The crowd around the fight cheered loudly as the current winner continued to stack up wins under his belt. Challenger after challenger, they all came and fell one by one. Rap music blasted in the background, the lyrics intermingling with the cheers.
I made my way to the crowd, pushing my way through the people in the back to see the action up front. In the middle of the circle, one guy wearing a Hojin Uniform had his challenger in a guillotine submission hold. The challenger rapidly pat on the winner to let him go, but the winner didn't let go until he had passed out.
"Oh yeah, that's how you do it! You rock, Ichi!" One guy cheered and laughed, getting up from the broken down car and clapped his hands together. "Alright, losers! Bring your money up!"
I watched as a few betters walked up with stacks of yen, each one of them handing the guy 50,000 yen each. I looked around the crowd, my eyes slightly widening as I recognized one girl in the crowd with a white backpack.
'Natsuki..? What is she doing hanging around these people? She attends Hojin?' I thought to myself, slipping backwards into the crowd then began walking through the sea of people.
"Who's gonna be next on the chopping block? Anyone or are all of you too scared to step up?" Ichi called out arrogantly, holding his arms out and looked around with a grin.
Ichi's friend looked around and yawned loudly. "Come on? Not a soul wants a shot at winning over 100,000 yen? Maybe we should up the antics? How about we shift genders? Anyone wanna go up against Eiko?"
Eiko laughed softly as she held her phone up to record the crowd with herself in the shot. "As if anyone could touch me~ But, I'm sure someone here would like to fight or she could just pay off what she owes me."
Natsuki felt Eiko's eyes land on her then looked down at the measly 2,000 yen in her hands, the guilt eating her up from the inside. She closed her eyes as the desperate pleas of the store clerk echoed in her head, but still walked up to approach Eiko.
I grabbed Natsuki's wrist and pulled her back behind me while stepping forward. "You don't need to ruin your pretty face fighting, and I'm willing to pay for whatever you need."
Eiko looked over at me, immediately noticing the mask on my face and smirked with a sneer. "Who's this? You don't have on a uniform, so where do you come from? Fujioka is Hojin Turf."
I looked back at Natsuki, exhaling softly at her as I thought about how disappointed Emma would be if she found out her younger sister robbed a convenience store. I looked ahead and smiled at Eiko behind my mask.
"My name is Detective Binah, and I am here to investigate a recent robbery that happened earlier. I'm looking for a...third year male. Rich. Probably...yee high," I began, bringing my hand close to my height.
"And for a first year female. And judging by you, you're probably third or fourth. So if anyone knows information, just report and I'll be on my way," I added, looking around at the murmuring crowd.
Ichi scratched the back of his head with a chuckle and crossed his arms, studying my appearance with intrigue. "Yo! How did you even find us here?"
I looked at Ichi then pointed at myself before letting out a soft laugh and cleared my throat, clapping my hands together with a sharp inhale. "I followed a rabbit here. Hey, y'all might not believe me, but it's true! Don't argue with me here."
Ichi looked at his friends and laughed at me, pointing at me with his thumb. "Yeah, just some guy playing hero. Zack, get him outta here so we can continue the live stream."
Zack nodded and walked over to me then tried to grab my shoulder, but I parried his hand away immediately. "Oh, so you're a fighter huh? Look, make this easy so I don't have to beat your ass."
I dodged Zack's grab again then walked backwards with a chuckle, holding my hands up. "Look, just give me what I need to know then I'll leave. But if you keep evading, I'm just gonna stick around and see the championships."
Natsuki watched as I dodged and evaded Zack around the fight circle then grunted when I snatched the 2000 yen out of her hand. She gasped as I launched the cash in Zack's face like a distraction then took him to the ground with a judo toss.
A sovereign butterfly fluttered into the area and zipped around swiftly, the small currents of air gathering the 2,000 yen back into one stack. The butterfly flew away as the stack of cash landed back into my hand safely.
{Chapter 26: Binah vav Krisis}
Ichi looked at Zack on the ground then hummed softly, wondering how he lost against me with one toss. He looked back at me with intrigue and rose an eyebrow. "Well...Looks like we have an Inspector Krisis wannabe. Tell me, what are you here for?"
I looked at the small stack of cash in my hand and counted each bill slowly. "Well, I'm looking for the two who robbed the local store in Fujioka. Reports say that they escaped into the Rabbit Tunnel and now I hear debt has to be paid."
Eiko stared at me with a scoff, setting her phone down on the trunk of the car and walked over to me with curiosity. "You sound like a smart guy, but what are you going to do if you find who did it? After all, you're only looking for two people."
I looked at Eiko with a smirk behind my mask then glanced around the fight ring, my eyes scanning for the possible suspect who could have helped Natsuki rob the store. "I am looking for two people, but I've already found one. Now I just need the find the one who actually robbed the store."
A male wearing a giraffe print turban on his head looked up at me while taking a sip of his beer then stood up. He tossed the empty bottle on the ground, the bottle rattling as it rolled over to my foot. "Ichi, who is this dude?"
Ichi looked at the man with the turban then looked back at me. "Koshin, this is Detective Binah and he's wanting to make an arrest."
"Is that so?" Koshin asked, letting out a burp and wiped his lips.
Inuoe watched in the background with one arm folded under the other while his hand was held over his mouth, his mind racing with a million absurd questions. He looked over at Koshin and noticed his school blazer tied around his waste with a crowbar sitting behind him.
"How badly do you want this arrest, superhero?" Koshin asked, grabbing his crowbar and spun it around in his hand.
I began to analyze Koshin and remembered one of the weapon descriptions of the robbery being a crowbar. I pointed at Koshin with a chuckle then clapped my hands together. "Kkatan, I think I've got it. You are the one who actually robbed the store. Come on, let's just go to the precinct."
Koshin grinned at my comment then approached me while charging up a swing, his crowbar ripping through the air toward my head. The crowd gasped as I dodged the swing and moved away from Koshin, each person moving back to make space for us.
I looked down at Koshin's feet to analyze his next move before noticing the white rabbit with a golden sigil on his back hopping in front of me. The sigil shifted into the camera symbol once again, prompting me to take a picture.
Koshin charged forward toward me with another swing, but I dodged his attack then grabbed his crowbar. Forcing him to bend down, I vaulted over him then took my phone out, but Koshin struck my stomach with a back kick to knock me away.
"Nice one, but I still have more in the vault!" I said, grinning behind my mask and took a picture of Koshin with the flash on.
The setting sun reflected light off the window just as I took the picture, blinding Koshin for a moment leaving him unaware and unguarded against my gut blow to his stomach. He groaned as he hunched over, falling in place for my uppercut to bring him back onto his feet.
He immediately grounded himself and swung down with his crowbar, but I perfectly dodged his attack while a faint white silhouette formed where I once stood. Seeing an opening, I struck his stomach with an elbow while my silhouette followed up with a running knee to his face, knocking him in the air.
"You'd better keep yourself protected!" I called out, thrusting my palm forward for a force palm to his side.
Koshin barely blocked my attack and grunted as he slid backwards, a rock on the ground behind him causing him to lose his balance. Everyone around the fight ring watched in awe, everyone wondering how I strung my movements together so well.
'Those movements...they looked somewhat like Lady Mikoto. His spirit tried a Flutter Strike, but I don't think he knows how to do it, but it still packed quite a punch...' Inuoe said mentally, keeping a close eye on my movements.
Koshin growled lowly and began walking forward once again, gripping his crowbar tighter and began surrounding it with deep red energy. "So, you think you can come here and start messing with the Burning Bulls?!"
"Moto—Ashhiite... Detective Binah! Retreat! We have all the evidence we need! We can get OPA or JESA to deal with this! The SBI aren't ones to handle these issues!" Inuoe called out, bringing his hand to his holstered weapon.
A few people in the fight ring looked back as Inuoe revealed himself, everyone who saw him raising their hands as Inuoe pointed his nonlethal Anti-Energy Gun at the crowd. They began backing up and making room for him to approach, but I held him hand out to stop him.
"There's no need, Inspector. The criminal stands in front of me. I suspect he's looking for something more than just beer from a convenience store. Why bring a freshman girl with you?" I asked, looking back at Natsuki.
Koshin glanced behind me at Natsuki then grinned at me, chuckling softly and exhaled slowly. "Oh her? What's the issue? The little bitch owes Eiko money for the focus pills that she's been lending to her. You know interest increases around here?"
"Is that so?" I asked, turning around to look at Natsuki, seeing her guilty face and exhaled softly. I began approaching her then placed a hand upon her head. "So, you've been drugging her. Getting her addicted to these...focus pills."
"Tell me, Natsuki. Have you experienced any symptoms? Hallucinations? Hyperfocus? A surge of activity?" I asked, looking her in the eye behind my mask.
Natsuki stared at me with a timid expression, fidgeting with her white backpack with guilt and shame. "Y-Yes...I—"
I cut her off with a gentle head pat on her head then turned around to face Koshin and his friends, my gaze becoming more focused behind my mask. "I see...I think I've been experiencing the same thing. Which is why I was waiting for it to wear off since I only had a sniff."
Koshin heard the shift in my tone, my once charismatic tune now growing lower into a more serious note. He glanced over at Ichi and Eiko, wondering if I had caught onto them as well, but my focus was purely upon Koshin.
I looked at my hand, feeling the numb buzzing coursing through my nerves then I balled it into a fist, a white pulse of energy circling around it. "Eiko and Ichi are innocent of this crime, though...I have a group of dogs who would love to hunt some cattle for pushing my close friend's sister into a crime."
Koshin scoffed at me then swung his crowbar down at me, two flaming cutting waves trailing toward me at high speeds. "It doesn't matter what you think! We will get ours however we will! We will charge forward no matter what!"
I quickly turned Natsuki around and grabbed the metal bat from her backpack then swung it across my body, blocking the cutting waves but grunted softly as it pushed me back. The heat irritated my arms, but I managed to protect myself and those behind me from Koshin's wild attack.
"95% chance that you are the real suspect. Natsuki is just the scapegoat because she's easier, and I believe she's suffering enough and paying for her crime. Now...it's time for justice to catch up with you," I said, pointing the bat at Koshin with determination.
Inuoe lowered his weapon, hearing my determined voice had returned and sighed a quiet breath of relief that my high had went away. He felt the pressure in the area had began to lighten up, the thick air thinning to become breathable again.
Koshin scoffed at me then looked at his friends, commanding them to charge at me and take me down. One guy let out his kiai as he rushed at me with a series of punches and kicks while another tried to grapple me to keep me still.
"Too slow," I commented, slipping through the grapple and pushed both combatants toward each other before walking toward Koshin.
A girl charged me with a leaping tornado kick, the wind shifting in the air to warn me about the attack. I ducked under the kick then quickly backstepped into a superkick, my foot striking against her jaw and causing her to collapse onto her knees.
Ichi scoffed at me and walked forward while cracking his knuckles. "Alright, enough of this bullshit. You have to go now."
I watched Ichi run toward me with a superman punch, but I dodged his attack and thrusted my bat behind me, but Ichi blocked it with his palm. He launched a heavy spinning haymaker to take my head off, but I evaded the easily telegraphed attack and countered with an uppercut.
Ichi blocked my attack with his elbow, grinning at me and noticed my light brown eyes faintly glowing behind my mask. "There's something interesting about you. I can feel your spirit energy...you clan must be very strong."
I pulled my hand back and tossed the bat over to Inuoe for evidence. "You'd be correct...but we aren't strong in your traditional sense. We are blessed, but our blessings come from one eternal being."
Ichi snickered at me then shoved me back before getting back into his stance. "Eternal Bring? You mean God right? Man, you are just a Krisis copycat. You think solving crimes like this gets you somewhere?"
I adjusted my mask calmly and closed my eyes, humming softly as I began to use my Insight on Ichi imagine a scenario in my head. "You're just a stepping stone in my real mission. I just need you for training... lowly thugs like you will become my lunch."
"Oh...very Christ like talk from you!" Ichi laughed then charged toward me with an uppercut.
I opened my eyes quickly with a flash of light brown energy streaming from the edges of my irises, my body immediately leaning backwards to dodge his uppercut. I began slipping and weaving around each of his jabs and straights, my mind in overclock mode to move around each of his strikes.
Upon his next straight, I parried it to the right then noticed him use his momentum for a 240 kick. Using my forearm to block his kick, I grappled his leg then pull him forward before grabbing his face. He grunted as I dragged him around and mushed him against the car behind him.
"You must not know how close I am to the Chisaka Clan... You think getting Natsuki hooked on Mato Clan drugs was a good idea? I could have you thrown in prison... rotting in a cell.." I said lowly in his ear, my forearm pushed against his face to keep him pinned.
'This guy is like a completely different person...' Ichi said mentally, grunting softly from my weight being pushed against him, giving him little room for resistance.
"Detective Binah, behind you!" Natsuki warned loudly, pointing at Koshin who rushed behind me.
I looked back and noticed Koshin's crowbar rushing toward my head, but I dodged out of the way then launched a palm strike toward his face. Koshin evaded my attack then grappled onto me, delivering a powerful knee to my stomach then an elbow to my back.
He slammed his elbow against my back again, getting me onto all fours then followed with a thrust with the sharpened edge of his crowbar. I rolled to the left then knocked him off balance with a sweep kick, my momentum carrying me onto my feet for a swift roundhouse.
Koshin barely dodged my attack then took a deep breath and exhaled softly, his dark fiery aura flowing around his hands. "You must not know what you're getting into. You will not be leaving here alive messing with the Sugaru Clan.."
I took a deep breath then exhaled slowly, calming my thoughts and enhancing my awareness. A light blue butterfly flew toward me then landed on my head, its wings fluttering and shimmering a soft glow. "Is that a challenge?"
"Alright. Let's play your game, but I guarantee you that you will be leaving here in cuffs. You have nothing on the Izuna," I challenged, taking on my mother's stance and began using my Insight upon Koshin.
As Koshin's muscles tensed for a single movement, a deep red silhouette formed in front of him which allowed me to see his next move. Koshin launched a right hook which I dodged then I swayed around him as he swung his crowbar. I grabbed hold of his crowbar and yanked it out of his hand, tossing it over to Inuoe.
Koshin chuckled and threw an elbow strike which I blocked and pushed back before landing a chop upon his side. While he was shortly stunned, I chopped his side again then followed with a backfist to his nose. He groaned as he stumbled backwards with his hand over his nose.
I lowered my hand then slowly took off my mask, my hair gently falling over my face as my eyes lightly shone a light brown glow. "Have you had enough? Or do I need to embarrass you in front of your friends more?"
"Motosaki..! You were Detective Binah?" Natsuki gasped, a surge of hope returning into her eyes.
"Motosaki? Oh, I've heard that name before. Wasn't Damon and Okuni talking about him earlier? The SBI's rookie," Ichi said, staring at me with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Eiko scoffed at me while twirling a strand of her hair around her finger, her expression becoming neutral. "Huh...so this tough guy is just a high school student like us. He said something about an Izuna. I thought that clan went extinct."
"You thought wrong because I am the last of them. You all should give up now... because at the rate I'm going, your chances of winning have dropped to 10%," I said, dropping my mask with faint white energy wrapping around my body.
Koshin felt chills crawling around his spine as he stared at the back of my head, wondering what my next move would be. As his friends tried jumping in, he held his arm out to stop them, a sense of caution finally catching up to him.
"Stand back, I've got this! Mobius, let's charge!" Koshin roared, his deep red aura pulsating around his body and taking shape in the form of a raging bull.
I glanced behind me calmly, as calm as the butterfly that rested upon my head. A small stream of white lightning crackled around my legs, a subtle warning sign for Koshin, but he did not take it. I couldn't explain the feeling in my body, but all I knew...
Is that my spirit understood what I had to do.
Koshin laughed as he charged toward me at high speeds, but I swiftly dodged his attack then rushed toward Natsuki and picked her up in a bridal carry. I dug my heel into the ground then tensed my body before bolting forward in a powerful spurt, my body becoming a blur to everyone else.
"You're not escaping The Tunnel!" Koshin brayed, charging behind me with streams of flames behind him.
Inuoe grunted softly as he watched me and Koshin race down the tunnel then quickly followed behind, wondering what I was doing. Ichi and Eiko also followed us with the Burning Bulls close by, everyone stampeding behind me to stop my plan.
"Motosaki!!! Slow down, slow down! You're going too fast!!" Natsuki screamed, holding onto me tightly as I raced through the alley at my top speed.
I raced like the wind through the maze like alleys, taking every turn and corner I could find to lose Koshin and the Bulls. Running down one alley, the opening led me into Emma's neighborhood in Fujioka, the residents of the city noticing me appear out of the alley.
"Natsuki, go home and don't worry about me," I said, setting Natsuki down then pushed her forward before dashing off.
Natsuki grunted softly and watched as I ran off in the distance before taking off in the direction to her house. She quickly took her cracked phone out of her pocket and immediately called Emma to unlock the front door of their house.
Koshin rushed out of the alley with a roar and saw me running in the distance then chased after me, running through oncoming traffic to reach across the street. I looked behind me to see Koshin incoming at high speeds then dodged his powerful backfist with a limbo dodge.
"Good, you followed me just as I thought you would," I said then leaped backwards with a hand spring then flipped backwards toward a light pole.
Koshin ran after me and watched me use Flow Motion to quickly make distance toward the exit to the countryside of the neighborhood. He came to a halting stop as he heard multiple cars honking then looked back, noticing Ichi pulling up in his muscle car.
I ran alongside the shoulder of the road with my phone in hand to contact Kyoto, but I heard a gunshot behind me which caused me to take cover. I looked up to see four cars driving up, the Burning Bulls leaning out the window with handguns in tow.
"Rich kids they said," I scoffed, standing up and walking backwards the took on my mother's stance again, white lightning crackling around my body.
"Man, you're fast and very reactive...but are you faster than a bullet?" Koshin asked, getting out of Ichi's car while pointing his gun at me.
I watched as Ichi and the others got out of their cars, the numbers stacking against me along with the firepower. I began to change my stance into Granny Hisu's Zanshin Stance, my body crouching into a tiger stance.
"Oh, you think some kung fu is going to help you out?" Eiko laughed, shaking her head then pointed her pink handgun at me and fired a shot.
Slamming my hand into the ground, white lightning surged around my body to enhance my speed, my body becoming a stream of lightning once I bursted forward. Everyone panicked and began firing shots, but I quickly ran in a zigzag pattern to evade as many bullets as possible.
I rushed through the crouch and toward Koshin with a running high knee, but he blocked with his hand and pushed my leg down. I immediately countered with a superman punch then landed on the ground, ducking under Ichi's roundhouse and feinted a back elbow strike into a full power left hook toward Koshin.
"Oh man, you're one crafty person!" Koshin laughed, ducking under my attack and counterd with an uppercut to my stomach and clammed the butt of his gun against the back of my head.
My ears began ringing, my eyes rolling to the back of my head for a split second but I regained consciousness and countered with an anger boosted cross. My fist crashed against Koshin's forearm as he blocked, but the power of my attack broke through his guard and connected against his jaw to knock him back.
I pulled my hand back and balled it, white energy pulsing around my hand to slightly ease the pain around my knuckles. I held the back of my head and growled softly with annoyance. "Easy cases they said..."
While I was distracted Zack managed to get behind me and grapple me into a full nelson, yelling out to Ichi, "I got him! Yo, jump him!"
I grunted as I began trying to break out of Zack's hold, but he held the submission with all his might while Ichi and his friends began taking turns treating my body like their personal punching bag. Each of my groans grew louder, the wind leaving my body with each strike they landed.
I growled lowly with pure frustration, the pressure around me growing stronger with sparks of my aura popping around me. Ichi noticed me resisting and chuckled, his fist loaded back for another strike, but an icy blue hound pounced toward him and chomped onto his arm.
"Ichi!" Eiko cried out with a gasp, her gaze shifting over to the road to see a fifth car parked on the other side of the road. "Is that a wild wolf?!"
"No, it's the St. Fraskia Administration!" Hisumi called out, appearing behind Eiko and sheathed her katana, five delayed slashes striking Eiko at lightning speeds.
"Valkyrias? Oh shit..!" One Burning Bull member panicked and began running off then groaned as Kyoto appeared in front of him with a knee strike.
"Oh hell no!" Ichi yelled, throwing the Ice Hound off his arm then rushed toward Kyoto with a chop to her neck.
Kyoto sensed his attack and dodged last second, a pulse of temporal energy flowing around Ichi to cause him to move in slow motion. She immediately struck his stomach with a knee to knock him up then followed with an elbow to his back and a right knee to his face.
Ichi began to collapse onto one knee, but Hisumi teleported behind him and pulled him back onto his feet by his air. Kyoto struck his stomach with another knee strike before Hisumi flipped him over her back then Cerebral sent him flying backwards with a breakneck charge.
"Crap...they took down Ichi like it was no—" Zack began then grunted as I slipped my arm from his hold them slammed my elbow against his side.
Inuoe ran toward Zack from behind and struck the back of his leg with a straight kick, bringing him down onto one then slapped handcuffs on his wrists. "You and your lackeys are under arrest.."
Zack groaned with annoyance and looked ahead, noticing Koshin walking up and chuckled. "Well, you ain't catch our leader yet.."
Koshin rolled his shoulder and walked toward us with a grin on his face, his eyes shifting over to Kyoto and Hisumi arresting the other Burning Bulls. "Seems like a lot of work when you only need to arrest one person..."
I held my midsection as I looked at Koshin, images of Natsuki's guilty and afraid face popping up in my head. "There's a problem in this country with drugs...and if no one had come to save her, would you have taken advantage of her?"
Koshin chuckled softly with zero remorse in his tone. "Hey man, she went to me and Eiko for help. Eiko for the pills and you know, I had to teach her to be a woman."
My lips cracked into a irate smirk, my heart skipping a beat from indignation and the butterfly on my head began to shimmer a faint crimson red color. I chuckled softly at Koshin and lowered my hands then took a step forward, but Hisumi quickly grabbed my wrist to hold me back.
"There's a phrase I call people like you...you are nothing but a brood of vipers! You were going to take advantage of Emma's little sister?! Are the collapsing braincells in your demented skull even trying?!" I yelled out, my outburst causing Hisumi and Kyoto to flinch.
"What?" Kyoto asked, glancing over at Inuoe to figure out what I was talking about.
"Is this what your type does to young girls seeking help? I can see even 30 years later...the cycle only continues. Now I can see why cases go cold...people like you dig holes no one would go through, but you haven't met someone like me yet!" I continued, images of Aisha and the others flashing in my head.
"They were going to sweep your case as a simple robbery, but this only gives me more of a reason to investigate every single one of you. I know your clans are associated with the Matos," I said in a frustrated tone.
Koshin smirked at my speech and walked toward me with his hands in his pockets. "Even if I was associated with them, my mother is one of the top lawyers in New Japan. I have diplomatic immunity. You can't arrest me."
I smirked at his arrogance and chuckled coldly, snatching my wrist from Hisumi and looked Koshin in his eye. "I don't care...and the fact you flaunt it means your mother has been abusing her power. Do you know who my God grandmother is..? Hisu Fugigami, General of the Supernatural Phenomenon Association."
"I can have you, you clan...and your mother living and eating out of boxes. I love people like you... because it's people like you that got my parents, Nanako, and 28 other Investigators killed. I vow...to put everyone like you behind bars," I said, shoving Koshin back with great force.
Koshin stumbled back with a laugh and dusted himself off. "I would love to see that..."
[August 29, 2418 - Wednesday, 6:30 PM]
Nousagi placed a bandage on the back of my head and exhaled softly. She stepped back and crossed her arms, her gaze shifting over to Kyoto with disapproval. "This is your idea of a simple mission?"
Kyoto scoffed at Nousagi and rested her cheek against her palm, her eyes looking away from Nousagi. "It was supposed to be a simple robbery case, but I didn't know these rich delinquents were running an underground ring."
"Are we serious? And you also mean to tell me the guy you should have arrested has immunity? Isn't it illegal to abuse grace like that? Why didn't you charge him for that?" Nousagi asked, placing a hand on her hip.
"I think I know part of what happened to Nanako...this case gave me a bit of Insight," I interjected, my gaze stuck upon the beautiful rabbit rug on the floor.
"What?" Kyoto asked, glancing over at me with confusion.
"I thought it was already clear that she was lured and killed at the Cat Alley. That's what everyone is saying now apparently," Nousagi said, her attention shifting over to me.
"No...that's just where Nanako was last seen, but after this case, I don't think she died at the Cat Alley. I think she was killed in the bunny garden at Matsugaya," I suggested, looking up at Kyoto and Nousagi.
"And what brings you to that conclusion?" Kyoto asked, curious about my thought process.
"There's a chance, a very high chance that the Cat Alley was simply a diversion. They could have passed through the Cat Alley, but there's an issue with that. The Cat Alley has a dead end and yet, no memorial flowers were there," I answered, my eyes meeting Kyoto's with certainty.
Nousagi hummed at my explanation and nodded to herself. "It's sound. I do remember the Cat Alley well. It has a dead end once you reach the end of the alleyway of the campus. However, I was at the bunny garden during Nanako's death."
"Exactly. If my intuition is correct, the bunny garden is bigger than anyone thinks. There are maybe three locations we know of in the garden: the bunny observatory, the greenhouse, and the actual garden," I said, exhaling softly and leaning back against the couch.
I stood up from the couch and touched the back of my head. "It's just...are those the only three locations there? The Rabbit Tunnel had me thinking a lot on the way back here...Natsuki was baited, lured, and extorted. The same as Nanako. We can't find Jeht yet..."
"We can't? Did Koshin hit you too hard on the head? We have to find Jeht, but—" Kyoto protested, but paused as I shook my head.
"It's not that simple. The further I dig into the MHI-30, the more I realized that Jeht also has allies and connections. We can't find Jeht... because we have to stop this drug operation first. What happens if they target Otsuki, or if Amon targets Rebecca again?" I asked, my gaze shifting between Kyoto and Nousagi.
Rebecca listened in the kitchen while eating her dinner, a smile forming on her face. She could hear the concern in my voice, and wanted to do whatever she could to help me help her and her friends. She felt a chill crawl down her spine, her pupils faintly gleaming a magenta glow.
"So what do you suggest we do? You're still on restrictions on the MHI-30, and your next mission from Mr. Mori is on Friday," Kyoto asked, curious about my plan.
I glanced down at the floor and thought about the moment I was acting as Detective Binah then a smirk formed on my lips. "Easy... I just infiltrate the underground and stop crime from below while I still do my due diligence with the girls I'm tasked with."
"I have a feeling Jeht is doing the same thing right now. Playing hero on the surface, but below...he's running this entire drug operation. With enough cases solved, Jeht will be exposed," I added with confidence, giving the two women a grin.
Nousagi and Kyoto stared at me with confusion then glanced at each other, wondering what I meant when I said I would 'infiltrate the underground'. They were on the opposite end of the grid, having an ill feeling about my idea.
[August 31, 2418 - Friday, 8:00 AM]
Two days passed by with me taking Thursday away from school to rest and plan out my next steps. I stood in front of my mirror while getting ready and read over my father's Tomodachi Book for a refresher. I looked at myself in the mirror and held my mother's pendant in my hand.
Aisha knocked on my door and cracked it open, peeking inside with her usual cheerful smile. "Saki~ You might wanna hurry up~!"
I glanced over at Aisha and smiled at her. "I'm coming, don't worry. You can just head downstairs."
Aisha nodded and closed my door then began heading downstairs. A few moments later, I emerged from my room and began heading downstairs in my Karma Letterman with the Vice Student Council sleeve garter on my right arm.
"Oh? You're wearing that today? Karma? Was that the name of your high school team in New America?" Aisha asked, curiously inspecting my letterman then began adjusting my arm band upon my arm.
I chuckled softly at her question and held my arm out as she adjusted the band. "No, it's actually a group that I was an honorary member of. They would always say the phrase, 'What goes around, must come back'."
"Ah, that sounds pretty cool! Oh, come on before the girls blow a fuse," Aisha giggled, grabbing my hand and hurried out the door.
I hurried behind Aisha, the two of us rushing down the sidewalk toward the Matsugaya Campus. Once we made it to the campus, I noticed a yellow hound from the corner of my eye watching me closely and knew Hisumi was nearby.
I ignored the hound and walked into the campus with Aisha and walked toward the courtyard with her. I let go of her hand as I scouted the courtyard to find Amon, my sights immediately set on him as I had a feeling he provided Koshin with the satura pills.
"Motosaki! Motosaki!" Emma cried out in distress, hurrying toward me and grabbing my arm, looking up at me with worry in her eyes. "My sister! She told me what happened!"
I looked down at Emma and exhaled softly then looked back up, my fingers raking through my hair as I caught sight of Amon. "Yeah, I was sure she would and I'm glad she did..."
Emma looked at me with confusion as I began making my way toward Amon. "Motosaki?"
"Saki-kun? Where are you going?" Aisha asked, raising an eyebrow.
Amon looked up at me, noticing the disdain in my eyes then smirked at me with a chuckle. He looked back down at his phone and whistled. "Well, well... Detective Binah stops an illegal fight ring and an extortion attempt, at the same time managing to get Natsuki Chisaka off with house arrest. I'm assuming that you're—"
I snatched Amon up from his seat by his tie and looked at him in his eyes, my eyes shimmering a light brown glow as I glared at him. "How long have you been supplying Hojin High? How long have you been supplying the Burning Bulls?"
"Does it matter how long? At the end of the day, I'll get what I want no matter the cost... Natsuki was just to show you how easy it is to break someone, I will have Emma leave you...or better yet, I'll just take your life with my own hands," Amon countered, his grin widening sadistically.
I grinned at Amon and chuckled softly at him, crashing my head against his and shoved him down onto his seat. A few students looked over hearing the commotion, seeing me standing before Amon with small volts of white lightning crackling around my body.
"M-Motosaki..!" Aisha gasped, holding her hand slightly over her mouth in surprise.
Amon grunted softly and looked up at me with his hand on his forehead, wincing softly in pain. "What the hell..?"
"You think this is a game..? I'm taking a break from the MHI-30...so I can take you and all of your pathetic goons down. You're not speaking to Detective Izuna...this is Motosaki Izuna, Representative of the Mafia Karma!" I said, turning around and pointing at the Karma Logo on the back of my letterman.
"Karma?" One student gasped, recognizing the mafia logo immediately.
"He's part of a Mafia? Who would have known..?" Another student asked, looking over at his brother in shock.
Kaido grinned as he watched from the distance, chuckling softly and stroked his chin lightly. "Well, well...so Motosaki does have that dog in him? Who would have known he was a part of Karma..?"
Heido opened his eyes and looked over at the commotion then noticed me. He chuckled softly and stood up on his feet, resting his bokuto against his shoulder. "Oto!"
I heard Heido's voice and looked back, noticing him on campus then began to calm down a bit. I looked back at Amon, scoffing softly at him. "I will find all your connections... including your father, and I will bring them all down."
Amon watched me walk away from him then rushed forward and turned me around to go for a hidden right hook. I glanced at his shoulder and immediately ducked under his attack before countering with a liver blow then an overhead right.
I stopped my fist before it connected to Amon's face then chuckled softly, noticing him flinching under my swift counter. "How interesting...so the satura prince can feel fear. You didn't expect me to be so...aware?"
"Should we jump in, Cap'n?" Kaido asked, the hairs on his arms standing as he was itching to fight.
Heido glanced up at the rooftop of the main building, noticing Tsubami watching from above, her gaze studying me from the bird's eye. He glanced back down at me and smirked. "Nah, I think things are getting interesting now around here."
"It's starting to feel like Matsugaya again with all these clans in one spot..." Heido added, lowering his bokuto and brandished it.
I dodged Amon's jab then parried his cross to the side, my eyes tracking his next steps to dodge his roundhouse kick. I leaped backwards and began glancing around my surroundings, noticing a white rabbit hopping toward the main building, his golden sigil gleaming brightly on his fur.
"Things are getting serious...should we get Tsubami and Lotus?" Aisha asked, glancing at Emma for a second opinion.
"I think we should...who knows what that creep is planning," Emma said, holding Aisha's arm and pulled her toward the main building to the Student Council Room.
"You don't plan on dodging forever do you, Detective!?" Amon exclaimed, his face growing red with frustration as I continued to remain defensively responsive.
I chose to ignore the white rabbit for now and focus on the threat before me, my eyes locking onto Amon as I began to study him. Finishing analyzing Amon, I flipped Amon off and grinned before running off past Heido.
Amon, already agitated, immediately gave chase to me, but grunted heavily as Heido stopped him with a palm to his chest. He stumbled backwards and looked up at Heido with a glare. "Who are you, why are you stopping me..?"
Heido grinned at Amon then looked back at me in the distance, not knowing where I was running off to. "You have beef with my little bro, that means you also have a problem with the Nagagami and Nagai Clans."
Amon scoffed at Heido clenching his fists, his eyes shimmering a faint lavender glow. "I guess the Izuna is protected by the Nagagami and Nagai? I suppose you're part of that clan...Tch, a bunch of Sadducees playing perfectionists."
"Ah. Gon-jinchi..." Heido sighed with exasperation then placed a hand on his hip. "So, you know about the Nagagami...but are you aware of the Fugigami Clan? You've been stopped by my cousin numerous of times here..."
Amon noticed Heido glancing up at the roof to see Tsubami still lingering around before watching her leave his sight. "The Fugigami..? Hm, they are that insanely blessed Clan right? More favored by God than the Nagagami Clan I assume."
Heido nodded and turned around, resting his bokuto back on his shoulder then hummed softly. "You should be concerned... Motosaki has truly stepped down from investigating the MHI-30. He paused his journey to pick up, a full stack concerning the Mato drug operation."
Amon let out a nose chuckle and crossed his arms as he listened to Heido. "So what? That's one less issue for my clan. Him stepping down hinders him..."
"That's where you're wrong. You see, Motosaki has teamed up with the Nagai Clan and the White Wolves. Nanako's truth will be found one way or another. On the surface or underground, he will hunt you down," Heido said with a chuckle, walking away from Amon with that warning.
Amon rose his eyebrow at Heido and wondered what he meant by his warning. He looked back up at the rooftop and started to wonder what truly made me pause my investigation to change entire departments. With questions running through his brain, he just walked off with his phone in his hands, knowing he needs allies on his side as well.