[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/oBJ38oL.png[/img]
[@Krayzikk] [@Crimmy][/center]

[color=0072bc][i]Right.[/i][/color]

He'd forgotten about promising her a trip to the convention. Umeko liked to go to these things fairly often, generally with some kind of costume or seeking some kind of collector's merchandise. Mecha conventions, robotics displays, magical girls...her tastes looked varied at first glance, but all of them centered around the same core principle: Kawaguchi Umeko wanted to be a superhero. Unfortunately, that generally meant that she wanted Brennan tagging along. Such was the case this morning.

While Umeko was fixing up the last details of her costume, Brennan was showering and getting ready. He refused to dress up himself, although Umeko's occasional entreaties were gradually growing less occasional and more convincing. He mostly stuck to chaperoning her, holding merchandise, taking pictures, and sizing up the other magical girls to see who could give his the most competition. He was, in short, the superhero love interest. Pure eye candy. Whatever.

He was ready to go in record time; in fact, he had probably managed to get dress faster than Umeko had finished putting the touches on her costume. He walked out and plopped down on top of their counter with a cheerful sigh and a grin. The biggest concession he'd given his otaku partner was dressing to complement her outfit; his shirt today was a cool cyan, relaxing and casual for the end of summer. His beaten up phone sat in the pocket of his vest, weighing it down. He hadn't gotten around to grabbing a new one yet.

[color=0072bc]"Ey, lass, whatcha say to some cof-[i]OI[/i]!"[/color]

[hr]

Needless to say, she didn't want coffee. She didn't even want to apologize for yanking on his shirt's collar on her way out of the apartment. Kawaguchi Umeko acted like a head on his shoulder as they took the bus to the Dianoid would be enough to cool off his surly temper.

...

It was helping. Very slightly. Slightly enough that his mind left his shirt and started to wander again as they passed the bus route where they'd found the body the other night. As the bus took them along the main street back to the Dianoid, Brennan found his gaze drifting again and again. The blood splatters had been scrubbed clean from the streets and sidewalks, and by now the pipes in the alleys had been repaired after Brennan's esper powers had done a number on them. His wary stare caught the alleyway where he'd cornered the body thief, and Brennan wondered if anyone had thought to scrub for evidence there.

It would be worth a look later that night. But for now...

The Dianoid.

[hr]

Kanacon. Academy City's pre-eminent gathering for all things Magical Powered Kanamin, Magical Powered Kanamin Integral, and another dozen ridiculous spinoffs with ridiculous crossovers and even more ridiculous magical girls. Today, they were all infesting the Dianoid, along with hundreds of cosplayers that idolized them all.

[color=0072bc]"I'm goonna lose ya in dis crowd,"[/color] he grumbled to Kawaguchi beside him, arms crossed across his chest. [color=0072bc]"D'you wanna come wit' me 'n' look for da Magi☆Mint Chip? Or am I loogin' dat around by meself all day?"[/color]