Rain

[Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department – Operations Briefing]

"Summarize what we have," Inspector Nakamura said, scanning the gathered officers.

"Zero contacts, zero digital traces," Tanaka began, flipping through the files. "We checked Goro, we checked a few other names. None lead to Miyahara. Surveillance near his old address is clean too."

"So he really disappeared?" someone from the end of the table asked.

"He hasn’t disappeared. He’s hiding," Nakamura replied coolly. "And anyone who’s hiding makes mistakes. Our job is to find those mistakes."

"I suggest reviewing all unsolved cases from the past few months," another officer interjected. "Stabbings, strange injuries, blood traces. If he acts on impulse, he may have already left a mark."

"All right. Second – surveillance," Nakamura pointed at a map of Tokyo. "Major transport hubs: Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno. We’ll deploy additional personnel there. If he moves, the cameras will catch him."

"Hospitals too?" a junior officer asked. "If someone reports injuries with unusual blood loss, we can track him."

"“Yes. Make rounds through all emergency rooms. Even if someone was treated without being officially registered – I want a report."

Tanaka added, "We need to check empty buildings. Warehouses, abandoned structures, even old parking lots. Anyone hiding needs a roof over their head."

"And a profile," Nakamura interrupted. "We can’t act blindly. Miyahara is chaotic, but not stupid. I need a psychological profile: what drives him, what calms him, what he’s seeking. If we find a pattern, we find him."

A hush fell over the room. Everyone took notes, everyone felt the pressure rising.

Nakamura leaned over the map with pins, his voice sharp as a command:
"We expand the search. We check every lead. From today – no report of strange attacks, blood traces, or disappearances passes without my attention. Miyahara is here somewhere. And we won’t wait for him to strike again."

The officers nodded. Frantic reviewing of files began, phones were answered, field teams prepared.

One thing hung in the air: the hunt was just getting started.

---

Another Spring day arrived in Tokyo. 

It was almost mid-May.

Gray storm clouds were swirling in the distance. It looked as if the rain would fall from them at any moment.

Classes just ended in one high school, near Seiji's apartment.

The teenagers joyfully ran down the floor where the classrooms were held and went to the cloakroom to change their shoes.

A girl came down the stairs. She had long dark blue, straight hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall, with a shiny aquamarine eyes that were a great contrast to her pale delicate skin.

She was wearing a school uniform like the rest of the students.

Her name was Ichiyo Takahashi.

As she bent down to change her shoes, a sense of foreboding crept over her, and she couldn't help but notice the ominous storm clouds gathering on the horizon, casting the world into ever-deepening darkness.

Seeing the cumulating rain clouds, Ichiyo smiled.

Suddenly, a peer ran up to her. It was a girl with peach colored hair. She had bangs that fell over her forehead, the rest hair was pinned up in two buns. Her eyes were grey.

Her name was Izumi Matsuo

She greeted Ichiyo with a big smile on her face.

"Hey Ichiyo-chan, do you have an umbrella? I forgot mine at home and the clouds don't look so good... Kaneko-san says that according to her Weather Prediction Magic Ability, it's going to rain in about 20 minutes."

"Yes.. I have one. I can lend you one if you want." Ichiyo replied, handing her friend her umbrella.

"Thank you very much! But.. uh.. won't you be wet then?"

Ichiyo chuckled softly "Hahah. Oh Izumi-chan... Even though we know each other since childhood, you keep forgetting what my Magic Ability is.."

"O-oh.. r-right hehe..." Izumi scratched her head nervously, feeling embarrassed.

Both girls went to their homes.

They were neighbors.

As they walked home through the streets of Tokyo, the air became thick with the promise of upcoming summer and hum of cicadas.

Ichiyo's long, straight hair swayed with each step, catching the warm breeze that carried the scent of jasmine and yuzu. Her aquamarine eyes flickered from side to side, taking in the familiar sights and sounds of the bustling metropolis.

As they turned onto a quiet street lined with low-rise houses, the sky was completely covered by dark rain clouds.

Soon it was time to say goodbye.

The girls embraced tightly, cherishing the moment before parting ways.

With a final farewell, they turned and headed towards their homes.

Suddenly, Ichiyo felt something wet on the tip of her nose. She looked up in the sky. The grey storm clouds were directly above her, only waiting to release a huge wall of rain...

In a moment countless raindrops began to fall on her. A downpour came to Tokyo...

The girl smiled again.

She opened the received back umbrella and started walking towards her house.

As she approached the front door she paused for a moment to smooth out her uniform and brush off any dirt that had accumulated on her shoes.

With a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside, greeted by the familiar scent of home.

"I have returned home!" She spoke loudly, but still tried to be elegant.

As the girl walked down the hallway, she caught a glimpse of her father sitting in the dining room, engrossed in his newspaper.

The scent of freshly brewed green tea wafted through the air, mingling with the soft clinking of ceramic cups.

The house was decorated in a mix of modern and traditional Japanese style. In the living room, a beautiful cabinet displayed an ornate altar, complete with a standing photograph of a woman and flickering candles that cast a warm glow over the room.

"Hello father." she said calmly, and with a respect to her dad.

"Hello, Ichiyo-chan." her father smiled at her for the greeting. "How was school?"

"Just like usual. I brought the best grades from the tests again. I'm the best student in my class."

The man smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm so proud of you."

Ichiyo returned the smile, feeling proud of her accomplishments.

Suddenly, a woman who had been busy in the kitchen all this time approached her. She served her ready, warm dinner.

As Ichiyo noticed the woman, her bright smile and pride, drastically fall down into a frown and disgust...

"Hello Ichiyo-chan!" the woman approached and kissed her on the forehead.

Ichiyo made a disgusted expression.

"I made you a delicious dinner! Vegetables in tempura and green tea to drink! Just the way you like it!"

"Thank you... M-mother..." the second sentence Ichiyo said was through her teeth. The girl wasn't very found on appearance of the women.

She started to eat the tempura without much appetite...

Her father noticed her frown, "Cheer up, honey. Chika wants the best for you.. Please be nicer to her."

"Of course, father." Ichiyo replied with a grimace on her face.

"Thank you." Dad said, and went to her, putting warmly his hand on her shoulder

"I promise, by the end of this month, I'll clear all my debts." he said firmly.

"You've been saying that for two months, father..." Ichiyo added with growing frustration in her voice,

Ichiyo's dad looked remorseful "Yes.. I know... But I promise, this time, I'll fix it. Be patient, Ichiyo-chan, please."

The teenager didn't answer. She looked out the window again

'Soon I will solve all your problems, dad... '  she thought to herself as she saw how the rain heavily poured down from the dark grey sky.

[A few days later...]

As the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window, Ichiyo stirred awake and began her morning routine with a practiced precision.

She stretched her limbs and took a few deep breaths before carefully folding her pajamas and placing them in a neat pile.

With a practiced eye, she scanned her bedroom for any signs of disarray, quickly tidying up the stray books and papers that had accumulated overnight. Satisfied with the orderliness of her surroundings, she made her way downstairs...

The first room as she approached was the living room.

The room was big, cozy and warm, with soft lighting and comfortable furnishings.

As she entered in, the girl saw her father sitting in his favorite armchair, his eyes fixed on the TV screen.

A news anchor was just finishing up a report, and the weather forecast was about to start.

"Today, Tokyo will be hit by a heatwave, which will result in an afternoon thunderstorm, (...) - "

Hearing the news, she smiled to herself, like she had something prepared for that day... Then, returned to her calm and collected facial expression.

"After breakfast I'm going to Izumi to study." She informed her father.

"Okay darling." Mr. Takahashi replied, "Just don't come back too late."

"Of course, Father."

***

Soon after, Ichiyo left the house and went to Izumi.

Izumi was already waiting for her in her own bedroom.

The room eminated with warm sun light. The tall bookshelves were covering one of the walls, making the whole place rather cramped, but that didn't bother the joyful teenager.

Izumi loved reading, especially drama novels.

A fan was on, cooling the heat that began to gather inside. In the middle was a small table with lemonade with ice cubes on top, and a pile of books.

"Phew, It's terribly hot today, isn't it Ichiyo-chan?" Izumi asked as they sat down at the table together.

"Yes, it's awful... By the way, your little brother won't be bothering us with studying like last time? Wouldn't he?" Ichiyo asked, trying to cool herself with lemonade.

"Nope! Akito went to his friend." Izumi looked at the piles of books "Aahh.... Seeing how much we have to learn and how hot it is, I don't feel like it anymore.."

"Izumi, don't whine. You know very well that we must have the highest grades possible."

"Yeah... But exam after exam we are bringing excellent scores... Maybe we can take it easy for once in a while..?"

"No."

"No..?"

"No... We can't... I can't... Listen, I'm doing this for me and my dad..."

"Ooh..? What about your new mom?"

"Are you talking about this woman...? No, she... she's nobody..."

"But, isn't like your dad already engaged to her? And as far as I know, legally she's probably already your step-mother..."

Ichiyo hit the table with her fist "No! She's not! And never will!" the girl looked jittery just thinking about her stepmother.

Izumi felt a sense of unease wash over her as she observed her outburst.

"O-okay.. I'm sorry about that..." She said kindly "I shouldn't bring that up to you... I know that you're not quite friendly with her yet "

Ichiyo took a deep breath to control herself and calm down.
"I'm the one who's sorry... I shouldn't be so angry... You're probably right... I just... hate how she suddenly appeared in our life..."

Izumi patted her friend on her shoulder "It'll be alright Ichiyo...'

"Mhm..." Ichiyo nodded timidly and smiled foundly on her friend.

'I don't want Izumi to feel so guilty... I'm the one who should control my emotions.'

"Now..." suddenly Izumi's humor took on a more bubbly and cheerful form. "What are we learning today?" a sincere smile appeared on her lips,

And so the hours of learning together passed by and by.

By the time they were studying, Ichiyo looked out from the window from time to time. She noticed grey stormy clouds that began to gather across the blue sky.

The girl smiled.

Soon they finished their work.

Both of them were exhausted from so much work, but they knew that it would pay for them later.

Ichiyo packed her things and gently waved goodbye to Izumi.

She went away from Izumi's house but she didn't go straight back to hers... She was walking towards Seiji's apartment...

Suddenly she heard thunder in the distance... The teenager smiled ominously "Perfect..."

As she walked, the rain began to pour heavily down all over the place.

Normally in such weather conditions, a person without an umbrella would be completely wet, but she was left out dry.

Thanks to her Water Manipulation Magic Ability.

[Headquarters, Tokyo]

Reports piled up on the table. The weary faces of the officers betrayed sleepless nights and hundreds of pages of case files reviewed.

"Zero. Absolutely nothing," Tanaka threw a document onto the table. "Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno – every location monitored 24/7. Not a single frame matching Miyahara."

"Hospitals are clean too," a young officer added. "No reports of injuries matching his methods. No victims, no suspects."

"And time's ticking," muttered another officer. "Every silent day feels like a countdown to the next strike."

The room fell silent, broken only by the ticking of the clock.

"The profile we’ve been working on is useless," Nakamura spoke in an icy tone. "Those so-called ‘experts’ claimed Miyahara was calculating, methodical, that he’d follow certain patterns. But I told you before — that’s not who he is."

Nakamura stood up, walked over to the map board, and pulled out one of the colored pins.

"We're dealing with an artist-murderer who disappears between shadows and media flashes. And we don't even have a trail."

Silence fell over the room.

"Maybe... someone from outside will see things differently," Tanaka said eventually, unsure. "We can't keep fumbling around in the dark."

Nakamura nodded. "If anyone can find a pattern in this... it's her."

"Her?" Tanaka asked confused.

"Yes. Her." Nakamura replied calmly. "Kisaragi Shiori. She's a profiler, the best that I know."

"Really?" Tanaka raised an eyebrow. "You and saying that someone is the best in their job, it's.. a rare thing. What makes her so special?"

"We've worked together on a difficult case years ago. We're not friends, but we show each other a mutual respect and wordless trust." Nakamura explained.

"Oh I see... Wait... If she's been working with you, hehe she must be old- I mean— A-at her best golden years, yeah?" Tanaka rubbed himself on his neck, feeling embarrassed from what he said.

Nakamura shook his head "Not exactly. She's actually younger than me - 37."

"Oh really?" Tanaka's eyes widened in shock.

"Yes. But that's not a time to dwell on someone's age. Like I said... If someone can find a pattern in this psycho's actions, it's her."

"In that case... Let's call her." Tanaka said.

---

Soon after, she was at the door to Seiji's flat.

Suddenly, the girl heard a thud from inside. She didn't know what it was, but decided not to worry too much and rang the doorbell.

In a moment the door opened. Seiji emerged from behind them. He looked like he was wrestling with Hideaki a moment ago.

He did not expect a visitor. When he saw an unknown teenager, he was very surprised

"Oh.. Hi..? Can I help you with something?" he asked.

"Yes... You can... Is Miyahara Hideaki here?"

"Uh... Yes..." Seiji turned his head to the killer's direction "Hideaki, someone for you!"

A loud "HUH???" came from the apartment.

'It's him. For sure now.' Ichiyo stated.

Hideaki quickly ran to the door. In his hands he held a bloody knife, he was afraid that it could be the police, so he prepared a weapon just in case.

The sight of the unknown teenager made him very shocked.
"Who are you?"

"Oh, right... Excuse me my poor manners, to both of you... My name is Takahashi Ichiyo. I've come to duel with you." She pointed at Hideaki. 'That face, these red eyes... It only double confirms that.'

The girl's declaration left Hideaki stunned. "The... WHAT!? Why the hell with me? Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do huh!? You're just a stupid ordinary brat who -!"

Seiji covered his mouth with his hand "Hideaki, behave yourself."

Hideaki was still trying to speak but to no avail as Seiji's hand drowned him out completely.

Seiji then added "Well.. I'd also like to know why you want to duel him. Personally, I wouldn't try.. He's got quite... specific powers..."

"I know." the girl said with a smile.

"You do?" Seiji was surprised

"Mhm! I know it perfectly well. But he's not the only one with powers... I have them too. But I won't reveal them yet..."

That made Seiji wonder... He looked how dramatically rainy was outside... 'In such weather... She should be completely wet. I don't see an umbrella or anything else water proof with her. Hmm... Could she have some water-based Ability?'

Hideaki was frustrated "Hey! It's not fair! How am I supposed to defeat you if I don't know what fucking Magic Ability you have!? . . . .... ...Wait a minute... HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT MAGIC DO I HAVE HUH!?!"

"MIYAHARA HIDEAKI!" Seiji couldn't take the rude behaviour of his roommate anymore "Really, why do you have to swear like that!?"

"Tch! Because I want to!!'

Seiji sighed at Hideaki's words "And I'm not allowing you." he turned to him.

"Tch!"

Seiji took a deep breath to calm his shattered nerves,

Suddenly Ichiyo interrupted,
"Forgive me, to interrupt your chat, but I also came here for a reason. And the reason is a reward."

"Reward..?" Seiji asked surprised.

Hideaki was observing her in silence this time... She seemed suspicious to him...

Like everyone else...

The girl then pointed at Hideaki for the second time "Him."

"Huh!?!? I'm not some piss-ass prize!!" Hideaki yelled.

"But you are. I'm sure the police think so."

"W-WHAT???" The mere mention of the police sent a jolt of fear through him, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

"Yes. They have put a bounty on you."

Hideaki was shocked. He knew he was wanted, but he didn't think there was a bounty on his head.

"So... If I win," the girl started "you will go with me to the police. I'm sure that I will get a lot of money from bringing to them a wanted serial killer..." she smiled at him...
"And if I lose..." she continued... "Let's make a deal, and I'll forget everything. I will forget where you live, I will forget that you are wanted... All information about you will be unknown to me..."

Hideaki's face showed one big shock... He looked again at the teenager who seemed to be confident in her words.

Ichiyo stared back at him. "So how will it be?"