Chapter 48: The Result
Sato Shinichi, having received Ishiryu Daito’s approval, walked towards the office door with his head held high, like an imperial envoy carrying a decree.
However, as he rounded the corner of the corridor, he saw a figure he didn’t expect.
“Damn it, why is he here? Did something happen to Kazumi!”
The tall figure standing by the door made Sato Shinichi’s pupils contract. As someone cultivated by Hamano Tsukasa to be a professional hero, he naturally had a good understanding of the professional heroes active in the world.
Kitahara Itoru, Director General of the Public Security Police’s 12th District, an extremely powerful ice-element psychic. Although he was not registered with the Heroes Association due to his department, according to the old man, the weakest of these police chiefs could at least rank within the top 100 of the Hero Ranking.
Therefore, even though the hero rankings promoted by the Heroes Association were popular and widely discussed among civilians, only those who stood at the forefront truly knew what it meant to have greater abilities beyond imagination.
Even Hamano Tsukasa, who once stood at the highest point of the Heroes Association, knew that even if he stepped down, there were still several old guys who could take his place.
Otherwise, with Hamano Tsukasa’s personality, there was no way he would easily resign and hand over his responsibilities to those juniors he wasn’t entirely satisfied with, without finding a suitable successor.
Sato Shinichi had never interacted with this police chief named Kitahara Itoru, but from his flawless posture and the faint oppressive aura he exuded even while standing still, Sato Shinichi sensed that he was a very powerful psychic.
“Hmm?”
As if sensing Sato Shinichi’s gaze, Kitahara Itoru raised his head, glanced over, and upon realizing that the newcomer was just an ordinary young boy, he retracted his gaze and quietly stood in place, continuing to emit his unapproachable aura as if nothing had happened.
“Is it because something went wrong with Fukada Akihiko?”
Seeing that Kitahara Itoru had glanced at him and then looked away, Sato Shinichi understood his thoughts. He had no intention of trying to get close to him anyway. Instead, he stood by the office window, lowering his head in thought.
The current situation seemed to be a bit beyond Sato Shinichi’s expectations. People’s imaginations are always beautiful and unrealistic, and everyone longs for a perfect ending, but the ending is often not that full of story.
It was as if Sato Shinichi’s fantasy was that Shimizu Kazumi had no connection with the [Dark] Organization, perhaps it was just a routine investigation, and after clearing her suspicion, they could continue their peaceful and happy campus life.
However, things did not go as planned. Even though Sato Shinichi assured Hamano Tsukasa repeatedly that there were no problems with Shimizu Kazumi’s background, and she was just an ordinary girl who got caught up in the incident.
The result was not as simple as Sato Shinichi had imagined. The mobilization of the 12th District’s Chief Police Officer indicated a case of the highest level, second only to cases that were almost impossible to occur for the police department.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t Kazumi be inside?”
Leaning against the cold wall, Sato Shinichi suppressed the urge to transform and rush in to save Kazumi, clenching his fists tightly, his mind filled with the image of the frail and helpless young girl trembling under the scolding of stern police officers.
Kitahara Itoru’s presence was certainly to protect the interrogated subject from being abducted by potential members of the [Dark] Organization. The interrogation would surely be conducted by specialized personnel. Sato Shinichi, who had closely participated in police interrogations of criminals, naturally knew how terrifying specialized interrogators were.
The muscles on his tightly tensed arms bulged with veins, and his forearms trembled slightly, but Sato Shinichi could only endure and refrain from doing anything irrational.
He was a hero. Although strictly speaking, he did not yet qualify to be a professional hero, due to his abilities, Sato Shinichi was currently active in the hero career under the identity of [Takeru Kamikami].
Sato Shinichi, who was also striving to become a true hero, held himself to the morals of a true hero. The seemingly useless and nagging words of the old man he used to dismiss as nonsense now seemed so difficult to choose from.
The girl he couldn’t bear to let suffer even the slightest harm was now being extremely harshly interrogated in the office just one wall away, while he could only stand outside like a fool, waiting, unable to do anything.
“If I can’t even protect the people important to me, then what kind of hero am I!!”
Standing outside, Sato Shinichi felt that every second was an ordeal, but he had to stand there. Just as Teacher Ishiryu had said, after experiencing such an event, the young girl needed someone to comfort her the most, and as her boyfriend, he was the one who should do it.
“Creak—”
The office door was slowly pushed open. Sato Shinichi’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly looked up, only to see a pretty female police officer in uniform walking out.
Niino Suzumi came out of the office with a smile, bowed to Kitahara Itoru standing not far away, and then walked towards Ishiryu Daito with him.
“It’s a female police officer!”
Sato Shinichi, who originally thought Shimizu Kazumi would come out, was first overjoyed, but upon seeing the strange smile on Niino Suzumi’s face as she came out from inside, Sato Shinichi’s heart sank further.
Don’t assume that interrogators are easier to deal with just because they are women. On the contrary, female interrogators, compared to male interrogators, understand better how to break down a girl’s psychological defense line.
Unable to hold back any longer, Sato Shinichi strode directly into the office, his mind already brewing on how to comfort the helpless and frightened Kazumi.
“Kazumi, are you okay?!”
He reached out and pushed open the cold office door, his heart feeling as if it were being tugged. He looked up towards the very back of the office, but the next second, his stern expression couldn’t be maintained and melted away. His mouth opened wide as he looked ahead.
What entered Sato Shinichi’s sight was Shimizu Kazumi, holding a pile of snacks in her left hand, a biscuit in her right hand, and her mouth bulging like a hamster… Shimizu Kazumi?
“Mmm? Whath yoo shay?”
