Chapter 10: The First Criminal Investigation

This world is filled with emotions.

Though they differ in whether they are malignant or benign, the emotions of people that fill the world—

That itself is the energy that drives human society.

For a better life, for greater pleasure.

Pursuing such things is what advances human technology, and pursuing such things is also what gives rise to conflict.

It can turn out for better or for worse, so I can't definitively say whether it's necessary or not, but only for this moment, there's something I can say clearly.

The intensity of Officer Kagurazaka's feelings is persistent and troublesome.

To be more specific, to the extent that he would summon someone to a coffee shop from their day off, that is.

"…Good morning."

"Good morning. Sorry for taking up your time on your day off."

"No, well, if there's a possibility that a crime using that power occurred nearby, I can't really afford to laze around… and still, you brought something amazing."

"Hmm, ah, it's just materials I compiled with the details myself, so it won't cause trouble for anyone. Of course, it's not ideal, but it's much better than leaving things unsolved. I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

A meeting with Officer Kagurazaka on a day off.

Officer Kagurazaka, who should be busier than me, a student, wanted me to look at the details of several incidents, as someone with knowledge of unscientific talents called unique abilities. He had adjusted to my schedule and prepared something like a handout filled with text.

It wasn't that many pages, but creating just one of these, let alone reading them, would require considerable effort.

To make something like this despite being busy, it's quite an obsession.

I really wonder when this person sleeps.

On the other hand, I, who was already starting to feel slightly weary even though I hadn't checked even one page yet, casually shifted my gaze from the prepared materials to Officer Kagurazaka's face, which I hadn't seen for a few days, and suddenly noticed a certain change.

"Anyway, I've compiled details of recent unsolved cases for today, so I'd like you to take a look. In my estimation, some of these involve unique abilities—"

"…Hmm? Huh? Officer Kagurazaka’s ‘officer-old-man-ness’ seems to have decreased… ah, you shaved your beard. Did your superior officer scold you for being unkempt? Certainly, Himuro Station, where Officer Kagurazaka works, has been in the spotlight recently, and there might be media interviews and stuff. Officer Kagurazaka before had, how should I put it, an unhealthy look, so it makes sense, I guess."

"---might be involved… W-what did you say?"

Officer Kagurazaka, who had stopped his hand as he was about to hand me the document filled with text at my words, made a face as if a pigeon had been shot with a peashooter, and then reacted violently.

"Hey, you're really a kid who says incredibly rude things right off the bat, aren't you!? Being honest isn't always a good thing, you know!? In society, there are things like honne and tatemae—no, well, in the first place, the reason I looked unhealthy was because I was pushing myself a bit to try to solve the kidnapping incident, you know…! Now that the incident is settled and I have some leeway, I thought I needed to tidy up my appearance to meet you, as basic manners, you know!?"

"Oh-oh?"

Officer Kagurazaka's reaction was unexpected.

It's not like I can't imagine how busy Officer Kagurazaka must have been due to the kidnapping incident, and I think it was understandable that he had neglected his appearance.

Therefore, I thought that my casual remark, noticing Officer Kagurazaka's change, wasn't something to be that bothered about, but the person himself seemed to be unusually concerned, as he retorted back in a rapid-fire manner.

Seeing such a reaction, somehow… it becomes a little amusing.

While being aware that I was wearing a wry, sly smile, I spurred on Officer Kagurazaka, whose mouth was twitching.

"Pfft, what is it, Officer Kagurazaka? Excuses are unbecoming, you know? No, I understand, though. When you're focused only on work, you tend to neglect your appearance, don't you? Back in the day, my dad was also prone to that, and I was the one who somehow made him tidy himself up, you see. Yes, yes, I understand that it can happen. I do have that kind of understanding, you see."

"Guh…!?"

"But still, cleanliness is the bare minimum of etiquette as an adult, so I think it's better to maintain your current neat and tidy appearance, you know. I think you look cooler when you're not so officer-old-man-like, you know. Pfft pfft pfft."

"…………"

At Officer Kagurazaka's agitated figure, I couldn't help but let out glib remarks.

It's really amusing for me, but Officer Kagurazaka, the target of my teasing, was naturally not amused at all, and gradually closed his mouth tightly, and before I knew it, he had become silent.

Reading Officer Kagurazaka’s mind, which showed that he wasn't angry but was irritated, I snapped back to my senses.

"Pfft… ah, ah—…"

"…What you're saying isn't wrong, so I don't particularly mind. But,  you're saying isn't wrong, so I don't particularly mind. But, you shouldn't say things that make fun of people like that. I'm sure someone as smart as you knows this even if I don't tell you, but there's not much good that comes from making people angry, you see."

"Ugh… s-sorry. You're right."

I was scolded normally.

Moreover, not emotionally, but in a way that calmly pointed out my faults.

At Officer Kagurazaka’s scolding, like one would give to a troublesome little child, my mood, which had been riding high, instantly deflated.

"Wuuuh…"

"…No, it's not like you need to mind it that much, or rather… well, that kind of attitude might be okay with close friends, but directing it at someone you've just met, especially someone older or superior to you, isn't socially acceptable, you know? I don't need you to worry about me since you're helping me, but some people might mind, so I just think it would be good if you were a little more careful from now on, just to that extent, you know."

"I do think I have a tendency to get a little carried away sometimes…"

"A little…? No, well… sorry. You're just too composed, so I had a feeling like I was talking to a junior police officer. You're a first-year high school student, so it's understandable to that extent. You can learn from now on, just keep it in the back of your mind, and it'll be fine."

"I'll be careful…"

Officer Kagurazaka, seeing me drooping my shoulders in dejection, scratched his head in a troubled manner but still gently followed up like that.

Officer Kagurazaka really is a good person.

An adult response that made me realize the size of his caliber and magnanimity.

Officer Kagurazaka's figure, as if embodying how an adult should be, had many points that I, aiming to be a respectable older sister, should learn from, I thought.

It's just my imagination, but compared to when we first started talking, Officer Kagurazaka’s gaze directed at me felt like it had changed from [a reliable unknown entity] to [a clumsy relative]…

"Now then, shall we get on with the discussion?"

"Y-yes, that's right! We have to look at the materials you kindly brought, after all!"

Nodding in agreement at Officer Kagurazaka's suggestion to return to the main topic, I hurriedly started going through the materials Officer Kagurazaka had brought.

I didn't think there would be so many incidents involving unique abilities, but since Officer Kagurazaka had kindly selected them for me, I tried to eliminate my preconceived notions as much as possible and checked the details of each incident one by one.

◆◆◆

Difficult expressions on our faces, Officer Kagurazaka set aside several documents that I had returned to him.

And still looking far from giving up, Officer Kagurazaka immediately presented the last document that I hadn't checked yet.

"How about this next one? A hit-and-run incident, there's a victim, but the vehicle that fled hasn't been found no matter how long we wait. There are several eyewitness testimonies, but not even one vehicle matching the testimonies has turned up. Could a unique ability be involved in this incident?"

"Ah—…"

This was the fourth incident detail.

I lightly read the next single-page document handed to me and asserted, feeling slightly daunted by Officer Kagurazaka's eyes, filled with expectation, as he explained the details of the incident verbally as well.

"Um, yes. It's still completely unrelated, but is it possible that even this incident is unsolved?"

"…W-what is the basis for that certainty? How can you be so assertive when you've only looked at the incident outline?"

"Well, if I read the incident outline and Officer Kagurazaka's thoughts understanding it, I can grasp the general details, and based on that, I can confidently say that no unique abilities are involved in this level of unscientific elements."

"Y-yes, but still, this is an incident that even the police, making full use of their investigative capabilities, haven't been able to solve. I'm not doubting your power, but even if you say so clearly that it's different just by looking at the written document, you know."

"…………"

At Officer Kagurazaka, who was still clinging to his point, I closed my mouth and puzzled over what to say.

These were supposed to be promising cases, carefully selected and brought to me by Officer Kagurazaka, but whether fortunately or unfortunately, the four incidents he had brought were just ordinary, unremarkable cases.

*(It's not like I dislike solving crime incidents that don't involve unique abilities, but I don't want to stick my neck out into dangerous things that I don't need to be involved in and use unique abilities conspicuously like during the “Ziryuu” incident, you know…)*

It's not like I particularly want to get into an argument with Officer Kagurazaka, my first collaborator, over something like this either.

However, I also genuinely want to avoid getting involved in incidents that I don't need to be involved in and risking getting my face known to various people and having my unique ability discovered as much as possible.

Of course, if it's an incident involving unique ability users with malice towards society, I can't leave it unattended.

Especially if it's something related to the kidnapping incident that had been happening until recently, I wouldn't hesitate to cooperate with Officer Kagurazaka to resolve that incident.

However, I shouldn't have any obligation to deal with ordinary incidents other than that.

I'm not a girl brimming with a sense of justice who is determined to judge all crimes in this world.

To Officer Kagurazaka, who was making a troubled face with his arms crossed, staring intently at the document that I asserted didn't involve unique abilities, I pointed at the document and presented another basis for why unique abilities were not involved, saying, "Besides."

"In the first place, people with unique abilities are very rare even on a global scale, you know. I don't know the exact number, but even if there are ten in one country, that's probably a lot, isn't it? Therefore, there's no way that unique abilities are involved in every single unsolved incident."

"That's… may be true, but…"

"Even in a country as large as Japan, they haven't properly grasped the situation regarding unique abilities, and there's little merit for capable unique ability users who can actually use their powers for crime to get involved in crimes. Even if you recklessly search through incidents, I think the probability of finding one involving unique ability users is quite low, you know."

"…………I see."

Even during my middle school days when I was riding high, I had never directly confronted another unique ability user, and if anything, the previous incident with “Ziryuu” was my first battle between unique ability users.

Because of that, I became extremely nervous, and when I became disadvantaged, I almost started crying… but even so, humans with unique abilities are rare, and it's usually impossible for unique ability users to fight each other.

Would it be different if I were aiming to unify the country in the Warring States period?

In contrast to me, who was casually poking at my parfait while saying such things, Officer Kagurazaka made a difficult face.

"But, you actually saw it, didn't you, the place where the kidnapped children were. From the materials and evidence left behind, it wasn't clear what kind of research they were doing, but that place where so many children were housed was just like… a research institute. That much equipment, the connections to operate it. And an organization that the unique ability user called “Ziryuu” was cooperating with—even if we don't know their purpose, it's certain that many unique abilities are involved. And it's highly likely that they have a grand purpose on the scale of national subversion."

"…By the way, I haven't been recruited or anything."

"Ah, that's a relief. That probably means they haven't grasped your existence."

"Well. I've been keeping a very low profile, after all."

"Anyway, though. There's no way a group with such large-scale facilities would just end with the kidnapping incident. In that case, I want to investigate even one possibility, even if it's just a sliver of hope."

"That's, well, true, but…"

That night, after resolving the kidnapping incident and dealing a blow to the still unseen organization.

We had stormed the location where the children were being held without delay, but all that remained there were lower-ranking members who clearly didn't know the full story and the victimized children, and almost no valuable materials were left behind.

*(Illustration No. 26)*

At what stage did the other party realize our offensive?

Is their information transmission excellent, do they possess a unique ability related to precognition, or is it both?

While we had inflicted a one-sided blow, that night was also when I was made to realize that this opponent, whose full picture was still unseen, was terribly troublesome.

The company where that violent man was working and the guys around him seemed to be just expendable pawns, and we couldn't reach the core of the organization.

In the end, those guys were just existences who had been entrusted with the kidnapping incident in Japan—that's all.

In short, we still haven't grasped the scale of the organization or what their purpose is.

"Honestly, I can only be grateful that you're not on the enemy's side. It makes me shudder to think what it would be like if a kid like you were the enemy."

"Well, the ability to read people's hearts is terribly troublesome, isn't it? But, I'm basically harmless to humans, you know?"

"…Anyway, I want to get back to the topic."

"Eh, what about that time just now…? Wh-what, don't tell me you don't trust me at all—!?"

Even if I were to be recruited, I, who want to enjoy a peaceful daily life, would have refused without hesitation, and on top of that, I would have worked diligently to erase information about me to prevent further pursuit.

My mimicry was successful, or if I was thought of as a small fry, a unique ability user not worth bothering with—I don't know, but I haven't received any contact from that organization so far.

I do feel a sense of being left out, but… well, it's definitely better if there are no such recruitment attempts.

I decided to bring the conversation back to the main topic.

"Haa… For example, this incident, the hit-and-run, right. The place where this happened is on a road very close from here, but it occurred a month ago, around evening. There were quite a few passersby, and eyewitnesses too. In short, many people recognized the car that hit the person. Vehicles have registrations and all that, right? If you know the car's number, you can find out who the owner is, right? Even so, even if you investigate based on the eyewitness testimonies, the owner doesn't turn up. In other words, either the identified car is wrong, or there's a problem with the registration."

Officer Kagurazaka looked bewildered, but I ignored it.

I will just state my point clearly.

"To obscure this incident with unique abilities, you'd need either to have the power to create cars themselves that aren't registered in the first place, or to have a great power to deceive the perceptions of many people. For the former, if you had such power, it wouldn't be something that would be discovered in such a sudden incident, and there should be talk of items with unknown origins circulating in black markets, and for the latter, if you used a unique ability with such a large output, I, who have a detection-type unique ability, would definitely notice it. Therefore, these two possibilities are nonexistent."

It's not like unique ability users can immediately detect other unique ability users, but at least there's virtually no possibility that I, with a detection-type unique ability, would miss something with a large output that would deceive many people.

Even after explaining that far, Officer Kagurazaka still didn't seem convinced and clung to his point.

"W-wait. If there are such inexplicable points and unique abilities aren't involved, then why is this incident completely stalled without any progress, that's strange, isn't it!?"

"That's simple. Someone with considerable money and power either erased the registered list itself, or had the police officers on the investigating side do them a favor, and that's the end of it."

"D-don't be ridiculous… something like that…"

"You can't say it's impossible, can you? Officer Kagurazaka, you've seen quite a few of those shady circumstances, haven't you?"

"────……"

Police Officer Kagurazaka's face darkened, like a clean freak who had found something dirty.

I thought veteran police officers would be used to this kind of thing, but maybe that wasn't the case.

Up to this point, I had explained that this incident in hand was unrelated to unique abilities and showed an attitude that I wasn't willing to cooperate.

However, even if I explained it and I myself was convinced, it's probably true that he wouldn't be easily convinced.

…We are not in a relationship where we can cooperate with each other without understanding each other.

Perhaps some concession is necessary from me too.

"Muumuu… Just like I don't know Officer Kagurazaka, Officer Kagurazaka doesn't know anything about me either, right. It's only natural for you to have doubts about my certainty… it can't be helped. Shall we solve one incident appropriately as a way to showcase my abilities?"

"…'Solve it appropriately'—aren't you looking down on incidents a bit too much? Let me tell you, this is an incident that the police have been seriously investigating but haven't been able to solve. Even if you have slightly superior abilities compared to others, it's not something that can be easily handled, you know."

"Officer Kagurazaka is the one who's looking down on us unique ability users a bit too much, isn't he? If you're still not learning your lesson after being unilaterally beaten to a pulp like that, honestly, I don't think there's any cure for you, you know?"

"Guh… you really do poke at sore spots without hesitation, don't you. B-but you see, honestly, there are still many parts I don't know about how much you can do. As someone who has asked for your cooperation, I want to prioritize your safety above all else. I don't want to push you too hard. Besides, my understanding of unique abilities is lacking, you know. The approximate number of unique ability users you just told me is also something I learned for the first time, and even about the power of that 'Ziryuu' guy we caught the other day, there are still many parts I don't understand other than that he uses smoke, you see."

My safety is being considered, it seems.

I'm grateful for that, but I think it must be tough for police officers to have to be mindful of such things.

"Speaking of which, did the “Ziryuu” we caught cough up anything useful?"

"Nothing at all. I could only arrest him on assault charges, so I couldn't interrogate him forcefully in any strange direction… honestly, I'm relying on you for the details of unique abilities too."

"Muumuu… it can't be helped then."

Perhaps I should get him to understand a little about unique abilities, I thought.

To cooperate and solve incidents involving unique abilities in the future, my understanding of unique abilities and Officer Kagurazaka's understanding of unique abilities need to be aligned to some extent.

Therefore, "It's not something based on clear evidence, but just information about unique abilities that I've investigated, but…" I prefaced before starting to put the information about unique abilities in my head into words.

"As I said earlier, unique abilities are truly a talent that only a handful of people are born with, and when it comes to manifesting them as phenomena, that number becomes even smaller. It's common for people to spend their entire lives with potential talent without even realizing it, so when it comes to being able to handle one's own unique ability, I think the ratio drops to about one in several hundred thousand people."

Officer Kagurazaka widened his eyes slightly, looking surprised that I had brought up the topic of unique abilities.

For Officer Kagurazaka, who had thought that I disliked talking about unique abilities, it was probably a topic that was difficult to broach, but this topic is probably what Officer Kagurazaka wanted to talk about most.

Even now, Officer Kagurazaka, being so proper, seemed hesitant about how far he could ask, so I lightly gestured with my hand that it was okay to ask anything he was curious about and prompted him to respond.

"…I see. As expected, the number is that small, huh. That's somewhat understandable, but that… is the talent of unique abilities related to bloodline or lineage? Or, is there any part that can be judged just by appearance whether someone has unique abilities or not?"

"Officer Kagurazaka, I understand what you want to say. You want to know the criteria for judging whether someone has unique abilities, right? But unfortunately, it's impossible to judge whether someone has unique abilities based on appearance alone, and lineage or bloodline is also probably almost unrelated. As far as I know, there's not even one person with unique abilities among my distant relatives."

"…I see."

Officer Kagurazaka showed a slightly disappointed look, but without minding that, I continued to convey my understanding of unique abilities.

"Next, about the types of unique abilities, they are truly diverse and vary from person to person. The unique ability of “Ziryuu,” whom we defeated the other day, was to create and manipulate smoke, but that's not necessarily the basic type of unique ability, and there may be unique abilities that handle fire, or there may be unique abilities that allow instantaneous teleportation. Even my own power is something like 'interfering with people's minds,' after all."

"In other words… you can't tell if they have weapons, and you don't know what kind of weapons they have either. Guns might appear, swords might appear, bombs might be placed at your feet. It might be a bad way to put it, but is that the gist of it?"

"That's quite a unique analogy, but well, that understanding is correct. As I said earlier, you can't judge whether someone is a unique ability user based on appearance alone. However, if they are unique ability users, you can sense their unique ability output, energy, or something like that. If they are unique ability users, you can sense the unique ability output leaking from the other person's body, and you can judge that they probably have unique abilities. But, you can't discern the type of unique ability just from the output, so even between unique ability users, you don't know what kind of unique ability the other person has just by facing them."

Unique ability users can discern other unique ability users.

Police Officer Kagurazaka, at my words, made a face as if he had found a glimmer of hope, but soon made a grim face.

If unique ability users can sense each other's output, if there was an opponent who had a unique ability to manipulate "death," in the extreme case, he seemed to think that I would fall helplessly.

But well, there's no need to worry about that point that much.

"It's okay, Officer Kagurazaka. I'm confident in handling unique abilities. Just like “Ziryuu” couldn't discern that I was a unique ability user even when he faced me, I perfectly control my unique ability output. On top of that my unique ability, 'mental interference,' excels at obstructing recognition."

I'll show him a bit of a stunt.

Thinking so, I took out a ten-yen coin from my wallet and showed it to him.

"Officer Kagurazaka, please watch. Right now, there's a coin on my palm, right?"

"That's obvious just by looking… could it be, are you going to give me a demonstration of your power?"

"That's right. Please keep your eyes fixed on this coin."

*Flick*, like a magician on TV, I tossed the coin high into the air. The coin danced in the air while spinning around and slipped past my hand, which was trying to catch it coolly, and fell to the ground.

"Ah."

While trying not to look at Officer Kagurazaka, who had a dumbfounded face, I hurriedly picked up the fallen coin.

"Now then, in which hand is the coin?"

"Your mental fortitude is quite resilient, isn't it!?"

I didn't understand what he was saying.

Besides, I wish he would refrain from suddenly raising his voice so loudly, it's startling.

"Never mind that, please answer quickly. Here, here, here, here."

"Tch… I clearly saw you pick it up, so there's no way I'd be wrong. Your right hand."

Correct answer.

I nodded at Officer Kagurazaka's answer, which he gave reluctantly.

Police Officer Kagurazaka showed no sign of joy at all, he could at least be a little happy that he got it right.

"Well then," Officer Kagurazaka, being impatient, urged me to continue, and to him, who showed a lukewarm response, I asked the main question.

"Correct answer—then, what is the coin contained in my hand?"

"Huh…?"

"I showed you at first, didn't I, the type of coin I was holding. One-yen, five-yen, ten-yen, fifty-yen, it could even be one-hundred-yen or five-hundred-yen. You remember what it was, right?"

"Isn't it a hundred-yen coin?"

"No, it's not."

I shook my head at Officer Kagurazaka's answer, which he gave as if it were too much trouble to even ask, thinking it was obvious.

I opened my right palm and showed him the ten-yen coin that was there.

"The coin I tossed was a ten-yen coin."

"────Huh?"

It was the exact same setup as when I first showed it to him, a situation where there was no way he could misinterpret it.

Officer Kagurazaka, dumbfounded for a moment, widened his eyes and leaned forward.

No matter how many times he looked, the coin in my palm remained unchanged.

"N-no way. I definitely saw a hundred-yen coin…"

"You diverted your consciousness away from the content of the coin, didn't you? You focused your consciousness only on the coin's destination, didn't you? My power is to interfere with people's minds, and just guiding recognition outside of consciousness to something else is something I can easily do without expending much effort."

"…The reason the man who broke into your house the other day was neutralized was because of this?"

"Yes, using this, I rewrote his recognition. Right now, he's probably working earnestly, reformed, like a completely different person, isn't he… hehe. And, like this, I can defend myself, and I also have some means of attack, so I think I can avoid danger to myself to a certain extent."

"…………"

"Ah, hey, please don't be silent. Let me tell you, this is really just a kid's trick! It's specialized for deception, but I'm just as physically weak as anyone else, to the extent that if I'm hit with a weapon, I'd normally be incapacitated in one hit…! It's really not something to get carried away about, so please don't overestimate it, please!"

Officer Kagurazaka, who had a stern face and had fallen silent, made me a little anxious.

Could it be that he would start saying something like, "If you have such a convenient power, you should protect yourself with your own power"?

He shouldn't be someone who would say such irresponsible things, but I was a little flustered because I was aware that I had teased him too much at first.

"…I see. I've understood your power to some extent, and about unique abilities as well. Thank you."

"Ah, yes. Well, I'm glad if you understand."

To somehow gloss over the uneasy atmosphere, I finished my explanation and got to the main point.

"Then, shall we try to solve one unsolved incident? Is the hit-and-run incident, whose details you told me last, good? It certainly has the scent of being malicious, and this area seems good, right? What do you think, Officer Kagurazaka?"

"Do as you like…"

"Hehehe, from here, I'll solve the incident in a jiffy, and I'll show you the difference in caliber compared to other people, so please look forward to it. Please feel like you're on a safe ship."

"……Phew, I see. I guess I'll leave it to you then."

--- With such a flow, I got Officer Kagurazaka's permission, and my first criminal investigation began.

Determined to solve it within today, I cheerfully went out into the city with Officer Kagurazaka.

First, just like during the previous “Ziryuu” incident, I started with the incident scene, walking around nearby while lightly reading the thoughts of passersby in the surrounding area.

Next, to find the people who had suppressed the information, I stealthily approached the people in charge of the police department and probed them without being noticed.

In this way, I considered various measures and exhausted all the means I could think of, exerting myself for about four hours or so in terms of time.

As a result of my trial and error, although I gathered information, spending quite a lot of time, in the end, no decisive information that would lead to the perpetrator turned up.

Well, I didn't get any results after all.

"……Huh?"

" 'Huh,' you say, but…"

Officer Kagurazaka let out a dumbfounded voice at me, who was looking up at the sky, which was starting to turn dusky, in bewilderment.

Officer Kagurazaka, who had been dragged around by me, who had been so confident, until sunset, was looking at me with a weary face.

"What happened to your confidence from before? You're not going to tell me you don't know, are you? Surely you're not going to say, 'I don't know anything,' after confidently saying things like, 'I'm on a different level,' are you?"

"N-no, it's from here on, you know? I now know that I can't get valuable information in the places I've investigated so far, you see?"

"That is… well, important, I guess."

"Right, isn't it!? Incident investigations start with painstaking information gathering, I saw it on TV before! Even in dramas these days, stories where visible results keep appearing are rare, you know! In other words, I think it's important from here on to consider the best move derived from the information gathered so far and execute it! Yes!"

"Oh, really, and what is your next move?"

"Um, um… d-distributing flyers, maybe?"

"…………"

Officer Kagurazaka's eyes died.

Just like mine, yay.

◆◆◆

At a time that is generally still early for adults to go to bed.

Two men with unsavory appearances were having a conversation mixed with yawns in a space where the lights had been turned off as scheduled.

"Aah, this life in the slammer is really a pain, huh."

"Hehe, but you're amazing, boss. You're so composed even in this situation. Your guts are on a different level than ours, you know!"

"Hmph. Well, this is already my third time spending time here, after all. Third time's the charm, you know. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me."

"As expected of you, boss! You're so cool—!"

It was a conversation devoid of refinement or intelligence, but the people themselves seemed to be enjoying it.

However, the volume of their voices, exchanging silly talk, was far from considerate of those around them, and as expected, their guard heard their voices and came hurrying over.

"Hahahaha! After all, I'm a big-time villain who can't be compared to run-of-the-mill criminals!!"

"----Shut up, you morons!! If you want to talk that much, shall I let you talk as much as you want in the interrogation room!?"

""S-s-sorry…"

The large men who had been making noise in the cell shrank their large bodies and became quiet.

Confirming that the officer in charge, looking irritated, had left, snorting, the two men wiped away sweat.

"Th-that was scary. The guards here are seriously like *yakuza*, you know. Hey boss, have guards always been like that since way back? If that kind of attitude were leaked outside, it would become quite a problem, wouldn't it…?"

"…No, it used to be even worse back in the day. It's much better now. Besides, that guy just now was just putting on a show of bravado. He's a peace-spoiled softie who can't handle anything if someone just goes on a rampage."

"I-I see! As expected of you, boss!"

"But, resisting isn't a good idea. Let's just be quiet and docile for now."

"You're properly looking ahead to the future too, aren't you. As expected, you're different, boss!"

"…Hey, you guys. You're really noisy, so please be quiet for a bit. I want to go to sleep soon."

Perhaps disliking the fact that the sterile facility had become noisy again, someone from another cell called out.

The two men who had been having a carefree conversation were also criminals who had committed crimes serious enough to be arrested by the police.

They tried to respond to the guy who was throwing cold water on their fun with a response befitting of him, grabbing the bars of their cell and about to raise their voices in anger, but their faces paled when they saw the person who had called out to them.

"N-no way… you're also being held here, “Ziryuu”?"

"Tch…"

A displeased tongue-click came from the cell across from them, and the men trembled.

They were men who had committed countless lawless acts, but even for them, there was a law of nature that they couldn't defy.

Strength.

That absolute disparity, which has continued since ancient times, serves as a guideline for determining hierarchy, and continues to create a wall that is not easily overcome.

They, who had taken on the same jobs and had some involvement with him, knew well the terror of the man called “Ziryuu,” and understood that they couldn't possibly defeat him no matter how much they armed themselves.

However, precisely because of that, the men didn't understand.

"Even a guy with power like yours gets caught, huh. Wow, the world is really unpredictable, isn't it."

"D-don't be stupid! S-sorry, “Ziryuu”-san, we didn't mean to underestimate your power or anything."

"……Damn irritating. Shut up."

"Hiee."

“Ziryuu” made a gesture of rummaging through his pockets with irritation, but naturally, what he was looking for wasn't there.

If he had *that*, he would have escaped from this place long ago.

"Tch… that damn irritating brat…"

He spat out, venting his irritation, but in truth, he didn't clearly remember the last moment.

Therefore, he didn't understand at all why he, who should have been in a completely advantageous position at that place, suddenly lost consciousness, and there was no evidence that that police officer or the girl had done anything, but there was no one else appropriate to vent his anger on other than them.

*(Why did I lose? Me, who has unique abilities, why to those guys who have nothing…)*

Since being locked up here, that's all he thinks about.

His self-esteem and pride, which had been severely wounded, were swirling in his chest like a raging fire.

*(That police officer guy is also infuriating, but more than anything, that damn brat is infuriating! I thought she was just overconfident, but she dodged my unique ability attacks, as if predicting them, scurrying around…! I didn't sense any unique ability from her at all, so I don't think she has unique abilities like me, but…)*

“Ziryuu” tried to recall the girl with dead eyes who had continued to fight him despite not having unique abilities, but no, he shook his head.

Even if he continued to recall those irritating people, his situation wouldn't improve.

Therefore, he refocused his thoughts on what he should be thinking about now—how to obtain the things necessary for escaping from here, the trigger for his unique ability.

*(Anyway, I have to get my hands on cigarettes quickly and escape from here. It'll be alright, these guys don't trust my power at all. I don't know what that damn cop whispered to them, but it seems it still hasn't become widely known. If I can somehow manage to get a handout…?)*

In the heavy atmosphere of the detention center, *clack*, the sound of expensive-looking shoes echoed in the passageway lined with cells.

Feeling something was amiss, “Ziryuu” held his breath and peered outside through the bars of his cell, and saw a stern-faced man walking around, inspecting the cells as if appraising them, accompanied by subordinates and the officer in charge from earlier.

Probably a high-ranking police official.

But, no matter how you look at it, he's not someone of a rank that would come here this late at night.

*(What the hell is that…)*

"W-welcome, um, what brings you here? There are only sinners here, and it's not like there's an environment here where we can properly entertain you, but…"

"Is there a guy here with a bad reputation, with many outstanding charges? Which one is it?"

"Huh…? W-well, yes, if you're talking about that, it would be these two big guys here, they're guys suspected of being money mules in that child kidnapping incident that caused a stir in society, and there are traces that they were connected to the underworld to some extent. There will probably be various outstanding charges coming up."

"Hmm…"

Receiving the man's gaze, which seemed full of malice, the men who had been having a noisy, silly conversation earlier shut their mouths and trembled in fear.

“Ziryuu” too, seeing the imposing man who exuded an atmosphere no different from the guys with endless desires who were executives of his trading partners, felt a chill run down his spine.

*(Hey, hey, hey, no way. That's a police executive, right? Why does a police executive exude such an atmosphere that's on par with the worst kind of underworld figures…? Those eyes, those are the eyes of someone who commits crimes on a daily basis…)*

"Is this good enough?"

“Ziryuu” didn't understand the true meaning of the words uttered in a murmur, but he understood that it was something bad.

The figure of the police officer from earlier, whom he had resented, trying to crack down on criminals, now seemed like a saint in comparison, and the man before his eyes, who should be his superior, was completely corrupt.

“Ziryuu” no longer had the leeway in his mind to even think about resentment towards Kagurazaka.

"Even if the outstanding charges of garbage-tier criminals increase by one or two, the public won't be interested. Isn't that right?"

In contrast to the officer in charge, who wore a strained smile, the subordinates that man had brought with him burst out laughing, seemingly finding it truly amusing.