Free Web NovelAN: Here’s an extra chapter brought to you by… me! I, um, I launched my new book without doing any of the prep work. Probably a bit stupid, huh? If you’re interested, it’ll be in the post chapter note! It has cute wolfgirls! And… mystery? Trauma? Weird systems? Any other stinger words you could probably think of?
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Akane was our next target. She was the last to see him alive, and was likely to have some clues to out the killer… if she wasn’t the killer herself. I wasn’t sure about motive, but it could be anything. She definitely had the means and opportunity, though. Not only was she the last to see him alive, but she also ate dinner alone with him.
On our way down the street to the cat-maid cafe that she was supposedly at according to Shinobu, Saint contacted us back. “Shiro, you free?”
”Uh, yeah.” I motioned to Mira, and we slipped into the mouth of an alley. The alley was dark, which usually wasn’t an issue for me. The fog made visibility drop drastically, though, which made me all the more wary.
“I managed to dig up quite a bit about all parties involved… who do you want to start with?” Saint asked.
”Akane?” Mira nodded to me. “She’s who we’re going to see next, anyway.”
”Chek.”
”Akane Misurido… she’s actually the biggest unknown.” The reporter sighed. “She runs the water trade on Kake Street, as well as several joytoy dens around the city for the Fang. She was once one herself until she managed to get into the gang politics game and come up fairly triumphant.”
“Could’ve killed the elder for something political.” Mira pointed out. “An ambitious woman like that wouldn’t just settle.”
”Dr. Fugen—he’s not actually a doctor from what I can tell. He went to Medtech’s academy for eight years, and then flunked out just before the big test.” He sent an image to my phone, which then popped up into my HUD. It was of a young Fugen decked out in punk attire. “He did jobs here and there before being picked up by the Fang as a Medek shortly after moving to Aythryn City. Probably through a connection.”
”Most medeks aren’t doctors, so that isn’t that weird.” Nael was an outlier in that regard. Most were street-trained at best. It was part of the reason I didn’t want to go to any other ones.
”Most medeks also haven’t gotten into hospitals using forged documents, and then abandoned ship once malpractice lawsuits started rolling in.” Saint shot that point down. “Looks like the malpractice stopped once he linked up with the Fang. He’s been Kake Street’s medek ever since.”
”Malpractice doesn’t bode well. Maybe the elder noticed something and was putting pressure on him?” Mira asked. “Guys like that don’t change overnight.”
”Could be him.” It was definitely a strong motive, though one that wasn’t backed up by any evidence.
”Hiiro Nishin… I think he’s your guy, to be honest.” Saint popped up another image. This time it was of a Hiiro standing in front of a columbarium. The Jade’s, to be specific. I’d recognize it anywhere. “His brother was recently killed while working under the elder. This could be a revenge killing.”
”I don’t think it's him.” Although the guy did have serious issues if he ‘lost’ his revolver that easily. I wouldn’t trust him to guard an empty stretch of land. freēwebnovel.com
“Want to elaborate?” Mira asked.
”Not at the moment, no.” It just didn’t line up, though. He very well could’ve been in on it with the security systems being wiped.
“Fine…” Mira eyed me like I was being stubborn. “What about Otori? The grandson?”
“Also next to nothing on him. He keeps his head low, and has a job with Raijin. R and D, I think.” The new image was of Otori in a lab-coat inside of a Raijin facility. Looked like it was pulled straight off of an ‘About Us’ page on the net. “His parents died when he was eight, and it seems like the elder took care of him since.”
Mira shrugged. ”Otori seemed to hate his grandfather with a passion, though. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was something deeper than that.”
“Maybe. Last but certainly not least, Makoto Takahashi, the chief of operations for Kake Street. He’s a family man.” A new image of Makoto standing with a beautiful woman and a baby girl popped up into my HUD. “He had a freak incident with a grenade that destroyed part of his brain while acting as the elder’s bodyguard. He can’t use either of his legs, and even chrome can’t fix that.”
”Ouch.” Acid was the usual way to permanently incapacitate someone since it was easier. Hitting the brain directly usually just killed the victim. If done correctly, though, all the chrome in the world wouldn’t matter if the old biological CPU was broken.
”Maybe he wants revenge too? Or just to take over Kake Street with the passing of the elder?” My mikata asked. “He left to start paperwork in quite a hurry.”
“True.” How had I not noticed his legs were paralyzed? He’d been sitting down when I first saw him, I guess. Then, when he was leaving, he’d slipped out first while I was focused on the shooter. “At least we won’t have to worry about him running.”
”That’s fucked up, Shiro.” Saint sighed. “That was all of them, right?”
”Yeah, thanks. You’ve helped a whole lot.” It was way more information to work off then we originally had, anyway.
“Call me if you need me, then.” Saint said one finally time before checking out of the Packheart link.
“Well…” Mira’s halo pulsed lightly, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “That puts us right back where we started, doesn’t it?”
”Chek. They all might have motives.” Which was originally true as well. “Should we go onto Akane?”
We moved back down the street toward the spot in question—Purr a Cup. The electrical issues hit here too, causing the lights to flicker and dim off and on. Inside the cafe, though, people still bustled around even with the street shut down. Young woman in maid outfits with catgirl features moved around serving dozens of Fang sitting around.
”Heh, you should totally get a job here, Shiro.” Mira nudged my shoulder. Vox, on her shoulder, was nearly knocked onto me by the motion. “Or maybe a fox girl cafe?”
”I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those outfits.” I eyed the frilly dresses that the workers had on.
“Why? I think you’d look great? Maybe get you some silver ears—oh!” Her eyes lit up, and I suddenly felt a sense of danger. “Or can you do a partial shift? Or maybe just turn into a fox for some fresh cuddles? You shoulda just went to fox form for this investigation instead of pretending to be a fox.”
“Cuddling is why I don’t like to be a fox.” Seriously, I turned small and cute, and suddenly everyone wanted to pet me. It was awful. “And trying to investigate as a fox sounds absolutely miserable.” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
”Aw~ is little Shiro shy?” She reached out a hand to fluff my hair—only for me to bat it away… with my injured hand. Because I forgot I was injured.
”Ah—!” A sharp scream erupted from my throat before I could cut it off, and I grabbed at my hand.
”Shit, Shiro!” Mira’s playfulness instantly evaporated, and she ripped open my bag to root around in it. She pulled out a stim, and slammed it into my wrist just above the exposed bandages. Liquid ice spread through my hand, and the shooting agony abruptly started to fade.
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“Ugh, damnit.” I rubbed gently at the bandages. They were starting to bleed through once more. “This sucks.”
”You’re telling me. I can’t help but feel like this is my fault.” Mira looked like she was about to have a panic attack.
”No, it's mine for being stupid.” I did want to blame her, ‘course. If she hadn’t tried to pet my hair again, it wouldn’t have happened. She wore her heart on her sleeve though, and it looked like it was bleeding with anxiety.
“Let’s get out of the way.” She pulled me to the side and took out the medical supplies to treat my hand once more.
Once my hand was retreated and rewrapped up so it wouldn’t bleed everywhere, we slipped into the cafe. A catboy in a butler outfit met us at the front, and bowed. A black tail swished behind him, and two fluffy ears twitched on his head. He looked about the same age as me. “Welcome, meowsters! How may we serve you?”
”Woah, are those real?” Mira stared at the fluffy cat ears. They pulled back almost as if shy. Either some kind of insanely impressive prosthetic, or maybe a biomod of some kind. I was leaning toward the latter.
“Y-yes.” The catboy’s face instantly flushed a bright red. “I-I’ll let you pet them for a hundred rayn, meowster.”
Mira chuckled and glanced at me. Couldn’t quite tell if she was checking on me, or pointing out his behavior in a ‘that’s how you should act more often’ kinda way. “You make that offer to everyone?”
“O-only beautiful big sisters like you.” The catboy timidly looked away, and his tail swished bashfully around behind him.
“What a charmer.” Mira sighed and clutched at her chest. The fluff addict in her was rising once again. “Sadly, we aren’t here to play. Need to speak to Mama Akane.”
”Oh.” He glanced at me, and then refocused on my mikata. “Are you one of the investigators?”
”That I am… she’s in, right?” Mira looked around the tables. “I don’t mind waiting, if I need to.”
”I do, though. So would Shinobu-sama.” I crossed my arms and glared at the catboy. If she was going to play good cop, then I had to play bad cop. It was just the way things went.
”Right this way.” His stutter mysteriously disappeared, and he motioned to follow him toward the back.
“Ah, don’t tell me it was fake all this time…” Mira also picked up on it, and sighed heavily with disappointment.
“I can be anything you want me to, meowster.” He almost purred back, though this time with a slightly huskier voice.
”Ugh, image ruined. Just be yourself. I don’t care anymore.” Mira lifted an arm, and moved as if she wanted to wrap it around my shoulder. She stopped just shy as if remembering where we were, and instead stretched out.
We crossed into the private sections of the cafe. Our guide knocked on the door lightly. “Mama? Two here to see you.”
”Wha—?” A drowsy voice called back through the door. “Ugh, door’s open.”
”Thanks.” Mira pushed open the door and entered the room. I followed a beat behind her, and the catboy left to get back to work.
Akane seductively stretched out behind the desk. Somehow, it caused her deep-red kimono to simultaneously pull up high to expose pale thighs and the top to droop and show off her chest. She yawned, and rubbed at her eyes lightly. “Investigator… What can I do for you?”
”Just some questions, if you don’t mind.”
“Why would I mind?” Akane asked sarcastically back. “Not like you disturbed me while I was working or anything.”
“Please, we both know you were asleep.” Mira crossed her arms. “You still have drool on your lip.”
“Do I?” Akane rubbed at her face, only to pause and snort. “Ah, clever, clever, little detective… I’m sorry you got stuck with this one, little sister.”
That last remark was directed at me. I shrugged lightly. “Better her than that Seth guy. He seems insufferable.”
”Right? Not looking forward to when he comes by.” Akane leaned her chin on her hand. “What brings you by? Oh, and please, take a seat.”
We sat down across from her. Vox hopped off Mira’s shoulder, and curled up in her lap as if asleep. “You were last to see Elder Toro alive, right?”
”Aside from his killer.” Akane shrugged. “That’s right, though. After dinner, I headed back here to catch up on some reports.”
”When you spoke to him, did he seem… off? Paranoid?” Mira asked.
”No, I don’t think he did. He was the same charming old man as ever.” The woman’s eyes drooped sadly.
”And what did the two of you talk about?”
”Is that pertinent to the investigation?” Akane’s eyes narrowed on Mira.
Mira side-eyed me. ”It could be.”
“But it isn’t? It was a private matter I’d rather not share.” Akane stonewalled the questions. “It wasn't in any way related to his death, either.”
”It could’ve been—“
”It wasn’t.” Akane’s voice hardened, and her eyebrow twitched with annoyance. “Any other questions?”
Mira just shrugged, and shifted directions. “Did you know about his biomonitor being out?”
“No… not until you talked about it in the diner.” The woman sighed, and ran a hand back through her hair. It’d shifted at some point to a deep black instead of the scarlet that it’d been. “He liked to keep his issues to himself, even if it cost him.”
“I know someone like that.” Mira’s voice had a bit more bite to it than I expected to hear. “They’re a pain in the ass, aren’t they?”
”Yeah. Yeah they are…” Akane tapped on her desk. “I’ll miss him dearly.”
”My condolences for your loss.” Mira eased up significantly, and her voice lost the interrogative edge that she’d had the entire time. “Did he mention anything at all about the checkup this morning?”
”Checkup? With Fugen?” The woman's expression contorted with confusion. “Are you sure? He usually has his check-ups every weekend. Doing it during the week takes up too much time.”
“Uh… yeah?” Mira frowned. “That’s what Shinobu said.”
“He shouldn’t have…” Akane paused, and a look of understanding crossed her face. “Unless maybe he went in ‘cause the firmware update went south. Look, have you found his agenda yet? Go check that. He wrote everything down there.”
“No, we haven’t.” Mira stood up, and pulled Vox back up onto her shoulder. “Well, thank you, Mama Akane. Your help has been invaluable.”
Akane looked a little surprised. ”That’s… it? I thought you’d ask more.”
“For now. I’ll likely be coming back later.” Mira glanced at me. I subtly motioned to her, and she backed out of the door.
I waited for Mira to leave before turning back to Akane. For the first time in a long time, I pulled out my innocent and trustworthy mask. Honest Face once more worked its magic. “Did you actually kill him?”
”…” Akane just stared at me for several moments, and then lay her head down on her arms tiredly. “Why do you ask?”
”You once saved my sister’s mikata’s cousin’s life by giving her a job.” I pulled a page straight out of Saint’s book. That, combined with Master of Disguise making me a Fang in most people’s eyes, might give me just the leverage I needed. “If you did it, I can mislead the investigators. Enforcer Shinobu-sama put me in charge of escorting them around.”
“And betray the Fang?” Akane’s eyes narrowed on me, and she sat up straight. She looked like she was about to say something, then swapped tracks entirely. “Damnit, girl… it’s like I always tell my girls—never bite the hand that feeds. If you made that offer to any other higher-up in the Fang, they’d have you severely punished.”
”Blood repays blood.”
“I appreciate you trying to repay debts, but this isn’t the way to do it!” Akane sighed heavily, and ran a hand down her face. “No, I didn’t kill him.”
I didn’t think she did. It was too obvious… then again, the most obvious person was usually the killer. This murder was too methodical and planned out for that kind of thing, though. ”Then why not tell the investigator why you met with him? That’d probably clear you, wouldn’t it?”
“It would.” Akane leaned back in her chair and eyed me. “Can you keep a secret?”
”With my life.” I stood up straighter, and dropped the cute, ditzy look.
“I was asking for his help.” The Mama pulled out a key and unlocked one of her drawers. She withdrew a book, and dropped it onto the table. “I need to go to Yukoto. My book’s taken off, and I need to go to the publishing house in person.”
“Oh.” This so wasn’t how I thought this conversation was going to go.
She ran a hand down the front of the book—Little Red Riding the Hood. “Not only do I need time off, but I also need the papers to get into Yukoto. Ukiyon’s border security is no joke.”
”Why not just tell the investigator that?” It was just a book. What did it matter? Wasn’t freeing herself of the investigation much more important?
”My books are written under a pseudonym. Almost nobody knows who I actually am, and I’d rather keep it that way.” She looked up to me, and met my eyes. “Please, please don’t ever tell anyone.”
“You have my word.” She wove an intriguing story. I wanted to believe her, I really did. She was still the most likely suspect, though. Joytoys were good at lying to their customers—one that became a politician? Infinitely better. Her cues read as truthful though, so for now I’d believe her.
“Never bring this up again, okay? And the Fang don’t take kindly to acts of betrayal, even if just low-rank.” She mimed cutting off one of her fingers. “You’re up from a thug if you have Shinobu’s eye, but don’t let that get to your head. Ego can kill faster than a bullet.”
Was she trying to give me advice? Why? Was it that comment on being the sister of a mikata’s cousin that worked for her? “I won’t.”
”There’s ways of repaying debts without fucking yourself in the process.” She waved at the office. “Come talk to my girls sometime. I’m sure they’d love to give you some pointers on how to maneuver without risking yourself.”
”I…” I was about to refuse outright, but it might not be that bad of an idea? Most of my training, if I could call it that, came from the interface or in the field. It could be nice to have an actual trainer. Akito, my Kinetic trainer, had been a big help, at least. “I might take you up on that offer.”
”Good.” She pushed the book back into her desk and locked away. Akane stood up and stretched out with a heavy yawn. She shuffled over to the couch, and sat down. “Was gonna work some more, but I’m ‘bout to pass out. If anyone needs me, tell them I’m asleep.”
“Chek.” I slipped out of the office while Mama Akane made herself comfortable.
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AN: yes, I did cringe while editing this and rereading ‘meowsters’. How’d that get through the initial pass? I also realize how it looks doing a catboy and then a wolfgirl right after. I deny all allegations.
