April 24th

"Damn brat, I'll sue!" The drunken man lay on the ground, his upper body supported by his left elbow as he tried to stop the bleeding on his forehead with his right hand. Letting go of his forehead, he grimaced at the sight of blood before staggering to his feet. "I'll make you pay for this, you little shit."

"What?" Akira stepped backward, bumping into a black vehicle. "Me? I didn't push you. You did that to yourself, you drunk bastard." He averted his eyes towards the woman on her house porch, who avoided looking at the two males. "Hey, lady? You saw what happened. Tell him that it wasn't me."

"Don't you fucking dare, or I'll end you!" The man threatened, pointing at the woman. The woman appeared conflicted, eyes going back and forth between Akira and the drunken man. She nervously shifted her feet, staring at the man with a hint of trepidation and anger.

"Masayoshi, you're drunk and don't know what you're saying. That boy didn't do anything wrong to you. You're the one that caused all of this. If you keep this up… then I'll report about the money. How do you feel about that?"

Masayoshi glared at the woman as he took out his cell phone. "You see this?" He rhetorically asked. "I'm going to call the police, and you're going to tell them that this hooligan," he pointed to Akira, "attacked me out of nowhere. Do you understand? Cause if you blame me for this, I'll make sure you're out of a job and live on the streets."

"This is bullshit," Akira spoke up, his body shaking with fear. He couldn't believe what he was hearing at the moment. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The woman gulped, turning her head to Akira, who stared back at her pleadingly. The oppressed woman quickly glanced away from him as she lowered her head in defeat.

Masayoshi smirked as he started punching the numbers on his cellphone screen. "Yes, I want to report a crime. Some kid has randomly attacked out of nowhere. He pushed me on the ground and scraped my forehead. I don't feel safe; please send help." Once he got off of the phone, he glared at Akira menacingly. "I will end you, kid. You will learn what happens to people that cross me."

Akira's eyes widen in horror. The police are coming for him because of some man complaining about a bit of blood that was his fault. "I didn't do anything wrong," Akira stated to Masayoshi. Not a minute later, they heard police sirens coming down the road. Scared out of his mind, Akira glanced at the drunken man one last time before running down the street to the only place he knew he was safe. Home.

Akira pushed open the front door, startling his mom, who was in the kitchen cooking dinner. "Akira? Akira, what's wrong?" His mom called out, but the boy didn't respond as he bolted upstairs. She flinched when she heard Akira slammed his door shut. The woman set the kitchen knife on the counter and followed Akira, but the doorbell stopped her.

Answering the door, the woman met with two police officers. "Uh, can I help you, officers?"

"Is this the Kurusu's resident?" The taller man asked, and when the woman nodded her head, he pushed his way inside the small foyer, glancing around the area. "Ma'am, we're looking for your son, Akira Kurusu. He's under arrest for assaulting a man and running away from the crime."

"What?" Akira's mom gasped and took a step back due to shock. "Akira… assaulted… someone?"

The shorter officer stepped forward. "The caller gave us a description, and we asked around the neighborhood. Everyone pointed us to this address. So, ma'am, where is your son?"

Akira's mom shook her head as tears threatened to fall. "No, you're wrong! My son would never do something like that!" She raised her head and glared at the taller man. "Get out of my house and never –"

"I'm right here." The adults turned their attention to Akira standing at the bottom of the stairs with his arms held out, ready to be cuffed. "But I didn't do anything wrong. You have to believe me." Tears started forming in Akira's eyes as he avoided looking his mother in the eyes.

"Akira, go back to your room!" His mom ordered, but it was no use; the short police officer walked towards Akira with handcuffs in his hands.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…" The words faded around Akira as he felt the cold metal against his wrists. Reality hit that he was getting arrested as the police officer guided him inside the back of the car. The arrest wasn't a prank. He's facing jail, and his life is in ruins.

Akira's eyes snapped open as he sat upright, gasping for air. Frantically, he searched the dim room for his mother and the two police officers who would escort him to juvenile hall, but they were nowhere in sight. Once Akira's breathing was under control, he realized he wasn't standing on the stairs of his childhood home; instead, he was sitting at the computer desk in Leblanc's attic. Textbooks and essays were scattered around him, indicating that he had fallen asleep while working on homework.

Rubbing his eyes, Akira checked his phone and discovered that today was Sunday. He leaned back into the chair and let out a deep groan. He should be used to having nightmares, but they became more frequent since Kamoshida stated he was going to bring up expulsion to the school board meeting. Akira hadn't been getting enough sleep because of that. He made a mental note to visit Dr. Takemi and ask her for sleeping pills that would last him until he was back in juvie.

Hearing footsteps from the stairwell, Akira quickly wiped some drool from his mouth and gathered the textbooks and papers that had fallen onto the floor when he woke up. "Ah, I see you're already... awake," he heard Sojiro say. Glancing over, Akira saw Sojiro standing on the stairs perplexedly. Sojiro noticed Akira's wrinkled school uniform, dark circles underneath his eyes, and pale skin. Akira waited for Sojiro to comment, but it never came. "That student council president girl is here to see you," Sojiro said.

"Really? Did she say what she wants?" Akira asked as he set the textbooks and papers back on the desk. He tried to think of why Makoto traveled to Yongen-Jaya to speak with him, but nothing came to mind. If it were about Kamoshida, Makoto would have included Ryuji and Ann.

"No, but she said it was urgent," Sojiro responded before glaring at the boy. "You better not have caused more problems at that damn school." And with that, the older man headed back down to the café.

Akira ran his fingers through his hair while searching around his room for a pair of clean clothes. After digging for a few minutes – and almost gagging at a horrible smell coming from the pile of dirty laundry – Akira found a clean pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Heading downstairs, he spotted Makoto sitting at one of the booths drinking a mocha. "I never took you as a coffee person," he stated, sliding into the seat across from her.

"I'm not. The bitterness is sickening to me, and the aftertaste is much worse. But I do like to indulge in a nice, brewed mocha from time to time." Makoto replied before taking another sip and setting the mug down on the coaster, yet she didn't let go, just stared at her murky reflection.

Akira stared awkwardly at Makoto, then glanced over at Sojiro, who was gazing at them curiously. Turning back to the downtrodden girl, Akira said, "Sakura-san told me you wanted to speak with me about something urgent. Does it have to do with Kamoshida?"

Makoto lifted her head and opened her mouth to respond but paused due to signs of sleep deprivation written on Akira's face. "I interrupted your sleep, didn't I? I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's selfish of me to think everyone is awake when I am. I should have called first to see if you're awake." Makoto went to leave the booth, saying, "I'll be going then so you can get some rest."

"Don't go," Akira said, grabbing her wrist before he realized it, making Makoto give him an odd look. "Uh," he let go and cleared his throat, "you already wasted your money getting here, so we might as well talk."

Makoto slowly sat back down just as Sojiro came from the kitchen and set a plate of curry and a cup of water in front of Akira. The man tried to mask his smirk with a frown, but both teenagers noticed. Once Sojiro walked back to the counter, Makoto gestured towards the dish. "Do you always eat curry for breakfast? Isn't that a bit strange?"

"Yeah, but I would rather eat this than nothing at all," Akira shrugged, taking a few bites, "So, what is it that you want to talk to me about?"

Makoto turned her attention to the cold mug and began tracing the rim. "Principal Kobayakawa called me and my sister into his office yesterday to discuss my strange behavior. Kamoshida and Odagiri told him that my involvement with you, Sakamoto, and Takamaki has jeopardized my position as student council president."

"So, they're punishing you because of me…" Akira lowered his head in shame.

"Akira, that's not true. They…" Makoto reached out to grab his hand but withdrew because reassuring him wouldn't improve the situation. When Akira's criminal record was released, students and teachers were weary of him. And everyone who associates themselves with the delinquent is deemed problematic. Makoto sighed, saying, "Odagiri has wanted my position since our peers elected me. And Kamoshida wants to silence anyone who knows about his… activities."

The door swung open, revealing an elderly couple Akira had seen around the café. The wife glanced over to the teenagers and smiled before following her husband to a vacant booth. Akira turned his attention back to Makoto and gestured for her to continue. "To remain on Principal Kobayakawa's good side… I apologized to Kamoshida."

Makoto lowered her head to avoid making eye contact with Akira's judgmental glare. "So, that's it? You're just going to agree too easily because you want to keep your position so badly? Is that why you're here? To tell me that you're going to stop talking to me and forget about Kamoshida? And I thought we were friends."

Makoto flinched but wasn't surprised by Akira's harsh tone. "You don't understand how hard this is for me. Do you think I want to stop investigating Kamoshida or end this friendship between us? It's not like I had a choice in the matter."

"You always have a choice," Akira argued. "Yet you want to please everyone but yourself." He leaned closer. "Do you even want to be Student Council President? Or did you accept the position because the teachers told you to?"

"You know what? I already dealt with this shit from my sister. Don't need it from you too," Makoto said, gathering her purse and mug, then sliding out of the booth. "See you around school, Akira." She smiled slightly at the boy before heading towards the counter to hand Sojiro the used mug and money.

After Makoto left, Akira slid out of the booth and went to return to the attic, but Sojiro stopped him. "It's unwise to form relationships with your history. People like her will only look at you like a criminal."

Akira bit his tongue, fighting back a snide remark to the man. Instead, he said, "I guess you're right." And with that, Akira staggered back into the attic.

Outside, Makoto leaned against the brick wall, clutching her chest as tears rained down her face.

Zenkichi strolled through his dating app, humming to the soft jazz tune playing in the background at Ryumon Coffee in Kichijoji. His eyes wandered over to Akane, his fifteen-year-old daughter, who stared out of the window looking bored, beside her an untouched buttered toast. Zenkichi turned away and sighed in defeat. At that moment, he wanted to kick himself in the balls. Dumbass! What made you think bringing a fifteen-year-old to a café would be fun?

Today is Akane's birthday, and he wanted to spend time with her since he has rarely seen her since the divorce. Aoi gained custody of Akane and moved to Kyoto to stay with Aoi's parents. Due to his job, traveling every weekend to spend time with Akane was impossible. Zenkichi had to beg Aoi to bring his daughter to Tokyo to spend the day as a family.

"One Caffé Latte!" The barista's announcement snapped Zenkichi back to reality. He tucked his phone into his pocket and went to grab his order when a feminine hand with violet fingernails reached out and snatched the cup. Zenkichi's grey eyes widen, baffled that someone had the nerve to steal his order. He opened his mouth to scold the woman for her rudeness but suddenly stopped when he made eye contact with familiar eyes with a hint of mauve red. "Niijima-san?"

###

Zenkichi hadn't officially met Sae Niijima when she stepped into the Tokyo District Investigation Department as the new prosector. He had only seen her strutting around the workplace with piles of folders of cases, ignoring wolf whistles from obnoxious men. Zenkichi recalled overhearing other prosecutors and judges making bets on when she would quit once realizing she was in a man's world. They bit their tongue when Niijima proved them wrong.

Sae shot him an annoyed look before sipping the warm drink. She closed her eyes, feeling the soothing taste instantly warmed her body from being out in the chilly air for too long. Once Sae calmed down, she glanced at the man and said, "Yes, Detective Hasegawa-san?" If she weren't in public, Sae would laugh at Zenkichi's surprised facial expression.

"You know who I am?" He blurted out.

She shrugged. "I know everyone's name in the department." There was an awkward pause between the two adults. It was clear that the older man wanted to say something to Sae. She looked at her watch, noticing she needed to return to her office soon. "Is there something you want?"

"Uh… it's nothing. Have a nice day, Niijima-san." Zenkichi ran his fingers through his hair. At first, he wanted to point out that she stole his drink, but Sae looked like she hadn't slept in hours. Sae looked strangely at Zenkichi before leaving the café, stepping onto Central Street, and disappearing into the crowd.

"Sir?" He turned towards the barista and noticed him holding a latte – the exact drink Sae left with. "This one is yours." The young man bowed. "Sorry for the confusion."

"It's fine," Zenkichi responded, grabbing the cup and strolling over to his daughter. Akane crossed her arms and stared at him with disgust. "What's wrong? Is there something on my shirt?" Zenkichi scanned over his T-shirt and didn't see a stain. And he also noticed Aoi's disappearance. Glancing around the café, Zenkichi asked, "Where's your mother?"

"She stepped outside to answer her phone," Akane replied dryly, tilting her head towards the window where the older woman was pacing back and forth on the pavement, appearing annoyed with whoever she was on the phone with. Akane turned her attention back to Zenkichi and gestured at where Sae stood. "Who was that woman you were talking to? Are you sleeping with her?"

Zenkichi snorted while lifting the cup to his mouth. "I'm not having this conversation with my fifteen-year-old daughter. Your mother will kill me. And besides, I thought you weren't interested in your old man's love life."

"I'm not," Akane scoffed, crossing her arms and glancing back to the window. "I couldn't care less about the woman you're with. I just wanted to see whose heart you're going to break next. Just like you did to Mom."

"That's enough, Akane!" Zenkichi slammed the coffee cup onto the table, almost breaking it. When he noticed Akane appeared afraid of him due to his sudden outburst, Zenkichi lowered his head in shame. He promised himself never to lose his temper when dealing with Akane because of all the beating and yelling he endured during childhood.

Zenkichi reached out to the teenage girl, but she flinched away. "Akane…" he said softly. "I don't know what your mom told you, but I loved her dearly. Every night, I go to sleep regretting how our marriage ended because of my dumb mistakes."

Leaning back into the chair, Zenkichi waited for Akane to utter a snide remark or offer forgiveness, but those words never came. As he opened his mouth to speak, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He frowned as he pulled out his mobile device and saw that Goro was calling him.

"Go on and answer. It's not the first time you put your job before your daughter," Akane mumbled.

Zenkichi mouthed an apology to Akane, then rose from the chair and walked towards a quiet spot in the café. "Goro, I'm a bit busy right now. What is it?"

"Sorry for the interruption, but I need you to come to your office immediately. There is an Akemi Takahashi here wanting to see you. She claims that Suguru Kamoshida raped Shiho Suzui, which resulted in her attempting suicide. And sir…" Goro hesitated but continued. "Kamoshdia sexually assaulted multiple girls and also physically abused the male athletes."

Hearing those unsettling words almost made Zenkichi vomit. Kamoshida has recently been in the news, portraying concern for Suzui and receiving media praise for it. But underneath the charismatic act was a monster. Zenkichi wanted to punch a wall and shout, but he remained calm, saying, "Tell Takahashi-san I'll be there shortly, please."

Zenkichi hung up the calm and stuffed the phone into his pocket before returning to Akane. He smiled to reassure Akane that everything was alright, but the girl could see right through her father. "You have to leave," she stated.

"I'm sorry to leave you on your birthday, but something unfortunately came up at the office," Zenkichi said, taking out his wallet and handing her some money. "I didn't know what to get you, so take it and get whatever you like. See you around, Akane." He gave his daughter one last look before stepping out into the chilly weather.

"Zenkichi, where are you going?" He turned around to see Aoi staring at him in disbelief. When the man didn't utter a word, Aoi realized the reason for his abrupt exit. She crossed her arms and scoffed. "God, I'm such a fucking idiot for trusting you."

Zenkichi stepped forward and gripped Aoi's shoulders. "I will make it up to Akane later, okay? We can go to the movies and –"

"No!" She jerked out of Zenkichi's grasp. "Enough with the promises that we both know you won't keep. When I told Akane that we're going to Tokyo to spend her birthday with you… she was happy. For once, she was happy that you would stop being Detective Hasegawa and start being her father. But I see that is impossible for you."

"Aoi –"

"So, go be Detective Hasegawa because the moment you leave… I'm taking Akane, and we're going back to Kyoto. And we're never coming back to Tokyo again."

###

Akemi stood in Detective Hasegawa's office, gazing out the large window as she awaited his arrival. The intern had left a few minutes earlier to inform the detective about Kamoshida. Despite crying, committing, and almost experiencing an anxiety attack during her statement, Akemi felt grateful for being heard and hoped Kamoshida would finally face justice.

The door swung open, revealing Goro. "Hasegawa-sensei is on his way," he announced, standing beside Akemi. "You should be proud of yourself, Takahashi-san. It takes a lot of courage to speak about being abused, especially when the abuser is someone you trusted and considered an idol."

"Proud of myself? Don't make me laugh," Akemi retorted. "I planned on keeping my head down and pretending everything with Kamoshida didn't exist, like everyone else at Shujin. So, no. I shouldn't be proud of myself. I was only thinking of myself."

"You were thinking about how to survive." Goro took one last look at Akemi before stepping back, sensing that she wanted to be left alone. "While we wait for Hasegawa-sensei, I'll catch up on some schoolwork. Let me know if you need anything."

Akemi thanked him and settled into a recliner, pulling out her phone to pass the time. Despite Goro typing on his laptop and the traffic below, the quiet atmosphere calmed her nerves. However, the tranquility shattered when Zenkichi stumbled in, visibly intoxicated. Bother Goro and Akemi recognized the signs.

Sighing disapprovingly, Goro assisted Zenkichi to his desk. "Now isn't the time to get drunk," he mumbled, then turned to Akemi, who appeared baffled. "Takahashi-san, can you step outside with me, please?"

Akemi glanced at the drunken man briefly before following Goro into the hallway. Once he closed the door behind him, Goro closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Will Detective Hasegawa be okay? I didn't know he was an alcoholic. He seemed so different when he came to Shujin."

Goro straightened his posture, looked into Akemi's eyes, and said, "Do not say anything about what you saw, do you hear me?" Akemi nervously nodded. "Sensei is the best detective this department has ever seen. He's just dealing with personal issues right now."

"By drowning in his sorrows," Akemi huffed. "Great, the one person I thought could help is an alcoholic. Something told me I shouldn't have come here." She went to take a step toward the elevator, but Goro grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, don't go just yet," he said, letting go of her wrist. "There is someone else you can give your statement to. She's a prosecutor by the name of Sae Niijima. And she –"

"I'm sorry, but did you just say Niijima?" Akemi asked, her head tilted in confusion.

Goro tucked his hands into his pocket and stared down at his shoes. "You know her younger sister since you two attend Shujin Academy together."

"Makoto never told me her sister is a prosecutor. Kamoshida could have been in jail this entire time if Makoto had just gone to her sister. She let me and everyone else around her suffer," Akemi mumbled to herself.

"Takahashi-san, do you want me to bring you to Sae-san's office?"

Akemi sighed, pushing hateful feelings toward Makoto aside. "Sure. Fine. Whatever."

She followed Goro into the elevator, where he pressed the button for the third floor, leading to the prosecution office. The ride up was silent, except for the background music. Occasionally, Goro stole a few glances at Akemi, feeling remorse for mentioning Sae's name. However, he had to admit that the situation wouldn't have escalated this badly if only Makoto had set aside the strained relationship and talked to Sae.

Upon reaching the third floor, Goro guided Akemi through several hallways until they arrived at Sae's office. The door was open, so Goro peeked inside and observed Sae tossing a case file aside with a frustrated sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose as if fighting back a headache. Goro's eyes shifted toward the pile of disposable coffee cups in the trash bin.

"You should hold off on the coffee, Sae-san," he announced, stepping inside the office.

Sae looked up; her eyes widened as if caught sneaking into a cookie jar. She masked her surprise with a frown and asked. "What are you doing here this late, Akechi-kun?"

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't important," he gestured for Akemi to enter. "Sae-san, this is Akemi Takahashi, a third-year student at Shujin Academy. She has come forward, stating that Suguru Kamoshida has been physically and sexually abusing the volleyball team and is the cause behind Shiho Suzui's attempted suicide. I would have sent Takahashi-san to Hasegawa-sensei, but he's currently unavailable. So, I figured it would be best if she talked to you."

Sae stared at Goro before turning her attention toward Akemi, who looked like she wanted to run out of the room. "Akechi, thank you for sending her to me. I think it's best to vacate the room so I can speak to Takahashi-san privately. Be sure to close the door on your way out." Goro bowed respectfully at Sae, glanced at Akemi, and exited the room.

"Takahashi-san, please sit and tell me everything about Suguru Kamoshida."