The city skyline stretched endlessly beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Special Investigations Bureau. Inside, the rhythmic tapping of a pen against polished wood was the only sound in the quiet office.
Detective Rei Katsuragi leaned back in his chair, the faint smirk on his lips reflecting the confidence of a man who had never lost a case.
At twenty-eight, he was the golden boy of the department—sharp, relentless, untouchable. His name was whispered in admiration, his reputation spotless. Every case assigned to him was solved with the kind of efficiency that made criminals fear him and his colleagues envy him.
He twirled the pen between his fingers, gazing at the file in front of him: The Silver Moon Murders.
A serial killer with an unnerving obsession—all his victims were left beneath a full moon, their wrists adorned with a single silver bracelet. The case had confounded even the best detectives, but Rei had been on the brink of solving it.
Tonight was the final piece.
"Take a break," his partner, Hideo, suggested from across the desk. "You've been at this for weeks. You already know you'll solve it."
Rei exhaled slowly. He did need a break. Maybe just for one night.
After all, there was no one else who could solve it.
---
The next morning, Rei strolled into the station, expecting the usual: the admiring looks, the murmured respect, the debriefing where he'd announce the final breakthrough.
Instead, the air felt… off.
People weren't looking at him—they were looking at someone else.
Rei's smirk faltered as he caught the murmurs.
"Can you believe it? The case is solved."
"And by the new guy. That's insane."
"No way. Didn't Rei have that case?"
The file in his hands slipped.
He turned toward the main briefing room, heart pounding, and there—standing at the front, casually leaning against the desk—was Shin Asakura.
Rei barely remembered him. He had barely spared him a glance when he was introduced a few weeks ago. Just another new face. Just another detective who would never reach his level.
Except now, Shin was standing there, sleeves rolled up, looking disgustingly relaxed as he finished explaining the case.
And then—the words that shattered everything.
"…So I cross-checked Katsuragi's findings, and it was clear the killer was targeting people based on a personal grudge, not random chance. Once I realized that, I pinpointed the suspect, and well… he's already in custody."
Silence.
Then—applause.
The entire department erupted in murmurs and congratulatory nods, praising Shin for cracking the case.
Rei stood frozen in the doorway.
He felt the heat rise to his face—a rare, humiliating sensation.
This was his case. His victory.
And yet, the recognition was falling on someone else.
Shin looked up then, their eyes meeting across the room. His expression was unreadable—just the faintest ghost of a smirk.
That bastard.
Rei clenched his fists.
---
Shin was too calm when Rei stormed into the hallway after him.
"Congratulations," Rei said, voice like steel.
Shin turned, hands tucked into his pockets, that maddeningly unbothered look still on his face.
"Ah, Katsuragi. Didn't see you at the briefing."
Rei's jaw tightened. "You stole my case."
Shin raised an eyebrow. "Stole?" He stepped closer, and Rei caught a hint of something irritatingly expensive in his cologne—clean, crisp, intoxicatingly sharp.
"I didn't realize we were calling it that," Shin mused. "I just… solved it."
Rei's nails dug into his palms. "It was my case. My work."
"And yet, I solved it first." Shin's smirk widened just enough to be infuriating. "If you were really as good as everyone says, wouldn't you have finished it before I got the chance?"
Rei saw red.
For the first time in years, someone dared to look down on him.
Worse, Shin wasn't even gloating. His voice was too casual, his eyes too calm, like he truly didn't think Rei was his equal.
That realization burned more than the loss itself.
Shin tilted his head, watching him with subtle amusement.
"You know, I was looking forward to working with you," he said. "But maybe you're not as impressive as they say."
Then, he walked away.
Rei stood there, fists trembling.
It wasn't just rivalry anymore.
It was war.