Haruka's POV
Haruka placed the hoodie on the table like it was a rare artifact recovered from an ancient tomb. She had cleared everything else off—mugs, books, her laptop—just so the mysterious garment could lie in majestic isolation.
Momo sat obediently nearby, red ribbon still proudly displayed like a medal of honor. He looked proud. Too proud.
Haruka crouched to meet his eyes.
"Does this belong to the man who bribed you?" she asked in a low, intense whisper, glancing around as if snipers were hidden in the curtains.
Momo blinked. Yawned. Then flopped onto his side with a dramatic sigh and a lazy snort.
Haruka frowned. "So easily swayed by sugar. Traitor."
She sighed and rose to her feet like a weary detective carrying the emotional burden of a thousand unsolved candy-related crimes. Picking up the hoodie with gloved hands—okay, oven mitts—she squinted at it.
It was soft. Too soft.
It still had that clean, crisp scent. Faint hints of mint and laundry detergent clung to it, along with something… mysterious. Was that… a trace of cinnamon? Or maybe despair? The kind brewed in late-night gaming sessions and microwaved leftovers at 2 a.m.?
Haruka narrowed her eyes, giving it one final skeptical look before lifting it to her face and burying her nose in it like a hound on the scent.
And immediately pulled back, coughing violently. Cheeks red.
"Okay. Too much data," she croaked. "I may have just inhaled his soul."
Momo barked once, as if saying, "Told you."
Haruka staggered back, flopped into her chair, and flailed for her notebook like it was a life raft in a stormy sea. She flipped to a fresh page.
Operation Candy Bribe – bold, underlined, urgent.
She scribbled feverishly:
Suspect lured Momo with sugary bribes
Possibly a criminal mastermind with soft hoodies and softer morals
May be a Twitch affiliate. Or a cult leader. Or both?
She paused, tapping the pen against her chin. "Hoodie people are always mysterious. That's just a fact."
Haruka quickly drew a stick figure in a hoodie. Then added tiny lines for 'aura.' Then a candy. Then Momo—clearly labeled VICTIM. Then a dramatic arrow pointing to the hoodie labeled: suspicious fabric behavior.
She turned around and glanced at the "evidence board"—a fancy way of describing her wall of sticky notes. Red yarn stretched between ideas like a spider had taken up crime-solving. One sticky note just read: ??? hoodie aura ???.
Haruka grabbed her phone, snapped a photo of the hoodie display, and sent it to Yuki.
It took only a second for the call to come in.
"Please explain this crime scene," Yuki said flatly as soon as Haruka answered.
Haruka didn't even hesitate. "I need backup. The trail is heating up."
Yuki blinked. "What… what is that behind you?"
Haruka turned slightly, as if unaware of the madness she had constructed. "Progress," she said with a straight face.
Yuki burst into laughter. "Haru, you turned your apartment into a conspiracy bunker."
"This is real," Haruka said, pointing at the hoodie like it had betrayed national secrets. "He bribed Momo. That hoodie has secrets. Secrets I must uncover."
"You sniffed it, didn't you.
"No!" Haruka shrieked. "Okay yes but it was for science!"
Yuki just shook her head, grinning. "What's next? Licking it to discover his chakra?"
"Yuki," Haruka gasped. "I'm not that unhinged."
Momo barked twice.
"…It was one sniff," Haruka muttered, defensive. "Anyway. I'm meeting Kaito tomorrow. He says he has another lead."
Yuki leaned forward on the screen, clearly invested. "You think Kaito's involved?"
"I don't know. Maybe. He could be a double agent. Or someone trying to make things right."
"Or maybe," Yuki said slowly, "you just want an excuse to see him again."
Haruka's cheeks puffed instantly. "I DO NOT."
Yuki laughed, clearly unconvinced. "Hoodie guy one day. Kaito the next. What is this? Haru's personal otome game?"
"This is a case!" Haruka shouted, waving her oven-mitted hands around. "With actual clues! And—oh my gosh is this chocolate on the sleeve?!"
"Do not taste test it."
"I wasn't going to!" she lied instantly. It was indeed chocolate.
Yuki wiped tears from her eyes. "You need help."
"I need answers," Haruka corrected solemnly, turning back to the hoodie. Her eyes narrowed.
Tomorrow. Everything would change tomorrow.
Or, at the very least, she'd figure out whether the hoodie's owner used conditioner.
Kaito's POV
Kaito lay sprawled on the couch like a man with zero stress and infinite snacks. One leg thrown over the armrest, a bag of cheese puffs balanced on his stomach, and his phone glowing brightly in his hand.
The group chat with Haruka lit up like a New Year's countdown. Pictures. Diagrams. One disturbingly detailed sketch of the hoodie's 'aura.' A voice note where she dramatically whispered, "Operation Candy Bribe is underway. Agent Fluff is compromised."
He tapped one image and zoomed in.
She had drawn red arrows pointing at the hoodie like it was the final boss in a JRPG.
Kaito laughed softly. "She's really going full investigator mode…"
From down the hall came a familiar groan followed by the furious tapping of keys.
"They're asking if I'm bald again," Ryo muttered through his door.
"You do have hoodie guy energy," Kaito called back.
"Don't start."
"I'm just saying," Kaito said with a grin, "if you gave me candy, I'd follow you too."
"What are you, a child?"
Kaito chuckled and stood, stretching with a quiet groan. He walked toward Ryo's closet and cracked it open. A stack of books, his guitar case, a bunch of random cords he refused to organize…
But no hoodie.
Of course not. The infamous garment was already in enemy hands. Well—Haruka's hands. Which was arguably worse.
He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, staring at the spot where it used to hang.
That hoodie had started it all. One innocent mix-up. Now, chaos bloomed. And honestly?
He loved it.
Kaito pulled out his phone, opening Ryo's private chat.
Stage set. Let's see what happens.
He stared at it for a moment… then added:
Hope your hoodie wasn't your favorite. She may be worshipping it. Or… building a shrine. Can't rule it out.
No reply.
But Kaito didn't need one.
He could already picture the flat glare from behind that door. The silent, simmering annoyance. The low-level panic.
He smirked.
This was just the beginning.
And the best part?
Haruka didn't even know whose hoodie she was sniffing.
Yet.
Meanwhile in Haruka's Universe
Haruka lay in bed, blanket pulled up to her chin like she was bracing for battle. The hoodie sat in a chair across the room, folded neatly—but somehow still ominously, like it knew too much.
Momo had claimed her pillow and was now curled up beside her, breathing softly. His ribbon was a little crooked, but he still looked smug about the whole thing.
Haruka glared at the hoodie. "Stop looking innocent. I know your game."
She turned to Momo.
"You betrayed me for sugar. You're lucky you're cute."
Momo gave a sleepy tail wag in response. Completely unapologetic.
Haruka huffed, rolling onto her back. The ceiling stared down at her like it was waiting for a confession.
She should sleep. She needed to sleep. But her brain had other ideas.
What if the hoodie was cursed? What if it was the key to some underground hoodie cult? Or a symbol passed between elite streamers as a sign of dominance?
Or worse—what if it smelled like that because he used premium detergent?
"No," Haruka whispered, smacking her cheeks lightly. "Stay focused. It's not about him. It's about the case."
Still, her gaze drifted back to the chair.
It was too quiet. The kind of quiet that screamed something was about to happen. Like the hoodie might levitate and whisper stock tips in its sleep.
Haruka flung the blanket over her face.
"I'm losing it," she muttered.
But then she peeked out again.
Her eyes narrowed. "Tomorrow. I meet the source. Kaito says he has answers. I will interrogate him if I have to."
She paused. Then frowned at herself.
"Nicely. I'll interrogate him nicely."
Momo let out a tiny snore, and Haruka smiled softly. She reached out and ruffled his fur.
"You're still my favorite partner, Agent Fluff. Even if you got bribed."
He didn't stir.
Haruka sank into her pillow and let out one last sigh, eyes heavy now. Her thoughts finally quieting.
Tomorrow, she'd crack this wide open.
But for now… she'd sleep. Maybe dream of hoodies whispering secrets. Or candy-based conspiracies.
Either way, it wasn't over yet.
Not by a long shot.
She turned to Momo, who was already snoring softly beside her. "Alright, we'll take turns keeping watch tonight," she whispered dramatically. "You do the first shift, I'll take the second."
Momo didn't move.
She poked his fluffy belly gently.
Nothing.
Haruka sighed, tucking the blanket up to her chin again. "Well. Maybe just me."
She fell asleep.