Leaving outside the office with detective Misa Namioka at his side, the two exchanged numbers in case he learned anything new regarding the recent murders of Sato Makotori and his supposed accomplishment, something they will be keeping a secret between them for the time being.
"You don't want me to tell them?" He asked in disbelief, "Do you even understand what you just agreed to?" Now aware that they just agreed to keeping this information a secret from the public, "we are dealing with a murderer, a serial killer in fact," he still can't believe what he has heard.
"A killer that you yourself, the commissioner, just encountered last night with him," Misa emphasized of this notion, "it is better we keep further evidence and clues between the staff," his eyes narrowing in the lack of care at the mention of witnessing such events, "let's not forget the more we talk about it, the easier it is for the crowd to panic."
Thinking over it, Carter nodded his head in agreement to such a suggestion. "I see your point," he said, "the last thing we want is everyone panicking, making things much more complicated than they already are," stating the obvious as the news reporters, bloggers, and paparazzi will be having a field day about this once it is revealed to the public.
Seeing Misa nod, the brunette continued his explanation, "In other words, we are operating in secrecy," making the young man glance at him for clarifying the idea, "for now, I'll give you a call if anything new surfaces, maybe even bringing you back in here to converse about this case," appearing more professional despite wearing feminine attire, "keep a close eye for Sato and report anything to me."
Nodding, Carter respects his words, "very well, detective Misa," sighing exhaustively from the long conversation that he had, "I wish to do much more than this, but what can we do?" Nothing much can be done if they don't want riots breaking loose among worried and fearful civilians.
Lips formed a slight smile on his mouth. "Thank you for cooperating with me and giving the HPD your testimony; it is appreciated." They then shook each others before continuing, "Well, until next time, we will get to the bottom of this," the long-haired brown brunette said with optimism behind her monotone voice.
"Oi! Commissioner!" Koyoshi's voice interrupted the moment between the two, and Koyoshi turned to see the blue-clad officer sprinting towards them with an unpleasant expression on his face. "Good thing you're still here!" He yelled, panting heavily with sweat pouring down his forehead, "A new murder has popped up!"
Misa and Carter glanced at one another in surprise, their eyes wide open as they focused on Koyoshi, who stopped before them, gasping for air and breathing heavily. Both the detective and commissioner looked at each other for another moment and then looked back at him.
"New murder?" Carter repeated, "Where?" His curiosity grew: Another person murdered like those others? Knowing that their work is far from over, as they needed to witness such brutality up close and personal, they said, "Give us the details, we need to see this."
"Right this way," motioning the two to follow him, Koyoshi moved to the nearest elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor as they stood side-by-side in silence. In their minds, they questioned themselves, pondering what could possibly be happening right now.
"Sato Makotori," breaking the silence between them, Carter uttered those words loud enough for both of them to hear: "He's one of the two culprits responsible for the past killings across Japan," revealing the identity of the young man in question; "never thought the kid had the guts to do something like that," recalling the first time seeing that boy at the bus stop.
Koyoshi couldn't believe his ears from hearing, "him? We already knew that this case was involved with him, but there is another person working alongside these murders?" He asked in confusion about this new development, "Are you sure that the commissioner is correct in this? Looking at the aforementioned man with a sidelong glance of suspicion.
The elevator's doors then opened, and as soon as they stepped inside, Carter pressed the ground floor button while pushing himself against the wall so they wouldn't bump into each other while the detective answered Koyoshi's question.
"Yes," Misa said, bluntly stating a fact to the fellow cop without hesitation or doubt in mind, "there's a high chance that whoever committed this latest incident has links to Sato's activities and might be his sibling, friend, or perhaps lover," thinking deeply over the situation that may or may not be a possibility in finding their true motivation.
The officer stood there, listening intently and contemplating the theory suggested by his coworker. "Maybe they're connected through a gang or an organization?" He responded, looking back at his boss, who remained silent, lost in thought while still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in contemplation.
Tapping his foot impatiently against the floor, Carter sighed. "Most likely the former," he answered, "but please don't spread this information outside of our department," explaining further details. "If the media caught wind of this, mass hysteria would surely ensue, which can complicate matters greatly," adding a bit more to their conversation while glancing at Koyoshi every few seconds or so.
"I understand, sir," the latter nodded his head in acknowledging the words of caution, "it'll be confidential between the three of us and the boys until we figure out the full picture," showing a determined look upon his face at the matter, "when we do, I'll make sure to have justice served for all the families who lost their loved ones."
Listening to the encouraging words, Carter looked at his trusted comrade with a blank expression. "Good to hear," he muttered softly before closing his eyes momentarily, not fond of righteous speeches or motivational encouragement, "just remember that as a police officer, it is our job to enforce the law and order of society, not to preach morality or engage in a war of emotions and opinions with one another."
Then the doors slid open, allowing Carter, Koyoshi, and Misa to step out of the elevator. After exiting the building, they continued down in the laboratory, where scientists and staff alike are present to a lesser extent due to the current circumstances.
As the trio walked toward the main lab entrance, a familiar person greeted them with a warm, welcoming smile plastered upon her lips: "Master!" She happily shouted at Carter, running at full speed with open arms and hugging him tightly the moment they collided, "I'm so glad you're okay!" Tears began leaking from the corners of her eyes as she sobbed uncontrollably against his chest.
Patting Yumi's head gently, "Where's Sebastian?" He asked her, ignoring her repeating sentimental display of affection for his sake, "He didn't accompany you, did he?" Despite knowing his butler too well to think he'd allow his maid to stay alone without someone keeping tabs on her is somewhat worrying even though shes capable of defending herself without much of problem.
Folding her arms defiantly after letting go of the embrace, Yumi pouted at her master's remark, "That jerk decided to wander around instead of waiting for your arrival." Her lips trembled angrily, "I'm starting to suspect that he doesn't care about your well-being anymore and only cares about doing whatever he wants without having me to hold him back!" She accused him, her eyes flashing red as sparks flew from her hands in fury.
Carter, however, scratched his head with a smile. "That's fine, you two are allowed to do what you want so long as I know that none of you are in trouble," he explained to her, his expression becoming softer upon realizing how sensitive she can be sometimes. "Just relax; there's nothing for you to be jealous about; I care for both of you equally regardless of what others may say."
Upon hearing those words, Yumi hugged him again, squeezing his body hard to the point of almost choking him. "Yay! You said it again!" She cheered excitedly, enjoying how happy her beloved master looks whenever she hears that statement coming out of his mouth: "I promise that I won't be selfish and let Sebastian have you to himself all the time; that way he knows his place and not become—"
"It appears Sir Carter is back," Sebastian's voice rang through the halls, catching everyone's attention as they turned towards him, who calmly walked toward them with his fixated smile. "I propose the meeting with the other investigators has finally commenced as intended."
"Sebastian?" Misa's surprise filled his tone at the sudden arrival of her coworker. "I thought you were still in the United Kingdom? The sight of an old friend reminded her of why Carter chose to employ him into his service despite knowing who he truly was: "Why did you decide to come back so suddenly?"
Smiling mysteriously, the butler replied, "Misa Namioka, it has been a while since we last saw one another; it truly has been". He spoke calmly with his soft, gentle voice, "however, my decision to return was purely a coincidence and nothing more," bowing respectfully at him before raising his head, "now, what brings all of you down here together?"
Koyoshi then spoke on their behalf: "recent murder," he said plainly, "is connected to Sato in some way, shape, or form," answering the butler's question truthfully while omitting any unnecessary detail that will make him appear suspicious towards their own private investigation, "so we are going to visit the crime in person and we are bringing the commissioner with us."
"I see," Sebastian raised an eyebrow in question, "might I join along? His question was answered immediately when Misa spoke up, "Of course, this is a serious situation after all; having extra assistance never hurts anyone," gesturing for them all to follow the detective as he proceeded down to the elevator.
While Yumi held her arms around her master as usual, Carter and his butler shared the same amused look on their faces at the sight of her antics, making Koyoshi shake his head at this sight, unsure whether or not he should find it normal or just plain creepy.
As they entered the shaft, the detective then pushed the button for the first level, causing the door to shut in front of them before descending into darkness below ground level, leaving them in complete silence until the billionaire decided to break the ice once again.
"You know my butler, Misa?" His question was intended for the detective next to him, wanting to know what type of relationship these two share since neither of them appeared to show hostility towards one another after they met face-to-face.
Without even giving him a single glance, the transvestite responded coolly, "He worked as a spy back in America before returning to England; it was only natural that I remember someone like him. He answered with a slight annoyance in her voice, "Honestly, it's surprising that a guy like him would still stick around after all these years and not retire in a faraway place with someone else."
Baffled by the information provided, Carter turned his head toward his butler, who maintained a calm demeanor, staring at the metal surface with a smiling gaze, seemingly unfazed by what he just heard in this current situation.
When the doors reopened, everyone left as the silence returned; walking steadily with no one speaking a single word to one another, only the sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the lobby before reaching the exit that leads them outside.
When they exited the building, a cold wind blew through their clothes and skin, causing them to shiver slightly despite wearing long-sleeve shirts, jackets, or even coats against such a temperature. Giving a sideways glance to the side, Misa then spoke up.
"I'll drive everyone there," he said quietly, holding the keys in his hand. "It wouldn't be wise for either of us to be involved in a traffic jam during such critical moments like this, especially if those damned journalists catch wind of this tragedy happening somewhere else besides Tokyo. Shaking his head as if ashamed of himself and his comrades for not being prepared to handle this matter sooner rather than later, he said, let's hurry; every second counts, and wasting them would mean all hope is lost."
"Wait," Carter interrupted, "how about my black sedan? I'll drive you and the others to where we need to be," he suggested, wanting to enjoy the long drive across the roads as opposed to riding alongside someone else behind the wheel.
However, Misa accepted the offer, saying, "If it gets us moving quicker, then alright," shrugging indifferently before making his way towards the vehicle parked in front of him, followed closely by Sebastian, "on the condition that I sit next to you."
Yumi didn't like the sound of that: "Master, what if she tries something funny while we aren't looking?" She growled menacingly, glaring daggers at the back of her head at him, "not to mention, how do we know she isn't plotting something evil behind all this mess?"
Taking out his own car keys from his pocket, Carter responded back with an answer of his own: "She isn't she; he's a guy," the latter informed her, making Yumi widen her eyes upon hearing his revelation, unable to comprehend how someone could be so beautiful to the point of mistaking her for a female.
Removing her own arms, she spun in motion to the detective with the intent of figuring out if her master was lying to her or telling her the truth. Upon closer inspection, her body then stiffened up instantly once she discovered the truth. "What?!" Yumi shouted aloud, pointing frantically at him, "You mean, this whole time, that was actually a man!"
Misa rolled his eyes, annoyed by the pinkette's ignorance. "Yes, this whole time, I've been dressing up as a girl so people won't see how ugly I actually look," he shot back sarcastically, glaring at her. "Or maybe you can just be more observant like your lover boy over here for once in your life so you don't embarrass yourself in public."
Glaring daggers, she growled back, "Don't even think about getting close to my master because he's mine and no one else!" Her voice roared loudly throughout the open sidewalk as her body radiated with killing intent, ready to attack anyone who dared touch him: "If I ever find out you slept with him, then I'll personally kill you myself!"
Amused by this exchange, Sebastian chuckled while crossing his arms, saying, "Ah yes, your passion is truly admirable, Ms. Yumi," complimenting her fiery spirit, "but I believe master would appreciate someone capable enough to control their antics."
Turning around, Carter then called his companions out, "Everyone, let's head out now, enough arguing." He ordered, opening the driver's door of his expensive car before entering, "the longer we wait, the more we risk being late to whatever situation awaits us at this crime scene."
