Chapter Text
The phone rang and Akiko snatched it up. "Narumi detective agency! No...wait….hold on!" She turned to her husband. "Ryuu-chan, do you know English?" she whispered.
Ryuu nodded and took the phone. "Hello?" He asked in English. A few moments, then, "Are you aware we are in Fuuto, Japan, not Chicago? I see, yes, we do specialize in those types of cases." By now, Akiko and Shotarou were both watching and listening intently to a conversation neither of them understood. "It would be four people, myself, my wife, and the two main detectives of the agency," Ryuu continued. "Please email me the details," he said and read off his email address before hanging up the phone.
"What's this?" Shotarou asked. "A case?"
Ryuu nodded, just as his phone dinged to signal an incoming email. He pulled it out and read over the email, then sent a reply before continuing. "That was a Chicago police detective. It seems they have a suspected dopant case in the city and they are willing to pay to bring us there to help investigate."
"Bring us where?" Philip asked, emerging from the garage.
"Chicago, the *other* Windy City," Shotarou said. "When do we leave?"
Ryuu looked down at his phone again. "They are booking us for an evening flight tonight," he said.
"I need to start packing!" Akiko said and ran out.
"What is the case?" Philip asked. "I doubt this is for leisure."
"A mysterious series of fires in the Loop area, he said. They thought it was an arsonist but a surveillance camera picked up a shot of the culprit and they called it a monster. It sounds like a Dopant by the description," Ryuu said.
"Fascinating!" Philip exclaimed. "Chicago is noted for its many historic fire events. I wonder which memory is responsible!"
"Think about it on the plane, Philip, we need to get packing," Shotarou said. "And I need to call Watcherman to come keep an eye on Mikku if all of us are going."
The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity both at the detective agency and the Terui household. Inspector Jinno drove the group to the airport in his police vehicle.
"Be careful!" Jinno called as they headed toward the terminal. Akiko turned and waved back at the detective while Shotarou smiled and tipped his hat before disappearing onto the plane.
The next thirteen hours saw three of the four members of the group trying to sleep while Philip sat with a notebook Shotarou had bought him in the airport, doing lookups on Chicago and filling the notebook with scribbles. Finally after about six hours of Philip muttering to himself and researching, Shotarou elbowed his partner and shot him a glare that clearly meant "go to bed!" Philip reluctantly closed his book and the notebook and curled up with his head in Shotarou's lap.