Chapter Text
What does being a football player and being a detective have in common?
One might be inclined to think that they had barely anything in common. After all, being a football player means dribbling a ball across a field, with 11 players as your allies and 12 others being your opponent. You need to have the physical and the stamina to be able to keep up with the on-field players, swerving and breaking through defenses, to aim for the goal on either side of the playing field.
Being a detective meanwhile, means taking on cases ranging from easy, petty thievery with a treasure trove of evidence in the crime scene, to incredibly hard cases involving several leads ending up on a dead end. You need to have the know-how to analyze hidden clues and subtle hints and the knowledge to identify oddities on the crime scene, to be able to connect the dots to solve the mystery.
Turns out, there were a lot of things both football and detective work have in common. Both need the analytical skills to analyze complex situations and read patterns, and both need a tremendous attention to detail to identify small details. Most of all, both need the ability to adapt and problem-solve, to be able to think on their feet and come up with creative solutions to unexpected challenges.
Specific skill sets might differ, but the core of cognitive and behavioral traits were both shared by being a football player and a detective.
That was probably why he was able to become a detective despite never having an ounce of detective training in his life prior to his training period.
Isagi Yoichi, once a starter on the powerful and mighty Bastard München team of Germany, known for his versatility to play as either a formidable and talented forward or as a dangerous and adaptive attacking midfielder. Four years ago, he retired from Bastard München to live a much more toned down life, wanting to chase more ambitions other than becoming the best striker in the world.
So, he turned to detective work. He figured his Spatial Awareness would be able to be put to work in a job where analytical prowess and skills in observing were needed and valued.
He ended up joining Tokyo Investigators, a government-affiliated detective agency that the Japanese government trusted to handle cases that their police force couldn’t. They had all heard about his prior occupation as a starter on Bastard München , and were relatively surprised at the departure of Isagi from one of the most prestigious football teams of the world.
That was where he ended up, now 25 years old and on his vacation.
Slumping against the balcony of his apartment, he looked at the city below. The hustle and bustle of Tokyo’s morning rush hours were starting to appear, people clad in suits and carrying briefcases rushing to get to work, the steady rhythm of shoes tapping on pavement already familiar to Isagi’s ears. The weather was also quite nice — it was springtime, a few days before the cherry blossoms started blooming. Isagi hoped to catch a nice picnic at a nearby park — it has been a long time since he didn’t have any cases during cherry blossom season.
Just then, he heard the familiar song of his ringtone play. Who would be calling Isagi now?
Leaving his spot on the balcony, he made sure to close the doors to the terrace before grabbing his phone. Azure eyes were blown wide open when he saw the contact’s name. He hastily pressed the green call button before bringing the phone up to his ear.
“ Sir Noa? ” He switched to German as he addressed his senior.
“ Yoichi. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? ” His senior greeted. Isagi could faintly hear the hollers of the other Bastard München members in the background of where Noa was calling.
“ Why did you call me, Sir? Is there something wrong? ”
“ No, no. Nothing. ” Noa hummed. “ Though, the owners of Bastard München did want me to call you. Said it would make you more convinced. ”
Isagi raised an eyebrow at that. “ What do you mean? ”
“ Ah…well, Bastard München sort of wants you back on their team. ” Noa sighed.
Isagi was taken aback. “ …Eh? Really? ”
“ Do you have a problem with that, Yoichi? ”
“ No, no, of course not! It’s just that…why would they want to bring me back onto the team? I could’ve sworn my retirement paperwork was all complete… ”
“ The team wants you back mostly because…well, they need you. While I myself don’t see anything off-putting regarding the team whether with or without you, but according to the executives, the statistics were simply a little higher when you were still part of our team as a starter. In the words of the executives, ‘A little difference goes a long way’, or something like that. ”
Isagi blinked. Did his presence in the team make that much of a difference, to the point the team was practically begging for him to return?
He was about to open his mouth to decline, but he stopped. There was a sudden itch in his body — a sudden itch in his body to play football again. He could just imagine him on the field playing for the Japan National Team as a starter, dribbling the ball on the field and making passes, using his Spatial Awareness to create opportunities, then finally using his Direct Shot to win a goal for his team.
However, he simply couldn’t leave his job, right?
“ Tell you what, Sir. I’ll join — but, am I able to set some conditions up? ”
“ Just say it, Yoichi. I’ll relay it to management. They’ll surely try to comply with your conditions, considering their desperation to have you back on Bastard München. ”
“
May I have some off-months so that I could do my detective work? I don’t really want to leave my job in favor of football — but, don’t get me wrong! I still love to play football, though…
”
“
No worries, Yoichi. I get it.
” There was slight amusement in Noa’s voice. “
Y’know, you’re not the only one on Bastard München who also got a side gig in detective work. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of those Metavision users being detectives, right? Specifically under Tokyo Investigators?
”
“ Yeah, you’re right. ” Isagi’s mind went to the time when all of those under Tokyo Investigators took a photo.
“ Alright then. I’ll make sure to relay that. I’ll tell you about the results when I get them. ”
“ Thank you so much, sir! ”
“ Anytime, Yoichi. ” With that, he heard the older man hang up.
Isagi sighed. He was about to pocket his phone, when he heard a ping. Turning to his phone, his eyes caught the notification of a message sent to him.
He pressed the notification, but it led him to a contact that he hadn’t saved, nor had he seen before. Isagi had a nasty habit of not really saving anyone’s numbers, but he was pretty adept at remembering the contacts number by number. Sifting through his memory gave him nothing regarding the contact.
What’s more, the message they gave was rather ambiguous and ominous. It was a link to an address, followed by a request — no.
It felt more like an order .
Go here. Now.