Ryuga had advised his friends to be careful and apologized to Hina for running away last night. Even Hina's security concerns were solved because of Ryouma's sudden 'proposal'. All in all, everything was fine for the time being.
Now, it was time for him to step up and pursue the cultists. The best place to start the investigation was, without a doubt, Naoya-san's place.
As such, he quickly made his way towards his 'Detective Naoya' office. Without knocking, he barged through the open door and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Naoya-san! We have some work to do! Get ready, it's time for chaos… wait what the fuck?"
The involuntary curse slipped out because in front of him was something horrifying. Naoya-san was sitting silently in his chair with his arms crossed.
But the horrifying thing was beside him… a woman.
Oh, the horror. Sitting with her legs crossed in a domineering position was a young woman around Naoya-san's age.
She had long black hair tied into a ponytail, and she was wearing a cropped hoodie and baggy cargo pants.
'I refuse to believe Mr. Detective has rizz. I could die on this hill. He's got NO game!!'
The horrifying thing was exactly that. Ryuga couldn't believe Naoya-san would get a girl. First Ryouma and now him. He felt as if he was being pranked.
Naoya-san sized up the frozen Ryuga with calmness. He quickly realized what was going on inside the man-child's mind and his eyes scrunched up.
With a heavy sigh, he faced the lady in front and motioned toward Ryuga. "As you can see for yourself, this guy is Ryuga. He is my partner and practically helps me in every case. Don't go by his age. This man-child has brains. He just doesn't show it."
Then he turned to Ryuga and motioned toward the lady. "Ryuga, meet Kyouka Hiryuu-san, Captain of the Akebono Police Bureau. After last night's incident, I requested a meeting with her regarding the kidnapping situation."
Hiryuu-san sized up Ryuga from top to bottom. Her icy cold gaze seemed to possess the ability to gauge a person's worth and alignment.
After her assessment was done, she let a small smile form on her red lips. "Nice to meet you, Ryuga?"
"Ah!" Naoya-san suddenly realized his mistake. Because he always called Ryuga by his first name, he had completely forgotten to introduce him properly.
He quickly tried to salvage the situation, but Ryuga winked, a small gesture telling him to stop.
"Just call me Ryuga. I like it that way." He extended his hand to shake hers. "Nice to meet you, Hiryuu-san."
Hiryuu-san accepted the handshake. "Now that you are here, shall we talk about the main concerns?"
Naoya-san took the lead. "Yeah, we should."
He pointed at a seat in the corner and gestured for Ryuga to sit beside him, which he humbly obliged.
"Soooo, I know I missed a lot of stuff. And I consider myself as a great asset… Well, bluntly, I just wanna know the gist of everything."
Naoya-san tried his best to keep a straight face. He was having a very important meeting with a highly reputable person, and yet this so-called partner of his wasn't keeping a professional front.
He knew Hiryuu-san wouldn't hold it against them, but she could very well neglect their opinions when the time came if she deemed them as goofballs.
"Haaah, I—"
Naoya-san wanted to quickly give Ryuga a short summary, but he was stopped before he could utter even a single sentence.
Hiryuu-san took the lead herself. "Let me explain, if you don't mind."
"Yeah, of course. Please…" Though he smiled, Naoya-san was cursing Ryuga in his mind. There was a reason why he hadn't called him.
But just his luck, the brat had arrived himself. And unannounced at that.
"Your friend Morimoto Hina was targeted by a bunch of hooded people last night. All of these people were wearing full black hooded robes covering their entire body. With her commendable quick-witted response, she sent a help message in your friends' group.
"Following that, you and Naoya-san, along with your three other friends, went to save her. You all went there and succeeded. Up to this point, everything is very simple. Now, the twist comes. First, Naoya-san noticed your complex reaction after seeing the hooded man's face.
"Second, the rest of the hooded people who were apprehended by you and your friends committed suicide right after getting caught.
"Third, similar kidnapping cases have been reported not only in Akebono but also in Kagutsuchi, Shiranui and Kurokami.
"As you may already have guessed, this case is of higher status. And you, Kami Ryuga, are the only person who has a speck of evidence connected to the case."
Hiryuu-san leaned closer toward Naoya-san and Ryuga. Her voice dropped, and a heavy silence permeated the office.
"So, please do share. And try not to lie… whether you believe it or not, I am very well versed in pinpointing liars."