In the early morning for Voyager, she did her daily routine, left her apartment and went to a café that always served her favourite tea there. After that, she goes to the Agency, but on the way there, she stumbled upon Kunikida, who she waves to.
"Morning to you too, Voyager-san." He greeted. To which she replied with a nod and a smile
The moment the entered the office, a panicked Atsushi ran up to them, "Kunikida-san, Voyager-san, please help me!" His distressed voice said
Voyager could only blink owlishly as Kunikida asked "What's happening so early?"
"Just look at Dazai-san!" Atsushi said, as he stepped aside, allowing their gaze to fall upon a silhouette of a very clinically crazy Dazai standing on top of the President's desk. He had wide eyes and a big grin plastered on his face, which made Voyager stare at him with concern.
"Kunikida-kun, V-chan, it's an emergency!" The crazed man slurred enthusiastically while pointing upwards with both of his index fingers
"Look.. at what..?" Voyager asked, while Atsushi pushed her and Kunikida to the front, using them as a shield. But the female took a chance and put her violin down on her table.
"At that!" The hyper man shrieked, still pointing at the air.
"We can only see your idiotic face." Kunikida remarked, who had shoved both his hands into his pockets.
"I've finally arrived in the afterlife!" Dazai sang with two round blush in his cheeks, "To the land of the dead, Yomotsu Hirasaka!"
"What's going on?" Kunikida grumbled, who was evidently annoyed
His answer soon came when Voyager showed Kunikida a green mushroom which had a bite taken out of it, while in her other hand she held Dazai's copy of Complete Guide To Suicide. Atsushi on the other hand, stood next to the female with a bewildered look.
"I knew the Complete Guide To Suicide was a masterpiece!" Dazai said, cackling like a damn witch, "Who knew I just had to eat a mushroom growing in the nearby kills to have an enjoyable way out?"
"So he ate a poisonous mushroom?" Kunikida asked, clearly not amused by this suicidal man's actions
To which Voyager shook her head at his question, "Hallu-" In an instant, Dazai lunged for Voyager but she moved out of the way just in time. Resulting in Atsushi being the victim instead. "-cinogen." Voyager finished,
"I've finally caught you, rainbow pill bug!" Dazai said, latching onto Atsushi tightly.
"KUNIKIDA-SAN, VOYAGER-SAN!" Atsushi called out in desperation.
But the other two detectives were at the respective desk, one already typing away, while the other one leaned over to the spectacled man to ask what she should do.
"Just do what I taught you before." The male whispered to her, making the female nod and lean back at her desk, Voyager was not used to computer work yet, but all she had to do was send emails, like Kunikida taught her.
"Wait until I'm finished with my morning paperwork." Kunikida said, ignoring the chaos that was going on.
Voyager looked at Atsushi and said, "Sorry.. emails." And the latter went back to her computer.
"WHAT!?" Atsushi cried.
It was only a few minutes later, and one was typing away while the other typed at a steady speed, trying not to mess up. All was well until Dazai interrupted. "V~chan~" He suddenly appeared to the where the female was sitting and latched onto her like a parasite, while rubbing his cheek against hers and behind them was a mummified Atsushi sitting on a chair trying to break free. "Have I ever told you how starry you looked?" The female could only ignore him and focus on the EMAILS. While Dazai continued with his rambling.
As soon as she finished with her emails, she looked over to the male beside her, "Kunikida.."
The man also finished, submitting his work in time before saying, "On it." He got up from his chair, grabbed Dazai by the collar and sent him flying to the floor where he landed on his back harshly. The fall was hard enough to knock the hallucinogen out of him, "Stop it and stop harassing, Voyager-san!"
'How can non compatible people be a team?' Atsushi thought
The door to the office opened, with Haruno stepping in with her clipboard. "Kunikida-san, here the case for today from the President."
Hours passed as the hallucinogen wore off, bringing Dazai back to his normal self when he and his colleagues walked along rows of warehouses near the harbour. "Dazai. Stop slacking and hurry up. We just have two minutes and fifty seconds until the appointment!" Kunikida said, while in the lead.
"That's tough." Dazai commented, with both of his hands behind his head.
"Is it okay for me to come along?" Atsushi asked, dubiously.
".. Yes." Voyager answered, with a nod.
******
They walked down the staircase into a hidden computer lair. There were four desks placed opposite of each other. Wires and cables scattered all over the floor. And in the center was a Arowana fish swimming in the large tank.
Reaching the last remaining steps, Kunikida approached a boy, saying "How's it going, informant?"
"Hey, four-eyes." He greeted, his back facing them. "Are you a slave to your notebook again?"
"You think you can talk to us like that even though you're a cybercriminal?" Kunikida said, stopping a foot away from the boy. "If you're arrested, your deceased father would be displeased."
That definitely provoked the boy as he seethed. "Don't bring up my father." He then turn around to face the detectives. "More importantly, you're late. That's rare for you, no? Why? Were you on a date? I hope it's not with Boss."
"Boss?" Atsushi mumbled in confusion.
"No. Dates should be with a chosen woman, followed by marriage six years later, it's written here." Kunikida replied curtly.
"Eh!?" His young colleague exclaimed, staring at Kunikida, holding his notebook with a look of bewilderment. "Kunikida-san, you have someone you've decided to marry?"
"I wonder.. who it is." Voyager's soft voice came out, as she drifted off into her thoughts.
"I will in four years." Kunikida replied, as Atsushi turned away with a deadpanned expression.
The boys gaze then landed on Atsushi "Is he new?" He asked.
The young detective quickly stood up straight to properly introduce himself. "My name is Nakajima Atsushi."
"My name is Taguchi Rokuzou. I'm an informant, I can find anything for the right place. I help four eyes when told, but I usually work directly for V-nee." He introduced.
Atsushi couldn't be more surprised. "You're his boss, Voyager-san!?" He said, looking at her.
Voyager's hand was placed on Atsushi's head, giving him two pats as she nodded. What Atsushi did not notice, was Taguchi shooting a glare at him. Voyager then looked at him, opening her mouth to ask something but was cut off.
Taguchi waved his hand dismissively, saying. "Yes, I got the details you sent. No, you were not disturbing me. You can send anything to me anytime. I will always have a look when I'm free." Voyager could only stretch her smile, as she nodded.
Atsushi could see the effect Voyager had on Taguchi. He immediately noticed the boy's expression softening and that he behaved better than how he was with Kunikida.
"Who.. made the tip?" Voyager asked
"The Azure Messenger." Was Taguchi's answer.
"What?" Kunikida muttered, furrowing his brows.
"There was data left on the server. And I guess these are pictures of the abducted victims. The mole's not bad though, is he? He told you stuff where they're hidden." The informant explained, handing Voyager a few pictures he pulled out before he sat on a chair next to him.
"I wonder." Dazai said playfully while leaning one of the monitors. "I hope we don't go there, only to find he's one of the kidnappers."
"The Azure Messenger. I want you to keep looking at that." Kunikida said to Taguchi, as he showed hints of uneasiness at the familiarity of the name.
"Sure. When I want to." The boy shrugged before giving them a smirk. "I'm busy taking care of my tropical fish." Taguchi could only go over and slowly pull Voyager's hand away, because she was knocking on the fish tank. Scaring the poor fish.
A few hours later, the sun had set and night came. The detectives were standing by the sidewalk outside of the warehouse, where Kunikida had just ended a call. "I called a taxi. We'll head to the abandoned hospital the tipster mentioned." He informed.
"Kunikida-kun, why are you looking after the Rokuzou boy?" Dazai asked.
"What do you mean?"
"It's not like you to give work to a hacker, although I know that V-chan will do something like that. You could've just talked to him over the phone, but you met him in person. His father passed away, right? Are you trying to be his dad?" He explained.
"We came here so that the kid could meet the informant. Nothing more." Kunikida responded.
"I guess I'll take your word for it." Dazai shrugged.
Not long after, a taxi pulled over. Kunikida sat in the passenger with the driver on his right, while Voyager sat in between Atsushi and Dazai in the back seat. "This driver is another one of our informants. He used to be an actor."
"I couldn't make any money, so I switched careers" The driver said with a sheepish smile.
"That was the right decision." Kunikida commented with his gaze fixated on the photos Taguchi had given to them earlier. "He knows about Yokohama than anyone I know. He also saw two of the eleven victims right before they were abducted."
At that moment, the driver stopped right in front of a turning point and made a sharp left before driving up the steep road. "I was driving them from the port to a hotel." He said.
"Is this case really about abduction?" Atsushi asked. "There has been no random demands." He was holding onto the grab handle with one hand while the other held onto Voyager's arm to prevent her from getting injured. Dazai did the same, with his other arm held out in front of her so she wouldn't fly forward. But, Voyager could only enjoy the ride, it's.. fun. In her world.
"Are you sure these are the two you saw?" Kunikida questioned, referring to the photos of the victims in his hands.
"No mistake" said the driver after having a glimpse of the photos. "They were wearing the same clothes as well."
Dazai suddenly reached out and took the photos out of his colleague's hand to have a closer look. "I see." He said with a smile. "I have a hunch!" He then showed them the pictures with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "Look that these pictures. They're both wearing glasses! That means it's a serial glasses abduction case! It's your turn for glory, Kunikida-kun!"
"Some of the victims don't wear glasses. You can't say it's pattern." The man rebutted, with his arms folded across his chest.
"Oh, too bad. I thought this would be your chance to shine." Dazai teased.
A giant vein throbbed at the top of Kunikida's head. "I can't let that remark slide." He suddenly reached over at the backseat and wrung his hands around Dazai's throat to strangle him. "Are you saying my glasses are the only reason I'd be in the spotlight!?" Their dumbfounded colleagues on the other hand, leaned away as they stared at the scene.
All of the sudden, the driver slammed his foot on the brake paddle, bringing the car to a screeching halt. The momentum cause Kunikida to lunge into the dashboard backward which earned a groan from his lips. Atsushi slammed into the window while Voyager was pulled back by her seatbelt. Dazai was the lucky one who managed to stay in his seat.
"What gives!?" Kunikida groaned.
"We've arrived. As you requested, the abandoned hospital." The driver replied.
Albeit the silent eeriness of the large building, the detectives wasted no time as the got off the taxi and entered the building. "How.. dusty." Voyager commented, taking in the dark, gloomy and dirty surroundings as they walked down the corridor.
"It sure is creepy." Atsushi said with an uneasy tone.
"Isn't it kind of nice? It keeps you excited." Dazai said.
"You'd better not have eaten another weird mushroom." Kunikida hissed, trailing behind the three. He had both arms folded and looked tenser than usual.
This definitely did not go unnoticed by his colleagues. Voyager looked at Kunikida, playing a short note on her violin, as if asking a question.
"Are you afraid of ghosts or something?" Atsushi asked
"I'm not afraid of ghosts!" He protested, stammering a bit.
"Then keep up!" Dazai cheered.
"Fool. In this kind of movie, the careless ones are the ones who die first!" Kunikida shot back.
They continued to walk a short while until Atsushi noticed footprints on the ground. "Look at these footprints. Still fresh!" He pointed out.
As if on cue, an unfamiliar female voice echoed. "Help!"
"Did you guys.. hear that..?" Voyager asked who was very alarmed.
"It's closer!" Kunikida said.
With him in the lead, the detectives ran down the dark hallway until they reached a dimly pit room with a large tank filling up with water flowing from the pipe. Trapped inside was a woman in undergarments sinking to the bottom of the tank. Kunikida reacted the fastest, shooting the glass with his gun to shatter the glass and release the water before bringing the woman out. Once she was placed safely on the ground, Dazai removed his coat and draped it around her as she coughed out the water.
"Thank you very much." She said weakly. "You saved me. I'm Sasaki Nobuko. I'm a lecturer at a university in Tokyo."
"So you're victim number 12?" Atsushi said.
".. Did you see the abductor..?" Voyager asked.
"I'm sorry, I blacked out at a station. When I regained consciousness, I was drowning in the tank as you saw." Sasaki said.
"Dazai, what do you think about this?" Kunikida asked while turning to the said man.
"I'd say she's sexy as hell." Was his reply. Sasaki blushed at the compliment while Atsushi and Voyager looked at him with a deadpanned expression.
"Be serious!" Kunikida snapped.
"That's right!" Sasaki said, remembering something. "There should be others who were abducted there. I know I heard voices before I began drowning in the tank."
As soon as she mentioned the other victims, the detectives immediately scoured for them, kicking down any nearby doors to check. Atsushi was the one who found them, as he urgently called for them from down the hall. The others rushed to him to see several men confined inside a room with glass walls, pounding at the glass while begging for help. Kunikida quickly went over, asking if they were okay while trying to find a way to get them out. But all of a sudden, a colourless substance started leaking out of the vents inside the cover, causing the men to kneel onto the ground as they struggled to breathe.
"Get back, Atsushi, V-chan!" Dazai ordered. "It's gas! Kunikida, you too!" But the bespectacled man ignored him, which resulted in him running over to pull him away.
"Let go of me, Dazai! We can't let them die like this. Let me go! LET ME GO!"
With Dazai dragging the man out of the room, Atsushi was about to follow them when he saw the young lady standing at the corner of them room.. glaring at the glass room? "Voyager-san.. is everything okay?" He asked, showing his concern.
The said woman looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. "Yes. Let's.. go." She responded. Upon receiving a nod from him, the two detectives left, leaving behind to damaged surveillance cameras on the ground with it's components splayed all over.