Chapter 1: What Are the Odds of Getting Caught Up in a Crime Incident?

To you, God, wherever you may be in this world, greetings.

Human lifespan has reached eighty, at most a hundred years in this era, yet we still haven't achieved the form you, God, might desire.

We have yet to build the advanced intelligence system that you, God, might wish for.

On the contrary, people make mistakes every day.

Even when we repeat trial and error, and proceed on what we thought was the best path, it often turns out to be wrong later on.

Witnessing these repeated mistakes time and time again, it’s only natural for you to be angry.

Even so, isn't it your role to gently forgive us, thinking of us as helpless creatures?

Even if gentle forgiveness is difficult, I believe you should limit your punishment to a degree that involves only a little pain.

Especially someone like me, a mere young girl who has only lived for about fifteen years.

Even if I have spectacularly messed up in my life so far, I think a light divine punishment would be sufficient.

At least… yes, at least, I think a punishment that threatens the life of someone as young as me is far too severe.

There should be other punishments more appropriate for a fifteen-year-old girl.

Surely, probably, I wish that were the case.

Thinking that far, I hoped the nightmare before my eyes had subsided and cautiously opened my eyelids, but the scene before me remained unchanged: the back of a man holding a large butcher knife, threatening the bus driver.

Witnessing this scene again, I think to myself once more.

--- I believe it’s really unfair that a man with a knife happened to hijack the bus I was on this early morning on my way to school…

…Sigh, these are the words of lament from Satori Rinka, a fresh-faced general high school girl, just starting her school life.

◆◆◆

I was born to parents of perfectly ordinary lineage and grew up healthy and strong, surrounded by my older brother and younger sister.

There are minor family issues, like my mother passing away when I was young, and a strained relationship with my brother, but even so, our house is located in an area just barely within the city limits, and we are financially comfortable enough to live without hardship, in a more privileged home than most.

Despite being raised in such a fortunate family, my own personal merits are limited to a minor, unmentionable special skill and attending a reasonably prestigious high school. I don't have any other accomplishments to boast about.

My grades at school aren't bad, but I haven't achieved any results in sports that would amaze people, nor am I engaged in any activities in my private life that would garner popularity.

Just a high school freshman who doesn't have many friends and isn’t particularly noticeable—an ordinary girl, in other words.

That's me, Satori Rinka.

A daily life without major ups or downs, in a more privileged home than others.

Going to school and studying diligently, doing housework at home in place of my father who comes home late from work—that's my routine.

Compared to people who have their parents do everything for them, my life is probably less free and busier, but I didn't dislike this routine.

Because modern society, where we live, is enriched by various scientific advancements.

Essential infrastructure like water and electricity. Appliances that assist with housework, such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners. Communication devices like mobile phones and the internet, and entertainment like novels, manga, anime, and games. Looking outside, there are transportation systems like buses and trains, making long-distance travel effortless.

Life has apparently become significantly better than in the past due to various scientific advancements, and I hear that safety is also much better than before.

In this modern society where various things are guaranteed thanks to scientific progress, I hear that many people are bored with a life lacking stimulation, but that wasn't the case for me.

When I feel a little under-stimulated, I can relieve it with games, and there are countless tools for stress relief if you look for them.

In modern society with advanced science, happiness isn't limited to having too much time and just playing around outside; even for students like me with little free time, there are plenty of ways to enjoy life readily available.

For me, with my omnivorous tastes and preferences, the environment of modern society suits my nature perfectly, and I was living a sufficiently happy life without any complaints about the current situation.

Therefore, I certainly wasn't hoping to encounter a stimulating, unrealistic situation.

◆◆◆

"Alright! You lot, don't move! If I see even the slightest hint of resistance, I'll take you out!"

A well-built middle-aged man roared near the driver's seat.

In his hand, he held a butcher knife as large as his thick arm.

Despite holding such a large butcher knife, the man swung it around lightly, as if it weighed nothing.

"You people are my assets! I decide how to use you! Assets that resist me will be disposed of, you understand what I'm saying?!"

Saying so, the perpetrator smashed a window, and a male student about my age who was near the window turned pale at the violence displayed before his eyes and let out a scream.

And it wasn't just the male student who felt terror at the man's violence.

This is no amateur, I thought.

This perpetrator understands the emotion of fear very well.

Making the danger feel more immediate is a good tactic.

If the thought, "What if that shattered window had been me?" even momentarily crossed someone's mind, it would be difficult for them to overcome their fear.

At least with that show of force, any lingering resistance in the passengers was crushed.

The man turned to face the driver again.

"Hey, get on the expressway. Don't you dare stop. If you stop, I'll kill one person each time."

"C-calm down! What will you gain from this...? M-money, I'll give you money, so..."

"Are you stupid? Do you think I'd do this for the money in a bus?"

The man laughed at the driver as if he were an idiot, but honestly, I wanted him to realize he was doing something even more idiotic.

I glanced at my watch, feeling a headache as my school arrival time passed.

I just wanted to go to school…

Only on days when I wake up early to make lunch and breakfast, and leave home early, do I get caught up in something like this.

I was exasperated by my own bad luck, but there's no point in moping about it.

I should look for a solution before things become irreversible.

The bus hijacker started making a call next to the pale-faced driver.

"---Can you hear me? I've hijacked a bus with twenty people on board. I have three demands: one, prepare a getaway vehicle, thirty handguns, and ten billion yen in cash. Two, the resignation of the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency. Three, the complete release of all prisoners in jail."

"W-what are you saying...?!"

"Shut up! I'm on the phone right now! I could kill you and make a passenger drive instead, you know?!"

"…!"

"I'll call again. For each condition, you have a one-hour grace period. If one condition isn't met every hour, I'll kill one passenger each time."

With that, the perpetrator hung up.

Quite bold demands, I must say.

He probably doesn't really expect such demands to be met, so what is his intention?

The perpetrator, looking increasingly irritated, shattered another window, causing the passengers to tremble in fear.

Looking around the bus lightly with just my eyes, there were indeed only about twenty passengers as the perpetrator had said.

Most of them didn't seem capable of opposing the perpetrator, who was well-built and likely had some martial arts skills.

There were about five students like me, eight office workers in suits, three women who looked like housewives, one of whom was carrying a baby, and then a man in his thirties who seemed awfully weary and an elderly couple.

No matter how you look at it, they didn't seem capable of standing up to the muscular perpetrator.

Numerically, even excluding the baby who was no fighting force, there was still a difference of several times the number of people, so it might seem like they could overwhelm him with numbers, but the difference in resolve between them and the perpetrator was too great.

If they were to forcibly resist, there would likely be many casualties.

"Don't give me that lifeless look, girl. Things will be alright. So, just stay quiet and refrain from any rash actions, okay?"

It was the weary-looking man in his thirties sitting next to me who spoke to me as I was assessing the situation.

My eyes were drawn to the unhealthy dark circles under his eyes and his sunken cheeks, but his hands were certainly rugged and large.

If anyone could stand a chance against that perpetrator, it would probably be this man.

"Um, this look in my eyes is natural, though."

"Haha, there's no way such dead fish eyes are natural. Well, it's good that you have the composure to joke around."

"…"

What a rude man.

I stared at the profile of this man, who was observing the perpetrator with keen eyes, as if complaining.

Well, however, he does seem to be trying to resolve the situation.

While the other passengers are trembling and don't even have the will to resist, this man is admirable.

However, even if he acts here, his failure is obvious.

He probably spoke to me to calm my spirit a little, as I was sitting on the aisle side, and to have me step back immediately during the suppression, but I can't step back yet.

"Um, mister. Let's not act now. It will only put us at a disadvantage."

(Illustration No. 8)

"…What?"

"…"

Without words, I indicated behind me with my gaze alone.

It seemed he didn't understand what I was trying to convey, but he seemed to have a bad premonition, as he shut his mouth and stopped moving.

Actually, it's better not to even have a conversation.

This crime, which seems as haphazard and nonsensical as if they thought of it on the spur of the moment, is being committed by perpetrators who are much more dangerous and planned than this man thinks.

"…Hic…"

"Please don't cry… please be quiet…"

The sound of a baby's whimpering echoed through the silent bus.

The mother desperately tried to soothe it, but the irritated perpetrator's eyes sharply fixed on the two of them.

"Hey, shut that thing up. If you can't, I'll do it myself."

"Hic… I-I'm sorry… I'll stop her from crying right away…"

For some reason, the perpetrator seemed to really dislike the baby's crying and the way he looked at the mother and child was terrifyingly sharp.

While trembling, the mother desperately tried to soothe the baby, but doing so with a face contorted in fear only backfired.

The baby, sensing the mother's unusual atmosphere, started crying even louder.

It didn't take long for the baby's cries to resound loudly throughout the bus.

"Please… please, I beg you…!"

The mother's desperate pleas didn't reach the baby.

I could see the perpetrator, who continued to glare at them irritably, gradually reaching his limit.

Before much time had passed, the perpetrator started to move towards the mother, so I had no choice but to act.

Even if the perpetrator didn't intend to harm them, I didn't know what a cornered mother might do.

I stood up from my seat, avoided the hand of the man next to me who tried to stop me, walked past the surprised perpetrator, and approached them.

"Yes, yes, you're scared, aren't you? But it's okay, you can go home with Mommy, safe and sound."

I stroked the baby's head.

To organize the chaotic thoughts of an infant, I made skin contact to forcibly calm them down.

Watching the baby gradually stop crying while hiccuping, I covered the eyelids of the baby who was looking up at me curiously with my palm and whispered "Good night."

Then, as if by magic, the baby gently fell into a soft sleep.

I somehow managed to quiet the baby as the perpetrator had demanded.

But it seems I can't relax just yet.

Looking back, the perpetrator was coldly looking down at me for acting on my own.

"Little girl, do you know what you've done?"

"If I made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry, but the baby's crying was also loud for me."

"You remember what I said at first, right? You are…"

"Yes, so please make me the first example when the police don't meet your demands."

"…Huh?"

I looked up at the perpetrator, who had widened his eyes, and met his gaze.

The mother holding the baby opened her mouth as if to say something, but I turned my hand towards the mother and silenced her.

"Killing me now or killing me later is the same, isn't it? Then, shouldn't you use your assets carefully?"

"Well, yes, but… do you have a death wish or something?"

"Do you really ask a student that? I don't want to die, but aren't there things you can't compromise on? It just so happens that this applies to me."

"…I see."

"Then come over here," he said roughly, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the front of the vehicle.

I was made to sit on the floor next to the driver's seat, and then, thump, the tip of the butcher knife was placed on my shoulder.

"If anything happens, I'll kill you immediately."

"Yes, okay. Please do."

The heavy sensation of the butcher knife placed on my shoulder.

Personally, I was inwardly overjoyed that I had somehow prevented myself from being killed on the spot, but it didn't seem to be taken that way by those around me, and the emotions the other passengers were directing at me were dark.

Especially the gaze from that mother was overflowing with pathos.

Please stop, I have no intention of dying.

I didn't make this proposal without a plan, I must have acted because I found a way out.

Rather, it's more like I used that mother and child to get into this position.

I spoke to the perpetrator in a voice just loud enough not to be heard by the surrounding passengers.

"Perpetrator-san, shall we have a little conversation?"

"…You're really fearless, aren't you?"

"Since I'm going to die anyway, I thought I'd like to know a little about your motives and circumstances."

"…What do you want to know?"

The perpetrator, who asked with an air of sighing, made me feel relieved that he would answer after all, without changing my expression.

The perpetrator, the man who had been saying all sorts of rough things, seemed to have his own hesitation about laying a hand on someone who had acted to help someone.

"Then, in line with your demands, just three questions. First, please tell me your motive."

"It's for negotiation. If those demands I called in are met, I'll release you all."

"I see. Then next, what do you intend to do with the things you demanded?"

"…Who knows."

"I see. Then lastly—do you really think you can get back what you want to get back with this method?"

"…What do you know?"

There's no way I know the details.

But by asking questions repeatedly, I could somewhat grasp the motives of these perpetrators.

Now, if I slowly persuade them… or so I was thinking too leisurely, which was probably a mistake.

What I saw from the bus window were police vehicles running nearby.

Judging by the faint sound of a helicopter, the movements of this bus must be being monitored from the sky.

Tension ran across the perpetrator's face, but even so, his gaze remained fixed on me.

The man, who was doing something as foolish as a bus hijacking, spoke in a trembling voice.

"Y-you… do you know where that child is?"

"Yes. I also know why they are doing something like this."

Even though the police were starting to surround this vehicle, the perpetrator's attention remained focused on me.

The driver glanced at us from time to time, agitated about what was happening, but I ignored him. The climax of the negotiation is here.

"You can't trust the police, can you? You have no choice but to do as you're told, right? All you can do is pray for the safety of your child, right?"

"…"

"---It's alright, I'll take care of it. I will definitely get back what you want to get back."

The weight of the butcher knife on my shoulder disappeared.

Looking, the perpetrator was staring at me blankly, with a face about to cry.

(His hostility is gone. Then, the other one in the back—)

Okay, persuasion successful, I was rejoicing for only a moment.

Judging it was a good opportunity, a male student wearing glasses who was sitting closest jumped at the perpetrator.

Not only I was surprised and aghast, but the perpetrator, whose attention was completely diverted to me, also staggered slightly at the unexpected attack, but quickly shook off the student who had tackled him and slammed him to the ground.

"You bastard! You wanna die, punk?!"

"Hiii!"

"Ah, w-wait a minute!"

The raised butcher knife was about to be brought down on the male student when I panicked.

He had interfered with me when I was just about to talk them down, but that doesn't mean he should die.

He probably jumped out to help me, who looked to be in mortal danger.

That goodness should be praised, not condemned to death.

In a hurry, I reached out to try to restrain the perpetrator, but just then, the weary man who had been next to me earlier intervened.

He smoothly deflected the descending butcher knife, grabbed the perpetrator's arm, lifted it, and easily threw him to the floor.

"Wh—what?! Guh!?"

"---Well then, here's the police you called for. Be a good boy and surrender."

I was bewildered by the rapidly changing situation, but once things had come to this, it would be difficult to persuade the other one.

A middle-aged woman in the passenger seats in the back rose to her feet silently, entering the edge of my vision.

Everyone else's attention was focused on the man with the knife being restrained, and no one noticed such a thing.

The woman approached the weary man's back, while the perpetrator on the floor, his joints locked, writhed in agony.

This, too, was probably something only I could handle.

"Auntie, you should probably stop."

"…Oh my, what are you talking about? I'm just approaching to help the police."

"You usually say that after you've properly hidden the knife you're holding, you know."

Before I finished speaking, the woman pulled out a fruit knife from the bag she was carrying and swung it up at me.

"…No! Don't hurt that child!"

Even the cries of his restrained companion, the woman with a menacing expression paid no mind.

She was too consumed by her obsession to have any room to listen to those around her.

And of course, I knew that.

"Bear spray, it's very potent, you know."

Just before the woman drew her knife, I too had pulled out a weapon from my pocket.

Bear repellent spray.

Definitely not something to be directed at people.

"---AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

The woman, who had taken a direct spray to the face, screamed.

Wildly swinging the fruit knife she was holding, the woman, with tears and snot streaming down her face, couldn't see her surroundings properly.

The passengers around her hurriedly distanced themselves from the woman in her frenzy, but in the meantime, I made sure to open the bus windows wide.

Even if not directly hit, animal repellent agents are still harmful to the surrounding area, so ventilation is important.

"…Driver-san! Pull over to the side of the road and stop! The police should be boarding immediately!"

"Y-yes, sir!!"

The bus that had been running finally stopped.

Next, the doors opened, and police officers boarded and secured the perpetrators. I was relieved that the incident was resolved without any fatalities.

While the hostages rejoiced, I pretended not to notice the gaze of the weary man directed at me.

◆◆◆

"Thank you so, so much…!"

"No, it's nothing like that… I just acted on impulse, it's nothing to be thanked for."

What a thing to say.

It was far from acting on impulse; it was an action based on a careful calculation of gains and losses, yet I was being so disingenuous.

After being let off the bus, we hostages were released, and immediately the mother holding the baby came to thank me.

It was right after we were told that everyone would be checked for injuries and taken to the hospital for precaution, and the fear of being in mortal danger probably hadn't worn off yet, but she was remarkably conscientious.

But surely, a good person is someone like this.

Dealing with good people is tiring, but it's much better than dealing with black-hearted people or villains from the core.

I lightly stroked the baby who was sleeping peacefully and said, "Well then, see you at the hospital," before leaving the mother and child.

School… it seems I can't go today after all.

I was told that the police and hospital would take up a lot of time, so I decided to give up on that.

It's the height of spring now, just after the entrance ceremony.

Taking a day off during this important time for making friends is quite a painful loss for me, who is aiming for a high school debut.

Thinking about how gloomy school will be tomorrow, I wandered around aimlessly, at a loose end.

As I watched the police officers busily taking away the perpetrators and inspecting the inside of the bus, the weary man from earlier spotted me in the crowd and approached.

"Girl, I'm glad you're safe. I was on pins and needles when the perpetrator grabbed your arm."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I seem to have caused you worry."

"I thought you were a bit more composed. I never imagined you would jump out without considering your own safety."

To the man's words, which were somewhat scolding, I simply replied, "I'm sorry."

Even if I said there was no danger, he probably wouldn't believe me, and I have no intention of making him believe me.

Even if I were asked for the basis, I wouldn't be able to answer, and it's not like his words are malicious, so I'll humbly accept his advice here.

"Are you injured? You don't seem to be in a state of great mental shock, but these things can have repercussions later. Be sure to confide your worries to someone you trust, like your parents or friends. And… as you said, those dead eyes of yours are natural, huh."

"…"

He really is a rude man.

May his hairline recede within three years.

"By the way, uh, well, um. There's something I wanted to ask you about, you see…"

"Yes?"

His eyes were darting around.

My heart rate increased slightly, and my heart beat more times than usual.

It's a reaction when someone is about to ask something difficult.

I turned my body towards the man, assuming a listening posture.

"Well, your actions were a bit, shall we say, not exactly commendable… but in terms of the result, you consistently derived the best outcome. If you hadn't stopped me when I tried to act, I might have been taken out by the accomplice who attacked from behind. If you hadn't gone to soothe the baby, the perpetrator might have killed the baby along with the mother. Your actions were dangerous, but they were certainly acts of saving someone…"

"Yes, I acted with that intention."

"To be frank, do you have some kind of special power? For example, like, the power to see through things, or something like that?"

"…Are you serious?"

The cold words I returned made the man close his eyes as if chewing on them.

He seemed to be aware that he was saying something outrageous.

"…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked a victim who just went through a frightening experience something like this. Please pretend you didn't hear it."

"You helped me, mister, so I'll forget what you just said."

"Sorry about that," the man said with a strained smile, and then quietly moved away from me to go talk to the police officers.

Asking a victim strange questions after an incident might be disqualifying as a police officer, but honestly, I didn't feel offended.

Rather—I was truly impressed by the weary man's sharp intuition.

I was even more impressed that he had hit upon such a thing, further raising my evaluation of the man in my heart.

(I thought I might have finally grasped a clue… a starting point…)

The man thought as he placed his hand on the fence and looked up at the sky.

I discerned that the origin of his obsession, his unwavering principle of action, was closely related to the question he had just asked.

The reason why this man, who should be young, exudes such a weary atmosphere.

I learned that this man was pursuing a case that modern police could never solve.

I glimpsed that he had been searching for unconnected dots for many years.

(How much more time am I going to waste in vain like this… until when am I going to…)

Called by a police officer that the car was ready, he turned his back to me and started walking.

I don't have the kind of mentality to stick my neck out into troublesome matters that I don't need to be involved in.

Even if the man's words earlier were on point, I'm not so noble as to confess readily.

After all, I am—a genuine piece of trash.

I wouldn't put myself in danger for someone else's sake.

I wouldn't think of revealing my secrets for some stranger.

I am a person born into an ordinary, average family, raised healthy and strong among my siblings, and my only boast is that I attend a prestigious school.

I have no special skills to be proud of.

Except for a special skill that I can't be proud of – the ability to subtly interfere with people's minds.

Just an ordinary, mean-spirited high school girl.