Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Another day, another earful from Amamiya.

The local officer Totomaru Isshiki got scolded again, this time for accidentally deleting an important file off the computer, he probably would've been fired on the spot if someone hadn't made a backup. “GO HOME, ISSHIKI! NOW!” Amamiya roared at him, and with a squeak, he picked up his things, leaving the room.

He dejectedly walked into Kiku’s office, the senior always finds some way to bring his spirits back up. He might as well spend his time there, since there's no point in going home so early.

The officer sat and stared down at his cup of tea that was offered to him. “What can I do, Kiku-san? I'm going to get fired at this rate! I know it!” He put his head in his hands, his curly brown hair covering his line of sight to Kiku.

“Isshiki, you're nice, honest, and spontaneous.” He started off, putting down the newspaper he was reading to look at him. “I like that about you, but these aren't very good qualities for a detective,” he didn't bother lying to Totomaru, he's not a newcomer anymore, he's been here for 2 months by now, and still struggles to keep himself from getting fired.

He sunk even deeper into the chair he was sitting in, forehead laid directly on the tabletop while he whined. “That doesn't make me feel any better about it…”

The man looked at him, thinking for a moment. “Still struggling with that serial murder case?” He asked.

Totomaru nodded his head, still not bothering to lift himself from the table to make eye contact, he was far too ashamed to.

“Maybe he could help.” Kiku said, emphasizing on the fact that he didn't reveal who it was to get Isshiki up and asking him questions.

The senior picked up his teacup, laying back into his seat when Totomaru raised his head up to him for the first time in a while. “Who's “he”?” He stared at him, that puzzled expression plastered on his face.

Ah, just as he'd planned. “Someone I know from the UK, he's an expert at unsolved mysteries.” Intentionally leaving out his subjects name, leaving the young officer asking more questions about him, subconsciously raising his spirits without him even noticing.

“Ah? I can't go all the way out to England like this… Amamiya would rather fire me than give me a day off…”

He took a sip from his cup, “I never said he was in England right now.” He raised his eyebrow at him, making sure Isshiki was serious about wanting to save his own skin from getting fired.

And sure enough, he was.

Totomaru stood in front of a tall complex, old photos of it showed its brick walls unpainted. Half of it was covered in overgrowth, like it was a building rotting away from inside out. But the one before him was a sleek, beautiful, modern apartment complex, labelled “Kamonohashi”. The label seems to be the only thing unchanged about it.

It was nothing like the old photos Kiku-san had shown him, and it felt weird, like the personality was stripped from it. He walked in, the bottom floor had a communal area with some people sitting and talking to each other on some couches. It was surprisingly nice, but still felt odd, the lack of colour, decorations, anything, just made it feel a little sad.

He went up the elevator, going to the fifth floor where Kiku-san said the manager would be. He was looking for this manager, but had a thought about it. If this detective is so good, then why is he managing an apartment complex?

He knocked on the door, looking down at the photo Kiku had given him. The man had a well brushed haircut, parted from the side with beautiful dark hair. His skin was lustrous, and his blue eyes looked like they shined, even in the photo.

Even with the time he took to look at the photo of him, there was no answer.

“Hello? Kamonohashi-san?” He knocked a few more times.

No response.

Okay, this is the last time he'll knock. “Kamonohashi-san!! Are you-”

And then he heard a voice. “Knocking once is sufficient enough.” He said, a clear British accent shining through his speech.

Totomaru jumped, he wasn't expecting anything from this visit, especially after having to knock 3 times.

He then heard footsteps coming his way, the person on the other side unlocking the door for him.

The person who opened the door for him was almost exactly like the picture Kiku had handed him, save for the fact that he looked a little older, and had a huge tattoo on his neck and collarbone. He wore a jacket atop a simple shirt, of which it didn't much to cover the huge tattoo.

Before Totomaru even had the chance to speak, the man before him interrupted his train of thought. “I'm on break. I'm not helping you with your case.”

What? “H-How’d you know I-”

Rather than just a crack wide enough to fit his face, he opened the door wide enough to see inside the room. Totomaru looked in, seeing the nicely furnished living room and corner office he had, a large TV hung on the far wall while huge, lavish paintings of… desserts(…?) plastered the empty space. “Your outfit screams ‘Japanese police officer’, plus your shoe tips are all scratched up from running, and unless I'm mistaken, I haven't broken any laws, so you're here to see me for a consult.”

“W-Well…” He wasn't wrong, but the officer just didn't expect him to see through him so fast. Kiku was right after all, he's some world class detective.

He turned back into his room, moving to sit on his lavish couch with a huge platypus plush sitting next to him. He lifted an adorably fluffy kitty onto his lap, petting it while he stared back at Totomaru. “Like I said, I'm on break.” He repeated himself. “I know how exciting it must be for you, meeting an S-Rank detective for the first time, but I don't want to use my precious vacation time in Japan just to help the Japanese police.”

“S-Rank? Ah, he must be pulling a prank on me. Like there's a whole ranking system for detectives, give me a break!"

Kamonohashi glared back at him. “Of course there is!” When Totomaru noticed that he'd somehow responded to his inner thoughts, was when he realized that he'd accidentally spoken them out loud. The dark haired man seemed almost offended that a lowly police officer thought that he made up the world detective ranking classes. “I thought they'd have started teaching the police about the world detective alliance by now.” He huffed, looking away from Isshiki.

The one time I don't believe in something, it's true?! He made sure that this thought of his didn't leave his mouth this time. The officer stepped inside, it seems Kamonohashi was fine with him in his room, but that was mainly because he didn't see Totomaru as a threat. Talk about egotistical… He finally had some time to register what he had actually said to him, he'd only just met him, and he's already flaunting his high status.

He remembered what Kiku had said to him about this Ron Kamonohashi. “He used to be really antisocial… Maybe self-centered is a better descriptor. He never bothered to make any friends, only focusing on himself. But that was 5 years ago, I'm sure he'd change by now, don't worry.” Unfortunately for this police officer, he didn't seem to have changed a lot.

Well, it doesn't matter, he just needs help with this case, it's the least he can do after giving Amamiya another headache today. “Please help me, Kamonohashi-san.” He bowed before him, hoping it'll please him enough.

The dark haired man laid his fingers upon his beautifully fluffy cat, stroking through it's fur while looking down at the officer begging for his aid… Well, that's what he wants the officer to think he's doing.

Kamonohashi was here on a forced vacation, so to speak. He's been working nonstop for the past 5 years, his employment made him use all his paid vacation days before the end of this one, totaling to 150 days. He's been itching for something to do for a while, and it's only been the first 2 weeks of him being here.

He acted reluctant, to keep up appearances. “Why should I help you?” He finally asked.

Totomaru blanked. Kamonohashi has exactly 0 reason to help him at this moment, and his excuse for requesting his consultation is even worse! Half the reason he's here is so he doesn't lose his job this week. “K-Kiku-san told me about you… A-And I-”

Kamonohashi began to talk over him, interrupting him again. “Well… Guess I do owe Kiku a lot…” He combed through his hair with his fingers, looking at Totomaru with his beautiful blue eyes. They were much more alluring than what the photo had shown, the officer noticed.

Even though Kamonohashi said so, he just didn't want to say out loud that he wanted to solve a mystery, that he was waiting for one. He knows that he should rest, that it's good for his body and brings him back up to optimal condition for more problem solving at his actual job, but he can't stand it.

He gently set his cat on the floor, the feline rubbing its sides against his long legs. “Well, aren't you going to fill me in on the details of the case?” He urged.

Totomaru let out a sigh of relief, maybe with his help, he won't get fired tomorrow.

The officer rummaged through his blazer, pulling out his phone and notepad. “The victims are all-”

And again, Kamonohashi talked over him like he wasn't even worth listening to. “I'm not listening to your spiel,” he hissed at him. “Bring me to the crime scene.” He got up, combing his hair a bit more and fixing up his outfit, preparing to go outside.

Totomaru was speechless at how bossy this detective was. “I-I can't just bring you to a crime scene! You're not-”

He stopped midway through his sentence, distracted by the elegant charm the detective held in his hand. It was a circular disk with intricate patterns on the edge, made of metal that was colored a wonderful gold colour. A large S in the middle of a glass pendant was fitted inside, along with a tassel at the bottom. “This…” he swayed it in front of Totomaru's eyes, “…is my detective licence. It means that I'm allowed to solve any case from anywhere in the world. Don't worry about your superiors, I far outrank them.”

That's a relief, probably. Totomaru felt a little annoyed by how confident he is that he didn't need to care about the nations rules and laws, sure he has a high ranked license that works anywhere in the world, but does he want to affiliate himself with someone like Kamonohashi?

He hopes he doesn't regret this decision.

It was already late, not many officers were left at the scene of the most recent murder, of which he wasn't informed about until he asked, because Amamiya has had enough of him wasting their time and getting in the way.

Totomaru met with one of the officers at the scene collecting clues and evidence. As they conversed to get Officer Isshiki up to speed, Kamonohashi went ahead of him, laying next to the victim on the grass.

“Get off the floor!!” Totomaru yelled at him. The nearby officers all stared down at Ron, and then back at Totomaru.

“Totomaru, who is this guy?”

“Yeah, some civilian?”

Just as Totomaru was going to explain, Kamonohashi thought to clarify his own identity himself. “I'm an S-Rank detective, the case’ll be solved today, trust me.”

Unfortunately for him, none of these officers have ever heard of the world detective alliance either. He looked frustrated, even more so when they looked down at him concerned, like they thought he was crazy.

He eventually decided to ignore them. “Isshiki, is there a pattern to where these victims were found?”

Totomaru quickly showed him a map of the other victims and their locations, it was erratic, but confined to a small area.

The small area with nowhere near enough water to drown someone, and yet all the victim's causes of death were drowning.

“Drowning, hm? And all their valuables stolen?” He stared at the pictures of all the victims the police had taken.

“Y-Yes.”

He laid still on the grass, studying the freshly killed victim. He looked up and down at him, before finally, somehow reaching a conclusion.

“Got it.”

Totomaru was shocked to say the least. “You solved it?!”

“Yep.”

The rest of the officers along with Isshiki watched in disbelief as he casually got up, brushing the dirt off his clothes. He looked through his phone for a few minutes before saying something again. “I know where the culprit is.”

“N-No, you have to be joking, right?” Totomaru thought to himself, but this time was aware he was saying it out loud too.

He didn't even bother to respond, just walking towards a specific direction, leaving Totomaru the option to follow him or let him walk off.

And of course, as someone who's desperate for a way out of not getting fired, he follows him.

Kamonohashi lead him into a designer clothes shop, staring at the various options they had. “What do you think about this, Officer Isshiki? Maybe a smaller size…”

W-What? “Kamonohashi-san, what are you doing?”

“Getting you better clothes, your suit isn't fit for undercover work.”

Guh, he's always a little too straightforward.

He'd made Totomaru try some random selection of clothes on, it didn't seem he cared much about what he looked like, as long as they had a price tag of more than 100 dollars.

At checkout, Kamonohashi set his gaze on him. “What?” The officer asked, a little intimidated by him.

“Pay for it.”

“Me?!”

“Yeah. You're the officer in charge, aren't you?”

Totomaru growled under his breath, it feels like this Kamonohashi is just getting under his skin for his own enjoyment. He begrudgingly paid for the ugliest set of clothing he's ever seen, before putting them on and going to where the actual location of the culprit is.

Officer Isshiki was met with a nice barber, he felt ridiculous wearing the newly bought clothes, but he had no choice. He listened to the instructions Kamonohashi had given him, and conversed with the barber about stocks, business, the likes.

When the barber had laid his head into the sink, he felt a mist of cold air hit his face, but he stayed silent, and didn't dare breathe, just as he was told.

Eventually, Kamonohashi finally slammed the door open, signaling to Totomaru that he could raise his head back up again. “Mr Barber! Or maybe a more fitting name would be Mr Serial Killer!” His entrance grandiose and excessive.

Totomaru finally lifted his head up, taking a sharp breath of air after holding it for a while. “What the…?”

“Make note of this, Officer Isshiki.” He pulled up the voice recording app on Totomaru's phone, throwing it to him before confronting the culprit. “The reason why you couldn't find any drugs in the victims, and they seemed to not have resisted anything done to them, was because the sink was filled with carbon dioxide.” He stepped closer, the culprit shook as he was cornered. “Dry ice sublimation easily creates a wealth of it, and the lack of oxygen can cause anyone to faint in a matter of seconds.”

“S-Seconds?!” Totomaru couldn't keep his mouth closed from the impressive deduction the detective was doing, even if given a thousand years’ time he'd never come to such a conclusion. “T-Then how'd you figure out it was here-” Before he could finish his thoughts, the culprit took the opportunity to run out while they were both distracted.

He ran up to the roof, sprinting towards the gate to the stairs on the outside of the building, he shook the metal gate loudly, it was locked. “It's no use, I've welded it shut.”

W-Wait, since when did he weld it? “Don't try to resist!” Totomaru focused back onto his job, reaching for the handcuffs in his pockets. “Why did you do it?”

The culprit had no chance at this point, there was no use in lying, he knows it. “For the money, why else?”

The classic excuse people make for committing crimes.

“I fell into a huge debt because some bastards lied to me, but it was so easy to just kill a few rich idiots and take their things.” He continued his monologue. Totomaru stepped closer, handcuffs pulled out to prepare to arrest him.

Before he was able to, he heard Kamonohashi say something.

“Fuck… I didn't bring it…” He muttered to himself.

“Huh?”

“Isshiki, knock me out before I-” Too late, Kamonohashi couldn't control anything that was happening to him. He felt himself losing consciousness, control, but he knew his body looked perfectly fine from the outside.

“Jump.” Kamonohashi didn't know what he was doing, but he knew he definitely shouldn't be doing it. His body raised his hand, pointing to the edge of the building.

And unfortunately for Totomaru, he had no idea what this S-Rank detective was doing. “H-Hey, we don't need him to die! We can just-”

“J-Jump…?” The culprit looked to be in a trance, he walked towards the railing, looking over it.

“Those who make light of other's lives, don't deserve to live.”

“H-Hey, don't be so agre-” Before he could finish his sentence, the man rushed to lift himself over the railing. Totomaru sprinted towards the culprit, catching his leg before he managed to fall too far. “Kamonohashi-san!! Get your ass over here and help me!”

The detective held his head in his hands, it hurts. His senses slowly came back to him, his sense of touch, smell, taste, and then his vision. It was blurry, but he could tell that Totomaru and the culprit weren't where they were before this. His hearing was blocked by a loud ringing that faded slowly.

“Kamonohashi! I can't… Hold… On…”

And there was no response from him.

Totomaru can't rely on someone like him. He quickly looked around, anywhere for anything to grab onto that wasn't a slippery metal railing. “In there!” He gestured towards the window underneath them. It was to the barbershop. “Open it and climb in.” He ordered, using the last of his adrenaline to ensure that this serial killer didn't die from whatever the hell Kamonohashi pulled.

Finally, the man found strength to save himself, he was so desperate, clambering and crying in fear of death. In a moment of relief, Totomaru lost his balance, tipping over the railing.

Time felt like it slowed down, just for him. He flew through the air as he looked down, the chances that he'd survive the fall aren't high enough for him to hope, for him to pray.

Just as he thought he'd hit the ground, something caught his leg. A long string grabbed his leg tightly while he looked up to see the arrogant Ron Kamonohashi as the one who saved him last second.

Even at a distance of 3 floors, Totomaru thought he saw a hint of fear hidden underneath his unimpressed expression. “Where's the culprit, Isshiki?”

Right after thinking he was going to die, he tried to get it together as soon as he could, but it wasn't easy. “Back in the barbershop, he hasn't left the building I think.”

And with that, Kamonohashi decided to pull him up. Isshiki quickly called the police for backup before the culprit could get away.

“What the hell was that, Kamonohashi?!” Totomaru started yelling at him, he wasn't even that mad, just really confused and scared that he managed to convince someone who seemed to value their life a lot to end it then and there.

The dark haired man brushed him off, not taking his worries or concerns as seriously as he should've. “It’s just something that happens when I get irrefutable proof that someone is a murderer,” he said in such a casual tone, you'd think he was joking. “I usually stop it by tranquilizing myself or making sure I'm not at the scene whenever the murderer confesses, but I seem to have forgotten to bring some sleeping pills with me…”

Totomaru continued staring at him with that stupid look of his. Kamonohashi tells himself how much he hates idiocy, that he hates someone like Totomaru, but he can't bring himself to hate him for some reason. “T-That’s horrible! How are you even still a detective?!”

He took it as a compliment, he managed to overcome his flaw and still be a world class detective despite it. “What can I say? I'm just that good at solving mysteries.”

Kamonohashi was too self absorbed to notice how much Totomaru despised that part about him. If he was given a choice, he'd rather stop talking to him than continue, but for the sake of his job, he can't.

Amamiya looked through the file and the murderer’s testimony. “I guess you managed to do something right after all, Isshiki.” She said, even though it was with a begrudging tone. The officer was glad that she seemed to forgive him for what he'd done yesterday, considering that he's solved a difficult case that went on for weeks too long.

“I should report back to him, maybe try to get closer to him too.” He muttered to himself, walking towards the huge complex with his family's name plastered on it.

He walked up to the door, thinking about how his experience with Kamonohashi so far has been nothing but tiring, to be with such a selfish, self centered genius isn't something Totomaru likes to do. He knocked, just once, as it was opened before he could do it a few more times. “Isshiki.” The man looked down upon him.

Totomaru was instantly intimidated by how watchful those eyes were, staring at every square inch of his body, almost like he was a predator sizing him up to see how big of a meal he'd be. “W-We… Um… We caught…” His words got stuck in his throat, nervous. He wasn't even sure why he was, Kamonohashi isn't scary at all, he's just annoying. His face flushed red at the thought of stuttering so much in front of him.

“Get to the point, Isshiki.” He urged. “Got another case for me?” He said in his most unimpressed tone he could muster, but behind it hid the excited feeling of being able to solve another case without anyone from Blue hindering him. It's much more fun to solve cases when he's able to go to the crime scene, compared to in the UK where he's forced to sit and be presented with clues and facts learned about a certain case in a boring little office.

What's even better is that he won't have to worry about killing his culprits, hurting his arrest rate, considering that Totomaru is, despite how stupid he is, sufficient at preventing the self harm of them in spite of his persuasion.

He couldn't help but crack a smile at the officer, he looked so nervous, making him look even less threatening than before. “We caught the culprit, and the case is solved.” He finally spit out, breathing at a faster pace than normal.

Kamonohashi let him into his room. “Your job saved too.” He quickly added.

Totomaru jumped, “how'd you know?.” Oh no, did I say something out loud when I wasn't supposed to again?

“Yes, that and…” Totomaru could slap himself for how stupid he is. “… The fact that you had another excuse other than Kiku sending you here, I didn't let you finish, but I'm sure it was because you were worried for yourself. You weren't told the details of the new murder before you asked, and was desperate enough to spend all that money on those clothes.”

He smirked when he saw that Totomaru was gobsmacked from how accurate his deductions were. He couldn't help but feel amazing when solving the last case, the way he got to show off to someone who clearly isn't good at deductions at all is just icing on the cake.

On the flip side, despite how impressed Totomaru was, he really hoped that he'll learn enough deductive skills from Ron quick enough that he can solve cases unaided and continue working as an officer, so that if he ever felt that Ron was too much, he can leave whenever he wished, without risking anything.

Kamonohashi was fixated on him, it made Totomaru feel like he was forgetting to mention something. “No more cases?” He finally asked again.

Huh? “No.”

Like a switch was flipped in his brain, Kamonohashi's expression went from a smug yet relaxed one to a bored and unimpressed one. He jumped onto his couch once more, his cat climbing onto him and begging for pets.

Totomaru was left making questioning and confused noises at the manager of the building he stood in.

He sighed. “Are you too stupid to be given more responsibility and cases?” He didn't even bother to sweeten his words. “Just tell them that I'll help, tell them to give you more.”

Totomaru waited for him to finish his sentence before finally taking a deep breath. Stupid? He knows he isn't as smart as other detectives, and knows that he makes mistakes a lot, but Kamonohashi has no right to call him that. “If they give me another I'll give it to you.” He said, losing that usual energetic tone he had all the time, before leaving without another word.

Finally. Finally, Kamonohashi had realized that Totomaru might be a little bit upset. “You think I made him angry, Mimi?” He asked his adorable little cat. It rolled up at him, poking it's claws into his skin. “Ow! ‘Course I haven't, I mean I wasn't lying, I didn't say anything that was wrong per se…”

As the world continues on, Kamonohashi gets a step further from the truth, by fault of his own hubris.

Chapter Text

Totomaru dropped off at Maison du Kamonohashi once again. He'd nearly forgotten that he stormed out of it just a week ago, the key word being nearly.

When he walked up, to the door, raising up his hand to knock before the door creaked open by its own, it didn't even seem to be locked. 

Kamonohashi stood behind it. “Isshiki.” He said, swinging the door wide open and inviting him inside.

Totomaru, visibly tired and not looking forward to working with him, laid out the case he was given. “Some coins missing from a piggy bank. Amamiya has another murder case, but asked me not to meddle in it.” He was still hurt by the comment by Kamonohashi about how stupid he is that they don't trust him with more responsibilities. 

For once in his life, Kamonohashi could see the negative expression displayed on someone that wasn't a culprit of his. He decided not to probe further. “I see. Let's go then.” He said, putting on a nice vest along with his undershirt, and combing down his hair. 

Isshiki put on a smile for the girl who sent in the report. “Good afternoon, Miss! I'm Officer Isshiki,” he pulled up his officer badge, the gold contrasting the black while the photo of him looked exactly like he was in real life. “And this–” 

“Ron Kamonohashi. Pleased to meet you.” Yet again interrupted by him. “I'm a detective working with Isshiki as a consult, I hope you don't mind.” He reached out a hand for her to shake.

The woman shyly shook his hand. “Ah… It's really not that big of a deal, I'm surprised the police even sent a detective for something so small…”

She invited the two into her house. 

As they walked in, she offered both of them tea, moving to the kitchen to prepare it. “Not much of a break in, is it?” Kamonohashi commented, walking through the rooms and into the living room where they sat together on the floor. 

Totomaru decided to drop his feelings for now, he has to be professional at work after all. “How so?”

“The door to the house isn't damaged, and the jewelry’s still here.” Totomaru turned to look at the display of beautiful necklaces, earrings and bracelets, still seemingly perfect and undamaged, none of the racks even seem to be tampered with. 

“Maybe they came in through a window?” Kamonohashi got up, looking around the room. “Hey! It's not polite to start looking while the owner's gone, y’know.” He got up with him, making sure he wasn't doing anything weird or insane. 

He picked up a little yellow ceramic piggy bank. “I'll guess it's this one.” He handed it off to Isshiki, making him sneer at how he acts as if the local police officer is just someone who helps him hold things. He set it down on the table before turning back to continue to observe what he was doing.

Before they found anything else that was useful, the woman came back with a tray of 3 teacups and a teapot. 

She poured them each a cup, talking to them what she did before the incident. “I'm honestly not sure when it went missing, I was out the whole day until late at night when I saw someone broke the lock to the house.” She started, “I would guess it's just a normal break-in, maybe it happened before my sister came back…”

Isshiki made sure to write everything down in his note book, while Ron just looked around the place. He took out a sachet of pure brown sugar syrup, and started drinking it like it was some orange juice.

“What are you drinking?” Totomaru didn't ask because he didn't know, he asked out of confusion and shock. He wasn't even surprised anymore, not only is he egoistical, he's a weirdo too.

Kamonohashi continued sipping on it, the woman they conversed with staring at him with a slight concerned expression. “Brown sugar syrup, it's good.” Silence filled the room save for the loud shlurping sound of him enjoying the hell out of that sachet, it was almost finished. 

...

Thankfully for both the woman and Totomaru, there was the sound of the door being unlocked to fill the silence. “Ah, that must be my older sister.” She quickly got up and opened the door for her, welcoming her in and introducing the two people investigating the case.

The older sister began talking about her timeline of the event. “I did come back before my sister, but when I picked up the bank, I thought it was just her imagination that it'd gotten lighter.” 

There was a moment of thinking before the younger sister spoke up again. “Oh! I'm not sure how relevant this is to the investigation, but we've been getting a few silent phone calls lately, it's a little scary to be honest...” Totomaru had not noticed, but there was a slight change of expression on the older sister, Kamonohashi had spotted it easily.

“Are you sure it really wasn't your imagination, Miss?” 

“Hey!” Totomaru yelled at him. “Are you still in the 1800s? Stop accusing her of being hysterical, would you?”

“It's not!" She rebutted, face getting red from how upset she is that her own sister and the detective wouldn't believe her. "It used to be as heavy as an iron statue!”

Kamonohashi picked himself off from the floor, finishing his tea before speaking. “Just to be sure, let's crack it open, shall we?” 

The coins fell onto the table, bits of ceramic scattered atop the surface and the floor. “It's definitely less than before!” The woman said, almost relieved that she really wasn't going crazy. 

As Totomaru was about to grab them for a closer look, Ron stopped him. “Ah. Bring them to the forensics lab, Isshiki.” He ordered, before walking towards the door of the house. “I’m gonna go for a walk, come get me once you're done.” 

Guh, another order from the little prince that is Ron Kamonohashi. Whatever, not like he has anything else to do at his job.

Unfortunately for Totomaru, he didn't get Ron's contact information, so all he could do is run around the city until he found him again. 

Kamonohashi looked off into the distance of a river bank, turning around when he heard footsteps and panting. “You're late, Isshiki.” First 2 words out of his mouth a complaint, not exactly what Totomaru expected, but he's not surprised either. 

“I ran here, Kamonohashi-san. Could you at least tell me why you're out here?” He didn't get a response, only that he turned to look back down at the river bank. “T-That's Amamiya Senpai!”

Before he could run down to ask what she was doing, he received a call from the lab. “All the fingerprints were hers?!” Before he could even finish the call, Ron jumped down to look at the gathering of the police force. 

“And you are…?” Amamiya sneered at him, then glared back at Totomaru who was behind him. “Who's this guy, Isshiki?”

He stammered. “M-My friend.” It honestly felt weird to describe him as a friend, but what else is he supposed to say?

“So what?” She barked. “Some loser?”

“No! My…” Before he was able to finish, a badge was thrown at him, causing him to almost drop it from shock. Kamonohashi had thrown his detective licence at him.

“S-Rank detective. Let me do my job.” Amamiya stared at it, the magnifying glass behind the large glass “S” shining under the golden sunset. He laid down next to the victim, staring into his dead eyes. “Blunt trauma?” 

Totomaru quickly pulled out his phone for the details of the case. “Y-Yeah.” 

Kamonohashi put his hand through his hair, getting it out of his way. “I've solved it.”

Everyone involved in the case was gathered, even the seemingly unrelated stolen coins case. “I, Ron Kamonohashi, am going to solve the mystery of the stolen coins-”

“We can skip that part, Kamonohashi-san.” Amamiya looked unimpressed at him, the same look she gives Isshiki, she's lumped them both into the same category. To her, anyone who's friends with Isshiki is probably just some lunatic or idiot.

He did not obey her orders, as he did see himself as a higher status than someone who only covers a city in Japan, compared to him who theoretically can cover the entire world if he wished. “Ah, Amamiya-kun, I would do so if it wasn't a case you handed to Isshiki, and yet it is.” 

She did not speak, it was in fact a case that she is supposed to solve, having received the report and issuing it to her least important employee. She stayed silent, letting him continue on his explanation.

“The forensics shows that the coins from the bank were only from the older sister, as shown by the fact that only her fingerprints were present.”

But that'd mean that the coins only the younger sister had put in were stolen, and since the bank can't even be opened without breaking it, it makes it seem like an even more impossible crime. This was the thought of Totomaru, and the 2 sisters who knew the background of the case. 

“But, it's really not hard to…” he turned to Totomaru. “My bag, Isshiki.” Ordering the small officer to hand him the little paper bag he bought from his walk. “… Buy a new one if you broke the old one, right, Miss?”

He glared deep into the soul of the older sister. “W-Why would I lie about something like that?” She responded back nervously, so much so in fact, even Totomaru could see through she was guilty about something.

“You hid the fact that it was broken, because you used the old one to kill this man here.”

It fell silent as everyone processed what Kamonohashi had proposed. Such an innocent crime being related to a brutal murder?

“There was a man stalking young miss here, as evidenced by those silent phone calls.” Murmurs through the crowd, the younger sister recalling that piece of information herself. “He backed her into the living room, where she had no choice in self defense other than the heavy piggy bank full of coins.”

The shock value of the case was more than anyone could've guessed, Totomaru couldn't keep his jaw shut from how sound his deductions were, but it is to be expected of someone like Kamonohashi. 

“The bank broke, covering the coins in blood. To cover it up, she bought a new bank from the store, and put new coins into it, but clearly wasn't enough to fool her sister.”

The two sisters looked at each other. “You didn't do it, right? Tell me you didn't.” 

There was no point in hiding it anymore, her whole story laid out clean for the police department of the city to hear. “It's just like he says. I did it.” She finally admitted, tears welling up in her eyes. 

Amamiya looked down closer at the corpse, combing through the hair and feeling small grains of ceramic on her hands. “T-They’re connected?!”

Isshiki turned to Kamonohashi again when he heard him let out a loud sigh. “Case solved.” He shouted. “Now Isshiki, hold me up while I pass out, will you?” 

Before Totomaru could even question his words, the tall man fell directly onto his shoulders. Ah, right. He has the thing where he has the urge to pressure murderers into killing themselves. Still doesn't give him an excuse to make Totomaru carry him while he drugged himself.

The girls cried in each others arms while Amamiya looked down towards them, giving them her sympathies but still ensuring they know that hiding a corpse is a crime. 

He dragged Kamonohashi all the way back to his apartment, muttering curses along the way. He grabbed the keys from his pockets and opened the door. He sat him down on the couch, not bothering to tuck him into bed, Totomaru doesn't need to care that much about someone who doesn't care about him. 

And yet, his sweet heart still felt bad for leaving him just like that. He looked for his bedroom, pulling out his blanket and covering him with it. 

He left for the day. Their relationship still as stale as ever. 

Chapter Text

“Kamonohashi-san, you better be in mortal danger if you called the police station just to ask for my assistance.” He walked into the empty than usual market, it's shift hours for most people around, including Totomaru.

When he saw him, he didn't even care enough to apologise. “Isshiki, apparently they don't take my online wallet app here. Can you pay for me?”

The officer looked down at his phone. “That's because you're using an ENGLAND BASED APP!!” He shouted at him, causing Ron to flinch a little. He didn't say anything in response, just waiting for Totomaru to pay for his groceries. “ Fine !”

Being with this weirdo detective has cost Isshiki a quarter of his monthly paycheck at this point, who the hell spends 100 dollars on cat food?! 

In contrast, Kamonohashi has never felt happier on his break. Having a funny little police officer to do things for him and to mess with has done wonders for his enjoyment levels of Japan. He smiled as he watched the officer pay for his groceries, thinking about other things he could do to bother him and see his little reactions.

The cashier handed Totomaru a little piece of paper. “You win a lottery ticket today.” She said with a warm smile, trying to ignore the eccentric dynamic of the two before her. 

Like she read his mind, Kamonohashi was ecstatic, another reason to keep Isshiki here with him. He couldn't help but smile widely, when he turned to see Isshiki’s expression, he looked like he couldn't care any less. “What're you smiling so much for?! It's not that exciting!”

He hesitated to spin the wheel, considering all the elements that could affect his win condition. Was it rigged? Was his chances so near to 0 that no matter how many times he spun it, he'll never win it? Is the reward even worth the wait? “Just spin it already!! I'm still on duty!!”

And so he put his hand on it, spinning it until a little marble dropped out of it. 

The lottery host rang the bell on his table, the marble was gold, indicating that he'd won something. “You've hit the jackpot, sir!” He exclaimed. “A first class hot spring trip!” He went underneath his booth, taking out the tickets for them both. “The second reward we've given out today, and it's perfect for you both, a couples ticket!”

Before Kamonohashi could even squeal with joy about how this is such a perfect opportunity to annoy his little officer, he rebutted. “You've got the wrong idea, I'd never date this selfis-”

Totomaru stopped himself. He probably shouldn't say that out loud. Probably should even think about what he wanted to say. “Well,” Ron asked. “I won it, can I go twice?”

“Afraid not, the dates are fixed.”

“Damn it.” He muttered under his breath, Kamonohashi clearly hearing it but not paying it any mind. He was far too excited on the prospect of being able to irritate him more.

“C'mon, Officer Isshiki, go with me.” He urged. 

The officer let out a growl. 

Eventually, Kamonohashi managed to convince him. 

It'll be a nice break. He thought to himself. No cases, no reason for Kamonohashi-san to act all high and mighty, maybe it'll be a chance for us to reconcile! He thought. 

Kamonohashi had no idea that there was any reconciling to do, much less that Totomaru wanted to do it at the hot springs. 

They got a ride to the annex from the taxi driver, of which he gave them the pamphlet that he drew himself, it mentioned a legend associated with it. 

An ancient ritual of a nearby village was to sacrifice young girls in the water to keep the river from overflowing and flooding the village, but after every sacrifice, the water would be dyed a deep, blood red.

A terrifying legend, one that scared Totomaru more than he'd expected, and of which Kamonohashi enjoyed how scared he was. 

When they arrived at the annex, they were greeted by the owners and staff of the place. “Kamonohashi?” One of the staff asked, as if the name was familiar to him.

And he proudly presented himself, “the one and only.” He looked at the staff, surprised they recognized the name, even though Blue’s students aren't well known in Japan. 

“Ah… Sorry, thought you were someone else.” Totomaru was easily tricked by such an explanation, but Kamonohashi could easily tell that he was lying. He's either someone who stalked him for a while, or someone deep within Blue's network, he's not one of his classmates, nor was he one of the lecturers that taught him. All he knew was that he knew a lot about Blue, more than he let on.

Ron had already told Isshiki about Blue, boasting how he was the best student they've had, highest grades in nearly every subject in their history. He was proud of himself, and wanted to impress Isshiki, but the officer was more impressed about the fact that he could make it sound so prideful and annoying.

They went inside to their room, setting down their luggage. The annex was in shambles, more than they thought, the walls lined with cracks and signs of water damage from rain. Nonetheless, they decided to go to the hot springs together. Maybe that part of the annex isn't too bad? 

Despite how much Totomaru absolutely despised Kamonohashi's personality, he couldn't deny fact that he was a very attractive man. The officer made more eye contact with him than he did for the past case they worked on together, from the way Totomaru couldn't keep his eyes off him. It was almost frustrating that Kamonohashi looked so handsome, that such a beautiful face was attached to such a horrid personality. 

His tattoo (?) looked huge on his naked body, much bigger than he expected. “It's a cool scar isn't it?” He'd noticed he was staring. 

“It's a scar?”

“Happened when I was on a practical assignment with the local police, it's cool though,” he placed his fingers atop it, it didn't have much texture, like it was printed onto his body rather than etched in like most scars. “The 6 reminds me of how I'm the 6th generation of Holmes.” 

Normally, he'd say “Woah! You're a descendant of Sherlock Holmes?” But to Kamonohashi? He doesn't want to stroke that ego of his, not once, not ever. He just nodded and continued relaxing in the hot water.

He closed his eyes, not knowing that Kamonohashi was staring at him. “You're smaller than I initially thought.” He commented. Originally meant to be just of observation, even thinking about how cute it makes him, but to Isshiki, as someone who knows Kamonohashi to be rude and too straightforward with anything, it sounded like an insult. 

“Not everyone's born with perfect physique.” Unlike someone.  

Kamonohashi was a little confused, but just brushed it off, maybe he's just in a bad mood. Who knows?

Totomaru turned to look at his phone instead, setting his arms on the edge of the pool so his phone would be protected from the water. Kamonohashi just stared at him, thinking about how wonderful it is to be able to mess with him for as long as they were here together. 

They eventually got out when dinnertime came around. 

They sat in the dining room, there was 3 other people in the room, a woman who ate alone and a couple eating together. 

There was also another table prepared, there seems to be another guest that's missing.

Kamonohashi, to Totomaru’s annoyance, poured black sugar syrup all over his food, regardless if it was a savory or sweet food, they'd be doused with it. Totomaru isn't sure how he doesn't have diabetes from this amount of sugar consumption. 

He decided not to press further, just focusing on his own meal. Even though it wasn't as luxurious as he initially thought, it was still pretty good. 

Kamonohashi finished his meal quickly, looking around to see no one in his vicinity has finished theirs. “You think they have any board games to play here?” 

“Mmhp?” He hummed with his mouth full of his meal. “Don't we usually play table tennis in a hot springs resort?” 

He thought for a moment. “Is that a thing?” 

Well. Kamonohashi isn't a local, and doesn't visit Japan a lot. Guess Isshiki can't expect him to know something like this. 

He dragged the police offcer along to play table tennis with him. 

Thankfully for Isshiki, he did not flaunt any hidden talent for table tennis he had, just playing a casual game with him. 

Unfortunately, while he wasn't paying his full attention, he got the better of him. The little orange ball bounced off his side of the table at an angle, jumping right out the open window. 

“Ah.” 

They watched as it bounced and bounced and fell into the rushing river of cold water. 

“Is there another ball?”

Isshiki moved to check where'd they found the first one. “They're all dented…” 

“Bring them, I can fix them.” 

Isshiki brought the container full of balls with him, following Kamonohashi as he took off his robes and lead him to the men's hot springs. 

“If you wanted to sit here instead, you could've just said so.” 

He took the container from him and poured every single ball onto the springs. He jumped in, fishing out the ones that have taken enough damage to have holes or slices through them. 

“Have you ever done this experiment in school, Isshiki?” He said, busy pushing the rest of the ping-pong balls down to the warmer end of the springs. Some of them have gone back to their original round shape. “The heat expands the air inside them, pushing on the plastic and reinflating them.”

For once, he wasn't trying to show off or act high and mighty. Totomaru saw a glimpse of what the detective could be like if he wasn't so focused on his status and what anyone thought of him. 

They fell silent when they heard a voice behind the curtain to the springs. “Can't believe I had to walk here, but at least I'm going to be police superintendent general! Y-” She opened the curtains, taking off her towel in celebration, unknowing there's two other people with a perfect view of her.

The 3 stared at each other.

“A-Amamiya-senpai?” 

After a few moments of scrambling to cover herself, and then yelling at Isshiki, she decided that she will sit in the hot springs, regardless if they'll leave or not.

Fortunately for her, the 2 had some decency to cover their eyes and turn their gaze away. 

“What's with you and your weirdo friend!? Why are you in the women's hot springs? I knew you were stupid but I didn't expect him to be perverted enough to follow you!”

Huh? 

“A-Amamiya-senpai… Isn't this the men's hot springs?”

Kamonohashi nodded. “I have a reputation to keep, I wouldn't enter willingly if I thought this wasn't where I thought it was.”

Amamiya thought a little more carefully. 2 people here gave their word that this wasn't where she thought it was. She got up, wearing the towel to check again. 

The blue curtain labelled “Men” swayed as she went through it.

She paused for a moment, letting herself process the fact that she actually entered the wrong hotsprings.

The two stood by her as she drank her embarrassment away. She cried while laying on the table, pushing away her cold dishes that the staff had prepared for her dinner. 

Totomaru was a little shocked, he didn't think Amamiya would have this side to her ever. 

The couple at the next table over started raising their voices at each other, stopping his train of thought.

“If you wanna be that way, then let's get a divorce!” The wife yelled at her husband, standing up in fury while he stayed seated and calm. 

“Now dear…” He tried to calm her back down. “I-I was just kidding… Sit back down…”

“You-” Before she could say anything more, Amamiya stood up with her, but instead of being angry, she was crying. 

“No! Don't get a divorce!” She sobbed. Loudly crying and sniffling while everyone just stared at her.

Such a shocking exclamation from someone unfamiliar to them had stunned them. 

She's a crying drunk? Totomaru thought to himself. Unfortunately he'd actually whispered his thoughts, and Amamiya just yelled at him, like it was an order, that she's going to bed. 

The wife laughed at the ridiculous interaction. “I’m sorry, honey.” She sat back down, setting down her glasses. “I don't know what came over me.”

He held her hand in understanding. “It's okay, why not go to the springs? You haven't gone yet, right?”

She easily accepted his offer, walking off to the direction of the hot springs. 

Totomaru didn't have time to even react to the fact that Kamonohashi was talking to the staff. “Do you guys have any board games to play with more than 2 people? Would be fun, don't you guys think?” He asked the room.

He whispered through gritted teeth at him. “Kamonohashi-san, it's rude to bother the staff about stuff like this!” He tried to pull him away, but he's surprisingly strong. 

The staff member, also the one who recognized Ron, did not disappoint. “Actually, we do have a game of Monopoly that was bought a while back, not sure if all the pieces are still there…”

And off they went, going to the room he'd pointed them to. It was a small storage room with many other boxes stacked atop one another. 

Kamonohashi focused on looking for it, Totomaru was just there because he'd dragged him here. He looked out the window, the glass on it seemed to be clouded by water vapor. 

“Found it.” Kamonohashi dragged out a box from the pile, it was battered and clearly had some booklice eating the outer cover. “Eugh…” He groaned, throwing it far, far away from him while he cleaned off his hands. 

“M-Maybe not, then.” 

He pulled another box out. A chess board. “Ah! This can be fun.” 

Isshiki was a little interested, but then he remembered how he was never good at any strategy games, and how Kamonohashi is definitely the type of person to be insanely good at chess. “You can play with someone else, I don't know how to play.” 

“I can teach you-”

“No no,” he stopped him before he could say anything more. “Maybe someone in the lounge can play?” He quickly shifted the detective's focus onto another victim.

And it worked. He nodded, bringing the set outside. 

“The Monopoly game was utterly obliterated by lice, but I found something better!” He set down the set, quickly preparing a new game before asking people in the room if they knew how to play. 

Ron managed to con both the husband and the woman in the room to play with him, with him lying about how “I'm not so good at chess, please go easy on me.” And then proceeding to absolutely destroy them with it.

“I wasn't lying, Isshiki. I was only the top 4th student in Blue for chess!”

“That's the opposite of being bad at chess!!” He doesn't even know why he bothers with explaining this kinda stuff to Kamonohashi anymore. 

By the time Kamonohashi was satisfied with winning 15 rounds in a row, it was 2 am. Everyone decided that it was late enough, and that they should sleep. 

Amamiya ran through the hallway when she heard a piercing, shrill scream. She caught the origin of it, one of the staff members. “I'm a police officer, what's wrong?”

“T-There…” she stuttered, her face so pale that it looked like she was going to pass out. “There's a corpse in the springs!” 

Amamiya gasped, running to where she was told it was. 

The corpse of the wife laid still, floating in the warm water, leaves covered her bare body, while also floating along the surface of the water. 

Totomaru and Kamonohashi came out together, looking at what the commotion was. They both stilled when they saw the body, how did someone manage to kill her underneath the eyes of 2 officers and an S-Rank detective?!

Amamiya walked into the water, ignoring how wet she got her clothes. “Looks like she's been dead for a while… Between midnight and 2 am.” 

Kamonohashi also walked into the water with her. She glared at him, but he made sure not to touch a single hair of the corpse, giving her no reason to chase him out. “No large wounds, no signs of resistance, how peculiar.” 

He said it in a tone of questioning, but he was visibly smiling, even giddy that an inconspicuous place like a hot springs annex had such an impossible crime for him to solve.

The moment Totomaru saw that smile, he knew he was going to sit through Kamonohashi’s proud display of his skill. He should be glad, someone's death can easily be solved with such a good detective at the scene, but he still feels annoyed that even at such a relaxing place, Kamonohashi will get to show off his deduction.

“Sachiko?!” He husband ran through the staff, trying to get to his beloved, until Totomaru mustered all his strength to stop him. They have to preserve the scene. “I-I thought she just went to sleep! I-”

Then, the staff that had recognized Kamonohashi yesterday stepped in. “If the time of death was between those times, the only person without an alibi is…”

Totomaru was shocked. “A-Amamiya-senpai?” 

She couldn't believe it herself, stopping her movements entirely when she realized. “I… I'm a suspect.” 

Totomaru knew that Amamiya would never do something as outrageous as this. She has integrity, and loves her work. He watched as she stepped away in horror, the other guests seeing the scene and noticing a pattern. 

“T-The water covered in autumn leaves… Looks just like…”

“The legend!” 

Chapter Text

The scene did look wonderfully like the legend, an amateur mimicry of it using only resources at hand. 

“It is just like the legend, which also proves why Amamiya isn't the culprit.” 

Murmurs spilled between the others, even Totomaru was murmuring to himself about how it could possibly prove her innocence. 

“See, the only other place that the legend is spread, is by the pamphlet the taxi driver hands out.” He stood back up, getting out from the water, but clearly uncomfortable from the wet fabric dragging him down. “Amamiya came here on foot, even complaining about it last night, which both me and Officer Isshiki heard.” 

Isshiki lit up, he's right! Oh thank goodness. Amamiya let out a sigh of relief, at least she isn't the main suspect anymore. She turned to him, quietly giving her thanks, almost as if she was reluctant to thank someone who was affiliated with Isshiki. 

“If it wasn't her, then how was she killed?”

Kamonohashi stared at all the people surrounding the crime scene. He sighed. “Stop thinking about that legend, would you? It's in the name! Le-gend . It's not factual in the slightest. Plus, it would be a sacrifice , someone would still have to sacrifice her. Even if it was the legend, there'd still be a culprit. Be more realistic.” He ranted, knowing that everyone around him except for Amamiya would be thinking about it.

Then, the lone woman spoke up. “But… Last night after dinner, I watched the river from my room and saw some mysterious white mist floating up from it! It has to mean something, right?”

Totomaru took it into account, thinking more, but nothing made sense. He was about to turn to Kamonohashi to see what he was thinking, until he saw that he wasn't where he thought he was anymore. He was off at the river bank, looking at some debris being caught by a large rock. A huge branch stuck between it and the opposite end of the bank, and also their ping-pong ball they'd lost last night. 

“No way he's thinking about the ping-pong ball…” Isshiki unintentionally whispered to himself.

“Of course not! That's no branch, Isshiki! That's a-” He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence. “Are there any other clues?”

Amamiya pointed them towards a towel laid on the ground, “might just be the victims before she died.” She added. Even though it was ridiculous to think a small towel could be a clue to such a shocking murder, it was still a clue, anything ’s a clue until the case is solved. 

It wasn't long until the local police finally arrived.

Kamonohashi sat in his and Isshiki's room, not bothering to talk to the local police. He'd rather just get the summary from his little work dog. 

Isshiki stood at the doorway. “Autopsy says her cause of death was a heart attack, and her husband said that she always had a weak heart.” 

The detective hummed in acknowledgement, sipping on his new sachet of brown sugar syrup. “Any idea why she suddenly had a heart attack?” He asked so specifically, he knew exactly what the culprit could've done to kill her, all he needs now is to check his answers.

“Heat shock.” That was all he needed to hear. He got up, pushing Isshiki out of the doorway. Not even a word of thanks for his relay of information. 

He crashed into the police tape sealed scene. Announcing that he's solved the mystery. Though the local police didn't want to humor him at first, he flashed his licence at them. They weren't even sure what it was, but if a man was so confident that he solved it, even flashing a “detective's license”, then maybe letting him speak was easier than trying to get him off the scene by force. 

He stood in the middle of the crowd, behind the police tape and next to the corpse. “This woman here died from a heart attack, but it was no coincidence!” He gestured, “it was a murder! ” 

The guests of the hot springs murmured amongst themselves, but Totomaru already knew he just wanted to be extra grandiose with his explanation considering the amount of people around him. 

“The only one who could kill her in this fashion, is none other than–Her husband!” 

He raced to defend himself. “And why would I kill my beloved wife?!” He cried. “I was in the lounge when she died!”

“That–” he started, his classic smirk creeping up his face. “–is so you'd have an alibi!” He said, smiling like he was in a debate competition and his opponent is losing extremely badly. “You set up a-might I say- daring trap for her.”

He ordered Isshiki to place the towel on the entrance of the springs. “You placed the towel perfectly on the entrance, creating a pitfall so that she'd fall directly into the springs.” He started, pacing around the edge of the pool while pushing his hand into the towel. “He knew his wife had terrible vision without her glasses, and took advantage of it, creating such a simple trap.”

“But…” The woman spoke up, “she had a heart attack from-”

“Heat shock? Yes.” He didn't even bother to let her finish, too excited by the fact that she was murdered with such an unconventional method. “But how did she get heat shock from a warm bath? Unfortunately for her, it wasn't the warm bath we all had before her death.” 

He got Totomaru to hand him the large “stick” they both thought they'd saw lodged in the river. “Rain gutters were used to transfer cold water into the bath, and transfer warm water back into the river.” He continued, “the reason you saw a strange mist yesterday was because of the warm water interacting with the freezing cold water from the river!” 

He was in pure utter joy from how absolutely amazing the method was. How it might've been one of those unsolved urban legends if it were not for him. 

“And the leaves! Oh the leaves!” He said, Totomaru would be thinking about calling the ambulance for him if he were not making absolutely accurate deductions about everything. “They came from the river, and there were much too many of them to take out by hand, so he scattered more to make it look like the legend!” 

He pointed directly at him, then at the entrance of the hot springs. “You ensured no one would enter while you worked on your scheme by changing the curtains on the rooms, hearing that me and Isshiki would be playing ping-pong, you knew that no one else would be entering the men's.” He's right. Isshiki thought. We said out loud that we'd play ping-pong instead, and went to the hot springs to fix the rest of the balls when we lost the first one.

“S-So the reason I entered the men's springs was because the curtains were swapped?” The police general finally was caught up to speed on the exact events of last night, how the scene was setup for the murder. 

He smiled widely at her, joyous that even she could see that his explanation was flawless. “Yes, Amamiya-kun! He did in fact change them! Therefore, if we check the poles on them, we'll surely find his fingerprints as evidence.”

The newly widowed husband knelt down in defeat, looking up to the woman. “I've failed, Michiyo.” He said. 

“Are you fucking kidding?” She barked back at him. “You actually did all that?!”

Totomaru and Amamiya both watched in disbelief as the husband openly admitted that he actually did kill his wife. “It was for you, Michiyo! I-”

“When I said ‘if your wife wasn't around’ I meant that if you never got with her in the first place! Not to kill her!” She looked back at him with nothing but disrespect and disgust. She was in shock that he would do something so drastic just for a relationship with another woman, a red flag she should definitely heed the warnings of. 

He reached out to grab her before Amamiya stopped him, preventing him from harassing the woman any more. “So this trash was cheating?” She looked back at him sternly. “You're under arrest for murder of your ‘beloved’ wife.” 

He tried to escape from his binds, Amamiya swiftly putting handcuffs on the hands he used to end someone's life. “Michiyo!” He tried lunging at her. “Are you abandoning me?!”

Before she could defend herself further, Totomaru yelled back at him. Forcing him to retreat back against Amamiya.

“Michiyo isn't the issue here!” He shouted. “You killed someone. You took her life without a second thought! What kind of monster are you if you don't regret anything?!”

Everyone was so shocked that such a sweet looking police officer managed to chew him out so righteously. Even the husband just stared at him, thinking for a few extra seconds what it meant to kill the only person who actually loved him for who he was. 

He covered his mouth, astonished that he even said something like that. Usually, he'd be busy dealing with– wait a minute.

He turned around, watching Ron getting dragged back behind the doorway to the springs. He was already knocked out, probably by his own terms. Totomaru quickly ended the investigation with Amamiya before chasing after Kamonohashi, lest he does something unruly. 

“Mm… Isshiki… Finally did something useful for once…” He slurred while he slowly woke up from being drugged. “You found the infinite source of brown sugar syrup…!” 

He was shocked at how he likes brown sugar syrup so much, he even dreams of eating it. Just when I thought he couldn't get weirder. Isshiki shook him a few times before he finally, fully, woke up. “Isshiki?” He quickly looked around his surroundings, looking so terribly disappointed that he was still in the hot springs resort. “Urgh… You're not that useful after all.” 

He probably shouldn't take that to heart, considering he just woke up from being out cold, but it still hurt him a bit more than he'd like to admit. “What the hell happened to you?”

Kamonohashi thought for a moment about it. “I'm honestly not sure, I just remember blacking out the second he admitted to it, I thought I was about to pressure him again.” 

“So you didn't drug yourself?” Totomaru looked at his hand, 3 whole pills in it, prepared to swallow before being brought here. “Also who–”

The staff of the hot springs came up again, bringing some warm tea. “I dragged you here.” He admitted. “All I wanted to say is, what the HELL were you thinking, Kamonohashi?!” 

He pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly dropping the perfect Japanese accent he had for a British one similar to Ron's. 

“The detective alliance has you working behind a desk for a reason .” He forced Kamonohashi to drink the tea he made, Totomaru guessed it to be some kind of sobering drink. “We cleared your name during the bloody field trip but we can't clear it when you inevitably kill someone with that weird mind control ability of yours.”

Kamonohashi just rolled his eyes, like a teenager who's ignoring the nagging of his mother. “It's not enjoyable when all I do is sit behind that wretched desk, and who are you anyways? I've never seen you before.” 

“Don't try to change the subject on me!” He continued scolding him, Totomaru staring at him long enough to notice that his purple hair seems to be somehow natural? “I'm not even here to track you, I'm here on a different mission! And yet I'm stuck babysitting you too because I happen to be closest to your location!”

“It's fine. Isshiki's here to babysit me, he's done a fine job.”

“I'm not here to babysit you!” He cut into the conversation before Kamonohashi could spread any more lies about him. “He's right though, just who are you ?”

The man sighed. “Spitz Fire. Tracking instructor for Blue.” 

“Must not be a very good one if I hadn't heard of you.”

Spitz didn't even say anything in response, he's clearly heard of the blunt and straightforwardness of Kamonohashi, hearing about how it's better to just let him say what he wants than to make a rebuttal. “Whatever, just stop solving cases if no one from Blue or the WDA is around to stop you.” 

“And what? Leave all those horrible murders unsolved?” Okay, now he's just underestimating the capabilities of the Japanese police force. “Like I'd ever do that.” He would if he had a different source of joy, alas, he does not. 

He let out another exasperated sigh, almost as if he didn't expect Ron to be this unreasonable, and yet he is. “Well, guess I'll count on you, Mr Totomaru.” He shook his hand, Totomaru did not agree to this. “Please keep Ron safe and out of suspicion, he's our best detective.” 

“Ah…” He almost feels bad for rejecting an offer from someone like Spitz. He knows exactly what Ron is like, and exactly what Totomaru's been through just to walk around with this guy. He turned to look at Kamonohashi, seeing that he was staring adamantly, waiting patiently for Isshiki to say yes.

That look almost made him say no. Unfortunately for him, he's a hard guy to displease. “F-Fine.”

“Thank goodness.” The man said, drinking his own tea and pouring a new cup. “Hope he doesn't cause too much trouble Isshiki-san, heehee!” He said, as if he was describing a troublesome child. He left the room promptly.

Kamonohashi waited until Spitz was out of earshot. “He's lying.” 

“Just because you're upset with him doesn't mean he's lying.”

“He wants my help with something.” He said. “He doesn't need to agree with watching me, and it sounds like he only became an instructor recently.” 

“He's just an agreeable person, he looks the part anyways.”

He paused, thinking for a while longer. “Usually I'd expect the detective alliance to send someone of theirs, not ask a Blue instructor for help, especially since he's on a second mission.”

“Kamonohashi-san, have you considered that Spitz just thinks you're a bigger threat than whatever his first mission is?” 

“I had.” He explained. “But he's a tracking expert, he's most likely here on a tracking mission, and any tracking expert will have you know: Don't lose sight of the target.” 

Totomaru thought about it, it did make sense. If he was here tracking someone, and took a detour for 2 days to check up on Ron, then he might lose his target within these 2 days. It was much too big of a risk, especially if the person he's tracking is in the city. 

“I'll guess he volunteered to help track me down for his own agenda, maybe he needs my deduction skills for something.” He pulled out a little pill bottle and slid back in the pills he didn't manage to use. “I'll admit, he's pretty good at tracking from what I can tell, but usually that means sacrificing time and skill for deductive abilities.”

“So what if he came here to ask for your help? You'd do anything for a new case.” Totomaru finally decided to point out the obvious. “You were smiling when you explained the case just now, do you get off to it or something?”

“Ack.” Kamonohashi was surprised Totomaru saw the joy on his face, did he really smile that much? “F-Fair enough, I do enjoy myself a case…” 

There was a few seconds of silence.

“And no, I don't get off to it.” 

“Okay. Just making sure you aren't too far gone.” Totomaru was lying. He's sure Ron is way too far gone.

Chapter Text

“We're doing a collaborative investigation with Aichi prefecture?” 

Totomaru turned around in his office chair to face Amamiya, who had told him about the news. She looked extra ticked off, Isshiki decided not to say anything too much, lest he trip her off and have her yell at him again. 

“The serial murder case that's been causing a fuss in Aichi, they'd found a similar victim here in Tokyo.” She gritted her teeth, thinking through exactly how to handle this situation. “That bast–” she stopped herself before taking a deep breath. “ Kawasemi … Is coming here.”

Totomaru jumped out of his seat, “Aichi’s Omito Kawasemi-san?!” Hearing this news had made him incredibly excited, so excited that he forgot he should probably be saying less. “The incredible detective who has the highest solved murder cases in the country?!”

He was too busy being surprised to notice Amamiya gradually getting more and more upset. 

“He's only in his twenties, and he's already being considered for superintendent general!” He was basically fawning over him, Kawasemi is around the same age as him, and yet he's already accomplished so much more than him. 

He suddenly stopped in his tracks when he finally noticed Amamiya fuming. Oh right, Amamiya-senpai also wants to be… Superintendent general… I should've kept my mouth shut like I was supposed to.

She calmed herself down, but even Isshiki could still see the rage in her eyes. “You're gonna be working with him.”

“M-Me?!” He could barely contain the excitement he had, being able to work with the legendary Eagle Eyed Kawasemi. 

He stopped his delusions when he heard Amamiya mutter “like I'd give that bastard my best men…” Ah, there's the Amamiya he knows all too well.

“I'll acknowledge that you and that weirdo managed to solve cases well, Isshiki.” She started. “But I know that you're much better at interference!” How does she manage to make so many backhanded insults in a single conversation?! “Give that Kawasemi a hard time and I promise I won't fire you for the next 30 days.” Just one month?!

Guess he can't make too many complaints… How is he supposed to even do that? “Give him a hard time”?! What does that even mean? 

“Don't look now, Isshiki. He's here.” 

The threatening aura of Kawasemi was felt as he walked into the room. The office was crushed by a pressure of absolute discipline just from him standing menacingly at the doorway. 

He combed through his slick hair with those steel, angled tweezers he's always seen holding. Everything about him was perfect, uniform ironed without a single crease off, shoes shined so brightly you could basically see your reflection off of them, hair giving the illusion of being tinted blue from how clean it was. 

The room fell silent, everyone knew what he was famous for. 

He quickly zipped around the room, pointing out every single flaw he could see with just his eyes alone. A loose button, smudged glasses, a typo on a document with 300 other characters on it, a mislabelled image, a tie that's off by 0.5 degrees. 

He didn't bother with courtesy nor greetings, deciding that correcting the flaws are much more important. Something inside him must be thinking Amamiya has to discipline her men better .

“Ignorant, undisciplined, and incompetent. What a first impression.” 

Totomaru gulped in fear. “Terrifying.” 

Amamiya watched as he continued causing his own kind of disorder in her office, already used to his insanity. “He’s precise, observant, and doesn't forgive himself if he misses something.” She said, it's clear Kawasemi is the type of guy to hold himself to his own high standards. “Maybe it's because he also points out all the flaws of his superiors, but he's the type of trash who can abuse his power and get away with it.” 

It sounds almost like she knows him personally. 

“He was in the same police box as I was.” Ah, Isshiki had said his thoughts out loud again.

Then in a split second, Kawasemi looked in their direction. Totomaru didn't even have time to think, Kawasemi was already walking in his direction. The clacking of his shoes signaled the imminent disciplining he was about to receive. The last time he felt this way was when he was in secondary school, waiting to be scolded by his teachers for doing nearly all his homework entirely wrong, as if he wasn't focusing in class at all. 

He pointed his tweezers at his forehead, staring right at him. Kawasemi saw through so many flaws it would be impossible to say them all and be home in time for dinner. “ Zero talent. ” Was all he managed to say about him.

“H-He said that like I was a zero sugar soda!” His confidence levels, despite not being that high before, has definitely dropped into the negatives. It didn't help that Amamiya was also laughing at him, she's never seen Kawasemi resort to using 2 words to describe someone so full of flaws that he didn't even bother to list them all. 

He removed his tweezers from his forehead, staring at him and trying to find more words to describe the trainwreck that is Totomaru Isshiki. “I'll tell you exactly what I gathered from just looking at you.” He started off. “Other than that you're an utter idiot, you're depressingly unfit for detective work.” 

He did not have to say it like that, but okay. Isshiki felt even more devastated than he usually would, especially since he used to look up to him, and how much he admired him right before he came into the office. 

For a moment, he felt a strange familiarity with how Kawasemi insults him. Unlike Amamiya, who is his boss and has been working with him for the past 3 months, Kawasemi has no clue who he is and just decided he's probably just an idiot and of no use to him. Almost like…

He turned to face the head of the department instead. “Amamiya, you seem well…” He said as a nice greeting, but was clearly just a preface for what his real goal was. “There's some dust on your shoulder-” 

Amamiya didn't miss a beat, blocking his swift movement with a pen in her hand. “Try me, trash.”

The whole room was silent, even Isshiki's head, because if he were thinking, there might be just a bit of noise filling the silence. 

Kawasemi clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “You're the same as ever.”

The hatred didn't last long, it's clear their feud has been going for long enough that they didn't dwell on it. “Guy next to you your partner?” 

Totomaru was confused. “Guy next to him?” 

They didn't acknowledge his question, because it was one that already had the answer. “Yes, my best in history.” He handed his blunted tweezers off to a man who suddenly stood out from behind him. 

Totomaru did a lot of mental math. The man was shorter than Kawasemi, but wider than he is. How did he manage to hide behind him all this time?! “I'm Yamane. Nice to meet you.” He greeted both him and Amamiya.

He then gave a new pair of beautiful, stainless steel tweezers to Kawasemi. “I’ve written down all the known information into this file.” Happily pointing to his binder. “Even color coded all the cases that were similar to this one according to region and type.”

Kawasemi smiled for the first time since he's gotten here. “It's all thanks to him that I can focus on cases and solve them effectively.” He looked so incredibly grateful for him. 

“Oh, you're overexaggerating, Kawasemi-san.” And Yamane looked just as grateful for him. “I'm just glad I'm able to work with someone I admire so much.” 

Yamane's gotta be really good to make Kawasemi this happy. Totomaru couldn't imagine how hard it would be to work under him. 

“Well.” Amamiya slammed the file of their own investigation of the murder found in Tokyo. “I'm lending you your beloved Totomaru Isshiki for the cooperative investigation.”

“So you've stooped to the level of trying to spite me?”

“No, I'm just insulting him.”

It's absolute hell for dear Officer Isshiki. 

Kawasemi just sighed. “It's odd, though.” He said, “I can't seem to see him.” His eagle eyes would benefit greatly by not being distracted by the pile of flaws that is Isshiki. “Let's head to the scene, Yamane.” Entirely foregoing needing Isshiki for the joint investigation. 

His partner quickly caught up to him, as he swiftly bolted to the door. “I've prepared some bento in the car to eat.” Was the last thing they ever heard from either of them.

“He entirely erased my existence…”

Amamiya let out a huff, putting her hands on her hips. “ Now do you see how good of a boss I am?”

“A-At least you can see me…” She grinned, glad that Isshiki is finally thankful to have a superior like her.

Isshiki finally arrived to where they reported the body to be found, at the Tokyo Central Art Museum. 

Walking around, he remembered that they said it should be around the delivery entrance…

“You there! Your arm band is crooked.” He heard from a distance. At least he's easy to find . He turned to see Kawasemi poking his tweezers around at the other working investigators and officers. 

Kawasemi glanced at his partner, asking him for the details of the case. 

“According to the truck driver, he brought some sculptures from Aichi prefecture here.” He pointed at the written statement from the driver he'd jotted down during questioning. “When the staff were unloading the sculptures, one of them noticed that one of the sculptures felt off.”

Felt ?

That's when Totomaru finally looked into the truck, a corpse propped up against the wall, wrapped in the same paper they use to wrap the sculptures as if attempting to hide it amongst them. 

“Take off the covers, Yamane.” 

“On it, sir.” The man hoisted himself up onto the truck, unraveling the covers along with a second officer. 

Kawasemi watched with his observant eyes, not even flinching as they revealed a body struck directly in his heart, and the hands cut off from the wrists. 

“The exact same M.O….” He whispered to himself. 

“Wait, the same as w–”

Not even a response, just ignoring him and turning to his partner. “Yamane, inspect the corpse.” 

So he still doesn't see me?! He sighed, so Kawasemi-san just considers me a nuisance… 

But I can't just stand here and keep quiet in front of a horrifying corpse…  

He racked his brain about how he could possibly do something to help, before his phone ringing distracted him. He looked at the number, not recognizing it at all. 

“Hello?”

“Isshiki.” Oh, that voice he can recognize anywhere. “Can you come north of the crime scene really quick?” 

Huh ? He walked to where he'd ordered, watching him being barred by 2 officers working at the scene.

“Isshiki-san, this guy's saying he's some sort of S-Class detective , says he's with you.” 

“S- Rank .” He corrected them, impatiently tapping his feet onto the concrete floors. “Tell ‘em to let me in.” 

“How did you figure out I was here?!” Isshiki waved off the two guarding the entrance, letting him handle Kamonohashi alone. 

He pulled up a second phone (?!) that had Isshiki's exact location mapped to it. “I rigged your phone to show your location to me.”

“ That's illegal !” He opened his phone to look at how Kamonohashi could've possibly done it, but unfortunately he's not very good with technology in the first place, he'd never figure it out. “No wonder  I didn't recognize that number, I only saved one of your phone numbers.” 

He grumbled as he saved the second number quickly before he could con him again, too distracted to stop him from strutting right up to the scene and encountering the strict Kawasemi. 

“OFFICER ISSHIKI!” The man jolted when he heard Kawasemi screaming for him, almost dropping his phone in the process. “Get here this instant!” As if he was preparing to scold a child for misbehaving. 

He sprinted off to the scene, the man in his navy blue suit looking even angrier than Isshiki expected. “Who is this? And why is he meddling with my work?” He pointed his steel tweezers at him, sneering furiously. 

“ I should be asking that question!”

Oh it's so over for him. “K-K-Kawasemi-san, this is Kamonohashi-san, an–”

“S. Rank. Detective.” He emphasized every word with a pause, showing off his license for a split second before hiding it back into his vest suit pocket. “Now get out of my way.” Both Yamane and Isshiki were stuck with trying to cool the anger of both their respective detectives. Unfortunately for both of them, neither seem to want to back down. 

The poor officer watched as they butted heads over who gets to have the case, Kawasemi is too much like Kamonohashi for him to let him do whatever he wants like himself. “H-Hey, we can solve this together! We don't have to–”

“Shut up, Isshiki.” Both of them somehow said in unison. When they'd realized, they both made a sudden connection.

“Must be troublesome working with him, hm?” The man lowered his tweezers from Kamonohashi.

“Well…” It seems that he's calmed down too, seeing that Kawasemi isn’t all too different from him. “He could be worse.” 

Isshiki was so shocked his mouth gaped wide open. They bond over that?! Over me being an idiot?! Yamane turned to Isshiki, quietly apologising, knowing that his detective can be harsher than he realizes. 

Just when he thought that they'd finished fighting, Kamonohashi just couldn't help himself. “Just so you know, I'll solve this case before you.” 

You could see veins popping out of Kawasemi’s forehead from how annoyed he is. “I highly doubt it, Kamonohashi-san.” He could tell with his eagle eyes that this detective wasn’t lying, nor was he a force to be reckoned with, but that just gives him all the more reason to show how good he is at his work.

Kamonohashi walked out of earshot from him, asking Isshiki for more info about him. “He’s one of the best in the country! He has the highest arrest-rate in history, and he’s already being considered for Superintendent general.” Even though he was just insulted repeatedly by the man, Totomaru couldn’t help but admire him.

Ron noticed exactly how much Totomaru likes him. Noticing how he doesn’t speak about him this way. He bunched his hands into a tight fist, “that damned tweezer bastard!” He said through gritted teeth. “How high is his arrest rate?”

“Uhm…” Totomaru was a little scared about how angry he looked about it, wondering if he should even say it. “91.2%...” He only remembers from looking it up while coming to the scene.

“ Damn it!! ” He shouted. His arrest rate is only 91.1% at his work!! He was too busy being upset to wonder if he should be shouting angrily like this. “I need to beat him, I can’t lose like this.” If Totomaru’s standards are just 0.01% away from him, then it should be easy to get him to like him more. 

Isshiki has no clue that Kamonohashi is barely doing this just because he hates Kawasemi, that he’s doing it mainly to impress him, and also for his own ego, but that’s a slightly smaller portion than trying to impress him.

“Good luck on that…” Totomaru was a little on edge, just watching him fume with rage is enough to scare him as much as Amamiya does. “We need more information on the case if you want to do that.”

He walked off swiftly, the officer wasn't even sure if he heard him. 

Totomaru stood as he watched this man, one he always thought of to be extremely classy, elegant, and almost aristocratic, violently grab Yamane from behind him, putting him into a headlock, before dragging him back to where the officer stood. 

“I got Kawasemi-kun’s intel.” 

“THAT'S YAMANE-SAN!”

Totomaru forced him to let the man go, making sure Kamonohashi hadn't hurt him too much. “I…” He panted, still calming himself down from being scared like that. “I would've told you if you'd just asked nicely.” 

He finally collected himself, thankfully forgiving Ron quickly with no grudges. “The modus operandi of this case matches 3 other cases in Aichi prefecture.” He took out photos of the 3 past cases from his file. “The killer stabs them once in the heart for a swift death, and then cuts off their hands, presumably taking them away for themselves.”

Totomaru couldn't help but shudder from how horrifying these cases were. What's even scarier is that apparently, the culprit is still out there.

“From this method, we nicknamed the culprit ‘The Hand Collector’.”

Isshiki moved to look at what Kamonohashi was doing when he heard a small noise escape him. “If even ‘Eagle Eyed Kawasemi’ managed to miss this killer 3 times, it must mean that they're a formidable opponent…” He tried to keep his tone to an appropriate level of concern and worry, but his facial expression betrayed him, he was excited beyond belief.

The officer was no longer scared of the eventuality of meeting the person who was the hand collector, just seeing Ron shaking with excitement was enough to ruin the terrifying moment. 

“Last night, we managed to encounter him, but he escaped.” Yamane started back up, recalling the events of yesterday, but not without remembering how amazing Kawasemi truly is. “Kawasemi-san somehow identified him by just asking him about his work, when we investigated his bag, it was filled with weapons.”

The two listened diligently to his recount of the story. “He dropped his bag and then ran into an abandoned factory.” He continued. “Kawasemi decided our best chance was to flank him from both extrances.” 

Totomaru had not noticed, but Yamane started to get nervous over this part of the story. “I reached him first, managing to catch him and put him in handcuffs. But then…”

Before he was able to finish, Kawasemi had decided to butt in. “He managed to slip away, even managing to force himself past me when I was guarding the exit.”

Kamonohashi could see that Yamane was even more nervous now than before, practically shaking while Kawasemi explained the last bit of the story. 

“Which is why I need to solve this.” He added, less angry than before, his motives for solving this case are much purer than Ron's.

This just makes him look even more insane, from the way Kamonohashi’s still not letting some random officer in Japan beat him, he didn't get top scores in Blue for nothing. “Try all you want, I'm solving this before you.” 

Before the conversation could escalate any further, Totomaru quickly interrupted them. “H-Hey since you already know what the hand collector looks like, can't you just arrest him now??”

“W-We could, if…” 

“The man inside this truck with his hands missing wasn't the assumed hand collector.”

The tension in the air was easily broken by Ron breathing heavily at the prospect of being able to solve such a huge mystery. He quickly put himself up next to the corpse, staring deeply at all the details on it. 

“Oddly underdressed… Like someone took off his clothes.” He stated, moving down to his hands. The shadow blocked him from being able to see clearly the shape of a small tattoo on his wrist. “That shape… a branch? Ribbon, maybe?” 

“I-It's a bird.” Yamane spoke up from the ground. “I saw it when I cuffed him last night, so I'm sure this man here is definitely the one we saw yesterday.” 

Ron acknowledged his statement with a hum. “Kawasemi-kun.” He said, quieter than his usual loud and domineering voice. 

Before the officer could respond, he was met with Ron swinging his hand at him. He swiftly dodged him, blocking his strikes with his tweezers. “K-K-Kamonohashi-san!” Totomaru watched as both of them plunged into what would've been a violent fight if it were not for Kawasemi's quick reflexes. 

“I did not expect you to be someone who solves problems with violence, Kamonohashi-kun.” He quickly retaliated with his own attacks, decidedly grabbing his sleeves with his tweezers and attempting to pin him to the wall of the truck. 

Though both were on the same level of ability, Ron managed to get away before Kawasemi could halt his movements. He promptly moved to try and sweep him off his feet, but his footing was much more stable than the detective had initially thought. 

Totomaru could do nothing but watch as they fought, although both as elegant and professional as ever like it was some sort of a scripted battle, neither hurting the other. “Amamiya is definitely going to fire me for this…” 

Yamane had no idea what to do either, opting to stand behind Isshiki so if any of their strikes were to hit in their direction, at least they'd hit him first. 

By the end, Kamonohashi was finally caught off guard, and had his back pinned against his hands up to the wall of the truck, creating a large thunk noise that resonated against the hollow insides. 

“I'm done playing with you and Isshiki.” Kawasemi didn't look impressed, glaring at Isshiki too as if he was the one who instigated it. “Leave the scene before I-”

“But Kawasemi-kun…” He interrupted him, smiling underneath the stern officer. “All I did was prove that you lied.” 

Kawasemi halted, backing off when he realized. “Oh?” He said, trying to keep up the unknowing facade, but he knows that Kamonohashi could probably see through it easily. “Explain, Kamonohashi-kun.” 

“Gladly.” He brushed off the dust from the high speed showdown with him, grinning as he thought about all the various ways he could continue playing with this Eagle Eyed Kawasemi.

Chapter Text

It was virtually impossible to wipe that smug look off his face. Kamonohashi put his long fingers through his hair before explaining. “You were able to avoid so many of my abrupt hits, even managing to pin me down.” He said, looking at his sleeves to look at the holes Kawasemi's tweezers created. “There's virtually no way you'd be able to be overpowered by a man of that size.”

So that's why! 

Totomaru was shocked, he didn't think that Ron would ever use such methods just for solving a case. “Hah.” Kawasemi let out a small laugh. “I heard that there was a strong detective officer duo amongst Amamiya's men.” He said, wholly impressed by the two. “Maybe my impression of you was misleading, Isshiki. As I only met you when you were without this Kamonohashi-kun.” 

Was he praising Isshiki? Even he himself wasn't able to tell. 

“So you admit it, Kawasemi-kun? You lied?”

“Yes. When I arrived to the scene, the culprit had already left.”

“Why’d you lie in the first place?” Totomaru thought it must be something important if even the disciplined Kawasemi needed to lie about it.

He inhaled, preparing to explain the reason why he as a police officer would lie about what he’d saw with his own eyes. “Because Yamane was missing a button on his sleeve.”

What?

“Usually, I’d strictly correct him for something like this.” He added, Yamane looked even more nervous than before, hiding behind his confident and unwavering detective partner. “But I could tell from his expression that day that the grotesque murders had taken a toll on him. He made a mistake right when we almost arrested the suspect.” 

He said so, but it didn’t seem he was disappointed in Yamane at all. “Considering his mental state, it was my fault for not giving him more precise instructions.” He added. “I blame no one but myself for his escape.”
“S-So you covered for Yamane-san by saying you let him escape?” Clearly both of their first impressions of each other weren’t all that accurate, Kawasemi is much nicer to his subordinates than Isshiki first thought.

Then, Yamane couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I’m sorry! It’s my fault!” He cried out. “I can’t believe I’d make Kawasemi-san lie!”

It doesn't take a detective to be able to tell the two trust each other a lot. Totomaru was almost jealous that Yamane had such a good superior. He wasn't complaining about Amamiya though, most of the time she's right, and she's just strict. He was complaining about Kamonohashi. 

Even Totomaru could see that Kamonohashi almost parallels Kawasemi, with Kamonohashi being less serious all the time since this isn't actually his job, that he's doing it just for fun. 

“It's okay, we don't need to put the blame on anyone now. We can finish this case together!” Thankfully Kawasemi seems to tolerate Isshiki much more now after confessing. 

Kamonohashi suddenly dragged his officer away from the two, whispering into his ear. “I am not working with Kawasemi!! I'm going to solve this myself!!” He said, like a child complaining and throwing a tantrum over having vegetables in his plate. 

And Isshiki treated him as such. “It'd be easier if we worked with them! You can surpass Kawasemi-san in other ways!” He offered him a different route to take, one that didn't require competing in solving a horrible murder. 

Kamonohashi returned a large frown at him, but before Isshiki could scold him again, he turned to look at the other two officers at the scene. “Yamane-kun, is that another button missing I see?” 

The shorter man looked absolutely mortified. “T-T-There’s no way!” He quickly looked to his sleeve, and then looking around on the floor. “W-Where is it… I need to find it!” 

Kawasemi just watched as his partner scrambled on the floor for it. “Yamane.” He called him, but all the man said was reassurance that he'd find it soon. It wasn't what Kawasemi wanted from him. 

After a few more seconds of frantic searching, Kamonohashi decided to finally share his knowledge. “It rolled underneath the truck.” He said. And when Yamane looked underneath, it was true. The button from his sleeve was indeed underneath it. 

“Oh thank goodness.” The man looked like he was going to pass out from relief. “It’s here this time.”

“You couldn't have said it sooner?!” Totomaru finally had time to scold him, but Ron was too busy focusing on something else to listen to him. 

Kamonohashi started dialing a number on his phone. “How much do you know about the corpse?” He asked the two from Aichi prefecture.

“The investigation on him is still ongoing.” 

He put his phone on speaker, letting the person on the other side know. “Afternoon, Mr Totomaru! Or maybe I should say Officer Isshiki.”

“H-Huh?” He couldn't recognise the voice, as it was a relatively new one. 

“Heehee~” the man on the other side giggled, Kawasemi and Yamane both still confused about how this is relevant to the case. “I hope you didn't forget about me so soon, Officer.” 

“Spitz?!” Even if his voice was a little distorted from the phone, he'd be able to recognize that giggle anywhere. 

“Ding ding! Glad you didn't forget!.” There was a bit of rustling on the other side, like he was going through someone's belongings. “The corpse you guys are investigating is 48 year old Minoru Mushanokoji. He works part-time.” 

Kawasemi jumped, hearing the information Spitz had provided. He extrapolated the age and work schedule of the man from following him, but couldn't find any other information from how discreet he was. 

“I'm in his room right now, he's seriously bad news.” He said, there was a sound of Spitz moving through the room and opening some sort of door. “His precious hand collection is properly stored in his fridge. 3 sets of the victims hands.”

“S-So that Mushanokoji is the hand collector after all.” Totomaru was absolutely bewildered by how fast Spitz managed to investigate, considering Kamonohashi had only just found out about the case about an hour ago.

Kawasemi tried to hide his shock behind his calm expression, but to someone like Ron, it was a futile attempt. 

But this does prove that Spitz got the right guy, and can proceed with his deductions.

“Alright!!” Totomaru can tell Ron's about to go big on this. “We all agree that Mushanokoji here is the hand collector, yes?” 

He waited for all 3 others to agree before continuing. 

“So the person who took Mushanokoji’s hands wanted us to think there was another hand collector still lurking.” 

The others agreed again. “An obvious conclusion, the question is why go with such a horrible murder method?” Kawasemi said, his tweezers clicking from him thinking about it. 

“Ah and that's what you're missing, Kawasemi-kun.” Kamonohashi said, he jumped up into the truck, pointing to the man dead before them. “He committed suicide.”

When Kawasemi responded with shock, and Yamane with a nervous attempt to replicate it, Ron knew that his deduction was absolutely correct. 

“He'd stabbed himself in his chest, the blood splattering on his sleeves.” He said. “The one who took his hands stole his jacket too, making it look like a homicide instead.” 

“That's why he didn't seem dressed for the weather.” Kawasemi realizing while Totomaru was still on the side trying to figure out why all of this information is even relevant to finding out who did it.

Kamonohashi turned to look at him, making sure Totomaru was focusing all his attention on him, and not Kawasemi. 

“You'd already seen his face, cornered him into a factory with no way out,” he continued his explanation. “Even a serial killer knows when the jig is up.”

“T-That’d mean he committed suicide when we cornered him.” Kawasemi's eyes and deduction came into play, he could already guess who was behind it, but whether or not he'd believe it would be a different story. 

It seems even Totomaru could extrapolate from this information alone. “So the one who took his hands was the first person to find him…”

They all quietly turned to the small man who stood next to Kawasemi. “Yamane-kun.” Ron hadn't even said anything, but he was already franticly denying his involvement.

“I-I wouldn't do that! I'd never! I… I…”

Even Kamonohashi felt a little bad for finding out the ruse behind it all, seeing how Yamane enjoyed so much being an officer and being by Kawasemi. “The factory was pitch black, yet you figured out his tattoo was of a bird in the short time it took to handcuff him.” 

Kawasemi looked mortified, at least that was what he was trying to hide from the others at the scene. He hid the quiver in his voice, turning to the partner he'd trusted for so long. “Yamane?”

“I-It wasn't me! Kawasemi-san!!”

He looked like he was about to burst into tears, but he needs to solve this case. “You're still denying it, hoping to still be able to cover up the reason you did this…” Yamane could sense that the S-Rank detective had already seen through ever detail, his whole body shaking in fear. “You'd lost your handcuffs.” 

Both officers watched as Yamane was on the verge of an actual breakdown, but unfortunately for him, Ron has yet to finish.

“You panicked horribly over a button, and exclaimed that you found it ‘this time’, as if you'd made a similar mistake in the past.” Every sentence he said made Kawasemi's mind race, surely he could find an alternate explanation that could prove his partner's innocence. “You were unsettled that day because you'd realized they were gone when you found him dead in the factory by his own hands.”

If this were someone other than Yamane, Kawasemi would easily agree with Kamonohashi that this was the most logical explanation, but every bone in his body struggled to accept it. 

“He hid the corpse, lying to you that he'd got away. Yamane-kun thought that if he was found elsewhere, killed with the same M.O., no one would suspect a thing except for the possibility of another hand collector.”

Kawasemi had enough. He stood in front of Yamane, physically defending him with his own body despite no mortal danger threatening him. “You’re wrong! There's no way an outstanding partner of mine would do such things!” 

The detective was unfazed by his objections, but he didn't say anything in response. What did fill the silence was a few words that came from Totomaru. “Isn't that all the more reason he'd do so, though?”

He'd looked up to Kawasemi, admired his work ethic, but he had to acknowledge that even an amazing detective like him would have his own flaws. “If Yamane-san trembles so much at the thought of losing one of his buttons, then losing police property like handcuffs…” 

He wasn't sure if Kawasemi would listen to him at all, but seeing how he'd dropped his poker face, and stayed silent as Totomaru continued talking, he decided he could say a few more words. 

“Kawasemi-san, you talk to others about how highly you value Yamane-san.” At this point, the man was already broken down in tears, crying right before everyone, even his superior. “The pressure was just too much for someone like him to live up to your ideals.”

Yamane quickly dropped all his things on the ground, falling to it and kneeling before Kawasemi. “Forgive me, Kawasemi-san!!” His voice shaking while he breathed through tears, “I've stained your perfect career!!”

The sounds of sobbing were only interrupted by a single loud clang, the tweezers Kawasemi held dropping to the floor. 

“I’m so sorry, I couldn't live up to your expectations.” He continued sobbing, sniffling while gravity pulled his tears to the ground instead of down his face. 

A soft, understanding hand was placed on him. 

He waited for him to stop himself before saying anything more. “I should be the one apologising, Yamane.” Kawasemi looked composed, calm, unafraid, but he was just hiding how scared, regretful, and horrible he felt.

He paused for a second, contemplating on whether he should say more. “I’ll be honest, I knew you were weak and careless under pressure, I didn’t want to expect much from you.” He spoke to Yamane as if he forgot that the two others were still watching. “But you changed me, I saw how earnestly and cheerfully you threw yourself into your work. You made me see the strengths of people rather than just their flaws.”

The golden sunset set a sharp shadow onto both of them, the scene looking like it came straight out of a romance drama. Totomaru felt a little awkward seeing this in front of him, like it was supposed to be a private conversation. 

“ I took your effort for granted. I didn’t stop to see how you were holding up. If I’d just been more lenient…” The slight quiver in his voice gave away just how much he regrets not communicating just a little more about Yamane’s mental state working under him. “I’m sorry.” He said. “ You’re so precious to me .”

All his words did was make his partner sob even louder, even after his mistake–no, because of his mistake–Kawasemi saw exactly how important he was to him.

Unfortunately for Kawasemi, as much as he wished to put this under wraps, keeping it a secret from everyone in the world, to have him back, he couldn’t. The truth was said for everyone in the vicinity to hear, in earshot of at least one other police officer, one with integrity no less. “Even so, a crime is a crime. It'll be hard for you to work as an officer again.”

He'd finally paused his sobbing, thinking about how he's supposed to continue his career after this. 

“But…” Kawasemi started again. “If you're still willing, I'll always leave a place for you by my side.”

A single sentence was able to bring back his spirits, going from crying from sadness to crying from how grateful he is for his superior. 

The detective looked up from him, at the two others at the scene. “It's not like we both have to be police officer’s anyways.” He added. “We can pull it off like those two.”

Ron's competitive spirit is still unwavering, even after explaining how Yamane hid the body, he can't stop trying to show off. “At least my partner wouldn't do something like that, right Isshiki?” 

Guh . Before he could even ask if he really was Ron's partner, Kawasemi responded to his quip. “You should appreciate him more, Kamonohashi-kun. As Yamane let me work at my full capacity, Isshiki helps you the same.” 

The way Kawasemi said it, was like a wise adult talking to a young child. Kamonohashi as he was would usually brush him off, but for a moment, it was as if the information went through to his thick skull.

“Thank you for helping us solve the case, you two.” He said, the hatred for Kamonohashi he had seemed to dissipated entirely. “But next time, I'll solve our case, got it?” 

Ron finally remembered exactly what he worked so hard for. He excitedly look for Isshiki's approval, hoping that he'll finally see that the superior detective is actually him.

And yet, he did not. His partner (?) was still busy conversing with and swooning over despite how hurt Kawasemi is, losing his own partner so easily, he manages to keep a calm expression. 

“You're SO on, Kawasemi.” He growled. Despite how playful Kawasemi wanted it to be, Kamonohashi intends on taking it 100% seriously, especially since he's taken the full attention of Isshiki from him. 

Isshiki stayed with them until the escort to jail arrived, accompanying his role model as he's forced to send his beloved partner away to prison. And because he stayed, Kamonohashi decided to stay too. 

He sat off to the side staring at Isshiki while he comforted Kawasemi. He listened to the stories Kawasemi had with Yamane, fondly looking back on them and only now realizing all the signs he should've heeded before this event.

Kamonohashi, who didn't care to talk to Kawasemi anymore, was stuck following them far behind, constantly having his eyes on Totomaru, his flawless skin, messy brown hair, adorable grey eyes. 

The two officers finally separated after a long walk to the train station. Kawasemi left to head back to Aichi after a whole evening of work. 

Ron looked unbelievably upset, even if people who weren't familiar with him couldn't tell, Isshiki could. 

“Say, why didn't you pressure Yamane this time?”

His angry thoughts suddenly ended once Isshiki started talking to him. “I… I'd entirely forgotten about that.” He was embarrassed that he'd overlooked that part of him so quickly by just a small rivalry between him and a local officer. “I guess it's because Mushanokoji was killed by himself, and not Yamane.” 

“Haah?!” Totomaru felt like he understood him even less now. “There's even a rule like that?!”

“You act like I inflicted myself with this.” 

Quickly he was distracted by Isshiki's willingness to converse with him. Maybe he was won over by his coolness and intellect?  That thought was not shared by Isshiki, but he wouldn't know that.

Chapter Text

The doorbell to the manager's office rang multiple times, even the door being knocked more than once. 

Isshiki looked confused, usually Kamonohashi would get the door by the first ring or knock. He tried twisting the doorknob to find it was already unlocked. 

“Hopefully he doesn't mind.” He came here to drop some snacks and gifts off from Kiku, bringing some snacks of his own for his cat. 

He walked through the elegant and beautiful, almost mansion-like, house. The walls had beautiful pictures of various desserts being covered in what he now knows as his favourite black sugar syrup. 

The couch and coffee table in the living room were messier than usual, like no one's been living there for a while. He moved to the kitchen when he heard a rustle. 

The kitchen was beautifully clean, white tiles across the floor. The whole kitchen was enough to cook anything he'd ever wish for, a high end oven with a dough mixer setup as if prepared to use at any time.

His beloved kitty cat was on the counter, digging through the container of cat food that was clearly initially locked to prevent something like this from happening. “Is even his cat a genius?!” He took the container away from it, knowing how bad overfeeding can be for an animal. 

He walked into the bedroom, still holding the container of cat food, with the little cat following him. He looked to the bed, no one there, but the blanket was hanging off the table. 

He looked around the room, it isn't often he was able to see what Ron's home life was. There was a photo on the clothes drawer on the opposite end of the bed, it looked to be of Ron's childhood, a photo of him and his mother. 

There didn't seem to be any more photos, some of him as a student in blue, but only on his own or maybe a single lecturer, but none of his family. He walked to the other end of the bed that he couldn't see from the door, jumping when he saw a man lying on the floor. 

“K-Kamonohashi-san?!” 

His hair sprawled out in an inorderly fashion, wearing the undershirt he typically wears along with his vest like he just came back from an outing, none of his belongings were on him.

He quickly knelt down to shake him, but felt upsettingly relieved when he responded drearily, “just a few more minutes…” So he was just passed out on the floor?? Next to his bed??

All the concern he had for the man was entirely dropped in an instant. He lifted himself up from the floor, kicking him lightly instead of gently shaking like he was doing just a few moments before. “What the hell are you doing down here?”

Kamonohashi opened his eyes, lifting himself off the floor and feeling the bruises on his body. “I fell off the bed.” He sat himself on his bed, large fluffy blankets covered it, it looked so comfortable to sleep in. “I stayed up a bit last night to watch this show they have on the TV.” 

The TV??? “What show were you watching?!” None of the actual good shows air at an unreasonable time, just what was he watching that was so important to him?

Turning to look at his bedside clock, he got up, moving Isshiki out of the way while he walked out the bedroom door.. “It's coming on air soon again, let's watch it.” It didn't even seem to be a response to his question, opting to show his answer rather than say.

They walked into the living room, Totomaru sitting on the opposite couch while the large flat screen TV turned on in the middle of the living room. 

After a short advertisement, the TV started up with a silly little jingle, along with the title card. “Lie or Truth? ESP!” 

What? No way Kamonohashi likes something like this. He turned to him, expecting to see him looking for the remote to change the channel, but he was only met with Ron staring intently at the screen. This is literally what he saw his grandmother watching the other day.

“On this show, we'll have a psychic face off against a neurosurgeon to prove whether or not he has real psychic abilities!” 

Totomaru was in such disbelief his mouth gaped wide, so much so a fly could fly into his mouth and he'd be none the wiser. 

The two main characters of the show, Dankichi Torage, the psychic, and Mofu Usaki, the neurosurgeon, stood faced off against each other. Torage clearly looks like he's fully prepared for the show, while Mofu looks like… she's been in multiple fights in succession(?!)

“What's wrong with her?!”

Kamonohashi didn't even seem to notice or hear what he said, just slightly laughing as he kept watching. “She's got more than last time.” Is Kamonohashi more insane than he thought? 

She apologised for looking absolutely horrible for the camera. “I tried cutting some fruits the other day, and the knife just slipped…” She said it so apologetically you'd believe her until you realise the actual contents of her reason were borderline nonsensical. “A-And I'm not very good at putting bandages, especially on myself, so…”

“A-Are they sure they hired the right person…?” 

Kamonohashi actually directly responded to his question for the first time today. “She’s one of the best in Japan, and probably the whole world.”

“She's so clumsy though…”

“She's like me, but instead of a genius hyper-specialized in detective work, she's hyper-specialized in surgery.”

Dr Mofu then cried out as the camera turned back to her, finding that her microphone somehow stuck to her chin (???)

“Just how can someone be that uncoordinated?!” Totomaru shivered at the fact that she was responsible for all those brain surgeries around the country. 

“800 a year, in fact.” He doesn't know which is more shocking, that he keeps saying his thoughts out loud without noticing, or that Dr. Mofu is an actual world renowned specialist. 

Torage announced confidently that for his act this episode, he'll control the actions of his subject with words on a board alone and nothing else. 

Ron let out a hmph, smiling as he explained what he'd do, as if he's interested in what he has to show.

“Do you believe in ESP, Kamonohashi-san?”

“Not the slightest.” What a direct answer… “Usually you watch TV to suspend disbelief. I mean, if ESP did exist in real life, it'd make solving mysteries even more fun than now.”

“How do you always relate everything to detective work?!” 

“You're probably the type of person to believe it right away without any actual proof.” He did not answer his question, choosing instead to insult Isshiki again. “The kinda guy to say ‘Wowza !’ at this kinda stuff.” The little hand gestures he did imitating him did not help his case.

He scoffed at him, offended at his comment. “Like I'd ever say something like that.”

It wasn't long until Torage setup everything for his display of power, randomly choosing a subject and writing down the word “Jump” on his little whiteboard. 

The officer was absolutely stunned at how the subject started jumping despite his attempt to not. “Wowza!” He exclaimed, even though just a few moments before he made fun of the idea he'd ever say it. 

Kamonohashi wasn't even watching the show anymore, every episode is of a similar pattern and premise, he chose to look at Isshiki's little reactions instead, deeming it more interesting than what the TV had to offer. 

As the TV flashed bright colours usually meant for young children and adults bored out of their minds, Isshiki looked wonderfully like a kid who found out about the concept of magic for the first time. 

Watching as Torage in the screen controlled the man's movement from nowhere but his board, he kept saying “Wowza!” Over how amazed he was. 

Then, after a few moments of showing off, the neurosurgeon pressed her button on her stand. “Is this subject really chosen at random?” She contested his amateur show of psychic abilities that anyone who took a class in science or maths in secondary school would be able to disprove easily. “What if we picked another subject from the audience right now? Could you replicate it?” 

“Good. She noticed.” Kamonohashi spoke to himself.

Of course, Torage had anticipated this. He has to be prepared, lest it be quite the uneventful show. The man was too busy running around the room to see what he had planned for him. He wrote another word, showing the room and camera what he'd written. “Death” in beautiful cursive handwriting. “Would you believe me if he dies?”

The two watching were stunned. Totomaru mainly for the fact that Torage had that power, and Kamonohashi mainly for the fact that he is either actually going to kill this man, or somehow trick a medical professional that a man died on stage with something up his sleeve without actually killing him. “He won't die.” She said, full of resolve and belief in the science she's studied for years to become a professional.

The self-proclaimed psychic flipped his board to face the mid-run subject, and to everyone's horror, he stopped, and fell to the ground, lifeless. 

The crowd gasped, the camera even shaking a bit like the person behind it wasn't anticipating it. None of this is staged by the show's actual producers. 

Torage leaned down, unphased, as he lifted his subject's hand, dropping it down to the floor without any clear conscious resistance. 

Despite how many audience and crew members were mortified, Mofu didn't believe it for a second, she knows that ESP isn't real, and if Torage really killed him, he'd be put behind bars. A crew member asked him for confirmation, to which he confidently admitted that he really did kill him with his psychic abilities, before the broadcast halted right when he responded. 

They both stood up from shock, Kamonohashi looking to Isshiki before quickly picking up his vest and putting it on. “It's a live broadcast, Isshiki, let's head out.” 

Arriving to the scene, the two already saw an ambulance and multiple police cars parked outside the studio. 

Before he announced his name and status, the woman at the reception had recognized him. “You're Officer Isshiki, right?” She smiled as sweet as she could for a situation the studio's in. “Amamiya-sama from police HQ sent a message.” She opened the message on her phone. 

Everyone else at the office is busy, you handle it, you loafer.

It seems she was too nice to want to say that kind of insult out loud to an officer who was willing to help them. 

“T-Thanks.” He was just a little shocked that Amamiya called him that in a message sent to a third party, but what else can he expect at this point? “This man here is…” He paused before thinking about resuming his sentence, knowing that he'll finish it himself. 

“Kamonohashi, detective consult for Isshiki.” 

With just a simple explanation, she easily let them both inside. 

The interior is just as it was on the TV, 2 stands for each of the main debaters, the bright lighting and colors on the wall behind them, the large title of the show plastered on it. 

Just as Totomaru was talking to one of the officers that got to the scene earlier than him, Kamonohashi got to work, lying next to the subject of the show, a man in a white jacket. 

A smack on his forehead, Isshiki's not even sure if he should scold him about it anymore. The other policemen looked at both of them concernedly. 

While both of them inspected the body, they heard a familiar voice come from behind them. “Who is this?” 

The officer got up from the ground. Preparing to greet him, but was quickly beaten by the man on the ground. “Torage-kun.” He addressed him, getting up from the ground, probably done with his own investigation. “The psychic himself.” 

Ron reached his hand out, but he didn't seem interested. “You are?” 

“You could say I'm a fan.” 

Totomaru turned him around to talk to him privately. “What do you mean a fan?!” He whispered.

“What's a fan doing here then?” 

He pushed Isshiki away from him, facing the psychic. He was taller and larger than the TV cameras  suggested. “Just wanted to ask you something, Torage-kun.” 

Totomaru whispered into his ear again. “Don't say anything rude!”

Kamonohashi nodded, obedient for once ? “So how'd you kill him?”

That's literally what I didn't want to happen!

“Did I use the wrong grammar?” Not what I meant!

Thankfully, Torage didn't seem to take any offense. “You’re interesting, I'll entertain you.” He looked impressed, even, that someone wasn't afraid of death or him. “I killed him with my ESP abilities.”

Totomaru tried his best to not show any fear, but he was a little scared of Torage. If he could kill anyone anytime he wished, he could be a horribly dangerous individual. 

“ However.” He said. “It will be impossible to arrest me, for no modern laws or science is able to punish me.” He confidentially stated. He was wrong. So incredibly wrong. 

The law states that murder is “the act of killing another person without justification”. He did state that he murdered him, which is actually enough to put him in jail. Who gave him the idea that he wouldn't be put in jail for this? 

Before Isshiki's able to mention it, Kamonohashi stopped him. “Let me handle it for now,” staring intently at him to let him know that he wants to solve the case before arresting him. 

There's so many officers here that it'd be unwise for him to try to kill any more people, so Isshiki let him have his way. 

Before anything else could happen, Totomaru jolted as he felt Kamonohashi reach inside his jacket, pulling out his police notebook. “You're just the best, Torage-kun.” Despite the praise, he didn't look impressed at all, smiling with a near manic expression instead of one you’d use to meet with your idols. “Can I get your autograph?” 

“On such a small piece of paper?”

He shrugged. “Never said I was a big fan, just an average one.” For a second you could see a blood vessel pop out from his temple, but he didn't express too much anger outwardly. “You have a pen, don't you?” 

If he had the ability to, Isshiki wanted to implode on himself. Not only is Kamonohashi angering a man who somehow has the ability to kill someone with his words alone, but he's also embarrassing him in front of all the officers at the scene. What if he just writes “Death” right there in his book and shows Kamonohashi? He can’t explain that to Kiku!

Torage, as vexed as he was at this man, took his little.book and actually signed it for him. The signature was absolutely illegible, though. Not even a calligrapher could tell what he was trying to write. Guess he never said he’d make it nice.

“Wow!” Kamonohashi said loudly. “Your handwriting sucks.” 

“Stop provoking him even more!” Isshiki scolded him, as much as he tried whispering, Torage heard him. 

“Exactly.” He said. “That neurologist should've just believed me instead of provoking me, too. If she did, I wouldn't have to kill him.” First of all, she isn't a neurologist, she's a neurosurgeon . Second of all, she gave him a whole alternative route to prove his power, he literally did not have to kill him, but who cares at this point, Torage’s too deep into his ESP world to remember all real life laws and nuances. “You should be punishing her instead.” He told Isshiki, even Isshiki was smart enough to tell that this man was either an idiot or just too blinded by his own lies to remember what's real and fake. 

Before they could say anything more, they heard a scream from behind the stage. “Dr Mofu!!”

The sprinted to the source of the sound, finding the bandaged and heavily injured surgeon hanging from a hook attached to the ceiling clearly made for hanging heavy objects like steel braces or other things used for the show. 

Her body flopped down from gravity, with her lightly swaying as her hands wriggled, signaling to everyone in the vicinity that at least she's alive. She looked up to see the two detectives and the woman who yelled for her name. “Something got caught on my belt… Could someone let me down, please?”

“There's no way!” 

“She's either blessed by the gods of luck or cursed by them. I'm not sure which.” He looked impressed at how insane of a situation she managed to get herself into all the time. 

They quickly moved to let her down, making sure she's okay before striking a more casual conversation. “I'm Shikada, I assist Dr Usaki at the hospital, she's not feeling the best at the moment.” The woman said, greeting and thanking the two for helping her superior. 

Watching her sit against the wall curled up made Totomaru feel so bad. “It's not her fault that Torage used such drastic measures…” 

“No…” She said from her little corner of sadness. “As someone who's engaged in medicine by profession, I can't believe I let someone die right before my eyes.” 

It was clear she's someone that values lives, as much as Isshiki. Her adamant nature to save people struck him right in his heart, but to Kamonohashi…”

“Dr Mofu.” He called for her attention. “Has this incident made you believe in ESP?”

It was as if he was testing her confidence in her own work and life, she stayed silent for a moment, carefully thinking of an appropriate answer. “I don't know.” Was all she managed. “I examined him, and found him to die from poison.”

Poison?

“There was flaccid paralysis and cyanosis, something like a nerve poison.” She said, wracking her brain around all the kinds it could've been. “Blowfish poison or snake venom could do the same, but it acted so fast that he died before the ambulance could even get here… Maybe something like botulinum toxin would be more fitting…” 

The dark haired man agreed with her. “Did you notice the spot on his neck? Maybe the entry wound from a poison needle?” 

Her eyes lit up. “I thought so too!” She uncurled her body for a second to look at him properly, “are you a medical professional too?” 

He also carefully calculated his answer. “Not exactly.” He finally said. 

Moments of silence crawled by, feeling longer than it actually was, before Totomaru finally said something. “I-If it was a poison needle, maybe Torage had someone shoot a dart at him when he flipped the board?” 

“I'd considered it, but if that did happen, I would've definitely seen it, and so would Shikada, she was behind me backstage the whole time.” She was almost tearing up from how frustrated she was, thinking hard about how Torage could have possibly administered the poison so discreetly and have it act at such perfect timing. She grabbed her head, clawing her fingers at her hair while she thought even harder than ever. 

Is it really possible for a human to have supernatural powers like this?

“‘Course not, Isshiki. Don't tell me you really believe that idiot Torage?” Kamonohashi tapped his feet on the ground, crossing his legs waiting for Totomaru to deny it like he should.

He was annoyed that he heard his self monologuing, then even more annoyed the fact that he just brushed it off so easily without anything to prove it wasn't ESP. “Then you explain how all of that happened!!” 

“That's why I'm here, Isshiki!” Before they could keep yelling at each other, they stopped when Dr Mofu whined in sadness. The officer growled at Ron for him to be silent rather than keep arguing with him. 

The two medical professionals stayed silent while they watched as their Investigators continued their feud, Kamonohashi as he childishly mocked Isshiki while the other tried his best to be mature, but it's hard to do so with someone like Kamonohashi. 

It took a few minutes, but they eventually came to a consensus. “Regardless if you're stupid enough to believe that dishonest idiot, I'm gonna crush his hopes and dreams.” The detective said, still having that slightly agitated tone in his voice, but pointed more towards Torage than Totomaru. “Can't believe a foreigner like myself is more familiar with Japanese law than a native.” He muttered, referencing how Torage foolishly thought that the law didn't cover his “method” of killing. 

Chapter Text

“Are you done keeping me hostage? I have business to get to.” 

Self-proclaimed psychic Torage had no patience for Ron's methods, little does he know if he kept rushing them, the only place he'll be going to is jail. This is the last hour he'll ever get to experience freedom from behind bars, he doesn't appreciate it at all. 

Despite searching high and low through his belongings and all the nooks and crannies at the TV station, there was not a single trace of a poison or needle to be found. 

Totomaru ran back to where Kamonohashi was reviewing the footage taken by the camera crew, of at least 3 different points of views. He laid by the small television provided, the officer thinking he was just doing the same as he did for dead bodies. 

“Oi, Kamonohashi-san.” He shouted for him, slowly walking up to him to see the footage being played on repeat over and over again. “Found anything?” 

No response. Is he giving me the silent treatment ? 

He leaned down, looking over his body to check what he was doing. 

“Are you fucking sleeping?!” Again?! Isshiki lifted himself up to kick him again as he did this morning, this time a little harder to make sure he woke up. 

Dr Usaki and Shikada watched once more as the two yelled at each other. If they were told Kamonohashi had basically started a fist fight with another prefecture's head of department just because he was taking all of Isshiki's attention from him, they'd never believe it. 

“Not my fault they air this thing at 2 in the morning last night.”

“It's your fault for wanting to watch it that badly!!”

“Sometimes I feel like you're only ever good at talking about things irrelevant to the case.” Letting out a huff, he stopped “discussing” with Isshiki about this irrelevant matter. “Say, Dr Usaki.” She got down to eye level with him to look at the TV he was in front of. “After the subject saw the board, he closed his eyes and fell to the ground.” She nodded. “Did he even twitch or anything after?” 

There wasn't even a moment of thinking before she responded by shaking her head. “I thought it was odd that he didn't, if someone died that suddenly, they'd usually have some involuntary movements in the limbs.” She recalled. “I gave him chest compressions, and he seemed to start breathing again, but then stopped again quickly after, which is why I never said anything of it, because he didn't seem to die as suddenly as we all thought.” 

“So he died while you were tending to him?” As much as Totomaru kept wracking his brain around the situation, it didn't seem possible at all. “Torage-san couldn't have done anything in front of you, this is just another dead end.”

“Maybe for a pure idiot like you.” He pulled himself up from the ground, combing his hair through his fingers, revealing his horribly bloodshot eyes. “I've figured it out.” 

He was caught up on Kamonohashi calling him an idiot again until he noticed them. “Your EYES!!” Totomaru jumped watching the elegant man neglect his sleep so much that his eyes looked like that .

He managed to get some eye drops from Dr Usaki before gathering people to listen to his explanation. 

Managing to convince Isshiki to help him gather everyone involved to the stage where he stood, he preened himself and dusted himself off before beginning. 

“Since the scene's preserved so well, let's use it to recreate it.”

Murmurs ripped through the crowd of staff behind the show, before he silenced them with a glare. 

“I'll have Officer Isshiki here be the subject. And I'll play Torage.” 

“I never agreed–”

Before he could object, Kamonohashi was already way ahead, quickly finishing setup so he couldn't. “Torage, your marker, if you will?” It was not a question, it was an order. 

“And why should I play along with you? You're the one who doesn't believe my powers, I won't believe yours either.” He said, turning his head up high and away from Ron. He was too clouded by his own ego (much like someone else) to notice Dr Usaki trotting up to him and demanding him to listen.

As small as she is, her anger in her steps made her nearly as menacing as Kamonohashi when Totomaru’s attention was stripped from him. “Someone has died! Lend it to us… Please!” The last bit being said with a small delay, as if she wasn't planning on saying it, but decided that she should in the end.

Without any warning or any time for the two parties to react, Dr Usaki tripped over a small wire connected to a camera, time slowed as she turned head first into Torage, crashing hard into him and making him drop all in belongings.

She took the chance, already used to having to anticipate a fall at any given moment. Grabbing a marker off the ground, she threw it at Isshiki, making Torage growl under his breath. 

The detective gestured him to hand over the pen, but he only received a sneer as a response. “Fine, you be Torage then.” 

Isshiki had not expected Kamonohashi to give that up so fast. He cautiously moved to the podium, making sure he wasn't pulling any tricks, and he was perfectly safe on top of it while Kamonohashi was on the ground. 

From their height difference, Kamonohashi was nearly the same height as Totomaru was on the podium, making him hyper aware that he was so short. Whatever. Let's get it started.

“First, I'll wear noise cancelling headphones so I can't hear what's being said outside.” Kamonohashi set them on himself, beginning to speak louder once he did. “Then, I'll act like an accomplice, just following whatever Isshiki writes.” 

“That's slander! And why would an accomplice want to die?!” 

He was not having anymore of this idiot’s yapping. “Well, Torage, if we fail this experiment, then it'll prove you were right all along, got it? Now shut your trap.” 

He braced himself against his chair preparing to get up. “You–”

“Okay!!” Totomaru interrupted them before anything more could be said. He quickly wrote the first word on the board..

“Make sure to write it in that obnoxious font, Isshiki.” He said as he fixed his noise cancelling headphones. Wait, how did he hear Torage just now? Whatever, that's not important right now.

The officer thought it was just another annoying thing he did to drive him up the wall, but it seemed a little too specific to be so. He digressed, writing “jump” in the same curvy cursive font Torage had used.

And as planned, Kamonohashi followed what was written on the board, jumping in place. 

Then it progressed, Isshiki erased it and wrote a different word. “Run”. 

And as planned, Kamonohashi ran across the stage, waiting for Totomaru to finish writing the last word before moving behind him. Totomaru thought it was odd that he stayed behind him, does everything need to be so accurate to the original event?

He wrote the last word, hopefully the board and words themselves don't hold any ESP abilities. Unknowingly, after flipping it for the crowd to see, he flipped it upside down to face him and Kamonohashi. He realized after a moment, but before he had the chance to turn it back upright, Kamonohashi collapsed onto the floor. 

He jumped, quickly putting back down the board to check on him. 

It's really a question why Totomaru keeps checking on him, it's the 3rd time he's done this when Kamonohashi was just (pretending in this case to be) asleep. 

He lifted himself back up, showing the crowd the upside down board. “Death, was read as Sleep, to the subject here. Torage flipped it upside down to show the subject after showing it to us.” Kamonohashi explained.

“So he was just pretending to be asleep?” 

“Coincidentally, both actions involve closing one's eyes and collapsing straight onto the floor.” He pulled off his headphones, setting them on the table next to Isshiki. 

“He was still conscious when he fell?” The doctor quickly analysed all that happened with this new information, creating a new timeline of what had actually happened in her head. 

Kamonohashi continued explaining for Isshiki and the crew members of the show. “He was a mighty fine actor, not everyone can collapse so realistically.” He praised the deadman’s act, “he wasn't able to hear anything through the headphones, so when Torage was testing his pulse, he was still acting.”

He chased Totomaru off the podium, wanting to stand on it alone. “Once the broadcast was interrupted and people scrambled to make sure he was okay, Torage took advantage of the commotion, injecting him with the poison during it.”

“He's right.” Dr Usaki said. “He struggled at the end because the poison wasn't done spreading through his body, my chest compressions might've even made it go faster…”

“There wasn't a single ounce of ESP involved. Am I right, Torage?” 

The false psychic stood up, more furious than ever, knocking down his chair and subsequent equipment behind him. “FALSE ACCUSATIONS!!” He roared, his voice echoing through the set. “Have you even found a needle yet?!”

“A detective like myself doesn't base claims on false assumptions,” a hum urged Isshiki to hand over the marker he was holding. “Thought I wouldn't notice you using the thicker side of the marker for your signature? I'm a bigger fan than you think.”

The murderer inhaled sharply, he knows the jig is up for him.

It was enough for Kamonohashi to smile with glee knowing he's about to give in. “You hid the needle in the aptly named needle point end of the marker.” He said as he uncapped it with a pop sound. 

Whispers were heard throughout the crowd of officers and crew members. “No wonder we couldn't find it.” It was so perfectly hidden, but not good enough to hide from Kamonohashi. 

“NO!” Like a boy not able to take a loss at a game. “HE DIED FROM ESP!!” He huffed, screaming at the top of his lungs like that'll make people more convinced. “I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU!!”

Raising up his fists into the air, he screamed an odd phrase up at the ceiling. All it did was make himself look like even more of an fool. “Fine, I lied.” He finally decided to give in.

Finally, Totomaru could relax. He wasn't 100% sure whether ESP really doesn't exist, he did not want to risk it being real and getting himself hurt from it, though. 

“Why'd you do it?” Dr Usaki asked, maybe she's curious why he'd go through such desperate measures for something as simple as a TV show made clearly for kids. 

“I had him as my accomplice, but he wanted 90% of what I earned!!” He was so filled with anger, it might take more than 3 officers to keep him down and lock him up. “I had to kill him!” 

“Alright that's probably enough.” Unlike the initial attitude he gave Torage, he said that in a calm tone. When Totomaru saw him keep a pill bottle back into his pockets, he knew what was coming. “You know the… Drill…” Each word slurring as he got to the end of his sentence. 

What Kamonohashi forgot to do was to put down the dangerous poison needle, or at least hand it off to someone who could hold it. His muscles all relaxed as he fell onto the officer, accidentally jabbing his arm with the needle. 

A high pitched yelp pulled Dr Usaki and her assistant over, one putting Kamonohashi on the ground and the other looking at his wound. “Well, guess you're lucky the ambulance hasn't left yet.” 

He barely even remembers the trip to the hospital. The sounds blended together as he was rushed? Maybe wheeled off at a moderate speed? Into a room with other patients? Empty beds? He wasn't even sure anymore. 

Flashing in and out of consciousness, he was lucky most of the poison was already used, and though he would survive under the careful care of doctors, it didn't mean it'd be an easy process to detoxify his body. 

The other officers and medical professionals weren't sure what to do of the unconscious Kamonohashi. He wasn't in mortal danger, seemed to just be in a really deep sleep. Apparently when one of the officers reported back to Amamiya about the situation, the director, Kiku, stepped up to deal with him himself. 

It took a few hours, but he finally woke up, quickly viewing his surroundings to see Kiku sitting near the window, reading another issue of the daily newspaper. He was laid on his couch, clearly he slept in a weird position from how his limbs ached and had the couch pattern imprinted on some parts of his skin. 

The older man set down his newspaper, picking up the cup of tea he poured himself. “How'd you sleep? Want some tea?” He's always so quick to provide hospitality to anyone moderately younger than him. 

It'd be rude not to have some. Kamonohashi reached a hand out for a cup, pouring himself some from the teapot. “Was Isshiki too busy to bring me here?” The last thing he remembers was falling right on top of him, after all. He thought he'd do the same thing as last time. 

“Ah… Officer Isshiki is…” Usually he's pretty good with words, but it's a little hard in this situation. The two might not realize, but Kiku knows exactly their situation, exactly how jealous Ron’s been even if he'll try to deny it, exactly how much that S-Rank detective loves his little jester of a man. “Well… He's being treated for poisoning in East Japan Integrated Hospital.”

What? He quickly sat himself up straight, “what happened? Who poisoned him?” 

Ah, even worse. He calculated the best course of action to tell him, but decided that he should just be blunt with him at this point. “You did, by accident.” 

As much as he tried to hide it, it wasn't working. Kiku could see clearly that he was, despite his best efforts, terrified that he was still a danger to society while doing field work. He stayed silent for a few more moments before finally saying something.

 “Can you bring me there?” 

Of course, the director did whatever he asked. Kiku treated Ron as his second son, his first one not talking to him as much as Ron did. Kamonohashi just sat in silence during the whole trip, only ever speaking if Kiku asked him about something. 

The director also opted to stay in the car while Kamonohashi went in, letting him see alone what he's done to the officer he was so attached to, even though on outward appearance he looked like he absolutely hated him. 

Totomaru was too busy fighting the demons in his head (the poison wreaking havoc in his body) to notice someone was by his side. Murmuring unintelligible words as he tossed and turned in his hospital bed. 

It was 2 whole days of recovery for him, finally waking up on the third day to Shikada changing his meds and checking on his vitals. He weakly looked up to the bedside table as she quickly checked his eyes and his sanity. It had a few cards along with a small bouquet of flowers on it.  “Who sent those?” He asked her. 

She lifted the cards, checking the names on them. “Amamiya-sama left one, thanking you for risking your life for a case, but told you to not do something dumb like that again, Kiku-san from the police department, and also your grandmother. The flowers are from her too.” 

Is it weird he expected something from Ron? Probably, Ron doesn't do corny stuff like this. He lifted himself to sit himself up against the headboard of the bed. It felt tiring just to recover from his ailment. 

The assistant cleared off any clutter from the table, placing a few new cards from the people in his life, one from Kawasemi, to his surprise. “Thanks for helping Dr Usaki during the case.” She said, her hands busy with maintaining the area around him. “She lost a patient who chose to do alternative methods like ESP rather than life saving surgery, so it means a lot to her that you disproved a huge case like that.” 

Despite how clumsy she is, she loves her work, and is so earnest. So many people around Totomaru was like her.

Shikada quickly went off out of the room to tend to her other patients, leaving Totomaru to his own devices. Just as he was about to get off from his bed, the door clicked open again. 

“I know, I get it. I won't solve any more cases. After what happened to–” The man stopped himself on the phone as he looked inside to see Isshiki was wide awake and staring back at him confusedly. “I'll call you back.” He quickly turned off his phone and put it in his pocket, trying his best to hide his embarrassment from the fact that he was holding a bag full of whatever sweets he guessed he'd like to put by his table. 

Of course, the officer was easily tricked by it, but that wasn't his main focus anyways. “Anything you wanna say to me?” He crossed his arms, looking at him as angrily as he could, but that just made him look extra cute. 

Kamonohashi tried his best not to laugh from how cute he looked. “I…” He hesitated for a moment, to which he hated himself for it, what's the problem? Just apologize. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stab you,” is what he wanted to say, but ended up just saying “here's some sweets Kiku bought for you.” He wasn't even being truthful, he bought them himself, he just didn't want to tell that to Isshiki. 

Isshiki was appalled. “You almost killed me and you don't even apologise to me?” The officer turned back to look at him, he doesn't care that he looks guilty, an apology is easy enough to do! Even he could do it! He does it every day to Amamiya when she's scolding him!

Shit! “W-Wait, I meant that– I wasn't–” 

“Meant what? You only want to apologise once you see that I'm upset with you?” 

Oh it's going to be hard to salvage this. Why did he even say that? He's so stupid. He's so fucking stupid. “I just… I don't know why I said that, I–” 

“Can it, Kamonohashi. Just get out of here if you still value our friendship.” Even calling it a friendship felt weird, Isshiki's always doing things for him instead of both ways being somewhat equal. 

Seeing how Totomaru was fuming, as cute as he is, he really didn't want to risk anything more. He left him just as he asked. 

The door softly clicked shut.

He sat in silence for a few seconds, not even thinking a single thought. 

Is Ron seriously too egotistical to even apologise for something like this? He didn't take it personally, just wanted to hear him say something about it, he knows he didn't mean to, but the fact that he doesn't want to apologise makes it seem like it was his plan all along. 

When he kicked Kamonohashi out of his room, he wasn't even really expecting him to leave. He really just left, leaving only the bag of sweets Kiku bought for him, least that's who he thought bought them for him.

Whatever . He thought. If Kamonohashi is too proud to even apologise to me, so be it.

At least he has some time to himself now. 

Kamonohashi walked back to his apartment, taking the train back from Aichi. Now that he's alone with no one familiar to him around him, he kept thinking about how to stop Isshiki from being upset with him. 

He checked to make sure Blue or the WDA didn't send anyone to tail him constantly, it would be a smart decision, but they need to treat him like an adult who can handle himself. 

He doesn't even know if Isshiki liked the sweets he bought him! What if he hates sweets? He never asked him, he just assumed because Kamonohashi himself loved sweets. 

He kept spiraling and spiraling until he got up to his apartment, taking a quick look at his mailbox as a habit, and then stopped in his tracks. His mailbox had a small letter stuffed haphazardly into it. 

He opened it, pulling it out from the metal box. An invitation to an observatory?

Unbeknownst to him, Isshiki was reading the same exact invitation, the only difference being his name on the letter instead of Kamonohashi's. 

Ron thought about rotting in his bed for a few more days, but decided that this might be a nice break from it all, especially since the location was on Nandan Island, home to the sugarcane used to make the famous Nandan Brown Sugar Syrup. 

Why not? He hasn't seen a meteor shower in person either, it'd be a fun experience.

Chapter Text

The waves crashed up against the small engine powered boat, the water splashing constantly onto Isshiki while Ron looked as dry as he was on land. Even the water was out to get him it seems. 

“Thanks for coming, Officer Isshiki, and Kamonohashi-san, was it?” The driver and also director of the observatory, Takumi Jumonji said. “My friend works with the Aichi prefectural police. He heard from Kawasemi-sama that you were an amazing detective duo, so I thought I'd send you both an invitation.” 

Isshiki growled under his breath, he really was expecting to come to this island as a fun trip on his own, without Ron here. Kamonohashi accidentally poisoned him and wasn't even able to apologise to him when given the chance, and even when they saw each other again on the pier, he just turned away eye contact to look wistfully out at the sea like he's a wife waiting for her husband in the Navy to come home.

“Why would you need us for an event like this?”

As much as he tried to brush it off, acting like Totomaru wasn't upset with him, he was terrified about doing anything more to push him away even more. He watched every word, every sentence he said, making sure to not say anything that might push Isshiki over the edge.

The director laughed. “Just a precaution.” He sighed, as if a little annoyed that he had to do this in the first place. “The other guests are worried that case from a few years back might happen again.”

A… Case…? He thought he could come here to escape those. Even when he's on leave he's still working. Poor Totomaru.

It didn't even take a second before Ron was questioning him about it. “A case? What kind?” He's already distracted from his goal, such is the curse of being a detective.

“Ah, sorry to take up your break time for more work.” He didn't seem thrilled to discuss it either. “It’s just some old thing that happened decades ago, nothing you should worry about for now, please enjoy the party.” 

Ron can not just “relax” when there's a blaring case right before his eyes. He just has to pray (however atheistic he might be) that he won't hear more about this mysterious case. He did tell the WDA he wasn't going to do any more field work, and he is a man of integrity, after all.

Totomaru just told himself repeatedly that it'll be different this time. It's fine, they don't sleep in the same room, they don't have to go everywhere together, and the island is huge, they could walk far away from each other if they needed to. Totomaru blamed himself for raising expectations, it seemed Kamonohashi couldn't even do the bare minimum. 

Well, he's not so bad that he'd kill someone, that's for sure. 

They turned a little sharply, and some water splashed onto Kamonohashi's perfect vest. “Ah. Isshiki.” What now ? “Do you have any tissues?”

The officer just stared back at him, his wet hair dripping all over his drenched suit. “Do you think I do?”

“Good point.” Kamonohashi counted these incident like he counts his days in prison, he can't keep doing this to Isshiki.

Much to Totomaru's amusement, Ron got drenched along with him, it didn't help that the officer actively put his hand in the water to splash him with it. By the time they were on land, Jumonji was shocked to see them both sopping wet like they went for a swim while he wasn't looking. 

They walked up to the observatory, Isshiki staring in awe at it. “Welcome to Nandan Observatory.” The director said, walking them through the tall fields of sugarcane. 

Kamonohashi was so incredibly focused on the sugar cane on the island rather than the main event. “The legendary Nandan Island sugarcane… Used to make some of the most delicious brown sugar syrup in the world…” If he didn't have any self control, he'd definitely be drooling out of his mouth at this point. 

So that's why he was so excited about this place?! He should've known. Kamonohashi has only 3 motives he ever acts on and 1 of them is brown sugar syrup. He was so excited to come here that Totomaru saw him run to the pier from his house instead of taking the bus.

The director heard him talking to himself about the sugarcane, and continued talking about it and its presence in the world.

“I'd love to have it for all my meals.” Just thinking about it made his mouth water. Totomaru was shocked that someone could love something so much, Kamonohashi loved his brown sugar syrup more than his grandmother loved him. 

Finally, Jumonji welcomed the two into the observatory together. “The first floor has the dining hall and lobby.” He introduced, showing them a wonderfully decorated room with nice couches, a smart TV with the background of a comet, along with a few astronomy related pictures hung on the wall. 

Both Kamonohashi and Isshiki were drawn instantly to the gun in a glass case set against a wall, a work habit of theirs shining through. “A pistol?” 

The director noticed their interest right before moving to the next room. “Ah, it's just a model gun for warding off spirits.”

“Looks just like the real thing!” 

Indeed it did, but Ron was curious about something else. “What kind of spirits?”

“Just a vestigial tradition from when the people on the island would display a matchlock gun as a charm to protect the sugarcane.” He said. 

Then they walked up to the second floor. Instead of a few large rooms like the first, this floor had a long hallway with many doors. “That last doorway is the entrance to the observatory.” 

He excitedly opened the door for them, only for them to be deafened by someone yelling and their voice echoing through the dome. “ I'LL KILL YOU!!”

The chef thankfully stopped when she saw the director along with 2 more guests with him. “What’re you doing yelling in here, Unno-kun?”

She quickly apologized for accidentally yelling at them. “The dome here is entirely soundproof when closed, so I thought I'd come here to release stress whenever I needed it.”

Honestly, not that bad of a coping mechanism. Probably better than most people's. “Wow, I did not know that. Okay.” Jumonji seemed a little confused, but it's whatever, as long as she isn't doing anything to mess with the observatory. 

She started up again, this time venting to him about what she was so upset about in the first place. “I'll tell you, Director. I'm out here busting my ass preparing for the party tonight, and that Donzawa asked for some coffee, so whatever, I made some for him!” She explained. “Then when I delivered it right up to his doorstep, he scolded me! Because ‘the stars drawn on the mug were weird’! What the hell’s wrong with that guy?!” 

She's right, what is up with that guy?

“What even is a brown sugar dish anyways?!” She asked the director, it seems he messaged her about it once Kamonohashi brought it up. 

Like a group of neurons just activated in his head when he heard the words “brown sugar syrup”, he stepped up. “That's for me.” He said. 

Both the chef and the director apologised for talking about his request like that disrespectfully. Unno having no idea that the guest she was serving the dish was right before her. Totomaru told them it really wasn't necessary, but they still bowed to apologise anyways.

Speak of the devil, a man with a mug with a constellation on it walked in. “What's all this ruckus about?” 

As if the room fell silent just for Toto to express his thoughts. That's… That's some hairstyle alright. 

It was some horrendous bowl cut that would've covered both his eyes if it were not for an almost circular cut to reveal his right eye. 

He noticed Totomaru staring, he thought it was in awe, but it really wasn't. “It's wonderful isn't it?” My god, he said his thoughts out loud again. 

“This hairstyle is designed so my hair won't get in the way when I'm looking through a microscope!” Totomaru covered his mouth with his hands, trying not to say any more thoughts out loud. Unfortunately, Donzawa can tell from his expression alone that he was not as impressed as he first thought. “More people who just don't appreciate astronomy as much as we do.” He shook his head.

“More?”

A blonde, short and messy haired woman stepped in not far behind him. She greeted the two new guests. “I'm Onodera, astronomical photographer.” She introduced herself, holding a large camera in her hands as proof of her profession. “Donzawa-san’s referring to that guy over there, when he means other people.”

She pointed off to a tall man in the shadows, obscuring his face, but Kamonohashi knew exactly who he was the moment he saw him. “S-Sir?” 

Oh Totomaru wanted so badly to ask him what he meant, he didn't know if he even had any friends outside of him and maybe Kiku. 

“Mr. Grizzly.” He said, quickly walking up to him for a handshake. 

He grinned, clearly he's proud of what Ron's become in the 5 years he's rarely seen him. “Good day, Mr. Kamonohashi, how've you been?” He put his hand out to shake his too, both respecting one another with a good greeting. 

“Oh, you finally get to meet!” Jumonji said. He got Grizzly and Isshiki together, introducing them to each other. “Grizzly-san, Isshiki-san, you two’ll help me make sure there's nothing going on at the party today!” Totomaru greeting him with a light bow, he didn't reciprocate so soon.

“Mr. Grizzly as a mere bodyguard?”

“Oh, he's necessary.” Onodera said, her appearance dark and mysterious, but that's just to set the tone. “Considering that horrible, unsolved case from the last decade…” 

“Stop talking about it.” He said in a serious tone, but his body betrays him, by moving him closer to her to try and pry that mystery out of her. 

Isshiki looked at him, knowing he physically can't resist a good case. He just sighed. He also has no idea who Mr. Grizzly is outside of the fact that he is a good enough detective for Kamonohashi to recognize him as his senior.

It seems Mr Grizzly knows exactly what Kamonohashi is like, and decided to explain it to him. “Like as we are now, the constellation of Leo was in line for them to see, they held a viewing party at the observatory, but the director along with 6 other guests were shot in this dome.”

The current director sighed. “My father was part of the carnage, as the director during the shooting.”

Mr Grizzly kept explaining what happened after. “A large-scale investigation was launched, but the gun used was never found, nor was the culprit. So it went cold.”

Totomaru shivered, despite working in the police for a while now, he's still not used to hearing these spine-chilling cases out of nowhere. 

“I thought about closing the observatory, but my father loved astronomy with all his heart.” He looked like he might even tear up, “so I think he'd be happy to hear I'm reopening the observatory for this same event, to overcome that horrible tragedy.” 

And of course, with such a noble cause, everyone agreed and rooted for him, “what a moving story.” An unfamiliar, yet adorable voice spoke up. 

The girl looked absolutely stunning, her cute pigtails with a wonderful outfit. Isshiki was too distracted by how cute she looked to even realize she was basing her look off a constellation. “I'm the Orion constellation idol, Prince Ori!” She said as she stroked a pose. The others held in their laugh at Isshiki very clearly expressing his opinions, even stating hed

And because he was so distracted, he jumped when he heard the dome to the observatory opening. “Who flipped the lever to the dome?” Jumonji turned to look at the levers, only to find Kamonohashi standing there. 

He turned to him, “was just curious what it did.” He didn't even ask for permission?! What if he broke something?!

The others wowed as they watched the observatory open up, the sunlight lighting up the room and the telescope turning to face a seemingly random direction.

Why's it turning ? Totomaru thought to himself, as someone who isn't versed in astronomy related technical advancements. “It's programmed to follow and record selected stars!” Jumonji excitedly explained to him.

Onodera looked so busy snapping so many photos of the telescope for her journal. “Ah, but we won't use the telescope to look at the meteor shower.” She added, as she continued taking photos. 

The S-Rank detective took the opportunity to explain why when he saw Isshiki's confused face. “Using the naked eye or low magnification telescopes are the best ways to appreciate something like a meteor shower.” 

Only whispers of “Wowza!”s left Totomaru's mouth, he's never done anything like this before, the only time he's ever heard of meteor showers we're on TV, he wasn't even sure if they were real from how mysterious they were to him. 

After being notified that the showers will be visible at 11 pm, everyone left, either for their rooms, or to the standing party on the roof.

Loud clacking of metal silverware on glass plates were heard on the roof, only 6 guests were eating, and out of the 6, only 2 of them were actually eating anything at the moment, so what was making so much noise?

Kamonohashi groaned at how pleased he was, seeing what was essentially a buffet full of delicious food drenched in brown sugar syrup. He sat in a large, beautifully carved wooden chair, even though it was a standing party , but whatever. 

As curious about how Mr. Grizzly was related to Ron, he was about to walk up to him to ask, only to see his attention being grabbed by Onodera and Donzawa, who both eagerly listened to him go on about astronomy, since when did he know about that, though? 

Who cares, honestly. He walked to ask Mr Grizzly himself. “G-Grizzly-san?” He called him, the old man looking off at the scenery from the rooftop. He turned to face him. 

“You're Mr. Kamonohashi's acquaintance, yes?” 

He seems a little scary. “Y-Yes.” 

He hummed at his response. “How is he?” 

“He's fine, I guess.” What a casual conversation… He wasn't sure how to switch the topic to get the information he wanted. 

“Is he close to you?” 

And what a personal question. Maybe Kamonohashi likes to think so, but… “Not really, no.” 

“Shame. I thought he'd finally start making actual friends.” 

So he isn't really good at making friends? Well, not a surprise, especially considering his personality, Isshiki barely knows anything about him. 

There was a silence between them before Isshiki started a different topic. “How do you know Kamonohashi-san?” 

“I'm a lecturer at Blue.” Ah! So like Spitz! “Though I didn't teach him myself, it seems I was part of the few lecturers he listened to near unconditionally.” 

So his disobedience isn't reserved for just Totomaru, he also didn't care to listen to his lecturers sometimes. “D-Do you know why he has that whole, pressuring murderers thing?” 

“Ah.” He looked a little surprised. “You know about that.”

“Yeah, I've had to help him back to his room multiple times because he kept knocking himself out.” 

The old lecturer sighed. “He's always been like that, troublesome for others.” He said, recalling some things that seemed to have happened a while ago. “There was a time that behaviour of his almost cost him his detective's licence.”

Now that's what Totomaru wants to hear about. “How so?” 

It seems to be a funny memory to him now, instead of something serious. “We all thought he killed 7 people in a practical assignment in collaboration with the local police, almost sending him a death sentence, before someone sent us an anonymous tip that pointed us in the right direction.” He said, reminiscing about the moment. “5 years ago. He said he had no recollection of what happened between the moment of him walking in, and the moment of him holding his bloodied knife, but we found out that one of his peers framed him.” 

Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising that someone like Kamonohashi had rivals and enemies, he's more surprised no one's tried to sabotage his work in Japan yet. He tried to think of something more to say, only for Ori to come up to him to request his assistance. 

“Isshiki.” Kamonohashi yawned as he ate one last brown sugar syrup covered pastry, he ate so much it looked like his vest suit was going to break. “Bring me back to my room, I'm sleepy.” 

“Just go there yourself!!” 

“What if I pass out halfway…” He yawned again, trying to lie down for just a few seconds on the table. Totomaru knows it won't be just a few seconds. 

He gave in, lifting him by his shoulder to lift him back to his room. Muttering under his breath as he dragged his brown sugar syrup filled body to his room. He put him on his bed, covering him with his blanket, and left the lights on. “You don't even wanna see the meteor shower?” 

Rolling over to sleep more comfortably, he whined. “I'll just see it in my dreams…” 

He really just came here to eat the brown sugar syrup. Is he even surprised at this point? 

He left the room, never bothering to shut the door behind him. Ron still not bothering to apologise, or even thank him for doing all of this for him.

What is he sticking with Kamonohashi for again?

Oh right, his job. 

He walked back up to the roof, him and the other guests continued feasting on the party.

It finally struck 11 pm, everyone excitedly gazed towards the sky, anticipating the first meteor to pass through the beautiful void. 

There's just something so innate about loving bright little dots decorating the night sky. The same sky that people across the country can see, the same sky that people across lifetimes would've seen. 

Though, Isshiki didn't think of something so profound, just admiring the beauty of a meteor shower for the first time was enough to move him to tears. 

Donzawa scoffed at how he along with Ori cried over something like this, but it made the officer think. 

“I haven't seen Onodera-san in a while…”

Ori seemed to agree, but Donzawa attempted to calm their worries. “She said she was going to get some equipment.”

“Does it take 2 hours to do that?” He asked genuinely, he isn't that versed in astrophotography, maybe it does? 

Their thoughts stopped when they saw the dome next to the rooftop begin moving, the dome opening and large telescope whirring as it moved.

Then, everyone jolted as they heard a gunshot from inside the dome. 

“There's just no way–”

“A gunshot!” 

Everyone quickly rushed to the second floor, Mr Grizzly attempting to open it to no avail. Jumonji ran off to his office, saying that he'll look for the keys. 

All the guests cowered as the fear spread between them, is the case from all those years back happening again? 

Jumonji came back empty handed, exclaiming that he couldn't find his keys in the regular spot, and no one's had to enter the observatory since last everyone exited it. 

Oh no. 

With no hesitation at all, Mr Grizzly began trying to crash down the door, hitting it with his whole body over and over again. It's getting concerning that no one on the other side has responded to the loud ruckus on the outside.

The door finally gave way when Isshiki and Jumonji both helped him knock down the door, almost falling over when it swung open.

Isshiki's eyes immediately fell onto Ron, laying on the floor, not even a twitch or groan from him. Fuck, he better not be actually dead this time.  

The others scrambled to get the lights on to no avail, the power was out?

Unno brought back flashlights that the director requested from her before busting the door down, sharing them amongst the detectives at the scene.

Before he's able to run up to check on Kamonohashi, Jumonji set some light onto Onodera. “S-She’s bleeding from her back!” 

“Did Kamonohashi-san do this?!” 

My god, could he have actually done this?

Chapter Text

They ran up to the more clearly injured Onodera, but flashing a light onto her face reveals…

“S-She’s dead!” 

A shrill scream came out of the Princess’ mouth, at least it was with good reason. 

“I predicted something like this would happen, I should've taken note how long Onodera-san was gone for.” Mr. Grizzly was far too ashamed of himself to even think of the implications this has for Ron. 

The implication that he shot her, on account of the fact that a gun was laid next to him, despite him not even being conscious at the moment. 

“I knew he was suspicious, what kind of freak eats that much brown sugar syrup anyways.” The chef responsible for cooking his meals admitted.

The short second of silence was quickly broken. “There's nothing wrong with brown sugar.” Kamonohashi opened his eyes, those beautiful bright blue eyes. They looked back at Isshiki once he pulled himself up, making sure to watch the glass on the floor. Wait, why is there so much glass on the floor?

“The last thing I remembered was Isshiki bringing me back to my room…” He looked around at the others' expressions. “But it doesn't look good for me, does it?” 

“You killed her!” 

But before anyone's able to act hastily, Mr Grizzly yelled out at everyone to freeze. “You're all suspects until we find more conclusive evidence.”

“A-All of us…?” 

As an instructor from Blue, he takes his job extremely seriously. “No matter the case, I confront it with an unbiased and objective view.” He sternly said, as if scolding a class of rowdy students. “I have no reason to not suspect any of you so far.”

“As I expected from someone like you, Mr Grizzly.” He said, still sitting on the ground surrounded by glass shards. “Your objectiveness is part of the reason why I've respected you all these years.” 

He nodded, “but this still doesn't mean you're not a suspect.” Of course, Kamonohashi knows that. 

He began walking around the room analysing and looking at all the potential clues as the others stood out of the way. Isshiki followed him, holding a lantern up so he could see clearer. 

The two inspected the corpse on one end of the room, as much as Ron wanted to too, the other guests would probably yell at him if he even tried to move an inch. 

“It's still warm, she was just killed.” They gently grazed their fingers on her wound, moving her slightly to see if she had any others visible. “The bullet struck directly in her heart, though it isn't certain, it's likely it was the cause of death.”

They then walked up next to Kamonohashi, taking and confiscating the gun, the same one that Totomaru saw being displayed in the case in the lobby. 

It seems no one else knew it was a real one. 

Looking up, they ruled out the possibility that the murderer escaped through the dome, since it wasn't reachable from the ground without assistance, and it would've triggered an alarm made to keep animals out. 

They even checked all the small possible entrances, like an exhaust vent in the side of the room, but it was far too small for any of the guests or personnel to fit through. Mr Grizzly didn't even forego the possibility of hidden entrances in the wall, checking for any hollow spots, to no avail.

Finally, they addressed the glass covering the floor of the room. “The lights are all broken.” They seemed to be shot by the gun held in confiscation.

“It is unfortunate.” He said lastly. “There's no possible way she was killed by anyone else but Mr. Kamonohashi.”

A nervous tone slipped from Kamonohashi’s voice. “N-Now, Mr Grizzly. Are we-”

“The door was locked shut, and there's no possible escape routes to be used.” He sternly said, “it's a perfect locked room .”

Kamonohashi was still passed out when they crashed the door open, he didn't know it was fully locked. “T-T-There's no way I'd-” he paused, hearing a quiet jingle from his pockets. He doesn't remember keeping any change in there. He reached in, pulling out a set of keys. “Isn't this…”

“The master key we keep in the lobby!”

Everyone turned right back to Kamonohashi, he looked so suspicious that no one else had any doubt he was the murder. “Wh-What were those doing in my pockets?” 

It's over. 

Yells amongst the guests and personnel rose, urging for him to be locked up so they'd be safe from another set of murders at this seemingly haunted observatory. Isshiki just looked absolutely mortified. Ron, one of the top students in Blue, one of the best people working in the WDA, killed someone?

“It's a shame to say this but, Isshiki-kun, arrest him.” 

The apparent murderer was too busy scrambling his brain for a single memory of what happened after passing out, to see Isshiki's sudden hesitation. 

Isshiki told himself he only hesitated because it seemed out of character for Ron to do something like this. Because Kamonohashi highly values what other people think of him. Because he has no motive for such an indiscriminate murder. 

In reality, he was just as shocked as Ron was. Isshiki himself didn't believe that Ron actually killed her, why would he? For what reason? Spite? Showing off? None of these would make sense at all, and considering how smart Ron is, he wouldn't lay himself next to the murder weapon and victim so close in the vicinity.

Stepping forward, the glass crunched underneath his shoes. He pulled out his handcuffs, locking his hands together behind his back. 

“Get him his boots, it'd be dangerous to walk on glass barefoot.” One last request from the experienced detective and lecturer, and they were off to a secluded room in the observatory.

“I thought I could trust an S-Rank detective to not do something like this.” He dragged Kamonohashi across the halls, to the boiler room where he attached the other half of the handcuffs to a steel pipe. There was no banter to be had between them. “Right in front of an instructor from Blue. What's wrong with you ?”

He didn't say a word, he himself mortified by his own actions. “I… I don't know.” He whispered. He sat himself down onto the floor, staring at the hands that somehow killed poor Onodera. 

“It's over, Kamonohashi.” Totomaru turned around, having his back face the man in handcuffs that he put him in. “I'm done working with you.”

“W-What…?” His world stopped. It turned silent, not even crickets seemed to be chirping anymore. “N-No, I-”

The once adorable and sweet officer didn't even bother to turn back to face him. “I dealt with your insults, your back handed compliments, your constant asking me for things and expecting me to just do them for no compensation nor appreciation. You've done almost nothing for me except save my job.” He paused, letting the words swirl and fly through Kamonohashi's analytical mind. “I’m not even sure if my job's worth talking to you for.”

When he turned his mind back to the time he spent with Isshiki. He remembers now. He remembers how upset and angry Isshiki was, he remembers how he stormed out his room in the first case they've solved, he remembers every single time he yelled at him. He would slap himself in the face for every single time he'd miss that Totomaru hated what he did, or wanted to be away from him if he had mental capacity to. 

“I hope you can prove your innocence in court,” for a moment, his voice trembled, subtle enough for only someone like Kamonohashi to pick up on, “for the sake of your life as a detective.”

Not another word could be said to him before he left, leaving Kamonohashi to wallow in his own world built by his ego. 

The hallway they put him in was a specific one that didn't have a lot of foot traffic. Mr Grizzly would come in on occasion, consoling him. “Let's hope that this time is like the last, we find the person who framed you, and stop them. I know you wouldn't kill someone. It's just not like you.” He said, but it didn't seem to console Kamonohashi at all. 

He kept thinking and thinking about all the times he's been annoying Isshiki on purpose, calling him an idiot while looking down on him. Usually he wouldn't see himself caring so much about losing a relationship, but Isshiki is so different to him. He wants him to stay. He needs him to stay.

“Mr Grizzly.” He said in a quiet voice. 

He acknowledged him with a questioning hum.

“Was I mean, during my time in Blue?” 

The old professor seemed surprised at such a question. “I didn't really know what your relations with other students were like, just that you didn't make many friends.” He responded bluntly. “What made you ask?” 

He stayed silent, thinking about whether or not he should say anything. “Nothing.” He finally decided. 

Totomaru would occasionally come see him, check his handcuffs, make sure he wasn't picking them while his back was turned. Everytime he came in, Ron wanted to beg him to stay, to not leave him again, to give him one more chance. 

He was already given enough chances. 

Of course, Mr Grizzly quickly looked through the whole crime scene once more, making sure they hadn’t missed anything. Totomaru was busy sitting in solitude in his room, though he didn't seem like the type to kill, Isshiki had no incentive to prove his innocence. What does it matter? Maybe Kamonohashi really was that far gone?

Kamonohashi isn’t some ordinary civilian, he’s a prestigious detective well known in the world. He’s already so incredibly tired of having to deal with him. He didn’t even know you can burn out just from being next to someone. 

Though he didn't want to care about Ron anymore, there’s still a small pang in his chest from seeing his mortified expression of being accused of murder. Isshiki’s only heard a snippet of that incident that had happened all those years ago, but it seems to have affected Kamonohashi more than he lets on. 

He’d actually drug himself every case he solves so he won’t kill the culprits, he’s never actually wanted to hurt an innocent person. Is his ailment really even an ailment? What if it’s just his body forcing him to say what’s actually on his mind? What happens if they really do prove that no one else but Ron could’ve killed her? Does he make himself kill himself? 

Whatever the case, even if Ron turns out to be not guilty of the murder, he’s grateful to finally let out all he’s been holding in, maybe now Kamonohashi will bother to learn a bit of manners and respect. 

The young detective did not give an ounce of gratitude when Mr Grizzly cleared his name by the fact that he consistently failed his shooting classes when the victim and the room's lights were hit spot on without any misfires, and that his feet were clean and unscathed despite being in a room full of glass shards. He was far too busy being miserable about the fact that he managed to lose Isshiki so easily. 

Much to his own surprise, he didn’t even care that Jumonji was so adamant on pinning the murder specifically on him, nor that he admitted to the murder with nearly no hesitation, specifically in earshot of Kamonohashi. 

It wouldn't have been that hard to keep him around, he thought to himself. All he had to do was be nicer, be less of a jerk and annoyance. It was so simple, and yet his rational mind did not consider it. 

Totomaru came back into the room, Kamonohashi wishfully thinking for the first time in years, that he's back here to talk to him again. He was proven innocent after all! There's no reason for Isshiki to be that mad at him right?

He was wrong.

Totomaru unlocked the handcuffs, freeing him. “Isshiki, thanks for-” before he could finish, the officer left, not a single word got through to him.

They went back to the mainland in silence. Kamonohashi wanted so badly to say something, to apologise, anything. Unfortunately for him, he knows that anything he says now will fall on deaf ears. 

All the innocent guests and staff were escorted safely by the police back on land, they were all rightfully shaken up by the events, probably never going to visit Nandan island ever again. 

Mr Grizzly quickly greeted both of them before getting a ride back to the airport, presumably to go back to England. He was nearly shot by another one of Jumonji’s trap at the island, and decided he might take a long break before going on another mission aboveseas.

The officer walked back home without even saying farewell. Leaving Kamonohashi alone, the night falling slowly as he's left to his own thoughts. 

Chapter Text

“You are not taking an extra day off today!!” Amamiya fumed as she growled at Isshiki through her phone. “You know how busy we are these days?! That case you brought back has–”

“Now… Amamiya.” She stopped when he heard the director behind her, attempting to calm her down. 

Kiku isn't one to scold Amamiya much, she herself is extremely competent and can hold her own, so he gets to relax while she works on everything around the police station. “For Isshiki-kun to be asking for leave without much reason…” 

Thinking for a moment, she sighed. It does seem a little out of character. “Fine, take your day off.” She said into her phone, closing it right after. She doesn't need to hear whatever sob story Isshiki was going to tell her about.

She huffed, her table sprawled with papers and documents she is to organize and file in their respective folders. Usually she pushes this to Isshiki, but unfortunately…

Amamiya already has plans for today, visiting a crime scene and getting statements from some witnesses of an attempted murder. 

The other officers in the station dared not to make her even more upset, they clearly respect her greatly. Everyone silenced themselves when she paced across the room, swiftly walking towards her target that is one of the officers who was to follow her to the scene of the crime. 

The room stayed absolutely silent when she spoke. “I need 2 more of you to follow me, we leave now.” Without even looking back at them, she walked out in a flash, getting into a police car and riding off. 

As diligent as always, she looked through every detail of the scene, how the dirt seemed to be marked, how the sunlight hit the area during the time of the crime. 

Of course, the competent officers at the scene had already collected all the forensics data that would be of help, she's glad that her force isn't all as useless as that idiot Isshiki. 

The scene was a house in the middle of the neighborhood. Someone had tried to poison the owner of the house with a poisoned needle by putting them nearly everywhere around their property. Hoping one, just one might hit their target.

The attempted murder case was dealt with easily, the officers had just missed a torn piece of cloth caught on a guard rail just outside the crime scene they covered. The culprit was easily captured right after. A man who wanted to get revenge on his ex wife, horrendous motive that'll get him more years in jail than if he just decided to kill her for the hell of it.

The others could barely catch her before she went off on her lunch break. 

“U-Um…” A voice spoke up from behind her, timid and afraid. “Amamiya-sama?” 

She glared back at the origin of the voice, who dares interrupt her lunch break?!

“Eek!” The young lady covered her head with her clipboard, cowering under her overpowering aura. “S-S-Sorry!” 

Ah… Maybe she's scared her just a little too much. “What are you looking for me for?” She calmed herself down, offering the strawberry blonde woman to sit opposite to her. 

She took a few breaths to calm herself too. “I… Um…” What a nervous wreck she is. She quickly pulled out a card from her phone. “I-I'm Chicory, a journalist…” 

The general quickly read through the information on the card, Lime Weekly, that's the weekly magazine that talks about average magazine stuff, nothing special. “Why's a journalist looking for the general of the metropolitan police?” She tried softening her voice, knowing that her usual booming and commanding tone, though perfect for scaring Isshiki and putting the other officers in their place, would not be fitting for talking to what seems to just be an innocent journalist.

A sigh of relief escaped her lungs as she finally relaxed herself, seeing the infamous strict and scary general be happy to converse with her despite bothering her on her lunch break. “I was hoping to find Officer Isshiki for an interview…” She said, looking down at her clipboard. The journalist had written down all she wished to ask Amamiya before the interaction began, so she wouldn't leave any awkward silences between thinking about what she had wanted to know from her. 

Just hearing his name was enough to make her muscles twitch with frustration. “Officer Isshiki , huh?” She tried hiding the fact that her blood boiled at the thought of him, what if he says something stupid? Or accidentally gives reason for the public to ridicule them? Goodness… All the possible, horrible outcomes. 

Her eyes beamed with excitement, completely oblivious to the fact that Amamiya would rather kick Isshiki to the curb than let him have an interview with a local weekly magazine. “S-So… If it's not too much trouble…” God, she looks so adamant, but she's not the type of be swayed by her emotions for professional duties, not now.

“I'm inclined to say no.” She finally said. 

You'd think she'd be sad, walk away all depressed, but surprisingly… “Is it because he's busy? I'm fine if he's available at a later date!” She doesn't know when to quit. Even Amamiya wasn’t entirely sure how to let her down slowly. 

Why in the hell would anyone want to interview Isshiki of all people? “He’s plenty free, I just–” She looked back at the journalist, her eyes shining brightly waiting for her approval that she didn't want to give. Sighing, she gave in. “I'll think on it.” Whatever to get her off her back. 

Finally, she got back to work in peace. 

“Officer Amamiya.” She flashed badge at the resident of a small house near the crime scene. “This is just a formality to finalize our paperwork, would you please recount what you did at the time of the event?”

It was smooth sailing all through the day, the various witnesses all being extremely cooperative. Maybe it's just her threatening aura, or maybe everyone's just in a good mood. 

It did not matter much to her. The last witness was said to have been a man who looked in his 20s, tidy clothes and hair, hard to miss. He didn't reside in Tokyo, just happened to pass by when the attempted murder had happened. 

She walked to the restaurant he was last seen at. Amamiya cautiously looked around for a man that matched the description she was given, until… “Kawasemi?!” 

The man barely heard her, he was too occupied with something else to respond. He only noticed it was her when her hand was slammed down at his table to wake him from spacing out. “A-Amamiya… Good afternoon.” He's the witness that the victim saw as she was about to return to her home?!

Odd. Not a word of how she looks? Of course she's usually perfect, but Kawasemi always found something to say about her every time they met. “What're you doing in Tokyo?” She tried not to sound concerned for him, but she's sure it went through to him, she hasn't met a person that could hide from his sharp eyes. 

Tiredly, he sighed, averting his eyes, his most valued weapons, away from her. “I'm here for Yamane's trial. You've heard, haven't you?” It hurt watching him try to hide it from her, they've known each other for much too long to hide anything from the other. 

Amamiya's never been good at consolation, especially with people she's familiar with, it's the one thing that holds her back but also helps her with her job, preventing her from being overly emotional about cases that involve people close to her. She sat down with him, though not sure what to say, she thought he'd want some company. “So? Work still going well without him?” 

It wasn't a snide remark, wasn't trying to spite him, Amamiya's just never seen him so depressed ever since he was almost fired for correcting one of his superiors. “Ah… Could be better…” She'd noticed the full plate of food in front of him, most of it untouched. He was playing with it before she'd sat down with him. 

As much as he seemed like he needed more company, she has work to do. She looked at the time on her phone before getting back to business. “Do you recall anything from walking by that neighborhood next to the supermarket?” 

Kawasemi hadn't actually noticed he walked passed a trap setup for someone, he'd almost walked into it if he weren't distracted by something in the middle of walking. 

At least, it seems Kawasemi isn't going to be able to fight her for the position of superintendent general. 

Is it worth it? He seemed so heartbroken. 

She stared around for a bit more, dragging the time she's spending with him. They haven't had a nice meal together since they split off to different branches. “Hey, where are your tweezers?” Still trying her best to cheer him up in the only way she knows how, “there's a piece of hair in your rice, aren't you gonna get it out?” 

Coming back from spacing out again, he looked down. “Oh.” He said, using his fingers to pinch it out. That is so odd of him?! Usually he'd upsettingly pull it out with those god forsaken tweezers he has all the time . “It's probably just mine.” He can tell she's trying to get his spirits back up, but it's hard to be in his situation.

Not wanting to say anything that could hurt him more than necessary, she stayed silent.

“Well.” She got up from her seat, looking through her phone and her messages. “I hope the trial goes well.” 

She left too fast to see him covering his own face with his hands. He doesn't know what to do, all he knows is that Yamane isn't leaving that court without at least a 2 year sentence, and it's all his fault. 

Back at the office, she's finally finished with all her work, sending a few files over the phone to the people responsible, and then finalizing some physical paperwork. She sat in her chair, laying back for a few more minutes, watching her officers clock out one by one. 

She moved to gather all the files given to her from the investigation team that went to Nandan island for the murder there, thank goodness that it wasn't just Isshiki and his weird friend on the island, but also a more normal detective on it with them. 

The files were thrown onto Isshiki's desk for him to organize and slide into their appropriate folders. 

Looking at his desk, she thought about Chicory’s request. Totomaru isn’t that stupid right? He knows not to share details of a case with outsiders, he knows basically nothing of the division’s more important cases. Isshiki’s also one of the less intimidating officers working under her, maybe it’ll help raise the public’s opinion on them? She still thinks it’s weird she’s requesting for Isshiki specifically.

Amamiya pulled out her business card, dialing the number on it. The journalist has probably clocked out her office by now, hopefully she doesn’t mind her calling her now. “Hello? Chicory speaking.”

“Chicory-kun. This is Amamiya from the first–”

Before she’s able to finish her sentence, she could hear a small gasp from the other side of her phone. “So? You approve of my interview with him?!” The excitement in her voice was barely containable. 

“Yes, but…” She really paused to wonder if she’s missed anything that Isshiki’s done recently that would warrant an interview with a weekly magazine’s journalist. “Why Officer Isshiki? Why not anyone else from our division?”

“Ah!” She wasn’t imagining things right? She could basically hear her get embarrassed and blushing. “Because he helped solve all those hard cases, right? Cases that not even the metropolitan police were able to solve?” 

She tried her best not to reveal to her that she was gritting her teeth in anger, sure he did, with his weirdo friend too. Does she even want to know to what extent Chicory is obsessed with that idiot? 

Well, maybe she can take advantage of this. Give Isshiki a whole day to just get Chicory whatever she wants, and he gets out of her hair. “Fine, next week Friday. Take him the whole day if you want.” She said.

Chicory was absolutely ecstatic. “Yes, ma’am!” There’s no way she’ll say no to an opportunity like this! “Thank you so much!” 

She should go back home. Staying in the office after hours isn't so productive, but it's someplace she feels safe in, despite how stressful her job can be, she feels more relaxed in the office. Unfortunately, as much as she wants to stay for longer, her stomach growling informs her that maybe she should go and eat dinner instead. 

“What do you mean he wasn't at work ?! He's a workaholic!” There was a slam of a table heard on the other side of the communicator.

“He wasn't, Ron. I don't know what to tell you.” The purple haired man sprinted across the rooftops, following even Amamiya around the city to see if Totomaru was perhaps running errands for her and that's why he wasn't in the office all day. “I bugged his desk, no talking. You said he talks when he thinks, right?”

“Fucking hell…” The two British descended men spoke to each other in English, there was no reason for them to say anything in Japanese now that Totomaru couldn't hear either of them. “You’re a tracking instructor! Go find his house or something!” Kamonohashi yelled at him, hiding the tone of desperation in his voice. 

And he got yelled back by who is essentially his peer and co-worker. “You made me bug his phone and linked it to yours! Just find him yourself!” He said, huffing, tired of being his little lapdog. “Don't involve me in something you pulled on yourself! From what I heard, it's hard to piss someone like him off.” He recalled what he'd heard from a few of Isshiki's coworkers, along with Amamiya, Kiku, and even Kawasemi all the way in Aichi. “I'm knackered from you asking me to do all this…” 

Even though Ron absolutely has leverage on Spitz, he didn’t think about it, he didn’t remember that Spitz was desperate to get on Ron’s good side because he needed help with something . “Whatever.” He ended the call with him on his phone. “Damn it.” Muttering to himself other curses alongside that one, he looked and sounded angry, but he wasn’t as angry as he displayed outwardly.

Kamonohashi did not sleep, he was entirely too restless to even think about sleeping. He laid right on the floor, just staring solemnly up at his ceiling.

Chapter Text

The conclusion to the last case Totomaru and Ron was on was odd, something that would usually pique Kamonohashi’s interest. 

Jumonji was almost going to kill himself with what looked to be a pill of cyanide when he was found out, only for Grizzly to step in and stop him before he could. 

Though, when the police escort boat picked him up separate from the others, it mysteriously sank to the bottom of the ocean, despite the weather being fair, ocean being calm, and the boat being in wonderful condition. 

Totomaru was to look through and file all the evidence of the case into order, as is his usual paperwork. As if the universe was toying with him, one of the photos of Onodera’s lifeless body showed her laying atop a peculiar floor pattern, one exactly the same as Ron's large scar on his neck. 

He shook it off, he doesn't want to think about him. Quickly, he shoved the picture into the file where it goes, and closed it up, putting it aside along with all the other finished case files. 

Ron sat in his wonderfully decorated apartment, in his expensive and clean white sofa, scratch marks scattered around the bottom from his cat deciding that the cat tree wasn't stimulating enough. 

He leaned over, putting his head in his hands as he thought about what had happened the day before. 

No. It's fine. He's worked alone for the past 23 years of his life, he hasn't needed a partner to do his work. It's fine , he thought. 

Totomaru was just some idiot he liked annoying, he surely can find another hobby to do in the meantime. Knitting? Knitting’s a time consuming and mindless activity. But it’s not fun enough. Not stimulating enough. No, no. He needs someone to talk to, anyone. That's easy!

It's not like he doesn't have other friends to talk to. 

Oh.

Oh no.

No one's asked how he's been since he was gone, not a single coworker, not a single classmate. The only one who's done any form of communication is Kiku, who just asked if he's getting along well with Totomaru. 

He stared at his own response to him.

“Why'd you send this third-rate police officer to me?” 

It didn't matter what Kiku said in response, he just read his own text over and over and over again. 

Totomaru was an idiot, unobservant, and anything else that made him a horrible detective. 

But the reason why he was crucial to Kamonohashi was because he'd always think of the obvious when he himself would twist his brain around on the less obvious. Totomaru grounded him to reality to stop him from thinking of all the dramatic and showstopping possibilities. 

Surely he'll be fine on his own again. 

Totomaru isn't the only idiot around, right?

But no. 

Kamonohashi didn't stick around Totomaru because of his possible worth as a partner. He stuck around him because he was absolutely enamoured by him. Totomaru had the emotional capacity to assist and help civilians, which is what a detective and police officer should be doing alongside solving mysteries, he didn't have any feelings for the people he helped, but Isshiki was there to tend to the witnesses and family of the victim, unlike him.

Even at his job, he was forced to sit in his office, not just because he had his illness that made him attempt to cause the culprits to kill themselves, but also because he isn't the greatest at comforting and calming down the civilians involved. 

More impulsively than ever, he decided to message Kiku again. 

“About Isshiki.”

“Is he at work today?”

It took a few minutes, a few agonizing minutes, but he responded. 

“Yes”

“Why ask? You have his contact, don't you?”

He toiled over whether or not he should even message him. Totomaru looked so upset like he didn't want to see him ever again. What if he messes it up again? 

Too anguished by thinking about how to reconcile with the officer, he hadn't even thought about the fact that Kiku would tell Totomaru about this. 

“Officer Isshiki.” Kiku welcomed the young officer into the room, offering him a seat and a quick cup of tea. 

Not only was Kamonohashi affected from this falling out. As much as he disliked all the insults and disrespect, it was quite a shame to let such a pretty man go so easily. But it's alright, to Totomaru, making good friends who respect him is better than having a beautiful and handsome bastard around. 

He was a little out of it from the situation, not being able to focus too hard on his work. He assumes that that's why Kiku’d noticed he had something happen to him, the fact that he asked for a day off right after his last case too. “Something happened between you and Ron?” 

As much as he tried hiding it, his body instantly jolted at the mention of his name. “H-How'd you know?” He expected a smart answer on how he noticed he wasn't talking to him after the case or maybe that he looked a little upset, unlike his usual self. 

“He texted me just now asking your whereabouts.” 

Ah… That's a much more simpler answer than what he imagined. Wait . “He… Asked about me?”

Kiku smiled, holding in a laugh. “I've never seen him so attached to someone, I thought maybe you went missing or something, but you're just here.” 

Kamonohashi… Attached to him…? “He was being all kinds of rude with me, I don't want to work with someone like that.” He explained. 

Kiku thought for a few more moments before saying his response. “That's fair, sorry for sending you to him. I really thought he'd be different now that he's all grown up.” 

Everyone Isshiki talked to that knew about Ron when he was younger always said that he was always like this, that it's just his nature. 

“Thanks for the tea, Kiku-san.” He got up, and left back to his office.

He headed home once his shift ended, pacing around his little apartment. Just why is he so worked up about losing that bastard? He shouldn't have to feel any sympathy for him, Kamonohashi brought this upon himself. 

What he should be worrying about is his job. Amamiya has been pleased so far with his performance, but that's mainly because he had Kamonohashi solving things for him. 

She won't be happy when he goes back to his old ways, failing to solve anything but the simplest cases. Guess he can only pray that she doesn't give him any actually important cases, but he doubts she will ever consider it in the first place.

…

He can't seem to shake off what Kiku had said. “I've never seen him so attached to someone.” Both him and Grizzly alluded to the fact that Ron seemed to always be lonely. And that Isshiki is the closest person he's ever been with since all those years they've known him.

But of course he was, he's always been a jerk from what he's heard them both say. And Totomaru knows what a pushover he can be, another bad trait of his for being a police officer. 

He sighed. Whatever. He should stop thinking about him for a while.

The dark haired detective jumped face first into bed, covering his face in pillows and blankets. It was the first time in 5 years he's ever felt so empty. He laid there for a good hour, just thinking about all the things he could've done differently. His little kitty came up to him, lying on him and meowing. It was dinner time for it. “What do I do now? I want to be his friend again.” His eyes grew red as he thought about it more and more, he didn't have the mental capacity to register what Totomaru had said to him on the island, and now he does. 

Was it really all his fault? All because he was just too proud and annoying? He never even considered that Isshiki would up and leave like that.

His brain wouldn't stop replaying the scenes of them together, scenes of Totomaru helping him with anything he asked for. 

He remembers how he woke up in the middle of the night after their second case, in his apartment, groggy and covered in his blanket.

He'd taken a higher dose than usual, causing him to pass out for longer than he expected. He looked around, seeing he was on his couch. Suddenly, Kamonohashi remembered what happened before that. 

He'd asked Isshiki to hold him while he knocked himself out, and it seems he's brought him to his apartment. He looked down to see that his blanket that was in his room had been set on him. No one else knows where he resides except for Kiku and Isshiki, and Kiku was nowhere near Ron before he passed out. 

Kamonohashi couldn't help but grin at the idea that Isshiki brought him all the way back home and even covered him in a blanket. His whole day was filled with a lingering happiness from thinking about what that officer did for him. 

His kitty walked around on the floor, urging him to get up to feed it already, it's dinner time, get up, stop sulking. He wiped his face with his hands, getting himself together. “I-I need to pull myself together, I'm not too far from him just yet.” He got up, thinking about what to do for his first act. He has to be quick, he has a time limit of 1 month, then he needs to go back to his work in the UK. If he doesn't do it within the time frame, there might never be another chance. 

Totomaru got out from his bed, finally unlatched from that weirdo cocky detective. He ate breakfast and headed out to his work. As he moved to where his cubicle was, his coworkers got up to him. “Isshiki-san, have you been on a date recently or something?” 

“Huh? N-No? Why-” Before he got a chance to ask, what he saw on his desk answered his question. A large beautiful bouquet of flowers, carnations and tulips mixed with any colour range they were available in. A note was attached to it.

“Isshiki-san,

I'm sorry for everything, for poisoning you, for constantly calling you an idiot, for being rude. I want to start over, give me one last chance. Please. 

I miss you, so much. 

Kamonohashi.”

There was a few murmurs around the office. “Isshiki-san! I didn't know you had a girlfriend before this!” They slapped him on the back. Totomaru was stunned, half because his coworkers thought that the sender was a woman interested in him, half because he would've never expected in his lifetime that that self prioritizing genius would ever apologise and do something like this. 

He set it aside, deciding to ignore it for now, but it did change some opinions of Kamonohashi that he had initially, as much as he hated written apologies. Is it so hard for him to come up and apologize face to face?

Even though he decided to ignore the letter, he still brought the bouquet home after his shift and set it in a vase, putting it on display in his living room. It’d be a shame not to.

The next day, he got up, doing his morning routine, the likes. He looked over to his door, a piece of paper next to it that seemed to be slid underneath it while he wasn't looking. 

The envelope was a pink tint instead of the usual white. A large sticker of a platypus sealed it shut, the front labeling the address and who it was for. “Totomaru Isshiki-san.” 

Totomaru had noticed that Kamonohashi had never called him anything outside of Isshiki, sometimes he says Officer Isshiki in a teasing tone, but that's it. He's never given him the respect of the “-san” honorific until these letters and notes. 

“Dearest Isshiki-san,

I hope you understand the amount of regrets I have for losing you. I can't stop thinking about how easily you slipped away from my hands, despite how easy it would've been to keep you in them. You are the kindest person I've met in my 23 almost 24 years of life. 

I know I've been mean, I've been an annoyance, I've been self-centered. I will do my best to work on it to bring you back. I can't make you come back to me, I can't make you do anything, all I can do is hope, pray, and work on myself.

I've taken you for granted for far too long. I'm sorry. 

Kamonohashi."

The handwriting started getting shakier as the note went on, by the end of the last sentence, instead of the uniform characters, it looked like it was a mix between English cursive and Japanese. Totomaru didn't know if he could even trust these letters, what if Kamonohashi was just lying to him? 

But, it's hard to lie in a heartfelt message. He didn't think that Kamonohashi would have the humility to admit he was wrong and all the negative traits that had pushed him away, much less if he wasn't being truthful about it.

He left it on his kitchen counter, not sure what to think about it. 

What was Kamonohashi's thought process behind this, you wonder? Ron was never one to care much about someone else's feelings unless they were somehow related to a case. He'd never had to think about what he said and how it would make someone else feel. 

Now, he's so anxious about winning Isshiki back. He's never had to work so hard for something in his life, and he hates it. He hates it but he forces himself to do something . If he's too much of a coward to say it to Totomaru's face, if he's too ashamed to show him the red eyes he got from staying up and thinking over and over again, the least he can do is write it out somewhere. 

He goes through hours thinking of what else he could do to salvage something like this. How would one go about salvaging a relationship? Gifts? People like gifts, right? 

He kept toiling over what he could do, he doesn't want to ask someone else, he can't let people know that Ron Kamonohashi, descendant of Sherlock Holmes, doesn't know how to reconcile with someone as simple as Totomaru. 

He thought that he's already far surpassed his ancestor, he'd never even got to understand the theory of heliocentricity, but at least Sherlock actually managed to keep a partner throughout his life, he had a friend at least. 

What is he going to do with himself if Isshiki doesn't forgive him?

A few days passed, nothing of note except that every other day he'd receive a small paper bag with some kind of sweet. He looked inside it, seeing a fancy label which said “Mandarin flavoured chocolate”

“He… He remembers?” He could feel his face flushing red. That Kamonohashi really remembers something as inconspicuous as this? He doesn't even remember telling him about his love for mandarins. Maybe he just deduced it somehow?

The officer thoroughly enjoyed every bite of it, it made him happier than he wanted to admit. 

When he was done, he went to work like usual.

“Isshiki, I got a job for you.” 

He gasped. “Really?” A chance to work on a case without Kamonohashi constantly overshadowing him? He quickly walked over to his file case, looking down at it to see nothing. He turned back to look at Amamiya, who knew it was empty.

She pointed him into the conference room. An odd place for a case to be in…

He opened the door, locking eyes with a young lady. Her strawberry blonde hair matching with her brown eyes. Big round glasses making her eyes look bigger than they are. She pulled out a business card from the back of her phone. “Pleased to meet you, Officer Isshiki.” She bowed, her hands shaking as she reached the card to him. 

He took the business card out of her hands to read. Lime Weekly . “Oh! So you're a reporter?” Guess he can't expect Amamiya to trust him on any cases still.

“Y-Yes. Sorry, I'm so nervous.” She lifted herself to face him, her face painted with a tint of red. 

“Are you new?”

“Yes, I was hired recently.” 

Makes sense she was. Otherwise it'd be weird if a seasoned journalist was this nervous around a police officer, one without much of any achievements at that. “Well, I can't help you if you're looking for information about a case, I'm not allowed to talk about them…” Nor does he have any given to him at the moment.

“Oh, no no.” She said. “I'm here to learn about you!”

“ Me?! ” Totomaru no longer had any clue about what a journalist could be here for, what about him does she need to know about? She's not working for Kamonohashi, is she?

She nodded. “I want you to be in this week's issue, under the section of “person of note”!” 

Just what is so noteworthy about him?! “Isn't that usually for celebrities or athletes or-”

“You helped solve the case for the metropolitan drownings and the inconspicuous piggy bank murder! You're much more noteworthy than an athlete or a celebrity!”

Oh goodness. This isn't going to go well for Isshiki. 

She mentioned she had permission to follow him around for a day, even crying when Totomaru seemed hesitant, forcing him to just agree to it. 

Well, he was planning on doing groceries after work, but since Chicory is following him around, maybe he can get away with doing it while on duty, not like he has any cases to be working on. 

He walked into the market. The same one that Kamonohashi made him pay for groceries all those weeks ago. He doesn't usually go here, but something inside him had the urge to make him come here.

Chicory diligently followed him around, taking note of what he took and what he set back down. It was a little intimidating to say the least. 

Jolting, he looked down to see what was the fluffy creature touching his legs. A cat was rubbing its head against him. It's leash just dragged across the ground with no owner attached to the other end. 

“Mimi! Mimi! Come back!” A familiar voice echoed through the building, when he did a second take at the feline, he noticed it was in fact, one that belonged to Ron Kamonohashi. 

He picked it up, patting it gently while it purred in his arms. He walked around the aisles, asking Chicory to hold his groceries for him. 

There he was. Instead of a nice vest suit he'd usually wear outside, he had a plain jacket atop his shirt. His hair was messy, clearly didn't bother to style it at all, it was longer than last he saw him, almost covering his eyes. “Mimi-” He stopped in his tracks when he saw the officer. “Isshiki-san.” He whispered under his breath. 

He didn't dare move towards the man he'd pushed away what felt like so long ago. Standing there with fear in his eyes. What if he does it again? He isn't prepared for this! 

Totomaru walked up towards him, tension growing stronger the closer they got. “Isn't that the Kamonohashi-san that you worked with on your cases?” Chicory whispered, but he didn't answer just yet. 

He walked up to him, holding his beloved Mimi in his hands.

He walked close to him, right up in front of him, Mimi purred loudly, filling the silence between them. “Kamonohashi-san.” 

To his surprise, the tall man bowed before him, backing up so he could bow as deep as he could. “Thank you for bringing her back, Isshiki-san.” 

Even Totomaru himself didn't know what to feel at the moment. The man who called him an idiot, the man who ordered him around like a servant, the man who stabbed him with poison and didn’t bother to apologise, bowing before him. 

“Get up, Kamonohashi-san.” He said, too monotone for Kamonohashi to tell what his reaction was. 

He slowly lifted his head, hesitating before finally looking back at him. He's trying so hard not to let the officer know how miserable he's been over this. 

Kamonohashi slouched his back, making himself look as small as he could. “Are you serious, Kamonohashi-san?” He finally asked.

He locked eyes with Totomaru, his eyes filled with a sombre expression. “Yes. One chance, just once.” He resisted every cell in his body that's crying, that wants to be in his arms. “I really am so sorry about everything.”

A moment of silence was shared between the both of them. Mimi purred even louder, making Totomaru smile. He handed her to Kamonohashi. “One more chance.” He repeated. 

He stopped himself from making a noise from gasping. He reached his hands out to the fluffy cat, flinching when he felt Totomaru’s skin on his hands. “I'll be better, Isshiki-sama. I promise.” 

He recoiled a little when Kamonohashi provided him even more respect than the -san honorific. “Y-You don't have to call me that.” His face flushed a deep red, but Kamonohashi seemed adamant. 

But, he thought for a moment. “I can't start off by being disobedient…” Is he aware that he sounds actually insane? “Okay, I'll drop it and just call you Isshiki-san.” Totomaru couldn't believe this was the same guy who was on the verge of tears from him, he looked perfectly fine now. For a moment he thought it might've just been a ruse, but he can't doubt him so soon after he just gave him one last chance.

They had a few more moments of staring at each other, Isshiki not really knowing what to say, and Kamonohashi calculating (overthinking) exactly what he could do next. 

Both of them finally stopped when they saw Chicory hiding a squeal of absolute joy. “S-Rank detective Ron Kamonohashi, and metropolitan police ace Isshiki Totomaru… both right in front of me!” Honestly, she's so excited that she might pass out, but she won't allow herself that, she needs to take this opportunity to get a wonderful scoop for her weekly issue. 

Hold on. “You know who Kamonohashi-san is? His credentials and everything?”

“‘Course I do!” She seemed almost appalled that Isshiki thought otherwise. “Though they aren't too widespread in Japan, I do my research and know S-Rank detectives are the big shots of the detective world.” Man, Isshiki thought she only knew him from his association with him, not everything else about him.

Sure, they might be a big deal, but right now, Kamonohashi just looks like an oversized puppy waiting for Isshiki to praise him. Chicory did so already, but it isn't the same for her, for someone that isn't Totomaru.

Isshiki noticed he was staring adamantly at him. He sighed, “yeah, I guess he is pretty good at deductions.” He said, testifying his abilities to Chicory, and also making Kamonohashi happier than he wanted to admit. 

“I'm amongst the best in the WDA, young miss! If you have any unsolved cases, send them my way.” Please .

“She has a name, Mr Detective.”

He struggled for a moment, pausing and stumbling over his words before actually asking for her name and keeping note of it. 

Checking the time, Isshiki realized it's basically the end of the work day at that point. “Well, Chicory-chan, do you want a quick interview with…” He looked again at Kamonohashi, who was staring joyfully at him, clearly not wanting to leave him just yet. “Us… before the day's over?”

Of course when given such an opportunity, she couldn't say no.

Chapter Text

Kamonohashi excitedly dragged Isshiki across the streets to a small cafe. “I know the manager here, they said they added a new drink specifically for me!!” It felt like he was only focusing on the officer and not the fact that there was a journalist who wanted to interview them.

Elegantly and confidently walking up to the barista, he ordered. “2 black lattes, please.” 

Oh good, Isshiki thought he'd be weird again and order–

“Black? Like the new black sugar syrup flavor?”

Just when he thought Kamonohashi would be a little more normal about brown sugar syrup. Oh well, it's not the weirdest thing about him. 

Isshiki turned to the journalist next to her, asking her to order too. The detective looked like he'd already forgotten about her existence. He just acted like he didn't totally forget about her, leaving it up to her. 

He watched as the barista made their drinks, not a single flair for their eyes despite the shop having no other customers. The served up result was just a simple foamy surface with the basic streak of milk on top of it. “You don't know how to do anything nicer?” That arrogant voice spoke up, Isshiki's just glad he isn't pointing it at him, though it is rude. 

The barista looked annoyed, as he should. “You wanna do it yourself then?” Glaring at him, he pushed forward the apparatus he'd used to make their lattes. 

Kamonohashi knows he heard from his boss about him, to just let him have his way, which is why he's so compliant to let him do whatever he wants. Isshiki did not know this, he profusely apologised to the barista for Ron's rudeness, while Chicory was standing there confusedly. Do S-Rank detectives really get away with this much?

Holding in his smile, he let out a hmph as he skillfully manoeuvred the cups in his hands, pouring the milk over the top as if he's worked in the industry for years. Who the hell is this guy and why does he know so much about making coffee? 

Isshiki couldn't shut his mouth from how shocked he was. A spoiled brat like Kamonohashi actually knows how to do something like this? He'd have thought that Kamonohashi was the type to think that he was too smart for simple labor like making some coffee. 

He watched as Kamonohashi proceeded to not only beautifully, but swiftly make 2 cups of shocking consistency. “The most wonderful creature in existence, the platypus.” He served one up to the gobsmacked officer, smirking knowing Isshiki is perfectly impressed by how insanely talented he was at creating actual latte art. 

Isshiki stared in awe at how actually adorable they both looked, but then looked at Chicory when he saw she took a photo of them. “What about Chicory-chan?” 

Again, he tried to act like he totally didn’t forget about her. She’s not in his interest. Whatever, he makes another cup, no flair, not even a decent image on the surface for her. Talk about favoritism… Isshiki glared at him, Chicory was absolutely fine with what she got, but the officer was not pleased with Kamonohashi once again being rude to a perfectly respectful person. 

The detective wanted so badly to please and keep a smile on Isshiki's face, that he sighed, and let down his confident smile. He looked down to make the cup of coffee a similar caliber to what he'd made himself and Totomaru, occasionally glancing up at him for his approval. 

Of course, once he was done, Isshiki gave him the praise he deserved. “Wow,” he said loud enough for Ron to be satisfied. “Isn't Kamonohashi-san wonderful at making latte art?”

Chicory had no idea what these two had been through, just thinking that Isshiki was praising him out of pure actual amazement, and not because Ron thrives off of it, and the officer is slowly learning that fact. 

Before Ron could bring his own cup over to sit down with the 2 others, a group of girls walked into the store. “Welcome!” The barista said, maybe these 3 won't be such a nuisance? He doubt it, seeing as they look like influencers who post everyone on social media, on account of the fact they had their phones out and took photos of nearly everything.

One of them quickly noticed the adorable work of art on Kamonohashi's cup. “What a cute duck!” She hollered to her friends to come over to look. 

“A… Duck…” Isshiki had to work to hold in his laughter, the girls had no idea who he was, and had no idea that they'd just sent him an egregious insult. They were too busy being insulted and laughing to notice Chicory taking pictures of them and Kamonohashi’s work.

They squealed at the sight, “can we have this too?” Excitedly asking the barista who looked absolutely tired of everything. 

He shook his head. “I didn't make those, he did.” And pointed directly in Kamonohashi's direction. 

They weren't that spoiled though, they didn't want to bother a stranger, so they just sadly thought about what else they could order. 

“So…?” Totomaru raised his eyebrows at the detective. “Don't wanna make them for them too?” 

“Why should I? I don't care about them.” 

“C'mon…” It feels like Isshiki's teaching a child how to share. “Be nice! Don't you like showing off and everything?” 

If anyone else said that to him, he wouldn't have moved an inch. Unfortunately for him, he's basically addicted to the praise the officer can provide, even though Isshiki is easily impressed, he holds his praises from Ron, making Ron work extra hard for it. The S-Rank detective reluctantly moved to make some for them, being ordered around by a third rate police officer honestly made him feel humiliated, but he can't change how he feels about Isshiki. 

The girls were wonderfully happy with their adorable cups of latte, the tall brunette bringing the tray back while the two others quickly chose a spot near the windows. 

Kamonohashi sat down next to Totomaru, putting his eyes on him the whole time while Chicory was talking to him about work. Isshiki hadn't even noticed Ron had moved closer to him, looking at him up and down. “And what about you, Kamonohashi-san?” 

He jolted when he noticed Chicory calling his name. “Kamonohashi-san?” 

“W-What?” Asking her to repeat herself, hoping she didn't realize he wasn't focusing on her conversation because he was busy looking at Isshiki. 

She realized, maybe not the reason, but she realized he wasn't focusing. “What inspired you to get into being a detective?” 

She made sure she pointed at her recorder, hoping he at least realized that he's actively being recorded audibly. “I was always good at deductions, so my mother sent me to Blue, the most prestigious detective training academy in the world.” 

He was a little annoyed that he didn't focus hard enough to hear what Isshiki had said as his response. It's fine, he'll just ask him later maybe. 

“Say, Kamonohashi-san.” Totomaru speaking up instantly grabbed all of Ron's attention without even a second of delay. “How’d you learn to do that? The latte art and everything?” Even the drink tasted leagues better than he expects from any old average cafe.

His leg shook from how impressed Isshiki actually was, bet he didn’t expect him to be so good at it! Oh but he is! “I had to learn how to do a lot of different work for my disguise class,” he said. He tried his best to look nonchalant, but Totomaru could definitely tell that he was excited about telling him. “Everyone learned a little on how to be a barista, but I decided to educate myself further on the topic.” 

Hearing about such a niche and specific subject in Blue, Chicory decided to press further, there aren't a lot of resources about this school in japanese, after all. It’ll make for a wonderfully interesting report, especially from one of the top graduates.

It all seemed perfect for a second, getting to have later afternoon tea with Officer Isshiki while watching him work. 

Only until a clatter of a glass cup and chair falling over interrupted his thoughts. “Julie!” One of the girls yelled. 

Julie was lifeless on the floor when moments before she was giggling and sipping on her latte. The two others stared in shock, not sure what they could possibly do. 

The blonde with a hat quickly leaned over, shaking her and hoping she'll just get back up.

The officer and detective got up instantly, moving to her to check if she's okay, an occupational disease of theirs. 

Totomaru begged and prayed when he desperately tried to find a pulse on her. Chicory quickly pulled out her phone, already calling the ambulance. 

“Poison.” Kamonohashi gasped. 

“W-What?!” 

“She's been murdered.” 

The police arrived to the scene quickly, running tests and a quick analysis before concluding it was in fact poison, and that she was in fact murdered. 

“We found traces of cyanide in her system, the liquid from her cup seemed to have been mixed in with it.” 

The two girls cried as their friend was laid, dead on the floor. Someone who they had just been talking to 15 minutes before, now declared dead right before them. 

Kamonohashi, disregarding the other officers warnings, moved up in front of her, laying by the corpse as he analyzed. “Right, that's just Kamonohashi’s style of gathering info.” Totomaru muttered to himself, he could be more obedient and nicer about the investigating officers directions, but he can’t do much if this is just how Ron is with his work. At least he isn’t being excessively rude.

Chicory stared diligently at their work, writing anything and everything down along with taking a million pictures of them together. 

Before Kamonohashi’s able to say a dramatic yet cool quip, he was distracted by the artificial shutter sounds her phone was making. He cleared his throat, “do you mind?” 

“Ah, sorry.” She quickly turned her phone down, but still taking photos, just a little further away. 

It was a minute of silence as Totomaru let the detective think, he wasn’t thinking himself, he knows if he did there wouldn’t be full silence.

“Isshiki-san, you are aware that I'm a big suspect, right?”

“W-What?”

“The only people that could've poisoned her are me, the one who made her drink, or her 2 friends who sat with her.” 

The reporter praised him. “As expected of a detective from Blue! Such integrity!” 

Oh, that's right! No one else got even remotely close to the drink, not even the barista himself.

Totomaru gave the go ahead for the barista and Chicory to leave the scene as they aren't involved, but she insisted on staying. “Are you kidding me? I get to see the amazing detective duo work out a case! This'll be amazing content for my issue!” 

The detective got up and stepped away from the body, cocking his head at Totomaru as if saying that it's his turn to solve this mystery. 

He nervously looked over the body, gathering nothing of note except the information he already had. It's probably more effective to ask the witnesses. He was too focused on thinking about what exactly to ask them to notice Chicory basically fangirling over him. “Miwa’s gonna be so jealous when she hears that I got to see them in action!!” 

She didn’t notice that Kamonohashi was glaring at her, more jealous than he wants to admit. “What are your credentials anyways?” No way any normal or famous journalist writes about them so quickly… He was also a little ticked off that she seemed to be a bigger fan of Totomaru than himself.

“I reported on the Kushiro giant show-man murders, and the Izumo eight-headed serpent assassination!” She said, “Don’t underestimate me, Kamonohashi-san! I have a lot of experience before joining Lime Weekly!” 

He was stunned as he recalled back to those cases he’d read online about. They both caused a big stir around Japan for a long time even after the case was solved, this Chicory Monki managed to report on those cases?! 

Totomaru walked over to the two girls who sat away from the scene, conversing amongst themselves until they noticed him. “Hayami-san, Tamada-san, can you recall the events of before she died?” 

Of course, they complied. “I carried the tray of drinks that guy made over to where Julie and Tamada were sitting,” the brunette said. “I was about to sit with them before my boss called and I excused myself.”

Tamada nodded in agreement, vouching for her part of the story. “Then Julie got up and left out the door to take pictures, so I was left sitting alone with the tray of cups while they were both busy.” She anxiously played with her fingers, scratching at them to ease herself. “B-But I didn't do it! I'm not even sure where I could've gotten any cyanide.” 

“Don't worry. We won't falsely accuse anyone of anything.” Officer Isshiki reassured them, and then wrote down exactly their sequence of events. 

Kamonohashi crashed into their conversation, annoyed that Isshiki went on to question them without them. “Isshiki-san… What about me? I'm a suspect too…” He didn't care how weird such a sentence that was, just wanting the officer's attention on him too. 

“Well… You couldn't have done it, you wouldn't have known which cup Julie picked…” He carefully and slowly started his own reasoning, “you don't have a motive for indiscriminate murder even if you didn't care which one of the girls died.” 

The S-Rank detective gave Isshiki-san a smirk, meaning for it to be a smile, but his eyes and overall face just makes him look like he's scheming something even if he's not. “Isshiki-san…” He whined again, like a spoiled child begging for just another toy. “One of them did call my adorable platypus a duck, maybe you should account for that.” Acting like a suspect instead of the detective is almost like a fun change of pace for him.

“Stop holding a grudge!” He scolded, trying to get him to take this seriously. Kamonohashi smiled at how cute he looked when he was scolding him, but quickly obliged to not make him too upset. Yes, Isshiki is good tempered, but Ron's had too much of a scare to think rationally around him. 

Then, Tamada started again, hoping any more information could help in their investigation for such a gruesome murder. “Oh something I noticed… Julie picked the cup that was the furthest away from her.” She said, a slither of hope in her eyes. “Is that any relevant?”

“How is it possible to make her choose one specific cup like that…?” 

Isshiki shook as he felt more of the case being placed onto his shoulders. “T-There's no way someone could've controlled her actions like that…” His voice slowly turned more and more nervous. “They must've used some trick…” 

As much as he enjoyed watching Totomaru wrack his head, both physically and metaphorically, on how the culprit could've done it, he decided it'd probably be best to assist him, even if he was potentially a suspect.

As someone who's spent his whole life, studying criminals and getting into their mindset, it's only natural Ron learned how to pickpocket just from being in Blue. He slowly reached his hand into the officer’s jacket, pulling his phone out and quickly accurately deducing his password from the faint smudges on his phone. It was just his birthday, simple and easy. 

Quickly, he typed out a small message in his notes app.

“Ohh… Isshiki-san…” He feigned not knowing who the phone in his hands belonged to, despite how obvious it was that it belonged to a police officer from the uncustomized cover, the scratched plastic on it, along with scratched glass over the screen. “Is this yours? It was left on the counter.” 

Totomaru was much too busy thinking about the case to think about why he had his phone. Didn't he put it in his jacket? Doesn't matter. “Ah, yeah, thanks.” 

If he closed it and shoved it in his jacket without thinking, it'd be over for him. Thankfully, he didn't do so. He looked at the screen, “victim’s social media + Chicory’s photos” it said. 

Even then, his brain moved slow enough that he was almost going to ask Ron why he wrote such a message on his notes, until he thought about it. “A hint?” He whispered under his breath, clearly supposed to be his internal monologue. 

He asked the girls for Julie’s socials, along with Chicory for her photos she took for her report. “Sorry, I'm not that good with taking photos.” She said. 

While the girls were looking for Julie's social media on Isshiki's phone, he looked through the photos Chicory had taken. It was a shocking amount of photos of just him and Kamonohashi talking or doing something together, if not then just solo photos of either himself or Ron, even in photos he looked stunning, is it on purpose or…? “Most of them are of you two but…” she quickly sifted through what felt like a hundred photos until she found some that weren't them.

Isshiki zoomed in on the pictures of the lattes Kamonohashi had made. He himself peeked over too, bothered that Totomaru wasn't praising him even for a moment for giving him such a good hint. It didn't reveal right away what he thought, just pushing him in the right direction like any good hint should. 

He stared at them long and hard. “They really are perfect…” He muttered, just stating the obvious, but boy did Kamonohashi take that as a huge compliment. He was so obviously eating up every accidental compliment out of his mouth than even Chicory and the girls noticed. 

Totomaru then looked back at Julie's social media, thankfully (?) she was quick enough to post to her Instagram that the latest collage of photos of the cafe was done. 

The first image of her post was her holding her cup of latte, a flawless platypus sat on the surface. He looked hard at it, making sure he wasn't missing anything, but he really couldn't find anything. “Perfect like the last photo…” Scrolling through the other photos quickly, he tried his best to be attentive to even the smallest details, alas. 

He combed through his hair with his free hand, lightly pulling at the base of his messy brown hairs as if it’d help him pull an idea out of there. “There's not a clue in these photos!” He cried. 

The officer was entirely too busy trying to solve the murder to remember that the future public's perception of the first division police relies on him, considering all of this is getting reported by a reporter. I would've thought that someone like Officer Isshiki, someone who's solved multiple murders, had a more conventional way of solving them, she thought, I thought he'd definitely have solved it by now… Maybe because Detective Kamonohashi’s unable to help?

He's entirely different from how I imagined him… 

At this point, he was on the ground flipping between the 2 photos, one of Chicory's and one of Julie's on her Instagram. He was struggling so hard that his head might as well be steaming from how

It's getting almost frustrating seeing how Totomaru hadn't noticed yet. Kamonohashi leaned down at him, sitting next to him and casually zooming in on one of the images with a messed up platypus eye he'd noticed the second he opened up the picture. 

Isshiki looked up at him, confused for a moment until he finally noticed. “Wait…” he said, scrolling between the two images quickly to make sure he wasn't seeing anything. “These two cups have their eyes messed up!”

A sigh of relief escaped Kamonohashi's mouth, if even then he couldn't connect the dots, he might have to reconsider his friendship dynamic with Isshiki-san. 

“Then that means–” Totomaru raised his hands up to silence himself before he spoke his thoughts out loud. Hayami who brought the latte to the table must've done it, since they were only messed up when Julie took that photo for her Instagram.  

But then why did she do it? Julie picked out the only unscathed – 

It was as if a light bulb went off in his head, he quickly looked through all of her old posts, all the way dating back to her secondary school days. Not one picture wasn't of her being the center of everything.

Chicory looked at him confused. “Have you figured it out, Officer Isshiki?” She asked the seemingly daydreaming Totomaru.

Unlike Kamonohashi, Totomaru’s brain didn't treat solving a mystery like a puzzle solved. To him, it was like finding out a deep dark secret that was never intended to reach the light of day, how does he figure these cases out so fast? I couldn't even have thought of a murder method like this with a gun straight to my head…

He'd already accepted long ago he wasn't as good as other detectives, but there must be some advantage he had that helped him this much, right? His culprit killer pathology? How does the biology even work out on that? 

Can it, there's a murderer to catch. 

“I, Officer Isshiki, would–” It felt a little weird speaking like this, and he'd just realized why. Usually Kamonohashi does the speaking on this part. He turned to him, as if looking to see whether he wanted to go or not. 

Kamonohashi thought that by his body language, he was double checking his answers with him. “Don't worry, you're right.” He isn't as good with body language with someone he had actually made a connection with, unfortunately. 

A stutter, and he continued. “I’d like to solve the mystery behind Julie-san’s murder.” 

“As we investigated, it was not an indiscriminate crime. She was targeted specifically.” He said, trying not to crack his voice or let a tremble out. His pants were bunched up from his fist grabbing it tightly, the nerve of people watching made him utterly terrified. How does he do this on the regular?

The girls both looked confused, of course they would hope that she wasn't murdered indiscriminately, but… “Julie picked the little in the back by chance, it's a ⅓ chance that she'd even reach for it at all.” Tamada reasoned. 

“W- We ll…” His face turned a bright red hearing his own voice crack from pure nervousness. He didn't want to bring any attention to it, hoping to just continue on, but goodness is that blush not helping things.

It also isn't helping that Chicory was definitely taking photos of him, as discreet as she tried to be, the shutter sound on her phone was giving it away. 

Kamonohashi didn't care, he thought it was cute, even. He tried his best not to look too obvious, but god was Isshiki incredibly cute trying not to show how nervous he was. Fidgeting with his belt, feet shuffling, constant swallowing of his saliva. Not to mention the back of his blazer getting wet from his sweat. 

But that's normal, right? It's normal to think about friends like this, right? The last friends he had were back in childhood, but that was even before puberty. This is how adults feel about friendship, right? Of course it is. He's seen how Isshiki-san stared at his eyes, clearly it's normal if he's doing it. 

He took a deep breath, “you both are Julie-san's friends, right?” They nodded at his question, confused where he'd go with this. “You both know that she's quite self centered, and how she'd do anything to make herself look the best, so it's natural she'd pick the nicest looking latte for herself.” 

Tamada nodded again, Hayami looking at her and nervously agreeing along with her. She doesn't know it's already over for her. As a last ditch effort, she brought up how the lattes were all the same when Ron had made them. 

“They were, until one moment captured by Julie and posted onto her social media.” He fumbled opening his phone to show his proof. “The murderer scratched the surface just a bit to make Julie pick the poisoned cup.”

Tamada was, of course, still in the dark, slowly but surely connecting the dots, but Hayami… 

“Hayami-san, why were they only scratched once you reached the table?” 

“N-No! I-I didn't–”

“You're the only one who could've done it. Unless you want to imply Tamada-san was an accomplice who poisoned the latte after you scratched them?” 

Tamada looked at her, horrified. “You did it?!” She wanted to believe that maybe one of Julie's many rivals did it, somehow. 

Hayami fell to the floor, “Julie was always so–”

Totomaru quickly shuts up the crying woman, shushing her before she confesses. “You can do it in the police station.” He calmed her down, framing it as if he's trying to let poor Miss Hayami save face. He technically was, just not her face per se.

“Kamonohashi-san.” He mustered up the most serious and scolding tone he could handle. “Go somewhere else until she's out of the room.” His nervousness completely gone from his body. 

“But–” 

“No buts.” He looked up to him from the floor, trying to be firm with him. He needs Kamonohashi to listen, he has to.

As much as Ron wanted to know exactly if the girl actually did kill her, if his deductions were right, he didn't want to disappoint Isshiki again. He didn't want push him away again. 

Yet this feels so similar to that time. 

He couldn't help but feel he was being left alone again. He knows he isn't, it's the logical conclusion that he isn't, Totomaru doesn't want to prevent another suicide, nor does he want Ron to drug himself, but he feels so lonely . 

Forcing himself to isolate himself in the back store of the cafe, he leaned hard against the wall, gravity dragging him down as he moved down to sit on the floor. He tucked his head into his legs, he needs to calm down. He can't be so stupid and needy that he can't stay away from Totomaru for just 10 minutes.

It wasn't even 10 minutes, the other police handcuffed her quickly as she didn't resist, and put her in the cop car. "Sorry we kept you even during off your shift hours." He apologized to Chicory, "even your interview was cut short."

She shook her head, "It's nothing when I get to see you at work, Officer Isshiki." She said excitedly, "I got to see how earnestly you devote yourself to your work, even with the simplest tasks."

It's been so long since someone genuinely complimented him, he blushed hard as she kept going on and on about what she liked about him.

"After today, I respect you even more now." She bowed slightly at him, "keep up the good work!" 

It wasn't long before she packed up and finally left. 

Isshiki waited until Hayami was at least a kilometer away from the cafe before looking for Kamonohashi. 

Opening the storeroom door revealed a man slouched, moving his head up to look at him. “Kamonohashi-sa–” 

Before he was able to question why he was on the ground, tears streaming from his eyes, the man shot up and hugged him. “I thought- I thought you…” He didn't even have the mental capacity to lessen how desperate his voice sounded. 

He was a little startled from the sudden closeness, but he feels that maybe he needs it for now. Totomaru let him hold him for a few seconds before gently pushing him off. “Kamono–” He was in the middle of his sentence, about to ask if he's okay, but then he saw his face. 

That face wet with tears contributing a soft glow on his cheeks, his hair messed up from sulking with no regard for how he looked. Those eyes looked so desperate for a connection. He appeared more his age than any moment that he's ever seen before. “Ron-kun.” Such formalities like calling his surname felt weird when he looked so vulnerable. 

A short sniffle escaped his mouth while he blushed, hearing his given name being said by the most beautiful and loving man he's ever met. “I'm so sorry, I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for being a coward and not saying it to your face.” He looked like he was about to burst into more tears until Totomaru grabbed his face and wiped his tears. 

Gentle hushes came from his mouth, he had experience with calming down children as Amamiya always pushed that job to him, this was surprisingly no different, just that this kid was very, very tall. “It's ok. Calm down.” He said, moving his other hand to wipe the tears on the other side of his face. Those blue eyes said more than just “sorry. They said “please forgive me,” they said “don't leave me again,” they said “you're the only person who makes me feel this way.” 

Totomaru softly opened his arms wider, letting him lean his whole body weight against him while he let out a few more sobs. “I said I'd give you a second chance, right?” Patting on his back with one of his hands, “don't worry, I'm not leaving you just yet.” He said. 

Just how long has Ron been isolated without a single relationship, platonic or otherwise? So long that he cried just thinking about Isshiki breaking it off with him again. 

Kamonohashi was so upset by the fact that he cried so hard his nose got all stuffy and he wasn't able to smell Totomaru. He wants so badly to know everything about him, what cologne he wears, what shampoo he uses to get his hair all fluffy and adorable.

“You’ll still be friends with me, right?” He wiped his tears away from his own face with his sleeves, wanting so bad to put his whole face into Isshiki's neck to stay with him. 

“Was I ever friends with you in the first place?”

Kamonohashi let out a small whine. “I… I guess not…” It's a surprise every time that he manages to look so sad like a hurt puppy on the side of the road. 

The detective can't believe that he didn't catch on to the fact that Totomaru didn't even consider him a friend before their falling out. Was it even a falling out to him? Maybe to him it was simply just cutting him off from his life? “Of course. Kamonohashi-san, I'll be your friend.” Before he could spiral any further, Totomaru finally said his response. Could he sense him overthinking? He's so pathetic. 

Totomaru gave him a smile, one that he would give to people he likes. Does he know that Kamonohashi's calculating every word and action he does to ensure he won't leave him again? To keep his one and only friend with him until the end of time?

They finally split, Totomaru gently cleaning him up so he wouldn't look like he was just crying a few moments before when he came out of the room. Chicory had no clue what had just happened, so Isshiki just lied and said that Kamonohashi just has a chronic illness that causes occasional fainting, it's not entirely false, but still he isn't sure if Kamonohashi wanted the world to know. 

Before they left for the day, Kamonohashi made sure to give the barista a hefty tip. He's sure if he didn't, Totomaru might scold him again. 

Chapter Text

A small ding rang from his phone, a message from Dr Usaki who he'd helped a few months ago on the TV show case. 

He asked for her help since she was a famous and amazing neurosurgeon, to maybe find a way to cure his dangerous ailment. 

“So you're the person mentioned in English papers of an illness only triggering after a hyperspecific and non-biological event…” She said, running a multitude of tests on him and looking through past medical records of the detective. 

He was sent home to wait for the results, and now she'd gotten back to him. 

“It doesn't seem to be anything hereditary.”

“More like someone implanted it into you after that event.”

“My hospital doesn't have the equipment required for tests I want to run for you.”

“Let me give you a letter of recommendation for a higher budget hospital.”

“I'm going to Aichi?” 

Totomaru followed his superior around, holding a stack of papers for her as she walked through the office. “I just want you to make a report on regional crime patterns, you can do that, can't you?”

“Y-Yeah, of course!” He's just confused that Amamiya's letting him do something so important. Something usually reserved for one of her more capable subordinates. 

She grit her teeth, biting her nails as she looked around the empty office. “We're too busy to be sending our good men for some paperwork…”

So that's how it is…

The general stopped at her desk, standing up against it and looking out the window behind it. “I want you to check on him while you're at it.”

“Him?”

“That bastard Kawasemi.”

Finally he was reminded that the head of the Aichi prefectural police was Eagle Eyed Kawasemi. The incredible detective was able to perceive the smallest details in an instant, and was the person who had the highest rates of arrest in Japan.

She huffed as she heard Isshiki praise the man under his breath, she's all too familiar with his embarrassing habit of saying every thought he has out loud, one big reason why she doesn't bring him to any important meetings or escort missions. 

“I need you to observe his slump up close and report back.”

If he were in a cartoon, Isshiki would have a large question mark above his head from confusion. 

“Following the hand collector case you worked with him on, he lost his assistant, Yamane. I'm sure you remember.” She said. 

Of course he did, Kawasemi looked so heartbroken that he almost tripped on the way to the train station. He didn't say it out loud, but Isshiki could guess that he went home and might've had a drink or two to cry it out. 

“After that incident, his arrest rate has been falling rapidly, from 75% last month to nearly 50% just this week.” 

Jeez, he was in a bigger slump than he expected. Actually, he remembers Amamiya mentioned they used to work together when they first started, maybe she cares more than she wants to admit?

Amamiya was much too busy smiling and raving over how good of a news it is to hear he's losing it, too busy to hear Totomaru’s “internal” monologue. “At this rate, he won't even be considered for superintendent general!” She turned to him, a large and proud smile across her face. “I'm glad I sent you on that mission last time, Isshiki! Like I promised, I won't fire you next month!” 

“What?!” It wasn't even him that caused his slump! He really didn't even mean to do it! 

“Now I want you to hear the last helpless whimpers of the end of his career! Go Isshiki! Don't disappoint me!!” 

Guess she really doesn't care about Kawasemi all that much. She's totally got the wrong idea of how Isshiki dealt with him last time too… 

The second he left, Amamiya sat down in her chair. That smile she showed Isshiki fading instantly. “That bastard better not lose his career over this.”

“So that's why I'm going to Aichi today, not for any heart-pounding case you love so much.” The train cut through the air as it speedily went through the terrain, scenery changing rapidly as Totomaru sat next to Kamonohashi. “You didn't have to follow me here.”

“I wanted to.” Set down his black sugar syrup covered… It's hard to tell what it is when it's doused in so much of the stuff. “Then I can easily show how much more superior of a detective I am compared to him!” Specifically to Totomaru.

“We don't solve cases in other jurisdictions!”

Does no one other than him care that Kawasemi’s so depressed that he can't even do his job right anymore? “Have you at least considered being worried about him?”

“I have.” 

“It's not that– You have?” He was just about to scold him on being nicer until he actually realised what he said. 

“Yes. I tried. I'm just usually not one to care about others feelings if they're not relevant to a case.”

Come to think of it, Grizzly-san did say that Kamonohashi was never close to anyone in school, nor did he have any friends.

“You have any friends, Ron-kun?”

“You're my friend, right?” The last word being laced with more desperation than he wanted to show. 

“Yeah, but anyone else?” That single “yeah” calmed Kamonohashi down by a considerable margin. “Coworkers? Old classmates?”

The detective stared hard and long at him, wondering if Totomaru was feeling bad for him, or something else. “No.” 

They sat in silence, well, as much silence as Totomaru's external monologue would provide them. Kamonohashi found it endearing, so he doesn't really mind, but the other would rather him tell him that he's thinking out loud again than let him keep jabbering on. 

So Ron really doesn't have any other friends but me. He thought. I feel a bit bad, but it's a little funny to me. I thought he'd have a lot, from people trying to get on his good side and use his fame for themselves. 

The two got off the train, “you're going to the station, right?”

“Yeah, you aren't?”

“I…” He sighed, so incredibly disappointed to even need to do this. “I have other matters… Don't spend too much time with Kawasemi-kun.” 

“Kawasemi-san doesn't eat people, I'll be fine.” 

Just as he's about to take a step in the direction of the station, he felt a hand grab his arm. “R-Ron?” 

He quickly let go, embarrassed that he actually did that, almost like it was an intrusive thought that got loose. “S-Sorry, I just…” 

All that was returned to him was a sweet smile. Isshiki set a hand on the one that was holding him back, rubbing it with his thumb gently. “Ron-kun, you be good, okay?” 

It was so comforting, he stared at him for as long as he did it, not wanting anyone to know how much he enjoyed it, but still wanting to feel more. He nodded, only then allowing Isshiki to go for his work. 

Dr Usaki had given him a letter of recommendation to a hospital in Aichi, saying there might be someone there who can help him with his ailment. He had all his appointments already scheduled, they just happened to land on the same day Isshiki had to come to Aichi. 

He walked in, it looked like it would still take an hour or two until his turn was up in the doctor's office. 

It caused him immense restlessness thinking about how close Isshiki and Kawasemi are. He knows that Isshiki isn't some loser idiot like him and can bond with multiple people at once, but he still feels so annoyed about it… 

He pulled out his phone, thinking about what to talk to Isshiki about that didn't make him seem like some control freak. “How's work so far?” He asked him. 

Gah, he still felt so self conscious about it, it's only been 30 minutes since they last saw each other. Isshiki's probably just got to the station, probably just doing some paperwork. 

A small ding and vibration came from his phone. He picked it up from the table, seeing that Ron sent him a message. 

It's honestly a little adorable how clingy and worried he is. “It's good.” He responded. “In the middle of some paperwork.” 

He took a quick picture of his surroundings, stacks of paper with some of Kawasemi's subordinates in the background. 

Ah, he thought of something that'll definitely stop Ron from worrying. 

“Kawasemi-san’s out, so he's not here.” He said. He can already imagine the pleased expression on Ron's face from this knowledge.

A huge sigh of relief, he can finally relax while he waits, that is until Isshiki's done with his work and has to go off to look for him as per Amamiya's orders…

The young officer got off the bus at an intersection where the others said Kawasemi should be. 

It'll be a little hard to search in such a big range of an area, that is if Kawasemi was just some ordinary man. Thankfully, he was not. 

“Maybe this is intrusive of me, but…” That loud, disciplining voice… “keep yourself clean shaven during an investigation, officer!” Well, he's pretty easy to pinpoint once he starts his tweezer discipline. 

“A-Ah! Kawasemi-san…” The officer whispered at him. “I’m not sure what to say, sir. I was asked not to do so…” 

“W-What?” 

“I'm working undercover, please don't interfere…” He nervously said back to Kawasemi, clearly never having to tell him to back off before because Kawasemi would usually be able to tell right away. “A-And please don't shout…” 

He quickly stopped his shouting, stepping back and pulling his tweezers away from him. “S-Sorry, I didn't realise…” He whispered back to him.

“I'm just a decoy, he's the officer responsible for the area.” The undercover officer pointed to a man in uniform, standing behind Kawasemi and saluting at him. 

He had all his uniform and appearance in order, thankfully. “Strange here, sir!” 

And again, he pointed his tweezers at him. “Let me say this, because it's just common courtesy…” He sternly looked down at the officer. “At least tell me your name first!”

He did not falter, maybe already used to seeing Kawasemi miss a few things these past weeks. “My name is Strange, sir!” 

Kawasemi dropped his steel tweezers in pure shock. “S-Strange! That's a fine name! Of course!” A loud clang echoed through the street, exactly the opposite of what the undercover officer asked him to do.

Those 2 mistakes would've been not much of a concern if it were someone else doing them, but for Eagle Eyed Kawasemi to be making them… 

The Aichi prefectural general turned to the source of mumbling behind him, smiling and extremely glad to see a familiar face. “Officer Isshiki!”

They moved off to an udon restaurant in the middle of a street full of other markets. Deciding to catch up there instead of in the middle of some officers doing their work. 

“So you're here to report on regional crime…” He hadn't ordered anything, only opting to drink a single cup of green tea. “But I'm sure Amamiya sent you here to check on me.”

The shock almost caused him to choke on his lunch, he didn't expect Kawasemi to know so soon. “Your eyes still as sharp as ever, how'd you figure it out?”

He sighed. “It's not that, just that I've known Amamiya for a long time…” He looked like he was trying to hide some pain he's been feeling the whole day. “You can tell her I'm in a major slump.”

Poor Kawasemi really looked so hopeless to Isshiki. “The superiors that I used to snap at now scold me about what happened with Yamane.” He said, “though I try to not let it bother me too much.”

Totomaru looked even more concerned about the fact that he didn't even eat anything for lunch, he says he's already eaten, but has he really? Doesn't his assistant usually get him lunch while he's busy working?

He breathed out heavily, “my intention to work hard enough to make up for the work Yamane used to do for me hasn't faltered, but…” Surely Totomaru isn't the only one at Kawasemi's workplace to notice that he hasn't yet talked about getting a replacement? He didn't think Kawasemi would be affected by this this much, but clearly it has. 

Amongst all the people Kawasemi’s worked with, Totomaru is the kindest, most understanding one of them all. He decided that he'll tell him something he's been so ashamed of admitting, even though people probably noticed it much sooner than he did. “I… I can't see anymore.”

Isshiki could tell easily that it's something Kawasemi didn't want to tell just to anyone, he doesn't want to worry his subordinates, nor does he want to give his superiors any more reason to berate him. 

Perhaps, this sort of thing is the one thing Isshiki's good at. 

“Look at the time.” He said as he turned to his watch. “It's already 2, let's get you a souvenir then.” 

The two walked through the street peacefully, Isshiki eyeing things that were usually up for display for little kids to get interested over and drag their parents into the shop. Meanwhile, with Kamonohashi…

He'd just gone through an MRI, and the doctor was giving the gist of what they found. Essentially nothing. He was so bored and upset that they couldn't find anything even with the high end equipment, but maybe he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up, what different are these doctors outside of the UK?

It's been a while, maybe he should message Isshiki-san again? Ask what he's up to now? From what he can guess, he's probably done with the paperwork, and now off to look for Kawasemi, maybe he's already with him? 

The doctor slowly stopped rambling to him when he saw Kamonohashi's face turning red with anger. “Kamonohashi-san? Are you okay?” 

“Ack.” Covering his face, he tried to distract himself with something else. He doesn't usually show emotion this easily, what's gotten into him? Isshiki doesn't belong to him, he can go anywhere he wants without him, even with Kawasemi . 

A yelp came out of the poor doctor's mouth as they watched him clench his fist so hard they heard an audible crack from the chair he was grasping to ground himself. “K-Kamonohashi-san, maybe you should lie down for a bit…” The doctor called in a nurse to escort him off to an unoccupied room, setting down his peculiar chart as he fumed. 

Kawasemi's literally in the worst condition he's ever been… Why is he spending so much time with him… 

This S-Rank detective has never heard of the concept of “hanging out with friends.” 

He's going to run straight to where Isshiki is at the moment the second he's done with the last test in this stupid hospital, then he's going to win back what is rightfully his, that is Isshiki’s attention. 

The two was soon about to walk out of the bush street. “You shop like a middle schooler on a field trip.” Kawasemi made a simple observation of Isshiki. 

It earned a small smile from him, “my grandma would be happy with it.” She's always seen him as her little boy, especially since he's her only grandson. Isshiki's always felt the need to keep her happy as long as he's able to like the good grandchild he is. 

They walked, almost getting out of the busy street before Totomaru noticed a sign near the entrance, clearly set there to remind people before entering. “Beware the Mad Chamaeleon! ”

Though he doesn't have his eagle eyes anymore, Totomaru is thankfully an easy person to read. He'd noticed he was staring at the sign, even slowing his footsteps to read it better. “They're an attacker who's been causing havoc recently.” Kawasemi walked up closer to Totomaru, making himself clearer from the loud crowd talking around them. “They attack college students in broad daylight, usually with a blunt weapon like a wrench, and then only take their smartphones.”

If this only occurred once or twice in a large timespan, it wouldn't even be in Kawasemi's interest so solve a case like this. Not that he can't or doesn't care, it's that he trusts his men to be able to solve a simple mystery like this. “But the baffling thing is, that the attacker always seem to be a different person every time they hit, hence the moniker of “Mad Chamaeleon””

“So… A master of disguise…” 

He recounted all the different disguises they managed to put on. “A fox-eyed elementary school student, a tall burly man, a petite young office worker… All descriptions of them wildly different from the last.” 

Before Totomaru could continue wowing at the culprit of these crimes, he felt his phone vibrate, the ringing startling him before he's able to reach into his pocket for his phone. 

“He–”

“Isshiki-san I'm done with all my tests I'm coming over now don't move an inch.” Talk about run on sentences, Kamonohashi was much too anxious to see him again after a good 4 hours of being busy with his tests to even care what he wanted to say. It wasn't a request, it was a statement. 

His phone beeped as Ron ended the call before Totomaru could say anything to him. “Tests…?” Kamonohashi hadn't told him a lick of what he was doing in Aichi, is he sick or something? He was about to question how he knew his location before he remembered that Ron had rigged his phone to give him his location, also the reason why he has 2 numbers saved as Ron. Just as Kawasemi was about to ask, they heard a shrill scream echo through the roofed street. 

A seemingly random man in the middle of the street froze, and fell over without another movement. Usually, you'd expect Kawasemi to get on it as soon as possible, he's a seasoned police officer, he should be able to do so. Yet he wasn't, he was so preoccupied by something else that he stood there paralyzed, feeling a rush of cold air whizzing by him from Totomaru chasing the man who knocked out the innocent civilian. 

The man in the red jumpsuit rushed through the crowds, elbowing a poor woman while trying to rush through to a turn in the street. It's odd he went through a path that would've been closed at that time, but Totomaru had no time to think about something like that. 

He rushed into a clothes shop, and unfortunately, that was when the officer lost sight of him. “Damn it! Lost him…” 

In a last ditch effort, Kawasemi finally caught up and wrangled all the customers in the store, setting them all at the back of the store so as to not cause a scene. 

“Sorry Kawasemi-san. Guy must've hid his jumpsuit in the store before I could find him.” Hiding his clothes in a clothes store, an incredible play by the culprit. 

Kawasemi was exhausted trying to keep up his calm and unwavering facade, beginning to breathe harder than usual. “I went to tend to the victim when you chased him, he's dead.” 

Of course, Isshiki could tell, even if not physically, that he was trying so hard not to mess anything up. Like this was his first big case after Yamane was incarcerated, and he isn't sure how to proceed without him. He turned to the other officers under his command, “this'll now be handled as a murder case!” He announced. “We're bringing the culprit in today!” Though he tried his best to sound as commanding and confident as usual, he wasn't. He couldn't be. Softening his voice, he turned to Isshiki. “You're sure there's no other way out of the store?”

“Yes, the back exit is boarded by boxes, the only exit is back out the store front.” 

“So the mad chameleon is in this room.” 

The mad chameleon, what a coincidence, they were just conversing about it. 

He took a deep breath. “I'll examine them, maybe…” Kawasemi did not want to worry the other people around them, but the quiver and pause in his breathing did the opposite. “Maybe I'll find something.”

Raising his tweezers, trying his best to hide the tremble in his hands as he pointed towards each of the suspects. 

Sure, some of them had the traits that they were told of by the victims, but most people in the area would have had at least one of the traits they were told. They were not unique, nor memorable in the slightest. 

Not a single word left his mouth when he set back down the tweezers, unusual for someone like him who'd at least discipline them for their messy hair or uneven tie. 

It's tragic how sad Kawasemi looked without his beloved partner.

Chapter Text

Totomaru was busy thinking about how to get Kawasemi's spirits up to help him. He himself isn't as good as him, both of them know this. “It's fine, Isshiki.” He said. “Call Detective Itsuki, I'm not fit to solve this case.” Defeated, he notified the other officers.

The smaller officer wasn't sure whether or not to stop him, it's his judgement, maybe it's for the best? He still felt terrible about not being able to help him.

Before they decided on whether or not to leave the scene, they heard sounds of officers yelling and struggling against someone. “Get him!!” 

Before they could see who it was, they heard a yell of the man getting tackled and put into handcuffs. “Unhand me, you cretins!! I need to–” He interrupted himself, as if noticing something that invalidates his sentence. 

Isshiki and Kawasemi, both plagued by occupational disease, went to the source of the sound, which was just a few meters outside the entrance to the clothes shop. 

“Isn't that…”

“Ron-kun?!” 

“Isshiki-san! Tell them to let me go!” The two quickly vouched for his innocence, urging the officers to release him regardless of how suspicious he looked. Kamonohashi waited until Totomaru had his back turned and gave them a glare and a warning growl as if he was some rabid animal. 

The second the small officer turned back to face him though, he quickly put on the “adorable little creature that wants attention” act. “Isshiki-san…” He said, getting up closer to him with his faintly bruised wrists lifted up. “Look at them! I wasn't even doing anything and they tried to put me in handcuffs!” Hoping that Totomaru wouldn't think of the fact that he's only gotten those bruises because he struggled so hard against the officers who weren’t even that violent. 

“You looked like you were about to kill Kawasemi-san!” One of the officers trying to apprehend him said. “You kept asking for his and Officer Isshiki’s whereabouts without valid reason.” 

Though, he quickly silenced himself when Ron turned to look at him with the same intent to kill in his eyes. 

Isshiki apologized to the officers Kamonohashi had troubled and dragged him into the store before he could threaten any more of them. The dark hair on his head slightly messed up from the debacle, he let out a small yet clearly audible whine for Totomaru to hear. “Does it hurt?” He grabbed his wrists to check them, they were really, just extremely faintly, bruised. 

“A little…” Adding that tone of a kicked puppy to his voice and preying on Isshiki-san’s empathy. He wasn't lying, he really did feel a small ache on his wrists, just nothing that'd usually warrant him complaining about. 

It is a little adorable how a cocky and self absorbed man turned into such a needy one. He cooed as he gently rubbed the bruises, he was too busy doing what Kamonohashi wanted to notice Kawasemi staring at them. 

He interrupted the two, to Ron's dismay. “Kamonohashi-kun, great to see you actually treat Isshiki with respect now.” He set a hand out to let him shake it, but he didn’t reciprocate, not until Isshiki looked at him adamantly with those big eyes of his.

Before Ron could start another fight with him again, the smaller officer taking care of his “injuries” piped up. “Ah, he was just a little too spoiled back when you last saw him. He's much nicer now, right?” He said, the last part turning to Ron again, trying to get the detective to look at himself rather than the man he wants to see gone from the world. 

“Say, how'd you find our loca–”

“You couldn't even figure it out yourself, Kawasemi ?” There's that spoiled brattiness that Isshiki's expecting from him, saying his name with more conviction even Amamiya couldn’t compare to. He gently moved Isshiki-san's hands away from him. “You're getting rusty, thought you said you'd solve this one, hm? Maybe I should solve it for you.” He talked over him not because he didn't respect him, but just because he didn't want Kawasemi also knowing that he tracks Totomaru’s phone on the daily.

Kawasemi bit back his qualms, he's not wrong. Maybe it'd be better if he solved it instead. 

But that reaction only pushed Ron to keep up his annoying act. He clicked his tongue at him, “what kind of detective are you if you aren't even going to try? That assistant of yours would be disappointed.” 

It was like he was doing it on purpose . Totomaru was almost about to scold him before the other officer spoke. 

“I am trying! I just…” 

“No self respecting detective stops eating and sleeping properly after just a minor hiccup in their career. You call that trying ? I personally call that lying to yourself.” 

“Ron-kun! That's not–”

“I’m holding back because I don't want to pressure anyone as much as I did Yamane!! ” Kawasemi yelled back at him. “Saying one thing has me holding back nine other things!” Are his eyes a little… Red? 

“The amount of mistakes on you right now is more than the people you criticize.” Arms crossed, head tilted up, he looked like those classic mean girl tropes in highschool movies. 

“Hold it right there!” It seems Kawasemi's had enough. “You're the one full of mistakes!!” He pulled out his tweezers again, pointing them straight at Kamonohashi. “Your suit is covered in dirt from fighting with those officers!” He shouted. 

That's the first time today Kawasemi’s said something accurate. 

“You say your wrists hurt, but not even when Isshiki dragged you in here did you let out a wince or flinch!” 

He was just lying about it? Well, Totomaru isn't surprised. 

“You have stains on your suit from contrast material when you took your tests at the hospital!” 

He was at the hospital? “R-Ron-kun, are you okay–”

“You also have blood on your sleeve from not waiting until you stop bleeding after drawing blood!”

Kamonohashi didn't even look annoyed this time, he was smiling at him. It's a shit eating grin, that's what it is. “See, Kawasemi-kun.” He chirped. “You're perfectly fine if you just tried.” Scoffing at him, unimpressed.

He's right! Kawasemi was basically on fire just pointing out all of Ron's flaws. 

“Now think , how does a culprit change their body type according to victims?” 

It suddenly clicked in his head, leaving only Totomaru in the dark about what the culprit could possibly be doing. 

“The victims are lying? But why…” At least Kawasemi managed to figure that out.

Kamonohashi let out a hmph. “Guilt.” Was the only word he said. 

Even if Totomaru could read minds, he'd probably be overwhelmed by how far ahead both detectives were getting. 

“All the victims wore suits, no?” Wait, how does he know? He didn't hack into Aichi prefecture’s cases too, right? “Their reasons are all fake. They just need an excuse for a suit.”

“The ‘It’s me’ scam?!” 

It's a shock that Isshiki had no idea what he was talking about, he's sure he's read about it somewhere, but he just can't remember. That frustrated look on Isshiki’s face told Kawasemi that it's probably best to explain. 

“The victims are receivers of the scam.” He started. “They wear suits to pose as bank workers and gain their target's trust easier. Attacks usually happened in broad daylight, which is when it'd be the least suspicious to start talking to elderly people and scam them out of their money.”

“S-So if the culprit was caught, their connections with each other would be revealed near instantly!” 

“Exactly, so they had to lie. And the only way they could perfectly target all of these fraudsters is by somehow being connected to their fraud ring.”

Kamonohashi tried his best to hold back an eye roll from how simple the deduction would've been for him if he'd just focused and stopped being a wuss. He's decided to ignore the fact that he cried when he thought Isshiki-san was leaving him a second time. 

“Only the victims' smartphones were taken so that their connections to the fraud ring could be easily disposed of.” 

And that's it. That's all the deductions done and dusted. “Guess this solves the case!” Officer Isshiki was nearly about to pack up his things and go before the other two yelled at him. 

“We haven't caught the victim, Isshiki!” from Kawasemi, and “Isshiki-san, let's leave this loser and go shopping around the street” from Kamonohashi if Totomaru himself wasn't a police officer with integrity. He knows that if he suggested that, he'd get a scolding and a rejection from him, it's no use. All that came out of his mouth was a moderately loud “Isshiki-san!” Made specifically to sound like he was definitely on the same page as Kawasemi. 

Kawasemi turned to the brunette. “Where did you see the culprit elbow the woman?”

“Huh?” He was caught off guard by asking such a seemingly random question, especially since he thought they were done with that. “At the entrance to the intersection.”

“As I thought.” Kawasemi said.

Ron tried his best to hide how much he hated that he was taking Isshiki’s attention again, but he shall stay silent. He can do it. He isn't going to interrupt them. Just one case, he’s mature enough for one.

“The culprit didn't elbow that woman, he was checking the time on his watch!” Ron knows he's figured out the course of events by now, so he just stopped listening to him. “The sign at the intersection announced the closure of the road, and he checked the time to make sure he could pass through.”

“But… It was closed at that point though?” Isshiki asked, he hadn't noticed yet. 

“He thought it was open because the time on his watch was off.” As expected of Eagle Eyed Kawasemi. “Out of all 3 of possible suspects that matched the height of what our forensics department figured from the injury on the victims head, only 2 had watches, and one of them had it off by a single hour.”

Does he have photographic memory or something? He noticed that only after Ron started fighting with him? Or did he already notice before? It's hard to wrap it around poor Isshiki's head.

The officers assisting Kawasemi were told of his conclusion. They had let the suspects go since it was getting late, and people have jobs to get to, they couldn't just hold them up forever. Detective Itsuki himself wasn't able to figure it out either, and gave the go ahead for them to leave, as long as they gave the police their personal information in case they finally find out who it was. 

Unfortunately, the information the culprit had given them was entirely false or forged. 

“We checked the suspects belongings before they left the store, sir!” An officer said, “we made sure they hadn't taken the victims phone before leaving.”

“So at least it's still here…” Isshiki was slightly relieved, but… “where could it be? The store isn't that small… we'd take ages to find it.”

Ron set a hand on his shoulder from behind him. “No need, Officer Isshiki. He'll find it for us.”

The store was eerily silent. It wasn't that late in the day, just 7 pm. The store workers shouldn't have clocked out so early…

It doesn't matter. It's good there's no one around, the lights are still on so the store looks like it's still operating, so walking in shouldn't garner any suspicion. 

The man walked across the aisles, checking if there were any employees stocking or doing something around the store. 

He shouldn't linger. 

He picked up the pace and headed to a mannequin, so inconspicuous, just wearing a simple T-shirt with some jeans. 

Looking around again, not a soul in sight. 

Here's his chance. 

Just as he was about to yank the phone out of the mannequin's hands, he was met with the sounds of a large group of people surrounding him on all sides.

“Police!” They announced. “Don't move!”

Shit. How did I not see them? I swear I–

“No use hiding your phone in the store when you need to retrieve it eventually.” Kawasemi monologued at him. “You're under arrest for suspicion of murder.” 

The Aichi prefecture can let out a breath of relief, their ace detective is back in business and working harder than ever.

Totomaru left the scene once they apprehended the culprit, quickly bringing Ron along in case he starts trying to pressure him to death. He muttered to himself about how unobservant he was to not notice the phone in the hands of the mannequin just right behind him. 

“Kawasemi-san called, he said they arrested the mad chameleon!” Totomaru sat down along with Ron on the train. “Apparently he was the Watchman for the fraud ring and was getting all the receivers who tried to embezzle the money.”

The smile he gave Ron was almost worth Kawasemi taking his attention the whole day. “He was in the middle of disciplining his superior, he's completely recovered from his slump.” Ron hid the fact that he was gritting through his teeth, why does he sound so happy for him. He gave him tips to push him in the right direction, he brought him out of his slump. “Thanks for helping, Ron-kun.”

Ok. It's entirely worth it. He hid his blush away from the officer, hearing him thank him for something so simple made him so happy. It's not like he's never gotten any thanks before, it's common from people he's solved cases before, but Totomaru is just so adorable about it. “It's nothing.” He tried so bad not to show any emotion, he's got a persona to keep up. 

Oh, he's so guarded . Totomaru has no idea he's so obsessed with him he's trying to act cool and nonchalant. “Kawasemi-san said you went to do some tests, right? What kinda tests were you doing?” 

“I went to see Dr. Usaki the other day, she referred me to a hospital here for some more tests.” Thankfully he already knows about his illness, so he doesn't need to hide much. He offered him a brown sugar syrup covered… Dango! Once he lifted it up, its silhouette was finally visible. 

“That clumsy doctor we saw the other day?!” He knows she's a famous neurosurgeon, but her working on Ron… “So that's what you were up to.” As he took the dango, he tilted it over the plastic tray on Ron’s lap, making sure all the excess brown sugar wouldn’t drip everywhere.

Well, even if Isshiki-san likes Kawasemi more than him, he's always closer to him physically. It's fine. He can relax. Kawasemi’s nowhere near as good as him anyways, there’s no way he is. Maybe save for his arrest rate, but that’s because he's handicapped from sitting in the office all day and not being able to do actual field work!

“According to her, she said there's a possibility to lessen my symptoms.” 

“So you might not need to knock yourself out anymore?” 

“Hopefully.” He can see Totomaru mouthing his own thoughts. “Then I won't have to deal with him trying to kill culprits! And also won't need to carry him to bed. And don't need to put him in some timeout corner until the culprit’s apprehended and out of his sight.” It's wonderfully adorable how his thoughts are never hidden in his mind, always on display for everyone to see.

It's been a week since visiting Aichi. Kawasemi’s basically cracked down on all their operations, and Amamiya even said that he's close to finding their base of operations.

Apparently, his arrest rate is even higher than before! 

Totomaru was so happy for him, up until Amamiya started yelling at him. “Who told you to give him that much of a boost?!” 

Her unwavering hatred for him is kinda impressive in its own right!

Chapter Text

“Hello, Isshiki-san. You just finished work, yeah?” 

“Ron-kun?” He'd called from one of his 2 (or maybe more?!) phones, knowing Ron, he already knows. He doesn't need to ask. “Yeah, walking back home.” He said. “Need anything?”

The sound of his cat purring loudly could be heard through his phone. He laid deeper into his couch. “You do remember Spitz Feier, right?” 

“How could I forget?” With such bright purple hair and a horribly suspicious looking face, it's impossible to forget him.

Ron tried to hold back a laugh from Isshiki describing him, he definitely thinks he's not saying his thoughts out loud at that moment. “He needs my assistance he says.” Kamonohashi twirled his fingers through his cat's long fur, akin to a young girl twirling her fingers through her hair while on call with a beloved friend. 

“Oh, you said he might need your help with something personal right?” He stopped in the middle of the walkway, thankfully no one else was using it. “You should help, you like solving cases after all, and I don't have any new ones to handle.”

“Thought you'd say something like that, isn't that right, Spitz?” 

Spitz? He isn't–

“On guard, Isshiki-san. You need to practice to sense when someone's trailing you.” Ron said, and promptly ended the call. 

Totomaru quickly looked around his surroundings, his hair is bright purple , can't be that hard to spot him, right?! 

It took a minute before Spitz decided to finally say something from where he was. “Mr Totomaru, up here.” 

“Ah?!” Looking up he finally saw him, standing atop the tallest building in the vicinity. “You're watching me from all the way up there?!”

“I tapped your phone too, hope you don't mind!” He yelled back down at him. 

Of course I mind! Wait, hm? Why does Spitz look a little…

Depressed?

For the first time, Totomaru visited the Kamonohashi De Maison with someone in tow. He knocked on the door just once as usual, and twisted open the unlocked door. It seems he's never had a habit of actually locking it. He turned to notice a corner of his large living space redecorated, a large wooden desk that looks like what you'd see in a police station. 

“Like it, Isshiki-san?” He laid lazily in his reclining office chair, setting his feet up on his desk. “Thought I'd make a nice work area in my own apartment, nice isn't it?”

He openly gestured at the two to sit down, the chairs he picked noticeably shorter than the one he was sitting on so he could always feel like the tallest in the room. 

“Now, Spitz.” He said, his cat magically in his lap now as if he's some cartoon mafia villain ready to give Spitz the rundown on how he's executing him. “You weren't that good at hiding it then, nor were you good at hiding it when you told me. You want my help with a case you have, yes?” 

The purple haired man sighed, slumping in his seat. “Yes… I need your help finding my–”

“Ah–” Ron interrupted him, raising a finger up as if shushing him. “Course, I don't work for free. Even if just your dog was missing I wouldn't care until you have something for me in return.” 

“Y-Yes, ‘course.” He looked even more nervous, so much so Totomaru didn't even have to look at him to feel his muscles straining to hide him shivering. 

“Spitz, you seem a little more nervous than usual today…” The officer finally said something about it.

“Hee!” Even his shock exclamations had a bit of his eccentricity to it. Are all British people just like this? Grizzly didn't seem to be this way, but 2 out of 3 British people Totomaru's met so far have been some sort of weird, so… “I-I'm, fine, really!”

The dark haired detective let out a chuckle. “He's freaked out from the terms I handed him.” 

“Hm? What terms?” It seemed to freak Spitz out even more when Ron said it a second time. 

“Told him to find out who told Blue of my innocence during the bloody field trip.” He said, gently putting Mimi down on the floor and watching as she curled up next to Totomaru's feet. “If he finds even just one clue, I'll help him right away with whatever he wants. ”

“The incident where you were framed and got your scar from?” It's honestly shocking how used to the scar he already is. Anytime he needs to find Ron amongst a sea of people, he just stares at people's necks until he finds the one and only, or he looks for the one with the most threatening aura. “They were anonymous, though. And why would you need to know?” 

He sipped on his brown sugar syrup as he listened to Totomaru’s voice, soft and gentle. Isshiki has no idea when he pulled that out, but he's learned not to question Ron. “To give my thanks. I wouldn't have been able to be a detective without them after all.” He smirked, staring down at Spitz as a predator would his prey. “Either that, or find the files Blue is missing from my case.”

“Missing?”

“I had a lot of injuries following that incident, and I was given treatment for a period of 3 hours in which I was still flashing in and out of consciousness.” Ron spoke so many words that made sense to Isshiki, but he's gonna have to process most of these sentences later when he's not being bombarded with information. “That particular time frame has details missing, and even though we caught out the person who tried to frame me, I still don't know who's the mastermind behind it and my pathology, the person who framed me probably wasn't smart enough to do all of that, nor do I think I did anything bad enough to have him exact revenge on me.”

Totomaru had to hold back talking back to him on the last sentence. He definitely did something bad enough to make people want revenge on him, he can't imagine how much meaner teenage Ron would be.

“Just a bit more information and Dr Usaki says she might be able to reel back my ailment.” What a solemn expression he had, so desperate, he needs it. “And that's why I'll absolutely help you if you just do either one of my conditions!” 

It honestly scared Spitz how quickly he changed from a miserable look to a happy businessman who had just made a wonderful deal. 

“Ron-kun!” Isshiki got up from his seat to scold him. “You can't extort him like that for your own gain!”

“It's not so simple to help him, Isshiki-san!” Ron sat up straight in his chair, it's been a while since he's talked back to him, but he was still much gentler about it. “He wants us to find his missing family! If the world's best tracker can't track down his own family, what are the chances that we will?”

“We should still try!” At least this time, Ron isn't so unreasonable. He's making valid points, but to the righteous Officer Isshiki, “we should help people in need, and he's our friend, is he not?” 

At that point, the S-Rank detective stopped. Smiling back at the officer, it made him think he had something wrong with his appearance. “What's so funny?” 

Before he could get an answer, Spitz finally said something. “Thank you, Mr. Totomaru!” He was basically tearing up from how moved he was. “You're making me ashamed of even hesitating!”

“What?!” 

“If my friends are going all out for me, then I should too!”

Isshiki shook his head profusely. “No, Spitz!” He said. “Don't let those beautiful eyes and silky voice trick you!! He just manipulated the situation so I'd motivate you!!”  

“I'll do it, Kamonohashi!” That nervous and depressed look entirely gone from his face. “If you look for my brother, I'll help you with both conditions!” 

“Both? If you say so~” Ron acted so innocent anyone would be fooled by it, not Isshiki though. “Your words, not mine.” 

“Spitz!” Maybe he can still save Spitz before it's too late. “Don't do it! He's just joking, right, Ron-kun?”

“Don't worry, Mr Totomaru. That was just the push I needed!” He looked so hyped up for what is essentially a contract he can't back out of. Isshiki shuddered at the idea of Ron working in business or politics instead of detective work. “How could I say no after hearing about his tragic past?”

He's taking this way too lightly!! Does he even know who Ron is?!

“Wonderful.” He got up, combing his hand through his hair and checking his outfit for any unsightly wrinkles. “Let's get going, Isshiki-san, Spitz.”

“Already?” 

“H-Hey, we can't just run off to Europe like that!” 

“‘Course we aren't, Isshiki-san.” That smug look on his face would've looked so annoying if he didn't have a handsome face. “We're heading to Yamanashi.”

Eh? Japan?

“My brother was an anthropologist studying folk religions around the world.” The grass and stone underneath their feet crunched as they walked through the tree covered pathway. “Due to my father's work, he lived in Japan ever since he was little, so maybe…” Ron was too busy looking around the woods and staring at the various flora and fauna to focus on his exposition. “… That's why he particularly liked doing field work in Japan.” 

Kamonohashi walked behind the two, picking leaves off bushes to stare at them. He was clearly bored out of his mind. 

“He visited Yada Village a lot for research.” Bugs scurried across tree trunks and leaves, with Ron swatting them away from his perfectly white sleeves. “11 years ago, I was on summer vacation in high school when he brought me here, he disappeared that year.” 

“So you were in Japan back then…” Totomaru was just about to continue the small talk before he heard a rustle in the bush near them. 

Spitz and Isshiki were too focused on looking at the snake that caused the sound to notice Ron wandering from them. “A snake!” He noticed. “It's white!” 

Sure they're rare to see in the wild, but it's not unheard of. Maybe someone lost their pet? Ron shushed the two, “I hear something.” And before they knew it, he ran off into the woods. 

They quickly chased him to find him standing before a cliff overlooking a beautiful waterfall. As Totomaru was still admiring the beauty, the 2 detectives noticed something. 

“A shrine.” 

Only then did the officer finally see her, beautiful long hair flowing in the wind, also admiring the beauty of the waterfall, unknowing that there were 3 people watching her. 

And unbeknownst to those 3 people, some others were watching them too. 

Thankfully, Isshiki acted on instinct and dodged in the right direction as he saw a huge axe flying his way. It hit the tree he was standing next to, showing off how closely he was to getting his head chopped cleaned off. 

Everyone else was too shocked at the sudden violent attack to register Totomaru’s girly scream. “Who are you?!” He yelled at the people who had almost created a murder scene with his own body. 

“Sorry ‘bout that.” One of the men from the group said, entirely ignoring his question. “That was close, wasn't it? Almost took your head right off your body. Be a shame if that happened.” They looked so suspicious they made Spitz and Ron during their first encounters with Isshiki look like angels in contrast. 

The brunette said nothing more, out of both fear and frustration. It's best not to aggravate them more, what if they have a second axe stashed away somewhere? 

They continued their journey, noting that the woman they saw ran off somewhere. Probably from hearing the sound of the axe hitting the tree. 

It didn't matter much, they finally reached the village Spitz had been talking about the whole way there. 

They walked towards a small gathering of villagers, yelling and protesting against something.

“No way!”

“We're not letting that happen!!”

“Yadagami-sama won't be happy about it!”

“He'll serve divine punishment if you do!”

As Totomaru always does, saying his thoughts out loud. “Some kinda argument?”

Ron stayed back, opting to observe rather than get involved, but he does think that speaking to the people himself would be a better way to gather information, easier to see microexpressions and tell whether someone was lying or not. 

“Mr Mayor!” Spitz called out to a little old man on the edge of the crowd, one of the few people attempting to calm the others. “It's been a while!”

The old man turned around to face him, his face wrinkled from age and stature shrunk from muscles weakening. “Oh! You're the one searching for you brother, Spitz-kun, right?”

“Yep!!” He cheerfully responded. “I brought my friends today to help search again!” 

Kamonohashi has a basic grasp on how the people before him act, he can speak to them without overthinking much. “What's all the fuss, Mr Mayor?” 

“Ah…” He recoiled just thinking about explaining it to non locals. “This outsider is demanding the whole village be evicted…” 

Said outsider saw the mayor wasn't in the crowd anymore, following him to the others. “Don't make me sound like I'm some foreigner! I represent the country.” 

And with him, the rest of the villagers follow, bringing them to surround the group of detectives and the Mayor. “We're not letting you do anything to our village! Nor is Yadagami-sama!” They said. “If you build that dam he's gonna deal out more divine punishments!” The protest felt even more heated than before.

Totomaru turned to Spitz, “who's this Yadagami-sama they're talking about?”

Who answered wasn't him, but a curly and dark haired man who stood around the Mayor as he was talking to the group. “It means ‘snake god of the night’, our folklore says that it's protected the village since ancient times.” He explained. “I'm a folklorist that came to this village to study the Yadagami legend, but that's the least of my concerns at the moment.”

Kamonohashi thought it's odd that the man would say “our folklore” when he explains himself to be someone who wasn't born nor raised in this village. That'll be a discrepancy he has to recount at a later time. 

The mayor tried again to calm everyone down, with the shadiest looking representative the country could've found behind him almost seeking shelter. “I just want to do some preparatory surveying!” He said, not an ounce of innocence in his voice nor expression. 

There were only more protests and arguments in response. “If we let him, that'll just mean we're giving in!” They said, “will drown by tomorrow morning at this rate!” 

“Good grief.” The representative said, could he at least try to look nicer and more friendly? “You need to teach them manners along with that Yadagami legend, Mayor.”

That's apparently all he wanted to say, because after that he walked off, informing, not even a request, that he'll start work tomorrow. “I'll sue anyone who interferes with my work.” 

The mob stood and continued yelling profanities at him, though that wasn't enough to chase him out the village unfortunately. 

Spitz got up to the mayor, their closeness showing how often he's visited the village just looking for his beloved brother. “Mr Mayor! I don't want this village to get submerged! My brother disappeared here!” 

“I feel the same way, but we don't stand much chance against the national government…” Almost an instant change of his tone, something weird enough for Kamonohashi to notice, but not enough for any questioning, he offered the group to stay in the village. 

“Sure! Can we borrow the hut again?” 

“Ah, that official is staying in the hut, you can use my house instead.” What a kind person ! Totomaru was much too naive to notice anything suspicious about this village, unfortunately. Even Ron noticed it, and he's not even the one reading his thoughts.

Planning on looking around the village for clues, their investigation cut short. “It was so sunny a minute ago…” Isshiki looked up to the large raindrops clanging onto the metal and ceramic rooves of the houses in the village. “Such sudden rainfall…” 

The mayor stood with them, watching the storm too. “We call this kind of rain ‘Yadagami-sama’s scowl.’ Must be something he's mad about…” Clearly he's not very happy with the government official either. Must be hiding it just for the crowd and the official himself. “Well, come on in.” He says, inviting the group into his house. 

It was almost inaudible her question, she whispered it under her breath, and the rain was so loud. “Why are you here…?” If Spitz wasn't the master tracker he was, being able to listen to the smallest voices, he wouldn't have heard her, at least Totomaru didn't. 

“Mii-chan!” He called out, he looked so happy, like seeing an old family since years of separation. “You were at the waterfall earlier, right?” 

Before he could keep excitedly greeting her, he noticed the other two confused of their relation to each other. “Ah! This is the Mayor’s granddaughter!” He finally explained. 

“Spitz-kun…” It was as if she only just realized who she was looking at. Why didn't she realize first when she saw him? There's only 1 guy around with that purple hair, at least according to Spitz. “It's been a while.”

He didn't seem to notice her weird greeting. “I'm staying here tonight!” He said to her. 

“I see. Make yourself comfortable, then.”

They took an empty room of the house to eat dinner and talk without bothering the mayor and his granddaughter. “This is my brother.” He said, zooming in on a selfie of the two of them together as he showed the two detectives. “I took it the day before he vanished, when we were asking the villagers about the legend.” Clearly he's gone over the events with multiple people multiple times, it sounds like a practiced line for a movie at this point.

“We went back to the hut across the river, eating our convenience store bento boxes before heading to sleep around 10. Then I woke up at 6 to find he wasn't inside, so I thought he went back out without me.” He said. “I looked all over the place, asking the people in the village, but no one else has seen him.

Spitz wasn't sad about it, just full of determination that one day he'll find his brother again. “We filed a missing person's report with the police, the villagers helped us look deep in the woods for any traces of him, but after all of that, we couldn't even find proof he left the village at all.”

Totomaru shuddered. “Like he was just spirited away.”

Spitz nodded, interrupted by hearing sounds of a certain condiment falling onto Ron's food. “Ron, what is that?”

“Tofu, pickles, and wild plants, same as yours.” 

He can't possibly be that oblivious?! “He means the brown sugar syrup!!”

“Ohh!” He said, much more excited than Isshiki expected. “Can I try some?” 

Ron looked equally happy to have a chance to drag someone into his brown sugar syrup cult. “Eat it in one bite!” He says, smiling wide, but the way he does it is scaring Totomaru a little. At least they're having fun…?

For a moment, Totomaru paid attention to his surroundings and noticed the rain had stopped. Maybe they could go out to investigate now? But all the grass would be muddy and hard to get through… 

He looked out the open door looking over the river, he's sure it'd be a nice view during the daytime, but it's entirely too dark at the moment to make anything out. All he could see was the house, presumably the one that official was staying in. 

Just as he was going to look back to his meal with the others, he caught a glimpse of something. He got up, looking closer at it, it was a window of the house, one that you could see straight into. “I-Is that a snake?!”

All 3 of then got up to look and confirm his suspicions, “looks like a snake wrapping around someone!” 

Before Spitz and Toto could discuss any more, Ron was already leaving the room, grabbing his vest and combing his hair through his fingers. “Let's move.” 

He acted like he wasn't in a rush when he walked through the room with the mayor and Mii-chan. The two others scrambled to catch up, their legs nowhere as long as his. 

They got to the hut as fast as they could, Spitz watching it as close as possible to make sure no one walked in or out of the hut before they even attempt to get in. 

Out of impulse, Ron's hand reached for the doorknob instead of knocking, twisting it. He expected it to be locked, why wouldn't it be? But… “I-It’s open!” He crashed into the house, looking at the surroundings to find another door behind where they'd saw the snake. 

“Do you see the snake?” Totomaru was stuck behind him, Kamonohashi had stood in the door way, looking around for any clues before it was too late to see them again. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang. “A-A gunshot?!” It sounded like it, so much like it, but… “No… It's not loud enough.” Totomaru retracted his statement. as a police officer, he's thankful that he never had to use a gun on a culprit, but that's probably because he's mainly put on useless cases that no one else wanted to take. He's not that used to the sound of a gunshot, but he's heard them before, and they sound much, much louder. 

The 3 start splitting up to look through the whole hut, it isn't big, so the culprit, or at least the victim, will still be here somewhere. 

Ron and Isshiki stared at the empty room they swore they saw the large white snake and man in, there wasn't even a trace of their presence. 

The raven haired detective cautiously walked up to the window, barred by wooden sticks. The holes were much too small for even a child to slip through, much less a large snake or a human adult. “He vanished…?” He reached his hands at the wooden bars, jolting to see if maybe they could be slipped open, but alas. 

The cops were called, and they arrived the next morning to investigate. 

They'd found the official’s lifeless body on the far side of the river, red marks on his neck that resembled the scales of a snake.

Chapter Text

The body was dragged on shore, Kamonohashi inspecting in his way, leaning by it and looking like he might molest it any moment. 

“The marks look like they were left by a rope, but we haven't been able to find anything that could've been the murder weapon.” 

Ron set his eyes on the man, silently. Looking through the shocked expression of the official, staring down the body that looked like it barely struggled against his attacker. 

“Snake scales…” That's what he heard Totomaru and the other officers describe it as outside of the obvious rope marks. Sure, they'd look like them from an amateur’s point of view. Real snake scales are nothing like these, and the snake they'd seen was huge, the constriction would've left at least a broken rib or more marks all over his body. 

He decided to entertain the idea, who knows, maybe someone will come out insisting that it had to be a snake, or a specific snake in particular…

Spitz questioned, leaning down to look at the body and the marks closer too. “Was it really a snake? One we saw in the hut last night?” His opinion was biased from the fact that he lived in the village for a while in his childhood. 

They were all too focused on the corpse to notice the Mayor stumble his way into the small cove by the waterfall they were at. “It was Yadagami-sama!” He stated. “He dragged him out of the hut.”

And by logic, thankfully Isshiki still had that, refuting his claim. “There wasn't any sign of people entering or leaving the hut!” Though he didn't make sure he wasn't missing any information, his point stood firm as he remembers what Ron had noticed yesterday. “That'd mean Yadagami-sama just upped and disappeared into thin air!”

“You think a powerful god can't do something like that?” 

They silenced themselves. Course, if the culprit is actually a god, they would have no way to prove that the god doesn't have any abilities that helped complete the crime. 

And again, they were distracted by the conversation, not noticing someone else had snuck up on them. “Grandpa!” Mii-chan yelled out from the entrance of the cove. “You can't just let them strut around here! Only villagers are allowed near the waterfall!” 

“W-What?” Spitz stuttered, incredibly confused about her statement. “But I came here every time I visited…?”

The mayor corrected her half true statement. “We gave you special permission because of your circumstances, Spitz-kun.” Then he turned to look at the dead official, one that had essentially threatened the existence of the village. “This too is an exception, Mii. Someone died.” 

Before she could talk back again, he calmly explained more of why the 3 outsiders were allowed to walk anywhere they liked. “Spitz-kun’s become a detective, and the man next to him is an officer from the metropolitan police.” 

The blonde backtracked, “oh, my! A detective?!” She hadn't accounted for this, no wonder he was so closely inspecting the body. 

“Officer Isshiki is a wonderful person.” Ron added from the ground, still uncomfortably close to the corpse. “You should get to know him before you make baseless assumptions.”

By speaking, he pulled all the attention onto him. “What about him?” Mii asked. 

Ah… The mayor isn't so sure. He turned to him, letting him introduce himself. 

“I'm an S-Rank detective.” Saying it so loud and proud, it'd hit harder if these secluded villagers knew what it meant. 

The mayor whispered to Spitz, asking for more information, and not wanting to disrespect Ron's seemingly high position. 

It was a little awkward, especially for Ron, but eventually they got the gist of it. 

“So, Mii-kun.” Ron spoke again, “what were you doing at the waterfall yesterday?”

She wasn't entirely sure how they knew she was there, but if it helps the case… She led the group to the shrine she was at. “I came here to make an offering to Yadagami-sama.”

She looked at it solemnly before looking back at the group of investigators. “The waterfall is where Yadagami-sama was born.” Isshiki was absolutely enamoured by the large waterfall and the well kept shrine, he makes sure to watch what he does to not disrespect their god even though he personally didn't believe it. “As thanks for protecting the village during the warring states period, we make offerings every day here.” 

It was a belief since that long ago?! Isshiki incredibly underestimated this god they believed in. 

“So,” Totomaru has a bad feeling about what he's about to say. “You all really believe Yadagami-sama exists?” 

“Ron-kun!” Not again!! When is he going to learn to be nice to people even when they have differing beliefs to him?

“Of course we do! What kind of question is that?!” It shook Ron a bit from how big of an outburst such a small woman managed to make. “He does and will continue to! Just as he always has!”

A hint of guilt swept across the Mayor's face was noticed by Ron, and subconsciously by Spitz, but the latter was too blinded by his history with the village people to think twice of it. “That's right, and the divine punishment onto the surveyor was proof!” 

It was like magic, one second they were the only people up at the shrine, the next, basically the entire village was up there with them. 

“Damn right! He deserved it too!”

“He was an outsider!”

“Stupid questions don't deserve Yadagami-sama’s mercy!”

Ok, this is getting a little too much. They quickly ran off somewhere out of the crowds reach to hopefully get some peace. Spitz himself has never seen the village in such rage.

“Hmph, if they knew who they were dealing with then they'd think twice about threatening us.” Ron kicked a large stick on the road out of his way, thinking about how if he ever saw the faces of those people that threatened the life of Isshiki-san, they'll regret ever being born in this creepy ass village. 

Totomaru walked slowly behind him, hoping not to be a target of one of those sticks flying off the side of the path. “Usually I'd scold you for being mean behind their backs, but they were really scaring me from how upset they were.” He admitted. 

Spitz was too busy thinking about the situation to respond, leaving more of a 2 way conversation between the two while he subtly listened. “Don’t worry, Isshiki-san.” Ron turned back to him, his handsome face laced with a hint of anger. “If they ever do anything to scare you again, I'll make sure they never see the light of day.” 

Ah, that's where the scary Ron Kamonohashi he knew so well went. 

He dropped it quickly, quicker than Totomaru was comfortable with. “Indigenous beliefs along with a distrust of outsiders is a dangerous mixture for mass hypnosis.” He mused, intentionally saying it out loud so he could potentially have the inputs of the 2 others. “And that's what that mob of people looked to be going through. But what exactly is causing their unreasonable rage?” 

They continued walking on the path, it was silent save for their conversation and some animal sounds. 

That is until a single moment. A man jumped out at them, causing Totomaru to scream, and Ron to instinctively deck him in the face. “Ack! I'm not attacking you! Don't hurt me!” He begged, thankfully causing Ron to stop before landing another punch at him. 

The man, the one they recognized as the folklorist they'd met the day before, slowly opened his eyes when he felt no more harm being done to him. “S-Sorry for scaring you.” 

Ron let out a hmph, already predicting what Isshiki-san would say. “It's alright.” He said, instantly forgiving him. “Say sorry, Ron-kun.” The officer whispered at the tall man behind him. 

“He shouldn't have jumped out at us in the first place.” If anyone else but Totomaru had asked, he'd say that in an annoyed and “I didn't do anything wrong” tone, but with him specifically, he pulled out a whiny one. Only after Totomaru glared at him silently did he decide to comply and just do as he says. He cursed himself for being so obedient, he usually won't be this compliant if anyone else was in Totomaru's place. 

It was something that even Spitz had noticed. Spitz had heard of so many nightmare stories of Ron berating his superiors and doing the opposite of what people tell him just because he could. Seeing him whine and ask for this Totomaru Isshiki’s approval was something he had never heard of when it came to the infamous Ron Kamonohashi. 

The folklorist finally formally introduced himself as Muroi. “How was the waterfall? I heard that you all are detectives, and they don't let non-locals anywhere near that thing.” It was clear he's been thinking about the lore and legend of this village for a while, because he had so many questions lined up for them. “Is it true that the surveyor was killed by Yadagami-sama?”

Totomaru spoke before thinking twice, “we aren't sure if Yadagami-sama did it, but–”

“So he really is dead.”

That sentence silenced Totomaru, should he have said that? News travels so fast in this village, guess it is to be expected from how small it is. 

Muroi shared what he gathered from living in the village for as long as he did, in exchange for what they'd told him inadvertently. “I've studied all sorts of regional gods, but Yadagami-sama is special.” He started off. “The difference is that he's a living legend . There are still reports to this day of its power of disappearance.” 

“Disappearance?” Seems like an awfully specific power for a god to have.

And he recounted the story he's heard from the villagers over the years. “There was an attempt to build a dam here 15 years ago too. But once the preparations were done, all the heavy machinery disappeared into thin air.”

Another scary story that sends shivers down Isshiki's spine. He shuddered, no way that this god would just make things he didn't like vanish, right?

The folklorist then turned to Spitz. “And your brother disappeared 11 years ago, right?”

Hitting him right where it hurts. “Yeah.” 

“If you spend any time in this village, there's no way you can ignore Yadagami-sama's power.” Did he shudder as he said that? It wasn't just Totomaru that had noticed that, right? “I mean, I fell and lost consciousness deep in the mountains once, but by the time I woke up, I was already at the foot of the mountain.” 

“F-For real?” 

Totomaru jumped when he saw those eyes stare intensely at him. “Recently, I've been enthralled by Yadagami-sama. Maybe even moving to this village.” 

Before he's able to attempt to drag the pure and innocent Officer Isshiki into the hypnotic aura of the village, Ron interrupts their conversation. “What were you doing last night, Muroi?” 

Does Ron think that…

“Me? You think it was me? I was visiting the shrine yesterday.”

Totomaru imagined the shrine as the same as the one he usually goes to. I mean, how different could they be from other shrines in the city? Spitz heard his “inner” ramblings, and decided to answer that question for him. “I've been before, they have a huge snakeskin housed there.”

He tried to hide a squeal from his mouth, but he didn't work very much. 

“There's also fangs, eyeballs, even ancient scrolls and manuscripts about Yadagami-sama. It's full of data.” Is he excited for the body parts of Yadagami-sama or the data itself? Eyeballs ?? How many does he have? Does he shed them every so often? 

His thoughts were cut off by him continuing explaining what he'd done last night. “I tried to go at least, but it was temporarily closed. I had no choice but to just go back to Suzuki-san’s house, where I've been staying.”

Sounds normal enough. No unnecessary details, no extra padding. Ron decided that this Muroi was no one of interest in both the cases he's working on in his head. 

As they walked back, Spitz expressed that it felt weird that the shrine was closed for a day, for all the time he's visited the village, he's never had it close before. Maintenance is usually done during closing hours, not closed the whole day.  

They walked in front of the Mayor's house, discussing all the points and clues they've gathered. “What do you guys think that sound was?” 

“Sound?”

“The loud ‘bang’ when we walked into the hut.” 

“Could it be?! The sound of Yadagami-sama teleporting?” Ron decided to count this as one of the proof that this Spitz Feier wasn't all too good at deductions. 

And of course, naive and slightly gullible Totomaru believes his ramblings. “N-No way, right, Ron-kun?”

He laughed at how Isshiki-san looked to him for confirmation. “I myself do enjoy a bit of the occult stuff.” He grinned at the terrified officer, making him even more scared. “But,” that one word alone soothed Totomaru more than he wanted to admit. “I've never encountered the real thing, so…” 

He paused, moving his gaze down to the officer, it's adorable how short he is compared to Ron himself. The gaze was Totomaru's cue to guess. “You think someone else did it?”

He let out a hmph, not an upset one, one to acknowledge his guess was closer than what Ron would have predicted a few weeks ago from him. “I’m so certain I'll bet on it. Hundred pounds, anyone?” 

All that was returned was an awkward silence. Totomaru knows better than to second guess Ron's guesses, and Spitz knows the percentage of accuracy of Ron's work. “Okay, okay, just say no next time.”

And they walked off to the scene of the crime, deciding a second, more official, investigation was in order. 

“Oh! Isshiki-san from HQ.” One of the officers blocking the entranceway recognized him. “Of course, come in as you please.”

They went through each room again, all the rooms small without enough space for a murder scene save for the one they'd seen yesterday through its window. “All 3 of us saw Yadagami-sama here! How did it disappear like that?” 

Spitz went through the smaller rooms again, just to be 100% sure. While Ron looked around for small details like the door frame and the handle itself to see if the official even had any struggle against the large serpentine. 

Totomaru wracked his brain, shoving his fingers through the strands as he thought. Like a lightbulb lit up in his head, his eyes grew wider along with it as he finally had an actually plausible reason for how it'd just disappeared like that. “Could there be any hidden rooms here?” He asked the officer that had invited them inside, the only one with him in that room that paid him any attention. 

“We've searched the crawlspace above the ceiling, the tatami mats, and even checked the sturdiness of the window bars. Everything is either impenetrable or undisturbed, implying no one forced their way in or out.” 

“A-Ah…” Devastating. Just when he thought he'd figured out something. He was just about to depressingly walk to see if Ron had any luck, before the officer spoke again. 

“Actually, we did find another clue.”

And he pointed right below their feet. It's a surprise Totomaru hadn't noticed. “This.” He said, gesturing right towards the open container of Nandan brown sugar syrup. 

“R-Ron-kun’s…” 

Speak of the devil, the man heard his name being uttered from Isshiki-san's mouth, and quickly made his way over, like a dog that had just heard the plastic of their treats being opened up. “Ah, that's where I'd left it.” He said. “In the heat of trying to find where Yadagami had gone, I must've dropped it here.”  Some of it had spilt onto the mat, leaving a dark stain that'll definitely take more than some soap and water to clean it out. 

“Oh.” The 3 stared at the random officer sent over to deal with the situation, anticipating another potential clue they might've missed the night before. “I-If that's the case, then we have no more leads.”

“No… Leads…? Spitz looked so pale it was as if he was going to pass out. Totomaru tried to reach him, but he must've been deafened by the loud ring of what would've been the impossibility of finding his beloved brother once more. “Not even Ron Kamonohashi, descendant of Sherlock Holmes himself, nor my brother, stood a chance against a God.” 

Well, when he says it out loud like that, it'd be insane to think any single mortal could hold any power against any divine power. Totomaru's sure that Ron would think something like that, he's the kind of guy who would want to fight and debate with a god and somehow come out winning. 

The purple haired man walked up to look out the window solemnly, not wanting to say another word for at least a few minutes accepting his brother's fate, but the 2 detectives were jumpscared by him screaming bloody murder at something. “GRAH! A SNAKE! A WHITE SNAKE IN THE RIVER!!” He fell back, shaking in fear. “I-It's Yadagami-sama!! H-He’s here!!”

The two rushed over to look out the window too. The river rushed across the divot it craved into the earth, with nothing out of the ordinary in it. Totomaru grew more concerned for every second he couldn't find what Spitz was talking about, he's not becoming delusioned from missing his brother so much, right?

Ah, but that's because Totomaru was a little shorter than Spitz, and at a height disadvantage, he couldn't see the white rope caught between some rocks that was in the river. Good thing Ron was much taller than the officer, and could actually see what Spitz had mistaken for a snake. If he didn't, they might've brought him to take a psychiatric evaluation for his mental state. 

A white rope…? 

Ron turned around back to the tatami mat where he left his brown sugar syrup. The stain was suspiciously far away from where the actual package was dropped. 

“Have you moved the brown sugar syrup when you did the investigation?” 

“Um.” It scared the officer how he only seemed to speak when Totomaru spoke to him or when he needs information on the case. “We put it back where it was when we picked it up.” 

It scared him even more when he smiled after a few seconds of telling him that information. 

“Dearest Officer Isshiki, a word with you, if you don't mind?” 

The officer, Spitz and Ron worked hard to gather all the people in the village who were willing to hear how the life of the government official truly ended. A few villagers ignored their request, opting to continue believing in Yadagami despite their possible explanation otherwise. 

Despite the protests of Totomaru, they held the gathering at the cliff overlooking the waterfall where the shrine stood. He was so worried Ron might pressure his culprit into jumping off, or do something else even more drastic, but Spitz reassured him, holding up a horrifyingly large dose of tranquilizer in his hand that he implied he'd use on Ron if it ever went out of hand. 

“Thank you all for gathering here.” Totomaru started, his voice trembled much less than the times before, the practice paid off. “Through hard work of the police and Detective Kamonohashi, we'd figured out the truth behind the murder in the village.” 

And he handed off the stage to Ron to continue, he's been vibrating with excitement the whole time, and if Totomaru asked, Ron would definitely have let him say the whole speech, but the officer digressed. “Last night, we spotted Yadagami in the hut where he stayed, and rushed over to investigate.” The group stayed silent when he paused for a while longer than he expected as he tried to pull out a sachet that was particularly stuck in his pocket. “I had dropped one of my brown sugar syrup bags onto the floor. It stained the floor, but when we went to check again today, the stain and the bag itself mysteriously moved apart from each other.”

“Get to the point!” A villager heckled from the back. 

“Hmph, they clearly don't know the joy of hearing a perfectly laid out solution before them.”

“Just get to it, Ron.” Totomaru stopped him before he could growl any more insults at the innocent villager. 

“We had found a rock with a string tied onto it today too, little suspicious to find that next to the hut he was living in, if you ask me.” He was already eyeing the culprit, looking to see if Totomaru's already figured it out. He could see those little gears turning in his head, he hasn't. “This fact, along with the loud bang we heard yesterday, and the shrine being closed for the first time in what seems like years…”

“It all gives us the answer to what had actually happened to that man, a trick that made it look like Yadagami had done it.” 

“A trick?!” Muroi stood right in the front, he had to hear it, had to know that Yadagami was just a folklore. 

“It was simply a picture.” Blasphemous gasps filled the area. Ron relished in it, it felt wonderful knowing the truth everyone else missed. “Just attached to the tatami mat.”

And again, he looked to see if Totomaru had a sense of what the culprit could've done, and he had a few ideas being muttered under his breath, but he couldn't figure out the main mechanism of the trick. That's alright, he'll keep explaining. 

“The culprit stood the mat up right, and had a string attached to both the door and a rock hanging out the window. Using the tensioned string they kept the upright mat in place.”

Wowza , he could hear the officer mutter. So that's how it works… It's hilarious how adorable he managed to look when he's thinking extra hard. 

“By opening the door, the string on the door was released, and the tatami mat fell back into place, with how large the gaps in between the others were, it was able to land perfectly back into place without bringing attention to it.” 

He gestured for Spitz to unravel the scroll he had. “I'm sure you all are familiar with this picture?” Ron said as everyone looked at the photo of Yadagami-sama that was usually displayed in the middle of the shrine, and usually a little larger. These smaller ones would be set on some of the other rooms in the shrine. 

“I didn't remember right away, but I knew it looked familiar, because it was a picture I saw years ago when I visited the shrine.” The purple haired man recalled, looking down at the picture he was holding for everyone to see. The art style, the colors, he really should've known sooner. 

Alright, now that everyone's basically seen the proof of the picture, time to continue. “We couldn't find it though, the next day, because someone came in to retrieve it. But alas, they hadn't considered my brown sugar syrup being right on the mat, and it slid the bag off far away from the stain it'd made, leaving a perfect trail for us to follow.” 

Murmurs shuffled through the crowd, the villagers discussing amongst themselves. “Who did it, then?” One of them said, instead of a heckle, a genuine question. 

“The only one who would contrive of an impossible crime so no one else in the village would come under suspicion, and made sure someone could witness the ‘crime’ is none other…” Totomaru could shake in pure anticipation, it can't be, no way, right? “… than your beloved Mayor.”

More gossip and hushed whispers were spread through the crowd. “The mayor?” They asked, “the mayor killed that man?” 

The man himself stayed silent, maybe thinking of a rebuttal, but so far he hasn't said anything yet. 

“If Yadagami’s physical appearance was really a large snake, why doesn't the man have more scale marks on him? And why do the marks on his neck look so small? As if a rope was the actual weapon?” Oh he looked so happy how gradually nervous his culprit became. Can Ron's illness also feel that he's getting close to finding out if he'd actually killed someone? “You blurted his name when we were discussing who did it, psychological suggestion is a powerful tool indeed.” 

As a last ditch effort, the mayor finally spoke. “That doesn't prove anything!” He said, his small figure and old voice tried to yell out. “You haven't even found a murder weapon! What about that?!” 

By this point everyone who cared for him looked mighty worried. They always had the idea that the Mayor was a man who didn't have the heart to do something as heinous as murder. 

“He's right, Ron.” Totomaru whispered at him. “We haven't found anything like that! Unless the rope tied to the rock was it… But it'd be stupid to do something like that, right?” 

Ron stopped him before he had the time to start pulling his hair out just thinking about it. It's such an odd self soothing mechanism, but it's truly in character for him to do. “Isshiki-san, you think we wanted to be up here for no reason?” 

He walked up to the shrine, pointing at the ropes holding up pieces of shide made of fibre. “Mii-kun, Isshiki-san, and Spitz. I'm sure you remember that the ropes on the shrine yesterday were set up differently, right?” 

And sure enough, the two ropes were separated with a wide enough gap yesterday that it could be seen from all the way opposite of the waterfall where they'd seen Mii, but now they're bundled together, placed next to each other as if it was a hasty action. 

“I-It was the rope?!” 

“Yes, Isshiki-san. You can take it to forensics to double check, but…” 

“That's not true! Grandpa, tell him he's wrong!” By this point, even Spitz wasn't sure what to think. Is this village just cursed or something?

“I'm sorry, to Mii, to everyone…” Oh, that's their cue. As the Mayor turned to face everyone, Totomaru and Spitz worked quickly to administer the tranquilizer, as much as Ron's ailment tried to fight back against them. The villagers watched in confusion as the mayor apologised and admitted his guilt. 

“I-Is he okay?” One whispered to another as they watched Spitz drag the barely conscious man away from the cliff and everyone else. 

“I killed him. I hated the surveyor for wanting to start the project, and called him here to get rid of him.”

Ron tried to get up, hearing what he said. “That's not… The only reason…” He whispered to Spitz as he fell into unconsciousness. 

Totomaru took the Mayor's hands into handcuffs. Escorting him back to land and where the officers in charge are. 

Basically the whole village was there to see their Mayor get put into the police car, after testing the ropes, they'd found traces of the mayor's and the surveyor's skin, proving once and for all that Ron was in the right again. 

“Find happiness, Mii.” He pleaded before having no choice but to cooperate and be driven out to accept his punishment. 

The woman bowed to the people who gathered, apologising for everything, they silently forgave her. It wasn't her fault, and they couldn't be upset over the Mayor doing something like that. Yes, no single man should have power over who lives and who dies, but the government forcing them to evict their beloved village is also out of hand. 

“Kamonohashi! Get back here!” Totomaru, who stood next to Mii, turned around to find Ron scrambling out of the cabin they stayed in. He walked as if it was his first time using his legs, the tranquilizer must've worn off a little, but not entirely. “You need to lay down! Kamonohashi!” 

They spoke in English, and even though the officer and Mii both weren't versed in it, it was clear what Spitz was saying. “Isshiki-san. Mii-kun.” He breathed out, finally face planting into the earth as his adrenaline ran out. “Thank god you're still here.” 

“Ron!” He quickly got down and flipped him onto his back, his forehead was thankfully just marked with some dirt, and if not just a bit of an abrasion. “It's been like, 20 minutes! How are you back up already?!” 

“Doesn't matter.” He panted. “Spitz’s brother…” The raven haired detective, all his strands of hair falling into disorder across his face, forced himself to get up, his legs shaking in weakness as he tried to walk. “I need–”

Totomaru quickly put his arm around his shoulder to support him. “C-Calm down, Ron.” He was forced to walk where Ron was trying to go, oddly behind the hut they were staying in? “R-Ron, what are you–”

He was interrupted by Ron slurring and yelling into the woods. “I know you're here! If you really loved him, you wouldn't let him search for you for the rest of his life!”

I knew that was way too much tranquilizer! Look at him! He's out of his mind! Totomaru blamed himself for not asking Spitz to lessen the dose until he heard a sound from inside the dark woods. A figure stood from within, hair awfully familiar to someone they know. 

Ron gave a weak smile to the figure before finally, peacefully, passing out, right in Isshiki's arms. “Ron?!” 

Spitz was heard yelling out for them by the front of the hut, “Kamonohashi! Where in bloody hell did you go?!” By the time he finally came around the back, he saw the man emerge from the bushes. 

“S-Shep?!” 

“You've grown a lot, Spitz.” His voice was much coarser than Spitz’s, and his British accent was still intact, just slightly off from being isolated in a rural Japanese village. “I'm guessing the only person who knew I was here was him ?” He pointed towards Ron, laying in Totomaru's lap as he sat next to him. 

The officer nodded, Ron looked like he was trying to say something before, but it seems his adrenaline's entirely out. “Nevermind that! Where'd you go all these years?” The younger man kept rubbing his eyes, getting rid of tears, or trying to make sure what he was seeing wasn't just a dream, Totomaru couldn't tell. 

Shepard looked reluctant to even tell him. “I'm sorry, Spitz. I owe you an explanation, especially after all those years of looking for me.” He said. 

And thus, he began explaining. Totomaru only listened in sometimes, getting distracted by Ron stirring even in his barely conscious state. 

“I was getting targeted by a certain organization after doing field work in a certain country. I learned information they didn't want people to know.” 

“Which organization?!” Spitz was so happy to see his brother after 11 years, and just hearing now that he was forced into hiding from them made him so upset, he wasn't even sure if he was angry or sad, just some form of upset. 

His brother sighed, the tired expression getting amplified from his rough face. “I can't tell you, Spitz.” He felt so bad about needing to hide more from him, but he can't say anymore, lest he puts Spitz in more danger than necessary. “I don't want them targeting you too.”

Once again, Ron tried to get up, as if his brain was already fine to continue, but his body wasn't. “G-Get…” He stopped when he looked up to realize he was in Officer Isshiki's lap. 

“Rest, Ron. I'll tell you later.” 

“The mayor killed him because he was extorting him for money, saying that he'll tell authorities of my existence. I bring nothing but misfortune to this village.” He sighed. “You're an officer, are you not?” He looked down to Isshiki. “Arrest me.” 

“No!” 

“I'm sorry, Mii, Spitz.” His expression and voice solemn. “I've brought enough misfortune to this village. Arrest me.” 

“No! Don't! Please!” The young lady wanted so badly to put herself between him and the officer, despite the officer having no intent on arresting him.

And then for a second, Totomaru felt his shirt getting grabbed. He looked down, seeing Ron asking him to lean down closer.

A few words were whispered into his ear, probably to save energy, but Totomaru couldn't make heads or tails of what he said. 

“Mii-kun… Likes Shepard?” 

Well, yeah. He thought to himself. She and the other villagers helped him hide himself amongst the trees for 11 years, of course she'd like him. What else would he mean by–

They don't think he meant to say that out loud, intending on keeping it to himself, but they all heard him. “That's how you feel about me?” He turned to her, genuinely asking. It is just a rambling of a man they don't know, but he managed to figure out Shepard's existence, so he must have some credibility.

She didn't respond, her intense blush answering his questions for him. 

Maybe it was from how sappy the air became from their realisations, but Ron groaned, trying to get himself back up. “Alright, let's bring you back inside.” Totomaru gently lifted him up, putting an arm over his shoulder again. He was much too tall and heavy for Totomaru alone to carry, unfortunately, and Spitz seemed too content to be able to talk to his brother again after so long to help him. 

They walked back, Totomaru reprimanding him for his actions from how potentially dangerous they could've been towards himself. It didn't bother him too much, Ron knows Totomaru doesn't stay mad for long. Ron just fell back into the warm embrace the tranquilizer set him in, Totomaru probably didn't intend for Ron to listen to his whole spiel. 

Chapter Text

Spitz lowered himself down into the room that held all the old communication logs. It's suspicious to him that they hid something like the answer to the bloody field trip so far in the school. 

He tiptoed around the concrete flooring, sifting through the physical tapes of every message the school had ever received, and every tip they'd gotten. 

Dust wafted through the room, threatening to enter his system, but thankfully he had a simple mask on that blocked it from his airways, unfortunately he did not consider the same for his eyes. Spitz hadn't been a teacher in school long enough to know how the bloody field trip went down exactly, but he'd read on it as a case study the school let him use as an example for his classes. 

The file had only mentioned that they received help from an anonymous source. Not the contents, not the investigation on where it was from, not a single thing except that it'd helped, and the culprit ended up being Fin Fennec’s beloved and late student, Shachi. 

Of course, it gave a timeline of what happened, how someone Shachi had hired managed to pass off as Ron on the day of the crime, how Ron wasn't conscious to do anything, let alone 7 murders. 

And it ends off with showcasing Ron's body full of scars, deep, blood colored stains on his skin, along with the large patterned one on his neck. 

He'd finally stumbled across the aisle where they should've kept the logs, ones from that year that the case had happened. 

As his hands slipped through each binder, each filed according to month, he stopped. 

A shadow stood behind him. Oh god. 

“Looking for this?” She held the exact file he was looking for, somehow premeditating Ron's meddling. “Y'know, Mr. Feier, Ron's already looked through this up and down, he won't find anything if you handed it back to him.” 

Aimee Emmerich, headmaster of Blue, was there before him. “H-He has?” Well, he is a WDA detective now, so he could basically access anything Blue has hidden around, especially since he is the main victim involved in the case itself. First things first though, Ms Aimee caught him snooping around the grounds of Blue in the dead of night. “Sorry for coming in without permission… I just…” He sighed, there's really not much of an excuse he could make now. 

“Just promise you'll tell me if you want any more of Blue's information on his case, we've already given him all we have.” 

He sighed, embarrassed to think that Ron hasn't already gone through all the hoops of information he's found. “Of course, thanks Ms Emmerich.” 

Before he's able to leave, she'd stopped him. “But, there is one thing we'd forgone to write in the files.” 

“Please!” He pleaded, his hair the colour of charcoal, swayed with him as he emphasized every word with a bow. “Let me be the Japanese branch director!” 

The council sat before a large screen, essentially video calling the S-Rank detective, from all the way in his apartment in Japan. 

“Your employment requires you to be back in England in a week, Kamonohashi.” One of the men from the other side spoke, the vice chairman from the World Detective Alliance, Mauro Bovua. “Why only request for the position now?” 

He groaned at them, something only Ron Kamonohashi has the nerve to do at the leaders of the WDA. “Does it matter what my reason is?” 

They looked at each other, all thinking on a corporate level on how to deal with this child of a detective they have under their employment. 

“It'd be nice to know, especially since you're letting us know on such short notice.” 

Even through the screen, the council could sense Ron sneering at Olivia for her nagging personality. All of them have one such quality to them, but Olivia was the most vocal with it. 

Fine. “I like working with an officer here.” He glanced away from the camera, avoiding eye contact embarrassingly like a child who admitted he'd done something wrong.

A sudden silence filled both ends of the call. 

“What?” Ron said, insisting they say something lest this be the most awkward call between boss and subordinate they've ever had. 

“It's just that…” He's never seen the chairman himself, Jaime, so unsure and confused by something. “You usually reject any form of accomplice during normal work.” He noted. “We tried multiple and you rejected all–”

“Ah–” A finger was pointed up to the camera, stopping him before he could go any further, he doesn't wanna hear how much he's changed just from Isshiki. “Yes or no, simple question, simple answer.” 

“Do you wanna hear the bad news or the good news first?”

“Huh?” It was so sudden of Ron to invite him to his apartment, he hadn't gotten out of his work clothes, nor his work mindset. “Um… The bad news?” 

“I'm forced to go back to England for my work.”

Oh, that's right. Ron's only here because he's on a vacation from work. A long one at that… He's been here for basically 3 months at this point… “Well, at least you had fun here, right? Wanna keep in touch?” 

“Oh, Isshiki-san, you're the best.” He said, if he had 5% less impulse control, he'd grab the officer's hand and kiss it casanova style. “Would you miss me?” 

Of course, Totomaru wasn't entirely blind to the fact that Ron asked that just because he wanted to hear him praising him. “Hmm… Maybe I will…” He said sarcastically, just to tease him with it, showing that he knows what Ron wants. “What's the good news then?” 

Ron smiled at the officer, a smile that seemed eerily playful. “I was given the chance to prove my worth and work as the Japanese Branch Director for the WDA.” He rejoiced, showing him the official interview letter from them, addressed to Kamonohashi, Ron. 

“Oh! That's great! I–” Wait a damn minute. “Japanese Branch…? So you'll come back if you get the job?” 

He didn't respond, just smiling with his eyes closed, enjoying the reactions from his beloved little officer. 

Okay, so he just deduced that I'd asked for the bad news first and surprised me with the fact that he'll stay here until further notice. Can't say it's out of character for him I guess.

“I mean, I've already worked intimately with the metropolitan police here, the collaboration with the WDA and the Japanese police will go smoother if I'm in control, don't you think?” He leaned over on his hand that was placed on the shoulder of Officer Isshiki, staring almost suggestively at him. It made him flush when he said the word “intimately” with such emotion. 

If a stranger were to see the scene, they'd have thought that Ron was speaking of another action entirely. 

Totomaru tried his best not to get shy at the fact that a gorgeous man was so close to him, lips close enough to kiss him if he'd wanted. “W-Well…” A big giveaway with that stutter. “Hope you get the job, Ron.”

The raven haired detective couldn't help but feel a little warmer inside from how cute the other looked as he blushed. The adorable face he had cleansed every bad thought he had before and filled it with thoughts of Totomaru praising him for being such a good detective. 

He lifted himself off the officer's shoulder, oh how he wished Totomaru could follow him home, how much he wanted to show off his nation to the officer, but he would never allow it. “I'm going back tomorrow for a few customary things before I get approved fully, so would you like to have dinner tonight with me?”

He'd said it so casually that Totomaru didn't think twice before agreeing. Of course he'd agree. Ron probably deduced this too. Why wouldn't he agree?

Ron had brought him to a restaurant that was much fancier than he expected. He stared uncomfortably at the other patrons, all wearing something clearly made for a special occasion. What he was wearing wasn't entirely unsuitable, but it's just an old suit he wore to work everyday. 

“Want anything? My treat.” Does the WDA pay that well? He felt guilty getting anything that was over his daily budget, and basically every item he felt like trying was over that threshold. 

The detective with his handsome, gelled and styled hair, set down the menu once he had chosen what to eat. He watched as Totomaru's expressions changed contemplating each dish. “This is a reasonable price, but I don't really like fish… This one looks tasty! But… The price…” 

It was so wonderfully entertaining, but he was getting hungry. “It's alright, Isshiki-san.” He set a hand on the officer's, making him set down the menu onto the table. “Which one interests you the most?” 

“H-Huh? Well…” He pointed to one of the dishes, and was about to say how he doesn't want that one because of the price, but Kamonohashi had predicted this. Before he's able to say anything, he waved a waiter to their table to take their orders, Isshiki tried his best to refuse but the stubborn Kamonohashi is not a force easily pushed by simple excuses. 

“Well, does being a branch manager pay well?” 

“I care little for the pay. I find myself caring more for the thrill of solving cases, even more so now that I have dear Isshiki-san with me.” 

Totomaru can't help but think about how clingy Ron's suddenly become. When they first met, Ron had done nothing but constantly talk about how stupid he is, and now he's clinging onto the officer as if he's his lifeblood. 

A voice spoke in the raven haired detective’s mind. He stared at the soft hand atop the cloth covered table, small marks scattered on it from his work. The officer rubbed his hands together, cold from the air conditioned room. Hold it, the voice said.

He moved his own hand onto the table, preparing to reach out, until…

“Kamonohashi-senpai.” An actual, real life voice said, dragging him out from his ideal reality. 

He tried not to look too upset in front of Isshiki-san, he doesn't know why he'd be so angry just yet. 

A man with slicked, black hair and dark round pupils common with people of asian descent approached their table. 

To Totomaru, he looked nice enough. Senpai? So he's Ron's junior. It's nice to hear that Ron has juniors that don't ignore him when they see him outside of professional settings. 

“May I sit?” He asked, mainly towards the brunette, he doesn't care about what his senior has to say, just worried if he's crashing some kind of date. 

It'd be awkward to reject. “‘Course.” Totomaru said, moving his chair closer to Ron so he'd have a place to actually sit at the table. 

“What do you want, Kay Moore ?” The S-Rank detective scowled at him, his voice dripping with conviction and slight hatred. 

Totomaru wasn't entirely sure if he should reprimand him, but considering all the people Ron used to outwardly hate, he probably should. 

He wasn't given the chance yet though, as the man before them, Kay, spoke. “I'm not fond of you either, Kamonohashi-senpai, but I request that you withdraw your application for being the branch director here.” 

W-What? Totomaru didn't realize there was competition, and against Ron? He prayed for Kay’s safety, hopefully Ron doesn't do anything too evil to him. 

“And why should I do that?” Ron put on the appearance that he just wanted a title, a promotion, little does the other know that he wants this position just so he has an excuse to stay in Japan. “You're much too young to be handling a whole country's worth of detectives and cases.” 

“I think it's best if someone with actual Japanese descent were to represent the country, I don't recall you being here for even a year's length of time.” 

“Oh, so now you want to pull heritage into this conversation? With the descendant of Sherlock Holmes himself?” 

“Ron, that's not even close to what he means.” With the way Ron's going at this, if he didn't see for himself how talented of a detective he is, Totomaru would start siding with Kay. 

As much as he tried brute forcing it, it just didn't work, at this point most people arguing with him would've folded and left him alone from how annoying and stubborn he was. “Fine. But my point stands, you're too young to be taking on this title.”

“You'd be the youngest branch manager too if you got the job, and you're only a year older than me.”

Wow, he really is a student of Blue if he's managed to fight Ron on this and not lose nor forfeit so far. 

At this point, Ron thought the only way he could win this is to play against his feelings, but something tells him that Kay isn't the empathetic type. 

“I don't care.” By now he wished that they weren't speaking Japanese so Officer Isshiki couldn't hear how unreasonable he was being, but he had a reason, just one that he was too embarrassed to share. “If you lose the job to me then that's on you being less fit for the job than I am.”

“Hmph.” Kay let out, his dark eyes glaring at the detective, but softening when he looked to Totomaru. With his amazing deduction abilities he'd say that Totomaru's too stupid to solve any cases that Kamonohashi would take at work, but what is he doing with him here? Probably got manipulated into a puppet to use so he could access the metropolitan police’s cases. 

He lifted himself up and removed himself from the table, leaving them alone again. 

He waited until Kay was far, far away before starting to ask questions about him. “Was that your junior from Blue?” 

“Yeah, annoying one at that.” The younger man didn't really cause trouble for anyone, just that Ron thought he was annoying for some reason. Maybe his pretentious tone, the same as his, his wish for hatred to be mutual since Kay thought he was much too egotistical for his own good, or something else. He wonders if Isshiki will notice anything familiar about him. 

“He was Japanese too, right?” 

Oh? Maybe he did catch on. “Mhm.” Fortunately for Ron, Totomaru was still a little too oblivious to notice his loving stare at him. 

He nodded. “His accent sounded really familiar, but I can't really put my finger on it…” 

He thought for a second. Of course he could tell him right away, but it can be a fun exercise for him. A simple one, perfect level for him. “You know one of his relatives.” He said as a hint for him. “Try and figure out who it is.” 

That was barely helpful for Totomaru considering he knows so many people, he could be related to one of the random people he met during his cases, or someone from the police force, someone from his extended family. 

He kept guessing during the trip home. “Yuma-san from that case a few–”

“Nope.”

“Um…” He thought long and hard, literally anyone could've been it, but he eliminated ones he was sure wasn't. Ones who had wildly different accents that wouldn't fit Kay's. “Kawasemi-san?” He has dark hair, and it wouldn't be that surprising if they were related, they do both have an extremely serious and professional personality.

“No.” The fact that he thought of Kawasemi bothered him more than he wanted to admit. “It's okay, you can guess as many times as you want.” 

He kept guessing, all the way until they reached Ron's apartment again. 

Before walking into the building, the raven hair detective stopped in his tracks, right in front of the door. 

“Ron?” 

He put a finger up to his own lips, gesturing to him to stay silent. “Can’t you tell, Isshiki-san?” He stood still, pushing his peripheral vision to the limits. “Spitz.” 

Totomaru let out a yelp when a man suddenly jumped down right before him. A little too high pitched for his appearance. 

“Can you blame me for trying to track you as practice?” He set a firm hand on Ron's shoulder with a small laugh, to which Ron shoved away swiftly. The purple haired man bowed down slightly at the officer. “Sorry for scaring you.” 

He kinda blamed himself for not noticing him at all, how is it possible? He was right there on the roof. They walked into the building together.

“Oh! By the way, Kamonohashi.” Spitz pulled out a small tablet from his bag. “The Principal asked me to hand this to you.” 

Oh, he wasn't expecting this. He took it from Spitz’s hand, turning on only showed a simple prompt, some text and a response field in the bottom. 

To anyone else, it looked just like some random strings of letters and numbers, but to Ron of course, the cipher is easy to decode. 

“Oh, are you reading it?” Totomaru got up, preparing to leave. “I don't want to interfere–”

“No, Isshiki-san.” The detective grabbed onto his hand faster than he could think. “Stay.” He shook himself out of it, right now it just looks like he's being clingy, but he swears he isn't. “The password requires your and Spitz’s information.”

Unlocking the tablet reveals the message it held. 

Dear Ron Kamonohashi,

You know you've got all the information we have on the case. We don't have anything for you anymore. We don't know who sent that tip to us. We don't know anything. The only thing we can do is speculate, and I have a few deductions that I think are highly likely to be true. 

I'm not sure if you've found it, but during the murder on Nandan Island, the floor was marked with the same symbol on your neck, alongside a mysterious disappearance and assumed sinkage of the boat that carried the corpses, it seems that case was orchestrated by the same people who implanted your illness onto you. I deduce that the people who did this were the M family .

I'd have used a more conventional method to communicate with you, but as with our late student Shachi, I'm afraid they have ears in the walls and wires. I could trust that Mr. Feier wouldn't get trailed as he carried this message. 

I hope that all 3 of you work together and protect each other. You know how dangerous they are. 

Stay safe,

Aimee Emmerich. 

Ron read it out loud in Japanese for Toto to hear. “The… M family? What's that?”

They both looked up at him, tension injected into the air. “The M family is the world's and history's greatest crime family.”

Crime families exist in real life??

“-Yes,” Oh, there he goes again, accidentally saying his thoughts out loud. “It's said that every unsolved case in the world is somehow connected to them.” 

A shiver crawled down his spine. “Why are they specifically targeting you then?” 

“They've been long rivals with the Holmes family since Sherlock's time, they probably despise me for being a one.” 

It's surprising that there's still Holmes descendants when the whole M family seems to want to wipe them out. “What about your family? Your mom's a Holmes too, right?”

He nodded. “I haven't heard from her in a while, but I'm sure she's still alive. I'm not sure if she's still being targeted though, since she doesn't do detective work anymore.” 

Romi Holmes has always been an elusive person, either from trying to dodge Moriarty's assassination attempts, or just not wanting to be easy to track down in general. Ron himself hasn't seen her in years, but he's regularly gotten birthday wishes from her every year, it's the one way he knows she's alive.

One year she was late by an hour, and Ron was prepared to accept her death, only for an unknown phone number to message him. 

“Happy birthday Ronny.”

“Hope I didn't make you worry for being late.”

“Was busy being chased”

“Still being chased”

“Talk next year”

“Hopefully not at a funeral”

It's not odd at all that the Moriarty family is trying to hurt him, hunting him down like prey. But, “what I find weird is that they had a perfect opportunity to get rid of me after the bloody field trip, but they didn't, and just gave me a weird scar.” 

“Maybe they just missed their chance?” Spitz suggested, he can't be sure either, considering he wasn't at Blue during the time.

He considered it for a millisecond, then shook his head. “The M family is thorough. And they put this weird hypnosis ability in me. They want me alive.” 

Alive! Good! But it didn't lessen Totomaru's worry for him. They want to torture Ron or something? They want to torture him more than they want the Holmes lineage dead? 

“W-Well, at least we know who's trying to get you, we can just arrest them now!”

“I-I understand your enthusiasm, Mr Totomaru.” Spitz stopped him. “But the M family isn't that easy to deal with. Most of the Blue Alumni who tried to solve cases involving them would die of mysterious causes.”

“M-Murdered?!” 

They jolted when Ron stood up with such force the chair was pushed back into the wall. His body shivered, energy being released through his movements. 

The officer looked worriedly at him. “R-Ron, it's okay–”

“I was wondering when they'll start showing themselves again after the incident.” He grinned, full of joy just thinking about how he'll have his own convoluted and difficult mystery to solve. He thought he was robbed of it when his school solved the Bloody Field Trip case for him, but it really hasn't been fully solved just yet. “It's alright, Isshiki-san. I'll make sure they regret ever trying to sabotage my detective work.”

The moonlight shined through large, decorated windows, curtains pulled back to let in the natural light. 

“Milo.” A man walked into the room through the huge, extravagant door. He called out to his brother, who stood by a window looking out of it. His blonde, almost white hair reflecting the light easily, making it look as if it was glowing. “That serial slasher in Bridon, Chris, or whatever his name is…” He started, walking out of the shadows to show himself as his youngest brother. “He said he wants to go straight, care for his family. I thought about slicing him up, get someone else to take over, what do you think?”

The oldest brother’s voice slid through the air like silk. It was a stark contrast to the contents of his words. “Not a bad idea, but someone’ll start seeking revenge in a few years, get rid of his runt along with him.”

“Sounds good.” Before the younger man's able to walk out, someone else spoke, they stood beside Milo, so still that they could be mistaken for a statue. 

“Why didn't we kill him then? He was in the same situation, wasn't he ?” They said, turning to Milo. 

“You mean Ron Kamonohashi?” 

“Who else?” They bit back. Their relationship doesn't seem to be the best, but what do you expect from the Moriarty family? 

A soft smile was painted on his face, it isn't the first time they've had the conversation. “He's our cousin, a brother, essentially.” 

“Brother? So what? Not like you didn't kill Alice without–”

“I…” He firmly interrupted them. “… Wasn't finished. I'll kill him if he proves to be worthless, he has Moriarty blood, I ought to test him.” 

Anger surged through their body, beginning to raise their voice at Milo. “But he has Holmes’ blood too! That wretched vermin line has done nothing but interfere with us. I'll never be his brother!”

There was a pause, then a slow movement from where he stood to move up to them. Hands were placed on the sides of their face, lifting it up to force eye contact. “Winter, are you still upset that I disposed of Alice?” He said, calm, like he hadn't done the most despicable thing to them and their sister, as he touched foreheads with them. 

A violent shove came from the shorter one, making him back off from the physical touch. 

He held back a small laugh. “There's a way to satisfy both you and I, Winter.” The grin was wider now, he was filled with joy just thinking of it. “Despair.”

For a moment, his eyes were covered by his long bangs, setting a shadow on them from the moonlight. “The Holmes family has been making legendary detectives that have hindered our plans since the 1800s, and Ron's been the most intrusive so far. But he could be amazingly useful if we get him to abandon that boring detective life of his and join us officially.” 

The room slowly became darker as the clouds obscured the moon from their estate. Even the universe wanted the scene to be as dramatic as possible. “I want him to stray, even if it means crippling him.” 

Winter could see in his eyes what he means. Make him think he's not worth as a detective, make him think he's better as a criminal instead. “I won't hold back, you know.”

“Good.” The blonde said. “I've already prepared transport. Give him a taste of what the Moriarty family can do.” 

Chapter Text

“Outrageous!!” 

The single word was roared through the conference room. The rest of the WDA was already used to his spoiled behaviour, they honestly kinda blamed themselves for not making Ron correct it before hiring him, but he has done countless things to help with the unsolved cases under their belt, so they can't complain now. 

What they weren't used to is how stubborn he was to get a position just to work with someone, whom they'd guess weren't even close to being as brilliant as Ron, but they've long given up on trying to understand what goes on in the detective's head. 

“Moore passed Blue's exams with flying colours but I'm the best ! Best the world's ever seen! I deserve this more than him!”

Kay hadn't even bothered to talk to Ron on this subject, knowing that there's no reason to, and that there's no winning an argument with him, even if you did have the superior opinion. 

That was until he saw that not even the WDA wasn't able to control this one employee they had. 

“Kamonohashi, will you give it up if I have you work under me? You work on collaborating with the metropolitan police while I do most of the other work.” 

And for the first time in over 20 minutes, the room was silent. 

Most of the WDA council were just stunned, stunned from how smart of an idea that had been, as a compromise that makes absolute sense. The only reason Ron would ever want to reject now is if he wants the glory that came with the position, but it really didn't have any glory to it, the detective's working in their countries barely ever care about their branch directors. 

Ron himself was also paralyzed, shocked he hadn't thought of it earlier. All he wants is to work with Isshiki-san, and if Kay keeps his promise, he'll have a reason to bother Totomaru any day he wants. “You promise?” His tone of a young boy who was skeptical of his parents promise of a fun day out to a theme park. 

The other candidate was stuck for a few seconds, thinking about how funny he sounded when he asked that last question. He held back a grin as he thought about how to respond to him. “I promise.”

And he folded. Just like that. “Okay.” He said, dropping all his resolve, all his anger, all his desperation. He left the room, looking entirely fine with what he was offered. 

“Can I just not pay him?” Kay said to the silent room, in which he was returned with a few snickers and laughs. “Doesn't seem like he cares.”

“No, Kay, the Union won't be happy if we do that.” One of them said after they'd done laughing.

Scramble crossing was as busy as ever, people crossing it on foot as they got to their place of work. Totomaru crossed it when the lights turned green, jogging so he wouldn't keep Amamiya waiting. 

She stood in front of Shibuya Mall Park, tapping her foot in impatience. Totomaru expected to get a scolding, but she didn't give it, maybe because she hadn't been waiting for as long as he thought. 

“Don’t get it twisted, Isshiki.” She sneered at him, walking fast and passing through many officers she'd assigned on the case with her. 

The other struggled to catch up, almost tripping on his own feet as he did. “You only asked for me because you're short handed, right?”

She nodded, “as long as you understand.” 

They got to the checkpoint where a few officers stood to prevent pedestrians from entering the crime scene. “Thanks for coming, Isshiki-san.” One of them said, before pointing towards a man in uniform. “This is the security officer who discovered the body.”

It looked like he was going to walk away at that point, but then remembered something else. “Oh, and that man wanted to speak to you.” 

Before he could even mutter a question to himself, he was tackled by said man. “Isshiki-san!!” He squealed, hugging him tight as if he hasn't seen him in decades, but it's only really been less than 2 weeks. 

Though he was caught off guard, he just smiled and returned the sentiment, putting his arms around him and letting him stay as long as he wanted. “Ron! How'd it go? Get the job?” 

Oh how much he wanted to cling onto Isshiki-san forever, but he has to let go at some point. “I didn't get it.” 

“W-What?!” Did that Kay guy sweep the floor with him or something?! 

“No no.” Again, he had said his thoughts out loud “Though he was smarter than I thought. He gave me a nice compromise if I let him take the job.” 

T… That's nice… Probably? Ron didn't make him sign some devil's contract or something… Right? 

“I took it easily because it let me continue to work in Japan, and Kay told me to work on cooperating with the metropolitan police, so here I am!” 

With how happy he sounded, you'd think he wasn't just harbouring hatred for Kay a few weeks ago just because he was fighting against him for his chance. 

Oh, Totomaru wonders how none of his teachers hasn't burst a blood vessel from how bothersome he can be. 

Him and Ron were too focused on each other to hear Amamiya scolding one of her officers. “Who told you to let this weirdo into the crime scene!?”

Oh well, he does have the necessary credentials, it's just that she found him harrowingly annoying. Probably even worse than Isshiki, she feels grateful that Isshiki at least is obedient. 

Who does she like better actually? I mean, Ron is mighty handsome, tall and masculine, if he wasn't so annoying, she'd definitely fallen in love with him. Isshiki both is and looks stupid, but at least he can follow simple orders. Jeez, how do two entirely opposite people even get along this well?

She walked off to the crime scene herself, not even bothering to drag Isshiki along. It was only a few seconds before Totomaru realized her absence and made way to follow her, and of course, Kamonohashi wasn't far behind. 

“Murder case, hm?”

“Yeah. How'd you know I'd be here?” 

“Oh, Isshiki-san.” He grinned, pulling up his phone and opening the map of where they currently were. “Did you already forget I can track your phone easily?” 

Hurk. Right. If literally anyone else had done that, he'd worried about his privacy, but with how clingy Ron is, he can't really complain, especially now when it's been months since he's admitted to tracking him through his phone. “It's still not legal to track a police officer, by the way.”

All he got was a smile in return, a smile so wide that his eyes were closed. “I believe it isn't legal to track anyone down without a warrant, Officer Isshiki.” 

Their conversation was cut short when both the corners of their eyes caught a glimpse of red. Turning to the source showed a corpse impaled right on the end of a unicorn statue on the roof they were standing on. 

Sure, Totomaru’s seen the scene in pictures the others have sent online, but the real thing is even more gruesome. He couldn't help but let out a squeak of horror from just seeing it, watching blood drip from the gold bronze-ish colour of the statue, following the crevices of the detailed muscle and anatomy until it reached it's hooves, and then flow onto the stone it stood upon, before painting the floor around it  a deep red color. 

“A sick and twisted way to kill someone, that's for sure.” Amamiya said, though she was a little shaken by the image, had to keep her composure. “Impaling someone like this, right in the middle of the city, like they wanted people to see it.” 

Usually, Ron wouldn't be too fazed by how the murder was executed, how it was done, but something about this felt too well done to be an unplanned murder or indiscriminate killing. 

Walking closer, they'd notice a panel hung on the statue itself, one that wasn't there normally. 

“In those days, men shall seek death, but will not be able to find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.”

What kind of freak murderer would put so much thought into this murder? They specifically cut out a sheet of metal, plated with gold, and engraved the words into it. 

Most baffling of all, at least to Totomaru, was that the line was written in English, rather than Japanese. 

Therefore, he wasn't able to really understand it, until Amamiya read it out loud for herself, and Ron translated it after for him. 

“Some kind of poem? A hint?” She started guessing.

Ron knew right away what it was. 

“The Revelation of St. John.” He whispered to himself, but just loud enough for the others around him to hear. 

Not that he was ever religious, his mother never pushed many religious beliefs onto him, and Ron himself always considered religion to only ever inhibit ones ability to find the truth. But that doesn't mean he didn't read through the various religious texts that Blue had stuffed in the library. 

They were a fun read for him, but he had inadvertently stored them somewhere in the back of his brain, and this pulled one of them right back out of its dusty corner. 

He has a few guesses, but nothing concrete. “This is nothing like you or I have ever seen, Officer Isshiki.” That was the only thing he was sure of. 

Ron stood by the corpse and stared silently at it, as if the man who died was a long friend of his. He watched as the others gently lifted the body and set it on the ground, he watched as they collected information on the corpse, watched as they completed their analysis.

It was honestly getting a little freaky, but Totomaru was quick to be distracted by some officers coming up to him and Amamiya to explain what they think the situation is. 

“Cause of death blood loss, we think the culprit looped that rope over the arch and lowered the victim onto the statue. What we aren't sure of is how the culprit escaped.”

“Why not?” 

“We're pretty sure no one could've entered the facility past midnight, the security officer started his rounds on the roof before working his way down. He took 30 minutes checking, reporting nothing out of the ordinary, and then switched on the red light anti-intrusion sensors, before returning home.”

Ron looked like he was focusing hard on the body, but he was also listening in on the recount of what had happened last night, it's an important part of the case after all. 

“A guard found the body this morning, but when we arrived, we'd found no suspicious exit or entries all night.” 

Amamiya held in a laugh from how simple the solution could've been. “All they had to do was to wait for the officer to patrol the roof, and then go up an alternate route once he was done.” She said, “kill the victim then, and then they'll have time to come back down to the ground before the sensors even get turned on.” 

She sure is good at her job, Totomaru thought to himself. They didn't let her take charge of the whole department for nothing, she's so capable it makes him feel bad about himself. 

The way she said it was convincing, so convincing that the officer had to pause and think for a moment about why they didn't think of that, and then remembered why. “I-If that were the case, it wouldn't line up with the time of death, estimated to be around 2 am!”

“W-What?!”

Isshiki was almost too shocked by the given information that he didn't hear what Ron had muttered to himself by the body. “It's so stiff.” He said. 

“Who let him in there!?” The general sternly questioned the officer next to her, to which he responded with a shrug and backed away in fear that Amamiya might yell at him more. 

“Really put those muscles to use even before dying.” He said again, just to himself like he was making mental notes. “Rigor Mortis set in while it looked like you were gripping something.” 

Totomaru wasn't sure if getting close would be helpful or hindering, opting to just stare at what Ron was doing from afar. 

Ron had laid down next to the body, careful to choose a spot with minimal blood spilt and dirt, and poking his hands around on the corpse like it was some science experiment. 

“Your palms are all chafed, aren't they…?” 

With the minimal deductive abilities Totomaru had, he decided that since Ron isn't just saying all this in his native language, English, it must mean that he wants him to listen in, right? 

The raven haired detective decided to give up, take a change of perspective. 

He rolled over onto his back, preparing to lift himself off the ground before noticing the large archway right above the statue. And it all clicks in place. 

“You will be avenged.” Was the last thing said to the body, said like a prayer of a mad man. He moved towards Totomaru, staring at him a while longer than he intended to, before turning towards his boss. 

“Ama… Ami… Ahh…”

“Amamiya.” She sternly, unimpressedly corrected him. 

“Right, right. Amamiya.”

“Ron, you aren't misogynistic are you? You've only ever forgotten Chicory-chan and Amamiya-senpai’s names.” Totomaru scolded him. 

He sputtered. “I'm not. I swear.” Trying his best to save his face. “I forget guys names too, like whoever Kawasemi’s old assistant is.”

“Yamane-san.”

“Right, see? I forgot him too. Plus, I remember Dr. Usaki easily.” His eyes grew wide as he looked down towards Totomaru for approval, like they were saying “you believe me, don't you, Isshiki-san? Your Ron wouldn't lie to you, you know that?” 

“Enough yapping, what do you want?” Amamiya was quick to put an end to Ron's puppydog begging. 

He looked back up at the arch, the body, his hands, and the rope, like rechecking his answers before submitting them in. “The culprit did hang the victim off the arch like initially thought.” He finally started on his explanation of how they could've done it. “They managed to delay his death by having him hold onto the other end of the rope.” 

“Hold… How does that work?”

Amamiya had already realized from that sentence alone, a gasp leaving her mouth, and letting Totomaru know he was the only one still behind. 

The inquisitive look he puts on when he's thinking is always so cute. 

“They hung him off the arch, and then while he was still in the air, being held by the rope, they let him hold onto the other end that was suspending him. Making him essentially hold onto his own body weight. 2 hours passed, and…”

“He… Lost strength.”

“And dropped himself onto the tip of the statue.” 

The fact that someone could even think of killing someone this way is terrifying in its own right, what a cruel way to murder someone. 

His thoughts were paused from the officer from before speaking up again. “We'd just identified the corpse, he's Ryouji Katsunami, age 32 and member of the hacking group that committed that cryptocurrency theft recently.”

More information, more things that could be extrapolated. “Maybe there was some kind of internal dispute?” Amamiya started guessing out loud. The officer wasn't done. 

“We heard that there was a mole on his chest that could help identify him, but when we took off his clothes to check, we found a strange burn scar on the nape of his neck.”

On what?! 

It could easily be nothing, easily just him branding himself for no good reason, or it could be somewhere else that isn't where his scar his, just described the same. He has to check. 

He was more urgent about it than he wanted to show, hands moving fast to look at the exact placement of where his scar was. 

There it was, exactly where he wished it wasn't. 

A zero, and what looks like 10 o’clock, displayed as 10:00. The first zero was written like how calculators would, in a 8 segment display… But no, it doesn't make sense, the vertical lines didn't have any gaps in them like how it would if it was really an 8 segment display… Why is this zero so peculiar? Is it a specific font he should know? 

The time next to it had zeros too, but they were actually normal looking, a rectangle with a diagonal line struck through it, no weird gaps on the corners like the first. 

“–On… Ron!” The ringing in his ear stopped, but since when did that happen? He finally heard that Totomaru was crouched next to him, staring at him concernedly. “Are you okay? You're sweating like crazy.” 

He doesn't know how much time he's spent thinking, spent connecting the dots in his head, but he spent more connecting another crucial dot that led him to a conclusion. 

“It's them.” 

His voice was so quiet that Totomaru almost didn't catch it. “What?”

“T-The passage. St. John's Revelation, chapter 9, verse 6.” 

His hands shook so minutely you'd miss it if you blinked, as he reached to his collar, pulling down the fabric to reveal his scar. A 9, and 6. 

“He has a wound on the same spot, there's no doubt it's them.” Whether Ron was shaking from fear or excitement, Totomaru didn't dare guess. “The M family.” 

After hearing him and Spitz go on about how dangerous and scary they are, even long after the Yadagami case, there's no reason for him to not shiver at the thought that they were in Japan this very moment. 

“You see it, don't you, Isshiki-san? This is a direct challenge to me.” 

He wished he didn't. 

Chapter Text

“A-A-Are you sure it's not just some crazy coincidence!? I mean, he probably had a lot of enemies, right? For stealing all that money?” He still didn't want to admit that the M family they were just speaking of a few weeks ago were now here to haunt them through horrible murders.

Ron was getting scarily silent as he processed more and more. “It's not.” He's never had to juggle solving cases and talking before Isshiki-san, but now he has to, just to explain to him how something could've happened. “They’re mocking me.” 

He grasped his palmed into fists so tightly they'd turn a tint of red. 

“The verse, the way it was executed, the way it ridicules me.” He said through gritted teeth, “I don't know the M family enough to be sure, but the fact that this feels just like the bloody field trip the way they're almost teasing me by showing off their intelligence. No average murderer would put this much effort into it.”

Totomaru at this point was getting concerned, watching his nails dig into his own palm, his hands getting painfully red. The officer didn't know if he should say anything to help calm him. 

“If it's a game they want, it's a game they'll get.”

Right now, Ron looked and sounded so angry it feels like he's a ticking time bomb that'll go off any second. 

And that's his cue to say something before he does actually explode in a fit of anger. “S-So they just want you to solve this code, right?” 

Hearing his sweet worried voice was incredibly effective at helping him. “Yeah.” He finally had mercy on the skin of his palms, indents made from his nails stayed for a while longer than normal. Ron at least had the self control to move himself away from the corpse before going on about how upset he was, and let Amamiya and the actual officers on the job to look at it. 

“Some kinda code? Maybe meant for someone in particular?” 

“Dunno, maybe some inside joke amongst the hackers?” 

Ron will not allow any wrong guesses under his watch. “They're announcing the next murder.” Not more! Officer Isshiki doesn't think he can handle more murders of the same gruesome method. 

“Next murder at 10:00… That's in 30 minutes!” She quickly looked to her other officers, seeing if they agree with his answer. “How are you so sure?”

“Trust me.”

She was not impressed. It didn't phase her at all that this was one of the top detectives in the world, she did not blindly believe words out from his mouth without reason, even if he had a 99.99% crime solve rate. 

And it seems Ron had sensed this too, subtly cowering behind Totomaru.

“I'm right, don't you think so too, Isshiki-san?” He said, hands on his shoulders, eyes shining underneath the light of the sun over them, trying to appeal to him. 

He was shocked at how Ron turned to him for help. “U-Uhm…” He had never been asked as a consult on a case before, so he wasn't really sure what to say.

He got stuck on his words even more when he noticed Amamiya staring disapprovingly at him too. “Your case was better before you took Officer Isshiki as your only vouch.” Another blow to his already crumbling ego, sure she's right, but couldn't she have been gentler about it?

“Look, either I'm wrong, and there won't be another murder anytime soon, or you're gonna have to investigate another crime scene in 30 minutes.” Surely if he listed out the logic, she'll stop being so scary. 

And of course, she is a very logical person, so she dropped her stern look at them. “What about the 0 then? Know what that means?”

Just this once, he needs to swallow his pride, for if he doesn't, he not only might humiliate himself, but also make her even more angry at him, and kick him out of any future crimes with her. “N-No.”

She wasn't surprised, only moving to gather the other officers to try and figure out what the extra symbol by the time was, to act on any idea they had, for any chance they could encounter the scene of the crime. 

And while they had the chance, the two also slipped away among the crowd, to get away from the wrath that was the general of the metropolitan police, and also to look for where the crime could take place. 

A quiet, unpopular cafe sat in a small alleyway, no one but locals and frequent goers would know of it. That's why the staff got so confused when a foreigner stepped into their establishment.

“Did someone introduce you to us, dear customer?” One of the waiters cautiously walked up to their table, careful to watch what words he was using. He was clearly one that had lost a game with the others, forced to serve this terrifying customer.

Their scorn was filled with so much acidic disgust, it could burn through steel. “Do I need to be introduced to be a patron here?” They said, their voice shaking the bones of the poor man. 

“N-No, dear customer.” He shivered. “What would you like to order?” He didn't even bother to compliment their Japanese, deciding that either this person was either part of a mafia group, or something worse. It would be wise to not keep them waiting. 

They picked a nice spot where they could view out in the busy street, though the visibility isn't very good, their peripheral vision would suffice in reducing suspicion that they were stalking someone. 

Of course, they had predicted accurately that Ron Kamonohashi and his little Japanese officer would be walking right across here, they're honestly surprised to see Kamonohashi cling to such an idiot, considering his intellect and the stories they've heard of him. Extrapolating from reading their lips, they could tell the 2 were discussing their hint on the first victim. 

“Um… Maybe it means a 0 in the name of a city? A street?” The brunette said to the other. 

“Possibly.” He responded. “But I doubt it'll be further than 30 minutes from where we found the victim.”

“Why so?”

“I'm not entirely sure of the murder methods the M family uses so far, but…” unfortunately, that was as far as the Moriarty was able to read from them, they walked past their field of vision, and would require them to follow them to continue seeing what they would talk about. They decided not to do so, they'll see the two up close soon enough. “If they wanted to challenge me, they wouldn't make it so the murder was impossible for me to prevent. If they wanted me to truly experience agony, like in the poem, they'd make it so I had the chance, and then have me fail.” 

The shorter man nodded. “Makes sense, makes sense.” He would continue thinking how to possibly connect the odd patterned Zero with the murder, but he was quickly distracted by his phone vibrating in his pocket. “Ah! These are the 2 other hackers.” He said, moving his phone up to show Ron. Ron honestly wouldn't have cared otherwise, but if Isshiki-san cares, then he will too. “When the police searched their apartments yesterday morning, they were all empty.”

“M family got to them and made them escape the police so they could kill them.”  

How long have they already been here?!? What if they're already stalking them? Hairs stuck out from the back of his neck while he continued to catch Ron up on what the rest of the police were doing. “Others are being stationed at businesses with the number 0 in their name. I thought of it too…”

A new piece of small trivia that Ron learns from dear Isshiki-san! When he's looking at his phone while talking in a busy place, he grabs onto a companion's piece of clothing so he doesn't crash into objects and people. Ron had convinced him that instead of grabbing onto his vest, he would grab onto Ron's wrist as a guide. 

It makes him so happy sometimes when he feels a hand wrapped around his wrist, and then when he turns to see him, Totomaru is on his phone, looking through the news or work. 

“I do agree the 0 refers to a place.” He said, slightly leaning into the officer to let the detective hear his thoughts better. “But I doubt it'd be that easy, there must be some catch to it.” 

“T-Then maybe it isn't a zero? A shape? 2 triangles on top of each other?” He thought, but then shook his head, his fingers combing through and tugging on his hairs. “But what would that mean then?? Dang it…” 

If Totomaru knew how funny he looked, he'd definitely stop right away. “Don't think so hard, Isshiki-san, looks like you're gonna pop a vessel.” Ron said, trying to get him to relax, but he knows with how much he values life, he won't back down so easily. 

“Looks like you're having a lotta trouble on this case, Officer Isshiki.” A voice was heard from behind them, and turning around revealed Chicory, the journalist they'd seen a while back. “Sorry to disturb, I'm here to gather materials for a story, but seeing that look on your face means that you're probably trying to work on the Shibuya Mall case, right?” 

“C-Chicory-chan!” The officer said, finally having mercy on his already graying hairs. He elbowed the side of Ron, asking him to greet her properly too. “Yeah, we are.” He said politely after gathering himself. 

“Somehow I'm not surprised Kamonohashi-san is still by your side.” She said, meaning it as a joke. If only she knew how clingy he was about the officer that day. 

He laughed with her, trying to help Ron hide his embarrassment of remembering what had happened. “Oh by the way, we got a clue from the culprit, do you know any place that has a 0 in it?” He asked, even showing her a photo of the marking on the victims neck. “Maybe somewhere no one would usually think about?”

“I doubt she'll think of anything…” Ron mumbled under his breath, probably not meant to let Totomaru hear it, but he did anyways, causing him to receive a scolding. The officer is rubbing off on him. 

She thought for a moment, fortunately too busy to hear what Ron said about her. “I recently came across one I think! Station O maybe?”

Her words left the officer wide eyed. “You're right! That could be the place! It's not too far, and it's not something you'd think of easily.” Before Ron could process the possibility of why it couldn't be there, Totomaru was already off. He was torn between wanting to search more for a better option, and to follow him. “It's ok Ron, keep searching, we won't know if this is the right one until it happens.” 

Oh how Ron's heart was torn. “I already have Spitz searching in air, can't I come with?”

“No– What?!” Nevermind he was somehow in the air helping Ron, “he's still in Japan?” 

“It's summer break for the kids, he's off from his job anyways.”

Last time he checked, it was not summer in the UK at this moment. 

But… Chicory already called in a taxi to bring them there, and he'd hate have to her and the driver waiting. 

“F-Fine. We gotta be quick.”

And into the car they went, it'd be better if Amamiya had left them a police car to use, but unfortunately all of them had been taken by the others by the time he was able to even consider the idea. 

“I'm still suspicious about the absent corners in the symbol.” Ron gently whispered to the other. 

“Maybe they just accidentally covered the part with something when they were making it?” 

He doubts it, it looked too intentional to be an accident. He kept thinking, kept throwing the symbol around in his head, is it a sign? Is it a pattern made by someone? Shape of a shadow? Something… something… it has to be something. 

For a moment, what Isshiki-san had said to him echoed in his head again. Cover? Cover what? How would it be covered?

And another moment grant him clarity. 

But before he's able to say it out loud, he was jumped by a phone call. “Hello? Ron?” The man on the otherside said, wind whooshing through the microphone as he spoke. 

“Scramble crossing?” He said with a clear excitement in his tone, eager to check his answers.

“Yeah how'd- y'know what, I'm not gonna ask, that's a stupid question.” Before Ron's able to say anything else, he was hung up on, he assumed Spitz was already on one of the roofs around the area keeping watch. 

“Stop the car!” He yelled out, shocking all 3 of the other people around him. “Bring us to scramble crossing.” 

“Ron?!” 

“The corners not being covered is like scramble crossing’s corners being covered by pavement and not having any paint on them. Think about the shape it makes.” 

His eyes grew wide as he realized. “Will we make it there?!” 

“Let's pray we do.”

Thankfully they had actually reached the place before 10 hit, but it was a close call, only 5 minutes left on the clock. Totomaru asked for the driver to get himself far away from the area so they wouldn't be caught in the potential cross fire. 

“Are you sure you want to be here, Chicory-chan?” The officer asked, “we're not sure how dangerous it'll be but it's best if you get away from here.” 

The way her eyes shines with determination told him the answer before she could respond. “It's alright Officer Isshiki, I want to get the best closeup of you two working for my paper!” She'd already pulled up her phone's camera, prepared to take any pictures. “But I will get out of the way so I don't intrude on your work.” 

Well, he trusts she knows what she's doing, she does investigate crime for a living. “If it gets bad, please get yourself to safety.” He said as a final warning to her.

It is a little strange to say that to her though, when he himself has Ron's hand over his body, protecting him from potential danger as if he was some civilian. 

His eyes glared across the whole intersection, trying to see what could potentially be a method of murder. A loose signpost? Tripping into an open manhole cover? It just looks so normal. 

And the large digital clock on the building struck 10, so many sounds entered him at once, the lights changing to let pedestrians cross, the sounds of so many footsteps on the road, gas valves opening underground- what was that last one?

Before anyone's able to react, the area was covered in a white mist, causing murmurs and cries out from the unwilling crowd. 

“Is this just water? Ron what–” His voice was cut out from his mind as he heard a loud whoosh noise, the sound of an object cutting through air, and then–

Shck– 

The sound of a man's voice hitching, and then the sound of a body falling. No way did they…

It only took a minute or two for the mist to be blown away, and then for a woman close by to the source of the sounds to scream out. “H-He’s dead!!” 

Such a dramatic scene, watching mist dissipate to see a dead body on the floor, even more dramatically with an arrow out his chest. 

He quickly looked up around to see if Spitz had eyes on the one who shot it, but Totomaru's voice made him focus on the main event at hand. 

“This is one of the hackers.”

Ron let it go, if someone did shoot it from up in the sky, he trusts that Spitz would capture them swiftly, or at least get a tracker on them. 

“It pierced straight through his heart.” Ron started going through all the basic procedures for analysing a corpse, beginning the autopsy, or at least a physical overview, before he's even in the morgue. 

“H-How’d someone even make such an accurate shot in all that smoke?” Totomaru’s heart beat out his chest, the blood rushing through his veins as he worried about the fact that there could be some insane shot of an archer around that would kill any one of them, or any of these other citizens, with just another arrow. 

“I… I don't know.” Ron didn't even have time to look at the makeup of the arrow when they saw someone sprinting off into the opposite direction. “Isshiki-san! Get him!” 

He wasn't sure who it could be, but he had no time to guess or hesitate. Plus, if Ron wants him captured, the chances of him being someone of note to them is pretty damn high. 

Ron sat all alone as he heard incoming police cars approaching him. He figured it out in the end but it still happened. How was he supposed to know there was going to be vision obscuration?! 

He stared again at the arrow, it didn't look heavy, but it was a straight model, made of wood. It's hard to tell for certain, but he could guess it was for a 400 pound draw bow. 

Then he noticed it. Small etchings on the wood shaft of the arrow. 

He quickly leaned in to see what it said. 

But of course it doesn't say anything too straight forward. The same formula as before, a symbol, and a time. This time a triangle, along with 11 o’clock. It was definitely a second clue. And it also meant the game wasn't over just yet. Looks like they aren't satisfied with winning just one round.

Chapter Text

He wasn't sure if he was more mad that the M family took the man's life without a second thought, or the fact that they never bothered to even show up.

The detective did not move from the middle of the crosswalk, protecting the corpse from interference and watching the area to make sure he hadn't missed any more clues. 

Unfortunately, he didn't. The police arrived, and started their investigation. 

Meanwhile, Totomaru was out of breath, panting his lungs out. “How is this guy so athletic?!” He knows he isn't the best with stamina, but he's been good at running! He runs around so often! This guy is supposed to be a hacker! Totomaru would've thought that he sat at his computer all day rotting in his chair! But apparently not. 

Whoever this guy is sure knows how to lose someone tailing him too, because turning a few corners had Officer Isshiki entirely lost amongst the alleyways. 

“Damn it, lost ‘em…” He cursed under his breath. And then another curse, but a bit louder, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“Mr Totomaru!” Turning around revealed the lecturer from Blue, Spitz Feier. “Nice seeing you again, he went this way, by the way.” He said, casually pointing to a small building entrance. 

It was like a garage, steel doors that open upwards, with a few counters to the side. What was the main attraction though, was a huge net, big enough to catch the hacker he was chasing. 

“Did you track my phone down to get here?” He said, already used to how Ron manages to follow him so effortlessly, and shamelessly. 

He tried to laugh it off with a small chuckle. “Heehee… K-Kinda, but I was already at Scramble Crossing before you guys.” The hacker struggled to get himself out of the net, but Spitz barely seemed worried. “I didn't see anyone up on the rooftops, and I was on the highest building there.” Does he specialize in tracking people from high places or something?

“Haa…” The brunet sighed. “So it must've been someone near to the ground?” 

“Probably.” The hacker shook himself until he fell to his side, making him let out a yell as he continued to struggle. “Quiet, will you? We're not gonna hurt you.” 

“W-Wait!! Please!” He cried out, voice so desperate. “Please save me! I'll give everything back! Take my cold wallet!” His hands shook as he reached into his pockets for a small card, jittering as he dropped it to the floor multiple times and offering it to them while knelt down. 

The two looked at each other, wondering how to deal with him. 

“So when you 3 were found out, you loaded all that crypto into this thing,” Ron carelessly waved the card around, putting it between his hands and threatened to snap it into two. “And made a run for it?” Ron had given a gist of what clues he'd found to both the Officer and Spitz, before beginning his interrogation on the hacker before him.

Ron expected the man to shudder, to shriek as he bent the cold wallet near to its limit. Yet there was no reaction. He seemed more stressed about telling them what they're asking for, and it does make sense, but… “I-It was all under his direction!” He cried. “He said he'll help us escape, but now he's just killing us ! I-I'm honestly glad the police are here, you guys can protect me right?!” 

Before Totomaru's able to comfort the terrified man, Ron interrupted him. “Who's this ‘he’ first?” 

“Ron.” The officer whispered, urging him to have just a bit more compassion to the man scared for his life. 

“Sorry, Isshiki-san.” A sincere apology, “we'll protect you, or whatever. Just tell us.” A less sincere promise. 

Of course, it earned a hard elbow in his side from his dear Officer Isshiki, causing him to reel and yell out for half a second, but he acted like nothing happened at all. It honestly made Totomaru smile a bit, that Ron didn't have a single qualm about being shoved by him. 

“He calls himself Marry Ito, but I'm not sure if that's his real name.” 

It earned a laugh out of Ron. “Stupid ass anagram of Moriarty.” 

The three others were shocked that Ron dared to say something like that about the M family. Well, it seemed the hacker was more appalled, but Ron decided to ignore that for now. 

“Marry’s a girl's name, why do you assume he's a man?”

“Well, his voice sounds like a guy, we know he's using a voice changer for anonymity, but he's never corrected us when we said so, so…”

Ron nodded along, he's glad at least he's being straightforward. “How did you come to know him?” 

“I was trying to put together a group, and he randomly contacted me. He introduced me to the others.” He looked more and more worried about everything. Like this Marry Ito guy was gonna jump out at any moment and kill him. But then again, if he thought like this, it wouldn't be too far off. 

He jolted hard when he felt a vibration and noise come out from his pocket. “It's him! He's calling me!” He cried. 

“Put it on speaker.” 

Totomaru himself, though mostly quiet during their exchange, was a little put off by how extreme their emotions and actions were. Sure his life is threatened, but something just felt off.

Even more so when they manage to perfectly calm themselves for a “Hello?” Into the phone to respond. 

“You saw what happened to Hibino, didn't you?” His voice seemed rough, commanding. Their Japanese too, was flawless. 

Ron himself personally couldn't tell easily, he isn't a native, and as smart as he is, he hasn't gotten to the point of fluency where he can tell small hints of an accent going wrong. 

But Totomaru could, easily, in fact. Well, that's 1 more point to why this Marry Ito person is definitely a Moriarty, and not some random person that also happens to be really good at making spectacles of murders. 

“If you still value your life, put all the money into a cold wallet and bring it to me at Delta Hotel at 11.” They didn't even leave any room for any response on the other end. “Tell the police, then our deal’s off, and you might as well start digging your own grave.”

“The triangle's actually the symbol for Delta, hm?” 

Totomaru nodded, leaving Ron to think, but he actually had no idea what he was talking about. He leaned over to Spitz to ask, before being informed of the Greek letters. “Is that why the hotel's shaped like a triangle?

“Yeah.”

“That makes so much more sense now.”

After negotiating a little more, Ron slapped his thighs before lifting himself off the floor, where he was to get to eye level with the hacker. “Alright, he's going to the hotel.” 

The brunet did a double take at his words, “wouldn't the station be safer?” 

“Something tells me that if we save him from being murdered at 11, the M family is stubborn enough to continue hunting him down until they get what they want.” He saw the concern on his face and couldn't help but try to ease it more. “We caught the victim this time before anything happened, so we could intercept the murder before it happens easier.”

He really doesn't like the idea of using someone's life as bait, but it really is the only idea they have to catch the culprit. 

“Isshiki! Where are you? You did catch one of the hackers, right?” Her voice as recognizable as ever, and louder than usual, out of anger or that's just how she is when she's worried, the officer isn't sure himself. 

“Yes, but…” 

Once he explained Ron's plan, her voice suddenly went quiet, but laced with a hint of urgency. “What do you mean you want to use him as bait?! Are you insane?!” She whispered. “There's no way the top brass will approve of a plan like that! Just wait and the others will–” A beep interrupted her, one that signified the end of a call. She yelled out, “he’s making this call on his own?!” 

He let out a sigh of relief. “She doesn't seem too mad, and that should relieve any blame on her if this plan goes south.” He said, praying to god that Amamiya won't be so mad that she threatens to fire him again. “But I'm still not sure about this, Ron.” 

Of course Isshiki-san is so worried. He's someone who cherishes every life, even a criminal’s, even a pest’s. He's so benevolent, it takes Ron half his energy to resist worshipping every part of him. “You've got one of the top detectives in the world, along with the best tracker in the world, protecting him, I'm sure he'll be fine.”

The two brought their bait into the hotel, Spitz insisting he stay outside to scan for anyone suspicious.

Ron might as well have growled at him the way he warned him to stay close and not stray far from their protection. Only stopping when Totomaru told him to be less… Ferocious. 

His reflexes also almost led to a disaster when he saw someone purposely bump into the officer. Ron was nearly going to grab them by their collar, until he noticed it was Amamiya, discreetly garnering his attention. 

“He's our guy?” 

It took him another second to register. “Amamiya-senpai?!?!”

“Shut your mouth before a fly gets in it. We have forensics figuring out the weird alloy used in the tip of the arrow, and we lost sight of the third hacker.” She was recounting the story that she had given to her higher ups and subordinates, to let their plan run smoother. It took Totomaru an embarrassing amount of time to realize what she was doing. “The triangle marking on the arrow lead us here, and we just so happen to learn about the trade with the murderer, so we might be able to arrest them here.”

S-So, she's really helping us?! “Thank you, senpai!!” Ron was also glad that she isn't hindering them on purpose, he's starting to like that she's very reasonable once you get to know her. 

“But,” she added, “if the police see the hacker, we'll have no choice but to protect him and move him to the station.”

“Okay, so we need to hide him until then…” He feels relieved, but it's so weird that she's helping them…

“I'm not letting this guy get away, he's already killed 2 people, and this is our best chance.” 

Oops, he accidentally said his thoughts out loud again. She says that, but there's also a part of her that trusts him on this. He can't let her down. 

On the other side of the world, sat a man with hair so pale you could mistake it as being white. He was there, enjoying himself a large cut of meat, thinking up a way to kill that competitor in America trying to take his business. 

Though it was cut short when he felt his phone vibrating on the large wooden table. “Yes?” 

“I've already disposed of 2 of them, Ron has yet to suspect a single thing.” The voice from the other side said. 

He gave an affirmative response, “enjoying Japan?” 

“No time for your chitchat,” not even a farewell, and the line was dropped. 

Milo set down the phone, and just continued eating his dinner alone in the extravagant dining hall. 

Oh, does his dear sibling know to not underestimate their cousin?

Winter is pretty competent though. Wonder who will win? Maybe he'll have someone bet their lives on it. 

5… 10… 20… 30… He'll be sure to remember and not underestimate Amamiya’s power next time they work together. How did she get so many plainclothes policement into the hotel so quickly, and seamlessly? 

It seems fine so far, the hackers being watched over by Officer Isshiki, and if there's anything he's good at, it's keeping someone safe, so he doesn't have much to worry on that front. 

They hid in the bathroom, Totomaru at the door preventing any other officers searching it thoroughly. 

Spitz watching the front door, the way the hotel's laid out, and Amamiya's men all keeping watch within the hotel itself, it'd be impossible to try and snipe someone, either with a gun or a bow. And if they try to get close, there's so many guards that they'd have to be really inconspicuous to pull it off. 

Yet, why does he feel like he's missing a crucial detail? 

A few minutes passed, and a familiar ringtone echoed through the bathroom. “H-He's calling again!” 

The officer was quick to urge him to answer, and again, they were met by a voice that didn't seem interested in conversing nor negotiating. “You told the police. Our deal is off.” 

“N-No!” 

“How did he know?!” 

He frantically set down his phone, looking to the officer, then to the door. “He could still be here, I could catch up!” He rationalized. 

Totomaru's reflexes were fast as ever, quickly tackling the man down and attempting to keep him still, but he was much stronger than he realized, and quickly wriggled him off and ran out. 

The way it all happened looked almost preplanned, the hacker running slower than he did at Scramble Crossing, across the lavish lobby of the hotel. 

“What is he–!” Out the corner of his eye, he finally put the pieces together on why the hotel lighting felt off. Ron yelled out to the officer that was right on the man's tail, “the chandelier!!” 

He flinched away from the sudden explosion that he couldn't have ever predicted, causing the large chandelier to drop and slam into the floor, the glass crashing and causing a loud aftermath. 

“Isshiki-san!” Dust was picked up from the impact, obscuring his vision to the people that could've been trapped under the floor. He stood over the cloud of dust, begging for the poor officer to be safe. 

A few seconds let the dust settle, revealing the 2 perfectly safe and sound, if not a few abrasions from hitting the floor too fast. 

Ron quickly got down to check the other's body, looking at his limbs, at his palms. Even grabbing his face to check for any glass shards that might've flown into him. A small cut on his forehead bled lightly, it wasn't anything to worry about, Totomaru himself didn't even feel the pain from it, but his heart still ached over the fact that he got hurt even though he wasn't supposed to. 

He pulled out a cloth from his coat, dabbing it on his face. “Ron, I'm fine.” The raven didn't say a word in response, his expression clearly stiffened to try and not show how worried he was. “It’s ok, I'm ok.” 

His ears rang so loud he could barely hear anything else in the surroundings, he barely noticed when the police superintendent herself came over to make sure he was fine. He put the officer in his arms, hugging him tightly and reminding himself every second that he's alive and well, that he didn't hurt him. 

He didn't even care that he felt glass threatening to pierce his pants and cut his knees, just needing to feel the warmth emanating from the others body, the blood pumping through his veins and arteries. He's fine, he's safe. He's not dead. He's not even injured much. It's truly a miracle, Isshiki-san must be some kind of deity to be able to survive that. 

“–Is that? Ron, you know what song this is?” It finally stopped when he felt the officer tap his back, trying to get him to pay attention. “Ron?” He finally let go, but only far enough so they could make eye contact, Ron's hands were still clinging tight onto Totomaru's suit.

“It's just… Haydn's Miracle Symphony–” 

God no. 

Oh god no. 

It isn't over. It was premeditated. 

They knew we would save him. 

They knew he'd be safe. 

Just how much did he underestimate the M family’s ability?

“Well, at least we saved him, right?” He moved to lift himself off the ground, but one of his legs failed him, and caused him to tip over. Thankfully, Ron was there to catch him. 

At this point, there's no doubt in Ron's mind that angels exist, because there's one in front of him right now. “Oops, sorry Ron.” He said, smiling as he grasped onto Ron's vest to lift himself up. 

There was so many things happening in Ron's mind at that moment. About the M family giving him clues, the M family almost killing Officer Isshiki, Officer Isshiki looking so cute he might explode. He silently helped the other get onto his feet before walking off without another word. 

“Ron?” Of course, he quickly moved to follow him. 

He stared at a wall, thinking, thinking, thinking. Gah! He can't think when those cute eyes are staring at him so intently. “Ron…?” He asked. 

He finally snapped out of his thinking trance, and finally decided to explain to Totomaru what he had figured out. “The music they played after what happened just now…” 

“So the song that played just now was actually telling us that we'd just did exactly as they planned?!” Amamiya absolutely shocked, honestly a little impressed. She's never had to deal with a murderer with this much forethought. 

“Yeah, it was a song they played when a chandelier fell, but no one died, so it was nicknamed ‘The Miracle Symphony’” the brunet was explaining to her to leave Ron more room to think. 

“So they knew the hacker would be safe… But why didn't they kill them?”

He shook his head. He couldn't even have taken a shot in the dark, so unsure that the dart might as well be stuck to his fingers rather than let him attempt to throw it at a dartboard. 

“Well, update on the alloy on the arrow tip, they found a large amount of iridium on it.” She said, looking through her phone to reread what they had sent her. “It's a precious metal, one of the rarest, and it's not any more lethal in a solid state, so we aren't sure why it was used.”

Iridium…?

“Also, we aren't sure how they could've managed to shoot someone so accurately in all that mist, the heavy arrow tip would also make it hard to predict the trajectory.”

The brunet sighed, “the more we learn the more confusing this gets.” 

She returned him a nod. “Anyways, I'm bringing the hacker back to HQ and put him under guard, he'll be safe there.” They watched as he was escorted swiftly into the police car in handcuffs, and made sure he didn't have room to sprint away like last time. “I'll keep the Scramble Crossing investigation going, you stay here to look for more clues.”

“Yes, Ma'am!” Well, he's glad that despite failing to capture the culprit with bait, she isn't mad at him at all. Well, maybe she doesn't have the time to be mad at him, that's all. Spitz also reported that he'll be off to look at Scramble Crossing again, and left the two to their own devices. 

Speaking of… Where's Ron? Hm… Maybe he went for some clues? Oh! Maybe the audio control room has some? Since that's where the culprit would have to be to setup the right music at the right time?

He brought himself over, seeing the familiar slicked back hair and a vest suit before him. “Ron? What is that?” He said, pointing at the gold plate the other was staring at. 

He turned around, surprised to see Totomaru somehow found him when he was planning on bringing it to show it to him in a bit. He gestured the officer to come closer to see for himself. 

“A-another code?!” This time, the letter H in a circle, along with the time of 12 o'clock. “We gotta show this to HQ, let me–” 

He was interrupted by Ron speaking. “Iridium's group 9, period 6 in the periodic table.” 

What? What does that have to do with–

“Revelation chapter 9, verse 6. The Miracle Symphony's other name, Haydn's 96ths symphony.” 

He was silent. All of those seemingly random clues… 

“You see it, don't you, Isshiki-san?” He said, hand reaching to his collar to pull it back, revealing the scar Totomaru was so familiar with. “They’re targeting me specifically.”

“But that doesn't mean you can't tell the police.” 

“I've told 1, have I not?” 

He let out an exasperated sigh. “You and your technicalities.”

“I want to meet whoever this person is.” A confident and determined expression on his face. “I’ll show ‘em what I'm made of, just like what they wanted.” 

“You're not planning on going alone, are you?” 

“No… Can you come with me?” 

Of course, how could he forget how clingy this detective actually was?

They took another taxi, and while waiting to get to their destination, the detective spoke again. “What do you think the symbol stands for, Isshiki-san?”

He thought for a moment. “Looks like a top down view of a helipad.” 

The other smiled at him, resisting the urge to put his head onto his shoulder. “That's what I think too.” Though it was kind of lackluster, the final hint felt much easier than the first 2. 

Ron brought them to Shibuya City View Tower. A large skyscraper that offered a wonderful view. 

Walking into the building, when they asked to get to the rooftop, they were met with the guards informing that it was closed. Though, they were granted access once they mentioned that they were the police, and that it was an emergency. 

They were made to download a ticket for the gate to scan to be let through, as is how visitors usually get through to the rooftop. 

“So they picked inspection day on purpose so no one could meddle or seem them.” Well, it's good for them at least, then no civilians will be affected if they plan on doing anything. 

They both scanned through the gate with their phones, then got on the elevator.

Reaching the 50th floor, the door opened to 2 guards laid on the cold concrete floor. 

The officer was quick to rush over to check for a pulse, and thankfully they both just seemed to be unconscious, but their pulse does seem a little too low… How long have they been out for?

The other, however, cautiously looked around the place, checking for any traps, or mechanisms that could put them at a disadvantage. Unless Moriarty planned on attacking them from a helicopter, he's confident that there won't be any unfair advantages on such a flat playing field. Well, that is unless they just plain shoot them dead, but he doubts the Moriarty are that mindless about it. 

He quickly turned when he heard the elevator ding again, this time with… The hacker?!

“What are you doing here?!” Totomaru got up from the floor, “it's not safe here!” 

The man timidly moved over to them. “Thank goodness you're here, the police car was hijacked, and the guy brought me here!” He said, hands and feet trembling as he reached into his jacket for an object. “He also told me that I'd meet you here, and to give you this…

He pulled out a phone, one that had no function other than showing the time, and it was currently 11:49?! 

But they had no time to dwell on that, because the phone started ringing, with Marry Ito’s name on the top. 

Answering it gave the familiar voice they've heard before. “I have no need to negotiate with you, Ron Kamonohashi.” The voice announced. “Like I said before, you'll be tasting despair at noon.” 

And the cryptic message was over, leaving the 3 in silence. “W-What does that mean?”

“Not sure, but! I think I solved exactly what happened at Scramble Crossing.”

What?! The murder that is barely related to whatever's going on right now? 

“But first…” he went through his pockets, looking for something… “damn it, where is it when I need it?!” While ruffling through them, a packet of his beloved brown sugar syrup fell out and slid across towards the hacker. 

He bent down, hand reaching to pick it up, but by the time he looked back up to hand it to Ron, it was too late. 

Fingers clipped underneath his jaw and yanked hard at the mask they wore, revealing their true appearance. 

To say Officer Isshiki was shocked would be an understatement. To think that someone could disguise themselves so well that he hadn't suspected a thing, was a horrifying thought. 

They quickly stepped back, covering their face with their arm. “Don't hide it now, you think I'll forget you that easily?” 

The scorn they wore, though a little intimidating to Totomaru, didn't affect Ron whatsoever. He's met worse from his own teachers. “When did you realize, Ron Kamonohashi?” They said as they took off their wig, revealing long, olive green hair, with black tips on the end.

He laughed, “guess the M family knows when to give up their pride.” It felt wonderful seeing such a scary figure turn to this before his eyes. “When the phone calls seemed all one sided, and the hacker seemed to follow every step of your plan to a tee.” 

“A-Also…” He felt awkward about butting into their conversation, but he felt confident enough about himself he felt comfortable to say something. “The hacker doesn't seem to be all that fit in photos, and yet he'd somehow managed to run a mile like it was nothing, and shake me off even though I'm not that weak of a person.”

Ohh it's so adorable seeing the officer speak up despite how nervous he looked. And he wasn't wrong, it's not every day you see someone who's job is to work on a computer overpower a police officer. 

“And, the only way someone could've ‘shot’ a perfect killing blow in all that mist is by close range stabbing, you had the mist obscure your melee attack, and had something make an arrow's ‘whoosh’ sound to make everyone think it was shot from afar.”

A hmph was let out from their chest, their hair falling wildly across their face as they scanned them. “Rather cheerful for someone who failed to stop 2 murders.”

Anger was getting the best of him, he hates when people bring up his failures. “Can it! Where's the real hacker?!” 

They looked so calm, entirely fine with whatever's happening at the moment. “Didn't I tell you? That you'll taste despair at noon?” 

Before Ron's able to try and punch them, he stopped, feeling Totomaru's hand on him. “Ron–”

The phone they were given had the time at 11:59 already, there's no way, it's not poss– 

Boom!

A building opposite to them lit up, blowing the side to smithereens as the explosion forced its way out of it. Screams of civilians could be heard throughout the city, and Totomaru ran up to the side to see better, to see just how bad the carnage was. 

“You can't save anyone, Ron Kamonohashi.” They said, probably enjoying the thrill of being able to watch the two lose hope in their eyes as the building crumbled and dropped glass and concrete to the floor.

Chapter Text

The other smiled at their feeble attempts at contact. “Phone I handed you wouldn't work either, you're both completely cut off from the outside.” 

Just a moment of guessing let him figure out how they could've done it. “The gate… There must've been some strong magnet inside that bricked out phones!” 

They rolled their eyes at him, such a simple deduction, done a little too late. “No matter what you do, you can't contact her. I put her with the hacker.” 

“You what?!”

“She continued struggling even after strapping bombs around her too.” They said, walking off to look at the view, now police cars and ambulances were surrounding the explosion site. “Shame, really. She was a fine woman.”

It was like his body moved on its own, moving to try and shut them up with his fists. Unfortunately for the Officer, his skills in martial arts were instantly outdone by the other, blocking his hit and kicking him so hard he flew a considerable distance. 

“Isshiki-san!” Ron was quick to scramble over to him, but he didn't have time to worry. Totomaru was filled with so much rage that he didn't even feel the pain his organs cried about. 

He tried getting back up, but his muscles failed him. “You bastard! This murder was impossible to prevent! You sent us here when they were actually in the building across the street?!” 

They remained silent, but Ron had so many things rushing through his brain at that moment. He's right, the last murder was actually made possible to prevent, and the plate led them to the place where the murdered actually happened. It wouldn't make sense for them to make them meet up somewhere other than the place where the murder would happen. 

He made sure to hide his other arm by crouching over the officer, acting like he was just tending to him. He reached into his vest, slowly to not give any sudden movement. 

Totomaru was a little too out of it to register the closeness between them, the warmth of the raven’s body against him just felt nice. He stared at his hand, silently, both in his head and mouth, hoping to not accidentally give away to the dangerous individual what Ron was doing. 

The detective quietly pulled out… His second phone! God, how could Totomaru have forgotten about that. “Ron, we could…” 

His energy was entirely taken out of him to finish his sentence, but thankfully he was talking to a world class detective. “Shhh… I know we could call them, but we don't know where they are yet. It's not 12 yet, they're alive.” He whispered, hands now all over Totomaru to give the impression he was and is currently looking over his injuries. 

He finally got up, turning around to face them. “Is the Moriartys just a bunch of indiscriminate, unintelligent killers? Or will you prove me otherwise by telling me I'm right that they aren't dead yet?”

“I don't have to prove anything to the descendant of that vermin, Holmes. I'd kill you now if I had the chance.” 

He didn't back down. “They're here, aren't they?! In this building!” He prays to heaven and earth he's right, because if he's wrong, he doesn't think he'll have enough time for a second deduction. “This is the only place where a 96 could appear! On me!” 

A tense, and heavy silence filled the air around them. His head filled with all the possible responses that they could provide. “Hmph.” They said. “First floor storage room.” That sentence relieved so much tension in his body he might pass out right away, but he can't, not yet. “But you only have 2 minutes on the clock, the elevators are all on the ground floor, and it takes a minute for them to reach the roof.”

“Oh, the tragedy!” He said, in an over dramatic tone. It took him a considerable amount of energy to not smile when he said it. 

They also felt the subtle ridicule that Ron was trying to do, but they just ignored it, maybe he's just lost it from the hopelessness. “If only you'd solved the mystery earlier, then they'd all be saved.” They said. “Be prepared to– Hey, what the fuck is that.” 

Ron had pulled out his second phone from his vest, and started calling someone. “Hey Spitz, got all that? I could repeat it again.” 

He set it on speaker, just to annoy the culprit more. “Heehee! No need, Kamonohashi. Got 'em all covered.” 

And he ended the call. “Tracking devices sure are a nice thing to have.” He elegantly set his phone back into his vest, fixing up his hair, perfectly satisfied with how appalled and shocked they were.

For the first time, Totomaru was glad that they had kept their tracking devices on his person. If Ron hadn't wanted to track him all those months back, he wouldn't have had a second phone to use to check the time. Who knows how that could've gone down. 

Finally, Totomaru got the energy to pull himself up, limping towards the criminal to corner them. 

“Are you related to Moriarty?” Ron asked as the clock hit noon, and nothing happened. He fully won, and now was digging out information from the one person they faced off with. 

They took a fraction of a second longer to respond. “Why should I tell you anything?” 

“The fact that you didn't have a planned response told me what I needed to know.” He subtly moved over to cover Totomaru's body with his, no matter what they try to do, they'll have to fight Ron to ever hurt Totomaru once more. “You focused so much on my 96 scar, what does it mean?”

Guess they hadn't expected him to interrogate them, because they calculated every response they provided to him. “You aren't worthy of it.” 

“What does that mean?!” 

“Doesn't matter what it means!” At this point, the two were just yelling at each other. “You're as good as dead, 6th generation Holmes.” 

Ron kept up the act, looking like he was about to kill them, but his hand reached back, showing the tranquilizer to Totomaru. 

That's right, if they admit to killing the 2 hackers right now… 

“You read the plate did you not? That when you yearn for death, you won't get it.” The officer hopes they'll finish up their dramatic exposition, because god that hit to his abdomen hurts like a bitch. 

He continued to stay silent for a while, thinking of the most volatile response to get them to reveal more. “Huh, someone higher up than you stopping you from doing what you want, hm?” He said, said in the most annoying tone he could. “Said you wanted to kill me but you can't, pathetic.” 

At this point, even Officer Isshiki was getting worried he might be going a little too far on the provoking. He winced as he heard him call them “pathetic.” 

“Silence! I'm done talking to you!” How boring, no more new information for him he guesses. “I'll admit, I skewered that hacker on the tip of the unicorn in Shibuya Mall Park, and–” 

The second they said skewer, Totomaru had administered the drug, and because it acts so fast…

“Is he fucking sleeping?!” 

The officer just laughed nervously. “Haha, he's like that… gets sleepy when criminals confess when he knows… That's just how he is!!” He tried his best to smile despite how terrified he was. 

“He may have bypassed the scar this time, but he won't always be so lucky.” 

The glass exploding caused Totomaru to shriek. He watched as they walked backwards into the now broken glass wall. He shielded the unconscious man with his own body. 

“Pray that we don't meet again, Officer.” Before they're able to fall into their escape plan, a voice spoke from his telecommunicator. 

“Trust me, Winter. You won't.” It said, voice as imposing as ever, instantly being recognised by their mind. “We don't permit failures around here.” 

They stopped their movements entirely, putting their hand up to their ear to hear it better. “Milo…?” 

“How unfortunate…” He said, sounding almost genuinely sad about it, but you could almost hear the smile behind his face. “I had such high hopes for you.”

Not a second later, a gunshot echoed through the area, deafening both Totomaru and the Moriarty, then causing them to fall down the many floors of the building they were atop of. 

Totomaru limped over to see past down the fall, seeing their body sprawled across the boxes in storage. People started gathering around to see what had happened, and then screams started coming out of the crowd. 

“Maybe you should take a break after all of that, senpai.” Totomaru was quick to take all the work off Amamiya's table, insisting on writing the report and follow-ups, despite him getting more physical injuries than Amamiya herself.

She sat herself back down in her office’s chair, clearly drained, “I feel more at ease here… But I was a little shocked to hear that the clerk from the Benizome hot springs was also a detective.”

Right… Spitz was undercover then and Amamiya recognized him. 

“It's shocking how both the culprit and the final surviving victim died.” She continued, looking around her desk to find something to fidget with. 

The officer agreed, but he decided that maybe Amamiya needed some time alone, and walked off back to his cubicle.

“And that's what happened while you were out.”

He was eerily silent during the whole explanation. “W-Well, I intercepted the call and found that they were being called ‘Winter’ by the person on the other end.” Spitz was sitting in Ron's apartment with the 2 of them, reporting back to what he had saw and heard during the whole debacle.

“Maybe that's just an alias… Right, Ron?” They both turned to him, seeing him… Daydreaming? It didn't seem like he was thinking about much…

“Huh?” He finally awoke when he felt eyes on him. “Yeah, maybe.” 

They were all silent for a second, before Spitz pulled himself up from his seat. “I'll get going, students aren't teaching themselves!” 

Totomaru saw him out the door, then moving to make them some drinks, making himself coffee, and some brown sugar syrup drink that Ron makes all the time, (he sees him put nothing but hot water, brown sugar syrup, and milk into it, he doesn't dare taste it.) 

Ron was busy thinking a little too hard.

So many deaths. 

Sure, one of them was done purely to get his attention. 

But regardless. 

So many people died under Ron's nose, even Totomaru got hurt because of him.

It wouldn't weigh on him much if the M family was ruthless and killed for no actual reason, killed without the intention of anyone figuring out how. 

But they did. They gave him clues to help prevent the murders. They presented Winter right in front of him, he should've known. He should've known–

“Ron?” 

The spiral slide ended with a halt, his emotions slamming into the wall that is the adorable voice calling him out. 

“Ron, are you okay?” The concerned tone twisting his heart so hard that he swore it stopped for a moment. “You're sweating like crazy, take off your vest.” 

He didn't say a word before obeying, using it to wipe off the sweat beading on his forehead and back of his neck. 

“Do you hate me?” He asked, so desperate to know the answers.

Totomaru didn't even seem to expect it at all. “What?”

He got up, eyes so obsessed yet terrified of what his answer could be, the sweat wetting his slick hair. “Do you hate me? For not being able to save them? I could've, I swear I could've–”

“Ron!” The spiral was stopped again by his yelling, though it was full of worry rather than scolding. “You’re okay. I promise.” 

Totomaru's sure that taking such a big dose of tranquilizer probably takes a while for him to come back to proper shape, but these doubts still have to come from somewhere. Has he not comforted the man enough before?

“Even though I hurt you?”

He smiled, laughing a bit even. “This scar isn't from you, neither is any of this bruising. I would've done it regardless if you were there or not.”

By now, he was calming himself by slowing his breathing, trying not to pant too hard and make himself pass out from just the lack of oxygen. His smile brightened the whole room like it was an overclocked lightbulb.

The officer moved to sit in the seat next to him on the couch. He felt hands on his cheeks, holding them so he'd face those beautiful grey eyes. “You saved Amamiya, and that last hacker, and all those people in the city.” His words were so soft, so comforting. “It's getting hard to hate you, especially when you actually work like you care for people's lives.” 

His breath hitched, noticing the small glimmer in his eyes, the loose strands of hair, the lips redder than what you'd expect of a man. “T-Thank you, Isshiki-san.” He said. No one else would've been able to pull him out of it, not Spitz, not Grizzly, probably not even Kiku. Then again, he wouldn't be in a spiral if he was only acquainted with them, and not Totomaru.

“Tell me if you need anything, okay?” The reassurance was so necessary for Ron to stop overthinking. 

The brunet gently brought his horrifically sweet blend up to Ron, sitting next to him as he finally got to relax and de-stress. 

He couldn't stress enough about how much he adored and appreciated the officer. He's the epitome of perfection, and anyone who says otherwise is either blind or an entire idiot. 

Though now that his doubts that Totomaru would hate him again were reassured to be false, he had other things to think about. 

6th generation of Holmes, this Winter person said. And they were so focused on his 96 scar. Does the 6 relate to it? Is it referring how he's the 6th generation? Then the 9 would automatically mean he's the 9th generation of something else, right? He can't help but wonder. 

The dead body put in the morgue was an entirely different person from what he saw then, they really made sure to cover their tracks. He wonders why they've been targeting him so outwardly, even when he has the whole WDA backing him. 

But his thoughts were put on hold as he felt the officer fall asleep right next to him, and lay his head on his shoulder as he did. Safe to say, Ron won't be moving from the couch anytime soon. 

The small cut from the chandelier glass was right in his line of sight, it had already scabbed over, but he didn't even bother to clean nor bandage it. 

And his stomach, kicked hard by that horrific excuse of a human. He gently put a few fingers on the bottom of his undershirt, lifting it up to see the damage. 

It was a lot, a lot of bruising, and looked painful. He'll probably wake up from the pain once the adrenaline wears off… At least it didn't seem life threatening, so he had no reason to wake him from his rest. 

Oh, just how adorable he looked. 

Something inside of him wants to kiss his perfect little forehead. 

But he shook it off, it's just an intrusive thought. 

“Lord Milo.” A man stepped into the room, making sure to knock and announce his presence to the little prince staring out the beautiful windows into the gorgeous night sky. “The final matters relating to the hackers in Japan have been dealt with. No information was leaked.”

A grin. “Well done.” He praised, it's about time he's found a butler that wasn't scared to death all the time and was actually competent. “How's Winter?”

“Critical condition and fighting for their life.”

The young lord moved to face the large fireplace instead, watching the flames burn bright. “Dispose of the assassin that failed to kill them.” He said, only now deciding to turn around to face the other man. “Make it a lesson to the next.” 

The man, at least a decade older than Milo, bowed before him. “Yes, my Lord.” And off he went to do the duties given by his all powerful and imposing Lord Moriarty.

Chapter Text

Totomaru walked towards the large apartment complex he was so familiar with already. He didn't have anything planned with Ron, just deciding to want to pay him a surprise visit. 

He noticed a truck parked out in front of it, with a few movers bringing furniture and things out of it and into the building. 

Someone's moving into Ron's building?

“You're already all paid for, Ma'am, no worries.” A mover said, tipping his hat at their client, clearly a smaller woman, because Totomaru couldn't see her through the bushes planted right outside. 

She seemed a little bothered. “Haa… I told him it was fine… It's okay, please take these as a tip…” 

He heard her yelp, and then a single coin rolled up to his feet. Picking it up, he was just about to hand it back, when the moment he tried to put his head up, what looked like a hundred more coins fell onto the floor, causing an off-putting symphony of metal clangs to cover the silence. Some even landed on his head, which was more painful than he expected. 

And it was so silent because Totomaru, and the mover were frankly both speechless. The glass somehow spontaneously broke in her hands despite being fully intact and her not using that much force grasping it. 

Finally, he tried to ignore the shock and look up at who in the world could possibly be this bad at obeying the laws of physics. “Dr Usaki?!” 

She returned a dopey and awkward smile. “Afternoon, Isshiki-san…” She said, trying not to cut herself on the freshly broken glass shards. “I wanted to take some coins out, and ended up bumping into it…”

W-Well, it sure is in character of her! Klutzy as always…

He quickly helped her pick up all her change before bringing her inside. 

“You've found a cure to Ron's condition?!” 

Totomaru jumped out from his chair from how shocked he was, but was given no reciprocation from the others. 

The surgeon sat in the large chair that Ron offered her, making her look even more petite than usual. “N-Not a cure exactly, but possibly a remedy to lessen the severity.” 

Still, he was amazed. He never thought it would be possible to do something like this. 

“Though, it requires a few meds taken at the same time, and it hasn't been tested before, so we don't know the possible side effects, which is why I'm not allowing Kamonohashi-san to use it.”

“But–”

“Kamonohashi-san, paying for my moving service doesn't change my professional and medical opinion.” There's the stern and serious personality she has in her work mode.

That's why he did it?? 

He whined. “Isshiki-san–” There he is, begging for help.

“Nope, not my problem.” He's not having it. She's a trained professional with years of experience, she knows more about medicine than Ron ever will, despite how smart he is.

He whined even more. “W-What if I just took a really low dose?! Just to test?!” 

Goodness, seeing Ron so desperate in front of someone else other than Totomaru himself feels weird. 

She hesitated. “Hmm… I'll allow it if I'm around when you take it.” 

He basically yelled out a loud “Yes!” When she said that. 

It's quite endearing how excited he was. “Oh, I wanted to ask…” Totomaru moved himself to face her. “Why'd you move here?” 

“Ahh…” More hesitation, but instead of worry, it's more like shame. “My clumsiness caused major damage to the condo I lived in, so they kicked me out…”

Just how bad of a tenant does someone have to be to be kicked out?! What could she possibly have done?!

“I offered her to stay in one of the vacant rooms until she finds another place to stay–”

Totomaru cut him off in the middle of his sentence. “As a manipulation tac-” and he himself was cut off by Ron too.

“As a manipulation tactic…” He repeated, in a sad little tone because Isshiki-san had saw right through him. He's getting a little annoyed that he can read him so well. 

He couldn't help but smirk at the fact he guessed exactly what Ron was trying to do, until he was distracted by Dr Usaki’s phone. 

“Ah, sorry, let me take this…” She said as she pulled out her phone from her bag, weird noises coming from it as she did so. “Dang it… Not again…” 

The two looked at her inquisitively. “What's wrong?”

“I…” She squinted at her phone one last time before turning it around to show the two others. “Can't tell…!”

The screen was cracked so excessively that when she did that sudden movement, glass fell from it and onto the pristine white tiles of Ron's floor. 

It was like that last time they saw her, so they really shouldn't be that shocked, but man… So the weird noises they heard were glass shards falling from her phone…

She put her phone up to her ear, they're shocked that the broken glass hasn't scratched her ears much yet. “Hello?”

The person on the other side was clearly worried. “Dr Usaki! Where have you been? Your nameplate at your apartment is gone!” 

It was her hard working assistant, one that should probably be paid more than the other assistants considering who she's working for. “Shikada! Sorry, I ended up moving suddenly…”

“At least you're fine. You have a surgery coming up, please get to the hospital safely.” It's clear that the doctor has been in quite a few road accidents from the way she said that. No one randomly says “get to the workplace safely” like that. It's expected with someone like Dr Usaki, apparently.

She quickly got up and gathered her things. “I need to get to work, thanks for having me.” And off she went towards the doorway, none of the two wanting to go near her in case she manages to somehow put them into the hospital too. 

But then she stopped at the doorway, turning around and showing them her bag. “Um… Is this yours?” 

Inside sat a familiar little ball of fluff. “Mimi!” Ron quickly got up to pick her out of the bag, she had quite a lot of fun clawing at things in there, it seems. “Weren’t you just sitting on my lap a few minutes ago? How'd you get in there?!” 

Totomaru got up to clean up the teacups and teapot, coming back to see Ron patting a very happy and content Mimi. “Ron, don't you think that taking a potentially dangerous mix of medicine is going a bit too far?” He came back to the living area to sit next to him, causing the little critter to crawl up into his lap instead. 

He moved to put his arm around the back of the couch, crossing his legs as he talked to the officer. “The M family pose a big threat, if I get rid of my condition, then I can full throttle and destroy them as soon as possible.” Closer, he inched himself over, causing Totomaru to be hyper aware of the small space around them. “They've killed people, and hurt you , I want to put an end to them right away.” 

Shivers went down his spine when he felt the beautiful man's fingers on his forehead feeling the small gash he sustained last time, even more when he felt his hand on his stomach. Get it out of your head, you idiot. He's just referencing how you got kicked in the stomach! It's not anything weird!

Ron fully had no idea how intimate it actually was, touching someone like that. The only person he's ever felt comfortable being so close to was him, the only person he's ever hugged outside of his parents was him. 

God, he's gorgeous. But he has to stop thinking about that. “I have a few more days off… Do you wanna go on a trip somewhere with me?” 

Finally, he pulled his hands away from him, giving him a confused look.

“I was planning on going to the beach today, wanna come?” Hopefully the tips of his ears weren't reddening with colour. 

The raven smiled sweetly at him. “I'll go anywhere you want me to, Isshiki-san.” He's so attached to the officer that even if he told him to leap off a cliff, he'd do it. This is certainly normal behaviour for friends, Ron thought to himself. 

Totomaru got up, then asking Ron to prepare for the trip. “Don't try to do anything sneaky and take the medicine while I'm not looking.” This alone would be such an unhinged comment if Ron wasn't known to be a guy who loves his loopholes. And knowing Ron, even if Dr Usaki kept it locked behind a million safe doors, he'll find himself an alternative way to get ahold of it.

A small whimper came out his mouth as he watched the brunet open the door to leave and get ready, “I just wanna test it…” It's best to do it in a controlled environment! And though the beach isn't 100% controllable, and there could be a million other factors affecting the meds' side effects, and there isn't any medical professionals by him to help if anything bad happens… Okay, maybe it is kind of a bad idea, but still…

Then, they heard a familiar yet unexpected voice again. “No way!!” She said, “I forbid it!!” 

Dr Usaki was… Already back from surgery? “Ah, my surgery was cancelled, so I was coming back to get unpacked and have a nap.” 

Totomaru felt hands on his shoulders as Ron peeked his head out from the door. “Would you like to come to the beach with us, then?”

“You're just asking that so you can take those meds!”

“N-No…” He denied as well as he could, but he couldn't lie very well to Totomaru's face when he looks so cute being angry… 

It earned a small laugh from the doctor watching their antics. “It's alright, Isshiki-san.” She reassured to try and calm him down a bit, “I'll come in case he really does try anything.”

He feels bad that even she was opting in to babysit Ron, but at least he won't have to struggle to hold the leash all alone. 

Public transport was once again Totomaru's preferred way to get around. He made sure to get Ron used to doing so, so he won't complain or act all spoiled when it came to things like this. 

Ron got bored sitting in the packed train. 

He leaned over, setting his forehead onto the others shoulder. “Did you travel a lot when you were younger?” Asking him, surprised how serious he can keep his expression despite going to a fun trip on the beach. 

“Mhm…” He said as quietly as he could so Ron could hear him without bothering others nearby. “My mom and dad travelled for work, so when I was older and on school break they'd bring me with them.” 

“Oh!” Another new tidbit about Isshiki-san! He better make note of this. “Where have you been before?” Trying his best to hide his excitement. 

“Um…” If he wasn't so focused on thinking about his question, he'd be able to see how enamoured Ron really was. “Sweden, Russia, Singapore… England…” 

“England?” 

“Yeah– Oh, that's right.” Ron was from England. 

“Did you hear about Blue when you went there?” 

“I did, but I just thought Blue was slang for police.”

He laughed a little. “Well, it is that too.”

“It's not some acronym? Just using the slang word for the police??”

“Yeah, I thought it was dumb too.”

Totomaru smiled. He wonders if he's ever met Ron before on one of his trips to England. He doubts it, considering how many other people live there, and how he'd never gotten that close to the actual building before. 

Well, he's probably still happy to hear that Totomaru had been to his home country before.

They arrived on the mostly empty beach save for a few families and couples wandering around. 

“I didn't know Isshiki-san was so good at finding places for vacation!” Ron had ran up ahead, quickly setting up a small blanket to put all their things down. 

It's adorable how excited he seemed… Maybe he's only doing so so Totomaru himself doesn't need to do much?

“Fwahh!!” He stretched wide, groaning as he basked in the warm sunlight. “It's been so long since I've been to the beach.” 

He looked around the area, stopping when he noticed the detective he'd come with. The way he stared at him should have given away how attracted he was, but he reasoned in his mind that anyone would do the same, since Ron is so handsome. Especially so now that he was taking off his shirt, revealing his beautiful physique. He'd forgotten how good it was last time he'd seen it. 

“Officer Isshiki.” He called out from afar, noticing him. “It's rude to stare, y'know?” 

He quickly averted his eyes, and acted like he totally wasn't just staring at Ron the whole time. Is it just him, or is it getting really hot? 

The brunet sat down on the sand, poking and playing with the grains beneath him, before he heard footsteps come up by the sand next to him. Tilting his head up revealed Ron standing above him, his massive scar clear as day being lit by the sunlight. 

He put a hand down to Totomaru. “Come play in the water with me, Isshiki-san…” 

The other stayed put on the sand. There wasn't a response, but he wasn't moving, so…

The raven sat down next to him, shoving his face into the officer's neck. “C’mon… I've been nice and obedient so far, haven't I?” 

Feeling his breath on his skin made him blush harder than he realized. It doesn't help how funny he looks begging and thinking that he's only refusing because he doesn't think Ron has been good for the past few cases. “I just wanna sit here… Go play yourself.” 

He didn't falter. “It's not fun playing by myself…” Whining again, his hands grabbing the other's arm and putting it up against the skin of his chest. “Isshiki-san… Totomaru-san…”

Oh, so he's desperate enough to pull out his first name. “F-Fine.” He finally said, trying to hide his blush away from the other. 

But it seems he could already tell he was blushing like crazy.

The second Totomaru had his shirt over his head, Ron splashed him with a bunch of water, making him yell out. “Not fair!!”

Dr Usaki opted to just sit underneath the umbrella she'd brought, watching them attack each other. It was fun, to her, seeing the two usually super serious detective and police officer messing around. 

It was a while before Totomaru had to call it off, talking about how he's tasted enough sea water and was entirely tired out. “Let's get some shaved ice from the stall over there!” The raven suggested. 

And off they went.

Sold out.

That was the only 2 words from the vendor that Ron had actually processed. 

He let his body limp right into Totomaru, the sadness overtaking him. 

“I was just thinking about how good a shaved ice would taste dipped into brown sugar syrup…” 

As much as Totomaru tried to gently nudge him up, he was unfortunately too depressed to want to do anything at that moment. And he was also a little distracted by what he said. Ice dipped in brown sugar?? He had no time to really get into that though. 

The vendor laughed, almost tauntingly. “Sorry! It's our most popular item on the menu, so it always sells out right away!” 

“H-Hah…?” Totomaru sighed. “There's barely anyone here though…” He stumbled a bit when he felt Ron put more weight onto his shoulder. 

It only earned him a bothered hmph from the man. “That's not very polite to say about a business, y'know? Do you want us to go out of business?” 

Before Totomaru could ask for more information, he accidentally let Ron slip past him and crash straight into…

“A watermelon?!” 

The three sat at the shore, watching the waves crash as they discussed, Totomaru and Dr Usaki enjoying the watermelon that Ron had somehow smashed with just his forehead alone, then whining to the officer about how it hurt. “You could've just kept yourself up if you knew you were going to fall!!” He said, but still gave in in the end as he was worried about the large red bump forming on his forehead. 

“Too bad they were out…” The doctor said, trying not to get her hair into the watermelon as she ate it. “Maybe we could do something else?”

He groaned, arm over his eyes as he did. “Solving a case with Officer Isshiki-san…” 

“W-What?”

Sitting next to Ron is horrible for his heart rate, so he quickly got up. “I… I'll take a walk…” 

He was about to get up to chase after him, but he was worried Totomaru had excused himself for something Ron did. Did he overdo the flightiness? 

Ron is gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. And that's the problem. He can't take his eyes off him at all, and it's messing with him. The fact that other than eating his favourite brown sugar, Ron would rather solve a case with him… Maybe he's just overthinking it. 

I mean, Ron's way out of his league, right? Why is he even thinking about this?! It's not professional in the slightest… but god…

He waded into the water, looking down at his feet to make sure he wasn't stepping on anything weird. Step, step, step, and then a rock came into his vision. 

Wow, he didn't notice that was here. He looked up, brain taking a while to process that there was a figure lying in the middle of the odd rock formation.

What was even weirder, is that the person doesn't seem to be moving?!

He quickly climbed in, trying to make sure to keep traction on his feet so he wouldn't slip, and carefully got in. 

His eyes were twisted wide open, and body was stiff, exactly what he feared. 

He quickly got up from inspecting the body, looking out to see if anyone could see him from where he stood. Thankfully, Ron always seemed to have an eye on him, and the moment he raised his arms and waved for him, he was quick on his feet to get to him, alongside calling Dr Usaki to follow. 

They looked down in horror. A corpse right before their eyes. 

Dr Usaki quickly climbed down to check the body, causing Totomaru to quickly step away. “I think he drowned.” She said, pressing around the arms and chest of the man with her hands. 

“He looks like he went diving.” Totomaru extrapolated from the suit he wore. “Maybe an accident?”

Ron quickly reached a hand down to help Totomaru up from the ditch. “No, Isshiki-san.” He said, staring back down at the body as if to recheck his answers. “He's been murdered.”

Chapter Text

The police arrived swiftly, sealing off the area and closing the beach to prevent anyone from tampering with the corpse and scene of crime. 

“Aren't you from HQ? First division?” The head of the officers said, standing before Totomaru. 

He nodded, “I was actually on vacation… But let me explain the situation.”

The corpse, currently unidentified, a young man in his mid twenties, was found amongst some rocks, seemingly drowned, as autopsied officially by Dr Usaki. She noted that his hands were purple and had a hint of alcohol smell to the body. Other than that, there were no noticeable wounds on his body. His estimated time of death was around 2-3 am. 

Halfway through speaking, they heard voices yelling at them. “P-Please! Let us in!” One of them yelled.

“That's our friend! Please!” Another said. 

Well, at least they can identify the corpse now? 

The police let them in by Officer Isshiki and the other officer’s orders, letting them see their friends' cold, dead body. 

Newly updated status: Taku Manba, 25 years old, officer worker. He was on the beach since yesterday with his 2 surfing buddies. They reported that he had a bit too much to drink and decided to go out to complain to the beach hut vendor as he got food poisoning from his food. 

“I'd guess he just went surfing while drunk…” The reporting officer said. 

Of course someone like him would guess like that. Totomaru probably too, but he shook his head after a moment, because it seems he'd remembered Ron said the man was murdered , it was intentional to some extent, not just some accident. 

Ron leaned down, inspecting himself what the signs were, and how to properly interpret them. “You know what this suit is for, Officer?” 

He was slightly surprised at the random question. “Surfing, no?”

Sure, it'd be fun to tell him himself, but he turned to the two other men with what he could deduce, years of experience. 

One of them stepped up, awkward that the police turned to them for knowledge. “N-No, we don't wear that to surf, we usually wear a wet suit, and what he's wearing is a dry suit.” The blonde explained. 

And then the darker haired man jumped in. “And as far as we know, he doesn't own a dry suit like that.” 

A small inquisitive ‘hm’ left the responding officer's mouth. “That is quite odd…”

The raven haired detective turned to the two again. “Anything else off lately?” 

“Other than the vendor being really defensive and rude about our complaints… Our surfboards by our hut got messed up when we woke up today.”

He nodded, but then turned to Totomaru to see that he had an idea forming in his head. “How come you guys didn't look for him when he didn't come back after a while?” True, a smart question from him. He's learned so much already. 

“Fuck…” They both looked at the officers so guiltily. “We drank too much and blacked out before we thought of it…” 

“It's my fault! I suggested that we had something to drink that night! I should've… Fuck me… My god.” 

Totomaru instantly went to comfort the two while he left the other officer and Ron alone.

“So… Who are you, exactly?”

“WDA assistant branch manager…?”

“What.”

“Eurg…” He's gonna think Ron's insane if he pulls out his detective licence. “Police HQ detective.” He lied.

“Oh, must be new then.” The raven nodded. Of course. Anything to get him out of trying to explain what the WDA is along with whatever a detective’s licence is. He needs to get to work telling the police around Japan what the WDA is so they won't be so confused with him. He's surprised the Japanese government agreed to letting the WDA collaborate with them, but they hadn't done anything to tell the officers in law enforcement anything about them. “You're pretty smart for someone your age! Glad to be working with you.” 

Well, Ron himself isn't that glad to be working with this random guy. He was supposed to be relaxing and having fun with Isshiki-san. Whatever, the quicker they get this over with, the quicker his darling officer can get back to relaxing. 

Hearing the two surfer's story, their next logical step was of course to visit the vendor. 

A scoff. “Somebody died?!” The man said, in the fakest shocked voice Totomaru's ever heard in his lifetime. “No wonder the beach has been so empty today!” 

Sure, he didn't really have any evidence to prove it, and he vehemently disagrees with arresting or apprehending someone just because they sound or act suspicious, but this guy is really getting on his nerves. 

It seems to be the same for Dr Usaki. 

“I'm too busy to care about that! Bad for business, don'tcha know?” He laughed, only for none of them to reciprocate. 

The small doctor stepped out in front of the vendor, unfortunately her small frame being entirely unintimidating to him. “Someone died and all you can think of is business?! Have you no shame?!” 

Honestly, Totomaru admires her courage. He thought the same thing too, how could someone be so so selfish? 

She only calmed herself a little when she felt Ron grabbing her to let him talk to the man instead. “He was a surfer and died wearing a dry suit . Looks like it could've been an accident.” 

Huh?? “But Ron–” 

Before he was able to contest him on his statement, the vendor spoke again. “Heh, it happens all the time, what's so shocking about this time?” 

Is Ron just trying to trick him into saying more? 

“It's weird he was wearing one of those, considering surfers don't actually wear them to surf.” 

“T-They don't?! I-I mean–” The vendor quickly back tracked on his words. “Surfers do other things than surfing, right? Probably just went out doing something else.” 

“Looks like we're on the same page! But even weirder! Is that his friends said that he doesn't own one of those dry suits! And it's way too big for him anyways…” 

The beach hut vendor looked about angry enough to strangle Ron. Totomaru watched in anxiety as Ron once again provoked a potentially dangerous individual just for the fun and drama of it. 

“Can I share a secret with you?” Ok, he really is just playing it up for no reason except for the fun of it. The raven leaned in uncomfortably close to whisper. “I personally think someone put him in it, and then drowned him out at sea.” Then he quickly retreated back to his original position. “But that's just one of my wild theories! Funny, right?” 

“Wild th– Shut the fuck up!” He stepped back from shock. “You have a grudge against me or something, you maniac!? Because I was sold outta ice?” 

“ That , and–”

Totomaru stopped him. “Not that.”

“Ok, not that, but it's just a funny joke! C'mon, you have a sense of humour, don't you?” The smile he gave the man was oddly terrifying, even to Totomaru.

He can't keep this going longer. Either Ron's gonna kill this guy by popping one of his arteries from blood pressure or the guy's gonna kill Ron from pure rage alone. “We heard he went out at night to speak with you, so we wanted to ask what you did yesterday.” 

“You couldn't have just started with that?” A glare was sent to Ron's direction, before looking back to the much less intimidating officer before him. “I'd just finished cleaning and closing up then. After that I just went straight to drinking with my buddies! All night!” 

If that were true, then he'd sure have an alibi. “Anything weird you'd noticed?” 

“Not really, other than a random drunkard walking towards the ocean.”

Ron could ask a single question right now to get him to inadvertently admit he was the one who'd kill him, but he didn't want to just yet. He might catch some other shady business he's been doing and get him locked up for longer. 

The man could also feel the piercing gaze of Ron's eyes on him, keeping him tense and on edge. “Whatever, I have nothing to do with it, now scram!” A boisterous laugh followed his exclamation, before stepping back into his hut. 

Totomaru walked away, he didn't want to talk to someone as shameless as that guy anyways. As tempted as Ron was to follow him, he wanted a bit more intel.

“–expired…” 

“… Don't care! Just use ‘em!”

What an oddly suspicious thing to hear between him and his poor teenaged employes. Seems like he just wanted to make some money on the side, oh well, probably nothing. 

“Could I get some fried noodles with eggs?”

“Fuck!” He was like a jumpscare to him, making him jolt up and almost throw himself off the ground. “Wh-What are you doing here still?!”

“Just wanted to order something. What? Got a problem with a customer buying something?” 

He grit his teeth and turned to the poor boy behind him. “Make him his food.”

The boy looked guiltily up at Ron, who was towering over him when he gave him his order. Ron could tell exactly why he did so too. 

He brought back the box to Totomaru and Dr Usaki who were standing around the entrance of the hut. 

“Oh! Fried noodles?” 

“You wouldn't like it.” Ron tried to get him to not eat any. 

And unfortunately he didn't get the idea behind it. “Why not? Let me try a bite.” 

Torn between wanting to refuse for Officer Isshiki’s own good and not wanting to disobey him, he just gave him the box and let him have at it. If he eats more than a bite he'll take it back from him. 

A single bite was all it took, thankfully. “Ron, did you try it?” Realizing potentially why he said he wouldn't like it much. “The egg tastes weird.” 

The woman between them picked up a bit to try, and sure enough, it was absolutely disgusting, did they even check to see if it was safe to eat?! “That man!!” 

The two didn't have quick enough reflexes to really stop her, only being able to watch her prepare to storm off, and then somehow trip on her own feet, and fall face first into the sand. “Dr Usaki!” 

Totomaru walked up to check on her, with her coughing and spitting out sand that got into her mouth. “So salty…” 

Ron raised an eyebrow at her words. “Well, it is the beach.” The brunet said, entirely ignoring Ron crouching down to lick the sand underneath them. 

He could feel grey eyes staring at him judgmentally, but trust him! It's important! And it just solved the mystery for him!

“God! Can't a guy be left alone with his business? Y'all have to close down the whole ass beach?!” 

Ron would've said that he deserves it for even attempting to serve food that was way past the expiry date, more so that the officer ate some and could get food poisoning, but it seems he'd read his mind, and told him to hold that thought until he's actually arrested for the murder. 

Speaking of, of course he was the murderer. It was obvious since the start with how much of an asshole he was. 

Actually, Ron had brought Totomaru to the surfer's hostel to lift fingerprints from the boards, and found his all over them. That alone could've been enough to put him on trial, but Ron had a better idea…

“We're actually gonna have am intervention talk…”

“Don't lie to him anymore, Ron.” The brunet sighed. “We're gonna go complete our investigation as we've discovered sufficient proof to find out what happened, and we want you to be there too, since we did affect your business.” 

“Hmph, like you should!” His words confident, but his body language reflected that he didn't want to go at all. Cowering and looking around to find excuses to get out of it. 

Alas, the way Ron stared at him told him he has no choice but to go. All he can do is hope they didn't actually find anything pointing to him. 

He didn't pray hard enough, because he was instantly pointed at right away. Ron was quick to do away with him, if they finish this fast enough then he might have time to bring the officer to some of the tourist spots to have a bit more fun to compensate for more of the work he's done today.

Once Ron was finished expositing all the suspicious things he's done, all the proofs he's left, he was already in handcuffs, being restrained by officers at the sight. “H-Hey, if I admit my guilt, will I get a lesser sentence at least?” 

Officer Isshiki was about to admonish him for his lack of care, but he wasn't quick enough. 

The doctor reached a hand out and slapped him so hard across the face the room fell silent. “Have you no shame?! You took a person's life and that's all you can think about?!” She yelled. “I hope you learn your lesson in your jail cell before they even think about letting you out.” 

Totomaru took a look around the area, looking at Ron, and then suddenly remembering. Oh, did Ron take his…

He spoke. “Don't worry, Dr Usaki. I'm making sure he…” His speech slurred. “He…” Before he can finish his sentence, he fell to the floor, out like a light. 

Officer Isshiki quickly tended to the police officers, thanking them for their work, before going back to Ron and the doctor to see how he was holding up.

“Well, looks like he's just unconscious…” She looked around his pockets and found the empty bag of the concoction of medication she suggested could help. “I think we should bring him into the hospital for closer monitoring.” 

What's happening? Where is he? 

“Ronny!” 

Is that mom? 

“Ronny! Don't act like you didn't hear me! Come out and help me plate dinner.” 

He got up(?) and followed her voice. 

“There you are.” She said, her smile as warm as ever. The dark curly hair falling down her shoulders, as familiar as ever. “You're a big boy now, go help me grab some utensils and put them on the table.”

He nodded, walking up to the sink. It's so tall. Was it always this tall?

“Use the stool, Ronny.” 

Stool? Oh. 

He looked to the side of him to find it, he swear it wasn't there before. 

Oh well. 

He lifted himself up, grabbing the forks and spoons, 3 pairs total. 

Once he was done, he got off, rushing back to the dining table to put them down. 

“I'm home.” Followed the clack of the door unlocking and opening. “Ron, are you helping your mother like I told you to?” 

She called from the kitchen. “I had to call him myself, he wouldn't do all that automatically.” Laughing, teasing Ron. 

“I would!!” 

Was his voice always so high pitched? 

“Then next time come help me without me asking, alright Ronny?” 

He nodded, getting himself off the dining chair to see if she needed any more help. Unfortunately for him, she was all done.

He looked up, much, much, higher up than he remembers, to his father. The short blonde hair was a defining feature of his, but the most recognizable was his birthmark in the shape of a crescent moon. 

He watched as his mother leaned in to kiss his father right on his birthmark, one of her favourite features about him, he guesses. It's not uncommon to see it get overlapped with some lipstick from time to time. 

They sat there and ate, but he didn't really feel any of it happening, he moved his hands and mouth, but couldn't feel it satiating his hunger. 

There was knock at the door. It seemed incessant. 

“I'll get it.” His father said, lifting himself away from the dining table and towards the front door. 

He couldn't hear the person on the other side, curiously. But his father called for him mid conversation. “It's for you.”

He looked up, seeing an unfamiliar… wait… familiar…? Brunet man at the door. 

“Ron, are you ok? Jeez, you're thrashing around so much…” 

What? What is he saying? 

“Dr Usaki, are you sure he's alright?”

Who is he talking to? 

“He's got a nightmare I think… Probably another side effect.”

“Hmm…” 

“What did he usually do before this?”

“Just tranquilize himself.”

She seemed concerned. “Don't think his liver would like that.”

Then suddenly, his world fell around him. 

He tried hard to grab onto something, and when he did–

Pant… Pant … 

“Woah!” Totomaru stepped back as he saw Ron shoot up from his bed, grasping the bedsheets and looking around with sweat covering his forehead. 

The brunet reached a hand to comb away a loose strand on his head. “You scared me, y'know?” 

He was still coming back from realizing all that was a dream. “S-Sorry.” 

His hands were still tightly holding the bedsheets, but they've relaxed a lot when he realized where he was. “Kamonohashi-san, you're awake.” She quickly set down her things and checked his responses in his eyes, “at least you didn't seem to have much else wrong with you.” 

“How long was I out for?” Totomaru finally felt calm enough to sit back down on Ron's bedside, seeing how he seems to be entirely normal and no longer thrashing around like before. 

“A whole day. You had some crazy nightmares too.” 

“I wouldn't say it was a nightmare…?” He couldn't remember half of what he dreamt about anymore, but he thinks he remembers the gist of it. “Did I try to kill that guy?” Finally remembering something from reality. 

“You didn't… But I feel like knocking yourself out had better results than…” He vaguely gestured towards him. “This.” 

He groaned, crashing back into the hospital's stiff white bed. “Back to square one.”

The brunet raised an eyebrow at him. “No you aren't.” 

It caused him to look at him, at how beautiful he was. 

“You're going through so much just to make sure you don't kill people.” He said, “We won't give up until you're finally cured of your illness, Ron.” 

Seeing how determined the brunet was really did help him. His hope is infectious, as it should be.

“I won't let this disability stop you from helping people.” 

How caring, like always. “Thank you, Totomaru-san.” 

Chapter Text

“You've been so weird lately…” Totomaru walked with the detective next to him, a little awkward about how short Ron made him look. 

The raven was very content with being able to take leisure time with the officer even outside of work hours. “How so?” He asked, mainly just to be nice to him, he didn't really care, as long as Totomaru was happy with him. 

He didn't really know how to say it without sounding rude. “You've never called me by my first name, and now randomly you're doing it…”

“Do you not like it? I can stop.”

“No no!” He wasn't bothered at all by it. “Just… Was a little unexpected…”

Ron's dopey little smile on his face wasn't helping at all. “Totomaru-san…” He whined again, just to tease him. 

It earned him a playful punch in his side from the brunet. “Guess it's even now, considering I say your first name all the time.” 

He tried not to blush too hard when he felt Ron leaning hard onto him, stuffing his face into the brunet's neck. “So, when are we gonna investigate the Hummingbird?”

“H-Huh?” He quickly lifted back his phone up into view. 

A news article titled: Kidnapper, the “Hummingbird” releases genius sculptor after 3 days, was on his phone screen while they spoke.

Sigh, he should've expected Ron was peeking at his screen. Maybe he should get a matte screen protector? 

“I was actually thinking that we go to a concert today.” 

Ron didn't seem all too interested about that. 

“That's ok, I'll just ask someone else to go with me then…” 

Huh?? He really wants someone to go with him…? “It's ok, I'll go with you.” He can't handle thinking about someone else taking his place just because he didn't feel like going to some silly concert. 

Honestly, the brunet didn't have a plan B set in for if Ron refused to go. He just said that to see if he'd be convinced more, and clearly he was. 

Of course, Ron never forgot about the case the officer was looking at before asking. Even while they were at the concert he couldn't stop thinking about it. 

While waiting in line, he looked on his own phone to see if he could access any information. Sure enough, he was able to. 

The “Hummingbird”, a moniker he gave himself, where he was reported to kidnap people of all sorts of talents, pianists, artists, singers, songwriters. 

Oddly enough, no charges were ever applied to him, despite him clearly hindering their work by straight up taking them away from their workspace. Though they were given a warning, everytime before getting kidnapped, they'd get a letter from him, adoring their work and asking to meet them. 

Of course, after the first few times, police were on the case to try and catch him and stop him, but somehow he has yet to be apprehended, nor has his face been revealed yet. 

A fun case indeed! He hopes that Officer Isshiki will have the chance to try and investigate him. Maybe he should try to pull some strings he has hands on…

Oh, the concert’s starting. He can tell because the officer had started muttering “wowza” and “awesome” under his breath. 

The brunet had said that this was one of his favourite artists he's following lately, a songwriter that became famous for her emotional songs, and this is one of the first times she's showing her face to a crowd. 

He tried to ask him to go to investigate a crime scene instead of the concert again, but the way the smile faded from the officer when he reluctantly agreed stabbed him right in his heart, and he had no choice but to come. 

Well, he doesn't have many regrets now, because looking at how happy Totomaru seems as he's here is enough to keep him around. 

He made sure to keep an eye on the brunet as he enjoyed the concert, and also an eye on the people around him. 

Most of them were normal concert goers. Maybe some judging Ron, he didn't even wear or cheer like a fan. What was he doing here? 

Honestly, even if Totomaru didn't buy him a ticket to go, he'd have snuck him himself just to hang out with the brunet. But he won't let Totomaru know about that. 

And another person, someone else who didn't seem to cheer or have merchandise like all the other fans. 

A peculiar man with ashy brown hair, accessories that covered his face. Is he ashamed that he's here? But his actions say otherwise. His hands held 2 phones, both watching a different video of an artist in different mediums. 

Hmm… Totomaru seemed really distracted with the concert… And he'll be sure to be somewhere where Totomaru can see him easily…

He walked over to the man. 

“So, did your friends drag you here?” 

The man looked up, expression entirely occluded by his sunglasses and mask. “Hm?”

“Doesn't seem like you're here for the concert, you got invited here by a friend?”

The man set down his phones, tilting his head up at him. “Hm… Not really.” It's a shock that Ron could hear him through his mask, without any visual cues. 

How peculiar. “Have you ever heard of the hummingbird?”

He seemed to pause for a moment. “It's all over the news, I'd have to be a hermit to not.” 

The raven chuckled a bit, playing along. “I'm worried that the star of the show here is gonna get kidnapped by the Hummingbird, y'know?”

He too, let a short laugh out from his mouth. “Me too.”

Either he was wrong with his intuition, or this man is incredible at lying through his teeth.

“Ron! Come back! Look!!” 

Oh, there's his cue. “Enjoy the show.” He said last to the man. 

He sure is glad that he brings extra tissues on his person now, because the poor brunet couldn't stop but tear up uncontrollably at how emotional he was over it. 

And finally it was over. 

They stood against the wall in the hallway out of the concert venue, letting Totomaru calm down from the high. “We should do this again sometime.” 

Before Ron was able to agree intensely, they were distracted by one of the staff calling them. “You're Officer Isshiki from the metro police, aren't you?” 

“Oh, yes. Anything the matter?”

There was no further instructions until the officer, and subsequently the detective, were dragged off to the greenroom. 

The closer they got to it, the more excited the brunet was. There's no way, right? No way that he'll be dragged off to the greenroom hosting the star, his idol, Nyonyon?! 

But he was quick to be distracted by the card he was presented with by the staff in the room. 

“Dearest supreme singer-songwriter,

I cannot express with words alone how happy your work has made me feel, and how much it has inspired me. 

I will visit you on the 16th day of the lunar calendar.

- Hummingbird”

He stared at it long and hard. “There's no way…” He whispered to himself. 

Ron was wondering around the room for extra clues. 

A woman with short, dark hair came up to the two, presenting a guitar. “I'm the manager, Mitsubashi.” She said, introducing herself to the two. “We saw the note on the desk when we came back from the performance.”

He thought for a moment. “Don't touch it too much, I'll send the card in for forensics…” He set it somewhere where no one could touch it on accident. “Are there any security cameras around?” 

One of the staff quickly volunteered to go and request for security footage for the hall leading up to the room. 

Then, finally, he thought about asking Ron for his thoughts. “Ron, have you seen anyone suspicious in–”

When he turned to look at him, he was standing right next to… “Nyonyon-san?!” 

“So you're like a super legendary detective?! That's so cool!!” 

It seems Ron had enjoyed very much explaining the ranking system of the WDA to her, so he could tell her about how good of a detective he was, even on an international scale. 

He quickly put his attention back to the brunet when he heard his name being called. “Yes, Totomaru-san?” 

“U-Uhm…” Oh he had never been so close to a celebrity before, oh goodness… What if he makes a fool of himself in front of her? “Have you seen anyone suspicious at the concert?”

Ron felt a little bothered by the fact that Totomaru was so nervous around Nyonyon. Sure she's a celebrity, who cares. He sure doesn't. Well, she isn't actively trying to garner the officer's attention, so he won't make enemies too quickly yet. 

“There was a man who I felt was suspicious, but he's probably fled if he was the culprit.” 

He shoved a few fingers into the brown hair of his. “Agh… Yeah, he would've…”

“But…” Ron stopped him from attempting to rip his hair from how hard he was thinking. “It'll be a great opportunity to solve the case and catch the Hummingbird once and for all.”

The officer nodded, relaying all the information to the metropolitan police. 

“He’s so cool, isn't he?! A detective working for us! An S-Ranked one at that!” 

“Uh…” The darker haired woman looked confusedly at Nyonyon, then back at the eccentric, proud, noisy, foreigner, who was clinging to the brunet officer. “What does S-Rank even mean…?”

“All officers are in position.” 

“Patrol has been ongoing since yesterday.”

“Roger!” 

Officer Namazu from the special crimes division nodded as he looked around him, the area surrounded sparsely with officers that can view every corner of the area. 

“We aren't losing to this guy again!” He yelled into the transreceiver. “Protect her at all costs!” 

He heard the quiet muttering of the man behind him. “Isshiki!” He yelled. He wasn't upset or angry, he's just naturally a little loud. That didn't stop the brunet from jumping a little though. He's a little too used getting yelled at by senior officers that its become a little of a Pavlovian thing to him. 

“I'm sure you've heard, Nyonyon requested the officers at her concert to be her to protect her, so I'll count on you.” 

He saluted, following him off to where he was stationed, that is…

The beautiful mansion that is Nyonyon’s house! 

The older officer let out a small sigh. “It'd be way easier to guard her if she was at the station instead.” He said. “But her producers didn't want their profits to be hurt.” Even though it was just going to be a day or two of keeping her safe, Namazu was clearly ticked off by how money hungry the producers are. 

Regardless, he was ecstatic about being personally requested by Nyonyon herself! But also…

He turned to Officer Namazu. “We've got almost a hundred officers stationed, right? Where are they all?”

“The Hummingbird's managed to catch an artist even under 50 officers watch in the station because he let out a swarm of bees and snuck in during the chaos!” 

Really?! Jeez, he's glad he wasn't there during that case… 

“So now we're spreading our officers out in a 500 meter radius so we can have many hands all over the various routes out of the area!” 

“Sounds like a good plan!” 

He let out a hearty laugh. “I'll be damned if that bastard managed to trick us this time!” The man turned to the front door to knock on it. “Nyonyon-san, Namazu from police HQ–”

The person who came out was absolutely not Nyonyon, nor any of her known staff. 

“Who are you?” The officer asked, which also got the attention of the brunet behind him. He was originally going to wait to walk in behind the senior officer, but decided to take a look.

“Ron?!” 

“Totomaru-san!!” 

He quickly invited the brunet in, totally forgetting about the other officer standing at the door. It's alright though, since Nyonyon herself did show up and bring him inside too.

“What're you doing here?!” The brunet, though not that bothered, was really really confused. 

A small smile was given in return, but he didn’t bother to answer the brunet, knowing that his beloved idol would do it for him. “I asked him to help too! He’s a super cool detective, right Officer Isshiki?”

He was honestly a little stunned that someone other than him actually enjoyed his presence enough to invite him into their house. “Y-Yeah!” He is cool, but wow.

Of course, that wasn’t enough proof that Ron was actually a detective to Officer Namazu, especially since he’s never even heard of him really. “I’m gonna need to see some ID.”

“Of course, after you try some of these pastries I made for Nyonyon-kun.”

“I’m not here for–” He paused when he looked at the beautifully decorated, delicious smelling cupcakes and macaroons. “Ok, maybe just one.”

“Since when did you learn to make these?” The brunet took one of them and had a bite, delicious, amazing, and with a hint of it being made with brown sugar. Does everything Ron make have to have brown sugar on it?

Ron made a point to get up close and comfortable next to the officer. “I’ve been doing this for a while, Totomaru-san.” He said. “Why do you think I have the best baking equipment back in my apartment?”

Oh, goodness. That’s right. He remembers seeing all that high end equipment in Ron’s kitchen, alongside huge paintings of various pastries in his house. He’s surprised he never made the connection. 

The group, along with the manager, Mitsubashi who had just come out into the living room, enjoyed the treats for a few minutes before getting interrupted by a phone call.

It was Officer Namazu’s phone, and he quickly picked it up, having no time to excuse himself from the table because of how shocked he was. 

“The Yamanashi Police are coming too?!” 

As if in a horror movie, the door knocked. Mitsubashi excused herself to answer it. “This mansion straddles the border of Tokyo and Yamanashi prefecture.” The man behind the door spoke, his voice smooth and beautiful. “I, Officer Sannou of the Yamanashi police, would like to lend my assistance to the Tokyo metro.” 

He was a man with ashy brown hair, and an extremely recognizable appearance. Light pupils, a lean figure, light brown suit to go with his hair.

Chapter Text

Officer Namazu bit back at the taller man. “I know that this is also considered Yamanashi, but we don't need your help!” 

And Officer Sannou calmly spoke back at him. “Yes, the Tokyo Metro police is very capable, but it'd be rude to not lend a hand to you all when it is technically also under our jurisdiction.” 

Namazu growled under his breath. Superiors doing the devil's work again, he thought. “Whatever, just don't get in the way.” 

He turned the other way, putting his walkie-talkie up to his face. “Who told you to let them in?! Just because they're police?!” He yelled so loud that him turning away didn't really change anything in terms of who could and couldn't hear something. “Our security works more like a god damn sieve!” 

Though it didn't seem Officer Sannou cares much, looking up to notice Ron deeper into the house. “Officer Isshiki, is it? Who is that man inside? He's not part of the police, is he?” 

“A-Ah…” Totomaru stuttered, straightening his back up. “He's a detective, b-but he's here more on Nyonyon-san’s request.” 

Did his eyes get narrower when he said that? “I see.” Was all he said. 

It looked like one of Officer Namazu’s vessels on his temple was about to burst from how angry he was, but still being unable to do anything about it. 

It seems Nyonyon had noticed how annoyed he was, and attempted to help by inviting them all inside to relax with some tea and the baked goods Ron had made. 

The tension still seemed way, way too high for two officers facing each other off. Totomaru hadn't heard much of Officer Sannou, just that he was a struggling single father with a daughter. He never liked hearing gossip, but he also didn't expect to meet him today, or any other day for that matter. 

With the two (semi?) calmed down with each other's presence, Nyonyon decided to give them an introduction to her mansion. 

“This is where I write all my songs! Even my latest single was written here, and all the others I wrote before doing my face reveal.” 

“Face reveal, huh?” The raven tilted his head at her final comment.

Totomaru was quick to help explain it, as one of her long time fans, of course. (No one tell Ron that Totomaru only got into her fairly recently during her first big song.) “At first, her songs were made with a voice synthesizer and animation, her identity and appearance were shrouded in mystery until not long ago.” 

Ron nodded along, loving the way Totomaru smiled as he spoke. 

“But once the agency told me the amount of money I'd get if I showed my face, I couldn't do it any sooner!” She laughed, grabbing the manager and teasing her. “Haha, just kidding.”

The two were messing around with each other, too busy to hear Ron musing to himself about the intriguing architecture until his last few words. 

“The aging of the walls on specific sides feels weird.” 

“That's because the clocktower existed way before the other parts did! It originally burnt down in a fire, and everything was rebuilt except for the clocktower because it was the only thing left after the fire.”

Then she walked over to a little box attached to the wall. “Call me paranoid, but I get worried that'll happen again, so I made sure to install a few fire alarms around the place.”

Officer Sannou shook his head, “it's very good of you to prepare, Nyonyon-san.” He said, then turning back to take one more glance at the mansion's living space. “Last time when you all guarded your target with a large amount of officers, you all failed, didn't you?”

“Shut up!! The past is the past!!” 

“Let's bring here somewhere where no one could reach then?”

They were interrupted by a small giggle from the two girls. “We know the perfect spot for that!” 

The spiral staircase of the clocktower looks intimidating, but at the top of it revealed a homey, cosy room. 

“This is where I compose all my songs.” She said, walking into it and spreading her arms out to show it all off. “This is also the first time I've ever shown anyone else outside of the company this room.” 

Totomaru would squeal if it didn't make him look like a crazed fan. This is where all those famous songs were made?! Wowza!!

The raven too, looked around at all the high end equipment. It's safe to say Nyonyon is extremely successful if she's able to afford all of this. 

Officer Namazu and Totomaru both walked in, the former to check for exits, and the latter just to look at things. “This room only has a door, and 2 windows. I'd say it's pretty secure.” When his hand reached to the curtains, he was stopped when he heard a small scream. 

“I’m terrified of heights, so don't keep those open…” 

Was he muttering to himself, or saying things out loud? Regardless, he spoke loud enough for Ron to hear. “Yeah, she's mentioned that before… That it was because of an incident.”

“Then, please step away from the window. I'd like to look outside for any other possible exits.” 

Once Officer Sannou moved to the window to look out along with Namazu and Totomaru, Mitsubashi was the only one left standing at the staircase. Maybe she was tired, and that's why she hadn't moved nor said much today. 

“It's big enough to let a person through, but it's so high up, and there aren't any footholds nor ladders, I doubt anyone's getting in or out through the windows.” 

“Looks like a fine place for Nyonyon-san to stay while we keep watch, then?” 

As much as Officer Namazu hated that pretentious loser's guts, he had no complaints, after thoroughly checking everything himself. 

Totomaru closed the curtains to the windows, and everyone but Nyonyon walked down the staircase back to the living area. 

They walked through the door walling off part of the staircase, letting Mitsubashi lock it behind them. 

“It locks from the outside…”

She nodded. “There's only one key, and the door’s sturdy, so I'm confident no one's going through this without my permission.”

“Wonderful, then some of us can sit in front of the staircase to keep watch, while the rest watch the front entrance.” 

They split into some groups, Totomaru patrolling before the staircase with Officer Sannou, while Officer Namazu watched the front door like a hawk. 

This was all while Ron was in the kitchen cooking up a few more pastries he was halfway through baking before the police showed up. 

The body type and hair colour of that Officer Sannou felt so familiar, like that stranger in the concert. Maybe the hair colour not so much, he couldn't see well in the dark during the concert, but he swears their body type is identical. 

Well, if he really is the Hummingbird, then surely he'll recognise his talent, his various talents, and try to kidnap him? But maybe he's too hard of a target? If he's smart enough to infiltrate the police and pull so many kidnappings off, then he must be smart enough to know that it'd be virtually impossible to kidnap Nyonyon, or him. 

Intriguing. 

He brought a tray of delicious parfaits up to the two patrolling policemen. “Tasty, aren't they?” He boasted at the two. “If the Hummingbird could taste these, he'd kidnap me for sure!” 

Totomaru laughed at what he would brush off as a joke. “What if he does?! We'd be too busy protecting Nyonyon that we wouldn't notice you were missing.” 

A logical comment. 

And the taller man spoke too. “Like the Hummingbird would kidnap you.” He also snuck in a few snickers. 

“What? Not enough talent for you?” 

He composed himself. “It's more that the Hummingbird prefers ‘soul-stirring’ talents. Pastry making just isn't it.” 

He let out a harrumph. “Then he'll be missing out on my deduction abilities. S-Rank Detective over here, 1 out of 7 in the world I tell you!!” Was he just acting mad, or actually mad? He himself wasn't sure anymore. 

He noticed the taller one look towards Totomaru, who was whole heartedly agreeing with Ron. “He sure would, wonder if he'll actually show up though.”

Before they were able to continue their conversation, a blaring alarm sounded through the room. 

“Fire, fire in first floor living room!” The robotic voice inside it said. 

Everyone got up, looking for it. “Aren’t we already on the first floor?! Where is it?!” Officer Namazu was already running through every room inside the mansion looking for the source, but there was none to be found.

“What timing…”

Like instinct, Officer Sannou rushed up the staircase, yelling at their target. “Nyonyon-san! Get out of there! You're in danger!” 

Through the chaos, Totomaru took the key from Mitsubashi, and opened the door to the top of the tower. 

And to everyone's horror,

She was gone. 

“That bird brained bastard!!” Officer Namazu quickly looked around every corner, every nook, then looked down past the windows, everywhere. “Where the FUCK is he?!” He knocked on the walls, on the flooring again, looking for any hollow space. “There has to be, there HAS to be a hidden room!” 

Mitsubashi was slow to climb the stairs, but when she was up, she responded to his mad yelling. “There isn't something like that! Underneath the room are the gears for the clock, and the sides are all fully concrete!” 

“Damnit!!!” He'd kick the table if it wasn't full of expensive music making equipment. “Sannou, what say you?!” 

The officer that was suddenly pointed out looked a little surprised. “I'd say this Hummingbird really must not be a force to be reckoned with…” He too, joined the older in knocking on the walls for any change in pitch to them. “How could it have possibly been pulled off?”

In a fit of rage, Officer Namazu announced his leave back downstairs to contact his subordinates, considering if somehow the Hummingbird had left with her, his subordinates would still find him leaving the radius he had patrolled. .

They let him go, leaving the rest behind. 

“M-Maybe…” Totomaru walked up to the middle of the room where all the equipment laid, untouched, except for a small music piece on the computer monitor. The curtains of the windows floated open from when they were left unclosed by Namazu’s investigation. “Mitsubashi-san, know anything about this?”

She still stood far at the staircase, not even moving closer to see. “I-I don't know anything about music, so I can't really say…” 

“Totomaru-san, play the snippet please.” 

Oh, maybe Ron has an idea? He did as he was asked, looking intently at Ron for any deductions he's made. 

“What instruments were those, Ms Manager?” 

“U-Uhm…” She stuttered and stammered. “I-I don't know. I really don't know much about music, so…” 

Really? I mean it sounds pretty clear what they are… 

The raven nodded, “it's alright, just thought there might be a clue there.” 

This was all while Officer Sannou was clearly listening in, though he didn't look in their direction. 

Everyone met back up in the living room, Officer Namazu once again yelling at his subordinates. When he was done, he reported back to everyone. “They said that no one's left the area yet.” 

“Then that must mean the Hummingbird’s still here.” Officer Sannou got up, his tone reminding Totomaru a bit of someone else… “With my deductions, I predict that the Hummingbird is you, Mitsubashi-san.” 

It caused a riot between the two officers, but Ron, along with the stunned manager, stayed silent. 

Then, he explains exactly how he came to the conclusion. “When we were rushing to the clocktower, the door opens inward, creating a corner that couldn't be seen while the door was kept open. Nyonyon of course would be scared by the alarm, and try to escape from there. She'd be pushed into the corner by us pushing the door, and the reason why Mitsubashi-san was late to come up the stairs was because she was busy abducting Nyonyon-san!” 

Officer Namazu believed it right away, even asking her to reveal where she had put the Star herself, but Officer Isshiki went to whisper to Ron. “Feels kinda random that the manager of a famous songwriter kidnaps other artists, right? Would she even have any opportunities to do all that?” 

He didn't want to say it out loud, it's rude, plus he isn't sure if he's missing something, and if he was, Ron would surely say. 

A warm smile was returned to him. “Glad you noticed, his explanation is plausible, but the fact that he implied it'd be Nyonyon-kun’s manager makes it feel impossible. He's wrong.”

“I-I wouldn't say he's wrong…” 

Before Totomaru could stop him, he walked up to the other, less cute, brunet. Staring at him as if challenging him. “Me and Officer Isshiki don't buy your deductions. And I have a better one.” 

And rather unfortunately, Officer Namazu couldn't stay longer, distracted by a call of his subordinates finding someone suspicious in one of their stations. “I'm going to look, I'm sure that's the Hummingbird!!” 

Not even Officer Isshiki with his quick reflexes was enough to stop his impulsiveness, leaving the 4 of them alone. 

“Well, can't leave it all to the metro police.” Officer Sannou quickly handcuffed the manager without asking to hear what Ron had to say, as if he was worried about something that'll happen if he does. 

So of course Ron had to hasten to share his final answer. “She's not the Hummingbird because she herself is Nyonyon, the famous songwriter!” 

“WHAT?!” 

The brunet couldn't believe his ears. “S-S-She’s Nyonyon-san?! But she's the manager, isn't she?!” 

She sighed. “Guess she was right, you are a brilliant detective. How'd you figure it out?” 

“You overplayed your manager persona. An actual songwriter's manager would know more about music than what you acted like.” 

“Ohh, yeah. You not knowing what those instruments in that short clip of a song was really weird. It as just a few drums and some piano, wasn't it?”

“A-Ah…” She didn't seem to think about overdoing it. “Well, that doesn't matter now… We still need to find her…”

“Why hide yourself?” The brunet ask, hopefully he's not going out of line with such a question, but he's admired her for… Okay, not as long as it would be impressive, but still. 

She seemed hesitant to answer, but seemed obligated to. Is he threatening to her? He hopes not. “It's not like I don't like my work or anything…” She started off. “I just feel everyone's expectations crushing me, and I just want to keep working without anyone getting in the way and constantly watching what I do.” 

Well, guess it's a struggle he's too stupid to get. But it's okay, he believes that if it's a valid reason for her, then it's a valid reason regardless of anything else. “Who’s the fake Nyonyon then?” 

“Just a singer my company introduced to act as Nyonyon, b-but still, is she okay?” 

“I'm sure we'll find out by going to where Namazu-san is.” 

“Y’know, this could’ve probably gone smoother if you went to the police station and left her here with us…” The brunet shyly admitted. “Then the hummingbird would be tricked and have no time to get you all the way back at the station.” 

She laughed a little, for the first time in a while. “Yeah, I couldn’t have gotten much done if I stayed here anyways…” 

Officer Sannou was about to walk off with her in tow to head to where Namazu and the other police had seemingly caught the Hummingbird before being interrupted by the raven. “Bring us with you, we don't have a ride, do we?” 

The way he looked at Totomaru suggested for him to just go with it. 

The taller officer seemed slightly peeved about it, but so subtly that Totomaru was barely able to pick it up. All it did was confirm Ron’s suspicions though.

“So, Officer Sannou.” Ron spoke, bothered that he was forced to sit in the back because Totomaru entrusted Mitsubashi, whom they now know to be Nyonyon, to his protection. “Anything to confess before we meet with Officer Namazu?”

The car slowed to a halt in the span of a few seconds. “What might you suggest, Ron-kun?” He didn’t even turn around to face the man, just eerily staring ahead like his neck was stiff.

“We won’t find the fake Nyonyon with the police, will we?” More of a rhetorical question than an actual one.

The air thickened with tension, Totomaru trying his best to stay silent. 

“What makes you say that?” His polite tone still maintained, but the brunet sitting next to him could see the expressions he attempted to hide. 

“Maybe the fact that you came here without notifying the metro police of your collaboration? Or maybe that you attempted to try and abduct Nyonyon in broad daylight? Or that you targeted Mitsubashi-kun once you realized the other one was a fake?”

He smiled, almost like a sweet one that you’d give to a child you were proud of. “Guess you really are brilliant, Ron-kun.” His words confirmed every word that came out of Ron’s mouth, shocking Totomaru once again. “Your deductive abilities are one to be admired, I am indeed the Hummingbird.”

“Good, you aren’t an idiot who doubles down once you’re found out.” Ron mocked. “Where is she?” 

There was hesitation before he answered his question. “In the back trunk.” The intonation of his voice was impossible to decipher whether he was being truthful or not. Totomaru did not have a choice but to believe him.

God, damn it. Totomaru and 3 others are sitting in a vehicle manned by a criminal, this is not going to end well.

Chapter Text

Totomaru slowly left the car, urging Mistubashi to leave with him, and leaving Ron inside with Officer Sannou, who they now know as the Hummingbird.

He felt fine leaving the detective in there, knowing how much of a menace Ron can be. Even officers with years of training would struggle with fighting someone like Ron, he's sure. He's very unassuming too. 

What he didn't expect was for the car to race off before he's even able to open the trunk. 

Ron didn't even have time to say anything, hands moving to try and stop him from the backseat. 

But his hands grew weaker, and weaker, and weaker still. What's happening, What's wrong?! His left hand reached into his pockets, feeling a syringe missing. One of his emergency tranquilizers. 

“You made it easy for me, Ron-kun. Thanks for that.” 

The last scene he was conscious to see was the man throwing the needle to the passenger seat and driving off as fast as he could without getting caught or questioned.

Where am I? What is this place? It's so…

Nice?! 

But where he was laid had no other doors but one. One that didn't seem to lead outside. 

Before doing anything, he reached for his pockets, looking for his phone. Okay, his main phone's gone, what about…

Aw fuck, the hummingbird really made sure to look for everything, huh.

Whatever, he opened the lone door, revealing a small room, it looks like a girls bedroom. 

“W-Who are you?” A young girl, teenaged, he guessed, lifted her head up from her phone. 

He was hesitant to answer, but he wasn't sure why. “Ron Kamonohashi, S-Rank Detective.” 

The girl, try as she might, couldn't hold in her laughter. “A detective? Goodness.” She said, sounding exasperated, though she still smiled. “Dad sees me watch and enjoy one episode of a detective drama and does this.” 

“That's great and all, but where exactly am I?” 

“Oh!” She'd almost forgotten, lifting herself off her bed and moving her IV stand with her as she walked around the room. “Sorry, you're in my room, in my house. Um… Kidnapped by The Hummingbird?” 

“The Hummingbird?”

She nodded. “Police been trying weeks to catch him…”

“Never realized he was an officer among their ranks, huh.” 

She nodded. “Mhm…”

“Why did he put me in here, then?” 

“I guess that he saw me being so overjoyed with watching talented people on the TV that he thought it was the only way to fix me.” She said, looking outside the window, then looking at the sculptures and paintings in her room. “Though, I don't think I need fixing at all.” 

“What does ‘fix’ mean in your context?” 

“Honestly, that'd be a question better suited for my dad. He loves me, he really does. He just doesn't realize that I have things outside of singing and music that I want to do.” 

“Can't you tell him, then?” 

“I feel like he's still not able to let go of the fact that mom died so suddenly like that.”

His eyes trailed her as she walked up to a picture of the three together, at least a decade old with how young she looks in the picture. 

“Maybe he needs me to live on in her image, and I did try.” She said, showing him all the medals and trophies tucked away inside her closet. “But I just wanted to do something else, or maybe just take a substantial break.”

The metal stand that followed her held an IV bag, and wasn't even labeled. What was it even filled with? Depressants? Stimulants? A placebo? “Hope my dad one day’ll stop being so sheltering.” She said again. “I wanna try going to school myself, it looks so fun.”

The raven laughed. “Looks fun until you need to do all the homework.” 

And she giggled too. “Maybe it's worth the trade for being able to choose what I want to do.”

There was a pause between them as they felt the room get darker from the clouds covering the sun up and lessening the light entering through the windows.

“How was your dad like, Mr. Detective?”

He was shocked at such a question, though incredibly predictable, he just didn't think that she'd ask. 

Another pause, for him to think.

“I don't remember.” 

She nodded again.

“That's ok, I don't remember my mom much either.” 

It feels so weird being treated like another normal, average person, by someone else. He's so used to everyone revering him for how smart he is, or everyone acting like he's an insane person with no common sense. 

“I hope she was a kind, and pretty lady, like dad says.” 

He didn't expect in a million years that this is how being kidnapped by the Hummingbird would go, but it's honestly kind of nice. 

“I'm sure she was.”

“AMAMIYA-SENPAI!!” 

His voice screeched through the general's phone, so loud that even off speaker mode half the office could hear him. 

“Isshiki?! What the hell?!” She set her phone slightly further away so as to not break her ear drums with his crying. He usually never calls her, outside of emergencies.

“AMAMIYA-SENPAI!!! OFFICER SANNOU!! RON!! HE TOOK RON!!!” 

Was he sniffling on the other side?! 

“Ron? That annoying bastard with slicked back hair??”

“YEAH…” 

Jeez, guess it is an emergency, to him at least. “Where are you? Aren't you at Nyonyon-san's mansion keeping her safe?” 

Sniffle, “I AM, BUT T-THEY JUST DROVE OFF, AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE, AND I–” He cut himself off, sobbing even louder. “I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE OFFICER, AMAMIYA-SENPAI, JUST FIRE ME ALREADY!!” 

There was another voice on the other side of the phone. “O-Officer Isshiki, calm down…” 

Amamiya, still calm and still has that commander voice in her. “Have you tried calling–”

“I can't reach him on either of his phones!!! What am I supposed to do?!?!”

E-Either? Nevermind. “Doesn't he have like, other friends from his freaky weird organization?”

“Oh my god, Spitz.” He exclaimed, quickly thanked Amamiya, then dropped the call. 

She confusedly set down her phone, about to sit back down to calm herself down from being jumped by his call, but then–

Another ring, another call. 

“HE'S ALL THE WAY OUT IN ENGLAND!!!!” 

Jeez, she's never seen Isshiki so worked up in her life. Well, guess she's only known him for half a year. “I’ll contact Yamanashi prefecture right now to try and get ahold of Officer Sannou. Can you send your location so I can dispatch a police car to get you and uh… Miss…?” 

“Mitsubashi.” The other voice spoke from the phone.

“Excellent, stay put, calm down, Officer.” SHe said, she nodded at the other officers in the room to prepare a ride to his location. “We won’t let him get away.”

“I hope you don't arrest him, Detective.” The girl said, welcoming Ron to take a seat on her bed while she chatted with him. “I'd hate to be moved around as a foster kid.” 

“Can't guarantee that, I don't really work for or under the metro police.” 

“Hah, well, tell them he's a nice man, he didn't hurt you, right?” 

Oh, right. He looked around his body, but he himself didn't feel a single twinge of pain, maybe a little dizzy from the aftereffects of the tranquilizer. “No, he didn't.” 

“Goes to show how kind he is.” She said. “Please spare him.”

She seemed to want to speak more with him, but by the time she thought of something else to say, they heard sirens sounding, surrounding the house. He looked to the other side of the room, there's the exit. “Guess I'll be going.”

Totomaru breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the detective walk out of the house.

“Ron!” The brunet rushed over to look at his face, as his body, at anywhere he could think of. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?” 

He felt so content about Totomaru fussing and worrying about him. “Did you miss me that much, Totomaru-san?” He leaned into the brunet's touch, “I wasn't hurt, he just knocked me out and brought me here.” 

“Oh goodness…” A hand was laid on his chest to try and finally, calm himself down. “I should trust Chicory-chan more often…” 

His last sentence made Ron let out an inquisitive noise. 

“She researched and found everyone who was kidnapped by the Hummingbird to be happy and have no complaints about him…” He pulled out his phone and opened up the draft Chicory had sent to him. “But I was worried that maybe he'd be angry with you revealing that he was the Hummingbird all along, and I just…” 

A hand was reached to grab the brunet's, holding it up to the raven's lips for a short kiss. “Totomaru-san is so sweet, worrying about me.” He said, enjoying the way he blushed like crazy. “I'm sorry I made you worry.”

Being flustered sure did distract him for a while, but once he forgot that Ron basically kissed his hand like a prince with his princess, he calmed down enough to bring Ron back, writing his testament for Chicory, and moving on. 

He dropped him off at his apartment, but not without Totomaru fussing a bit more. “I'll be fine, Totomaru-san.” He reassured once more. 

And only then, he felt fine to let him go into his beautiful, luxurious mansion, once more. 

He walked to his room, clean and tidy as ever. His fluffy kitty clinging to him, begging for food. She's been starved nearly the whole day, he really should invest in an automatic cat feeder. 

Once he finally poured food into her bowl, and refilled her water, he laid onto his bed. 

And thought. 

Thinking. About what that young girl said today. It's so like him to not ask her name too, not that it matters, but maybe he should’ve? 

Was dad like him? Like Officer Sannou? Who sacrificed everything for his child? Who would even commit a crime for them? Risk his livelihood?

He…

He doesn't remember.

Maybe he was? 

Then why didn't mom tell him? Mom talked about how he used to make jokes and bother her, and make her laugh, and give her puzzles to solve.

So he has to be a good person, right? Of course he is. He has no reason to believe he was a bad person.

Sure, he died prematurely, but death isn't something you get for being a bad person, isn't something someone deserves, isn't something anyone deserves. 

He died… How, exactly? 

Why can't he remember? 

He looked down at the feet of his bed, a wardrobe placed at the far end of the room. 

Atop it laid a picture of him and his mother. 

Why doesn't he have any pictures of his dad? 

He lifted himself off his bed, moving to look at his computer setup that he only ever uses for work files and the like. He doesn't have a choice now, his phones were stolen. 

“Mom”

“Do you have any pictures of dad?”

He sent to his dear mother. Well, the latest number she used to text him for his birthday. 

He wonders if she'll even receive it.

Weeks passed after the case, Totomaru continually showing Ron all the new songs Nyonyon had put out after that day. “I’m still bothered that he hasn't been arrested yet… Kidnapping is still a crime!” He complained. 

The raven let out a sigh, but not one of disappointment. “I don’t think he’s doing something bad.” He said, hands gesturing at Totomaru to open his mouth, and let him handfeed the brunet his new recipe he concocted. “I’m sure letting him go would be for the better.” 

After he was done blushing, and chewing the cake in his mouth, he looked at the taller man, who got up to grab some tea for them to chase the particularly sweet dessert. “Really…?” The doorbell rang, and Totomaru got up to get it. 

But he wasn’t able to, because he was jumped by a thick letter being slid through the mail slot in the door. “Oh, Ron, you have a letter.”

The raven only took it off the officer’s hand after sitting down and thanking him, reading the details on the cover. 

There was the usual address, and stamp, though it seems to be oddly from nowhere that he can recognize. “To Ronny.” It was written to mention him.

“R-Ronny…?” Totomaru could barely hold in his smile, what an adorable nickname for a masculine and handsome man like Ron. “Is this from someone you know?”

He tried to hide how embarrassed he was that Totomaru-san saw the nickname that was given to him during his childhood, but at least he seems to be happy about seeing it. He opened the letter, hoping it’ll provide some semblance of a clue to who sent him it. 

Out fell nearly 20 photographs of him during his childhood including his father. They were spotless, so clean they might even be sterile. 

“What are these?” Totomaru gently grabbed one of the pictures from his hands to look. “Are these you?” He asked, smiling even harder than before when he saw the letter being addressed to “Ronny”. He tried not to laugh, but the haircuts and expressions he had in the photos were much too adorable not to have a reaction to. “You were so cute!”

He didn’t expect anything to come out when he sent that message to his mother, much less a whole album’s worth of pictures being sent by mail. “These are all from my mom.” He deduces, since they didn't really mention who sent them.

The brunet was wide eyed for a moment. “She sent you all of this?” He looked carefully at all of them, usually featuring him and another handsome, but blonde man with a mark on his face, or them two along with a woman with curly dark hair, and a mischievous smile. “You really took after both of your parents equally, huh.” 

“What does that mean?” This was not how he wanted the brunet to see what his childhood was like. There’s so many pictures of him doing dumb things, like eating a donut with chocolate all over his face, grabbing and pulling on his dad’s hair, don’t even talk to him about the picture his mom took of him crying because his dad had to take away the gun he owned that Ron was playing with.

“Nothing, nothing.” Again, he tried to let Ron save face and not laugh, but god he is adorable in all these images. The way he was trying so hard not to show how embarrassed he was made him even cuter than before, and Totomaru thought he couldn’t get any cuter. 

Totomaru only left once they had dinner at Maison du Kamonohashi together, where Ron brought him to the in-house restaurant that was part of the building. It feels more like a hotel than an apartment complex with all these additions Ron was requesting. But eh, the brunet can’t complain… Ok, maybe a little bit, since Ron keeps insisting that he tries one of the most expensive items on their menu, he feels so bad for taking something like that on the raven’s dime. 

Ron headed back to his room once he saw the brunet off, looking back at all the photos he had received from his dear mother. 

He picked one that had all 3 of them posing together, with his dad carrying him and holding him in his arms. 

It fit nicely in one of the frames he had lying around as a gift from one of his old classmates. And then, he set it right on the TV stand in the middle of his living room, for anyone who visits him to see. 

His living space in Japan has never felt more like home.

Chapter Text

Ughhh… Being part of the Japan branch directing staff for the WDA is so annoying. Who cares about a dumb meeting, all he’s gonna do is sit in front of his laptop and listen to the others talk. They don’t even bring up unsolved cases for him to get his hands on! What’s the point? 

What’s worse, is that Kay requested to physically meet him to discuss his work outline and how to integrate the WDA better with the metro police! Well, to be fair to Kay, he’s actually doing a fair job at being branch director, handling all these international cases (the boring ones) and meetings with the superiors. He’s glad he let Kay take the job when he offered the exchange of being in charge of intercommunications with the local police. At least now he has a very professional and valid excuse to bother Totomaru all the time. 

He was on his way back to the train station to return to his apartment complex when a voice called for him. 

“Kamonohashi-san! Is that you?!” 

Those circular lenses and short stature, alongside her blonde hair. It’s that journalist lady that interviewed Totomaru a while ago. 

Looks like she wants something. He considered leaving and ignoring her, but maybe Totomaru-san’s kindness rubbed off on him, because he marched himself over to her to see what she was looking for.

“Ron?” The brunet was resting in his bed, looking at his phone when he saw the familiar blue-eyed raven’s name pop up in his notifications, calling him. He put his phone up to his ear. 

He smiled just hearing his voice come through. “Totomaru-san…” Ron called, “are you busy?” 

“Huh?” Busy? “Not really, why?” It is his off day, maybe Ron has something fun planned? It’d be a first for sure. 

His phone received the location of a hospital that was owned by the university next to it. “Come by here.” Ron had meant for it to be an order, but he said it in such a way that Totomaru felt more like a whiny plead. 

He agreed, guess he doesn’t have anything better to do. 

“Officer Isshiki!!” A familiar strawberry blonde lady called out to him, her glasses reflecting in the sunlight while she waved excitedly at him. “Wow, Kamonohashi-san! You’re right, he really does listen to you!” 

“L-Listen?” He tried to mutter under his breath. “What exactly did you tell Chicory-chan, Ron?”

Ron didn’t look to him, to try and hide his smirk that he got to show Ms Journalist over here exactly how close Totomaru was to him. He got him to come all the way out here without even explaining for what. “Nothing~” He said, dragging out the last syllable in a sing-songy voice. 

“I was actually preparing to go in to do some journaling about this university lab!” She said, turning her phone to show some scientific article the institution had released not long ago. “It says here they managed to find out exactly how emotions are processed in the brain! Big breakthrough, and I was assigned to get some more info, especially since it’s been so peaceful around here without any major cases to report on…” Does she sound a little sad about that last part?? “I bumped into Kamonohashi-san earlier, and he thought it’d be fun if you and him joined me!” 

S-So that’s why he was called here…? Well, he’s here now. It’d be rude to just say no. “I-I see, then, I don’t see why I can’t join the two of you.”

Phew . Ron’s inner monologue let out a sigh of relief. If Totomaru-san said no, he’d have to find some way to get out of Chicory’s interview with a few probably pretentious ass scientists and do literally anything else. He was betting all of today’s activities on Totomaru saying yes, so now he can relax. 

Chicory grinned from ear to ear at his agreement. “I’m so glad I get to be accompanied by the metro police’s ace!” She exclaimed.

Wait, wait, wait. ACE?!

“Mhm!” She nodded enthusiastically, when he turned to Ron to get help, Ron just nodded knowingly with her. Not helping at all!!

He didn't even have time to refute her statement before she dragged them inside to get on with her journaling.

Ron should really be grateful that Chicory has access to enter without being questioned, because with how suspicious Ron’s job description sounds, they might've kicked him out. 

The two men stood awkwardly behind the spry journalist as she walked up confidently to knock on the door to the laboratory. “Ah, Chicory-san, was it?” The man who answered asked.

She nodded, also introducing the two others behind her. “Is now a good time for the tour and introductions?” 

He let them inside before continuing their conversation. “Unfortunately, Professor Maruyama is out on a conference meeting in America, so I'm taking care of the lab for now.” 

She jotted a few things down already, while Totomaru was looking around the room. It looked less like a lab and more like a computer room. Maybe his idea of a lab is a little warped from watching all those sci fi shows…? 

The older man, introduced himself. “I'm Aoe. We research cognitive psychology, studying the cognitive function of humans and their behaviour.” 

A younger lady walked up to them to introduce herself too, Himeno, a student studying under Aoe. She had short brown hair with big eyes, quite the beauty, and a kind look. “What professor is trying to say is that we study emotions and actions that come out of it.” She let out a small giggle from hearing how he always forgets to lessen the professional terms when speaking to non-experts. “I'm here studying with these 3 juniors of mine!”

The older man continued to introduce the 4 of the other students working under him. Oigawa, a younger man with dark hair much like the professor, but wearing a much meaner and scarier look than him. Imai, a brunet (still not as cute as the officer in the room) who happens to have sort of a baby face to him. He had a few freckles alongside marks on his face from scratching at his pimples from his youth. The last one, who sat in a farther corner of the room was Niki. A fair lady with dyed, light pink hair tied into a bun, alongside 2 side bangs. Accessories in her hair were abundant, but did not seem excessive. 

The professor again spoke to the 3 visiting the university. “If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Look around too if you want.” 

This prompted Chicory to quickly turn to a page on her clipboard where she had prepared a huge list of questions, while Totomaru went off to look at the models of the brain they had lying in a dusty corner. 

Questions? Questions about the brain? He had read up a lot on books written about it. It is one of the more interesting parts of the body, after all. Questions… It is weird that he barely remembers much of his childhood. Normal people can't remember much of it either, but he was able to remember much ever since he was conscious enough to think. The only part missing was the time when he was 6. 

Though, coincidentally, that was the age when his father had died, so is it really a question? It's just a trauma response. No big deal. Maybe one day those memories will resurface. Maybe when he meets his mom and gets to really catch up with her. 

Partway through Chicory's huge QnA session, Himeno interrupted and reminded Aoe of his previous appointments, and he went off to do them, but not without referring to Himeno as the one he left in charge while he goes off. 

She wished him luck when Totomaru muttered something more under his breath. “Seems so busy.” 

The brunette nodded. “It’s only natural considering he's such a talented researcher in the field.” She looked so enamoured by him, by her own words about him. “What I’d even say is the ace of psychological research.” 

A… Ace… A-And, is she blushing…?! 

He looked to Ron again, this time he was smirking a little, those beautiful blue eyes laughing at him. “Doesn't that sound familiar, Totomaru-san?”

Chicory let out an excited, but controlled scream to not bother the other students. “I get exactly how you feel, Himeno-san!!” She squealed. “Officer Isshiki here is the person I feel the same about!!” 

This one sentence caused the officer to think heavily on what exactly she meant. She admires him? Like, just normally, right? Like how he admires Amamiya-senpai? Right? He thought Himeno was clearly a little obsessed with her professor, is he wrong?! How is he wrong?! Which part?! 

He was quickly distracted by Ron shoving his head into the back of his neck. 

Ron is so annoyed. Who the hell does this nerd think she is?? Officer Isshiki is way out of her league. Can't she see it? She does journaling for a living, she should know!

Neither of the men considered the fact that Chicory herself didn't really see that Himeno was probably a little in love with her own professor. None of them considered that Chicory just thought that she, too, purely admired him for his achievements and kind personality.

3 entirely clueless idiots, 4 if Professor Aoe wasn't busy with his appointments. 

Himeno was a little surprised that the journalist expressed that she shared her sentiment, but overall she was excited. She shared a few things that she found funny about the professor, and Chicory told her about stuff she found interesting and cool about Totomaru. 

“W-When did she find out about my favourite dish??” He muttered to himself. He needs to keep in mind to never cross Chicory or his career is surely going down whether he likes it or not.

The two walked off outside, without telling the other two. Ron was honestly fine staying in the boring laboratory with Totomaru, but of course Totomaru would want to see the rest of the place. 

They walked up to a door, it wasn't labelled, but outside were many warnings. “No pacemakers.” “No metallic objects.” “No magnetic memory media.” 

Again, the brunet muttered something under his breath. “What is that…?”

To which Ron whispered an answer to him. “I guess it's an MRI room.”

“This is the lab's MRI room for running tests!” Himeno said, mainly to Chicory. “It’s built specially so no sound, radio or magnetic waves can enter or exit this room for optimal results.” 

The journalist diligently jotted down a few more things, and then stopped to hear another funny story about Professor Aoe forgetting that his new reading glasses contained a fraction of some metal alloy, and having it nearly get snapped off his face when he opened the door. 

She let the 3 enter once she checked for everything on their person, with Chicory taking a quick picture from outside the door before entering. 

The machine only raised interest by Totomaru and Chicory. Ron had seen the same high end imaging technology back in Blue, though he thought they really should've kept it guarded. A billion cases and warnings could not deter students with piercings from walking into it and getting it ripped clean off their bodies. And keeping it locked would've only meant a challenge in a school like Blue. 

The brunet was a little terrified about how similar the two women were, at least they're having fun? 

They were next brought to the shield room, as introduced by Himeno. 

There, the walls were made of steel, bolted to the concrete as it was made to be impenetrable by different types of “waves”. The only ones she said that Totomaru really knew about were sound and radio waves, but it makes sense. If the machine they use to track brain activity is really sensitive, they'd want as little interruptions as possible. 

There's also a computer there, apparently no information on it is allowed to leave the lab for security reasons, whatever that means. Wouldn't they need to use it as proof for research papers? That's what Ron thought at least. 

Once Chicory had her fun and wrote down a few things in her little journaling clipboard they went back to the lab with the rest of the students. 

“You have it all the time! I barely ever have time on it!”

“That's because my research needed it!!” 

They heard bickering from all the way back in the hallway. 

“Oh yeah? You booked it? That's some news to me!” 

The two male students were arguing in the middle of the lab, both stood up and pointing fingers at each other. 

They were interrupted by their senior, who tried to stop them and see what was going on. 

“He's trying to steal my reservation of the MRI room!”

“Me?! I reserved it first! If anything, you're stealing it from me !” 

She seemed a little helpless to stop them from continuing, unable to de-escalate the situation. 

And the other student spoke up to her. “Maybe you should flirt with the professor to get him to help.” She said, an air of condescension clear in her voice. 

She said it out loud on purpose, for every one of their guests to hear. 

“Like you always say: ‘oh professor! Professor!’ It's your catch phrase at this point.” 

Ron could think of better ways to embarrass someone, so he wasn't as shocked as the other two. It did feel a little uncalled for.

Himeno stared at her for a few more seconds before quickly excusing herself and leaving the room. 

A few seconds of thinking had Chicory choose to follow her, while the other two were left alone in the lab with the students, still bickering, still unfriendly, still with tension as viscous as tar.

“I-I'm so sorry you had to see that…” 

She bowed down to the three guests, and when she lifted herself up, she was met with Chicory hugging her. 

“It's fine, really.” The brunet reassured, while the raven behind him didn't really seem to care, he was off looking at the plants the university decided to use to decorate the surroundings.

She seemed to be really calmed down by Chicory being there. The two didn't see what they did when they left the room, but they can only guess they bonded even more after that. “The field is just so competitive, we all get a bit aggressive sometimes…”

“Our fields too. We get it, Himeno-san. Don't worry about it.” 

Her eyes shone a little brighter now, more reminiscent of what they saw when she was showing them around the place. “You're so kind, Officer Isshiki.” She then quickly turned to the journalist, “I can see why you admire him so much.”

Totomaru, again, was involuntarily reminded of how much Chicory really admired him. It doesn't seem he can do anything about it now. 

“It was pretty competitive back in my school too.” Ron spoke, thinking about it. “Lotta people wanted to fight me for how fast I was moving through the syllabus on my own, but they usually shut up once I break one of their bones.” 

“That does not help that situation!!” 

He pouted, so hard that his mouth made a very clear line like he was a cartoon character. “Not my fault that they didn't understand when I warned them about what I'd do.” He said, trying to defend himself from Totomaru's scolding.

They were distracted by a few laughs from the other two that were watching. “You're both so funny, Officer Isshiki, Kamonohashi-san.” 

Ron was about to interject with “that wasn't a joke,” but thought that maybe Totomaru-san wouldn't like that that much. 

She wiped at the corners of her eyes, removing the evidence that she had almost cried during that debacle, and smiled at them. “Thanks for everything, you three. I'll keep doing my best!”

“And keep supporting your ace, Himeno-san!!” The blonde cheered. 

The other smiled widely. “Of course, and you too!”

The three left the university, but not without Chicory exchanging contact information with the senior student.

The coffee shop in the morning felt emptier than usual, but it was a nice sort of quiet that let Ron hear Totomaru speak without extending energy to lip read through the chaos. 

“–I didn't really like the flavor of it.” He ended as he was talking about a new dish he tried making yesterday. “Though, the texture–” he was cut off by his phone ringing in his pocket. He quickly picked it up, apologising to Ron, who was just obediently listening to him ramble. 

“Hello? Chicory-chan?” 

He heard the sounds of soft sniffling and sobbing through the phone. “C-Chicory-chan? Are you okay?” 

“Officer Isshiki…” She quietly sobbed, her mouth muffled from what sounds to be her hand covering her cries. 

Ron couldn't really hear her side of the conversation, but got the gist of it from Totomaru's outward and outloud thinking. “The lab blew up?! The one we went to yesterday?!” He yelled out. “There's a victim?!” 

“C-Chicory-chan, calm down, I–” 

He suddenly went silent, his jaw dropping in horror. 

Ron tilted his head at him, already making guesses, but too afraid to say them out loud to jinx himself and the people involved. 

“Himeno-san is dead.”

There goes his plan of not jinxing anyone, right out the window. 

They've known her for just a few hours, and now suddenly, the kind, young, smart, and bright woman, deceased.

Chapter Text

Ron quickly called a taxi to bring them to the university, seeing the building that had the incident already be sealed off with police tape. 

The two entered after flashing Totomaru's police badge at the guards, walking up to a familiar figure. “Amamiya-senpai.” The brunet said. 

She turned, a little surprised. “Isshiki. We never called you, why are you here?”

“I…” He hesitated, knowing how Amamiya might respond, but he can't let that get to him, not unless he's specifically told off. “I know the victim, even if not for long.” 

“Himeno-san, eh?” She looked at him, at his huge grey eyes that asked for help. “It was a murder, we gleamed from the way the room blew up, suggesting it had some flammable gas in it along with a heat gun that wasn't turned off.”

Shivers went down his spine like snakes crawling on him. Someone killed her. For what ?! “Please, Amamiya-senpai, put me on the case.” He already braced himself for a rejection, but it can't hurt to ask. 

And there were the words he was hoping he wouldn't hear. “Don't bring your emotions into this, Isshiki!” She strictly reprimanded, for good reason. “How can I trust a case as important as this one to someone wrapped up in his feelings?!”

He sighed, already knowing that there was basically no chance he'd be able to get anything out of Amamiya. He nodded, sadly agreeing to her statement. 

She turned away, looking back at the scene and the officers collecting information as she felt Totomaru behind her… Sulking? He's not the type to sulk. But still…

It's annoying how much he reminds her of her younger self. 

The general pulled out her phone, taking a call (?). 

Totomaru was a little shocked at how bad Amamiya's acting was, because not only did he see that her phone was on its lock screen, but Amamiya spoke in such a way it was clear she was acting. “Oh, yeah? Wow. Really?!”

He was jumped by her yelling his name at him. “I have an urgent matter, so I need to leave this to you.”

His eyes blinked a few more times than usual as if that'd help him process his information better. “T-Thank you, Amamiya-senpai…?” 

She left, the last few words about how if he messed up, she'll get a replacement. 

“Oh, and keep your dog in check.” 

“My what?” 

And right after he asked that last question, to no one since Amamiya had left, too far to hear anything he had to mumble next, he felt something push into his back. Ah, Ron. That's what she was talking about. “Totomaru-san, let's go interrogate.” He said softly, since they were already so close. 

“Alright, alright.” The brunet said, attempting to shove the taller man off him, but failing a little. “Just let me tell Chicory-chan some updates.”

She was still crying, but she seemed glad to have at least gotten some notices. He feels that she started crying harder when he told her that Himeno was suspected of being murdered rather than a freak accident. “Thanks for taking the case, Officer Isshiki. I'll come over soon.”

He was a little surprised. “Don't force yourself, Chicory–” He was hung up on before he could finish his sentence. 

Ron held the door to Professor Aoe’s office open for the officer, urging him to walk in and talk to him together.

“Really was a shame that it was Himeno of all people…” 

The professor lifted his head up from his desk to look at the two standing beside him. “It is. Our condolences. She must've been pretty close to you.” Totomaru said, recalling exactly how many little anecdotes she could recall of her and Professor Aoe. “But we still need to ask, what did you do after your meeting yesterday?”

He looked a little shocked. “You suspect me?”

“Just a standard question.” The brunet reassured.

“R-Right…” He said, finally agreeing to share what he did that night. 

He accounts that he was in the MRI room running experiments with the machine, and that he passed the room that blew up on the way back, but the lights seemed to be out. 

And Ron looked up at all the decorations and clutter around the room. You'd be surprised by how much you can tell from someone by looking at those details. 

There were many plaques up on the wall, showing off the professor's many achievements. 

“The explosion seemed like an expensive fix, doesn't it?” The Raven said, never looking back at the professor, still just staring up at the various certificates and awards he had displayed in his office. 

He sighed. “Yes… The data on the computer was the most priceless thing that was destroyed, of course, right behind Himeno’s life.” 

Totomaru's gut felt off about the way he said it, but he couldn't really put a finger as to why. “It's alright, Professor Aoe. Our experts are working on recovering what we can.” 

Ron spoke to him again. “Anything else that caught your attention?”

He thought for a few moments, then suddenly remembering something and turning to his drawers. “This was just mailed to the lab.” 

He pulled up a letter, the address was printed onto a sticker that was pasted to the front, and was post-marked yesterday. Opening it revealed words that were clipped from magazines and newspapers, like those classic anonymous letters in detective shows. 

An amateur criminal, Ron thought to himself. 

The contents wrote “Kanae Himeno!! Divine punishment is waiting for you!”

The contents were shocking, but that was really it. Nothing but shock value. “Seems to be a premeditated crime.” 

Totomaru nodded, quickly snapping a picture and putting the letter in a ziplock back as evidence. “Whoever knew Himeno was going to be in the shield room this morning is our culprit.”

They gathered the students together into one of the empty lecture halls in the university for interrogation. 

None of them seemed interested, but there was a twinge of guilt in the air, all 3 of them looked the part. 

It was eerily silent, just the uncomfortable shuffling of clothes was heard. 

“Professor Aoe said you students determined who would use the shield room this morning.” 

The brunet was met with more silence. The three avoided eye contact with him, out of fear, guilt that Himeno died, or guilt that they killed her, he wasn't sure.

“Did any of you know before this that Himeno was the one who was going to use it?” 

There was another pause, but one of them finally spoke. The darker haired Oigawa said “all 3 of us knew.”

When he was met with no refuting nor objection to his statement, he continued. “All of us wanted to use it this morning, so instead of fighting, we used a random name picker to choose who got it first.”

“When did that happen?”

“Last night past midnight.”

The raven was pleased by his cooperation to their investigation. “Any idea who else might know?” They seemed much too cowardly to attempt a murder anyways, much less something as gruesome as this.

“Our group chat where we discussed only had us 4 in it, so unless she or one of us told someone else… No.” 

Then the detective and officer looked to the others, they shook their heads, indicating that they didn't tell anyone anything related to this arrangement. 

Then, it must've meant that one of these 3 students snuck into the school past midnight to set the trap for her. 

That was what Totomaru was thinking, and it's sound logic. If not these 3, then they would at least be connected to the actual murder, and by that point, they might as well be accomplices. 

“So, what were you doing after the chat up until morning?”

Unhelpfully, all 3 of them stated that they had gone to sleep after it. Of course it isn't suspicious that they said so, it is a reasonable time to be asleep. 

They stirred when they suddenly thought that this meant that the police would consider them suspects. “Wait, wait. Oigawa’s suspicious!!” The brunet student yelled out. “He has a grudge against Himeno for reporting him to the university once!!” 

“What the fuck?! How did you know about that?!” 

And a familiar situation like yesterday started up again. “Talked to the professor, you got soooo upset!!”

“Like you don't have one against her?! You stalked her for weeks after she dumped you!” 

Ok these allegations are getting out of hand, even if he didn't kill Himeno, that's still grounds for putting him in jail! And considering how aggressive he was with Oigawa so consistently…

“You said that you'll ‘make her pay’ or something like that! You probably did it!” 

Totomaru tried to get them to settle down, and while he did, while they were quieting down, the woman sitting next to them groaned. “You creep!”

“You shut up!” Imai growled back at her. “You act like you never said anything behind her back!” 

Oh no, not again, not more. 

“When she reprimanded you for cancelling your experiment, you screamed that you ‘hope that ugly bitch would die!!’ You said that you were more upset about the data being lost than Himeno's life!” 

“At least I'm not some pervert like you! Creeping on her like some fucking weirdo!” 

Totomaru's voice was unfortunately not loud enough to silence their bickering, and when Ron saw, he decided to take it into his own hands. 

“SILENCE!!” 

The word echoed through the room so loud that Totomaru swears he could feel his heart shaking from it. 

“I have the power to expel you useless lot from this school at any moment so you had better listen to what Officer Isshiki says to you.” 

The 3 only reluctantly agreed, only after they heard that their academic life was on the line. 

The poor officer looked a little intimidated by how commanding Ron could be when he needed to be, but when he looked at Ron, he was greeted with a sweet smile. What a stark contrast. 

After a few more questions, writing down of their personal contact information, and testimonials, they were almost ready to leave.

Ron held back Oigawa, the man who was the most cooperative in their interview. “Why did Himeno reprimand Niki for cancelling her experiment?” 

He looked a little fearful of the man now, but fear is a very good motivator to share information. “The MRI machine has a high cost to use and maintain, so we aren't allowed to misuse it for experiments, or cancel last minute in her case.” 

Ron nodded at him. “Thank you. I'll be sure to put a good word in for you.” 

The other man nodded before leaving. 

Totomaru gathered his notes and prepared to leave with Ron. “What was that about?”

“Confirming my theories.” 

A little vague, but ok. 

When they left, Ron took an odd turn to the main lab's office. “I'm gonna get something, Totomaru-san.” He gently pat him on his shoulder before leaving. “Get lunch while you're at it.” 

Well, if he has a plan…

Ron finally met him back up at the canteen, this time with a file in hand. “Any new ideas since I saw you, Totomaru-san?”

The way he shook his hair full of beautiful, curly brown hair made him so happy. “B-But I did bump into Chicory again, she's gonna sit here with us.”

He sat himself down, not even bothering to buy anything for himself. 

But he did take a piece of food from Totomaru's plate, mostly to see how he'd react. 

And it seems he only seemed confused. “If you want, you can order some yourself…?” Yet he did not seem bothered by the stealing of his food. 

When Chicory came back, Ron shifted a little to give her more space, before explaining a few things he's figured out. “It's weird that the lab only received Himeno's letter after she died. Can't really threaten a person that's already dead.”

The two were stunned silent. 

“Another thing, how would they know it was her if they posted it before it was decided that she was the one who would use the shield room?” 

“Goodness, that's true.” Totomaru shoved his fingers through his hair. “It was picked at random past midnight, how would they have known?”

The raven nodded, while Chicory seemed too sad to really add to the conversation. She's happy that the officer let her join them at least. 

“And look.” He opened the file he got, a log of the people who had used the MRI machine lately. “A month ago, the main people using it were Professor Maruyama and Professor Aoe. Now, Professor Maruyama’s name stops showing up due to his overseas work, and the students' names start showing up, but Professor Aoe’s name also becomes oddly scarce.”

The brunet entirely lost his appetite for his meal as he thought this over again. “I-I don't see how this could be related to the culprit.” 

He lifted himself up, careful not to be so fast to scare Chicory who seemed to be lost in her own world. “I have a few ideas for the motive, but I know exactly who did it.” A hand was set out in front of the brunet's hand. “Let's unveil the truth, Totomaru-san.”

The final dance is upon them. The two gathered everyone involved in the murder of poor Kanae Himeno, a young and aspiring scientist who was working under Professor Aoe. 

They told Chicory that she didn't have to join their final explanation if she didn't have to, but when they announced that they would begin, she silently walked in. 

“It was clearly a murder, from the fact that there was this intimidation letter mailed to the lab.” Totomaru said as he pulled out to show everyone the letter with the crudely stuck on words.

“It's odd isn't it? That it arrived at the lab this morning, after Himeno was killed, and that it was posted before midnight, before the students determined that she would use it.” 

A few murmurs erupted from the room, but they made sure to keep their voice down. “S-So the culprit somehow predicted that she would be the one who got killed?” One of the students said.

“What if someone from outside sent that letter?” Another spoke.

“Can't.” Ron said assertively. “The forensics team scanned the letter, and the sticker was printed by the printer from this lab exactly.”

Totomaru paused for a minute, turning to Ron to quietly whisper. “When did you do that?”

It cracked a smirk from him. Keeping him in the dark for the littlest things always irks a fun reaction from him. He'll tell him later.