“……”
“…………”
Morofushi Akihiko’s gaze fell on his phone screen, fixed on that particular word. He blinked once, then again.
The black-haired, blue-eyed young man quietly turned off his phone screen and glanced at the already packed luggage in the room, as well as the withdrawal application form placed on the desk.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t consumed much food since that shooting lesson.
Pain and weakness overshadowed other bodily reactions, and coupled with his past habits as a sniper, which made him more accustomed than most to going without food for certain periods, hunger had become less noticeable.
Better go eat first. Thinking this, Morofushi Akihiko headed toward the police academy cafeteria.
It was just dinner time, and the other cadets from his class had mostly finished their training for the day.
Carrying his dinner tray, Morofushi Akihiko spotted Ueno waving at him from a distance.
He shifted direction and walked toward the proactive classmate, taking a seat opposite him.
“Morofushi, you were really lucky not to come today!”
As soon as Morofushi Akihiko sat down, Ueno couldn’t help but start complaining: “Who knows what got into Onizuka early this morning? He suddenly became so fierce!”
“Did something happen?” Morofushi Akihiko asked casually while picking up his food, recalling the text message he had just received.
Setting aside the codename Scotch for now, the key point in this message was “today.”
Even counting from midnight, he had only done two things today. One was cleaning his room, and the other was submitting his withdrawal application to Instructor Onizuka.
“Who knows! With that dark expression, who would dare go up and ask?” Ueno took a deep breath, pouted, and continued muttering: “He’s usually pretty intimidating, but today was especially terrifying. You didn’t see…”
Morofushi Akihiko: “I see.”
Since they could call out the codename Scotch, it must be someone from Soshiki.
Neither the Gong’an nor his contacts who knew his identity had the twisted habit of using his codename. Undercover agents were already prone to anxiety about their identity and position; normal allies would practically want to assign a psychologist to be permanently attached to them, monitoring their mental state. They would never deliberately provoke him like this.
“But thankfully, it’s almost over. Just two more months and we’ll be free! By the way, Morofushi, what are your thoughts?”
“Thoughts?”
If it were someone from Soshiki, they probably wouldn’t care about a Daigou Kaiin’s self-harm, as long as it didn’t affect the mission. Even if he cut himself every day, no one would bother.
“About the future! Your plans for the future! Which direction do you plan to take?”
“It seems you’ve already made a decision, haven’t you, Ueno-kun?”
So, it really is about the withdrawal.
He wasn’t a Soshiki member back when he was at the police academy, let alone had a codename.
Thinking about it this way… my current identity is an undercover agent sent by Soshiki to the police academy?
What kind of dark humor is this?
“Haha… I’m not like you, Morofushi! I know I don’t have any particularly outstanding qualities. Getting into the police academy was already a huge struggle for me. I’m not good at delicate tasks like bomb disposal, and I can’t imagine myself becoming a detective and dealing with murder cases.”
“Hmm…”
Soshiki’s malice is a bit too obvious, which makes it feel off.
For now, understanding the situation as it stands, his decision to drop out had clearly caught the attention of Soshiki. However, based on what he knew about Instructor Onizuka, the instructor wouldn’t casually spread information about a student’s circumstances.
If it were surveillance or someone eavesdropping, he would have noticed.
“So I plan to go to Kouban! Don’t laugh when I say this, but the reason I wanted to become a police officer was actually because I got lost as a child. I was crying on the street, and a patrolling officer happened to notice me…”
Ueno scratched his head, his voice growing softer. “The officer who comforted me and helped me find my way home seemed as tall and radiant as a hero. At that moment, I thought if I could become someone like him and help others, that would be amazing!”
Morofushi Akihiko: “…”
Ueno immediately regretted saying it out loud, his voice dropping even lower. “But in your eyes, does that make me seem too unambitious? After all, you’re so outstanding, Morofushi…”
“Not at all.” Hearing this, Morofushi Akihiko’s eyes curved slightly, his upturned gaze carrying a gentle, soft, yet exceptionally genuine smile.
“I’ve never thought that way.” He looked directly into Ueno’s eyes, speaking with unusual seriousness. “There’s no difference between us.”
“No matter which direction we strive toward, police officers are the ones who help and save others.”
“Hmm—like, partners in justice?” Morofushi Akihiko chuckled lightly, saying it almost as a joke.
Ueno was clearly taken aback. He seemed lost in thought for a moment before suddenly exclaiming, “You’re even easier to get along with than I imagined, Morofushi! You’re a good person!”
Morofushi Akihiko sighed helplessly. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me! Enough about me, what about you? Where do you plan to go?”
“I don’t have any particular plans. I’ll follow wherever I’m assigned.” Morofushi Akihiko, who had just spoken about dropping out that morning, replied this way.
Ueno hesitated, feeling that Morofushi probably wasn’t the type to simply go with the flow. But rather than pressing the issue, Ueno suddenly asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask—are you injured?”
Ueno looked at the bandage wrapped around Morofushi Akihiko’s neck. It wasn’t thick, just a thin layer or two.
“I tripped and got scratched by a tree branch. It’s not serious, don’t worry.”
Morofushi Akihiko answered simply, then paused before adding, “I’m still a bit concerned. Since Instructor Onizuka isn’t the type to get angry easily, there must have been some trigger. Did you notice anything unusual this morning?”
The very culprit of the matter genuinely troubled, pressed his classmate with this question.
“I’m not sure… Oh, if I had to say—” Ueno stroked his chin, recalling. “There was someone dressed very formally who came over while we were running and spoke to Instructor Onizuka.”
“I see.” Morofushi Akihiko nodded, exchanged a few more casual words, and then let the topic drop.
In any case, the first step was to find out who Instructor Onizuka had been in contact with today.
Morofushi Akihiko quickly reached this conclusion.
Figuring out who Instructor Onizuka had been in contact with wasn’t particularly difficult. As a police academy instructor, the people he interacted with daily were fairly consistent. Those who would mention Morofushi Akihiko’s dropping out were either close enough to discuss it directly or individuals he couldn’t refuse.
Based on the information revealed in that text message, the other party was clearly paying attention to him and had noticed his "slacking off at work" attitude today, which prompted such a warning.
Aside from the issues with his own body, everything else—other people and things—still maintained a "scientific" and "reasonable" state under current observation.
The likely suspects were only the instructor Matsumoto in the same office, the occasional higher-ups who visited the police academy to observe cadets and extend targeted invitations to those they were satisfied with, and the personnel responsible for recording student files.
Through subtle probing and investigation, Morofushi Akihiko crossed off names one by one from the suspect list until only one person remained.
—The Gong'an officer who had come to "observe" today.
Gong'an.
Morofushi Akihiko silently repeated the word.
Just like the unfamiliar classmates he didn’t know, he had no impression of this Gong'an officer either.
The person who sent him the message was undoubtedly from the Soshiki, but based on the identity of this Gong'an officer he had investigated, they had the capability to access his files.
Morofushi Akihiko wasn’t just referring to the present but also to the last time his identity was exposed, forcing him to take his own life.
His identity exposure had been sudden and without warning. Neither he nor Zero had any chance to react.
The sky outside the window gradually darkened. Morofushi Akihiko stopped walking, his body hidden in the shadow cast by the wall. Under the nearby lights, a middle-aged man in a crisp suit was heading toward the exit.
The well-maintained man pursed his lips, his expression and demeanor carrying the distinct aloofness and arrogance characteristic of Gong'an officers.
Morofushi Akihiko’s gaze quietly settled on the man, like a sniper locking onto a target. His upturned eyes, fixed on his prey, held no extra emotion—just a detached observation stripped of all sentiment.
As if sensing this calm stare, the man seemed to notice and turned to look in Morofushi Akihiko’s direction.
Their eyes met.
Morofushi Akihiko didn’t look away, nor did he show any awkwardness or stiffness at being caught. He merely tilted his head slightly, causing the bangs over his forehead to sway with the motion.
Then, very slowly, the corners of Morofushi Akihiko’s lips curved upward into an extremely faint smile.
Before figuring out the current situation, dropping out was no longer the top priority.
"Good evening."
If this was a world created from his subconscious, even if he wanted to protect his friend’s identity, it would be impossible to do so flawlessly—erasing all his former classmates, creating new ones, each with different personalities, backgrounds, and hobbies.
If this was a background fabricated by the Soshiki… the flaw of having all unfamiliar classmates was too obvious. Even if they wanted to deceive him, it would be meaningless and unnecessary.
Creating such an identity for him—one he would never accept—was even more perplexing.
Most importantly, no matter how low the probability, no matter how impossible it seemed, even if it was only 0.1%.
It couldn’t be completely ruled out that this might truly be a real, complete world.
The moment Morofushi Akihiko spoke, the middle-aged Gong'an officer’s phone, tucked in his pocket, emitted a soft vibration.
The middle-aged Gong'an officer glanced at Morofushi Akihiko, took out his phone, and saw the message displayed on the screen—an exact duplicate of the words just spoken:
【Good evening.】
Morofushi Akihiko spoke very politely, "I still don't know how I should address you, Officer Gong'an."
Found him.