Akashi wore a deep frown as he saw Amane arrive with a search team.
Amane smiled widely at him.
Akashi might be sly like a fox and cruel like a wolf, but he would definitely overlook her and think he was very smart.
That ego would be his downfall.
"Hey," she said, circling him with a laugh. "Be happy it's me and not someone else. Otherwise, they might have caught you stealing and gotten you into real trouble."
The frown on his face was the most amusing thing she'd seen in a long time.
"Do whatever you like," Akashi sighed deeply. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Dirty cop or not, instead of helping us subdue a very dangerous bloodbender like Tarrlok, you've been running around accusing innocent detectives like me."
He rubbed his chin. "I wonder what people think of a lieutenant stealing credit for someone else's case."
He looked at her, and she knew exactly what he meant.
"Well, whoever gave credit only provided inconclusive evidence, which I followed to the end—and helped save his sorry ass's job."
Akashi's face betrayed him, a glint of tears welling up.
"Are you crying?" she asked.
"The smell is very strong," Akashi said, waving his hand in front of his nose and using his airbending to create a wind current.
Seeing this, Amane was convinced he had found the money and hidden it somewhere.
A smart man like him would hide it right under their noses, where they least expected it.
After the cleaning was done, she entered the house and the team began their search.
Akashi watched, struggling to hold back tears.
Amane studied his face as she sat at the table. Seeing a slight flinch, she searched around it—and found money hidden underneath.
She laughed right in his face.
The rest of the team found nothing.
"Around three million... that's quite an accomplishment," she said, counting the money as Akashi walked toward a police car, looking dejected.
Amane walked past and patted him on the shoulder.
He pushed her hand away.
"It's okay. You'll get over it," she said. "Consider it a chance to be a better man."
"Yeah, sure," he deadpanned, staring her dead in the eyes.
"See you later. Oh, and I advise you to take that coffee course. Because as your lieutenant, I'm going to make you my bitch." She laughed, happy that karma was finally on her side. Boba had fallen, she got promoted, and Akashi was under her. With this new power, she could make him her bitch.
Akashi sighed deeply, not bothering with one of his usual smart remarks.
Amane felt a sense of accomplishment—his silence was a defeat, an admission to himself.
She walked away with the search team.
—x—X—x—
'Idiots… they only found the money I wanted them to find.'
Akashi had split the money he found into 30% and 70%.
He knew he couldn't fill his pocket entirely.
And he knew that if he hid the money in a very difficult place, the police wouldn't give up until they found it.
So, he deliberately let them find a portion.
'She may have worked fifteen more years than I have, but I have two lives' experience.'
'Comparing a cop from the modern era to one from her era is like comparing a modern chess grandmaster to an old-time grand master. The old grandmasters don't compare to modern masters.' He smirked to himself.
"The places they search are the least expected," Akashi muttered as he got into a car parked a hundred meters away, like the others.
The money was hidden in a secret box inside his car.
When he planned to take down Tarrlok, he positioned the police near the sea, expecting Tarrlok to escape there.
He did it on purpose—to steal Tarrlok's money.
And Amane's plan seemed too good to fail.
'Seven million, babe. Adding that to my 1.5 million makes 8.5 million.'
Akashi turned on the engine and drove off.
The other officers used metalbending to lift themselves to the airship that had arrived. Tarrlok would be on board, shackled in metal so he couldn't bend even slightly.
Akashi reached for a few books on the car's shelf.
He hadn't just taken Tarrlok's money—he also grabbed his accounting and bribes books.
He could use those to advance his career and gain experience points by fighting those involved.
The only problem was that they were encrypted.
But he could work around that.
—x—X—x—
That day, Akashi was forced to close his coffee shop for celebration. The drinks were on him for solving a big case and arresting a notorious criminal. Some fellow officers stole fine liquor Tarrlok had stored—some hundred-year-old stuff—and grabbed it. The cops would get free donuts that day—except Amane.
But compared to the profit he made, the expenses were negligible.
Not only did he gain money, but several levels in a row, boosting his power tremendously.
Tarrlok's experience count would only be second to Amon's, the Dark Avatar's, and Korra in her Avatar state—because even Korra without her Avatar state wouldn't stand a chance.
"Okay, motherfuckers…" he thought to himself as he finished writing the report at his desk.
On his desk lay a brief paper he would deliver to his boss.
Another was a detailed report for his boss's boss—Lin Beifong.
He couldn't shake the image of her grabbing his crotch playfully.
The one he would deliver to his boss was his transfer notification.
He knew that once his office's enemy became his lieutenant, his life would become hell.
She'd be watching him whenever he did something bad—or even something good for himself, like taking Tarrlok's money.
Akashi grabbed a cup of coffee and entered the lieutenant's office, finding Amane sitting with her legs on the table.
"Oh, you made the report I asked you to correct," she smirked. "Leave it on the desk. I'll revise it."
Akashi went over.
"You must be happy the office is doing well," he said. "Five cases solved in a month under your leadership."
Three credited to him, one he helped with. Taking down Tarrlok would be his credit, but it made the whole Crime Organizations department look good.
"Yeah. More than Boba solved in a year," she smiled. "Oh, and leave the coffee."
"Sure, you deserve it." Akashi smiled, placing the coffee and the report down. "I hope the solving rate doesn't decline."
"Of course," she mused. "If it declines, you'll face official punishment."
"Is that within your power?"
"Of course. You haven't read the guidebook, have you?" she looked at him with a mix of amusement and years of accumulated hatred.
Akashi left the coffee and paper. "Yeah, as if that's my problem." He walked out, headed to his desk, and began gathering his belongings.
As he packed his simple notebook, typewriter, and other things, he turned to see Amane approaching with wide eyes, horror written all over her face. She held the paper he'd given her.
"What's this?!" she asked loudly.
"My transfer notice to the Homicide department. I've been promised the Sergeant title by their lieutenant," he smiled widely.
At Homicide, solving cases would be easier for him. The Organized Crime department had a limited pool to hunt from. He could advance his career faster there.
And honestly, it wasn't just for career purposes.
Working under his enemy meant no promotions, constant demolition, trivialization, harder work than everyone else, rejected vacation requests, and probably overtime.
"You're not Akashi! You're just a coward!" she yelled.
The problem was that the paper in her hand was already signed by HR—his transfer was official and too late to stop.
"Shouldn't you try to find some detective to take my place?" he smirked.
With him gone, the office's performance would plummet. Higher-ups would question why, and guess who'd take the blame.
Had this been his previous life, none of the lieutenants or detectives would have made it past the traffic checkpoint with their qualifications.
"Why don't you stay? We can negotiate," she grabbed his arm. "Are you upset by some jokes? I was planning to let things go by the second week. Just stay."
If Akashi left, this department would look bad.
If someone performed well, they'd be pressured to stay consistent. If Akashi stayed, Amane could shine—any case he solved would reflect well on her, letting her take credit.
"Let go. No need to get clingy We still can be friend, so let go." Akashi pulled away. "You're a good lieutenant. Didn't you give the higher-ups Tarrlok's money? I believe they're happy with you and might promote you."
The colleagues in the shared office gave them varied looks—pity, anger, disbelief.
Akashi wasn't just a good detective; he was quite social.
He'd helped them occasionally with cases.
Whenever he solved something major, he'd invite them for drinks and hand out free cookies and donuts.
He might be a little corrupt with money, but he was never stingy—even after losing his house.
With him gone, all those perks would disappear.
All their gazes then shifted to the one who forced him out.
That's how they saw it.
Akashi didn't care about his old colleagues. After all, they didn't care about him. No one would think where he'd be going. But where's the celebrations and free drinks would be going. He didn't feel the slightest once of guilt when meeting their sad gazes.
"Anyway, enjoy your coffee. I have a final report to deliver to the chief," Akashi smiled and left through the door.