Chapter Text
“... Therefore, the culprit is you.” A young man, about 16 years old, declared. He had striking blue eyes and straight black hair styled in a high ponytail. Two long strands of hair hung down to his shoulders, one on each side.
Holding an open notebook in one hand, he pointed at a woman who looked shocked. She soon became angry.
“Curses.” She grumbled, as handcuffs snapped on her wrists. “I would’ve gotten away if it wasn’t for you, meddlesome brat.”
Two officers escorted her through the crowd and out the room. The doors swung shut behind them.
The male teenager sighed in relief. “Another case…” He shut his notebook with one hand. “Closed.”
People began to disperse, returning to their booths. Every table held a unique and complex invention. Mobiles, Rube Goldberg machines, electronics… you name them. Standing tall and proud for everyone to see.
Sadly, each one of them is now taken down. Thanks to the incident.
Many inventions were destroyed, reduced to broken piles of scrap. Metal, wood, and plastic pieces littered the tables. Some scattered the surrounding floor. The damages were so great, it was difficult to think they were once elaborate creations captivated by onlookers.
The inventors of those inventions were deeply crushed. Disappointment, sadness, and anger decorated every one of their faces. A deep sea of intense emotions.
With hesitation, they gathered all the pieces and dumped them in the trash. Eyes clouded in mourning at their hard work going down the drain. Or rather, the garbage chute.
The male teenager watched from a distance with empathy. He understood what it’s like. Pouring all your blood, sweat, and tears into your inventions for days. Only for them to be demolished in one night.
“OOOOOOOI! Yuuto!”
Yuuto turned toward the voice. Amongst the crowd, he saw another male teenager waving enthusiastically at him. He was the same age, only a little shorter. He had short light brown hair with slight curls. One curl over his left eye. Another in the middle of his forehead. His eyes are honey brown, sitting behind a pair of round turquoise glasses.
“Hey, Haruto.” Yuuto waved back with a gentle smile.
“You were awesome!” Haruto exclaimed, running up to him. He smiled brightly, almost like the sun. “I can’t believe you found out who the culprit was. I sure didn’t.”
“All a matter of deduction.” Yuuto simply said. The two boys began walking to Yuuto’s booth. “I discovered the planets on her solar system had small, unusual dents. Those happened during the blackout. She used her invention to launch them toward the other inventions, destroying them. Since they’re magnetic, the strong magnet on the rods holding the planets drew them back to their original places. She then carefully removed the pieces stuck on them and repainted them just before the lights turned on. Unfortunately for her, I discovered the paint was still wet.”
They reached Yuuto’s table. Sitting on top was a medium-sized square box with a red button on the top. Yuuto took his invention, put it in his jacket pocket, and left the room with Haruto.
“It’s a shame.” Yuuto said, looking solemn. “The lady had so much potential and talent. Yet, she threw it out the window because of her jealousy.”
“Yeah.” Haruto agreed, a little sad. He gave Yuuto a reassuring smile. “Look on the bright side. You caught her before she could destroy more inventions.”
Yuuto nodded. He always admired Haruto’s positivity.
Soon, the two boys were outside. Streams of people exited along with them, eager to go home.
“I wish they didn’t cancel the competition.” Haruto said, placing his hands behind his head. “You would’ve won. Too bad the lights turned off before the judges could see it work.”
He shrugged casually. “Oh well, there’s always next year.”
“True.” Yuuto turned his face toward Haruto’s. “You didn’t have to come. There was a beach tour tonight to watch the baby sea turtles hatch. I know you were looking forward to it.”
“I know.” Haruto said. His smile became more gentle. “But I wanted to. We’re brothers.” He stuck a fist out to Yuuto. “And brothers stick together.”
Yuuto felt a soft smile spread across his face. He fist-pumped Yuuto. Their fists exploded, then raised in the air to high-five.
Suddenly, Yuuto realized something. He immediately fished out his phone and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw it was 11 pm.
But that wasn’t the main problem. It was the 20 missed calls from his and Haruto’s parents. And text messages. Every one of them, worried and angry. He couldn’t answer them, since his phone was on silent mode. Plus, Haruto’s phone was being fixed. So, that tracks.
“Oh, geez. Mom and dad are sooooo gonna kill us.” Yuuto moaned, his face contorted with discomfort.
Haruto chuckled. “It’s not the first. Remember last month when you were solving the Egyptian jewel curse? You were banned from inventing things for a week.”
Yuuto deadpanned, crossing his arms. “I rather didn’t.”
The two brothers strolled for quite a bit. The street was empty, leaving the two alone. Their home was pretty far. Their parents were too busy to drive them to the building. So, they had to walk on foot.
After a while, the brothers saw something that made them stop.
In the far distance, two horses are clopping down the street, pulling a carriage. They were completely black. Almost blending into the darkness surrounding the street and buildings.
“Say, is that… a horse carriage?” Haruto asked, tilting his head in confusion.
Yuuto placed his fingers underneath his chin.
“Odd. There are no horse carriages in this city.”
When the horses spotted them, they snorted, going into a full gallop.
Haruto’s eyes blew wide open.
“Is it me, or is it… HEADING RIGHT FOR US!!!!”
“Quick, RUN!” Yuuto yelled.
The boys took off, running as fast as they could. However, the horses were faster. Their hearts beat faster as the sound of hooves gained on them.
Just then, Haruto tripped on a crack in the ground. He fell down, yelping in pain. Struggling to get up, he got to his knees. Turning his head around, he saw the horses reared up high in the air. A shrill neigh echoed from their mouths.
Haruto gasped in horror.
The sound caused Yuuto to stop short. When he turned around, his blood ran cold.
“Haruto!!” He screamed, dashing back to his brother.
Haruto froze, too terrified to move.
At the last second, Yuuto threw himself in front of Haruto, enclosing him in a tight hug. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the hard impact.