*Sanji Ryuko (Officer CA-1-19-19-0)

  I heard my alarm ring but I did not budge, after some seconds, I opened my eyes and sat up right on my bed and turned off the alarm. I sat there for a moment meditating about everything, I look towards the clock and it says 5:12am, then use my right palm to rub my face; dragging it down and yawning.

  After yawning, I turn to my back and kissed the forehead of my wife sleeping beside me.

  “…Is it 5am already” She asked, barely awaken with her eyes closed as she lay still.

  “Yes, but you can sleep in if you want” I said, then kissed her on her fore head again and jumped off the bed.

  “No…wait for me, I’m coming” she said reluctantly, still lying on the bed and showing no sign of moving an inch.

  I smirked and entered the bathroom and did the needful, then I come out of the bathroom with a short towel around the back of my neck.

  Immediately I came out of the bathroom, I could smell the cooking of my wife from the other room. I put on my jean trousers and singlet, carrying my T-shirt and shoe on my hands, then walked into the other room- the dining room/kitchen.

  I walked up behind my 7 years old son, and said “Hope you slept well”, patting his head as I sit down.

  “Good morning, Dad” He responded.

  “What are you doing there?” I asked, seeing some papers, crayons, scissor and paper-tape on the dining table in front of him, instead of a plate of food.

  “I am just finishing some homework…” My son - Aki answered with his eyes completely focus on whatever he was doing.

  “He completed it yesterday but woke up this morning, saying he wants to change some things and now he has littered the whole table” My wife – Aiyo reported to me, approaching us with a pan of hot scrabbled chicken eggs.

  “Hey, put those things away and have your breakfast, I don’t know why you are doing another one when you did a good job already” Aiyo said, sharing the eggs into the plate in front of us.

  “Leave him alone, he knows the blood that runs in his nerves…” I said jestingly to my wife as I chum down my food.

  “We are hardworking men, if you do something but think you can make it better, then make it better. Always do your best and stand tall” I said, as I gently patted his head.

  “Hope you will be the one to clear all this mess after he is done?” Aiyo asked rhetorically, looking at me dead in the eye.

  “I should be going now, my partner must be waiting for me at the station” I averted her gaze and said, standing up immediately. Then going to my son and kissing him on the top of his head, and moved to my wife; giving her a big smile and kissing her cheek.

  I wore my shirt and shoe, and exit our apartment. Almost immediately as I walk out my flip blackberry phone rings, I flipped it open to see who is calling.

  “What’s up?” I said the caller on the other side of the phone call.

  “I and you will run point at Downtown Nishinari, Kaistu and Kondo will have to leave their station and run some errands” The caller said, without any form of formality.

  “Shit! (tsk), how long we will be patrolling around Downtown Nishinari?” I asked annoyingly because slums like that only breathes trouble and I will prefer not to stay or visit such places.

  “We will on patrol for a few hours. Just meet me at the station” The caller said softly.

  “What the hell are Kaistu and Kondo even running?” I asked out of frustration; I really didn’t want to go Downtown Nishinari.

  The caller just breathes into the phone and end the call, it was then I realized I screwed up.

  “Shit, I shouldn’t… Why the fuck did I have to open my big mouth” I immediately scolded myself in a low and anxious tone, as I tried calling the person back but he didn’t answer.

  “Shit!” – That was the only thing I could say after multiple attempts of calling the guy.

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  I placed my phone back into my pocket and walked 6 blocks away from my apartment to the Nishinari 5th terminal train station, and got off at Nishinari 1st train station.

  I then had to walk for about 27 minutes to The 8th Metropolitan Higashi-Sumiyoshi Enforcer station.

  I greeted a few of my colleagues on uniform; without say their name of course, then then walked straight inside the station.

  “Hey Sanji, did you see the game last night… your club had their tail between their legs. 2 goals to 1” Fuyuku-san said; a stationary Enforcer.

  We were in the same unit in the academy but while I was given a ‘Patrol Enforcer’ role (without any choice), he became a Stationary Enforcer by choice.

  “You know, cheaters like to brag” I said mockingly.

  “Hey, how did we cheat? Rossel made his shot before he entered box 18… That was a fair second goal” Fuyuku-san gave a defensive statement.

  “Oi, are you guys talking about the match?” one of the two guys that just walked in – Ren-san asked, before bumped the side of our fists (a form of greeting each other).

  “…Hell, you guys clearly slipped something to the referee. That was a very clear ‘off-side’. There is no one who watched that match that will say it wasn’t ‘off-side’.” Ren-san continued.

  “We weren’t on the field, you can’t be arguing with someone who was there on the field and saw what exactly happened. You just have to accept that – Chester City is better that your team… Touji-san help me out here” Fuyuku-san said with a smirk on his face.

  “Look, I might be a Chester City fan but I can’t say we beat Aldershot if the last goal was an off side” Touji-san commented softly, as he pulled off his jacket and hanged it on his shoulder.

  “Look at this traitor, why did hell will you be supporting Aldershot?! That goal was clearly not an ‘off-side’.” Fuyuku-san still protested.

  “Guy, you are the only blind one here, even your fellow fan-mate isn’t supporting you” I mockingly said to Fuyuku-san.

  “Noooo, you guys can keep him. (club1) don’t want him anymore…” He was saying when the sudden intervention of our captain caught us off guard.

  “I really hope you boys aren’t waste the city taxes; standing here and talking about soccer?” She asked rhetorically.

  “Good morning captain” I greeted along with the others in our own way.

  “I’m sure you all have places to be and people to attend to” She looked at Fuyuku-san as she said that last part.

  “Yes ma’am!” We all answer a bit reluctantly and slowly parted ways.

  “Officer CA-12-2-14-13 and CA-1-19-19-0 walk with me; we have something to discuss” She ordered; halting us and we followed her from behind.

  “Officer 12-2-14-13, how is the investigation with the homicide case on Blue-Garden park going with the police?” She asked Touji-san first, while we all walked slowly to her office.

  “The police forensic team swept the whole park clean for anything that might be a lead, they recovered some prints belonging to some people that had a record or two and we assisted in tracking and questioning some Evolves, while they handle the Non-Evolves” He responded with his usual soft voice, as he scratched the side of his mouth.

  “They did find anything substantial yet?” She asked in a tone that suggested he talk a bit faster as we all entered her office.

  “Nothing yet, I will take a detour to the police station and ask if there are any new leads” Touji-san responded a bit faster, in order not displease the captain.

  “Do that and update me on the matter. You can go” She said as she sat down on her sit in the office.

  “Alright, ma’am” He said, then left her office and locked the door behind him.

  She then faced me with a bit of a stern face and said “Kaistu and Kondo have some business to take care of, I trust you already know your given station?”

  “Yes, ma’am” I responded with a bit of discomfort.

  “Since, you and your partner will not be doing the usual patrol” She said, with her eyes away from me and hands searching for something in her desk drawers.

  “You will guard certain city officials to collect donations from the passengers exiting from or boarding trains in Sumiyoshi, you job is to make sure no dogskins from the slums is severely beaten or abduct the officials on your watch” She continued, slamming a lot of files on her desk.

  “You will be briefed properly before you and your partner set out. The reason I am telling you all this follows this little piece of advice – Don’s let your guard down for a second, those gutter-runts will definitely act up. Do not be afraid to drop them, the top priority are the officials, just try to make sure nothing considered as ‘excessive brutality’ is captured on camera” She firmly said, leaving the work she wanted to start and looking at me straight in the eyes.

  “I don’t want to start writing a report to why you were stationed there or how Enforcers failed to enforce law and order to common passengers” She continued, finally returning her eyes and hands to writing on the files in front of her.

  “You and I know that those fuckers are anything but common passengers that respect law and order” I responded with a bit of a jest.

  “That will why I’m giving you the ‘go ahead’ to drop any of those punks that pull anything and write it off as them ‘endangering public safety’ or better – ‘attempted assault on officer’. Do anything to make sure those officials don’t have a scratch or I will simply throw you under the bus. You can go now” She concluded, using her hand to shoo me away.

  I immediately left her office and heading to the change-room, I put on my Enforcer-tactical uniform with my serial number on it. A Senior Officer called, debrief and appointed location to those that were on patrolling duty like me which was a repeat of what the captain said earlier. After the debriefing, M16A3 arcane-assault rifles and four tear-gas grenades were distributed to all of us, which show how intense things will be, then I called my partner and she told me to meet her in the patrol car parking lot.

  I geared up with my arcane-handgun, regular side-arm, taser and hand-cuffs, I check myself out with the Stationary Enforcer stationed as a receptionist; that is Fuyuku-san.

  “Look…” I barely completed my statement, when my partner cut me short, by saying “Let’s get there before the officials arrival at the train station”

  I just kept quiet since she didn’t feel like hear me out, so we got into our patrol car and drove to the train station.