"Dr. (L/N), there is someone I would like you to meet," my boss, Agent Shuichi Saihara said.
I looked at the lavender-haired girl in front of me. Something in my brain immediately clicked, and I began rambling nonstop.
"Ah, Kyoko Kirigiri! You're the youngest detective to have ever been recognized, beside our brilliant Agent Saihara. You're solved many cases, being able to understand a suspect's way of thinking far better than any adult ever could. You've won many aw-"
"I believe she knows who she is, Dr. (L/N)," Agent Saihara reminded me.
Taking a deep breathe, I slowed down, bowing respectfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kirigiri. I am Dr. (Y/N) (L/N), behavior specialist. I study the way criminals work psychologically."
Nodding, the lavender-haired detective shook my hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dr. (L/N)."
Smiling, I felt a faint blush forming on my cheeks. To say I knew of the detective would be an understatement. I was a huge fan. She inspired me to keep working towards my goals, and because of her, I'm here today.
"As you know, Ms. Kirigiri," Agent Saihara continued, "there's a new serial killer on the loose. We will have a debriefing with the rest of the team in a few minutes. In the meanwhile, why don't you have Dr. (L/N) show you around."
He walked away leaving me and Kyoko alone. We walked down the halls of the agency, and I began to explain how things worked.
"We're a lot like a family here," I explained, taking a sip of my coffee. It always seemed to calm my nerves. "We protect each other, and we watch each other's backs. I mean, that's what teams are supposed to do."
Suddenly, Kyoko's demeanor shifted. She stared at me blankly, ready to walk away. Before she did though, she looked me dead in the eye, nearly scaring the shit out of me.
"I work alone," she said coldly. "I don't need a team."
She walked away leaving me alone. I sighed heavily, heading down to the conference room. I always messed things up, didn't I?
* * *
"Our killer has been known to kill females at night," Agent Saihara explained, skimming through his file. "He or she takes them off the sidewalk when there's no one looking and quickly slits their throat before walking away. Dr. (L/N) has prepared some more specific details."
I headed up to the front of the room, pointing to various spots on the evidence board I had put together. "The killer has only been seen to go after females with (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes. This could possibly be due to the fact that someone, such as an ex or recently departed loved one, betrayed them. This could be the only way to get their anger out.
"The killers have occurred on busy streets, a few of the victims even being found near dumpsters. But they have all been found in a radius of ten miles, meaning the killer has a reason to find his victims here."
Concluding my statement, I say back down, listening as my team debates over their options. I felt really accomplished with my mini debriefing, but it seemed that the spotlight was being taken by Ms Junior Detective, Kyoko Kirigiri.
I would always come second best to her, wouldn't I?
* * *
It was late after work, and I was walking home. It was far to late to hail a cab, so I was forced to walk home. Sure, I was a little nervous walking by myself considering the victims matched by physical description. Nevertheless, I continued walking home.
My eyes widened as I noticed Kyoko Kirigiri a little ways ahead. I ran over to her, falling in step with her.
"Ah, Ms. Kirigiri!" I grinned. "I noticed we were both walking by ourselves, so I decided that there's safety in numbers. But that statement really doesn't always hold true, because in a study conducted in 2014-"
"Fascinating," Kirigiri stated dryly. "Listen kid, I know you want to help on the case, but leave this to the professionals."
Stopping in my tracks, I stared at her. "The professionals...? Excuse me, I am the professional! My team needs me! They wouldn't have figured out all the stuff from the case without me! I'm a valuable asset to this team whether you want to believe it or not!"
My phone began ringing, and I answered it, continuing to walk alongside the lavender-haired female. "Hey, Kamakura, what ya got?"
Our analytics expert, Izuru Kamukura, said, "I think I found your guy. His name is-"
Before he could finish, I was yanked back the collar of my jacket. I screamed, and Kyoko turned to look at me.
A man held me in place, a gun to my head. That was the killer, alright, but the gun wasn't part of his usual routine. There should be a knife in his hand, not a gun. But never mind that, either one was terrifying.
Kyoko pulled out her own gun, aiming it at the man. "Drop your weapon and give up!"
My heart fell when it appeared she didn't care about my personal safety. Even when I was the victim, I would still be second best.
"I know this routine," the man sneered. "Either way, I'm going to end up rotting away. Why not take my last victim with me?"
My new team member's finger went to pull the trigger. I reached out towards her when I heard two shots fire, one after another.
Looking down, I saw the man had collapsed beside me, a shot straight to the head. My fingers felt my stomach, and I retracted them to see red blood on my fingers.
Before the shots were fired, I was going to warn Kyoko that the man only had blanks in his gun. It was obvious from the way he was holding his gun to the fact that he had a different weapon than the one he had normally used.
Kyoko had fired twice, and one of the bullets had hit me. I fell to the ground, an unbearable pain overcoming me. Even when my life was in danger, I wouldn't be the first they would try to save.
Moments before my vision had blacked out, I looked up at Kyoko. Pity filled my eyes. She began to realize what she had done.
My eyes shut, and one thought echoed in my mind: I would always be second best.