluka looked up from the paper on her desk. Ah, it must be another client. "Come in."
"Hi," Kurea said as she walked in, a paper bag in her hands.
"Is there a mystery that you need my help solving?"
"Actually no," Luluka raised an eyebrow at her response, "I just wanted to pop in for a moment."
"Don't you have work?" She asked, noting how the bluenette was still in her apron.
"Well at this time of the day, we don't get a lot of customers. My boss let me take a break in the meantime before the evening rush hits."
"And what is that?" Luluka gestured to the bag using her head.
Kurea smiled, walking over and placing the bag on the table. "Some of our goods. Take it as a thank you for helping Makoto Mirai Town as the resident detective and an apology for crashing into you the other day."
Luluka said an awkward "Thank you", not used to having the kindness turned back to her. In the months that she had been stationed here, no one had gone out of their way to show their appreciation for her assistance. Not even the seniors in the agency did something like this; they'd only seen her for her talents, not as 'Moria Luluka'. Yet, despite only meeting each other two days prior, Kurea had done more for her than all of them combined.
Kurea chuckled lightly, reaching over to pat Luluka on the shoulder. Instantly, she felt an electric sensation run through her chest to her heart, practically doubling her heart rate. "Anyway, I won't keep you from your work any longer. Enjoy the pastries."
The baker soon left the room, leaving Luluka alone with her thoughts, Mashutan and her embarrassingly loud heartbeat.
"Shall we open up the bag?" Gingerly, Luluka took it by the handle and placed it on her lap, looking in to see a whole assortment of boxes from Patisserie Chu Chu. One by one, she took them out, inspecting their contents. First was a box of eclairs, then a tray of macarons, then a slice of cheese cake and lastly a cup of ice cream.
Luluka's eyes opened at the last one.
They sold ice cream. Ice cream.
Patisserie Chu Chu just got themselves a new star customer.
===
Her visits to the patisserie quickly became frequent. No, what do you mean visiting it two or more times per day was not a normal amount? It just so happened to have been on the route Luluka was taking for her next case; It just so happened to be the nearest building when it started to pour; It just so happened to be nearby when her daily ice cream crave hit.
The only bad thing about these visits was that her heart did not catch a break. Every time she saw Kurea, it would get excited without fail. And then when the two actually conversed, it was threatening to rip a hole straight through her chest.
Eventually, it came to a point where Kurea was able to anticipate her arrival, preparing a table for her with the available ice cream flavours before she even set foot onto the patio. Seriously, Luluka wasn't that predictable, right? (She was. She just refused to acknowledge the obvious pattern.)
"I take it that you're really fond of ice cream?" Kurea asked as she placed down Luluka's order of blueberry and chocolate ice cream.
"It's good." She replied, taking a bite of the chocolate flavoured one. "Yours in particular is a standout."
Kurea giggled, "I mean, you only ever order ice cream from us."
'Cute.' Luluka thought, taking a chunk out of the blueberry scoop.
"So, what's it like being a detective? Do you always have cases to solve or do you get free days?"
Luluka paused her ice cream devouring session to contemplate what information she should reveal to Kurea. First and foremost, nothing about Mashutan or her precure side, or anything magical in general. It would likely be good to keep the other branches a secret; the fewer people who knew about them the better. Lastly, nothing about the Makoto Jewel. That was top secret.
"It's exactly like what you think it's like. People come to me with problems or mysteries, I help solve them." She replied calmly, "most of the time, clients come to the agency personally. Though I do take walks around the different parts of town and help with any cases I stumble upon."
"Sounds fun."
"It's not when you are sitting around waiting."
"How come you're the only one there? That building seems way too big to be for one person."
By right, she was supposed to have a partner. But the board of councilors deemed her abilities strong enough for her to work solo, so Luluka never had any one else. Plus, she did have Mashutan, so technically she wasn't alone.
"It's complicated." That was what she chose to say. Luluka was prepared to take another bite of ice cream, only to hear the sound of her metal spoon clinking against the ceramic dish. Looking down, she found the plate clean of any ice cream. "Ah…"
Kurea seemed to find this tiny sequence of events amusing, letting out a soft laugh.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave." Luluka said, lifting her "plush" (read: Mashutan) from the pillow Kurea had begun to provide for her for whatever reason. "I'll see you again tomorrow."
"If you ever need an assistant, I'm always open to help." Kurea offered, "people around me tend to say I have this 'sparkle' that helps a lot in solving problems. Maybe it'll be helpful for a case."
"I'll consider."
For the sake of her heart, maybe she shouldn't.
===
Kurea dropped by the CUREtto Agency again. It had become a routine for her, though nowhere near as frequent as Luluka's, dropping by every few days to keep the detective company. Just like each visit before, the pair spent the time casually talking about recent events or cases. As casual as it got when Luluka was trying not to internally combust.
However, when it was Kurea's time to leave to prepare for the evening rush, things got messy. In her slight rush to return to the patisserie, the bluenette missed a step and fell forward, in the process knocking over a pile of books Luluka had meant to keep days ago.
"Kurea! Are you-" Luluka stopped in her tracks, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of her. The books scattered on the floor disappeared one by one, reappearing at where the pile was moments prior. To add on to the sheer insanity of it all, they were ordered in the exact same manner Luluka had placed them in.
"I'm good! No need to worry about me." Kurea, seemingly unphased by the sudden disappearance and re-appearance, said calmly.
"Are you- did- did you not see that?" the words stumbled out of Luluka's mouth.
"Huh? If you're referring to the books then that's pretty normal for me."
"Normal?" Luluka could not hide her shock at the statement. How was any of that considered normal?
Kurea nodded slowly, "yeah. If something happens, let's say something falls over and spills, I can wish for it to not have happened and everything will revert back to how it was before."
Luluka just stared at her, mouth agape. Was Kurea casually admitting to having reality manipulation abilities?
"Would it be better if I demonstrated it?" Sensing her utter confusion, Kurea asked.
"Y-yeah, that would help… I think."
Kurea walked over to Luluka's desk, grabbing a jar of ink alongside a blank piece of paper. She then opened the jar and spilled all its contents onto the paper and the floor below. Before the bluenette could even place the ink jar back onto the table, all of the spilled ink had vanished while the jar magically refilled itself.
"Did that help?" Kurea asked. Luluka stared back. Then, she noticed something else that had changed — Kurea's eye colour. Instead of being the bright yellow that Luluka found herself staring at one too many times, they were now a deep blue, her pupils now a pale yellow four pointed star. If anything, she now bore a striking resemblance to depictions of the fabled King of Lies.
There was no way. Kurea, the kind and ever-helpful baker (that Luluka totally wasn't falling very hard for), was the King of Lies…?
"Hm, so it seems like my prediction was correct." Mashutan said proudly.
"H-huh? The plush can talk?" Kurea exclaimed, startled by the fox fairy suddenly moving.
'Prophecy…? Which one is she- oh..." The realisation of what her partner fairy was referring to hit Luluka mid thought. 'Kurea's the 'king' she predicted I would meet.'
In all honesty, Luluka had completely forgotten about that prophecy. It wasn't her fault that she had no interest in meeting a king, even less so when it was likely her quote-on-quote "sworn enemy".
"I am not a plush. I am Luluka's partner fairy."
~
But Kurea wasn't her enemy. Sure, she was basically an eldritch being in the body of a fifteen year old teenage girl, but she had no ill-intent.
~
"Fairy?"
"Yes, all Star Detectives around the world are given a fairy to assist them in investigations."
~
Unfortunately, the rest of the agency would beg to differ. If they ever found out Kurea's real identity, they would waste no time in taking her down. Luluka couldn't have that. Luluka refused to lose Kurea.
~
She took a deep breath. "Kurea. I want you to be my assistant."
"W-wait, really?"
"There is only one condition."
Kurea nodded, awaiting Luluka's answer.
"You must keep your powers a secret. For both of our safety, no one can find out that you are able to manipulate reality." She explained.
"I understand."
"Thank you. I look forward to seeing this 'sparkle' of yours in action, Kurea."
"No, I should be thanking you for letting me work together with you."
Kurea bowed, thanking her one more time before excusing herself to return to Patisserie Chu Chu.
Now just the two of them, Mashutan floated over to Luluka.
"Luluka, are you sure about this?" She asked. She had all the rights to be worried. Having Kurea be a part of the agency put her at risk of being found out if the seniors came by. But with how highly the agency thought of Luluka's abilities, that would not be any time soon. It would give them more than enough time to help Kurea keep her powers in check.
"Trust me on this."
"Alright then. Is there anything you need me to do?"
"Just one thing."
===
Two days later, Kurea got to meet her partner fairy.
"Kurea! It's nice to meet you-shu! I'm Shushutan, your partner fairy-shu!"
Luluka had asked Mashutan to ask around for any un-partnered wisdom fairies willing to keep a secret. It took some time, but she managed to find Shushutan.
"Fitting is it not? A tanuki for a girl who needs to remain undetected." Mashutan smugly proclaimed after coming back with the blue tanuki.
"It's nice to meet you too, Shushutan," Kurea smiled before turning to face the blonde, "are you sure about this?"
Luluka only smiled and nodded.
Was an assistant like Kurea allowed to have a partner? By the agency's rules, no. But Kurea's existence alone broke so many other rules that her having a fairy would be the least of their concerns.
"Kurea! We'll figure out your powers together-shu!"
.
.
.
The past few days had been a complete blur. Outside of cases and Kurea's shifts at Patisserie Chu Chu, the quartet had spent almost all their free time testing the limits of Kurea's powers. From what they gathered, it was practically limitless — if Kurea wished for something, she would get it.
The only downside was that it was very hard to keep it under control. Kurea's spontaneity and constant look out for anyone who needs help often resulted in thoughts that would trigger her powers. Of course, Kurea couldn't just stop being helpful. So for the time being, she just had to constantly tell herself "I want to help" without specifying how. In addition, when she finally had full control over them, Kurea promised to only use her powers when absolutely necessary.
Hilariously, all that restraint seemed to go out the window when she was around Luluka. If Luluka even vaguely hinted that she was hungry, a tub of ice cream or a stack of three eclairs would pop into existence moments later. And who was Luluka to refuse a free ice cream?
"Mmmm…" Luluka was brought out of her thoughts by a hum from Kurea. Despite the existence of a second room in the agency, and Luluka's own suggestion, Kurea insisted on sharing the same bed as her. That was how they found themselves cuddled up every night, Shushutan curled around Kurea's wrist, Mashutan curled up on the pillow Kurea always gave her when Luluka visited the patisserie.
Kurea shifted in her arms, burying herself further into the crook of her neck. Luluka didn't resist, instead combing her fingers through the bluenette's hair, taking in the scent of the lilies they planted together.
When did their relationship transition from being friends and colleagues to something more? Was it when they spent almost all their waking hours together, testing the extent of Kurea's abilities? Or did it happen before Luluka realised who Kurea was? — When the two of them were so head over heels for each other that they failed to notice how their relationship had transcended that of a typical friendship.
Whatever the actual answer was didn't matter. In the end, they figured out their feelings for each other, much to Mashutan's relief (or not, it seemed like she was about to lose it with their sappiness).
Luluka pulled Kurea by the waist, closing the almost non-existent distance between them. As she did so, she promised herself one thing.
'I am going to keep Kurea safe, no matter what it takes.'