Chapter Text
A cable telephone ring echoed through a messy office. Making the office vibe more exciting than before. “A case!?” An enthusiastic question comes out from Saki’s mouth, her eyes shining towards her big brother.
Tsukasa looks at the phone, his hand reaching to answer the call. He cleared his throat, putting the phone speaker towards his ear. “With the Tenma’s detective agency,” he paused for a second. “As usual, we serve to finish your case at a low price, and we promise to put a smile on our client's face after the case is finished.”
“Is this Mr. Tenma Tsukasa?” A familiar female voice in Tsukasa’s ear came out from the speaker. His heart started to beat faster after knowing who was calling. “We would like to remind you that you have a 100.000¥ in debt due in—”
Tsukasa shouted before the bank lady could finish her sentence. “I already said that I’ll pay after I receive my first case!” He ended the phone call. Not long after he dropped down onto the floor, a look of hopelessness appeared on his face—he looked like a dead person.
Saki rushed over to Tsukasa after she heard the loud thumping sound he made. The enthusiastic looks were still plastered on her face. “Does the client case make you shocked until you look at this pale? Tell me please what the case is onii-chan,” she said—squatting to reach her big brother’s body on the ground.
“Saki…” the voice groaned as he spoke. His head slowly turns over to look at his sister’s eyes. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself and sell this property if I’m gone.” A cough escaped from his mouth.
“Onii-chan!?” Saki paused for a second. Her laggy brain needed time to process the words her brother had just said to her. She was shocked after finding out the meaning. Both of her hands reached Tsukasa’s and clenched it as hard as they could. “No, I'm not ready yet. Please don’t leave me yet, onii-chan. I’m still young and need your guidance, so please don’t die!” She started to panic, her hand clenched tight as tears started to flow out of her eyes.
Tsukasa's pale look was replaced with a whine of pain. His mouth let out a soft scream calling Saki’s name—asking her to stop clenching his hand—but no matter how much he screamed, Saki was already drowned in her sadness that she didn’t realize it. Knowing Tsukasa, he doesn’t stop screaming and just starts to scream louder and louder.
The doorbell ring could barely be heard; it lost out to the sound of Saki’s sob and Tsukasa's scream. The green-haired girl who opened the door awkwardly looked at the scene put up in front of her. “Excuse me…” She stepped inside the office. Her purple eyes look at them awkwardly.
Even though the girl’s voice is soft, it manages to make the siblings regain their full consciousness—realizing that there’s a person that they’ve been waiting for a few weeks.
The girl felt awkward and let out a chuckle. She wants to leave the room, but what she needs is more important right now. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you guys are this town's new local detective, right?” She felt uncomfortable at the glare they gave her.
“A client!?” Saki's eyebrows rose, her eyes sparkly, and she let go of Tsukasa’s hand. She gets up and hurries towards the girl. “You’re right, we are. Welcome. Please take a seat and tell us what the case is that you want us to solve.” She sounded calm and composed, 180 degrees different than how she just sounded a few seconds ago.
Tsukasa gets up from his lying position. Dusting off his white hem and fixing his tie position—trying to look as professional as he could.”Welcome, Miss. Please sit down and tell me your problem.” His hand pointed towards a table between two small chocolate sofas in the middle of the room.
As the detective and the client sit down, Saki grabs two cans of green tea, placing them down before leaving them two.
“So, what’s the problem you’re having, Ms?”
“Kusanagi.” The girl answered Tsukasa’s question, straightening out her position in the process. “I got pickpocketed two days ago in the forest of this town. It was a precious gift from my fiance, so I hope that you can find it.”
Tsukasa put his finger under his chin. “Pickpopckted?” He paused. “Have you asked the police for help? They should help you search for it.” Tsukasa feels something weird; a normal person would report to the police if they were pickpocketed instead of telling a local detective. Tsukasa noticed that maybe Ms. Kusanagi was hiding something. “Do you just not trust the police, or is there a hidden case behind this one?”
Ms. Kusanagi chuckled in amusement, “I like your quick response, and yes, there’s another case behind this one. The case that the police won’t even believe.” Kusanagi cleared her throat before continuing. “Have you ever heard of the ghost blue-haired fox?”
Tsukasa's eyes were wide open when the blue-haired fox ghost appeared. It was a new rumor in the town that a ghost with blue hair would roam around the forest after midnight. The girl usually wears a Miko outfit—the same as the Japanese shrine maiden wears— with a red and white colored fox mask covering her face, making her anonymous. Many had said they spotted her, but all of them were denied, thanks to the lack of proof and evidence.
“She usually roamed around the forest, tricking people into believing that she was a local Miko before stealing something valuable. If that rumor was right, it should explain how you got pickpocketed and your valuables got taken.” Tsukasa jumped straight to the conclusion, crossing his legs while he was at it.
A smile appears on Kusanagi’s face, merging both of her hands and putting them near her right cheek. “That’s what I expect from a detective. Them.” She put her hand back on her knee. “Could I trust you in this case, Tenma-san?”
A smirk appears on the detective’s mouth. “Of course, I will. Not because I haven’t got any case yet.” He pointed at himself with his thumb. “But because I’m willing to sacrifice myself to this city and the people inside it.” His tone was packed with pride and self-confidence.
Kusanagi chuckled softly, her right arm covering her mouth and her left helping her get up from the sofa. “Then, I will wait for the expected result, and about your payment, I’ll pay after the case is over.” She let out a bow before walking out of the office, Saki opened the office door for her.
Tsukasa looks at Saki; the thin line on his face makes a curve before opening and showing his teeth. “Saki, prepare coffee in my thermos, please. Tonight, I’m going on an investigation .”
He said, standing up. He approached his chocolate detective cloak that was hanging near a window—the sunlight acted as a natural warmer. His hand reached the fabric; it was soft, warm, and most importantly, it felt professional. “I guess it’s my turn now. I’m gonna solve this case and prove our worth in this town.”
***
The cold wind of the night went through Tsukasa’s fabric. The watch on his wrist pointed to 7 PM. He stands alone in the middle of the forest shrine, wondering if the shrine is always this quiet at this hour. But what makes him more puzzled is.
“Does Saki need to make 2 thermoses of coffee? But she did mention that only one contained coffee.” Tsukasa stared at the two black thermoses in his hand, wondering what was wrong with his sister.
He shrugged off the silliness of his little sister, deciding that looking for clues around this shrine was a better way to spend his time. If his hypothesis was right, the ghost should usually hang around the shrine since she’s always seen in Miko's outfit. But no one’s here besides him. Not to mention, the coldness of the night and the fact that he’s hunting a rumored ghost only make his body shiver.
The detective inserts both of the thermoses into his left and right pocket. Feeling his body getting warmer in certain areas manages to calm him down. He also thinks that Saki gave him two thermos so he could feel warmer on this cold night. He let out a low whisper, thanking her.
“The night near winter is always cold, isn’t it, Detective-kun? You should’ve worn a scarf or something.”
“Yeah, it is,” Tsukasa said calmly.”Wait, am I the only person in here?” He twisted his head and body around. Searching for any place that the voice might come from.
“You’ll never be alone in this forest. Because I’m always watching every move you make, Detective-kun.” The voice sounded like it was getting closer to Tsukasa's position.
“Who’s there!?” Tsukasa shouted. He moves around his place, trying to get a better view to find the one speaking to him. At the same time, bad thoughts started to rush his mind: what if the voice came from a burglar? What if it was a criminal hiding in this forest? Or the worst thing that could happen, what if it was a debt collector? Did Kusanagi trick him into this case so he would pay his debt?
The sound of someone’s breathing and footsteps starts to get audible behind the detective.“I was the one that you’ve been sent here to search for.”
Tsukasa's breath started to get heavier. He hesitated for a second but decided to force his head to look behind him—already preparing to run if it was a debt collector. But what was presented to him made him feel a relief.
Behind him stands a blue-haired Miko. The fabric of red and white clothing hugged her body that was almost as tall as him, her light blue hair swayed in rhythm with the cold late autumn wind. The most iconic thing was the red and white fox mask that hid her face under it.
Tsukasa's eyes widened, and his eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you—”