PART 16 – Deviant Tendencies
Ginoza was the first one to reach the crime scene. He exited his vehicle, slamming the door with a loud bang. He pulled his Dominator out, aiming it at the person his team went to deal with. Paddy wagon with enforcers parked at bigger distance, in tactical maneuver to surround the target before it realizes. The door opened, releasing the hounds of Division I.
Kogami and Kagari took the left side, while Kunizuka and Masaoka approached from the right. But, Ginoza was the closest one to the criminal, who was just on the way of getting out of his own vehicle... but stopped when he saw a CID member.
He tried to get back and close the door, but Ginoza already aimed his weapon.
"Gino, wait!" Shizuka exited her own car, arriving at the same point minutes after Nobuchika. The display served to keep target's attention until the enforcers surround him completely. Akibara rushed towards the inspector, who was trying to measure the Psycho Pass of the suspect, but couldn't get a clean visual.
"Hamakira Azusa. Step down from the vehicle, raise your hands and come forward," Gino demanded.
"Gino!" Shizuka stood between him and the Hamakira, still feeling the sharp air tearing her lungs from running. She lifted one hand in front of Hamakira, and the other in front of Ginoza, gasping for breath.
"Well, well. Another inspector. I think I prefer her... if you know what I mean."
"I don't. Move, Akibara. Move at safe distance, and let me handle this," Ginoza was about to measure the car instead of Hamakira. He was about to activate Destroy Decomposer, and entirely obliterate the vehicle. It would also eliminate the target along the way, so he could end it in one blow.
But, Shizuka turned to Gino. She didn't say it out loud... yet, her lips formed the words.
Hostage situation. Thermal reading..
Ginoza's eyes widened. The glass on that car was too thick... and too dark. He couldn't get visual confirmation, but if Shizuka came in between, there had to be a hostage in there. Karanomori must have caught thermal reading of the body while tracking the car.
"Listen, Public Safety Bureau. On what grounds are you targeting me?" Hamakira asked, ready to get at his seat and step on the gas.
"I will try to keep it brief," Ginoza kept his sarcastic composure. "The illegal use of virtual reality domain. Spying onto multiple online users, hacking into their accounts, recording their intimate sessions and blackmailing them into sexual relations with you in real life. Buying illegal suppressants for hue treatments. Buying illegal drugs for disabling your victims. The list goes on."
"Oh... all of that? Haha! Based on what evidence?"
Gino didn't bother to respond. Akibara did.
"One of your victims succumbed to hue deterioration, demanding immediate help... then decided to reveal all. You drugged her, used her... and threatened you'd upload her 'session' on the web. After her testimony, our lab analyzed all your VR logs... and we discovered quite the collection."
"And... did you enjoy it, inspector?" Hamakira mocked, hiding behind the glass and metal to avoid hue detection. He was looking at Shizuka in a way that was very suggestive. "Did you watch my collection for investigation purposes?"
In Sibyl area, explicit pornographic contents were banned. But, in order to encourage healthy sexual development in new generations and healthy sexual activity among the established partners, there was an approved VR simulator. It allowed teenagers to get sexual education through VR experience and explore their sexual fantasy without engaging in real sexual act.
User could create the design, gender, personality of his partner, or even create his partner, as well as choose the level of intimacy they wanted to try out. Most of people begin with level A – just exploring what they would like. After experiencing VR simulator, one could opt for a practical experience – either with a real, Sibyl approved partner, or a cybernetic 'helper' – simply put, a sex bot. Trying virtual reality simulator first was encouraged in order to learn about pleasure, or exploring individual sexual desires before engaging in real physical relationships. The content was carefully managed to prevent deviant behavior. It was regarded as an anti-stress method that actually helped with individual hue managements. However, there were always exceptions, and some hues did get clouded after such way of learning.
"Did you watch my... recorded sessions?" Hamakira asked, licking his lips as he was looking at Shizuka. Ginoza's eyes narrowed under the lenses of his spectacles. His gaze intensified. Akibara crossed her arms over her torso, not letting those words affect her.
"We didn't have to. The recording encryption showed you were targeting young women from age of eighteen to twenty six, mostly at the time they were engaging 'middle' to 'high' level of intimacy while within the virtual reality logins. You hacked their sessions, recorded them and used those videos... in times you've seen fit."
Hamakira kept laughing. Provoking.
"In times I needed to treat my hue, you mean. Sex is a way to treat Psycho Pass, inspector. It's common knowledge so far. People get in relationships to help one another's hue. Do you know that just one sexual activity with a matching partner may clear someone's specter for the whole shade? I was just treating my hue, you know."
Kunizuka frowned. To someone who had a lot of physical activity with Karanomori, this theory didn't seem legit. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they were both enforcers. Their hues were clouded enough as it is. Or, maybe the whole concept was just a big bullshit.
Kogami sneaked towards the door, keeping his head low while he moved. Masaoka was approaching Azusa from the back. Ginoza still couldn't clearly see the hostage, but next to the driver's seat, there was a shape that didn't move. He couldn't tell whether the person was alive or not. There was no movement. Just an unclear silhouette, barely visible to the outside viewers. He signalized to Kogami, who slowly rose, closing the distance between him and the hostage. He will have to act swift. This is going to be a tricky extract, especially with that criminal standing so close.
"Treating your hue, huh?" Shizuka repeated in ironical manner, mocking Hamakira's statement, and catching his attention before it slipped towards the enforcers.
"Sexual activity can also cause a raise of someone's crime coefficient," she said. She was trying to buy some time for Kogami to get an opportunity to open the door and pull the girl out. "Normal sex is one thing. Hue's state probably depends on the partner. Some affect you positively, some negatively. Experience itself may help momentarily, and one's color might improve... but, the permanent effect may be overall damaging to the crime coefficient. It may induce deviant thinking. Perverse affinities. Like what happened with you and your collection. You are good old, by-the-book voyeur. And a serial rapist."
"I am who I am. Call your dogs off, inspector. Call them off, or I will activate it."
Kagari stepped up, shrugging his shoulders. Kunizuka did as well. Azusa knew inspectors didn't come alone... but Azusa didn't know how many enforcers there were in total. Masaoka still hid at the back of the vehicle. Kagari pretended he was in Kogami's spot, creating another diversion.
"A large percent of citizens uses VR simulator when it comes to sex," Azusa smiled. "Why should I be judged for it? I am just better at using it comparing to most. I even bet all of you used it at some point. I also bet some of you still use it to this day. See... I consider you hypocrites. Living your fantasies, but never acting on them," Hamakira said. "I am at least honest with who I am."
Ginoza frowned. Kagari laughed.
"Some of us live our fantasies only in VR. Some of us can't live freely and find a cute girl we could date, so we use simulators to get anything similar to real sexual experience. If the brain is stimulated, the body reacts on its own, thinking that pleasure is real, and physical. My excuse for it? I am incarcerated, while you are free. You could just find a girl in real life and not bother with simulator at all. So, you see... you aren't honest, Hamakira. You are an abomination, and you are a coward."
That struck a nerve. Shizuka could tell by the slightest change in his expression, which twisted his face for a few seconds. But, Hamakira chuckled, covering it up.
"All the girls I've been with gave their consent."
"You drugged them after blackmailing them. That's not consent," Shizuka remarked.
"Call it improvisation," Azusa mocked.
"Stop your jabbering," Ginoza told him. "This is your last warning. Step aside."
"No, inspector. This is yours. Drop your weapons and let me go."
"Or what?" Ginoza asked.
It all happened in an instant. Kogami opened the door as Masaoka grabbed Azusa, and locked him into tight embrace. He tried to reach for his pocket, but Masaoka prevented him, grabbing the object he was reaching for.
"What's that?" Kagari asked, suspecting even before Kunizuka yelled for them to get back from the car.
"Kogami!" Shizuka screamed, getting the information over her communicator. Shion sent it to all of them.
"I know!" he pulled the girl out, throwing her over his shoulder so he could carry her away.
"Enforcer Masaoka, don't let him touch that detonator!" Ginoza yelled.
"I won't!" Masaoka dragged the target away from the car. He was holding him in a choke position. Azusa struggled, but the old enforcer was much stronger.
Kogami was now running with a girl over his back, careful not to lose balance. He was getting her at the safe distance, just like Masaoka forced Azusa away.
"Gino..." Shizuka uttered.
"I've got it."
Ginoza aimed at the car.
Enforcement mode has been updated. Enforcement mode is Destroy Decomposer. Target will be completely annihilated. Please proceed with maximum caution.
The car decomposed in a single blast, leaving nothing behind. It was erased on molecular level. The detonator was now useless, so Masaoka stopped holding onto it.
"Shit. Shit..." Azusa was uttering.
"Release him, Masaoka-san," Shizuka stepped towards the criminal. She reached for the leather casing, hid under her CID jacket, and pulled out the weapon. Metal handle felt cold in her hand.
Dominator Portable Psychological Diagnosis and Suppression System has been activated. User authentication: Inspector Akibara Shizuka. Affiliation: Public Safety Bureau, Criminal Investigation Department. Dominator usage approval confirmed. You are a valid user.
It was good to have it back. It was the best feeling in the world.
"Masaoka-san... please, step aside."
"Shizu... maybe it's better if I did this enforcement," he said, looking at Azusa who started running.
"No need."
She measured his crime coefficient. Any suppressant he took has worn off by now... and his number was already over 300 points.
Enforcement mode: Lethal Eliminator. Please aim carefully and eliminate the target.
She pulled the trigger. Hamakira's back exploded, leaving his legs on the ground. Half of his head that didn't explode, fell nearby. Shizuka smiled, feeling odd satisfaction.
-----------------------
Masaoka was the first one to end his examination. He exited the lab, leaving the rest of Division I behind.
"That was one hell of a case," Kagari complained, still under the scanner in Karanomori's lab. "But that was also one hell of a blast, Aki-chan. It's good to have you back."
Shizuka smiled at the enforcer, glad she was fully equipped for the field work again.
"She didn't go anywhere," Kunizuka pointed out, eating her ramen. Her check-up was done, and she was treating herself a meal.
"I know, but you know what I meant, Yayoi-chan. It must be great having a Dominator back after such a long time! You took me by surprise, though, Aki-chan. I didn't know Chief lifted the ban on your usage."
"She wanted a demonstration, I guess," Shizuka said. "To see whether I've learned my lesson. I believe she won't have complaints after this."
"And man, what a demonstration it was!" Kagari expressed his dissatisfaction. "I am really glad it's over. All that talk about sex being therapeutic was starting to get on my nerves."
"It's actually true, Shuu-kun. It helps with stress. I even recommended it to Shizu-chan not so long ago. By her most recent cymatic scan, I'd say she took that advice," Shion widely smiled, playing with cigar between her fingers.
Kunizuka rose her head from the bowl, looking at Shion.
"What?" Shion asked.
Ginoza, who was putting his black coat over his shoulders, slowed down. Kogami, who was smoking his cigarette in the corner next to Gino, tapped the tip into the ashtray.
"Well, well, Aki-chan!" Kagari laughed. "Your hue is the clearest so far. Could it be you really took Shion's advice? Did you try the VR simulator?"
"Better question - did you, Shuu-kun? Or were you merely messing with that deviant rapist?" Shizuka asked.
"Nope, I really use it. It was an honest confession," Kagari laughed, not having a problem to admitting that much.
"We also have one other person whose hue has improved. Shinya-kun is the whole shade cleaner than before," Shion winked to Kogami, whose face gave nothing away. Shizuka was actually surprised he didn't let anything show. Not a single movement. Not even a twitch. Or grimace. Kogami was absolutely chill. Her face, on the other side, was almost as red as her own hair now.
"Maybe Kogami-kun uses that simulator as well. I bet that Aki-chan has her own VR, in that interesting mind of hers. Why didn't you tell me that the secret ingredient to escapism was actually the simplest one? I might actually start using it now." Kagari just couldn't help it.
"Stop it, both of you," Ginoza snapped. "Your jokes are as distasteful as they are vulgar. Show some respect to your inspector. I get you are dogs, but there should be some respect even among the likes of you."
He raised his voice, but he didn't yell. He merely reprimanded them. Shizuka tried to avoid his eyes, but once they turned towards her, she had to look back. She couldn't evade. His eyes were filled with... what was it? Disgust? Hatred? Disappointment?
She wasn't supposed to feel guilty. She did nothing wrong. And yet...
"Oh, Gino... don't be so strict. We were just messing around, what's the big deal?" Kagari asked. "Wait. Could it be..."
Ginoza sighed, putting his glasses on. He was having enough of it.
"Gino... could it be you are a VR user as well?" Kagari was too shocked, he just had to ask. "And... are you also..."
"Don't push it, Kagari," Kunizuka warned, in her usual, calm tone, continuing eating her ramen.
Ginoza glared at his enforcer.
"Sorry, Gino, I overstepped. I apologize," Kagari got back to his usual, cheerful self.
Ginoza left the lab, his steps echoing in the hall. Shizuka fought the urge to go after him. What would she tell him anyway? There was nothing to say. She had nothing to explain, it was her life. Her choice. Her ex fiance. So, why did she feel this... need... to go after him? What a nonsense.
"Hey, Kou... you knew Gino from before. Did he ever have a girlfriend?" Kagari found a new target for questioning. "Is he still a virgin?"
"Who knows," Kogami didn't want to compromise Gino's privacy, not even when it was so evident.
"Come on! You must know!"
"How about you ask pops instead?" Kogami suggested, looking how Kagari's expression turned from sly into pure disbelief.
"You know I can't ask him something like that!"
Kogami smiled. "I know... that's exactly why I am saying it."
He finished his cigarette.
"Well... maybe there's no need to ask at all," Kagari was bored now. "By the looks of it, Gino is a 1000 percent virgin. Someone needs to do something about it, or he will remain eternally frustrated."
"Well, there's always one who could teach him a thing or two," Shion grinned. She was looking at Shizuka, and Shizuka was painfully aware that Kogami was looking at her now. What a mess. Real mess. She had to get out of it somehow.
"If you are so eager, then do it, Shion. I'm sure you could teach him a lot of things."
Kunizuka didn't expect that kind of retort from Akibara. And neither did Akibara. Karanomori's smile just got wider.
"Has everyone just lost their sense of humor?" she lazily wondered.
"That's what I've been asking myself," Kagari said, sighing.
"Depends on what you define as humor these days," Shizuka picked her overcoat, and headed towards the exit.
"Those inspectors are so stiff lately," Kagari remarked. "No amount of sex could ever cheer those two up."
Kunizuka raised her eyebrow. Shion looked at the scan results.
"From the looks if it, it did cheer Shizu-chan up."
"If that's what it caused it," Kunizuka looked at Kogami, who waved on his way out.
"Sometimes, I am just glad I am an enforcer," Kagari remarked, and Shion smiled, filing all cymatic scans for that day.
--------------------------------------------
She exited the building only to find Ginoza on the parking. He was standing next to the vehicle, and she would gladly just wait for him to leave... but she couldn't avoid him like that. Even when he finds about Kogami and her.
"Gino," she said.
"Akibara. Need a ride?" he opened the door and stepped in.
"I can just take another..."
"We live in the same building. Get in."
There was no need to use two bureau vehicles.
She sat next to him, putting the belt on. He started the car. It didn't take long for the atmosphere to become awkward.
"Gino..."
"What?"
"Nothing."
They were silent most of that drive. They were silent upon entering the building. They were also silent in the elevator. Until that unbearable point where he just had to ask.
"Are you and him... really back together, or is his hue improvement merely a coincidence?"
Shizuka sighed. She didn't want to look at him while answering with her own question.
"What difference does it make to you?"
The elevator clicked, opening itself. She stepped out, and he followed.
"I know what you'd like to hear, but you won't hear it from me," he said.
"What are you talking about?" she was genuinely confused.
"I knew you'd go back to him. You just needed the right push, the slightest reason, to run back into his arms. That's how fickle you are."
"Stop right there," she warned. But, Gino wasn't remotely ready to stop now.
"Is he that good, Shizuka?" he asked, grabbing her wrist, and pulling her closer to him. And there it was. That fear of what he'd do next. She was pulling her hand back, but he didn't let go of it. His grip became stronger, actually.
"Is he so good that you just can't stay away?" his tone was barely audible, but it was bitter. Scornful. He was filled with rage. Pure, uncontrolled rage. She wasn't sure if he would rather hit her... or kiss her. And both thoughts were equally terrifying.
"Why do you care?" she asked. "Be careful now, Nobuchika. For a man who wants to look like he doesn't care, you seem quite concerned about who I share my bed with."
"Were you so afraid of what might happen with me that you chose to regress? To get back to Kou, despite his new status? Just... how desperate are you?"
She slapped him so hard his glasses fell on the ground. He pushed her against the wall, breathing like some beast she could not name.
"I'm not desperate for wanting to go back to man I wanted to share my life with."
"No... but you are desperate to find out if he's still the same man."
"Don't tell me you are jealous, Nobuchika."
"Not in the slightest. It's nothing new, really. His hands on you. His lips on yours. Been there, went through all of that and guess what? Jealousy is a primitive feeling. But, he is demoted now, he'll affect your Psycho Pass. And you will find he's nothing like Kogami you once knew. It's when you will come to me."
"Come to you for what? Told-you-soes? I don't think so," she hissed.
"For something else," his response was simple. "I am just not sure I'd want his left-overs."
His finger slid down her lip, making her remember the kiss he gave her not so long ago.
"Screw you," she whispered.
"Like you screwed him?" his eyes emitted hatred. Raw, and powerful. She bit her lip.
"I won't let you ruin what I have with him just because you think it's damaging my specter. Just because you are an old infatuation doesn't mean you can change anything with one or two sloppy kisses. He offers so much more."
She knew it was petty. But she felt she could be petty after his remarks.
"I am sure he does. Until the point when he decides he's not good enough and that he's going to ruin you instead."
Ginoza was too close again. She couldn't just ignore that feeling she got whenever he was at this range. She hated it. It complicated everything.
"So, you think I will just... what? Get back, searching for you? For what, for your... forgiveness? Your understanding? You have nothing to offer, Nobuchika. And if you want to at least remain a friend, I suggest you never brings this up again."
"I will reconsider if I want to remain a friend," he said, releasing her. "Some people, and some things are simply not meant to last."
On that, she had to agree. She rubbed her wrist.
"I see his demotion hurts you more than you'd like to admit. But, guess what, Gino? Thinking you'll solve it by taking it out on me, is just a huge miscalculation on your part. You won't solve anything."
"It's formidable," he said, as she was opening the door of her apartment.
"What is?" she asked.
"Your ability to be an escapist through and through. Thinking that masking it as my problem with him, would make it a lesser problem between you and me."
She slammed the door, frustrated with his retort. Sometimes, there was just no point in talking to Nobuchika.