I enter Astrum’s office after the encounter with the vigilante. I put my arm across my stomach and lean against the elevator wall. That strike he hit me with really did a good one on me. I wasn’t prepared to encounter him, so I didn’t have all the equipment I needed. The elevator stops as it reaches the bosses floor. 

The elevator doors open and I walk out the elevator. I see a woman with blonde hair in front of me. She looked unfamiliar and it looked as if she was talking to Astrum. Astrum turns his gaze away from the woman and looks at me eyes.

“Someone took a blow.” Astrum says with a smirk on his face. The woman turns and looks in my direction. 

“The target. I ran into him unprepared.” Astrum and the woman’s eyebrows raise. “His name is Daitan Yukimura and he has a sister named Mya. I caught him at Mako’s Shop. Mako said that they were dating and that he visits every Sunday.” 

“I assume you two had an altercation?”

“Yes, Astrum. I thought I killed him, but a burst of light shined and I was flung onto the wall of the alleyway I lured him to. Once the light went away, I saw him grow a big white wing on his back.” 

“That’s odd…” Astrum says as he is writing things down. “Thanks for this information, Mayumi. I recommend that you are more prepared when walking through Kyoto for now on.” I nod and turn to walk back to the elevator, but Astrum interrupts me. “Before you go, I need to introduce you to someone.” I turn back around and the woman turns to me. “This will be your work partner from now on. She will be helping you with this case and other cases as well.”

“My name is Sachiko Sinoper, nice to meet you.” She says as she bows at me.

“I don’t need your help bixie cut.” Sachiko’s eyes widen and her mouth opens in surprise. Astrum sighs. 

“She will have to be by you at all times during your work hours, whether you like it or not.” I stare at Sachiko and sigh. 

“Fine. Just don’t get in my way.” I say reluctantly. Me and Sachiko walk into the elevator together. I click the button to the first floor and Sachiko clicks the button to the 2nd. “Why did you click the second floor?”

“We can’t go investigating on an empty stomach, am I right?” 

“Food isn’t important right now. We have to help these people in need that could possibly never even eat again, because they’re dead.” Sachiko frowns at me.

“Geez, you’re such a downer.” The elevator soon dings at the second floor. This floor is basically a food court. I’ve only came up here a few times, but I usually never eat while on the job. I stand as I watch Sachiko walk out the elevator, but she holds her hand in the elevator. “Get out, you’re coming with me.”

“I’ll wait for you outsi-“ Sachiko snatches me outside of the elevator before I could finish my sentence. I try to pull my arm away, but her grip is too strong. Is she stronger than me? 

“We’re getting sushi today and teriyaki tomorrow.”

After an ordeal at the food court, we go to a bench at a park. 

“Why did you decide for us to eat at a park of all places?”

“Scenery. Eating in our office is just boring! There’s literally nothing to admire in a workspace filled with papers and files scattered on a desk.” 

“What if something urgent comes up?”

“Do you ever NOT think about work?”

“We’re executioners, Bixie. We have the weight of Japan on our backs. We can’t just kick back and enjoy our lives at moments people need us the most. It’s too risky. The people rely on us and we should deliver.” Sachiko puts a uramaki in my mouth with her chopsticks and laughs. 

“Now that just sounds like a miserable life.” I eat the uramaki and slowly push Sachiko’s chopsticks away. “With that kind of thinking, you’ll end up a monster just like a deceit.” What? Does she not understand the importance of humanity? 

“What are you saying?” I say in a blunt voice. 

“You’re really deep in that mindset, huh? You know, we had a higher-up who thought the exact same way. You know who I’m talking about, correct?” I shake my head. “No? I suppose you weren’t working here a few years ago, but he has moved to the Tokyo DES ever since an incident that happened here.”

“What exactly happened?”

“Confidential. Sorry.”

“Oh… I see.” 

“Forget I said anything, let’s hurry up and get back to the office.” We clean up and head to our office. The office had two long desk spaced pretty far from each other and cabinets for files and papers. The desk had all the materials you would usually have in a workspace, like pens, highlighters, paperclips, etc. Sachiko hops in the rolling desk chair with her arms in the air and a grin on her face.

I sit down and start to organize things around my desk. After a while, someone knocks on the door. 

“Coming!” Sachiko exclaims. She opens the door and one of the detectives hand her a stack of papers.

“There’s a new A-tier deceit that we’ve been investigating. It’s been going on a rampage around different parts of Japan and all of those areas failed to execute the threat. It is likely that the deceit is heading towards us soon, so we need to prepare.” 

“Thank you, detective. We will take care of it.” Sachiko closes the door and calmly walks back to her seat. She turns her head to me with a smile on her face. “We’re so dead.”