Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Grinning Killer
Chapter 1 : A Woman's Worries
Tsukudo-cho, Narumi Detective's Agency
It's early in the morning in the Capital. The early pedestrians slowly awake the remaining sleepers as the sound of footsteps, talks and grinding wooden wheels broke the fragile silence with the distant noise of cars' engine.
In the largest building in Tsukudo-cho, located in the south part of the Capital, a man wearing a white outfit opened a window to let fresh air in his bureau. He quietly watched the passers of the dawn.
Business was slow these last days for Narumi Detective Agency. A month had passed since the events involved with the King Abaddon. Back then, he was always running from left to right, exhausting the detective. As he recalled the chaos in the streets of the Capital, he remembered the fear and distress on everyone's face. It's already been a month and everyone seems to have forgot what happened.
He let out a calm sigh and lit a cigarette.
''Wonder if I'll ever do business with this peace...'' he wondered to himself as he inhaled the toxic fume.
As he was beginning to sink into comfort, the door of his office smashed on the wall as an angry woman dressed in a purple outfit stormed in with a daily journal in her hands.
''Narumi!'' she screamed out, without a second thought she might wake up someone.
The man slightly jumped out. She came closer and hit the paper-covereddesk with her journal showing the front page. The man took a moment to stare cluelessly at the woman. She pointed the paper with her index finger and crossed her arms, frustrated.
Narumi examined the front paper of the journal.
It was about another double murder. A man and wife were found in their bedroom. The woman was stabbed to death by her own husband and he killed himself after he committed suicide with the same blade he used to kill his wife.
Narumi wasn't surprised or shocked to read the article. He already saw enough corpses to become indifferent to this kind of subject.
''Tae? What are you getting at? It's a passionate murder, you know I have seen a lot of those and so does...'' he then got cut off by the woman.
''Narumi! It's the third one in two weeks! It can't be just a coincidence.'' She turned her back to the black-haired man who kept looking at her.
''Now, now, Tae...''
''It's Kichou Asakura!''
''… Anyways. If it was indeed something big, Raidou and I would be working on the case. However, we didn't receive any requests for this, so no investigation. Plus, we are short on money.''
''If you don't spend this much on clothes, maybe you'll still have some yens left when you grow old.'' She chuckled back.
''Tae, my spending is not something to write about in a public journal.'' He warned the woman. ''And unless we have a request I can't do anything.''
She shook her head in desperation at the man's stubbornness.
''How are you doing in the journal business, Tae?'' He questioned as he started to make coffee.
''I can't say well, but I guess average would be the right word. I'm getting a lot of news since the things that happened after the Apollyons' invasion, but they are bare-bone. Weak news loses readers and that means less money... Plus, an angry boss.'' She described.
''Not the best combination. Can't you just write something about the murders? Something extra, like an eye-witness' testimonial?'' He suggested after pouring the boiling water down the machine's filter.
''Hmmm... Not a bad idea.'' She cracked a smile as she pondered on the given suggestion. ''B-But, I'll find them by my own! I don't need your help or the Raidou's help!''
The coffee was ready, when Narumi smiled at the sudden defensive speech from the feminist.
''Yeah, sure.'' He filled two cups with the dark liquid and was about to fill a third one, but he hesitated and realized something strange.
''Hunh.'' He let out.
''What?''
''Raidou should be awake at this hour.'' He answered to the woman after he gave her a hot coffee cup. ''I'll go check on him.''
''I'll wait, I have my day off today.''
Narumi walked toward the bureau's door and opened it to see if Raidou was already on his way to the bureau.
No sign of the youngster.
He looked up at the ceiling and hastily walked to Raidou's room, knocked on the frame and called out; ''Raidou Kuzunoha the Fourteen, get up! It doesn't mean if we have no business, you can doze off!''
He waited, but no answer. He knocked again, but not on the door.
The door opened quickly and the detective by accident knocked on the head of his apprentice's cap.
There was a moment of awkwardness between the detective and his apprentice. Narumi felt suddenly clumsy and his apprentice was giving him the usual indifferent stare.
''Good morning, Narumi.'' The youngster simply responded, before he walked to the bureau with a black cat at his feet. He left his mentor behind, still weirded out by the event.
When he arrived at the bureau, the young man was greeted by a more cheerful welcome.
''Good morning, Raidou! Did you sleep well?'' Tae asked Raidou.
He only nodded before his cat, Gouto, meowed and he couldn't help but grin just a bit to the cat's remark. He directly went to the coffee and served himself a cup adding nothing into the liquid.
Narumi entered shortly after Raidou went in. He was back to his normal self.
''So Tae, what about that suggestion I gave you? Still good?'' The detective asked to the journalist in an easy voice.
''Yeah, it's a good idea... Should save my head from being cut off.'' She said, exasperated.
Raidou glared at Narumi, wishing to know more information.
''News came in that another double murder happened in the Capital. Tae thinks it's something supernatural, but I doubt it.'' He told them, almost pridefully.
Raidou looked back at Tae who had just finished her drink. Although, she could be a bit too attached to him and Narumi, her instinct was always one of her strong points. He almost wished for Narumi to share this instinct, so both would be on the field more often.
''Speak what you want, Narumi!'' She hit her cup on the wooden table, back to her angry self. ''But when Kichou Asakura becomes famous, you will envy me for my success!''
She stormed out of the bureau, closing the door, leaving the two men and the black cat alone.
''Ssshh... Woman.'' He clopped in one tray the half of his remaining coffee and looked back at Raidou who was staring at the wooden frame. ''Raidou, we don't have much work today, so let's continue the archives we left.''
He nodded in response. Raidou was a man of a few words; Narumi knew that his apprentice only talked when necessary or when the situation asked for it.
The hours passed. Both men worked on the piles of documents and paperwork Narumi had to normally classify and order by himself. However, when there was no work to do, Raidou helped with moving the boxes and organized the files.
The minutes passed in a near absolute silence, Narumi would only talk to the disciple if he needed something and the youngster would only nod or shake his head to answer his mentor and caretaker.
At lunch, both of them went out and bought smoke fishes. The meal was decent and the leftovers of the fishes were given to Gouto. Raidou always gives him the biggest portion of the remains.
As they walked back to the building, Raidou felt someone watching him not too far away. In front of the agency's building, a figure was standing still, looking around as he was looking for something.
It was a woman, mid-aged, wearing a pink and black outfit similar to a kimono. Nothing was outstanding about the woman and, compared to other women Raidou saw, she wasn't the prettiest either.
Narumi, the gentleman he was, immediately went to the figure who he recognized to be a woman.
''Ma'am, can we help you?'' He asked with a welcoming smile and a tip of his hat.
The strange woman was stunned for a brief moment and nodded quietly. She got closer to Narumi's ears and the man nodded to the woman with a serene smile.
''So you are Kizami Hokuto, correct?'' Narumi asked as he was filling the profile sheet of the new client, while Raidou was standing near the client. ''31 years old, lived in the Capital since birth and you are living with your husband, correct?''
''Yes. Do you want proof that I'm a woman, too?'' She said rudely.
''No, I don't think we need that sort of proof.'' He joked to the rude woman. ''So, Miss Hokuto, how can the Narumi Detective's Agency help you?''
Before she answered her question, she looked at Raidou who was still like a statue.
''Is he your son or something? This involves adults' business. I don't want him around me.'' She protested to the presence of the youngster.
''Miss Hokuto, Raidou is my disciple in detective's business and work. Believe me, he doesn't look like much, but he is good in this job.'' He told as he was gently tapping his lit cigarette on the glass ashtray. ''And for your first question, he isn't my son.''
She lifted up her head, not ashamed of her questions and pride went unhurt.
''My request is about a love affair. I believe my husband is cheating on me.'' And for good reason. The woman was cold as ice as she was mentioning her suspicions on her husband.
''How can you tell?'' Narumi questioned.
''Because it has been nearly three weeks he's been always late. I did my little detective's work too and asked around where he was going after work. Some neighbors told me he was going to take the train and he doesn't need to take transports to get to our house.'' She told with a serious look in her face.
''So, you are worrying that he is cheating on you... Understandable.'' Narumi said with his eyes fixed on the woman. ''Alright, we will work on your case Miss Hokuto.''
''I want answers as soon as possible, Detective Narumi. Mark my words.'' She finished before leaving the two men alone.
Narumi let himself sink into his chair, at the end of his patience as his smile turned into a frown.
''Dear God... she is worse than Tae!'' He said with his arms in the air. ''Good thing that we have finally a case to work on. Raidou, you'll work on the field and find out about Miss Hokuto's husband. The name is Oto Hokuto. He lives in Harumi-cho, well-built, black hair and a frog tattoo on his back. He's a fisherman too, so go for the nearby ports.''
He lifted up his chair and gave the paperwork with the necessary information to the disciple.
''Let's finish this one quickly, okay?'' The youngster nodded to his mentor's question.
Special thanks to MaikuFreakingKamiyama and Bonnia for beta-reading.