"Hello? Mom, I have something to do tonight, it's still a matter of going on a case, and I need to work overtime temporarily, so I won't go back at night. ”

"Overtime again? Well, Mom got it. Alas, these people sleep in the Metropolitan Police Department every once in a while, and you simply forget about the Metropolitan Police Department. Your dad used to be like that, and so are you. Which one is going to be—"

"Okay, okay Mom, isn't that the nature of police work? Let's not talk about it first, I'll hang up first, my colleague called me. ”

Tokyo, Uehara Apartment.

Seeing that the man who was brought back by himself was shaking his body in a confused state and about to get up from the sofa, Miwako Sato hurriedly hung up the phone, shook his head and greeted him, and pushed him back onto the sofa-

"Sit down, do you hear? The decanter is already cooking, and I'll drink it later. ”

"Who are you-huh? Sato? Why are you in my house? The rich smell of alcohol gushed out with the moment the man spoke, and Katsumi Uehara, who felt an indescribable sense of restraint around his neck, gasped, and pulled the regular tie with his right hand-

I don't know if it was too much force or if the quality of the clothes was a little problematic, a few buttons broke with the action of removing his tie. His sweaty chest clung to his half-wet white shirt, and his muscles were stained by the dim light.

The condescending Miwako Sato glanced at it subconsciously, and after her eyelids trembled, she didn't squint and said, "You're drunk, if I don't send you back, who else will send you back?" ”

"Am I drunk? Oh, I'm drunk. ”

Katsumi Uehara, who was clutching his tie in one hand, rubbed his cheek and shook his head in an effort to regain consciousness: "I'm sorry for bothering you again." ”

"Although I don't really like to drink, I know that sometimes it's better to drink than not to drink, at least there is an outlet to vent." The corners of Miwako Sato's mouth, who watched the man's movements, rose vaguely several times: "I'll go get you a towel first." ”

"No need, I'll do it myself, you can go back-"

Katsumi Uehara, who always felt that there were multiple Miwako Sato, bared his teeth and gasped, staggered to stand up with one hand on the back of the sofa, closed his eyes and shook his head fiercely trying to see the road under his feet.

As soon as he lifted his foot, an indescribable feeling of weightlessness suddenly came from his feet - the problem of severe sluggishness of his senses in a drunken state directly made him fall forward!

——？！

"Uehara!"

Boom!

Bang!!!

The crisp sound of the flesh smashing straight on the coffee table made Miwako, who had already turned around, turn around in shock, and returned to the man's side in a few big strides, reaching out in disbelief to help his body, and his forehead was already red on his handsome cheeks in the past-

"It hurts."

", you're all on the head—"

Miwako Sato, who had placed the staggered vases on the coffee table to the far corner in time, turned around angrily, and was about to educate this drunken "hairy child", but the two tear stains on Katsumi Uehara's face that slipped from the corners of her eyes made her stop the words that had come to her mouth.

The crying that tried to hide in his throat sounded very sad in the silence of the night, no different from a whimper.

Miwako Sato pursed her lips, got up and sat down beside the man, and took the man who couldn't suppress the sad sobbing into her arms by her shoulder.

There are no words, no complicated comfort, just the crescent moon in the starry sky and the white curtains swaying in the wind on the balcony.

Under the dim light, Katsumi Uehara, who had endured for an unknown amount of time, showed his side that he had never shown before in front of Miwako Sato for the first time-

Vulnerable, sensitive, aggrieved, and out of control.

Miwako Sato, whose eyes were a little red, caressed the man's head that trembled slightly with sobbing with her right hand, and the emotions that appeared in her beautiful eyes were full of distress.

The Katsumi Uehara she knew in the past was extremely calm even if she went to die alone, but now......

"Katsumi and Kunihiko met in the country, and from another point of view, it can almost be said that they grew up together since childhood. Let's put it this way, during the European Cup, the only thing he brought to make money was Kunihiko.

"It is said that he originally planned to become a police officer with Kunihiko, but he was the only one who became a police officer after that......"

Suddenly, Miwako Sato's ears seemed to ring the words of the old man she met when she went to the clothing store to "borrow" the dress. Subconsciously, her gaze fell on the ankle of Katsumi Uehara, who had taken off her socks-

Although the wound had long since healed, the obvious difference in the color of the skin around her was enough to remind her of the old man's old secrets.

Katsumi Uehara could have been a soccer player, but his feet were no longer allowed to engage in long-term intense confrontation and sports after being injured -

Wait a minute!

Miwako Sato, who suddenly thought of something, blinked, and looked down at Katsumi Uehara, who had fallen asleep with tears and alcohol.

If she remembers correctly, Uehara said that he once beat up Kunihiko Kagawa, who was the first in the police academy, although he relied on sacks and group beatings. But it stands to reason that if Kunihiko Kazukawa wants to retaliate, he will definitely not fight according to Uehara's weakness.

Judging from the wound marks that have healed, Uehara's ankle has definitely not suffered any serious blows or other injuries in the past year.

As an experienced criminal policeman, Miwako Sato's judgment of wounds is still very accurate.

"You two are really ......"

Miwako Sato smiled helplessly, her fingertips brushing the man's rough cheeks stained with tears, and she didn't know what to say for a while.

Now that I think about it, it's no wonder that Uehara doesn't seem to have said the specific reason for the fight with Kagawa Kunihiko in the first place.

"You, a mouth is always a lie, whether it's a man or a woman."

Standing up lightly, Miwako, who was holding the man's arm in one hand, gently patted his head: "Uehara, wake up, I'll take you back to your room to sleep." ”

In response to her was Katsumi Uehara's heavy body.

"Don't go......

"Can you not go......

Katsumi Uehara, who was greedy for warmth, unconsciously rubbed his chin against the woman's shoulder, and the low dream words made Miwako Sato, who was about to put it on the bed, stunned, and the tenderness between her eyebrows and eyes was even worse: "Sometimes I still think you're cuter when you're drunk, Katsuki." ”

………………………………………………………………………

Early the next morning, under the building where the Uehara apartment is located.

Twilight Thirteen, who arrived here with Toshiro Oda Kiri, straightened his clothes and hat, and after getting out of the car, he said respectfully, "This is the home of Brother Uehara, Minister." ”

"Is this where he set up a trap to capture Tadayoshi Uno? It's a great place to deceive. Toshiro Oda, who was standing with his hands in his hands, turned his head to look at the surrounding environment: "Are you at home?" ”

"I called and it said it was turned off, so I thought something was going on. I saw that he was dressed very solemnly yesterday, and when he called me, he also said that if he wanted to come to see the scene, he could just go to the property to get the backup key. ”

“…… I see, go up. Thinking of the phone call that his old friend made to Katsumi Uehara in his office yesterday, Toshiro Oda's face darkened slightly, and then he returned to normal and walked towards the elevator with his feet up.

"Minister Odakiri, Uehara is a little wrong with his state for this case, although he didn't say it at the time, I can still see it."

Taking the elevator to the door of Uehara's apartment and taking out the spare key he had brought in advance to open the door, Twilight Thirteen said in a heavy tone, "If you—"

"Did I say you've washed it? Can you hurry up, I was too tired to sleep last night, and I haven't washed the shower yet! As soon as the door was pushed open, Katsumi Uehara's neutral voice clearly reached the ears of the two of them.

Twilight Thirteen, who walked into the entrance, paused, and Katsumi Uehara, whose hair was messy, looked stunned: "Twilight Police Department? Minister Oda Kiri? How did you guys get here? ”

"Are you embarrassed to say last night? If you hadn't me last night, I wouldn't have gotten up early in the morning to take a shower. ”

Miwako Sato, who was wrapped in a pure white towel, walked out of the bathroom in pajamas that had followed her for many years and her own slippers, brushing her teeth in her mouth while not forgetting to count down the man: "Come in, I'll take the cup to the kitchen to wash——"

When he turned around, Miwako Sato, who saw Twilight Thirteen and Oda Kiritoshiro standing at the entrance of the entrance, was stunned: "Me, Twilight Police Department? ”

“……”

Twilight Thirteen, whose gaze was moving back and forth on his two subordinates from confusion to gossip, came back to his senses and wondered, "Uehara, Sato, what are you...... Cohabitation? ”

Put a small bowl~

(End of chapter)