Rain Code : Eye of the Storm

Case 1 - The Beast's Den

The anticipation was thick in the air as Yuma and Halara stood before the unassuming entrance of the house in Ginma District. Yuma barely managed to voice his concern about their method of entry when, with a swift and decisive movement, Halara's foot connected with the door, sending it flying open. The sound echoed through the quiet streets, marking their unceremonious entrance.

Shinigami's ethereal chuckle filled Yuma's mind. "I swear, if Halara keeps this up, breaking doors will become their signature move," she mused, amusement lacing her voice.

Yuma couldn't help but shake his head at the situation, a mix of disbelief and resignation in his gaze. Once the initial shock had passed, Halara led the way into the house, with Yuma following closely behind.

The interior of the house was surprisingly normal, almost disarmingly so. The living room they stepped into was tastefully furnished, hinting at a level of wealth that seemed out of place in the Ginma District. As Yuma's eyes wandered over the family photos adorning the walls, the sleek flatscreen TV, and the comfortable-looking sofas, he remarked, "It's almost as if he still lived here..."

His attention was soon drawn to the coffee table, where several letters were scattered about. Halara pointed them out, and Yuma began to sift through them. Most were mundane, containing bills and other typical household correspondence. However, two letters stood out from the rest.

The first was an official-looking envelope from Amaterasu Corporation, specifically from the research team leader, Dr Gabriel. The letter inside was a congratulation to the doctor on his innovative design of neural chips, which the letter referred to as "NeuroSynth Chips." The writer expressed excitement about the potential of these chips to revolutionize their understanding and application of neural interfaces, inquiring eagerly about the functioning prototype and the timeline for producing a market-ready version.

Yuma shared the contents of the letter with Halara, his voice tinged with curiosity. "Do you think this could be relevant to the case?" he asked, holding the letter out for Halara to see.

Halara took the letter, scanning it quickly. "It could very well be," they mused, handing it back to Yuma. "Innovations like these can stir up all sorts of trouble-corporate espionage, competitive sabotage, even personal vendettas. Keep this in mind; it might connect to why he was targeted."

Encouraged by Halara's assessment, Yuma felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps they were one step closer to unraveling the mystery. With renewed interest, he turned his attention to the second letter that had caught his eye, curious about what other secrets it might hold.

Yuma carefully unfolded the second letter, noting its lack of the official Amaterasu Corporation sigil. This letter had a distinctly personal touch to it, a stark contrast to the formal congratulations of the first. It seemed to be from the same person, Mika Tanaka, the Research Team Leader at Amaterasu, but this time, the tone was markedly different-informal, almost friendly.

As Yuma read aloud, Halara listened intently. The letter inquired after the doctor's well-being and progress, a concern for both the man and his work palpable in the written words. Sent just a week after the formal congratulatory note and merely two days before the murder, its timing was crucial. The content shifted towards the end, with Tanaka extending an invitation for the doctor to meet at the Neon Market. The purpose? To hand over the prototype of the NeuroSynth Chips. The meeting was scheduled for the exact day and hour of the doctor's murder.

Yuma looked up from the letter, a mixture of intrigue and concern in his eyes. "This letter... It explains why he was in the Neon Market at that time. It wasn't a coincidence; he was there to meet Mika Tanaka."

Halara nodded, their expression thoughtful. "It seems we've found a significant lead. If the doctor was meeting Tanaka to hand over a valuable prototype, the timing of his murder could hardly be a coincidence. This moves Tanaka up our list of potential suspects-or at the very least, someone of interest in this investigation."

Yuma mulled over Halara's words, the gears in his mind turning. "But would Tanaka really go as far as to kill the doctor over the prototype? Or could it be that someone else knew of their meeting and saw it as an opportunity to intercept the prototype?"

"The motive is unclear, but you're right; it could be theft, rivalry, or something else entirely. What's clear is that this meeting is a pivotal moment in our understanding of the events leading to the doctor's death," Halara responded, their voice carrying a weight of seriousness.

"There's also the matter of the discrepancy in clothing," Yuma added, remembering the witness accounts. "The fabric I found on the rooftop doesn't match the description of the person seen fleeing the scene. It suggests we might be looking for more than one individual involved in this."

Halara agreed, nodding. "Multiple suspects or accomplices complicate things, but it also means we have more threads to pull on. Our next step should be to find out more about Mika Tanaka and see if we can uncover any connections to others who might have had a motive to harm the doctor."

Yuma looked at Halara for an instant, deep in thought. "Halara, I'll go and check the office just in case, yeah ? Try and see if you can find anything else..."

"Will do."