Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Chinatsu’s POV
   It has been well over school hours after the two of them were done with their respective research, so Chinatsu decided to look for Minase at his work site first. If he’s not there, only then would they go to his apartment. Sure enough, there he was, wearing the store’s uniforms and standing behind the counter while looking absolutely bored.

   “Don’t worry, senpai. He might be a dangerous individual, but I’ll protect you from him no matter what!” Date reassures Chinatsu as they stand in front of the entrance to the convenience store.

   Chinatsu smiles encouragingly at him. “I’m counting on you.”

   “Welcome~.” Minase says with a monotone the moment they step inside.

   The two of them head straight to the counter. Minase does nothing but stare and wait for them to approach. For some weird reason, Chinatsu felt a chill down her spine the moment they met eyes.

   “Good evening. You’re Minase Jin-kun, right?” she asks just to confirm.

   “Yes. Do I know you?”

   “You don’t. This is the first time we’ve met. We would like to speak with you for a moment. Can you spare some time for us?” Chinatsu asks him politely and without taking out her ID card .

   “I’d love to cooperate, but unless it’s really, really urgent I can’t leave my post right now. You see, I’m working all by myself in this shift.” he replies.

   “You are? What about your other co-workers? Your manager?”

   “We have two others who works here besides the manager. Unfortunately, one took an off day since he has exam tomorrow, and the other is a graveyard shift worker. The manager…well, let’s just say that he’s not around.”

   “Can’t you do something about it? We really need to talk to you.” Date insists.

   “I’m afraid that I can’t do anything about that. Company policies, you see.”

   “That’s fine. We’ll just wait until your shift is over. What time does your colleague who works the graveyard shift arrives and clocks in?” Chinatsu asks.

   “At 10.”

   “We’ll come back at 10 then.”

   And so, they were forced to leave.

   “Do you think he’s trying to stall for time and make a run for it?” Date asks Chinatsu suspiciously after they’re outside the store.

   “No, I don’t think so. He showed zero intention of running away when I told him that I need to speak with him.”

   “Even so, I still think we need to keep an eye over the exits just in case.”

   “Good idea. I’ll watch over the back door. You take the entrance.”

   The two of them wait patiently until it’s 10 o’clock at night, which is more than four hours away. Being detectives, they did multiple stakeouts before, so this is nothing new for them. After it’s five minutes past ten, Date gave Chinatsu a call.

   “Minase just got relieved by a colleague of his. I think we can talk to him now.” he reports.

   “Got it. If he comes outside, just ask him to wait for a while until I arrive.”

   “Understood.”

   When Chinatsu reached the entrance, Minase was just coming out while wearing his school uniform.

   “I’m sorry for making the two of you wait this long.” he apologizes to them.

   “No worries. Let’s go talk at somewhere quiet.”

   As Chinatsu was thinking of a place to go, Minase’s stomach makes a rumbling sound.

   “Would you like to buy something back there to fill your stomach?” Chinatsu asks him.

   “No, thank you. My money is very tight right now. I can’t afford any store-bought food.” he declines.

   “Tell you what. You go ahead and pick whatever you want. It’s my treat.”

   His eyes brightens. “Is it really okay?”

   “Of course.”

   He bows gratefully at her. “Thank you very much for your kind offer.”

   And so, he goes inside the store once more to get some food and drink.

   “He’s really not holding back, huh? The stuffs he’s getting are enough to feed all three of us.” Date says while shaking his head disapprovingly.

   “Oh, just cut him some slack. He’s having a hard time on saving money.”

   Once he has done choosing, Chinatsu heads inside to pay for all the things he bought. She got a discount since he’s an employee here. All the food and drinks he bought was being kept inside a plastic bag which he carries himself.

   “Once again, thank you for paying for all these.” Minase thanks her again while they head outside.

   “You’re welcome. Now, let’s head to a nearby park where we can talk.”

   “Sure.”

   Once there, they found a bench that Minase can sit on and eat his food. Chinatsu and Date are standing opposite him. She begins by showing him her police ID.

   “I am Detective Sergeant Wakaba Chinatsu. This is Officer Date Hiroya.” she formally introduces themselves.

   Minase isn’t wavered or freaking out at all even though that he’s about to be questioned by 2 police detectives. He calmly opens up the wrapper of a rice ball and takes a bite.

   “What is it that you want to talk about?” he asks them. “I don’t remember breaking any laws.”

   “Don’t try to act dumb! We know what you did!” Date growls.

   Minase looks expressionlessly at Date.

   “I honestly have no idea.” he tells him.

   Chinatsu takes out her phone and plays the video she got from Bouchard. She then shows it to Minase.

   “This is you in the video, correct?” she asks.

   He blinks in surprise after watching a few seconds of it.

   “Blimey, I should have been more careful. So much for trying to keep things discreet.” he mumbles.

   “Don’t worry. We’re not here to arrest you or anything, despite what my junior here just said.” she assures him.

   “Then what business do you have with me?”

   “We need your help in exterminating dangerous creatures like the ones you fought in this video.”

   “Sure, if you’re paying me for the service.”

   Date stares at him with a shocked expression.

   “You’re actually expected to get paid?” he asks.

   “Of course. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

   “But, you have a duty to protect the people with that power of yours!”

   Minase looks at Date like he’s looking at an idiot.

   “Are the two of you curious on how I got my powers in the first place?” he asks softly.

   Chinatsu’s ears perk up. His backstory definitely interests her.

   “Please tell us. If it’s not too much trouble, that is.” she tells him.

   “The story is a bit long. You might want to sit down for this.” he warns.

   “It’s fine. I’ll just stand.”

   Date nods in agreement.

   He shrugs. He then begins his long story.

   One night, he was just minding his own business at his apartment unit. The next thing he knew, he was standing on a magic circle inside a foreign room. He was told by the person who summoned him that he was chosen as the Hero who will defeat the Demon Lord. And so begin his quest to save the world of Ifezan. He trained and trained so that he could defend himself. He was told that he has an astounding potential, which is why he was chosen to be the Hero in the first place. After he was deemed ready, he was sent out to fight in order to gain experience. He fought creatures and other humans alike. Chinatsu often interrupted him at this part so that he could explain to her about the creatures she’s not familiar with, which is almost all of them. She really needs to start polishing on her knowledge on mythologies and folklore.

   Often, his enemies were so strong they were nearly invincible. Cities the size of Tokyo disappeared in an instant after they were done with them. He even had to fight a dragon the size of a shopping mall. Even so, he always prevailed in the end, with the cost of suffering from grievous injuries.

   In the end, he managed to defeat the Demon Lord. Before he could be rewarded, however, he was sent back to this world. The weirdest part is, they somehow managed to sent him back in time, as if he had never left.

   “...And that’s the whole story.” he concludes.

   Chinatsu could tell that he tried to simplify it as much as possible, but it still took him quite a while to finish. While she’s processing the story inside her head, Minase continues to attack his food.

   “That was an, amazing story, to say the least.” was all Chinatsu could say.

   He shrugs. “You might not believe me, but everything I told you is true.”

   “No, I’m not doubting you. Things have gotten so crazy lately your story seems tame by comparison.”

   Date, on the other hand, is very upset.

   “Hold on, you were a Hero, the Chosen One, and yet you’re fine with people suffering from those beasts? What’s wrong with you?” he yells at Minase.

   Minase looks at the junior detective impassively.

   “Detective Date, was it? How long were you on the field?” he asks.

   “Huh? I think it was one month, give or take.”

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   “That explains a lot.”

   “What’s that supposed to mean?”

   Instead of answering, Minase looks at Chinatsu next.

   “He hasn’t exactly been taught the harshness of the outside world yet, has he?”

   She smiles and shakes her head.

   “No, he was partnered up with me a week ago. As far as I know, he has only been doing office work prior.” she confirms.

   “You too, senpai? Seriously? What does it matter that I’m still new to this?” Date asks with an exasperated tone.

   Minase was the one who answered, although he did it in a roundabout way.

   “When I first began my life as a Hero, I was just like you. I thought I could finally be of use and help people out. I managed to help all right. I risked my life to kill trolls, dragons, and even the Demon Lord himself so that everyone else would be saved. Unfortunately, the people of that world couldn’t care less. It’s true that I rid them of their source of fear, but I became their new fear. Even if I was helping them, they couldn’t even act like they’re happy to see me. All of them looked at me like I was some kind of freak, someone who’s not the same species as they are.”

   He paused for a while to take a few gulps of melon soda.

   “I wasn’t even appreciated. I think the only reason they didn’t pelt me with stones whenever they see me is because they would fear that I might retaliate. And after I wasn’t of any use to them, what do they do? They kicked me back to this world.”

   He crushed the metallic bottle he’s holding into two with his hand like it was nothing. Angry as he was, he immediately gets up from his seat and throw away the bottle fragments in the nearest garbage bin.

   Chinatsu knows his feelings all too well. The police were often given similar treatment by the civilians, although it was never as bad as his situation. No matter where you are, it’s tough to be on the side which protects.

   “Still, you shouldn’t keep acting on your own. One wrong step, and you might end up fighting the joint armies of several countries one day.” Date insists.

   “...And?”

   Even though it was just a single word, Chinatsu got another chill down her spine. Now she understands the reason Minase had been giving her bad vibes. Even if only half the stories he told them were true, he’s still the strongest person on this planet. He had fought and defeated entities that could level an entire city all by themselves. It doesn’t matter how many humans would stand in his way, he could turn them all to dust without so much as exhaling. He’s that dangerous. Chinatsu takes a deep breath. She has to be very careful when she’s dealing with him. The fate of the whole country, nay, the planet depends on it.

   “You mentioned that you want to be compensated for cooperating with us. What is it that you want exactly?” she asks him.

   “Are you going to tolerate his behaviour, senpai?” Date demands from her.

   “Please keep quiet for a moment, Date-kun.” she hisses softly at him.

   “I don’t want to be rude, but are you in a position to make a deal with me?” Minase asks her.

   “...I guess not. I’ll speak with my superiors about you first.”

   “Please do that. I’ll be waiting.”

   “There’s one last thing that I need to ask you.”

   “What is it?”

   Chinatsu wants to ask him about Esty. The weird thing is, she just couldn’t. The words simply won’t come out. It’s not just asking about her. When Chinatsu wanted to search for Esty’s background, her fingers refuse to type out the words on the keyboard. It’s like there’s something that’s forbidding her.

   While Chinatsu struggles to get her words out, Minase is just staring at her. The silence is getting unbearable.

   “...Never mind. It’s nothing.” she finally gives up.

   To make contacting each other more convenient, they exchanged contact numbers.

   “The company policies require me to set my phone on vibration mode while I’m working. As such, please send me a text instead of calling me.” Minase tells Chinatsu.

   “Understood.”

   “Is there anything else you would like to ask me?”

   Chinatsu shakes her head. “No, that was all. Thank you for your cooperation.”

   “It was nothing. Once again, thank you for buying me my meal.” Minase tells her.

   “It’s probably pointless to say this to you, but be careful on your way home.”

   “Thank you. You too.”

   Minase made sure to dispose of all the remains of his meal before he leaves the park. Once Minase is out of sight, she could finally breath easier. She looks at Date. He’s still sulking after she hissed harshly at him.

   “Date-kun, I’m sorry for being harsh at you just now. It’s a poor excuse, but we couldn’t afford to make him mad no matter what.”

   She spent some time to explain the urgency of the negotiation. After she’s done with her explanation, his eyes widen in shock.

   “I’m so sorry for not realizing the situation, senpai. I guess I still have a long way to go.” he apologizes.

   “That’s okay. We all make mistakes.”

   “What will we do about Minase?”

   “For starters, we need to tell the Chief about his existence. I guess we also need to tell him about the compensation part.”

   “Does the Chief even has any authority to give out compensations and rewards to someone not from the police?”

   “I have no idea. We’ll let him worry about that part.”

   On the next day, they went to see Chief Hayashi the first chance they got. Chinatsu told him about everything that had happened last night, minus the part where Bouchard spoke to them. That can come later. Naturally, he was sceptical at first. However, he was more than convinced when he was shown the video footage of Minase fighting the Hellhounds.

   “What on earth…” he mumbles as he’s watching the video.

   His entire face has gone pale. Chinatsu doesn’t blame him. Anyone would be shocked after seeing something like this. After the video is over, she also told him what Minase told them last night.

   “What now, chief?” Chinatsu asks. “Even with he means no harm, there’s no way we can ignore him.”

   “You’re absolutely right. He mentioned that he wanted to get paid if we want to enlist his help, right? I’ll call the PM as soon as we’re done here.”

   “You mean you could speak to him directly, sir?” Date asks with a shocked expression.

   “No need to look so surprised, Date. I am the Chief of Police, after all. I’m one of his most trusted personnel. Now, the boy aside, I’m more worried about Bouchard. I have a feeling that he’s planning to use him to do something sinister. Let’s hope I’m wrong.”

   “Can’t you do something about it, chief? Something like getting a search warrant to search every nook and cranny of his organization?” Date asks.

   “I would if I could. The thing is, the PM trusts him too much to allow it. If we made one wrong move, we’re the one who’ll get in trouble. For now, we can’t do anything since we don’t have any evidence.”

   “If I may, chief. Speaking of Bouchard…” Chinatsu says.

   She then tells him about the conversation they had with Bouchard.

   “That slimy snake!” he growls after she was done. “He’s definitely up to something, and he even tried to drag you into his scheme! Just how vile can he get?”

   “I’ve told him that we’ll consider to work with him. He did, after all, gave us this footage. The final decision is up to you, of course.”

   “I’d rather not, to be honest. I don’t care if Minase Jin is a highly dangerous individual. He’s still a boy. I don’t fancy the thought of a nutjob like Bouchard experimenting with him.”

   “I’m more worried about what Minase-kun might do in retaliation if he was ever forced to do something he doesn’t like.”

   “And there’s that too. You’ve talked to him, Wakaba. What was he like?”

   Chinatsu got slight shivers from remembering the part where he said that he couldn’t care less about fighting a literal army.

   “If everything he told us was true, he had been through a lot for a boy his age. It wasn’t helping that he wasn’t accepted by those around him. That may or may not been the reason that made him lose most of his empathy towards others. As a result, he won’t hesitate to erase anyone or anything that stands in his way.”

   The chief gulps audibly.

   “It’s like he’s a ticking time bomb.” he whispers.

   “Agreed. To be completely honest with you, I do not want to have a conversation with him ever again if I can help it.”she confesses.

   “So he even managed to scare the Iron Flower of the Tokyo Police Department.” the chief chuckles despite the seriousness of the conversation.

   Chinatsu blushes at the mere mention of the tasteless nickname.

   “Please don’t bring up that embarrassing nickname.” she pleads.

   Too late. Date got very interested in it. He has never heard of it since she was being called that way before he was part of the team.

   “How did senpai ever get such a nickname?” he asks the chief curiously.

   “Well, you see-”

   “There’s no need for you to tell him, chief!”

   Chinatsu clears her throat.

   “My point is, we should exercise utmost discretion when we’re dealing with Minase-kun. We simply can’t risk having him as our enemy.”

   “I agree. Send the video to me. Forget talking to the PM by phone. I need to see him face-to-face and show the video to him to better convince him.”

   “What should we do with Minase-kun in the meantime?” Chinatsu asks.

   “Until I talked to the PM, we’ll have to leave him alone. IT would be really bad if he got angry.”

   “Shouldn’t we at least observe him? You know, just in case?” Date asks.

   “Don’t even try. I dread to know what he’ll do to you once he found out that you had been stalking him. Besides, what’s the point? If he wants to wipe us out, he would have already done it. Nothing’s going to stop him.”

   “I absolutely forbid you from acting out on your own, Date-kun. Promise me that you won’t be reckless.” Chinatsu says to him just in case.

   “...Fine. I promise.” Date promises reluctantly.

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