Violet | Shinso x OC/Reader

64 - Lock and Key

-Y/n POV-

That night, you could hardly sleep... Your mind was racing and you kept thinking about Hitoshi. Even though the stress had exhausted you, you tossed and turned nearly all night. When you woke up the next morning, you got straight to work. If the pros weren't going to let you help, then you were going to find him, yourself.

-------------------------------

"All right, this is the place..." You look up at the sign above the shop: 'Nakamura's Locks'. After doing some light research, you'd found that there was a locksmith in downtown Musutafu. You were surprised that they were even in business; Traditional locks and keys were outdated and have since been replaced with modern electronic systems. "Maybe they can tell me more about the key that I found."

You adjust the backpack on your shoulder before pushing the door open. "Hello?" you called out when there was no indication of life. You walked through the dimly-lit shop until you got to the counter near the back. There were locks of all kinds lining the walls, and there were some shelves filled with other types of tools and hardware available for purchase. As you reached the back, you found a counter with a desk lamp, a cash register and a bell. There was a door behind the counter that you assumed led to somewhere behind the shop. You rang the bell and waited...

Silence.

You rang the bell again after about ten seconds and you finally heard some shuffling behind the door. It eventually opened and out stepped a young man who looked to be in his early thirties. You were surprised... You were expecting some old, cranky dude to be working this sort of place. He looked just as surprised to see you standing in his shop. "I guess they haven't had any customers in a while... He probably wasn't expecting to find a fifteen-year old at his counter."

"Uh, hello!" you greeted as you bowed slightly.

He nodded his head. "What can I do for you?"

You pulled the key from your pocket. "I was wondering what you could tell me about this."

He took the key in his hand and glanced it over before looking up at you. "What would you like to know?"

You thought for a moment. "Well... to start, what kind of lock does it go to?"

He looked at the key again and bent down behind the counter. After a moment, he brought up a large stationary magnifying glass and set it on the counter. He slid the lamp closer to him and flipped it on. Resting his elbows down on the counter, he examined the key from behind the glass and after a few moments, he spoke up. "It's a 'Showa' CL-50."

You looked at him blankly. "What the hell does that even mean?"

After noticing your silence, he looked up at you to see your confused stare. He let out something that was between a laugh and a sigh, and he turned around and pulled a lock off of the wall behind him. He held it out for you to see... It looked like a standard, circular lock, but you took note of the slight cone shape that it had to it. You also noticed that the part where you place the key was not centered in the middle of the lock. As you examined it, he spoke again. "It's usually placed above a lever-styled doorknob like this." He pulled another piece off of the wall that matched this description and held it out to you.

You nod your head. "Where are these locks typically used?"

He placed a hand on his chin in thought. "They can be found in large facilities... Usually schools and office buildings, but they've also been used in some factories over the years."

"Wow... This guy really knows his shit."

You soak in this information. "Okay... Is there anything else you can tell me about it?"

He squinted his eyes a bit and looked closer at the key. "It has a lot of scratches on the surface, especially along the blade..." He points to the long part of the key that slides into the lock. "This tells me that it's been used a lot. The scratches on the bow..." He points at the part that you turn with your hand. "... Indicate that it's been placed on a key ring with many other keys for a long time. It probably belonged to a janitor or someone who worked in a large facility of some sort." You were excited... Finally you had a lead on where the League of Villains might be hiding Hitoshi! The man looked up at you again. "May I ask why you're looking into this?"

Your excitement halted in its tracks as you tried to come up with an excuse. "I-I, uh... I have a friend who's an avid collector of keys, and they wanted to find out more about this particular one. They're busy right now, and I have a good memory, so they asked me to come here." You gave him your best smile.

"Uh-huh..." He clearly wasn't buying your story, and you quickly excused yourself before he could question you any further.

"Well, I have to get going now! Thank you very much for your help!" You swiftly took the key from his hands and bowed before hurrying out of the store.

-------------------------------

-Nakamura POV-

You watched the young girl as she exited your shop. You could tell that she was lying when she gave you her explanation, and she was very avoidant of your questioning. She had asked you the sort of questions that investigators usually ask when working on a case... And (if she was investigating something) she was by herself, which meant that she was likely doing it outside of the law.

"I hope I didn't just give that girl a death sentence..."

            This one is a little bit short, so I'll upload the next one later today! Also, YES, I looked up different types of Japanese locks, so the 'Showa CL-50' actually exists... I've done a decent amount of research for this story!