"What a shame... It seems we were too late this time."
Vermillion iris' examined the massacre that surrounded them. Eleven individuals, all in one big burgundy mass, supposedly all being dead. The boy and girl that stood in the center of it all appeared to be apathetic---stoic, even, not showing any signs of empathy towards the deceased. However, one of the two had a devilish grin etched onto their features; one of which could easily be mistaken for an expression of joy. But, of course, neither of them were enjoying any of this. The smell of the corpses, while tempting, was also revolting in its own way, and even they, creatures that God had forsaken, silently mourned.
Imagine, each one of these persons family's, finding out they were dead. And the cause? Ghouls. A terrible way to go out, as Ghouls typically liked to play with their food. It depended, really, however that wasn't the point, now was it?
The boy walked around in his usual cheerful manner, hands hidden away into his pockets, glen gaze flickering around, as if he were looking for some sort of evidence. A clue. Something so foolishly left behind, perhaps. The girl would lean down to inspect one of the eleven bodies, extending a finger cautiously to poke the person (male, she had determined. Roughly 28 years of age). Nothing. No one got up. No one hacked up blood. It truly did appear that today, on the fourteenth of August, that they would not be heroes. Not that they had ever really considered one another such a thing.
"So, Kido, think Mary and Seto are having more luck on their end? Heard the fourty-second ward has just been crawling with ghouls," the boy piped up, accidentally stepping on one of the bodies. He glanced down, briefly scolding himself as he balanced on one foot to clean away the blood that managed to get on the bottom of his boot.
The girl, recognized as Kido, shrugged. "Honestly, Kano, do you really think I'd know that? For now, how about we just hope---and maybe not ask questions not related to the investigation," she responded gruffly, obviously wanting to get this over with.
Kano lifted up the corners of his jacket through his pockets, as if trying to make a 'Hey, now,' gesture. "Well, well. Sorry, Tsubumi," he said, catching sight of one of the corpses name tags. Before Kido could notice it as well, he strode over to the nicely dressed individual (female, probably in her late 30's), bending over and snatching it from their chest, which, he realized with a small, unnoticed shudder, was oddly hollow.
His female comrade looked up, raising a brow, brushing peridot locks out of her face. "What is it?" she inquired, standing up.
"Takagaki Oki---apart of Pinzoro Enterprises," Kano said aloud, holding the stained card out in front of him. He glanced at Kido, smile fading. "Wait. Isn't that, like---"
"The Snake," Kido whispered, as if that name was something that shouldn't be said. Like a little kid saying 'Shut up,' under their breath. Kano almost had difficulty hearing her. He nodded, slowly, processing her words.
"So...step one, find out about her. Step two, move onto these peoples connection with her."
Kido's nod verified this, though she didn't seem eager to leave. Not yet. "But they obviously wouldn't make it that easy. I mean, Snake's...well...complex. Enough to make something like this be solved with the snap of a finger. But, like I said, it's not that easy." She paused, thinking. All of the sudden, her mouth twisted into a worried frown, hidden behind the collar of her hoodie. "The fourty-second ward."
It wasn't hard to understand. They exchanged looks of realization, such terrible discernment.
