"Ah…"

At this moment, Kazunobu Chiba only felt a dull ache in his back and legs. His stomach kept grumbling with hunger.

He finally found a place to sit and rest, allowing himself to relax a little.

"There's been so much patrolling these past two days."

He couldn't help but complain aloud.

The recent patrol workload really was excessive, far more than usual.

"Don't whine."

Ninzaburo Shiratori, dressed in a gray suit, walked over holding a can of cola.

"A major bombing just occurred last week. With so many incidents recently, it's only natural for the Metropolitan Police Department to increase the number of patrols."

"Plus, the Second Division's failure to catch that Phantom Thief Kid 1412 last night. Not only did they get completely tricked, but he also escaped right under their noses. That incident really hurt the police's image."

"That's why we've got so many patrol shifts this weekend."

Ninzaburo Shiratori also felt the pressure of the patrol work, but he understood exactly why it was happening.

For the police, this was a key opportunity to restore credibility. They had no choice but to seize it.

Shiratori believed the intense schedule would only last a little longer.

But he couldn't help sighing.

"The patrol missions we've been handling all week should've at least eased up a bit this weekend. But of course, that notorious thief had to target the museum yesterday."

"After what happened before, everyone there is already on edge."

"And now it's not just the museum. The Mihuashi Municipal Building is also under threat. If anything happens there too, patrols will have to continue for at least another two weeks."

Oh no… Chiba felt like he was about to faint. His future looked bleak.

"Assistant Inspector Shiratori, we're not really going to keep patrolling like this, are we?"

"Probably not."

As a career-track Assistant Inspector, Ninzaburo Shiratori knew more than Chiba, who was only a patrol sergeant.

"The current patrol workload is already intense. It's unlikely to increase any further. If that thief hadn't stirred things up, we probably would've returned to our regular routine this weekend."

"Even though there'll still be places that need patrolling, the requirements won't be this strict."

"We're mainly maintaining this current level of patrol to prevent any copycat crimes."

Criminal copycats had always existed. These lunatics really were gutsy, mimicking crimes just for the thrill. That's why the police had to strengthen patrols to deter such imitators.

"Didn't that thief send a challenge letter to the Suzuki family yesterday?"

"The target is the Suzuki family's heirloom, that giant black pearl. I figure once this weekend's over, the patrols should ease up for a while."

Shiratori wasn't fond of these troublemakers either. They just made life harder for the rest of the police force.

The detectives in Tokyo couldn't be tied down to just one or two high-profile cases. So the only thing they could do was increase patrols across the board to reduce the chance of similar incidents.

"Chiba, by the way, where's Takagi? Is he still on patrol?"

"Yeah. We switched shifts. He went upstairs to patrol."

Chiba took the cola from Shiratori's hand and downed it in one gulp.

His body was quickly replenished with sugar, and the fatigue he'd been feeling eased a bit.

"Takagi's work attitude has been solid lately. At least he's not like before, always trailing behind Officer Sato and ignoring his duties."

Shiratori's tone carried a teasing undertone.

Wataru Takagi, a recent addition to the Metropolitan Police Department, had always been known for his obvious crush on Officer Sato.

But that wasn't anything new. There had always been a long line of detectives who admired her.

Too bad for them, Miwako treated everyone the same, regardless of gender. She never showed any special affection toward anyone.

"Ahahaha…"

Chiba understood Shiratori's meaning and could only laugh awkwardly.

"I wasn't trying to single him out, but I do hope he keeps up this more professional attitude. Chiba, Takagi's improvement is all thanks to your help. Good job."

Shiratori naturally recognized Chiba's efforts.

Chiba had helped Takagi a great deal. If it weren't for his guidance, that guy would probably still be completely clueless. He might've even been demoted back to the Traffic Division by now.

"But you need to focus on your own progress too. You can't spend all your time and energy keeping an eye on Takagi. You're a patrol sergeant now. You should be working toward your next step."

"Takagi's calmed down a lot lately. His attitude is on the right track. Chiba, you should focus on yourself now."

"Eh…"

Chiba seemed a bit surprised to hear that.

"What's wrong? Did I say something odd?"

"No, no. Officer Shiratori is absolutely right. I just didn't expect you to say something like that."

Ninzaburo Shiratori paused and sighed.

"Don't assume I'm some cold, uptight guy who doesn't care about subordinates. I care about my team's development too. I've worked hard to get to this point. Don't lump me in with the kind of people who climb through connections, okay?"

Hearing that, Chiba immediately stood up and quickly shook his head.

"Officer Shiratori, I didn't mean… Huh?"

Chiba stopped mid-sentence, his eyes locked on a jewelry store ahead with a stunned expression.

"Hmm? Chiba, what were you trying to say just now…"

After waiting a while without hearing the rest, Shiratori turned and followed Chiba's gaze.

And then, he too was caught off guard.

"Officer Sato…"

Following Chiba's line of sight, they saw Miwako, dressed in casual clothes, walking into a jewelry store with a boy beside her.

She was clearly well-dressed today, but the boy didn't leave much of an impression.

(To be continued.)