"Officer, I want to file a report!"
Ritsu and Hayasaka exchanged glances before Hayasaka spoke first. "A report? Are you seriously trying to play thief and accuser at the same time?"
Tsurumi hurriedly waved his hands.
"No, no! I really do want to file a report! The missing hostess you described is a thief! Things kept disappearing from our club, but ever since she vanished, nothing's been stolen anymore. Isn't it obvious she was the culprit?"
'A thief, huh?'
Ritsu recalled the items found beneath the leopard-print dress. There hadn't been anything especially valuable there.
Curious, he asked,
"What exactly was stolen from the club?"
"Mostly expensive liquor. One time even cash disappeared from the register. Altogether, it's at least three million yen."
Three million yen wasn't exactly a tiny amount, but it also wasn't enormous.
Still, the fact that the club repeatedly suffered thefts without reporting them clearly meant they didn't want police investigations uncovering illegal employment practices inside the nightclub.
"Let's get back on topic, Tsurumi-san. Please cooperate with the police and provide the hostess's name and address."
Tsurumi frowned in dissatisfaction.
"Officer, I'm the one filing a report here. Is that really the attitude you're giving me? You do realize police salaries come from taxpayers like us, right?"
The threat in his words was practically naked.
Ritsu found the man rather amusing. Reaching out to stop Hayasaka, who was about to snap back at him, he leisurely replied,
"So you intends not to cooperate, Tsurumi-san? In that case, I wouldn't mind conducting a very thorough investigation into this nightclub on the grounds of obstructing police work."
Tsurumi immediately realized he'd kicked an iron plate. Laughing awkwardly while rubbing his hands together, he said,
"Now, now, Officer, we're all adults here… surely things can be discussed calmly, right? I'll pull up the recent surveillance footage immediately, along with the missing hostess's full information."
Taking a step forward, Ritsu lightly patted Tsurumi's shoulder and revealed a harmless smile. One small canine tooth even peeked out.
"If you want a business to last, having a brain is essential. Tsurumi-san, you understand what I mean, right?"
"Y-Yes, understood. Please have a seat, both of you. I'll go retrieve the footage."
Watching the opportunistic man flee in a panic, Hayasaka couldn't help laughing. "Not bad. You're definitely number one when it comes to passive-aggressive sarcasm."
"Passive-aggressive? I was simply stating facts. A nightclub like this can't withstand serious scrutiny anyway. Though causing a real scene wouldn't actually be easy. Businesses like these always have yakuza protection behind them. If you really want to clean things up, you have to start at the root."
With both hands in his pockets, Ritsu lazily leaned back against the sofa and crossed one leg over the other.
"Of course, if this guy refused to cooperate, I wouldn't mind making things very public."
Hayasaka silently gave him a thumbs-up.
'As expected of him.'
Clearly worried that the young detective superintendent might actually stir up trouble, Tsurumi worked with remarkable efficiency. In less than ten minutes, he handed over a USB drive containing the copied surveillance footage along with the missing hostess's application form and personal details.
Like a crafty old fox, he smiled warmly and asked, "So, Officers… are you satisfied now?"
"Very satisfied. Then we won't trouble you any further. See you around."
Ritsu headed toward the exit, but as though suddenly remembering something, he stopped and turned around.
"Oh right, Tsurumi-san. About the thief you mentioned earlier, would you still like me to formally register and investigate that case for you?"
The hand Tsurumi used to wipe sweat from his forehead trembled slightly. He truly hadn't expected this detective to hold grudges.
What a loose mouth he had. Why did he insist on arguing in the first place?
"Haha, no need to trouble yourself over something so minor!"
"Oh? Good. I'm pretty busy anyway."
Watching the door close behind them, Tsurumi hurried over to confirm they'd truly left before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
From now on, he'd have to warn his employees.
If they ever encountered that white-haired officer again, they'd better treat him very, very carefully.
The moment he sat inside the car, Ritsu dropped the playful expression and seriously flipped through the personal documents in his hands.
The ID photo attached to the upper-right corner showed the victim without makeup. She looked very young… and very beautiful.
Akimoto Risa, age twenty-five. Born in Showa Ward, Nagoya.
Residence: Apartment 302, 25-4 Beika Town.
So young, yet forced to suffer something this horrific. Life really was unpredictable. You never knew when malice might descend upon you.
That was why people had to cherish the present and live properly while they still could.
"Didn't expect you to be so sly and vindictive. Are you a Scorpio or something?"
"Capricorn. Didn't expect you to actually believe in zodiac signs."
Hayasaka genuinely enjoyed astrology. The moment she heard he was a Capricorn, she immediately said,
"Capricorn, huh? That really does suit you. Reserved on the outside, but passionate underneath. A total closet pervert."
"The moment you said that, did you forget your beloved Ritsu-senpai is also a Capricorn?"
"How do you know that?"
The atmosphere inside the car instantly turned strange, as though all the air had been sucked out.
Using the act of flipping pages to hide his awkwardness, Ritsu stared at the black-and-white text in front of him without truly reading any of it.
Keeping his tone calm, he said, "You mentioned him before, so I looked into it a little."
Hayasaka didn't dwell on the topic and instead asked suspiciously, "You didn't tell anyone that I like Ritsu-senpai, did you?"
"No. I'm not some loudspeaker. Why would I spread your private business around? Focus on driving. Right now, the case is what matters."
"Hm."
The drive from Roppongi to the Metropolitan Police Department didn't take very long, especially outside rush hour.
After arriving on the ninth floor via elevator, the two carried the USB drive straight to the office.
Plugging it into the computer with practiced familiarity, Ritsu pulled up the surveillance footage. Since the workload was fairly heavy, he also asked Miwako, who currently had free time, to help review the recordings.
"Hayasaka, lately I haven't seen Tomonari—mmph?!"
Ritsu's eyes widened in shock.
He never expected Hayasaka to suddenly cover his mouth right there in public. Reaching up to pull her hand away from his face, he asked speechlessly,
"What are you doing?"
Hayasaka immediately dragged him aside and whispered,
"You idiot. Did you forget that Detective Tomonari passed away a month ago? Don't ever mention him in front of Sato."
'Detective Tomonari had died?'
Ritsu froze for a moment.
'No wonder Sato had transferred to Inspector Megure's division. So that was what happened.'
Letting out a breath, he realized how close he'd come to making the atmosphere unbearably awkward. If Hayasaka hadn't covered his mouth in time, he would've blurted it out completely.
After that small interruption, Hayasaka quickly entered work mode. Holding a limited-edition SailorMoon mug, her large dark-gray eyes remained fixed on the surveillance footage playing on the screen.
Clicking her tongue, she remarked, "Jeez, these people really are extravagant. They buy hundred-thousand-yen bottles like they're soda just to make a pretty girl smile."
"Hostesses make money through bottle commissions. That's basically their skill, winning customers over so they willingly spend money."
Ritsu didn't particularly care about the industry itself. At the end of the day, it was a consensual transaction.
What he truly disliked were the people who exploited the industry's loopholes and gave outsiders reasons to look down on everyone involved.
"True enough. Their conversational skills really are impressive. If I were a guy, I'd probably go there to relax too. The cost of living and housing prices keep skyrocketing these days. Salary workers are under insane pressure."
"Oh my~ who would've thought Hayasaka-sama also worries about money?" Miwako poked her head over teasingly.
"Ever since moving to Tokyo, I haven't taken money from my family at all, okay? I'm already an independent career woman!"
Puffing out her cheeks, Hayasaka protested unhappily. She disliked being called "Sama."
Of course, she knew Miwako meant no harm and was only teasing her.
"Haha, just joking. Once this case is wrapped up, how about we invite Yumi out for kara—"
Before Miwako could finish speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from the entrance of the office.
Takagi rushed inside in a panic and shouted toward Ritsu, "Inspector Onizawa! I found the identity of the first victim!"
----
bonus chap every 20 PS
read ahead on my pa reon @Siamus404