"You look after the girl." was what she heard as soon as she stepped foot into the office.
Leaving the dumbfounded Fukuzawa in his office, Fumiko thought she ought to return to work. After being away since she left on the previous night for dinner with Dazai, who knew how long she'd been away from her work. And knowing her company's workload, she couldn't afford to procrastinate any longer. But the scene today was a little different than usual; considering the addition of Kyoka to the Agency and that Kunikida was standing in front of Atsushi instructing him to look after the new member. After all, that's the responsibility of a full-time member. As a senior member of the Armed Detective Agency, Fumiko was familiar with this practice. She'd been there before when she was assigned to supervise those who joined the Agency after her, Ranpo and Yosano. To her, it was fun to supervise the new members, for she could learn some things about her colleagues and their abilities.
Although, Atsushi was taken aback as surprise and uneasiness emanated from his features. "What?" he said. "Me?"
"Of course." asserted Kunikida. "You saved her."
"Okay." was the silver-haired man's response.
Ranpo lowered the newspaper in his hand and looked up. His expression lit up upon seeing the brunette. "Welcome back, Fumi-chan!" he greeted excitedly. But the wide smile was soon replaced with a pout as he sulkily added, "I was going to greet you when you came in earlier, but the President called for you before I could even say a word. That wasn't nice of him."
"It's alright, Ranpo-kun." she reassured with a smile as she approached Fukuzawa's desk where he casually sat. "But you seem excited to see me. Care to share what's on your mind?"
"I'm just excited because the President agreed to let me have a day off with you so that we can spend some time together." he answered gleefully.
A sweatdrop soon appeared on the back of Fumiko's head. 'Since when did they make such an agreement?' she wondered. But, oh well. It wouldn't hurt to make him a little happy, right? "Sure." she answered. "I'll just request a day off so we can have a meal somewhere. If you want, we can visit Harajuku to eat at Cafe Ron Ron. I know you've been wanting to go there for a while."
The grin plastered on his face stretched ever so wide. Ranpo looked like he just won a lottery. Not only was he going to spend a day with his crush friend, but they were also going to a conveyor belt dessert cafe. "That'll be great!" he said. "Pick a date as soon as possible, alright? Don't keep me waiting, you know."
"Alright~" she said in a sing-song manner while giving him a quick pat on the head, to which he happily accepted and let out a soft hum.
At that moment, the door swung open and then followed by a female's voice who called, "Excuse me! We're from the Police Department." There stood a policewoman saluting them with one hand while the other held a brown file.
"Oh, hi there." greeted Kenji cheerily.
"Hey." called Ranpo whose gaze landed on the familiar-looking man standing behind her with hands shoved in his pockets. "Minoura-kun, didn't your subordinate get arrested the other day?"
The said man gritted his teeth in annoyance, but he merely heaved a sigh before continuing, "We're here for a different matter, Mr. Detective. We have a new case."
"Understood." said Fumiko with a curt nod. "You may briefly tell us the details. We'll have a look at the documents ourselves."
With that, after a brief exchange and handing over the file, Minoura and his subordinate left the building. "They left as soon as they were done talking business." noted Kenji as he leaned on the window pane watching them walk along the sidewalk to return to the station. "Didn't even have tea. City police officers are so busy."
"Do the police have lots of time in your hometown?" inquired Fumiko, who was sitting adjacently behind Kunikida typing away on her laptop.
"In my village, everyone knows each other." he replied after turning around to face her and the others properly as they listened. "The work for our police includes fixing the well's pump, rescuing cats from chimneys, and tasting the first watermelon harvested every year."
"What the..." trailed off Kunikida, finding the police in the boy's hometown very peculiar. "What happens to your criminals?"
"They get tied up and thrown off a cliff." was his cheery reply.
Atsushi's blank expression instantly changed into one of aghast, as his eyes widened like a pair of saucers before blinking owlishly. Just what kind of hometown did this carefree boy live in? "Are you okay, Kenji-san?" he muttered hesitantly.
"I'm just fine." he reassured. "I was chasing cows in a village called Ihatovo, where there is no electricity or telephone. I was recruited by the President and came to this city. I'm enjoying the city's many new concepts."
"New concepts?" repeated the silver-haired man.
"First of all, I don't really understand the concept of money." answered Kenji innocently, placing a fist on his chin to think.
"No way." muttered Atsushi with beads of cold sweat on his face.
Fumiko overheard him and scooted over to him. "Tell me about it." she whispered with a deadpanned expression. "One time when I asked him to shop for our pantry, he nearly exchanged the President's teacup for a box of green tea at the supermarket." Atsushi thought he couldn't be any more surprised, but he surely did. "Ever since then, I stopped asking him to do the shopping."
"I see." was all he could say, stammering.
"Kunikida-san." called Tanizaki from the desk diagonally behind him. "What shall we do about the request from the city police?"
The said man let out a hum a first before scooting over to him to have a look at the screen. "A moving car mysteriously blew up." he read aloud.
"No clues, so the police gave up." added the younger man when he looked back at the details.
"Atsushi, do you want to give this a try?" asked the bespectacled man. "Learn the ropes of shadowing another agent. I know you can do it."
"Got it!" responded the said man determinedly.
If only he knew what he was getting himself involved in. And how much easier it was to blindly accept the mission without further clarifying anything.
Kenji stood below the building with hands placed on his hips as he observed the damage on the building. A few policemen were standing around ensuring that no one entered the crime scene while the forensics conducted their investigation. "Apparently a moving car suddenly flew up there." he highlighted.
"If that's the case, then someone must've planted a bomb after identifying the victim's vehicle beforehand." deduced Fumiko.
"I don't know if I can do this." mumbled Atsushi, who was sitting on the ground not far from them with hands on the back of his head.
"Were they able to identify the victim?" inquired the woman, ignoring his whining.
"Nope, the driver died instantly and hasn't been identified." answered Kenji, to which Fumiko responded with a low hum and a curt nod.
"Why not?" asked the silver-haired man shakily. "Can't you identify them by checking their fingerprints or teeth?"
"Yes, if those were still there." answered the boy with a closed-eye smile.
But the thought of a person's body being burned until nothing was left freaked Atsushi out. "So, all that's left in that car is... mush?" That definitely broke the camel's back. The thought was so appalling, he rushed to a nearby tree and vomited.
Although, the detectives were unfazed by it. "Well, if it was Ranpo-san, it'd be fully solved by now." commented Kenji.
"Since we're not as good as him, we'll just have to do it at our own pace." suggested Fumiko before turning to him with a bright smile. "You know what we should do first, right?"
"Of course!" he chirped. "The first step for us is to gather information."
And so, the three detectives started their own investigation, with Yokohama Shopping District being the first stop of gathering any relevant information. But along the way, they were stopped by an elderly woman who immediately recognised the blond boy. "Hi, Kenji-chan." she called with a closed-eye smile.
"Hello, Miss Maeda." he greeted back.
"The boar meat you gave me the other day was delicious." she said. "Thank you."
"It was sent from home, and I had extra." he reassured with a wave. "No need to mention it."
"Miss?" repeated Atsushi with a deadpanned expression, keeping his voice low to hide his dubiousness from the elder.
"She'd be a young woman in my village." said Kenji.
"Hey, kid!" The trio looked over and saw a delivery man talking to Kenji. "The vegetable garden I told you about still has poor drainage."
"It must be your garden's soil quality." explained the teenager. "I'll be there tomorrow."
"I'm counting on you!" said the man before resuming his work.
"Kenji-kun is so popular." noted Atsushi with surprise.
"His welcoming disposition makes him very popular with the residents here." explained Fumiko. "It's been a great help in gathering intel since people are more open to him and willing to share what they know regarding certain cases."
"Yo, Kenji-chan!" came a gravel-voiced man. The three looked up and - much to Atsushi's dismay - came face to face with a tall, intimidating-looking bald man. "On a job with your teacher again?"
"We're investigating the car explosion that happened on the street over there." explained the boy innocently, completely oblivious to the petrified silver-haired man hiding behind him and Fumiko, who was just as calm as the former. "Do you happen to know anything about it?"
"Oh, yeah." stuttered the man, who tilted his head to look away. "About that. I've heard some rumours." As soon as he diverted his gaze to the boy, he became terrified of the smiling teenager. Fumiko thought the sight was amusing; with Atsushi scared of the man while the man was afraid of Kenji. She couldn't help but wonder who's more terrified of who. But the man quickly recovered. Looking around cautiously, he quickly leaned closer - which caught Atsushi off guard as he flinched at the sudden proximity - and whispered, "I'm not supposed to tell you, but young guys were saying that the back street folks in the factory district bought a ton of fertiliser before the explosion."
"Fertiliser?" repeated Kenji. "Is it that they learned how great farming is?"
"No, because they said it was about purifying or something." explained the man.
"I see." responded Fumiko. "So they must've bought nitrogen fertiliser."
"Nitrogen fertiliser?" repeated Atsushi, who still kept his distance away from the man.
"It's an ingredient for a bomb." she explained, much to his surprise.
Kenji turned back to the man and bowed lowly. "Thanks as always." he said gratefully. "You are so helpful."
"Anything for you, Kenji-chan." responded the man, though there was fear lacing his tone which went unnoticed by Atsushi who watched with amazement.
'He's already gathered tips.' he noted. 'Kenji-kun is amazing.'
"Let's keep in touch!" chirped the boy.
Now that they had a lead, it was time to proceed to the next location for their investigation. While walking down the lane of Yokohama Chinatown, Kenji said, "As for the back street of the factory district, there is a meeting place for the Mutual-Aid Youth Association."
"Youth Association?" questioned Atsushi, who'd never heard of such organisation.
"In other words, a gang." paraphrased Fumiko nonchalantly.
"A gang?!" he stammered, appearing more afraid about this case than before.
"I wonder if they were the ones who built the bomb." said the teenager aloud.
"Well, we won't know until we find out ourselves." remarked Fumiko. "Let's just go there and ask them directly."
"Right!" he chirped.
"Wait a minute!" cried Atsushi, prompting the two to halt in their tracks. "Even if they were, they won't admit it. And isn't it dangerous?"
"If you show you are sincere, they'll answer your questions." assured Kenji with a closed-eye smile. "That's how it works."
"Are you serious?" asked the silver-haired man, who thought such a statement would be futile in this circumstance. "That's how stuff works?" But the more he stared at the innocent boy, the more he's starting the believe his words. "That's how stuff... I guess you are right!"
'To be frank, I wouldn't be conducting the investigation like this if it wasn't for Kenji-kun.' thought Fumiko, watching Atsushi's sudden change of mood with a raised brow. 'I can only hope those gangsters are naive enough to expose themselves to Kenji-kun.'
The detectives soon arrived at a small gray building near the Yokohama Shopping District. With Fumiko waiting outside, Atsushi found himself hiding behind the unfazed boy again as he innocently confronted a group of intimidating gangsters. But in a matter of minutes, the door opened, and he left the building, with Atsushi shakily calling his name as he trailed behind. "Isn't it obvious that they were lying?!" he shouted once they were away from the building. "Those guys did it! For example, they may have used a bomb to kill someone in a different gang."
"But they said they don't know." said Kenji innocently.
"I know they said that..." trailed off the silver-haired man.
"It's pointless, Atsushi-kun." sighed Fumiko. "We can't change Kenji's mind once he receives an answer, even if they are lying."
"No way." he whined.
"Be it with a cow or person, in a village or city, if you are sincere, you can communicate with each other." said Kenji while placing a hand over his chest. "This method always works for me."
"Are you sure about it?" hesitated Atsushi.
"Yes." was the boy's reply.
The older man stared at him, and just like before, he believed him as he responded a cheery manner. "I guess you are right!" he said.
"Shall we go back?" suggested Kenji.
"Sounds good." agreed Atsushi.
While the two walked in front, Fumiko glanced from the corner of her eyes and then fixated her gaze on her wristwatch. 'Let's see, I think it's about time before they exposed themselves.' she thought before trailing behind her colleagues.
GRRR!
"Fumiko-chan, can we hit a gyudon restaurant on the way back?" asked Kenji sheepishly, revealing himself to be the hungry one. "I'm starving."
"Okay~" was her response in a sing-song manner.
"Kenji-kun, you keep cows and yet you're okay to eat them?" noted Atsushi questioningly.
"I love cows!" he replied with two round blush on his cheeks. "I love to care for, interact with, and eat them."
Suddenly, a black van came to a screeching halt right behind them, followed by a white van in front before they realised that they were surrounded by the very same people Kenji and Atsushi encountered earlier. "Sure, the bomb was used to kill a member in an enemy gang." revealed one of the members, who was wearing a navy blue hoodie and rested a metal bat on his shoulder. "We never expected someone like a private detective would sniff us out. Heck, they didn't even mention that one of them is a pretty little thing. Since you left without really asking questions, you must have found some conclusive proof. Am I right?"
"We won't let you report us to the cops." declared a masked gangster who wielded a metal pipe.
"I see!" said Kenji cheerfully as he placed both hands together. "Thank you for going through the trouble to tell me the truth." The gangsters turned pale as they looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. Atsushi, on the other hand, was freaking out while Fumiko had a blank look. "I knew an honest conversation would help us understand each other. In all the cases I handle, everyone seems to confess so honestly."
Atsushi would be lying if he said he was having doubts about Kenji's oddly positive disposition. But since the boy didn't appear to be afraid of anything, then he might as well do the same. "I see! That's awesome-" But much to his horror, it only backfired as Kenji got hit on the back of his head by the masked gangster before he fell to the ground.
"One down." said the latter. "After we take down the other guy, we'll have some fun with the little lady."
'This is bad!' thought Atsushi while eying his surroundings. 'We're completely surrounded by them. What was I thinking?'
But Fumiko merely heaved a sigh before saying aloud, "How long are you going to lay there, Kenji-kun?"
"Ouch."
At that instance, everyone froze on the spot, blankly staring at the said boy who got up like he was barely hurt from the impact. "Phew!" he muttered while rubbing where he got hit earlier. "Sorry, Fumiko-chan. I just caught off guard." His apologetic gaze then shifted into one of sheepishness when he looked back at the perplexed gangsters; including Atsushi, of course. "Don't mind me. It happens all the time. Back home, cows got angry a lot and didn't listen to me." Everyone's gaze tentatively followed him as he walked towards the white van. "When that happens..." All of a sudden, he grabbed the bottom with one hand and raised it up high so easily.
With a sheepish smile plastered on her face, Fumiko scooted to behind Atsushi and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Take cover." was all she said before dragging him away, to which he responded with a very dumbfounded "Eh?".
'Be not defeated by the rain.' thought Kenji with a bright smile. 'Nor let the wind prove you're better.' The leader, like the rest of his subordinates, stared with confusion and fear. But by the time he was about to yell and run away, Kenji had already thrown the vehicle at them. 'Succumb not to the iron pipe nor the knife. Nor be bested by the metal bat. Be strong in body.' The gangsters tried to flee the scene, only to have Kenji picking up the black van with ease and throwing it at them. He snapped a stop sign and smacked the remaining ones that were still on their feet. 'Unfettered by desire. Not enticed to anger. Cultivate a quiet joy. This is my goal, the person I strive to become.'
Atsushi sat on the ground with a deadpanned expression, staring at the pile of unconscious gangsters with Kenji sitting atop looking up to the sky. "I can't do this." he muttered.
"I take it that you've been hungry for a while now." noted Fumiko who stood next to the silver-haired man. "Let's go for lunch. I'll treat you to a big bowl of gyudon like usual." It was truly astonishing to Atsushi to see her so unfazed. Maybe she had been used to Kenji's superhuman strength, given that she was the one who accompanied Fukuzawa when he went all the way to Ihatovo to recruit the blond boy. She had to admit; even she was dumbfounded when she first witnessed such brute strength coming from a small-sized teenager who'd spent most of his life in a small rural village. But she eventually learned to get used to her new colleague after supervising him for the next two months since his recruitment.
Kenji's ears perked up at this, to which he quickly got down from the pile and chucked away the stop sign. "Right!" he gleamed.
But Atsushi just found all this too peculiar and terrifying. So there he was, standing outside of the gyudon restaurant with a flip phone in his hand, and yelled, "I CAN'T WORK WITH SOMEONE LIKE THAT, KUNIKIDA-SAN!"
Although, since it was Kunikida, the man snapped, "RELAX, YOU IDIOT!" Taking a deep breath, he finally calmed down himself before proceeding, "I commend you for realising it yourself. Kenji is gifted with superhuman strength, but he is not perfect. He can only manifest his power when he is hungry."
"Eh?" exclaimed Atsushi out of surprise. "Then what happens when he's full?"
"I can't eat anymore." mumbled Kenji groggily, laying his head on his arms as he began to snore away with a filled stomach.
Fumiko looked up from her own bowl of half-eaten gyudon and chuckled at the sight. "You're so messy." she commented lightheartedly. She grabbed a piece of tissue and gently wiped off the grain of rice sticking on the corner of his mouth. 'But you deserve to sleep with a full stomach after your hard work for today.' she thought with a warm smile. Crumpling the tissue, she put it on the corner of his tray and then went back to eating.
"He sleeps." was Kunikida's reply.