The detective watched the security feed over the guard's shoulder, his frown beginning to unnerve the portly man in the chair.
"Are you positive that there aren't any cameras inside the wards?" The guard wiped his brow with his sleeve while giving the stern-looking detective a shaky nod.
"Y-yes, I'm sure," he stammered, "all hospitals and general healthcare centres do not place cameras in t-the wards to protect the patient's right to privacy." His large finger pointed at a loop of a recording of the footage in the hall where Ren's ward was located. Entering said ward was a balding bespectacled man who looked no older than his late 20s. Aside from the brief glint in his eyes, the man seemed like a regular Joe.
Black bomber jacket over a matching denim shirt and jeans; nothing about the guy was suspicious yet Detective Naomasa knew without a doubt that this man was the killer. The footage showed that the man was the only one seen entering and leaving the ward on the night of Ren's death; the evidence was solid enough to merit further investigation.
There was one thing that bothered him, however. He pointed at another loop showing the couple he saw last night.
The yuppie and his girlfriend.
"And you're sure this man with the green hair hasn't gone into the victim's ward?" he asked the guard.
"I'm sure of it. There's no mistaking it. The two were on different floors on the night of the murder. Since the victim was the sole survivor of the masked murderer's massacre, wouldn't that make this guy your man?"
Detective Naomasa pinched the bridge of his nose to quell his building frustration. The metadata before him didn't lie. On the night of the 24th of March at 10:30pm, his two potential suspects were indeed on different floors. That should be the clue that he was looking for. The bald man might as well have the words 'GUILTY' plastered on his back on the charge of murdering a witness. Yet, the anxious grip on his heart told him that the man he spent the two years tracking down wasn't him. There was this gnawing feeling that the young man in the suit had some form of involvement in this investigation but he can't quite put his finger on it.
What was it that Mr Nakajima said about the masked man?
"Anything about the man?"
"No. Not much. Just that he wore a suit. One of them business types and had green hair. Then I got a bat to the face and whaddaya know? Everyone around me is dead—no—slaughtered."
He looked back at the still of the young man and his girlfriend. The man's face could not be seen but Detective Naomasa could tell that he fit Nakajima's testimony well. The only trouble was that it was too vague. Sure, years of experience in his line of work made it easy to guess the age range the young man was in but even that knowledge wouldn't help. There were too many men and women in their early 20s working in the white-collar sectors especially Quirk data companies. Those companies were like a godsend for many people whose own Quirks weren't suited for Heroics because they not only tended to pay well but they also have significantly increased the value of the non-Heroics courses in academies nationwide.
Besides, even if the Masked Maniac was a white-collar man, there was no way he'd be a data company employee. His handiwork was proof enough that he had a dangerous Quirk or one who had the brains to make use of his mediocre Quirk to the fullest. This guy? Probably whack a guy to death with a thick book but not much else.
He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, ending his train of thought. Taking a look at the sender of the message, he thanked the guard for his cooperation and marched out of the security room to find his partner, Sansa, waiting for him. With a nurse hovering over him.
"I take it, you're done flirting around, Sansa?" he asked, fixing his overcoat and hat. The nurse jumped with a yelp and ran off with a flair of aloof skittishness that could only come from a junior swooning over their senior.
"I'd like to call it 'info gathering' but yes, I'm pretty much done," Sansa replied with a sly smirk as he sauntered along with him till they reached the elevators, pointing finger guns at the nurse when he noticed her peeking from behind a corner. "So far, only useful info I got was from a doctor. The doctor's statement matches the security footage: the couple did indeed meet up with her on that night, which makes the other guy our perp. Interestingly enough, they weren't there for a pregnancy check-up."
The detective raised his brow. "Oh?" He pressed a button to call up the elevator, "And what were they there for?"
"A broken rib." The detective fished out a notebook from his pocket and clicked his pen, causing Sansa's ears to twitch. "No, it's not what you're thinking. From what the doctor has told me, business man here came across the woman in a critical condition on his way home from work. A 'Mr Midoriya', she says. Apparently he and the doctor knew each other from school so she offered to fix the woman up even though she was done for the day."
Detective Naomasa furrowed his brows. "Did the doctor say who the patient was?" he asked as they stepped into the elevator.
Sansa's ears drooped as the cat-man sighed. "Afraid not. Usual patient confidentiality bull. Can't blame her for just doing her job though. She did tell me her own name, though."
Before the detective could inquire more, the elevator doors opened to a blinding roar of commotion and flashing lights. A flurry of questions thrown their way even before they took another step out of the elevator.
"Sir, is the Masked Murderer behind the death of Ren Nakajima?"
"Is this a failing on the police's ability to protect?"
"Can we get confirmation that the late Nakajima's death is an assassination?"
With a sigh, Detective Naomasa and officer Sansa waded through the ocean of reporters, shooting them down with every possible iteration of 'No comment' that they know. The feline officer's hairs (fur?) were on end by the time they managed to get to their car.
"I swear, I can never not get tired of reporters." Detective Naomasa grunted in agreement whilst fanning himself with his hat. Gosh darned reporters. Their diligence was commendable but do they have keep shoving microphones in the faces of whoever they want to interview?! There's only so many times one can take having microphones poking at their mouths before they start getting the wrong idea. However, he had some reporting of his own to do once they get back to the station. With notebook and pen in hand, he sought to get his partner's attention.
Click, click!
The feline's ears twitched in irritation.
Click, click, click, click, click, clickclickclickclick-
"Stop it!" Sansa barked. His scowl only grew when he saw the stern expression his partner wore. The look that said that it was time to get down to business.
"Jeez, the good Lord gave Man a mouth for reason, you know?"
Stern eyes bore into his soul. He shook his head with a sigh.
"From where we left off?" he asked. The detective nodded. "From where we left off. Alright. Beginning with the doctor's name then…"
o-o
The engine of the car hummed to life and briskly sped off to the highway. The hustle and bustle of Yokohama was ever present in the thousands of vehicles that passed through its veins. The shimmer of the blue ocean bouncing off the shining glass windows of the numerous buildings was a sight to behold for tourists entering Greater Minato Mirai 21.
Looking out the window, Detective Naomasa could not help but feel like he belonged to a different time. Reviewing the details his partner rattled off helped take away the sense of disheartenment that festered within him as yet another private corporation's logo flashed by. There used to be a time when hero offices held the same clout as these soulless entities; a sense of symbiosis developed by a necessity to benefit off of each other. Now, that clout had diminished.
He checked his notes once more to make sure that he got everything, twirling his pen. If even a single detail in Sansa's findings were off in the report he had to write later, there would be hell to pay. Besides, anything to stop him from seeing blurs of red, blue and yellow jumping across the view was a good thing.
So far, he gathered that the doctor who met with this Midoriya person was Dr Chiyo Kaifuku. Classmates and good friends with Mr Midoriya, was rather short and wore glasses. He rolled his eyes at the part where Sansa described the rest of her body.
Perception is one thing, getting one's three sizes down to the nearest tenth is another, he noted. His eyes then drifted to the highly explicit and detailed nature of Sansa's transcript of his conversation with the nurse. Nevermind, he's probably got a lot of practice.
The doctor's Quirk made her an essential addition to the hospital's EMT staff though specifics on it were denied with the reason of confidentiality. Again. There was nothing that could be done for the other man so he had to wait until forensics does their thing.
However, that was not going to stop his partner from filling up that time with whatever he had in mind.
"Say, Nao," Sansa said, "if we bag this bald guy, do you think the killing would stop?"
Naomasa raised his brow, putting his notebook and pen back in his pocket. "Depends. Why do you ask?"
"As weird as it may sound due to the amount of grief he's been giving the police force, I actually would feel relieved if this guy wasn't the masked murderer or psycho or whatever the gangs have been calling him. They have a different name for everything… Anyway! My point is that he's doing us all a favour."
Now that was an interesting conundrum. Still better than his supposed flings with the various women on the force. "And why do you think so, Sansa? What he's doing is vigilantism, no more no less. He's taking the law into his own hands and by all accounts, that makes him a criminal, therefore a villain."
"Ah, the classic argument." Sansa shook his head with a smirk, "You're not wrong there, partner. However, his MO doesn't fit that title. One guy takes down a gang hideout? Sure, I'd agree with you. But hitting the hideouts and even HQs of more than one gang? I don't know about you, Nao but there's no way he'd be a vigilante." He stroked his whiskers with a flick. "Any innocents that are found dead are never by his hand and anyone less than that is dispatched quickly. True, there were quite the exceptional displays of brutality every now and then but most of his victims are killed with terrifying efficiency. It's like he knows their Quirks inside and out.
"But I digress. If he is a vigilante, then why have there been no reports of him whatsoever for other crimes? We never see anyone coming in saying that a masked man stopped a robbery or brought their cat back. He always hits gangs and where they hurt the most."
The detective took a moment to rub his chin. That was quite a lot to ponder. He clicked his tongue and furrowed his brow.
"Even so, where does that leave his motives? Why is he doing this? At least with the Hero Killer, Stain, we knew why he did things. If the eradication of crime is what he's after, cleaning out their hideouts and headquarters will only attract more gangs to fill in the vacuum or worse, the ire of the Council of Elite Heroes."
An involuntary shudder ran down Sansa's back, causing him to rub his shoulder. The station was now in view. It would be another 20 minutes before they got there. Silence filled the car the rest of the way, a solemn agreement to never discuss that line of thinking.
"Anyways," Sansa began with a sputter, "any luck on the leads you got from the receptionist before he kicked it?" Naomasa frowned. "Not a lot then."
"There's not a lot to work with. All I've got from him is that he's a businessman with green hair and wears a mask with a smiley face on it," the detective said, still frowning.
"I'm sensing a 'but' there if them brows are anything to go by."
"I saw something else in the security footage. A young couple entering Dr Kaifuku's office."
"Midoriya? Going by the timeframe of the murder, it does fit the time of the good doctor's alibi. You think the man might have some dirt on him?"
Naomasa scoffed and adjusted his hat. He also noted that they were now about to enter the station's parking lot. "Anyone working in those businesses always have dirt on them. Even worse if they're based in Minato Mirai. Soulless demons who won't feel any guilt stepping on others to climb up the corporate ladder… No, that's not what I was thinking about."
Sansa steered the car into their usual spot and shut off the engine. He turned to his partner with a raised brow, "So you think he might have something to do with the murder then? Unless he can create clones of himself or the cameras somehow lie, you know that's not possible."
"Close but no dice. I was thinking more along the lines of our Masked Maniac." He rolled his eyes seeing the blank expression Sansa was making. "Don't look at me like that. I know it seems a bit of a stretch but he does fit Nakajima's description pretty well."
"You mean the incredibly detailed description of what can be summed up as 'man wears suit'? So what? We round up everyone who has green hair and works white-collar?" Sansa said with a mix between a scoff and a laugh. "You might as well throw me in jail for my amazing sense of perception when it comes to how people look."
Detective Naomasa stroked his chin. "Actually, I might just do that."
"Oh, come on!"
"I don't know, Sansa. Jotting down someone's three sizes when they haven't provided it seems like a clear violation of privacy. I still don't get how you are able to get Dr Kaifuku's—"
"99.8-67.3-93. Redhead, just under 150cm in height. Eyes redder than her hair or even blood itself. Takes care of her skin well based on smoothness. Probably uses SK-IV." Detective Naomasa's had not noticed when his jaw had hung open. As creepy as his partner's ability was, he had to admit that it was impressive. It made sense for him to do investigative work; his Quirk was perfect for identification. A sense of respect began to stir in his heart for the guy.
"With those measurements, it made sense that she's got a rockin' bod. Perfect chest to hip ratio and with killer thighs to boot."
Detective Naomasa stepped out of the car, his expression unamused. He took one last look at his partner with a sigh and slammed the door shut before disappearing into the station.
Officer Sansa only guffawed, smirk still plastered on him. "That, my friend, is why you're still a virgin."
o-o
The detective read through the autopsy reports on Ren Nakajima for the third time with an unreadable frown. Line after line of details pertaining to the deceased receptionist scrutinised under his watchful weary eyes. He peered over the papers to look at the forensic scientist.
"Are you certain that your findings are conclusive?"
"Most certainly, Detective," said the detective as she pushed her glasses up, "It appears that Mr Nakajima experienced cardiac arrest which led to his death. An attempted murder by air embolism can also be seen in the abnormally large air bubbles in the victim's vein. After further examination, I'd put his time of death roughly around 9pm to 10pm last night."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "So you mean to tell me that there was an attempt on his life but he was already dead by then?"
The forensic scientist looked at him dead in the eye and said, "Yes."
He let out an exasperated sigh and pointed at the other cadaver in the room. "And that's-"
"Naoto Kirino, age 55. His body was found by the dumpsters at the hospital. Multiple stab wounds did him in, bled to death. Wallet had no money in it so possibly mugging gone horribly wrong."
Things were beginning to fall apart for the detective. While the cadaver may be naked and cut open, his face was not an easy one to forget. That right there was the bald man who entered Nakajima's ward. The suspect. Now lying dead on the cold metal table.
"Is something the matter, detective?"
He turned away from the cadaver to address the scientist. "…nothing. Did you determine when he died?"
"Roughly 8pm last night if those stab wounds are anything to go by. Why?"
He adjusted his hat and coat. "Because this case just got a lot more complicated than I initially thought. Unless a dead man tried and failed to kill an already dead man, this reeks of another player in the game and one of them has a Quirk that allows them to transform into other people." He pinched the bridge of his nose and checked his watch.
2:30pm.
He stifled the urge to groan. It was too early for this. God, what he would give for an aspirin right now. Not even a full day passes since he has an actual lead into the Masked Maniac and it already explodes into a borderline conspiracy. What's next?
She stood there watching the detective walk out of her workspace until his footsteps could no longer be heard. Then, her face began to deform. Her clothes, her body, everything warped and melted away into a grey liquid on the floor. Standing amidst the liquid was a petite blond woman with messy buns and a demented smirk revealing her pronounced canines. She then turned to the cadavers while scratching her head.
"I gotta admit, the police here work real fast. They found my disguise provider for last night just as I found the ones I needed for today." She then loomed over Nakajima's body and gave it a slap. "Why did you die before I came? Didn't you know it's bad manners to die before your killer comes?"
A beep rang from the collar of her cardigan, causing her to pout. "Argh, I hate this part of the job." She pulled her collar up and spoke into it.
"Hello, Himiko speaking." She winced as angry yelling came through. "What? It's not my fault that the police around these parts are actually competent. Good thing your boys had half a mind to get the councilman's body out of Holden Apartments before they showed up… Yeah, yeah, I know… Don't worry, I used the syringe this time and I only knocked them out, so relax."
She let out a yawn. "No, I'm not yawning. I'm just waiting till you can shut up and let me end my report already, jeez…"
She idly checked her nails. "Thank you. Anyways, our favourite masked buddy may have more connections than we've initially thought… No, I don't mean the multiple other masked loonies that we killed these past few months. I'm talking more of the 'professional' kind. Our target was already dead before I could read him some bedtime stories… Alright, alright. I heard you the first time around but it won't be long before the Council steps in. The efficiency in which this guy wipes out our bases is taking away their spotlight… You're right, the No.1 Hero's scandals will probably take that spotlight faster than the masked guy cleans out the Yokohama branch… Catch ya later."
She ended the call and swung her arms around. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a vial of blood. Bright yellow irises eyed the blood as though it was made of strawberry. She then popped it open and downed its contents without a second thought. Grey liquid emerged from her body, enveloping her within it and morphing into the shape of a man with volatile motion. Then, it stilled, taking on colour and adding definition and texture to the shape's features and clothes until a man in a lab coat stood in Himiko's place.
Clearing his throat, the man cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Out with Dr Maria, in with Dr Yamada. I wonder how long it will take before the police find two unconscious people in the janitor's room?"
Author's note: Hey there, KobeNiku here. Close to New Year's Eve and finally getting a post in. It's been tough juggling between writing for leisure and writing for (university) work along with other life obligations. Recently, my right shoulder joint has been killing me. Could be RSI, could be something else entirely but it's enough of a pain that it has made doing even basic chores like grocery shopping miserable. I don't blame anyone for losing interest by this point. It has been a fair few months since the last upload after all. Moreover, the numbers suggest that readers are more invested in my other MHA fic, In the Court of the Verdant Hero.
Nonetheless, it has been a joy to know that there are people that do read my works, no matter how infrequently they voice their opinion. To that I say, thank you. While I'm not one to fish for reviews, I do highly suggest that you tell me what you think of it. Good or bad, it doesn't matter.
Thank you all for reading. Happy holidays and have a good day.