III

None of this made sense. In less than one hour of research Naoto had uncovered information someone must have moved heaven and earth for to keep secret. Seki Haruka had not been terminally ill. If the records of her last checkup at her doctor were to be believed, she was healthy to an absurd degree. However, the suicide note Naoto had gotten from Seki's manager, Toda Noboru – an hour after she'd left, Rise had texted her his contact info –, contradicted this find. In it, the actress dramatically described herself as "fading away. Looking for one last to chance to immortalize my beauty. To become more than just famous. To become a legend. A goddess." The manager had been surprised when Naoto said she was looking into the suicide, but helpful nonetheless. The doctor who had performed Seki's autopsy had been less cooperative. Naoto didn't enjoy doing it, but it hadn't been hard to find proof that the doctor was an adulterer, and the credit card statements she showed him made him honest fast. He had looked more than a little guilty when he handed over a report that was never made official. Traces of an unknown drug had been found in the actresses' blood. A high dose of the drug at that. The doctor didn't recognize it, assumed it was some sort of narcotics cocktail. They'd found traces of flunitrazepam – rohypnol – and heroine. Not a lethal amount, but more than enough to explain the nature of the note.

Naoto had taken the report back to Toda, asking if he or his company had paid the doctor off to keep this a secret. His shock at hearing about the folder's content seemed real enough to her. He couldn't tell for certain if someone else in the company would cover it up; but that they probably would have told him about it since he had been Seki's handler. Toda had never known Seki to experiment with drugs, but admitted it wasn't exactly rare in her line of work. This hadn't been the open-and-shut case Naoto had expected it to be. The most logical theory she could come up with for it all was also the harshest: Seki Haruka, a fairly well known actress, had ingested either a new unknown drug, or had made a mix of narcotics herself. In her altered state, she had decided to end her life after coming up with an extravagant story. She certainly wouldn't be the first person trying to immortalize their fame by ending their life at such a young age.

Naoto was staring at a text she had composed to share this theory with Rise. A finger hovering above the send button, she already knew that she wouldn't press it. This wasn't just a random client she'd only met once. Rise used to mean everything to her. She deserved a more delicate approach. Naoto deleted the text's contents. Replacing it with a simple:

'If you're free tonight, would it be okay to discuss your case over drinks?'

As she pressed send she immediately stretched one arm out involuntarily, trying to intercept the message before it reached Rise. Why had she suggested getting drinks? She should have just asked her to come to the office. Nevertheless, less than a minute later she already got a response.

'Yes, I'm free. Where?'

Naoto let her mind wander back to the messages she used to get from Rise, when they were still teens. All filled with nonsensical capitalizations and emoticons. She wasn't sure if the sober text she was looking at now was a result of their fall out, or if Rise had just grown out of it.

'Lucy's, around 19:30?'

'Ok'

IV

Dressing to meet with Rise had long been something Naoto wrestled with. She didn't necessarily think of herself as a bad dresser, but Rise was a professional. Naoto didn't exactly keep up with the trends. Moreover, when she and Rise had first met, finding the right thing to wear had been at the center of most of her anxieties. She had still been performing as male then, and Rise had complimented him on his looks on more than one occasion. After the Laboratory, though, Naoto had worried that the Investigation Team expected her to alter her looks. Rise hadn't made any new remarks on her outfits those first few months. The comments she had made about Naoto's body, however, had left her more than a little uncomfortable. When they finally started dating, after graduation, Naoto had finally mustered up enough courage to ask a question she now knew had been foolish.

"Do you want me to dress more like a girl?" Rise had been lying in Naoto's lap, hair undone, on a bench in Okina. She had opened her eyes and arched a questioning eyebrow at Naoto.

"I mean…," Naoto continues, "Seeing as you and I are both in the public eye, and people might start seeing the two of us together. Would you rather I looked like a girl or… ."

"What do you mean? What do you want to look like?" Rise had stretched out one arm behind her before gently placing one hand on Naoto's side. Naoto liked her like this, content and natural. Not performing for anyone. She wished she'd felt just as at ease as she noticed a group of teenagers looking at them both. She shrugged.

"I like the way you look, Naoto-kun, but if you no longer do, you can always change that. But don't change it just because someone you don't even know might find it weird." Her hand slid underneath Naoto's shirt for just a moment, running a thumb across her bare stomach.

"You know that blue shirt you always wear, and the yellow tie?" Rise moved her hand back to the outside of Naoto's button-up.

"Yeah?" The only reason she wasn't wearing it that day was because she now wore a more formal white shirt for work.

"I always thought you looked so stunning in that. Not because of the clothes, though. But because I could always tell you felt so comfortable in it; like it… I don't know… it just fit with you." The words had stirred something inside of Naoto. A skipped heartbeat. She had had plenty of admirers but there was something about hearing it from Rise that made it true.

"Ssssssstunning." Rise teased with a smile after a few moments of silence. Naoto scoffed.

"Gorgeousssssss." She continued, making a gesture like she was framing Naoto's face.

"Dazzzzzzzli-" Naoto silenced her with a kiss.

You look the best when you look comfortable. Even after their breakup, Naoto had held onto that idea. Right now she was looking at herself in the mirror, wearing the outfit she felt the most like herself in. Now she was worrying that it might look too much like an updated version of her high school outfit. Would Rise think so too? She had long since traded in the bright blue for a softer, paler blue button-up. Dark, tight slacks with a matching jacket. Boots with a decent amount of heel to them. She had grown since high school, but not as much as she had wanted. She hesitated before adding the finishing touch, a thin black tie. She'd solved all of her biggest cases in this outfit. Would give television interviews in this outfit. Had gone on dates in this outfit. It would have to suffice for drinks with Rise.

Naoto arrived at the bar fifteen minutes early, surprised to see Rise waiting for her at the door. Rise was never on time, let alone early.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Naoto said, even though they both knew they had been too early. Rise turned to go in but Naoto already got to the door, holding it open for her.

"Thanks" Rise said so softly that Naoto almost thought she imagined it. Entering the bar, Rise stood still, looking around awkwardly.

"Let's grab a booth." Naoto said, fighting the urge to put a hand on the small of Rise's back to guide her. They went over to the less crowded part of the already quiet bar in silence. Their server came over to them almost instantly. They didn't speak for a while after they ordered.

"So, did you… find out anything?" Rise was the first to break the silence. Naoto softly thanked her for not putting her through small talk first.

"I did." The waiter returned with their drinks before Naoto told Rise first about everything she had found out, and then about her theory. Rise was quiet for a long time after that, staring into her glass. She had still to take her first sip, but then again, so did Naoto. Rise looked sad. Naoto tried to remember when she'd seen her this sad before, the only moment she could recall was that night four years ago… .

"So you believe it was suicide." Rise said, still looking at her drink.

"I can't say for certain. It would be the most logical conclusion though."

"What if you're wrong?" The look on Rise's face was changing.

"If I'm… ? I'm sorry, Rise. But there is nothing here that really indicates a different version of events."

"Drugs, though? Haruka would never… Sorry. I guess it's just hard for me to wrap my head around. Her having this whole secret life. Thanks for doing all that work, though." Rise still hadn't looked Naoto in the eyes. Naoto was trying to come up with a fix, to make all of this less awful for the girl.

"Suicide or not," she started so confidently it surprised both Rise and herself, "there's still someone that payed that doctor off to keep all of this quiet. I know it won't bring her back, but maybe that trace leads to whoever gave her the drugs. It's still a criminal offence." Rise finally looked up, her face softening.

"You're right. So you'll give this information to the police?"

"I'll share it with them, yes. But if you don't mind, I'd like to look into this further myself as well."

"Thank you, Naoto-kun." Rise moved her hand on top of Naoto's. It felt right for a moment, before Naoto remembered the night Rise had touched her last. How angry she had been, how alone she had felt. How Rise's tears had done nothing but fuel harsh uttered sentence after sentence she can barely remember now. How hard it had been not just to open the door, but to tear that hand loose from her arm before closing the door behind her. How she had had to stop on her way to the hotel in a dark alley to cry so hard her lungs hurt for days. Four years had only numbed that pain, hadn't erased it.

"You look good, Naoto. How… How've you been?"

"I have to go." It hadn't felt right to leave Rise behind like that. As soon as Naoto got home, she started working on the case again.