Kill the suspicion

Tatsumi and Seryu stood over a handful of corpses, throats either slit or chests slashed open as they verified the identities of the bodies. As per usual, surrounding witnesses gathered around the harrowing sight like moths to a flame, speculating as to why this massacre had to occur, in broad daylight no less.

And amidst all of this stood the eerily calm, purple haired woman, the kitchen knife still in hand as drops of blood threatened to stain her qipao.

Tatsumi made a deep inhale. "Just so I understand this correctly…they ganged up on you and tried to kill you, but you killed them all in self-defense?" He pinched his forehead and gave Sheele a questioning glance as he retrieved his jotter.

"Correct." She nodded.

The young policeman has improved at stomaching the view of a corpse. The stench that permeated his surroundings, attempting to pierce through his nostrils right into the eyes, forcing them to water. Or that nauseating sensation, when both balance and eyesight failed all while the vomit that rushed up his throat strangled him in a world tilting up and down every fraction of these endless moments.

Though he has gotten better at ignoring all of that, Sheele was neither shaking nor did she give the slightest hint of distress. And that was almost unsettling in itself.

"She killed all of them so quickly…She ain't normal that's for certain."

"That woman's gotta have a screw loose. Just butchered these poor fucks in a matter of seconds."

"What a monster…Hopefully they put her behind bars."

The officer groaned through gritted teeth. He snapped at the whispering crowd. "Leave if you've got nothing better to do! Let us do our job." Tatsumi shouted across the market, before he turned his attention back to Sheele. "Sorry…I take it they came to avenge their boss."

Her gaze fell onto the men she had slain as she held onto the hilt of her knife. "Yes. They said they killed my parents and now they also wanted to kill me."

"Oh my god, Sheele…I'm so sorry." He pulled the woman into a tight embrace.

"It's alright." She returned and gently patted him on the back.

Seryu cleared her throat, finger pointed at her suspect. "Can anyone confirm that turn of events?"

"Seryu…She just lost her parents. And we went to her place two days ago. It's obvious that they-" Tatsumi sighed in an attempt to gently chide his colleague for her overeager effort but she swatted that down immediately.

"Need I remind you that that's our job?" Seryu admonished him with a slight frown.

Sheele adjusted her glaces before she spoke. "Pretty much everyone was watching. And they were pretty candid about how they'd take revenge and all."

The male officer scribbled that down. "And where's your friend? Did they come for her as well?"

The woman placed her finger on her lip as purple orbs searched for answers. "No, I think they haven't. She's with that other gang leader. I haven't seen her since the incident two days ago."

"I see. That's good to know. Give me the knife please, so you won't get in trouble with other officers. We're going to confirm what you said with a few witnesses and that should be it." Tatsumi took the weapon from her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Again, my condolences. I'll have two colleagues take care of your parents. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can find me in the police department." He offered as the corners of his lips raised slightly to form a comforting smile.

"Thank you…Takumi was it, right?" Sheele reciprocated his smile with her own.

"Almost. It's Tatsumi." The officer chuckled.

She made multiple hectic, apologetic bows. "Please forgive me! I'm terrible with names."

"It's alright. Excuse me, but we have to get going." The two officers walked off towards their next destination. En route they let two of their colleagues pick up the bodies of Sheele's deceased parents.

"Something wrong? You've been unusually quiet." Tatsumi remarked as he kept step with the girl.

"We should have detained her. At the very least, until the witness accounts confirmed her story."

"Come on! She's clearly just been at the wrong place at the wrong time in this entire drama. All she did was defend herself. That's her right!"

Seryu stopped for once. Arms folded and lips pursed. "Those who carry the stain of injustice are always gonna end up in such situations with blood on their hands. One way or another. And that's when I strike out to punish them for their transgressions."

His eyes snapped wide open, meeting her stone-faced expression with a disbelieving gaze. "So now Sheele's guilty because she's unlucky?!"

"Captain Ogre said that in doubt we should always detain our suspects even if it's more likely that they're innocent."

Tatsumi pinched his forehead and shook his head. "I don't care. There's no reason to lock him up. If anything, it'll just make the suspect look bad and people are going to start running their mouths, dragging his name through the mud like you just heard them talk about Sheele. You have to be careful with that. Why do that when you know your suspect is innocent?"

Clenched fists trembled, struggling for an answer. "Because…because that's how we're told to do our job! We have to uphold justice! We have to protect the people from the criminal scum." The officer stamped her foot into the ground and raised her voice close to the point of shouting.

He stepped back slightly. "I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like justice…you can't just blindly follow whatever your higher ups say. Every situation is different."

Seryu scowled. That must have been a first ever since he got to know the bubbly, energetic girl. "Get a few more years of service before you can start lecturing me. Justice is absolute. Or do you want me to tell the captain what you think of his orders?"

Tatsumi raised his eyebrow at the threat. "No, forget I said anything." He sighed out as he walked ahead. "Anyway…can you do me a favor? Just talk to Mr. Horimiya, if I get to talk with his son. Ask him some questions about his wife."

"Yeah, sure. I'll try to occupy him as much as I can." And just like that, her angered expression had faded into her typically radiant gaze. "Why would you wanna talk to the son though? I doubt he knows anything."

"I might be wrong but the way he looked at me that day…I think he wants to tell me something." He knocked on the door of the Horimiya family. "As you said, we can leave no stone unturned." Tatsumi inhaled deeply and steadied himself.

The door cracked open for a tiny bit before the father of the family revealed himself. "Good morning. Come in." He guided them into the living room. The broken glass door remained as the sole eyesore in the otherwise neat and tidy room. "Have some tea, officers." The man already stood in front of the stove to boil some water. "I assume you have questions."

"We do, Mr. Horimiya. You said neither your wife nor you had issues with organized crime, correct?" Tatsumi slowly paced back and forth alongside the fractured glass, passing the family painting before he returned to the middle aged man.

"Correct. I didn't want us to have any sort of trouble with that criminal scum." The victim's husband reached for the wheezing pot about to boil over, however the officer grabbed it before him as their gazes met. Mr. Horimiya firmly swept Tatsumi's hand away and poured green tea into three cups. Into each he poured a scoop of what appeared to be apricot jam, diligently turning the small spoon until he was satisfied.

"Actually…I don't like jam in my tea." The male officer tittered and maintained his persistent, emerald stare.

Again their gazes collided. "That's on you. You're missing out." He handed the young man his cup.

"You don't seem particularly bothered by your wife's death." Seryu pointed out. Of course, she had to say the quiet part out loud.

For a brief moment his face grimaced before he forced out a sigh. "Oh, I am…But I can't falter now. My children need me. I need to keep going."

Tatsumi glanced over to his colleague and then back to the father of two. "My condolences. It must be hell for you and the kids."

"You have no idea…but life goes on. I can't get stuck in the past."

"Speaking of the past…we were wondering why you haven't declared any taxes for two years straight now." The male officer retrieved a sheet of paper from his pocket. "There." He pointed at the last entry with his index finger and glanced up at the man.

Mr. Horimiya snatched the document from the policeman's hands. "What does that have to do with the murder of my wife?" He hissed.

"We just wanted to make sure that you'd not be put on trial for tax evasion in your time of grief all of a sudden." Seryu elaborated with a sincere smile. Even a blind chicken apparently picks up corn.

The head of the Horimiya family cleared his throat. "How considerate of you, but I'm sure you've got better things to do than looking at my tax declaration, don't you?" His tone was devoid of appreciation, oozing with anger boiling underneath like the pot of tea just prior.

"You keep saying she was murdered…was she?"

The casino owner hesitated before he spoke. "I assume she was. Though perhaps she could have killed herself as well. Who knows?"

"That's funny because…last time we spoke you said she had no reason to commit suicide."

"I don't know. It seemed unlikely to me."

"Yeah, she had bruises all over. Someone probably beat her up before he hung her. And there was no way she could have done it without one of these chairs over there…" Tatsumi stroked down his face.

"Anyway, we were wondering about your tax declaration because you haven't made any positive income for the past few years. I mean…to go bust with a casino…How do you do that?" Tatsumi questioned with a tiny chuckle, showing him that small, outrageously taunting smirk as their eyes clashed against each other like two swords.

Mr. Horimiya's jaw clenched up visibly. His teeth ground against each other as he uncurled the fist in his lap to grab onto his cup of tea, viciously strangling it in his grip. "I use perfectly legal ways to minimize my taxes. Anyone who doesn't is a fool tossing out his hard earned salary. You can use losses and costs related to your job to lower your tax, if you didn't know yet. But I doubt they teach that to police officers."

Again, he just had to get that jab in at the end. Tatsumi became familiar with that venomous undertone ever since he had undergone basic training, whenever these self-obsessed city recruits boasted their supposed superiority among themselves and particularly against recruits from the countryside like him.

Tatsumi's little grin morphed into a more genuine smile and nodded. "That's great. It's important to save money where you can. You are a caring family man after all. I respect that. That's probably why you can afford such a lifestyle for your family. I mean some of this stuff had to be seriously expensive." The officer stood up and Mr Horimiya did the same, following him through the living room like a hypnotized snake, while Tatsumi called out any piece of furniture that looked fancy to him.

"So what? I paid that with my earnings. Not everyone in this city is a delinquent even if you draconian lot believe otherwise." The husband of the deceased woman frantically pushed the priceless white-blue ming vase that the officer just moved back to its original position.

Back to the verbal jabs.

"Oh, I don't doubt that. A casino's supposed to be a gold mine after all. Where do you get the money from to build such a thing in this place? Maybe I can do it too." Tatsumi followed up with another question.

"You of all people should know. It's stupid, stubborn, honest work that gets you there."

"I demand respect, Mr. Horimiya. Or you're gonna be charged with a fine for your misconduct." Seryu reprimanded him with a stern gaze. The girl was on a roll right now. His veiled insults had just started becoming irritating at this point so it was nice to see the man put in his place.

He gave a smile as sincere as a weeping crocodile. "Of course."

"So you did not have…say people who helped you pay for your casino? If so, then perhaps they could be dissatisfied with how their investment turned out." The other officer inquired.

"I didn't steal money. I didn't take a loan. I didn't beg other people for money. I worked hard for it and reinvested it to make more money, alright?" He responded with a strained sigh.

"I'm sure the tax office can confirm that story."

Mr. Horimiya let out a displaced chuckle and folded his arms. "Maybe the tax office can also tell you who murdered my wife."

"Father." The son had silently made his way into the living room. "Can you check on my homework, please?" Unlike his father, his voice and expression were bereft of emotion.

"Can't you see that I'm busy?" He hissed back at the boy.

"I can help him, if that's alright." Tatsumi was already back on his feet again.

"No, that's unnecessary. I can take care of my son's errors."

"I've still got lots of questions for you, Mr. Horimiya." Seryu intervened and sat him back down as he watched the two boys disappear into his son's bedroom.

There were neither toys nor plush animals, mainly books in the lone shelf in this empty square that was supposed to be a little boy's room. The little Horimiya handed him the paper loaded with ink letters. Literature had never been Tatsumi's strong suit but it should be good enough for 4th grade or whatever grade the boy attended. The son sat up straight in front of his wooden desk next to his futon. Shaking hands hid in between quivering thighs.

"That's your homework? You had to write a story, huh?"

"Mhm." The boy nodded almost reluctantly. "We had to write a short story about our weekend."

"Oh…that certainly wasn't easy for you then. You can't obviously write about what happened." The officer gently placed his hand on the son's tensed up shoulders.

"It's alright…I made it work somehow." He stuttered out. "I was also in the casino and with my grandparents."

"Yeah? You still remember when that was roughly?"

The son fell silent, eyes glued to the white wall in front of him, most likely contemplating his answers and their consequences. "Friday afternoon, four thirty. We were supposed to sleep there. But I forgot a book I wanted to finish for school so I came back for it. Then…"

"Then?"

"Father came off work to get us in the evening. He said mommy missed us."

"I see. The story's great. You could maybe throw in shorter sentences here and there. You also spelled 'suffocate' wrong. You forgot an 'f'. There." Tatsumi returned the piece of paper.

The assignment silently trembled in the boy's hands. "Goddamnit!" He banged his fists against the desk, knocking the small paper lamp off the table.

"Calm down! It's just a small mistake." The officer held his shivering hands in place, preventing him from tearing his own work apart. "How are you supposed to learn if you're not allowed to make some mistakes down the line?" He offered with an uplifting smile.

The boy let the paper fall on the wooden table and slumped deeper into his seat. "Please forgive me, officer. I didn't want to do that…"

"It's alright. And just call me Tatsumi. What's your name if I may ask?"

"Shinji."

"Shinji…A friend of mine in the village was also called Shinji. Dear god, could his parents get loud with each other…Sometimes they yelled at each other for hours on end. Some days my parents went over just to break up their fights. Does that also happen between yours?"

"No, not really."

"But it does happen, right?" Tatsumi glanced to the side and noticed the deck of cards laying at the other edge of the table

"They argued a lot recently. Over that stupid casino. Casino this, casino that…I can't hear it anymore." The boy went through his black hair, gently pulling at it.

The older teenager grabbed the stack of cards, leaning back as he shuffled them quickly. "You like playing cards, huh?"

Shinji tilted his head to the side, giving a tepid nod as the cards were placed in front of him. "Yeah. It's fun." He took the cards in his hands. The corners of his lips cautiously raised. "Black Jack is really fun."

"Can you show me how it works, please? That sounds like a fun game." The older boy requested.

The little Horimiya's black eyes lit up. "Of course." He dealt Tatsumi two cards, while he gave himself two cards. The card he put face up turned out to be an ace of spades.

The policeman took a peek at his cards. "It would be more fun if it wasn't always about the casino, right?"

"Yeah…so your goal is to get as close with your cards to 21 as possible. You can decide to take more cards or go with the cards you currently have. The one who's closer to 21 wins."

"And if I go past 21, I go bust, correct?"

"Right. As the dealer I have to draw until I get 17 or higher. You can count aces as both 11 or 1 depending on if you go bust or not."

"I think I got it…so what's that like when your parents argue? They yell at each other. Do they also hit each other?"

The boy averted his gaze onto the face-up ace and tugged at the sleeve of his pullover.

"Your father wouldn't want you to lie to me." The officer reminded him with a direct stare into his eyes.

"Father does when he gets angry sometimes." Shinji did not draw another card. "Want another card?"

"No, I think I'm good." He revealed his two cards equaling a 19 in value. A strong number. Though this did little to impress the more seasoned player in front of him. If anything, his raised cheekbones slightly betrayed his hand.

Card flipped over. Ace and a jack. "Sorry, you had no chance." He giggled.

"This game's fun. Let's play another round." Tatsumi turned his head towards the door, rapidly shuffling the cards until his hands slipped, spreading the cards all over the floor. "Oh, sorry. I'm clumsy today."

"It's alright." Shinji went on his knees next to the older boy.

Suddenly, the officer wrapped a firm hand around his wrist and pulled up the sleeve.

Bruises. Black and blue marred the boy's battered arm.

The two teenagers gazed into each other's eyes, exchanged glances as if they were words. The little Horimiya averted his gaze, acknowledging the unspoken truth between them. A solitary nightmare.

Fervent steps pursued the pair of boys. "What are you up to?" The father sneered.

Tatsumi raised his hand. "I accidentally swiped the cards off the table. My apologies."

The man folded his arms. "If he wants to play cards that badly, he can walk into my casino and pay for it." Mr. Horimiya scoffed without the slightest trace of irony or sarcasm. He said all that with a straight face…Greedy scumbag. "Weren't you supposed to check his homework?" He demanded, giving him a sidelong glance.

Before the officer could retaliate, the boy did it for him. "The officer did. I wasn't quite satisfied with it, so I am going to write a new one." The son's demeanor had adjusted to the newly joined presence in the room.

"That's not for you to decide." The father reprimanded his son with that tone in his voice again that was as empathetic and warm as the horrid winters in the North. "Was it bearable?"

"Your son is brilliant, really." Tatsumi responded, hand slowly trailing down the metal of his cuffs. "Can I take it with me, please?"

"Take it, if you wish, officer. I don't care." Shinji handed him the paper much to his father's bemusement.

"Tsk, go easy on them once and they're gonna turn into spoiled brats." Mr. Horimiya pursed his lips, glaring daggers at the officer daring to hide his son's work in his pocket right under his nose.

The young man did not react to that snide comment as he adjusted the paper lamp on the desk. The daughter had silently made her way into the room, a cute, fluffy plush bunny in hand. "Daddy, can we have some breakfast? My tummy won't stop groaning."

"You will have to wait until the officers leave, sweetie." Her father replied, turning his fake compassion onto the two officers.

"We were about to leave anyway. Have a nice day, sir."

"And next time you won't talk to my son behind my back." The suspect slammed the door shut.

"I don't know about you but I don't like this guy." Seryu commented as the pair of police officers patrolled through the streets once more.

"Yeah, he's a prick." Tatsumi concurred. "I need to check something at his casino. Could you take it from here for a bit? I'll join up with you shortly after I'm done. It won't take long."

"Sure thing. Leave it to me." She saluted and headed the other way. The other officer tread through the crowded streets at a heightened pace without noticing, inadvertently giving a few citizens a light tackle as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

"I can't just barge into the vice-captain's home on his day off…he's probably gonna be spending precious time with his family." Tatsumi muttered to himself as he stared down the wooden door in front of him. On the other hand, the man had also said that he was always welcome, so perhaps Tatsumi could ask for his help if he made it quick. "He ain't gonna be mad." The young man told himself, shaking off all doubts before he knocked.

"Yeah? Oh, Tatsumi. How's it going? Come in." Hachirō greeted him. As per usual, that goofy smile decorated his face that had several small cuts across his chin and a few just above his upper lip. Poor dork probably tried to shave. Hopefully he didn't give his two girls a scare. And funnily enough, there was a decent barber just down the street from what Tatsumi had heard.

"It's going alright. I'm on my shift with Seryu. Just finished the interrogation with Mr. Horimiya." He exhaled a soft sigh as he sat down.

"That's the casino case, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good morning, Tatsumi." Ayano welcomed him with a gentle smile. "Want some pancakes?"

Saliva rapidly flooded his mouth while the sweet scent gently cradled his nostrils. "I'd love to but I can't. I'll be going in a bit again."

"Tatsumi!" The little blonde girl ran towards him. "Morning! How are you today?"

He giggled and patted her like a kitten. "I'm happy to see you, Hiroe. Have you slept well? Have you been good to your parents?"

"Mhm." She gave a soft nod. "Have you?"

The young man giggled at the adorable comment. "I think so." He kneeled down to meet her at eye level. "May I borrow your father for a moment, ma'am?"

"But I just wanted to read my story to mommy and daddy…" Hiroe pouted.

"You see, I need your father's help to catch the bad guys. It's very important." The officer explained as he tried his best version of the puppy gaze.

"Hm...daddy's job is important so that's alright then I guess." She gave in with a thoughtful expression. "But only a moment, alright?"

"I promise. You'll have him back before you know it." Tatsumi stood up slowly again with said father following closely behind.

"Isn't she adorable? She's such a smart girl for her age. Hiroe really comes after her mother." Hachirō couldn't keep himself from gushing over his family again, a big grin spread etched across his cheeks.

"Yeah. So, about my case…"

The older man pulled out his lighter and a pack of cigarettes. "How did it go? The interview with Mr. Horimiya." He shook off the hot sting of the flame leaning into his thumb for a short moment.

"You should quit smoking. It's terrible for your health. And you could still catch thieves every now and then."

Shoulders shrugged. "What am I supposed to do? It's my guilty pleasure. Even I ain't perfect. That's why I kept ya around. You can run after the thieves so that I don't need to." He countered with a sly grin. "But don't tell my wife or I'm not gonna hear the end of it. Anyway, your case."

His wife was most likely going to smell the implicating scent streaming out of his mouth regardless. What a fool…

"I think I've got a good idea how the man ticks. I'm gonna go over to his casino and ask his employees. Maybe I can get something out of them. It could have been him."

"The husband, eh? Seems like ya got it all figured out then. So why do ya need my opinion?"

Good question. Was he really just wasting both of their time to seek reassurance? "I don't know…in case I'm wrong? I had to get my thoughts in order. Seryu wasn't really helping either."

The vice-captain puffed out more fumes, letting the ash fall off the tip of his cigarette. "Ya know…when you first got started here ya thought and acted like ya could do no wrong, so Ogre, Seryu and I had to reign you in. Ya fell on your butt a bunch of times but I think ya learned the ropes by now. You gotta trust your own work first before we can."

Sharp, emerald-green orbs lit up with determination. "Yeah…I can't drag you down and have you babysit me all day anymore. This city needs its heroes." Hands gently stroked through his brown, spiky mane. "My gut tells me that Mr. Horimiya was at least involved in the murder of his wife. He's a controlling son of a-" The teenager caught the curse that nearly slipped his tongue. "He's a very controlling person. Everything has to go either his way or no way. Even the way his guests drink tea."

"Hm, if that's the case then you'll have a hard time with his workers. They won't dare say anything that could possibly pin it on their boss."

"Why's that?"

The more experienced officer couldn't help but chuckle. "Because he pays their wages. They're only gonna spill the beans if you give 'em no other choice. Ya need to keep 'em honest or they're just gonna lie straight to your face if they feel like they need to."

"Right, my bad." Tatsumi gave his forehead a light slap. That was pretty obvious in hindsight. He'd still have to get accustomed to the fact that people wouldn't necessarily tell him the truth just because they saw the green and gray uniform, the imperial badge or even the sheathed katana at his hip.

That begged the question…which of the things that Mr. Horimiya had said were the truth and which were shameless lies? The more the officer thought about it, the more impressed he was with Leone's off the hip prediction on the suspect's personality. Of course, not everything was correct, but still astonishingly accurate.

"Mr. Horimiya prides himself on what he's accomplished as a businessman. When I pointed out that he wasn't earning, he nearly lost it and resorted to petty insults but if he could he'd have swung a knife at me. I saw it in his eyes. And…" The officer paused. "He possibly abuses his son. His arm was full of bruises. Ms. Horimiya most likely saw the worst of it."

"That type, huh?" The father of a beautiful three year old looked up to the clouded sky, another strand of smoke following closely behind.

Tatsumi glanced down at his shaking fist. "I wanted to punch the bastard in the face and lock him up on the spot when I saw the bruises. What kind of man raises his hand against his wife and kids?"

"It ain't been your first domestic, Tatsumi. Ya know what that looks like. But if I had to tell ya…a weak man does that." He sighed. "And your suspect might be as well. Abusing others is probably his way of getting back some sense of control whenever he feels like he has none."

Emerald fury flared up in his narrowed eyes. "What the hell…That's sick."

"And because that ain't enough he probably blames everyone but himself. That's pretty common for control freaks like say Mr. Horimiya. Even if everything was under their control, they don't want any accountability. It's always the others not doing as they're told." Hachirō put out his cigarette on the cobblestone pavement and gave it a light kick into the grate leading down the sewers.

"Yeah…sounds like him." The policeman on duty stepped forward. "I need to get going or Seryu's gonna eat me alive. Sorry for bothering you on your day off."

"Nah, it's alright. You're always welcome here. If ya need help with something, ya can always come to me. We're partners in crime after all." The vice-captain raised his thumb and flashed him a radiant smirk. "Oh, by the way…"

"Yeah?"

Hachirō turned his head left, then right and lowered his voice. "I've gone through the recent police reports. There's barely any cases of extortion. Some here and there but not these coordinated attacks we've been getting a lot lately. Apparently, the two of us are the only ones noticing."

"Wait, what?!" Tatsumi approached his colleague. "Like across the whole city? That's gotta be a coincidence, right?" He whispered. There was no way this could be right with how many of these they've been getting just the past few days, especially if this was a sophisticated scheme as Hachirō had alleged it was.

"I doubt it is. I've got a bad feeling about this. Like real bad." The vice-captain replied with a shake of his head. For the first time, the man's relaxed and slightly goofy demeanor had hardened into a dead serious stare.

"What should we do then, if this isn't a coincidence?"

Index finger repeatedly tapped against his cheekbone in search of answers. "Nothing for now. If ya come across more extortion cases, deal with 'em but don't write it into your report but keep track of it somewhere else. If someone asks, tell 'em you busted them for aggravated assault."

"Why though? Shouldn't we let the others know? At the very least the captain, right?"

The experienced policeman gently wrapped his hand around the back of Tatsumi's neck and pulled him in closer until only a fist fit in between the two men. "Just bear with me, ok? I'll tell ya what I think when we get a quiet moment on the next shift together. I'm gonna try gathering some more evidence on this whole thing for now. I don't wanna do anything, unless I'm at least somewhat certain."

"Alright."

"And Tatsumi…don't tell anyone about this and I mean no one. Act dumb if ya need to, should somebody ask. Are we clear?" Hachirō demanded, putting heavy emphasis on 'no one' with that stone-faced gaze that he's never seen before.

"Crystal clear, vice-captain." The younger officer swallowed and saluted. "Have a nice day with your family."

"Good luck on your shift. Stay on your toes out there." The father closed the door behind him.

Tatsumi joined Seryu for another eventful day shift.

A/N: Next chapter: 'Kill the greed'

Yes, that's right. I'm back with another one. You know how it goes. Fuck sleep, fuck eating, fuck socializing, so I could push this bastard out as fast as possible like my daily crap in the morning. This one was kind of tricky to write, as I've gone back and forth with cutting and putting stuff back in. This is gonna be another two-piece if you will. In anime this would be one episode. This is the perfect point to end the chapter, because adding more scenes would bloat the whole thing worse than our currency. The chapter pretty much speaks for itself and we'll keep heading in that direction. As I've said we can finally start going deeper into character development and you might have picked some of that up already though it is subtle. I'll be busy studying, so don't expect a new chapter soon. (Around july/august)