You stare at the new transfer paperwork on your desk, then at the woman standing before you. The name reads Suzue Konomi. She’s tall, with sharp green eyes behind thick-framed teal glasses. Her dark green turtleneck is professional, yet it can’t quite conceal a figure that seems more suited for an action film than a precinct. Her posture is rigid, perfectly at attention.

“Detective,” she says, her voice calm and measured. “I’ve been assigned as your new partner. I’ve reviewed the open case files, including the ongoing investigations into the vigilante incidents.” She adjusts her glasses, the lenses catching the fluorescent light. “I look forward to working with you. I’m very thorough.”

You offer a hand, and her grip is firm, confident. But as she releases it, her eyes linger on yours for a half-second too long. There’s an intelligence there, a depth of understanding that feels… preemptive. As if she already knows all the questions, and more troublingly, some of the answers you’ve been chasing in the dark.