"The day isn't getting longer." She'll help clean up the research materials and deliver it for reshelving.

Clean up is fairly quick, at least – Ami's an organized person. 

"What's our story for why we're asking around?"

"I was kind of hoping you'd have one. Could be working on a local story for the Journalism Club?"

"Your transformation should also allow you to pretend to be a detective."

"Either could work... I'm not the best liar, so I'll let you do the talking?"

"Right, still not used to thinking about magic all the time. We can try both approaches, see what works better."

She nods. "How do I transform into a detective, anyways?"

"-Luna, does saying the words activate the power if I don't mean to activate the power?"

"If you say the words while holding the transformation item, or while holding your hand up while wearing it on your body, it'll activate regardless of intent. 'In your pocket' doesn't count as holding or wearing it – it needs to be visible."

"Right." Hers is tucked safely away, so- "My words are 'Moon Power, Change Me', but you would probably have to reference Mercury?"

"Right..." Should they duck into an alley or something to change?

Yep.

"Moon Power, Change Me into a Tokyo detective!"

"Mercury Power, change me into a Tokyo Detective!" It kicks in for them both with a sparkle – and it seems to be just an outfit change. They're both still recognizably themselves.

Right then. Let's go misrepresent themselves to the public.

They're able to get in easily enough, and they're even led to the ward the affected are being kept together in. There's rows of women and girls comatose on white hospital beds, a few with clusters of family around them, including both the oldest (an elderly woman) and the likely youngest (who's at best in middle school).

Are they amenable to talking? She wants to try to suss out if they have anything nonobvious in common, background details that didn't make it into the paper, sudden change of habits, new acquaintances...

For the older woman – nothing's changed, really. They hadn't thought anything of her sleeping in, there's a midnight radio program she's taken a shine to and she's retired besides. When she didn't come for lunch, they went to go look for her. They... They thought she'd had a stroke or something, but now everyone's saying something different...

For the girl – she'd been staying up late, too, though her parents tried to crack down on it. They only found out she'd been managing anyways – they have no idea where she got the radio – the night before... This. She'd been excited, something about her letter being read out. Her mom had taken the radio away, she'd complained, but she'd gone to bed – and then she didn't wake back up.

(It sounds like everyone who's sleep habits are known were regularly staying up past midnight, actually. And there's not a single boyfriend or husband among the visitors, even for the patients listed as married.)

Hmmm.

What was the radio program?

Midnight Zero, seems like. It's a program on FM no. 10, run by host J. Daito, exactly at midnight, every night.

She will make a note of that.

Are there male family members besides boyfriends and husbands?

Fathers, sons, some brothers and (for the eldest) grandsons. 

Right, right. Unless Ami has any questions, Erika thinks they're about done here.

A few on when the staying up late started, that sort of thing, but not much more.

Okay. Then they can regroup and go over their findings.

"The radio program sounds suspicious to me."

"It – or at least a habit of staying up past midnight – is a common thread. That, and being either single or in a relationship so strained you're left alone in the hospital." A lot – perhaps most – of the adult women had been entirely alone, without a single visitor. "I don't think that... Woman... Really needed to be in a room with any of us to steal our energy, especially once she had us hooked with something we cared about. It's possible any interaction counts."