Chapter 1

Matsuda Jinpei rushed into the Metropolitan Police Department and headed straight for the interrogation room.

The voices telling him not to run, and the voices explaining on his behalf, were all left behind by Matsuda Jinpei.

The closer he got to the interrogation room, the more fiercely the fire in his heart burned.

One second, the childhood friends were laughing on the phone, making plans to meet at their usual spot after defusing the bomb. The next second, the countdown that had stopped restarted, and all that could be heard on the phone was the childhood friend's urgent shouts urging the others to leave just before the bomb exploded.

No matter how hard he tried to calm himself down, the fact was that even now, back at the Metropolitan Police Department, Matsuda Jinpei's heart rate had not returned to normal, and he was not even in the mood to talk to anyone.

He just wanted to find the bomber as soon as possible and question him; perhaps only in this way could he find an outlet for his violent emotions.

I heard the guy has already been brought back for interrogation. Judging by the time, he should still be able to see him in time if he gets to the interrogation room now.

Just around the corner, a policeman came out of an interrogation room.

Matsuda Jinpei stopped him: "Are the people inside the ones from the Asai villa apartment case today?"

The policeman's expression turned wary and subtle: "Yes, but—"

Before he could finish speaking, Matsuda Jinpei abandoned him, opened the door, and went inside.

It was winter, and the weather was cold. The young man who remained in the interrogation room was wearing a black overcoat with a small stand-up collar, similar to a military uniform. The belt cinched his waist, and his posture was upright like a drawn sword, dignified and solemn.

When Matsuda Jinpei entered, the young man was wrapping a red scarf around his neck. His hair, which was almost black in the shadows, was actually a bluish-black ink color when illuminated, reflecting a metallic texture like a buckle on a shoulder strap.

Hearing the noise, the person casually looked up, his slightly long hair swept to the sides, revealing a pair of dark red eyes like dried blood, which he casually cast a cold glance at.

Even though the interrogation room was brightly lit, the moment you saw this person, the surrounding colors seemed to fade away, leaving only him as the most vivid and striking figure.

His spirit was sharp and incisive, his piercing aura almost capable of hurting others.

Matsuda Jinpei's breathing paused for a moment.

The young man's eyes didn't hold the resentment, hatred, or fear that Matsuda Jinpei had expected from a captured criminal towards the police. Instead, they were strangely calm, yet unsettling, making one feel uneasy. It was almost like...

That person was a loaded gun; his very existence was a silent threat.

To be honest, this doesn't quite match Matsuda Jinpei's prediction of the culprit's appearance; even the degree to which he appears to be a dangerous person is somewhat beyond imagination.

Moreover, Matsuda Jinpei felt that something was not right, and upon closer inspection, he discovered that the other person was not handcuffed.

Recalling some past cases, a thought flashed through his mind: Could it be the child of some important person, and the higher-ups want to protect him?

"you--"

Matsuda Jinpei's face darkened, and just as he was about to say something, he was suddenly pushed aside from the doorway.

The person who had been following Matsuda Jinpei and explaining to him why he was running around the Metropolitan Police Department with a murderous look on his face responded with unusual enthusiasm.

"—You're the one who discovered the bomber and stopped the countdown at the last minute, right? Thank you so much, otherwise I would have died in the line of duty today!"

Matsuda Jinpei: "…………Huh?"

Upon hearing the unexpected words from his childhood friend Kenji Hagiwara, who had narrowly escaped death, Jinpei Matsuda was stunned for a moment before finally reacting.

Right, if there are no handcuffs, besides the possibility of something going on, it's more likely that the other person isn't a criminal!

What was wrong with him just now? Why did his thought process jump directly to the dark side?

Was it because you were first prejudiced by the dangerous aura emanating from this person, and then intimidated by the eerie atmosphere, that your thinking went astray?

Or was I really so angry that I lost my mind?

Kenji Hagiwara, of course, noticed Matsuda Jinpei's misunderstanding and patted him on the back with a smile: "That's why I told you not to be in such a hurry. Let him finish speaking. This person is here to assist in the investigation and take a statement."

Matsuda Jinpei clenched his fist: "If they're assisting in the investigation, why are they being taken here for a statement?! Weren't the people from the Criminal Investigation Department complaining yesterday about the sheer number of cases and the strain on their interrogation rooms?!"

The Metropolitan Police Department has such a large general interrogation area on the first floor, can't they find a normal room for taking statements?! It's not like it's a case with unresolved questions, why do they have to bring people into an interrogation room with one-way mirrors?!

The person who answered this question was the same policeman who hadn't finished saying "but" at the door.

The police officer looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak: "This... there are all sorts of misunderstandings involved..."

Because both he and the person who brought the man there immediately recognized him as a dangerous criminal upon first sight, they sent him directly to the interrogation room without asking any further questions.

It turned out to be a misunderstanding, but by then the other party was too lazy to change the location, so they could only go along with it... If I explained it this way, I would definitely get scolded.

Matsuda Jinpei roughly understood what "all sorts of misunderstandings" meant, because he had just had a similar misunderstanding.

Strangely enough, even though the other person doesn't look fierce, upon closer inspection, you'll find that they actually have a refined appearance and are much younger than they initially appear. It's just that their aura is so overwhelming that people tend to overlook their appearance and only retain a strong sense of danger.

This feeling of meeting someone for the first time, where they haven't done or said anything, and he already knows it's a misunderstanding, yet he still feels like the other person is plotting some kind of crime, and his hands are itching to handcuff them. This was the first time Matsuda Jinpei had ever experienced this.

Calm down. If he judges someone as a criminal based solely on intuition without any evidence, wouldn't he be just like that lousy cop who mistakenly arrested his father?

"...My apologies for earlier. I am Matsuda Jinpei. Thank you for your assistance," Matsuda Jinpei said, frowning.

Seeing that Matsuda Jinpei's apology expression was not quite right, Hagiwara Kenji helplessly tried to smooth things over: "I'm sorry, Jinpei, he's only been a policeman for a month, and he's not mature enough in many ways yet."

The police officer taking the statement unconsciously held his breath, carefully waiting for the person involved to speak.

The person who had been silent until now finally spoke calmly: "There's no need for that. He didn't do anything that requires an apology."

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

...That seems to be true. Matsuda Jinpei didn't even have a chance to say something potentially offensive before Hagiwara Kenji interrupted him.

However, everyone was inexplicably tense in front of this person, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it felt like a storm was brewing. They couldn't help but worry about what bad consequences might result if the other person got angry. In reality, the other person was very magnanimous and didn't take it to heart at all.

Kenji Hagiwara relaxed: "How kind of you! In any case, my team and I are extremely grateful for your help. Without you, I would definitely be dead, and most of my teammates would probably be dead or injured as well. We will always remember this kindness. My name is Kenji Hagiwara. If you ever need anything in the future, please give me a chance to repay your kindness."

"Deep River Flows Through the Cold, That Is My Name."

The man said calmly, "It's not a matter of gratitude. You are the ones who have always protected and helped the people. I just did what I could... and I also plan to become a policeman in the future."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise: "...Huh?!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

A roar suddenly erupted, and if it weren't for the overwhelming emotion, some might have mistaken it for someone accidentally speaking their true feelings.

Looking in the direction of the sound, the police officers saw a prisoner being escorted passing by shouting menacingly in their direction from behind Han Chuan Shenliu.

"If someone like you can be a policeman, Japan is doomed! Hey! Can't you policemen see? This guy is definitely a criminal! Why aren't you arresting him?! Are you blind?! He has a lot of lives on his hands!!!"

The police guessed that this person was probably the real bomber, and it sounded like he had some deep-seated hatred for Hanchuan Shenliu... But this should be the first time they've met, right? Did Hanchuan Shenliu do something when he arrested him?

Faced with questioning looks from his colleagues, the policeman who escorted the bomber quickly explained, "Although he claimed his arms and legs were broken when he arrived, the examination showed no signs of fractures..."

Upon hearing this, the bomber became even more agitated, as if adding fuel to the fire.

"Are you all idiots?! If it's not a fracture, it must be a dislocation! He just put it back in place! His technique is incredibly skilled. You should listen to me and investigate him. He's definitely up to something; he might be a 'street cleaner'—"

"It's so noisy."

With his back to the bomber, Shinryu Hanakawa finally turned around to look at him.

His tone was light and casual: "Do you know where this is?"

The bomber, who had been venting his discontent and doubts, suddenly fell silent as if someone had grabbed his throat when Han Chuan Shenliu looked at him.

His body, which had not been found to have any problems during the examination, was now in excruciating pain, as if countless steel needles were piercing his bones.

During the interrogation, he kept reviewing how he should have fought back then, and he finally managed to get rid of the psychological trauma. But now, the courage he had mustered because he was in the Metropolitan Police Department and there were police officers next to him, so that the other party would not dare to do anything to him, has vanished without a trace like morning dew.

He met those ominous dark red eyes and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Do you know where this is?

What does that mean? Is it a threat?

Isn't this the Metropolitan Police Department? Why is this guy acting like he's on his own turf, so brazen? It sounds like he's saying, "Do you even know whose turf this is?"

Speaking of which, when they arrested him, he was rolling on the ground screaming in pain, but the police ignored his accusations and even respectfully invited him into the police car.

On the contrary, they treated him extremely roughly. He was tortured so badly that even if he didn't have a broken bone, he should at least have soft tissue contusions, but the police said they couldn't find anything wrong with his examination...

So that's how it is! He understands everything now!!!

Goodness! The Metropolitan Police Department is in cahoots with this guy, isn't it? No wonder they haven't arrested him even though it's so obvious!

I'd heard the Metropolitan Police Department was shady, but I never imagined he'd be so unlucky as to run into someone like that...

He wasn't facing an individual, but the Metropolitan Police Department! What could he possibly do to shake this behemoth?!

"Heh...hehe..."

The bomber gave a bitter smile, as if all his energy and spirit had been drained away. He lost all will to resist, and slumped to his knees, muttering to himself.

"As expected... the police are finished... Japan is finished..."

Police officers: "...???"

What happened? Why did Hanchuan Shenliu suddenly become dejected and come to this conclusion after just one sentence, which was a signal for him to be quiet in the Metropolitan Police Department?

The police were bewildered.

Han Chuan Shen Liu remained silent.

He glanced at the system notification: [Suspicion Value +1000], and couldn't help but mentally complain to the system: [Is this also an effect of the 'behind-the-scenes halo'? I really want to know what he's imagining.]

System: [Dear Mr. Usakabe Saiki, we recommend 'Mind Reading' to you. If you'd like, you can get a 20% discount within 24 hours.]

'Hanchuan Shenliu'—real name Usakawa Saiki—decisively answered in his heart: 【I won't buy it. You only use polite language with me at times like this; how snobbish!】

System: [Since I'm a snobbish system, I have no reason to collect extra intelligence for you for free...]

Bo Yezhai said softly, "[I vaguely remember that Han Chuan was originally a pseudonym for the Black Team. I carefully selected his skills according to Gin's ecstasy standards. Why has he become a member of the Red Team now? Do you have any clue? Oh right, I also remember that my system should be an undercover system...]"

The skeptical system decisively stated: "Gin and vodka are expected to arrive in Fukuoka tonight. You'd better make plans."

Usoppō Saiki received an unexpected surprise and then seemed to be deep in thought.

[I was hoping to get to know Hagiwara and Matsuda a bit more... but since that's the case, maybe next time. I need to deal with the organization first.]

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Your Night Pigeon is back! Why isn't the end of June June anymore?! (...)

I originally wanted to start a fantasy BL novel, but after reading the passionate and imaginative Halloween Bride, I'll just start this one for now. I'll definitely start a fantasy BL novel next!

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Ontology: Usuha izuki

Alias: Sabukawa Shizuka [Written as 'Shinryu', pronounced as 'Shizuka']

We previously had people guess our faction based on our names; now we can check the answers.