Well, they say that even if you're powerful, there are things that cannot be taken lightly, and this was the case for Hisagi, who had been informed of a new kidnapping and murder case.
It was a good lead, but the downside was that I had to be at the crime scene to manipulate the soul of the curse that could form from the resentment.
The only problem was that the place was now full of police, and this would continue throughout the day and into the night. That put Hisagi in a tight spot, but Aoki told him he would take care of it.
"Detective Isshiki, are you aware of our agreement?" In a bookstore, Aoki was sitting at a tea table while reading a book, or at least pretending to do so.
Isshiki was quite nervous. He had been informed of many details he didn't know about the murder and kidnapping case. He knew Aoki had more information, so they arranged a meeting.
Aoki was willing to offer as much information as possible to give the police what they needed so they wouldn't interfere with Hisagi's work, who was now in a position to enter the crime scene.
Isshiki looked at the simple man sitting before him, the informant, who had literally violated the security of his cell phone. He wanted to arrest him and take him to the station, but now that the possibility of solving all these crimes was within reach, he replied, "Who exactly is the person who wants to see the crime scene?"
"My boss," Aoki replied, seemingly very calm.
"How does he know about the kidnapping and murder cases?"
"He's been investigating it. He just needs to know a few things about the latest crime scene before he can determine where the kidnapped women are." Aoki wasn't sure if Hisagi could pull it off, but knowing that his previous attempt had been spoiled, it seemed like this time he would succeed in finding the kidnapped women.
This, of course, wouldn't be easily accepted by Isshiki, who hadn't told his boss anything and was keeping all of this unofficial.
"He's a private investigator. He only takes on cases that even the police can't solve, and now that he's here in Japan, he wants to resume his work as a private investigator."
The more Aoki said, the better it was. Only then would they believe him, and Aoki would give Hisagi access to the area now surrounded by police.
"How can I know it's a good idea to trust you?"
"Come on, man, you don't have many options, and as things are going, the kidnapping cases will keep increasing until you can't handle the load anymore."
"He'll just go in for a few minutes."
"Just a few minutes."
Isshiki was deep in thought. He looked at the ordinary-looking man in front of him and then remembered all those families waiting for news about their loved ones.
"Well, if you don't have a clear answer, I'll stop wasting your time." Aoki didn't want to push. Hisagi had told him there were other options, so he would prefer to take risks rather than wait longer.
"Well then…" Isshiki had no alternatives. He wanted to end this, even if it meant losing his job. Now, what mattered were all those kidnapped women waiting for someone to save them.
Aoki seemed serious as he placed a cell phone on the small table in front of them.
Before Isshiki could say anything, Aoki left the bookstore.
"Hey, wait…" Isshiki watched Aoki's back as he disappeared in just a few moments.
He was about to follow Aoki to ask him some questions that were troubling him, but at that moment, he received a message on his cell phone, giving him the address where Hisagi was currently waiting for him.
"This must be crazy." Isshiki murmured, feeling the need to quit his job if this all turned out to be a joke.
…
Hisagi was having coffee with Toge, who didn't know what they were waiting for. After a while, Hisagi said, "I got this for you, a gift for accompanying me on this mission."
"…" Toge took the comic Hisagi had gifted him and couldn't help but be surprised.
It wasn't an unexpected reaction in Hisagi's eyes, as that comic was quite special and might give Toge many ideas on how to use his power.
"Isn't it an interesting comic?" Hisagi asked, looking at the title of the work he had given to his silent companion, which was Black Bolt, a comic indirectly related to Toge.
Black Bolt is capable of channeling all available energy into a single devastating strike known as his Master Blow, which subsequently leaves him extremely vulnerable.
Hisagi had a rough idea of his companions' curses and how some of them could turn into their cursed techniques, so gifts like the one he had just given Toge could mean a lot to them.
"Cotton candy…" This was Toge's way of thanking Hisagi, who knew that sweet things represented a cheerful mood, while strange food combinations were a response of slight distaste; everything else he would figure out as they went along.
"Yeah, though personally, I'd like to see you fight hand-to-hand using your voice commands," Hisagi said, glancing at a young man in a black suit asking some questions to a woman at the entrance, who was welcoming customers.
Only then did he realize that the detective Aoki had chosen to make the connection had arrived earlier than expected.
What he didn't know was that the school might provide all these solutions without taking too much time. Even so, Hisagi would have hesitated because he couldn't clearly explain to people that he could manipulate the soul of curses to follow the trails of those who wanted to kill.
Manipulating the movements of weak, unformed curses to track down killers would be a taboo, something he couldn't do openly, but in this instance, it would be incredible.
"Right on time. I just finished my coffee," Hisagi said with a subtle smile on his face. He wanted to seem mysterious, and so far, he was pulling it off.
Toge, on the other hand, didn't know what was happening, but since Hisagi seemed very calm, he said nothing and started reading the comic he had been gifted.
"Would you like to have a drink, or should we head straight to that place?"
"Let's go to that place; we can't waste time," Isshiki said, visibly upset but still trying to maintain his composure.