[Hayata Saotome Arc 2] Where do I start?

Rattle—

He kicked a cardboard box into the room.

A dingy old room, barely six tatami mats in size.

Yellowing wallpaper, a sagging ceiling, and a ventilation fan clicking out of rhythm.

“…Wow, they’re really not trying to hide it.”

Shinjuku Police Station – Urban Crime Response Unit.

The sign on the door was polished and formal,

but this was clearly a dumping ground for transfers.

On the desk sat an official notice of reassignment, a single envelope,

and the daily emergency dispatch report.

Emergency Dispatch Report: a list of all incidents handled from the previous day’s 110 calls.

So basically, they just want me to support whatever the detectives are doing.

“…Man, this place could really make a guy consider switching careers.”

Kosuke Kaname scratched his head and let out a small laugh.

Well, I don’t care about appearances.

This is where it starts.

He stacked the boxes without a second thought and dropped into a rusty pipe chair.

Opening the envelope, he checked for the red “Approved” stamp—

and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Budget’s been approved.

“Well then… where do I start?”

Just then—

A shrill voice echoed down the hallway.

“I’m telling you, it’s true! I heard it!”

“Yeah yeah, sure you did,”

a young uniformed officer replied, brushing him off.

“Look, you can’t just hang around here forever, okay?”

Turning around, Kaname saw a middle-aged officer slouched at the front desk, chin in hand, clearly tired of listening.

Kaname started to look away, uninterested—

…But then.

“Three guys… at a secondhand store… brand-name stuff…”

The words caught his ear.

—Wait.

Yesterday’s dispatch report… That’s it.

A break-in at a secondhand shop. Stolen items: gaming consoles and designer bags.

“………………”

Still seated, Kaname spun his chair around.

Then slowly got to his feet.

“…If this turns out to be real, that’d be one hell of a miracle.”

With a faint grin at the corner of his lips,

he shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered lazily toward the hallway.