EVERYTHING THE ICE BITES

nine

Yukio and Hina had probably returned home by now, Karin thinks to herself, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was all too easy to imagine her husband tucking in his sleeping daughter into bed, an image Karin can't help but smile at, temporarily distracting herself from the current situation.

Then the moment passes, and Karin turns back to look at the suspect, alone in the interrogation room.

"Do you really think he could do something so awful to his own child?" Yuuichi asks, standing beside her, hands folded across his chest instead of inside his hoodie. He knits his brow, trying to figure out the truth. "He looks so… proper on the outside."

"Just 'cause he wears a suit and tie doesn't mean he didn't do it, Yuuichi," Renji shrugs, joining them in the observation room, the door shutting behind him. "Eighty percent of child abuse cases are because of the parents. Appearances don't mean shit."

Red hair spills down his shoulders as he walks towards them, and turns his gaze to Terazawa. He tilts his head, watching the man in a dishevelled suit intently.

Honestly, sometimes Karin can't help but think it's a miracle he became a detective.

"Karin," Renji says, after a moment, "what do you think?"

Karin is silent, collecting her thoughts. Even dishevelled, the suit looks well-made. It would probably look sharp during his work hours, but in the evening? If he really had gone out for drinks with a friend, he could have loosened his tie, and relaxed a bit, been a bit careless in a way he couldn't be during the day.

Terazawa Kei sits still, his hands placed on the table.

Did he do it?

"I think," Karin begins, careful, and decides to trust her instinct. "He feels wronged."

"Karin, you ever met a person who doesn't feel wronged in the interrogation room?" Renji deadpans, side eying her. "C'mon, I know you can do better than that."

"I'm getting there, smartass," Karin retorts, shaking her head. That wasn't what she meant, and he knows it. She glares at Renji briefly, and then points at Terazawa Kei's feet. "Look at his shoes."

"Yeah," Renji says, directing his attention to them. "And?"

"They're slippers," Karin remarks. "You can't possibly think they match the way he dresses, right? Slippers and suit combination? You've got a better fashion sense than that."

"What's your point?"

"What if they're slippers from the restaurant he went to?" Karin suggests, a theory percolating in her mind. "He did say that he went to eat dinner with his friend. So, isn't it possible that while he was eating, he received a call that his son was injured and ran out in a hurry? See, one of his socks is dirty. Isn't it plausible that he was a worried father, rushing into the street the second he heard the news? In his panic, he wore slippers that weren't his size, and so, it fell off while he ran? Isn't that situational proof that Terazawa Kei is innocent?"

"Amazing!" Yuuichi says, clearly impressed.

Renji, not so much.

"Oh, Karin," Renji sighs, sounding disappointed. "That's the problem with you."

"What?"

"You trust the evidence too much," Renji tells her, bluntly. He tilts his head. "You should look at the person before the evidence."

"Are you just saying that because you didn't notice the slippers?" Yuuichi asks with a catlike grin. "Be honest!"

It's not just Karin's imagination, she's certain — Yuuichi is definitely getting cheekier.

"Fuck off," Renji scowls.

Score one for Karin.

"So, you think that Terazawa did try to kill his son, then?" Karin asks, trying to maintain an air of professionalism. She could rub it in, but Yuuichi did a pretty good job himself.

"Karin," Renji drawls, and because she's nice, decides to hear him out. "C'mon. As soon as I walked into the room, the second I looked into his eyes, I knew. I knew right away! He did it, without a doubt. I mean, look at this, Yuuichi!"

Without wasting a moment, he pushes his sleeve to his elbow.

"Goosebumps," Renji proudly declares with a smug grin, his voice almost a whisper. "You know what this means, right?"

"Of course!" Yuuichi agrees immediately.

Oh, Yuuichi, Karin thinks, affectionately, so young, so excitable, and yet, has so much to learn.

"What about you?" Karin asks, innocently enough, resting her face on her hand. "What do you think, Shibata?"

"W-what?" His blinks, not expecting the question.

"Yeah, good thinking," Renji nods, approving this turn of events. He looks at Yuuichi expectantly. "Do you agree more with Karin or me?"

"Um."

It's very cute to watch his face go red.

"I… um…"

Bright red, and getting brighter.

"Alright, I wasn't actually going to tell you this, Renji," Karin says, deciding to take pity on Yuuichi the more he flusters. "But just the other day, Yuuichi called me his role model."

She plasters a grin on her face as she looks at Renji. Obviously, Yuuichi's on her side.

Karin expects jealousy, denial, outrage.

Not confusion.

"He did?" Renji says, stunned. "Yuuichi, you told me that I was your role model!"

Her smile vanishes instantly.

"What? When?" Karin nearly snaps her neck in trying to look back at Yuuichi, shocked by this betrayal. "Explain."

"No — I — I mean — yes, but —" Yuuichi flounders, hands flailing as they both look at him judgementally. "How can I pick a side? You are both my role models!"

"That doesn't make sense!" Renji counters, vehement. "Karin and I are completely different!"

"He's right!" Karin agrees, her competitiveness getting the better of her. "Pick! Now!"

"But —"

The door opens, and all of them freeze.

"Team meeting! Iemura wants everyone to come!"

Taking that as his cue, Yuuichi sprints out the room.

"This conversation isn't over!" Karin fumes, just as Renji hollers, "Get back in here, Shibata!"