"Hm?" Following Jiang Xia's words, Officer Takagi looked toward the roadside in confusion. Then his eyes suddenly lit up as he spotted someone on the sidewalk.
It was a young man in a Trench Coat, with somewhat brownish hair. Wrapped in a Scarf with his hands in his pockets, he was walking briskly ahead.
At first glance, he looked like a passerby hurrying through an autumn day. But because of what Jiang Xia had just said, Officer Takagi took a closer look and suddenly recognized him.
"Dr. Araide!" There happened to be a place to pull over along this stretch of road, so Officer Takagi immediately parked at the curb, rolled down the window, and called out, "What a coincidence!"
The "passerby" halted and stopped walking.
Officer Takagi opened the door and ran out. "We haven't been able to reach you lately—there are documents from that case at your home that need your signature. I'm heading back to the Metropolitan Police Department anyway, so why not come with me?"
"Dr. Araide" stood rooted to the spot, looking utterly unwilling to accept the invitation.
Officer Takagi saw it and hurriedly added, "You just need to look over the documents and sign them. It'll be quick! Afterward, wherever you need to go, I'll drive you there."
"..." Perhaps seeing that he would not give up easily, the innocent witness he had caught paused to weigh it over, then sighed. "All right."
Five minutes later.
"Dr. Araide" sat at the reception desk and glanced at Jiang Xia beside him. "..."
Why were you everywhere?!
Fortunately, unlike before, this Detective was acting unusually restrained today and had not taken the initiative to chat much. Yet that atmosphere only made him increasingly tense, as though something bad was about to happen.
Luckily, Officer Takagi