Chapter Text
Being weak of heart gets you nowhere as a member of the Armed Detective Agency. That had been made painfully clear in the couple months since he passed his entrance exam. In that aspect, it wasn't that much different from the mafia-
They killed, broke the law on occasion. And in a way, both fought evil in Yokohama, yet they were worlds apart. The one the darkness contrasting the flickering of artificial lights, a black swan in a lake of secrets, while the other aimed to be the light that would eradicate the void. But every light casts its shadows.
Just as the lamp situated on his desk. The gentle yellowish glow of the bulb lit up the papers stacked up in the corner, as though a forest on fire casting stark shadows on the ground.
Chuuya had been occupied with the mandatory paperwork much to his own annoyance, safe to say his patience was starting to run thin. Kunikida had claimed he preferred the administrative side of their work over the field excursions they made, and Chuuya was convinced the blond idealist had some screws loose. In a good way, ofcourse. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact anyone would ever think writing reports and replying to e-mails was more entertaining than going out there to test their combat skills. Fortunately for the city, but unfortunately for the redhead, Yokohama had been rather silent in the crime department this week. Sure, the Agency had a ton of jobs and requests to respond to, but nothing truly exciting.
However, this peaceful state of the forest of people and buildings had been disturbed by a ferocious wind, bound to leave disaster in it's wake. An incoming storm. According to the files he had recieved from president Fukuzawa, a ferocious beast, dubbed the 'man-eating tiger' had been wreaking havoc around the city, and the Agency had been tasked by the military police with capturing the beast. An odd job at best, but atleast it was something new for a change. Chuuya had scanned through the provided files to search for anything that could be of potential use in unraveling the truth and offer the citizens of Yokohama peace of mind.
He had a duty to fulfil, expectations to meet. Afterall, he was a detective now. Detectives couldn't just hang around all day, disappearing to god knows where, drinking their life away while flirting with each and every woman they came across to try and convince them into a double suicide, that'd be absurd, unprofessional even.
When he was asked when it was alright to give up and go home, it had been Chuuya that nonchalantly answered: 'There is no such time.' He had to solve the case as soon as possible, there was nothing to it but to do it. He had to think- consider all possible outcomes and paths the case could take. Though being analytical really wasn't his strong suit, he was more armed than detective. Perhaps going on a walk was the way to go, see if he could track down witnesses in the area. He'd go out on his little stroll and contact his partner once he had found something worth noting.
With somewhat of a plan in mind, he walked down the stairs of the office building and outside. He strolled the streets without really knowing where he was going.
As Chuuya walked, his thoughts became like a whirlwind, keeping him occupied to the point he didn't even notice the kid that was sneaking up on him with clear intentions of mugging him- only realising when the kid was a second away from ridding him of his wallet. Chuuya whipped around to address the little brat and give him a proper scolding, ask him where the hell his parents were, but before he got the chance to do so, he was taken aback by the look of genuine fear in his eyes- looking more like a deer in headlights than the kid he supposedly was. As much as Chuuya would have loved to yell at him, he couldn't help but feel slightly sympathetic. The thing looked on the brink of starvation, and it looked like he hadn't had a place to sleep for some days now, judging by the ragged state of his clothes. Against his better judgement, he chose to engage.
"Oi. Kid-" Before Chuuya could actually formulate a full sentence, the boy had already turned on his heels and was clumsily bolting off in the opposite direction. The detective watched in astonishment, surprised by the sheer audacity of the kid. "Hey, come back! God fucking damnit-" Chuuya cursed, starting to pursue the boy. Though that proved unnecessary, as he fell flat on his face before Chuuya could even catch up with him.
He shouldn't have laughed, he really shouldn't have. But the way he has fallen was just too comical. He vaguely remembered Yosano had once told him there was a specific word for this feeling- Schadenfreude? Whatever. He should probably prioritise the kids health, so he kneeled down besides the kid to check if he had injured himself thanks to his little stunt.
"You're never going to escape the police like this, y'know-" Chuuya cocked an eyebrow, watching the young boy force himself into an upright position. He looked a little disoriented from his fall, but the second he saw that red hair in his line of sight, he was ready to bolt off again- This time though, Chuuya had seen it coming, and had grabbed the kids arm in advance, preventing his escape. He was waiting for a response, that was clear by the impatient look in his eyes, but the boy was frozen by his fear. "This isn't going to work if you don't talk." Chuuya did his best to control his voice, and not let the annoyance leak through as he tried to talk to the kid. "I won't hurt you, I just want to know why you tried to pounce on me there-" He paused, hearing the rumbling of the boys stomach. It then clicked. "You're hungry." It wasn't really a question, more so a matter of fact statement. Chuuya let go of the boy his arm, instead standing up and shoving his gloved hands in his pockets. "Get up." He ordered, watching in silence as the trembling figure of the kid obediently obeyed. He had the balls to look bashful. "T-the truth is, I haven't had anything to eat for a few days-"
Chuuya responded with a firm nod of his head. "What's your name?" A simple question, yet it seemed Chuuya had still managed to succeed in stirring confusion within the boy. What an oddball. "Nakajima Atsushi." The boy finally replied, to which Chuuya offered him a glance in return. "Come with me. What do you want to eat?" Feeding orphans wasn't exactly apart of his job description, but there might be a chance this Atsushi guy knew something about the tiger. "Uh.. eh- I guess I'd like some chazuke?" Chazuke? Was this kid serious? He was on the brink of starvation, and he wanted some rice with tea poured over it? Okay. It was officially proven. This kid was a complete and utter outcast. "Okay." Chuuya exclaimed somewhat dryly, lightly shrugging his shoulders. "I'll get you your chazuke, as long as you answer some of my questions. Deal?" Atsushi eagerly nodded at Chuuya's proposal, and the two of them set off to the nearest place selling soba where any practiced Catholic would cross themselves before entering. As they walked, Chuuya pulled out his cellphone and dialed Kunikida's number to inform him of his current whereabouts and plans, asking him to meet at the shop to instigate the 'interview.'