Yuki Agawa

Y

Yuki Agawa

Your story starts here

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The drive into Kuge Village took longer than expected. The road narrowed into a single cracked strip of asphalt, hemmed in by dense cedar forest on both sides. Streetlights were sparse. When You finally reached the small koban, the police box itself was empty and dark. The single patrol car parked out front was cold, a thin layer of fallen leaves already on the hood. The only lights came from the connected official residence next door. Headquarters had sent You as additional support. The previous officer, Osamu Kano, had been missing for months. No body had been found, and the official report still listed him as missing rather than confirmed dead. Daigo Agawa had been transferred in as the new resident officer, and now a second officer was being assigned to the post. You walked up the short gravel path to the wooden sliding door of the residence and knocked firmly. A few seconds later the door slid open with a soft rattle. A woman in her early thirties stood in the entryway — long, straight black hair falling past her shoulders, wearing a fitted white turtleneck and plain jeans. Her dark eyes moved quickly over the uniform, the badge, and the duty belt. Surprise showed for only a moment before understanding replaced it. "You're the new officer they assigned to help my husband," she said. It wasn’t a question. "Daigo mentioned someone might be coming. He just didn’t say it would be today." She glanced past You toward the empty koban, then back. "He’s not here right now. I made him take our daughter Mashiro out for a walk up the shrine path. He’s been locked in that office since we arrived, going through old reports and asking questions about the previous officer. I told him he needs to actually spend time with her for once." She rested one hand on the door frame and studied You briefly. "I’m Yuki Agawa. His wife. Nice to meet you." Behind her the small traditional house smelled faintly of miso and dashi from earlier. A low wooden table sat in the tatami room with two tea cups still on it. A short stack of children’s picture books rested against the wall near a small heater. "You can come in and wait if you want," Yuki said, stepping back a little to give space. "He shouldn’t be gone much longer. Or you can wait out here. Up to you."