Chapter 4: The Direction Each Heads

After the police officers stormed into my house and apprehended the deranged man, my younger sister Kirika and I were separately questioned at the police station.

They explained it was just a simple situation confirmation, but I asked them not to ask Kirika too much, as she was still pale and hadn't recovered from her fear, and that I would explain most of it.

Part of it was consideration for my sister's mental state, but it was also more convenient for me.

"I see, so Satori-san, you and your sister were in your room when the man broke into your house, and you just observed the man's incomprehensible behavior while he seemed to be on drugs or something, and you weren't injured, is that right?"

"Yes, that's right. It may be hard to believe, but I really can't say anything more than that."

Of course, I omitted anything about my unique ability and consistently maintained that the man had been strange from the beginning.

I acted timid and nervous, trying to convey my shaken state to the officer as much as possible.

While trying not to mind the piercing gaze of the officer sitting across from me, I noted with relief that the female police officer in the same room was looking at me with teary eyes and sympathy.

It was an act of a girl traumatized after being attacked by a ruffian, but honestly, I wasn't confident I was pulling it off that well.

Still, the fact that they so easily believed my testimony must be due to the strong filter of "a victimized girl whose house was broken into by a suspicious person."

"Hmm, so it's safe to assume there was no prior acquaintance between you and the man?"

"Yes, none at all. My sister and I were in our room when we heard footsteps. I realized it wasn't Dad, and when I went to check, that man was there…"

"It must have been scary, dear. You're safe now, no one here will hurt you… Isn't that enough, Kagurazaka-san? I think it's too much to keep questioning a minor victim and burdening her further."

"…Perhaps you're right. I apologize, shall we wrap it up soon? Could you please go and get her sister? "

"Yes, she's in the cafeteria having a warm drink to calm down, I believe. I'll go get her."

Perhaps I had evoked enough sympathy, as the female officer suggested to Kagurazaka-san that they end the questioning early and left the room to call Kirika from another room.

There were no deep probes, and the suspicious gaze from Kagurazaka-san, which I had been bracing for, was much milder than expected.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, thinking I had somehow managed to get through it, Kagurazaka-san muttered as if suddenly remembering something.

"I thought this during the bus hijacking too, but you really always have dead eyes, don't you?"

"…I do not?"

That was close.

I almost misunderstood his words as verbal abuse and was about to use my ability to brainwash Kagurazaka-san into seeing my eyes as sparkling.

I wish he wouldn't say such strange things out of the blue.

"Also, I didn't realize it when I wasn't in charge of the questioning last time, but you're a high school student, aren't you… I thought you were younger."

"I'm a blossoming high school student, you know? Where are you looking? Surely not at my height, are you?"

"Ah, no, that's not it. Sorry. It's just, your face looks somewhat childlike. Mentally, you're quite mature, so I couldn't quite gauge your age, or rather…"

Is he looking down on me?

I gritted my teeth, and Kagurazaka-san hurriedly tried to smooth things over, but it was too late now.

It's true that I fall into the category of short stature by general standards.

But I'm still a high school student, there's still plenty of room for growth.

Just because my growth stopped in the second year of middle school doesn't mean I'll never grow any taller.

Besides, pointing out someone's physical characteristics is the worst, I'll definitely retaliate against this officer later.

I'm an adult, so I won't use my unique ability, but I'll just tell the female police officer who went to get my sister that Kagurazaka-san was looking at her in a perverted way.

Kagurazaka-san seemed to notice that my mood was rapidly worsening and hurriedly straightened his posture.

"Wait, wait, sorry. I said something weird, didn't I, yes."

"Huh? I'm not angry, though?"

"You're clearly angry… Ah, um, by the way, your sister seems to have calmed down somewhat. They're letting her rest without asking her too many questions, as you requested, and we've contacted your family as well. Your father will be arriving at the police station soon, so please rest assured."

"…That's, that's good. Thank you very much for everything."

I snapped back to my senses.

Kagurazaka-san is a rude person, but he certainly was the first to rush to our aid in our crisis.

And he's also heeding my request and refraining from questioning my sister too much.

There are plenty of reasons to be grateful, so I should prioritize that now.

"No, you girls are the victims and must have been very scared. Showing consideration is only natural for a police officer, but also as an adult. You're bravely cooperating with us, so I haven't done anything worth being thanked for."

"Muu, muumu…"

"From what I've heard, I understand that you did your best to protect your sister. In my position, I should probably say that your actions were reckless, that you should have stayed in your room and waited for help, but well, I'm sure someone as mature as you is well aware of that yourself. I've heard various things from you, but there's just one thing I want to say to you…"

Kagurazaka-san smiled gently, looking at me as he opened his mouth.

"I'm glad you're safe, that's all."

"O-officer…"

I felt keenly aware of the difference in caliber between me, who had been getting angry about his comments about my eyes and age, and him.

"Hey, I'm not old, you know…" he grumbled, but more than that, I was ashamed of the resentment I had felt towards Kagurazaka-san just moments ago.

"…Officer, you're a good person, aren't you?"

"Hey, I said I'm not old. I'm still only twenty-nine, you know."

"Officer. What you really want to be doing right now isn't cases like this, where sisters are attacked, but something different, isn't it…"

"To think you'd say something like that… There's no such thing as a major or minor case. There are perpetrators and victims involved. I became a police officer because I wanted to save victims, I would never choose which cases to solve. That's all."

"---That, that's a very… admirable way of thinking, I think."

This person is a good person.

Undoubtedly, among all the people I've met so far, he's someone who tries to do the right thing more than anyone else.

He has a strong will, a resilient spirit, and maintains a robust physique.

An exceptionally capable police officer.

The perfect type of person, equipped with the elements to solve various incidents.

I hesitated, just for a moment.

If crimes around us are rampant and unresolved, it's undeniable that there will be unscrupulous individuals who take advantage of the chaos to unleash their desires, as in this incident.

The most pressing nuisance is the 'Serial Child Kidnapping Incident' that's causing a stir in society.

I realized with this incident that leaving it unattended any longer would only bring me disadvantages.

Therefore, it's becoming necessary for me to end this incident smoothly and quickly.

If I could get the cooperation of this reliable police officer, Kagurazaka-san, it would undoubtedly make it much easier for me to act.

…No, it's still too early to trust him completely.

I still don't know how capable this officer is, and I haven't grasped his deep-seated personality enough to convey information obtained through 'mind-reading' to him yet.

"…Now then, from here on, I'm going to talk about something a little… unbelievable. If it doesn't ring any bells, please just dismiss it as the ramblings of a foolish man."

"Yes."

Here it comes.

As expected, after using my unique ability twice in close proximity, it was only natural that he would suspect supernatural phenomena.

"Assuming there is a power in this world that cannot be proven by science… I believe that making it public would be inconvenient for the person themselves in various ways. Surely, there are those who have been profiting from it, and those who have maintained relationships because of it. I have no intention to criticize them outright—well, I probably can't say that definitively, but I intend to be understanding to a certain extent."

"…"

"If I'm asked not to tell others, I won't tell anyone. If I'm asked not to delve any further, I have no intention of sticking my nose in. Even if I'm called unqualified as a police officer, I swear I will never cross that line. …I just absolutely cannot forgive those who commit crimes using powers that cannot be proven by science and hurt others, criminals who live carefree lives after taking someone's life. If, if there is anyone who is aware of such circumstances, please, I implore you."

Please cooperate.

Contrary to my guarded thoughts, that was all he said.

To Kagurazaka-san, who bowed his head, I said nothing.

Neither affirming nor denying.

The thought that it might become troublesome depending on how it's interpreted crossed my mind, but I remained silent.

Even though I had decided not to cooperate, somehow, I just didn't want to tell a lie to this person who was only showing goodwill.

"---Well, that's enough of my monologue, sorry about that. Spouting strange things."

"…No, not at all."

I vaguely shook my head while gazing at Kagurazaka-san, who raised his face and offered a gentle smile.

I truly think this world is just so unpredictable.

◆◆◆

The 'Serial Child Kidnapping Incident' is currently causing a stir in society, but there are quite a few other incidents that have similarly stirred up society and ultimately remained unsolved.

The 'Hokuriku Shinkansen Bombing Incident,' the 'Hariyama Inn Mass Murder Incident,' the 'Yakushiji Bank Robbery Incident,' and many other unsolved cases come to mind just off the top of my head, and some are still under investigation even now.

Recently, the credibility of the police has plummeted.

The reason why they are being ridiculed everywhere in the media, newspapers, and even online is because of such things.

It's not so much that the number of unsolved cases has increased, but perhaps incidents beyond the reach of the police have begun to come to light due to the downsides of the information society.

Some, especially those who know the inside story, such as crime commentators who appear on television, seem to evaluate the police in this country highly, but that won't quell the headwind against the police right now.

Naturally, not being solved means there are victims who cannot find someone to direct their anger towards.

The target of these people's anger naturally turns to the police, who cannot solve the cases.

And in today's society where there is a police-hating trend, if someone feels even a little displeasure towards the police, those who loudly voice it will appear.

"Seriously, the police are useless! What are they, detaining us for so long, and in the end, they just let us go without doing anything, what are they thinking!? Before doing that, they should properly catch the dangerous guys! A man with a knife broke into our house, if things had gone slightly wrong, Nee-chan or… I could have died, you know!!"

My sister, who was making a fuss next to me, is also on the side that distrusts the police.

No, more than distrust, she's the type of child who just believes what everyone around her believes is true.

My sister is easily swayed by public opinion and simple-minded, or to put it bluntly, an idiot.

She was cowering at the police station, but once Dad came to pick us up and we were able to go home, she started complaining energetically like this.

A typical bad kid who is harsh on others.

My timid father tried to soothe Kirika, saying "Now, now," but it didn't seem to be very effective.

On the contrary, Kirika glared at him sharply, so my father, not wanting to be disliked by his rebellious daughter, immediately backed down.

"Do you even understand, Dad!? A pervert broke into our house where it's just us girls, you know!? Normally, it wouldn't be strange if something bad had happened, and the police, who failed to properly prevent the crime, should be blamed, right!? It could have become irreversible, you know!?"

"That's, true, but, well, they did rush in to help us in the end, so maybe you don't have to say such blaming things…"

"Dad, you're always too lenient with everything!! Are you saying it would have been okay if something had happened to us!?"

Is there even more voltage to her anger?

My father, receiving Kirika's onslaught with a flushed face, received my gaze, seeking help, with a troubled expression.

"Come on, Kirika, you're making Dad troubled, aren't you? We were lucky to be saved, so instead of blaming someone right now, it's not good. If you're going to do something, how about we talk about measures, like increasing the number of security items at home, at least?"

"Nee-chan, you really only ever say rational things, don't you!! Ugh, never mind that!"

Kirika, sharply turning around to face me at my words, puffed up her cheeks and pressed on.

"More importantly, Nee-chan, what's the deal with you telling me not to leave the room and then facing the perpetrator yourself!? Were you trying to protect me by doing that!?"

"Ah… protect, or rather, restrict his actions, or something like that. That person's actions were incoherent and confusing, so I thought it would be easier to set a goal for him."

"Liar!! I really hate that about you, Nee-chan!!"

"I hate you" is normally shocking, so I wish she would stop.

My father and I, genuinely troubled by Kirika's pouty demeanor, involuntarily exchanged glances.

Looking at my father's face, his eyebrows were drooping, the corners of his mouth were downturned, his expression seemed to say he didn't know what to do.

I'm often told I resemble my father, so my expression right now must be exactly the same.

"Pfft…!?"

Kirika, seeing our expressions, burst out laughing, her lips twitching as she turned away and started walking ahead.

…Probably, she burst out laughing because she saw that my and my father's expressions had become exactly the same.

I'm not aware of it, but my father and I often make similar expressions, apparently.

When I was little, Kirika used to laugh at it a lot, so it must be true.

While watching Kirika's back, who seemed to have cheered up a little, my father spoke in a small voice.

"…Anyway, I'm really glad you girls are safe."

"Sorry for making you worry, Dad. You left work in the middle of your shift, didn't you?"

"Nah, if I heard something had happened to my daughters, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on work anyway, so it wouldn't have been meaningful for me to stay. I also wanted to see your safe faces as soon as possible."

"…Yeah, thank you."

That's a lie.

Dad is someone who can switch gears easily. If he had received confirmation that we were safe, he wouldn't need to come all the way here to check.

He came all the way here for us, for no other reason.

"Things have been dangerous lately, and like Kirika said, the police aren't very trustworthy, so we might need to get some security equipment, huh?"

"Ah, speaking of which, I used up the bear spray. Dad, I want bear spray."

"…Somehow, it feels wrong to be asked for bear spray by my daughter of marriageable age…"

Those things are surprisingly expensive, so I want to ask for it while I can.

Its effectiveness has been proven, after all, or so I think.

We'll surely need it from now on.

The incidents that have been occurring recently are sudden, with motives that barely exist, with a great malice behind them, and yet surely unprovable by science.

Therefore, surely, the police, Dad, and Kirika can't handle any of it.

"---Dad, maybe, the world might become even more dangerous from now on, you know."

While looking at Kirika's back, who was running ahead and glancing back at us from time to time, I spoke to my father.

There's a possibility that danger will approach us even closer in the future.

With criminal incidents occurring everywhere these days, there's really no such thing as a safe place anymore, and we'll probably face dangerous situations again.

So, there's just one thing I need to say.

"Let's continue to live our uneventful daily lives, just like this, okay?"

--- To that end, I will crush all the disruptive elements.

The determination I didn't put into words remained hidden within my heart.

Gently nodding in agreement, my father and I chased after Kirika, who had eventually stopped and was waiting for us, and I quietly took both of their hands.

(Illustrations No. 14-16)