12.1 — A Detour with Destiny
The sun had just begun to set over the quiet streets of Seiryuu Ward as Minato and Chiharu walked home together, their backpacks slightly heavier after club activities.
Minato talked animatedly about the flawed legal system in a manga he'd read the night before.
> "See, if they had just secured the knife with a sterile wrap, they wouldn't have had to fake a confession."
> "You say that like that's common knowledge," Chiharu muttered.
Suddenly—
SCREECH.
SCREAM.
A woman's voice tore through the air ahead.
Chiharu instinctively grabbed Minato's arm. "That came from the alley near the pharmacy."
They rushed in without hesitation.
---
12.2 — The Scene
It was horrible.
A man—mid-30s, blood around the chest—lay crumpled near the wall.
A woman stood nearby, shaking violently. A knife lay several feet away.
Three witnesses stood at the end of the alley.
Chiharu froze, face draining of color.
> "T-That's…"
Her knees trembled. The smell. The stillness. The wide, open eyes.
> A dead body.
Minato immediately stood in front of her, shielding the view.
> "Chii-chan, don't look."
> "I-I can't breathe—"
He knelt in front of her, gently gripping her hand.
> "It's okay. I've got you. Just breathe with me. Focus on my voice."
His tone was so steady. So calm. Her panic receded like a wave pulled back to sea.
Meanwhile, the police arrived—two officers and one older inspector.
> "Everyone stay put. This area is now a crime scene!"
Minato slowly stood. His eyes scanned the alley.
> Blood pattern... location of knife... witness reactions... something's off.
---
12.3 — POV: Inspector Kagawa
Veteran officer Inspector Kagawa had seen hundreds of cases, but this one felt messy. The woman who screamed claimed she stumbled across the body.
> "And yet she's the only one with blood on her hands," Kagawa muttered.
He turned to his men. "Get statements from the witnesses."
Then, a voice behind him:
> "Excuse me."
Kagawa turned.
A high school boy stood calmly, one hand in his pocket, the other pointing to the crime scene.
> "You're about to arrest the wrong person."
---
12.4 — Minato Presents His Theory
The crowd gasped.
Kagawa raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
> "Minato Tachibana. First-year student. I'd like to present a hypothesis."
> "...Go on."
Minato pointed to the woman, still sobbing.
> "She has blood on her hands—but not on her shoes. If she stabbed the victim, the splatter would've reached downward too."
He moved to the knife.
> "The knife is dry. Too dry. It was wiped clean and placed deliberately to frame someone."
Then he pointed to one of the three witnesses: a man in his 40s with sunglasses.
> "This man has faint blood on his sleeve. He said he 'saw it all'—but the angle of the alley makes that impossible unless he was closer."
Everyone turned toward the man.
His hands clenched.
Minato's eyes sharpened.
> "You killed him because he exposed your embezzlement, didn't you? You planned to make it look like a mugging. But you didn't count on anyone watching closely."
> "Y-You're just a kid—!"
> "Then explain why the murder weapon has his fingerprints, not hers. And why the security camera from the nearby convenience store caught you throwing something in the trash."
Silence.
Then the man turned to run—
But Chiharu, recovered now, stepped forward and swept his legs from behind in a perfect judo takedown.
> "You picked the wrong people to lie in front of," she said coldly.
The man hit the pavement with a grunt.
---
12.5 — Aftermath
The police quickly took over. Forensics arrived. Kagawa approached Minato.
> "You really cracked it. How?"
Minato smiled sheepishly. "I read a lot of Holmes and… crime scene pattern recognition is just logic and observation, right?"
Kagawa stared at him, then handed him a card.
> "If you ever want to intern at HQ someday, call me."
Minato blinked. "Wait, really?"
> "Seriously. The city could use a brain like yours."
---
12.6 — That Night: Under the Streetlight
As they walked home again, Chiharu was quiet.
Minato glanced sideways. "You okay?"
She nodded. "It… wasn't easy seeing that. I panicked."
He slowed his pace and gently took her hand.
> "You were scared, yeah. But you stood back up. You even stopped the guy."
She looked up at him. "You protected me."
He grinned.
> "I always will."
Her heart skipped.
And for a moment, the world was quiet again—not because there was no danger, but because he made it feel safe.