Inside Your Mind

99 - Shinsou

Where all my layers can become reeds

Kaori Shinsou was fidgeting nervously with her blouse, as she was waiting for everyone else to enter the meeting room. There were way too many familiar faces in here, but thank God Enji Todoroki didn't show up. The last time she met him (at a meeting just like this) she had learnt to despise his very presence.

Kaori hated meetings. There were several things she hated about them. The first thing was that people were just watching her, probably wondering what the hell she was doing here in the first place. As if she didn't already feel inferior enough. Sure, she was good at what she was doing blah, blah, blah - but in the end most of these people had way more real life experience than her and had graduated. And they weren't fucking their professor, either, but that was a different point.

The other thing she hated was how people were asking for opinions and she just felt like everyone expected her to say something and on top of that it always felt like she needed to prove to everyone she actually deserved to be at this meeting. It was just uncomfortable, really.

And then there usually was just something completely irrelevant being discussed for way too long and Shouta told her to let him know when they were done talking about that stuff, so he could zone out, but the problem was that Kaori zoned out herself and then both of them found themselves in the middle of a heated debate with no clue what was going on. This could all be avoided if everyone just stayed on track for once, but apparently that was too much to ask.

"For the past two weeks or so, here at the local station, we have been... uh... conducting an independent investigation... of the designated organized crime group known as Shie Hassaikai." a girl with a short haircut said. She looked extremely nervous and Kaori started wondering whether she hated meetings just as much as she did. She looked like she hated them.

"What started all this?" someone interjected. The girl looked up and sighed, before consulting her notes again.

"An incident involving a band of thieves called the Reservoir Dogs. The police wrote it off as a mere accident at first, but there were a few inconsistencies that prompted our investigation." she replied. Someone else got up, wearing the same uniform as the girl at the front.

"Officer Moashi, here. Under Sasaki's orders I've been following some of the leads." he said and walked to the front, where the younger girl was presenting the reports that had been prepared.

"According to my findings the organization has been making extensive contact with outsiders and underworld dealers throughout the past year. Their goals seem to be the expansion and accumulation of funds. And shortly after we began investigating... they made contact with a member of the League." Moashi continued and switched on a projector. The girl stepped aside with her head hanging low. Kaori reckoned she'd probably have murdered her boxing sack after work if someone had done that to her when she had just started her work studies or something.

"Jun Bubaigawara, who goes by the code name Twice. They were all very wary of being tailed, so we couldn't pursue them then, but the police from different stations have provided further assistance. Their findings confirm some sort of conflict between the two groups." Moashi said, as some surveillance footage was playing on the screen. Shouta shook his head beside Kaori.

"Why do these criminals just have to be so extra? I mean, code names? Come on." he muttered. Kaori couldn't help but snort as she tried not to laugh out loud. Some people gave them dirty looks.

Kaori had no idea how they had even noticed, because there had been loads of little conversations breaking out between all of the people around. Why were they only glaring at her and Shouta? It wasn't like they were the only ones interrupting, but people still seemed to get hung up on them. The conversations were quickly dying down after Sasaki (head of the station) had shot everyone a glare.