State of Mind

"A fool complains about a torn pocket, a wise man uses it to scratch his balls."\- Some Dude

(Narrator)...Did you guys see that quote??What in the world is wrong with this author?! Is this even philosophy? I'm filing a complaint. Anyway! Welcome back, you glorious degenerates!Another day dawns in the beautiful land of Japan! The sun rises, the birds chirp, and the scent of the approaching weekend fills the air with promise! But not for everyone! Let's check in on our main characters, shall we?(Narrator Fades Out)In a massive, luxurious 5-star apartment in the heart of Tokyo, the morning light pierced the darkness of a bedroom that could only belong to royalty. A huge wall of glass revealed a stunning cityscape. The room was furnished with expensive, minimalist elegance... which made the scene on the large plush sofa all the more jarring. It looked like a wild beast had raided a convenience store and then passed out. Empty snack bags and drink bottles were scattered around the base of the sofa, from which a duvet-covered lump was snoring peacefully.Surely, the beautiful Reina Hoshigawa was not the one who made this mess?A blaring alarm shattered the peace. A hand emerged from the duvet, slapping the offending device on the side table. Reina blinked her eyes open, dragged herself out of the nest of her own creation, and stumbled across her fancy carpets to the even fancier bathroom.(Narrator)Behold!The secret is out! The sophisticated princess, the heir to the Hoshigawa empire... is a hardcore otaku who games all night! The world is not ready for this truth!After a not-too-long process of female preparation fit for a billionaire's daughter, Reina was in her office attire. She checked a sticky note on her wall, gave herself one last approving glance in the mirror, and left the room, sticking a note on the outside of her door for the maids: "Clean the mess. -R."Her Highness then entered one of her many sports cars, turned up the music, and drove off into the rising sun.(Narrator)And now,let's visit the humble abode of Haruto Kurosawa!(He fades out)In a peaceful neighborhood of nearly identical modern duplex houses, the morning was far more orderly. Through a second-floor window, Haruto was already awake, finishing a set of push-ups on a mat beside his bed. An array of dumbbells of various sizes sat nearby, already used. He moved to a treadmill for a ten-minute run, revealing a surprisingly well-toned body, though his eyes were shadowed by dark circles, as if he hadn't slept properly in days.After a long, meticulous bathroom routine and the normal, mundane preparations of a nerd packing for work, he poured over office files at his table, also stuffing a few game cartridges into his bag. He checked his phone. 7:27 AM. A reminder glared at him: PICK UP SAITO-SENPAI - 7:30 AM.Panic ensued.He scrambled downstairs, locking the door, getting into his car, then frantically checking his pockets and bag before rushing back inside, and then out again, all in a flustered rush. He finally settled into the driver's seat with a slice of bread in his mouth and a bottle of coffee in his hand, putting on his headset. "Phew," he exhaled, starting the car and driving off.(Narrator)The nerd...EXERCISES? And has a more chaotic morning routine than a sitcom character! The plot thickens! Now, for our third dummy, the fraudster himself! What does a leech like Takumi Saito do in the morning? Let's see!(He fades out)Not far from Haruto's neighborhood, in Takumi's spacious renovated home, the man was sleeping soundly, hugging his pillow and drooling with a blissful smile.A gentle tap.He mumbled about food and turned over.Another tap.He slowly opened his eyes, looking around. The chair was still propped under his door handle, just as he left it. He cleared his tired eyes, looking at the widely open window. Then, the sleep cleared from his mind. He slowly, fearfully, turned his head.Ayaka Misora stood beside his bed, in her underwear, beaming. "Good morning, Takumi-kun!"[Scene Skip]The next moment, Takumi was unceremoniously tossing a confused, childlike Ayaka out of his room. He rubbed his face, took off his pajamas, attempted a few push-ups before collapsing, and crawled to the bathroom. After cleaning up and making a series of bizarre faces in the mirror, he dressed for work, discreetly slipping a pocket knife and brass knuckles into his detective coat. He read through some papers on his desk, packed his bag, and texted Anonymous: you up??Downstairs, he found a full breakfast prepared by Ayaka, who was now in her work clothes and had cleaned the entire house. He smiled and rubbed her head, making her glow with happiness as she hugged him. As they ate and talked, a shadow of sadness crossed Ayaka's face when Takumi subtly took back the spare key he'd retrieved from her pocket.Haruto's car pulled up. Takumi got in the front seat, exchanging greetings, while Ayaka waved goodbye, giving Haruto a death glare that made him shrink in his seat."Don't worry, she'll like you eventually," Takumi said, patting Haruto's head as they drove off.(Narrator)I cannot believe this guy has a beautiful,devoted girl breaking into his home to make him breakfast. The universe is truly unfair. So, those are the morning routines of our 'super team.' How's yours, you lonely reader?(Narrator Closes)---At the SCIU HQ, Investigation Department B was quiet. Takumi was already asleep at the back of the conference table. Haruto was arranging his game collection at the far right end. Reina stood by the huge window, sipping matcha and taking selfies with the Tokyo skyline as a backdrop."Ugh, why hasn't that old man come yet? I thought we had a meeting?" Reina complained, breaking the silence.Haruto stammered, "I-I think he's not in yet. It's only 8:36 AM. Work starts at 9."Reina began bullying Haruto out of boredom, then her eyes fell on the sleeping Takumi. "Does he always sleep this much?" she asked with disgust."Y-Yes," Haruto replied.Reina walked over, her expression shifting to a fake, sweet smile. She tapped Takumi awake. "Why don't you help me take a picture?" she purred, trying to seduce him by holding his chin.Takumi didn't even flinch. He simply moved his rolling chair to another part of the table and went back to sleep.Reina was left in stunned, furious silence. No one had ever rejected her like that."YOU! Nerd! Come take a picture of me! NOW!" she barked at a terrified Haruto, forcing him into an impromptu photoshoot that lasted far too long.The quiet morning was finally interrupted when the door slid open. A woman in her mid-40s, wearing standard Japanese work attire and carrying a tablet, entered. Her face was stern and serious. They all stood to greet Ms. Ren Tokugawa, the General's personal assistant.She apologized for the General's absence and delivered the dreaded news: it was the last Friday of the month. SCIU Squad Assessment Day. The trio groaned like children being told school was extended.---The men's changing room was crowded with junior employees pulling on tracksuits. The physical assessment, run by the Fighter Squad, was infamous, primarily because of its captain.Taye Renjiro, a 6'3", dark-skinned Japanese mixed-race member of Fighter Squad B, famous for his strength, approached Takumi and Haruto. "You're the Golden Boy, right?" he asked Takumi."That's me," Takumi replied with a smug grin.They discussed the legendary, brutal captain of the Fighter Squad as they headed to the assessment hall. During a long orientation, Takumi slipped away, claiming he needed the bathroom. Instead, he found a secluded storage closet, locked the door, sat on a chair, and closed his eyes.He transcended into the dark subspace. His god, the towering entity of Self-Sacrifice with its bull skull head and single third eye, hovered before him."I believe my killer will be at the Himura Clan son's birthday party," Takumi said, his soul-form sitting cross-legged on the void.The god's voice echoed. He is not born into the family, but he is deeply involved. It is too dangerous. He has killed you in public before."I'll go as part of the Hoshigawa family entourage. He can't touch me then. The clans are tied."It is a risk. Have backup plans. Use your allies.They spoke further before Takumi's consciousness returned to his body. He woke up in the closet, strategizing how to convince the notoriously difficult Reina to take him as her guest, and insulting his god for not knowing the killer's current identity. As he hurried back, lost in thought, he rounded a corner and bumped squarely into a woman.Snacks flew everywhere from her bag."I'm so sorry!" Takumi said, immediately bending down to help pick them up. What kind of person carries this much junk food? he thought.He got a better look at her. She was muscular yet curvy, dressed in a senior officer's army coat adorned with impressive badges, but she looked surprisingly young and… shy."Please, don't worry about it," she stammered, also bending down to gather her snacks."Aren't you a bit young to have all these badges?" Takumi asked, genuinely curious and completely oblivious.(Narrator)Oh,Takumi. You have no idea who you're talking to. You think you're still in one of your older, more important bodies, don't you?"I-I am of age!" she insisted, blushing."Really? You look very young and beautiful," Takumi said honestly.The woman turned bright red, stood up, and hurried away down the hall, so flustered she left a chocolate bar behind. Takumi picked it up, put it in his pocket, and continued back to the hall, where he lied to the supervisor about a stomach ache.As he rejoined his line, the senior officer on stage announced, "Please welcome the Chief of the Fighter Squad!"Everyone bowed. When they looked up, Takumi's jaw nearly hit the floor. On stage, wearing a face of deadly seriousness, was the woman from the hallway.She introduced herself as Captain Takako Arisaka. The assessment was beginning.Later, as everyone prepared for the grueling physical tests, Captain Arisaka approached the absent-minded Takumi. Without a word, she took his hand and led him out of the hall, under the watchful and pitying eyes of everyone else.She led him to her office and locked the door. A tense silence filled the room. Takumi was still processing her identity. Captain Arisaka was struggling to speak, her face a mixture of shyness and panic.In her mind: I saw his medical results. He's exactly my type. I couldn't hold back. But he'd never like an older woman like me.Seeing her distressed expression, Takumi snapped out of his thoughts. "I apologize for not paying attention. Is something wrong?""Was... was your stomach pain... because of me?" she stammered.Takumi remembered his lie. "Oh! This?" he said, pulling the chocolate bar from his pocket. "It wasn't this. It was something else. My apologies for worrying you." He bowed slightly."Please, stand up! And... don't think of me as an old woman," she said, looking away shyly.Takumi, still utterly oblivious, said, "I don't see you as old at all. You're in your prime! One might even say you're in top shape."His words hit her like a freight train. Her heart raced. A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes. Before Takumi could react, she moved with superhuman speed, picking him up and placing him on her office desk, leaning over him.In Takumi's mind: Oh no! What did I say wrong?! I heard she can fist-fight an army! I need a lie, fast!"People will wonder where we are—" he started.She gently but firmly covered his mouth with her hand. The look on her face was intensely focused. As she began to loosen her uniform tie, Takumi struggled, but he was completely overpowered. His eyes darted around and landed on the pocket of her jacket. He managed to wriggle an arm free and pull out the chocolate bar he had just given back to her.He waved it in front of her face.Her attention instantly snapped to the chocolate. The intense expression softened into a look of pure, simple desire. He tossed it across the room. With a swift, powerful movement, she leaped off him and scrambled after it like a puppy, happily devouring it on the floor.A few moments later, she stood up, composed but embarrassed. "I... apologize. No one has ever spoken to me so genuinely. I've rejected so many people... I lost control."Takumi, finally understanding, stepped out from behind the desk where he'd taken refuge. "It's okay," he said, gently rubbing her head. "Do you really love snacks that much?"She nodded, still shy. "It's a secret."In his mind: I can't believe the terrifying Captain Taka is such a glutton. I got lucky. She reminds me of Ayaka... but stronger.To quell the rumors, Captain Arisaka escorted a slightly disheveled Takumi to the clinic, claiming he'd sustained a minor injury. The news spread like wildfire.When Reina, Haruto, and Taye rushed to the clinic to check on their "brutalized" friend, they froze in the doorway. They saw Takumi sitting on a bed, being happily fed snacks by the fearsome captain.They fled without a word.For the rest of the assessments, Takumi was pampered by the captain while his teammates suffered. By the end, Reina was exhausted and furious."What did you do to her?" Reina demanded, blocking his path after it was all over."She felt bad for injuring me.""She's injured plenty of people! Why are you special? Are you jealous?" Takumi asked with a smug look.Reina blushed and stammered. "Y-You don't know what you're talking about!" She stormed off, leaving Takumi confused.In the changing room, Taye clapped him on the back. "You're a real lady's man, Saito! The fierce captain and the director's daughter? You're one lucky guy."Takumi just laughed it off.---By evening, assessments were over. As Takumi rushed to the Department B office, he bumped into someone, spilling their coffee. He apologized and bought them a new one before running off. Later, he found a unique, wiry-designed pen on the ground where the incident happened. The owner's face didn't register. Not from the SCIU, he thought, pocketing the pen.He found Haruto about to leave the parking lot. "Haruto! Give me a ride!""Sorry, senpai! I'm driving to my cousins' in the mountains for the weekend to pay respects to my late uncle! I need to buy gifts!" Haruto drove off with a wave.Takumi then sprinted to Reina's car. "Reina! A ride!"She laughed from her driver's seat. "Let a filthy man like you in my baby? No way! I'm going to my mother's house. See you Monday, you fraud!" She sped away, laughing.Takumi sighed. The bus it is.On the crowded, congested last bus, holding a rail and hating every second of human contact, Takumi remembered the pen. Where have I seen this design before?Suddenly, the bus shook violently. A Himura Hotel bus was aggressively trying to overtake them. The bus driver shouted curses. Takumi quickly pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of the hotel bus's license plate through the windshield, and zoomed in. A smile spread across his face.In his mind: Finally. A lead.He arrived home, unlocked the door, and sighed with relief that Ayaka hadn't found another way in. "I'm never taking public transport again," he groaned, collapsing onto his bed. He looked at the strange pen one more time before setting it aside. He opened his phone, looked at the picture of the bus, and called "Anonymous.""Meet me tomorrow at the usual spot. I have a lead."