Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Snow is falling from the sky, and the roof of the bus station is covered with white. Kirigiri and I are hiding under the canopy from the snow, looking at the lights of the city in the distance beyond the grey curtains.
The return bus haven't yet arrived.
The name of the bus stop is 'In front of the Detective Library'—
At the end of February, Kirigiri Kyōko and I went to the Detective Library.
The Detective Library is a place where more than 65,500 detectives' information files are stored. The Detective Library organizes each detective's file on shelves according to a unique classification called DSC (Detective Shelf Classification), to make it easier for those who seek help find the detective they are looking for.
DSC is represented by three digits, the first two digits indicate the scope of the detective's expertise, and the last digit is the rank, indicating how much the detective has contributed to solving cases so far.
When I first met Kirigiri, my DSC number was [888]– the rank of '8'. The digit starts at '9' and gradually decreases as the rank increases.
Two and a half months after that, I asked the staff to help me update my card, and the number became [885].
"L-look, Kirigiri-chan! Another rank up!" "Shh—, please keep quiet in the library."
The staff member reminded me as usual. It's quiet in the library, there is no one else but us.
"That's great, Yui-onēsama."
Kirigiri Kyōko said with a blank expression.
By the way, her DSC number has changed to [912] by now. She is at rank '2' in her first year of middle school, so she is already at a rank enough to represent the world. A girl with this much talent has been with me for the past two and a half months. We solved cases and lived together under the same roof. I owe almost all of my rank ups to her as well. My encounter with her changed my destiny dramatically.
However... was it just a coincidence that I met her? Or was it all planned from the very beginning?
I can't tell by now.
In any case, her presence is irreplaceable to me. Fate is something that, no matter what path it takes, will eventually come back to its rightful course.
Once again, I stared at my card with [885] on it.
As the digits decrease, I am gradually getting closer to the ideal image I long to be. A detective who seeks the truth and saves people from danger. Above all, what makes this number precious to me is not just because it represents me, but it's also a record of my journey with Kirigiri.
While waiting for the return bus, I was still looking at the card over and over again, and Kirigiri glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and said, 'You look happy'. She still has the side of her face turned towards me, her white breath quietly blending into the falling snow.
