Chapter Text
Three hours of compressed darkness in the paddy wagon, two-thirds of the journey smooth and the last hour exerted on climbing terrain so unexpectedly rugged that Kagari’s portable game console departed his hands at one point, bouncing against the plane of Yayoi’s cheek. Despite his vigorously apologetic appeals, the game was not returned, leaving Kagari resigned to crossing his arms and huffing, “Ah geez, we’ve been in here so long that I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve been transported to another country.”
When the door finally parted along its middle demarcation, it became clear that they had not in fact left the country but that they had arrived at a destination visibly foreign to the urban surroundings to which they were accustomed. Disembarking from the vehicle, Shinya strode a few steps off to the side, his vision adjusting to the chromatic shock of autumn foliage among the gable-roofed houses. An environment noticeably lacking the height and noise and population of Tokyo. Even the atmosphere scented of difference to the senses. A distinctive mineral smell pervaded, not exactly pleasant but refreshing in combination with the brisk, clean air of higher elevations. He’d consigned the existence of places like this to a mental vault of what he considered no longer relevant to his life, no longer accessible to a caged man.
Yet, here they stood, having tracked a key suspect figure of their latest case to a small town nestled in the regional mountains. Blessed with a natural abundance of hot springs, this community was permitted to maintain its economic lifeblood of drawing tourists to onsen resorts, one of which would serve as temporary quarters for a few nights. The prospect of sleeping somewhere else than the bureau for once tickled at the nodes of Shinya’s spine.
As they followed Gino towards their reserved lodgings, orange and flame-tipped leaves drifted lazily into their path. One leaf settled almost on Akane’s shoulder. Catching it deftly, she turned around, and her eyes, lit with playfulness, met Shinya’s briefly as she gently blew the leaf towards Kagari’s direction and said, “Matches your hair, Shuu!”
Kagari returned the favor with a colorful squall of his own while Gino’s back still faced them.
Those two. Feeling quite their elder in the moment, Shinya cast a mildly stern look at Kagari to cut it out, but then, Akane’s hand cut through his field of sight as she planted another leaf alongside Kagari’s barrette. Desisting from thwarting their fun, Shinya redirected his attention to scoping the neighborhood, silently noting the limited number of utility poles they passed, the placement of cymatic scanners where visible.
Rarely was he uneased by field investigations now, but this locale was so removed from the city in which they regularly hunted that Shinya found himself sinking into the men’s bath and hardly any more relaxed for it. In his less than serene state, he tensed and looked up from grimacing at the vapor-blanketed water upon hearing a voice that belonged to neither Masaoka nor himself. Feminine. A spill of laughter upswing brightening the pitch.
“Is that -- Tsunemori’s voice?”
Shoulders propped against the higher slabs of rock at one edge of the pool, Masaoka shrugged at him and said, “Could be. The women’s bath is on the other side of this screen.”
“Really?” Shinya’s voice came out muted even to his own ears, and he coughed into his fist, spoke a little louder. “That doesn’t seem to be much of a partition.”
“Not much indeed,” Masaoka agreed, lifting his hand out of the water to lightly rap his knuckles against the wooden fence-like screen before musing, “Actually, from this vantage point, you can see straight through to the women's bath.”
The water of the rock-carven spring was already scalding hot against Shinya’s bare skin, but Masaoka’s nonchalant remark sent another sort of flush that threatened to elicit additional touches of ruddiness.
“I’m joking, Kou. It’s a joke. What an indecent setup that would be.”
Running a wet hand through his hair, Shinya let out a huff of exasperation at the other Enforcer’s teasing. “Gimme a break, old man. I’ve had enough of this soak. I’m getting out first.”
Stiffly, he hoisted himself out of the pool to grab his towel and head towards the showers. Under the thatched roof of the bathhouse, he rounded a corner of the open-air terrace while shaking his damp hair.
And there was Akane, resting on a bench and swaddled in a white robe that didn’t quite reach past her knees, her mouth hovering along the rim of a glass of water as she flinched away from the droplets he’d just dispensed like a wet dog.
“Oh, Tsunemori," he acknowledged slowly. "Sorry about that. What are you doing out here?”
“Hydrating,” she answered, lithe fingers swinging her drink gently so that the ice cubes tinkled against the glass. “My parents brought me to an onsen when I was a kid, and I sort of fainted because I’d stubbornly refused to drink enough water beforehand." Her lashes swept down as a nostalgic smile touched her lips. But then, a less welcome sensation seemed to run through her slight frame as she tugged the collar of the robe a little higher to mantle more of her shoulders. "By the way, um, I don’t want to leap to conclusions, but was there anyone....strange on your side of the bath? Kunizuka-san and I kept having this feeling that someone was peeping through the fence.”
Averting his gaze, Shinya stared off at the direction from where he’d just left, filing away a rebuke to later dish out for his venerable colleague. “I don’t think anyone else is staying at this inn tonight, but I'll definitely consult Gino about what we should do. Should we catch the perpetrator, I mean.”
She peered a little closer at him, noticing the tinge of color on his cheekbones despite the shadows casted by the roof eaves. “Was the water too hot for you, Kougami-san? I could grab you a glass if you’d like.”
“No, thank you.” He fixed his eyes on her face. What had changed since their early afternoon arrival and now? Nothing. Akane was still his superior, still young, inexperienced, and looking to him in request for professional partnership. To even think of new variables tossed into the equation was to invite trouble. “I just find it difficult to relax when we’re in the middle of an investigation.”
“Oh, do you want to go over the case?” Eagerness in the chirp of her voice. Anticipation to put Saiga’s recently imparted teachings into practice, Shinya assumed.
“Not right now. I’ll take a shower and find you afterwards to go over what we know so far about the suspect.”
“Sure, I think I’ll take another try at the hot spring then.” Her bare feet padded past him, and he continued his own way alone.
Seated around a low wooden table, Gino and Akane were poring over an unfolded town map and the case file’s hard copies as Shinya slid open the paper-paneled screen door of the Inspectors’ suite. A relatively simple yukata, dyed with indigo and embellished only with five-petaled flowers that sprouted across the sleeves, robed the younger Inspector’s form this time. The same cotton handed out to all guests at the inn. No holograms here, at least none observed thus far.
As he sat, Akane’s hands slid the map and a photograph over for his scrutiny. Shinya already had the face committed to memory. Takemasa Miyazaki. Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense. Back at headquarters, the chief had pressed upon Gino, and Gino had conveyed the emphasis in turn to the rest of Division 1, that the investigation was to be conducted as discreetly as possible to avoid scandal.
Pointing at a circled site on the map, Gino said, “It’s likely that Takemasa knows he’s under suspicion, which is why he came here. Not an unusual vacation retreat for government officials and more importantly, an area where the reach of Sibyl’s networks is comparably reduced. He’s checked into one of the most expensive and old-fashioned ryokan around. Within the inn, the staff counts not a single drone among their number.”
“So he hasn’t been scanned in a while,” Shinya weighed in. “He either knows which parts of town are lacking in sensors, or he’s been mostly holed up this entire time.”
“Right. I wasn’t about to spend an exorbitant amount of our budget on booking the same place as Takemasa. This leaves us little choice though but to resort to less conventional means, and I figured that would be more within your domain, Kougami.”
“Why Gino, I had no idea you thought so highly of me.”
“Could I suggest something?”
They looked over at the younger Inspector who was biting at her lip, anxious but itching to contribute.
“Didn't the Chief stress that we needed to find evidence of illegal dealings before we can arrest Takemasa? If the inn is completely maintained by humans, then why don’t some of us pose as part of the staff? Credible cover identities that would have both access as well as time to search his rooms. For instance, I could go in as a member of the cleaning personnel...like a maid.”
Gino stared at her. “What on earth gave you that idea?”
“Ah, well, Kougami-san mentioned that he disguised himself as a nurse once for a case. Less conventional means, right?"
A reflective flash of lens glare as Gino directed a look of irritation his way. Shinya would have smiled at Akane’s bold suggestion, but apprehension overrode any sense of mirth at her drawing inspiration from his bygone exploits. He wondered if Akane had ever voiced anything beyond little white fibs in her life, anything with higher stakes than “no, really, your cooking’s wonderful” considering the forthright manner of her speech and actions in the office. To playact a false identity, to perform such an undertaking with the intention to deceive....as an Inspector, Shinya had immersed himself in more ruinous predicaments to carry through with investigations. He looked at her though, remembered the blithely formed oh of her mouth as her breath buffeted leaves across the crisp autumn air, and felt reluctant to advocate that she should walk his same footsteps in this.
“You sure you want to attempt this kind of masquerade?” he asked her.
“Yes.” She looked straight at him, gaze as unflinching as his. “Let’s try this.”