CHAPTER 2

"Hey, listen to me seriously," a short haired-girl exclaimed. Her frame hunched awkwardly at her friend's table. "Mika!"

The girl who was sitting at her table, Mika did not really bother to respond at that time because she already had something in her mind rather than wasting her time by being anxious. She already knew what Kagami was going to say anyway so her eyes were busy scanning the notes on her tablet.

"I am, Kagami."

"I mean Yoshika... she has been absent from school since yesterday. And Masami Yamaguchi too... don't you think there is definitely..."

"Yes, it's strange," Mika said, putting down her tablet before shifting slightly towards Kagami's direction. "But, still, I doubt they will let us know anything disturbing like that. After all, this school is designated to keep girls in our ages in conservative environment so that we can maintain our Psycho-Pass. Of course, things are also strange with how the new art instructor with his questionable background can work here. I believe there are things that the teachers decided to sweep under the rug. They need to keep up appearances in front of our parents too."

Mika had always been different. She was opinionated and too sharp for her age. Kagami always ended up learning more about the school's secrets which Mika knew from who-knows-where.

"That's... that's scary," Kagami exclaimed, straightening her frame. "Mika, you sure know a lot about our school. If you keep talking like that, maybe you should be a detective one day."

Mika chuckled. "Yeah, maybe I should. Apart from classes, I am too interested in digging deep into this school's secret," she said. She ended up sighing heavily as Kagami was still staring at her, hoping for more satisfying answers or guesses. "Oryo Rikako."

"What?"

"Why don't you try asking her? Yoshika has always been a big fan of her, right? Maybe she knows something."

Kagami was contemplating. "Are you sure I should ask her? I mean... she is Oryo Rikako, you know."

"She's just Oryo Rikako, Kagami. She's a student in the same academy with us. It's not like she's like a God sending from heaven or something," Mika said, rolling her eyes at Kagami's soon-to-be overdramatic reaction. "Honestly, until now I still can't figure out why she's so popular."

"That's mean, Mika. Of course, she's popular. She's smart, beautiful, has a great personality and..."

"A great personality? You never talk properly with her."

"Okay, then. I will go and talk to her properly and let you know how she's a great person and the reason why you should be inspired by her as well, Mika."

"We'll see."

They would see what them found about Rikako in a gruesome way.

Kagami wanted to prove Mika that Oryo Rikako was inspiring but ended up being the next victim who was dismembered and used as a monument.

As for Mika, what she found about the goddess of their school did not make her cringing this time.

Rather, it caused the drastically miserable turn of events in her life. Her instinct of being scared of Rikako's emotionless eyes was actually the sign that she should keep her friends away from that senior or theirs. Rikako was someone with a very cloudy Psycho-Pass. She was a psychotic murderer who had this insane addiction to turn her victims into her artworks.

It was incomprehensible for Mika who grew in a normal childhood and a family with mental beauty. Her life was smooth and her intelligence would give her a promising future but it just took one ridiculously shared fate with Rikako and...

It was all gone. She lost Kagami as well in the midst of Yoshika's disappearance.

How could the psycho... How dare she turned her innocent friends into dismembered corpses mercilessly.

Mika hardly cried because she did not have the reason to do so. But, at a certain night which was the first time she learned about Kagami's death, it was pouring.

She could not care less with how wet and sticky her school uniform was as she stared blankly at the garbage disposable facility. It was where the police officers found Kagami's and Yoshika's bodies.

Kagami... Yoshika...

She did not know for how long she was still like a statue on her spot until there was a certain enforcer, while holding an umbrella, shielding her from the pouring rain.

She was startled when she could feel a warm presence from an adult. A sad smile was plastered on her usually poker face as they met eyes.

"I take that you're close to the victims?" The enforcer, Kunizuka Yayoi asked her. She was taller than her and had a great physique which something that anyone would expect a person who chased down criminals.

"It... it's my fault..." She confessed right away. "I... I was the one who suggested her to... to meet Rikako Oryo. If only I wasn't being stupid... If only I didn't let her go alone... I did notice something off about Rikako Oryo but... but I..."

She was sure that Yayoi did not need her to add more. Instead, the black-haired woman trapped Mika's small frame into her embrace, silently and patiently offered her a comfort.

"Cry while you can or your Hue will get cloudy."

And she did. Her Psycho-Pass had to be clear or else, there was no reason at all to forgive herself.

"Congratulations, Mika-chan! You nailed them all."

"700 points? That's brilliant of you! As expected from Shimotsuki Mika."

"Are you sure you want to be an inspector? I mean, you're really capable other options like Ministry of Technology and Ministry of Economy. Why bother to risk your life and catch bad people? That's a waste."

I am not obliged to answer that, right? It's what the perfect Sybil system had decided for me so you don't have any right to flap your gums.

If only she could answer that but Mika was wise enough not to let her bitter emotions got the better of her. She ended up answering her friends and teachers' questions as polite as possible.

Or should she say, as quick as possible since she had other and more important destination to drop by? She just got her job aptitude result and she could not wait any longer to share the good news with the people.

As her steps finally reached the graves, she would ensure that how the people's lives were ended brutally did not cloud her mind anymore. She wanted to be an inspector and cloudy Psycho-Pass should never make it to her head.

"It's been a long time, right?" She said, eyes shifted towards both Kagami Kawarazaki and Yoshika Okubo's graves. "If it's not because I had to stay in the dorm even after what happened, I would visit you both more frequently. I hope you guys are not lonely."

The friction between her fingers and her handphone dragged her mind to the main reason why she was there instead of coming home straight away. "Ah, I almost forgot."

She raised the gadget before a proud smile spread over her thin lips. "Guess what? I got the top place in our batch. 700 points. Is that great? I mean, yeah. That's expected given how smart I am."

Lasting just for a few seconds, the complacent smile turned into a straight line. Sadness quickly flowed in her veins as she was hit again by the cruel reality.

No matter how cheerful and nonchalant she tried to put her words, both Kagami and Yoshika would not be alive again. They would not congratulate her, not enveloping her into their playful embraces.

"No, I am not crying, you idiot," she said as tears quickly streamed down her face. Both hands quickly wiped them. "Seriously, I don't want to consume more pills. It's not that healthy if you overdose."

Seconds passed and with how no one watched or waited for her, she took her time to calm down.

"I swear that once I officially become an inspector, I will work hard for victims like you. I will catch those bastards because I don't want more people suffer. That's my eternal promise."

"Shepherd 2, you're going too fast. Where are you?"

"I can't find Hound 4. Sasayama... What's going on? Where did he go?"

"Calm down, Kougami! Things are getting out of control. You have to return this instant!"

"I have to find him... Sasayama?"

"Shepherd 2, can you hear me? Shepherd 2!?"

Ginoza never wanted it to happen. He really did but the moment where Kougami lost his position as an inspector and sanity had frequently appeared as his nightmare lately, much to his anger.

"It's true that so far, there is no scientific evidence for a causal relationship between genes and Crime Coefficients. But there is no evidence to show otherwise either."

This time it was Chief Kasei's monotone voice echoed in his ears even there was no way she was around to visit him. He was a disgrace for MWPSB after all.

"I hope that you won't make the same mistake as your father."

He did follow his father's path down to his prosthetic arm.

"I hope it from the bottom of my heart."

But, it was not a mistake. Why would the chief paraphrase in such way? Why would she hope it from the bottom of her heart?

Months passed but Ginoza showed poor recovery. His body and mental state still took his father's death harshly. Sometimes, he did not even know what the date was. His days in the care centre had gone too fast even he did not do anything. It only took his mind and memory, kept recalling how his late father was dead from protecting the useless whiny him and he was all done for. It was countless how many times the therapists had to rush to his room as his Hue turned so cloudy without himself realizing it. His body grew tired of being drugged up to the eyeballs.

"Good morning! It's time to get up. Now, to all latent criminals, be sure to keep working on purifying your Hue!"

And the fact he woke up with soreness, still spinning head and heavy eyes just told him right away that they had to make him passed out again yesterday.

"Be sure to keep working on purifying your Hue!"

The sound of the robotic alarm echoed but before the voice wanted to be repetitive with the same encouraging lines, Ginoza could hear more deafening sounds that he had grown to get accustomed to.

Somebody hit his head with the wall... Another patient yelled, probably having a very bad dream. The others were probably doodling who-knows-what on the wall. Previously, he just witnessed such realities when he and Kougami had to debrief Kagari and Yayoi about their aptitudes as an enforcer. At that time, it was unpleasant to watch them even they were separated by a strong glass wall but now...

It was pathetic that his luck was just as them; prisoned in the fully white room and might end up violent or nonsensical like them.

No, he had to purify his Hue; just like how that cheerful and robotic announcement encouraged them every single day.

Thanks to Inspector Aoyanagi Risa from Division 2, he just found that he still could smile.

She also met him because he heard good news about his dog, Dime. His plants were always well-cared by the inspector. He could not simply trust anyone to look after them.

"He is a well-behaved dog," Risa remarked, showing the dog's pictures from her communicator. "Well, of course he's whining sometimes. Probably, he misses you a lot."

Ginoza resisted his hand from putting it on the glass wall between them. He wanted to stroke the part where Dime's picture was shown but he did not want to seek any sympathetic stare from the inspector. Akane's and Kougami's were more than enough.

Speaking of which, they did not visit him this week which was totally a relief.

"How's the prosthetic arm? Can get used of it already?" Her words made him realized right away that she was anticipating him to move or any sorts of gestures that showed that he was just not a living doll.

Oh, let's see... I spent most of my time mourning for my late father and resent how stupid I was for mistreating him until his last breath. Here, I have fainted and slept a lot so I don't really remember using this fake arm...

"Everything is all right," Ginoza blurted out as he absent-mindedly lifted his prosthetic arm. "It was indeed uncomfortable at first."

Risa decided that it was the time for her to genuinely speak up. "Look, Ginoza-kun. You have to be strong and healthy again, okay? Dime is waiting for you and in Division 1, they even have the enforcer position for you because you can't just waste your skills like this."

"My skills? Like what?"

"Ginoza-kun..." With how disapproving but caring her voice was, Ginoza flinched as if she just slapped him and forced him to stop being melancholic when it was his 'fault' that Masaoka was dead. His skinny frame shrank, together with how he stared at nothing in particular.

Your son is still struggling, Masaoka-san. What should I do? Risa thought. Her attention was especially drawn to Ginoza's green eyes which were his prominent similarity with Masaoka. His eyes don't even look as bright as yours when they literally look the same.

"I am sorry. Things have been rough and I can't remember what am I am blurting out either..."

"They drugged you a lot, didn't you?" Risa said with a bitter smile that Ginoza would hate to receive if it was anybody else. For Risa, it was an exception.

Why she was an exception, again? Was it because she was not there when he burst into tears pathetically while pleading with Masaoka's destroyed body? Was it because he never lashed out at her like how he did it with Akane, Kougami, Kagari and Masaoka?

"Not really," he answered just because he was not sure. For certain, Ginoza would feel light, drowsy and tired most of the time. Why did whatever medication he was on affect him this much?

"You're getting thinner, Ginoza-kun. You're always thin for your height but now, you're..."

"I guess I want to look the same as you. Tall and thin. Look, our hair styles are similar. They are uneven cut."

Risa chuckled in disbelief at how swift he tried to change their conversation topic. "They're not the same, you idiot. Mine is a trend. Yours is just a definition of a typical stick-in-the-mud."

Since when he learned how to brush questions aside? Normally, he was frank. It was not hard to read what he had in his mind.

But now, Ginoza might joke around but his laugh, his complexion, the lights and shadows in his eyes... they were empty.

"Can't agree more with that," the man said with melodious chuckles. Usually, Ginoza would annoy the heck of her whenever he was in a textbook mood but now, all she wanted from him was genuine smiles and laughter.

She did care about him after all.

"I will cut your hair once you are discharged. Maybe a neat hairstyle will motivate you to have a fresh start, Ginoza-kun."

A fresh start, huh?

"My pleasure."

"Please let Ginoza-san's dog live with him after he becomes an enforcer," Akane said, eyes were forced to look at straight at Chief Kasei who was sitting at her desk. "I know enforcers aren't allowed to keep pets with them but I hope..."

"He sure still has people care about him despite his unlikeable attitude," Chief Kasei remarked with an unreadable expression. "First, it's Inspector Aoyanagi from Division 2 and now, it's you."

What? Aoyanagi-san already...

"How is Ginoza-kun doing?" Chief Kasei asked. "Has he adjusted well with his recovery?"

The sharp and experienced her could sense the answer from Akane's gestures even before she heard it from the inspector but...

There was no fun if she could guess and read everything, right? It would be more accurate if she could dig deep into Akane's thought about Ginoza's demotion.

"I believe he'll be fine. Facing a family member's death is something that anyone will find the hard time to recover so..."

"I don't ask for what you believe, Inspector Tsunemori," the old woman cut her short, almost losing her coolness right away. Even her talking manner was still calm, but her overall aura and the way her voice turned slightly harsher was intimidating for Akane who had little experience when it comes to facing the higher-ups as an inspector. She had no choices but to gain it on her own from now on. After Ginoza's demotion, it was bound that she would take over everything from scratch. "I simply ask the facts. Something that you look from him, something you hear from him or his therapists or something more accurate like his Crime Coefficient..."

"He isn't stable yet. So far, I couldn't even bring out the enforcer position because his Hue would suddenly get cloudier."

Hearing about someone was not the same with really facing and dealing with someone. Akane knew that much. She knew Chief Kasei was a respected chief, ruling Public Safety Bureau efficiently but that was it. Her personal background was a mystery. Ginoza himself did not talk much about the chief which added more reasons why Akane had to be well-prepared to be questioned sternly and professionally like this.

"I see. Should we offer the position to someone else who is more mentally-stable then? If he still can't manage his Hue even after what happened..."

"He can manage it!" Akane could not care less about where did she gain the courage to raise her voice, let alone to the chief who seemed to show no sympathy to an elite inspector who always tried his best and worked for years. "I know it's just my belief but..."

"Huh, I can see that you're desperate to keep Ginoza-kun in your division at any cost. You just can't see him die alone in the centre, right?" For some reason, Kasei observed her from head to toe. "Why? I thought that he's too textbook. I thought that you're more lenient to Enforcer Kougami's side? That's why you talked back to him when he cared too much about your Hue?"

"Wait, how do you..."

"Since you're still oblivious, let me tell you, Inspector Tsunemori," Chief Kasei left her comfortable position before sitting straight to fully face the young inspector. "You inspectors had a tough job. You have to keep the public in order, lead the enforcers who are latent criminals as well and also handle administrative works. You function as Sybil's trained eyes and to make sure that you don't have any 'error' or sorts which affects Sybil's perfect system, I have to monitor all of you, including how you judge the criminals and overall surrounding. So far, what can I see is you slowly follow two of your enforcers' paths despite Ginoza-kun's warning. You know what, inspector? Despite your clearly cluelessness and stubbornness, Ginoza-kun still complimented you as an excellent inspector who would improve greatly in no time. I hope you don't disappoint him, inspector."

All Akane could do externally was nodding in defeat while her heart...

I never know that Ginoza-san complimented me like that. He criticized me all the time so I never noticed it.

"Are you okay, inspector?" Akane was absent-mindedly heading to her office when out of the blue, someone put something cold against her cheek. She flinched as she turned around. Kougami's face with a smirk appeared in her sight. For how long he had been waiting around the corridor, she did not know.

At this moment, all she loved and hoped to see from Kougami was his smile which was cheeky but comforting. It was a relief for her to see him at least smirking as he still placed the cold soft drink against her cheek. His other hand was also holding another soft drink which she assumed that it was his.

"Kougami-san..." she instantly took the drink first from him before gulping it down. Chief Kasei might have the ability to indirectly suck all water out of her body because now only realized how parched she was. "Thank you."

"I never say that it is yours," the enforcer said with a straight face, causing the inspector to spray the drink in surprise.

"Oh, my... you're really surprised. It was supposed to be a joke," Kougami remarked flatly as he took out his handkerchief for her. His voice might be emotionless but he really did want to show some concerns over Akane's throat, especially when she was still coughing.

"It's... it's because your jokes are bad! Not to mention your face, Kougami-san... Is there anybody ever said to you that you look like a hungry lion whenever you pull a straight face?" Akane said with a glare. As she tried to wipe her mouth with her bare hand and ignore his handkerchief, he still had it lifted to her eye level.

"Take it as my apology. Come on, it's a new one. I don't even use it yet if you concern about germs," Kougami said, still insisting despite his robotic voice.

"I am not talking about germs. Using a guy's handkerchief is surreal awkward for me."

"As long as we work together, we will do more embarrassing things together like an undercover, your bare face when you're tired enough to put on make-up and so on. So, with that being said," this time, his comforting tone was in unison with a genuine smile. "You can rely on me, inspector. For anything."

Her eyes sized up at the sudden comfort and reassurance from a 'hungry lion' like him.

"I certainly cannot eavesdrop on what you have talked to Chief Kasei but if you let me guess... it's about how you automatically become the leader of Division 1 and she plain ordered you to do a better job as one, isn't it?"

"Well, it's true that I haven't done a good job so far. I bet it's not that tough if I pull myself together..."

"It's okay, inspector. That's bound to happen given how dangerous our job is. Each division has two inspectors to lead and when one of them will be demoted because of their clouded Psycho-Pass, it will be hard for the other inspector," Kougami said. "Just like how Gino had to endure it after my demotion."

Even it was just one second, she could spot how upset his smile had become, especially after Ginoza showed no signs to return as an enforcer.

Or to be more accurate, Akane was waiting for Kougami to show some emotions when one of them dared to bring out anything about Ginoza or the late Masaoka. Everyone in the whole bureau had been cautious with them, including the blunt Yayoi and bubbly Kagari. They knew how did it to feel to lose two core members in the same division at the same time. Even they should not dwell on it too much given it was a demand from their career, they were still humans.

They had Sybil watched and monitored their Psycho-Pass like a hawk but they were still humans who could not help the feeling of despondency after losing someone.

"Ginoza-san had to lead the team alone for three years, right?" Akane supplied. "I just learned from Kunizuka-san."

"Yes," Kougami said, still holding other soft drink which he was supposed to sit and drink together with Akane.

"But for me, it is only five months and I feel the tension already. It's been tough to handle both the team and administrative works at the same time."

"Now, you admitted it's tough."

"Yes, I am not ashamed of it," Akane said with a bright smile. "You should feel the same too. You shouldn't feel ashamed for worrying and guilty about what happened to Ginoza-san. He's your friend before he became your inspector. It's natural for you to feel miserable when you saw him in that state."

Kougami chose not to reply while his grey eyes did not meet her. The stiff response gained a heavy sigh from her before she reached up and held his arm.

"That's why, Kougami-san..." Her eyes sized up in a newfound determination. She was glad that with her tone shifting, it made Kougami looked at her properly. "We have to ensure that Ginoza-san works with us again. He might never say it out loud but he needs you on his side to stay sane and start over."

But, to her surprise, the former inspector shook his head, still wearing the sad smile.

"I think Aoyanagi is a better suitor for that position," he said softly. "If Gino is allowed to choose, I bet he would rather to work with her. Those two have a very perfect teamwork from the start. Plus, I heard that she even requested the chief to allow Gino to keep Dime with him had he agreed to be an enforcer way before than you. She even helped him putting his place together. Obviously, he relies on Aoyanagi now."

His words shed some light on something that immediately crossed Akane's mind. No wonder...

"That's why you suddenly pulled me and hid from Ginoza-san as soon as you saw Aoyanagi-san at the centre last week?" she said softly. Kougami had to keep himself from flinching at her sudden guess but he doubted she did not notice it. "I might not know you guys for a long time but if I was Aoyanagi-san, I would definitely disagree with what you have done and told you off for giving up too soon."

Kougami could only chuckle. Talking heart-to-heart about something deep like this with Akane was something that he did not want to grow accustomed to.

He had to draw a line and maintain their professional relationship. Making her involved in his personal life which was ruined by his cloudy Psycho-Pass was not in his list.

So, he decided to walk away, leaving her puzzled.

"Just so you know, the drink is yours, inspector. I meant to give you from the start," he said without even stopping his pace. Instead, he chose to walk even faster because he knew what kind of response of her that he should expect next.

"Huhhh?? You and your lame jokes... Kougami-san, wait for me!"

Instead of waiting, he decided to torture her short legs which still chased after him by walking much faster.

For sure, he cared about the inspector. He did not want her to shoulder her burden alone.