Leave No Stone Unturned

"What?" Hogou exclaimed. "What do you mean he escaped?"

The news about Asahi escaping spread like wildfire. 

It was a hot topic in news outlets as a high-profile criminal slipped out of prison like it was nothing. Incidentally, many people started to band together and make a fan club for Asahi. 

Many started this trend and posted art and edits about him on social media. People are divided by this, those who supported Asahi think that stealing from banks and rich people, disposing the money and then making it rain on the streets as a theatrical show is a good deed. And those who thought that there were no good deeds in the crimes he committed.

Hogou was in deep disappointment as the only lead to Asahi's crime spree is Asahi himself escaping. The authorities had found Asahi's escape route and deduced that his recent violent outburst on another inmate was a diversion to his plan. To think that they got fooled by a criminal baffled the precinct.

The room was quiet, the officers were deeply embarrassed by the recent escape of Asahi. Hogou was deeply affected by it to the point he was at his desk covering his face with the palms of both of his hands. Suddenly Hogou was called into the chief's office. His body jerked immediately upwards and made his way to the office. He stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. He knocked then twisted the doorknob and entered the room

Inside was the chief behind his table, his eyes were sunken and his attire was dirty. He'd been working since Asahi escaped, almost all of his hair turned white by working. Hogou bowed to the chief and asked, "I heard you called. What do I need to do?"

"Detective Hugou, you'll be assigned to locate and capture Asahi Kureha. I believe that you are close enough to know his habits, "the district chief said.

"But chief, I'm not that close to that criminal. Yes, I interrogate him when the chance comes, but that's not enough for me to pick up his habits"

"I made up my mind Detective Hugou, you'll be partnered with Detective Mugi"

Hogou cannot refuse this. To think that he's stuck on a mission to capture Asahi is insane. 'I cannot believe this, I'll be subjected to Asahi's tomfoolery again. But this itself is an opportunity. A chance like this is both a blessing and a curse'

Three days had passed and both Detectives entered a cafe where Asahi was previously a patron. They sat down on the steel-framed chair. A waiter approached them and asked, "Hello, can I take your order?"

Hogou replied, "Just two black coffee please" and smiled

"And one cheesecake," Mugi interjected." Also, two shots of creamer on one black coffee and plentiful of sugar"

The waiter wrote their order on a piece of paper and left.

"You really like sweets don't you?"Hogou asked

"Of course, what's not to like about sweets?" Mugi answered 

"They're diabetes-inducing, cavities, it felt like my throat is burning when I eat sweets and many more"

"Hougou-san, that's just a 'you' problem"

Hogou was silent as he observed the surroundings, in contrast to Mugi; eating his cheesecake while laughing and talking about obscure things. However, it seems that Hogou cannot hear what Mugi had said as he focused on one thing. The man on the corner, suspiciously observing them. Both of them locked eyes but immediately looked away.

'Looks like that man knew something, bingo'

The man stood up and walked beside their table. He threw a yellow card as went to the exit. Hogou caught it, he flipped the card and there was a number.

He pulled out his phone and punched the number.

Before calling he stood up and said, "I'll just go the bathroom"

Mugi just nodded.

The phone rang in the bathroom as Hogou lit a cigarette. He heard a beep and put his phone against his ear.

"Hello?" he said

"Hugou Hogou, I reckon you need a lead to Asahi?"

"Who are you?"

"No need to know, I'm just an informer. Grab a pen and paper and write down the address I'm about to say"

He pulled out a notepad and a pen from his inner pocket.

The man uttered an address, it's a warehouse in a port. It has been abandoned for several decades. A perfect place to conduct criminal activities.

"I heard they'll do an exchange there. Asahi and some other people. Go alone, if you mobilize entire divisions, they'll know. The people Asahi is meeting have an influence that goes even deeper than you can possibly imagine. Tread carefully"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Like I said, I'm just an informer. Capture Asahi, and I'm satisfied"

Beep.

The man hung up

'I cannot possibly trust this information. This is too sketchy. But it's my only lead. I can't believe I'm doing this

Mugi was enjoying his desserts as he waited for Hogou. Usually, the detectives he's partnered with were pretty fun. But Hogou is too strict with himself and his partners. But since they're tasked to capture one of the most dangerous criminals in the city, he figures to do his best not to drag Hogou down.

"The phantom maestro Huh? Such a cool name for such an average guy. I was even surprised by his appearance when he surrendered. To think that many people revered him as a modern-day Robin Hood is just insane" Mugi thought to himself as he read the paper about their case.

In recent years, there has been a series of heists that people are engrossed with, and it's the Phantom Maestro. It's a man in a black suit with his eyes covered with a black mask and wearing a magician's top hat. His heists are akin to shows, even calling it his masterpieces. His motives are unknown and all the money he stole is just thrown into random streets and people started to call that phenomenon: A money rain. He quickly blew around the internet as many people started to idolize him, aside from those people, there were people that began to dislike him. And the two groups of people are constantly bashing each other.

 But before long, shocking news was made to the major news outlets and became viral on the internet. The phantom maestro surrendered. His identity was revealed to be a normal adult named Asahi Kureha. His face was mysterious and his silver messy hair swayed with the wind as he was escorted to the police car. That however captures a lot of people's hearts. They found him handsome or hot, demanding to free him as they insisted he did nothing wrong. But ever since his relevance dropped as he's been imprisoned for six months, but his recent escape blew the internet again, which made a problem for the authorities as his fan clubs started making a ruckus about false leads and diversions.

"He made our jobs a lot harder, along with the fanatics that followed him" Mugi sighed as he fidgeted his spoon in the porcelain mug which made a clunk noise.

Mugi heard footsteps on his left side and looked over, it was Hogou. He smelled like cigarettes. It was evident on his face that something happened but it looks like he's doing it on his own. Before Mugi can talk, he was interrupted by Hogou. "We are done here, for now, something came up and I need to go to the station. I suggest you go home for now," he said. "Don't worry about the bill, it's my treat". He slid a couple of paper bills under the coffee cup and signaled him to go home.

Mugi reluctantly agreed. "See you tomorrow Hogou-san, Tell me if something significant comes up, I promise I can help" He waved.

Hogou also waved in the distance and walked in the opposite direction of Mugi. The chilling wind blew on his face as the sun started to dip into the horizon. He's still suspicious about the informant's lead but he has no choice but to follow it. He also cannot drag someone innocent like Mugi into something like this, his conscience could never do him. He checked his equipment to see if he was ready if something ever happened.

Unlike normal detectives like homicide detectives, Hogou was a part of a special detective force that allowed them to carry like a 9mm pistol and lethal weapons. They are specifically assembled to deal with big-shot criminals like The Phantom Maestro and The Butcher. Among some privileges, they are allowed to move without orders from the higher-ups, and they patrol some areas that have a high probability of encountering S-class criminals like Asahi. Furthermore, since the success of the project, the special detective force has become a permanent force for dealing with dangerous criminals. Some of the notable captures of the S.D.F are Shibuya's mad scientist, Balter Bhite or Beisenburg, Madame Pomfrey, Shino, and of course; The Phantom maestro

Along the towering concrete buildings and the crowd walking on the sidewalk. Hogou slowly squeezes himself in the myriad of people. He's still not comfortable with the information that the informer gave. How can he trust someone if they didn't even give their name? He sighed as he reached his hand in his left pocket for a lollipop, he fidgeted the plastic wrapper and suckled on the red candy. 

He made his way to the staircase that leads underground and boarded the train. 

He could feel his eyes betraying him as it beckons to close on him. He gripped the pole as the other people standing on the train wobbled. 'I've been restless since that guy escaped. It's too much for me, I really hope I can capture him immediately. Sigh, such a drag' he mused

A rhythmic ear-catching tune played as the woman's voice in the PA announced the next station. He quickly boarded off the train and hailed a taxi. He told the taxi to drive near the warehouses, which are far from the city. It took a few minutes and Hogou requested to stop at the side of the road. As soon as the taxi left, he pulled out his gun and switched off the safety. He stealthily entered the establishment as he jumped from spot to spot. 

The door was open, he hid in the left side of the metal door and slightly peered inside. Inside the warehouse was an alcohol lamp that cast a yellow light. It was barely illuminating the warehouse. Beside the lamp were two people, they were chatting about something. One was obscured in the darkness, he was barely visible. But the other guy, he knew immediately who he was. It was Asahi, just the sound of his voice. However, this version of him he's never seen before. His voice is a lot more confident than he is in the interrogation. He focused on their conversations, the voice gradually became louder, overshadowing the sound of the waves and the crickets. 

"So, is our deal on? It's not a bad deal," Asahi said. 

"I would consider that it's not a bad deal. However, what you want is simply too overboard. I mean come on, a control in the police force? I thought you hated them" The man in the shadow replied. 

"It's for my next performance you see. Besides, half of the money that I steal will be yours anyway. What's a bad deal about that?" 

It was silence for a few seconds. All he heard was absurd, what does he mean by control in the police force? A corrupt one? Or a bug? Hogou was perplexed. 

'Is this what that man said… His connection runs even deeper than I imagine, These traitors…' 

The background noise was filled by the call of crickets. The awkward silence between them grew deeper. A persistent beep rang in his ears…

The man eventually answered, "You're making a risky move. I'm at risk as well. I'm in a delicate balance," he said. "Any suspicion will lead this to jeopardy, I'm only considering this because I'm related to you, and that money is huge. But remember, when you slip up, I will not help you"

"Such a cruel brother, can you loosen a bit more to your younger brother?" 

'B-brother? The phantom maestro has a brother in the police force? Wait this doesn't add up… Why would he ask a favor now if his arrest can just be covered up… Or Is it because he's luring someone out…' Hogou mused. 'And once he confirmed his suspicion, he broke out of prison with ease… this… is… A plausible theory… a lot of inconsistencies Asahi leave gets covered up by this… it all made sense now…' 

The man hissed, "Don't give me shit like that, we all know how terrible are you to deal with. Simply loosening myself in your presence is calling for trouble, even if you're family" A tall silver-haired man emerged from the shadow. He has the same sleek black suit that the S. D. F. uses

Because of the darkness, the man's face is still shrouded in shadow. But to Hogou, he looked familiar. He just couldn't pinpoint whom. 

"What, feeling quiet? Is this some kind of joke to you Asahi?" The man said. 

'This voice sounds familiar… I only realized this now' Suddenly a realization hit him… 'The only one who talked like that in the Detective forces is… Misami Misashi… This is… Insane… someone big like him associating with a criminal… I cannot-' he slowly backed up until he accidentally stumbled down and tumbled metal plumbings and wooden boxes. The noise echoed in the warehouse. The two immediately looked in Hogou's direction. The moonlight was not on Hogou's side today. As it illuminated his whole being… 

"Well, looks like we have a rat today," Misami said. 

Just before the dust settled down. Asahi's gaze was fixed into Hogou's direction… 

His eyes were shaken, sweat dripped down as it plumped to the floor… 

His voice was shaky as he uttered, "H-Hogou?"