Chapter Text
Ryotaro Dojima was many things, but a forgiving man he was not.
He let his cigarette, barely a bud, fall to the concrete and raised his boot to stomp on it. Then, his gray eyes — too murky for his age — rose to the hanging corpse resting in the television antenna.
"Adachi," he called in a whisper. His partner spluttered at attention and saluted lamely. "Call Shirogane. We're not finished yet."
Thank you for your assistance in the case thus far, Miss Shirogane. However, recent concerns have been raised concerning the validity of your licensure. As such, we regret to inform you that your cooperation is no longer required. We are sorry for this news, and wish you the best in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Ken Takahashi, Tokyo PD
Naoto's eyes trailed over the email. Then she paused, clicked on it, and pressed delete. The steaming hot mug of coffee chilled next to her. A shame, really, because that was a foreign brand.
She chewed her lip between her teeth and tapped the end of the desk. Then she went to the recycle bin, opened the email again, and restored it.
Takahashi,
Was that too rude?
Delete.
Dear Takahashi,
No, too familiar.
Delete.
Dear Mr. Takahashi,
May I inquire as to how my colleagues view my license as invalid? Must I remind you that I have been working as a private investigator for years, and as such I possess all the required documentation of my aptitude? If I am seen as unfit to remain in a team, I am able to understand that, but I only ask that I am allowed to continue investigating the case. A case concerning the likes of the yakuza should not have the investigating detectives quarreling over petty sensitivities regarding my age and sex. I think it is highly unfortunate that these facts were considered so imprudent that I am viewed as necessary to leave for the good of my male, adult colleagues. Please, Mr. Takahashi. Enlighten me.
Best wishes,
Naoto Shirogane
She frowned, then took a sip of her lukewarm coffee. The words, written by her own hand, mocked her and spoke of everything she tried to avoid being; they were childish, emotionally-driven, and illogical.
No, if she sent this email it would only be used against her. She would be seen as a danger to the force's hierarchy. By questioning the rule of Takahashi, who in turn answered to Ito, who in turn answered to the Prime Minister, she would be viewed as a foolish child—a foolish woman —who didn't understand rejection. Entitled, she would be called. Impulsive. A detective couldn't be impulsive.
Coughing into her fist (the air was rather frigid—was it nearing winter already?), she deleted her email and started anew.
Dear Mr. Takahashi,
I understand your concerns. However, I am always willing to provide further documentation that will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am qualified for this job. The criminals that we are attempting to arrest have ruined the lives of hundreds, and I believe it would be in the best interest of the Tokyo PD if I were to remain assigned to this case. Please respond ASAP, so that we may further discuss this matter.
Best wishes,
Naoto Shirogane.
Taking a long sip of the coffee—which was now chill, she tapped her fingernails against the ceramic glass and mulled over the contents once more. Ah, she needed to clip those. Was that the issue? Did she appear too feminine now?
Her unbound chest shifted uncomfortably. Naoto kept them bound at work, but far looser than she used to. Enough that her shape was defined and her waist was cinched. Enough to acknowledge the fact that she was a woman and she was finished hiding from the truth.
Regardless.
Gaze shifting from her nails to the email, she winced at the last sentence. Ah… was that desperate? If she appeared desperate, then that would too be seen as feminine, and then no police department would wish to hire her for their special investigations for which she was deemed a necessity.
Necessity.
Necessary.
She was needed for this case. They had hired her for this case. For what reason is it that they now deemed her as not necessary, when it had been evident before that she was in fact necessary? If it is not her age, nor her sex (though she doubted this; why else would they question the authenticity of her licensure?)—for this had not been deemed an egregious offense before—then what was it? Her stature? Did they view her as too petite to pacify yakuza? She was armed, and she did have some basic self-defense and martial arts training. That couldn’t be it.
(The coffee was long-forgotten, even though it was a rather delightful flavor. Imported from Vienna. Austria always had the best selection of blends, and for that reason it was one of Naoto’s go-tos. Expensive, but effective. She needed to restock soon.)
BZZT!
Naoto’s cell phone vibrated on the countertop. With one last glance to her unsent message (due for more edits, of course), Naoto rose from her seat and traversed the expanse from the sofa to her kitchen. The apartment was quaint (as she preferred it—the higher-end apartments in Tokyo charged exorbitant prices for even brief stays, and Naoto was not one to waste money). It only housed a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and a single bedroom. They were all small rooms, but they were livable rooms, and Naoto was a small person anyways (a fact which she would always lament).
Her flip phone snapped open.
RISE
Im in TOKYO tmrw!!!!! (≧∇≦)/ meet up???? Free @ 2!!!! R u still working? (＾◇＾)
Naoto blinked at the screen. Rise? Why was Rise texting her? Had something happened? Perhaps it was another case. No, Rise was a rational person and would wish to inform her ASAP with a call or email (which Rise should know she prefers by now), so it cannot be that. Perhaps it was something of great personal distress, that she felt the need to confide in an old friend. Or perhaps it was Rise messing with her, as Rise was one to do—but it would be rather cruel to trick Naoto into plans, and Rise knew she was a busy person and would not take fondly to that.
RISE
U r overthnkng! (￣□￣;) Im thre 4 a show!!
Another vibration on Naoto’s mobile device indicated Rise once again chose to text her, not deeming the first message as enough before Naoto’s inevitable response. Overthinking? Naoto is not overthinking, she is merely examining all possible avenues for why this reunion may be occurring and behaving accordingly. The thought that Rise believes she is overthinking is not only belittling but presumptive.
It’s just like Rise. She hasn’t changed.
NAOTO
I AM FREE. LOCATION? PLZ RESPOND.
RISE
big bang burger!!! They r sooooooooooooooooo amazng!!! Bye Naoto-kun!!!!!! C u~~~~ (ToT)/~~~
NAOTO
WILL B THERE.
She snapped her phone shut, gaze drifting towards her open laptop and the darkening screen. She should reply. The sooner she does, the faster she may convince them to allow her back on the case. The faster she is allowed back on the case, the sooner that these yakuza members are put away and the streets are safe. Then she will receive another call for a particularly difficult case that requires her expertise elsewhere, and hopefully she will not have to undergo this frankly humiliating farce once more.
Licensure. She was perfectly qualified. Beyond that, where experience should matter most, she had solved more cases than some police forces put together. Perhaps it was pride, but more so she believed it to be simple rationality and common sense that guided her irritation. Naoto spitefully sat down at the glowing laptop screen, read over the email, and hit delete.
Dear Mr. Takahashi…
Naoto had never been one for loud and crowded urban areas. Despite many of her cases, and her grandfather’s cases by extension, being involved in the city (resulting in much of her childhood being spent in too-small apartments above a bustling intersection), she had never been able to get used to the oversaturation and noise pollution that marred a place that might otherwise be beautiful if looked at objectively. The smell of illicit drugs would sometimes sear her nostrils, but she was not the type of detective to seek out everyday wrong-doers—it wasn’t in her job description, and frankly she didn’t see the worth in scarring a teenage boy’s record because he foolishly smoked marijuana in a public setting.
Beyond that, she did not like the rush that big cities required. She was used to speed walking (it was much more preferable to a steady stroll), but in big cities everyone was, and, much to her begrudgement, she had rather small legs. This led to many passersby brushing, or sometimes knocking into, her shoulder without so much as an apology uttered.
This is where Inaba reigned superior to the usual place where she would be called in to investigate a case. It was a welcoming town and small and petite. When she first arrived it had intimidated her (silently, for she would never voice those concerns aloud). Where there was quaintness, there was knowledge. It’s for that reason that she believed her gender to have been revealed to the general public only a few days after being rescued from the TV world.
But ultimately, she found herself to have made friendships that were new and foreign to her. She had never been one for close friendships before, and rarely did anything go beyond acquaintanceship (and perhaps it was for this reason that she falsely believed that these relationships would be distance-defying and permanent). Rise texting her had been the first person from the former Investigation Team that had texted her in god knows how long. She had left Inaba shortly after the start of her second year, only a month after Rise left to resume her career as Risette again. Everyone went their separate ways shortly after. Chie and Yosuke went to police academy and university respectively right after graduating, and Yu and Teddie were nowhere to be found. Yukiko was still in Inaba, but she was busy working as the future heiress to the Amagi Inn. Kanji was still in Inaba, too, and from everything he had told her he had no plans to leave after his graduation which was due to be soon.
It was as if their closely knit friendships left along with Yu Narukami on that train to Osaka. But maybe it left a little before that, too, when they collectively pushed Taro Namatame into the TV world and effectively murdered him.
His body was never found hanging from a telephone pole, so Naoto didn’t know what really happened to him after that. Maybe she didn’t want to know.
The bell hanging above the doorframe chimed as Naoto pushed her way into Big Bang Burger. The hostess greeted her in a clipped way, then turned her attention back to the other customers. Naoto’s eyes trailed upon the decorations adorning the walls. Autographs from different celebrities. Brightly colored, burger-themed motivational text upon the walls: “Have a burgerlicious day!”
It’s busy this time of day.
“Psst, Naoto-kun!” Naoto perked up. That was definitely Rise’s voice, but she didn’t see Rise anywhere in sight. “Naoto-kunnnn! I’m right here! I’m in the blonde wig!” Oh, she saw her now. Naoto made her way into the booth beside Rise, sitting across from her.
The idol looked rather ridiculous. She hadn’t bothered to change her hairstyle, instead opting for a different color, and she had on a large set of oval, studded sunglasses that covered most of the top half of her face. If that wasn’t enough, her blush was caked on thick and she held a menu before her nose, hiding behind it.
Rise saw her quizzical look and quickly explained, sliding the sunglasses down her nose until Naoto could see the top of her excitable eyes. “I’ve been getting swarmed by paparazzi and fans lately. I just want a few hours to myself, you know? Away from all the drama. My god, my manager has been driving me crazy with my schedule.”
Naoto put her lip between her teeth, not sure what she was meant to say. I’m sorry about that? You look well? Almost a year and a half of zero contact with the Investigation Team (or much of anybody) had left her struggling with basic social interaction. She couldn’t tell if she was even worse than she had been before making actual meaningful friendships. Now she knew what friendship was like. It left her yearning, which was not a feeling that Naoto Shirogane took well to.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to debate with herself long. Rise continued, as trailblazing as ever. “How’re you? Have you been letting your hair grow out?! Oh my god, it is so pretty.” Naoto’s hand flew to the nape of her neck. Yes, it was longer than it used to be, but that was purely unintentional. “It has a little bit of a wave to it, doesn’t it? I bet you don’t know how to care for it. I have a couple brand deals in the works, I could send you some free treatments!”
Naoto didn’t know what any of this meant. She was suddenly regretting her decision to entertain Rise with a visit.
“Er… That is completely unnecessary! I will be cutting it shortly!” Surely she had to, if this was the conversation it led to.
“What?! Poo… Seriously, long hair with your aesthetic would look so cool. Plus, you could pull off dresses better!”
Naoto gave her the most flat expression she could manage. “I assure you, what I choose to do with my hair is none of your concern.”
“Heh… You’re the same as you’ve always been, aren’t you?”
Naoto’s lips fell into a tight frown. “Yes. You as well.”
Silence descended upon them. Rise chose to take off the sunglasses and actually look at the menu. Naoto grabbed the spare menu closest to her and did the same. She wasn’t so much reading the menu as she was looking at the pictures and ignoring the tense feeling that had settled upon her shoulder.
It truly was a mistake to come here. Even in the investigation team, Rise and her had nothing in common besides a mutual murder case that they were intending to solve. Now, without that and a troubled past between them, the air was suffocating. Naoto had no idea what to say, and not for the first time she wondered what Rise’s intentions were.
“Everything here is so heavy. Man, my agent would kill me if he knew what I was eating. What’re you thinking about getting, Naoto-kun?” Rise spoke. Naoto restrained her jump as much as she could, but her surprise must’ve shown on her face. “Oh! Hahaha, sorry! I forgot that you can be a bit jumpy sometimes.”
Her eyebrow twitched. She was not. Whatever. Rise was only seeking a reaction from her, and she was not intending to give it, thank you very much. She fought back her bitter words and tugged her bottom lip in between her teeth, glowering at the menu. Rise was right. Everything here was above the daily caloric limit recommended for her size, and she could taste the grease through the picture. “A side salad,” she replied sharply, closing her menu and setting it primly upon the table next to her.
“Whaaaat?! You cannot come to this place and get a salad! If you’re worried about a breakout, I have a few acne treatments you can use! One cheat meal isn’t going to kill you!”
“It’s miraculous how one piece of food can be so calorically dense and have zero nutritional benefits.”
Rise blew a raspberry. “C’mon, is that really what you’re worried about? Loosen up, Detective Prince! Live a little!”
Naoto scowled. “What have I told you about that asinine nickname? It is callous, undistinguished, and juvenile.” Rise blinked at her, thoroughly unimpressed. “It’s not like you care much.”
“ I think that you’re just being a bit paranoid! Let me see…” Rise seemed completely unbothered by Naoto’s, admittedly, snappy comeback. She looked through the menu silently, a pleasant smile upon her lips like they were two old friends eating out after church.
A waitress stopped by their table. “Hello! Welcome to Big Bang Burger. What can I get you to drink?”
“Water,” Naoto answered, and Rise said the same.
The waitress made to walk away, but Rise stopped her with a quiet “wait”, and said, “We’re ready to order now. She ,” Rise pointed a small finger at Naoto, “will have a triple bacon big bang burger! I will have the same. Thank you!” And Rise scooped up the menus and gave them back to the waitress before Naoto even had a chance for protest.
“What was that for?” Naoto murmured. “I was perfectly okay with a side salad.”
"You're skinnier than you were before," Rise said instead, finger lazily roving over her body. "Seriously, you need more meat on you! Have you been taking care of yourself? I bet your face is crammed so far in your files that you forget about that part, huh?"
Naoto pouted reluctantly, her lips quivering as she tried to maintain a neutral expression upon her face. Once, she would've protested and stated simply that Rise's concern was misplaced and she knew perfectly well how to care for herself, thank you very much. Now times were different and they were much different people than they were a year ago. Naoto knew the importance of basic nutrition, and she knew that Rise knew that too (as she often was the one to chastise her and Kanji about their junk food habits), but Rise pointing out her physique made her mind wander as it was one to do. She ate when she deemed it necessary, yes, but perhaps her definition of necessity was less than the recommended caloric intake suggested. It was unintentional (and yet she wonders if it was coincidence), but still a problem to be corrected.
A triple bacon burger wasn't the best option to correct her caloric deficit, but it would do for now.
They fell into a silence shortly after, sipping idly on their water after the waitress brought it to them. Naoto feigned disinterest, but her gray eyes continued to fall upon Rise's ridiculous wig and her overly large sunglasses as she scooted it up the bridge of her nose.
Rise was humming to herself. A new song; one that Naoto had heard in her latest album. She would never tell Rise that she was the first in line at its midnight release and popped it in to her CD player as soon as she got home. Nor that she must've listened to the album a dozen times since.
"Two triple bacon burgers!" The waitress reappeared, balancing the two plates in her hand. She set them down and was off again, and Naoto looked at the greasy burger before her in distaste.
"Fast service," she said, if only to make small talk.
"For real! I swear, this place is the best! I don't get out much, but whenever I'm in Tokyo I always try to come here. It's nice to get some alone time." Rise lifted the huge burger to her lips, inhaled deeply, and took a big bite. "Mmm! So good!" she moaned.
There was an obvious question to be asked. Alone time. It bit at her lips, as it had been since she sat down in that chair, and she murmured, "Why did you invite me then?"
Rise blinked, stopping mid-bite. "Huh?"
"You wanted alone time, and yet you invited me. Why?"
Rise's smile felt cold and practiced, but she did not know if that was her mind falsifying that image or rather a fact as certain as she was a detective. The idol gently sat down her burger, brows drawn together in a way that felt neither condescending nor reassuring. "You're always so straight to the point. I wanted to hang out with my friend."
The next words came out more accusatory than she would've liked. "I haven't heard from you for over a year. You left shortly after we began our second year, and I left shortly after that. We all went our separate ways after…" she didn't need to say that part. "Regardless, pardon me, but I assumed that perhaps there was a new case, or something that drastically required our attention." Rise's hollow gaze tore through her. She suddenly felt very exposed, and Naoto's weaknesses were glaring. "Ah. Or perhaps I am the fool and you simply wished to reconnect as old friends might do, or so I've heard."
The silence was deafening, even in the otherwise loud diner. A pin could drop and Naoto would hear it. In fact, she wished that would happen if only to serve as a method of distraction.
"... I do want to reconnect, Naoto-kun. I really do. I didn't see any other way to do it. There is something that's bothering me."
Oh.
So she was correct.
(How disappointing.)
"Have you felt different lately? Like you're not yourself at all, like something's totally missing?"
Naoto blinked. "Not myself?" Her hair was too long. Her chest was too loose. Her nails were unclipped. Everyone called her a woman now, and she was treated as lowly as a woman would expect to be treated in a detective agency. "Yes. In more ways than one."
"Really?!" Rise's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm not alone! Seriously, I thought I was going crazy!" Rise clasped her hands in delight. Rise's nails were much too long, too— they were piercing (and pink). "I've felt like an alien in my own body. Like… I keep watching myself from the outside and wondering what the hell I'm doing."
Naoto fidgeted in discomfort. "I… suppose I can relate to the feeling."
"Ever since…" Rise let go of her hands. "Well, I suppose I've felt that way ever since then, but that's normal, isn't it? I've never done anything like that before."
"Most people haven't."
"It was good, what we did. It was. That's what I keep telling myself, but it feels wrong. They never even found… I mean, what the hell happened to him in there? He just disappeared, and Inaba isn't the kind of place that you can just disappear and never be found."
Naoto didn't like to think about this much. "We shouldn't talk about this in public." Now she felt like a real criminal. Thinking about useless things like that could do that to a person. "Maybe I don't quite understand what you mean."
"I… How do I put this… I feel like a part of me died."
"That night?"
"No, not specifically that night or because of that night. I… I…" Rise's eyes fell to the table, and Naoto saw something in her eyes that she saw every time she looked in a mirror these days. Shame. Cold, hard shame. "I think she's gone."
Naoto's mouth ran dry. She knew what Rise meant, and yet she stupidly inquired: "She?"
"Himiko. I don't feel her anymore."
The two girls fell into a heavy silence. Naoto's face maintained its cool neutrality, as she often trained it to do when her mind was running rampant; it not only helped others maintain calmness in dire situations, but it prevented impulsive decision-making. However, her heart was pounding, and she felt her palms begin to sweat from where they lay flat against the table. Rise fidgeted under her cool gaze, fingers tangling themselves in her blonde pigtails and tugging with gentleness that appeared to only serve as reassurance.
The silence stretched, and Naoto was truly only searching for what to say, but Rise said, "You're disappointed in me, aren't you?"
Naoto startled and her cool facade was broken. "I— Huh?"
"I lost her. How can someone lose their own persona?"
"I don't…"
"I wanted to tell you because… I don't know. Maybe it wasn't just me it was happening to. Maybe this meant something. Inaba has been foggy ever since that day. Maybe it's related."
"I can't even pretend that I understand Inaba's fog, and the implications are frightening. The feeling in that town… it is suffocating. It is why I left as quickly as I did." (And there was truly no reason to stay.) "But for what reasons do you believe you have lost Himiko? Perhaps this feeling of, as you call it, alienation, is due to being in your old circumstances as your new, enlightened self. So it is polarizing because of that, and that is all."
"No. No, you don't understand," Rise insisted, leaning close and whispering low, like she was telling a secret. "Every day, I would feel her. Day in and day out. Even if she wasn't talking, she was there constantly like a companion. Even in my dreams she was there. Now it's not just quiet. It's silent."
Naoto's lips drew into a tight line. "Have you tested it?"
"Yes. Of course I did. I knew the world-famous Detective Prince wouldn't accept anything less than cold, hard evidence."
"Again with the nicknames," she groaned.
"I tried to put my hand in the TV at my last venue," Rise continued. "It didn't work. That's when I knew she was really gone."
She stared at her, then the table, mind racing. Rise had wanted to know if she was alone in this. Naoto didn’t know , and she hated the unknown; but just as much, she hated the idea of checking herself and finding she was in the same boat. Her mind had been silent, but she attributed that more to growing accustomed to Sukuna-Hikona. It was a good day when she woke up and didn’t hear that awful buzzing, because she could finally think without that pestering and childish voice chirping in her ear. But the thought that she had lost him was appalling and lonely.
“Perhaps the TV world is a phenomenon exclusive to Inaba,” she reasoned. “You did not lose Himiko; rather, she has simply been quiet, and the only reason you can’t enter the TV world now is because you are in Tokyo, not Inaba.”
Rise crossed her arms, her fingers tapping against her bicep in thought. It was a tic that Naoto sometimes exhibited herself; it was the one that she would use when she feigned heavy consideration yet completely disagreed. “I suppose that’s possible. I can’t really test that out, though. I’m still on tour for a while, and Inaba… So many things happened there. I wonder if everyone’s mad at me for leaving.”
“All the senpai have already left for college except Yukiko-san. Kanji-kun is the only one still going to Yasogami High.”
“Really?” Rise’s brows lifted in shock. “I thought you haven’t been in contact with any of them for a year now.”
“Ah… Well. It’s simple… deduction. Yosuke-senpai always wanted to leave Inaba, and Chie-senpai was interested in police training. She must’ve traveled to a city, maybe one close by, that offered the programs she was looking for. Yukiko-senpai was beginning training to run the Amagi Inn around the time we left, so that is an assumption on my part.” Naoto flushed at Rise’s empty stare. “It is unnecessary to look at me like that.”
Rise blinked, like she wasn’t even aware she was doing it. “Oh, sorry!” Rise’s eyelashes fluttered, and she put her sunglasses far up her nose once more. “It’s getting a little busy,” she said when Naoto raised an eyebrow at her. “I forgot that there’s a rush hour around this time of day.”
She tried to hide it, but Naoto saw her hands shaking just slightly against her body. The potential loss of Himiko was affecting her badly. A part of her felt guilty, but the other part didn’t understand why that was; it wasn’t her that made Himiko leave, and there’s no guarantee that Rise really did lose her persona. It was all speculation. That’s all it was. “It will be okay, Rise-san.”
The idol’s gaze was soft, yet hard. She pierced through Naoto, and Naoto remembered why Rise’s persona was the analyst. “Will it?” she asked.
“We are receiving a live report from Inaba! I repeat, this is a live report!”
“What’s that?” Naoto asked, body turning away from Rise to face the television mounted on the wall of the restaurant. “Excuse me!” she called, turning to a nearby waitress. “Will you turn that up?”
“Over two years ago, the tiny town of Inaba was shaken by a serial killing spree. The victims included Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, and seven-year-old Nanako Dojima. This killing spree was thought to come to an end after the arrest of Taro Namatame, and he has been on the run from the authorities after a daring escape from his hospital room. That all changed today when an anonymous civilian in little Inaba noticed an odd sight hanging from a nearby television antenna.
A woman’s face appeared on screen, blurry. “I was in shock. How could this happen? Again? I thought the murders were over!”
“At 8:30 this morning, the police identified the body as Ai Ebihara. There is currently no cause of death listed, though we have reached out to the Inaba police station for comment. Ai is the fourth victim of the Inaba serial killer, and the fifth victim that has arisen from these serial killings including the copycat murder of Kinshiro Morooka. If you have any information about Ai Ebihara’s whereabouts leading up to her murder or if you spotted any suspicious activity, please contact the Inaba police department immediately. That is all the information we have for now.”
Naoto’s eyes stayed glued to the television, even as the volume was turned down and the channel changed. Her jaw was hanging open, and she knew she must look idiotic, but she could not find it in herself to care. “... The case is continuing,” she said like a whisper. “How? How is this possible?”
“We… We put him inside the TV. Did he get out?! You have to be kidding me!” Rise’s breath was sharp and quick. Hyperventilating. She put her head in her hands, ignorant to the fact that her wig was beginning to move. “Naoto. Naoto, what do we do? Do we get the investigation team back together? Do we move back? What do we do? ”
“I don’t…”
Ai Ebihara. She didn’t know her well, but Yu did. She saw them talking together all the time. She was a bratty girl, but Yu liked her, so there must’ve been some good in her.
“Omigod! It’s Risette!”
“Huh?” Rise’s hands flew to her wig, which was now in her lap. “No! Not now!”
Naoto sat rimrod straight. She couldn’t move. Her legs felt like they were weighted with lead. “Rise-san,” she whispered, and Rise’s eyes locked with her’s. They were filled with fear. Naoto knew that her’s must’ve looked the same.
“Get out of here,” Rise hissed, all smiles a moment later when the first excited fan reached her. “Hi-hi! It’s Risette!” A sharp pain radiated through her shin and she realized Rise was kicking at her to go.
She wasn’t very proud of who she was at that moment, but she ran away. Away from Rise, who must be schooling her shame and horror to keep up appearances. Naoto was a public face, too, but not as many people would recognize the “Detective Prince” Naoto Shirogane, much less when she was only a blur in their periphery. She ran and ran until her lungs ran dry and she crumbled against a wall in one of the only empty streets of Tokyo.
“This is impossible,” she wheezed. “Completely…”
What if Namatame had found his way out of the television? What if he had decided to continue his murder spree?
Those thoughts scared her. She was terrified by the prospect that the serial killer of Inaba had managed, against all odds, to escape certain death and continue to feed his psychopathic murderous impulses. But that idea did not paralyze her. It did not cause her to run as fast as her feet would take her and collapse and wheeze.
What if Namatame wasn’t the killer? What if they missed him?
And there was one more thought. One more realization that both terrified her and made her the angriest she’s ever been in all her eighteen years of life.
What if she failed?