Psycho Pass: Colorful World

27

"Why does everyone you try to help end up in a hospital or dead?" Kougami asked in a rough voice.

"Like when you helped your friend?" Yashiro raised her eyebrows for a moment.

"Did... did something happen between Kougami-san and Inspector Takahashi? When we entered that woman's apartment and found her dead... he said that people around her end badly," Tsunemori fiddled with her fingers, hands clasped together in front of her.

"He probably meant her mother. Must have seen Miyake's MO as well, a guy Division 2 arrested, reminding him of her parents," Karanomori remarked with a cigarette to her lips, looking at the screens in front of her.

The soft hum of the computer cooling system filled the lab. Karanomori swiveled in her chair, her brows furrowing as she observed the inspector's widening eyes, fixed on the small table in front of the couch where Kunizuka sat, sipping her coffee with one leg crossed over the other. Her long, straight black hair cascaded down her back, and her eyes narrowed. In that moment, the room fell into an uneasy silence.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything," Karanomori bit her lip and crushed her cigarette in the ashtray on the desk.

"No... it's okay," Tsunemori frowned, her voice soft and low. "That may explain her a little. What happened to them?"

"Shinya-kun worked on that case. It was... years ago," Karanomori shook her head, fixing her gaze on the keyboard. "She was fifteen years old at the time, if I remember well..."

Kunizuka looked up with a serious gaze as silence settled over the lab, "They died."

The sound of the office door sliding open automatically broke the silence, followed by the distinct tapping of derby shoes. The inspector's face wore a solemn expression as she strode into Kasei's office. For a brief moment, their eyes met as if by instinct. Undeterred, she continued to walk forward, closing the distance between them. Finally, she halted in front of Kasei's white desk.

Her gaze was immediately drawn to the holographic backdrop that adorned the room. Against the walls, a mesmerizing landscape unfolded before her eyes. It depicted a distant castle perched upon a hill, shrouded in an ethereal mist. Towering evergreen trees enveloped the castle, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers, creating an atmosphere of eerie enchantment.

The castle itself stood as a testament to Gothic grandeur. Its spires pierced the sky, casting elongated shadows upon the landscape below. The intricate stonework, adorned with delicate tracery and ornate carvings, evoked a sense of both mystery and artistry. The castle's figure, silhouetted against a foreboding gray sky, seemed to possess a brooding presence, as if harboring ancient secrets within its walls.

As she absorbed the scene, she could not help but open her eyes wider. The combination of the hauntingly beautiful landscape and the imposing castle triggered a sense of unease, as if she had stumbled upon a place where reality and fantasy converged. It was a visual reminder of the duality that resided within the psyche of the enigmatic woman who inhabited this office.

"You saved me time by scheduling this meeting and waiting for me during my absence. I see that the medical results were positive and that your psycho pass is stable. Your job causes you great emotional and psychological strain, as you are forced to immerse yourself in the minds of criminals in order to catch them. Not surprisingly, as a result, you suffer from migraines and headaches that you probably try to relieve with aspirin. Need I mention that lack of sleep and alcohol may also contribute to your headaches, Inspector Takahashi?"