Inside the grand marble lobby of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, a young woman stumbled in through the front doors.
Her makeup was smudged, her long reddish hair disheveled. Tears streaked her cheeks as she half-ran, half-collapsed toward the nearest female officer.
"I—I want to report a crime," she sobbed breathlessly. "Someone… someone assaulted me…"
Her voice broke, and she began crying even harder.
"What?" The policewoman's eyes widened, shock and fury flashing across her face. "Miss, please, come with me. We'll take you to a private room right away."
Gently supporting the trembling woman, the officer guided her toward an interview room.
Sex crime cases were usually handled by female detectives, and this late in the evening, few were still on duty.Detective Miwako Sato happened to be one of them—working overtime again—so she took the case personally.
Inside the reception room, Sato glanced over the supposed victim.The woman was in her twenties, her dyed light-red hair cascading down over a thin camisole that left her shoulders bare.The heavy makeup couldn't completely hide the fact that she was strikingly pretty.
"Here, have some water," Sato said kindly, offering a cup as she softened her tone.
"T-thank you…" The woman accepted it with trembling hands, setting it down without drinking. She dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief.
Sato sat across from her, her voice patient and reassuring. "Could you please tell me your name?"
"Fujihara Junko," the woman answered in a choked whisper, her eyes red and wet.
"Miss Fujihara, you're safe now," Sato said gently. "You're inside the police headquarters. No one can hurt you here."
Only after establishing a sense of safety did she continue, "Can you tell me when and where this happened?"
"It—it was about three hours ago, I… I…" Junko broke down again before she could finish, hiding her face in her hands."I'm sorry… I just… every time I think about it, I can't control myself…"
"I understand," Sato said, her voice calm and compassionate. "Take your time. You can cry for a bit first, then tell me when you're ready."
"Thank you… You're so kind…" Junko managed between sobs, unknowingly handing the detective a "you're a good person" card mid-cry.
Fifteen minutes passed before her tears finally slowed.Wiping her face, she bowed slightly. "I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting."
"It's all right," Sato said warmly. "Taking care of the victim's emotional state is part of my job."
"Um… actually," Junko murmured, shifting awkwardly in her seat, "my stomach suddenly hurts. Could I use the restroom?"
"Of course." Sato nodded without hesitation—it was a perfectly reasonable request.She stood up and personally escorted her to the ladies' room.
At the restroom door, Junko hesitated. "Officer, it… might take me a while," she said timidly. "You can go back to your office. I'll find you when I'm done, so you don't have to wait."
Sato assumed she was just embarrassed about having stomach trouble and nodded. "All right. I'm Detective Miwako Sato from Investigation Division One, Section Three. Just ask around for me when you're finished."
"Got it, Detective Sato." Junko smiled weakly, clutching her stomach as she hurried inside.
Sato gave her a sympathetic glance and then left, returning to her paperwork.
Click.
The moment the door shut, the woman—Akemi Miyano in disguise—exhaled sharply and pressed a hand against her chest.
Her heart was hammering so fast it felt like it would burst through her ribs."T-too intense…! This is the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done!" she whispered.Her lips were dry, her pulse racing, but a thrill welled up inside her that she couldn't suppress.
"I can't believe it actually worked… I'm inside!" she whispered, a grin spreading across her face. "This is incredible!"
After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Akemi quickly got to work.She tugged off her red wig, pulled out a makeup kit from her bag, and began wiping away the thick foundation and mascara.
In minutes, the gaudy, tear-streaked hostess vanished—replaced by an ordinary office woman with natural beauty and sharp eyes.
Next, she slipped on a navy-blue women's suit jacket, pinned on a fake police ID, and put on her hidden-camera glasses and wireless earpiece.
She tapped the side of the device. "Mr. Azu, can you hear me?"
"Yeah," came Ren Kuroda's voice through the earpiece, low and steady. "Loud and clear. I can see you too."
Akemi's heart leapt at the sound. "I followed your plan perfectly—I'm inside the MPD building, and I've already changed disguises. What should I do next?"
"Let me see your current look," Ren said.
She stepped out of the stall and stood in front of the mirror.
A beat of silence. Then Ren's voice came, faintly exasperated:"Tch. Still too pretty. That's going to draw attention. Make yourself look a little less… radiant."
"Eh? But—" Akemi blushed faintly. No one had called her "too pretty" in the middle of an infiltration before. "O-okay. I'll try."
"Seriously," Ren went on, half amused. "That place is full of single male detectives in their thirties. You'll have every pair of eyes glued to you."
Akemi laughed nervously and got back to work.Using her compact, she deliberately pulled her eyeliner downward to make her eyes look duller, softened her lipstick until her mouth looked paler, and highlighted the sides of her face to make it appear rounder.
A few minutes later, she looked back up at the mirror and nearly winced.It worked—she definitely looked plainer.
"Is this better?" she asked.
"Mm. Barely passable," Ren said after a moment's thought. "At least now you don't look like the same woman who just walked in crying. Tie your hair back and pin your ID somewhere visible."
"Yes, sir." Akemi quickly tied her hair into a simple ponytail, clipped the badge onto her chest, and double-checked her appearance.
Once everything was set, she stashed her handbag inside a utility closet and slipped back into the hallway.
Her first time impersonating a detective—and it showed.Every time someone walked past, she stiffened and ducked her head, terrified they'd notice something was off.
Fortunately, the real officers were far too busy to pay her any attention.They came and went in a hurry, paperwork in hand, too preoccupied to even look her way.
Watching the live feed through her glasses, Ren sighed from his car parked outside."You're acting too suspicious. Grab a random file and pretend you're reading it as you walk."
"Right!" Akemi whispered. She quickly picked up a stack of papers from an empty desk and pretended to skim them as she moved.Immediately, she felt less conspicuous.
After wandering through the corridors, she finally found the interrogation rooms—but that raised a new problem.There were several. How could she tell which one held Dino Cabane, the captured bank robber?
"Mr. Azu," she murmured softly, glancing around, "how do I figure out which room the ringleader's in?"
Ren's reply came a second later, his tone calm but amused."Go into the observation room. Offer the officers inside some coffee. While you're there, check who's being questioned."
Akemi's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant! Mr. Azu, you're amazing!"
Her praise made Ren smirk in the car.He leaned back in his seat, eyes glinting as the feed from her camera showed the bright corridors of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police building.
"Flattery's nice," he murmured, "but focus. This is where it gets tricky."