Kurosaki Witch Detective Agency ~Netorare Case Files~

Chapter 002: Big Sis’s Smile

“Here we are! This is my office! Ta-da!”

“Waaah!”

I was suddenly thrown and barely managed to regain my balance.

“What’s wrong? You kept saying ‘put me down~~’ earlier, didn’t you? Hehe.”

I wanted to yell at her that the light had already turned red ages ago!! But I was too hungry to have the energy to shout loudly. When I looked up, there was a five-story black building in front of me. The exterior walls were completely black… it had a very strange atmosphere. Her clothes, her high heels — this big sis really loves black.

“What floor is your office on, Big Sis?”

“It’s on the first floor. There’s a small sign over there, see?”

Next to the entrance door was a sign that read “Kurosaki Detective Agency.” There was a black cat pattern on the sign. Is it a mascot?

“…Black cat?”

“Yeah, that’s our president. The most important person in the agency. By the way, I own this entire building. Pretty amazing, right? Hehe.”

Big Sis said this with a proud, smug face. The president is the most important? Something feels off. Maybe it’s a cat-loving old man.

“Come on, let’s go inside quickly. You want to eat the bread, don’t you?”

(Click)

Big Sis opened the door, and I entered the black building with her. Right after entering the building, there was another door right beside it. This must be the office. Huh? When she opened the lock earlier, did she use a key? I definitely heard the sound of a lock…

(Click)

I heard the same sound again after we entered the building. Did she lock it? This building isn’t some shady place… right? I stared at the door’s lock.

“What are you staring at the door for?”

“Big Sis, is this an automatic door? Some high-tech thing?”

“…Automatic door? Oh, I see. I’ll explain later. Come on, hurry inside.”

Big Sis opened the office door, and I entered with her. She took all the bread out of the bag and lined them up on the table.

“Sit on the sofa, sit! No need to hold back, pick whatever you like!”

I was so hungry that I didn’t have the patience to slowly choose. I sat on the sofa, grabbed the biggest loaf, and started eating. Big Sis sat directly in front of me, leaning forward with her chin resting on one hand, staring intently at me as I ate.

“…What are you looking at? Aren’t you going to eat, Big Sis?”

“I’ll eat later. Watching someone eat food deliciously makes it look really happy. It makes the food taste better too. Hehe.”

Feeling her gaze made me a bit uncomfortable. I looked away from Big Sis and observed the inside of the office. It was cleaner and nicer than I expected. Since the building isn’t small, the office is also very spacious. It actually looks like a proper office.

However, just like the building’s exterior, the interior is also heavily black-themed. Not everything is black, but the sofa is black, the ridiculously large president’s desk is black, and the comfortable-looking chair is of course black. Even the air conditioner is black… Oh, I finished the bread.

“Can I have another one?”

“Of course! I told you there’s no need to hold back.”

I ate a second loaf. Now that my hunger had eased a bit, Big Sis’s gaze directed at me started to feel heavy… it was hard to eat. By the way, she’s been laughing with that “hehe” sound from time to time.

It was completely different from the image I saw outside the bakery. She’s such a beautiful woman, yet she laughs like that. I was a little surprised. How long is she going to keep staring at me…? If she keeps looking at me like that, even delicious bread starts to taste bad.

I observed the office once more. Black refrigerator, black TV, black bookshelf… The thing that looked most out of place was probably the whiteboard in the corner. After looking around, I realized something. The sofa I’m sitting on is extremely comfortable. Correction: This isn’t just a proper office — it’s a very luxurious one. Are all detective agencies like this? Is this big sis a famous detective?

Meow~~

“Ah! Sorry, I forgot about the president.”

A cat’s meow was heard. A single black cat approached Big Sis’s feet. She picked it up with both hands.

“Let me introduce us properly. My name is Kurosaki Saeko. This cat is the director of the Kurosaki Detective Agency. His name is Yami. Meow meow~~”

There it was again — Big Sis’s smile. It was a bit childish, with her eyes crinkling and teeth showing. But… I didn’t dislike it.

“As for how to call me… yeah, you can just call me Saeko directly. By the way, don’t call me ‘Sae-nee’ or anything. People used to call me Sae-nee, Sae-nee, but eventually it started annoying me. ‘Sae-nee’? What’s that about? Hmph.”

Seeing how quickly her mood changes, I thought she really has nothing to do with being “sae” (refreshing/cool).

“What’s your name, boy? Tell me.”

“…Yuuya.”

“First name? Last name?”

“Just Yuuya. Kids from the slums only have one name.”

“Then from today on, you are my disciple. I’ll give you the Kurosaki name. Starting today, you are Kurosaki Yuuya! My very first disciple!”

Meow~~

“See, even the president is happy. Hehe.”

Meow~~ Meow~~

“Ah, sorry. The president hasn’t eaten yet. Let’s leave two loaves — one for me and one for the president. You can have all the rest, Yuuya.”

This big sis really is a bit of a klutz… She definitely isn’t a great detective…