The detective was sitting in the minimalist living room of the Shishioh household. A cup of tea rested in front of him, made by Gen himself, taught by his grandfather that one should always serve tea to guests. Gen had actually learned how to make tea much earlier in his life, back when he still lived with his mother and stepfather.

“So, you’re telling me that Reiji has been gone for six months, and you’ve been fighting these creatures for the last two?” Detective Murasaki inquired, scratching his patchy beard.

“Yes, but I didn’t have any fuckin’ choice, ya know?” Gen snapped back, his fingers curling into fists.

“Cool your jets there, young man, I’m not going to turn you in. I had an arrangement with Reiji, he dealt with the weird monsters, and I covered for him,” Murasaki explained, lifting both hands in a placating gesture.

“Funny thing is, Gen didn’t know about such an agreement. How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Sophia asked, narrowing her eyes, full of mistrust toward the man.

“We didn’t have anything written down, if that’s what you’re asking,” Jean Ettiene said, pausing as he looked at Sophia. “And what do you have to do with all this? Aren’t you the daughter of the Galanis family? Is your family also in cahoots with Reiji?”

“No, this is a personal one-to-one situation with Gen,” she retorted.

“You…” Murasaki looked at Gen, then at Sophia, and hooked his index fingers together.

“Not in a million years, I’m his agent and support crew,” she replied quickly.

“I don’t see him denying it,” Murasaki quipped.

“He doesn’t know what that gesture means,” Sophia said, shutting the theory down immediately.

Gen, having silently observed the exchange in confusion, decided to redirect the conversation to what mattered to him.

“Look, Detective Murasaki, was it? I don’t fuckin’ know where my grandfather went, and I’m havin’ enough trouble keepin’ up with the fuckin’ Gainen on my own, so get to the point, will ya?” The young brawler was losing his patience, he wasn’t one for beating around the bush.

“Calm your horses, kiddo… wait, those things are called Gainen? Reiji never told me that.” He paused, thinking, then shook his head and continued.

“First of all, I’d like to thank you, over the last two months, we’ve had far fewer accidental or bizarre deaths around town, and I’m betting you had a hand,” he glanced at Gen’s fist, knuckles still raw from the fight with the Gravity Gainen, “or a fist in that.”

“I’m not doin’ enough,” Gen muttered through gritted teeth, his knuckles turning white.

“You’re doing plenty, we went from twenty to thirty deaths to three or four, that’s a win in my book, kiddo,” Murasaki insisted.

“You wouldn’t be trying to find us if everything were okay, would you?” Sophia reasoned.

“Well, that’s the problem,” he replied. “Those four months? They’re on record, and it seems somebody up in the government got real interested in them, and they assigned a case file and an investigator to the city.”

“So the government’s gettin’ involved? FUCK!” Gen cursed. “My grandfather always told me to stay away from anybody workin’ for the government.”

“I tried to put some red tape in their way, but next week an official investigator, probably from some department that studies these… Gainen, is coming, and you might be in trouble, so lay low,” Murasaki warned.

“I’ll try… but I can’t turn a blind eye if I see somebody fuckin’ about to die,” Gen said firmly, conviction burning in his eyes.

Murasaki chuckled, only to be overtaken by a brief coughing fit.

“What are ya laughin’ at?” the young brawler growled, beginning to stand as if ready to pummel the detective, until Murasaki raised a hand, asking for a moment.

“Sorry… it’s the same thing Reiji said when he saved my rookie ass twenty years ago,” the detective said. “I bet he’s really proud of you, kiddo.”