The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the vast clear heavens showed not the slightest trace of gloom.
What looked like an ordinary bombing case was unfolding. Matsuda Jinpei, having already completed his own bomb disposal task, was standing downstairs.
“Anyway, hurry up and finish it, then come down,” Matsuda Jinpei said into his phone. On the other end was his childhood friend, Hagiwara Kenji, who was defusing a bomb above the twentieth floor. “I’ll wait for you at the usual place.”
“Sure. If you’re treating, I’ll go all-out and take care of it.”
Matsuda Jinpei abruptly turned around.
Hagiwara Kenji’s voice from the phone overlapped with an unfamiliar voice in the real world. Matsuda Jinpei looked toward the source of that voice and saw a handsome young man, perhaps a little over twenty, strolling unhurriedly inside the police cordon. In his hand, he was dragging along a vicious-looking man in handcuffs.
Inspector Megure, standing nearby, froze for a moment. “Wait, you are...?”
The young man looked at Inspector Megure.
There was no question that the intruder possessed looks enough to overwhelm most people by comparison alone.
His skin was pale, the lines of his face clean and refined. When his emerald-green eyes drifted over someone, they carried an inexplicable pressure. Even his dark green short hair, the sort that made people want to look twice, did not seem strange on him. On the contrary, it only set off his complexion even more. He was tall and straight-backed, and his shirt and black trousers outlined long legs and a narrow waist.
Under countless staring eyes, the young man expressionlessly dropped the person he had been dragging onto the ground, casually pinned him there with one foot, and at the same time produced something from his right hand that looked instantly alarming— a bomb detonator.
“Hello, Inspector Megure.” Despite the almost brutal action in his hands, the young man merely gave a calm nod. “No need to thank me. I just happened to save the lives of your entire bomb squad.”
...
“...Your entire bomb squad almost got killed because of you!!!”
The senior officer in charge of the Mobile Unit’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team dragged him outside, practically spraying spit with fury. “Hagiwara Kenji! Why weren’t you wearing a blast suit? Taking a phone call while defusing a bomb? Who gave you the courage to do that, huh?!”
At that distance, in that short amount of time, and without a blast suit... there would not even have been a whole body left behind.
Later, after the bomber gave his statement and the results were verified, one thing was indeed confirmed—the bomb’s countdown, which had originally stopped, would restart within a matter of seconds once the detonator was pressed. No one dared imagine what the consequences would have been if it really had restarted.
Faced with a senior officer whose rage was mixed with lingering fear, Hagiwara Kenji knew he was in the wrong. He obediently lowered his head and admitted his mistake. “I’ll definitely wear the blast suit from now on... really.”
At the end of his patience, the senior officer nearly lost his breath at the thought that the junior standing in front of him had almost died in the line of duty. He jabbed a finger at him twice. “Don’t even think about escaping the written self-criticism! I’ll also have a word with Instructor Onizuka... Hah. You’re suspended for the next two days. Use them to reflect.”
The senior officer was both angry and shaken. Just as he was about to grumble a little more, he saw the door to the statement room open in the distance, and a young man with dark green hair slowly walked out.
The senior officer forcibly swallowed the words rising to his lips. The young man seemed to notice the commotion and walked straight over.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” The young man gave a polite nod, though there was not much apology to be heard in his tone.
“It’s fine, really,” Hagiwara Kenji said at once, shaking his head repeatedly. He smiled and gave a brief introduction first. “I’m Hagiwara Kenji, a member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit under the Security Bureau’s Mobile Unit at the Metropolitan Police Department... Today, I’m truly very grateful, Mr. Yuki. You saved my whole team, and me with them...”
“I know.” The young man’s emerald eyes swept over Hagiwara Kenji from head to toe without the slightest emotion. “Officer Hagiwara, who narrowly escaped death.”
The senior officer, who had originally intended to leave and let Hagiwara Kenji properly thank his savior, silently abandoned the idea and remained where he was, calmly waiting to watch.
...This feeling.
An ally. He was definitely an ally, right?!
Sure enough, the other man’s next words followed without the slightest ripple in his tone, giving no room for interruption at all.
“This kind of bomb, and you said you could handle it in three minutes?”
“No blast suit?”
“Who gave you the courage?”
Hagiwara Kenji stood there blankly. “...............”
The senior officer felt much better.
—Although he had always harbored some unfavorable stereotypes about Public Security, he still found himself extremely fond of this young Public Security junior who had happened to pass by, noticed something suspicious about the bomber, taken swift and decisive action, and saved an entire bomb disposal team in the process.
Even the man’s taste in chewing people out suited him perfectly (?).
The young man—Yuki Mu—gave a polite nod. “It is my honor to have helped ensure Officer Hagiwara did not die gloriously in the line of duty shortly after joining the force.”
Hagiwara Kenji’s smile stiffened slightly, while the senior officer beside him let out an entirely unrestrained sneer.
Hagiwara Kenji rubbed his nose.
Why did his lifesaver feel so weirdly aggressive?
The young man slowly straightened his clothes.
Up to now, not the slightest emotional fluctuation had appeared on his face. From start to finish, he had worn the same expressionless look, impossible to read.
Then Hagiwara Kenji heard what seemed to be an extremely faint sigh from him.
“Forget it. As long as you didn’t die.”
Hagiwara Kenji raised a brow in surprise. To be honest, even if Yuki Mu had coldly spat out a “You idiot,” it would not have felt strange at all... He had not expected such a high start and gentle finish.
Still, Hagiwara Kenji did not mind the other man’s slightly sharp-tongued remarks. After all, the fact that the man had saved his life was undeniably real.
More importantly... the impression Yuki Mu gave him was not, “This police officer is so useless, so reckless and stupid, I should mock him for a while.”
It felt more like... a parent seeing their own troublesome child do something incredibly dangerous and nearly get himself killed. After dragging him back from the brink, that parent, overwhelmed by shock and anger, could not help giving him a merciless lecture to make sure the lesson truly sank in.
But at the same time, since the child had only just made it back from disaster, it did not feel right to say too much. Soft-hearted but too proud to show it, the parent could only keep a sour face and offer a half-hearted excuse for the child to go home and rest first—then resume the scolding once he had recovered.
At that thought, Hagiwara Kenji suddenly came back to himself and forced down the upward curve of his lips.
...Such a strange comparison, but somehow it fit perfectly. How had that happened?!
At the same time, Yuki Mu sighed toward the system in his mind.
【How did this happen?】
He glanced at the system prompt 【Hagiwara Kenji contributed +500 Awareness Points】. Among the scattered numbers like 【Matsuda Jinpei Awareness Points +50】, 【Officer XX Awareness Points +10】, and 【Officer XX Awareness Points +5】, it stood out conspicuously. He could not help praising him.
【Looks like he’s quite good at filling in the blanks... Not bad! With the protagonist bonus on top of that, he’s a sustainable target for development.】
The system said: 【...If he could see what you’re really thinking, all the Awareness Points you just got would be deducted on the spot.】
Awareness Points, as the name suggested, represented how well other people understood a 【Character】.
For instance, at the moment, “the young man who caught the bomber” was what most of the officers recognized Yuki Mu as.
And as their interactions deepened, their understanding deepened, or Yuki Mu’s later actions overturned their earlier impressions of him—his Recognition Level would continue to rise. Only when it reached a complete 【100%】 would the task truly be finished.
At that thought, Yuki Mu let out a faint sigh.
Yuki Mu: 【But with the identity setting for “Yuki Mu”... if the Recognition Level has to reach 100%, then at the very least, those protagonist kids will have to believe from the bottom of their hearts that “Yuki Mu” is the incarnation of the city consciousness [Beika], walking among humans...】
System: 【Of course.】
Yuki Mu said cheerfully: 【Ah, just thinking about shattering those children’s worldview... I do feel a little guilty.】
System: 【......】
As if anyone would believe that! He was obviously so interested in the idea he was practically about to laugh out loud!!
After hesitating for a moment, the system asked: 【Are you sure it was really okay to mock Kenji to his face like that just now?】
Yuki Mu replied, puzzled: 【Why wouldn’t it be okay? The identity of my current persona is the incarnation of [Beika], isn’t it? Besides, before the roleplay mission began, I spoke with every city consciousness I needed to portray and got a rough sense of what they were thinking.】
Humans could not see city consciousnesses, of course—but back then he had already died... If not for this role-playing system, he really would have been finished.
Yuki Mu: 【Don’t worry. Think of it as immersive roleplay. I used to count as a seasoned anime fan, you know? I wouldn’t hurt something I like.
Cities nurture the living beings upon their land... If one of your reckless children nearly gets himself killed, how would you feel as the parent?】
System: 【I understand.】
At first, afraid that the host would not be able to fully immerse himself in the role, the system had even set the first persona, [Beika], to share the host’s own name... But now it seemed rather unnecessary (?).
He had even gone so far as to reveal and prove his Public Security identity to that senior officer in advance, then ask him not to tell anyone else... At the time, the senior officer had probably assumed Yuki Mu was carrying out some Public Security assignment and could not reveal his identity. Even the system itself had been completely baffled then.
Now, however, it looked as though...
...once he had immersed himself in the identity of [Beika], he had most likely just started having fun with it? Looking for a chance to tease Hagiwara Kenji?
“Oh, right... this is my contact information.”
Just as Yuki Mu came back from his conversation with the system, he heard Hagiwara Kenji recite a string of digits. The other man said naturally, “This is how you can reach me... I’ll be free tomorrow, so I’d like to treat you to a meal, Yuki.”
The senior officer, after finishing his show and nodding his way out, had already returned to his office. With no one around to hold him back, Hagiwara Kenji gave him an unconcerned wink. “A life-saving favor like this can’t be repaid with words, but I have to show my gratitude somehow.”
“Tomorrow?” The dark green-haired young man paused for a moment at those words, then said evenly, “Oh. So you were suspended and told to reflect on yourself?”
“That’s right!” Hagiwara Kenji blinked. “So I’ll be very free for the next two days.”
“I might not be.”
“Hm? Do you have something going on lately, Yuki?”
The moment the question left his mouth, Hagiwara Kenji met the other man’s gaze directly—a gaze that seemed to be looking at an idiot.
“Because I have work.”
Hagiwara Kenji: “Huh?” But wasn’t today a workday too...? Besides, at his age, he looked more like a university student than someone already employed.
Yuki Mu calmly said, “Oh, I skipped work.”
Hagiwara Kenji: “...?”
【Hagiwara Kenji Recognition Level +300】
Hagiwara Kenji still had a pile of things to deal with, so after saying goodbye, Yuki Mu returned to the apartment belonging to his current identity and opened the system panel.
【[Character]: Yuki Mu (Beika)
Innate Skills: Detective Ability Max, Intelligence Max
—On this land, no clue can escape your sight.
Hidden Skill: *******
Identity: Public Security】
...When he had drawn the character identity card back then, why had he ended up drawing a Public Security officer of all things?!
I don’t want to work.
As Yuki Mu looked through the character details, he suddenly paused. 【System.】
System: 【?】
Yuki Mu: 【...I was wondering why my right hand still feels a little sore. Was it really just because I hauled the bomber around once this morning? What is this “extremely poor hand-to-hand combat, weak constitution” description specially marked on this character card? Is this all the physical ability a Public Security officer gets??】
System: 【......】
System: 【The [Beika] character card is bound to another one. The combat skills on the other character card are fully maxed out.】
【Innate Skill: [All-Purpose Agent]
—Proficient in sniping, close combat, Muay Thai, disguise, performance, driving...】
On the screen, a long chain of skills shone brilliantly.
Yuki Mu slowly lowered his gaze to the character’s name, where three large words stood out clearly.
—【Hawaii】