He listens to tires making their monotonous hiss over a rain-washed road, and it's almost enough to lull Naomasa to sleep, if not for the lukewarm coffee container that he periodically takes a sip from. Normally, the detective's mind would be matching the police cruiser's pace of one mile per minute, but he has an equally exhausted underground hero to carry that burden for a while.
Eraserhead's conspiracy theory had become his wallpaper, case files and newspaper articles covering every corner of his apartment; there's no longer any question why the man always looks so disgruntled and unkempt. Between crime organizations such as the Yakuza resurfacing and the Tokyo Ghoul turning Musutafu into its personal hunting grounds, Naomasa is able to empathize. They shared intel for a while and came to a similar conclusion in the end, or one that they could both agree on, at the very least.
The Yakuza had ruled the underworld in the past, but the rise and prominence of heroes shone a light in the crevices that they had crawled out of. All Might in particular chipped away at those corners, bringing those organizations crumbling down to the point that the remnants were forced to live under constant surveillance. The Yakuza had become a dying species, like a dangerous animal placed in the zoo. Which means that the Yakuza must be under new management for them to try and reclaim what they had lost; Chisaki Kai is planning something.
Now, the underground hero and the detective are sharing a ride at the expense of Tamakawa as their driver. Their investigations have blended together, creating a joint operation unlike any other. If the clues gathered from each of them thus far are any indication though, then it's bound to come to a close soon; they narrowed down a location, a mask shop.
The police cruiser lurches into an abrupt stop, jostling Naomasa from his drowsy disposition. While the detective had been dosing off, the distance between Aizawa's apartment and the mask shop had been cleared.
"Tamakawa, wait here while Eraserhead and I go in. If anyone tries to run or if a fight breaks out, we may need you in the car for backup.", Naomasa plays off his grogginess by giving orders. Aizawa is probably so used to doing the same that he's able to see right through the act, but the underground hero keeps quiet about it, and Naomasa is grateful for that discretion.
"Oh.. Y- You've got it, boss.", Tamakawa reluctantly affirms his response with a singular nod before Naomasa and Aizawa step out of the vehicle. The officer is then left there waiting with dreaded anticipation. An eerie feeling creeps up the policeman's spine since he's all alone on a quiet and desolate street, resulting in piloerection of his coat hair turning from sleek to furball. Tamakawa knows that he'll be reprimanded by Naomasa for misusing the radio, but he's desperate for some music to break the tension; the anthropomorphic cat turns up the volume on a random station and listens to a song that he recognizes as 'Butterfly' from Miyavi.
However, the mask shop that Naomasa and Aizawa enter has no music playing through its speakers at all. The dimly lit store is so quiet that they'd be able to hear a pin drop. Nobody is there to greet them either. It's almost as though the building had been completely abandoned, with only disposable masks left behind.
Neither Naomasa nor Aizawa know whether they should call out or not. If the store is still occupied, then it might be wise to approach the situation delicately, considering nobody should have expected an underground hero or a detective to visit. On the other hand, the atmosphere that they walked into isn't an ordinary one and the element of surprise might be a good one to maintain. After a briefly exchanged glance between one another, Naomasa proceeds to keeping one hand concealed within his coat in case he needs to draw his weapon and Aizawa folds his arms close to his chest in the event that he needs to use his capture scarf. Once they are prepared for a potential conflict, Naomasa takes the lead in calling out for anyone else who may be inhabiting the shop. "Is there somebody here that I could speak with? Perhaps the shop owner?", the detective raises his voice on the second sentence just to be certain that he can be heard.
There's a brief period of silence, a moment where the only response is none at all. Then, the sound of shuffling fabric is accompanied by a dull voice, "I'll be with you shortly.", it matches the level of volume that Naomasa had been using.
True to his word, what must be the store owner presents himself in a span of eight seconds. What stands out about the lanky man with an undercut hairdo is the bandaged stump where his right arm should be, the gauze is red with dried blood. The shopkeeper must feel the gaze on his missing appendage, since he too glances down at it with mild interest, as though he too is just now noticing it. "Pardon my neglection to what I hope will become new customers. As you can see, I was preoccupied.", he gestures towards the stump with his good hand.
"Dissatisfied customer?", Aizawa prompts the store owner with an amount of subtlety that makes the question comes off as casual instead of interrogative. It's not entirely disbelieveable that a customer might lash out if they were angry enough, especially in a neighborhood like this, but Naomasa knows that the question presented by Aizawa is really an elaborate trap for the detective to use his lie detecting quirk.
The shopkeeper shakes their head, seemingly unbothered by Aizawa's remark. "This is just from an accident that I had when using my equipment. It looks worse than it actually is.", Naomasa is able to distinguish the difference between the truth and a lie thanks to his quirk, no matter how monotone of an answer somebody may give; that explanation given by the store owner is registered as a lie.
In scenarios such as the one he has found himself in, the detective is forced to make a judgement call. There's a likelihood that he'll procure more results by revealing his reason for being there, but there's also a chance that the more direct route of flashing his badge will hinder the investigation further. Then there's the additional option of telling the shopkeeper about his quirk and whether that will influence the man to tell the truth or, in most cases, result in a request for his lawyer or an attempt to flee.
Naomasa chooses to pull his police badge out and holds it up for the store owner to see. "We have reason to believe otherwise. I'm Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa-", he tilts his head in the direction of Aizawa, "-and this is the pro hero Eraserhead. There's a few questions that we'd like you to answer truthfully in light of an investigation."
It's a compromise; Naomasa applied pressure by raising awareness to the store owner about his shared company, but also refrained from giving details about the nature of the investigation. The detective also disclosed his quirk for the time being, hoping that he won't have to share that information in order to get an honest answer.
The lanky man's demeanor doesn't indicate any panic, but his eyes do widen momentarily as a surprised response to the reveal of what he had assumed were two average customers. "I see. Am I under accusation of something? Should I be concerned?", the store owner slouches a bit to show the detective and the hero that he means no hostility towards them; both Naomasa and Aizawa relax once they see that the store owner is willing to be cooperative.
"Not at the moment. Rather, we have concerns and accusations about the kind of clientele you have coming through here.", Naomasa puts his badge away now that there's no more need for it.
"Like my detective friend has said, I'm a pro hero; that's why I've been tracking the movements of a criminal organization as of late. It turns out that same criminal organization likes to frequently do business at your establishment. Care to explain?", Aizawa takes the lead now that he and Naomasa are avoiding being long-winded.
The mask maker is no longer capable of maintaining a poker face, finally a burst of emotion cracks the barrier that was put up to hide an expressive frown. "I suppose there's no use lying to you if you've been monitoring my store.", he hovers his remaining hand over the side of his body that lacks the other one, "You were right in assuming that they were the ones who took one of my arms."
Naomasa keeps his quirk activated during the duration of the store owner's response. When he's certain that the explanation wasn't a lie, the detective gives Aizawa a nod of assurance.
"That's all? They only frequented here for masks, but were unhappy with the product that you'd given them, and you were punished as a result? ", Aizawa tries to keep the skepticism that he's feeling out of his tone.
The mask maker shakes his head as his lips pull from a frown into a small mirthless smile, "Nobody ever leaves here unsatisfied with what I make for them.", the smile levels out into a thin line once he's through being defensive about his craft, "They were angry about something else and took it out on me, that's all."
This next question is what will make or break the investigation. This next question will decide whether or not this mask shop is a game changer or a dead end. Naomasa depends on his quirk to answer him honestly when he asks, "Do you know what they were angry about?"
The shop owner diverts his eyes from the detective's rectangular ones, a reflex Naomasa has come to recognize as used by people when they are about to be dishonest. The mask maker recollects his composure, his blank face from earlier returning full force before he responds. Naomasa doesn't expect the truth to come out of the now inexpressive man's mouth.
"Not entirely.", yet that answer treads a line that Naomasa's quirk can't quite determine as truth or lie. Luckily, the detective doesn't need to ask for an elaboration, the shopkeeper does so all on his own. "There was a little girl, definitely abused and possibly meant for human trafficking.", that part is the truth, "But she got away while they were here.", but that part requires some more specification. Naomasa has learned from the past that his quirk doesn't give an answer to half-truths, if someone withholds information while telling the truth, then it doesn't register as a lie. This drawback of his quirk is exploitable if anyone were to learn of it, but the store owner doesn't even know what Naomasa's quirk is yet to be aware of this fatal flaw; Naomasa has to tread carefully in order to continue keeping that a secret while also obtaining the intel that he and Aizawa need.
There's a natural concern for the safety of whatever child was mentioned in the shop owner's story, so Naomasa uses that to aid his ulterior motive by asking, "You mean the kid escaped from them?"
If it isn't odd enough that the mask maker hesitates before answering, "Yes..", the stranger thing is that Naomasa's lie detection quirk doesn't determine whether that direct response is an honest statement or a lie. The store owner is still withholding information, creating a pretense that's incredibly difficult to decrypt. There's something more to the story that the detective is being told, but he can't figure out what the metaphorical missing page has on it.
"There's a kid out there wandering the streets all alone?", Aizawa's interjection is accompanied by the repositioning of his folded arms dropping and hanging down at his sides. The underground hero doesn't bother hiding the grim expression on his face, his worry for the missing child more than evident; Naomasa supposes the hardass actually has a soft spot for children, which would explain why someone like Aizawa would even bother teaching a bunch of highschoolers. Fortunately, that emotional outburst does stay true to Eraserhead's ideology of being logical at all times, prompting the store owner to specify more details about the kid.
"I'm hopeful that someone came along and helped the girl.", the shop owner quickly redirects his attention from Aizawa back to Naomasa, "Otherwise, it would be safe to assume she didn't get very far and the Yakuza recaptured her, correct?"
Both the underground hero and detective mull over that suggestive statement. It's true that a child's legs wouldn't be able to carry them very far. There is also the matter of being in a big stone maze, all the buildings of the city on a dark night would be impossible to navigate for someone younger than a teenager. Even so, the investigative duo have a good reason to doubt that claim. Naomasa catches Aizawa's gaze from the corner of his eyes, both of them are thinking on the same wavelength, each of them considering the result of the lie detection quirk.
The mask craftsman gave an indirect response to the underground hero's question, making it difficult for the detective's quirk to differentiate his answer between a lie or honest truth, but it still gives an indecisive answer of its own. Either the store owner believes his own lie, or he's genuinely that hopeful that somebody helped the lost girl. Quick deductive reasoning helps Naomasa make his own assumption though, he believes the shopkeeper knows for certain that somebody is helping the girl.
Naomasa slides a hand into the interior pocket of his overcoat, digging for his wallet so that he can produce one of the many business cards that he carries within it. "You make a good point, Mister.. ?", the detective suddenly realizes that he never caught the man's name.
"Uta. Pardon me for not introducing myself sooner.", the mask craftsman bows in apology before taking the business card that Naomasa holds out for him to grab.
Naomasa resists raising a brow in suspicion, his curiosity making a mental note that he was only given a singular name. There's no way of knowing whether 'Uta' serves as a first or last name, but there's also no way to confirm whether that is intentional or not. "Uta, you've made a fair point. It'd probably be best that my partner and I sweep the area to see if we can catch up to her.", Naomasa continues from where he left off as he gestures towards the calling card, "If you remember anything else of significance, please don't hesitate to contact me at my office."
If Uta has any suspicions of his own, then he does a good job of covering it up as well. It's not uncommon for criminals to maintain a good poker face, it's one of the necessities to have if you wish to survive in their underworld. However, in all his years of law enforcement, Naomasa can confidently say that the shopkeeper's vacant expression is the most unreadable he's ever seen.
"Of course.", Uta slides the business card into one of his pants pockets, "I wish you the best of luck."
Naomasa tips his hat before heading for the exit, Aizawa in tow with characteristic silence. It's only once the two of them have made it outside that the underground hero raises his questions, "Why aren't we taking him into custody? We have plenty enough reason to believe he's lying."
"Not entirely.", Naomasa huffs in equal frustration, "It's hard to tell what he's keeping from us, even with my quirk. I think it's for the best that we take a less direct approach."
"What do you have in mind?", Aizawa's interested tone betrays his stoic expression.
Naomasa waits until they've made it back to the police cruiser, not willing to take any chance that Uta could somehow overhear them. At the volume that Tamakawa is blasting music on the radio, it'd be impossible. Tamakawa switches the sound off with cat-like reflexes, startled by the passenger doors opening, his raised triangular ears drooping slightly once he realizes it's only Eraserhead and his superior.
"I think we should stage a stakeout here. We'll have two officers watch the store on a regular basis. They'll be on the lookout for anyone with a young girl.", Naomasa answers Aizawa without a shred of context or acknowledgement for Tamakawa.
"You don't think that's a little too hopeful? There could be several people passing through here who match that description for all we know.", Aizawa's slouched posture sinks into the backseat's cushioning as he inquires Naomasa with a gaze through the rearview mirror. The detective doesn't bother turning his head, he returns the stare with one of his own, still facing forward. Aizawa's demeanor doesn't look comfortable at all, despite the way he's taking up the back of the car.
"How many parents or babysitters would take their children to a mask shop? Let alone in this kind of neighborhood.", Naomasa notices his words of assurance are enough to make Aizawa visibly relax a little more. The investigation has taken a heavy toll on them both, but the underground hero looks as though he's ready to take any available moment to sleep.
Naomasa's rhetorical question doesn't go unanswered, but it's not Aizawa that gives the response. "Not very responsible ones.", Tamakawa inserts himself into the conversation. When his joke doesn't get anything less than a turn in his direction from the two others in the car, he supports it with an awkward chuckle of his own. "Sorry, I just wanted to be included.. Who or what are we talking about, exactly?", the officer's ears droop in an angle acute to his whiskers as he shrinks in on himself.
"It's nothing for you to be concerned with. Just take us back to the precinct.", Naomasa clicks his seatbelt into place while waving his free hand dismissively. Tamakawa had done enough already, the stakeout would be reserved for other officers.
An exasperated sigh from the backseat returns Naomasa's gaze to the rearview mirror, and he sees that Aizawa now has his eyes closed to complete the exhausted appearance he'd been working on. "Actually, could you drop me off at the nearest train station? I'm going to visit Sir Nighteye's agency and get his input on the Yakuza. So long as there's a child involved, I don't think we have the leisure of taking things slowly like he originally planned.", Naomasa now understands why Aizawa dreads the remainder of the night from the sheer volume of that request alone.
It seems they were wrong. The mask shop wasn't the finish line. It was the starting line. The investigation into The Tokyo Ghoul and The Yakuza have intersected, but that doesn't change the fact that they've only just begun.
Akatani's night had just begun, or so it felt like. He'd given Eri his bed to sleep in, it's not like he used it for much other than comfort anyways, but that left him with very little to relax on. Chalk it up as just another cost of his quirk, but Akatani is more of a nocturnal creature in habit. The boy turned nightly predator was used to going on the prowl during this time, but he wasn't about to leave Eri all alone. So, Akatani is currently left standing idly in his apartment.
To pass the time, Akatani is left with only his thoughts. Usually, thinking to himself only brought up feelings of angst and self-loathing, but now he has Eri to focus on. He has no idea how to take care of a little girl, he's still practically a kid himself. Yet, this duty has fallen unto him. If he's an animal, then he must protect the cub that he's adopted into his dwelling. He worries about the Yakuza and whether or not they'll keep their promise. He's confident in his ability to fight and kill just about anyone, but he's not so sure about an entire Japanese mafia.
Akatani snaps out of his thoughts when his ears twitch at the distant sound of police sirens. His body is tense and his mind is sharp until the sound fades. He never knows if the sirens are coming for him. He can only hope they're going for the Yakuza.
The tension in his body deflates with a not so relieved sigh. While he doesn't have to worry about criminals and cops tonight, he does have to worry about food. Maybe not for himself, but Eri is a growing girl who will surely need breakfast when she wakes up. Akatani opens his fridge despite already knowing there's nothing inside of it. He does the same with all of his kitchen cabinets. He's never had the need to keep regular food stashed when he can't necessarily eat regular food without gagging. He tries to remember what tasted good to him before his quirk eliminated his ability to taste normal meals. What would Eri like? He supposes he can go grocery shopping with her after his shift tomorrow.
He suddenly realizes he has to work in the morning. At least he works in a coffee shop with a bakery. He'll just take Eri with him and she can have some sort of pastry for breakfast. It may not be the healthiest thing for a child, but it's not like she'll be having candy apples every day. At least, that's what he thinks.