The next few weeks were dull for Division One. Hinakawa kept everyone entertained by hacking into the office mailroom drone and programming it to shoot mail at Mika, unbeknownst to her, of course. The Inspectors were normally the only ones who received mail anyway, with the exception of the occasional letter to Hinakawa from his mother. Today was no different.
"Ginoza, did you file that maintenance report yesterday like I told you to do?! This thing is trying to kill me!" She collected the mail and glared at Ginoza.
"I did. The maintenance office said that it delivers mail just fine to all the other Bureau employees." Ginoza shot an amused look at Sho, who chuckled and returned to his computer screen. As Shimotsuki shuffled through the envelopes, she stopped to look at one with a hand written address. Most mail that came through the office was addressed using the typed envelopes from the post office to prevent important notices from being sent to the wrong location. Mika set the other envelopes down and opened the suspicious parcel.
"Anything interesting?" Akane asked, not looking up.
"Just some strange handwritten letter. Who does that anymore?"
"Huh?" Akane made her way over to Mika to take a look. Her mind reeled at the jagged script on the folded lined paper. She'd seen it before.
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
"What does that even mean?" Mika handed the paper to Akane.
"Beats me…" Internally she panicked. It was a sign she'd waited years to receive and now that she'd seen it, she had no idea what it meant.
"It sounds really familiar," Ginoza offered. "May I take a look at it?"
He made his way over to stand next to Akane.
"I'm not getting anything on my Internet search," Tsubame reported.
"Maybe you're using the wrong Internet, Sis," Sho suggested, pulling up a new window on his computer. He hacked through the Ministry computer's administrative settings, blocked his IP address, and jumped on a browser. The page he pulled up contained lists of various links. He clicked the third one down and skimmed it. "It's a quote out of a Western novella by George Orwell… Animal Farm?"
"Never heard of it," Mika replied.
"I know someone who has," Akane declared. "Ginoza, Kunizuka, you're going with me. Hinakawa, could you see if you can find a copy of that book somewhere online? Maekawa, you can stay here and help Inspector Shimotsuki. I'll be back before your shift is over."
Maekawa's stomach churned uncomfortably. Shimotsuki didn't seem to like her very much, not that she was overly fond of any of the Enforcers. She forced a nod anyway and sighed to calm herself as she watched the three of them leave the office.
Akane loaded the Enforcers into a Division One cruiser and set the destination for the Rehab facility. Ginoza sat in the front passenger seat while Yayoi waited patiently for an explanation in the back.
"We're going to see Saiga," Akane declared.
"I'll stay outside then," Ginoza sulked. He reminds me too much of Kogami. I don't need to be getting worked up.
"Oh, come on Mr. Ginoza. Mr. Saiga isn't that bad."
"Says you. Your hue never clouds. It has more ill-effects than just the social implications, Akane. Being cloudy doesn't feel very good."
"I'll go in with you, Akane," Yayoi offered.
"Thanks," the detective sighed. "Ginoza you can stay in the cruiser as long as you don't go anywhere. Yayoi and I will be right back."
The cruiser pulled into a parking spot and turned itself off. The girls got out and made their way inside. Ginoza reclined his seat all the way back so that he could watch the sky through the back window. It was a windy autumn day, but the clouds in the sky were fluffy and white. All animals are equal, he thought, but some are more equal than others… I know that's right, he scoffed internally. Enforcers and Inspectors are humans, but the Inspectors have more freedoms and worth than any of the Enforcers. I can't believe it took me becoming a dog to understand that. If only Masaoka could see me now. Maybe he'd be proud.
Ginoza dozed off in his comfortable position in the front seat. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when Akane and Yayoi returned, the sun was setting.
"Was he helpful?" Ginoza reset his seatback and looked over at the Inspector.
"Yes and no..." Akane pulled out her pen and a notepad and scribbled a note to Ginoza. She set the pad in his lap and turned the cruiser on.
The letter has to be from Kogami.
Ginoza's eyes widened, but he kept his mouth closed. If Akane didn't feel that it was safe to discuss out loud in the car, then he would wait until they were back at the Tower. By the time they returned, however, Akane's shift was over. In the parking garage, she stopped the Enforcers and pulled them aside around a wall.
"Don't tell Inspector Shimotsuki. Sho and Tsubame don't need to know either. If we want to keep Ko safe, he needs to stay hidden until whatever he's planning pans out the way he wants it to," she hissed. "We need to play along with him."
They both nodded. Ginoza felt a strange peace wash over him as he realized he might actually get to see his friend again and properly apologize for being such an ass to him over the years.
"What do you want me to tell Shimotsuki?" Yayoi asked.
"That Saiga didn't have any leads."
"So where did the Inspector take you and Kunizuka?" Tsubame lay across the sofa with her hair hanging over the arm. It almost fell all the way to the floor.
"To see an old mentor," Ginoza responded. "He wasn't able to offer much assistance, though."
"Ah. I see." She scooted so that her head hung backwards off the side of the couch and she could see him. "So now what?"
"We wait," Ginoza shrugged. He walked over to the living room and plopped down in the armchair, a bag of pistachios in his robot hand. He plucked one out and cracked it open before dropping the core of it into his mouth.
"Hm." Tsubame seemed anxious to him. She fidgeted where she lounged on the couch.
"Are you alright?"
"Busy mind. Nothing I do seems to help."
"I know the feeling…" His eyes searched the room for something they could do to keep them occupied, since neither of them felt like sleeping. "Have you ever played chess?"
"A few times, when I was little. My father taught me. Do we have a chess board?"
"I do. It was my father's. It's one of the old ones with actual glass pieces and a real board. I'll go get it." Ginoza stood and walked to his room, pulled the chess set from a book shelf, and brought it back to the living room. The box he carried had the board on top of it and all of the pieces were stored inside. He sat cross-legged on the floor and set the board up for them. She rolled off the couch lazily and lay on her stomach across from him. With the board set out between them, Ginoza offered for her to make the first move.
"You go first," she insisted. He took a Pawn and inched it forward. After much internal debate, Tsubame chose her first move. After an hour of gameplay, Tsubame and Ginoza were at a standstill. It was her turn, but she was trying to find a move that wouldn't sacrifice one of her pieces. She'd yet to lose one.
"It might be in your interest to sacrifice one piece. You might get the chance to open a hole in my defense." He chuckled internally. Instead of moving her pieces to gain the advantage, Tsubame had been reacting to his moves defensively. He'd set her up almost perfectly to knock his way through and take her Queen.
"I know… My dad used to tell me the same thing. I just hate sacrificing my Pawns. I know they aren't super useful… but for some reason I feel sorry for them. Like… I'm sure if they had the chance, they wouldn't have chosen to be Pawns when they could've been a Knight or a Rook… Or even the King or Queen… Silly, huh?" She looked up at him with sad eyes.
"Not at all," he mumbled. As he looked over the board, he wondered what piece he'd be if the MWPSB was a team of chess pieces… If SIBYL was the King, then who were the Pawns? Was Kogami a Knight? Was Masoaka a Bishop? Tsubame tilted her head at him, wondering what he was thinking.
"Sorry, I ruined the game, didn't I?"
"No, I was just thinking about it. It's an interesting thought."
"I guess I'll move my piece then." She pushed one of her pawns forward, placing it in the striking range of Ginoza's clear-space Bishop. He took her pawn, putting her Rook at risk. When she moved the castle-shaped piece across the board, Ginoza moved his Queen into the newly vacated row, taking one of Tsubame's Knights in the process. After she retaliated with a Pawn for Pawn exchange, he pushed his own Rook across the board to take her other Knight. In a few more moves, her King and Queen were cornered.
"I believe that's a checkmate," he noted. She nodded, studying the board.
"You're good."
"Ha, I wouldn't say that. I never once beat my father."
"Did the two of you play a lot?"
He leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes.
"Not much after his demotion… But when I was really little he'd play a game with me every day after work."
"Demotion?" Tsubame began collecting her pieces and placing them back inside the chess board.
Ginoza bit his tongue. Crap. I forgot she knew him. This might not end well.
"Erm… Yes… He worked for the MWPSB as well… In this Division…"
"Are you okay, Ginoza? You look worried."
"It's just…" He hesitated. He'd always been a crap liar. "I don't really know how to talk to you about my father."
"It's okay. I want to hear about him." She smiled.
"Part of me thinks you probably don't."
She scowled.
"Why?"
He sighed and covered his face with his hands. Peeking through his fingers didn't help. Her concerned expression told him that he wouldn't be getting away with just clamming up and retreating to his room. Muffled behind his palms, his response sounded almost painful as he choked it out.
"You… knew my father… And I don't know exactly how your last interaction with him made you feel, but I'm sure you don't want to talk about it with me, and will probably be pissed that I even know about it."
"I… knew him?" Maekawa blinked at Ginoza, unable to decipher his answer. How is that even possible? I don't know anyone with Ginoza's last name besides him.
"My father's name was Tomomi Masaoka. He was one of the Enforcers who responded to the stress level alert the day that… Well…" His voice tapered off. The shock on Tsubame's face silenced him completely.
"M-Masaoka was your father?" She looked down at her hands. "Wait… How do you know about what happened to me? I was told the file was closed."
"It is… to the public… Akane has the authorization to access it in our database. I sort of… asked her to look it up…"
Tsubame's cheeks flushed pink as she stood. He full well expected her to slap him, but instead she walked silently past him to the door to the hallway.
"Maekawa, wait…"
She didn't look back at him. He heard her bedroom door slide open and closed. Once he was sure she wasn't coming back out, he flopped backwards in defeat on the floor. Way to go, Ginoza.
He lay there staring at the ceiling until Yayoi entered the apartment. When she saw him sprawled on the floor, she ran over to make sure he was alright.
"Where's Maekawa?"
He pointed to the hallway.
"Is she sleeping?"
He shrugged.
"What happened? You look miserable."
"Miserable might as well be my middle name, Yayoi. It's the only thing I'm good at."
With that, Ginoza stood, grabbed his chess board, and walked to his room to put it away. Yayoi followed him down the hallway.
"What are you doing back anyway? Shift change isn't until the morning."
"I needed a breather. Shimotsuki is driving me crazy."
"Join the club," Ginoza groaned.
"I founded it," she reminded him. She had been the one to comfort Mika all those years ago when her friends had been killed by Rikaku Orio. And that didn't prevent Mika's snide comments from targeting her one bit.
"Right…" He rubbed his eyes. "I need to get some sleep. If you see Maekawa, please tell her that I'm really sorry. I'm sure I'm the last person she wants to talk to."
"What'd you do?"
"I know something she didn't want me to know," he admitted. "It's complicated."
"Everything with you is complicated," Yayoi said pointedly.
"Not helping."
"Sorry. If I see her I'll let her know. Goodnight Ginoza."
"Night…"