Chapter 41 The Rumors Are Rampant
The day after the explosion, Hagiwara went to work at the Metropolitan Police Department as usual.
Matsuda's injuries were more serious than he had anticipated; the guy was still in the hospital. So, he'd have to handle the prisoner's situation himself from now on.
As soon as Hagiwara arrived at the office, he sensed that something was off.
When faced with a difficult case, everyone inevitably feels anxious and worried.
But today, amidst this uneasy atmosphere, Hagiwara sensed an unusual unease: everyone's eyes were darting away when they saw him.
"What happened?"
Hagiwara was completely confused.
He was about to say something to boost morale, but before he could even open his mouth, his superior called him over.
"Boss, what's wrong?" Hagiwara asked, his doubts growing as he saw Matsuo's serious expression.
"Hagiwara, this is for you." Matsuo handed him an exquisitely packaged box.
Hagiwara took a closer look: Wow! Isn't this the Winter Olympics commemorative edition Mazda car model he's been longing for?
Because this item was so popular at the time, Hagiwara couldn't get one and was envious of the one Matsuo bought for a long time, but Matsuo wouldn't sell it.
"Why would the eldest brother be willing to reluctantly give up something at this point?"
Hagiwara curiously scrutinized Matsuo, when a terrifying thought suddenly occurred to him: "Could it be that the boss was reprimanded and transferred because of the poor performance of the Virginity Explosion Squad yesterday?"
However, what Hagiwara never expected was that someone was indeed leaving.
But this person was not Matsuo, but himself.
"Hagiwara, this is the transfer order. Pack your things today, and report to your new post tomorrow!" Matsuo sighed, patted his subordinate on the shoulder, and said, "Sigh, public opinion can be deceiving! The higher-ups have given a direct order, and I can't protect you this time. But don't worry, your abilities and achievements in the 'Explosive Virginity Class' over the past six years have been evident to everyone. Once this storm passes, I will definitely find a way to transfer you back. For now, you can work in the archives, writing documents and organizing files. Although it's a quiet job, it's stable, risk-free, and you don't have to work overtime. Just think of it as a vacation."
Hagiwara stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
Matsuo's words went in one ear and out the other. Hagiwara heard every single word, but it seemed like he didn't understand a single one.
His eyes were fixed on the transfer order written in black and white on the white paper, the line "transferred from post due to work attitude issues" being particularly glaring.
"Work attitude problem? What's wrong with my attitude?"
Hagiwara gripped the paper tightly, almost tearing it apart.
He stared wide-eyed at his superior, his voice trembling as he asked, "Boss, why do you want me to leave?"
Matsuo looked somewhat troubled. He tried his best to reassure his subordinate, saying, "Hagiwara, you know how big this case is! The Nagano Winter Olympics are opening in two months, and it's peak tourist season right now. But such a heinous prison break has happened in Tokyo, and the prisoners even bombed an elementary school on their first day of escape. Do you understand how serious this situation is?"
Hagiwara was even more confused and retorted, "So isn't this exactly the time when they need me? Matsuda is injured and hospitalized, and I'm the only one who dealt with the criminal six years ago, right? Why are they transferring me to the archives at this crucial moment?!"
Matsuo gave Hagiwara a strange look and asked, "You still don't know about that?"
"What's up?"
Since Matsuda was injured yesterday, Hagiwara has been staying at the hospital with him, and he hasn't cared about anything else.
Matsuo sighed helplessly, pulled Hagiwara over, pointed to his phone and said to him, "Look at this video."
Hagiwara took the phone and stared at the screen. The image on the screen showed Teitan Elementary School, where the explosion had occurred the day before.
It began as a peaceful scene, with a celebration taking place at the school.
A few seconds later, the scene changed abruptly. Some police officers arrived at the school, and the children scattered like birds.
Then he saw his own reflection, seemingly fighting against someone who looked a lot like Matsuda.
Finally, Hagiwara saw "himself" light a cigarette, and then the school building exploded, leaving corpses strewn everywhere.
The video ends with a caption: "The truth behind the Teitan Elementary School explosion has been revealed. Please give the public an explanation!"
"Who made this video? This is utter nonsense! How could I be a criminal?" Hagiwara shouted angrily.
“We don’t know what happened either. The police investigated and found that it was a fake video made by an internet celebrity who wanted to gain traffic.”
"Then arrest that guy!"
Matsuo shook his head helplessly and said, "Hagiwara, things aren't that simple. Of course, the police caught that person and clarified that you were waiting outside the building at the time, there was no fighting, and no one was injured except for the police."
"Isn't that settled?"
"No, no, no, it's much more than that. This video has gone on too far online, has too many views, and has created unsettling public pressure online."
"But didn't the police already clarify? They could all figure out with their brains that it's impossible for smoking a cigarette to cause an explosion!" Hagiwara was so angry that his head was spinning, but he finally remembered a crucial point, "Besides, weren't there a lot of people watching outside Teitan Elementary School at the time?"
"That's where the problem lies. Although the police clarified that the video was fake, many people believe it was just an exaggeration, and the real reason is still the same. Because many people filmed the scene of Matsuda hitting you, and they also saw you smoking."
"But the explosion was over by then!" Hagiwara was trembling with anger.
He couldn't understand why so many people would believe such an easily debunked lie.
Matsuo explained earnestly, “Hagiwara, the point isn’t what you didn’t do, but what you did. In today’s online environment, every move the police make is scrutinized under the public’s magnifying glass, and some people, even many people, just like to nitpick. Under normal circumstances, they might not be able to cause any trouble or make any noise. But when these people shout loud enough and make a lot of noise, a lot of attention will be drawn to them.”
"Most people don't care about the details of the incident; all they know is that in an elementary school that had just been bombed, the police officers who were supposed to be defusing the bomb were smoking. This gives the public the impression of dereliction of duty and unreliability, seriously damaging the image of the Metropolitan Police Department, do you understand?"
Hagiwara opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.
He really wanted to ask that so-called internet celebrity why they made such a fake video targeting him, but he also felt it was unnecessary.
As my boss said, if someone wants to find fault, they can find something.
And I just happened to be the one who ran into the line of fire.
In this world, escaped prisoners are not the only ones who dislike the police.
Matsuo added, "This is a countermeasure that the higher-ups discussed overnight, and we have already secured the maximum possible benefits for you."
Hearing this, Hagiwara laughed, his whole body trembling. He loudly questioned, "The higher-ups have time to hold meetings all night to discuss how to punish me, but don't they think about how to deal with the prisoner?"
Matsuo wore a complicated expression and replied, "Hagiwara, you have to understand, some things are really..."
“Boss, I understand,” Hagiwara interrupted. “I’ll leave now and not cause any more trouble.”
As Hagiwara walked out of his boss's office, he looked at his former comrades and suddenly felt an urge to cry, but he held back.
Hagiwara once thought the worst possible outcome would be that he would die during a mission.
But what he didn't expect was that while he escaped death's trap, he couldn't escape the judgment of the people.
"They actually left in such an absurd way."
A wry smile appeared on Hagiwara's lips. He hugged each of his colleagues who came to see him off and whispered, "Be careful, that guy is very cunning."
Hagiwara silently returned to his seat and began packing his things.
A photograph, a certificate of honor, a candy wrapper that wasn't thrown away...
Every single detail carries a wealth of memories, spanning six whole years.
Now they are all frozen in time, no longer flowing, sealed in the corner of memory as specimens for him to remember and mourn.
Hagiwara left carrying a large cardboard box.
He wanted to take one last look, but ultimately he didn't turn back.
Because he was afraid that people would see his reddened eyes.
When Hagiwara reached the first floor, he could see a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the Metropolitan Police Department in the distance.
Out of curiosity, he went over to take a look.
This glance was enough to make Hagiwara gasp in shock:
This is a march and demonstration, and the target of the protest is naturally themselves, who were "negligent in their duties" at the explosion site yesterday.
Hagiwara saw his photo printed out, magnified many times, and held up as a sign, covered with many insulting words.
The most hurtful phrase on those banners was: "Blood for blood."
"It was my brother who was bleeding and injured, what right do you have to say such things?!"
At that moment, a sharp-eyed person seemed to recognize Hagiwara and started yelling as they threw eggs at him.
Hagiwara dodged it, but he was still hit hard.
My heart aches.
This was the first time Hagiwara had seen the faces of the people he had risked his life to protect for the past six years.
I remember there was a question that was often discussed before:
What would you do if you discovered that the person you were trying so hard to save didn't deserve to be saved?
Hagiwara would have answered without hesitation before, "I will uphold my duty as a police officer." But now he is beginning to doubt the value of his work.
"Is this the kind of people I've been protecting all along?"
"Such ignorance, such violence and terror?"
Hagiwara stood there bewildered, and in the end, the police officers on guard escorted him out.
Hagiwara had nothing to do but go to the archives tomorrow, so he went to find Matsuda.
Matsuda's left side was trapped under concrete. As a result, one side of his body was wrapped in straps and he was unable to move.
Matsuda jokingly refers to himself as "half-paralyzed".
"Jinpei-chan, did you take your medicine?" Hagiwara didn't know how to explain this to Matsuda, so he decided not to say anything for now.
But Matsuda wasn't stupid; as soon as he saw Hagiwara return so early, he knew something must have happened.
This morning, Matsuda heard from the nurse about the fake video and guessed it was related to this incident, but he did not expect the serious consequences.
Ultimately, they underestimated the situation.
How could a mere internet celebrity have such great abilities?
But neither Hagiwara nor Matsuda seemed to realize this at the time.
Matsuda noticed that his childhood friend was in a bad mood, so he suggested that he go out for some fresh air.
Hagiwara readily agreed and helped Matsuda into the wheelchair.
Hagiwara pushed Matsuda around in circles in the small park.
When they reached the smoking area, Hagiwara paused and stopped.
Matsuda assumed the other person wanted a cigarette, so he lit one and asked, "Want one?"
Hagiwara stared blankly at the wisp of smoke, feeling as if something had also gone with the wind, and a sense of loss filled his heart.
After a long silence, Hagiwara finally spoke slowly: "I've given it up."
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