"...We will never bow to the forces of evil. To live up to the expectations of our citizens, we are committed to upholding justice and fairness, and will harshly strike at those who commit crimes and break the law."
Yasuda's impassioned voice wafted from the living room's large LCD TV to the dining table. The Morimoto Family's living space naturally couldn't compare to the Phoenix Academy. The living room and kitchen bar were connected.
Aozawa picked up a piece of fish belly, dipped it into the fish soup, and sarcastically remarked, "He really does have quite a presence!"
Sitting across, Morimoto Chiyoda, having shed her police inspector's jacket, wore a light blue shirt whose buttons seemed always on the verge of bursting, as if yearning to fly off into the distance fueled by dreams.
"Presence my ass. It's just sweet talk," she retorted, not hiding the contempt on her face. "These politicians are all the same, blowing smoke during their campaigns.
"Sprouting all sorts of benefits, spouting promises left and right.
"Once in power, they're tangled up with various interests and become puppets.
"Any truly beneficial measures for the people are impossible to implement if they hurt the interests of the big conglomerates.
"The 'lost thirty years'—while the United States is partly to blame, those big corporations are also at fault.
"Relying on their relationship with the government and the Right Wing, they forced the government to desperately save those outdated big businesses, squeezing the space for emerging enterprises."
Morimoto Chiyoda was very dissatisfied with the current state of Japan. She was ambitious too, but after starting work, she understood there were vermin above. There was no changing the country, no matter what one did. It was better to just let things rot.
"Ono was really useless for not killing that bastard."
Aozawa heard her complain and felt somewhat helpless. The Hypnosis Ability couldn't turn someone into a sharpshooter.
"But why would Ono Taro do such a thing?" Morimoto Chiyoda showed a trace of puzzlement and murmured, "The conglomerates aren't usually this sloppy. Could it be the United States knocking its own dog around?"
"Probably."
Aozawa felt a bit smug. He presumed no one would guess that the person pulling the strings behind the scenes was just an ordinary high school student. Oh, not exactly ordinary—rather, an ordinary high school student with a Superpower. Keeping his Superpower a secret, not letting others find out, was necessary for Aozawa. But not using the Ability at all, merely enhancing his personal strength with it, would be too boring a life. As long as his own safety was ensured, using his Superpower to perform a certain level of "cleaning" in society was also a kind of pleasure. Aozawa very much enjoyed the thrill of acting outside the law.
"Ah, damn it! The more we talk about it, the angrier I get. I need a beer to cool down. Do you want to join me for one?"
"I'm going out for a night run shortly."
Aozawa politely declined her invitation. The Superpower that had come so suddenly could vanish just as unexpectedly one day. It could be utilized, but not completely depended upon. He still needed to enhance his physical fitness as much as possible.
"You little rascal, don't stay out playing too late," she chided.
"I really want to run for an hour."
Morimoto Chiyoda didn't believe him. He had never had the habit of night running before, and suddenly expressing the desire to do so now seemed fishy.
She walked to the refrigerator, opened the door, and her pale fingers reached in to grab a beer. The rush of cold air brushed against her cheeks.
Morimoto Chiyoda suddenly realized something and spun around. "I'm warning you, no dating in high school! And don't you dare cross the line with other girls!"
"Chitose, what are you thinking? With a beauty like you around, how could I possibly have eyes for little high school girls?"
"Sometimes, the things you say shock even me." Morimoto Chiyoda slammed the fridge door shut, criticizing his perverse statements, though she didn't take them to heart.
Her feelings towards Aozawa were complicated. To call it love would clearly be an understatement for such an emotion. If one had to describe it, it would be 'soul.' If Aozawa were to become a truly healthy man and develop those kinds of desires for her, she wouldn't reject him. If he didn't have those desires for her, and he wanted to marry and have children, as long as his wife was excellent enough, Morimoto Chiyoda wouldn't mind. No one could refuse their own soul.
...
DING-DONG.
The Morimoto Family's dinner was drawing to a close when someone rang the doorbell.
Aozawa quickly finished the rice in his bowl, placed down his chopsticks, and called out, "Coming! Who is it?" He hurried to the door, reached out, turned the doorknob, and pulled it open.
Outside stood two individuals dressed as police officers. One was a man in his early thirties with a handsome face, carrying the sort of weariness unique to adults. The other was a young woman who appeared to be a rookie, her eyes not yet dulled by a corrupt system.
"Hello, are you Aozawa?"
"That's me. What can I do for you?"
"We are patrol officers from the Criminal Affairs Division of the Ayase Police Station. My name is Nakamori Toshio, and this is Officer Kinno Nobuko." The middle-aged man spoke humbly, without a hint of the authority one might expect from law enforcement. "We'd like to ask you a few questions. Were you kidnapped by Ono Taro of the Misawa group around 3:50 p.m. today, along with Phoenix Academy Maggie?"
"Mhm."
Aozawa wasn't flustered at all. The presence of Morimoto Chiyoda, that tax-guzzler, in his household made him keenly aware that one should never underestimate the inaction of the Ayase Police Station.
"So, you challenged Ono Taro to a one-on-one fight and won, then you left the warehouse together with Miss Phoenix Academy Maggie, right?"
"Yes," Aozawa nodded and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"Actually, a fire broke out suddenly at that warehouse. Many people died inside, and we want to know if you're aware of anything."
"Not a clue."
"Alright, we are terribly sorry for the disturbance," Nakamori Toshio said. He then turned and left without another word.
This was just a routine questioning. A warehouse fire had occurred in their jurisdiction, linked to the Misawa group and the Phoenix Academy, and connected to the assault on the cabinet. Of course, they had to inquire about who was at the warehouse before the fire and who was there after, go over these matters, and then… there would be no further action.
Many cases could be left unsolved without any concern. Even if there was pressure from above, an unsolvable case would remain unsolvable; they just needed to drag it out. After all, those people in the cabinet would change their positions every few years, and new bosses wouldn't care about old, cold cases. But if an earnest investigation uncovered something troublesome, that would be a headache.
The Metropolitan Police Department had a rule: the smaller the case, the more effort they would put into investigating it thoroughly, striving to be beyond reproach in terms of service attitude. The bigger the case, the more perfunctory the investigation should be to avoid trouble.
"Aozawa, explain to me about getting kidnapped."
A deadly aura spread from behind Aozawa.
Aozawa, who had remained composed during the police inquiry, now showed a trace of panic. He knew very well that it was best not to assume he could reason with someone when they were infuriated.
"I'm going out for a night run!"
In a rush, Aozawa blurted out those words, dashed out of the house, slammed the door behind him, and blocked the roaring command of "You stop right there!"