Tsuki arrived at Shizuka's home, stopping at the front steps and pausing to take a moment to look back at the path behind her. A single street lamp lit the path behind her in a deep blue light. Fumiko approached the Knight from some distance from behind, tired and dragging her feet as she passed under the light's blue glow.

The sun had fully set, surrounding them in the pale glow of the moon. Nooks and crannies, unlit by the sole blue light, were painted a dark, inky shadow black. The sky was cloudy, and slightly orange, as the final signs of the sun's light desperately clung on for influence.

The building was still in a state of disrepair. Paint still peeled and stonework was still cracked. There were still a few cobwebs hanging around. There were also a few signs of life. The once dead plants were alive once more. A small garden prospered, all neatly put together and lovingly cared for. An effort had been made to clean up some of the dust, as a broom and dustpan leaned against the steps leading to the front door.

Tsuki stepped up and knocked on the door. "Hey! Open up, it's us!"

There were a dozen or so quick footsteps before a voice called out. "Who's... who's us?"

"It's Tsuki and Fumi!" Tsuki spoke loudly. "Don't you know my voice by now?"

The door rattled and shook before it opened up slowly. The First Knight stood with a smile on her face, beckoning with her free hand. Tsukiko and Fumiko obliged, following her inside without a word.

"You can always just text me, y'know." Shizuka laughed a little.

Fumi nudged Tsukiko. "Told you."

"Well, it was kind of a... heat of the moment thing." Tsuki sighed. "We just came back from Aurelia's, but you weren't there."

"Sorry." Shizuka apologized. "I was gonna... look into some things. If I'd've known..."

"It's okay, really." Tsuki bowed her head, doing her best to reassure her.

Shizuka turned to Fumiko. "You alright?"

Fumi was reaching down to rub her aching legs. "...Tsuki walks too damn fast sometimes."

"Well, what do you guys need?" Shizuka asked.

"It's not like that--" Tsuki got cut off.

"C-can we please sit down?" Fumiko asked sweetly.

"...yeah, of course." Shizuka bowed her head slightly. "Sorry for the mess."

--

The living room, or what everyone called the living room, was just a pile of blankets and a computer on a soft floor. Shizuka had spent years living like this, and it was clearly her comfort zone. She had become surprisingly efficient in this state, finally returning to her peak after just a few months of Knight work. Still, the shady site on the high refresh rate monitor proved that she was still a shut in at heart.

"Awright. Siddown." Shizuka slurred.

The three of them sat down together, Tsukiko making an effort to sit closer to Shizuka. Fumiko followed her lead, sitting on Shizuka's other side. The First Knight was now stuck between her niece and her niece's friend.

"Huh?" Shizuka looked side to side.

"Something wrong?" Tsuki asked.

"...why're we sitting like this?" Shizuka wondered aloud.

"You're gonna end up staring at your computer anyway, might as well sit together." Fumi explained.

"You've got a point, but... God, it feels like I'm at a hostess club or something." Shizuka laughed. "You guys're acting weird."

"I'm not bringing you any champagne." Fumiko mocked. "...not for free, at least."

"Well, do you want me to back off?" Tsuki asked.

"No, no, not at all... I'm just not used to this yet." Shizuka started tapping away at her keyboard.

"So... How's life been treating you?" Tsukiko asked.

"I'm doing good, you know that." Shizuka gave a weak answer.

"Have you been eating?"

"You tell me." Shizuka glanced over at a couple of dirty dishes next to her PC tower.

"That's good." Tsuki wrapped an arm around Shizuka. "You should really do the dishes, though."

"Mm, so touchy..." Shizuka took a quick glance toward Tsuki's arm. "They'll get done eventually. I'm busy right now.

"Busy with what?" Fumiko asked.

"The usual." Shizuka gave a vague answer. "Research, organizing, that sort of thing."

"...huh." Fumi didn't quite know what to make of it.

"Knowing's half the battle." Shizuka smiled. "I've kept newspaper clippings, articles, and whatever for years now. You never know when it'll come in handy."

"Wow. I didn't know you were that resourceful." Fumiko took a moment to find the right words. "Maybe you should go work for Kaz and Haruka."

"Hehehehe, alright, alright, enough about me. Seriously, what do you guys need?" Shizuka had a dumb smile on her face.

"Huh?" Tsukiko turned to look Shizuka in the eye.

"You're lookin' for something, aren't you?" Shizuka accused. "You're nice, but not this nice."

"...yeah." Tsuki admitted.

Shizuka sighed and opened up a new tab on her web browser. "You don't have to butter me up if you just need info."

"I'm not buttering you up." Tsuki defended herself.

"Then what were you doing?"

"The same thing I do every day." Tsuki asserted.

"Just a bit more than usual." Shizuka chuckled. "Lighten up. Just be a little more upfront next time, alright? I like havin' you around, but I don't like feelin' like I'm wasting your time. Working together's fun enough."

"Sorry."

"It's okay." Shizuka reached over and patted Tsuki on the head.

"Stop that." Tsuki tried to swat her hand away. "Don't treat me like a kid."

"You're like a dog." Shizuka rubbed the Third Knight's straight black hair.

Fumi nudged Shizuka. "Hey."

Shizuka stopped. "Hmm? What?"

"That's my thing." Fumiko reminded her. "Only I get to do that."

"Too bad." Shizuka started rubbing Tsuki's hair again.

"We really do need info though." Tsukiko regained her composure after finally swatting Shizuka's hand away.

"What kind of info, exactly? What about?" Shizuka's eyes went back to the computer screen.

Fumiko took the opportunity to answer for Tsukiko. "We need to know where we can find the old man."

"The Police Chief? He got fired." Shizuka started typing.

"You already knew?" Tsuki asked.

"I know everything." Shizuka scanned page after page. "...that, and he came and told me when it happened, sentimental bastard."

"So, do you know where we can find him?" Fumi got a bit excited.

"Isn't it obvious? Just find the right bar." Shizuka smirked.

"Not really that obvious." Tsuki admitted.

"I mean, I wouldn't know which, but he's probably in a bar right about now." Shizuka grabbed her phone from on top of the PC tower. "That, or some sketchy restaurant."

Fumiko tried to speak. "I thought cops weren't supposed to drink--"

"He's not a cop anymore, is he?" Shizuka instantly cut her off.

"Ah. Good point." Fumi nodded.

"Hold on, lemme get my phone." Shizuka reached into her jacket.

"Alright, thanks." Tsuki said softly.

Shizuka scrolled through her contacts before tapping on one, revealing a phone number. "Here, he gave me his personal number before I retired."

Tsukiko pulled out her own phone, adding the number to her own contacts list. "Thanks, Shizuka."

"No problem." Shizuka blinked.

"Why'd he give you his number?" Fumiko had a curious look on her face.

"Uhh... Why wouldn't he?" Shizuka answered as if there was an obvious explanation. "Clearly he trusted me enough to hand it over."

"Wouldn't it be scandalous? An old man like him getting involved with a young woman like you?" Fumiko's curiosity turned to mischief.

"Involved? The hell're you muttering about?" Tsukiko nudged Fumiko.

"Did he call you late at night? Did he leave any saucy texts?" Fumiko pounded the idea into their heads.

"The old man?" Shizuka didn't seem too bothered by Fumiko's joke. "He's about as charming as a cactus. I don't think he ever made a pass at me, but I don't really notice those kinds of things. Besides, he's got a wife and kids."

"Really?" Tsuki said.

"I always thought he'd be one of those lonely old dudes too involved in his work." Fumi was taken by surprise.

Shizuka leaned back onto the floor. "Well, I showed you mine, you show me yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Ishikawa. Tell me about him." Shizuka had a flat, blunt voice.

"How'd you--"

"He showed up earlier and pounded on my door like a prick." Shizuka looked a bit annoyed just remembering him. "I just told him to fuck off. Probably not the best choice in hindsight, but..."

"Business as usual, huh?" Fumi cleared her throat.

"Mhmm." Shizuka nodded. "I don't open that door for anyone."

"Ishikawa's the new chief, apparently. Said something about working for the Ministry of Justice. Kind of a weird dude." Fumiko tried her best to remember.

"Sounds about right." Shizuka looked up at the dark ceiling.

"You know him?" Tsukiko pried.

"No." Shizuka replied.

"Then..." Tsuki tried to get a straight answer out of Shizuka.

"It was only a matter of time before they sent someone from on high to take over for the Chief. Heard some rumblings about an Ishikawa on the net a few months ago and it made sense." Shizuka speculated as she stretched out her arms.

"Jeez, what don't you know?" Fumiko was stuck between admiration and slight suspicion.

"Just go ahead and ask. I'll let you know if I know anything." Shizuka winked.

"Do you know about Themis?" Tsuki said.

"Themis?" Shizuka's interest was piqued. "Where'd you hear about that?"

"Some kid mentioned it the other day." Tsuki paused. "Something about it felt weird. Call it a hunch."

"One hell of a hunch." Shizuka sighed. "I dealt with Themis a long time ago, years before Haruka was a Knight." Shizuka opened up a file browser on her computer, scrolling through what looked like hundreds of folders and files. "They didn't go down too easy."

"So they're making a comeback?" Fumi wondered aloud.

"Nah. Doubt it." Shizuka shook her head. "All the higher ups involved in that're probably rotting in jail till the day they die."

Shizuka opened several images, organizing them across the computer screen in order. Newspaper clippings, screenshots of televised news, online posts, and images of blurred out faces arranged themselves across her desktop, with dozens of documents left unopened. The sheer wealth of information was staggering and impressive.

"...you weren't kidding about your collection." Tsuki remarked.

"How've I never heard of this?" Fumi scratched her head.

"Local government didn't like being upstaged, especially by someone like me. I was fresh out of high school, and even their vets were having a hard time figuring out what to do. News stopped covering it a few weeks before the gang left Tokyo." Shizuka grabbed a bottle of water sitting next to her keyboard and took a sip. "Besides, crazy shit like that happened every month back then. Life's gotten a lot easier since then."

"That's no real reason for them to hide it from the public." Fumiko frowned. "That's horrible."

"Taking them down was what really mattered." Shizuka shook her head. "Besides, it wasn't all bad. That's the first case I handled with the old man."

"So, uhh... What were they like? Why were they such a big deal?" Tsuki leaned forward to read the text on the screen.

"A bunch of annoying bastards. I tracked them for about a year before they basically disintegrated overnight. They were a gang of thieves like the Damascenes were, but they were involved in the darker side of things." Shizuka paused. "They got the cops attention after a while. The final nail in the coffin was when their leaders fled Tokyo and I managed to catch them on the train. It turns out they were trying to smuggle arms."

"So, what now?" Tsukiko stared at the screen.

"Just treat 'em like any other gang." Shizuka shrugged. "Just cuz they're a copycat gang doesn't mean you can let your guard down."

"Whoever it is, it could still mean trouble." Fumi played with her sweater's sleeve.

"Mhmm. You'd be surprised. It's typically the new guys that lash out the most. All the successful groups try not to rock the boat too much." Shizuka's experience showed. "Not good for business."

"So, that's why the Damascenes have been around so long?" Fumi asked.

"Nah. The Damascenes got lucky. If they pissed me off just a little more, I woulda--"

"Why didn't you go after them?" Tsuki cut her off.

Shizuka took a moment to adjust her jacket and skirt before speaking. "I had a soft spot for 'em."

"Is that right?" Fumi raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Shizuka looked at her.

"No offense, but you don't seem like the type of person to pick favorites like that." Fumiko didn't sugarcoat.

Shizuka shrugged. "I like the Damascenes. They're good people. I was young and naive, but I gave them a chance, and they took it."

"How's that going for you?" Tsuki scratched her head.

"They're still around, aren't they? What does that tell you?" Shizuka said all she needed to say.

"Good point." Tsuki admitted.

"You gonna give the same chance to those Themis dudes?" Fumi nudged Shizuka.

Shizuka took another sip of water. "Everyone gets a chance, they just don't know it yet. Let's just see how this goes and I'll let you know what I think then."

"Hmm." Fumi didn't say anything.

"I feel like we're assuming a lot about a gang we know nothing about." Tsuki turned the conversation back toward Themis.

"It worries you enough to make you ask me of all people." Shizuka reminded her. "I'm just telling you how I see it. Don't let it get under your skin."

"I don't like dumbass teenagers trying to punch me just to join some color gang." Tsuki sighed.

"No, no. You're not the type of person to worry about that." Fumi gave into her curiosity and started to prod. "So, what's bothering you?"

"I... I don't know. Something about it rubs me the wrong way, and I don't know why. That kid ran at me with a bat and he started spouting out their name like they wanted me to hear it." Tsuki glanced down at the keyboard.

"Take it from me. Attention starvation'll drive a man crazy, make 'em do stupid shit. They want your attention, so be careful from now on." Shizuka rubbed her cheek.

"Should we warn Haruka?" Tsuki asked.

"...I'll send her a message later. I doubt she'll be able to answer a call right now." Shizuka went back to tapping away at her keyboard.

"So, what do we do?" Tsukiko wanted a simple answer.

"Nothing." Shizuka said in monotone.

"Nothing?" Tsuki thought she'd misheard or misunderstood.

"Not much we can do yet." Shizuka took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "We don't have any leads or any clues as to what's going on. It could be nothing for all we know, so we might as well not end up in some wild goose chase."

"...that's annoying." Tsuki crossed her arms.

"Yep." Shizuka agreed.

"You don't always need to be in a hurry, Tsuki." Fumiko tried to assure her. "You'll drive yourself nuts if you overthink it."

"Yeah, I know. Aurelia gives me shit for it all the time." Tsuki remembered the frown the old fortune teller had every time she scolded her.

"She's right, y'know." Shizuka looked over, handing out advice. "The reason we work so damn hard in the first place is for lazy days like these."

"...I get it." Tsuki couldn't take the guilt.

"Don't make me cram it down your throat again, you goddamn workaholic." Fumi playfully jabbed Tsuki.

"Oww!" Tsuki slapped Fumi's arm away. "You know I hate sitting around!"

"You're not sitting around! You're... waiting for them to take the first move." Fumi did her best to get the message across. "It's like chess.Shogi, it's like Shogi."

"Relax, Tsuki. Get some dinner, go home, relax. Sleep on it." Shizuka trailed off. "I'll look into it some more if you're that worried, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks." Tsuki agreed.

Shizuka showed her a toothy smile. "Keep safe. Wouldn't be much use if you pulled something havin' too much fun."

Tsukiko slowly stood up. "Well, Fumi and I should be going. It's gettin' late."

"...alright." Shizuka hesitated, as if her not acknowledging the situation would somehow let them stay longer.

Tsuki pulled Fumiko off the floor slowly. "Take care, okay?"

"Love you, Tsuki." Shizuka blurted out.

"...love you too, Shizuka." Tsukiko took a moment to respond, a bit unsure.

"Thanks for sticking by me." Shizuka's voice was quiet and scratchy, her face looking away in a slight embarrassment.