Choices & Chains

A Job Request

 " Hanazawa-san..." Kath snapped when she felt the tap on her shoulder and looked to the side to see Atsushi holding a tray with a cup of coffee in front of her.

" For me, thank you Atsushi-kun!" She took off her earphones, reached for the cup, and gave a gentle smile. " You shouldn't have bothered yourself."

" It's alright. I'm still new to the agency work so I'm trying to help around as much as possible," he said rubbing the back of his head.

" You already did so much. You moped the floor replaced the windows and made coffee for everyone." She took a sip from her drink and closed her eyes. " To be honest I'm rather surprised you reached the agency before me, I was usually the first to reach here each morning."

" Well, back in the orphanage we had this time strict schedule where we sleep at 9 and wake up at 5. So it kind of stuck with me."

" Atsushi-kun, you're from an orphanage?"

" Yeah?"

" I see, as I thought, we may be similar in a way," she said smiling sweetly at him.

" Could it be that Hanazaw-san, you too?"

" No, not an orphanage, something a little different though." She turned back to her laptop, ready to continue with her work. " Either way, thank you so much for the coffee."

Atsushi had a small smile and went back to the staff room. Just as he came back into the office, Kunikida approached Kath with a paper in hand. " You have a job request, Hanazawa."

Kath blinked as she took the paper from him and skimmed through it. " I see, quite the troublesome task. Then, I'll be off." She stood up, grasping her black rucksack, and ready to leave when Kunikida put his hand on her shoulder.

" You could take the brat with you," he pointed at Atsushi who jolted upon being addressed. " He's still a rookie and he needs to learn a bit about this line of work."

" Okay! You can leave it to me!" She held a thumb up at him. " Atsushi-kun, come on, we're going!"

" Uh, right." The boy hurried to catch up with her as she walked through the door.

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Kath looked down at the address on the paper and then back at the building before them before stuffing it back inside her rucksack. " Welp, we're not mistaken, this is the place, Atsushi-kun."

" This is it? It's..." Atsushi had to crane his neck for him to see the top of the white construction. "... A mansion!"

" Let's get a move on then." She crossed the street and rang the interphone only for a calm deep voice to answer.

" Who is this?"

" Excuse us, we're from the Armed Detective Agency, sorry for not making an appointment but, could we come inside to discuss a little about the request you sent us?" She spoke into the microphone.

" Wait for a moment." The line was cut and Atsushi looked at her quizzically. They had the papers, they had information, so they had no reason to come this far. " You can come inside."

The doors opened on their own and the two of them climbed up the small hill to the large mansion perched on its top. There, a man decked in a black suit welcomed them and led them inside and into a large fancy room which Kath deduced to be a parlor.

" Please wait here for a moment, the master and his wife will be here shortly." And the butler closed the door.

Kath and Atsushi settled down into one of the two sofas facing each other, between them stood a small table with a tier stand of sweets. The moment his eyes fell on them, Atsushi's mouth watered instantly. That was a predictable reaction.