A nasty early April downpour is all but flooding Mitakihara as two small figures in large raincoats walk along the unruly river running through an inconspicuous neighbourhood, towards a large construction site surrounding the skeleton of what looks to at one point become a luxurious skyscraper, now only barely even capable of providing shelter from the rain. Night is beginning to fall already, but this place needs checking out sooner rather than later.

Yosuke: (he aims his camera at the construction as they approach) … Maybe you should’ve just stayed in detention today. We’re not finding squat with the weather like this.

Koharu: (she holds up an umbrella to shield Yosuke’s camera from the rain) Rain won’t stop anyone from talking. Come on. (excited, she begins to run up ahead)

Yosuke: Hold on. (he grabs Koharu’s arm, pulling her behind a truck that has been parked along the riverside for months) What’s our approach here? We can’t just waltz into a homeless camp, these people are very secretive, and for good reason.

Koharu: (she frowns) They’ll talk if we offer them money.

Yosuke: Walk in there waving money around, and you’ll get robbed blind. They’ll pile onto us, that’s not happening.

Koharu: These are homeless people, not savage animals.

Yosuke: Yeah, they’re people. People who have no need to indulge two kid detectives when they could be securing a proper meal instead.

Koharu: (underneath her breath) We’re trying to save their lives.

Yosuke: Try to, yeah. But you know what will save their lives? Money.

Koharu: … Then we wait for someone to come out. From a distance. Will teach us something about routes they take into town, too.

Yosuke: No way. We’re not stalking anyone today. Not without Puella support— (he flinches when a bright beam of light illuminates both of their faces) Agh!

Yosuke looks up towards the source of the light, revealing the silhouette of a man standing next to his bicycle by the side of the road. He appears to be wearing a bulky raincoat, its hood pulled over his capped head. There is a walkie-talkie strapped to his chest.

Police officer: (he raises his voice) Excuse me, youngsters. Is there a problem?

Yosuke: I don’t think so, officer! We were just out for a walk!

Police officer: Are you high schoolers? Do you live in the neighborhood?

Koharu: Why do I have to live here to walk h—mmph! (Yosuke gently covers her mouth, holding the finger of his other hand to his mouth)

Yosuke: (he whispers) Let me do the talking. (he raises his voice) I have something to deliver to my father. He works at the docks. We wanted to take a shortcut, but I’m afraid we got lost.

Police officer: That’s very admirable, but this is no weather to be out. Shall I deliver it to him instead? Just give me the address, and—

Yosuke: We’re fine, really. We don’t mind the rain.

Police officer: Might be so, it’s getting quite late and this isn’t the safest of neighborhoods. People’ve been getting killed around here, you know? I’d rest easier knowing you youngsters were safe and sound.

Yosuke: We’ll be careful, officer. Thank you.

Police officer: (after some hesitation, the officer appears to make up his mind and begins to approach the pair) Now, I’m going to ask you to come to the nearest police box with me, okay? You can shelter from the rain there, and we’ll call your parents to come and pick you up.

Koharu: Are we under arrest?

Police officer: … No, of course you’re not under arrest. I’m just looking out for you. I don’t want you to catch a cold. Besides, the river could overflow. Haven’t you watched the news?

Yosuke: (he whispers) We should just do what this guy says. We can always come back tomorrow.

Police officer: (now close enough to put his hand on Yosuke’s shoulder, he speaks up again) Come on, let’s go.

???: Is there a problem here, officer?

The voice that called out spoke in perfect Japanese, impossible to distinguish from a native Japanese person. But the source of the voice was distinctly an American woman, long, blonde hair, pale as if faded and flowing down to the small of her back. She was wearing a beige trench coat, equally faded, and her hands were in her pockets.

Police officer: Just some youngsters out too late, ma’am. Routine business.

Diana: Seems like a bit of trouble for an officer of the law, right? Meanwhile, I heard something that sounded like the start of a knife fight a couple blocks down the road. Saw you and thought I should report it.

Koharu: (she flashes Yosuke a telling glance, whispering) Who is that?

Yosuke: (he shrugs)

Police officer: Are you serious? Could you tell me where you saw this, ma’am?

Diana: (She turns, pointing the direction she came from) Two or three blocks that way. 

Police officer: Much appreciated. (he speaks into his walkie-talkie) Requesting reinforcements. Got a fight breaking out in zone 189. (he addresses Koharu and Yosuke before taking off) You two go home safe now, okay?

As the officer disappears into the night, Koharu steps forward to confront the mysterious interloper.

Koharu: Tourists don’t go here.

Yosuke: Oh for crying out— senpai!

Diana: (Ignoring him, she looks down at Koharu, eyes dull and neutral) Neither do high school kids.

Koharu: I have a reason to be here. Do you? (she narrows her eyes)

Diana: Reporting a knife fight to a patrolling police officer. You?

Koharu: Checking out the construction site. Do you know what they’re building here?

Diana: (She pulls out both hands from her pockets. A lighter with a dragon engraved into the side in one hand, and an American quarter in the other) I haven’t been here that long. You’d probably know if an American woman was living in your little town. (She tosses the quarter and catches it. Heads.)

Koharu: That was easy. (she exchanges a knowing glance with Yosuke)

Yosuke: We… gotta go, Koharu. Please.

Koharu: You collect old coins?

Yosuke: Senpai!

Diana: It wasn’t uncommon just a decade ago. Got something with coins? I can give you one, if you like. (At no point do her eyes leave Koharu)

Koharu: Only old ones. You carry one of those?

Diana: Maybe.

Koharu: Show me.

Yosuke: (he grabs Koharu’s hand) Let it go. P-Please… Let it go.

Diana: <…Motherfucker, this has to be a world record for Mitakihara. No one catches on this quick.> You, uh… you sure about that, kid? ‘Cause we both know that these questions are getting pretty pointed. So why not drop the pretense and get on with it? Y’know. Save us all some time.

Koharu: You’re the one who’s been killing homeless people. And from the looks of it, you wanted to be found.

Diana: <…The hell have all of you been all these years, god damn…> Okay then. Not confirming, not denying. But what makes you so sure?

Koharu: You’re not outright denying. 

Diana: No, I’m not. But what leads you to believe I’m this homeless killer? What I’m asking is, what brought you to this conclusion? Specifically.

Koharu: Why would I tell you that?

Yosuke: (he whispers) Because you have nothing! Senpai, lemme take a picture of this woman. We can look at her history at home and then we’ll have the evidence we need, but—

Koharu: You’re here to stalk your next victim. You carry around coins that are useless in Japan, and antiques at that, just like the one left at the crime scene. And I know enough English to know that you just muttered that I had “caught on”.

Diana: Hm, okay. But which quarter did you find? I just wanna know, for the record. It’s not a matter of whether or not you caught me— you did. I’m just making sure I have the rules in place for this contest. <Dotting I’s, crossing T’s,> that sort of thing.

Yosuke: Yeah, we’re not telling you that.

Koharu: (she squeezes Yosuke’s hand) 1998.

Diana: (she is quiet for a moment, then nods slowly) The one that lived. So that makes you either a wannabe investigator or journalist. Am I in the ballpark here?

Koharu: Does it matter?

Diana: <Man…> No, I guess not. I guess I just like to know who I’m up against. Whatever. (She pockets the quarter, and in the same motion, pulls out what obviously looks like a burner cell phone. Much older than any that one could find nowadays. She hits three keys, then tosses the phone to Koharu) <Whatever. That’s what I get for hoping lightning strikes twice in this unicorn of a moment in time.> (She sighs, as if both bracing herself and looking completely unamused at the same time. She speaks as if she’s said this line a hundred times by now) …You’ll either call the police, here and now, and turn me in. …Or you won’t.

Koharu: (she catches the phone, looking at the screen — the number of the police has already been dialed) What kind of ploy is this?

Yosuke: What are you even gonna tell the police? We have no actual evidence, right?

Koharu: (she looks at Yosuke, then back at the woman)

Yosuke: We want the truth, right?

Koharu: You’re right… We have no proof, and… We have to let her go.

Yosuke: Oh, thank God.

Koharu: But… (she gazes at the mysterious woman, standing there in the rain) This is a contest.

Diana’s eyes widen, if only by a millimeter.

Yosuke: A contest? What do you mean?

Koharu: She said this was a contest, and—

Yosuke: I don’t think we need to overthink this…

Koharu: What if this is what she asks her victims every single time? And the fact that they’re dead and she’s still walking around would mean—

Yosuke: I mean, even if this is a test, you wanna be true to yourself, right?

Koharu: I might have a higher chance if I don’t do what she expects me to. She knows me. That’s why she kept asking for evidence.

Yosuke: She’s a serial killer! Pretty sure this is the kind of test you can’t win! How big are the odds that she doesn’t actually care about the choice you make!

Koharu: But if we walk away here, someone else will become the next victim. There’s two of us, so… even if she kills me, you know what to do.

Yosuke: … Are you sure about this?

Koharu: No. But it’s obvious something needs to change, since logic and reason has led us nowhere so far. (she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and dials the number)

Three seconds of silence.

Dispatcher: 110, what’s your emergency?

Koharu: I’d like to report a crime.

Diana: <…About fucking time.> (She leans against a wall)