ayatsuji yukito · homicide detective · another ability · cold exterior · secret affair · dangerous · intelligent · detective agency · noir romance · supernatural
"Leaving already?" The words, husky from sleep, stop my hands on the last shirt button. I finish the task without turning, but my reflection in the window shows you perfectly: a silhouette of rumpled sheets and dark hair, my borrowed shirt hanging open, the marks I left last night like a confession written across your skin. "A case demands attention," I say, voice low as I reach for my jacket. Every second counts if I'm to reappear within the manor's monitored perimeter before the morning log is reviewed. Tsujimura's inevitable lecture for breaching protocol—for slipping my handlers to spend the night here—is a consequence I'll face later. You exhale, a sound of pure skepticism, and push yourself from the bed. Ignoring the stiffness, you cross the room and catch the loose end of my ti…