The red and blue lights of police cruisers soon illuminated the street through the darkness. The cars pulled to a stop a few meters away from them, down the street. There was one more car that arrived without making much noise, a black van.
'Well not a police car, but it seems like the CCG investigators are here. We are safe now.' Kiyota though to himself with a internal sigh.
Half a dozen tense officers exited their vehicles at the same time, as if it was choreographed, their hands on their firearms by their side. They fanned out, their flashlights cutting through the dark, heading straight for two who were seated against the wall on the floor.
Rika stood up and calmly walked towards the approaching officers, her hands clasped in front of her. Kiyota watched her go, with confusion washing over him.
'She's going to speak with them? What the hell is she going to say? They need to prioritise catching those ghouls.' He scrambled to his feet, his legs still shaky, and started to limp after her.
From the van three men stepped out, wearing the CCG signature black trench coats. All three of them held a silver suitcase in their hands.
'I should tell them to hurry up and go to the alley.' Kiyota thought, his mind racing, but his legs felt like lead. He watched as Rika started speaking to the lead officer, her voice too low for him to hear and he was a bit father then her.
Instead of going to Rika, Kiyota decided to speak to CCG investigators. He hobbled towards them, his heart still thudding, and blurted out, "The ghouls! They are all that way, into the alley! You have to hurry, there was a guy there they killed." The CCG investigators exchanged quick, knowing glances, their hands already moving towards their quinques.
The investigators started sprinting towards the alley where Kiyota had pointed to. Kiyota watched them disappear into the darkness, relived.
'I wonder if we are free to go, I just want to leave this area. I gotta grab Rika and get out.' He looked towards Rika, who was still talking to the police officers, her back to him.
He walked up to the group but as he stepped closer he noticed Rika holding something rectangular black which she was showing the officers. The officers immediately tensed up, with what seemed to be respect. He tried to get a better look, squinting in the dim light. It looked like some kind of official ID, maybe a badge, but it was too dark to really tell what it was.
As he got closer, he could hear Rika's calm voice, still explaining things, but now it sounded like she was giving instructions. The officers were nodding, not questioning her at all.
"Rika… what are you…?" Kiyota stumbled around for words. Rika turned aound with her expression unreadable, and the lead officer cleared his throat, cutting Kiyota off before he could finish.
"Are you alright kid? We've got all the details we need, you can go home. It's dark so don't worry your parents." A old, grizzled officer said, his eyes narrowed, giving Kiyota a weird look. Kiyota felt a chill, like he was being dismissed, or worse, like he was being told to forget what he saw.
"Thank you for your cooperation ma- kid. You can go too." He said looking at Rika. Kiyota felt a weird sense of unease, like something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
'Was he about to say ma'am? Why would he say that to Rika? And why did she have that… badge looking thing?' Kiyota's mind raced, trying to piece together the strange encounter. Suddenly everything clicked.
"Rika… Are you a CCG investigator?" Kiyota blurted out, his voice barely a whisper, eyes wide with disbelief. Rika simply gave him a small, knowing smile.
"I didn't think you would figure it out you know? I guess I was careless." She said with a slightly sad expression. "You can go." She said to the officers, signalling them that she wanted to talk in private to Kiyota.
"I was supposed to be a undercover investigator at Shūtei high and was assigned to the 20th wards branch office. Man today was a crazy day huh? I really blew my cover." Rika said, a wry chuckle escaping her lips. Kiyota just stared, his mind reeling, the world tilting on its axis.
"So you're a investigator? T-then wheres your quinque?" Kiyota asked, his voice still a shaky whisper, unable to fully grasp the information. Rika just sighed, a tired look on her face.
"My order hasn't arrived yet. You see it's rather… special." Rika said.
"And… you said was? You still are right?" Kiyota asked, his confusion deepening. Rika just shook her head with a faint, almost melancholic smile on her lips.
"I enjoyed our brief time together, Kiyota." Rika finished, her voice barely a whisper now. "Unfortunately, my identity has been compromised. They'll have me relocated."
"B-but why? I'll stay quite. No one has to know…" Kiyota stammered. Rika just shook her head again, a more pronounced sadness in her eyes. "It doesn't work like that, Kiyota. This job… it's not something you can just keep secret once it's out."
Kiyota's chest tightened, a dull ache spreading through him. He felt a profound sense of loss, like a door slamming shut on a future he hadn't even realised. Rika turned to leave, waving her hands, signalling bye.
"Wait… I want… to be a investigator aswell. If I become a investigator aswell then they have no reason to relocate you. I'll do their oath and everything." Kiyota said, finding his voice and confidence.
Rika turned around, shocked. Her mouth was agape and she looked bewildered.
"Kiyota… you don't know what you're saying. This isn't a game." Rika said with her voice stern with sharp concern. Kiyota just shook his head, his gaze firm.
"I needed a job anyway. Infact I wanna do this. Just help me get a in." Kiyota said.
Rika stared at him, her eyes searching his, a mix of disbelief and something else Kiyota couldn't quite read. "You're serious?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Dead serious." He replied.