The rain had not stopped all night. Kyoto’s narrow streets shone with puddles under the faint glow of neon lights, and the sound of tyres slicing through the wet asphalt echoed in the distance. Inside his office, Kaito Fujimoto sat in silence, staring at the dim reflection of himself in the windowpane. Yume’s departure still weighed heavily on his mind. Though he refused to admit it openly, her sudden disappearance had left him with a sense of emptiness he could not quite shake.

He closed his eyes for a moment, only to hear the door creak open. Aiko Nakamura entered, holding two cups of steaming tea. She placed one on the desk without saying a word and sat across from him. For a while, neither spoke; only the rain filled the silence.

“You’re still thinking about her, aren’t you?” Aiko finally asked, her voice soft but tinged with unease.

Kaito opened his eyes, frowning slightly.
“About Yume? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just… tired.”

But Aiko’s gaze was unwavering, sharp enough to pierce through his denial. She gave a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Don’t worry, Kaito. She made her choice. What matters is that you’re still here… and so am I.”

Kaito lowered his gaze, feeling something stir within him at those words. He brushed it aside quickly, refusing to acknowledge it.

Before he could respond, the phone on his desk rang sharply, shattering the fragile atmosphere. Kaito answered with his usual curt tone.
“Fujimoto.”

The voice on the other end belonged to Reiko Yamamoto.
“Kaito, I need you and Aiko at the scene immediately. A woman’s been murdered.”

The line went dead. Kaito exchanged a glance with Aiko, both instantly shifting from their personal tension to the seriousness of their duty.

The crime scene was a modest flat in the outskirts of Kyoto. The police had already set up cordons, their flashing lights reflecting off the wet pavement. Kaito and Aiko ducked under the tape and entered, greeted by the sterile smell of disinfectant mingled with something far more sinister.

The victim lay on the living room floor. A woman in her early thirties, impeccably dressed, her face frozen in an expression of surprise rather than terror. There were no signs of forced entry, no broken locks, no shattered windows.

Kaito crouched beside the body, examining her carefully.
“No bruises, no defensive wounds. She knew her attacker… or at least trusted him enough to let him in.”

Aiko glanced around, scanning the tidy flat.
“And nothing appears to be missing. This wasn’t a burglary gone wrong.”

Kaito shook his head. “No. This was deliberate.”

One of the forensic officers approached, holding a small evidence bag. Inside was a wine glass, its rim stained with lipstick.
“Only one set of prints besides the victim’s,” the officer said. “Still running them.”

Kaito’s eyes narrowed. “So, she was drinking with someone before she died.”

Back at the agency, the three of them gathered in the analysis room. Reiko stood before the board, pinning up photos of the victim and the layout of her flat.

“She was last seen leaving her workplace yesterday evening,” Reiko explained. “According to colleagues, she mentioned she had plans for dinner with someone special. Nobody knew who.”

Aiko crossed her arms, deep in thought. “She didn’t struggle. That means she was charmed, lured into lowering her guard.”

Kaito’s jaw tightened. “A man who seduces women, gains their trust… and then kills them.”

Reiko nodded grimly. “We’re looking at something organised. Not just a killer. A network.”

Kaito frowned. “A network?”

Reiko pulled another file from the desk. “Intelligence suggests that a group operating in Kyoto has been trafficking organs. We believe the murderer is connected. The victims aren’t chosen at random — they’re selected.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Kaito ran a hand through his hair. “So she wasn’t just murdered. She was harvested.”

Aiko turned pale but forced herself to speak. “Do we have any leads on the group?”

Reiko shook her head. “Not yet. But listen to this — one of the victim’s friends came forward. She said the victim had been excited about a new man in her life. Someone from her office. Young, charming, always impeccably dressed.”

Aiko’s eyes narrowed. “So that’s our starting point.”

The next day was a blur of questioning colleagues, neighbours, and family. Kaito and Aiko visited the victim’s workplace, a mid-sized accounting firm. One of her closest friends, a woman named Haruka, agreed to speak to them.

Haruka’s voice trembled as she recalled their last conversation.
“She said she was going on a date. That she felt like a teenager again. The man’s name… I think it was Ryoichi. Ryoichi Tanabe. He worked in another department.”

Kaito and Aiko exchanged a look. A name. Finally, something concrete.

“Can you describe him?” Aiko pressed gently.

Haruka nodded. “Tall, well-groomed, always very polite. But… there was something about him I couldn’t quite trust. Too perfect, if you know what I mean.”

That night, Kaito sat at his desk, piecing everything together. The rain had stopped, leaving the city eerily quiet. He couldn’t shake the image of the victim, lying peacefully yet lifeless on her pristine floor.

Aiko entered, placing a folder in front of him. Inside were photographs of Ryoichi Tanabe. The man looked every bit the charming professional. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“So, he’s our man,” Aiko said. “But if he’s part of a network, catching him won’t be easy.”

Kaito nodded grimly. “Then we’ll have to be smarter than him.”

Aiko’s expression hardened, determination shining in her eyes. “I have an idea. But you’re not going to like it.”

Kaito raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“I’ll let myself be his next target,” she said plainly. “I’ll pretend to be interested in him, gain his trust, and find out how deep this goes.”

The silence that followed was thick with tension. Kaito slammed the folder shut.
“Absolutely not. I won’t let you put yourself in that kind of danger.”

Aiko met his glare head-on. “Do you have a better plan? Because right now, all we have is a name and a smile.”

Kaito’s fists clenched, torn between reason and the gnawing fear of losing her. Finally, he let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Damn it, Aiko… Fine. But I’ll be watching every second.”

A faint smile tugged at her lips. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

That night, as Kaito left the office, he caught his own reflection in the darkened window. The storm within him mirrored the storm that had just passed outside. The case had only just begun, but one thing was certain: they were walking straight into the jaws of something far bigger than they had anticipated.

And for the first time in a long while, Kaito felt the weight of more than just duty pressing down on him.