Chapter Text
"This shit is pissing me off."
The sudden outburst from her investigative partner drew Kohane's attention away from the files she'd spent the last hour poring over, and she peeked around the side of her laptop, biting back amusement at the way that Shinonome had flopped over onto his computer. "Is everything alright over there?" she asked, and he lifted his head, shooting her a look with barely-focused eyes. "You've been working at this for a while now."
Even though they weren't on the clock anymore, work never stopped for the two of them. Being a detective wasn't easy in the first place, but Kohane had recently been assigned what she considered to be one of the hardest cases of her career — there had been a string of museum robberies as of late, and the department had zero leads. Being paired with Shinonome, one of the station's more experienced detectives, had given her hope that they'd be able to close this case sooner rather than later. However, nearly a month had passed, and with every new meeting with her superiors, she struggled more and more to explain that they'd made very little substantial progress.
"They broke the damn pattern again," Shinonome grumbled, turning around his laptop so she could see his screen. He'd pulled up an overlay of the city maps, marking the locations of previous thefts and connecting them with a web of lines so intricate Kohane was having trouble making out the contents of the actual map. That was part of the issue with these robberies — as soon as the two of them thought they'd figured out a pattern, they were immediately disproved.
There was too much information, too many contradictions, and nowhere near enough time in the day to make it all make sense. That was why Kohane found herself here, sitting at a cafe with her partner after her shift, because at the end of the day, there was always more work to be done.
God. Was it too late to quit her job?
"How are we supposed to prevent a crime spree if we can't even logic out what they're gonna do next?" she said, sighing as she leaned against the table and buried her face in crossed arms. "We have to be missing something, but what?"
There must have been something she wasn't seeing — evidence hiding in plain sight, footprints or fingerprints or discarded wrappers or something that led some kind of trail back to the thieves. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure it out, and—
Footsteps dragged her out of the spiral of thoughts she'd gotten caught in, and she raised her head as a mug of coffee was sat down on the table in front of her. "The two of you look like you could use a break," a smooth, deep voice said from above her. Kohane looked up, eyes softening as they landed on Aoyagi, one of the cafe's servers. Over the last month, after their shifts, she and Shinonome had come here to continue their work, and they'd ended up striking up some rapport with the cafe's staff. It was always a pleasure to see Aoyagi when they were seated in his section — he'd memorized their regular orders in just a few visits and always had something new to say or advice to give whenever they stopped by.
"The two of you have been here for hours," Aoyagi said, and Kohane grimaced, shooting a glance out the cafe window. Sure enough, the sun was starting to set, and though she could still see it above the skyline, it wouldn't be long until the city was plunged into night. "Can I get you anything to eat while you're here?"
"I'm not even hungry, I'm just annoyed," Shinonome said, though if the rumbling of his stomach was anything to go by, that was a blatant lie. Kohane giggled, taking a sip of the a sip of the coffee Aoyagi had brought her, and some of the tension strung through her body melted away with the warm taste of mocha. At the very least, even if the day hadn't gone well for her, she could trust a good cup of coffee to bring her spirits up. Shinonome mirrored her movements with his own mug, sighing in bliss at the taste. "I appreciate this, though. Just put it on the tab, we'll pay before we leave."
Aoyagi smiled, giving him a light shake of his head. "It's on the house," he said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat beside the two of them. "You two work so hard that I'm sure An won't mind treating you just a bit."
"You're sure I won't mind what?" another voice said from behind him, and embarrassingly enough, Kohane felt her heart beat just a bit faster at Shiraishi's voice. She bounced over to their table with a smile on her face, hair spilling over her shoulders as she leaned over Shinonome's shoulder. "Ooh, whatcha lookin' at?" She leaned in close, peering at the contents of his computer screen, and Shinonome grunted, slamming his laptop shut and attempting to shove her off him.
"None of your business," he said, leaning back far enough in his chair that the front legs lifted an inch off the ground. "It's just work shit. Our investigation hasn't been going well."
"Ah, you're still trying to find the ones who stole the jewelry from that exhibition last month?" Aoyagi said, scooting closer and letting his chin rest in the palm of his hands. "I wasn't aware that was still a topic of discussion."
"Not just that," Kohane said. "There's also the museum heist from a couple weeks ago, and the stolen jewelry from that gala the other night. And a few other things that have happened in between, but they've gotten less of our attention compared to the big ones."
"They don't leave any evidence behind, and there's no rhyme or reason to what they do or where they do it." Shinonome reopened his laptop, shifting it so all three of them could see his screen. "The only thing we've managed to narrow down is the time frame, which helps us figure out when the stuff is gonna happen." He yawned, shaking his head. "Doesn't do shit when we have no idea where to look, though."
Aoyagi hummed, looking at the screen with furrowed brows. "When is the next heist going to be, then? If you've figured it out?"
"Tonight," Kohane said, and out of the corner of her eye, she could've sworn she saw Shiraishi's shoulders tense for a fraction of a second, before she let out a quiet sigh. "We were looking at some of the bigger targets, since all of the locations were clustered together at the beginning, but now they've just been hopping all over the city. It's so frustrating, and we can't put together any kind of pattern…"
"Hmm," Aoyagi said. "Maybe you're overthinking it."
Shinonome raised an eyebrow, shooting him a look that implied he thought he was insane. "Overthinking it? I don't think it's possible to overthink shit in this line of work."
"You may not be approaching it the right way, though," Aoyagi said, sitting up straighter in his seat. "You're assuming these thieves are acting rationally in these scenarios, no?"
"Well, yeah," Shinonome responded, shrugging. "Most crime sprees like this have some element of reason to them."
Aoyagi nodded. "I read this book on theory recently — criminal theory, to be precise — that states that oftentimes, it's never as complex as you might think," he said, steepling his fingers. "For every person that commits a rational and well-thought-out crime, there are many others who simply do what they feel in the moment. Is it not possible that that's what these what thieves may be doing?"
"…So they're just going with the flow, is what you're saying?" Kohane said, pursing her lips. "I mean, that's a possibility, isn't it?"
"If you wanna outsmart a bunch of thieves, you've gotta start thinking like them," Shiraishi said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "And sometimes, that involves straight up not thinking at all!"
"That might be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard," Shinonome said, and his face scrunched up as he pulled his laptop back towards him, fingers flying across his keyboard faster than light. "But, as much as I hate to say it, you might be onto something." His eyes shot up to Kohane, and for a split-second, he brought his finger up to his lips, shaking his head. "Actually, can I ask for your help with something?" he said, turning his computer back towards Aoyagi and Shiraishi.
"What's up?" Shiraishi asked, peering at the newly visible screen. Kohane scooted around the table so she could catch a glimpse of what he was showing them — it was a map of the city showing where the recent robberies had taken place, but as she looked closer, she realized something was… missing.
One of the sites was missing. It was one of the earlier ones, but its absence hadn't escaped Kohane's attention, and just as she was about to bring it up, she put the pieces together — Shinonome had been shushing her just a moment ago. Whatever the reason was, he didn't want her bringing it up. She tore her gaze away from the screen, meeting his eyes and nodding in his direction.
"This is where all the other robberies have been so far," he said, pointing out the circles on the map. "We're having trouble figuring out where they would strike next, since there's no pattern, but if we're really overthinking this, maybe you guys could give us some insight." Shinonome pressed the space bar on his keyboard, and the overlay on the map switched — it now highlighted a few different locations across the city, as well as the one that had notably been missing before.
"If they're not going at it from the angle of a seasoned criminal, then maybe they're just thinking like any other person," he said, gesturing at the map. "So why not just ask any other person what they think? Toya. An. If you two were the thieves, where would you strike next?"
Shiraishi paused for a moment, exchanging a glance with Aoyagi before shrugging and squatting by the table. "I dunno," she said, clicking her tongue. "Toya, what do you think?"
Aoyagi looked at the map with more of a discerning eye, staring at the map with such intensity that Kohane could practically see the gears turning in his head. "Here," he said after a minute, pointing at the location that was missing from the previous map. "Museums are high profile targets, aren't they? It makes sense."
"Mhm." Shinonome hummed, looking at the map again and squinting. "Could you do me a favor, actually?"
"What kind?"
Shinonome fished a pen and notepad out of his bag, sliding them across the table. "Make a list. One with all these places, from most likely to least likely to get robbed."
The table fell silent, and Aoyagi's brows arched so high they were nearly covered by his hair. "Excuse me?"
"Make a list," Shinonome said, tearing two pages off the notepad and sliding them to Kohane and Shiraishi. "You two, too." He tore a third page, sliding it to Aoyagi and grabbing the notepad. "I'll be right back." He rose from his chair, walking to a table across the cafe and saying something that Kohane couldn't make out to the people seated there.
"What," Shiraishi said, drawing out the words as much as possible, "the actual fuck is he doing?" Her face had taken on a bright red tint as she slapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders bouncing as she suppressed her laughs as much as possible. "Seriously, what's this guy thinking?"
Aoyagi shot her a look, tilting his head towards the pen and paper before him, and Kohane was beginning to feel frustrated at her complete inability to figure out what it was the two of them were saying to each other. "I'm not sure what purpose this serves, exactly," he said, picking up the pen and peering at Shinonome's laptop as he scribbled down the locations, "but if it can help them in their investigation, I'm all for it." After writing, he set the pen down on the table, folding the sheet of paper in half and sliding it towards the laptop. "An, you should make a list as well. It may end up helping more than you realize."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm picking up what you're putting down," Shiraishi sighed, proceeding to pick up the pen and write her own list. She crumpled the paper into a ball, tossing it beside Aoyagi's and handing the pen to Kohane. "Don't think it'll do much, though."
"You never know," Aoyagi said, clearing his throat and brushing hair out of his face. "It looks like Shinonome is returning, though."
True to his word, Shinonome arrived back at the table only a moment later, shoving the notepad in his pockets and pulling his laptop towards him. "That was helpful. I think."
"What'd you even do?" Shiraishi asked, leaning over and trying to see his laptop screen, and Shinonome glared at her, pushing it further away from her.
"It's like you said. If you wanna beat a thief, sometimes, you can't think like a detective," he said, grabbing Shiraishi and Aoyagi's lists from the table. "You've gotta think just like anyone else. So I surveyed a bunch of other people."
"…And that's supposed to help, how?" Aoyagi exchanged another glance with Shiraishi before shrugging. "I won't judge your methods, it's simply confusing."
"Eh. You'll see." Shinonome clicked his tongue, shutting his laptop and shoving the lists in his pocket with the rest of the paper. "In the meantime, don't you two have to get back to work? You've been here for, like, twenty minutes now."
"Oh, so you just hate us," Shiraishi said, flopping against the table dramatically. "All this time spent trying to be your friend, and all you want us to do is go away! My heart, Akito. It hurts."
"Give me a break," Shinonome grumbled, crossing his arms. "I'm telling you to go back to work because your coworker's been giving you the evil eye for the last ten minutes, An."
Shiraishi's face flushed redder than a tomato. "Ah." She pulled her waist-length hair back into a high ponytail, tugging on Aoyagi's shoulder. "Yeah, we probably should get back to work, shouldn't we?"
"I'm sorry if we took up too much of your time," Aoyagi said, rising from his chair and giving them both a nod of his head. "I hope we'll see you again soon. It's always a pleasure whenever the two of you stop by." He gave them a smile, and Kohane felt like she was about to melt. "Also, before I forget—" he reached into the pocket of his apron, pulling out a book "—I found the sequel to the book you and I were discussing the other day. I've already made my way through it, so let me know if you'd like to discuss it." He left the book sitting on the table beside Kohane's bag. "I do hope you continue to come by, though. It makes the shift pass by a bit faster."
"Tell me about it," Shiraishi said, and as she wrapped her arms around Kohane's shoulders and gave her a light squeeze, her heart skipped a beat. "You guys had better not stop coming by once you crack this case!"
Her heart was racing so fast that Kohane was worried Shiraishi would be able to feel it thudding beneath her skin as the other girl leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to her cheek and pulling back within seconds. "You especially," she said, wagging a finger in her direction. "I like you a lot more than I like him." There was something bubbling in Kohane's stomach, and she wasn't sure if it was butterflies or nausea from her fourth cup of coffee of the day.
"Ahaha, yeah, yeah, o-of course," she said, cursing her stutter and hiding her face. God, she felt hotter than the sun right now. "Anytime."
Shiraishi giggled, giving the two of them a final wave goodbye as she and Aoyagi made their way back to the counter. "You both get home safe, alright? See you 'round!" she called, and as soon as she was out of earshot, Shinonome burst into laughter.
"Holy fuck, 'Hane. You should see your face right now," he said, and Kohane groaned, pulling her scarf up enough that it obscured her face.
"I'm never getting over this," she said. "Never in my entire life. Augh."
"She's so into you. Trust me." Shinonome pulled the notepad back out of his pocket, unfurling Shiraishi and Aoyagi's lists and sliding them across the table. "Though I hate to say it — you might wanna forget about that for now, cause we're about to break this shit wide open."
Kohane's eyes widened, and she scooted closer at him, eyes poring over the lists. "Do you really think this is going to help? What about the other lists you got?"
"Oh, I didn't actually do that," Shinonome said, chuckling as he flipped open the notepad and showed her the contents of the page — covered from top to bottom in scribbles and spirals. "I just asked people to pretend they were writing something. Didn't want those two to get too wise. Their lists are the only ones that matter, anyway."
"Why is that?" Kohane pushed the notepad away, refocusing her attention on the lists.
"I've got a hunch," Shinonome said, pointing at the top of both lists. "See how they both picked the one that already got hit?"
Kohane frowned, tracing her finger down the lists as she took a closer look. "Yes, but I feel like that's the obvious answer," she said, humming quietly. "Your point?"
"Call me crazy," Shinonome said, leaning back and stroking his chin, "but I think it's misdirection. Obviously, anyone would pick the fucking art museum as an ideal target for a robbery. Toya says we're overthinking it, but I think the exact opposite is true. We've gotta think outside the box." He sat up straight, sliding his finger down the list until he landed on the last option. "We stake out here tonight."
"…Why?" Kohane shot him a look of confusion, eyes flitting between Shinonome and the lists. "Sorry, you've lost me."
"Hear me out," Shinonome said, crumpling up both lists and shoving them in his jacket pockets. "If Toya and An are right, then that's what most people would think is the least likely place to get robbed. But that's just the thing." He waved his hands around wildly, jesturing at the air around them. "The whole thing here is that these robbers are unpredictable, right? They'd want to go for whatever we don't expect."
The pieces clicked into place, and Kohane's eyes widened. "Oh," she whispered. "I see."
"So by striking where people think a robbery is less likely, we're more likely to catch the thieves off guard," Shinonome said, lighting up as he realized Kohane was getting his message. "You see what I mean? It's reverse psychology shit."
"You think we'll finally be able to close this case?" Kohane clasped her hands together, brimming with excitement. The last month of work was finally coming to a close, and soon enough, she'd be able to see the fruits of her labor — perhaps in the form of that promotion she'd been aiming for for months now.
Shinonome's face fell, and he sighed. "Yeah. I think we are," he said. "But you've gotta promise not to get too hung up if things don't go our way tonight, alright?" He leaned over, giving her a light punch in the shoulder. "And hey — if I was wrong, I'll take you out to dinner. My treat. We'll go wherever you want."
Kohane raised an eyebrow. "Is this your way of asking me on a—"
"No," Shinonome said, cutting her off with an elbow to the side and giving her a gruff look. "It's an apology, dumbass. Don't make it weird."
"If you say so," Kohane said, biting back a giggle. "I won't complain, though. I appreciate the thought." She stretched her arms behind her back, wiggling her fingers. "We can sort that out later, though. We're doing the stake-out tonight?"
"Yup. I'll send you the address." Shinonome rose from his seat, shoving his laptop in his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "We should probably head out for now, though. I think the cafe is getting ready to close."
"It's really already seven in the evening?" Kohane sighed, rising to her feet and pushing in her seat. "I suppose I'll go and get ready, then. I'll see you in a few hours?"
"I'll meet you outside at eleven," Shinonome said, making his way to the register to pay for their food. "I'll cover you this time, since you got us last time. See you then."
Kohane nodded, waving goodbye as she exited the cafe and made her way towards the nearest bus stop. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't quite ready for this case to conclude — though she'd been anxious at first, she'd enjoyed the time spent working with Shinonome a lot more than she expected. Though he'd been tough to get along with at first, it was worth it to see his softer side. Once their partnership was through, it was likely that they wouldn't see each other as often, if ever, and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.
The closing of this case was a double-edged sword, because Kohane knew herself well enough to realize that not only would this cause her friendship with Shinonome to fizzle out, but that once it was all over, she'd be visiting this cafe a lot less. It would mean the end of talks over coffee with Aoyagi about whatever books they'd both been reading recently, less of… whatever had happened between her and Shiraishi before. All good things had to come to an end eventually, but Kohane had never been a fan of change, and she wasn't ready to lose this just yet.
She would face it with as much courage as she had to, though. She wasn't in high school anymore — she'd grown up, and she would face the scary future like the adult she was. No matter what happened, she'd be alright.
With that in mind, she stepped onto the bus, took a deep breath, and steeled herself for the inevitable heartbreak this night was going to bring.