Detective Frost
Prologue
"Hee.. what a long day, ho."
Raiho Kuzunoha the First stumbled through an open doorway and into his office. He took off his black brimmed hat and placed it on the hatstand before dropping into his chair. A large exhale of frosted air flew from his lips, cold droplets of sweat beading down his white skin.
He'd been busy sorting through files on the latest case, which was still largely unfinished. The frost wasn't the sharpest mind around, he'd admit. But sometimes a case just goes outside the realm of understanding. Or it was too complex for anyone to give a shit about.
It was a murder, not exactly an uncommon crime here in Assiah. But this was only the latest in a string of similar murders, each leading to some sort of vague conclusion that just didn't seem right.
"Ne-hee-ed some coffee, ho.."
Standing up, Raiho went to the coffee machine beside his table. Pressing the appropriate buttons, the frost hummed in thought as the machine whirred to life.
Back to musing, he supposed.
Usually, it'd start with a seemingly simple explanation, as if the deed was done by an amateur criminal, but it was never that easy.
Demons were controlled by their innate desires, even he wasn't excluded from this fact; the frost had a certain itch every time he felt stressed or nervous. Murders were typically done by those prone to violence, the Oni were a good example. Either by accident or the by-product of a negotiation gone wrong, these types of demons always seemed to induce bloodshed.
Raiho wasn't perturbed. After all, he had killed others before.
Demons couldn't… die, at least not by natural means. But they could be forcibly sent into the cycle of reincarnation, which was NOT a pleasant experience. This is what mainly counts as a 'murder' in demon society, it was an inconvenience at best, and a major violation of demon rights at worst.
Back to the case at hand, it was somehow even worse. Torture was not a fun thing. Even though some would claim they'd enjoy it, the demons found dead were definitely not the type to claim such things.
The spree of crimes had one defining pattern though: The mutilation of the victim's fingers.
What did it mean? Hell if he knew, but that just made it all the more interesting.
The Ophanim usually gave a somewhat detailed recording of most crimes, seeing as their presence were overwhelming here in Assiah. But this string of crimes in particular had fragmented visuals, as if the demon had some sort of illusory ability.
That narrowed it down quite a lot, to be honest. But Raiho had no business questioning the likes of Loki or King Bael. No, this was a small-time demon, the leads he had all pointed towards that one fact.
They were sloppy, but lucky. Incredibly so. The fingers being mangled were one thing, but they always left some sort of lead that led to nothing, resulting in the frost losing valuable time. They always felt so close, yet so far away.
Even in his thoughts, Raiho couldn't think of how it eluded him so. This led him into another internal tangent about if this demon had some sort of antimemetic property.
All of it made him want to freeze a lake or something.
"Hee, I wish Kyouji-san was still hee-re, ho."
Raiho had lived through several human lives, and the world had risen and fell as it always had. This time, the Kuzunoha Detective Agency was still intact, and he'd rebuilt it inside the Angel's city of Assiah.
He was a curious demon, which often became the subject of teasing from his brothers. But he wasn't a certified Kuzunoha for nothing. Even if he had to start low, the legendary Raiho Kuzunoha the First would stand tall as the best detective in Da'at.
Raiho poured the hot coffee into his certified porcelain Jack Frost coffee mug, which was part of his older brother's new chain of merchandise. Speaking of, he hadn't seen the older Jack in a while, he should pay him a visit sometime.
"Ouch, hot!"
Nursing his scalding tongue, the detective laid back on his chair. He had to solve this case soon, it was beginning to get on his nerves. Though perhaps he should pay the young master a visit.
He hadn't seen Seimei Kuzunoha in a while.
This story is set in an AU after SMT V, featuring a different Raiho than the one seen in Devil Summoner. This will mostly be episodic with each case being its own thing, I'm mostly doing this to experiment writing mystery stuff.