Chapter 66

The next day, Usui saw Kenji Hagiwara appear with huge dark circles under his eyes.

Bo Yezaki asked somewhat guiltily, "Are you alright?"

"It's alright," Kenji Hagiwara yawned. "By the way, about that design drawing from yesterday, would you be willing to have the explosives handling team make a model for training purposes?"

Bo Yezaki readily agreed: "Sure, I can design a few more for you."

Kenji Hagiwara suspected that Saiki Usui hadn't thought before speaking: "...Actually, one is enough. It's not good to say that all of them were leaked from the US..."

"Whatever." Usakabe Saiki didn't care, or rather, he preferred that everyone knew he designed the bomb. However, if that were the case, Hagiwara Kenji would definitely stop him, so he didn't try to get credit.

As for the concern that even if it's internal police training, there might be problems if the blueprints are leaked—it's not high-tech. Designing a bomb is like a teacher setting an exam; if they want to make things difficult, they have plenty of ways to do it. As for whether it's difficult to dismantle or not, most police officers, when faced with a bomb, just detonate it and that's it.

However, bomb disposal experts still need to keep up with the times. They are needed in many situations where detonation is not suitable. Therefore, they always need to study rare design drawings to avoid falling into traps.

Kenji Hagiwara disagreed, mainly because he was worried that others would press for details about who designed it, further damaging Shinryu Samakawa's already tarnished reputation. However, since Jinpei Matsuda was confident he could find an excuse to get away with it, he had no objection to letting the explosives handling team learn from them. Perhaps they could see through similar traps in the future and save everyone's lives.

"Thank you on behalf of everyone in the explosives handling team," Kenji Hagiwara said with a smile.

After this good news was conveyed to Matsuda Jinpei, he couldn't wait to ask his superior for the materials to make the model.

To avoid exposing Usakabe Saiki, he rewrote the design himself before showing it to his superior.

The boss glanced over and thought: "Something seems off."

After taking a few more glances, the boss's eyes sharpened.

"What kind of insane design is this?"

Matsuda Jinpei irresponsibly made up a story: "It was a case in the United States. A friend knew I liked this kind of thing, so he inquired about it for me, and I filed a lawsuit based on the intelligence."

The boss expressed skepticism: "I've never heard of this. If such a bomb existed, wouldn't it have become famous by now?"

Matsuda Jinpei insisted: "It's American."

The boss didn't press the matter further, since the design drawings were real. Perhaps the source of the information was hard to explain; the adult world is always full of unspoken understandings. In any case, he could just tell others that it was obtained from the United States.

"We really should make a model to train everyone... Sigh, being able to draw such a design, he seems to be quite skilled at bomb disposal. Do you think this person could join our explosives handling class?"

Matsuda Jinpei looked at his superior reproachfully: "Can you please stop trying to trick me into revealing information?"

The boss didn't seem to mind, but was quite disappointed: "It seems I can't... With this design as a foundation, even if I don't join, I can still be a consultant!"

Matsuda Jinpei pursed his lips.

They don't even look down on the explosives disposal unit; they want to go to the front lines... Speaking of which, shouldn't Hanchuan be interning at the Mobile Investigation Team by now?

Just as Matsuda Jinpei had guessed, the police academy students were dispatched to various places for internships as soon as the new week began.

Generally, they go to local police stations, since most people work in local police stations after graduation, and only a few are directly promoted to the Metropolitan Police Department.

There were a few exceptions, such as Usaku Saiki, who went to the newly reorganized Mobile Investigation Unit and happened to report for duty on Monday.

Regarding the issue of police academy students coming to intern, Kikyo Yuru, the first female captain of the First and Fourth Mobile Investigation Units of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, told her team members about it a week in advance, but everyone was too busy at the time, so they forgot about it after hearing it.

Captain Kikyo was so busy she was almost fainting, and only now, with Monday approaching, did she suddenly remember this: "Who was supposed to mentor the newcomers... Shima? Was that you?"

Officer Shimo frowned and looked up: "I'm already training new recruits."

“Ibuki isn’t a newbie anymore,” Captain Kikyo said. “You two are getting along quite well, aren’t you? And you have experience training newbies, so wouldn’t it be easier to train one together with Ibuki? Just wait until the internship is over, and after he becomes a full-time employee, we’ll need to arrange a new partner for him… You need to find a way to keep him; we’re really short-staffed.”

Officer Shima frowned deeply, clearly resistant: "Squad Leader Jinma also has experience training new recruits."

“That’s different,” Captain Kikyo said. “This one seems to be a problem child as well. You can even keep Ibuki under control, so I’m counting on you for this new one too.”

Officer Shima: “…………”

In other words, he's going to be taking care of two problem children... Can't they be distributed among the other groups?!

He asked without much hope, "What kind of problem child is it this time? Is it as problematic as Ibuki?"

"Uh." Captain Kikyo recalled for a moment, "Have you heard the rumors about the Onizuka Class? They're from the Onizuka Class, top students."

Officer Shimo, who had indeed heard of it, said with a grave expression, "I understand."

A troublemaker, disobedient, and prone to causing trouble, right...?

Officer Shima was prepared to meet a second Ibuki Ai.

Thinking of Ibuki Ran's road rage-like antics, her tendency to argue with people, the total loss of her car after just two days of work, her threatening to shoot a criminal, and her over-reliance on her intuition to treat criminals as innocent—even though these cases have all had satisfactory endings, and the two of them are now getting along quite well and are relatively obedient, Officer Shima still has a headache.

He took the information that Captain Kikyo handed him.

He fell silent after looking at the documents.

The young man with dark hair and red eyes in that small photo, staring coldly ahead, was someone he had met not long ago.

This is no longer an ordinary problem child!!!

Seeing Officer Shima's lips twitching, Captain Kikyo coughed and said, "Although he may look a little unfriendly, Instructor Onizuka swore to me that this Hanakawa-kun is very capable. Shima, don't judge a book by its cover."

“He’s certainly quite capable.” Officer Shimo said expressionlessly. “This is the police academy student who defused the bomb at the scene the day before yesterday.”

Captain Kikyo: "..."

"What? Is it that person?" Ibuki Ran rushed over, glanced at the file, and pushed up her glasses. "Wow, it really is him, Sugikawa Shinryu. I remember that policeman from the 'Virginity Explosion' team shouted that name angrily... Luckily, we didn't actually hurt him back then, or it would be so embarrassing now."

"You shouldn't have rushed in! If he had flinched, we would have all been sent flying!"

"I couldn't help it! I opened the door and saw him like that, I couldn't hold back! Didn't you misunderstand too?! Besides, I only went there after the countdown went out!"

Officer Shimo was speechless.

really.

He and Ibuki Ai were patrolling nearby when they heard the call from the emergency call center and were the first to arrive at the scene.

Based on the information reported, they went up to the second floor and found the mall security guard pacing anxiously at the restroom entrance. The two of them showed him their police identification, and the security guard finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You guys came so fast, I just called the police not long ago... Yes, someone locked the restroom from the inside, I don't know what they're doing in there, because the person looks scary, so I'm too scared to use my key to open the door..."

Ibuki Ai was confused: "Huh? That's not the alarm we received. It said there was a bomb here."

The security guard was terrified: "...Huh? A bomb?!"

Officer Shimo explained, "It's not certain yet. Someone just called the police. It could just be a regular package. We're here to confirm if it's a bomb. If it is, you'll probably receive an evacuation notice from the manager in a little while..."

"Absolutely!" the security guard exclaimed immediately. "That person could be the one who planted the bomb!"

"Theoretically speaking, the bomb should have already been planted by the time the alarm is sounded, so there's no need to go there now..."

"That's not necessarily true!" the security guard insisted. "I've seen the movies. They install a portion first, then send the harder-to-transport parts over in batches for assembly... Officer! What should I do now?!"

Officer Shimo sighed, "Give me the key, and you can stay away from me for now."

Since the other party had locked the door, regardless of whether they were criminals or not, it would definitely alert them. Officer Shimo simply called out twice at the door, "Hello, is anyone inside?"

Unsurprisingly, there was no response from inside.

Officer Shimo then took out his key and opened the door.

Because he was worried that there might be a bomb planted at the door, he opened the door very carefully and hid behind the door panel, fearing that the person inside might suddenly attack and hurt him.

But soon, cries for help came from inside.

"Is anyone there? Help!"

Officer Shima: "...?!?!"

So there wasn't just one person inside?! That makes sense, the security guard didn't say that the other party kicked everyone out before locking the door... In other words, this might not be an isolated bombing incident, but could also involve revenge or a desire to die together with others.

With lives at stake, Officer Shima was about to step out from behind the cover when his partner, Ibuki Ai, rushed in.

He quickly saw what was happening inside.

One person appeared to be being coerced, holding a bomb with a flashing countdown timer in their hands with a look of terror on their face, while another person slowly reached into the bomb's control box with some tool, seemingly adjusting it.

In an instant, countless speculations flashed through Officer Shimo's mind—how arrogant! Is he going to use a hostage to threaten the police with a bomb?!

Why didn't the person who called the police mention this?

Wait a minute, could it be that the bomber called the police himself just to enjoy the police's helplessness?!

Hearing the noise at the door, the man suspected of being the bomber glanced in their direction.

Beneath bangs as deep blue as the night sky, a pair of blood-red eyes remained unmoved as she indifferently said, "Don't come any closer."

Perhaps his distraction caused him to malfunction at work, because Ibuki Ran keenly noticed that the countdown timer on the bomb control box had gone out. So, with his intuitive nature, he didn't care about whether he would die if he made a wrong judgment and rushed over.

The young man with short, dark blue hair took two steps back, distancing himself from the hostage. Officer Shimo quickly stepped forward, steadied him, and moved him away from the scene: "Are you alright? Do you know each other?"

The hostage choked back tears: "Thank you! Thank you, officer! We don't know you!"

Shima glanced quickly at the battlefield on Ibuki Ai's side before reaching out to dispose of the bomb. It was then that he noticed many cut wires inside the bomb control box.

If that person really was a bomber, how could they possibly cut these wires? This is clearly a bomb disposal operation!

"Wait a minute!" Officer Shimo sensed something was wrong and quickly asked the hostage, "Was he defusing a bomb just now?"

The hostage cried, tears streaming down his face, "I don't know! Maybe! I don't know anything about bombs! I bought this from someone else!"

Officer Shima: "...?!?!?"

Ibuki Ai also realized what was happening and stopped her grappling motion: "...Huh? You planted this bomb?"

"Waaaaah, I just wanted to threaten the mall manager and make him regret firing me... I was observing things nearby, and this guy suddenly grabbed me and dragged me inside... He insisted on defusing the bomb in my hand... He even said that if my hand trembled, we'd all die together... Waaaaah..."

The two policemen fell silent: "…………"

Officer Shima slowly looked over at the person who looked more like a criminal than this guy.

The young man with deep red hair casually put the small knife in his hand into the pocket of his trench coat, staring intently at the real criminal with an inorganic indifference in his tone.

"I just think he should learn a lesson."

--------------------

I'm late again. What's wrong with me? I easily procrastinate when I'm typing without my buddy watching me...

Extra chapters added tonight

.

This is a supplement to the perspective of the search and rescue team regarding the previous bombing case.

Prisoner: This guy's a psychopath! Why did he have to defuse the bomb in my hand?!