novelhk Page 125
Page 125
"Then let's drink plain water." Upon hearing this, Yuji Takamatsu decisively closed the cabinet door, picked up the glass pitcher on the table, and poured him a glass of clear, plain water.
Koshimura Sawa: "?"
“Although the Bureau of Investigation is a newly established organization, it has already built an incredibly mature system to ensure that no matter where in Japan a ‘Disorderly Person’ is sighted, a specialist will arrive at the scene in a timely manner to handle the situation,” Yuji Takamatsu continued. “Moreover, because we were established with direct authorization from above, we are theoretically an organization on the same level as the Adventurers’ Guild.”
"Then what was that bookstore over there in Haneoka before...?" Koshimura asked, somewhat puzzled, recalling the bookstore he had seen before.
"It's a branch specifically responsible for Haneoka, Tsuki no Mori, and Hanasaki River, which are the 'Three Great Schools' and their surrounding areas. I only stayed there for a while because of the series of disappearances that happened before," Yuji Takamatsu explained. "Students are the ones who can detect anomalies first and notice suspicious signs on campus immediately. Even if they encounter situations they can't handle, they can use their Anomaly Investigation Bureau's authority to call for support from teachers and the Adventurers' Guild at any time... It's just that the vetting process is quite strict, so we've only been able to recruit people in Haneoka so far."
That's true, after all, Yuqiu has many divine beings who are also divine.
But one of you is a mage from the Bewitching School, and the other is a middle school student still in preparatory class. Do you really have any fighting ability?
It's more reliable to put on a show before the battle so the other side laughs to death.
"Director." Wen Shuijia walked in carrying a stack of documents.
"Okay." Yuji Takamatsu nodded and took the documents from her hand. "That's all, you can go back now."
"Yes, Director." Wen Shuijia nodded, glanced at Yue Cunze with pity, and then turned and left.
Koshimura Sawa: "?"
"The main reason I called you here is this." Yuji Takamatsu pushed the document in front of Koshimura Sawa. "About... never mind, you can see it yourself."
Koshimura looked at the layers of papers on the table, the dense red stamps standing out prominently.
"...What's this?"
“The fine decision.” Yuji Takamatsu sighed. “Although I tried my best to negotiate and used the evidence you provided to get you 'the circumstances are too complicated to file a case,' the administrative penalties and civil compensation you are entitled to are still unavoidable. Obstructing public transportation, suspected terrorist attack, plus blowing up a section of the overpass... all the fines added up are almost enough to buy another car that you threw into the spatial turbulence.”
Maybach S600 Pullman?
How much is that in RMB... 1200 million?
Koshimura Sawa's vision went black.
Is it too late for me to jump off now?
“You don’t need to worry too much about that,” Takamatsu Yuji changed the subject, “because I’ve already paid the fine for you in advance.”
"Thank you, Father-in-law, no, Godfather!" Yuecun Ze blurted out.
Strange, why do I always slip up at crucial moments?
It must be because I'm too eager to improve.
Yuji Takamatsu's face visibly darkened again. He precisely pulled out a document from the stack and slapped it on top.
"Don't thank me yet, this is the important thing."
Temporary Employment Application Form for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics on Out-of-Control and Abnormal Activities
Applicant: Koshimura Sawa
?
Koshimura looked up: "I don't remember signing this when?"
“Of course you don’t remember, because this is the one I signed for you,” Yuji Takamatsu said helplessly. “Do you think those people would have let you off so easily without this ‘temporary employee of the Bureau of Investigation’ identity as a shield?”
Wow, he's really my godfather now.
I never imagined that you, who seemed so inhuman on the surface, were actually a hidden arrogance. You didn't say anything, but you got everything done behind the scenes.
Just as Koshimura was about to bow down, he noticed the increasingly serious look in Koshimura's eyes and felt something was amiss.
"It's strange... Just recently, the leaders of those companies involved, as if they had made a pact, suddenly all had a 'pang of conscience' and came forward one after another to confess. Without us even asking, they spilled all the crimes they had committed, and then..."
Yuji Takamatsu paused, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"...he committed suicide in the temporary detention cell."
"Based on the on-site investigation and autopsy results, no signs of external control or coercion were found... I had prepared a series of follow-up investigation and pressure tactics, but now it seems that none of them will be needed."
Koshimura Sawa paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Wait, when did this happen?"
He had absolutely no recollection of it.
“It’s normal that you don’t know,” Yuji Takamatsu sighed. “After all, the news was quickly suppressed as soon as it was leaked… because those people committed suicide by… strangling themselves to death with their bare hands.”
Koshimura Sawa imagined the scene and immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
I initially thought it was the work of some mysterious group wearing masks, but now it seems... more like the Cthulhu Mythos?
When did Clash of Clans (COC) come about?
"Alright, I've gone off-topic. Anyway, from now on, you're a temporary employee of the Bureau of Investigation." Yuji Takamatsu handed him something and said, "I won't expect you to clock in and out every day like those two kids from the Wen family, but you must prioritize any [Disorderly] related tasks assigned to you. Understand?"
Koshimura Sawa reached out and took it, discovering it was an eye-shaped metal emblem that could be perfectly attached to the groove of the Adventurers' Guild badge.
He put away the badge and nodded.
"So, now that you're an employee under me..." Yuji Takamatsu leaned forward slightly, his hands crossed on the table, his eyes sharpening. "In order to maintain the image of the Bureau of Investigation, it's perfectly reasonable for me to correct your private life, isn't it?"
Wait a minute, isn't this topic transition a bit too abrupt? What are you trying to do?
"Can you explain to me what your relationship with Gao Songdeng is now?"
"Haha..." Koshimura chuckled dryly, sweat beading on his back. "Of course, we're just classmates! Why would you ask that, Chief?"
Yuji Takamatsu stared at him silently for a few seconds, then took out his phone, opened a video, and turned the screen towards Koshimura Sawa.
In the uncensored original video file, a black-haired, blue-eyed boy points towards the planetarium's entrance and shouts in an incredibly resolute voice.
"—Because Takamatsu Akari is my wife!!!"
No, has this video already gone viral?
Koshimura felt a cold sweat pour down his forehead.
"You're pretty bold, aren't you?" Yuji Takamatsu said through gritted teeth. "When I was pursuing Akari's mother, I wasn't this daring."
"Wait, Chief, it's not what you think—" Yuecun Ze hurriedly said.
"So, aren't you going to explain?" Yuji Takamatsu placed his phone screen-down on the table, making a crisp sound, and looked at him expressionlessly.
An invisible gravity began to permeate the office.
The gravity here isn't a modifier to describe a heavy atmosphere; rather, Koshimura Sawa genuinely felt something pressing down on his spine, and the weight was constantly increasing.
"Well, well..." Koshimura's brain was working overtime. "You know, a lot of otaku these days call their favorite anime characters or idols 'waifu'. It doesn't mean they have any ulterior motives; it's just a way of expressing affection. Of course, everyone likes a classmate like Takamatsu who is innocent, cute, kind, and gentle! I even overheard two girls secretly calling her 'waifu' before. I just accidentally got influenced by them!"
"Is that so?" Yuji Takamatsu asked calmly, taking a sip of his tea. "Then, what about that girl from the Toyokawa family?"
"You seem to be having a lot of fun holding hands with me?"
Koshimura felt his shirt was almost soaked with cold sweat.
[Sweating buckets in jail, huh?]
Don't worry, giraffe, haven't you heard that there's always a way out?
As long as I want to walk, the road is right under my feet!
[A. "I'm already tired of the Takamatsu lantern, isn't it normal to switch to something else?"]
B. "She's different. She's my girlfriend. A girlfriend and a wife aren't mutually exclusive."
[C. "Haha, we not only held hands, we kissed! Isn't that awesome?"]
Key output!
Haha, heroes from all over the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river.
An option, what a great option!
“She’s different.” Yuecun Ze took a deep breath, as if stating an objective fact. “Xiangzi is my girlfriend, and Xiaodeng is my wife. Girlfriend and wife, there’s no conflict between them.”
Click.
The ceramic cup that Takamatsu Yuji was holding, which looked quite valuable, shattered with a crack.
What? You're asking what to do about Sister Liangmian?
That's definitely Mom.
"You're invincible, kid."
Chapter Forty [The Rising Moon]
"Um... Chief, don't you feel hot?"
Koshimura looked down at the ceramic shards that had fallen onto the table and were still steaming, and at Takamatsu Yuji's slightly trembling hand.
"Nonsense." Takamatsu Yuji gasped, glaring at him. "Hurry up and help me to the bathroom!"
------
A moment later, Yuji Takamatsu wiped his hands, which he had just rinsed with cold water, with a tissue, leaned his cane aside, and sat back down on the sofa.
Surprisingly, the director of the Bureau of Investigation is quite thick-skinned. After being scalded by boiling water, apart from his skin turning a little red, he was actually not seriously injured.
Just as Koshimura was about to ask if his hand was alright, he saw Takamatsu Yuji raise his head and look at him with a complicated expression.
“To be honest… as a father, I should actually thank you.” Yuji Takamatsu’s voice involuntarily lowered a little. “After all, when Akari was kidnapped… you were the first to decipher the code left by the child, find her location, and rescue her.”
He paused, then said with some emotion, "Sometimes I think, maybe even I, as her father... don't understand her as well as you do."
"It's all my fault for being too busy with work and having little time to spend with her, which led to this."
What was she thinking when she was locked up in that dark and hopeless place? Was she afraid? Was she desperate? I can't imagine... and I don't dare to think about it.
"Since you know that child from the Toyokawa family, you should also know something about the adventure group that Akari previously joined—Crychic, right?" Yuji Takamatsu refocused his gaze on Koshimura Sawa.
Koshimura nodded.
“In the days immediately following the disbandment of Crychic, Deng locked herself in her room every day, refusing to eat or drink, and no matter how much her mother and I tried to persuade her, she didn’t respond.”
"Later, I became so worried... that I forced open her door, only to find blood everywhere. Deng was sitting on the edge of the bed, pale-faced, clutching a self-inflicted wound on her arm, crying and telling me it was all her fault, and that she would never form an adventure group again..."
......
A brief silence fell over the office; the air was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out of water.
"But do you know what? Just the day before yesterday, Tama suddenly came to my study and told me very seriously that she wanted to form a new adventure team," Yuji Takamatsu continued.
"Because she found a member she could entrust everything to."
His tone became more relaxed, even carrying a hint of relief.
Do you know how I felt when I heard those words?
Before Koshimura could answer, he continued.
"Yes... I'm happy, of course, seeing her finally emerge from that state... but I'm also scared."
"Deng is a very sensitive and sentimental child... Once she sets her mind on something, she will throw herself into it wholeheartedly and give it her all. This makes it difficult for her to get out of trouble if something changes along the way."
“So…” Takamatsu Yuji’s gaze turned incredibly serious, even carrying a hint of warning, as he leaned forward slightly, “I don’t want to see her get hurt again, not anyone. Do you understand what I mean?”
“You’re right.” Yuecun Ze nodded immediately and said solemnly, “If this situation were to occur, I would definitely bring the person who damaged the lamp to justice immediately!”
Looking at his confident expression, Yuji Takamatsu felt his right eyelid begin to twitch uncontrollably.
Putting aside everything else, this kid has reached a level of unparalleled mastery in terms of shamelessness, opportunism, and feigning ignorance.
“Well… since you already have a ‘close relationship’ with that child from the Toyokawa family, I hope you won’t get involved in Akari’s newly formed adventure group.” Yuji Takamatsu made his meaning clear. “Although I know that, given that child’s personality, she will most likely invite you, I don’t want… something like what happened to Crychic to happen to her a second time.”
“Uh…” Koshimura Sawa paused for a moment upon hearing this, his expression turning somewhat strange. He opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat.
Is it possible that... the person she was talking about, the one she could entrust everything to and the one she wanted to form an adventure team with, is me?
"What's wrong?" Yuji Takamatsu asked, narrowing his eyes and speaking in an unfriendly tone.
"No, no, it's nothing, it's nothing." Yuecun Ze quickly waved his hand. "By the way, Chief, I also have something important to report to you—"
As he spoke, he quickly took out his phone, skillfully unlocked the screen, and opened the notes app.
------
"The throne is forged from countless bones, a thousand eyes gaze into the abyss, two moons hang high in the sky, and only a sigh remains."
"The moon waxes and wanes, fate has no fixed order, two heads and one end, the sacred number is 3."