Chapter 1

## Chapter Chronology

**Gaze** is the first chapter of the Ai Terushi series.

## Summary

A shocking news was announced all over the place. Haruka Shinomiya — a famous entertainer was found dead on her residence.

On the other hand, a rising actor named Atsushi Tagame was about to go home when he saw that a group of his fans were waiting for him in the exit. When he was about to find another route to take, a mysterious lady appeared in front of him asking for a handshake. In his mind,  he cannot reject such request because it may be a fan of his. When he was about to offer one, the lady suddenly changed her mind and went away which made Atsushi dumbfounded. When he already got outside, an accompany told him to be careful considering what happened to Ms. Shinimoya. And at the same time, it showed the mysterious lady facing the back while holding a frame of Atsushi before placing it into a wall with a bunch of other picture frames.

The next day, Atsushi was interrogated by two detectives named Ukon Futatsuki and Sakon Futatsuki regarding the case of Ms. Shinomiya's murder. They told him that Ms. Shinomiya was in a day off on the day of the incident and that the culprit broke through the window before stabbing her to the head which made her die instantly. The day after the murder, her manager went to visit her residence and that's when her body was reported to the authorities.

After telling the whole story to him, they asked Atsushi if he had some issues with the victim. Of course, he denied it and told them that Ms. Shinimoya had told him she had some issues with her stalker. Ukon then asked him if he had any leads to whom the stalker might be. He also mentioned if he knows someone who's a bit odd and it reminded him the mysterious lady that he met last time. After that, Sakon started to run off while Ukon told Atsushi that they are going off already and that they will find Ms. Shinomiya's murder in no time.

As soon as the two detectives left the scene, the mysterious lady appeared at his back and said something about switching the same shampoo as him. And when he turned his back, there was no one and he got confused but he just shrugged it off and went home.

The next morning, someone suddenly approached Atsushi's door and when he looked to see who was it, a lady with a black hair and eyeglasses was standing in front of his apartment. The lady introduced herself as a part of the police and she was there to discuss about the tool used by the suspect to kill Ms. Shinimoya. The young lady entered the house and started explaining about the murder weapon. She said that a pocket knife killed Ms. Shinimoya and that it was purchased through online shopping or going to a store. A receipt was found in the crime scene but some of it are torn and when they ran a search to the store, they found a man wearing all black and a cap purchasing it. She asked Atsushi if it looks familiar but he don't have one in mind. The young detective suddenly complimented Atsushi about his acting and he was confused for a second but he just thanked her. She even asked for a refill of the coffee even though she said that it wasn't for her taste. When he was about to fill another cup, Sakon suddenly called him asking Atsushi if they could talk again about the case. Atsushi replied that he is already talking with their detective but Sakon responded to whom is he referring to which made him panicked for a minute.

The lady suddenly grabbed one of his clothes and smelled it. While it was covered on her face, she removed her disguised and it was the same person who he met on the parking lot. He run off his house and when he got into another building's rooftop panting heavily. He thought he lost the lady but she was able to caught up with him and she decided to confront him and asked him if he was Ms. Shinomiya's murderer. At the same time, it was revealed that the lady was none other than Tokyo Metro Police's First Criminal Investigation Division — Risa Aioi. Meanwhile, the other two detectives are now trying to go to the place where Risa and Atsushi is. Sakon is a bit furious because Risa took off by herself and Ukon told him to calm down and it may seem that Risa isn't normal, she'll be able to nab down the culprit.

Back to the rooftop, Risa thought that dark hair with eyeglasses are Atsushi's type but he brushed that part of and responded that she must be telling lies about having a tie with the cops and denied the allegations about him being the suspect of Ms. Shinomiya. But, Risa answered that she isn't lying and that the scent of his shampoo is the same as the culprit's. She even said that even though he's the culprit, he is her knight and shining armor and that she love him. Atsushi got creeped out and decided to run away once again. He stopped at an alley and someone suddenly called on his phone. It was Risa asking him what drink does he want. This made Atsushi jumped as if a nightmarish monster appeared in front of him. He ended the call and dialed Sakon's phone number. He asked him for a help and told him about a creepy woman is chasing after him. And when he was about to say his location, Risa was behind him pointing the knife on his neck. But when he turned, she was just holding a bottle of water and offered it to him. While they are on the road, Atsushi asked Risa for a proof that he is the culprit. She then elaborated his crime. She said that the receipt is a forgery because when she bought the same knife, the receipt didn't match up and that's when she realized that it was a fake one (he was able to do this by removing one part of the other receipt using an alcohol and an ink to write a fake one). She also claimed that he actually bought the pocket knife in an online retailer and that he waited for someone to buy the knife in a store so once they got questioned, it was them who will be mistaken as the culprit. She also added that in he even staged the crime scene so that the police will think someone broke through her window but it was suspicious because Ms. Shinomiya was stabbed at the back. And in order to prove this, she asserted an evidence where she said that the email for purchasing the knife was still on his inbox and that the features of the guy who got caught on the camera to buy a wallet matches him.

On the other hand, Sakon and Ukon are on their way to catch Atsushi. While driving, he asked his brother Ukon why Risa falls in love with criminals. He revealed that it was due to the kidnapping incident she was involved five years ago. Risa became one of the victim of the Myochin City Abduction Incident and that the details are unclear but at the end, Risa fell in love with her perp. With this, Sakon concluded that she might not arrest the suspect but Ukon said it is unlikely that they will get away with Risa.

When they came to the site, Atsushi finally admitted to the crime he committed and he revealed that it was due to the jealousy he felt towards Ms. Shinomiya and her boyfriend. He was kneeling in front of Sakon and kept on asking if the prison is safe. And after that, the case was finally closed.

After the case, the two detectives are back to paper works but Sakon seems furious about it after knowing the method Risa used in order to catch the culprit. He then asked Ukon where Risa is right now and he ended up going to a quite big room full of books and a hall of Risa's past lovers. The two of them talked at each other. Sakon thanked him for assisting the case but Risa said that she didn't assist but rather found her love one even though it was just a short while. At the same time, Sakon didn't let this chance to slip away and asked her why she falls in love with criminals. She explained that she wanted them to feel love before they bear the weight of their sins. Sakon drank his coffee and stood up. He told Risa that he doesn't approved her methods and that he's going to keep an eye to her. And thus, concluding the first chapter and the beginning of the tale of two detectives fighting poison with poison.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Risa Aioi
* Atsushi Tagame
* Haruka Shinomiya (News Report)
* Ukon Futatsuki
* Sakon Futatsuki