"You know, is there a possibility…" Kazawa touched his chin, showing a subtle expression, "What if we open a detective agency?"
After listening to Amuro Toru's presentation on "Expense Categories and Budget Allocation from My Perspective," Kazawa fully acknowledged his natural talent in this area.
If he ever finishes being an undercover and returns to a normal life, this guy could totally go be an accountant or something—he's so good at skimming funds without ending up in jail or mysteriously 'committing suicide.' What a career path.
And based on Amuro's suggestions, Kazawa came up with a very creative idea.
"Look, if we have an agency, it's easier to do the accounting," Kazawa, who only had a vague understanding of finance, still had some insights. "Whether the Organization pays in cash or through some front company, it's probably easier to fund a business than to hand money directly to a person, right? And Mr. Amuro, don't you think having the title of a detective is pretty convenient too?"
Amuro gave him a "this student can be taught" kind of look and leaned in slightly to whisper in his ear, "It's always been through company accounts—shell corporations, fake bank records… cough, I won't get into the details. But yeah, the idea of a detective agency is actually pretty good…"
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it sounded. Amuro found himself touching his chin and squinting thoughtfully.
Kazawa was still going to use the identity of Goro Akechi often.
The Organization had crafted a backstory for him as a genius detective who studied abroad. To make his movements easier, they even gave him a fake academic diploma as part of his ID—though they didn't actually send him to school.
Because of his age and image, newspapers and TV still called him a "high school detective"… If he had a detective agency to be affiliated with, it would definitely make it more convenient for Kazawa to operate.
As for Amuro himself, working multiple jobs and infiltrating different places for missions was already his daily routine. Having a detective identity would just make everything more streamlined.
As a secretive Organization member, he still hated being exposed on camera. But since Kazawa was a master of disguises…
"Not a bad idea. I'll make some arrangements. We can get a license going…"
"Mm, Mr. Amuro, you're licensed to carry a gun legally, right? You have a certificate?"
"Yes. That's actually a plus for private detectives. What about you…"
The two of them were standing behind the counter, heads close together whispering conspiratorially. Their gestures and expressions were perfectly in sync—each with one hand on their chin, eyes narrowed and sparkling with ambition. They finally looked like two actual Organization members teaming up.
Sitting in his seat waiting for Kazawa, Hoshikawa Teru saw the two huddled together discussing something and felt an inexplicable chill run down his back.
…He had a strong feeling that whatever they were planning, it wasn't anything good.
If Kazawa had heard his thoughts, he definitely would've rebuked him with righteous indignation:
"How can you say it's not a good thing? Every single yen we spend is a hammer of justice—it's the Organization's tears!"
In any case, let's just hope Gin is okay.
——
Kazawa led Hoshikawa into the Shibuya subway station, casually handed him a drink, and confidently navigated through the winding underground passageways until they reached a secluded staircase.
"Are we entering from here?"
Counting today, this was Hoshikawa's third time entering the cognitive world. He looked around curiously—and a bit nervously.
"Actually, it doesn't matter where you enter from," Kazawa said, a lollipop in his mouth while fiddling with his phone. "As long as it's inside the subway station area, it's all the same."
"Then why did we walk so far…?"
"To find a place with no people," Kazawa grumbled, throwing shade at the original story, "If we just vanished into thin air on the street… and someone saw us, wouldn't that be the end of my phantom thief career?"
As Kazawa tapped on his screen, the space around them distorted like crumbling wall paint. The staircase ahead of them warped and changed color, turning into the red-and-black entrance to the Metaverse.
"...Whoa." Hoshikawa let out a small gasp as he watched Kazawa instantly transform into Joker beside him. "Whoa…"
"Pretty awesome, right?" Kazawa walked through the ticket gate and, while moving, pulled an assault rifle from his coat and handed it to Hoshikawa. "You know how to use this?"
"I mean, yeah… but where were you hiding this?"
Hoshikawa took the weapon in stunned silence, his eyes wide as he stared at Kazawa.
Kazawa had always pulled things from his inventory out of thin air, though he usually kept it discreet in the real world—using a bag to hide things. But in the cognitive world, he didn't bother hiding it at all. He casually waved his hand: "Don't ask. Just think of it as magic. The car's over there."
The two of them rode the escalator down to the first basement level, where Hoshikawa was shocked to see a round little Beetle car parked on the twisted subway tracks.
"You bought this car?" he gulped. "You brought it in from outside? How?"
Kazawa just smiled without answering.
You'd have to ask the magical Shuichi Akai about that.
Actually, in the cognitive world, the place that needed a vehicle the most was the Shibuya subway's Metaverse area.
This collective unconscious "public palace" had normal consciousness at the top and descended deeper into distorted human nature. The further down, the more chaotic and bizarre it became. The very bottom connected to the Holy Grail of the evil gods. It was a place where space and time were deeply warped.
Kazawa wasn't even sure if this world's Metaverse had a Holy Grail—or if he still had to unlock the palace layer by layer, raising the Phantom Thieves' notoriety as he went. But based on his current exploration, he could only go down to the fourth basement level or so.
The biggest challenge wasn't the combat—it was the fact that he only had two legs. No matter how fast he ran, there was only so far he could go.
So the next time he met Shuichi Akai at the subway station, Kazawa had two requests:
One, switch the protected target from himself to Hoshikawa Teru.
Two… help him transport a car into the Shibuya station.
The bewildered, stunned expression on Akai's face nearly made him drop his cigarette—and gave Kazawa a strong urge to take a photo.
In the end, the all-powerful FBI really pulled it off. Using some excuse about a promotional event, they brought in a Beetle as part of a store display and parked it in an underground shop. Once the event ended, Kazawa bought the car and shoved it straight into the Metaverse.
But since space and time in the Metaverse were twisted, Kazawa didn't dare drive it too far on his own. What if he parked it to fight a Shadow and came back to find it disappeared? This car didn't transform into a cat and run after you.
So the Beetle just sat there sadly at the entrance—waiting for a fated companion to become Kazawa's personal chauffeur.
Kazawa clapped Hoshikawa, his "chauffeur," on the shoulder:
"I already marked the target. I'll mount the phone next to the wheel as GPS. Your job is to follow the marker, find the shortest route, and no matter what weird stuff you see—don't stop. If you get surrounded or blocked, don't get out of the car. Just stop and let me handle it… Understand?"
Having only experienced the peaceful cinema made by Zero's cognition, Hoshikawa half-understood, but nodded anyway.
Kazawa was quite satisfied with his obedient new teammate. He handed him the keys and then waved forward dramatically:
"Alright! Let's go. Time is tight. We've got a mission!"
"Tight on time? What mission?" Hoshikawa opened the driver's door in confusion.
Kazawa threw himself into the passenger seat, cockily propping up his legs. Only then did he say to Hoshikawa, who had just buckled up properly:
"Because if we don't hurry, the mission target's gonna get murdered."
"…Huh?"