2008, April 6; 1:22 AM
The room was dimly lit, shadows pooling in the corners as a man paced back and forth, his movements erratic, his breathing shallow and quick. Sweat clung to his brow, and his eyes darted to the lone flip phone clutched in his trembling hand. His fingers fumbled as he tapped a number labelled simply ‘N’. He hit the call button again, and again, muttering curses under his breath.
“Goddamn it... pick up, you sonova—”
The phone beeped, cutting him off as a voice finally came through, smooth and mocking.
“Anarchism really takes you places. Son of a what?” The woman’s voice on the other end was calm, but there was a razor-sharp edge to her tone that sent a chill down his spine.
“Took you long enough, for fuck’s sake! What the hell do you want from me?” His voice cracked with desperation, his words tumbling out too fast.
There was a brief pause, and then a soft, amused chuckle. “I just want to talk,” she said, her voice laced with venomous sweetness. “So please, stop running.”
“Stop running my ass! You’re gonna kill me!” he shouted, his voice echoing off the cracked walls of the dingy room. His panic was palpable, the words almost choking in his throat.
“Do you think I’d do such a thing?” she replied, her amusement growing. The man could almost hear the smirk in her voice, and it made his stomach turn.
“Tell me what you want from me... Nihilia,” he growled, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper, though the fear remained evident.
“I’ll give you one more chance,” Nihilia said, her tone hardening. “Find the boy and give him to me.”
The man froze in place, the weight of her demand pressing down on him like a vice. “And the other two...? The girl and the other one?”
“Kill them for all I care.”
The call ended with a sharp beep, leaving behind a deafening silence that filled the room. The man stared at the phone in his hand, his knuckles white as his grip tightened.
“GODDAMN IT!” he roared, hurling the phone against the wall, shattering it. His fist slammed into the wall repeatedly, blood trickling down his fingers, the pain drowned by his rage and helplessness.
He sank to his knees, his bloodied hands trembling as they rested against the cold floor. His breath came in ragged gasps as he whispered to himself, “What the hell am I gonna do now?”
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2008, April 7; 7:00 AM
The trio entered the She & Co. Boutique, their footsteps echoing faintly across the cold tile floor. The store was eerily quiet, save for the faint creak of a loose ceiling fan swaying above them. Aiko stepped forward first, Yasuka trailing just behind him, while Ryo scanned the interior with a practiced eye.
“The most recent murder was here… I’m pretty sure,” Aiko said, his voice tinged with unease as they crossed the threshold. Yasuka lingered close behind, occasionally glancing around nervously. The chalk outlines of bodies on the floor were stark reminders of the violence that had taken place. Though the victims had been removed, the scene still carried the suffocating weight of tragedy.
Graffiti scrawled across the walls in sharp, erratic strokes seemed to mock them. The boutique itself looked as though it had been swept by a hurricane—shattered glass displays, overturned racks, and splashes of paint formed a chaotic tableau of destruction.
“W-Well,” Yasuka stammered, clutching her arms tightly. “It sure looks like the signatory was here…”
“Yeah!” Aiko chimed in, his tone oddly enthusiastic given the circumstances. “These graffiti marks look just like the ones on that guy back at the apartment!”
Yasuka winced. “H-Hey! That’s MY apartment you’re talking about!”
Ryo glanced back, mildly exasperated. “It is her apartment.”
“What did I say?” Aiko replied defensively, only to be rewarded with a swift slap on the arm from Yasuka.
“HEY HEY! Chill out!” Aiko yelped, holding up his hands as Yasuka glared at him.
While the two bickered, Ryo ignored them, venturing further into the crime scene. His steps were deliberate, his movements careful to avoid disturbing anything. As he scanned the chaotic scene, his mind wandered, puzzling over the connections between the recent murders. Lost in thought, he suddenly bumped into someone.
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“Ah!” A soft voice cried out as a figure stumbled back, a few papers slipping from their grasp.
“Sorry,” Ryo said quickly, crouching to pick up the papers. As he handed them back, he glanced up to meet the gaze of a girl adjusting her glasses. She wore the standard B.S.A. Division 4 uniform, though notably without the cloak. Her glasses sat slightly crooked, and she fumbled with her papers as she tried to smile politely.
“It’s alright, really…” she said, her tone warm but awkward. She adjusted her glasses again, and for a moment, she stared at Ryo with a blank expression, as if processing his presence. The pause stretched into an awkward beat before she snapped to attention.
“Oh! Oh! You must be the, um—” she hesitated, searching for the words, “the guys! From... Division: Special?”
Ryo nodded. “Yeah, that’s us.” He gestured over his shoulder at Aiko and Yasuka, who were still mid-squabble.
The girl glanced past him and raised an eyebrow. “Are they—?”
“Yes. Yes, they are,” Ryo answered flatly, cutting off her question.
“Oh…” she said, her lips twitching into a small smile. “Well, I almost forgot! I’m Akira! Akira Shiho,” she added, pushing up her glasses. The glare from the lenses briefly obscured her eyes.
“Ryo Nakamura,” he replied, shaking her hand.
Akira nodded quickly, fidgeting with the papers in her hands. “Well, um… if you guys need any help, I’m here to, um—yeah.” She took a small step back, then another, before retreating entirely. “Excuse me!” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared deeper into the boutique.
Ryo watched her go, sighing heavily before turning back to Aiko and Yasuka, who had finally stopped their argument. They stood sheepishly, their hands behind their backs like scolded children.
“Good, you’re both done,” Ryo said, folding his arms. “Any ideas on where our signatory is now?”
Aiko and Yasuka exchanged a glance before simultaneously raising their hands.
“Let me answer first!” Aiko blurted.
“NO, yours is wrong!” Yasuka shot back, her confidence unexpectedly unwavering.
Ryo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again. “Jesus Christ… you’re both legal adults…”
"Okay, okay! Let me go first!" Aiko exclaimed, springing to his feet before Ryo could say anything. "I think the signatory..." He paused for dramatic effect, looking between the two for emphasis. "...killed someone here!"
Ryo's head dropped forward, his hand slapping his forehead. "Goddammit..."
"What? It's true!" Aiko protested, crossing his arms indignantly.
"Yeah, well, we KNOW someone died here already. That's a fact moron." Ryo emphasized the last word, his tone flat.
"Oh." Aiko slumped back, looking sheepish.
Ryo shifted his gaze to Yasuka. "Alright, your turn. What's your theory?"
Yasuka straightened up nervously. "O-Oh! Um... I think the signatory... might be nearby?"
"So, you have nothing," Ryo concluded, raising an eyebrow. Yasuka sunk back into her seat without a word, looking defeated.
Just as Ryo was about to throw in the towel on their brainstorming session, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Akira standing there, holding a stack of papers against her chest.
"Um... I know it’s technically not my job—or my business—to help, but..." She adjusted her glasses, the lenses catching the light as she smiled nervously. "...I have a theory?"
Ryo glanced back at Aiko and Yasuka, who were still bickering, then turned back to Akira. "At this point, it can’t hurt."
Akira took a deep breath, motioning to the scene behind them. "Well, look at the chalk outlines. The way they’re positioned—it doesn’t seem like he meant to kill anyone. It just... happened. Like they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And those footprints over there?" She pointed toward faint tracks leading toward the back. "He was running—like he was in a hurry to get away. Maybe he was already being chased when he came in here. That might explain the destruction, too."
Ryo tilted his head thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he processed her words. "So you’re saying...?"
"I think the signatory didn’t come here to kill. I think they were desperate. Maybe they were running from someone or trying to cover their tracks. And look at the graffiti." She gestured at the walls, their chaotic patterns of symbols and random scrawls. "This wasn’t just vandalism—it’s almost like they were leaving some kind of message, something they wanted others to see."
Aiko squinted at the graffiti and tilted his head. "A message? Like what, 'Don’t mess with me,' or 'I was here'?"
"Not exactly," Akira replied, her tone patient but firm. "It’s more purposeful than that. These symbols could mean something—maybe a warning, or even a call for help. If we decode them, we might figure out where they went."
Yasuka chimed in, leaning closer to inspect the graffiti. "H-Hey, this one kind of looks like... coordinates? Maybe a location?"
Ryo frowned looking at it. “It’s gonna take weeks…”
Akira smiled faintly, clutching her clipboard. "Well, if you don’t mind me helping, I can try to figure it out. I’ve worked on cryptic messaging cases before. It’s not really my official job, but I’ve got experience."
Ryo glanced at Aiko and Yasuka, both of whom shrugged. "Go ahead," Ryo said with a sigh. "We’ll give it a shot."
"Great!" Akira said, practically beaming. "I’ll start analyzing this right away. Just... don’t expect miracles. These things take time."
As Akira moved to start her analysis, Aiko leaned over to Yasuka and whispered loudly, "She’s pretty smart, huh? Smarter than YOU, that's for sure.”
Yasuka glared, ready to snap back, but Ryo shot them both a warning look. "Enough, you two. Focus. We might actually have a lead now, so don’t ruin it."
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