Re:life with Karmic Gacha (Modern Family) Chapter 292: Investigation (2)

[Edward POV]

Chloe slumped over the table, her head drooping low as she rested heavily on her crossed arms, a faint snore escaping her lips. The sun slowly crept over the horizon, brightening the living room inside the seaside villa.

Suddenly, a tall stack of case files was slamd onto the table where Chloe was sleeping. She jolted awake, her hand instinctively reaching for her gun, but then she froze as she recognized .

I rolled my eyes as I pressed the papers down with my right hand. "What are you going to do, shoot ?" My left hand held a can of Red Bull—sothing that made talk twice as fast as usual.

Chloe blinked, befuddled, and cald herself down. Moving her hand away from her gun holster, she asked, "When did I fall asleep?"

"Around the third case file. So, about six hours ago. It goes smoother without you bothering every two minutes, I even managed to solve seven more."

Chloe widened her eyes. "You solved seven cold cases in one night?"

I waved my hand dismissively with my right hand while taking a sip of the Red Bull with the other. "No, only three. Then I got bored looking at a case from 1999, so I called your captain last night and asked him to assign you new cases. After my twentieth call of the night, he relented and let take a look at all the ongoing investigations."

I flipped through the stacks of papers, explaining each one. "Murder, murder, murder, assault, robbery, robbery, and lastly, a pervert. Now, I need you to go and arrest all of them. I can't claim that I solved all of this before you did."

Chloe was speechless for a mont as she scanned the case files. I cracked open another can of Red Bull and added, "I went through everything in the cold case box, but it'll take ti to solve them, so I set them aside for now. I have a bet to win, you see."

Once the perpetrators were arrested, only then could I log the case in for the bet. Otherwise, I would've won tonight cause based on the value of cases we settled on, I had solved 24 cases tonight. Misdeanors count as 1 case, felonies as 3 cases, and serial offenses as 10 cases.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that ridiculous bet."

I wagged my finger at her while taking a sip. "It's not ridiculous. This ans that when they write their wedding vows later on, they'll have to acknowledge my contribution and put my na in there."

"You seem so sure that they will end up together," Chloe said, a hint of awe and disbelief in her voice.

I chuckled. "Isn't that obvious? Alright, chop chop! These criminals won't arrest themselves. By the way, where is your partner? How co I've never seen him?"

Chloe sighed in exasperation. "I work alone."

I humd in objection. "Hmm, no, you shouldn't work alone. It's dangerous, and you definitely need a partner. But I also know your reputation at the station, so let call you so backups."

"No need—" Before she could finish, I pressed my finger to her lips to silence her. "Shhh, don't fight it, baby. There's only one way this thing is going to work. It's either you go with your partner or the other uniford officers, or you go with . Which one do you want to pick?"

I had recently grown to hate the trope of cops working alone because their superiors deed them 'loose cannons' or 'mad dogs.' In movies, it seed cool; in real life, it was just stupid—not to ntion life-threatening.

Chloe slapped my hand away, grimacing as she warned , "Don't ever do that again."

Without missing a beat, I called the police captain, whose number I had on speed dial. "Sup, Captain?"

"It's 6 in the morning! Please don't—"

I ignored him and continued, "I've solved every case you gave last night."

"...What?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice. "Those cases I just gave you four hours ago?"

"Yeah. Anyway, the judge said, 'It'll be Chloe's arrest,' so give her a task force." I said this casually.

Even Chloe looked incredulous at my statent.

"We can't just—"

"You know it's going crazy right now about won's rights on social dia. Imagine the backlash when people find out there's a police detective being sidelined by her captain just because she wants to ensure equal treatnt. Can your departnt take that heat?"

"Is that a threat?" he asked, trying to sound tough, but his voice faltered at the end.

I chuckled. "Threat? No, it's not a threat. It's just a concern. I'm worried about the police departnt, that's all."

The captain was silent for a mont before he made a decision. "Alright. She can have her own team. Not a task force."

"Thanks. So she'll bring the cases to the police station, and her team needs to be ready by then. I can't legally work on a case without her supervising , but screw that. Ah, that serial arsonist case looks interesting. Give a copy of the case. Bye~"

I hung up the call before the captain could get a word in. After tossing all the cases to Chloe, I said, "Rember, do not do it alone. Alright, look at , being all fatherly. Did you have a daddy issue perchance? Would this be turning you on—"

She turned around and stomped away. I chuckled and waved goodbye to her before heading out for a run by the sea.

I had so excess energy to burn from the Red Bull, and I hadn't done any cardio in a while, so I put on my running shorts, a black tank top, running shoes, and a black cap. Wearing headphones, I started jogging through the neighborhood.

The neighborhood was gated, but that didn't stop so paparazzi from camping out where they could see my house from outside the gate. So even broke through the gate occasionally, dealing with the legal repercussions afterward.

After running for a mile, I finally reached the beachfront near my neighborhood, where the morning sun glinted off the waves, creating a beautiful shimr. The warm California sun rose higher, casting a golden hue over the sandy shore. The sound of waves crashing mixed with laughter and chatter as people jogged, walked their dogs, and set up for yoga classes on the beach. Surfers dotted the horizon, waiting for the perfect wave, while families spread out their blankets for a day of fun in the sun.

My breath was steady as I jogged alongside the beach, passing other runners and people enjoying the morning. The air was filled with the salty scent of the ocean, mingled with the aroma of fresh coffee from a nearby café.

Suddenly, I heard barking behind . "Hmm?" I turned around and saw a golden retriever chasing after , his tongue hanging out and tail wagging furiously.

Bursting into laughter, I stopped running and turned to the dog. He wagged his tail happily as he stopped in front of . Crouching slightly, I started rubbing his face. "Why are you following , big guy? Where is your owner?"

"Woof!" The dog barked, moving left and right anxiously, seemingly trying to complain to about sothing. I checked his collar and figured out his na.

"Roxy!" I heard a woman's voice shouting from afar. She was running straight toward as she spotted the dog. Surprisingly, it was soone I knew.

Ashley Benson scolded the golden retriever as she hooked the leash back to his collar. "Please stop running away every ti we get to the beach! I can't chase after you every single ti," she exclaid, visibly tired.

Wearing a sports bra and tight jogger, she was planning to enjoy so ti at a cafe nearby when her dog suddenly ran away. Her words made snicker, catching her attention. She turned toward , her face flushed with embarrassnt, "Sorry for bothering you."

"No, no, it's fine, Roxy is quite cute." I waved my hand dismissively. "I should continue running if I want to keep my heart rate up. See you later, Ashley."

"Huh?" She looked confused at first, but then recognition clicked in as I pulled up my hat to show her my face.

I resud running while Ashley stood frozen. As I moved away, I heard her squeal in excitent. She squatted next to Roxy, "Baby, that's Edward! That hottie I told you about! I can't believe I t him here!"

She squealed again, rubbing Roxy's fur around his neck. "AHHH! What am I going to do, Roxy? Is this destiny or sothing? How can it be such a coincidence that the guy you were running toward is him?! Wait, should I invite him to get a so coffee with at the cafe–"

The idea ca too late, and I was already too far away. I continued running past the beachfront, making a circular turn to return back to my house, which made a girl who expected to run back on the sa path waited for my return for nothing. However, after 7 continuous miles, I finally had to stop to get a drink.

"Ah, damn cardio," I panted slightly before heading to a vending machine at a nearby park for so water.

I stood beside a basketball court as I took my water break when suddenly the people inside noticed . Most of the players were African Arican, and one of them recognized .

It was a young college guy who pointed at while holding a ball with his other hand. "Hey, you're the Newgate dude, right?"

"That's ," I replied casually with a polite smile. He brightened up and said, "Man, I didn't like you."

"That's a normal thing to say to soone," I mumbled. He snorted and replied, "Sorry, didn't an it that way. I like you now, though, after the whole getting arrested thing."

One of the older n, bald with a thick beard, walked over and scolded the boy, "Man, if you want to talk, throw the ball."

"N****, that's that kid Newgate," the young man whispered to the older guy. "For real?" The older man turned to , saying, "Boy, I didn't like you before."

I raised an eyebrow, slightly incredulous. The young man burst into laughter and clarified, "Before—before!"

The older guy continued, "Man, you punched the hell out of that dude. I swear I saw his teeth fly in that video. No one believes , though."

I nodded in understanding. "His teeth did, in fact, fly."

Both of them erupted in laughter before the older one said, "You're quite cool. What do you say, we lack a player... You... wanna play ball?"

"Sure, if you don't mind losing to a white guy," I teased.

They both snorted in amusent, and the older one replied, "Alright, white boy. Let's see what you got. Don't cry to your girlfriend afterward when you fall on your face."

He threw the ball at , and I caught it easily. The older one—Dan—and the younger one, Chris, played on the opposite team. The match was intense, and they weren't going easy on at all—which was a good thing.

As I caught the ball, I dribbled it before jumping to the net and dunking it inside.

"OH DAMN!" Dan shouted in frustration, sweat pouring down his face. I high-fived my teammates and laughed at him, which only fueled his annoyance and determination for the next point.

The back-and-forth continued for a while, but eventually, the older guys couldn't keep playing any longer. Only Chris and I remained standing, while the others slumped on the ground, groaning and whining about how their bodies didn't work as they used to, or how they would've buried us in the match.

"Ah, you're a terrifying white dude. You should try out for the NBA," Dan said teasingly.

I scoffed and replied, "I'm already busy enough as it is." I checked my watch and exclaid, "Ah, I should run back now."

Chris asked, "You coming again tomorrow?"

"I will if I have the ti. Here, take my number and give yours." I exchanged contact information with him. Before I left, I turned to Chris and Dan and asked, "I'm confused about sothing. Why did you suddenly like now? Is it only because I punched that guy?"

Chris shook his head and teased, "Nah, it's because you have a mugshot now."

Dan snickered and asked, "You want to be real?"

"Yes, please," I replied without hesitation.

Dan smiled and said, "It's because you take responsibility for your actions. Honestly, when I saw the news, I thought, 'Ah, another celebrity above the law.' When you're soone who gets hassled by the fuzz just for walking down the street to your nephew's house, I didn't really have a strong opinion on your kind of people. I have a Phd you know, but sohow, they still looked at like I'm so sort of threat."

I nodded in understanding and let him continue.

"But then the news broke out about why you did that. It impressed that you're standing up for yourself. I didn't really like you back then, but when I found out you refused to settle with that ass—prick and even went to court yourself? Man! I thought you were a rockstar."

A lot of people shared the sa sentint as him. For the majority of the male population, I was no longer seen as that 'teen heartthrob'. It made a lot of people who hate for nothing beco a fan of mine after the incident.

"I kinda am, a little bit," I interjected with a coy smile.

Dan grimaced, "Don't."

I laughed awkwardly, which made him burst into laughter. He patted my back roughly and said, "I'm just kidding. I like your music."

Chris exposed Dan, "He likes your girlfriend's music better. He thought we won't notice it, but he will listen to Taylor S. everyti–"

Before Chris could finish, Dan covered his mouth. With an anxious face, he told , "You should go back now, aren't you late?"

"He will even sing along to 'You Belong With !' and he knows every word!" Chris exposed his Uncle.

"I will beat your ass!" Dan warned Chris who ran away from him quickly.

"Ah, thank you guys! This has been fun." I wore my earphones again and told them, "If I have so ti to play, I will make sure to text you guys."

Then, I left the basketball court. After 20 more minutes of running, I finally returned to my house.

"Should I sleep or continue working on the cases? Hmmm.... I guess I should sleep for a bit." I walked to the couch from the front door, and imdiately activated the [rest skill], making myself fall to sleep before my body even hit the couch cushions.

...

[General POV]

Brooklyn, 99th Police Precinct

"You're not assigning us more cases? But why? I need that to win the bet!" Jake argued with Captain Holt while inside the captain's office. Amy, Boyle, Rosa, and Terry stood by Jake's side, all of them having been called into the office.

Holt explained in his usual monotone voice, "Do you know what will happen if you win the bet?"

Jake interjected hurriedly, a huge grin on his face. "There's no 'if,' Captain. I, Jake Peralta, the most brilliant detective in this building, will definitely win."

"That's quite a big talk from soone who struggled to keep up with my points," Amy said with a slight smirk. Jake turned to her and replied, "I know you're excited about going on a date with , Amy, but be professional. We're in front of the captain."

"I wasn't—" Amy widened her eyes and stamred. Captain Holt raised his hand and interrupted, "Enough. I don't have ti for this childish ga you all made with a literal child. You are not to continue with this bet."

Boyle asked, "What's the concern, Captain? Why are you so against it?"

Holt explained, "Because the outco will surely raise potential bribery concerns about our departnt. Police departnts have strict policies regarding gifts and donations."

Holt stood up and continued, "It may require a formal review process to determine if the donation aligns with departntal guidelines and ethical standards. In this case, I do not think tricking an adolescent into buying our departnt's new luxury vehicle is ethical."

"Wait, so you want us to stop this bet because you think we might win, not because you think we'll lose?" Terry asked, a mix of confusion and admiration in his tone.

Holt replied casually, "Yes. All of you are accomplished professionals. I expect you to act that way and not take advantage of others." Everyone exclaid as they thought Holt was being sweet, all except Rosa.

Suddenly, Rosa received a text ssage while the others were snickering. She sighed and said to Holt, "Captain, while you were having your mont, that Newgate prick updated his case board."

Holt smirked. "See? It's now noon, and he only solved one case—" His smile froze when Rosa interjected, "He solved nine. The total value is twenty-four based on what we agreed on. He already won."

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Jake whined in a high-pitched voice. "Amy only got eight! And she's the frontrunner out of all of us!" Boyle added.

"Nope. All the perps already confessed to their cris. He won while we were arguing about professionalism. Good job, everyone." Rosa said curtly and sarcastically.

"Oh," Captain Holt exclaid curtly, his expression shifting to one of humiliation. "I guess I was wrong."

With his hands on his hips, Jake turned to Holt, trying to contain his anger. "You think?"

Rosa suddenly received another text. She sighed and read it aloud. "Newgate said, 'Chloe only arrested four people, while the others were arrested by other detectives. He thought about it and decided to only submit those points.'"

"Is he pitying us?" Boyle asked, a hint of humiliation in his voice.

Terry sighed. "He might be trying to be kind and let us save face, but this feels worse than him already winning the bet!"

Holt suddenly said, "Then what are you waiting for? GO! Take as many cases as you want! You need to maintain the dignity of the police departnt and not let him win without giving him so competition!"

"Thanks, Captain," Jake said.

"No ti for gratitude! GO AND SOLVE CASES!" Holt chased everyone out of his office. "GO, GO, GO!"

Jake stopped Boyle when they got outside of the office, "Boyle, I'm sorry that I'm asking you this, but I think the reason we are so late in solving the cases, is because all of us are working on our own. We should work with our partners if we want to win"

Boyle gasped and said, "You want to do it together? What happened to 'I'm a lone wolf'?"

Jake waved his hand dismissively and said, "Eh, I don't care about not being called that if I can win. Let's go. I already solved 4 more felonies, but I haven't arrested the perps yet because I want to stack them and win all at once."

Back to California, Edward stretched his arms in the air as he let out a huge yawn. He was at the movie set where he would record a short scene today. Pepper slapped his back and scolded him, "You have already won, why did you make things difficult for yourself?"

"Oww." Edward rubbed his sore bicep and replied, "It's too boring to win without any competitions. Besides, I have my eye on that serial arsonist case. I want to solve that one as the last case to win the bet."

Pepper scolded him again, "Why did you even decide to start the bet when you're busy enough as it is! You're making worried sick! Take better care of yourself!"

"I will!...In about 5 years." Edward replied mischievously.

"What?!" Pepper retorted angrily. Edward ran away hurriedly before Pepper could get mad again. When he returned ho, the case file for the serial arsonist case was already at his house, and on top of the case file was a note from Chloe telling him that he could work without her.

"I'm not going to wait anyway." Edward muttered before he opened the case files. "7 fires, all have the sa MO, even clues and a calling card left behind by the perp. This sounds interesting."

Edward turned to the clues left behind by the perps with a face full of excitent. "The clues are written in hieroglyphs and ancient sanskrit? I need to decipher it to—"

Before Edward could even try to decipher the clues, Robin suddenly chid in, "The culprit responsible for the recent fires is Emily Wallaby, 29 years old, daughter of Professor Walla Walla Wallaby who has a master's degree in Ancient Languages and Cultural Symbolism."

Robin pulled up the picture of the woman using the hologram projection, even her AI body appeared too, "Based on her GPS records, she was at all the places when the cri happened. I also found several internet searches in her laptop pertaining to thods of starting fires."

Flabbergasted, Edward widened his eyes and asked, "Robin!? What are you doing?!"

Robin was confused, "Solving cases sir. I wanted to lighten your load. You seem to be doing too much recently, and you need so rest."

"I— Wha– How– I–" Edward stamred for a while, he couldn't even respond properly to the situation. "I...Ugh!" He stood up from the chair and pouted. "I wanted to solve it by myself!" He whined and accidentally knocked on the cold cases box Chloe brought over last night.

"Ugh." He groaned again and went to pick up the cases from the floor when his eyes caught sothing strange. "Unsolved case...Serial Killer...Code- Tea Ti Strangler?"