Week 11
Since finding the scene of the bloodied clothes, Ren's life was in chaos. He couldn't tell anyone other than the Chief of Police, Rori, how he knew the apartment belonged to the serial killer. The only information he could provide to point in that direction was Max's description. The problem was no one had a description of the killer. Everyone linked Max's description to the man who kidnapped the kids Officer Fuwa found. The white hair and white eyes were the same. No one could figure out how the clothes came to be shredded. They looked like they were physically ripped apart. Not sliced up by claws.
Once the blood analysis on the clothes came back, his problem was solved. There was an outfit for each victim of the serial killer. During the act, he was sprayed with their blood.
Once that was confirmed, detectives started fighting over the case. Now that there was at least one lead, everyone wanted in on it. While Ren found the lead, it wasn't in his precinct. He couldn't officially take the case. But detectives from the precincts that had a murder victim were all vying for a crack at it.
Before, they were all pushing the case around because they couldn't find any connections. There was no way to predict the next attack or track him down. But finding his home provided clues to his personality and hope of finding him.
Rori wanted to give him the case but couldn't without arousing suspicion. The best Ren could hope for was to have a case in his precinct so he could join the fray of people jockeying to come out on top. Unfortunately, only Ren could solve this case. He already knew who the killer was, but he couldn't give a reasonable explanation as to how he knew.
Saying the killer was a member of his clan would raise questions he did not want to answer. All he could do was wait and continue to work on his other cases.
"Leave the new person alone and get back to work, Eiji," a young man coming up on Kyoko's right said to him. Kyoko recognized him as the one who met Kanae at the office for her first shadow assignment. What was his name again? At the time, she was too preoccupied with the appearance with Ren to pay too much attention to anyone else.
"Yes, sir," Eiji responded and headed over to his desk.
"I'm Hiou Uesugi," the young man said to her extending a hand.
"Um, hi, I'm Kyoko Mogami," Kyoko said shaking his hand.
"Looks like Eiji already gave you the tour. All that's left is to tell you what you'll be doing this week." Hiou picked a flyer off of the desk and handed it to her. It was an ad for a ball coming up. "Our priority is to finish setting up for this event next week. A lot of work has already been done. Now we need to call around confirming who will be in attendance and that caterers and other services are all prepared and don't have last minute questions. At the end of the week, we'll start decorating the ballroom," Hiou told her. "That desk over there," he said pointing over to their left, "is for you. It has a list of people to call and confirm with. It's a long list, you'd better get started," he told her before heading to his own desk.
Kyoko looked back at the flyer as she walked to the desk Hiou pointed out for her. The ball was for important people in the city. As Kyoko sat down, her imagination took off imagining all the women dressed up in extravagant dresses looking like princesses. Of course, they would all be escorted by handsome men dressed in suits and ties. Kyoko quietly squealed to herself in excitement. She couldn't wait to start working on this.
She looked at the list in front of her of the people she needed to call. It was several pages worth. Well, no time like the present to start crossing off names.
By midmorning, she made it through a page. The numbers were broken up into sections. Each section represented a different workgroup of the city. The people she already called were government officials. She also had rich people who weren't directly involved in government but played a key financial role in the city.
Kyoko noticed her next page was for the police department. She got started and called the Chief of Police. She noticed his name was Rori Takarada. I wonder if there's any relation?'
Mr. Takarada confirmed he would be in attendance with no guests. Next came the captains of the different precincts. Last in the section were special interest people who weren't high up on the chain of command, but were well known and expected to show their face.
Ren's name was at the top of the list. Kyoko stared at his name realizing for the first time just how important he was to people feeling safe in the city. His impeccable record meant a lot and gave him influence.
Oh, right. I need to call him. Should I use my phone or the office phone I've been using? It'd be weird to call him on a line he's not familiar with and have it be my voice. I'll just call him with my phone.
She took out her phone and dialed his number.
Ren was with Rika and Yukihito. Yukihito had some new information to pass on to him from the labs. He already discovered this morning that Rika brought a very different perspective than the other two shadows. Rika was from a rich background and had insight into how the people involved in his case thought. He was planning on taking her to talk to a few people to get her input on their words and actions. She might be able to pick up on something he couldn't.
"Ren, this strand of hair belongs to a woman and is dyed. Whoever she is, she is not a natural blonde," Yukihito informed him. He was still going through some of the evidence collected at the crime scene. This strand of hair off of the victim's clothes was the latest find.
"I know a blonde we can talk to," Ren said looking at the hair. "Come on, Rika. It's time you participated in your first interview," he told her heading out the door. "Thanks, Yukihito," he called back before heading out.
"Anytime, Ren," Yukihito responded right before Ren's phone started going off.
Ren's eyes creased with concern as he checked the caller ID before answering. In the background, Yukihito's eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"Kyoko, is everything alright?" He asked as soon as the line connected.
"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it be? Oh right, sorry. Last time you heard from me it was a mess, huh? Sorry about that." He heard her say over the phone.
"Don't worry about it. I was happy to help. What do you need?" He asked her.
"Oh, I'm working at city hall this week. Your name is on the list for attendees to the ball next week. I'm calling for your RSVP," she told him.
"I'll be there," he responded.
"Are you bringing anyone with you?" She asked him.
"Yukihito," he said as an image flashed in his mind of her drenched in her sea green, party dressed from the night they first met. "Will you be in attendance?" He asked wondering how she would look dry in a nice dress.
"I wish. It'll be a great night no doubt. I hope you have fun there. I have more people to call. So I'll catch up with you later," she said finishing up the conversation.
"Have a good day," Ren told her before hanging up. He let out a sigh of disappointment as he put his phone in his pocket. The party would have at least been interesting with her there.
Rika's eyes were locked on Ren as soon as she heard Kyoko's name. She studied his back as she followed him out of Yukihito's lab.
For his part, Yukihito had a twinkle in his eye as he watched Ren leave.
Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up with Ren. She was a little nervous to call him after their last encounter. She couldn't stop thinking about him kissing her on the head. But she got through the call successfully.
Now it was time to get through the next very unpleasant call. Another VIP from the police department was Sho Fuwa. No doubt for his efforts in finding the kidnapped kids which were actually her efforts.
I'm definitely not using my phone to call him. No way am I giving him access to my number. She was dreading making the call. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to him. But she had no choice. She needed an accurate count as possible of who would be in attendance. ...wait...if I use the office number, he won't know it's me calling. And if I change my voice, he won't recognize me!
Kyoko quickly dialed Sho's number prepared to disguise her voice.
"Officer Fuwa," she heard him say as he picked up. A few of Kyoko's grudge demon's popped out at the sound of his voice.
"Officer Fuwa," she said pitching her voice high so he wouldn't recognize her. "I'm from city hall and am calling for your RSVP to the ball next week."
"I'll be there," he told her.
"Great," Kyoko said continuing to keep her voice pitched. "Will you be bringing anyone with you?"
"No, just me. If you want, you can find me at the ball and we can hang out," he said trying to flirt with her.
Kyoko held in vomit at his words. "Thanks, I'll put you down as in attendance," she said hanging up.
Bleh! The last thing she wanted was to spend more time with Sho.
To distract herself from his nastiness Kyoko got back to her list and kept calling people. The only other name she recognized was her boss, Lori. He said he was bringing three people with him.
On Tuesday, Kyoko arrived ready to re-call those she couldn't reach before. About a quarter of the list still needed to be reached. She sat at her desk and was about to pick up the phone when she was interrupted.
"Good morning, Ms. Mogami," Eiji said approaching her.
"Oh, good morning," Kyoko responded. She hadn't spoken to him since Hiou shooed him away the previous morning. So far, she didn't find him as bad as Rika and Kanae said he was.
"How are you this fine morning?" He asked as he pulled up a seat next to her and sat down.
"I'm fine. Is there something you need?" She asked him.
"Nothing much. I was just curious about something, and I was hoping you could help me out," he told her.
"Alright then, what would you like to know," Kyoko said.
"Kanae, did she mention me to you at all?" He asked.
"Um, yes, she said you were a part of the office, and I would be seeing a lot of you most likely," Kyoko responded as neutral as possible.
"Yes, I knew it!" He said while fist pumping. "She can't stop thinking about me."
"It's not like that," Kyoko said quickly trying to stop a misunderstanding. "She doesn't have any feelings for you. She was just giving me a rundown of who I'd be working with."
"Of course, she has feelings for me. Who wouldn't? Rika did too, but she's not really my type. I can tell you'll fall for me as well, but my heart is set on Kanae. You might as well give up now," he told Kyoko confidently with a wave of the hand.
"...Right," Kyoko responded. "Why do you think we all have a thing for you?"
"Women only give a cold shoulder to men they like. And Kanae was the iciest I've ever seen a woman. I loved it!" Eiji said enthusiastically.
"Okay," she responded realizing she wasn't going to be able to convince him of anything. "I need to get to work if you don't mind."
"Of course! Get to it. And don't worry, even a plain woman like you will find a man to love you someday," he said as he walked away.
I wanna kill him. Kyoko seethed as she watched him walk away. He was just as bad as her two friends said he was.
"Is he at it again?" Hiou asked coming up from behind her.
"Thinking all women are in love with him? Yes," Kyoko responded turning to him.
Hiou sighed in response. "I can't stand working with him but he's great at getting engagement on social media. I don't think anyone else could do a better job. So we put up with him. But if he gets to be too much, let me know," he told her.
"It's fine for now," Kyoko said. "Kanae and Rika warned me about him before I came." At the mention of Kanae's name, Kyoko saw a softness come to Hiou's eyes.
"How is she? Kanae, I mean. She did a really good job while she was here. It's a shame she's a reporter. She would do well in government," Hiou said looking everywhere but at Kyoko. Hmm
"She's doing well. She worked with a detective last week and is working at a church this week," she told him keeping her eyes locked on him.
"Oh? A detective, a male detective?" he asked her a bit shyly.
Kyoko smiled as she replied, "yes. I've worked with him as well. He's very professional. I think Kanae liked working here more than with him though," she told him truthfully.
"Really?" He perked up hearing that bit of news. "Well, we loved having her here too. Her photographic memory and work ethic are amazing. I hope I get to work with her again," he said before going over to his desk with a bit of a spring in his step.
Well, well, well Kanae, you picked up more than one admirer here. Kyoko couldn't help but let a small giggle escape before returning to her work.
Wednesday morning came with an unexpected surprise. As soon as she arrived, Hiou grabbed her arm and started half dragging her back out of the building saying, "We've got to get to the florist. I've got a car. Let's go!"
Once he let go, Kyoko followed him confused. "What's wrong with the florist?" She asked as she got in his car. She felt a ping of jealousy getting in the car of someone younger than her. She didn't even have a driver's license and he had his own car. Just how old is he anyway? If she met him randomly on the street, she would have thought him still in high school.
"She called just before you arrived saying there was an electrical problem in the building causing power to flicker. She needs the power to maintain the plants for the ball. They'll wilt without the proper care," Hiou explained as he drove off. He was a different kind of driver than Ren, a little sharper on the corners and more impatient. Kyoko was jerked at a couple of turns.
"Can we order from another florist?" Kyoko asked him.
Hiou gave her a brief look that said, "are you stupid?" before looking back to the road. "We put the order in for the ball months ago. The amount of flowers we need far exceeds what shop keepers typically keep in stock. Not to mention a lot of the arrangements are specially ordered with uncommon flowers. So no, we can't just order from someone else." He informed her.
"Right," Kyoko said feeling stupid. That should have been obvious. "So what are we going to do?" She asked him.
"First, we're going to get there."
Upon arriving, they saw several grumpy people out front of the building. "When is this power going to be fixed?" One man yelled at another. The one who yelled looked like a baker judging by his getup. The one being yelled at was a short, plump man in a suit and tie. He looked overwhelmed with his hands up saying he didn't know.
Hiou approached the group as soon as they got out of the car. "What's going on?" He demanded.
"Hiou!" A woman called from the other side of the group. "We're trying to get answers from our landlord about the power issue," she informed him. Kyoko guessed she was the florist since she knew Hiou by name.
He looked to the landlord for an answer. "Well? Why is the power out?"
"Why should I answer you?" The man said flabbergasted at this young boy who appeared out of nowhere acting like he owned the place.
"I'm Mayor Uesugi's assistant. It's my job to make sure citizens of this city have the ability to pursue their work and earn fair wages. Power outages get in the way of that," Hiou told him appearing to grow a few inches in his maturity. The man took a step back in surprise at his words. "So let me ask again, what's going on here?"
"I-I don't know. Lights started flickering this morning and some appliances aren't getting enough power to stay on," the man responded. "I've called my electrician but he can't get here until later."
"How much later?" Hiou pressed him.
"...tomorrow," the landlord replied.
Hiou turned to the rest of the crowd asking, "Do you all rent space in this building?" Everyone nodded in response. "This building is zoned for business. So you are all running some type of business here?" More nods in response. "Is the electrical problem lasting until tomorrow going to affect your bottom line?" He asked them all. Instead of nods for a reply, Hiou received several grunts and verbal affirmations.
He turned back to the landlord. "Tomorrow is too late. These fine people won't be able to work today and will lose important merchandise. If you don't find someone to come today to fix the problem, you'll be obligated to pay each and every one of them the loss they suffered due to this issue."
The landlord's mouth dropped in surprise. "But that's a fortune!" He protested.
"Then you better start calling electricians around town to find one who is available today. Or see if your regular guy can get here sooner," Hiou told him.
The man stepped back in fear, then turned around and pulled out his phone quickly making a call. Hiou let him be and turned back to the crowd. "I'll be monitoring this situation to make sure you all are back in business today. If you are not, you will be compensated," he informed them all.
Several members of the crowd looked satisfied with that answer and dissipated. One woman stayed behind. The same one who spoke up earlier.
"Hiou, that's not enough for the ice sculptures," she said as she got close enough to him. "They'll melt if the freezers don't turn back on soon."
"Ice sculptures?" Kyoko asked surprised. She thought the woman was the florist.
"Some of the flower arrangements include small ice sculptures," Hiou said without looking at her. "Is it just the ice we need to worry about?" He asked the florist.
"Yes, everything else will be fine," she told him.
"What if we hook them up to a generator?" He asked her.
"That would work. But I don't have one," she responded.
"I know where we can get one," he told her. "Just sit tight and take care of your store as best you can until we get back. Kyoko, let's go." He said heading back for the car.
They drove to a storage unit and opened up one of the biggest units in the place. "Who does this belong to?" Kyoko asked as Hiou opened the door.
"It's my grandfather's. He has a lot of stuff. There's a generator in here that we can bring back," he said looking over his shoulder at her.
"Aren't generators big? We won't be able to fit one in your car." She told him.
"All we have to do is pull it out and push it to the office. It's on its own wheels. Once we bring it to the front desk, the storage company will deliver it for us," he told her pointing out the generator.
"That's convenient," Kyoko responded as she moved towards the generator behind Hiou.
Together they pushed it to the front, and Hiou made arrangements for it to be delivered to the florist.
They got back in the car to head back to make sure it was delivered and that there were no hiccups in connecting the freezers.
"We're going to have to make a stop at a gas station to pick up a can of gas for it," Hiou told her as they left the storage unit.
"How much gas is in it?" She asked him.
"It's empty. Grandpa didn't want to store it full of gas. If it sat there for a while, the gas would get old and could goop up the generator. Plus, it's a safety hazard to store gas like that," he told her while concentrating on the road.
They drove for a few minutes in silence before Kyoko's curiosity got the best of her. "How long have you had a license?" She blurted out.
"Two years, why?" He responded.
Kyoko gasped in surprise. "Two years! You don't look old enough to legally have gotten your license two years ago!" She exclaimed.
Hiou grunted in exasperation. "Just because I look young, doesn't mean I am," he told her.
"So how old are you?" Kyoko asked curiously.
"18," he responded curtly.
Kyoko held back telling him 18 was young. Still, that meant he got his license when he was 16 which was the earliest he could get it.
"How did you get a job with your grandfather?" She asked leaving out the part that he was super young for his position.
"I've grown up volunteering in his projects around the city. People came to know my face. It was without question when I entered college that I would be his intern assistant. I'm on Summer break now. My first college semester starts in a couple of months," he said softening a bit.
"You like this work, don't you?" Kyoko asked him.
He looked at her briefly before responding. "Yeah, I love watching Grandpa work and helping people. It just gets frustrating that strangers don't take me seriously because of my baby face. The only one who didn't look down on me for being so young was Kanae," he said getting quieter as he spoke the last few words.
Ah, so that's where the admiration started.
"Well, Kanae is sharp. She probably knew you were up for the job despite looking so young," she told him.
"So now after questioning my age, you think I'm up for the job?" He asked her sardonically.
"I was just curious. There's no way I could doubt that you're fit for the job after watching you handle that landlord. That was amazing," Kyoko said in her defense.
"I've dealt with his type a lot. It's easy now," Hiou told her as they continued driving.
It wasn't long before they reached a station where they picked up a can of gas for the generator. By the time they got to the florist, the generator was already there. The florist was hooking everything up when they arrived. Once the gas was in the machine, it started up. The freezers kicked on right away. All three exchanged high fives in their excitement over averting the crisis.
"Keep me posted on the power situation," he told the florist as they headed out.
The rest of the day went by in a flurry. Hiou ended up fining the landlord of the building. The electrician arrived by the end of the day and got the power sorted but discovered the building wasn't up to code. In addition to the fine, he would be receiving random visits for up to a year from inspectors to make sure the building was in working order.
Kyoko was completely consumed by setting up the ball. Even when she got home that night she was running over a list of items that needed to be done before the week ended. They were setting up the ballroom now. There were a few dozen people helping with set up. Before any decorations were put out, the hall was washed ceiling to floor. Not that it was especially dirty, it was just to make sure it looked as good as it possibly could.
The theme colors for the ball were navy blue and silver. Tablecloths in those colors were pinned to tables with confetti on top. Beautiful lights were placed all around the room along with garland. On the morning of the event, the balloons and flower arrangements would be brought in.
Kyoko found setting up for the ball to be a dazzling experience. It was amazing watching the hall transform into a place to entertain princesses and princes. Of course, she knew real princes and princesses wouldn't be there but everyone would be dressed up wearing extravagant outfits. She wished she could be there.
On Thursday, Kyoko was taking a short break eating her lunch when she got a text from her boss, Lori Takarada. He wanted to see her, Kanae, and Rika at noon in the office tomorrow. Their assignments were officially ending. It was time to regroup and learn what their next step was.
Kyoko had mixed feelings about her shadow assignments ending. She met a lot of new people and learned to see the city from different angles. Even this week, while she spent most of the time setting up for the ball, she did have the opportunity to sit in on a few meetings run by Mayor Uesugi. He demanded control of the room and handled questions from reporters with a no-nonsense attitude. Kyoko never met anyone before who had such presence. As she watched him respond to reporters, she tried to think about how she would get around his unyielding attitude. Truthfully, she wasn't yet able to think of a way to do so.
While her work for the past three weeks was exciting and full of new things, she was ready to move on at the same time. She wanted something she could be a part of. With working somewhere new each week, she didn't feel like she had her own place to fit in. Now she would have the opportunity to settle into a rhythm at work and belong.
Friday came quickly for all three women. They met up at LoveMe 15 minutes before Lori wanted to see them. They shared their experiences for the past week and tried to guess what was coming next.
"Do you think he'll let us pick which field we work in? I'd like to focus on those in poverty and how they're handling the crime epidemic," Rika said.
"That'd be cool," Kanae responded. "I'd like to look more into city government. Learn how each elected official is contributing, or not, and report on what we could be doing better," she added.
Kyoko looked at her two friends excited that they both found something they were passionate about. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I would like to look into more. Each week was so exciting. If I had to pick, I think I liked working with Ren the most. It's satisfying to hunt down clues and find criminals," she told them.
"It helps that he was the most handsome person we all worked with," Rika giggled. "I have to admit I wouldn't mind working with law enforcement more if it meant getting to spend more time with him, especially if he returned interest in me," Rika said gauging Kyoko's response. Kyoko only managed to gape and Kanae gave an icy stare. "Oh come on, you can't say he's not one of the most attractive people you've ever met."
"Just because he's attractive doesn't mean I have to want to be around him," Kanae told her.
"I will never again choose what to do with my life because I find someone attractive. It's foolhardy and leads to disaster," Kyoko said once she got her mouth working. Rika looked at her in confusion but was interrupted before she could ask for clarification.
"Ladies, how are you this fine Friday afternoon?" Lori said approaching them wearing a cowboy outfit. Since it'd been several weeks since she'd seen him, Kyoko forgot how ridiculous his outfits could be. He had strings dangling from the shirt for added flair and extra pointy boots. She didn't think it was practical cowboy wear. She mumbled a response of fine with the other two.
"I asked, how are you?" He said looking at them all insinuating that they weren't loud enough.
"Good," they all piped up. Lori was a stickler for proper greetings and speaking up.
"That's good to hear. Why don't you follow me to my office and we'll discuss what comes next," he said leading them down the hall.
It was only a few doors down, and they were there quickly. Once inside, they all took a seat.
"So, tell me what you all thought," he said to them.
Each one explained what she learned and how it impacted her. Lori sat nodding and listening. He didn't interrupt other than to ask for clarification or give the proper "uh-huh" or "I see".
When they finished informing him of what they learned, he stared at them a few moments before speaking. "Do you remember what the last part of this assignment was?" He asked.
Kyoko thought for a few moments. She couldn't remember another piece to the shadowing.
"The article!" Rika shouted. "I can't believe I forgot." She said looking at her two friends realizing they forgot too. As soon as she said it, Kyoko remembered herself.
"That's right," Lori said to her. "You each need to write a piece about what you learned. Something that will add knowledge to citizens who didn't get your experience. What did you learn that they could benefit the most from?" He said letting them think it over briefly before continuing. "I want rough drafts by Monday. The one I like the most will get to make a final version to be published in the paper."
All three shined with excitement as they tried to think of what they should write.
"I do have one more thing I'd like to discuss with you," he said bringing them back to reality and away from their articles. "You all helped with setting up the ball for the city next week and have been invited to attend. Since it is an upper class event, I suspect only Rika has proper attire. And it's too expensive to ask you to go pay out of pocket for an appropriate outfit. So I have set up an account at Mandy Store for you all to go shopping on me. Rika," he said turning to look at her specifically, "I leave you in charge of helping these two find appropriate attire and to be ready for Tuesday."
Rika nodded her head in excitement. Kanae and Kyoko gaped in shock. Their boss was going to buy expensive clothes for them to attend a party they didn't belong at by all rights. But they weren't going to turn the opportunity down.
"Do you all understand?" He asked them. "Rough draft article by Monday and ready for the ball by Tuesday."
"Yes, sir," they all responded enthusiastically.
Phew! This was a long chapter. I'm posting a day early in case anyone else is bored out of their mind like I am with this social distancing.
Kaname671 deserves a huge thank you for this chapter. The final draft is twice as long as the first draft was thanks to her asking for more interactions. I rushed the week a bit too much trying to get through it.
In light of everything going on with the Carona virus, I would like to provide a little extra entertainment if I can. I'm up for writing a few one shots. If you have a skipbeat fanfic idea you would like to see played out, tell it to me. I'll see what I can do to make it come to life. If you discuss it with me in Discord, it'll probably come out better than if you just drop the idea in the comment section. But I'll try either way. If a lot of people decide to take me up on this offer, I won't be able to get to everyones probably.
Apple Yumi 94: great questions on why Ren can't figure out Kyoko's pregnant scent but Maddog can. There is a very good reason for it to be revealed during the twelfth week :P
Thank you all for your comments! I love reading how much you enjoy the story and that it brightens your days.
-Besma0003
