As I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was that I was in an unfamiliar place. Panic began to set in as I tried to recall how I got here. Did I get drunk and pass out at a crime scene? Did someone drug me and take me hostage?
But as my mind slowly started to clear, I remembered that I had crashed on my Akibara-san's couch for the night. Relief washed over me as I sat up, trying to shake off the grogginess. I glanced around the room, taking in the familiar decor and feeling a little embarrassed that I had let myself get so worked up over nothing.
I stood up, stretching my stiff muscles and rubbing my eyes. I knew I had to get ready for the day ahead, but I hesitated for a moment. Should I wake her up and say goodbye? Should I leave a note? I didn't want to be rude, but I also didn't want to overstay my welcome.
"Hmm... What to do" I asked myself and knitted my eyebrows together in deep thought, I didn't want to be called rude always but waking her up just seems too rude on its own when I already troubled her for the night
"Here you go, you can get some toast before you leave."
"Oh, thank you." I politely nodded at Akibara-san, who casually offered a cup of freshly brewed coffee and took a small sip to gauge the taste.
It wasn't too bitter like regular coffee, probably because it had the consistency of an espresso, meaning milk had been added to balance out the flavor. I would have preferred pure black coffee, but this was good enough.
"What were you thinking so hard about?"
The sound of a hair dryer turning on filled the room, making me glance towards Akibara-san, who was sitting in front of a small, circular mirror leaning against a small stack of books.
"Just thinking whether to ditch you without saying anything or waking you up to say goodbye properly."
"You do know you could have written a letter instead."
"Hmm, you're right. But that's too much of a hassle."
"Wow, you want to wake me up from my beauty sleep instead of writing a simple note?"
"Well, you know what they say, 'the early bird catches the killer.' I didn't want to waste any time writing a note when I could be out there cracking my first case. Plus, I figured you could use a little excitement in your life. Who needs coffee when you have a detective barging into your room in the morning?"
"Ugh, I don't need someone like you barging in my bedroom of all places."
I couldn't help but snicker on her reactions and promptly stood up, checking the time on my phone before sighing.
"Katsuo should be home by now, I'll go on ahead and head home if you don't mind."
"Well, Mr. Raccoon, I don't know if I can bear the thought of you leaving. You looked so comfortable on my couch, I think you might have made it your new home. But don't worry, I won't hold it against you. After all, I know it's not easy being a sleep-deprived detective. Hopefully, you won't go digging for trashy cases in the future."
An audible groan escaped my lips as I reached out to grasp my face, "It's that obvious?"
I asked, referring to the deep eyebags underneath my eyes that I was fully aware were there but tried to hide them using some make-up Sena gave me.
"Yeah, it's so obvious that I thought you were planning to audition as Kung Fu Panda's sidekick with how visible they are." Akibara-san giggled and leaned her face against her hand. "If you want some makeup tips to cover them up, just call me next time."
"I'll try to keep that in mind."
It wasn't like I was always trying to hide them, in a sense they were an asset to me since it shows how serious I am at my job but they didn't look good in photos or events so asking for her help isn't too bad.
"Before I forget, here's a spare key for my apartment if you ever need to sleep here again." She said while handing me a silver key.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm pretty sure I can find a cardboard box under a bridge somewhere. I hear it's all the rage these days. But if I ever get tired of the homeless life, I'll definitely keep your spare key in mind."
"Wow, are you seriously telling me a cardboard box is better than my couch. "
"A couch made out of cotton would have been better than a plastic one, just saying." I shrugged at my words and wordlessly accepted the key.
Katsuo would always be out of the house, and living in a cardboard box didn't really sound that good, so it was nice to have an option.
"I'll be going now. Thanks again for letting me stay."
"No problem, make sure to close the door on your way out."
I waved goodbye to Akibara-san and closed the door behind me, breathing in the chilly air with golden beams of sunlight doing an awful job of warming me up in this cold winter morning.
"I should have brought a warmer jacket." I questioned my poor choices and hugged my jacket closer to my body.
I couldn't really blame myself for my poor choice when I never thought I'd have stayed over at Akibara-san's apartment and had to walk home at 7:00 am in the morning.
Her apartment wasn't that far from Takadanobaba Station, where I could ride a train to Higashi-Koenji Station and walk towards Katsuo's home from there.
Seeing that I was already in the area, I decided to pay a visit to my workplace even though I wasn't working until tomorrow.
It was currently Saturday, so the streets were still fairly filled with people, but they mostly consisted of people who were taking a morning and people who were out for grocery shopping.
The police department I was working on was located at the intersection of Takadanobaba Street and Waseda street, this location has easy access to a lot of major roads and was close to many businesses and residences It was also fairly close to the Tokyo Metro station, making it a convenient option for officers of the law such as myself.
"Ohayou" I greeted the police on duty at the front desk with my best morning voice, making him crack a smile.
"Not much of a morning person either, eh?"
"More like not a fan of the cold air."
"Ah, I can relate to that to some extent."
The police uniform they wore weren't that thin, but they certainly weren't a nice, warm jacket that would keep you warm during winter. They were simply a blue uniform with extra pockets, of course, I don't think the government had enough budget to make them winter proof or stylish.
Thankfully, I could wear clothes I preferred and even a trench coat if I could buy one.
"Ah, Najisai-san. I was just gonna call you. What are the odds."
As I was recording my visit on the paper that the police handed me, a familiar voice called out to me, and I immediately saw a rather muscular man with a receding hairline on top of his head.
It was none other than the police chief himself, Nakamura Tatsuo. I didn't particularly liked the chief, seeing as he was my biggest obstacle during the interview but it also made me respect him since he took his job seriously and wanted nothing else but perfection on the force.
"Ah, Keisatsu-cho. Good morning " I bowed my head in greeting and accepted the handshake that he offered.
"Najisai-san. I realize that you haven't officially started working with us yet, but I have an important job that I would like to ask you to do." He wasted no time and directly blurted out his intention, something that I could behind.
"I see, I don't mind working, but aren't there more detectives here rather than me?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, I didn't want to think I was a second option when someone had already turned down the case.
I knew my worth and second place, wasn't it.
"I can't specify the details but a large bulk of Japan's detectives are working on a classified case which means there's only a handful of detectives at our disposal and as of now, you're the best one we have."
Tsk, so I was the first option by default? It didn't sit right with me, but at least I wasn't a second option.
"I see. What's the case?"
"Homicide, here's a picture of the victim."
The police chief then handed me a small 3 by 3 photo, and I disinterestedly took it, "I'll get on the case as soon as I can. Keisatsu-cho."
"Good, we're counting on you, detective."
I bowed my head in a respectful manner as the police chief walked away. I wasn't gonna let my pride get in the way of work when there was justice that needed to be served.
"Now, who is the poor soul that got murdered." I mumbled and gazed at the photo, immediately feeling my stomach drop to the bottom.
It was someone that I knew.