Chapter Text
Takagi didn’t realise until now that there’s a weird tattoo under his forearm.
It all starts when the brunette tries to get up from his bed the very next day. He can feel his head vibrating from the hangover last night.
He must’ve drink a bit too much.
He doesn’t usually drink that much of alcoholic drinks, but the higher-ups kind of forced him to, so he couldn’t refuse them, considering his position and how timid and awkward the brunette is.
Probably it’s their way to tease him because of how close he and Sato are.
“...Hm?” As the brunette massages his temple gently, there’s something written under his forearm.
38:20:45
Takagi blinks in confusion.
What’s this?
A phone number? …No, it looks like a digit number that can be seen on a digital watch.
“Did Yumi write these down while we’re all drunk..?” Takagi mutters to himself. That Yumi.. she always finds a way to tease him.
But no matter how many times he tries to rub or scrub it off from his left forearm harder, it won’t go away.
Did she use a permanent marker pen then?
When Takagi takes another closer look, the colon dots are blinking like a digital watch. Each ticking takes a minute to go down on the right side, which Takagi assumes the number on the tattoo is based on time, from left to right; days, hours and minutes.
For some reason, he had seen this kind of timer somewhere before—there are some cases where there’s a timer bomb hidden inside the tall buildings or certain places. The thought of that made his heart sink to his stomach. But it couldn’t be right?
They look too real, and it isn’t something that can be scientifically proven. Even people in MPD wouldn’t believe such a supernatural thing, unless there is solid evidence.
Takagi sighs once more. “I should think about this later,” he says, and finally gets up from his bed, preparing himself to take a quick shower and head to the MPD, as he has a morning shift.
Hopefully, he manages to get himself on time before getting scolded by Megure once more.
…
In the end, Takagi has forgotten about that tattoo because work and cases keep him very busy, as his tattoo was hidden under his uniform and coat sleeve, which makes it harder for the brunette to look at it very often or think about it what those are.
And the only time he’s able to look at his tattoo once more is when he returns home.
In a later case, however, he starts to finally think about his tattoo when he notices that the victim has the same tattoo as his.
Except—
His tattoo starts to tick down to
29:18:37
After Takagi gathers information about the victim from her relatives, colleagues, and the witnesses, he inspects her body closely once more to confirm it for himself next,
“...Hm?” the brunette blinks and raises his eyebrow in confusion upon seeing a familiar digit number tattoo on the victim’s exposed forearm.
But instead of showing random numbers of times like Takagi’s, it shows,
00:00:00
Unlike the brunette’s tattoo, the victim’s colon dots barely blink, as if they were out of battery. Which, for some reason,
this gives the brunette a bad feeling.
And his heart is beating swiftly more than usual.
What is this feeling he has right now..?
“What’s wrong, Takagi-kun?” Megure’s voice brings him back to reality. “Did you find anything suspicious?”
“Oh..uh.. N-no, sir. Not yet,” Takagi looks up to his superior and chuckles awkwardly. Once Megure turns to leave when Chiba calls him, the brunette looks at the tattoo back on the victim’s hand once more, and a cold sweat starts to form on his cheeks and forehead, staring at the colon dots that are barely blinking.
This is all just a coincidence… right?
His tattoo.. the victim’s.. the colon dots barely blink.. all of it is just a mere coincidence and the victim just wanted to have a number tattoo of zeros because there’s some trend going on in social media… right?
However, Takagi is starting to doubt these thoughts after witnessing more victims who have the same number tattooed with 00:00:00 on their wrist for half a month now.
And the more he thinks about it, the more disturbed the brunette feels about this. And the strangest part is, each victim has no connection with the others at all, nor is the culprit is the same person. They were all killed differently;
In a different place,
at a different time,
and by a different murderer.
The only thing they have in common among all those victims is—
—the tattoo.
And another strangest part is, neither Megure nor Conan ever points out that the cause of the victims’ death is because of the timer tattoo. Most of it leads to how the victim dies realistically; like being stabbed, poisoned or hit by blunt objects.
Is he just overthinking about all these..?
Takagi unbuttons his left sleeve then and checks on his tattoo; the digits start to show,
12:08:22
…
He thought the tattoo was just another one of Yumi’s pranks. But after witnessing the victims who had those numbers of tattooed–Takagi is starting to regret for not gathering enough information about this weird tattoo under his forearm, nor even asking or showing her when he got the chance.
Although the cases of those victims with number tattoos have finally closed, and the culprits have been arrested, Takagi can’t help but check on the closed case file once more, as if something is still missing. Something he's overlooked in the case.
And he can’t help but feel bothered by it.
It’s mostly because he has the same number tattoo as them—minus the zero part.
Will his tattoo tick down to zero just like those victims..?
If so, what happens to him then when it hits it?
Takagi sighs once more and rests his right cheek on his desk. His shift is finally over, but he’s not in the mood to have booze, so Takagi decides to refuse Sato’s and Chiba’s offer this time and stays in the office for a bit longer.
Sato notices Takagi is not being his usual self, but she eventually follows Chiba hesitantly.
The First Division floor went silent then, with a few officers staying over for the night shift. The only thing that can break this quiet atmosphere inside the office is Takagi’s table clock, ticking in every second, which makes the brunette’s ears perk up.
Takagi’s eyes glance at his clock and watch the long red hand moving quietly, as if it could help him find the answer. He watches every tick it moves until the needle reaches 12 o’clock.
After a long pause with a sound of ‘tick, tock, tick’
—Takagi’s face grows paler then.
The brunette moves his head up slowly, looking at the still-open files that he’s been examining on his desk since the evening.
If his deduction is right, if what Takagi thought—the one thing he doesn’t want to imagine—that the countdown timer is like,
timer bombs,
once the timer finally hits zero..
—the bomb will explode.
Takagi starts to shudder at the thought of that.
The victims’ bodies, thankfully, didn’t… explode even after their tattoo hits zero.
So.. if a person has a counting down timer tattoo, but instead of exploding like bombs once it hits zero then—
They’re dead.
It’s their estimated time of death once it hits zero.
Takagi can feel cold sweat forming on his cheek and neck nervously once more.
Even if it’s too surreal, even if it’s something scientific wouldn’t believe such a thing, but these closed cases have as much solid proof and evidence for Takagi to believe that the countdown timer tattoo is no original tattoo.
But it’s a Death Timer.
Takagi gulps, forcing his saliva down to his throat, as the brunette looks at the files, where the Team Forensics took a picture of the victim’s exposed arm with a number tattoo, then to his once more.
12:08:17
If his deduction is right.. what would happen to him then? Will Death instantly take his life? Or will he die from a natural phenomenon? Or a traffic accident? or worst scenario—
..A serial killer comes after him?
Will he.. Will he die for sure? Just like those victims?
His deduction might be wrong though. He’s not as smart and sharp as Conan, and maybe his deduction is a bit exaggerated. But this is the best he can come up with.
Although he tends to recklessly put his life in danger from time to time, especially trying to find the culprit or solid evidence, but the fact that the tattoo shows him his possible estimated time of his death is—terrifies him somehow.
At least he can handle it if something unpredictable were to happen to him without the timer, because he had no idea what would happen to him then. But now that the brunette knows when will he die, the brunette doesn’t know what to do then.
Neither does he know how can he avoid this inevitable fate.
For the first time in Takagi’s entire life since working in MPD,
he felt like his life is on the line right now.
04:14:52
After thinking longer for a few days since Takagi found out the meaning of that tattoo, the brunette has finally made his decision;
His hand is gripping the letter until it almost crumples, and ‘Long-term Leave’ is written on it.
Takagi sighs. Once he shows this to Megure, he will probably get an earful of yelling coming from his superior. He barely takes a day off or uses any paid leave before—considering how many mistakes he’d made in previous cases where he let the culprits or suspects almost on the loose or caused so much trouble for Megure and Sato–but this is the one time he has to use it, and especially more than two days.
He wants to try to take a leave for several days and see whether he can avoid this inevitable death of his, and tries to distance himself from any crime scene or people at the moment.
While he’s spineless, Takagi is definitely not a coward.. sort of.
The brunette cannot imagine himself how will he die once the countdown timer hits zero then.
But getting killed by a serial killer is a high possibility though. While some culprits can be.. sympathy, but that doesn't mean Takagi and the others should support or agree with their reasons. And there are some culprits out there who have killed innocent people out of pleasure or without any sense of regret or sympathy. Those kinds of culprits always say; they kill them out of fun. No reason. Out of boredom.
And maybe.. just maybe—this serial killer would kill him for no reason, except for the countdown timer tattoo—
It makes sense. Once it hits zero, it means it's over.
Even if he faced this serial killer, he’s not that strong like Sato or even learnt any self-defense or hand-to-hand combat when he was a child to protect himself. He did learn fastball, though, but he doubts he can protect himself from a killer like that. While he has a gun, but he prefers not to use it, and he has no idea what’s the serial killer’s first move would be if he manages to meet them once the timer hits zero.
After pondering a bit longer, Takagi finally made a decision and went to see his superior, placing the letter on the other man’s desk. Megure looks at it in puzzled.
“What’s this, Takagi-kun?” his superior questions, examining the letter.
“I-Inspector Megure, p-please permit me to take a day off for several days, sir!”
And this gives the other man’s eyes widen in surprise.
“That’s very unlike you. ..considering the situation we’re in right now,” Megure mutters of the last part, still looking at the letter carefully. “So, for how many days are you going to take a leave?”
“Uh…,” this is the hardest part, and Takagi can’t help but to cower down, preparing for the worst to come. “Five days, and… starting tomorrow..?” He squeaks.
“F-FIVE DAYS—and starting tomorrow?!”
This causes Megure to stand up in shock, slamming his hands on the table, which causes papers and files to rattle slightly; thankfully, they didn’t fall off. And Takagi can’t help but to flinch at his shout.
These also cause a few officers in the First Division to look at the commotion but return to their work after that because.. it’s Takagi. Whatever’s going on with the brunette, they aren’t surprised Megure raised his voice at him. Had Sato been there, she would’ve come to see the commotion in a heartbeat out of concern about her coworkers—especially Takagi.
But currently, she’s not in the First Division today as she’s busy handling different cases. Which Takagi felt relieved Sato isn’t here, as he doesn’t want her to feel concern over his.. illogical situation.
“Why are you taking a leave for that long?” Megure finally asks strictly, like a concerned parent finding out their child is in big trouble.
“Uhmm.. p-personal reason..?”
Takagi can’t just say, my life is in complete danger right now, Inspector.
There’s a countdown timer tattoo under my forearm; the serial killer might come after me.
I know this sounds crazy, but please, you have to believe me.
…Takagi doubts that Megure would actually believe this nonsense. Even the brunette himself doesn’t want to believe this as well, but it’s best not to tell everything to his superior.
Especially considering his deduction might be wrong, and everything is all just inside his head, and he’s just overthinking once more.
Megure raises his eyebrow in disbelief, then finally calms himself down and leans on his chair back. He sighs and finally says it,
“..I’m not sure just how much important your personal reason is,” Megure massages his bridge of nose. “..But unfortunately, I must reject this, Takagi-kun.”
The brunette bit his lower lip before staring down at his shoes, unable to face his superior.
“On the fifth day, the day you’re on leave–,” Megure adds, “is important for officers, including the First Division, to attend to. Includes you as well, Takagi-kun.”
Takagi can feel his stomach is in knots, and cold sweat falls down to the floor; he finally looks at his superior.
That’s the day his countdown timer hits zero.
“But why on the fifth day..?”
Megure looks at the brunette, then shifts to the files.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about this..,” Megure speaks so quietly like a whisper, as if he doesn’t want anyone to know about this—though all the officers in MPD are aware of this. “There’s a strictly confidential case that’s been happening around the MPD lately. Apparently, the serial killer is targeting officers.”
Upon hearing it, Takagi feels like he’s losing all the energy to stand. He can hear his heart beating louder than usual, and his face grows paler than ever.
He feels suffocating even though the windows are already wide open.
He could swear Megure explains more of this case, but there's so much stuff going on inside his head right now.
04:14:47
Serial killer.. targeting officers..
04:14:46
He’s one of the officers..
04:14:45
That’s why his countdown timer is going to hit zero on that day.
04:14:44
This serial killer is after him.
00:00:00
He’s dead.
“Takagi-kun?” The brunette flinches, realizing Megure calls him. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh..uh.. N-no, sir. It’s nothing,” Takagi awkwardly laughed. “I was just.. feeling a bit nauseous just now. It must be because I’ve skipped meals today.”
Megure stares at him long before continuing.
“So until that culprit has been caught, I cannot approve your leave yet. I’m sorry, Takagi-kun. ..Also,” Megure stopped for a moment. “There’s someone I know invited me to come to his sister’s wedding. He’s planning to catch the culprit there, as there is a chance the culprit might be there as well. Since he’s one of us.”
“Someone you know..?” Takagi tilts his head and raises his eyebrow.
“I’m sure I’ve mentioned him to you a few times before.”
The next word, for some reason, gives the brunette’s heart a leap just now. Even though this was the first or few times he had heard his name before, it should’ve felt very foreign and unfamiliar for him. Yet, somehow, his name gives Takagi a strange feeling—a feeling that there’s a butterfly in his stomach.
Is it anxious? Worry? ..or something else that he can’t describe this feeling..?
“His name is Shiratori. Shiratori Ninzaburo,” Megure answers. "He invited us all to his sister's wedding to lure the culprit in and capture them."
BA-THUMP
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04:14:39