Work Text:
Souske flipped through a swimming magazine as he sat at his desk at the Iwatobi Police department passing through pictures of different swimmers before one caught his eye. Nanase Haruka, he and a few of the other Iwatobi swim club members had made the summer issue of Swim! Magazine.
His eyes scanned an article on his best friend Rin, the two of them attended Samezuka academy together but the friendship went way back. He saw that Rin had accepted an offer from a University and was attending there in the fall.
Yet Souske wished it could be him going away to university too and swimming in competitions with Rin. But this was retirement, he’d taken a job at the Police department as an officer after he’d completed the required training.
Hardly any lifting, but lots of paperwork even if he’d sit at his desk dreaming about going into a pool again. After nationals, he’d told Rin he was quitting swimming and for Souske to go back on his word wasn’t possible anyways. The doctor told him he wouldn’t be able to swim again.
The clock ticked above him, as Souske sat waiting for something to come in. Anything would do, even if it was just someone shoplifting. But soon, his wish was granted as his partner and training officer Rin Matsuoka came in.
“Rin!, please tell me a crime was committed, somewhere.” Souske glanced up at his colleague.
“There has, but we’ll discuss it on the way. We have to head out now!” Rin quickly attached his belt as Souske followed him out the squad car, whatever this was sounded like a serious crime.
Souske quickly recognized the house as they walked up the stairs, Haru. Why on earth would he be calling the police. Maybe someone had shut his water off as a prank, nonetheless they had to check it out even if it was as simple as that.
Rin knocked on the door as Souske stood beside him. They waited and waited, looking more awkward as the door finally slid open revealing one Nanase Haruka.
“Took you guys long enough,” Haru spoke and allowed them inside.
“What seems to be the matter?” Souske looked around, nothing looked out of place and there was no damage visible to the apartment.
“Don’t you see?” Haru pointed inside his empty fridge.
“You haven’t gone grocery shopping in a few days?” Rin peeked inside.
Haru huffed. “No, all my mackerel is gone! Someone stole it, right from my fridge. Can’t you dust for fingerprints and what not?”
“Slow down. Are you sure you didn’t just eat it all? I mean it had to have been some time since you bought it.” Rin countered
“No, Rin. I didn’t. I was in the bath and I got out because I heard a noise. I thought it was Makoto, I knew he was coming to get me, and I opened my fridge and found no mackerel.”
Souske stood scribbling down the details of Haru’s story, it seemed legitimate that it was stolen. Haru loved mackerel just as much as he loved water. He’d heard stories, or rants from Makoto about how he’d have to wait for him to eat it before they headed for school.
“Do you have any suspicion of who it may be? Anyone in the swimming community, aiming to hinder your performance?” Souske asked
“Well…there’s Gou, she’s been on the swim club about healthy eating…and inspecting our lunches. Then, there’s Makoto, who gets annoyed every time we’re nearly late for school and I’m frying it.” Haru replied, trying to think of any other of his friends who’d be up to stealing mackerel.
“Those are good starting points,” Rin hands Haru a card
“Call us, if you have any more potential suspects you’d like us to check out. In the meantime, Haru keep your doors locked and keep an eye on Tachibana Makoto, and Matsuoka Gou.” Souske headed over towards the door.
They had to get back to the station, the sheriff had been on them about spending too much time with some crime victims when the department was short staffed. Not that there had been a flood of calls coming in.
“Goodbye, Haru.” Rin waved as they headed back down the stairs. Something was definitely fishy about the whole thing. Was Haru targeted and what other crimes were running amuck in the swimming community.
Arriving back at Iwatobi PD, Souske plopped down at his desk across from Rin’s while they pondered the details of the case. All of it seemed so, weird. Someone tracking Haru down, they knew exactly where the mackerel was. It had to be a friend.
Souske grabbed the phone and dialed Gou’s number. He’d bring her in based on what Haru told him she was a likely suspect, being a member of the Iwatobi high swim club.
Soon Gou strolled down the long hallway to Souske’s desk, Rin was family. So it was his job to rule her out as a suspect.
“Thank you for coming, Gou. I just have a few questions.” Souske greeted as she took the seat across from him.
“What is this about, Detective?” Gou asked.
“Nanase Haruka. Someone broke into his house and stole all his mackerel.” Souske replied
Gou furrowed a brow. “Stole?”
“Yes. You’re a member of the Iwatobi high swim club, correct? And what’s your role?”
“I’m the manager. I compile training routines, oversee the swimmer’s progress and track stats. That kind of stuff.” Gou replied
“And where were you on the night of Wednesday the 28th?” Souske asked
“I stopped by the Iwatobi Swim club to get Coach Sasabe’s opinion on some new training routines , then I headed home. Nothing out of the ordinary…why you think I took it?”
“No, just trying to get to the bottom of things is all.”
“Is that all? I gotta get home, tell my brother I expect him home for dinner.” Gou rose from the chair awaiting Souske’s answer.
“Yes it is. Don’t leave Iwatobi, we might need to revisit this.” Souske assured her before Gou took off down the hallway.
Rin peeked over his cubicle once he was sure Gou was far enough down.“My sister give you anything useful?”
“No, but I haven’t ruled her out yet. Gou had no idea of the stolen mackerel. Oh, and she expects you home for dinner.” Souske chuckled.
“Well, I’m not going to be home for dinner. I made plans with Haru.” Rin smiled.
—
It was half past seven with no leads on the case. The rest of the department had gone home yet Souske sat at his desk, flipping over interview notes from the day. Gou had been no help so he hoped some of Haru’s other friends and teammates could provide some insight.
Deciding to call it a day Souske pushed in his chair and headed for the door. Tomorrow he’d interview Rei and Makoto, they were the last two teammates of Haru’s who might’ve taken the mackerel or know who took it.
He climbed into his car and embarked on the short drive over to his apartment. Upon arriving, he spotted Rin Matsuoka sitting on the step. Had dinner with Haru gone badly? And now, Souske was a sounding board for the feelings.
“Rin. I thought you had dinner with Haru?” Souske climbed out of the car.
“I did and it was going well until he accused me of replacing all his Mackerel with canned salmon.” Rin replied.
“Hold up. Canned Salmon? Haru didn’t mention that when we questioned him. Did you?”
Rin shook his head. “He was getting the ingredients for our meal and found them in the cupboard. And, are you asking as a cop of my best friend, Souske?”
“Your friend, Rin. I’m done being a cop for the day plus it’s the only thing right now that I can think of that would come between you and Haru. Unless, this is about swimming?”
“No. I didn’t, we may have been on different swim teams but I’d never stoop as low as stealing the one other thing Haru loves as much as swimming.”
Souske nodded. “I know. But what did Haru say when you told him?”
“He believed me but still sent me home, wanted to be alone, I guess.” Rin replied
“You know Haru, better than I do, Rin. I’m glad he believed you.”
Rin hopped off the step and turned to leave, “I should go, we’ve got work tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Rin.” Souske said. Something seemed suspicious, why was Rin so quick to leave? Hadn’t he come to vent about what went wrong with Haru. Instead he said he’d been accused of the crime and took off.
As of now Rin wasn’t a suspect but Souske wasn’t ruling him out. Not that Rin didn’t have the motive to steal Haru’s mackerel but would he?
Separate schools, swim teams and given how competitive they both were it wouldn’t be a far stretch to try and hinder the competition. But he also knew, Rin’s an important figure in Haru’s life and swimming career, he’s what keeps Haru swimming.
So who? Souske asked himself. A question for tomorrow he thought before turning off the lamp and collapsing to the bed.
—
The morning light shone through Souske’s small bedroom window. He’d already slept past his first alarm and would be late for work at this rate. Yet he couldn’t get his mind off Rin and why he dashed home so fast last night.
No, he wasn’t a suspect. Rin would be the last person to commit the crime plus he was working the investigation. He couldn’t have stolen the mackerel.
Souske finished up his breakfast before heading out the door as his gaze set on the former Captain of the Samezuka swim team. Rin had told him a lot about his days of swimming under his leadership.
“Mikoshiba Senpai!, what are you doing here?” Souske asked curiously.
“I live just around the corner. What’s going on?” He asked
“What’s in the bag?”Souske asked and glanced down at it. Maybe he was on his way to Haru’s, but he couldn’t help but be suspicious.
Captain Mikoshiba opened the bag. “Just some Tuna, and the store had a great deal on fresh Salmon.”
Fresh. Not canned. Souske thought to himself. The former swim team captain’s purchases didn’t fit the bill. So after a few more words, Souske let him go on his way.
When he arrived at work, Souske saw Rin had already started questioning Haru’s other teammate, Tachibana Makoto about the faithful night. Or he was feeding Makoto a cover story, to make sure he got his facts straight if Souske decided to take a stab at him too.
There was one more name on the list, Ryugazaki Rei. He fit the bill, smart and knew how to apply theory to anything. Why not break into a place and steal some mackerel, all Rei would need is a few police books and videos on hiding evidence.
Souske wasted no time having officers bring him in. If he knew anything about this crime then it would be best for full cooperation.
“Rei, you made the right choice, coming in. Please take a seat.” Souske gestured towards a chair.
“Your officers gave me none.” Rei responded.
He pulled out a notepad before beginning to speak; “Now, we are investigating the theft of some mackerel in town. From one of your teammates, Nanase Haruka.”
“You think I stole Haru’s mackerel?” Rei furrowed a brow.
“No one thinks anything, Rei. I’m simply trying to get to the bottom of this”
Rei sighed. “Well. I didn’t, never even been to Haru’s home before. I see him at school and that’s it.”
“Where were you the night of Wednesday the 28th?” Souske asked
“At swim club practice. Iwatobi has made it to nationals and we were there working on improving our exchange times for the relay. Then, I headed home.”
“No pit stops on the way home? To any grocery stores?
“No! Where are you going with this Souske!” Rei slammed his fist down onto the table.
Souske placed a hand on his shoulder. “No one’s accusing you of anything, just trying to get a sense of where you were that night.”
“I didn’t stop at any grocery store or anywhere! I just went home, so now I can go?”
“Yes. I think I’ve got all I need.” Souske set down his notepad and pen as Rei took off down the hallway. Then a quick glance was shot at Rin’s desk, his partner was nowhere to be found. Where was the other detective?
Probably got a tip about the case or went back to Haru’s place to get some more information. The two had hit a wall, they’d ruled out all of Haru’s teammates. Not one of them fit the bill or had been to Haru’s apartment the night of the theft.
At this rate Souske’s boss would have no choice but to tell them to close the case. Iwatobi had other crimes that needed solving and the two detectives had wasted enough time on the stolen mackerel. With no suspects or theories, it would be game over.
“Detective, may I have a word?” A man’s voice Souske recognized to be his boss boomed from the hallway.
“Yes. Come in, I just finished with Rei.” Souske replied.
“Where are you with the Nanase Haruka case?” He asked.
Souske sighed. “Nowhere Sir. Unless Rin got anything out of Makoto’s interview. We are stuck at square one— no suspects or motive for stealing the fish.”
“Well what do you think someone’s motive would be for emptying a fridge of mackerel. Nonetheless from one of Iwatobi’s most talented swimmers.”
“Hindering their performance, maybe throw him off by taking away his favorite meal. No mackerel swimming isn’t as good.” Souske replied.
“Perhaps. You are onto something, but oddly enough sometimes the perpetrator is someone close to the victim— knows their routines, where such food is kept.”
His boss was right. Out of all the people Souske interviewed, Rin had crossed his mind but he hadn’t ruled him out. Who was closer to Haru other than Makoto? Plus they were on different swim teams, and competed against each other in nationals.
Several light bulbs were lighting up in Souske’s head. Rin, his own partner and best friend, knew all the ins and outs of the investigation. And, as Haru’s closest friend, it made sense but right now, Souske couldn’t prove it. All he had was a hunch.
“You may be onto something. Perhaps Rin and I are looking in the wrong spots, we need to try a different approach to the investigation.”
“That brings me to the other reason I wanted to talk to you. I’m assigning another to the case, Shigino Kisumi. Perhaps three heads are better than two.” His boss remarked before taking off down the hall.
The department wanted this case solved and Souske might have just been provided an ally in Kisumi, to look into Rin. There was no doubt in Souske’s mind that Rin stole that mackerel and now he just needed someone to help him prove it.
“Rin. Where were you?” Souske asked, seeing his partner had returned to his desk.
“I gave Nagisa’s interview another look and I missed a lead. You were busy with Rei, so I went to check it out.”
“Souske furrowed his brow in disbelief. Nagisa gave us a lead? And he wasn’t invited to go check it out either. They were working the case together, partners and Rin just took off on his own.
“Wait, how did all this come to be? What is this ‘lead’?”
Rin turned his chair toward his partner. “Well, Nagisa was at the grocery store yesterday and he saw Rei in line, with a twenty four pack of canned salmon.”
Souske nodded. It all added up, a large order of Salmon on the night before. But he’d interviewed Rei and he was nowhere near the grocery store. Maybe he’d lied and tried to come up with an alibi for the night on the spot.
“Is he sure it was Rei?” Souske questioned.
“Positive. Nagisa saw the Iwatobi swim club sweater, not many people in town have one so it had to be one of the three of them— Nagisa and Gou had alibis.”
Souske shook his head. “Rei stole Haru’s mackerel and replaced it with salmon? He must’ve put together some theory about replacing stolen things with something else. Takes law enforcement off your tail.”
“Boss also filled me in, he’s bringing in Kisumi to help us with the case. But we cracked it?” Rin said
“Not so fast, Rin. All we have is Nagisa’s word and it’s his against Rei’s. We need evidence— grocery receipts, the cashier’s statement.”
Rin sighed. What about this wasn’t open and shut had he forgotten a variable— he’d done everything to plant the receipt, the salmon. No one would know it was him, why was Souske so adamant on evidence all he needed was a search warrant for Rei’s place.
“You’re right. If we don’t do this by the book then the charge won’t stick.” Rin exclaimed.
It wasn’t long before their other partner arrived at their cubicle. “Boss brought me up to speed. Rei? Why would he steal Haru’s mackerel.” Kisumi asked
“Good. It’s all hands on deck. That’s what we are trying to figure out, the motive. Why would Rei do it?”
“Well, Rei always admired Haru. Maybe that admiration turned into a bit of jealousy or he and Haru had a falling out. Rei acted on emotion and stole Haru’s mackerel.” Rin suggested.
“I’m sorry to interrupt but I approved the search warrant and the judge has signed off. Go, find that evidence and let’s close this case.” Their boss said as he reached the cubicles.
Souske, Rin and Kisumi wasted no time and grabbed the keys to one of the cruisers outside. Souske glanced down at his watch, Rei liked to visit Iwatobi library after swim practice. So he wasn’t home, it would be perfect.
“Everyone get in. We have only a couple hours before Rei gets home.” Souske said
The twenty minute drive to Rei’s felt like forever for Souske as they passed by cherry blossom trees. Their petals were in full bloom for the summer season and some birds were chirping on the branches. As much as he’d like to pull over and enjoy the sights. There was a crime to solve.
Souske soon pulled into Rei’s driveway as the three detectives climbed out. He pulled open a surprisingly unlocked door, had Rei been one step ahead of them? Left his door open cause he knew the police would pay him a visit.
Of course Rei probably read something in a crime book that once there was enough evidence search warrants were issued. And the cops moved fast. Rei figured he’d be one of the lucky suspects after he’d been so on edge after Souske asked about his whereabouts that night.
“Let’s split up. Rin, you take the bedroom, Kisumi the kitchen and I’ll take the living room.” Souske handed them each a pair of gloves and put a pair of his own on.
Souske lifted the couch cushions, checking for any sign of a grocery store receipt or anything to tie Rei to the theft. But so far nothing just quarters and a bunch of books on the coffee table about the theory of swimming.
Nothing about robberies or crime. Maybe he just simply returned them back to the library, Rei was smart and wouldn’t leave stuff like that lying around his home. Souske lifted his notepad out of his pocket and scribbled down a note to head to the library.
“I found something!” Kisumi yelled from the kitchen and held up a long sheet of paper.
“What’s that?” Souske asked
“A receipt from the Iwatobi grocery store and guess what’s on it? A twenty four pack of canned salmon, milk, and some other items.” Kisumi replied.
Souske took the receipt in his hand and gave it a once over. The perpetrator had made one mistake: the name on the receipt had been crossed out— replaced with Ryugazaki Rei. The date was the 28th, Wednesday of June.
When the mackerel was stolen. But now Souske knew Rei was framed. Someone had planted that receipt and probably the salmon in one of the cupboards. They knew with a bit of theory and calculation Rei could pull this off.
But who? Souske glanced over at Kisumi, then Rin. Who else would have the means to steal Haru’s mackerel. That night he was on the steps of Souske’s apartment. He’d probably not had dinner with Haru that night but was at his place replacing the stolen mackerel.
“It wasn’t Rei. He’s been framed.” Souske blurted. He had no proof but he couldn’t go on searching the apartment of an innocent man.
“I found the Salmon,” Rin came in with a twenty four pack of the fish.
Souske smiled. “You knew where to look. I think you were in on this the whole time— it was the perfect plan. You worked the investigation and learnt all you could about the suspects and case. Then found the perfect one, Rei.”
Rin furrowed his brow in disbelief. “I didn’t do such a thing. I was at Haru’s that night, yes, but before the mackerel was stolen. We had dinner and then the call came in.”
“Cause you made it, when you had the mackerel on you. Had enough time to escape and get to the police station.”
Souske hoped it worked and he’d backed his best friend into enough of a corner that Rin would just confess. The writing was on the wall even if he didn’t tonight, Souske would come to the conclusion himself.
But before Rin could confess Haru appeared at the door. Why was he here? Maybe he came to give Rei something back or Souske was wrong, and Rei had stolen the mackerel after all. Told Haru he couldn’t hold onto the secret anymore and led him to his place.
“Haru. What are you doing here?” Rin asked
“Rei left his swim club sweater at school, I came to return it.” Haru glanced up and down the room. “What’s going on?”
“We were searching the place. Just acting on a tip Nagisa gave, that Rei stole your mackerel.” Souske answered.
“Nagisa?” Haru said before his gaze found Kisumi. “Oh no, what is Kisumi doing here? If he is working the case it will never be solved.”
“He’s doing as you said, working the case.” Rin replied.
Haru lightly chuckled. “Oh no, he’s not.”
“That decision was out of my hands, Haru. Now, if it wasn’t Rei who stole the mackerel than someone here did. So who’s gonna confess?”
“It was Rin,” Haru pointed over at his boyfriend.
“What are you saying Haru!” Rin shouted.
“You liked my mackerel recipe and didn’t know where to find it in the grocery store. So you stole mine.” Haru said.
Rin shrugged and set the receipt down. “It was me, Haru’s right. But when I went to replace it, all the grocery store had was canned salmon. So I came up with a plan, say it was stolen and got Haru to call the police.”
“We got you red handed, Rin.” Souske said and finished scribbling down the confession.
“Am I under arrest?” Rin asked
“No, Rin, I’m not pressing charges but you will buy me some new mackerel.” Haru said. As Souske watched him pull Rin into a hug.
“Is the case solved?” Kisumi piped up who was fixing up Rei’s kitchen. He’d probably be home soon and to find the police here.
“It’s solved, Kisumi.” Haru smiled and placed a kiss on Rin’s lips.
Souske tucked away his notepad and walked out of the apartment. He’d seen it all along but had to admit his partner was smart, Rin sure pulled one over on all of them.