Chapter Text
"That's your third donut in the past five minutes," Yosano said, poking her head into the office.
"You want one?" Ranpo asked. His mouth was full as he held up the donut he'd just taken a bite out of.
Yosano finally emerged from the examination room she had been trapped in for many hours, waving her hand dismissively. "No thanks."
She found her seat behind Ranpo's desk, where his very nice desk chair sat—that he didn't use. Even then, he was sitting on top of the desk, dropping crumbs all over the surface. With a deep sigh of utter boredom, Yosano turned to look out the window. Yokohama was bustling as usual.
Both Yosano and Ranpo had been stuck at the Armed Detective Agency's office for a long and agonizing week, with the rest of the detectives constantly running all over the city. Usually, at least Yosano could get her own cases, but she was basically stuck working as a full-time doctor for all of the coworkers that came in with new wounds to heal.
Meanwhile, Ranpo lazed around as usual, constantly eating sweet treats from who-knows-where. But even he was starting to get bored of the days blurring together.
Just then, a sudden ringing started from the phone on Ranpo's desk. Yosano only spared him one glance before she was reaching for it.
"This is Yosano Akiko from the Armed Detective Agency," she said, holding the receiver up to her ear.
She waited a few moments for the caller to respond—it sounded like the man was yelling at a bunch of teenage boys with all of the noise on the other end.
Finally, it seemed to quiet down.
"Yes, sorry, this is Shitara Yuki," the man said, sounding exhausted. "I'm the head of Furinen Orphanage, located in Makochi."
Yosano blinked in confusion. What could an orphanage be calling about?
The answer came with Shitara's voice.
"I have a missing kid."
~~~
Yosano and Ranpo made their way through the outskirts of Yokohama, watching as their beloved city faded behind them.
They were on their way to the town of Makochi, which—upon further research—was said to be a town riddled with gang violence. Even the police had given up on it.
As they were passing through the arched entrance of the town, Ranpo paused, making Yosano look back over her shoulder. He had stopped in front of a sign that was positioned near the road.
"What?" She asked.
Ranpo frowned at her before looking back at the sign, pointing to the messy words written over the surface.
~~~
"Anyone past this point, who causes pain, who brings destruction, who holds evil in their heart, will be purged by Bofurin without exception!"
~~~
Yosano was suddenly very aware of why the police had given up on the town they were about to walk into. This sign, their well-known gang violence, graffiti covering every square inch of the concrete walls. . . .
The happy-looking townsfolk?
As the two detectives made their way through the town, Yosano realized that every person they were passing was extremely positive for living in a town that was rumored of enough gang-violence to rival even that of Yokohama. It was incredibly uncanny.
"Yosanooo," Ranpo whined.
"Ranpo-san, we're almost there," Yosano responded. "You can get food at the cafe."
Right as she said it, her cell phone dinged, indicating that the place they had been instructed to go to was on their left. She paused, looking at the sign in front of the door. Cafe Pothos.
~~~
The bell above the cafe door rang as they walked in, announcing their presence to the people sitting at the counter.
Immediately, the man who had been talking to a bunch of teenagers turned to Yosano and Ranpo. Yosano knew it was Shitara before he even spoke.
"I'm Shitara Yuki, the one who called you guys out," he introduced himself again, holding out his hand for a handshake.
Yosano went to accept the handshake, but right as she was about to thank him for calling the Armed Detective Agency, the sound of glass shattering made all of the people in the cafe jump and turn their heads to the kitchen. A teenage girl was standing there, her hands still suspended from when she held the plate that was now in pieces on the floor.
She was looking right at Yosano, her eyes wide. The light made them almost golden.
Yosano could've sworn the girl recognized her.
Kotoha had been in the back of the kitchen making her famous omlette rice. She had been sure to leave the vegetables off of the side before bringing it out, only for the plate to slide right through her fingers as she turned around.
She was staring at the person who had effectively torn her family apart by the seams, leaving her in the hands of a grieving mother who could only focus on what she could've had, rather than what she did.
Those familiar eyes that were locked behind picture frames met Kotoha's. They were brown, but in the light, glinted magenta. There was no recognition behind them.