Galaxy Police Complex

by DishonorableKnight

Often abbreviated as "GPC"; defined as "confidently convinced as being better than every other law enforcement agency in the galaxy". Their proof? Four letters: S.I.F.O. Starring Kiyone and Mihoshi as they join a squad that solves cases more subtly than most. With teammates like an academy classmate, a short lieutenant, and an eccentric detective, they're ready for anything.

5. Kushi-Yori Investigations

The Juraian National Assembly Building has been quiet for the past few days.

Before the Kagato Incident, the old, thick walls of the building were no match for the loud and endless bickering coming from inside. But now, Jurai's democratic governing body had relocated to another location in Jurai City.

For the time being, the National Assembly Building was cordoned off by the Jurai City Police Department, and this morning, a few officers stood by at the steps to deter any curious citizens from sneaking inside and stealing any undamaged valuables.

"I'd rather do desk work than stand here any longer," one of them said. "How could those guys do this every day?

Just then, one man approached the front steps. The morning sun was in the officer's eyes, and they couldn't get a good look at his face.

"No civilians are allowed inside the National Assembly," one officer called out to the stranger. "Get out of here."

The stranger stopped in his tracks and bent down to the ground. "Fine by me. I wasn't planning on going inside anyway," he said. Then, he took out a bundle he was holding behind his back. "I just wanted to drop this off here. They're for the deputies, whenever they get back from their… vacation."

He stepped back from the bundle and started walking away. One of the officers walked forward and inspected the items he dropped.

He picked up and unfolded the bundle, and an object dropped from inside. He picked it up and discovered it was a scabbard with a sword inside. The item he was holding was an ornate blue and gold uniform-one that had a large tear in the front section.

It suddenly occurred to him the stranger had dropped off the items of a Republican Guard "Wait, this is… who are you?"

However, the stranger had already gone out of earshot.

---

Episode Five

Kushi-Yori Investigations

Mitsuki's Galaxy Police cruiser, the Sensai, came into view of the planet Jurai. Soon, the Juraian Home Fleet was paging her ship.

On her screen, a scrawny-looking ensign appeared on the screen. "Incoming Galaxy Police craft, identify yourself," he ordered.

"Detective-sergeant Tsukushi; ship class: Type 122 Patrol Cruiser; designation: Sensai," she answered.

"Identification verified," he answered after a pause. "What is your business?"

Mitsuki scoffed. Does the IJN pay to have people ask such worthless questions? "My job," she answered. "I'm going to Jurai City. And what are your plans today?"

He clenched his chin to ponder the question. "I suppose I should buy more milk before I... ahem! You may proceed to the surface."

"Oh, can I get permission to land at one of the spaceports, too?" she quickly added. "I don't want to get a parking ticket."

He immediately began typing on his console off-screen. "Contacting Jurai City Spaceport Authority… permission granted. Platform D-2 is available at Spaceport #19, in Shikame Ward."

"Thanks a bunch," she said, ending the conversation.

Unexpectedly, Airi's face was next up on her display. Immediately, her face turned red from embarrassment. She had just accidentally blown a hole in SIFO's base of operations, after all. However, the superintendent brought up a completely different subject.

"Detective-sergeant, you might find this useful. It's a facial composite of the man who disguised himself as a Republican Guard as described by Mr. Junichiro Yoritomo."

As she spoke, the Sensai's onboard AI assistant-also named Sensai- emerged from the ceiling and spat out a single sheet of paper that Mitsuki took.

Before Mitsuki could answer, the communication ended.

Once the Sensai broke into orbit, Mitsuki put the ship onto autopilot, and she stood up to get a better look at Jurai City, something she didn't do last time when she was on the Yagami.

The great Saruki River flowed in from the western mountains and split much of the city into two halves. In the eastern portion of Jurai City, the Saruki then splits into three smaller rivers that empty into the ocean, rendering the land in between islands. Of these, Jiyūshima was the most important, as it housed the National Assembly and its related government departments. Nearby was the island of Tomishima, identified immediately by the massive skyscrapers that cover every square meter of the ground. It was the home of many of the Empire's wealthiest business conglomerates and corporations, including the arms manufacturer Ashigaru Corporation which Mihoshi and Kiyone were in the middle of investigating.

But Mitsuki, a native of Jurai City, was uninterested in those landmarks. Instead, she was looking at a part of the city that bordered the Saruki from the north, right before it divides into three rivers. This was Kanzaki, one of Jurai City's 57 wards, home to 2.2 million working-class residents, and where she grew up before joining the Galaxy Police. Just west of Kanzaki was Shikame, much the same as Kanzaki, but she could see a large, skeletal pyramid structure-one of Jurai City's spaceports.

The Sensai flew over to the spaceport, slowing down as it approached. It touched down on the designated landing space.

Mitsuki immediately descended to the ground, ready to get to work, but was immediately stopped by a guy holding a clipboard.

"Jurai City Spaceport Authority Customs," he introduced. "I need to confirm that you didn't bring any illegal narcotics or substances into the city. Standard procedure."

Immediately, Mitsuki found this person annoying. "I'm a Galaxy Police officer. You know, the people who risk their lives to arrest the people who would smuggle things."

"It's my job to make sure that everyone is vetted before leaving this spaceport, no matter who they are," he countered. "Besides, I hear those control cubes you people carry with you can hold a lot of items in them."

To be singled out for being a potential smuggler explicitly because she was a Galaxy Police officer was going too far. This worthless pencil pusher needed to know his place. So, Mitsuki encouraged with his line of thinking.

"Not only items but living things, too," she said, pulling out her cube from her back pocket. "You know, the person who invented the control cube proved that was the case when he accidentally sucked himself into one of the prototype cubes. His friends managed to pull him out, but let's just say he wasn't exactly in the same state as he went in. Do you want to know more? I can show you what it was like."

"Oh, no thanks," he said, putting his hands up defensively. "You… you can go."

"Why, thank you," Mitsuki said cordially.

One short elevator trip brought Mitsuki down to street level, and she started on her first destination, the nearest JCPD station. Thankfully, as every individual ward was comprised of multiple police precincts, a station was just around the corner from where Mitsuki was walking, literally. Even she couldn't contain her surprise at the discovery as she let herself inside.

As she walked inside, Mitsuki found an officer manning the front desk who was slow to notice her entrance. When she came closer, she saw that his eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles under them. She glanced at the desk to his side and noticed the huge stacks of paperwork on and under it. From her own experience with paperwork, she figured that he had been working nonstop on them for the entire night.

The one thing that kept him going must have been the cup of coffee to the side, which he grabbed and drank in a single motion. He blinked twice, stood up straight, and formally welcomed the detective sergeant.

"Welcome to the Jurai City Police Department station for Shikame's 23rd Precinct! How can I help you?" he asked. His caffeine-induced excitement took Mitsuki by surprise.

Mitsuki fumbled her hands in her pockets until she found that special silver pen that she always brings with her. Pressing the button at one of the ends, shot out a thin screen and lit up, identifying the woman as "Tsukushi, Mitsuki; Detective-Sgt.", and the displaying Galaxy Police's emblem in the background."

"Galaxy Police. I'm investigating the murder of Hayao Kawabata, a Republican Guard," Mitsuki explained. "Ring any bells?"

The officer slowed sat down in his chair again and scratched his head, trying to come up with an answer.

"Kawabata… Kawabata," he said slowly. After scratching his head and hmm-ing for a few seconds, he realized that he had no idea what she was talking about.

Thankfully, he remembered that he had a computer to remember all of the things he couldn't. Now he turned it on and began typing. "Hold on. I'll have to look him up in the database. Let's see. Kawabata, Hayao… ah! He was that Republican Guard that was murdered a few days ago!"

"Yes… I know," Mitsuki said, trying her hardest to be patient. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"Yes, but the thing is, that incident took place in Kanzaki, so it's out of our jurisdiction. Go talk to someone over there if you want to solve the case."

Mitsuki's heart fell into her stomach. Even if Kanzaki was just one ward over, each one was itself the size of a large city, so walking was simply out of the question.

She then remembered that every Galaxy Police patrol cruiser, including the Sensai, was supposed to have a four-seat landspeeder in the cargo bay, and it was street legal, too.

However, she further remembered that after her promotion to the rank of detective sergeant, she had offloaded her landspeeder so she wouldn't have to pay for its operating costs. Of course, at the time, it seemed like the sensible thing to do; it's not like she could drive it to and from the nearest canned coffee machine from her new office or anything like that.

"Oh, but… that's so far away from here! I don't have time to walk," Mitsuki said to the officer. "It'd be a real help if I could get a ride over there. What do you say?"

"We're the JCPD, not a taxi service," he said. "Don't have a landspeeder? Just take the Densha."

"D-Densha," she repeated hesitantly.

The Densha was the intricate system of mag-lev railways that connected Jurai City's 150 million residents with near-instantaneous transport. Better still, it was cheap and reliable; at least, it was reliable most of the time.

Of course, Mitsuki already knew that. The real reason for her hesitation was the fact that she had never actually ridden on one before. Growing up in Kanzaki, everywhere she needed to go was within easy walking distance. The first time she left Kanzaki for any occasion was when she departed the planet Jurai to attend the Galaxy Police Academy.

Detective-Sergeant Tsukushi: a woman who can pilot a spaceship and has tracked down numerous smugglers and space pirates, including the Space Pirate Ryoko, but who has never ridden on a train before. Naturally, Mitsuki kept this a secret from her comrades at the Galaxy Police and anyone else for that matter.

"Of course, the Densha," the officer answered her. "Unless you happened to bring along a jetpack or a big trampoline with you!"

Mitsuki realized that there was no way of talking her way out of the most sensible option available to her.

"Sorry, I don't know my way around here. I'm surprised I even found this station."

The officer pointed his thumb to his right. "The station is just five blocks down from here, that way. It's still morning rush-hour, so just follow the people who look like they're going to work. You can't miss it. Oh, and tell the guys in Kanzaki that Shikame 23rd Precinct says hello, will you?"

Mitsuki nodded to him and walked out the front doors.

---

As the officer said, she couldn't have missed Shikame Station. It was a large, beautiful structure with a flow of people in and out. She entered and followed the signs and arrows to the line that connected Shikame to Kanzaki. She eventually found the line, and it was just past the set of ticket scanners that she- ticket scanners for which she didn't have a ticket to scan.

She realized this too late, however. She had just walked through the machine, and it flashed red and emitted a loud beep. A nearby security guard walked over and stared at Mitsuki with a contemptuous expression.

"I believe you forgot to do something?" he suggested.

Mitsuki fumbled with her pockets, hoping that she would find her trusty check card-the one that collected her salary, that would pay for the ticket she needed. She couldn't find it.

It dawned on her suddenly. She had been stuck doing paperwork in her office at Headquarters as of late. Thus, many of her personal belongings, including the check card, were in her office, not the Sensai. When she was in a rush to get to Jurai City, she forgot to check her office and make sure she had it with her.

Of course, she wouldn't have been in a rush if Mihoshi didn't spook her and make her accidentally blow a hole in the wall of SIFO's base of operations with a high-powered blaster, causing her to run away in embarrassment. That bubblehead sure was something, wasn't she?

Mitsuki's face turned red from embarrassment. "Sorry, I don't have one with me," she said to the security guard.

He sighed and crossed his arms. He had probably heard that thousands of times by now. "You don't have one…"

Hoping to salvage the situation, she took out her pen-badge and showed it to him, hoping he'd be understanding that someone like her wouldn't have a pass. "Is this one good enough?"

He leaned in and carefully inspected the badge and hummed in approval once he realized it was legitimate. "Oh, I thought you were one of them. You know, that was some good work you girls did in the National Assembly. I'll let you off the hook, but make sure you have a pass or ticket next time."

Mitsuki felt somewhat guilty accepting the thanks from him. She indeed disarmed two of the three bombs planted inside the National Assembly-and Kiyone personally ensured the third one went off in a safe area, but it was the JCPD that saved them when they stormed through the front of the building. Then again, the three of them wouldn't have needed saving if Mihoshi didn't make all that noise. How hard could it have been to take down one goon?

Mitsuki then recalled that she was the one who suggested that Mihoshi use CQC and not a dart gun or some other gadget. Was it her fault, then? No, of course, it wasn't. She was joking when she said that; it's Mihoshi's fault for taking it seriously!

Regardless, she was now on her way again. She soon reached the right platform and joined the crowd that was waiting to get on with her. In the background, an automated speaker made an announcement.

"Eastern Metropolitan Line will arrive shortly," it said in a feminine but robotic voice. "Passengers, this is a reminder that all food and drinks are prohibited inside the Densha. Violation will result in fines of up to 100 Ryō."

"One hundred?" Mitsuki repeated to herself in disbelief. She had to wonder if the fines were to deter littering or to profit off the select few ignorant passengers who would always try to get away with sneaking food and drink on board. From her experience in cities on other planets such as Renoir, was inclined to believe it was the latter.

The Densha soon came into view as it exited a tunnel, slowing to a stop at the platform.

"Densha has arrived at the platform," the automated speaker announced as the doors opened. "Passengers, please do not push or shove as you enter a car."

The recommendation fell on deaf ears, as Mitsuki was suddenly being jolted back and forth violently with the wave of people trying to get inside the first one of the cars and claim a seat. Thankfully, as she was near the front of the crowd, Mitsuki was one of the first to get in and score herself a seat.

The doors closed automatically after a few minutes, and the Densha started to move.

"Now departing Shikame Station on the Eastern Metropolitan Line," the automated speaker announced. "The next five stations in order are Kanzaki, Mojiko, Taisho, Aino, Tsuiko."

As they started moving, Mitsuki couldn't shake the feeling that the other passengers were looking at her. It was to be expected, of course; most people don't usually see an officer of the Galaxy Police on their daily commute to work. To take her mind off it, she looked to find something to distract herself, and she soon found it.

Opposite her seat was an old man. He looked to be about in his late 60s or early 70s, but what was more interesting was golden-brown skin, just like Mihoshi's. It suddenly occurred to Mitsuki that this was the first Seniwan that she had seen in this city since arriving, and it perplexed her. Sure, this was Jurai City, but every major metropolis is bound to have residents of every background, including Seniwans. So where were they?

Her train of thought was interrupted when a young, delinquent-looking teenager- with a canned coffee in his hand, walked up to the old man and invaded his privacy.

"Wow, what a surprise!" he said. "I almost can't believe it. A Seniwan in our Jurai city; riding our Densha; eating up our taxes; breathing our air-"

"Taxes?" the old man interrupted. "Young man, you're not even old enough to pay taxes yourself."

The teenager grunted in annoyance. "That doesn't matter! The rest of your kind was smart enough to bolt five years ago, but I guess you've gone senile."

The old man scoffed. It certainly wasn't the first time that someone had started taunting him, and it wouldn't be the last, either. "What's wrong, you're tired of getting picked on at school, so you want to take it out on me?" he taunted back.

"I'm trying to make sense with you, you codger. You don't belong here. You never did! No one's going to miss you if you left, believe me, but we'd all be thankful."

The old man shook his head, sighing. "Take my advice kid, stay in school, and learn to think for yourself, not parrot whatever you see on television." He pointed to the canned coffee he was holding. "And you shouldn't be drinking too much of that stuff, either. You'll get strung out, eventually."

"Hmpf, if you say so." Immediately, he dumped his entire drink, still ice-cold from the vending machine, on the top of the old man's head.

Try as he might, the old man couldn't stop himself from flinching in discomfort. He tried hard as he could up until now, but this was the final straw for him.

"You punk!" he growled. Now, he stood up and tried to throw a punch at the teenager, but he was too slow in his old age, and his fist was caught in the boy's hands.

"Hey, you're attacking me!" he cried out, pretending he was in danger. "Why are you attacking me, Seniwan? Hey, you see this, people? He's showing his real colors!" Then, he shoved him back against his seat and then grabbed at his shoulder.

Mitsuki couldn't believe what she was seeing, but then she remembered what this incident was all about: the war.

She had just enrolled in the Galaxy Police Academy as a cadet alongside Kiyone and Mihoshi when Seniwa declared war on Jurai five years ago. Being so far removed from the conflict, she and most others saw it as inconsequential. It also didn't help that the Juraian Government imposed strict censorship during the war, so real news about what was happening was few and far between. Only when the two sides agreed to peace after a year of fighting was it discovered that the mighty Juraian Empire had somehow lost to Seniwa, or as Emperor Azusa put it, "failed to secure a complete victory."

In this context, Mitsuki realized that ethnic conflicts between Seniwans and Juraians would eventually break out, but they were still happening even four years after the war ended? Shouldn't people have moved on by now?

Regardless, Mitsuki had seen enough. She stood up and grabbed the teenager by his earlobe, pulling back on it back as hard as she could. The teenager immediately shrieked in pain and turned around.

"Ow! Hey, what're you doing that for?" he cried out.

"That's enough out of you!" Mitsuki declared. "I think you'd do well if you followed his advice."

"Why the hell are you defending that Seniwan?" he asked, pointing at the old man. "Or did you forget that you're a Juraian?"

Mitsuki scoffed. "I used to live here, so I'm sure I know who I am. But do you know what else I am? I'm a Galaxy Police Officer, and I happen to work with all kinds of people. Juraians, Seniwans, Renoirans, even Wau! We're all just trying to enjoy our lives, like that man over there. Why are you bothering him?"

"Because he's a Seniwan!" the teenager said hurriedly. "That's all the reason I need!"

Mitsuki let go of his earlobe and shoved him away. She looked around the passenger car. By now, most people were interested in the commotion and were staring intently at them, but they were silent.

She couldn't put it into words, but seeing her fellow Juraians acting so calm about this made it seem like they were complicit, and that rubbed her the wrong way. The Juraian Empire rules half the Galaxy and billions of people, yet these are the citizens of its cosmopolitan heart: grown adults who are letting some kid harass an old man because he has golden-brown skin. It was immature, infuriating, and she couldn't help but say something about it.

"What's wrong with you people?" she called out to them. "Aren't any of you going to stand up and say something? I shouldn't have to fly down from Headquarters to tell this kid what's right and wrong, should I? Should I?!"

Ten seconds passed with complete silence. Nobody stood up, and nobody said anything. Some of them even looked away now.

Then, they slowed to a stop at the Kanzaki Station, and the doors opened; Mitsuki could hardly hear the automated speaker announcing their arrival over her loud voice. Half the passengers stood up and left as if nothing had happened. The old Seniwan man also got up and walked out of the station, and she quickly followed behind him.

"Hey, are you alright? That kid didn't hurt you, did he?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I'm fine, thanks to you," he answered. "It's good to know that not every Juraian out there hates my guts."

Mitsuki nodded. "Are things really this bad for you people down here? I mean, I had no idea."

He shrugged. "Most days aren't as bad as this one. At least I don't usually have coffee soaking my clothes when I get off the Densha."

"Have you thought of moving away?" Mitsuki asked. "You don't deserve this treatment."

"I know I don't, but I've lived in this city since I was about your age. This is my home, not Seniwa, and no Juraian or anyone else can tell me otherwise."

He continued after a pause. "It's just that… this was the first time a kid went after me. Not any adult who could remember the war, but a kid. You know, I think they're starting to teach them to hate us, and that… worries me."

"It's just going to lead to another war," Mitsuki said.

He nodded quickly in agreement. "And there won't be enough sensible people like you around to speak up and stop it."

The last thing Mitsuki expected was to have a discussion of sociopolitics with an old man. She enjoyed it, but she knew her job drew her elsewhere. She patted him on the shoulder and started walking away. "Well, I have somewhere to be. Take care of yourself."

---

Mitsuki had walked out of the Kanzaki Station and was walking down a large street, confident she could remember the location of the closest JCPD Kanzaki Precinct Station. Suddenly, someone quickly approached her from behind and was poking her back with something, a gun, most likely.

The assailant gave orders in an overly masculine tone, obviously a lot deeper than their normal voice. "Alley to your right. Right now."

Mitsuki found herself in a pinch. She had little room to maneuver in the middle of a busy sidewalk, and even if she tried escaping, the chance of her not getting basted through the lower abdomen was astronomically low. She had little choice but to reluctantly follow the order until they went to someone more private.

They turned into the nearest alleyway and then took another right to ensure nobody could see either of them from the street. Eventually, he stopped pushing her forward and they stood alone in the alley.

"So, what's on your mind today?" Mitsuki asked casually. "Excluding the earrings, I'm wearing about a million Ryō worth of equipment right now, but who do you plan on selling it to? Or, you're not thinking of the other thing, are you?"

Her mind was racing as she stalled for time. This was one of the tricky scenarios covered in the Advanced CQC class at Galaxy Police Academy. However, the specific countermeasure she was thinking of wasn't an officially sanctioned technique. In truth, it was very situational-including the fact that it only worked against men. However, Mitsuki felt that the situation called for it, and she breathed in heavily and exhaled, thus relaxing her muscles. Meanwhile, the person behind her was in the middle of giving a command.

"Set that gun you have in your holster on the ground and-".

To his complete surprise, Mitsuki's body went limp and she immediately flopped onto the ground. If he were expecting a move, it certainly wasn't the one that happened.

"What the-"?

It was that brief moment of confusion that Mitsuki was counting on. She had fallen backward and under the man, her head being in between the man's legs. The target was now right in front of her, and she punched it as hard as she could. He was immobilized instantly, and he dropped his gun as he tumbled to the ground with both hands clutched in-between his legs.

"A decent idea, but a very bad choice of target," Mitsuki declared triumphantly as she stood up. She pressed her foot against his shoulder and pushed him over onto his back to see his face. "You're under arrest for attempted armed…"

She was too surprised to finish her sentence. Her assailant was middle-aged, with strands of grey mixed in with the rest of his short black hair. She had seen him before, although last time, he was wearing a much more regal outfit. Regular brown and black clothes couldn't compare to the colorful blue and gold uniform of the Republican Guard.

"Junichiro Yoritomo?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's my name," he said, pain expressed with every word. "And you're Mitsuki, right?"

"It's Detective-Sergeant Tsukushi, actually," she corrected, extending a hand to help him up.

"Oh, so I was right. I remembered Mitsuki was the haughty one."

She immediately retracted her hand and waited for him to get up himself, which he did after a long minute.

Even after standing up, he had to lean on the nearest wall to keep steady. "Good thing I already have a son, or else… There was no need to punch that hard!"

"There was no need to rob me, either," she countered. She picked up the gun off the ground. "Where did you even find this?"

As she examined and felt the gun, however, she discovered it was cheap plastic, not metal. The trigger was also orange, clearly signifying it was a toy.

Finally recovered from the pain, Junichiro pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Mitsuki to take back the gun.

"I found this while browsing the flea market here in Kanzaki," he said. "I wanted to see how far I could get with just a single Ryō." To demonstrate, he picked up the gun off the ground and pointed it at Mitsuki's head.

Mitsuki couldn't help flinching when he pulled the trigger, but instead of a plasma bolt boring through her head, confetti blew off the barrel, as well as a tiny banner that read "Sucker!"

Mitsuki covered her forehead in embarrassment. She was a detective sergeant; she should've known that it was a toy from just the plastic texture of the gun itself!

Her mind then wandered momentarily. She could imagine what Kiyone and Mihoshi would say if they found out what happened to her.

"You got fooled by an old man with a toy? What an idiot!" Kiyone declared.

"Can you still call yourself a detective sergeant after that, Mitsuki?" Mihoshi chimed in. "Maybe Airi made a mistake choosing-"

Mitsuki's daydreaming was interrupted by Junichiro, who tossed the toy gun away into the nearest open garbage can. "Looks like it was money well spent," he said.

Disappointed with herself, Mitsuki started walking away without saying anything. While Junichiro did just commit a crime by holding her up, solving Hayao Kawabata's murder was much higher on her priority list.

"Hey, wait for me!" Junichiro said as he ran over to Mitsuki again.

Back on the street, the detective-sergeant noticed that he was following her again. Realizing that he wasn't going to go away, she decided to ask him a question. "So, what exactly were you doing up there in Headquarters? Did you speak with the superintendent?"

"Oh no, I didn't speak with her," Junichiro answered. "I didn't need to."

Mitsuki tilted her head, clearly wanting him to elaborate on what he meant.

"It's like this, you see. I have a son, Yusuke. He joined the Galaxy Police a few years ago, but he hasn't talked to me that much since then. The nerve! So I just thought that I could just go to where he is and see what happens."

"And what happened?"

"Well, they told me Yusuke is patrolling some asteroid field in the middle of nowhere fast, and he's not available. What can I say? At least I tried."

"I'm sure you'll get your chance eventually," Mitsuki said.

Junichiro hummed in agreement. "And what are you doing here yourself? Work?"

"Yes. I need to solve a murder. Hayao Kawabata, a Republican Guard just like you."

Instantly Junichiro gasped in shock. "He's dead?!"

A few people in the moving crowd made curious glances at them.

Junichiro cleared his throat and asked again quieter this time. "You're sure that he's dead?"

"I wouldn't be here if he were still alive," she explained. "I don't know the details, but the Superintendent wants me to work with the JCPD and look into it, maybe find a connection to Kagato."

"I see. Detective Sergeant, do you think you let me help you with this investigation of yours?"

"Help me? What for?"

"Hayao Kawabata was one of my best friends," he explained. "Bringing his killer to justice is the least I can do to honor him."

Mitsuki sounded unconvinced by his appeal. "Even if I wanted you around, don't you already have a full-time job? There's no way you have the time to help me."

"I quit the Republican Guard."

"You did?" she asked, struggling to believe that. "What for?"

"I've heard the National Assembly has switched their meeting place to one of the hotels in Tomishima. They stuffed a battalion of police inside and turned the building into a makeshift fortress, but where do I fit in? So, I just turned in everything they gave me."

"Interesting story, but I'm not deputizing you," Mitsuki said. "I can't imagine a newly-unemployed old man would pass for even a mediocre detective."

"Maybe not, but hear me out. I'm very well acquainted with Hayao's wife, Keiko Kawabata. She's a very private person, not someone who opens up to new people easily. But I'm sure she'd be comfortable enough to tell you whatever you want if I were there with you."

Mitsuki sighed. He did appear to be slightly useful now, but she still didn't want him around. It was as a matter of principle: having to work with JCPD is one thing, but him? This detective sergeant had standards to uphold!

She glanced at him again, ready to flatly turn him down and be on her way. However, he was looking at her with a determined look on his face. It was clear that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Oh… fine," she said finally. "I'll deputize you, but you're going to follow every single order I give you. Understand?"

"Absolutely," he answered. "Oh, and won't I need a badge of office? How about a weapon? I'm sure you have a spare gun in that cube of yours."

She now took out her control cube and started twisting it. "That'd be against regulations, but I might still have something you can have."

She took out a blue hat, the standard-issue one that many Galaxy Police officers wear, including Mihoshi, and handed it to Junichiro.

"You can borrow this until we're finished. Not technically a badge, but good enough."

Junichiro nodded after putting on the hat. "Thank you. So, what should we call ourselves? Every investigative duo needs a name. What about 'Yori-Kushi Investigations'?"

She answered immediately. "It's 'Kushi-Yori', or I'm taking the hat back."

He shrugged. "Fine. Kushi-Yori."

---

The newly-formed "Kushi-Yori Investigations" arrived at the JCPD Kanzaki Precinct Station. Inside the front lobby, they found an officer sitting at a desk to greet visitors. Unlike the one in Shikame-who needed coffee before they could spring into action, this officer was simply sleeping on the side of his desk, and Mitsuki had to bang her fist hard on it to get his attention.

"The hell?" he asked, clearly not appreciating the interruption. He quickly changed his tune when the woman who woke him up identified herself with a Galaxy Police pen-badge. "Oh, sorry. Welcome to Kanzaki's 8th Precinct Station, GP. How can I help you?"

"I'm here to look into the murder of Hayao Kawabata," Mitsuki said. "I was told Kanzaki Precinct would help me. Also, Shikame's 23rd Precinct says hello."

"Those guys in Shikame can bite me for all I care! The last time I was off-duty over there, I swear one of them stole my sandwich! It was in my hands one moment, and the next, I saw that fat bastard eating it right in front of me! I still don't even know how he did it!"

"Are you sure this wasn't in your dream that I interrupted?" she asked.

"You don't believe me either," he mumbled in annoyance. The officer began working his computer, trying to look up the Hayao Kawabata case in the database. He entered a key into the computer, and to his side, a printer rapidly spat out several pages that he collected onto a clipboard before handing them to Mitsuki.

"Anyway, there's the full Kawabata case report for you. In summary, we got a call at four in the morning the day after the Kagato Incident about someone finding a body in the Saruki River. We fished him out, and it turned out to be Kawabata."

"Do we have any suspects?" Mitsuki asked.

"None at the moment," he answered, and then looked curiously at Junichiro, who was reading the report over Mitsuki's shoulder. "By the way, who're you?"

Junichiro sprung in surprise. "Huh? Oh, you couldn't tell from the hat? I'm her deputy."

"But who are you?"

Junichiro shrugged. "A Juraian; someone with too much time on their hands; an ex-husband and father; what else am I forgetting?"

Mitsuki finished skimming through the report. "The most important one: an old man."

Junichiro grunted in annoyance. "I resent that. Forty-seven is not old!"

"Of course you'd say that," Mitsuki said before addressing the officer. "This report says that Mrs. Kawabata has been uncooperative with the police."

"Apparently. Her residence is within Kanzaki's 12th precinct, so it's not like I have firsthand knowledge as to why she doesn't want to talk. Probably still shook up over losing her husband, if you ask me. If you two want to try talking to her, go ahead."

Mitsuki nodded. "I'd like to take a look at Mr. Kawabata himself. Do you know where I can find his body?"

The officer went back to typing and came up with the answer. "The morgue you're looking for is on 45th street. It's a little far from here, though. Might want to take a taxi, or maybe the chibi-Densha."

Nicknamed by residents who thought the official name wasn't good enough, the "chibi-Densha" was similar to the full-sized ones that Mitsuki just used to get to Kanzaki. However, the chibi-Densha runs on smaller rails that run through most major streets alongside regular traffic, perfect for those without a landspeeder to drive. Funnily enough, Mitsuki could still remember seeing the "primitive" Terrans having the exact transportation in their cities, though she didn't realize the coincidence at the time.

"Chibi-Densha, sure," Mitsuki said. They walked out of the station and immediately identified the rail for the chibi-Densha on the street they walked up. They found the nearest chibi-Densha drop-off and waited for the next locomotive to come along. After a few minutes, it arrived. True to its name, the chibi-Densha was markedly thinner than the full-sized ones.

The doors opened once they came to a full stop, but to Mitsuki's disappointment, she found that the chibi-Densha also costs money to ride. There was a machine that accepted Ryō coins on the spot or a scanner that accepted passes. Of course, Mitsuki wasn't in a position to use either option, so she turned around to Junichiro.

"You don't happen to have any money, do you?" she asked.

"Well aren't you a greedy lech, asking an unemployed person for money," he said in a chastising tone. "And I thought the Galaxy Police paid their officers big time, detective-sergeants especially!"

"You quit your job voluntarily, so you're not allowed to say 'I'm getting taken advantage of'," Mitsuki countered. For the preservation of her sanity, Mitsuki wanted to keep the fact that she forgot her check card on Headquarters a secret. "Now cough up a few Ryō, deputy."

Junichiro grunted while he reluctantly reached into his pocket and pulled out enough money to pay for both of their tickets. He did, after all, agree to follow every single order she gave him as a deputy. "Sure, sure, it's not like I need to eat, or anything."

After paying, they took their seats and continued on their journey. They got off on the stop closest to 45th street and took a short walk to the morgue, a building with dull architecture and color that gave an idea of the grim occupation one needed to work inside.

As they walked inside the building, a man wearing a thin white coat and a thick pair of glasses walked in sight to greet them. "We were called by the JCPD that you two would want to see a certain Mr. Hayao Kawabata," he said.

"Yes, we're investigating his murder," Mitsuki said.

"Very good. Follow me."

They followed the doctor into a large room off to the side. Inside, the walls consisted of storage units that went up the ceiling. One body had already been taken out of their unit and was sitting in the middle of the room. Junichiro took the initiative walked over to the body. He lifted the cloth sheath covering his face.

"Oh… it is Hayao," he said sadly. "That's just too bad."

The doctor brushed aside the curious man. He grabbed the tarp and collected it in his hands, exposing the corpse for the three of them to see. They all immediately noticed the stab wounds in his chest.

"Yes, you can clearly see the problem," the doctor said. "Six in total which punctured the heart and lungs."

He walked to the other side and motioned for them to follow. They discovered a large bruise on his head. "At the same time, however, this is interesting. From the bruise, he must've been hit hard on the head with some sort of object. Perhaps it was a sharp or brittle object, as well. You can see cuts in and around the bruise. "

"There were no toxins or narcotics in his system?" Mitsuki asked.

"None at all. This was a simple, quick, and brutal death, unfortunately."

She nodded slowly. "Alright, I've seen enough of this. Thank you."

---

Their next step was to interview Keiko Kawabata. With Junichiro's directions, they escaped the metal jungle of central Kanzaki and arrived in a more well-off neighborhood. Here, between the clean, narrow streets were houses instead of apartment complexes, and they cordoned off with low walls. It was the typical Juraian suburbia idolized in the movies.

As they walked up to the door, Junichiro spoke to Mitsuki. "As I said, I'm good friends with Mrs. Kawabata. Let me handle the talking."

"Suit yourself," Mitsuki said, pressing the doorbell.

There was no answer. After twenty seconds, Mitsuki pressed the doorbell again.

"She's… here, right?" she asked.

"Of course she's here. The episode would have to be postponed, otherwise," Junichiro explained.

"Right. Wait… what did you just-?"

Keiko Kawabata opened the door before Mitsuki could finish her question. She was a woman appearing in her early forties. She wore a plain white kimono, and her black hair in a bun held by chopsticks. Her expression was faint, almost nonexistent. However, try as she might, it was clear to both Mitsuki and Junichiro that she was still recovering from the death of her husband.

"Oh, Mr. Yoritomo," she said softly. "What a surprise."

Junichiro bowed to her and started speaking. "Mrs. Kawabata, I'm sorry that I didn't contact you sooner, but I was just busy with… errands of mine."

"Errands," Mitsuki repeated sarcastically, knowing full well he was stretching the truth by referring to getting stabbed and sent to the hospital as errands.

"Yes, errands," he repeated. "And, of course, my condolences to you for the death of Hayao. He was a damn good friend, and I miss him already."

"Thank you," Keiko said, bowing in return. Then, she looked curiously at the woman next to him. "And who are you?"

"A detective in the Galaxy Police," he explained. "She's come to help solve this murder case."

Mitsuki took out her badge pen and showed it off before speaking.

"I understand you're still grieving, but I need to know everything I can about if I'm going to bring Hayao's murderer to justice," she said. "Is that alright?"

Keiko nodded. "Yes. It's alright. Both of you, please come in."

Unlike the metallic and futuristic rooms found in Galaxy Police headquarters, the Kawabata residence was very traditional and conservative. The floors were wooden and, the rooms were divided by thin shōji doors.

"For a house in such a nice neighborhood, I was expecting something more… modern," Mitsuki commented.

Keiko smiled faintly. "My family has lived in this house for generations, long before Jurai City came about."

After taking their shoes off near the door, they walked into the tea room.

"Mrs. Kawabata, you don't mind if I look around your home?" Mitsuki asked. "Just a precaution, I'm not suggesting you're involved."

"Please, go ahead," Keiko said. "I'll prepare some tea for the three of us in the meantime."

"Thank you," Mitsuki answered. "Where is the master bedroom?"

Keiko pointed to her left. "Farthest room on the right."

Mitsuki bowed to Keiko as the housewife walked out of sight.

As with the rest of the rooms, several tatami mats comprised the floor. Instead of beds, there were two futons on the tatami. Out of curiosity, Mitsuki picked one of them up to feel the soft fabric, but something else caught her eye.

There was a small, thin incision in the tatami, only a couple centimeters in length. She committed this discovery to memory and continued scanning the room.

The first area that came to attention was a closet door. Curiously, the closet was divided into thirds, with the middle third being much smaller than the other two.

"What's the partition for?" she wondered.

"I'd say that's where Hayao stored his uniform."

Junichiro had snuck up behind her, and Mitsuki couldn't help but give out a small "eek?" before turning around.

She cleared her throat, pretending not to be scared. "Uniform?"

"Yeah. We were responsible for taking care of our uniforms. Take them home and personally wash them. If we didn't, we'd get reprimanded by the captain of the guard."

"I thought you were going to handle the talking with Keiko," she said.

"Preparing tea is a solitary thing for her, and I thought I could help find whatever you were looking for.

Mitsuki sighed. "Don't touch anything. I mean it."

Junichiro scoffed. "I'm not a kid, you know."

Mitsuki moved away to inspect the rest of the room, but it didn't seem to have any other oddities to pick up on. Everything was neat and tidy, not surprising since Keiko stayed home. It was then that Junichiro started mumbling to himself.

"Hm. Interesting…".

"What is?" Mitsuki asked, walking over to investigate. He was standing in front of a table with two large, ornate vases on it.

He pointed right at the vases in question. "Do you see what's wrong here?"

"No, they look normal to me."

He shrugged. "I figured you'd say that. Most people don't have any appreciation for pottery, but I happen to have a lot of spare time on my hands. Anyway, notice how the patterns are in different colors? Each one is supposed to represent the three Choushin. Red is Tokimi, green is Washu, and blue is Tsunami. But the blue one isn't here."

"So?" Mitsuki asked impatiently.

"So, it's incomplete. The whole idea is that you're supposed to have all three vases next to each other. I mean, imagine forgetting to put your pants on, or maybe even you pan… ahem. The point is, this is incomplete."

"I'm supposed to believe this is important?" Mitsuki pressed.

"I think so. It's just strange to me; Keiko is the type of woman who should be on top of this sort of thing."

Mitsuki picked up the red vase and carefully examined the beautiful, hand-painted artwork as if therein lay the answer to the anomaly.

"There may well have been a vase here up until very recently," she proposed. "Mrs. Kawabata could've just broken it and threw the pieces in the garbage."

Junichiro shook his head and took the vase from Mitsuki to inspect it himself. "I imagine these vases are family heirlooms, seeing as the rest of the house is. I doubt she'd be careless enough to break an antique this valuable."

"Accidents happen all the time," Mitsuki said. "I'd know. I have a friend whose middle name might as well be 'accident'."

"Maybe… maybe," Junichiro said slowly.

He stepped outside the room to see Keiko was already making final preparations in the tea room. "Oh, looks like she's about ready to serve us tea. This is your chance to ask her some questions."

Silently, both of them walked into the tea room. Keiko was holding a teapot in both hands as she emerged from behind a corner. She now knelt between them and carefully poured tea into their cups. The two guests bowed to their host before.

"Did you find what you were looking for, detective-sergeant?" Keiko asked after a minute.

"Oh, no. I didn't expect to," Mitsuki answered, taking a slow sip. "I was just checking off a prerequisite in my investigation. I'm sure you understand."

A few minutes passed before Mitsuki finished drinking her tea. Then, she reached for her earring, which happens to be her control cube when not used. The small piece of jewelry quickly took its cubical shape, and she twisted it to take out a hand-sized notepad. With her pen, she tried to get the ink flowing by scribbling down on the corner of the paper, but it wouldn't come out at all. She'd forgotten that courtesy of R&D, the so-called "pen-badges" couldn't be used for writing. "Too complicated for mass production." they once claimed. Mitsuki had to get a real pen out of her cube.

"Mrs. Kawabata," she started. "I heard you turned down the JCPD's request for an interview, but I was hoping you'd change your mind for me."

Keiko skipped a breath. "You want to ask me questions? I... I..."

Junichiro intervened. "Hey, it's okay. She won't ask anything too personal. Just enough for her to do her all want to see Hayao's murderer brought to justice, but you're the only one who can set us on that path. Please."

Keiko looked at Junichiro and "Very well. I'll answer any questions you have for me."

"Good," Mitsuki said. "First, when was the last time you saw your husband?"

Keiko was slow to respond but answered firmly. "It was the morning before all the… that happened at the National Assembly. We had breakfast together as always, and then he left for the day.

"Exactly what time was that?"

"It must have been between 7:25 and 7:30 in the morning, just like always."

Junichiro chimed in now. "The Republican Guard at the National Assembly must be present by exactly 8 in the morning. Hayao would probably need at least 20 minutes to walk to the Kanzaki Station to catch the Densha to Jiyushima."

Mitsuki nodded. "Before he left, did you notice anything unusual or suspicious about Hayao? Was he acting strange? Did he behave differently near you or treat you differently? Anything at all?"

"No. Hayao acted the same as always."

"Did your husband have any rivals? Enemies? Someone who would want to hurt him?"

"No!" Keiko answered, surprised in her voice. "Everyone he knew adored him, including Mr. Yoritomo here. He had no enemies whatsoever."

"I see," Mitsuki said. She had exhausted the list of questions she was taught at the Academy to ask in this situation, but there was still one more on her mind. She grabbed her cube again and brought out a single sheet of paper. It was the facial composite she had gotten on the Sensai.

"Final question. This is a facial composite by the JCPD of the man who had been wearing your husband's uniform. Do you recognize this man?"

Keiko's eyes shot wide open, and her breathing seemed to skip a rhythm. However, she answered, "No, I don't recognize him at all."

"Alright then. Alright," Mitsuki said as she finalized her notes.

Keiko bowed deeply to the detective sergeant. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful to you."

"It's alright, Mrs. Kawabata," Mitsuki said reassuringly. "The Galaxy Police does not allow any crime to go unpunished. I will find who killed Hayao. I can personally promise you that."

Mitsuki stood up and bowed once again to Keiko.

"I'll have to report back to the JCPD and continue my investigation from there. If we uncover any new information, you'll be the first to learn of it."

Junichiro concurred. "You can rest easy with a GP on the case. Stay strong, Keiko. Please."

Keiko stood up. "I will. Thank you both for what you are doing."

All three bowed to each other, and Mitsuki and Junichiro walked out of the house.

The duo was silent until they were out of earshot of the Kawabata residence.

"That went pretty well, I think," Junichiro said. "Keiko at least seems to be doing fine, given the circumstances."

Mitsuki hummed in agreement. However, Junichiro then stopped and grabbed Mitsuki by her shoulder.

"Hold on. There's something I want to check."

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry, I just can't stop thinking about that missing vase. It's bothering me, and I want to find it for some closure."

"We've figured that she threw it out, but what are you going to do, dig it out of the garbage?"

"Sure. It's right there, anyway."

He pointed to the large, grey community garbage bin to the side of them.

Mitsuki glanced at the bin and looked at Junichiro, mouth ajar in disbelief. "You're not going to go and…"

"Why not? Afraid of getting your hands dirty?"

"No, I wouldn't... mind, doing that," she said unenthusiastically. "But it's your idea, so go ahead."

Mitsuki waved him to investigate the bin. She hoped he would just give up in a minute, and they would both be on their way again, but she heard a commotion as Junichiro gave a surprised "What the...?!".

She rushed over to see what was happening. Junichiro had discovered there was a man inside the bin. From his ragged clothes, he was clearly homeless, and Junichiro had just woken up him from his unsanitary slumber.

"Hey, buddy, what're ya doin' bothering me? Garbage day is tomorrow, moron!" he said, startled by Junichirio's interruption.

"I noticed, but inside a garbage bin?" Junichiro asked. "What's wrong with a temple? They'd take you in."

"No, no, no. That won't do at all. I just got out of a temple. Too many people! Too noisy! And they make you clean the floors and shine their stupid statues every day, too. All I want is somewhere to sleep. Now go away already!"

"I'm sorry, but I need to look in here for something," Junichiro said. "You'll have to get out for a little while."

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that again! You two are just trying to steal my spot, but I tell ya, it's not gonna happen!"

"Say what you want about him, but do I look like a homeless person to you?" Mitsuki asked, pointing at the man accusingly.

"Listen, we're trying to solve a murder," Junichiro said. "We don't want to steal anything. Come on, just get out already."

"Actually, I'm the one trying to solve a murder, and you're the one trying to find a broken vase," Mitsuki chimed in.

The man would have none of it. "No means no! This here is the only nice place I could find, and I won't let you steal it from me!"

Mitsuki had run out of patience. Drawing her gun, she moved closer and grabbed the man's face, and shoveled her weapon in his mouth.

"Out. Now."

Through garbled and incomprehensible speech, he made it clear he changed his mind. After Mitsuki graciously removed the gun from his mouth, he stood up and jumped out of the bin, and started walking away barefoot.

"Well, I'll be. The people around here are just crazy! Fine, take the bin. I might just go back to the temple if it means getting away from people like you!"

Mitsuki took off the glove on her left hand— revealing the spare one she wore under it—and used the first it as a handkerchief to clean the saliva off her weapon.

"That's was a bit much, don't you think?" Junichiro asked.

"Thank you, is what you mean to say. Now hurry up with your stupid scavenger hunt," she said as she finished cleaning her weapon. She tossed the dirty glove into the bin.

Shrugging, he put his hat on the ground and jumped inside. He tossed several bags out onto the ground and got out to sift through them.

"Keiko is one of those people who use beige garbage bags, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one of them," he said, ripping into one of the bags.

"What a suspiciously specific thing to know," Mitsuki said.

"I guess saying I was well-acquainted with the Kawabatas was somewhat of an understatement," Junichiro answered. "I meant that I used to visit them for dinner once every week. I was more or less a member of the family."

"A freeloader, you mean," she asserted.

He ignored that remark as he found the last beige bags out of the garbage bin. "If Keiko threw the vase out, it would be in one of these bags."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

Meanwhile, Junichiro continued. He ripped open one of the beige bags on the ground and immediately began sifting through the rubbish. Nothing. As he did so, Mitsuki was unconsciously backing away from him. His hands were starting to get very, very dirty from rummaging through all this rubbish. Frankly, she wouldn't want to do that even while wearing gloves.

"You are not to touch me with those hands of yours until you get them washed, deputy," Mitsuki said sternly.

"Understandable," he replied. "Oh, I think I found it!"

Mitsuki walked over to investigate his findings. Indeed, she could see a few pieces of porcelain sticking out of one of the bags. Junichiro spread it out more and found more pieces including the vase's thin, upper neck.

Junichiro gathered all the pieces in his hands and held them out to Mitsuki, being careful to not touch her hands in the process as instructed. "Here you go."

"Great work, deputy," she said with an obvious bit of sarcasm. "So what am I supposed to do with this junk?" she asked.

Junichiro opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He realized that he didn't have anything to say.

"I… I didn't think about that. Sorry, I guess I was just caught up in trying to find it."

Mitsuki took the large neck of the vase in her hand and stared at it. She found it strange that this was intact, but the part of the object that would be below it was completely shattered. This alone wasn't too much to be suspicious about, but then she thought back to that strange cut in the tatami mat; both that and the vase were in the bedroom. Could something have happened in there? Was the old man actually getting onto something?

"Let me have them," she said.

Junichiro raised his eyebrow in surprise, but obliged her and dropped the remaining pieces into her hands, careful not to disobey her order not to touch her. She then clutched them against her body as she used her cube to store them in subspace.

Mitsuki nodded. "Let's get back to the JCPD Station."

---

The officer at the front desk of the 8th Precinct Station was surprised to see the two of them return so quickly.

"Oh, you two are back already," he said. "What did you learn from Mrs. Kawabata?"

"Enough," Mitsuki answered. She then took out her control cube and took out the broken vase pieces. "More importantly, I want you to take these to your forensics lab immediately. Analyze them for DNA."

"Hold on, what is this?" he asked. "Pieces of a vase?"

"It's evidence," she corrected him. "Go and analyze it."

He looked at her with a puzzled, almost bewildered look on his face. But the longer he looked into the detective sergeant's unyielding, unflinching face, he realized she was serious.

"Right, sure," he said, taking the pieces in his hands. "Won't be ten minutes for results to come back."

Before he could be on his way, he glanced at Junichiro and sniffed the air. "And where've you been, a landfill?"

"Close enough. Where's the washroom?"

"I'll show you. Come on."

They both walked out of sight. To kill time, Mitsuki wandered around and eventually found one of the recreation rooms close to the lobby. Nobody was inside at the moment, so she let herself in. She sat down at a chair close to a television that was already on.

JHK-Republic, Jurai City's primary news source, was currently on. She found the remote and was about to change the channel to something more interesting when breaking news caught her attention. She did not expect Lieutenant Ryoji Ishizuka was on television in another news interview.

"You know, something terrible happened today," a reporter said. "The CEO of Ashigaru Corporation died in a suicide today. Were you aware of that?"

"What?" Mitsuki said out loud.

"Oh, that?" Ishizuka said uncomfortably. "Well, I heard that he died. And… well, I saw that he died too. I mean, I was standing near the Ashigaru Building when he… well, I saw someone's shadow on top of me and I saw him... Well, I-I got out of the way in time… actually, someone pushed me out of the way. Nishimura collided with the ground with a lot of erm… noise. It wasn't a pretty sight, I'll just say that."

Mitsuki had heard enough and muted the television. She didn't know what Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Ryoji were up to, but it probably didn't include killing the CEO of the company they were investigating. It is inconsequential to her, however. She had her mission to worry about first.

Meanwhile, Junichiro had just walked out of the washroom, still rubbing his thoroughly cleaned hands. On his way back to the front lobby, he walked past an officer with his back toward him as he was operating a vending machine. Suddenly, that officer had grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around to face him. He immediately noticed that the officer was wearing a fancier uniform than the rank and file JCPD officers-with pauldrons covering the shoulders. If he had to guess, he was probably the commander for this precinct.

Of course, Junichiro knew he had a name, too.

"You haven't aged a day, Kayabuki," Junichiro said calmly.

The commander ignored the compliment and stared menacingly at him. It was abundantly clear that he wasn't happy with his presence.

"What...are you doing here?" Kayabuki asked slowly.

"I need a reason? How about 'I was bored and wanted something to do?'," he answered.

"You have a lot of nerve showing yourself around here, Yoritomo. Don't think I forgot."

"If you did, I'd be very disappointed."

Kayabuki grunted in annoyance. His fists clenched, but he didn't make any moves toward him. After all, he had committed no crime by simply walking inside his station. Junichiro knew that too and took the opportunity to tell him something.

"Tell me Kayabuki, how is it- that feeling of futility?" he asked. "Doesn't it make you angry? Make you want to kill me?"

The commander had enough. He turned around and walked away from him in a hurry to his step.

Junichiro shook his head as he continued on his way. "Hasn't changed a bit."

Mitsuki heard Junichiro return, and she stood up to meet him in the hallway. Junichiro, however, was the first to speak.

"So I was wondering just now, why did you bring along that broken vase I fished out of the garbage and make them scan it? Even I could tell you it's a piece of junk."

Mitsuki looked at him, unsure how she should answer.

"Answer this," she said eventually. "That person who stabbed you, did you notice any cuts or stains on the uniform? That is, Hayao's Uniform?"

Junichiro was surprised by the seemingly random question. "No. It looked the same as all the others. The captain of the guard would've noticed immediately."

Mitsuki nodded. "Mrs. Kawabata told us that she last saw her husband walk out of the house the day Kagato attacked. Tell me, do you think he would have been wearing his uniform before he arrived at the National Assembly?"

"Naturally. There's no room to change at the National Assembly, so we'd have to wear the uniforms to and from work."

Mitsuki nodded again. "Hayao Kawabata was stabbed to death, but Keiko's answer implies that it must've happened after leaving the house. But if he was already wearing his uniform, then why are there no cuts or bloodstains on it?"

Junichiro scratched his head. "Oh. That's… that's a good question. Maybe he got knocked out and had his uniform stolen off him before he got killed."

"Knocking him unconscious, stripping him, stabbing him, and dumping the body in the Saruki, all in broad daylight in the largest city in the Empire, and all without witnesses or evidence? That sounds like it would take a lot of time for our would-be murderer. Answer this: was 'Hayao' late arriving at work?"

"No. Hayao was right on time, just like always," he said. He suddenly realized that he had disproven his own theory. "Well, there must still be a way this all makes sense, right?"

"There is," Mitsuki said coldly. She felt like saying the rest of what she was thinking about, but she didn't need to. Junichiro knew what she was implying, and he clearly didn't like it. His eyes swung wide open, and he grabbed Mitsuki by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Don't you dare say that," he said, with a desperate tone in his voice. "Keiko didn't do it. She... I know her too well. She loved Hayao with every fiber of her being. There's no way it was her. It's… it's impossible, damn it!"

Mitsuki pinched Junichiro's hands off her. "If they find Hayao's blood on that vase, that's all the evidence we need. That proves that she hit him with it, which explains the bruise on his head."

They waited some minutes before that officer returned with the results. Commander Kayabuki from earlier came back with them. He was holding with a clipboard and paper that was probably a copy of the test results.

"Pleased to meet you, detective sergeant. I'm Commander Kayabuki. We just finished analyzing those vase pieces you gave us, and we found traces of blood with DNA that matches that of Hayao Kawabata."

Junichiro, completely dejected from hearing the results, backed up against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor. "No… that can't be. She… she killed him? No, she must've been framed, or something. She couldn't have done it."

"Framed or not, we know she's involved," Mitsuki said. "Commander Kayabuki, Mrs. Kawabata might know something about the Kagato incident. I'm going to bring her to Galaxy Police Headquarters."

Kayabuki nodded. "I'll round up a squad for you, just in case." He glanced over at Junichiro. "And it looks like you're not needed anymore."

Junichiro shook his head and stood up in an instant. "Forget the results. I won't believe it until I hear it from her mouth. I'm coming with you."

Kayabuki folded his arms. "The last thing we are civilians getting in the way of our job."

Mitsuki intervened, patting Junichiro on the shoulder. "If the situation requires it, Deputy Yoritomo has my permission to get caught in our crossfire if that's what he wants. Let's go."

---

Night had fallen over Jurai City by the time Mitsuki and her newfound comrades drove over to the Kawabata residence. They had parked their landspeeders down the street and quietly approached the Kawabata residence.

Upon reaching the front steps, Mitsuki turned around and whispered to the JCPD officers behind her.

"Remember, I need Mrs. Kawabata alive. Don't shoot unless she attacks you."

One of the officers didn't appreciate being ordered around by the detective sergeant. "How about you let us do our jobs, GP? We know how to run this city."

Mitsuki scoffed. "If by 'run', you mean your policy of 'shoot first, win big-publicity lawsuit later', then sure, you're doing a great job. Just shut up and do what I say, and you can go right back to scratching your itchy trigger fingers as soon as I'm gone."

They all turned back around and walked up to the door, and started loudly banging on it.

"Police!" she announced. "Police, open up!"

Keiko Kawabata, wearing just her nightgown, quickly opened the door.

"Detective-sergeant!" she said, almost losing her composure amid her excitement. "What happened? Did you discover who murdered my husband?"

She glanced at the JCPD officers behind Mitsuki. "Why, you brought so much company with you this time. What's going on?"

"I kept my promise, Mrs. Kawabata," Mitsuki said, looking at her with unflinching eyes. "We found out who it was."

She then took out the pair of handcuffs she was hiding behind her, and Keiko instinctively backed away in fear.

"No… no. Nonono."

"I figured it all out," Mitsuki said. "It happened early in the morning before Hayao could leave for work, instead of after. First, you tried stabbing him while he was still asleep, but he woke up at the last moment. I was wondering why there was a hole in the tatami mat, you know."

"No…"

Mitsuki continued. "Obviously, he tried fighting back, but you grabbed the vase representing Tsunami off the nearby table and smashed it on his head."

"N-no, I…"

"He didn't stand a chance once you stunned him," Mitsuki interrupted. "Then, you took his uniform out of the closet and gave both it and his body to one of Kagato's henchmen."

Shocked, Keiko couldn't hold back her tears anymore. "I… I-I… I didn't! I loved him! How could you possibly say something so awful?!"

Mitsuki scoffed and put away her handcuffs. She held out a hand behind her head. "Give it to me."

Immediately, one of the JCPD officers procured a flashlight-shaped object and handed it to her.

"You know what this does?" she asked Keiko. "The light will detect traces of blood, even after washing it away, and even if you can't see it with the naked eye."

Mitsuki pointed the light down on the floor between them. As expected, there were large splotches on the otherwise spotless floor that went back into the house. The JCPD officer couldn't help but let a small collective gasp escape them.

"That wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?" Mitsuki asked. She turned off the flashlight and handed it back. "We also found blood on that vase you threw in the garbage. My new friends here were generous enough to run it through the DNA test for me."

She held out her hand again, and this time, she got a single piece of paper on a clipboard.

"I brought the results for you," she said, handing it to her. "Who's blood does it say it belongs to?"

Keiko quickly skimmed the paper as ordered, but her eyes opened wide, and she dropped the clipboard on the floor. "Hayao…" she said slowly.

Mitsuki nodded. "That's right. Hayao. So let me ask you a question, Mrs. Kawabata: how could you do something so awful?"

Keiko threw the clipboard on the floor and turned away from them. "No! I didn't… I-I… I'm being framed! Kagato is framing me!"

"That's something the Galaxy Police would be very interested in hearing about," Mitsuki said. "You're coming with me."

"N-no. I'm innocent! G-get away from me!" Keiko cried out.

Keiko ran into her house and rounded the corner, and Mitsuki and the rest pursued. They cornered her in the kitchen, but Keiko had grabbed a large kitchen knife and pointed it at them.

Immediately, the JCPD officers drew their guns and aimed at her, but Mitsuki held up a hand to order them to hold fire. "Wait, it's alright. I'll deal with this."

From her cube, she took out a square-shaped cartridge-an attachable taser, from her uniform and inserted it over the front of her gun; she was no good to anyone if she couldn't talk.

"Now, I like you, Mrs. Kawabata, but we all have our limits," she said to Keiko. "This is going to hurt, a lot. Don't make me use it. Put the knife down."

Keiko didn't answer but backed away from them as far as she could.

"Keiko!" Junichiro's loud voice rang out. He had hung behind the JCPD officers this whole time but jumped in front of them to see Keiko. Mitsuki held him back with her left arm, keeping him from getting too close to her.

"Keiko, I want the truth, from you. Did you do it? Did you kill Hayao? Did you!?" he asked desperately.

She didn't answer him. Mysteriously, the fear in her face vanished, and Keiko now started laughing.

Mitsuki was the one to say what was on everyone's mind. "What the…?"

Then, a strange symbol on her forehead, a large red dot with two sets of wings sprouting out in both directions.

"So you figured it out," Keiko said. "So what? It changes nothing. I've already contributed my part. What comes next is out of my control!"

Mitsuki repeated her warning, more sternly than before. "I'm warning you, Keiko. I will shoot if you don't drop the knife. Don't make this difficult."

"I've met Kagato, you know," Keiko continued, ignoring Mitsuki's command. "I know who he is. He's not a terrorist, he's our hero! Our god! Our arbiter! One day soon, he will judge all of us, and only those he deems worthy will have the fortune of rebuilding Jurai in his vision! The rest will be sacrificed, just like my worthless husband!"

"You don't know what you're saying, Keiko!" Junichiro said. "You're being controlled!"

Mitsuki had just about run out of patience with the now-possessed Keiko. "Final warning! Put the knife down! Now!"

Keiko ignored her command and pointed the knife at Junichiro, fury painting the look she gave him. "Mr. Yoritomo. You were always a wretched, sinful man! Judgment can't come soon enough for you, but I already know you are guilty!"

Suddenly, Keiko lunged forward toward her large target, ready to kill. But Mitsuki was too fast for her, and she fired the prongs of the taser device into her abdomen. Keiko shrieked in pain as the current activated and fell hard on the floor, dropping the knife in the process. The JCPD officers quickly moved in and restrained Keiko.

Junichiro, meanwhile, was too overwhelmed to say anything. However, the pitiful expression on his face said everything that he couldn't put into words.

---

Keiko Kawabata was in the middle of being loaded into an ambulance bound for the nearest hospital in Kanzaki. Commander Kayabuki, who had waited outside for the commotion to settle, now went up to talk to Mitsuki.

"We'll have her shipped up to you guys once we treat for her burns," Kayabuki said. Then, he shook hands with her. "I was hesitant to trust your judgment, but it looks like things worked out in the end."

"Of course it did," she said. "I've never failed a single mission in my career."

He changed subjects, not wishing to spoil the moment. "Regardless, I appreciate the assistance, GP. We probably wouldn't have solved this case without you and your friend. If only I knew some way to repay you personally."

Mitsuki folded her arms and looked down and to the side. She kicked the ground with one foot, seemingly embarrassed to admit something.

"I... could use some money to pay for a one-way ticket back to Shikame."

Kayabuki blinked twice and chuckled before he took out his wallet from his back pocket, handing the detective sergeant a few Ryō coins. "Well, I hope this isn't a one-off thing. We could use more women like you and your friends. Say, have you ever considered joining the JCPD?"

"Yes, but then I always wake up afterward," she said.

He shrugged, figuring that it was worth a try. He now glanced over at Junichiro, who was sitting by himself on the steps to the Kawabata residence.

"By the way, where did you find him ?" he asked, almost in a whisper.

"The old man? I just bumped into him when I exited the Kanzaki Station," she said carefully. She didn't feel like getting held up with a toy gun was worth mentioning. "I let him tag along since he was an associate of Mrs. Kawabata."

The commander folded his arms. "That so? He always seems to be around when he's not wanted."

"You two know each other?"

He didn't respond immediately. Instead, he shook his head and backing away to talk with his subordinates. "No, forget I said anything."

Mitsuki walked over to the steps and sat down next to Junichiro, who was staring into space.

"It's just awful," he started after a minute of silence. "Kagato must've messed up Keiko's mind real bad if he got her to kill her husband. She loved him, you know. But you did a fine job handling her."

"You're not mad that I tased her, are you?" Mitsuki asked.

"Of course not. You did what you had to do, and she was trying to kill me. I'm just glad Keiko didn't get killed like her husband. Now, she has a chance to get past this mess."

Mitsuki nodded. "So, what are you going to do now? Just call it a day and go home?"

He smiled at Mitsuki. "I'm homeless, actually. Ever since I quit my job, that is; no one around here's going to hire a 47-year-old to serve noodles, as you can imagine. But I'm about to get a new job just as soon as I make this call here."

He stood up and, from one of his shirt pockets, pulled out a flat-screen communicator.

In the dim lighting, Mitsuki didn't notice at first, but she focused her vision and saw the large GP logo on the screen. She stood up in an instant. "Hey, did you steal that-"

Before she could finish, Airi Fujiwara's delighted face was on the screen. "Ah, Mr. Yoritomo! How are things going down there in Kanzaki?"

"We found out who murdered Hayao Kawabata, his wife. Kagato messed with her head somehow, made her believe he's a messiah to save us all from our sins."

"That sounds awful," Airi said.

Junichiro nodded. "And that's why I'm calling. Like I told you, I thought this whole business with Kagato had nothing to do with me, but leave it to him to prove me wrong. I refuse to stand by while that maniac enslaves more innocent people. I'm joining SIFO."

Overcome with surprise and desperate for an answer, Mitsuki snatched the communicator out of Junichiro's hands and spoke to Airi.

"Airi, what's this old man talking about?! Are you two playing a joke on me?"

Airi smiled innocently. "Not at all, detective-sergeant. The truth is, I got curious about Mr. Yoritomo after the incident at the National Assembly. With Lieutenant Ishizuka's assistance, I uncovered some interesting files regarding his previous employment. It turns out that he used to be a veteran detective in the Jurai City Police Department."

"Oh, you make it sound like I'm someone important," Junichiro said. He then turned to Mitsuki. "But she's right. I was 'Detective Yoritomo' for eighteen years or so before I quit that job."

"Eighteen years," Mitsuki repeated to herself, almost unable to believe it. "But why didn't you ever tell me or the others?"

"Why would I bother? You probably wouldn't have believed me anyway. But then that Ishizuka guy visited me at the hospital and got me in touch with the superintendent. She invited me to come and talk with her about a little club of hers that she just started."

Airi nodded. "He declined my offer the first time, but I begged him to give us a chance, and we struck a deal. He wanted to see how Galaxy Police officers do their job. And your thoughts on our detective-sergeant, Mr. Yoritomo?"

Junichiro at Mitsuki while coming up with his answer. "She's stubborn but well-trained. If she were JCPD, she would've filled Keiko full of holes."

Airi nodded. "My thoughts exactly. And thank you again for reconsidering. I am sure that you're going to make a fine addition to SIFO. Both of you get back here, and I want a report on my desk, detective-sergeant."

The communication ended. Mitsuki handed the communicator back to Junichiro.

"Well, you heard what she said," Junichiro said to her. "Let's go."

Even after hearing the words come out of Airi's mouth, Mitsuki still couldn't comprehend what had just happened. While she struggled to process the thoughts together in her head, Junichiro remembered their agreement regarding the hat, and he took it off and held it in front of Mitsuki.

"By the way, you said you wanted this hat back when we were done. Here."

That seemed to free Mitsuki from her trance, and she looked down at the hat and took it in her hands.

A quick memory flashed in her mind now. She had just been promoted to the rank of detective first-class, and a Galaxy Police official was holding a shiny new blue and grey hat in their hands. Now, Mitsuki was the one holding the hat in front of a new initiate.

Mitsuki handed the hat back to Junichiro. "I was never a hat person, to be honest. Consider it a welcoming gift to the Galaxy Police, old man. Now let's get back to Headquarters."

Junichiro smiled, putting the hat back on. "Yes sir, detective sergeant."

---

The Kushi-Yori investigative duo had split off upon returning to Headquarters. Junichiro was called somewhere for his recruitment procedures, while Mitsuki took a few hours to sleep on the Sensai. She returned to SIFO's small and spartan base of operations and found that Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Ryoji Ishizuka had already returned from Jurai City and had already made themselves comfortable.

Kiyone was the first to notice Mitsuki walking inside. "You're back. How did things go in Jurai City?" she asked her.

Mitsuki scoffed, eager to impress Kiyone. "It was nothing a detective sergeant couldn't handle! I caught the murderer in just a few hours!"

Mihoshi was sitting alongside Kiyone, and she looked very impressed. "You did? Who was it?"

"It was… ahem," Mitsuki stopped herself. She realized she couldn't get ahead of herself regarding Mihoshi. There's no telling how she'd react to such a sad story.

"You know what, I think Kiyone would do a better job of reading it to you from the official report, whenever I get around to writing it, that is."

Mitsuki was about to walk away when a familiar face suddenly rocked up and let himself in. "Finally, I found the right room!" Junichiro said.

He looked inside and greeted the two of them inside. "Ah, I bet you weren't expecting to see me again!"

Ryoji, who was sitting by himself in a corner, only glanced at the man momentarily. He already knew what had happened, but Kiyone and Mihoshi couldn't contain their surprise.

"Junichiro Yoritomo?" they said in unison.

"These days, it's Detective Third-Class Yoritomo," he corrected them. "Couldn't you tell by the uniform?"

Indeed, Junichiro was already wearing his shiny new Galaxy Police Uniform. As a detective-third class, he was issued the red and black uniform that was issued to Galaxy Police Academy graduates. The blue and grey uniforms that the Galaxy Police were famous for were reserved for detective first-classes and above.

"And I have to say, these outfits are something else," Junichiro said. "They look tight on you guys, but they're surprisingly comfortable. Can't seem to find the pockets, though."

"We have pockets?" Mihoshi asked, running her hands over her uniform.

"We don't have pockets, Mihoshi," Kiyone said before shooting her gaze at Mitsuki. Her eyes asked her, "exactly what did you do down there? ".

Mitsuki would normally rise to meet Kiyone's gaze with one of her own, but at the moment, embarrassment overtook pride, and she felt too vulnerable to stay around any longer. She needed to escape for now and let Airi explain everything properly.

"I...I better get to writing my report, then," she said hurriedly and walked out of sight.

Junichiro scratched his head in confusion and turned to Kiyone and Mihoshi. "I have to wonder what her problem is. Have any ideas?"

Kiyone, in as deadpan a fashion as ever, answered.

"I'm looking at it right now."

---

PREVIEW OF NEXT PROGRAM

Airi: "Prime Minister Hideaki Torishima makes his first appearance since being kidnapped by Kagato. But for some reason, though, he seems… off. Listen to his speech yourself."

Torishima: "And citizens of Jurai City, I can not make it any clearer to you. They will never give you your freedom, so you must fight for it! You must do everything you must for it! You must give everything you have for it! Only then will you have a chance, nothing else! Join us! Add your voice to ours, the People's Will, and we will bring the Empire to its knees. OR. DIE. TRYING!"

Airi: "I think I've made my point. He's formed an anti-monarchy political party and threatens to take control of Jurai City's government in the next election unless we can somehow make him confess that it's all a lie. The next episode of Miho-Kiyo Complex: By the People, For the People.

Junichiro: "I think I'm still registered. Who am I going to vote for?"

Kiyone: "It's unquestionably going to be someone who's not affiliated with Kagato!"

---

Author's Note #5: Constant Revisions, Junichiro Yoritomo and Overhauling Previous Episodes

It's been a while, I know. I really ought to stop giving predictions as to when the next episode will come out since I seem to be becoming more and more inaccurate with each subsequent episode.

Funnily enough, "Kushi-Yori Investigations" has proven to be the most difficult episode to write so far, even more so than "Proudly Made in the Juraian Empire!". At one point, I had a document about 12,000 words a few months ago, but then gutted it in half and rewrote it into one over 13,000 words long. Every time I thought I was finished, I thought of something that could probably be included without going over the 15,000-word limit that I've placed on myself. Just one example of this was the scene on the Densha where an old Seniwan man is harassed by a Juraian teenager. Originally, that was going to be a completely different scene where Mitsuki endured traumatic memories of an accident on the Densha that led to the death of her mother. However, I felt that I could never get the execution of this idea just right, and dropped it altogether.

Originally, Junichiro Yoritomo was only going to be a character involved in the first two episodes of Miho-Kiyo Complex, the ones dealing with the National Assembly hostage crisis (known in-universe as the "Kagato Incident"). But as I continued writing those early chapters, I got the idea in my head for another main character: a weathered, older police detective that contrasts with the younger Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Mitsuki, and serving another male character to help balance out the team alongside Ryoji Ishizuka. And if you're curious about his name, it comes from Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate in 12th Century Japan, and perhaps a subtle nod as to why Mitsuki keeps referring to him as an old man.

When I first wrote that first chapter, I had also made it clear early on that Junichiro was a detective, and I even introduced Junichiro as having joined SIFO as early as the previous episode. However, I felt that was too sudden, and I was lacking enough material for Mitsuki's episode, so I changed it to where Junichiro follows the detective-sergeant around Kanzaki and then has the big reveal at the end. Overall, I feel very satisfied with this choice.

As you would expect, Junichiro is based on several detective archetypes in fiction. The closest comparisons I would make would be the titular Lieutenant Colombo, as well as Nick Valentine from Bethesda's Fallout 4. Nick is a hard-boiled "synth" (android) detective who is voiced by the very talented Stephen Russel, as well as one of the game's best companion characters.

After this episode, I plan on performing a massive overhaul of the first three episodes "Special Session in the National Assembly" (which will be renamed "No Need for another Spin-Off!" in Tenchi Universe title fashion), "Operation Codename: Hangyaku" (which will be renamed to simply "Operation: Hangyaku"), and "Special Intelligence Field Operations" (which will be shortened to not exceed the 15,000-word limit). While I certainly wouldn't suggest that these episodes are terrible per se, they are not in-line with the story that I've envisioned.

Finally, in case you haven't noticed by now, I will have renamed this series from Tenchi Muyo: Miho-Kiyo Complex to simply Miho-Kiyo Complex. While I initially added the "Tenchi Muyo" moniker to add legitimacy to this story, I feel as though no author writing for this fandom ought to hog that title for themselves.

In any case, I appreciate any feedback that you're willing to give me, and I hope you stick around (or perhaps stay alive is more appropriate) long enough for the next episode of Miho-Kiyo Complex, as well as the revised versions of the first three episodes.