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Goro stared at the open email on his laptop screen. It was a rejection letter from the SIU Director.
He tapped his finger on his mouse and kept twisting his lips as he read it over and over again.
Last week he’d submitted a request for himself and Makoto to be assigned to a series of black market investigations, and he had been denied. To him, it was unfair, after all those cases were only making headway because of the initial work he and Makoto had put in after Madarame’s death and the deaths of his associates.
His counterfeit operation had come to light after his murder, and many of his students came forward to give statements and identify which of their works had been stolen. The case had made headlines in the national news for weeks and would continue to do so.
Madarame’s records sent them down a path of rich individuals and middlemen who facilitated the purchasing of stolen and fraudulent paintings. Right as their investigation was leading towards some yakuza and possibly political connections the case was handed over to detectives from SIU.
“You’re making an ugly face,” Makoto remarked. Goro looked up to see her leaning back in her chair watching him with a smug smile. Her desk was across from his. They had their own little office in the back corner of the station. There was one window, stupidly positioned to face an alley wall, but at least during the daytime, it let some natural light in. “ Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” Goro closed down his laptop and reached over to where he had put down his cigarette pack on the edge of his desk.
“Mad your request was denied?”
Goro paused and glanced up at her.
“My sister is the lead prosecutor, Goro, you think she didn’t tell me?”
He scoffed, “Sae could have let me tell you.”
Makoto shrugged, “You know SIU doesn’t want you around ever since ‘the incident’.”
“Yeah, well they’re worse off for it,” he picked up the box and grabbed one with the end of his teeth, “Sae-san tells me so over coffee all the time.”
“She could just be placating you.”
“She’s not.” Goro stood up from his chair and began packing up his belongings. “It’s ridiculous we don’t get to finish our case.”
“Does it matter so long as those involved are brought to justice?” Makoto leaned forward.
“The question is, will everyone who should be brought in, is?”
“You’re talking about those two twins, aren’t you?”
“Among others,” Goro finished closing up his briefcase with his laptop and some paperwork inside.
“They were questioned, they have no connection to Madarame’s black market sales.”
“Doesn’t mean they're innocent.”
Makoto sighed and started packing up herself. It was getting late after all. “So what? Do your ‘Detective Instincts’ tell you they are guilty.”
“They tell me they’re strange,” Goro pushed in his chair and waited for her. “And that’s enough reason for me to be suspicious. It’s a feeling I haven’t been able to shake. Not like my other ones, not like something is inherently wrong… But they are hiding something.”
Makoto hummed as she finished packing up her belongings. She carried everything in a dark leather messenger bag that she slung over her shoulder. Once she was ready, they both headed out of the office.
“Maybe they’re just private people, Goro. Like you,” she pointed out. “I don’t think anyone other than Sae-san and I really knows you. And that makes you strange to everyone else.”
“No this isn’t the same as wanting privacy!” He waved his hand back and forth. “I mean it, they are up to some dirt. And I will uncover the truth of it!”
“I just don’t want you chasing after another lead on instinct that’s going to get you in trouble…” the two paused their conversation outside the precinct doors. “I’d hate to see you take another blow like that. You were a wreck after you were dismissed from SIU. You might have been a kid, but it was a huge mistak-”
“It wasn’t a mistake,” Goro cut her off. “He’s guilty.”
“Your feelings alone are not enough to try a man… No matter your connections.” Makoto sighed, and they lingered in silence for a bit.
‘Anyway, do you want to come over for dinner? Sis is coming over too. It's been a while since we’ve all had a meal together.”
“Not tonight,” Goro shook his head. “I’ve got plans.”
“In Shinjuku again?” Makoto raised her eyebrows.
“What can I say, the place stays open late. If a pet shop that stays open until two in the morning doesn’t make you curious then maybe your instincts are off.”
“Just don’t get in over your head. Call me if you need back up!” Makoto bid him farewell and made her way to the parking garage to head home.
Goro reached up and took the unlit cigarette out of his mouth and twisted it in his fingers in a moment of thought before heading on his way.
When he arrived at the Velvet Pet Shop he didn’t bother to knock. Goro swung the door open and shouted out into the blue room.
“Hey! Jokers! Where are you!”
“Once again, Detective, you fail to knock,” R was sitting in his usual place on the couch. He had a cup of coffee in hand, and there were a few snacks on the table. Across from him, his twin was serving himself a fresh cup. In the weeks since Goro had been stopping by the shop, he never saw a customer. Maybe they all came in the hours before he arrived? Otherwise, how could this place stay in business if they had none?
“Oh! Detective! Just in time! The pot of Blue Mountain just finished. I noticed you seemed to prefer it, so I went and got new stock from our supplier!” A got up from his spot on the loveseat. He walked up to meet Goro, offering to take his coat and briefcase. If nothing else A was always overly excited to see him. It was a bit out of the norm to have a suspect so engaged with having him around.
“Great, thank you, Joker,” he shrugged him off and took a seat across from R.
The other twin locked eyes with him and immediately frowned. Goro could swear sometimes R had a stare that could cut a man like a knife.
“You know this isn’t some local hangout. It’s a place of business. If you want to rest somewhere after work, Shinjuku is full of bars.”
“But I want coffee,” Goro said mockingly.
“I’m glad you like it,” A came around the back of the loveseat to place his hands on Goro’s shoulders. It did make him tense up a bit. The younger twin was so handsy. “But you really ought to have coffee from this darling little shop Yongen-Jaya! I’ve done my best to imitate the preparation, but there’s nothing like the original.”
“Why not go and get some there then?” Goro leaned forward out of his grasp.
“I do! During the day. But they close in the evening, and I still crave it late into the night… The Café owner is at least nice enough to sell me ground beans so I can brew some for myself until he opens again.”
“You drink coffee that much?” Goro turned to look over his shoulder at him. “Sounds like you're addicted.”
“I could say the same about you, Detective,” R interrupted. “You are always here.”
“And I’m going to keep coming here until I figure out the truth about what’s going on in this place.”
R didn’t respond, he just brought his cup up to his lips and drank. His brother poured Goro a cup of coffee before taking a seat next to him. He put one arm up over the back of the couch as he turned his body to face Goro, and pulled one leg up to tuck it under himself.
“Don’t mind, R. He’s just having a fit because business has been slow. You’re always welcome here, Detective. I assure you I speak for both of us when I say your presence here is very much enjoyed.”
“Thanks…” Goro took a sip of his coffee.
Joker A started up a conversation with him, while R remained silent. Though Goro had to admit as annoyed as he always seemed by his visits, R never outright threw Goro out or forbade him from returning. So, he had to assume A was telling the truth that he was welcomed there.
“You’ve been coming here for a while now, Detective. Surely it must raise some questions at home?”
“I live alone,” he answered.
“Oh?” A reached over to grab one of the little treats he had stacked up on the table. “No one special in your life?” A couldn’t help but smile as he bit into the treat.
“I work too much to be bogged down with a relationship.”
“That must infuriate your parents,” R leaned back in his seat and watched him.
“What?” Goro turned his attention to him.
“Your parents. All parents want their sons to find a girl, settle down, give them grandkids.”
“Yeah, well…” Goro held his cup aloft and shrugged, “If my mother wants grandkids she’ll have to come home first.”
“What do you mean by that?” A looked at him curiously.
Goro took a sip of his coffee and shrugged, “What it sounds like. She’s gone. Just up and left one day.”
He watched the twins exchange a long stare. A raised his eyebrows, and R slowly closed his eyes and hummed.
Finally, R spoke, eyes still shut, “What about your father?”
“Why do you need to know?”
“We’re just making small talk!” A chimed in, trying to keep his tone light- but it was clear to Goro something had changed in the conversation. “You come here so often, but only ever talk about work or things in the news… Isn’t it natural to eventually talk about yourself?”
“So tell us,” R continued, “What about your father?”
Goro felt his chest constrict. R’s question gave him an uneasy feeling in his skull. Not like when he found his head pounding in the face of a crime, but it unsettled him.
“I’ll tell you as much as I know: He’s an asshole.”
Next to him A abruptly set down his cup and took a deep breath.
R opened his eyes and tilted his head.
Again the two stared at each other.
“….What are you two doing?”
“Us? Well-”
“Don’t answer him, A.”
“Excuse you? I asked a question. I answered you, now you answer me. What’s going on here?”
R didn’t answer. Goro continued to stare at R waiting for an explanation. Next to him, A shifted to sit upright, and though R didn’t take his eyes off Goro, he could tell the other twin was now anxiously staring at his sibling again.
With no one speaking, the only noise in the waiting room was that of the record playing its operatic aria on an endless loop.
Finally, Goro spoke up, “Answer me. Why do you want to know about my parents so badly?”
“Is there something unusual about what I said? …Or maybe, there is something unusual about your parents you don’t want to discuss?”
Before Goro could retort there came a loud banging at the door of the shop. All three of them turned their heads as the door flew open and a blond teenage girl came stumbling in.
Immediately the two Jokers jumped to their feet with panic in their expressions.
The girl looked pale, and sweat was running down the side of her face. She had her hair pulled up into two pigtails, and was wearing a white hoodie with a big red S in the lower corner, with her black school blazer over it, red tights, and brown lace-up boots. The twins had descended upon her faster than Goro could react to the way she suddenly burst into the shop.
“Ann!” They both shouted as each one rushed to her and grabbed her under her arms.
“Ann! What are you doing here?” A asked.
“You’re so pale… And shaking. Quick, over to the couch.”
Goro got to his feet as he watched the two carefully walk the girl over and lay her down on the cushions. Now that she was close Goro could get a better look at the logo on her school blazer. He recognized it as Shujin Academy. Makoto and Sae’s old high school.
The girl on the couch was gasping for air. Her eyelids were half-open, and Goro watched as her blue eyes didn’t seem to focus on anything or anyone in the room.
“Help…” She managed to gasp out.
R pressed his palm to her forehead while A started putting more pillows under her head and feet.
“It’s alright, we’re here. Tell us what happened.”
“You have to help her…”
“Have to help who?” Goro walked around the little coffee table so he could hear her better.
“Detective, please-” R started to scold him but Goro glared up at him.
“I’m a police officer. And she’s asking for help. Don’t tell me not to do my job,” he snapped. Goro turned his attention back to Ann and held his hand up. Weakly she reached out to grasp his hand and Goro felt her palm was burning up. “You’re running a fever!”
“Help her… He took her… please help her.”
“Who took her? Who needs help?” Goro leaned forward but rather than answer him the girl on the couch closed her eyes and passed out.
Goro remained next to her for a moment before pulling back and turning in place and reaching for the phone, “I need your phone, I’m calling this in.”
“No.” R immediately stopped him.
“Excuse me?”
“There’s no need for you to bring the police here. We can handle this.”
“Are you kidding me?” Goro spat him. He shook his head and started for his bag and coat so he could use his phone only to be met with A standing in the way. “Move.”
“Detective, just wait a moment-”
“Are you two trying to hinder a police investigation?”
“It’s not an investigation,” R had now moved away from Ann to stand behind Goro.
“That girl needs help. Not to mention she just said someone was ‘taken’.”
“And what good will it do you to bring a bunch of cops swarming in here! She’s unconscious.”
“Fine then to the hospital-”
“Detective!” A reached out to touch Goro’s shoulder and he pulled away, “Please, just calm down. Ann is a friend of ours. It’s not that we don’t want to help her. It’s just that… She’s a very private girl. Calling in the police, even taking her to the hospital, when she comes to and sees all those people she may run.”
A turned to his brother nodding for confirmation.
R seemed to relax a bit at his statement, “He’s right. Notice she came here and did not call the police herself. We may be able to convince her to give you info, but if you overwhelm her, she’ll act rashly.”
Goro looked back and forth between the two of them.
“You of all people should understand wanting to keep things private.” R folded his arms.
“We promise we’ll look after her tonight,” A assured him. “We’ll close the shop, put her in one of our spare beds, and watch over her. As soon as she’s ready to talk we will call you.”
Goro scoffed. He looked back over at the girl sleeping on the couch.
“Fine. The moment she can talk, call me. I don’t care if it’s an hour from now or a minute from now. I want to talk to her. Understand?”
“Yes, we understand.” A moved aside and let Goro grab his belongings. He turned around at the door to glare at the twins one last time before leaving. They locked the door behind him as promised.
“I don’t like that you promised to involve him,” R scolded his brother.
“You said we need to be more involved with him to figure out the truth!” A walked away from the door and picked up Goro’s coffee cup to examine it.
“Yes, but not like this! Not with Ann!”
“I know it was a poor opportunity, but what could we do?” A held out the cup into the air as he continued to speak to his brother.
Next to him, Lavenza stepped down from the air and reached out to take the cup. “Shall I still focus on comparing the samples to the compendium, or should I assist with Miss Ann?”
“Stay focused on your task... I was hoping to narrow down the search through questioning,” R shook his head, “But it seems the Detective has no information to offer on his mother or father. So it's up to us to narrow the search.”
“It would be easier with a better sample.” She turned her gaze up toward A.
He looked down at her and shrugged, “For now you’ll have to settle with coffee cup kisses, I’m afraid. We’ll be focusing on Ann until this is resolved.”
“I understand,” Lavenza took the ends of her dress and curtsied before turning away. With a few steps, she lifted herself off the floor, taking the cup and ascending as she shrunk down smaller and smaller and slid back between the bars of her butterfly cage.
Goro left the twins’ shop determined. He knew he wasn’t going to wait for them to contact him. That would be a fool’s errand. Not only had that girl expressed someone was in danger, but she herself was clearly sick and possibly injured.
He stopped at the corner of the street and for the first time in weeks felt a dull throb at the forefront of his head.
“They’re lying to me about what’s going on… And I’m not going to stand for it.”
The next morning Goro called the station to excuse himself from work to make his way to Aoyama-Itchome.
He didn’t particularly like lying, usually doing so made him unreasonably uncomfortable, but he knew no one was going to approve of him showing up at Shujin Academy to start randomly asking around about a student with no real reason other than his instincts prompting him too.
Even if he told the story to Makoto, she probably would tell him to wait until there was some sort of official report filed at the station, or he was given a chance to interview Ann.
“-But those two Jokers aren’t going to let me talk to her. So, I have to take matters into my own hands.”
Goro stood outside the high school, cigarette in hand watching as students walked past him on the sidewalk. Very few paid him any mind as they gossiped among themselves, asked each other about last night's homework, or lamented on upcoming exams.
None of them seemed distressed or bothered. He wasn’t really sure if he was expecting any of the students to be like Ann, frantic and overwhelmed, but he had been hoping to at least pick up if the student body had a tense atmosphere.
It wasn’t until the parade of students entering the gate was thinning out that something caught his attention. A teacher had come to the front of the school to stand at the top of the stairs and start barking orders at the stragglers- but only the male ones. Every girl that passed him he greeted with an overly friendly smile and a light chuckle.
“Someone’s never heard of subtlety…” Goro muttered around the cigarette in his mouth as he took in the man’s actions.
He was a tall, squared jawed man with black, curled hair that slightly pointed out at the sides. He wore a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans that were stretched out against his muscular build, and a whistle on a chain around his neck.
“The physical education teacher?” Goro huffed and let out a puff of smoke, “Or a specific team? …Something about him looks familiar?”
He continued to watch the man trying to place his face until one of the last male students came running up to the building. A scrawny looking second-year student with bluish-black hair, dark brown eyes, and a bruise on his cheek came rushing by. His suspenders were hanging at his sides, flapping against his legs with every movement.
He darted in the gate and up the stairs, right as he passed the man at the top of the steps, he put his arm out, causing the student to clip headfirst into his forearm and tumble backward.
“What the fuck!?” Goro took his cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it on the sidewalk before hastily making his way to the gate. The man was now screaming at the student he’d just knocked over.
“Mishima! How many times do I have to tell you not to be late! Your sorry excuse a hide can’t even be bothered to try can it!?”
“B-but I’m not- I’m on tim-”
“Don’t talk back to me!” The man crossed his arms. “Everyone else on the team takes their academic work seriously. If you want to be dropped just say so, instead of making us all look bad!”
“-B-b-but the bell!” Right as the boy called out the bell did indeed chime.
Goro reached the steps as it finished ringing, and the man sneered.
“Yes, Mishima, the bell has rung. You’re late… I’ll talk to Kawakami about arranging a punishment for you. Now get to-”
“-Excuse me,” Goro came to a stop behind the student on the ground. Both the man and the student turned to face him. “Sorry to interrupt, but I want to make sure this boy is okay. You hit him pretty hard there.”
“What?” The man immediately scowled at Goro.
On the ground, the student began shaking his head, “Oh, no- I wasn’t hit, I just fell… I slipped-” he started scrambling to pick himself and his things up off the ground.
“That’s right,” Goro could swear the man was intentionally puffing up his chest at him. Who does he think he is? King of the castle? “He fell over on his own, rushing to get inside before the late bell.”
Goro grimaced, he wasn’t sure if it was the blatant lying or just his general dislike of this man, but his head was starting to hurt.
“I saw you stick your arm, and this kid collided with it.” Goro motioned to the now standing student. “So, kid, are you okay?”
“Uh, I told you…” the boy looked back and forth between Goro and the arrogant teacher. “I just fell on my own. I’m fine.”
“You heard the boy, he’s a klutz. Now see yourself off school proper-”
Goro reached into his coat and pulled out his wallet to show them both his badge, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Akechi Goro, I’m with Tokyo Police.” Both the teacher’s and student’s eyes lit up. “I have business here today with the principal about a student.” He closed his wallet and stuck it back in his pocket, “However, I think I should bring this up with him as well. Unless you’re trying to gaslight an officer of the law Mr.-?”
“Kamoshida.” Goro watched as the man’s stance changed. In no way was he less defensive, still making sure to stand up straight and tall so he towered over Goro and his muscles pushed against his shirt. But now he wore a fake friendly smile on his face. “And I assure you, Officer Akechi-”
“Detective.”
“Detective Akechi, this is all just a misunderstanding!” Kamoshida chuckled and reached out to grab the student’s shoulder. “I was just stretching out my arm, and Mishima bumped into it with a bit more force than usual. His accident was not intentional. Right, Mishima?”
Goro watched the student’s eyes anxiously flick over to the hand that was holding his shoulder a bit too tightly. “Y-yes, that’s right. It was all an accident. It- it wouldn’t have happened if I was on time.”
Goro let out a sigh, these two were going to split his head open, “First he tripped, now he accidentally bumped into you… You’ve got a bruise on your face. Do you have accidents often?”
“Yes!” Mishima answered a little too quickly.
“I see…” Goro looked Kamoshida up and down, “I think he should go to the nurse, that was a pretty bad tumble. And you should write him a pass, so his tardiness is excused.”
“What?” Kamoshida’s smile cracked just a bit.
“I mean it's only fair, he ‘tripped’ on your arm.” Goro nodded. “If we can agree to that, then I think my topics with the principal will stick to the duty I originally came here for… I’d hate to have to add this incident to my report for the station.”
There was a long silence as Goro watched the corners of Kamoshida’s smile twitch before he finally chuckled.
“Quite right, that tumble was pretty nasty,” the man let go of Mishima and waved his hand, “Go on to the nurse. I’ll send word to your homeroom of your accident.”
Mishima stood stunned for a second, almost confused as to what had just happened. Goro nodded to him and he finally turned and entered the building. Goro watched through the doors as he took off into a sprint as soon as he could.
“So, what are you here to see the principal about?” Kamoshida was no longer smiling.
Goro looked him over, “Quite frankly, none of your business.” Goro paused, thinking about the way Kamoshida was greeting the female students and rubbed the center of his forehead. “But I have a feeling I’ll get to talk to you about it soon enough.”
With that, he talked past the man and into the building.
“What an asshole.”
“…A blobfish…” A Goro muttered quietly while he stared ahead.
“Excuse me?” The man across from him stopped speaking and broke Goro out of his trance.
He'd gone to the principal’s office to ask about Ann and see if he could gather more information on the girl's situation, but he couldn’t help but become distracted by Principal Kobayakawa’s appearance. The short, bald, obese man’s face reminded him of something the moment he entered the room. And it wasn’t until partway through their conversation that it dawned on him.
“…Sorry!” Goro shook his head, “Just a bit of trivia I suddenly recalled.” He cleared his throat and tried to ignore Kobayakawa’s annoyed look. “So, you say the girl who fits that description is Takamaki Ann? That makes sense, the witness only gave a first name. But I imagine there aren’t very many blonde blue-eyed students here.”
“No, there are not.” The principal shook his head.
“Do you mind if I talk to some of her classmates? I just want to question them about Takamaki’s recent behavior.”
The principal hummed to himself for a moment. He reached into the breast side pocket of his mustard-colored suit to pull out a small cloth and began tapping at his head.
“I don’t want the student’s lessons disrupted… A police investigation could cause chaos on school grounds. I’d really rather you no-”
“Listen,” Goro cut him off. “I just need to talk to anyone that she spends time with. Not your entire student body. The kid’s in her class will know her best. I can either ask them some questions discretely- we can use an empty classroom if you like- Or I can leave here today, and come back with a team of officers that shut down classes for a whole day and interview the entire student body.”
“Oh no!” Kobayakawa shook his head. Goro could see he was sweating more. Clearly, he did not want cops in this school.
That was a red flag. On top of the asshole coach, he ran into.
“Great,” Goro nodded. “I know this school’s reputation is very important.” He offered the principal a cordial smile, “My partner actually used to attend school here. Niijima Makoto. I promise, there should be no need for further action after today, and you and your school and keep your prestigious record.”
“Ahh, yes…” Kobayakawa nodded, “The Niijimas, both excellent students.” The man paused. “Alright, I’ll call down to Kawakami’s room and set up for you to speak to a few students. I’m only giving you two hours, so please be quick about it. You can use the student council room.”
“Thank you,” Goro turned and exited the principal’s office. Once the door was shut, he reached into his pocket to let his fingers trace over the top of his cigarette box. He couldn’t light up in here, but it was easing some of the tension in his skull
“I don’t like this place…” he made his way down the hall to the student council office. A few minutes later a teacher with chin-length wavy black hair, a yellow and white striped shirt, and knee-length jean skirt came up the hall. The woman looked exhausted, but also slightly relieved.
“So you’re the one that’s giving me a break?”
“Uh? I think so… I’m Akechi Goro, nice to meet you.”
“Kawakami Sadayo… I teach the 2-D class. I’m Takamaki’s homeroom teacher.”
“Oh, I see… I guess you’re having to pause class for me to do this.”
“Don’t worry,” The woman turned and unlocked the door for him, “They’re not listening anyway.”
“Uh-huh…” Goro raised his eyebrows as she spoke. She was at least honest. “Before I get started with the kids, do you mind if I question you for a bit?”
“No, not at all.”
“Great… As a student, how would you say Takamaki is?”
“I suppose she’s about average? English is her best subject. But one of her parents it’s a Westerner. Or so I’m told.”
“So you’re told?”
“I’ve never actually met them,” the woman shrugged. “Apparently they’re always abroad. She lives with another student, a friend of hers. That girl’s parents take all Takamaki’s parental consent forms.”
“Another girl?”
“…please help her.”
‘What’s her name?”
“Suzui Shiho. Another second year.”
“And is she in your class?”
“Suzui? No,” Kawakami shook her head. “But I can call her up to be questioned. And one of her teammates is in my class. Mishima Yuuki, they’re in volleyball together.”
“Mishima…” Goro nodded feeling confident, “Thank you for doing that for me. Before you send them up, can you just send in a few other students? Anyone that sits close to Takamaki will do… I just want to gather a bit more information from other student’s perspectives.”
“Of course, I’ll start sending them up right away.”
Goro bid Kawakami fair well and set up in the student council room. He wanted a bit more background information on Takamaki and Suzui before he dove into grilling her and Mishima. So, picking the brains of the other children would be valuable.
And what he learned, was not what he was expecting to be honest. From the few male students he spoke to he heard all the same things, Takamaki was a ‘snob’. No boy could ask her out. She always had plans with Suzui, always turned down gifts. But they all still tried. She was beautiful- Goro supposed he could see that. The only natural blonde-haired girl in the school was sure to earn a lot of suitors. But to never go out with any of them?
It did seem a bit standoffish. But something told him, that was the wrong judgment to take away from their statements.
What was most valuable was the gossip from the female students.
Takamaki wouldn’t date any of the male students because she already had a boyfriend: Kamoshida Suguru.
It kept coming up again and again, but with no concrete evidence. Just the bitter words of jealous girls who claimed they saw him flirting with her in the halls, or overheard him asking her out or telling her he made plans for them. It was sickening, to him it was obvious, every story was the same, every girl saw Kamoshida approach Takamaki, never the other way around.
But these girls seemed jealous? Why?
After the last one left, he told her to ask Kawakami to send up Suzui. In the meantime, he plugged Kamoshia’s name into his phone and got back several hits about the Olympics.
“A gold medalist?” He leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. “Is that what all these kids are crazy about? …Don’t any of them think it's laughable that a former Olympian is teaching at a high school and not the face of some brand deal? Or running his own gym?”
‘Why is he teaching high school instead of living it up?”
He remained to wait like that for some time. Goro eventually looked back at his phone to see it had been over fifteen minutes since the last girl left. His time was going to be up soon.
“What’s going on?” He rose from his seat and checked out in the hall. No one was present. “Well, keeping things quiet or not, I guess I’m going down to the classroom to speak to Kawakami again.”
Goro left the student council room and made his way down to the second floor and classroom 2-D. Outside he saw Kawakami making her way back to her room. Her face lit up when she saw him coming.
“Detective… Sorry I was just about to send a message up to you.”
“Oh? What’s going on?”
“Well, it turns out Suzui isn’t in today… Apparently, she hasn’t been in in the last three.”
“Is that so…” Goro nodded. He tried not to smile at the news; it looked like he’d located his ‘taken’ person. “What about Mishima?”
“He’s here, but he's down at the gym. Kamoshida has special permission from the principal to make calls for emergency volleyball practices with the next tournament being so soon.”
“Kamoshida…” Goro tilted his head, “What do you know about him? How is his relationship with the students?”
Kawakami shrugged, “He’s fair. A bit strict, but he really cleans up the troublemakers. Lots of students admire him.”
“Lots of female students?”
Kawakami scoffed for a moment but nervously smiled, “Girls this age get crushes on their teachers. Especially when they’re seen as ‘perfect’.”
“…Does Takamaki have a crush on him?”
“Takamaki? No,” Kawakami shook her head, “She never had any interest in any guy. And plenty ask her out. As far as I know, she spends all her free time with Suzui. I hadn’t realized the other girl was out sick. That would explain why Takamaki was so distracted in the last few days.”
“I guess it would… Well, thank you for your time, Kawakami. I’m going to head down to the gym and talk to Mishima.”
“No problem, thank you for a break in the chaos.”
Goro entered the gym to see several members of the volleyball team in the middle of warm-up exercises. The room was filled with the sounds of sneakers moving on the waxed floors, exhausted groans, and Kamoshida’s whistle shrieking every few seconds.
He scanned the room until he spotted Mishima doing stretches over in the corner and made his way around the gym to him.
“Hey kid,” Goro spoke up.
Mishima stopped startled, and quickly looked around nervously before speaking, “Hi… Uh, did you need me for something?”
Now that he’d turned to face him, Goro could see a bruise had formed on his forehead.
“Just wanted to make sure you were alright before I leave campus.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine…” Mishima peeked around Goro to look out at the gym. Goro noted the whistle had stopped going off.
“Great, hey, can you answer a question for me?”
“Um…” Mishima’s eyes darted behind Goro and then back to his face. “I don’t-”
Goro didn’t wait for an answer, “What can you tell me about the relationship between your coach, Takamaki and Suzui?”
Mishima’s eyes stopped darting around and stayed on Goro. The color slightly drained from his face. But he didn’t say anything.
“Do they have a good relationship?” Mishima remained silent. “Does he mistreat Suzui like he’s mistreating you?” Mishima turned his head away. “…Is he why Suzui’s been out sick for three days?”
“Hey!” From behind Kamoshida grabbed Goro’s shoulder and spun him around. “What do you think you’re doing interrupting my practice?”
Goro shrugged the man off and scowled at him, “I told you, I’m here about an incident regarding a student… Maybe you know her? Takamaki Ann?” Goro watched Kamoshida’s face stiffen up. “I’ve already heard a few interesting things.”
Kamoshida looked back at Mishima, who Goro heard let out a squeak of fear.
“Not from him. From her classmates…” Goro then looked over the practicing students, “Or do you want to talk about Suzui Shiho? Either girl will do.” He turned back to Kamoshida, “I get the feeling your sentiment is the same about them?”
Kamoshida was sneering at him, “Do you actually have a warrant to be here questioning my students?”
“A witness filed a-”
“I don’t care about false witnesses,” the man hissed at Goro. In response, Goro’s lips twisted up into a frown. “That’s right… I took the time to check on you, former ‘Detective Prince’. Didn’t you already disgrace yourself enough by bringing false witnesses against Prime Minister Shido?”
Kamoshida started to scoff as Goro continued to glare at him.
‘I can’t believe they still let a hack like you do this kind of work.”
“There were no false witnesses in that case. Just a bunch of paid liars.” Goro spat.
“Say what you want, but it's on the books, you’re a hack.”
“And what about you? How do you go from gold medal star to teaching high school and chasing underage skirts?”
This time Kamoshida clenched his jaw at Goro and lashed out to grab him by the edge of his trench coat. “Get out of my gym!”
Goro smacked the man’s hands away and Kamoshida pushed him hard enough that he stumbled back and into Mishima. The student fell back from the force and landed on his ass. Kamoshia let out a laugh as Goro turned around to help him up.
“I told you, a klutz… Now leave here, and don’t let me catch you snooping around again.”
Kamoshida stood and watched Goro with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face as he finished helping Mishima to his feet. The man-made his blood boil. He continued to glare at him as he left the gym, but he was determined to come back tomorrow and speak to the volleyball team.
However, Goro’s patience wasn’t done being tested yet.
As he made his way down the steps of the school he spotted a familiar face outside the gates, holding a large birdcage with an animal inside.
“For crying out loud…” Goro dug into his coat and pulled out a cigarette, he was going to need it for this. “A, what are you doing here? And what’s with that bird?”
Goro stopped before A and lit up as the twin greeted him with his usual flirtatious smirk.
“Detective! How lovely to see you here,” A reached out and grabbed the end of Goro’s cigarette snatching it from his mouth. As Goro tried to reach for it, A clenched it in his hands, burning end and all. “Don’t smoke, it's not good for you.”
“What are you? My mother?” Goro reached for another one.
“Did you recall anything about her?” A looked at him genuinely surprised.
“It’s an expression…” He looked down at the bird in the cage as he put the next stick in his mouth. The creature had to be at least a foot tall, with a long elegant neck; its body was covered in vibrant red feathers, its chest plumes however were a soft pink, and the tips of its wings were golden. On top of its head, it had a magnificent crown of gold and pink feathers that cascaded down its neck and came forward over the tops of its wings, across its chest, and formed a point right above its chest. As he stared down at it, the bird lifted its head to reveal it had blue eyes.
‘So are you going to tell me what the deal with the bird is?”
“Oh, this bird!” A lifted the cage slightly as he spoke, “She is a very rare breed of Agapornis!”
“A-gap-pron-is?”
A laughed, “No, Agapornis! A love bird! Specifically, this species is the ‘Agapornis Igniales’.”
“Aren’t love birds small?” Goro motioned to the cage, “That thing is huge.”
“This breed is very old… Many believe them extinct.” A looked down at the cage fondly. “But they’ve been around since ancient times… Since the dawn of fire. A beautiful bird, who’s affection can warm any heart and give life to anyone in their darkest times.”
Goro took a puff of his cigarette unamused, “Right… But why are you here with it?”
“Oh! I’m searching for the owner!” A motion to the school, “You see a few years ago Papa contracted this bird to a girl named Suzui Shiho. I believe this is her current school.”
“Suzui? That’s her pet?”
“Yes! My brother and I had been looking after her, as a lovebird, she requires constant one on one interaction. However Suzui came to our store, and right away the two were smitten with each other. She signed the contract and took her home! We had high, high hopes that in Suzui’s care, she might even produce an egg- one that would actually result in a new branch of the bloodline- As this bird may very well be the last! But… It seems Suzui has gone missing.”
“Yeah, I know… But I’ve already got a suspect-”
From its cage, the bird let out a loud excited trill. A had to grasp the handle with both hands to keep it from rocking as the bird flapped its wings. Goro could feel hot air coming off the bird’s body with each beat of its wings.
“-But you and your brother need to stay out of it. Let the police do the investigating-” Goro paused, “Actually… I have an idea. Joker A, file a missing police report about Suzui.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you file a missing report, I can come back to the school with an entire team.”
“…But, I’m not family- or anyone who has day to day interaction with Suzui. I cannot file a valid report.”
“Sure you can,” Goro motioned to the bird. “She signed a business contract with your father. And you are now the oversee of that contract while he is away. Suzui missing means the contract is going unfulfilled.”
A’s eyes lit up, “Oh my, Detective… You are a clever one, aren’t you?”
“Just file the report, so I can do my job.” He pointed at A, “And don’t go snooping around yourself, got it? I’ll find Suzui.”
“I can’t make promises I won’t keep.”
In her cage, the bird let out another trill of excitement.
Goro got the call later that evening from Makoto that Joker A had been by the station to file a missing person’s report on Suzui. She’d personally taken his information when he came to the front desk.
“-I honestly can’t believe they're as weird as you described them.”
“At least you got to deal with the nice one,” Goro responded to her as he walked down the streets of Shinjuku, slowly making his way to the now-familiar Velvet Blue door.
“Well tomorrow, you, myself and a few officers will go question the volleyball team… So make sure you get some rest.”
“I’ll try.”
“…Are you going to shop again?”
“I just need to pick up something for the investigation.”
Makoto sighed into the phone, “Are you actually doing this for the case? Or do you have an ulterior motive?”
“What other motives could I have, Makoto?”
“I know your type.”
Goro scoffed and hung up the phone on her.
Once again he swung open the door to the sop without knocking, “Jokers! Front and center!”
“-I’ll call you back, Papa.” R slowly hung up the receiver of the golden phone and turned to glare at Goro from the couch, “Detective. Do you mind? This is a place of business! Not your personal hideout for us to be at your beck and call.”
“Yeah, yeah…” Goro slid his coat off and hung it up on the hook by the door.
Sitting across from R was Ann, she was now awake and slowly sipping a cup of tea. She still looked extremely pale.
“Oh, so glad you called me right when she woke up.”
“Ann woke up late this afternoon,” R watched Goro as he made his way over to the girl, “A had already informed me you were busy with an investigation, so I figured it could wait.”
“She’s part of the investigation!” Goro snapped. He turned away from R and got down on one knee to speak to Ann.
‘Takamaki, how are you doing?” She didn’t answer. “I went to Shujin today to ask about Suzui. She’s the one who was taken right?” Ann lifted her head and turned to him.
“So, you found Shiho?”
“No… Not yet. But I’m going to.” Goro nodded, “Can you tell me anything about Kamoshida? Anything at all?”
Ann stared at him, her blue eyes narrowed and her hands started to shake, “What a wretched human being. I hate him, I hate everything about him.”
“Yeah, the feeling is mutual…” Goro looked down at her shaking hands and saw the contents of her cup were starting to bubble. He leaned back a bit as he realized steam was also starting to rise from the cup faster. “What the heck-”
“Ann,” R got up from his seat and reached over to take the cup from her. If it was hot, he showed no signs of it bothering him. He set the cup on the table and put a hand on Ann’s forehead. “…You need to rest. If you keep getting heated like this, you’re going to burn your whole body up.”
“I can’t help it!” Ann lowered her head, “The longer I’m away from Shiho… The angrier I feel.”
“I know, I know… But this isn’t doing you any good. Why don’t you go lie down? You can answer the Detective at another time.”
Ann looked up at R, and then over to Goro, “I’m sorry… I need to rest.”
“Sure, don’t worry about it. By tomorrow, I should have all the info I need.” Goro stood up and let Ann do the same.
As soon as she left the room he turned to R, “I need a copy of Suzui’s contract.”
“Excuse me? Why? We are not responsible for her disappearance.”
“No, but your brother filed a missing person’s report. And I need a copy of the contract to prove that the shop has a valid claim on its concerns for her whereabouts.”
R stared at Goro for a moment blinking in disbelief before scowling, “You did this on purpose.”
“I am doing nothing, but upholding the law.”
R rolled his eyes, “You can have a copy. And then you promptly get out of my shop for the evening.”
“So you’re finally throwing me out? I guess your brother is wrong about you liking me?”
“I never said I didn’t like you,” R corrected him, “You just have to get out.”
Goro spent all night looking up information on Kamoshida and reading over the contract between Joker and Suzui. It read much like Gomen’s, though there were a few oddities. For starters, the name ‘Agapornis Igniales’ appeared in the contract for the birds ‘publicly referenced’ title but was signed off to Suzui as a phoenix. There was also a clause stating that upon reaching adulthood, Suzui would begin attempting to breed the bird in an effort to ‘seed a new bloodline’.
He had no idea if this meant Suzui had an interest in breeding birds… But the bird he saw looked fully grown. A had mentioned something similar, but it didn’t seem like Suzui had started to breed the bird yet. Perhaps that’s another reason A had the creature back in his possession?
“You’re telling me the twins sold a high schooler a phoenix?” Makoto rolled her eyes.
She was standing just inside Shujin Academy's entryway with Goro. It was late into the morning and their investigation into Suzui’s disappearance was underway.
“That’s what the contract says.”
“…Goro, please do not bring that up during the line of questioning.”
“I’ll only bring it up if the pet shop gets brought up.”
“Niijima!” The two were snapped out of their discussion by the principal approaching them.
“Principal Kobayakawa, how nice to see you again.”
“I wish I could say the same to you!” The man snapped. He was already sweating profusely. “Is all of this really needed? I thought Detective Akechi here already did his questioning!”
Makoto side-eyed Goro for a second before shaking her head, “Unfortunately, one of your teachers interfered… So now we must take a more heavy-handed approach.”
The man shifted on his feet, “Surely you can solve this missing person’s case without this much poking around?”
“Why?” Goro closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead, “Do you have something you don’t want us to find here?”
Kobayakawa didn’t answer, he just let out a distressed and tired sigh of resignation.
“Don’t worry, Sir,” Makoto took over the conversation, “I promise we’ll keep this as brief as possible. But please announce that we need all members of the volleyball team to come to the gym for interviews.”
The interviews went much better than the previous day.
Goro, Makoto, and a separate officer each set up in the corner of the gym and began speaking to students while another officer kept a queue of the rest outside the door. While it took a little prodding at first, it didn’t take long before the student’s started to crack. And once one leak was sprung, the dam broke on Kamoshida’s treatment of the team.
Male students showed them bruises, told them horror stories of passing out in the heat, of students receiving broken bones for talking back… The list went on and on…
“…Strict and cleans up the troublemakers, huh?” Goro signed writing down accounts in his notes. “Kawakami’s probably just ignorant of how bad he really is.”
After his last interview, Makoto made her way over to Goro’s station, “Hey, that kid Mishima is up next. You said you wanted to talk to him together?”
“Right,” Goro nodded, “He’s the one I saw get hit in the face when I arrived. I hope he’s doing alright.”
Makoto took a seat next to Goro, as Mishima was let into the room. He was clearly walking with a slight limp, one that wasn’t there yesterday. He took a seat across from Goro and Makoto and let his head slump.
“Mishima,” Goro started, “Your teammates have already told us a lot… But I wanted to make sure we spoke to you too. Even if we have enough evidence to work with.”
Mishima just nodded.
“…I want to ask you specifically about Kamoshida’s relationship with Takamaki and Suzui. What can you tell us?”
“Kamoshida,” Mishima paused for a minute, “Kamoshida… He’s always looking at the girls.” Mishima reached up and rubbed the side of his neck. “The attention isn’t enough. Everyone knows that he hits on the female players… He calls them into his office for ‘special meetings’.”
“Special meetings?” Makoto frowned, she shifted in her seat clearly uncomfortable. “Do you know exactly what these meetings are about?”
Mishima licked his upper lip and looked up at the two of them, “Am I going to be arrested too?”
Goro and Makoto exchanged glances before she spoke up, “No. Anything you were made to do, Kamoshida will be held accountable for.”
Mishima nodded, “I know what happens in the meetings… I’m also in the audiovisual and tech club. He, uh, he has a camera in his office he had me set up. I also have to edit the videos-”
“Excuse me, what?” Makoto interrupted him. Mishima froze up.
Goro held up a hand, “You’re not in trouble. Just continue.”
Mishima started to shake in his seat, “I- I have to… It’s the only job he’ll let me do to compensate for punishments.”
“Job?” Makoto interjected again. “Can you explain a bit further?”
“Most people, just take the punishment outright… But it’s exhausting. Sometimes Kamoshida will offer for us to do a job for him instead. I- I don’t know them all because he told me he wanted a camera set up and videos encrypted. B-but I know some team members say he sets them up with someone, off-campus to do work. Fulfill favors for him, and you won’t get punished.”
“Work off-campus huh, and that’s only the boys I take it?” Goro asked. Mishima nodded in response. “And the girls' meetings?”
“It’s about their positions on the team. Their chances at scholarships… If they want to get ahead- they- well- '' Mishima started to look over his shoulder as if expecting someone to be there, “I- mean- it's on the computer. You see what they have to do to keep a position- I don’t- I don’t want to-”
“It’s alright, Mishima.” Goro stopped him. “Kamoshida is not going to come after you for this… I have one last question. Are Suzui and Takamaki on those videos?”
Mishima slightly shrugged, “A- a few days ago Suzui had a meeting with Kamoshida, but I haven’t seen her since. He hasn’t called me in to do any work… He’s just been really aggressive. Not asking for favors, just punishments only.”
“Right,” Goro put his hands on the table and stood up, “Mishima, please talk to the other officers about escorting you home. Makoto and I are going to go get that computer.”
Mishima nodded and swallowed hard before slowly getting up from his seat. Makoto also stood from her chair and Goro could see she had a scowl on her face.
“You ready?”
“We had better get that computer and leave, because if you make me interact with that man-”
“I just might, on principal. Come on.”
Goro and Makoto left the gymnasium and made their way straight to Kamoshida’s office. When they arrived the door was locked.
Goro tried the handle and scoffed.
“I can go get a janitor to unlock it,” Makoto offered.
Goro shook his head and put his ear to the door, “No…I hear someone in there.” He paused and glanced back at Makoto. “Wasn’t Kobayakawa supposed to keep Kamoshida in his office?”
“I think so!” Makoto motioned with her hands for Goro to move. He did so and she clenched her fist and tensed up as she squared up against the door. Goro watched her take a slight step back before lunching at the door while raising one leg. Makoto’s heel connected with the door just above the handle and the area around the wood snapped. The additional force caused the door to swing open.
Goro raised his eyebrows and nodded, “Note to self, never allow you to kick me.”
Makoto rushed into the room and Goro followed behind her. Inside Kamoshida was sitting at his computer quickly entering commands with one hand and moving things around with the mouse in his other.
“Kamoshida Suguru! Stop! You’re under arrest for tampering with police evidence!”
“Get out of my office!” The man barely looked back over his shoulder at them, “This is an invasion of my privacy!”
“You’re going to get an invasion of my foot up your ass if you don’t stand up and back away from that machine!” Makoto grabbed the back of the chair and yanked it back so hard Kamoshida fell onto the floor.
Goro stepped over him and tried to get a look at the screen to see what he was doing, but Kamoshida scrambled up onto his hands and knees and reached under the desk to yank out the power cord. Goro swore and turned his attention back to the man. He grabbed one of his arms and dragged him out from under the desk.
“Get out here! Get up! You’re under arrest!”
“You don’t have anything to take me in!” Kamoshida tried to shove him off.
Makoto had circled around to his other side and firmly slammed her foot onto his lower back dropping him to the floor. She kept her foot on him as she leaned her entire body weight forward, “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop resisting. Now.”
With Kamoshida detained, Goro and Makoto ordered for his computer to be taken in for evidence and the room searched for the camera they were informed about. The two made sure to walk the volleyball coach down the halls of the school with as much fanfare as they could, with Makoto on one side and Goro on the other. They shoved him down the halls, out the school, and into a squad car while most of the student body watched.
Goro felt pretty smug about pushing the man around, and he hoped all the students he’d been giving hell felt great about it as well.
However, the victory was not to last.
Moments after they entered the station the Chief stopped them and told them to let Kamoshida go. On their way back to the station the Principal had already called and had several close associates call and demand Kamoshida be released.
“Who?” Goro demanded as a few uniform officers took Kamoshida from him and Makoto. “Who the hell does that fat, balding idiot know to get him out of jail before we even put him in a cell!”
“That’s none of your concern,” the Chief chastised him. “Besides, you don’t have enough to hold him anyway.”
“We have testimony from the students!”
“No physical evidence.”
“What about the computer!” Goro protested.
“Until it can be searched, it's not anything to hold him over. He gets to go.”
Goro and Makoto both scowled as they had to watch their fellow officers release Kamoshida.
The man sneered back at them with a confident grin, “When are you going to learn, ‘Detective Prince’ to stop sticking your nose in the business of those that are better than you.”
“You son of a-” Makoto put an arm out to keep Goro from charging after Kamoshida. Or maybe to keep herself from doing so.
They both stood watching him walk out the doors, and then abruptly stop. A few feet ahead of him Goro could just make out Joker A and Ann arriving at the station.
“Oh no…” Goro moved around Makoto and made his way to the doors. Makoto followed him. As he walked outside Kamoshida turned away from them and started down the street in the opposite direction.
“What is he doing outside!” Ann immediately spoke up the moment she saw Goro. She looked flushed, and her brow was covered in sweat. “Why is he not being locked up!”
“Ann,” A reached out to hold her hand, “Please we talked about this. You said you’d be calm-”
“What are you two doing here?” Goro ignored Ann’s questions.
“We came to help,” A answered. “After talking it over with my brother, we decided it was alright for Ann to come give her testimony. In the end, we decided it was the best way to help Suzui.”
“We still don’t have proof that he’s actually holding Suzui yet,” Makoto spoke up. “The volleyball team gave us a lot of evidence, but none of them said he’s actually the reason she’s missing.”
“I trusted you,” Ann looked at Goro tearfully, “You were supposed to get Shiho back!”
“Look, we're doing our best. Once we get into his computer files, we’ll have more evidence to hold him but for now, we don’t have evidence he took her.”
“You want evidence! Then here!” Ann reached into her coat pocket to dig out her cellphone and thrust it at Goro. He fumbled trying to catch. “Just look at what he sent to me!”
Makoto came to lean over Goro’s shoulder as he started looking at Ann’s messages from Kamoshida.
The man started all of their conversations, most of it was in line with what he heard from the female students. He always propositioned her, never the other way around. However, four days ago-
“Look there,” Makoto pointed to the screen, “That one ‘Come meet me after school in my office again. This time play nice or else.’”
“That’s a clear threat but not proof he took her,” Goro shook his head and scrolled down. “But this one, for the next day, ‘Missing something? Come to my office if you want it back.’”
“They’re threats just vague enough he could say he took an item…”
“So you still won’t do anything?” Ann spat at them. Goro swore he could feel the heat radiating off of her as she started to breathe harder and sweat ran down her neck.
“It’s not that we won’t, it’s just… not enough-”
“Coward!” Ann snapped at him. A tried to reach out to hold onto her arm and she pushed him away. “You said he would help, Joker! You didn’t tell me the humans had neutered him so much!”
“Whoa! Whoa!” Goro held up his hands defensively, “I’m on your side, Takamaki, we all are.”
She turned to glare at him, “If you won’t do your duty, and serve justice, then I will!”
“Hey! Don’t do anything reckless-” This time Goro tried to reach out for her, but just as his fingertips grazed her arm, he recoiled from the heat.
Ann backed away from them shaking her head before she turned around and took off down the street.
“Oh dear,” A folded his arms, “At this rate, she’ll burst into flame in no time.” He turned back to the two detectives, “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t think it would go this poorly, but I warned you, she’s wary about seeking help.”
“She looked sick,” Makoto noted.
“She hasn’t been well since Shiho left. She needs her affection to thrive… I promise I’ll keep an eye on her, but please. You have to bring Shiho back soon.”
With that A turned and followed after Ann down the street, though Goro noted he didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry.
He looked down at the phone in his hands, “Let’s hand this over to the boys in evidence and see what they find between this and the computer.”
Goro and Makoto spent the rest of the afternoon and early into the evening at the station going over the interviews they’d had with the students, and being called over to the evidence and technical lab every time they uncovered a new video. However, after the third one, they stopped asking to see them directly and just asked if the girl's name was given and a date and a time.
The pattern was always the same.
A female student or team member was called into Kamoshida’s office, and their interactions started off normal. In fact, it seemed like they were used to being called to the office to discuss school or training practice. Makoto reasoned they probably had all been called up several times before and the sessions had been normal.
“A smart predator does not strike on the first pass,” she told Goro.
But eventually, the talks would turn to how their aspirations were hindered. They were either falling behind in their performance, or another student was going to outshine them, or their recommendations weren’t good enough. But Kamoshida offered them solutions, in exchange for their bodies.
Goro was still re-reading Ann’s messages trying to forget the sound of the first girl crying on video, and how even when breaking down in tears on her knees, she still thanked Kamoshida for the college recommendation.
The second girl said nothing at all. Makoto pointed out the blank look on her face, she was probably dissociating, and with how quickly she fell into the routine, it probably wasn’t the first time she encountered a man like Kamoshida. Makoto took a personal interest in that one, she vowed to track the girl down and make sure she was getting help.
In the third video, they had to stop watching. The girl from the volleyball team refused, and in response, Kamoshida began punching her until she went down by force. It only took a few blows, but Goro resolved he should have slammed Kamoshida’s head into a few walls when they had him in cuffs.
They had stopped keeping track of how many videos and victims they had been told about until one of the computer techs called out to them, “Hey, this one’s the Takamai girl.”
Goro looked up from the phone, and Makoto slowly got out of her chair.
They came to stand behind the tech as he pressed play on the video.
“Ah, Ann, come in,” Kamoshida turned around in his chair and motioned for Ann to step further into his office.
“Um… Please, Takamaki is still suitable.”
Kamoshida chuckled, “Now now, we don’t have to be formal when it's just the two of us.” Kamoshida got up and approached Ann with his hands outstretched like he wanted to hug her, but she took a step back.
“You said you wanted me to come by, so here I am. What is this about,” she crossed her arms and remained guarded.
Kamoshida lowered his hands as he spoke again, this time a bit of an annoyed tone in his voice, “I do love that fire in you, kitten. But don’t you think this cat and mouse game has gone on long enough?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m tired of the chase. You’ve seen the way I look at you. The way you parade around at the practices to ‘wait for Shiho’ while showing off the hot bod of yours.”
Ann clenched her fist by her side, “You’re kidding, right? I’m not there for you… I’m not here for you now either. I’m here because you said if I didn’t show up, you’d take Shiho off the team!”
Kamoshida’s back started to tense up as he was clearly trying to keep himself from getting angry, “You’re the hottest girl in this school. And you’ve turned down every boy that talks to you. No one is worthy of you, but you’re worthy of me.” He motioned to himself. “Together we're a power couple. The hottest, most deserving, most important-”
“Stop it!” Ann shook her head, “Never. I want nothing to do with you!”
Finally, Kamoshida snapped, “Don’t you dare reject me! I deserve you!” He reached out for Ann and grabbed her by her shoulders, “If you say no to me one more time, then Shiho’s going to get worse than being thrown off the team-!” He started to shake her and Ann screamed. Kamoshida leaned forward to try and kiss her only to suddenly recoil.
The man let out a painful shriek and started waving his hands back and forth and opening and closing them like he’d just grabbed a burning pot with his bare hands.
Ann immediately shoved him back with both hands and bolted for the door.
As soon as she was gone, Kamoshida started cursing. He grabbed his chair and flipped it over, facing the camera revealed to have scorched black marks on his shirt in the shape of hands.
“She got away…” Goro muttered.
“The next video is marked for the Suzui girl.”
“We don’t need to see it,” Makoto put a hand on the tech’s shoulder. “Just make sure it’s saved with the others. We’re going to Kamoshida’s residence.” She turned to Goro.
“Right, connections or not, he’s sitting in a cell for the rest of his life.”
Goro and Makoto pulled up to Kamoshida’s complex a little over an hour later. The volleyball coach lived in an expensive apartment complex and up on the higher floors.
When they arrived at his apartment, Goro contemplated knocking, but Makoto had other ideas.
“Stand aside.”
“Again?” Goro moved out of her way.
“If I don’t do it to the door, I’m going to do it to his face.”
Goro shrugged, “I mean, you could always do both.”
He watched as again, Makoto took down the door. This time it required a few more kicks than just the one. Inside the apartment looked a mess; not as if it had always been unkempt, but like it was quickly being packed up. But Kamoshida was nowhere to be seen.
“Son of bitch… Did he already skip town?” Makoto began searching through the front rooms of the apartment.
“If we lose him, I’m going to reem the chief a new one…” Goro moved towards the back of the apartment and began checking rooms.
Each one he opened was in disarray until he got to a locked guest room.
“Makoto!” Goro called out to her, “Bring those lock picking legs this way, we got a locked door.”
Makoto approached the door and tried the handle herself, “I don’t think I need to kick this one down. Feels weak.”
“So just shoulder it together?”
“Should do the trick,” she moved over slightly to allow Goro to line up with her facing the door. Once in position, the two began ramming their body weight against the door. As soon as they collided with it once, they heard a voice on the other side yelp.
“Did you hear that?” Goro paused.
“Sure did… Suzui?” Makoto called out. “Are you in there?”
“….is someone there…” a very weak female voice responded.
“Holy shit,” Goro shook his head. “Hang on, kid, we’re gonna be in there in a second.” Goro turned to Makoto and they began ramming the door again. A few more slams into the wood and it broke off its hinges.
The two slightly stumbled forward as the door fell to the ground with a loud bang.
Inside Shiho let out a loud shout of surprise.
“Who? Who are you!?”
Goro and Makoto looked into the room to see a teenage girl with long black hair and dark eyes sitting on a twin bed in the corner of the room. She was stripped down to her underwear, which dirtied and soiled from her being kept locked up, and her hair was long tangled mess down to her shoulders. Her skin was covered with blemishes and bruises, including one just under her eye.
Makoto immediately started to shrug off her coat and rush over to the bed.
“Don’t worry, we’re here to help you! I’m Detective Niijima Makoto! And this is my partner Akechi Goro!”
“You’re… police?” Shiho didn’t move as Makoto draped her coat around her. She seemed lost in the situation.
Makoto looked down at the bed and frowned, “She’s got a restraint on her ankle… It’s attached to the bed.”
“I’ll call back up, we can get someone in here to release her and the ambulance on the way.”
“No…” Shiho shook her head. She looked up at Makoto and finally acknowledged the coat on her shoulders. She pulled it closer and turned to face her, “Ann… He’s gone to get Ann. You have to send the police after him.”
“Takamaki?” Goro questioned her, “She’s staying with the Jokers.”
“No!” Shiho frantically shook her head. “He was just in here. He said it! He said she agreed to meet him at the school! You have to stop him!”
“Calm down, calm down…” Makoto put her coat back around Shiho. “Goro,” she turned to her partner, “Get over to Shujin. I’ll stay with Suzui.”
“Right, I’ll contact you as soon as he’s in custody.”
Goro took Makoto’s car to make his way to Shujin, never mind that he barely ever drove and was certain his license had expired. But none of that mattered now.
As he pulled up to the school he spotted Joker R standing out in front of the gates, which had been left wide open.
“R!” He got out of the car and slammed the door. “Where’s Takamaki!”
“Inside,” R didn’t move to look at him as he stormed up.
“And you’re just going to stand here and let whatever’s about to happen, happen!”
“Kamoshida has interfered with the contract.”
“He didn’t sign it!”
“No, but his actions are directly hindering its purpose. His actions have made the phoenix ill. It thrives in the presence of one whose desires are pure, and who will love it unconditionally. The bird is dying. And as a result, it now seeks the fuel for its flames to preserve its life.”
“What?” Goro shook his head confused and all R did was moving toward the school. Goro turned his head to look at the darkened building when he saw a bright flash of light near one of the stairwells. The windows lit up as it traveled down the hall and abruptly ended in another brilliant burst of light and fire.
“What was that!”
“Agilao.”
“What!?” Goro screamed at him and reached for his gun, “Never mind! I’ve got to stop her!”
He charged into the building leaving R behind.
Goro ran up toward the stairwell where he saw the flash of light and paused for a moment. The sides of the walls were black with burn barks on one side, and on the other, there were scrapes in the paint from talon marks. There were still a few embers burning on the stairs- though he noted they looked like red feathers slowly burning up into ash.
“Takamaki!” Goro called out as he climbed the stairs and exited out to the second-floor hallway. “Takamaki! Where are you!”
He looked down the hall searching for signs of the two before he heard Kamoshida let out a scream.
Goro took off down the hall towards the man’s office, gun still in hand.
He came to stop at the still broken door and reached out to push it open. Upon touch, his hand started to burn. Goro recoiled and grit his teeth together as he stumbled backward until his back hit the adjacent wall.
He opened his hands and cringed to see his skin was blistering- and from just a simple touch.
“Wh-what is this?” He started to panic. The heat from his hands wasn’t going away, it was increasing with every second. “I can’t- It hurts!”
Goro pulled his arm close and doubled over to scream from the pain.
“Dia, Media, come erase my scars...
Keep me warm, keep me safe, Baisudi, close in my hands-”
Goro gasped for air and opened his eyes, he looked down at his hand to find the burn and pain were gone, as if it had all just been in his mind.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by Kamoshida screaming for help. Goro pushed off the wall and started to reach for the door again; this time hesitating before he kicked out his leg to swing it open.
“Don’t move!” Goro raised his gun as he entered the room.
Inside the room, itself felt like a sweltering sauna and there was an acrid burning smell. There were more of the feather looking embers on the ground and floating around in the air. In the middle of the room, Ann stood holding onto Kamoshida by the scruff of his shirt.
The man’s shirt was drenched in sweat from the heat, but more than that, his hands where he was holding onto Ann and trying to pry her off of him were smoking. Goro could see his skin was turning red and blistering at the contact.
“Takamaki…” Goro pointed his gun at her, “Let him go.”
“You,” Ann turned to face him. For once she didn’t look unwell. The way she stood tall and upright, Goro got the sense she was towering over both him and Kamoshida. The fire plumes were wafting off of her, and at her feet, the ground was starting to burn with fire. “I told you if you would not carry out justice I would.”
“This isn’t justice!” Goro inched into the room. The heat was causing sweat to pour down his face, and with every second he stood in the room, he felt his forehead start to pound. Like a hot iron was being driven into his skull.
“You’ve allowed yourself to be blinded! This is justice for us !”
“Let me go!” Kamoshida tried again to free himself, “Let me go you crazy bitch!” He raised a fist to Ann and swung at her. It connected with the side of her face, but she barely flinched.
Instead, where his fist connected with her face a new flame burst forth. It engulfed Kamoshida’s hand and arm before it spread all over Ann’s body.
She turned to Kamoshida, and through the flames, Goro could see a sickening smile on her face, and her piercing blue eyes still staring at him.
“You wanted me so bad? Well, now you can have me!”
Ann lifted Kamoshida up, and Goro screamed for her to stop. The fire consumed the rest of his body as he screamed in terror. Goro wanted to fire his gun but had to back up as the flames spread outward. Ann herself began to rise up from the floor and the plumes floating around the room ignited into several small bursts.
She flung what was left of Kamoshida’s chard husk into the window of the office and followed the body out through the broken glass. The fire, heat, and plumes all swept up with her and out of the window. Goro rushed forward and leaned out the window to see where Kamoshida’s still smoking body had landed on the school grounds below. He was twisted up with his mouth still open mid-scream.
Overhead another bright light flashed and Goro looked up to see a giant red bird, bigger than the one in the cage, bigger than Ann herself, rising up into the night sky. Its golden tipped wings were rapidly catching fire and the flames started to consume its entire body. Goro watched it rise up higher and higher letting out a beautiful call until the flames reached up to its head and wrapped around its crown.
Once completely covered, the bird’s body burst into a ball of flames and began to plummet back to earth. He watched as the fire gave way to a ball of crumbling ash and dust, and from that dust, a large red and gold egg was revealed.
And right where the egg should have crashed into the school’s courtyard was Joker R.
Standing with his arms outstretched to catch it.
“Hey!” Goro screamed at him from the window.
R looked up at him and held the egg aloft, “Thank you for your efforts, Detective.” He then turned and started to walk away.
“Don’t you leave! Get back here!” Goro continued to scream at R as all he could do was watch him walk away.
Later Goro sat on the steps of the school smoking a cigarette and staring blankly out into the blue and red flashing lights of the police cars that now crowded the street. He’d told the crime scene officers that arrived that Ann had lit herself on fire, and both she and Kamoshida jumped out of the window. However, only one body was recovered. They didn’t quite believe him.
Makoto made her way up the steps to stop and stand next to him, “You doing all right?”
Goro shrugged, “As well as to be expected.”
“I heard Kamoshida was murdered.”
Goro took a drag of his cigarette, “Yup.”
“By Ann?”
Goro nodded, “Yup.”
“What happened?”
“She turned into a Phoenix, set his body on fire, and then became an egg that Joker R walked off with.”
“…Please tell me that’s not what you reported in.”
Goro threw his cigarette down the steps, “Of course not! They don’t even believe the watered-down version of what I just said!”
“I don’t even believe what you just said,” Makoto turned and took a seat with him on the steps. “Suzui’s at the hospital. They suspect she’ll make a full recovery… Physically at least.”
“That man should be going to trial. This isn’t justice for these kids or Suzui.”
“…I’m sure if we could ask some of them, they’d say they’d gladly take Takamaki’s place to set him on fire.”
“Are you saying you agree with this outcome?”
Makoto shook her head, “I’m saying, maybe sometimes, justice is lighting your abuser on fire and throwing him out the window and getting away with it… And sometimes it isn’t.”
It was weeks before Goro had time to return to the pet shop. He and Makoto spent days going through the evidence, testimonies, interviewing scores of students all to wrap up the case against Kamoshida. And even once it was done at the school level, there was still more to do…
The odd jobs Kamoshida would assign students were found to be tied to a group using a package delivery program to distribute drugs. They were using students from Shujin as delivery runners. They were still looking for how Kamoshida was connected to the group, but students could only say that he’d give them a number to call and from there, the person they called gave them instructions.
And no student was ever given the same number as the one before them.
The Principal was still at the school, but Goro was determined to start digging into his past, the connections he had spring Kamoshida before he was even booked were part of the United Future Party. A political party he knew all too well and for all the wrong reasons.
And Makoto was still tracking down the girl from the second video, Eiko Takao. She’d apparently dropped out of Shujin, and was working somewhere in Shinjuku. It wasn’t much of a lead either, but it was all they had.
So that meant it was time to head back to one place he knew he could always find something to do-
“Jokers!” Goro swung open the door to the shop.
“How many times,” R sighed and pushed up his glasses in aggravation.
“Oh! Detective! You’re early! It’s barely evening!” A greeted him with his usual excitement.
“Detective Akechi,” a third voice greeted him. Sitting next to R on the couch was Shiho. She had her hair pulled up in a ponytail with a pink ribbon and was wearing a simple brown coat and black pants. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Suzui?” Goro entered the shop and walked over to her, “Just what are you doing he-” Goro stopped mid-sentence. Next to Shiho on the ground, there was a cage, with a red bird inside. It had a few pink feathers on its chest and some golden ones starting to sprout on its head. But it was only half as big as the previous one.
“Shiho was just stopping by to finish up signing her new contract,” R answered his unfinished question.
“Her new contract?” Goro turned to him.
“Oh yes! Her Agapornis Igniales, unfortunately, passed away…” A let out a solemn sigh, “Her time apart from it caused too much damage. However! It did lay an egg before its passing! And since she did such a splendid job with her first one, we figured she should also look after this one!”
Goro looked down at the bird, and it looked up at him.
“Blue eyes….” He bent down to hold his hand over the cage and felt heat coming off of it.
“Is there something wrong with Ann’s eyes?” Shiho asked him.
“Ann?” Goro questioned her.
“Oh, um, well…. You see Ann did so much for me…I think it's fitting I name the bird after her. Especially now that I’m going to be starting a new beginning.”
“That’s right, I heard you transferred to a new school.” Goro smiled at her.
“And a new city,” Shiho nodded. “I think it will be good for me to getaway. For Ann too.”
“Uh, huh.”
“Well then!” R rose to his feet, “Shiho, since everything is in order, why don’t you be on your way. We don’t want to keep you too late.”
“Right,” Shiho stood up but turned to Goro. “Thank you again, for all your help, Detective.”
“Don’t worry about it….” Goro nodded to her with a smile.
Shiho picked up her birdcage and reached in to give Ann a loving tap on the head. She was unbothered by the heat. “Let’s head home.”
As soon as she was out the door Goro snapped at the twins, “Let me see her new contract.”
“No.” They both answered.
“What do you mean ‘no’!”
“You have no reason to see it this time,” R shook his head.
“That’s right,” A nodded, “It was very rude of you to trick me.”
He pointed back and forth between them, “You two can’t just keep selling rare animals to people! Especially teenagers! Is that contract even legal!”
“It’s perfectly legal,” A nodded.
“Besides, we don’t sell them… We match animals to partners that best suit their needs and wishes. All humans have desires, Detective. Some can only be fulfilled with the assistance of the animals that reside in this shop.”
“And for those who stay within the regulations of that contract,” A smiled, “Their lives are lived to the fullest and happiest extent. And those that do not… invite consequences and all that entails.”
“In case you haven’t noticed,” R finished off, “It's not our contract signers who cause problems. Its others that make things go awry. Humans who have let their desires corrupt them. And they are the ones that then fall subject to the rules of the contract.”
Goro looked between the two of them pointing his finger at them threateningly as he did so.
“Cut the bullshit. The next time someone ends up dead from one of your weird little pets you’re both going to jail! Is that understood!?”
The twins looked at each other and exchanged a few glances over a long silence.
“Perhaps you should go for the day, Detective. I think we’ll lock up early,” A motioned toward the door.
“Now you’re throwing me out? I thought only R didn’t like me.”
“We both like you, Detective. And I assure you, my actions speak for both of us.”
Goro rolled his eyes but complied and left the shop.
The moment he was gone A locked the door and sighed.
“Well, that didn’t go quite as well as I hoped…”
“That’s because you act on impulse, Brother, not planning.” R shook his head.
“I just wanted to push him to see the truth. How are we supposed to resolve this if we don’t involve ourselves?” A walked back over to the chairs and fell onto the love seat. “But he’s so stubborn!”
“And for a stubborn individual, you need to plan ahead.” R walked over to the couch and pat his brother on the head, “Things might not have completely gone as expected, but even Ann agreed with our theory, and in the end, that awful man did meet his end.”
A continued to sulk in his seat, “Yes, but I wanted this resolved…”
“Well, despite your failed attempt at uncovering the truth,” the twins turned to see Lavenza fluttering over from her cage, “I have a bit of good news.” They watched as the butterfly circled the couch before gently landing and taking a seat with a large blue and black book in her hands. “Would you like the good news, or the bad news? Or the other bad news?”
“Isn’t it supposed to be one good news and one bad news?” A sat up.
“Let’s start with the less bad news,” R took a seat next to his brother.
“The bad news is, I still do not have a definitive match on lineage. I will need a stronger sample.”
“A stronger sample…” R held his chin in his hands, “Okay. And the good news?”
“The good news is, I was able to narrow him down a specific Arcana.” Lavenza opened her book to a pair of pages. On one side there was a shortlist of names written, on the other there was an image of a hooded man in black against a red background, sitting on the throne. In one hand he held a sword, the other a scale. He was blinded and bleeding from the eyes. The scale was perfectly balanced between a heart and a crown. At the base of the picture ‘VIII’ was written in white.
“Oh!” A clapped his hands together, “Justice! This is excellent news! There are so very few of them and that means our suspicions are more than likely correct.” A turned to look at his brother, he did not share in their enthusiasm. “R?”
“…Lavenza… Is it possible he could be wild?” R leaned forward. “That list is very small… And he has so few details about his parents.”
“He could be wild.”
“Why would you want him to be wild!” A protested.
“Because of the other bad news…” R leaned back in his seat. “If either of his parents is indeed from this shop, and they fall on that list there is a very glaring problem.”
“…Oh.” A lowered his head and fell silent.
“Perhaps,” Lavenza spoke up, “It would be better to look into the human side of things?”
“We’ll do both,” R turned to his brother, “A, you look into the human side of things. I’ll work on getting a better sample for Lavenza… And Lavenza… Papa does have a few records in the compendium about those that never returned. I think there is… a letter or memento in there. If nothing else please study the contracts involved.”
“As you wish Joker.” Lavenza closed up her book, and in an instant was fluttering back to her cage.
“…You are worried, brother.” A spoke up from the couch.
“I do hope he’s wild… I know Sayuri mentioned the familiar smell, but honestly, I think it would be easier if there was no chance we have to deal with The Collector.”