"These are all the documents and details on the cases so far." Dojima took a cigarette out of the pack in his pocket but did nothing other than twirl it idly between his fingers. "Are you sure you want to start already? You don't have to do anything until tomorrow…"

"No," Naoto answered stubbornly with a shake of her head. "It would be best for me to begin working on this case as soon as possible. Whoever the culprit is, he may not wait for me to become acquainted with everything. There is no time to waste."

Dojima sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine then. Just don't get nightmares, kid."

She bristled slightly at the word used to address her and the manila envelopes in her hands crumpled slightly from her tightening grip. Naoto resisted the urge to step on the officer's foot as it was just inches away… All it would take was a well-timed adjustment in her stance and— "Yes, I understand, Dojima-san. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Naoto gave the man a proper bow before turning back the way she came. Once she was at the door, documents tucked under her arm and suitcase handle in hand, she stopped. Hesitantly, the prodigy turned back slightly with downcast eyes. "Just one more question, Dojima-san…"

"Yeah, what is it?" The man now seemed outwardly annoyed with her presence, his unlit cig already hanging in his mouth. He swore that if this kid asked one more question about work, he was going to—

"Where might I find Inaba's… tailor?"

The cigarette fell out of his mouth and hit the carpeted floor with an inaudible patter while the flustered teen pulled the brim of her hat over her face in what he could only assume was embarrassment. Incredulously, he fed her cookie-cutter directions he would've given any lost tourist, which she accepted with a silent nod before giving her thanks and leaving. Fumbling in his pocket for another cigarette, Dojima stared after the retreating detective.

"Strange kid…" Then he added to himself as an afterthought, "Wonder what she needs to do at Tatsumi Textiles…?"

Naoto stared into the dimly-lit shop window, absently gripping at her plaid-patterned cape, and debated whether or not to go in. With how much time Naoto spent at the Police Station, it was already late in the day, and by all means, the shop should've been closed already… The absence of an "Open/Closed" sign was a conundrum in itself. She fixed her cap before resolving to walk into the quaint shop, but the sounds of a nearby altercation caught her attention. Her gut feeling told her to check it out, and a Shirogane's intuition was never wrong… So she turned on her heel and followed the sounds of fighting to a nearby alleyway.

"Ya goddamn punks and your stupid bikes! Always keepin' Ma up at night… Just fuck off!" The owner of the voice was a tall man with bleached hair and dark clothing, and as strong as he looked, he definitely didn't seem like a match for the entirety of what appeared to be a bike gang. "And give back that damn shop sign!"

"You messed up our kohai pretty good last time, Tatsumi… Let us return the favor!" And so the first punch was thrown by the one who Naoto could only assume was the leader of the gang. She knew she shouldn't be hanging around watching random hoodlums picking fights in back alleys of unfamiliar towns, but she found it impossible to tear her eyes away. It was reminiscent of the few anime she watched as a child…

She rationalized that someone was going to get hurt, so she might as well make sure that blondie got medical attention as soon as possible afterward... Oh, and because she followed her instincts, she was able to solve the mystery of the missing shop sign, Naoto assured herself. Her pride was still intact.

Surprisingly, Tatsumi was able to dodge the first couple of punches by diving to his right and throwing one of the gang leader's own lackeys right into him in the process. Naoto knew that the fight was far from over, but that Tatsumi boy had already earned some respect in her eyes. After many head-butts, wayward punches, devastating stomps and kicks, several bloodied noses, and maybe a couple broken bones, the so-called bike gang finally looked ready to retreat from the battle. She would've smirked at their cowardice, but then she made a very important realization.

They were running right in her direction.

Naoto really wanted to curse her luck, but she knew better than to rely completely on such an unpredictable variable such as chance. Her grandfather always used to tell her that her luck was like the wheel of fortune with all of its ups and downs, and as a result, he had taught her to rely on the tools of the trade: evidence, circumstance, and her intuition rather than her faulty fortune. But back to the situation at hand… this definitely wasn't a matter of luck. "How well can I run in these boots with this rolling suitcase?" Naoto was already silently contemplating, but she stood her ground anyway.

Luckily, the thugs scampered right past her either because they didn't care that she was there or they were unaware of her presence... Though, her good fortune was short-lived as one of the guys haphazardly knocked her into the coarse brick wall behind her. There was the sickening sound of a rip and it took less than a second for Naoto to realize what had happened. That small rip really wasn't good news.

"H-hey, uh… You okay?" Tatsumi was kneeling over her with something akin to concern in his expression. She could have scoffed at the change in attitude. Was he trying to make up for something he lacked by taking gangs head on as he had done earlier?

"Of course I am," Naoto answered indifferently before pushing herself up and dusting the dirt off her skirt. She drove her previous thoughts out of her mind and focused on her next course of action. Collecting her belongings, she adjusted her hat as she always felt the need to and turned to leave the alley. "And you got your shop sign back, correct?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I guess, but…" Naoto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the Tatsumi punk and crossed her arms contemplatively. Did bleaching his hair kill one too many brain cells? As rude and unfounded as that thought was, she still couldn't suppress it, and showed as much with her narrowed eyes. "Woah, hey! That's a big rip right there!"

Naoto chose not to grace that comment with a response and instead turned to leave. It was already late enough as it was, and she did not have time for this.

"Wait!"

She just quickened her pace without as much as a glance behind her.

"I said 'wait,' dammit!" A rough hand grabbed Naoto's slim wrist and held her in place. "You can get that fixed at my place, okay? Don't just go out and buy a new one if you can get this one all fixed up. Hell, I'll even do it for free! Just don't let it go to waste or nothin' or—"

"I wasn't intending to throw this out or replace it." Naoto tightened her grip on the documents she held and tugged on her other arm. "And you can release me now. If you insist on repairing this, then by all means, do it."

"Oh, ah, sorry, um…" He finally let go, scratching at the back of his neck nervously before kneeling down to the ground to nervously fiddle with the cheap, plastic sign.

"Shirogane Naoto," she supplemented for him, unfastening the brass buckle at her collar. "Will you be attending school tomorrow, Tatsumi?"

"Uh, yeah…" He looked absolutely puzzled when Naoto practically thrust the cape into his hands, careful to avoid the flimsy sign he was balancing against the ground.

"Then I shall see you tomorrow. Please have your work completed by then." Without another word, she tipped her hat and walked back into the street with as much grace as she could have with large manila files tucked under her arm and rolling luggage behind her.

Tatsumi Kanji was absolutely awestruck by the strange girl's elegance.

Shirogane Naoto, on the other hand, glanced at the case files and decided that she was in for yet another caffeine-fueled night.

A/N: Sorry... I'm a sucker for cute lil' detective capes and Naoto's hat. For serious.