[?] A Certain Masked Man

Though she had lingered around to witness the hilarious scene she had caused to the young boy, in her usual twisted humour of only being amused by humiliating other people, Natsumi felt like it was time to leave before the Judgement officer would catch on that she may actually be behind this entire incident.

It may have been his fault for suddenly taking a picture of her, but the authorities likely wouldn't find a much justifiable cause behind retribution in the form of ability usage. And even the two seemed to be wrapping up this moment by deciding to actually head into an office for interrogation purposes, so now was the perfect time to bow out with little trouble.

As such, and without any particularly courteous approach to the departure, she simply walked away from the two boys...

***

But unlike what most people would expect, she hadn't left the park entirely to cater to other occupations, no.

What she had done was simply put some distance so that they would assume exactly that, even if she remained within the park itself, though still kept them within her range of sight. Natsumi felt like whatever was going on today, perhaps keeping a further eye on one of those boys would at least bring more answers to the many questions she had than simply moping around in public areas.

The reason was simple enough.

She was curious as to why one of those boys seemed truly disturbed she didn't know him.

Most of her features were ones that you would openly expect from a Japanese person, nothing in her appearance was any extravagant that people would openly call out to it besides her uniform, but even then she looked much alike other students of her school when wearing it.

This boy seemed to be hung up over her appearance specifically, however.

And as far as she knew, “amnesia” hadn't been part of a diagnosed condition result of the fight that she had taken part in at the beginning of the month; nor was it likely that this was a childhood friend she'd forgotten about – if she ever had any at all – since the boy seemed to only know her based on a single interaction from the way he spoke.

Who was the girl she “looked so much like”?

A completely different kind of heart-sinking dread than earlier was settling in her mind, almost marking this day as a day of sheer anxiety as she bit down on her lip once more.

At first, after making her introduction, Kita was rather surprised by the responses she got. Not by the boy, who seemed rather uninterested in Kita's arrival, but by the girl in the wheelchair. After sifting through the rather confusing babble that was her retort, Kita realized that she was perhaps suggesting that the boy and Kita were related, which was strange to her seeing as how she didn't know either of their names. However, before she could respond, the girl started wheeling past the boy while continuing. "Come on, you two! You can't afford to stay out of this. Your offspring's future depends on it!" 

She glanced at the boy with a rather confused look as he started to follow after the girl with a lively skip in his step that she hadn't seen in a long time. Seeing his rather lively demeanor caused her confusion to become a blooming excitement. She realized what opportunities this would present not only in terms of information, but also entertainment. "A student watch organization, why not?" His last words had brought her back to reality as a smirk crept across her face. She caught up to the pair, following them on whatever adventure they had in store. "Well, I suppose dark secrets and personal stories can come later. This little adventure would work wonders for the three of us, especially for us 'young parents'." As she walked besides the boy, she gave him a light tap on the arm with her elbow. She wasn't sure why, but something about these two got her excited about the rest of her evening. Perhaps this spark of hope would finally put an end to several days of tedium.

When it comes to trying to communicate with people in trouble, it's often best to remove them from the scene of the crime. Since Oda often believes that remaining there will only heighten emotions and make it much harder to communicate with the guilty and even the innocent. So Oda went there not with the mind to understand what happened so quickly but to disable the situation before it got worse.

But it didn't mean he wasn't listening in any retrospect and in some ways he believes he was a tad rough, but that was him all over. But this nudging feeling he was getting, this doubt in his own decisions was so unlike him. It was eating him up inside that he wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. Protocol dictates he takes the guy to the Branch, but he felt... unsure ...

And so after escorting him away from the scene, Oda had taken the seemingly shameless boy to not the branch as you may suspect, but a random bench only just a few minutes away and far out of sight of that girl. Still keeping him restrained the entire time, the Judgement boy had led him to sit down on it and slowly let go showing that he wanted to talk before this goes any further.

"Normally I would drag you kicking and screaming to the branch without question... But I think it's clear that something happened there which needed explaining... so do you mind be honest with me and telling me what was going on? Because you only seemed like the most obvious pervert in the world and yet... you seem to really believe you know her right? So why... the performance? " Oda asked giving him the chance to finally speak.

'What a drag...'

The shameless pervert lamented in his head, mourning his happiness as it has long since left him, only to be revived in small ways, only for something like this to happen, to put that happiness down like a rabid dog. With his hands restricted behind him, he was forced to hold onto his pants from back while restricted entirely. While the fear of being taken all the way to the judgement branch offices and be charged for a crime he didn't do, his thoughts dwell on the girl before.

Was she seriously not the same girl from the month before? Sure, there are people out there who look very similar to one another, but in this case the resemblance was unmistakable, and yet he was indeed mistaken. It gave him a headache to wrap his mind around it, but at the end of the day, he was probably wrong, and humiliated himself entirely because of it. 'Maybe these things happen more commonly than I thought...?' Koyoko was overlooking a specific answer to these questions, whether it was lost in the confusion of his thoughts, or he had assumed it just wasn't the case.

Regardless of his curiosity, the aerohand was plopped down on a bench not even five minutes after he was taken away. Almost smashing his hands into the wooden boards, he was forced to lean forwards a bit, before looking up at the judgement officer with a cocked eyebrow.

"Normally I would drag you kicking and screaming to the branch without question... But I think it's clear that something happened there which needed explaining... so do you mind be honest with me and telling me what was going on? Because you only seemed like the most obvious pervert in the world and yet... you seem to really believe you know her right? So why... the performance?"

'...So he was listening after all, if not partially..neat.' Despite toxicity in his thoughts, Koyoko did feel somewhat appreciative as he stretched his neck a bit, feeling sore from impact of being thrown. "First of all, calling me an obvious pervert is quite rude...If you didn't notice-.." Koyoko leaned in to sort of bite the collar of his shirt and tug it up a bit so that it wasn't covering his waist line. What Oda would see is a perfectly normal belt, fastened around his torso, however it wasn't interlinked with the trousers he was desperately holding up. The belt loops that the belt is supposed to be in can be seen hanging off like loose strings, the open end appearing an odd black shade.

"My belt loops were burned off I think..Albeit subtly and I only noticed when I smelled smoke. Figured I was being prank'd or something, and did it right before I entered the park and waited. Ugh...It's either I'm an attractive target for humiliation or there are a lot more people that hate me then I originally imagined...Haaaa" Koyoko frustratingly sighed as he leaned back against the bench a bit and look straight upwards at the clear blue sky, with the skin burning sunlight torturing him every second.

"As for the girl. I knew h-...Thought I knew her. She looked identical to someone I knew, but apparently she doesn't recognize me at all. What are the odds that meet someone one with such an accurate resemblance?! It's unheard of!!" The boy fumed a bit at the end, almost not even talking to Oda at that point, rather to the events that lead him up to this point to embarrass him three times over. "It's a long story how I actually met her. But that whole photo thing...well that's a lot harder to explain, but she considers it a huge pet peeve so I thought it'd be an entertaining way to greet her...Though the last I did she smashed my phone, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to say hello..Take that for what you will, but that's all I can really say on that issue. There wasn't much to hide, but there also was a lacking in any proof of any of his claims. Other than the belt loops being singed off, anything in regards to that girl had no credibility.

Oda listened carefully trying to fairly hear the side of this distraught individual caught with his pants down. And as he talked Oda naturally pulled out his notebook and pencil to write notes on the situation, though as he searched through it for a clean page he came across the notes from last night. And for that moment for once he had to admit he felt frightened.

His hand trembled from actual fear and he didn't understand why. It's not like he was there at the scene now. It's just, the boy who often spoke so loudly and often throw himself into confrontations felt out of his depth. What was he doing? Can he actually do anything and more importantly should he do anything? Those were the questions that troubled him. But he was scared and that in itself was a new thing to Oda Taichi.

The boy who usually who seem so brave had started to falter.
His indecision was a sign of this reality.

---lance?! It's unheard of!!"

"Huh?" Oda said seemingly smacked back into reality had continued to listen to the boy's words as he put his notebook away not writing anything at all. Fiddling with the pencil in his hand the dog thought about what the boy had been saying and came to a decision.

"Well I think I heard enough. We still need to visit the branch to record what happened since there have been too many witnesses to ignore it. But you'll not get in trouble, just a slap on the wrist. Just you know... don't take photos of others without permission, please. It should be obvious..." Oda said who stood up seemingly unhearted to see this situation though. Oda can tell in his own way the guy didn't mean any harm.

"So just... why don't you wait there and I'll get something for you to hold your trousers up. I shouldn't be long.." Oda saying something he didn't imagine he would say in a hundred years. But he began to turn away seemingly committed to doing at least this for him.

However, he suddenly stopped before he moved any further and continued for one final note. "Though if it takes me too long then I wouldn't blame you for leaving. I'll just catch you next time." Oda had said before leaving to fetch something to help the boy's predicament.

Well, that was easy. Having failed to come up with a good explanation in the end, she still ended up with two recruits, albeit temporary ones. The only question now was whether or not they would run into Oda Taichi first, or the other rumours she uncovered online. Or would they run into someone or something far worse? That would be just her luck.

She took another gulp of her caffeinated drink and began to refocus when a familiar person came into view. Ah...there was Oda Taichi.

"There's the man we're searching for! He holds the key to our next step! Keep quiet about your tryst and other debauchery for the time being. We're merely concerned citizens who feel like we need his help and protection from dangerous types. From there, hopefully..."

She trailed off into the distance as she accelerated her wheelchair toward Taichi. He wasn't about to get away, not when she had a battle plan this day!

"Huh?"

'...WAS HE EVEN LISTENING?!' The delinquent's rant and wild emotions were left unheard to the Judgement officer, as if the boy had been day dreaming the entire time he was being questioned. Did he really care about the situation, or was he just expecting nothing but dishonesty from the delinquent. This was just discrimination on rebellious youth all around!

Koyoko merely kept quiet however, as he had gotten arrested on a handful occasions already, though for small instances and worst thing he got was more or less community service, or a scolding from Konori-san. In fact, he recalled almost getting a greater punishment because he kept taking off his handcuffs during questionings and lectures from branch officials. Koyoko merely blamed them for making it easy for people with certain esper abilities to break or tamper with the locks. It's not easy to create handcuffs where the inside is devoid of air entirely. Or in realistic terms: Impossible...probably.

"Well I think I heard enough. We still need to visit the branch to record what happened since there have been too many witnesses to ignore it. But you'll not get in trouble, just a slap on the wrist. Just you know... don't take photos of others without permission, please. It should be obvious..."

"Even if it's people robbing a bank? Or inflicting violence on a defenseless student?
I suppose photographic evidence is overrated anyway." Koyoko couldn't help but comment it, somewhat reminding him of the reason he initially took a picture of a certain brunette in a convenience store. A single photo could prove valuable in a criminal investigation afterall, but now that he thought about it, he probably shouldn't take pictures of people just because they looked suspicious in general. Actually, it was a dangerous line of thinking, especially if you took one of someone with a short temper. "I'm joking...somewhat anyway."

"So just... why don't you wait there and I'll get something for you to hold your trousers up. I shouldn't be long..Though if it takes me too long then I wouldn't blame you for leaving. I'll just catch you next time."

"Eh, don't bother. I got stuff to do today. But I can at least give you my number and address. Though you may already have records of both back at the offices."

'Because I'm a regular afterall...'

Koyoko immediately stood up, with his hands at his waist to hold his pants up for the time being, rather awkwardly at that. Giving him a brief glimpse of his contact information and his residency. Despite being a trouble maker himself, he wasn't unreasonable when it came to him actually complying with the law. As long as he didn't do anything wrong, there was nothing really to worry about. And it was best to make it as convenient as possible for both parties.

"Just contact me tomorrow or something and which branch you're from, and I'll head over so you can do...whatever boring paperwork they require you to do. But if you'll excuse me, I need to go home and have a smoke and pretend today never happened. What fun..~" The grey haired boy sighed out with an awkward chuckle before walking off on his own, deciding to head straight back to his apartment for the time being.

However, while he took casual steps away, he recalled, his phone did chime while it was in his pocket. Before doing anything else, the delinquent reach down, grasped at the cellular device, and unlocked his phone to check his messages.

[Got the details on today's job. Or did you forget already? 10pm. Dead drop behind the arcades. Extra pay due to curfew. You want in or do I give it to one of the other runners?]

"After Curfew again huh...I suppose that's lucky, but it's more work..Tch." Koyoko requested more offers too, so denying the work would obviously piss off his job handler. On top of that, they can get impatient, so he didn't waste time to respond. The apartment can't pay for itself, and despite how suspicious this line of work was, it payed too well for him to pass on. Stuck in a financial vacuum, he answered the only way he could allow himself.

[I'll handle it.]

With a single press the message was sent and the job was accepted in an instant, stuffing the phone away in his pocket. Koyoko sighed before sluggishly walking away, but still in sight of Oda.

It was like an itch he couldn't scratch, there was something wrong with the usually confident dog. And that had started to annoy him very much; the boy wasn't even sure he was making any correct decisions anymore and realised something.

He told that guy he can just walk away and that was without the usual booking in. Even when he's willing to listen to people, he shouldn't just let them walk away.  All he knows that he may bother that girl again and he couldn't let that happen without setting an example.

Even at this point, Oda had realised he was indecisive.

"Sorry about this... Oda mumbles turning back towards the guy who had since gotten off from the bench. And without hesitating Oda lept forward at full speed, charging like a bull he closed the distance almost immediately.

"Change of plans, you're coming with me!!" Oda growled as he reached out and grabbed the back of his collar. But he didn't pull him back; the judgement dog acted like an anchor stopping him in his tracks without warning.

Koyoko felt awkward walking home holding onto the waist band of his trousers. Unfortunately a level 2 Aero Hand had not practiced the technique to use the air in his pockets to keep his pants up. In fact, it never really crossed his mind. It could've made this whole ordeal of walking back home that much easier for himself without catching the eyes of on lookers, with snickers of amusement or murmurs of concern drawn toward him.

Thankfully, he'd have to only bare with such humiliation for about fifteen minutes or so, so he may change and relax before his job starts. He could even take some detours in narrow alleyways to avoid bystanders entirely if he played his cards right.

"Hmm...I wonder if there is store nearby that sel-" Before Koyoko could finish his thought he suddenly heard the hastening of feet behind him. It wasn't at the pace of a jogging track team member. If anything, it was the the pace of someone sprinting at full force as if his life was in jeopardy.

"Change of plans, you're coming with me!!"

*GRAB*

"Wha-ACK?!?" The boys legs stopped moving as his collar was being used to pull him back, tightening around his neck and almost choking him as he was waddling forward. He immediately stopped so that air can properly enter his lungs and not suffocate himself. "W-what the- What the hells wrong with you?! What did I do now?!" It didn't occur to him that Oda was indecisive and only grabbed him because he suddenly had severe second thoughts and went back on his word more or less. Then again, he said to wait at the bench, but that he wouldn't of minded he left. 'T-this guy is beyond weird..! Can't someone else arrest me!?'

Feeling a nudge, Jin glanced aside. "Hmm? Oh, is this about what she said? Don't worry,
there's plenty of time to make offspring. I can put you down for... Hmm, Tuesday?"

With that casual bit of sexual harassment out of the way, Jin looked forward to where the crazy chick was accelerating. "But what if I don't want to keep quiet about it?"

Seriously, where was the fun in that?

But, all things in time. For now, Jin was growing curious about what was going on with the crazy chick's contact... It was the Judgement member, right? The one who started walking away from a guy, then turned around and charged him like a bull at the rodeo?

As expected, crazy chick's friend could only be crazy dude.

Jin cracked his knuckles and put a hand to his goggles, as though to pull them down. "This looks like a job for... On second thought, never mind. Come on, Side Chick, let's go obstruct some justice."

Jin let go of the goggles, deciding against going through a transformation sequence at this point in time. With casual steps, he walked towards the gathering of Crazy Chick, Crazy Dude, and Unfortunate Victim (Culprit). His mind raced with the best ways to make a nuisance of himself.

He decided to keep it simple. "Johnny, 'Zat you? Whatchu doing here?"

After the boy's response, Kita was a little stunned by how a joke became a little more real. She was just messing around, but he immediately turned into something that was a little more than a practical joke. "Yeah, I think I have Tuesday filled...as well as the rest of this week...and the next." But, she realized she was pretty much talking to the air as she saw the girl start wheeling off after something at a speed she hadn't expected, with the boy trailing not too far behind her. 

Not wanting to miss any of the action, she walked after the boy and before she could get an idea of what was going on, she immediately heard talking and occasional yelling. From what she could tell, there were two people, one of which was being grabbed by the collar by the other. The one who was being grabbed had long grey hair and a plain black coat and was yelling as he was being pulled. The one pulling had black, messy hair and...a black and red coat. After looking at the boy for a little, her walk turned into a jog as a smile ran across her face. While she was expecting the day to take a more interesting turn, she was certainly pleasantly surprised to see such a familiar face.

"Johnny, 'Zat you? Whatchu doing here?" Kita heard the boy attempt to grab his attention and saw fit to help him out, especially since the two seemed to be in their own world. "It seems like you're doing a great job at making friends again, Taichi. I'm fairly certain that hazing comes after introducing yourself and making small talk."

He obviously was being unreasonable, that fact didn't escape Oda the slightest. But he had this horrible feeling someone wants him to do this correctly. Though that ship sort of sailed earlier when he had forgotten his armband. Which was amusing to him that no one has called him out on it first.

"It seems like you're doing a great job at making friends again, Taichi. I'm fairly certain that hazing comes after introducing yourself and making small talk."

And there it was something that shattered the gloominess surrounding Oda. And that was the strange thing about people in general, they often react differently to sometimes the slightest facts or simply a clear reminder. All it took for him to understand this was to see someone familiar and now he actually understood.

He has been truly frightened all this time, Oda was often confident and clear on what he needs to do or be done. Seeing those bodies last night had a clear impact on his confidence and his ability to handle the situation. But in the end, his motives were simple.

He didn't want to abandon anyone when he sees something wrong. Oda Taichi didn't know many things, but he knew one thing that was clear. Despite all its flaws, the dog knew Academy city was the only home in the world for espers and he wanted to make it safe.

He finally made up his mind as he checked the key card was still in his pocket. Oda intends to investigate the apartment and his mind was simply made clear by the arrival of someone familiar. He wanted to protect his way of life and a killer being on the lose threatened it.

"Well you know Kita, making friends is very fun. You see this one right here was only being a bit silly and just needs to pop down the branch to clear a few things over." Oda said keeping a tight grip on the collar. "Sorry about this, by the way, I tend to forget about my chief being a stickler for these things." Oda tried to explain to the poor sap at the other end of his grip. "So don't fight with me and we can get this over with." Oda continued further asserting his dominance on the matter about his fate.

It was then his mind turned to the two overs who came with Kita. Honestly, he was denying her presence because of what happened last night. He was suddenly not keen for them to be involved, but it seems fate wants this to happen somehow.

"Kaneko Mirai." Oda said seemingly pausing after saying her name. He thought for a moment why that felt awkward? He probably was just imaging things. "Good to see you so soon. You seem to be mixing well with obvious non tokiwadai students." Oda said not referring to the incident last night for a reason.

He may have found in this way the confidence to tackle this incident head-on. But that no way means he should get others involved.

Mirai stared at Taichi and the person he was handling dully.

"...What are you doing? The Masked Man those skill-outs and other thugs fear is on the loose, you know. The one who comes out at night? It's daytime, so you're probably on the wrong track, Casanova. Who cares about some scruffy-looking nobody like that? We've got pressing business to attend to involving a criminal! Not to mention, aren't you carrying a..."

Her eyes widened, as though an idea came to mind.

"Ahhh. That's probably who killed those two. Yes, you're carrying an item from the crime scene, aren't you? I'm amazed Anti-Skill didn't find out about that. Anyway, I want you to show me where that key goes so I can find out what those people were up to in order to get the Masked Man's attention. I wanna ask him some questions...and I already got two fresh recruits to aid us! At this point, you've already withheld a key piece of evidence from the authorities, so why not use it? Why else would you have taken it?"

An ever-widening smile appeared on her face as she spoke.

"So ditch the guy whose most serious crime appears to be his choice of style, and help me find a real criminal. Unless he has something interesting to offer, that is...?"

...Why am I even here..?

A headache had been pulsing through the delinquent's skull for some time now. He was getting arrested, only for this judgement officer to stop and have a casual conversation with two girls. They either had a real bad sense of priorities, or he merely forgotten that Koyoko was standing next to him, uncomfortably restrained by sheer stupidity.

"Sorry about this, by the way, I tend to forget about my chief being a stickler for these things. So don't fight with me and we can get this over with."

Rolling his eyes at that statement, it felt more of an excuse if anything. "Says that guy without an armband currently..." Ironic because Koyoko didn't question the fact he had no armband until now, but didn't really care at this point while he tugged against his grip a bit, mainly because it was a bit difficult to breathe, constricting against his neck.

"...What are you doing? The Masked Man those skill-outs and other thugs fear is on the loose, you know. The one who comes out at night? It's daytime, so you're probably on the wrong track, Casanova. Who cares about some scruffy-looking nobody like that? We've got pressing business to attend to involving a criminal! Not to mention, aren't you carrying a..."

...So the rumors have spread more than I thought, huh? The boy didn't think such whispers would be so popular. Are kids more into horror stories now then before? Though whoever this Masked Man was, Koyoko certainly couldn't go about his day without some of the many runners talking about them, saying one such runner was killed just recently. This topic did intrigue him, but not too much as to ignore the girl's rude behavior.

"So ditch the guy whose most serious crime appears to be his choice of style, and help me find a real criminal. Unless he has something interesting to offer, that is...?"

"You're a sweet heart, aren't you? There's something called manners when talking about people right in front of you.." The boy scoffed as he stared at her rather annoyingly. Not so much as to glare or threaten her, but he wasn't going to just pretend that everything is peachy and wonderful. "As for this Masked Man you mentioned..It's best not to get involved. Despite whatever the rumors might say, Anti-skill upped patrols around the city during curfew now, especially since the latest killings. Whoever this serial killer is, he's being treated as a real threat.
Not only that, but he seems to target people who have 'reasons' to go out after curfew."

Koyoko would look at the two girls and back at the judgement officer and sighs. "And you three don't exactly look like detectives either. You got a clumsy Judgement officer, a fashion critic,
and a comedian for a team. I don't see anything wrong with that...But feel free to head to apartment~."

Koyoko smiled happily as he turned to Oda after a rather contradictory statement, as if he had made a huge mistake just now. "I mean, if you take me to your judgement offices for questioning, I might accidentally say that a certain judgement officer arrested me without the proper identifying armband, but they have also stolen key piece of evidence from a crime scene, illegally~. But hey, I'm sure they'd understand~." Now not only was Mirai and Kita blackmailing the poor Oda, but the hooligan had joined in on the harassment. "Unless you want to give these two the keycard and we'll be on our merry way~! At this point, Koyoko didn't like being dragged around and certainly didn't want to waste his day explaining what happened earlier for a third time. And Oda's job and the students safety was now on the line based on his next decision.

Kita calmly listened to the wheelchair bound girl and Oda exchange what were apparently pleasantries before the grey-haired boy Oda had been holding stepped in between their little chat, understandably annoyed at the fact that he was still being grabbed by the collar. All this talk of key cards, apartments, and potential investigations had gotten her excited, so after the boy finished his piece, Kita quickly spoke up. "Well, I think that despite our appearances, we should be just fine going together. Curfew never really bothered me and extra patrols are not going to make a difference. Besides, I've gotten way too into this to back out now, so before you even try, Taichi, there's not much beyond knocking me out or breaking my legs that you can do to stop me." 

She turned to the boy Oda was grabbing rather affectionately by the collar and added one quick note. "Also, I'm not sure what he did, but I think that we're probably good to let him go, unless you plan on dragging him by the collar all the way to the apartment. Besides, he appreciates my sense of humor!" Clapping her hands together, she began looking around. "So, which way are we going? Is it this way, or this way?"

As everyone had taken their turn to speak, Oda could feel the arrows in his back as their words made it almost impossible for him to even remotely argue here. The dog was growling; he felt like he was cornered and wanted to lash out. But without resistance, he let Koyoko go and spoke loudly in response.

"Well you got me, its true I don't have the judgement armband. It isn't like me you know.. So goodbye?" Oda can be a pretty sore loser at times and this was one of them. He basically was caught out and gutted like a fish.

"Just don't get in any more trouble." Oda said in a way as if watching his own pride sink visibly. He was taking this hard since he thought he had a sense of control and then he realised in that moment he never really had any in the first place. He was still a suspect in the eyes of Anti-skill and he couldn't believe himself that he had forgotten about that fact. What needs to be done now is to further prove that he had no involvement in those killings.

And looking towards Mirai maybe it wasn't worth this trouble considering she just helped to drop him in it.

"Stop and don't think about it. Especially you, Kita. I'm warning you. Don't. Follow. Hanging around with me right now is only going to get you into trouble." Oda said towards the girls before storming past them and only gave a frank look to the boy that came with them. The dog was still clearly growling and had no intention to talk about the rumours or what happened last night. And though he left, Oda never bothered looking behind him as he hoped they would heed his warning.

"Well you got me, its true I don't have the judgement armband. It isn't like me you know.. So goodbye? Just don't get in any more trouble."

Feeling his shirt no longer being stretched and tugged, Koyoko patted himself down and mentally gave a pat on the back for a job well done. He never really takes the effort to manipulate people, but apparently this was a perfect opportunity to try, and it worked out perfectly. Though the judgement officer was understandably in a sour mood for how things transpired.

"Thank you, now if you'll excuse me." He said as he tried to walk away with a smug grin on his face, but that was particularly ruined as he was still holding his pants up awkwardly to keep it from falling. The victory was short lived as his own mood plummeted as he realized he was walking all the way home with no proper belt to hold these up. "Note to self: Never go outside again, it's too dangerous." He sarcastically remarked to himself as he would leave to return to his apartment.

District 3 15:00

Somewhere in the crowded sector of the city stood a plain looking apartment complex, one of the few within the city designated for adult residents.

It was an eye-catching building that resembled the kind of high-end hotels that occupied the rest of the visitor's district. A wide, tall tower with a curved glass front through which one could see the brightly lit reception and lobby area. To one side a ramp descended below ground level to the parking garage.

The lobby itself was easily three storeys high with an intricately designed ceiling resembling a high tech cathedral vault, all sharp lines and straight edges converging on a long, crystalline diamond that seemed to dangle from a single thin cable over the centre of the hall. The 'pillars' that led upwards to the vaulted ceiling concealed a number of elevators embedded into the walls.

A lone security guard glanced up from the reception desk, barely paying any attention to the residents and visitors who passed through the lobby.

The number on the keycard held by Oda Taichi would direct him to the twelfth floor. After some searching, he would find the room in question somewhere within the labyrinthine halls of the complex.

Inside was a moderately sized apartment with floor to ceiling windows offering a magnificent view of the surrounding district. The place was sparsely furnished with modern stylings that, while aesthetically pleasing left the feeling of an impersonal and cold living space. A coffee table sat in front of a black leather couch contained a number of unopened letters scattered across its surface. Mainly bills by the looks of them. The kitchen unit has apparently seen recent use owing to the presence of a half-finished meal hastily discarded on the counter.

The far corner of the room contained a well-used work desk that was covered with various papers and memos. A cork notice board had been hung on the wall above it and a number of notes were pinned to its surface. Most prominent was a slip of paper pinned where it could not be ignored.

Two locations were written in carefully handwritten script that had been underlined many times over.

It had taken some time for him to make it over to the apartment. He didn't do so directly, but his knowledge of the street level made it he ended up in the right place without walking there in plain sight. If there was anything he can claim to know and that is getting around the city. But that would stop there since when it comes searching around an apartment for clues about what happened that night. Then it was some miracle he was able to find anything seemingly relevant, and he had made some mess in the process, of his search.

He was like a bull in a china shop and despite almost tearing the place apart for answers not realising to check the corner desk with numerous papers all over. Common sense for Oda was in abundance but when he finally took the likely place for somebody to write something down, there hanging above he found something that was very relevant.

"District 15, underpass at midnight." Oda said who realised something just then. How close he and that girl had almost stumbled upon the crime happening. It would be foolish to deny, and Oda felt very scared at that moment seeing the time. If he had come any sooner, he could be dead right now. And that was very frightening. "District 17 Warehouse 15...11o'clock" Oda could find his way there, but the issue here would be time. Though he wasn't going to lie, he wasn't exactly running out the door. Just because of that slight chance he could run into the one responsible for the killings.

"Getting there on time will be another miracle. But if there is nothing else we should leave straight away." Oda said turning to the one who followed him into the apartment.

"You still can go home."

After Oda's heroic warning before going to the apartment, Kita made sure that she had some distance between Oda and herself before giving chase. She had followed him all the way to the apartment, which looked about as beautiful as it gets for these kinds of apartments. She would've given it a good look over, but she saw Oda head in without stopping, so she followed him in, while still keeping some distance before slipping into the room with him, trying to be as quiet as possible. 

While he was recklessly shuffling through various items he found, she tried to be a little more meticulous, carefully searching drawers, reading the letters on the coffee table, and looking into other small things that might have details. Meanwhile, she was trying to listen on his mumbling and stopped searching when she heard him talk about two districts, both of which had times that were either midnight or close to midnight. However, she then heard him mention "we" amongst the details before he turned to address her as he was standing near what seemed to be a work desk. "You can still go home."

Kita turned to Oda, while laughing at the absurdity of that statement. "And why would I want to do that? This is everything that I hoped I would find! I've been looking into this case for several days now and I...." realizing she made a small mistake, she stopped before putting a finger on her lips, thinking it over, and continuing after a short pause. "Oh right. WE. And now WE have found the next point. I wasn't joking when I said, and I quote, 'There's not much beyond knocking me out or breaking my legs that you can do to stop me.'...end quote." She stopped and peaked over his shoulder, looking at the work desk. "Ether way, you find anything else interesting in that pile of junk?"

August 31st 15:00

"This looks like the place." Tessou Tsuzuri glanced down at her PDA containing the known data on the victim Watanabe Kaji. It hadn't taken Anti Skill long to discover his name and perform a basic background check due to the remaining items in his clothing, but being sure of his identity had taken longer. After all, there was no way to be certain at first glance that the pile of organic matter left in the wake of the attack was indeed the man known as Watanabe Kaji.

What would have taken days of DNA tests and other procedures had taken only a couple of hours.

"Wait..." Yomikawa Aiho paused at the sight of the door ajar and the sound of voices coming from the supposed victim's apartment. Aiho and Tsuzuri drew their sidearms and hurried to the door, taking position either side of it in preparation for a swift and explosive entry.

They nodded to one another and Aiho forced open the door with a powerful kick.

"Don't move! We're with Anti Skill!" The pair declared almost in unison, though Tsuzuri's voice was a little quieter and out of step with her more confident partner's. Though when her eyes fell on Taichi she found herself relaxing slightly. "You..." The timid looking woman with glasses and curly dark hair seemed more disappointed than worried.

***

August 31st 22:00

Once more the stillness of night fell upon the city, but tonight even more than usual the streets of Academy City seemed empty and unnervingly quiet. The curfew had flushed the streets of the usual stragglers and ne'er-do-wells who would usually be clustered in small pockets throughout. Tonight every shadow seemed somehow darker, as though concealing some menacing presence. Even the token presence of Anti-Skill did little to ease the sensation of isolation and paranoia that saw even the brazen risk-taker looking over their shoulders as they braved the streets after curfew.

There had been a murder. Several, in fact. Such things were rare in Academy City. Or at least, those that did occur were usually carefully covered up, with pains taken to ensure that the public never caught wind of such sinister happenings. People were not murdered in Academy City. They had 'accidents' or went 'missing'. As a city, it was counted as one of the safest in the world. But that status quo had been violently turned upside down with the appearance of two bodies the previous night.

Even the Skill Out gangs were thinner in number tonight. And those that did dare risk the streets did so in packs and steered well clear of anyone they didn't know. Perhaps that was less from fear than pragmatism. Being caught violating the curfew would have more severe consequences than usual tonight.

The alleyway behind the arcades was dimly lit. A few dumpsters lined the wall opposite the rear door that led into the service corridors. They were stacked high with bags of trash, the lids half closed. It was here that the package for Koyoko's latest delivery had been left. Had one not been looking for it the small, inconspicuous plastic bag would have appeared like a loose piece of garbage that had fallen from the dumpsters, wedged as it was, between two of the large bins.

Inside the bag, underneath a few loose scraps of paper that served as a secondary layer of camouflage, was the package itself. A small, brown paper parcel. An address in District 17 had been crudely and quickly scribbled onto one side.

District 17 Warehouse 15, 187-1037

All that remained was for him to deliver the goods, assuming Damion Koyoko could sneak past the Anti Skill officers patrolling between here and his destination.

The only sounds that can be heard is the grinding of leather tires, rolling through the asphalt slowly, with a familiar glare of headlights shining the immediate area in front of the Anti-skill patrol vehicle. Since the series of murders reaching the news, and even the public now aware of a potential threat, Anti-skill had increased security during nightly curfew in hopes to catch any individuals violating the curfew hours. For a simple delivery boy, with a ultimately legitimate and innocent profession of moving packages, this became an issue.

Afraid to be seen on the rooftops, Damion Koyoko was hiding in alleyways, in a cliche all black outfit. Pants, Shoes, Beanie, Jacket. Everything he needs in order to not stand out in the night. Unfortunately, if anyone sees him, it would be obvious that he's up to no good. 'Jeez, that's the fifth patrol car so far...If this keeps up, this is going to be a loooong delivery...I should have brought some snacks.'

As the patrol car rounded the corner, the grey haired delinquent quickly moved across the street to the designated alleyway, as his feet shuffled against the ground. The arcade was easy to find without using his phone too much. Even a small bit of light from his cellular device could alert any officer present. So he made it a rule not to use it unless absolutely necessary. The dimly lit structure beckoned him to go behind, inside the alley where the two dumpsters sat.

Even though it was night time, the air was still warm, so the boy was visibly sweating already as he sighed with relief once he approached the dumpsters. "Okay...Between the two dumpsters..." Recalling the instructions in his head, he found a fallen trash bag and carefully took it out with simple black gloves, sifting through the trash a bit until the package was found. A small brown parcel, neatly wrapped and secured. There were no markings, no indication of what was in the box, only a poorly scribbled address, a warehouse in District 17.

The curiosity was always there, lingering in the Aerohand's head of what would happen if he took a quick peek, and looked inside the container before delivery. But unfortunately, he actually tried to but stopped before crossing a fine line. The parcel actually had a small layer of glue on the folds, not just to hold it together but to act as a seal. If the parcel was opened and closed exactly the way it was found, the glue seal would show that it was opened before it was delivered, and because of that, runners can never get away with it, lest they lose their pay (or something far more serious).

Taking off his backpack, Koyoko put the parcel in his empty bag and zipped it up, before putting it on his back. Wiping off the traces of sweat on his face, he huffed as he stood back up and pulled out his phone carefully and began to punch in the address to find the location of the warehouse. "Let's see how much suffering I'm going to have to walk...I'm sure secret agents in the movies at least had a car..no such luxury.." Koyoko whispered to himself as the GPS marked the location, and using a small earpiece to connect to his phone wirelessly, can tell him directions without having to bring his phone out again. "Got it, time to leave."

Back into the night. With the day having passed as quickly as it had, Mugino Shizuri was out yet again. Apparently her organisation had spent the entire day analysing the list she had retrieved from that transportation company’s office, double checking each of the names mentioned, until the most perfect hit had been revealed. An overly annoying amount of work, if one asked her, making her even gladder she didn’t even have to bother with it.

Relaxing in family restaurant and a bourgeoisie private salon apartment she’d usually rent for the past few hours, eventually the working baton had been returned to her, setting her into motion once again. However with other people having done most of the work, all she had been left with once again was the physical endeavours, or rather, the catching of the next fish they needed. Fortunately the support organisation had provided all necessary details, including a name, a picture, real time GPS coordinates and an accurate set of possible path predictions.

«Secret agents in movies are at least standing out as much as you do.»

For how long has she been standing there? Just as her miserable prey had packed up and readied himself to step forwards, she had raised her voice, revealing her presence among the shadows of another alley way. She was standing there leaned against the wall, a method by which she had clearly blocked all sights from his initial position, all the while being completely casual in positioning and demeanour. Still wearing her glossy wavy tea coloured hair open, the same chic attire made up from a white half sleeved laced top, a beige mini skirt with black angle length leggings and cute rose ornamented pumps, she most certainly nailed the idea of being too casual for the circumstances.

However while her choice of clothing made her seem out place, her expression and behaviour truly didn’t. Her face entirely relaxed, a bit cold even, in combination with her overly accumulated body language, she presented herself as somebody quite at home in the circumstances, with further professional touch being added on top by the fact that she had moved in entirely unnoticed.

«At least you were smart enough not to take a peek. Nobody likes the courier sniffing into things.»

Her tone was one of sharp belittlement, coating each of her words in a cruel sense of superiority.

As another patrol vehicle passed the distant streets not catching any glimpse of the ongoings of the dark alleys, a real predator’s gaze had fallen upon Damion Koyoko.

It was no secret that Oda had found Kita's stubbornness annoying and especially when she acts so blatantly about it. But it was too late to try and force anything now, the only thing he can do is secretly regret he didn't lose her and get on with it. Oda thought there is nothing wrong as long they're careful right?

But those hopes were shattered the moment the door was swung up with a powerful kick and the startled Oda who tried to get Kita out of the way, but that was pointless the moment the dust settled, and he realised who was at the door. And to be honest, he was frightened at that moment; he thought it was the killer who came to get rid of loose ends. Oda crazily believed that the killer had known he had walked onto the crime scene and thought Oda had seen the killers identity. That wasn't true, but those thoughts had raced through the young judgement member's mind.

So he sighed with relief to find it was Anti-skill and the same officer who interviewed him this morning

...
...
...

'Oh, crap' was the thought that followed when Oda's slow mind realised who it was exactly. He was going to get punished for this and probably removed from Judgement, but he couldn't lie to them a second time. It would only condemn him only further, and this time this was something only Anti-skill can do right now.

"Look I know this looks bad, but we don't have time to argue here. You can punish me or anything later, but you need to go there in case the killer shows up!" Oda said revelling the handwritten script which had the two places underlined many times.

«Secret agents in movies are at least standing out as much as you do.»

The words cut through the silence like a perfectly sharpened blade, eerily slicing through the atmosphere and warping it into a chilling and anxious one. The boy visibly flinched upon hearing it, and quickly turned around to see someone standing there. A young woman, slender and admittedly shorter than him, leaning against the alleyway walls. Despite her undoubted attractive features, she was almost seeming reluctant to be here. Not how some form of pity, or fear, but out of unrelenting boredom and impatience. Her tone seemingly mocked him, while somewhat humorous, yet something very sinister present. Looking her directly into her irises, he only felt the sensation of tiny cold needles digging into his back. The sensation of danger.

What's with this chick? How did she even find me?..I got too many bad vibes...And.. As one of the patrol cars pass by, the woman not even acknowledging them, the vehicles lights illuminated her for a just a moment, her clothing revealed to be practically casual. No Anti-skill uniform, not rugged clothing. Her motives and loyalties became even more unclear.

«At least you were smart enough not to take a peek. Nobody likes the courier sniffing into things.»

Feeling the bag in his palm, he glanced down at it for a mere moment. The parcel was already zipped up, and hidden inside, but she obviously knew what was inside. Not the backpack, but what the package itself was. Is she the receiver? The employer? Or... Koyoko was at a loss, as him, someone more naive than he'd believe, would have no idea what kind of people are involved in his simple delivery job.

Slowly standing up and slinging the backpack on his shoulder, the esper would try to hold his nerve and meet her casual attitude toward the situation for now. "Right...I think I like being paid more than to satisfy my curiosity. But we do have a strict no fraternizing policy with our customers.
And we don't deliver to clients directly, so if you were hoping to pick up your cell phone strap early, you'll have to wait a few hours..Sorry."

The delinquent took steps away from her, somewhat cautiously, but not completely alarmed. While this was an unfortunate circumstance of someone seeing him, they were not Anti-skill, and they didn't appear physically armed. Though from the predator's eyes, he was obviously sweating a bit, not from the hot clothing, but from her presence alone, and her prey intended to retreat as soon as possible.