A/N: Hey, thanks for reading and for the reviews! If I don't quite seem to be getting the characterization right, it's cuz I need a lil time to adjust...after all, I did say this will be a challenge....^_^
"Isn't that funny? He swore he didn't steal the merchant's food, but there were five witnesses," one police officer said. "How stupid can someone be?"
Saitou glanced up at the two police officers conversing across from him. Apparently, they were in no hurry to do anything. His light eyes shifted down to study the report he was in the process of filing.
The door to the police station flew open, and a distinguished-looking man burst into the room, panic on his face.
"I need your assistance now!" he demanded to nobody in particular.
Saitou shook his head slightly, glancing at the inspector.
"How may we assist you?" Inspector Shinjiri was polite, calm, and methodical. He didn't get to be in his position by bringing in random law breakers. He got to where he was because of his skill as a policeman. Deduction skills, full comprehension of Meiji law, and competent fighting skills were needed.
Competent fighting skills. The sword really had no place in the new era. Saitou hoped to become an inspector one day. An advantage of that was scolding insubordinates who only had half a brain. He worked with plenty of those as it was. Saitou never hesitated to put someone in their place if needed. And with so much corruption around, it was annoying to see such important tasks given to the stupidest people. Not that Saitou had any disrespect for the inspector. He was an intelligent man who obviously had not spent much time on the field with his subordinates. Otherwise, he'd see their lack of intelligence. Naivete could be excused. To some degree...
"Don't you know who I am?"
Saitou frowned at the condescending, demanding voice. People who tried to put themselves above others obviously had so many faults.
"I'm Tatsujo Ekaku," the young man said in a haughty tone.
"Inspector!" an aide came running into the room, waving a letter in his hand. "This is for you..."
Inspector Shinjiri skimmed the contents of the letter before folding it up. "My apologies, Tatsujo-san, but I must attend to this matter..."
The young man clenched his fists. "But my home has been robbed! I need someone there right now and find out what happened to all my valuable belongings!"
The inspector's jaw clenched, but he gestured to Saitou. "Fujita-san can assist you."
Turning his skeptical gaze to Saitou, the young man crossed his arms and said loftily, "I hope so. It would be terrible if I were to give word to higher authorities that this police department is incompetent..."
"I'll read the results of this in your report, Fujita-san," Inspector Shinjiri spoke up, signalling that he was leaving. He obviously didn't want to deal with a pompous brat.
Saitou nodded and turned to examine the young male who was probably a good ten years younger than he was. The man was just a kid. Probably twenty years old. He was dressed in a silk suit, announcing to the world that he was someone important. Saitou recalled his family name. They were newcomers to the area who made a quick fortune building ships a few years before once Japan's borders opened up to the rest of the world. Saitou merely lit up a cigarette and continued his paperwork.
Tatsujo's jaw dropped. "The inspector said you're going to help me!"
"I will," Saitou assured calmly. "He just didn't say when."
"But...But...you can't do this!" Tatsujo exclaimed, fury evident in his voice. "What happens if the robber comes back?"
Saitou blew out a stream of smoke and flipped a page, looking through the notes, then adding a comment with a pen. "I don't think you have to worry about that," he said as if bored.
"And why is that?" Tatsujo challenged.
"Because you claimed earlier that the perpetrator already took all of your valuable belongings. If he did, why would he need to come back?" He glanced at him through the corner of his eye. "That is what you said, correct?"
Tatsujo huffed out a breath. "True. But-"
"That's what I thought."
Still determined from the moment he stepped inside, Tatsujo crossed his arms. "What are you doing? Surely it can't be any more important than this!"
Saitou sat back in his chair, the essence of calm, cool, and collected. "If you are so intent on filing a report..." He shoved some pieces of paper in his direction on his desk. "Start filling this out."
"I need you to recover my belongings. Now! I don't have time for-"
"If you don't write, we don't know what to look for." The policeman's voice clearly indicated that he felt as if he was speaking to a dimwit.
"But...there's so much! I don't know if I can remember all the-"
It took a lot to get Saitou annoyed. The brat certainly knew how to get on people's nerves. But...it took a lot to get Saitou annoyed.
Saitou waved his hand carelessly. "Write what you remember while I finish this."
In less than three minutes, Saitou had placed his report on property damage in the Inspector's box. Retrieving his cap and gloves from his desk, he glanced at the young man who wrote sporadically.
"Where are you going?" the man asked, his eyes wide.
"To your house," Saitou reminded, mentally shaking his head. "To assess how the perpetrator entered and stole the items?"
"But I'm not done yet!"
"Finish it on the walk over there," Saitou responded coolly.
"But how am I supposed to write while I'm moving?" Tatsujo whined.
Releasing a bored sigh, Saitou headed to the door of the police station. "Use your hands..."
***
This investigation was a complete waste of time. First of all, the man filing the complaint had to stop by several merchants to buy items for the house. And some of them, Saitou doubted, were for his residence. The man bought some...thing...that looked feminine. Saitou didn't have any idea what half of the items were. He knew women used them, but for what purposes, he wasn't sure. Hair? Jewelry? It looked to attractive to be worn on an elderly maid.
Tatsujo wasn't acting like a man who just got robbed. But he claimed that he bought the items since he was already in the area. He led the way to the house, with Saitou and another police officer, Togan, trailing behind. Togan had joined the police force a few months ago, and since the other fools at the station were too busy chatting away, he asked Saitou if he could assist him just so he could occupy himself.
Once they reached the estate, the trio saw a young woman dressed in a violet kimono, a parasol in her hand, shielding her from the sun. Next to her was a man her age dressed in Western attire.
"Makiko!" Tatsujo exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Hoku and I came to visit, but there was no one to let us inside..." she responded in her melodic voice.
"My house was robbed earlier, so I told all the servants to leave so the police could investigate," Tatsujo explained, gesturing to the two policemen. "Officers Fujita and Togan, this is Makiko and her fiance, Hoku, childhood friends of mine."
They exchanged greetings for several moments.
"Ekaku, I'm sorry to hear about what happened," Makiko began. "I hoped you weren't hurt..."
"No, not at all," Tatsujo assured. "I'm just a little upset..."
Saitou's eyes narrowed a fraction, not missing the open look of admiration and...attraction...? the young man gave to his old friend. "Tatsujo-san, there's plenty of time to talk later...Officer Togan and I have work to do..."
"Yes, of course..." Tatsujo stammered.
As he unlocked the gate leading to the house, his hands shook ever so slightly. Saitou frowned.
Once inside, Saitou and Togan took a quick survey of the house, entering all the rooms before meeting in the main hall.
"You left the house in the exact same condition once you discovered you were robbed?" Saitou asked.
"Yes," Tatsujo insisted.
Saitou glanced around the main hall, full of different paintings. Then he proceeded to write down some information on a pad of paper, glancing up as Togan entered the main area from the guest rooms.
"No signs of forced entry," Togan announced.
Nodding, Saitou continued to write. "What about the servants? Do any of them wake at early hours?"
"No."
"Are there any secret passages?"
"In the house?" Tatsujo asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes, in the house," Saitou replied coolly.
"Um...no..."
At the uncertainty in his voice, Saitou quickly looked at him. "Are you sure?"
His face scrunching in anger, Tatsujo retorted, "Of course I'm sure! I live here!"
Saitou continued to ask questions regarding if guards were posted outside, if anyone else had keys to the house, if the doors and windows were securely closed at night, if any visitors were around at the time the alleged robbery occured...
"Give me the list," Saitou commanded.
"What list?" Tatsujo asked, blinking.
"The list of items stolen," Togan supplied.
"Oh!" Tatsujo thrust the list into Togan's outstretched hand.
The two policemen skimmed the contents. Intricate gold items, small paintings, other miscellaneous collectibles that served no other purpose than to look good were on the list. Saitou fought back a sigh.
"Ekaku-san..." A timid voice spoke up from the other side of the room, holding a tray of tea.
"Kitahara-san..." In his haste to help the maid, he collided into Hoku, who reached out to steady him.
"Careful, Ekaku..."
"Sorry about that..."
Tatsujo took the tray from the maid and placed it on the table. The maid poured the tea and quickly departed the room.
Saitou took a sip and spoke as he set his cup down, "I think I have an idea on how the perpetrator came inside..."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Makiko exclaimed, seizing her fiance's arm in excitement.
The action caused something to drop with a soft clang.
Makiko studied the small pouch on the floor and picked it up. "You dropped this, Hoku..."
Frowning, Hoku responded, "That's not mine..."
Tatsujo's eyes widened. "Wait...that looks like..."
Makiko opened the pouch and poured the contents onto the table. Everyone watched as gold and silver circles danced across the table's surface.
"That's my foreign coin collection," Tatsujo exclaimed.
Saitou counted the different coins spread out among the table and referred to the list. "Twenty pieces of foreign currency, contained in a small leather pouch...." he recited.
Makiko looked at Hoku, her eyes wide. "Hoku...did you...?"
"No, of course not..."
"You always admired my collection," Tatsujo mused aloud. "But if you wanted it so badly, Hoku, you could have at least asked...I would have given you half..."
"I didn't steal it!" Hoku denied.
"I noticed that my collection was missing since late this morning, early afternoon...after you came by for breakfast," Tatsujo commented as if remembering a thought. He studied his friend carefully. "After breakfast, most of the servants went out to run errands...you and I were the only ones in the house..."
"I didn't steal anything from you, Ekaku, I swear it," Hoku insisted. His eyes panicky, he turned to the policemen. "I didn't do anything..."
"We shall see," Togan responded with an indifferent tone of voice. "Fujita-san...may I suggest that we-?"
"Search his home?" Saitou finished, not missing the stricken look in Hoku's eyes. "Of course..."
***
It didn't take very long for the five to reach Hoku's home. While Saitou and Togan searched the house, the three young friends waited in the main hallway of the house. Hoku had paced anxiously for about ten minutes until-
"Tatsujo-san!" Officer Togan's voice shouted from the backyard.
The three friends rushed out to the storage shed to see Saito Hajime pull out a chest that had been hidden under some old blankets and curtains. When he flipped the lid open, all the collectibles and valuable items were inside.
All eyes turned to Hoku.
"I didn't do it," he insisted, his voice pleading. "I..." He turned to his fiancee. "Makiko, you..." He gulped, seeing the hurt look in her eyes. Then he turned to his friend. "Ekaku...you know that I wouldn't..." His expression saddened at the sight of anger in his longtime friend's gaze. Looking at the ground, he whispered, "I...I had nothing to do with this..."
Thick silence filled the air. No one spoke as they absorbed the obvious information in front of them. Makiko kept her distance from her fiancee, standing near Tatsujo, while Saitou and Togan stood near the door of the storage shed. Saitou pulled out a cigarette, struck a match and lit up.
After blowing out a trail of smoke, Saitou finally spoke up, "You're not a thief, Hoku-san. Your friend is..."
A/N: Okay, so now that you've seen what sorta goes on in an average day for Saitou...Tokio's average day is next...
"Isn't that funny? He swore he didn't steal the merchant's food, but there were five witnesses," one police officer said. "How stupid can someone be?"
Saitou glanced up at the two police officers conversing across from him. Apparently, they were in no hurry to do anything. His light eyes shifted down to study the report he was in the process of filing.
The door to the police station flew open, and a distinguished-looking man burst into the room, panic on his face.
"I need your assistance now!" he demanded to nobody in particular.
Saitou shook his head slightly, glancing at the inspector.
"How may we assist you?" Inspector Shinjiri was polite, calm, and methodical. He didn't get to be in his position by bringing in random law breakers. He got to where he was because of his skill as a policeman. Deduction skills, full comprehension of Meiji law, and competent fighting skills were needed.
Competent fighting skills. The sword really had no place in the new era. Saitou hoped to become an inspector one day. An advantage of that was scolding insubordinates who only had half a brain. He worked with plenty of those as it was. Saitou never hesitated to put someone in their place if needed. And with so much corruption around, it was annoying to see such important tasks given to the stupidest people. Not that Saitou had any disrespect for the inspector. He was an intelligent man who obviously had not spent much time on the field with his subordinates. Otherwise, he'd see their lack of intelligence. Naivete could be excused. To some degree...
"Don't you know who I am?"
Saitou frowned at the condescending, demanding voice. People who tried to put themselves above others obviously had so many faults.
"I'm Tatsujo Ekaku," the young man said in a haughty tone.
"Inspector!" an aide came running into the room, waving a letter in his hand. "This is for you..."
Inspector Shinjiri skimmed the contents of the letter before folding it up. "My apologies, Tatsujo-san, but I must attend to this matter..."
The young man clenched his fists. "But my home has been robbed! I need someone there right now and find out what happened to all my valuable belongings!"
The inspector's jaw clenched, but he gestured to Saitou. "Fujita-san can assist you."
Turning his skeptical gaze to Saitou, the young man crossed his arms and said loftily, "I hope so. It would be terrible if I were to give word to higher authorities that this police department is incompetent..."
"I'll read the results of this in your report, Fujita-san," Inspector Shinjiri spoke up, signalling that he was leaving. He obviously didn't want to deal with a pompous brat.
Saitou nodded and turned to examine the young male who was probably a good ten years younger than he was. The man was just a kid. Probably twenty years old. He was dressed in a silk suit, announcing to the world that he was someone important. Saitou recalled his family name. They were newcomers to the area who made a quick fortune building ships a few years before once Japan's borders opened up to the rest of the world. Saitou merely lit up a cigarette and continued his paperwork.
Tatsujo's jaw dropped. "The inspector said you're going to help me!"
"I will," Saitou assured calmly. "He just didn't say when."
"But...But...you can't do this!" Tatsujo exclaimed, fury evident in his voice. "What happens if the robber comes back?"
Saitou blew out a stream of smoke and flipped a page, looking through the notes, then adding a comment with a pen. "I don't think you have to worry about that," he said as if bored.
"And why is that?" Tatsujo challenged.
"Because you claimed earlier that the perpetrator already took all of your valuable belongings. If he did, why would he need to come back?" He glanced at him through the corner of his eye. "That is what you said, correct?"
Tatsujo huffed out a breath. "True. But-"
"That's what I thought."
Still determined from the moment he stepped inside, Tatsujo crossed his arms. "What are you doing? Surely it can't be any more important than this!"
Saitou sat back in his chair, the essence of calm, cool, and collected. "If you are so intent on filing a report..." He shoved some pieces of paper in his direction on his desk. "Start filling this out."
"I need you to recover my belongings. Now! I don't have time for-"
"If you don't write, we don't know what to look for." The policeman's voice clearly indicated that he felt as if he was speaking to a dimwit.
"But...there's so much! I don't know if I can remember all the-"
It took a lot to get Saitou annoyed. The brat certainly knew how to get on people's nerves. But...it took a lot to get Saitou annoyed.
Saitou waved his hand carelessly. "Write what you remember while I finish this."
In less than three minutes, Saitou had placed his report on property damage in the Inspector's box. Retrieving his cap and gloves from his desk, he glanced at the young man who wrote sporadically.
"Where are you going?" the man asked, his eyes wide.
"To your house," Saitou reminded, mentally shaking his head. "To assess how the perpetrator entered and stole the items?"
"But I'm not done yet!"
"Finish it on the walk over there," Saitou responded coolly.
"But how am I supposed to write while I'm moving?" Tatsujo whined.
Releasing a bored sigh, Saitou headed to the door of the police station. "Use your hands..."
***
This investigation was a complete waste of time. First of all, the man filing the complaint had to stop by several merchants to buy items for the house. And some of them, Saitou doubted, were for his residence. The man bought some...thing...that looked feminine. Saitou didn't have any idea what half of the items were. He knew women used them, but for what purposes, he wasn't sure. Hair? Jewelry? It looked to attractive to be worn on an elderly maid.
Tatsujo wasn't acting like a man who just got robbed. But he claimed that he bought the items since he was already in the area. He led the way to the house, with Saitou and another police officer, Togan, trailing behind. Togan had joined the police force a few months ago, and since the other fools at the station were too busy chatting away, he asked Saitou if he could assist him just so he could occupy himself.
Once they reached the estate, the trio saw a young woman dressed in a violet kimono, a parasol in her hand, shielding her from the sun. Next to her was a man her age dressed in Western attire.
"Makiko!" Tatsujo exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Hoku and I came to visit, but there was no one to let us inside..." she responded in her melodic voice.
"My house was robbed earlier, so I told all the servants to leave so the police could investigate," Tatsujo explained, gesturing to the two policemen. "Officers Fujita and Togan, this is Makiko and her fiance, Hoku, childhood friends of mine."
They exchanged greetings for several moments.
"Ekaku, I'm sorry to hear about what happened," Makiko began. "I hoped you weren't hurt..."
"No, not at all," Tatsujo assured. "I'm just a little upset..."
Saitou's eyes narrowed a fraction, not missing the open look of admiration and...attraction...? the young man gave to his old friend. "Tatsujo-san, there's plenty of time to talk later...Officer Togan and I have work to do..."
"Yes, of course..." Tatsujo stammered.
As he unlocked the gate leading to the house, his hands shook ever so slightly. Saitou frowned.
Once inside, Saitou and Togan took a quick survey of the house, entering all the rooms before meeting in the main hall.
"You left the house in the exact same condition once you discovered you were robbed?" Saitou asked.
"Yes," Tatsujo insisted.
Saitou glanced around the main hall, full of different paintings. Then he proceeded to write down some information on a pad of paper, glancing up as Togan entered the main area from the guest rooms.
"No signs of forced entry," Togan announced.
Nodding, Saitou continued to write. "What about the servants? Do any of them wake at early hours?"
"No."
"Are there any secret passages?"
"In the house?" Tatsujo asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes, in the house," Saitou replied coolly.
"Um...no..."
At the uncertainty in his voice, Saitou quickly looked at him. "Are you sure?"
His face scrunching in anger, Tatsujo retorted, "Of course I'm sure! I live here!"
Saitou continued to ask questions regarding if guards were posted outside, if anyone else had keys to the house, if the doors and windows were securely closed at night, if any visitors were around at the time the alleged robbery occured...
"Give me the list," Saitou commanded.
"What list?" Tatsujo asked, blinking.
"The list of items stolen," Togan supplied.
"Oh!" Tatsujo thrust the list into Togan's outstretched hand.
The two policemen skimmed the contents. Intricate gold items, small paintings, other miscellaneous collectibles that served no other purpose than to look good were on the list. Saitou fought back a sigh.
"Ekaku-san..." A timid voice spoke up from the other side of the room, holding a tray of tea.
"Kitahara-san..." In his haste to help the maid, he collided into Hoku, who reached out to steady him.
"Careful, Ekaku..."
"Sorry about that..."
Tatsujo took the tray from the maid and placed it on the table. The maid poured the tea and quickly departed the room.
Saitou took a sip and spoke as he set his cup down, "I think I have an idea on how the perpetrator came inside..."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Makiko exclaimed, seizing her fiance's arm in excitement.
The action caused something to drop with a soft clang.
Makiko studied the small pouch on the floor and picked it up. "You dropped this, Hoku..."
Frowning, Hoku responded, "That's not mine..."
Tatsujo's eyes widened. "Wait...that looks like..."
Makiko opened the pouch and poured the contents onto the table. Everyone watched as gold and silver circles danced across the table's surface.
"That's my foreign coin collection," Tatsujo exclaimed.
Saitou counted the different coins spread out among the table and referred to the list. "Twenty pieces of foreign currency, contained in a small leather pouch...." he recited.
Makiko looked at Hoku, her eyes wide. "Hoku...did you...?"
"No, of course not..."
"You always admired my collection," Tatsujo mused aloud. "But if you wanted it so badly, Hoku, you could have at least asked...I would have given you half..."
"I didn't steal it!" Hoku denied.
"I noticed that my collection was missing since late this morning, early afternoon...after you came by for breakfast," Tatsujo commented as if remembering a thought. He studied his friend carefully. "After breakfast, most of the servants went out to run errands...you and I were the only ones in the house..."
"I didn't steal anything from you, Ekaku, I swear it," Hoku insisted. His eyes panicky, he turned to the policemen. "I didn't do anything..."
"We shall see," Togan responded with an indifferent tone of voice. "Fujita-san...may I suggest that we-?"
"Search his home?" Saitou finished, not missing the stricken look in Hoku's eyes. "Of course..."
***
It didn't take very long for the five to reach Hoku's home. While Saitou and Togan searched the house, the three young friends waited in the main hallway of the house. Hoku had paced anxiously for about ten minutes until-
"Tatsujo-san!" Officer Togan's voice shouted from the backyard.
The three friends rushed out to the storage shed to see Saito Hajime pull out a chest that had been hidden under some old blankets and curtains. When he flipped the lid open, all the collectibles and valuable items were inside.
All eyes turned to Hoku.
"I didn't do it," he insisted, his voice pleading. "I..." He turned to his fiancee. "Makiko, you..." He gulped, seeing the hurt look in her eyes. Then he turned to his friend. "Ekaku...you know that I wouldn't..." His expression saddened at the sight of anger in his longtime friend's gaze. Looking at the ground, he whispered, "I...I had nothing to do with this..."
Thick silence filled the air. No one spoke as they absorbed the obvious information in front of them. Makiko kept her distance from her fiancee, standing near Tatsujo, while Saitou and Togan stood near the door of the storage shed. Saitou pulled out a cigarette, struck a match and lit up.
After blowing out a trail of smoke, Saitou finally spoke up, "You're not a thief, Hoku-san. Your friend is..."
A/N: Okay, so now that you've seen what sorta goes on in an average day for Saitou...Tokio's average day is next...