Chapter 153

There's a basic formula for holiday trips, and in the end, they decided to go to a hot spring.

There are many hot spring resorts across the country. At this time of year, it is very likely that people will be on family trips or New Year's trips, and reservations will probably have to be made a month in advance.

Bourbon tentatively asked, "Given the situation, we probably can't go to the popular places. Shall we find something less famous?"

There is actually a way: use money to get pre-booked customers to make way.

However, neither of the two Japanese police officers wanted to use this method. They did not want to affect the travel mood of ordinary people, and they were also worried that Usaku Saiki would cause trouble if he found out, so they did not mention it at all.

Bo Yezhaiji wasn't so arrogant as to bully others. It's no fun bullying good people; he generally preferred to bully bad people. So he nodded and said, "Just pick one."

Considering that Usuiba Saiki's personality might offend people, in order to minimize the impact on ordinary people, Bourbon carefully selected a hot spring inn with low family traffic, but not one that would be directly rejected by Usuiba Saiki.

Usoppon Saiki is the kind of person who doesn't know how to plan a trip and just waits for others to make arrangements, so when Bourbon asked him, he casually agreed and then reminded him, "Remember to get reimbursed."

"……good."

Bourbon agreed with mixed feelings.

Even this small amount of wool can't be spared from the organization... Does this guy really have no complaints about the organization?

Usoppō Saiki's vacation is precious, after all, he is also a policeman and cannot take leave casually. If he has not returned home by the end of his vacation, his superiors will call to ask where he is.

Two years have passed, and this policeman has not only done a good job, but has even been promoted. Everyone in the First Investigation Division is shocked that he has been able to stay for so long.

Being a police officer is really great. When he goes out to investigate and make inquiries, suspicion points come in like crazy, and it's so easy. But lately, he's feeling a bit tired of it and has entered a period of burnout.

That's why he finally came here to have fun, and even went to the Middle East – he just wanted to change his mood.

Because Usui was in a hurry, they booked a hot spring hotel and packed their bags and set off that afternoon. Due to the bus route, they didn't take the Shinkansen or a plane. Bourbon and Scotland took turns driving, while Usui sat in the back like a king. When he got tired of sitting, he would lie down, and when he got tired of lying down, he would sit down. He wasn't afraid that Bourbon would do something naughty and drift off to throw him out.

Finally arriving at their destination, Usoppei got off the bus, his face rosy and his spirits high, looking nothing like someone who had been traveling for most of the day.

Because this place is a bit remote, the roads are not very well maintained. There is a section of the road that is so bumpy that the two people sitting in the front are quite uncomfortable. Seeing this, Bo Yezhai was quite moved.

—That must be the confidence they gained from riding in tanks in the Middle East!

Actually, I was just wearing a motion sickness ring...

After getting off the bus, Usoppō Saiki observed the surrounding area.

The location is relatively remote and not overdeveloped. It is surrounded by forests, and although it is winter, the species still retain some greenery.

The air here feels much fresher than in Tokyo.

After parking the car, the three of them went into the hotel, where someone immediately came to greet them.

This time, Usaku Saiki's treatment was much more normal than when she was with Kanakawa Shinryu, Hagiwara Kenji, and Matsuda Jinpei. The waiters were all smiles and very attentive.

"We rarely have visitors from other places here. If there is anything we haven't taken good care of, please forgive us. We will do our best to correct it as long as you give us your feedback."

Scotland politely asked about some things to note and preparations for dinner, then closed the door and began packing her luggage.

Basically, I brought clothes and toiletries, maybe a bulky but advanced laptop for that era, and nothing else of value.

Usakabe Saiki pulled out her own yukata from her suitcase. This extra-warm yukata would keep her at the most comfortable temperature, so that she wouldn't feel too uncomfortable after getting out of the hot spring and wouldn't want to leave the bathroom.

Bourbon, with his sharp eyes, noticed something that looked familiar in size and color when Usaku Saiki pulled out his yukata, but Usaku Saiki stuffed it back into his suitcase the next second, preventing him from confirming it further.

Bourbon: "…………"

That thing... it looks like a police ID.

Could it be a relic of Ariel? But Ariel deleted all the files, why would he keep this?

So that's a fake certificate made by Usoppō Saiki? What was his motive? Was it for fun?

Scotland saw it too, but he wasn't as conflicted as Bourbon. After all, he had been tormented by Usaku Saiki up close for a while and had a general idea of ​​Usaku Saiki's temperament, so he was a little suspicious and asked directly.

"Potnis, what was that that just fell out?"

Bourbon: "...!!!"

Is it alright to ask so directly?! What if it really is related to arabesque...?

Usakabe Saiki: "Oh, it's a police ID."

Bourbon: "…………" He actually answered like that...

Scotland: "...How do you have a police ID?"

"Who said this is mine?" Bo Yezaki said with an expression that said nothing more. "I'm hungry, what should we eat?"

If it's not yours... then whose is it?

This kind of situation, where only half of what is said is so easy to make people's brains race.

Scotland and Bourbon contributed a lot of doubt, but Scotland also knew that even if Usakabe Saiki asked, he wouldn't continue to answer, so he could only regretfully skip the topic and move on to the next one.

"Someone will be delivering the food soon, but it's nothing fancy, just a platter of sushi and sashimi, udon noodles, and tempura. I'll take them all."

Bo Yezaki nodded: "Okay, these are basically difficult to make and taste bad, as long as they are just passable."

She's picky at home, but easy to feed outside. This doesn't seem to reflect the shrewish personality that Usaku Saiki usually has.

But since they had just arrived, it would take some time for the food to be delivered, so the three of them sat on the tatami mats and chatted.

"If you come in spring, the scenery around here should be quite nice."

"It's alright now..."

Usoba Saiki, who was looking out the window, suddenly interjected, "Look down there, aren't those yakuza people?"

"Where would you find yakuza in this place? They're just thugs, right?" Bourbon muttered, then quickly stood up and moved to the window.

Yakuza are legal in Japan. If you want to register a group, you should register a group and pay taxes on time.

People who get involved in yakuza are obviously after profits, so they tend to be more active in big cities and populated areas where money can be made. In remote areas where there's little to no profit to be made, or in aging communities where the whole village is poor, there are fewer yakuza activities.

The location they chose might not necessarily have legitimate yakuza members. Even if it did, they would most likely be people who had returned from big cities. So when they saw the people below dressed in suits, but with a strange atmosphere and an air of ill intent, they were all a little puzzled.

Did this hotel offend someone? Or is it owing money and refusing to pay?

Just then, the waiter knocked on the door to deliver the food, and Bourbon inquired, "We just saw a group of strange people come downstairs..."

The waiter's smile immediately became somewhat forced: "Excuse me, did I disturb you? The owner is handling it..."

Just then, a very penetrating voice came from the other side of the corridor.

"I told you to release them! Can't you understand human language?!"

Bourbon, who heard it clearly, asked, "...Did your boss kidnap someone?"

"No, no, no!" the waiter quickly explained, "It's the proprietress's son. He's become involved in a cult and insists on serving the leader and learning from him... The proprietress had no choice but to lock him up, and she never expected them to come back! Excuse me, please enjoy your meal, I need to go help the proprietress..."

The door closed, and Scotland sat at the table, frowning involuntarily: "They even came to the door..."

Generally speaking, if cult members stop coming, the cult won't specifically come to collect donations, because that would be too troublesome. They just need to keep the people who are still coming to donate.

However, considering that this place is a bit remote, and there are probably very few people in the church to begin with, the absence of even one person would be particularly noticeable. Therefore, every believer is precious and needs to be won back.

In the short time they exchanged two sentences, the commotion outside turned into a forced intrusion, and it seemed that a regular customer was giving them directions, telling them where the landlady's son was being held.

If Scotland and Bourbon were police officers at that moment, they would have stepped forward without hesitation. Even if it were just the two of them, in such a remote place where few people knew them and would never see them again, they might still choose to help the landlady.

But now they have a figure named Usakabe Saiki whose stance is unclear.

The two exchanged glances, unsure of what reason they could use to legitimately intervene in the incident without arousing suspicion, especially if they were actually aligned with the organization.

Before they could react, Usoppō Saiki spoke up.

"What are you all standing there for? Shouldn't we ordinary people be the ones to stand up for what's right when we encounter something like this? You're acting like stereotypical members of an organization. Are you actually undercover agents?"

Bourbon was completely convinced.

How did this all end up being considered an undercover operation? What other behaviors of Usakabe Saiki don't seem like those of an undercover agent?

As expected, this guy is really just a simpleton with a sharp tongue. He probably doesn't know that Alex is an undercover agent and has no intention of using this to make contact with the undercover agent. Otherwise, according to his standards, he could have made contact with Gin!

But since Usoppō Saiki has spoken, it's actually a good thing for the two policemen.

So Bourbon stood up and said in a feignedly reluctant tone, "We're here on vacation, why are we getting involved in this trouble..."

“You’re right, then forget it and go eat.” Bo Yezhai readily agreed and changed his mind.

Bourbon: "…………"

However, that's what he said, but it would be no Bo Yezhaiji if he didn't watch the excitement, so he went to the door, opened it, and randomly grabbed a passing cult member.

"Excuse me, what kind of religion is this? How can it help me? Could you please tell me?"

The passerby was initially impatient, thinking that this person was trying to stop him again, but when he glanced at Bo Yezhai's attire, he realized that she must be from a big city! She wasn't with the local proprietress!

His attitude immediately became enthusiastic: "Of course! Our leader has the blessing of God and possesses superpowers. He can read minds and predict the future... Would you like to come with us and take a look? It's not far from here! Just that village next door!"