#detective?

@veritaphobic

     The dim glow of my computer’s monitor stares back at me as my fingers tap rhythmically against the keys beneath them.  Hitting the enter key with a final slap, one report vanishes from my screen, only for a new one to take its place.  Chipping away at the mountain of digital paperwork I’ve been putting off is far from enjoyable, but I don’t have much of a choice in the matter at the moment.  Pissing off the boss isn’t without consequence, though that certainly shouldn’t come as a shock.

     The final clacking stomp of her heel punctuated her frigid response. “The case is closed, Hinata-kun.  I told you to drop it.”

     She narrowed her lavender eyes at me from across her desk.  I should have been able to tell following the agency mandate regardless of her own feelings on the matter had clearly begun to wear on her nerves.  Anyone with a bit of common sense could have told you she was at a point where she was no longer willing to entertain any form of counter-argument.  However, after the day I had, I was fresh out of common sense and social grace.

     “Don’t give me that, Kirigiri.  You know the higher ups are burying their heads in the sand on this.  She’s still out there and if we sit around and do nothing-”

     A single gloved hand slammed down onto the desk now and she leaned over it.  That was a new level of intensity from her.  Forget common sense.  My basic self-preservation instincts should have been enough to tell me pushing any further was a catastrophically bad idea.

     “Detective, need I remind you that you are speaking to your direct superior?  I would ask that you keep your tone professional and refrain from making any disparaging remarks towards my deceased classmate.”

     Again, I wasn’t quite in possession of my usual mental fortitude at the time.  A shitty day often leaves you with pretty shitty decision making abilities.  In retrospect, I can safely say this one of the most shitty decisions I’ve made.

     “Is that why you’re being so bullheaded about this?  Are you really that sore over the fact that some random nobody found the psychopath hiding in your classroom before you could?”  That was the chip on my shoulder talking.  The next part was where I really crossed a line.  “Or are you just not invested anymore?  After all, now that you’ve gotten back at dear old Dad, who cares how many more innocent people die?!”

     The bruise on my cheek is mostly healed now, but I walked out of the building with a red mark in the shape of a studded leather glove on my face.  Before I did, I was curtly informed me I was up for a ranking review and that I should count myself lucky I wasn’t being dismissed entirely.  Starting today, I have a new partner who will be conducting an evaluation of my abilities as a detective to better determine my worth as an asset of the Detective Library.  Ordinarily, this might entail me moving up a rank, but at this point the best I can hope for is that I’m not fired the instant the new guy walks through the door.

     Speaking of, I’m mostly in the dark as to who my new partner is supposed to be.  The only thing I know for sure is that they had the front desk call me five minutes ago to let me know they were on the way.  Apparently the unfamiliarity is supposed to aid in the objectivity of the process, but I feel like brass is more interested in keeping me out of the loop than anything.  After spending the last few days attempting to deduce what expert gumshoe they were going to drop in my lap to completely discredit me, Nanami insisted I stop agonizing over it and put my energy into doing my best at work instead.  So, that’s what I’m doing now, filling out every extraneous form that’s been awaiting my digital signature and doing everything within my power to appear to be the by-the-book cop that I am so assuredly not.

     In that pursuit, it takes some effort not to leap out of my seat as I see the office door creak open out of the corner of my eye.  For someone to come around Division Nine this early, they must be here about a dead body or my new partner.  Either way, I’m the one they’re looking for.  With an aloof wave of my hand, I flag down the indistinct figure, feigning a continued focus on the documents in front of me.  It’s because of that I fail to see who they actually are, even as they approach my desk.

     “Welcome to Homicide.  I’m Hinata Hajime, Detective Shelf Collection 9-9-9.  I’m guessing you’re my new partner...”  Finally turning my chair sideways to face the new arrival, it hits me all at once.

     Contrary to the official statement on the incident at Hope’s Peak, I know without a doubt Enoshima Junko is still alive.  As long as she is, she won’t give up on this twisted plan of hers.  As Hope’s Peak prepares to reopen with a new class of naive wunderkids, she couldn’t be more perfectly poised to try again.  Odds are, some element of her Despair has already managed to infiltrate the school.  That’s what I’ve been forbidden from looking into.  That’s what’s put me in such hot water.  Even so, I’m not about to give up.  If there’s a traitor in Class 79, I’m going to find them before they can start their new semester of killing.

     Of course, that might prove difficult with one of them being put in charge of me.