2025-10-21: Leave Me Alone
- Log: Leave Me Alone
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Reiko Shimizu, Hanzou Seki
- Where: Tokyo Police Station
- OOC Date: 2025-10-21
- IC Date: Mon Jul 30 2012
- Summary: Tsubasa gets Reiko's help mediating a conversation with their abusive father, as they tell him they're moving out of the shoddy accommodation he provided them. Reiko puts the screws to Hanzou, and he isn't able to visit any retribution down on his child... though Tsubasa is still shaken, afterwards. Luckily, Reiko is able to remind them of brighter things -- like the video games she once introduced them to.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
They tried to blame the arson at Aoba Park on Tsubasa, even though, by Tsubasa's account, someone was trying to kill them. (The identity of the killer, mysteriously, hasn't made it to most of the documentation.) Sergeant Suou and Detective Akechi both interceded on the case to offer their firsthand accounts supporting their innocence, and they were eventually released...
... midway through the exam period. Luckily, they've reported to Reiko that their punitive school was willing to let them take make-up exams... after Dr. Kawase gave them a piece of his mind and the name of his lawyer.
To top things off: they don't feel safe in their home any more, because by their account, their mother set up the hit... surely under pressure from their father.
Fortunately, Myunghon has a solution -- because the safehouse where they were hiding from the cops before they were discovered was discovered and concretely tied to them, and that makes it useless as a safehouse any more. Tsubasa, thusly, has spent the last few days moving what stuff they have from their old sardine can to what is by all respects a much nicer apartment than that. Today was the first day of their exams, and they went into the ghost town of breaktime Kasugayama from the safehouse, instead.
Now they're out of school, they've called up Reiko for a favour... because she offered to be with them, when they needed to speak to their father, so he couldn't try anything. And really, it's just safer this way anyway, because Reiko can call him into her interview room at the station instead of Tsubasa having to go to his house. ... for some reason, it's important to them to say it to his face.
(It's not one of the ones where they grill suspects; this is one of the friendly rooms where they talk to affected families while trying not to terrify harried wives and horrified children. There are couches! There's a teddy bear on one of them, even! And look at those decal butterflies on the walls. Totally safe.)
Tsubasa's wearing their Kasugayama boys' uniform when he storms his way in; shirt half unbuttoned and midriff exposed, baring the bottom half of their outrageous binder, with technicolour hair and less blatant dressings for their second week of recovery. (Apparently, they were locked in a burning building... luckily, someone rescued them before it all came down.) Hanzou, of course, appears in a tan suit, because he's taken his afternoon break from work to come here even though he's a very busy and important man.
"What trouble have you gotten into now?" He demands of Tsubasa, immediately, before Reiko even has a chance to introduce the situation. "Don't tell me it's the uniform -- I keep telling you to wear it properly!"
"I ain't --" Tsubasa starts, their voice a touch high and whining, but something in his expression cuts them off in the middle of defending their pants.
Reiko, you're the only thing standing between this room and disaster!
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
Reiko has long been aghast at Tsubasa's parents. The recent events were beyond the pale, though. She cannot fathom how they would try to kill their child. When Tsubasa asked for her help, she told them 'yes' immediately. And now, she is facing a familiar figure:
Hanzou Seki.
She sits at the table, calmly. She is in uniform, and she looks at Hanzou, and then she shakes her head. "Your child isn't the one in trouble," she says, calmly -- and sternly.
That isn't her 'mollify an angry parent' voice. That is her 'inform a drunk he is under arrest' voice. She looks out of the window -- meeting the eyes of middle-aged, balding Benkei Uchijima. He nods at her -- then two officers step in front of the door outside, to bar exit, and look into the room.
"Have a seat," she tells him. "And please refrain from interruption." Then, a smile. "Ah--my boss may have some questions regarding your recent business dealings. We'll let you know--if so, I expect you'll be released tomorrow afternoon."
Her smile intensifies.
"Senior Detective Uchijima is very thorough, you see."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Hanzou demands, whirling on Reiko. "Do you even remember who I am?! I have generously spent my lunch on this miscreant and I have a meeting at five! If this is the way you're going to treat someone like me --"
He turns, to go right back out the door.
The door does not budge.
"Let me out at once!" Hanzou demands, with that bellow of a voice which could blow down any windmill it tilted at. "I'm Hanzou Seki, damn you--!!"
Tsubasa can see the family resemblance between the ways they react, but it's not like they like it. "Jus'... be normal for five minutes," they try to reason with him, their arms tightly folded. They don't meet his eyes. "Dude..."
"I won't hear that from you!" Hanzou snaps, but trying the door again reveals it to still be locked, and so he heaves a great huff and storms over to sit himself down on another couch. He plants his hands on his knees, leaning forward as he glowers -- to Reiko, not Tsubasa. "Very well," he grouses, in an attempt to pretend he still has the upper hand here. "Explain yourself."
(Internally, he's cursing himself for not insisting they meet at the Konan Department... for all of three seconds, before he realises that obviously it's Reiko's fault.)
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
Reiko folds her arms. She restrains herself from bringing up more; she never liked the use of force or intimidation in talking to suspects. It has its problems, she thinks. It also isn't an opinion widely shared on the force. She fixes Seki with a calm, but detached look instead.
She refuses to raise her voice.
"I'm well aware of who you are, Seki-san," she says. "And I will remind you once to mind your tone in front of an officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. It would benefit you to be polite."
Then, she looks at Tsubasa. She nods at them. "Tsubasa-kun?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa looks real nervous when they look to Reiko. If eyes could speak they'd be saying, 'HELP', because they completely have no idea how to navigate this.
Luckily, Reiko helps!!
"I--I know you got a key to my place from the agent," Tsubasa says. "You were rootin' around in there... lookin' for somethin' to pin blame on me, right? Since ya hitman told everyone mom sent him."
"Don't speak about your mother that way!" Hanzou snaps. "You'll keep a respectful tongue in your head -- you know she's been worried sick about the trouble you --" here he catches Reiko's eye, and grumbles, revising his statement: "About you."
"... I know you did it," Tsubasa says, quietly, still not quite able to look at him. "An' I know you'll try it again. So I ain't livin' there no more... look, you can have everythin' you wanted," they try and make an offer, tightening up a little more. "You hate havin' to give a shit, right? Well, I got a place a my own. I don't need shit from you... just forget I exist. If I ain't no trouble to you, you don't gotta fix shit, right...?"
"You're delusional," Hanzou shoots back. "Does Dr. Inoue even know you're having another episode? Tch... even if you weren't draining my bank account insisting on living on your own," Reiko knows for a fact that's not how the story went, "you're far more trouble than that. Do you know how often the school calls me about your truancy, let alone your transgressions?! Really, I'm surprised this hopeless woman," he gestures to Reiko sharply, "even called us here today, when she can't even do her job and straighten you out!"
"Don't talk shit 'bout Officer Shimizu!" Tsubasa barks, their own voice rising to an angry pitch. "She did more for me than you ever did!"
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"Seki-san, if you raise your voice one more time or threaten me again," Reiko says, reaching under her desk. She pulls out a pair of handcuffs. "We will have this conversation in an interrogation room. Am I clear?"
She leans forward. "I want you to understand something. It is best that you do as Tsubasa-kun offers," she says. "At present, we've only some evidence for what Tsubasa-kun said. However, we are obliged to investigate a serious claim like murder for hire."
She tilts her head. "Did you know that Senior Detective Uchijima is having dinner with Prosecutor Niijima next week? Apparently, the financial crimes unit lead will be joining them, too."
She sighs. "I wonder what they'll discuss?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Hanzou quiets down on seeing something as affronting as handcuffs, anyway.
"But... that's preposterous," he says, and at least says it quietly. "It's simply not reasonable to accuse parents of doing such a thing to their children. And if you mean to imply any impropriety in my career... this is neither fair nor just, Officer."
"What, you scared?" Tsubasa shoots back at him, bitterly. "Jus' tastin' ya own fuckin' medicine..."
"You see what I have to put up with?" Hanzou gestures, to Tsubasa, in an attempt to reason with Reiko. "She's completely --"
"I ain't a girl!" Tsubasa snaps.
And Hanzou has a terrible expression, as he bites down whatever explosion he was going to issue to that. "Then what is it you want," he issues, his tone growing icy instead.
"I-I --" Tsubasa blanches, because it's not just yelling he can use to be terrifying with. "Man, I -- I want you guys to not hate my guts? B-but I know that ain't happenin', so jus' -- you can quit rentin' that place an' -- w-we can get the school to ring someone else, right? S-so -- so jus' -- leave me alone, man..."
"I've not so much as looked at you since you assaulted that officer and I had to come bail you out," Hanzou insists on his innocence, though of course he would, with an officer in the room. (And it's no mistake he names that crime of theirs, in present company.) "But you think you can live on your own? So be it." His tone is still quite cold, as he goes on: "I expect that I won't be legally penalised for allowing you to make your own decisions."
He takes a stern breath, and looks to Reiko. "Are we quite done," he issues, to her. "I remind you that I've a meeting to get to."
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"Fair and just?" Reiko says, sharply. She glances at Tsubasa. "I'm doing my best to be sure things are fair and just, Seki-san."
She folds her arms, again -- and keeps herself from glowering at him. She gives him a sharp look -- and wishes she could say something else. Somehow convince him to be decent; just shout at him until he complied.
But that isn't who she needs to be today. Tsumugi talked of masks. This is one she has to wear.
"Yes, there will be no penalty, provided you do not trouble them again," Reiko says. "And don't prompt us to investigate matters further."
She frowns. "Am I clear?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I'm sure you are," Hanzou says, with a tone which suggests he thinks she's failing at that parity. But of course she would, he thinks; she's still a junior officer, with no real experience. If she knew a thing or two, he's sure she'd never buy that brat's story--!!
And Tsubasa might have hoped they could have reasoned him into being decent, but...
Well, the very way he entered this conversation proved that was never going to happen.
Hanzou fixes a smile on his face, 'pleasantly'. "You've been very clear, officer. I'll leave the... child be." Girl? Brat? Troublemaker? Source of all his problems? Hanzou might have meant any number of invectives for that space, but he's at least scared enough of Reiko's consequences to substitute them.
Even if he's still pointing out, in his way, that Tsubasa really isn't equipped to be making these decisions for themself.
He stands, and does not spare Tsubasa a parting glance. "If you'll excuse me..."
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"Good," Reiko says.
It isn't perfect. She knows that -- not until Tsubasa reaches the age of legal majority -- but she can hope that this will cover things. She watches him, with a polite smile on her face. Then, she nods.
"You're excused."
The two officers watching the door step away from it. One opens it -- and Benkei Uchijima waits outside. A middle-aged detective with a brown suitcoat on, a gut, and black thinning hair, he looks at Hanzou.
He smiles in a way that never reaches his eyes.
"See you around," he tells Hanzou.
One of the officers closes the door after Hanzou steps out. Which is when Reiko slumps down in her chair and exhales, long and slow.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Hmh," Hanzou grunts, scowling to Benkei. "Good day, sir." If he hurries out a little more quickly, after seeing that look in his eyes, he's certainly not going to call attention to it.
... there are some people he can buy, and some people who are forces all of their own, and Hanzou's got a pretty good sense for one and the other.
Tsubasa waits for him to be well and gone before they sag down, burying their face in their hands. "Fuck, man," they exclaim, their voice shakier now they don't need to put up a front. (They've got masks, too, huh.) "Dunno what I thought'd happen... not like he was gonna apologise or nothin'."
They look over to Reiko, from over their hand. "You reckon -- he's really gonna leave me alone?"
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
Reiko starts to slump in the chair. Then she stops herself, and she sits up a little more.
Tsubasa, at the end of the day, is just a kid. She can't let it show, how much she hates having to be the stern law officer. She knows she did good by them -- and she also feels like she ran an emotional mile.
She looks at them and considers their question. She hesitates to answer as she really gives it thought.
"I think... I think yes, at least for a good while," Reiko says. "I don't think he likes the idea of the police investigating him. I wish... I could do more." She sighs. "But..."
She smiles. "...I don't think he'll bother you any time soon, Tsubasa-kun."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa, tragically, sees very little of how much the adults around them are dealing with their own shit... though they can at least see that Reiko didn't like dealing with their father at all.
"Nah, man, ya... ya did a lot," Tsubasa says, their elbows propping up on their legs as their weight sags forward. "Reckon it woulda gone way worse if you weren't there. But... sorry, he's a lot, like... he weren't always like that. Y'know?"
Tsubasa frowns, down at the ground. "... I'm real scared've him. An'... I'm worried 'bout my mom." Even though she was the one who did it! "But maybe you can, I dunno, talk to school or whatever, get 'em to not tell him where I'm at... I mean, guess he'd still know if he called in favours with the fuckin' crooked Sumaru cops, but least then he'd have to make an effort." And, of course, they're banking on him not wanting to make an effort for them.
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"Yeah. Sometimes, I think getting older, and... I don't know. Sometimes people change, and not for the better," Reiko says with a sigh.
She looks sideways at them. She frowns, but then reaches over and pats Tsubasa on the shoulder. "I'll see if we can check in on your mom," she says. "Not me, but someone else. My being there might just set him off. And--uh, don't worry. I'll let your school know. They... probably will want an adult to call."
She keeps the smile on her face. And it's easier, as the moment passes, to push down the thought that came to mind: 'How long can I keep doing this job?'
She can do it as long as she has to, she tells herself.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"It feels like I did it... but I guess there was stuff before I got in trouble, too," Tsubasa sighs, shaking their head.
Did he just get older...? Man, everyone does...
Reiko can feel the way their shoulder tenses up at the contact, reflexively -- though they at least relax when they look over to confirm it's her. "Thanks, man," they say, and make some effort at smiling, though it's wan and lasts mere moments.
"Yeah, school's way nicer to adults an' shit... like, th-- uh, me best friend's dad ended up threatenin' to sue 'em so they'd let me take these make-up exams or whatever, 'fore that they just... y'know, said they were gonna ring my father." And the way their tone drops out of the bottom of that sentence, that's about the most terrifying thing any person in a position of power can say.
"I dunno, man... I met some adults what're cool. Like, you been lookin' out for me for ages... ya sisters now, too. Yeo-sama's puttin' me up, an'... there's this artist guy, Mark, an' the school counsellor, I guess... uh, an' Sergeant Suou, he's a stiff, but he's cool." Tsubasa shakes their head, again, grasping at the side of it. "But most of 'em, they don't give a shit, y'know? I had people askin' me what I did wrong when I said I didn't live at home or nothin'... tellin' me not to freak out 'bout my folks so much. I mean -- uh --"
Tsubasa's hand lowers, as they look back over to Reiko again. "You're real cool, y'know? I know they put you with me to watch my ass, but... you been watchin' my back just as much, an'... I appreciate it, man."
... would another person take on Tsubasa's case with anything close to the approach Reiko's taken?
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"It was not your fault," Reiko says. "Even if he got older... how he handled it, that's on him."
She looks sideways at them -- then she smiles a bit. "I'm glad your best friend's dad could help," she says. "And it's... you know, it's not everyone. Some people, they just... I don't know. Somewhere along the line, they go wrong. And they don't try to get themselves out of it."
Then, she smiles, and she sits up straighter. Seeing their gratitude -- well, it makes it easier. She knows she did something, and that's better than a lot of days.
"I'm really glad I could help. And... I like that I got to meet you, Tsubasa-kun," she says. "I know sometimes it's been hard... but we've had a lot of fun, too, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
And it does help, hearing Reiko insist it wasn't their fault. Reiko would know, after all! She's smart and junk. She probably went to university. Do cops go to university? Is there some kind of... cop university?
Questions for later.
"They don't try, huh..." Tsubasa tilts their head, with a bit of a shrug. "Guess my folks are like that."
(Even if they blame their mother for not trying far more than their father, for unfair but eminently understandable reasons.)
Still, they brighten up when Reiko says she's happy she met them. "Ya reckon?" They ask, straightening up in turn. "Yeah, like... when ya showed me those games when I was at your place? Man, the status effects still just totally kick my ass when I play shit like that... I always thinkin' like, it's no big deal, I'll just kill the monsters 'fore they pull any shit, y'know?"
Tsubasa throws their hands up, as they exclaim, animatedly: "Then, like, bam! 'Fore I know it my healer chick's made a stone! An' it's always her, like, what, those dudes know who's got the healin' spells or somethin'?"
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
"Of course!" Reiko says, when Tsubasa asks that. She smiles -- and it's the truth. After all, as much as she struggles with her line of employment, helping Tsubasa is a real accomplishment she can point to. But, even if not, she likes them anyways. They remind her of Shinobu.
Not that she brings that up, right now.
She laughs, though. "Mm-hm. I'm pretty sure they do -- it's to make sure you buy items. And..." Reiko trails off. Then, she lifts a finger, and nods sagely.
"...Remember the golden rule, Tsubasa-kun: always. equip. accessories."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa would, being fair, be real happy to resemble Shinobu. Shinobu, after all, is the kind of person they might actually manage to be when they grow up, because apparently shiftless criminal punks don't always end up in prison the minute they turn twenty.
"Yeah, but I need that money to buy cooler swords!" Tsubasa protests. "Ya gotta get the cool sword!" Oh, no. Tsubasa doesn't know about holding out to find equipment in item chests.
They rub at the back of their neck, though, with a thoughtful cant of their head. "I dunno, man, a cool belt is way better than a hair dec..."
Tsubasa, the hair dec protects you from all the ailments.
Tsubasa, please read the item descriptions instead of just looking at the designs and going off of vibes.
Tsubasa the kingdom is counting on you.