♫ Though even developments without a logical connection
Are surely all unique stories ♫
-- sumika, Fiction
(Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii)

"The drink is ready, please remember to place the empty cup back at the sensor in the middle. We will proceed to wash it and store it."

Peach didn't collect her drink just yet, leaving it there. She was leaning back against the couch, her eyes glued to the television screen.

"Celeste Ashbrand," Peach sighed out, tilting her head, letting it rest on the pillow beside her. "Why is he so fixated on me?"

Peach had requested Arwen to collate every information available on him and display it on the screen. Sadly, the information on him was rather limited, Arwen didn't have the capability of an expert hacker to access the entire database. Family members or relatives or anyone related to police officers, including detectives were treated as highly sensitive information.

Information that only the highest of authorities had access to. The only exception was in cases of emergencies, the family information would be able to be fully accessed by everyone in the police department.

However, emergencies were uncommon these days as technology has decreased the rate of accidents. Especially with people staying in their homes more, accidents have been reduced significantly.

"Is be perhaps an old enemy of yours, Peach?"

"That's impossible," she shook her head. "Night couriers don't make enemies, they just make people owe them favours."

"Some humans can be petty, and hold grudges over the smallest of things. Is he perhaps one of those humans?"

"Arwen, I have never once met a handsome man that is petty. If anything else, they are self-indulgent and incorrigible assholes."

"You have a habit of insulting people like that, and with their egotistic character, is it possible he is one of them that holds a grudge?"

"Really?" Peach laughed. "If he really is that kind of character, I feel pitiful for those who have offended him, especially those in the police force."

"I would perhaps suggest that you take your drink now, the ice is melting and it would change the original taste of the drink."

Peach brought herself forward, taking the drink and the coffee table was quickly back to its original state. She stood up, taking her drink away from the couch, sitting on the chair at the table counter. She sipped on her drink, looking contemplative as she continued watching the television screen.

"He seems like an average--scratch that, an unbelievably handsome average man. Lives alone, works in the police force and except for the incident in his previous workplace...he's pretty much a perfect detective that's too handsome for his own good. Again, how is he so handsome?"

"With the rapid advancing rate of technology, changing one's looks completely is feasible. Plastic surgery that has become incredibly advanced, along with the recent breakthrough in genetically modifying facial features. Achieving the ideal look is not impossible any longer. Also, as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. He might be incredibly handsome to you, but it might not be the same for other individuals."

Peach sipped on her drink again, shaking her head. "I don't even know why I bother asking you sometimes, Arwen."

"I apologise, Peach. Did I miss out on any other information?"

Peach gulped down her drink, leaving the cup on the table. By now, there were three cups on it, and it would only stack up even more for the next few weeks.

"You know what? Nevermind, I just want to know that barricade there was a fluke or was it intentional from his part? If it was intentional, that...really scares me."

Peach knew that if it was intentional, he has tracked her every move. Ever since she had stepped out of the house to pick up K's package.

"The two gang leaders were arrested and the cause of the fight was simply pent-up feelings. According to the regulations, police officers or detectives are not allowed to erect virtual barricades without permission from the chief. If the former is not in a position to speak, the authority would befall upon the next highest ranked position."

"Did he have permission?"

"I am afraid I do not know, and there is no possible way for me to find that out."

Peach massaged her head, it felt like she was going to get a massive headache from all this thinking. It was driving her absolutely mad, and there was no other way to solve this puzzle.

Did he really track my movements, even to the minute details?

Peach pondered, biting on her lower lip.

***

"I only tracked half of her movements, it's impossible for me to know where her destination is." Celeste explained to Michael.

Michael had been bugging him for the whole day, demanding to know how he knew the notorious Peach was going to appear then and there.

"And...?"

Celeste flipped through the stack of papers in his hands, arranging them one by one into separate categories in the shelves beside around him. The shelves were an open concept, and only with the smart lenses on, could they see the labels for each different shelves.

Celeste's superior had gotten lazy, and shoved stacks of papers upon him, barking at him to arrange it for him. Thus, the menial work had been pushed onto him but Celeste didn't even utter a word of complain.

The superior gave an excuse that he was too busy handling a new case to sort out the papers. Moreover, the organising system had become faulty, and the maintenance crew were supposed to be here a week ago. Alas, they had failed to show up and they had to rely on manual labour.

No one in the police precinct wanted to be in charge of such a boring chore. Hence, it has been pushed around, allowing the papers to stack up.

"She has a few regular clients, just like any other night couriers. It's their way of getting regular cashflow. The drunken fight between the gangs were in a convenient location and time, it was at an area where night couriers would definitely pass by. It was also a fluke that the fight had escalated to a point where it was advisable to erect the barricade. Night couriers activities typically occurs around 12am to 5am." Celeste expounded on the subject further. "Neo is a playground for Peach, it's the environment she was in ever since the start of the night couriers. She had obviously become more cocky and let her guard down, assuming the police aren't able to keep up with her anymore. I took a risk to see if my deductions were ultimately correct."

The entire time, Celeste was still separating the papers with ease, never once faltering. There was a reason why he was nicknamed as "super rookie" by everyone.

Michael inhaled deeply, his mind spinning from the information overload. "Okay."

In the few days he was here, Michael had never once heard Celeste talking so much. He had heard rumours how Celeste was someone who kept to himself, and spent too much time thinking. However, Michael was only astounded by Celeste's depth of thinking.

He glanced at the papers Celeste was still organising, frowning in disapproval.

Why are they wasting his talent with organizing papers?

"It's alright." Celeste suddenly spoke.

"What'd you say, mate?"

"It's alright, an unskilled task like this gives me space for thinking."

Michael blinked at Celeste, his hazel eyes showing confusion. "Can you read minds?"

Celeste paused in his movements, looking at Michael, impassive. Michael still showed him the same confused expression.

"You said that out loud."

"Oh...I did, didn't I?"

Celeste narrowed his eyes at Michael.

"Oi, Willams! Ya bloody wanker, where the hell are ya! Get your arse back to work!"

A voice was heard from the outside, and the two detectives knew it was their superior.

"Agh, dipstick, he's gonna give me an earful," Michael grumbled softly. "It's gonna be hours, even though there ain't shit to do these days."

Celeste glanced back at Michael, before marching to the door and opening it, hollering. "Sorry, I was borrowing him for a minute!"

The superior had nothing to say to that, and only barked at Celeste to take his time in an unhappy way. They liked picking on new recruits, but they avoided picking too much on Celeste, the chief lectured them how Celeste would become the face of the department.

If he requested to transfer, they would face the wrath of the chief.

"Cel, you bastard." Michael murmured out, looking at Celeste, as if a beacon of light was shining down on the attractive blue-haired man.

Celeste blinked, feeling slightly creeped out by Michael's idolizing gaze. He recoiled back slowly, raising his eyebrows at Michael.

"Aren't you going?"

"Right, cheers mate, I'll treat you to a meal later."

Michael practically skipped his way to the door, opening it and slamming it shut behind him. Celeste shook his head, focusing on organising the papers again.

***

Peach has returned from another delivery mission. She dragged herself all the up to the fourth story, and walked ahead, making turns until she arrived at a corridor. She made one final turn, arriving at a dead end with familiar-looking ledge. Although, this time around, there was a lonely packaged bento box sitting in the middle of the empty space.

She bend down and picked it up, dragging herself to the concrete wall and slapping her hand onto it.

"Lock disengaged. Welcome back, Peach."

Peach waved her hand back lazily in response.

The moment she stepped in, the doorway was immediately filled with dozens of robotic arms that helped to remove her equipment. She walked through the entire process without stopping, only looking terribly exhausted.

Even the bento box in her hands were taken away.

She was left in her undergarments and was offered a bottle of energy drink that she snatched it away quickly. She gulped down the liquid to sooth her parched throat, letting out a sigh right after, tossing the bottle into the trash bin accurately. She then quickly made a beeline to the restroom.

"Would you like me to reheat the food, or store in the refrigerator for tomorrow?"

"Store it for tomorrow..."

"I presume your mission was more taxing than others today? I have detected multiple contusions on you."

"Trespassed an apartment I shouldn't have, and the fucking granny was still awake at three am! Three bloody am! And then she just released two robot dogs on me, before running back into the house. I didn't even have a chance to explain that I was just passing through! It took fucking forever to lose those fucking dogs."

"Would you like me to contact a medical helper for you?"

"No, just make sure not to accept requests from the client "Li" from now on. Never. Ever."

In the past, there were fake requests from the police. However, the night couriers needed the sender to prove their identification and through the smart lenses, it was easy to find out if the person was linked to the police department in any way. Hence, Peach knew it wasn't a fake request, but it was just an unlucky request that would cause her nightmares for days.

"I will take note of that."

"Great."

"I will activate the restroom function in advance, and the sleep function as well as the night mode right after you have finished your shower. Will that suffice?"

"Thank you, Arwen."

"Of course, Peach. I am always here to help."

Peach finished her shower, dressed in an oversized jacket and proceeded to collapse onto her bed.

"That hundred seventy thousand dollars was so not worth two fucking robot dogs chasing my ass."

Her eyes immediately shut and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

***

The Neo police department was alerted the next day, someone had trepassed a private landed property. The owner of the house apparently only decided to alert the police department hours after the trepasser entered, baffling everyone.

The chief sent the two rookie detectives down, he shuddered at the thought of handling an old granny. It was just like Celeste concluded, the chief wanted to avoid handling complaints from the public, especially in person.

The chief assumed having two dashing detectives would melt the little old granny's heart, he didn't want anymore complaints to be filed. Michael agreed I'm silent acquiesce and Celeste has no complaints about it. Trespassers could only mean night couriers, and he would never pass up the opportunity to not investigate about night couriers.

"The granny is a bloody rich granny," Michael commented, his eyes taking in the view of the large, modern bungalow. "Man, she sure knows how to live a lavish life."

The fences to the bungalow were made of glass, polished and cleaned until it was sparkling, Michael could even see his reflection clearly. The doors to the gates were replaced with lasers, which is a common sight these days. Anyone unauthorised that walked through those gates will suffer consequences that could cause constant nightmares.

Michael peeked in, admiring the garden and plants that were maintained perfectly, even the grass were trimmed to an equal level, bit by bit. There was also a swimming pool, along with a jacuzzi. However, what surprised Michael completely was a robot walking around the garden comfortably.

Technology hadn't reached to the point where they could be an exact replica of humans. Thus, it was easy to differentiate between a robot and a human.

"Yoooooo, isn't that a robot butler?! These blokes are fucking loaded!" Michael began to freak out. "There is only a few of those robot butlers in the world!"

Celeste paid no heed to anything, be it the luxurious bungalow or the excited Michael or the limited edition robot butler. He approached the gates, and it opened without warning. He blinked, watching as an elderly woman on a wheelchair made her way towards him.

Michael hurried to Celeste's side, staring curiously at the elderly woman. The elderly woman's lined face crinkled into a gentle smile, gesturing for them to come in. They walked in, their movements cautious and the elderly woman started gesturing with her hands.

It seems like she was communicating in sign language.

The two of them didn't understand sign language, but the smart lenses in their eyes immediately registered the hand movements of the elderly woman.

Translating sign language...

Translation: "Hello, welcome detectives, please come in. I apologise for giving a late report on the trespasser, as you can see, I am mute. You can address me as Rose."

Michael wished he could swallow back his words from before.

Rose turned her body, searching for something. The door to the house creaked open, and a tiny head peeked out. Rose widened her brown eyes a little, gesturing hastily at the child to come out. The child pushed the door further open, and it was a timid and shy girl. She obediently trotted her way to Rose's side, her chocolate brown pigtails bouncing along with her movements.

With her round face and pouty lips, it wasn't hard to find the little girl absolutely adorable.

She observed the two detectives with her brown beady eyes, as if ascertaining they were dangerous or not. Her eyes kept straying towards Celeste, which Celeste noticed but didn't react. Rose began to gesture calmly, beaming at the detectives.

Translation: "This is Chocolate, my grandchild. Her parents are overseas, and it is only me and her. When the trespasser entered, I became too paranoid and just released the guard dogs, running back into the house. At that time, Chocolate wasn't in her room, and it frightened me, the trespasser was still out there."

Rose paused, inhaling deeply and Chocolate lowered her eyes, looking guilty.

Translation: "I had fainted from the shock, and the emergency protocol was initiated. My butler had to contact a medical helper quickly, once I was fully conscious, the trespasser was gone and my dogs had went back to resting mode. Poor Chocolate was bawling loudly over me, and it took me quite a while to calm her down."

Michael stopped Rose from explaining herself any further. There wasn't any need for her to clear up anything, they only wanted information on the trespasser, and to prevent her from filing any complaints. However, Michael knew the sweet elderly woman wouldn't do such a thing.

"No, mam, it's perfectly fine. Would you mind describing to us about the trespasser?"

Rose frowned, wearing a conflicted look on her face. She looked at Chocolate, giving her a helpless smile.

"It was really late, granny also can't see well in the dark." Chocolate explained, sounding demure.

"What time was it when it happened?" Celeste asked, and the little girl's eyes glanced towards him again.

Rose began to explain, her movements more hurried.

Translation: "It was around 3am when it happened, I couldn't sleep and decided to enjoy the night air. I saw a figure, like a woman, climbing our fence! She was really agile, it shocked me greatly! I just released the guard dogs and ran back into the house!"

Michael glanced at Celeste, "Is it her?"

"Peach wouldn't take such a risk, it's probably not her," Celeste shook his head in disapproval, and his eyes met Chocolate's eyes, making her flustered as she looked away. "Or maybe not."

"Maybe not?" Michael repeated, bewildered.

"We would like to take a look around," Celeste accessed his surroundings. "Is that alright, Rose?"

Rose nodded, more than happy to help them. The chief's plan worked out in a way, Rose's heart melted a little because of their dashing looks, especially for Celeste.

"Is it alright if I brought Chocolate around with me too? It would be easier to have her guide me around." Celeste suggested.

Chocolate nodded at her grandmother, and Rose gestured for them to go ahead.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Celeste softened his gaze, his tone respectful.

What a handsome and polite man!

If Rose wasn't mute, that was what she would have instantly spouted out.

Michael allowed Celeste to take the lead, he knew Celeste had something in his mind right now.

***

Chocolate answered to their questions truthfully, there wasn't any video or audio recording in this house. They appreciated their privacy, and Chocolate's parents were the only ones who had access to the memory card of the guard dogs. Unfortunately, they were overseas and it doesn't seem like they were coming back anytime soon.

"Mommy and daddy goes overseas alot, they are always busy." Chocolate explained, seemingly despondent.

Her lively steps had slowed down, and the two detectives slowed down to match her pace. They were in the garden now, strolling about, with Celeste walking beside Chocolate, while Michael was in front.

"I'm sure they miss you." Michael comforted the sad little girl.

"They do! They always say that when they are back, and shower me with looooots of gifts, hugs and kisses!" Chocolate brightened up, talking animatedly.

Michael laughed, and Celeste moved his hand, patting Chocolate lightly on the head. Chocolate widened her eyes, blinking at Celeste in surprise. He offered her small amiable smile in response, and it felt like her world was suddenly filled with sparkles.

Celeste saw the noticable blush on her round cheeks as she halted in her steps. He squatted down to her level, tilting his head.

"What's wrong?"

Michael turned back, and almost choked on his spit. He couldn't believe what he was actually seeing.

Is that Cel patting someone on the head, and smiling at her?! If all the women at the precinct saw this scene, they would faint and scream with envy!

Michael coughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Are you a prince?"

Celeste removed his hand from her head. "No, I'm not."

"The pretty lady said a prince charming would visit the next day. A prince charming like sky blue--like you mister detective! You are like a prince!" Chocolate gushed out. "The pretty lady was right!"

The two men heard Chocolate's words clearly, furrowing their eyebrows.

"Chocolate, the pretty lady you are talking about..." Celeste took out something from his pocket, an exact replica of those coins from Maddog's hardware store. He pressed it in between his fingers, and multiple holographic images suddenly shot out from it, organizing itself side by side.

Celeste's finger swiped to the right once, and he selected a picture. "...did she look something like that?"

It was a picture of Peach in her courier outfit, showing the camera a slick briefcase in her hand, her mask concealing most parts of her face except her eyes. Her other hand pushed the door open behind her, and it was the only picture of Peach that was captured.

"Oh, yes, it's her!"

Sorry for the late update! Feel free to comment and vote! Thank you everyone for showing your support for this book :)