Rin

The soft light from the lamp barely reached the table. My eyelashes were sticking together, the letters in my old notebook were blurring. Even a fourth, now cold, mug of coffee couldn't get my thoughts to focus.

Once upon a time, these were your ordinary everyday lives. Night shifts, insomnia, constant fatigue, which for some reason seemed right.

Before it all collapses. You quit abruptly. Signing your resignation, you felt like you were cutting off your entire life. You swore you'd forget this place. But time passed. And nothing was forgotten. This was your calling. Your place.

For three months now the city has been buzzing about the same thing. A maniac. Cruel and meticulous. One of your old acquaintances told you about it. And you listened and felt something inside you come to life again.

In a fit of nostalgia, you begged permission to help. Unofficially. How could she refuse the former best detective in the city?

You started living it again. You snuck into crime scenes, interrogating those you had no right to touch. You weren't looking for glory. You were looking for justice.

You came across him by accident.

Another crime scene. The police had already left. The building was dark and stuffy. And... a strange presence. Your intuition never lets you down.

You heard footsteps behind you. Not heavy. Confident. You ran.

He didn't resist when you intercepted him. He even grinned.

• Calm down, kitty. You're fast...

He showed his ID.

-Detective Rin. I have some questions for you. What are you sniffing around here?

It was infuriating. But that's how your journey together began.

He was always there. He covered you. He showed up when things were dangerous. You got used to his footsteps behind you. To the feeling that you weren't completely alone anymore.

You found the new crime scene before the police. The corridor was dark, the lights were flickering.

And then he stopped.

-You're always in such a hurry.

You turned around. The voice became cold.

"There's no point in playing these games anymore. You're a smart girl. You'd have figured it out yourself sooner or later."