[Scene: Kavei's house
8 am, morning
Shinjuku
Year 2016]

The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of Kavei's room, casting long streaks of golden light against the porcelain floor. The faint hum of the city outside blended with the occasional chirping of birds, but inside, the atmosphere was still and calm-at least until Kai walked in.

Kavei sighed, stretching out on the recliner with a cold can of soda in hand. He tilted his head back against the cushioned headrest, relishing the fizzy sensation as he took a sip.

"Ha. It is always refreshing to have some soda in peace," he muttered, letting his body sink into the chair.

A familiar voice cut through his moment of relaxation. "If you're referring to your alone time, I guess it's not so peaceful anymore, huh?"

Kavei groaned, cracking one eye open as Kai strolled in with an amused smirk. "Oh wow. I shouldn't have trusted you with my keys."

Kai casually tossed his red hat onto the bed, followed by his grey scarf, before taking a seat next to Kavei. His long brown coat draped over the edge, and he adjusted his black gloves before rubbing his hands together. The white turtleneck he wore contrasted sharply against his dark jeans, but the casual elegance of his outfit didn't match the teasing glint in his eyes.

"Well, Daichi is in my care now, huh?" Kai continued, leaning back slightly.

Kavei straightened, eyeing him warily. "Where is he?"

"School. Your senior Itsuhara must have dropped him at the camp as we speak."

Kavei exhaled, placing his now half-empty soda can on the nearby table. His thoughts had been jumbled since last night, and now that the sun was up, reality was settling back in. There was still so much to piece together.

Kai stretched his arms above his head before glancing over at him. "So? Where do we start from?"

Kavei ran a hand through his slightly tousled hair, his mind shifting into analysis mode. "Hm. I'll sum up the clues, yeah?"

Kai nodded. "Okay, sounds fair."

"Alright, here goes." Kavei straightened up, his tone sharpening. "First, the chair, ropes, and the dagger. A broken tape recorder, cotton pieces, a strand of eyelash hair, and a glue gun." he recited.

Kai listened carefully, his brows furrowing as he processed the details. "Okay? And?"

Kavei tapped his fingers against the armrest of the recliner. "Let's look at the witnesses. All the known people who were with the victims-it cannot be a mere coincidence. Like I told you, Kai. All of the people who met the victims were people who had to leave their jobs from the places they visited the most."

Kai frowned, the pieces clicking in his head. "True. Every manager had left their jobs for some odd reason."

"Yes. But one thing still hits me," Kavei said, his voice lowering slightly. "Two of them had criminal records, and all of them helped the victims find the places they were looking for. So what if all of them have criminal records too?"

Kai scoffed, shaking his head. "What a vague statement, Sherlock."

Kavei shot him a glare. "Don't give me that and just think about it. Listen. The police couldn't find out about the actual witnesses. Why?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Because the families didn't tell them. Why didn't they tell them? You'd say common citizens are afraid of the consequences that will come their way. But these are their children. I think the thing they're afraid of is not the police."

Kai leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "What satisfies?"

Kavei's eyes glinted with something deeper, more resolute. "Everything. The actual witnesses helping them at the same time. The families being scared. The evidence still being there. Most importantly, the cooperation."

Kai exhaled, rubbing his chin. "But what about the criminal records? If they were criminals, they wouldn't have been able to establish their work in the first place, Kavei."

"All of these places were local and quite close to the crime scene," Kavei countered.

Kai crossed his arms. "So they have a criminal record. What about it?"

Kavei's lips pressed together before he finally admitted, "Yeah. I have a small theory. And with a little more strings, I can almost reach there."

Kai smirked. "But we found so much already."

"We did. We did." Kavei nodded before cracking his knuckles.

"Let's do a background check on them." Kai suggested.

Kavei stood up, dusting off his sweater as he glanced at Kai. "Hm. Then I know just what to do."

Kai eyed him. "Yeah? Okay. How are you going to go about it?"

Kavei flashed a casual grin. "Don't worry about that."

Kai leaned back. "Oh, thank God."

Kavei's grin widened. "Because-"

"Oh, lord."

"I'm giving you something else to worry about."

"Oh, great. I am so happy." Kai deadpanned.

"Cut it out."

"Spill it then."

Kavei shoved his hands into his pockets as he paced in front of Kai. "I sent Ryu and Sebiki to get a hold of the clues related to Samantha's case. Benio-nii is out to get files regarding the kidnapping cases from before 2012."

Kai tilted his head. "Before 2012?"

Kavei nodded. "Somehow, they just seem related."

"I see."

"Yeah. And you." Kavei jabbed a finger at him as he bend down, close to his face, one hand resting in his pocket. "You are in charge of Daichi."

Kai groaned, already seeing where this was going. "I already know that. Are you trying to rub it in my face that I'm babysitting-"

"And his family."

Kai blinked. "Whoa. Back up. His family?"

Kavei's expression remained firm as he straightened up. "Yep. You didn't let me finish."

"What do you mean, his family?"

Kavei's voice lowered slightly. "Daichi was scared of his family. Still is. I need you to find out why."

Kai exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "...That's a tough one."

"Well yeah. You're my neighbor, suck it up."

"Wow, okay. Thanks a lot, genius." Kai leaned back in exhaustion.

"My pleasure." Kavei grinned as he spun around, his back facing Kai.

"Sheesh."

He then friend back around to face Kai. "Oh yeah, and-"

"Oh lord, give me strength. There's more?" Kai groaned as he looked up at Kavei.

"Yes. Not for you. Relax." Kavei chuckled.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Oh, finally."

"I was talking about Kenma."

Kai raised a brow. "What about him?"

Kavei sighed as he plopped next to Kai. "He called a while back. He's coming here. Related to those... samples."

Kai's fingers twitched. The word samples echoed in his mind.

"Samples, huh?" He leaned back into the recliner, eyes flickering with intrigue.

This morning just kept getting more interesting.

The minutes ticked by in sluggish monotony as Kai and Kavei sat in silence, waiting for Kenma to arrive. The morning sun streamed through the window, painting streaks of soft gold across the wooden floor. Kai sat hunched over on the couch, fingers absentmindedly tapping against the armrest, his gaze fixated on the door. Kavei, on the other hand, leaned back against the recliner, tossing a small rubber ball between his hands in an effort to kill time.

The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts. The case had been gnawing at Kavei's mind like a persistent itch he couldn't scratch, and the longer he sat in stillness, the more unbearable it became. He exhaled sharply through his nose.

"Kenma sure is taking his sweet time," Kavei muttered, setting the ball aside.

Before Kai could respond, the doorbell rang.

His body tensed for a moment before he sprang to his feet. Taking a deep breath, he strode towards the door as Kavei followed him and pulled it open.

Kenma stood outside, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black jacket. His brown hair was slightly tousled from the cold morning breeze, and his expression was neutral, if not a little weary. "Hey," he greeted, waving lazily before stepping inside.

He had already started removing his shoes by the doorway, Kai gave him a brief nod and bowed slightly out of habit. Kavei waved back before stepping aside, allowing Kenma to make his way into the room.

Kenma sank into the couch with a tired sigh. The second he did, Kavei crouched in front of him, gripping the edge of the couch tightly, his knuckles turning white.

His voice came out in a rushed, frantic mess. "S-so. What did your sister figure out? I-is it Aroshi? Are there victims from the case we're looking into? Do you have extra files right now? Did she assess the-"

"K-Kavei! Kavei! Slow down! Relax!" Kenma barked, gripping Kavei's shoulders firmly. His fingers dug into the fabric of Kavei's sweater as he held him still.

Kavei blinked rapidly, breathing shallow and erratic. He swallowed hard and finally managed to mutter, "R-right. Uhm... How are you?"

Kenma huffed, loosening his grip slightly. "Right. I'm great-"

"Glad! I'm glad," Kavei interrupted. "So the samples are ready-"

"Kavei, please just relax," Kenma sighed, rubbing his temple. "I came here today to tell you something."

Kai watched silently from his seat on the couch as Kavei attempted to steady his breathing. Kenma exhaled, waiting for him to settle down.

"Kavei," he continued, tone measured and firm. "My sister said she can't just do an analysis-"

Kavei stiffened. "What? No! Please!! We need this-"

"LISTEN TO ME, DAMN IT!" Kenma's voice thundered through the room, making even Kai sit up a little straighter.

The weight of his words was enough to shut Kavei up completely. Kenma released a breath and, without another word, yanked Kavei off his knees and plopped him down beside him on the couch.

"Look. Listen," Kenma said, eyes locking onto Kavei's. "You're a detective. You're smart. You're composed. I don't even know why you're getting so worked up." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before continuing. "My sister did as much as she could and found out that all the samples are from different people. But she needs a DNA analysis to figure out whose blood it is."

Kavei's stomach twisted. "But how can I get her that?"

Kenma shook his head. "You can't. I know. Just listen to me first." He leaned back slightly. "She also said that the blood was stored in a cold storage unit for around four years under proper conditions. It's definitely possible to figure out whose blood it is if she finds the right matches for it."

Kavei's breath hitched. His fingers curled into fists as his mind processed the weight of that information. "F-four years?"

Kenma nodded grimly. "Yeah. From the year Aroshi was kidnapped, most presumably. And listen-this is the most disturbing part. The blood is from young boys and girls. Teenage girls and boys. Even adults."

Kavei's lips parted slightly in shock. "What...?"

Kai, who had been quietly observing, finally leaned forward. "What did you tell your sister?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

Kenma blinked. "Hm?"

"The excuse," Kai elaborated. "You know... why you needed to get blood tested. Where'd you even get all that blood from?"

"Oh," Kenma breathed out. He scratched the back of his head. "I just told her the truth. My sister was close to Aroshi. And for some odd reason, she despises the authorities, too. She said she'd help us in secret."

Kai arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Kenma nodded. Then, turning back to Kavei, he added, "Oh, and some of the samples I got from Aroshi's house later on match the samples you found. Something about similar constituents or whatever."

Kavei sucked in a slow breath. His hands trembled slightly as he reached for the documents Kenma had placed on the table when he had entered. He stared at the papers, flipping through them in silence. The weight of the information pressed against his chest like a boulder.

Kenma patted Kavei's back in an attempt to ground him. The room fell silent for a long moment.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, Kavei suddenly shot up from his seat.

"Wh-Why? What is it?" Kenma asked, startled by the abrupt movement.

Kavei turned to them, eyes alight with newfound urgency. "The evidence vaults!"

Kenma frowned. "Okay... and?"

"The case was closed, yeah?" Kavei's words came out in a rush. "But the clues were told to be reserved since they were still considered evidentiary!"

Kai leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. "Okay. And?"

Kavei clenched his fists. "We can get Aroshi's blood there."

Silence followed.

Then, Kenma let out a slow exhale. "Well, shit."