The request was like something out of a daytime TV drama, so convoluted and frankly bizarre that he initially planned to turn it down. A father from a sleepy rural town seeking justice for his daughter’s murder, one of several victims that had fallen prey to a sick and twisted mind. Tokyo was a little too far away to pay attention to such a story, and as such the information broker didn’t find much merit in playing detective. So many things were happening in the city even as they spoke, and how could he be bothered to take the time away from such important matters to look into countryside serial murders?
A lot of information had been given to him already, but it wasn’t until he learned that the suspect had likely returned to the Tokyo area. And, as odd as the case was, Izaya couldn’t exactly deny that his interest had been sparked. It wasn’t as though he had been tasked to bring anyone down himself–all he had to do was locate the man, observe him, and gather what information he could.
After reading into things a bit more, he ultimately decided to accept, although not before negotiating a fairly pricey fee. It wasn’t money he needed, but his time was important. And as such it took several days for the broker to actually get around to finding the man in question. Not that it had been difficult.
Learning the other’s schedule had been easy, and one afternoon Izaya decided to place himself in the prime position to observe the man named Adachi Tohru. Even with the bustling city crowds, a man like Izaya stood out–even more so should anyone decide to look up onto the overpass. The small set of binoculars was hardly inconspicuous, but remaining completely unnoticed had never been his goal. He wanted to see what kind of man this Adachi actually was, and what he would do if he realized he was being watched like some sort of wild animal.
He hadn’t been sure what to expect upon returning to Tokyo. A change, at least. More respect, better cases, less boredom, anything.
But as far as Adachi could tell, the only thing that had changed was himself. There wasn’t much respect to be gained from coming off an unsolved case in a small town, he had found. His new colleagues were just as boring as his old ones had been. He had traded in petty neighborhood disputes for petty crime, instead.
All in all, he was bored. Maybe some things really did never change?
“So, the thieves stole approximately ¥·2000 in candy and then fled the scene before you could stop them?” he asked, a sigh left unvoiced behind his words.
“That’s what I’m telling you! They were fast, too and it’s not the first time they’ve hit my shop. I have reason to believe there is some organized criminal activity going on-”
“How would you describe the suspects?”
“About ten years old, maybe?”
Adachi flipped his notebook shut with an air of finality, glancing down to hide the annoyance that flitted across his face. “Right. I’ll tell you what, I’m going to go and ask around, see if anyone else in the area has been targeted by these criminals,” he practically spat out the words, turning on his heel to stalk out of the corner store.
Once outside he felt like he finally breathe, the smog of Tokyo filling his lungs in a way that the fresh, clean air of Inaba never could.
Oh, yeah, he was definitely bored. Part of him was starting to regret ever leaving but Dojima-san had gotten a mad-eyed look about in the last few months. It hadn’t been worth the constant flipping between grief, apathy and anger in his partner to stay around.
His gaze shifted upwards, resting briefly on the patchwork of power lines overhead and entertaining the thought of a body draped over them.
It was only then that he noticed a lone figure on the overpass, apparently looking straight at him. Of course, he could have been looking at anyone on the street, it was a busy, hectic mid-afternoon as per usual after all. Adachi knew that wasn’t the case. He was looking at him and Adachi had no idea why. If that wasn’t enough to unnerve a man, then nothing else was.
He glanced briefly down to his notebook, blank as he hadn’t found the case of the ten year old mastermind thieves worth recording, and quickly made a decision. Reaching the overpass was a mission, fighting against the crowds, but he managed.
“Excuse me!” he called out to the man once he was close enough, deciding to play the earnest cop card that he wore like a second skin these days. “Have you been up here long? If so, you might be able to help out with a case I’m investigating.”
germansingergirl
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titsay
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