Gripping Takagi's collar hard, Sato Miwako looked at the young officer with curly hair and sunglasses as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she forced the words back down.
In the suffocating atmosphere, she took a deep breath, yanked the sunglasses off Takagi's bridge of nose, and said coldly, "Inspector Megure should have told you that you didn't need a disguise—three years ago, you weren't at the Metropolitan Police Department. That bomber doesn't know you at all."
Officer Takagi stammered, "But..." But everyone else had disguised themselves, so he felt he ought to show a little initiative too and dress up along with them. Besides, this appearance really did look pretty cool...
And anyway, who said that criminal from three years ago couldn't have kept watching the Metropolitan Police Department? What if that person had been observing all along, and had even memorized the officers who had joined the Metropolitan Police Department over these past three years?
He had wanted to explain it like that, but after one glance at Sato Miwako's ugly expression, Officer Takagi's survival instinct kicked in and he changed his story. "I was wrong! I should have followed Officer Megure's arrangements!"
Sato Miwako lowered her head. "Then hurry up and get out of that outfit, and go stand duty at your assigned post."
With that, she silently put on her own wig and sunglasses, turned, and left.
The Detective Boys stared blankly.
Officer Sato's sudden outburst had been far too frightening. They had never seen this good-tempered female police officer look like this before. The three children huddled tightly together, not daring to make a sound, and watched Officer Sato walk away the whole time.
Officer Takagi also hadn't expected things to turn out like this at all.
He felt as if