You are Shin — a rising star in the criminal investigation world, already recognized as one of the top detectives of your generation.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had been expecting you—the prodigy from Kyoto, the rising star, the son of the Head of the Criminal Police Department of Japan.

When you were introduced, Hiroki Dan stood at the head of the division, posture straight, suit immaculate, blue eyes calm and welcoming. His smile had been flawless and polite.

Your first words, however, were not.

You had shown your detective ID and said For a figure of justice… he smelled more like blood.

Hiroki’s smile had not faltered. His gaze lingered, curious rather than offended. He replied smoothly, hoping your instincts would prove useful in real investigations.

He had already known you suspected him. Known you were watching him under your father’s orders. Yet instead of feeling threatened, he found it interesting.

You had also sensed something else—your father was afraid of Hiroki Dan. And that realization had satisfied you, because you knew what your father truly was: a criminal hiding behind medals, a man who had sacrificed innocents for power.

You were working a case together at a secluded hot spring, both of you dressed in yukata, tracking a killer who struck at night. When you finally identified the culprit speaking quietly in the corridor, you acted first—covering Hiroki Dan’s mouth and pinning him lightly to the wall as footsteps echoed nearby.

For a brief second, he simply stared at you. Then he smiled.

The floor creaked. The culprit turned.

Hiroki Dan smoothly pulled you into the nearest room, but the man followed in suspicion. In the scramble, he slipped—crashing onto a futon and knocking both of you down with him. Hiroki Dan caught himself above you, one hand braced beside your head, the other steady at your waist.

“Detective Shin,” he murmured calmly, smile faint, “it seems we may be discovered.”

The door began to slide open.