The very first scene from Interpol Manzai, Part 1: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Koyomi Mizuhara rode an otherwise empty elevator up to the eighteenth floor. ｢I wonder why they want to see me?｣ she said in Japanese, as she made her way up the Ministry of Justice building. She reflected that she was finally starting to feel a sense of belonging in her job as a Public Prosecutor. Her intelligence and studious nature had allowed Yomi to excel at university -- and her natural inclination to correct the faulty logic of others had led her to the study of law. Women who had passed the bar exam were still not very common, even today, but that made Kyouko-senpai something of a mentor to her in the office. And she was even starting to get along with Takahashi-san; despite his gruff manners, he really was a softie inside. And she finally got her first big conviction, the Ogawa case, she silently reflected. ｢Maybe that's why I'm being summoned up here.｣ She hoped it wouldn't take too long. Her workload was heavy enough without being summoned to the Department Chief's office. She ran out of time to reflect on the matter, as the elevator door parted and revealed the desks of the bosses' secretaries. The tall, twenty-five year-old Japanese woman strode out in her gray jacket and skirt, which partially covered a white blouse and long black stockings. Her long brown hair fluttered slightly as she stepped forward, her bangs coming to the top of her thin square-framed glasses. The secretary with the black ponytail led her into an office, stating, ｢Mizuhara Koyomi to see you.｣ Yomi stood at attention and announced, ｢Section Chief, sir.｣ ｢Thank you for coming today, Mizuhara-kun,｣ said the man with graying hair and an crisp black suit. ｢Good work on the Ogawa case. I'm glad to see those narcotics off the street.｣ ｢Thank you, Chief.｣ A small smile spread across Yomi's face. ｢However, that's not why we're here today. We have been reviewing your educational and personal history, and believe that you possess, well, unique qualifications to solve a certain problem.｣ ｢Huh?｣ ｢I'm sure that you know public prosecutors also serve as law enforcement officers. While this situation is unusual, we feel it will best serve Japan's presence in the international community.｣ ｢Oh no.　It couldn't be.｣ Yomi's eyes grew wider. ｢You are being transferred to the ICPO headquarters in Lyon, France, where you will assist in criminal investigations, and, uh, damage control.｣ she thought. With a genuine smile, Section Chief Morita added, ｢Further, you will be promoted to the next pay grade. I know you will do your best in representing Japan. Congratulations, Mizuhara-kun!｣ ｢What has she gotten me into this time ...｣ ------- From the end of the first act, with Yomi and Tomo together: Yomi stared out of her train car, into the blackness of the Channel Tunnel which was only interrupted by the occasional maintenance light outside. Not that she expected to see much of anything in an artificial cavern 100 meters below the waves. Still, she had been riding the TGV trains for hours, and, bored as she was, she started contemplating her surroundings. Tomo had been wondering about the car, unable to find something to use up excess energy. As Tomo sat back down in her seat, next to her, Yomi said, ｢The Chunnel is amazing. I'm still amazed that human beings can build such things.｣ ｢I know. It is amazing. Especially with all of the problems they had building it,｣ Tomo said ominously. ｢What problems?｣ Yomi asked tenuously. ｢Oh, well, when the built the first tunnel, they thought that they'd take a shortcut by digging a little bit closer to the ocean. But what they didn't know is that something was waiting on the ocean floor. Something that had been there, undisturbed for for millions of years.｣ Yomi swallowed hard in anticipation. Tomo continued, ｢And just when the workers got too close... they were surrounded by giant bugs!｣ ｢Gyaa!｣ ｢Creatures with ten arms, and this big--｣ she held her hands in front of her, about 30 centimeters apart ｢-- poured through the tunnel and started attacking the tunnelers with their enormous claws!｣ She shaped her hands into claws and started snapping at the air towards Yomi. ｢That isn't true,｣ Yomi reassured herself, but her legs had moved up into her lap and her arms crossed over her chest. ｢Yeah, they sealed off that tunnel. But sometimes, you can hear the claws clacking against the concrete. Click. Clack. Crawling everywhere..｣ ｢Yaaa, stop it Tomo.｣ Yomi was at this point genuinely terrified, even though she logically knew that she shouldn't be. Something about bugs could always get to her, and the clicking of the railcar against the tracks didn't help. ｢Sorry, just trying to have a little fun,｣ Tomo said while scratching her head nervously. ｢It's a long train trip.｣ They pair in silence for a couple of minutes, until Yomi's tense posture suddenly relaxed. ｢Wait a second. So big, claws, live on the ocean bottom? Didn't you just describe crabs?｣ Tomo looked up, as if calculating the crab coefficient in her head. ｢Oh, huh, yeah, I guess you're right.｣ ｢Dammit, now I'm hungry for crab.｣ ---------------- And a portion of a scene from the second act. ｢Geez, I'm starting to get hungry. I think I'll walk over to that corner shop, and see if what they have.｣ Yomi exited the car, and left Tomo alone on the stakeout for a good ten minutes. By the time she returned, a brilliant orange light had lit the turbulent mackerel sky, suffusing the earth with a warm glow. As Yomi opened the car door, Tomo greeted her with anticipation, ｢What did you bring me?｣ ｢I bought Scotch eggs.｣ Tomo eyed the package suspiciously. ｢A skosh egg? It looks pretty big to me.｣ Yomi knocked Tomo in the head with the package of food. ｢-Scotch- egg, idiot. Unlike you, I am an expert on the world's cuisine. Try it.｣ Tomo tore open the packaging, and took a bite of the fried sausage enveloping a hard-boiled egg. ｢Mmm, this is pretty good.｣ She took another bite, and muttered, ｢Hey, there's egg in here, too.｣ ｢I told you'd like it,｣ Yomi said, biting into her own Scotch egg. Tomo switched to speaking English, "A hard-boiled egg for a hard-boiled detective." "You're already the perfect hard-headed detective." Tomo finished her snack slowly, as if lost in thought. When she finished, she once again began to narrate her life. "I sat alone with the woman. She had the face of an angel, with the knowing smile of a gangster's moll, shrouded by a curtain of brunette." ｢What was that?｣ "She had gams as long as Tokyo Tower, with a kick that would make a Vegas showgirl proud; her silky stockings ran up just below her skirt, offering the smallest glimpse of heaven." ｢What the heck, Tomo. Enough, already!｣ Tomo just held her palms out in front of her, only offering, "I still can't understand dames."