Shoof. Kai Eto shoved a small stack of papers to the side of his desk with a gloved hand. Another pile done with several more boxes to go. Had Hal been with him, they would be on some stake out with a pair of binoculars and a pile of tissues in the back seat. It was cold season, and the bug had hit Hal like a freight train, which left Kai with no partner and a mountain of paperwork the other Mattori just hadn't had time for.
Footsteps thumped down the hall, and Kai watched the door warily. One never knew when the Second Division would attack with another weird case, and Kai had sat next to the coat closet- the perfect hiding spot- for that very reason.
The door popped open, and Kajiyama strode in, followed by Director Hiki and a stranger. Kai watched them out of the corner of his eye, scratching in some simple information on one of the sheets of paperwork. Hiki glanced over with a sly smile, and Kai dropped his gaze to his pen. That clever look never meant well for Kai (or Hal when he was there). Despite his attempts to focus on the creamy document before him, Kai could hear Hiki's speech.
"This is the First Division," the director explained as they passed Kai's desk. "You'll be working with one of the agents here in a fairly simple case. No better training than hands on!" Kai tried not to wince at the obviously obnoxious grin in Hiki's words. "Eto, come say hello."
The pen tip froze against the paper. Asking a detective to come say hello to someone who would be working on a case never bode well. Kai scooted back and hopped up, walking over to where the three men stood. The new guy wore a dark green sports jacket and had ashy silver hair slicked away from his pointed face. He offered his hand with a cool smile, and Kai took it, giving it a firm shake.
"Kai, this is Daisuke Morisaki," Hiki said, clapping his fingertips together. "Daisuke, Kai Eto."
"Nice to meet you!" Kai exclaimed. Daisuke's eyes flashed as he nodded his head politely. Scary, Kai thought, trying to maintain his kind smile as Kajiyama left them alone with the director.
"Kai Eto usually works with Hal Kurabayashi," Hiki continued, motioning both to follow him. "Since Hal is under the weather and Kai has some experience, you will be his temporary partner." Kai would have protested that he had too much paperwork, but the sound of a new case excited him, and Hiki would have found some way into roping him into the job with or without consent (as seen by Kai's shameless kidnapping by the Second Division on multiple occaisions). Hiki halted in front of a filing cabinet and pulled open one of the many drawers, immediately procuring a file and turning back towards the exit. "If you two would follow me to my office."
Kai tailed the two, hands in his pockets, to the director's office, where Hiki let them in and offered two chairs at his desk. He handed the file to Kai and signaled him to open it. Kai obeyed, spreading laminated photographs and thin sheets of info paper. Daisuke picked up the miniscule plastic bag containing tree sparkling black tablets.
"This is a new drug called Star-ink," Hiki explained, motioning to the evidence in Daisuke's hand. "It's a powerful hallucinogen that begins by releasing dopamine in high quantities, but proceeds to attack and kill white blood cells, destroying the partaker's immune system. Instead of taking it like any other pill, you dissolve it in water and drink it. Since it contains some sugar and flavor extract, it supposedly tastes nice. The producers are a surfacing drug ring called Skye. They're targeting high school students from D- High and are expanding into larger territory in that area."
Reaching out his one gloved hand for the tablets, Kai examined the drug: It was a triangular pellet with small, glittering crystals. A small, five-pointed star had been embossed on the top. Glancing up, Kai caught a brief view of Daisuke's scowling expression. It was only a split second before his cool poker face returned. Kai set the bag amidst the photographs of victims and suspects as he prepared himself for the exact mission to be undertaken.
"Kai will be going to D- High undercover as the stepson of a middle-class real estate agent," Hiki assigned. Kai let out an internal sigh of relief. At least he wasn't going in dressed like a girl. "Daisuke will play the student's controlling stepfather." Kai's eyes flicked to Daisuke. He could pull it off easily. Hiki continued, "I've arranged the operation with the Principle. You'll start on Monday."
Kai flipped through the pages of suspects, careful to keep them in view of Daisuke, who sat kitty-corner to Kai's desk. Daisuke reached over and tapped the photograph of a soft-featured kid wearing glasses. The name was Mikage Suwa.
"Intel states he's a quieter subordinate of him," Daisuke said, prodding another photograph of a student with thick red hair and the name, Jun Touchi. "If we want to get into their inner circles without too much suspicion, we'll want to go through Suwa. He's a school student body representative, has almost perfect grades, and would be exactly the kind of person your cover would hang out with." Kai nodded silently. It was times like these that made him remember why he usually wasn't in charge of missions. Daisuke should have been chosen to run the operation, but responsibility had fallen on Kai's shoulders as the senior investigator.
Daisuke stood with a wave and a careless farewell before striding to the exit. Kai continued leafing through the papers, hoping that no one had to be put in danger this time around. When Kai had last played a student to root out a drug ring, he and another undercover investigator had nearly gotten themselves poisoned with potassium cyanide.
Shuffling through the file one last time, Kai piled the papers back into steel grey folder and shoved his chair away from the desk. It was getting late, and there was a stray cat that had taken up residence outside his apartment. It would want some food before the night was out. Sighing, he placed the evidence in a drawer and shoved his arms through the sleeves of his autumn coat. As silently as he could, he left the office and snuck past the Second Division's headquarters (he never knew when one might jump out at him and drag him into a case).
Once outside the building, Kai paused by a coin-run newspaper box, and looked over his shoulder. Hal's apartment wasn't too far in the opposite direction, and the detective might be lonely. Kai turned toward a nearby street coffee shop and purchased two hot chocolates before hurrying to a nearby crosswalk.
Careful not to drop the lidded containers of steamy beverage, Kai followed the semi-familiar route to Hal's residence and bounded up the stairs until he reached the door. Kai used the pinky of his right hand to ring the doorbell and waited quietly for an answer.
The door cracked open, and Kai saw a flash of Hal's glasses before Hal slammed the door shut. Kai nearly dropped the hot coco in surprise. He reached forward and rang the doorbell again.
"I don't want to get you sick, you useless kid!" Hal shouted through the door. Kai replied that he wouldn't because Kai had been eating healthy. Slowly, Hal let Kai in. He sniffed and wiped his nose with a tissue. "What d'ya want?" he demanded coldly. Kai held out one of the cups, and Hal took it wearily. The taller detective really did not look well: he wore a t-shirt and sweatpants under a maroon bathrobe and had circles under his clouded eyes.
"I came to tell you to get well soon!" Kai said with a genuine smile. It was disconcerting to see his friend in such a pitiful state. Hal swung a punch to the side of Kai's head, but Kai, used to this kind of reaction, dodged it easily. "I've been partnered with a new guy, Daisuke Morisaki, and we're starting an investigation into the high school ring, Skye," Kai explained, taking a sip out of his cup. Hal hadn't touched his yet. "Detective Morisaki is kind of scary, but it looks like it will be a fun case."