Outrun - Cyberpunk LitRPG

We met up at the diner once more. This time around, the atmosphere was much more tense than it was last time. Not only did the lights flicker even more, but the suspects suspiciously eyed each other as if trying to root out the killer by visuals alone.

“Where’s Hiiro and Akane?” Mira asked after stepping into the room. “They won’t want to miss the big reveal.”

”The Kage are getting them from the cells.” Shinobu answered smoothly, and ran a metal hand up through his buzz-cut hair. Deep bags made his eyes sag tragically. He looked like he was running on fumes.

“That’s good,” I mumbled. If they were still together, then it backed up what they were saying. If Akane left him the moment we left, It’d naturally arouse my suspicions.

While we waited on the last two suspects to arrive, I briefly and discretely went through the rest of my plan. I was just giving her last details as the bell above the diner's door rang lightly.

Two Kage stepped into the building with Akane and Hiiro right behind them. As the primary suspect, Hiiro was still in handcuffs and watched closely by the Kage for any signs that he’d attempt to run.

“Good, we’re all here. Investigators…” Shinobu inclined his head to the three. “I imagine the case is close if you had me call everyone here.”

“‘Course.” Mira held up the drive I’d given her. There was nothing on it naturally. “This little guy here is going to blow the case wide open. Couldn’t have found it without all of your help.”

”A… drive?” Makoto eyed the thing curiously. The rest of the suspects were equally curious about it.

“Not just any drive. A backup copy of what got the elder killed.” Mira smoothly lied and slid it into her pocket. “We have a few minutes before the runners crack its protections. Shall we review the case as we know it so far?”

Detective Bradton frowned, and rubbed at his chin. He didn’t call Mira out, though. Instead, he pulled the agenda from his pocket and set it down on a table in the center. “The rest of the evidence?”

”Go ahead.” Shinobu motioned to one of the Kage that’d been following the enforcer closely. The heavily ‘borged out man pulled one thing out after another, and set them down beside the agenda.

“See, at the start of this thing I thought it could’ve been anyone one of you. Anyone could’ve gotten a virus and set up the chain of events that led to the elder’s death. Anyone.” She eyed each and every suspect. “Maybe not even one of you. Could’ve very likely been an assassin.”

“It wasn’t, though, right?” Otori asked, and flicked back his hair. “Otherwise, I was detained for absolutely nothing.”

”Of course… it is one of you. And then I realized—we’re all just overthinking things.” Mira crossed her arms and nodded to Mama Akane. “I thought it was Akane Misurido. She was last to see him alive, and the mode of death was poison. Statistically speaking, women are the most likely to use poison to commit murder.”

”You’re doing great,” I mumbled to her, and discretely flashed a thumbs up.

“It just didn’t line up. Our murderer is an idiot that just so happened to get lucky.” Mira tapped the side of her head like it was obvious. “I mean, think about it. They used poison on an elder with not only a biomon, but a stomach designed to break down most things more efficiently.”

“You’re saying that was all luck?” Dr. Fugen’s lips twitched.

”Yes, luck. Our murderer is probably the biggest dumbass I’ve ever seen in my years. The only reason they succeeded is purely through luck.” Mira moved over to the table, and picked up the baggie holding the M35 revolver. “And then the murderer, thinking the poison didn’t work, shot the elder three times in the chest after it was all over.”

Hiiro shifted on the stool at the counter. “The murderer came back?”

“Naturally. What, you think some other slag slipped into the room and shot the elder? He’d have to be an absolute idiot.” Mira smirked as she casually covered up the crime. Although Hiiro wasn’t the killer, he likely would’ve suffered retribution for desecrating an elder’s corpse. That, actually, wasn’t part of the plan I told her. She decided to clear him on her own. “Again, let’s not overthink things. The murderer obviously stole your gun and shot the elder afterward.”

”So you’re saying it wasn’t Hiiro.” Shinobu saw right through where she was going. If the gun was stolen, then it wasn’t him.

”Naturally… we also know it wasn’t Otori. The murderer would’ve had to have stashed the gun at the clinic sometime after we arrived. Otherwise, Fugen would’ve noticed.” She nodded to the third investigator who had somehow, someway, barely managed to be useful. “You were with him the whole time, weren’t you Seth?”

”Yeah. Set the high score on half the machines in the arcade.” Seth King lifted his head proudly. “Never left my sight.”

”It wasn’t Makoto either.” Bradton spoke up. “No offense, but he couldn’t have moved quick enough to fit the timings.”

”None taken.” The man sighed, and patted his legs. “Never thought this would one day help.”

“Right. If we don’t overthink things, who could’ve poisoned the elder the easiest? Who could’ve messed up the biomon firmware update and sabotaged the stomach chrome to ensure the poison worked?” Mira stared at one person in particular. “Now, keep that person in mind. Detective, if you don’t mind. You were investigating the timings, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.” The detective stood up and shuffled over to the middle of the room. “I like to start with the small things in cases. The tiny details. Pick them apart, and the rest of the case tends to fall into place.”

“Take it away?” Mira stepped away, and allowed the man to take center stage. From the few times we talked throughout the case, he’d been focused on getting a solid idea of the timings. It was only natural we brought him up.

Detective Bradton pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it in his mouth without lighting it. “Where should we start? At ten this morning, just before lunch, Elder Toro went to visit Dr. Fugen in the medek clinic. The exact time is right there in that agenda. That’s right, isn’t it doctor?”

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“That… yes, he came to see me.” Dr. Fugen adjusted his white coat. “I don’t remember the exact time, but he had some trouble with the firmware update for his biomonitor.”

”Oh gee… that’s the funniest thing, isn’t it?” The detective pulled his cigarette out and brushed his forehead with his hand. “See, I talked with a buddy of mine in Medtech. The firmware update wasn’t pushed out until noon.”

“Yes, well, he must’ve come in later than I thought. I get so caught up in my work.” He shrugged lightly. “You understand.”

“Of course, of course. It was only a two hour difference, right? Except, that isn’t quite true is it, doctor?” The man pulled out his notepad, and tapped on it. “I have an eye witness that puts you at that cat-maid cafe right at noon. The catboy you like to… tip extra spotted you in the employee only areas.”

Woah, was this a true detective? I watched the man in surprise. He hadn’t told us about that bit. The man was so much more diligent than I thought. Mira and I weren’t the only ones hiding how far along we were in the investigation.

Fugen closed his eyes sharply. He didn’t speak for a solid moment. “I… went to go get lunch. Nothing wrong with that, is there?”

”Ah, no, I guess there isn’t.” The detective shrugged, and crossed his arms. One hand came up to his mouth, and idled on the cigarette. “Funny, though. You usually get lunch at a table there, no? And yet I have four eye witnesses that put you in the kitchen.”

”That’s where I kept the wine,” Akane said softly.

“Doctor, I don’t think you need me to tell you how bad this looks. Caught in several lies at a time like this?” Mira pulled the chip from her pocket. “Right, it was only a matter of time till your luck ran out, wasn’t it?”

”It wasn’t luck!” The man roared, and shot to his feet. “It was a meticulous, perfectly designed plan to implicate all parties!”

Ah, there it is. Hook, line, sinker. I patted myself on the back mentally. The reveals from Detective Bradton definitely took me by surprise, but the rest of this played out exactly like I expected. A murder like this? There was definitely ego and pride involved. I thought we’d have to press him a bit longer, but Bradton put on enough pressure for him to crack almost instantly.

”Did… did he just confess?” Seth’s head tilted to the side like he couldn’t quite believe what just happened.

”Can I take that as an admission of guilt, Fugen?” Shinobu stood up and motioned to the Kage.

Instead of answering the enforcer, Fugen just laughed. It wasn’t the triumphant laugh of a mastermind, but a crazed one of a man who just watched everything fall apart. “I spent weeks—weeks preparing for this. It wasn’t luck. I accounted for almost every angle, picked who’d take the fall, and ensured everything was ready before I struck.”

“Why’d you do it, Fugen?” Shinobu asked as he cuffed the man. “Ego? Pride?”

”Heh… What else?” Fugen spat off the side in disdain. “Why does anyone commit murder in this fucked-up city?”

“Rayn.” Makoto answered. When everyone's eyes snapped to him, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I was looking at the elder’s paperwork. The numbers weren’t adding up.”

“You’ll find out as soon as that chip unlocks,” Fugen muttered darkly.

“Ah, this?” Mira pulled out the drive and held it up. In front of everyone’s eyes, she casually crushed the device in her hand. “It was empty. Just bait for the idiot that thought he could get away with murder.”

“You!” Fugen lunged—only to be dragged toward the door by one of the Kage. “This isn’t that last you’ve heard of—“

The door shut, cutting him off. Shinobu watched him go, and snorted coldly. “Yosh, this is the last we’ve heard of you.”

“What now?” Mira asked.

”Now, he spends the rest of his short life somewhere very dark and very uncomfortable until the elders decide what to do.” Shinobu crossed his arms. “The rest of you can go. Investigators, the payment will be deposited sometime soon.”

Mira and I moved to a booth to take a seat while everyone else got up to go. After getting everything situated, Shinobu slid back into the diner. “Thank you, Shiro. Mira.”

”No problem.” I took off the Jade Fang jacket and tossed it onto the table. “We never talked pay.”

”How much do you want?” He pulled up a chair, and sat down on it with his arms over the back.

“Hmm…” I eyed Mira. “You first.”

”I was just happy to do something. Been so boring lately.” She shrugged and suppressed a yawn. “If you could send some business to my agency, I’d appreciate it.”

“Yosh, I’ll see what I can do.” The man rubbed his chin. “The Fang have been quite chaotic recently, so I’m sure there’s quite a few people that could use a Troubleshooter.”

“As long as it’s not looking for lost pets.”

“What about you, Shiro? This is, what, the third favor I owe you?” Shinobu asked. “At this rate, I’ll be deep in debt before I know it.”

”Something like that.” I hadn’t really been keeping track. Not like I had a document somewhere with every single thing that everyone owed me. “Think you could get me into a Fang dojo?”

”No problem.” He didn’t even hesitate. “Hand-to-hand, or—“

”Katana.” Part of the reason I hadn’t pulled out the Panther’s Fang, aside from it not being convenient since I got it, was that I had barely a clue how to use it. No point getting myself killed over the weapon.

Now, I had thought about going to the Crusade. I could get training quite easily there. The issue was that the Crusade were the type to use more western-style weapons, not eastern. I was better off going to the Fang, who actively used katanas. I could still drop by the Crusade, but the Jade Fang were much preferred in this case.

”Master Yoshi would take you on with an elder’s recommendation. I’ll pull some strings. He’s a bit of a… difficult instructor, but he’s the best.” He motioned to my hand. “How long till that heals?”

I rubbed at the bandages lightly. ”A couple days. Not as bad as it looks.”

“I’ll send you the deets.” He stood up, and returned the chair back to where it belonged. “Again, thank you for coming so quickly.”

”Not like we were doing much anyway. Not after this idiot hurt herself.” Mira snorted, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Can’t take you anywhere.”

”Except for work.” Shinobu nodded to me. “See you around.”

I checked out the diner. Most everyone left, though there were a few stragglers still hanging around. The bell above the door rang lightly, and Detective Bradton stepped back into the room. He flicked a still smoldering cigarette butt back out into the street, and looked around.

The detective’s eyes swept the room, and landed on me. He flicked his jacket lightly to get some of the rain off, and walked toward us. “Nice work tonight, troubleshooter.”

Mira put on her usual slightly unhinged smile. “You too, detective. You were definitely a lot cleaner than I was.”

“Just a matter of experience, really.” The man humbly rubbed at the back of his head. “There was just one thing about this I couldn’t figure out. Mind helping me out?”

Mira exchanged a glance with me, and shrugged. “If I can. Sounded like you had everything sorted even without me, though.”

”Almost everything.” His eyes turned to me. “You… you aren't a Fang, are you? Bodyguard? No… that doesn’t seem quite right.”

I pulled at my shirt, and innocently tilted my head to the side. “What makes you think that, sir?”

”The Fang escorting me around swapped out a dozen times throughout the night. You stuck with… it’s Mira, right?” He only continued when my mikata nodded. “You stuck with her throughout the entire time. And yet no matter how much I think you aren’t a Fang, when I see you, I can only think that you’re a Fang.”

”Well, you have your answer then, don’t you, sir?” I glanced back toward the rest of the diner. No way I was going to reveal myself to him. He was the entire point of going about this in such a roundabout way.

”Yeah… yeah, I guess I do.” Detective Bradton shrugged, and stuck his cigarette in his mouth. He started walking to the door, and paused just shy of leaving to turn back. “That’s funny. This entire time I thought there’d only be one mystery tonight. It seems I was wrong..”

”That is funny,” I muttered. Hopefully I’d never run into him again after this one. The guy seemed deceptively sharp.

“Be seeing you.” He just smiled and stepped out onto the street. A moment later, he disappeared into the fog with only the ring of a bell to herald his departure.

“Think he’ll be a problem?” Mira asked after a few minutes.

”Maybe…” I sighed, and rubbed at my eyes. “That sounds like something for Future Shiro to deal with.”

“Poor bitch.”

”Chek… let’s get out of here.” We stood up and headed home. I could really use some sleep.