Psycho Pass: Colorful World

23

"Let's go over this one more time."

Without looking her in the eye, but gently waving her hands, Yashiro spoke, "Miyake Ren had a gun. He fired at Akiyama-san, pointed the gun at me. I fired back."

Kasei Joushuu watched her for several seconds with a completely serious stare that was difficult to decipher.

"Is this the gun Miyake had in his hand?"

A white, arachnid-like forensic drone approached them, holding a very small weapon. Yashiro looked down and recognized the Smith & Wesson Model 637.

"I believe so. Yes," she nodded quietly.

"And where were you during this altercation?" Kasei slowly turned her head to the side.

"I told you. There was a fight. My dominator—"

"Enforcer Akiyama, could you answer the question?" Kasei cut her off, raising her voice.

Daiki blinked and raised his head a bit, looking at the head of the Public Safety Bureau standing in front of them. His neck and back straightened slightly. He was standing to the side, a meter behind the inspector. For several seconds he did not know what to say, as it was unusual for someone of much higher rank to address or even look at an enforcer.

"I hadn't arrived yet," he shook his head. "I heard gunshots, but I couldn't see anything from my eye line. As Inspector Takahashi stated, when I found her, Miyake Ren fired at me and then at her."

"Why weren't you with Inspector Takahashi?"

"I was ensuring Kozuki Ryogo's safety."

"What about Inspector Takahashi's safety?" Kasei raised an eyebrow. "You put an enforcer before duty, which is to assist an inspector."

Daiki's lips parted and he gulped, blinking and looking down with wide eyes. He held his breath, thinking of an appropriate response for the situation.

"Enforcer Akiyama was doing his job. I ordered him to rescue Kozuki Ryogo while I diverted the rest of the group," Yashiro explained in a calm, almost nonchalant voice.

Kasei's attention was drawn to the inspector, causing him to look at her out of the corner of his eye, with his eyebrows slightly drawn together, as if warning her of the danger.

"And you made this decision yourself?"

Yashiro's expression remained cool and composed, as if she had anticipated those questions.

"There was no one to turn to for advice, and circumstances required immediate action, something that could happen to anyone on field, so I acted accordingly."

"Indeed. However, the bureau is displeased with your deliberate decisions and methods. Your division's priority was to ensure Miyake Ren's transfer to the rehabilitation center. Since Inspector Aoyanagi failed to comply, I now have to personally supervise you do her job until her full recovery, which is not what we planned when we incorporated you into Division 2."

"I assure you she didn't crash on her own volition," Yashiro snapped.

Daiki raised his eyebrows but did not turn to them, shocked by her behavior. The inspector's face contorted in seconds, though the rest of her body remained motionless and calm, arms at either side. Even though Daiki had given her a wet towel to wipe her face before they had that meeting, she still had a few sleeves of blood on her clothing, which were not so visible because of the dark color of the fabric.

"I am well aware of that. My only intention is to show you how her absence affects the entire Division 2, including your judgment and the way you operate, something the bureau won't tolerate in the future," Kasei narrowed her gray eyes.