Chapter Text
The newly promoted Police Chief sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, staring blankly at the bright computer screen with a mix of exhaustion and bitterness. The screen displays a half finished report, the cursor blinking almost mockingly from where it was placed, halfway through a word that had long since been forgotten. He spun around in his brand-new chair, craning his head up to stare at the ceiling. I guess it’s time for a break. It’s obvious that I’m getting nowhere sitting here like this.
He stood, joints letting out a loud pop at the move. Jeez, they weren’t kidding when they said this job ages you like crazy. He moved as he thought, weaving seamlessly amidst the hustle and bustle of the station towards the coffee pot. Although that new guy popping up out of nowhere certainly didn’t help. I can’t help but feel like we’re getting nowhere with him, despite months of work on our end. He definitely knows what he’s doing.
He takes a sip of coffee, inhaling like he was dying of thirst. I know that he hasn’t exactly been a high priority these past few months but I still can’t help but feel frustrated at our lack of progres-
“Hey Kuma!”
He blinks, startled out of his downward spiral by his friends' approach. “Hello Akio...” he replies dryly, his flat expression clearly visible.
“Aw come on, don’t be like that Kuma. Or should I say Police Chief Kuma?” He grins mischievously, taking off his tophat and bowing in a comically-over exaggerated way.
Despite himself, Kuma lets out a small chuckle, reluctantly amused by his long-time friend's antics.
His expression abruptly turns serious, eyes probing. “Hey, what’s wrong? Usually that joke gets way more laughs. You don’t gotta tell me if it’s like, classified or somethin’, but otherwise I’m all ears .” He grins, flapping his hands near his ears.
Kuma lets out a long sigh, eyeing him fondly. “You remember how a few months ago we started hunting down that guy, you know, the one running around in a blue tracksuit?”
“The one that was always around all those destroyed places, running around like a maniac?”
Well that's one way to put it… he sweat dropped. “The very same. Originally, we only wanted to inquire as to why he was near those destroyed areas, maybe see if he had seen any additional info as to the culprit. However, recently we have started to notice a pattern in his behaviour.”
“What do you mean?”
“Originally his pattern seems sporadic, random with no real direction. But if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that he always seems to leave those destroyed areas without a scratch, and yet somehow covered in blood.”
“You’re saying that you think he’s responsible for all that?”
“At first I dismissed it as well,” he admitted, leaning against the countertop. “But recently we discovered this.”
He pulls out his phone, fiddling with it for a moment before holding it up. On the screen is a photo of several bodies, gruesomely torn apart as if ravaged by wild animals. The photo is clearly centered on one of the smaller bodies, the remnants of a pink, frilly dress still on. “Here’s the real kicker though. One of the civilians hiding nearby managed to take this.”
He flips to another photo, this one showing the same area before but from a different angle, zoomed in on a young man with black hair walking away from the previous scene, wearing a blood-splattered tracksuit.
Akio was pale and clearly shaken, looking horrified at the mere thought that someone could be doing something so terrible.
“It was an absolute slaughter. No one was spared. It was like he didn’t care about who or what he killed, as long as he did.” Kuma stares down at the photo, finger tightening painfully around his phone.
“...One way or another, we will bring him to justice…”