Chapter Text
Investigator Marude Itsuki eyed him up and down, most likely still trying to decide whether he was dreaming or not.
“Arima-kun, please greet Marude-san.”
Arima bowed automatically in front of his newly assigned Squad Leader. “Nice to meet you, Marude-san.” He straightened and stared at the man who was eyeing Yoshitoki. A silent dialogue passed between them as they exchanged glances. Whatever it was about, Yoshitoki seemed to have won because Marude sighed in a resigned manner and the other man patted his shoulder.
“I do not doubt that you will get along well. Arima-kun has a lot to learn from you.” He gave the investigator an encouraging smile before he turned on his heel and walked away from the two. Arima was left alone with the grumpy man. They stared at each other briefly before Marude muttered something under his breath and turned away, gesturing Arima to follow him. The only thing Arima could make out from his grumbling was “fifteen”.
Arima followed his new superior to a room full of desks where many investigators were working. Some were on the phone, heatedly discussing something; others were either filling out paperwork or sharing their new found information with their colleagues. It was a busy room filled with busy people. Marude walked up to a man and a woman observing a file in front of one of the desks.
“Kasuka, Kureo.” He greeted them when they arrived at the desk. “This is Arima Kishou. He will be working with us on this case.”
The man he called Kureo extended a hand towards Arima. “Oh, so you are the talented young fellow everyone was talking about.” He shook his hand and smiled. “Mado Kureo. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Likewise.” The woman smiled and shook his hand as well. “I’m Mado Kasuka.”
“Nice to meet you.” He bowed deeply just as Yoshitoki had instructed.
The two continued their discussion on the case when Marude dragged him away to show him around. He heard them muttering as he was walking away.
“He is barely older than our daughter.”
“I know...”
In the end, he was given a desk not very far from Rank 1 Mado’s. Apparently, his wife Kasuka was an Associate Special Class and worked at a different place but she had told Arima that he was welcome to come find her if he needed anything. Marude had told him not to bother her, however. She was a busy woman.
He spent the rest of the afternoon helping around, filling out paperwork, taking copies and fetching coffee for other investigators. Since it was his first day, he couldn’t be helping with the investigations. One thing that got his attention was the fact that everyone he met –aside from a couple of new graduates- was at least ten years older than him. He felt so small next to them. The way they treated him was different than the way they treated each other. Most of them gaped in shock when it was explained to them that he was a “special case” and that he had just begun working as an investigator. He would hear them muttering as he passed by with an armful of photocopies.
“Isn’t he still a kid?”
“What are they thinking?”
“My nephew is a year younger than him. He is playing ball with his friends outside right now.”
“Doesn’t he have school or something?”
Some had found it funny.
“I wonder what made the Chairman take such a decision. Are we that desperate?”
“How talented he can possibly be? His height barely reaches my chin.”
“Just what is he?”
“He must be an alien creature.”
“A lab experiment!”
The rumors went on and on, his existence in the Main Office becoming a joke of some sorts. He could hear cackling from behind him as he was hunched over his desk, trying to get his work done. When he had stepped inside the CCG for the first time, this had been exactly what he had feared. Not fitting in. Becoming an outsider. How was he supposed to get along with these people when he had never even seen the outside world until a few months ago? All of them were his seniors. He wasn’t able to go out for drinks, discuss the news or talk about last night’s sports match.
He didn’t belong with them.
“How are you doing, Arima-kun?”
Arima looked up from his work –his face was almost buried in it- to see Mado Kureo smiling at him. “I’m fine, Mado-san. Thank you.”
“Marude called for a meeting on the new case. We are heading to the conference room.”
“Oh. Alright.” He gathered his things and got up from seat. As they were heading to the conference room, Mado-san spoke up.
“How are you adjusting to the Main Office?”
It had been two weeks since he had started out. In a way, it had felt like an eternity. His years had been spent preparing him for this position and yet he felt anything but prepared. Everything was so foreign, so wrong. It was nothing like what he had expected. He had been so hopeful and he was feeling so let down. He had been hoping that freedom would feel a bit better than this.
Still, he didn’t want to admit that to his superior. “Fine.”
Mado simply nodded but Arima had a feeling that he wasn’t buying it.
“You should meet my daughter sometime, Arima-kun. She is a bit too young for you but she is a very mature girl. I’m sure you would get along.” He mused.
Arima blinked. He couldn’t figure out how to respond. He couldn’t understand why Rank 1 Mado was being so nice to him in the first place. In the past two weeks, he had treated him much kinder than his colleagues. He was a bit weird but Arima had come to feel at ease with him.
“Oh, before I forget, you may call me Kureo-san, Arima-kun. I know that names can get a bit confusing since I share my surname with my wife.”
Arima nodded. “Thank you, Kureo-san.”
He followed his superior into the conference room where both Marude and Associate Special Class Mado were waiting.
“Where are the others?” Kureo inquired.
“They couldn’t make it but it’s okay. We’ll brief them later on.” Marude replied dismissively and handed him a piece of paper.
“Oh? I thought we were handling the Wobbegong case?”
Kasuka shook her head. “Another squad has been assigned to that. Kuroiwa is with them.”
Kureo nodded and took a seat. Marude was explaining the case they would be investigating. Apparently, there was an A-rank ghoul running loose, constantly changing wards in order to throw investigators off his tail. The previous team put together to exterminate it had been all but decimated so Marude Squad was taking over the case.
After Marude got into details on the ghoul’s nature, Arima found himself spacing out. He hadn’t realized it until he heard someone calling out to him.
Seeing his face, that person was most likely Marude and he appeared to be very annoyed.
“Are you listening Rank 3 Arima?”
“Uhm, I… Yes.”
“Pay attention.”
“Yes, sir.”
Marude stared him down before continuing. “Kureo, you will be going through the previous squad’s findings and looking for a lead. Kasuka, observe the latest crime scene. I placed the rest of the squad members into teams lead by you two.”
Kureo hummed as he went through the file. His eyes were gleaming dangerously.
Marude snorted. “Is it your intuition again, Kureo?” He said mockingly. “Let me guess, 5’7 tall with a Hokkaido accent. I bet you can smell the foul scent of the ghoul all the way from here.”
Kasuka narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t say anything. Kureo simply ignored his mockery. Whatever intuition was…
“What will I be doing?”
They all turned to him.
“You will be assisting Rank 1 Mado in collecting data.” Marude replied and started gathering his papers.
“I thought I was here to gain field experience.”
“Field experience? I’m not putting a 15-year-old out in the field. Especially, in the way of an A rank.” He stood and walked up to the door. He held up his hand to quiet him when he opened his mouth to protest. “I don’t care if you are a special case –whatever that means. You’re still a kid.”
The Mados exchanged glances as Marude strode out the door.
This was disappointing at best. All these years, Arima had been training for combat. He had been hoping to test his abilities out in the field. Now, he was expected to fill out endless piles of paperwork, carry around people’s stuff, distribute documents, bring investigators lunch. It had only been two weeks and he was fed up with it. He had waited for so long and it wasn’t fair that he had to settle for the tasks interns were supposed to do.
Nevertheless, he didn’t say a word. He simply stood and bowed to his superiors, returning to his desk to continue his work.
“You have excellent form Arima-kun.”
Anyone else in his place would have jumped at those words, startled by the sudden intrusion. Arima, having heard the man’s footsteps before he had even reached the room, didn’t bat an eyelash. He continued training with his sword, focusing on his movements. They had become second nature to him. The weight of the weapon in his hand felt familiar, almost like an extension of his own body. He moved it quickly in swift, circular movements aimed to slash his opponent’s vital areas.
“How about a sparring partner?” Kureo grinned from the entrance. “Fighting thin air will only get you so far.” Not bothering to hear Arima’s answer, most likely having sensed that he wouldn’t respond anyway, he picked up a sword from the basket in the corner. He walked over to where Arima was training.
Arima stopped his movements to face the man. There were only a couple of other people using the training grounds in that moment and they were training far away from them. The place was empty for the most part. “It’s very quiet, isn’t it?” Kureo noted. “It’s usually much more crowded in here. This is a rare occurrence.” He took his fighting stance. They eyed each other, trying to see who will attack first.
After a few moments, having decided that he couldn’t wait any longer, Arima made his move.
“You should see the Branch Offices though.” Kureo tsked as he effortlessly dodged Arima’s repeated attacks. “There are very few investigators stationed in other Wards.” He evaded the sword aimed to his side. “They are sent to the Branch Offices when they are needed so the training grounds there…” He finally counter attacked. “… may go unused for weeks.” He dodged Arima’s attack again and swung his sword at his feet, disrupting his stance. “A shame if you ask me.” His swift attacks caused Arima to lose his balance and Kureo’s kick right into his abdomen sent him flying.”
“Agh!” Arima hit the ground with a thud.
“You have to arrive very early to get a good place in here even when it is the biggest among all of the Wards.” He grinned at Arima who was back on his feet. “You are very good, Arima-kun. A promising investigator without a doubt.”
Arima didn’t respond. He didn’t want to admit , even to himself, that he was hurt by this defeat but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t used to being overpowered by his opponent. He was the best student in the Garden. He had always been so. No one could match his battle prowess; no one could keep up with him. So why did he…
“Upset, are we?” Kureo clicked his tongue and chuckled when Arima didn’t respond. “No need to be so stiff, Arima-kun. Defeat teaches us many things. Constant victory will only make us careless.” He raised his sword again. “You are promising but you have a lot to learn. Even veterans do.”
“Even you?”
“Even I.” He confirmed. They started sparring again. “You are quick, that’s good. Being quick-handed means you can surprise your opponent. Seep through their defenses and attack when they are least expecting…” He aimed a kick at Arima again but this time the boy managed to evade it before it landed on his body.
“Ah… You learn fast, Arima-kun.” Kureo noted with his eyes gleaming dangerously. “Very good, very good. You must, however…” He kicked Arima again and this time he crashed into the wall behind. “Get rid of the lag between your upper and lower body!”
Arima lied on the ground, panting. His pride was hurt more than his body. He had gotten his ass handed to him by an old man. It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t supposed to lose like this. He stayed lying on the ground face flat.
“Are you just going to give up?”
Arima refused to look back at the man. He didn’t want to see those amused eyes.
“Ah, the typical Valedictorian crisis… The disillusionment with one’s own power. The depression over not being as good as you thought you were.” He chuckled. “You are no longer a student Arima-kun. You will find that the real world does not resemble the training grounds in the least. Out in the streets, it’s every man for himself and make no mistake, no one will show mercy to you.”
Arima swallowed. He wanted to speak up, to say that his education in the Garden hadn’t been easy, hadn’t been merciful at all. But he kept quiet. He didn’t dare open his mouth. He knew that anything he had to say would be shot down by the man instantaneously. This just reminded him that he knew nothing of the real world.
“Look at me.”
He wanted to refuse but he complied in the end. To his surprise, the expression in Kureo’s eyes had softened. He no longer stared at him with the eyes of a predator, ready to sink his teeth into the flesh of his prey. This was almost…
“Do not be discouraged by failure Arima-kun. Without them, you cannot discover your weaknesses. You cannot progress. A good investigator constantly tests himself, looking for ways to improve. Otherwise, he will only run in circles, eventually failing in front of an enemy much stronger than himself. Just because he was too arrogant to detect his weaknesses in time and increase his power when he had the chance.”
He extended a hand.
“Excellence comes with hard work and experience. Even for a natural talent like you. Now get up.” He helped Arima to his feet. “The quinque is your primary weapon. It is the only advantage you have against the enemy. You should learn how to you use it.” He made a gesture with the sword. “Classic maneuvers may work like magic against the lower ranking ghouls but as you climb the ranks, you will be up against much stronger opponents. You must also remember that anything can happen on the field. The enemy may surprise you so you must learn to surprise it as well.” He grinned.
“May I see your quinque?”
Arima went to retrieve his briefcase from where he had left it in the corner of the room. After a month of working at the office, he was finally given his quinque by Dr. Chigyou. Apparently, a Rank 3 investigator using a quinque was unheard of. Only ghoul investigators had the authority to use quinques and they started from Rank 2. His current rank was reserved for bureau investigators.
He handed the briefcase to Kureo who had sparkles in his eyes as he held it.
In the absence of his quinque, he had been training with the swords in the facility. People didn’t really spar using quinques, anyway. They were too sharp so there was a risk of injury. The swords, on the other hand, were blunt and designed to be safe. He came here as often as he could, not only because wanted to get better but also because he had nothing better to do. He rarely interacted with others outside of work and the only people he knew were too busy to spend time with. He quietly did his work on his desk and completed his tasks. When he didn’t collapse on his bed, too tired to do anything else, he visited the training facility. Even there people were giving him weird looks, murmuring and gossiping. After an entire month, Kureo was the only sparring partner he had had.
He had been too shy to ask himself and no one else had offered. He couldn’t understand what had driven people away. Was he truly so despicable…
“A bikaku, I presume?”
Kureo’s voice snapped him out of his daze and he nodded automatically.
The man hummed and performed a few movements with the quinque. “Very lightweight. It’s a suitable weapon for someone of small stature like you.”
He gestured Arima to pick up his fallen sword and held up his own. He put the quinque aside.
There was something bugging Arima, however. “Kureo-san?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you helping me?” ‘Why are you being nice to me’ was what he had meant, of course.
The man waved his hand dismissively and smiled. “It’s just my intuition.”
“Intuition?” He stared at him, confused. Wasn’t that the thing Marude liked to make fun of?
“It’s a feeling.” He explained, looking thoughtful. “There are somethings you cannot perceive with your senses alone, Arima-kun. You should learn to trust your instincts and see beyond what everyone else is seeing.”
Arima still had no idea what the man was talking about but he shrugged it off. Maybe, this was one of the things Kureo would be teaching him. He took his fighting stance.
“Now, now… If you make good progress, I may introduce you to Aura-san.”
“Aura-san?” He had heard her name mentioned before but had never seen her. He was aware, however, that she was a well-respected, extremely skilled investigator.
Kureo nodded. “Aura Kiyoko. She is a pioneer in quinque wielding. She is also a former classmate of Kasuka. She is an expert in duel wielding, a technique she has developed herself. Ground-breaking without a doubt…” He spoke excitedly. Kureo seemed to be very enthusiastic about quinques. “I, myself, have been a student of hers.”
“Isn’t she a very busy person?” Arima mumbled, Marude’s voice ringing in his ears.
“I’m sure she will make time for an eager student.”
Arima nodded.
“Now… Let’s review a few things on quinques.”