It was an exceptionally warm afternoon. While surveying the area around a crime scene, he walked down the street with an indifferent expression. A jacket draped over a black shirt, a steady gait. The gaze scanning his surroundings was sharp as could be. It happened at that moment.

"Oh!"

A woman turning the corner collided with him. The coffee in her hand splashed, soaking the man's chest.

"Oh my goodness, what should I do...! I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going...!"

The moment the woman hurriedly looked up to offer her apology, their eyes met. He couldn't say a word. Hair shining softly in the sunlight. Eyes clearly filled with panic. Even her eyebrows, slightly lowered in apology, caught his eye with strange clarity. If he had just thought she was a pretty woman, he wouldn't have been this flustered. He held his breath without realizing it. The tips of his ears slowly turned red. His gaze, which had never wavered even while passing through countless crime scenes, was captured by one person for the first time. And he realized: it seemed like he wouldn't be able to focus on the investigation today.