Just for the Anarchy | OumaSai AU

A New Card

Shuichi POV

The following day after my confrontation with Kokichi I had woken up a little earlier than usual for work. I needed time to think but also I needed to figure out how to properly use concealer. I should have paid more attention to Kaeda whenever she was doing her makeup or hell even Amami when he would do his. Thankfully it's not overly complicated to use although admittedly it was a slightly different tone and looking somewhat off, but at least my neck was no longer varying shades of bruises. I mean it still was but with makeup it just looked like maybe I had a rash I'm recovering from.

I get dressed in pressed pants, a grey button-up, and a navy blue tie but what surprised even me was the absence of my hat. Sure I 'lost' it for a time and occasionally forgot it, but as I drove with my uncle to the station I had made the conscious decision that it would be unnecessary. After I managed fine without it yesterday afternoon it more or less felt like the hat was actually holding me back. Taka teased me about it some but he seemed happy that I let go of my dependence on it, maybe even proud.

"So are you going to tell me about the girl you're seeing?" Taka glanced over at me with a shit-eating grin as he pulled into the parking lot. I blush remembering the actual "date" but immediately become overwhelmed with conflicting emotions at the thought of the Thief and who he could be.

"I'm not really seeing anyone." I mumbled just barely loud enough for my uncle to hear.

"Oh? So it was more of a one-night-stand situation? Hey, props to you kid, I would have never had the guts." We had parked and were walking beside each other toward the impressively bland-looking building. I didn't care to correct him because then I'd have a whole lot of other shit to explain.

As we passed through the glass doors we entered a new plane of existence, one with panicking men and women running about trying to gather together file notes as they all huddle around the door to Taka's office. We glance at each other before bolting to the door, shoving past the crowd to find the root of the issue. There, tapped to his door, was another black, sleek business card. The Phantom Thief was already planning another heist. My uncle urged everyone to go back to their individual cases and to let the two of us handle the new calling card.

Even as he did so I could see why the entire station was abuzz about the newest card. Like previous cards, it had the symbol of what one might assume is the Thief's gang, the crying and laughing clown. Yet the rest of the card was blank. I took it down off the door and Taka looked at me expectantly. Although I told him of how there was a hidden message on the previous card I didn't tell him about the existence of the invisible ink on pretty much all of the calling cards. Still, I'm sure he was expecting something to be on the newest one, but there was no hint of lemons and under a light it revealed no secrets.

Me and Taka and been bouncing ideas off of each other for a couple of hours when Kyoko knocked on his door and peeked her head in.

"Hello, I came to check in on both of you, but also to steal Shuichi for a lunch break."

Taka huffed and rubbed his hands over his face. "Yeah, we could probably both do with a break, alright I'll see you in fifty." He stood up and walked past Kyoko out the door. She looked back at me and gestured with her head to follow, so I got up and unconsciously slipped the card I was holding into my pocket.

"Well is there anything else significantly different about this one?" Kyoko asked between bites of her sandwich. We were sitting at an outdoor patio of a small sub shop, still discussing the Phantom Thief's card. 

I paused to think while sipping on my iced coffee when the thought occurred to me that I might have the very card on me. I quickly pat myself down finding the paper rectangle in my left pant pocket. I pulled it out, looking over it once more before handing it over to the fellow detective.