Kikanshita Yuusha no Gojitsudan : Chapter 31

Chapter 31 The Hero’s Detective Story 4

“I really don’t know! I don’t even know their names or contact information, I just get a contact from them on a regular basis! I always get a blocked call from the other side if I tried to call them, and I just told a designated location to exchange money for drugs! I didn’t lie!”

　The slumped man in front of me screams out in desperation.

　Apparently, this guy is a ‘miss’ too.

“Do you know someone that might know something?”

“There should be no one. I, it’s true!”

　There are two men strewn around, cowering around him.

　There’s no other way. It’s depressing to think that I’m back to square one, but there seems to be nothing to be gained by asking any more questions.

　It’s already been a week since the previous incident.

　I have been gathering information in an alleyway near a downtown area in a neighboring city.

　I’m trying to trace the information back to the drug dealers I heard from the trash in the event circle, but it’s not looking good.

　This is the fifth time I’ve missed the target.

　Apparently, they’ve heard that I’ve been going around busting drug dealers, and this time, they attacked me as soon as they came in contact with me.

　I’ve been interrogating him after a light beating, but the trail I followed seems to have been broken at last.

---

　After the circle incident, I was finally able to contact Akane after I got back home.

　It seems that she’s worried because although she had already received a call from Mizukami; she had heard nothing from me afterwards.

　What a shameful situation.

　I was able to contact Shishido through Akane, and he came to return the phone and motorcycle to my house on the same day. Together with Mizukami.

　I was worried that she was still shaken up since not much time has passed since then, but she seemed to be in better spirits than I expected.

　As expected, it looks like the existence of a lover is important. I am not sure though, as I have never experienced it.

　Be that as it may, aside from the bike, the smartphone was a lifesaver.

　I told Shishido what happened to some extent, and he decided to report the incident to the university.

　Although Shishido himself is likely to be punished in some way, he said, ‘Even though I was threatened, I knew there was a girl who was being victimized and I didn’t do anything about it, so I’m prepared for it.’ How handsome can this guy be?

　However, it seemed that he decided to only report the summary of things about the girls.

　I’ve to be very careful because things are what they are, and I’ve destroyed the data to prove it as well.

　I’m sure the victim doesn’t want this to be seen by anyone, and I don’t regret my actions.

　Also, Shishido complained to me because I explained to Mizukami that the drugs were Viagra.

　He didn’t seem that dissatisfied while complaining, so I said, ‘Why don’t you prove to her you don’t need that kind of drug?’ As I teased him, he replied, ‘I always do that’.

　It pissed me off hearing that, so I made him experience a backflip with a forehead flick while I was saying, ‘I hope your di*k fall off’.

　Furthermore, the next day, the garbage senior group turned themselves in to the police.

　I know right away because I put a magical marker on them to monitor their movements, just in case.

　According to Shishido, the money has been returned by their parents along with an apology.

　And, to my annoyance, I had to be questioned by the police as well. But Shishido and Mizukami, who were also questioned, defended me, and a girl who was a witness also testified. I was never held responsible for their injuries because of the difference in number between me and the garbage senior, and also because they had many weapons in their possession, and they never talked about me. However, the Police did complain a lot about the destruction of the data that was part of the evidence.

　They also confirmed it from the test that Shishido only uses the drugs once, and it’s under threat, so there is no blame here either. It’s not surprising, though.

　As for the damage done to the girl, I don’t know what will happen because their wishes take priority, but I think it’s safe to say that the circle incident is taken care of for now.

---

　While I know there is no need for me to do anything more, since that’s the end of the event circle case, and it would make sense to leave it to the police, I’m feeling unsettled by this dyspepsia-like feeling.

　 I think it’s just a coincidence that one of their random targets happens to be the university I attend, and it’s not that they were specifically targeting this university.

　However, I don’t like the fact that they brought these drugs into the place where my friends are, and I don’t want to let it go unchecked. Besides, if I let it go unchecked, there’s no guarantee that it won’t come back to bite me in the future.

　But these people who are distributing these drugs seem to be very cautious that I can’t even catch the end of their tails. I don’t even know what their name is, let alone their base or size of the organization. 

　This time I’m not hiding my identity at all when I act.

　In the first place, I believe it’s only a matter of time before the circle members find out about me because they’ve seen me working together with Shishido. So, there’s no point in hiding it now.

　That’s why I’ve been thinking about tracing back to the original source via the seller’s route, but as I said before, there’s been no progress, and I’ve been pondering what to do from now on.

　I’ve learned that a steady investigation requires a lot of patience. Police officers are amazing. I’m reflecting on how I thought they were being sloppy when I saw the news.

　Also, the only thing I can think of that I can do to find drug addicts is by applying an ”appraisal” at random to people who look like they have a bad attitude.

　Or, I could wait for them to contact me by deliberately moving in a flashy way.

　I rode back to my house with that in mind.

　It was getting close to evening, but I parked the bike next to the gate instead of putting it in my garage, as I planned to go out again after a short rest.

　Just as I take my helmet and get off the bike to go into the house, ”Tama” creeps out of the daypack I’m carrying. And then he cried, ‘Kyuykuu! Kyui!’ to tell me something.

　I immediately synchronized my vision with Tama’s.

　I saw my sister, Ayumi (middle school uniform version), who was probably on her way home from her club activities, and a few girls who were probably her friends, and three men(?) who were being attacked by a flock of crows and pigeons a short distance away.

　The men are waving their hands wildly around, trying to fend off the birds, but the birds are quick to dodge, scratching the men with their claws and pecking at them with their beaks, which are surprisingly sharp. And of course, the birds don’t forget the fecal attack when they are taking some distance.

　This is really quite a surreal and horrific spectacle.

　It’s like one of those old Hitchcock movies. The poop is an extra, though.

　And then I see Ayumi, who has been watching the scene in amazement for a while, running from the area with her friends, so I break the synchronization, feeling relieved for the time being.

　What’s happening here, of course, is something I instructed Tama to do.

　As long as I don’t(can’t?) hide my identity while chasing after people who are likely to be organized drug traffickers, there is a good chance that my family and close acquaintance will be targeted.  I mean, it’s a staple in dramas and anime.

　Therefore, I asked Tama to use birds to watch over Ayumi and my mother and protect them in case of an emergency.

　Since Tama would only be able to control the birds in range of a few tens of meters, I had to supply my magic power to increase the range, so I put Tama in my daypack to help him.

　Of course, I’m not only assigning a guard to Ayumi and my mother but also to Akane, who is close to me and has some involvement in this case, but Akane has a wide range of activities because she has a motorcycle, so I’ve chosen to have ‘Kagerou’ lurking in Akane’s shadow instead of Tama.

　And, without much delay, the Shadow Wolf sends out a warning signal through the magic path connected to the summoned beast.

　It seems that something has happened on Akane’s side as well. I’ve told Kagerou not to meddle with it until the situation becomes critical, but well, it will be fine. After all, she has the ‘Barrier’ necklace that I gave her during the training camp, and if something goes wrong, Kagerou will be able to protect her.

　Even so, it seems that they are investigating me very carefully.

　They probably intended to use them as hostages. That means soon they will start to approach me directly.

　I extend the range of the ‘Probe’ I’ve been constantly deploying lately to check my surroundings.

　There are two people that appear to be looking at me at a distance of about 100 meters from me. And behind them, I could detect two cars with multiple people in them.

　Hmm, my senses seem to have gotten pretty dull since coming back here. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed them until now, even though they were so close, The me while I was in another world wouldn’t have been able to imagine it.

　I guess I’ve been a bit careless. Maybe I should work out a little bit.

　Feigning an air of nonchalance, I leave the bike in place and walk to a park about five minutes away.

　I buy a can of coffee from a vending machine set up next to the entrance of a relatively small park located in a residential area and go inside the park.

　The park is surrounded by trees, and the inside is a square. There used to be slides and jungle gyms, but they were removed a few years ago. They said it was to prevent children from getting injured. I think it’s a bit silly, Well, maybe it’s because I don’t have kids.

　I guess it’s because it’s still hot, there’s no other people in the park. In a little while there will be people coming to walk their dog, but it will be okay for a while.

　I drink my coffee while sitting on a bench in the shade of a tree.

　As I continue to probe my surroundings while regretting my decision to drink coffee when I’m thirsty, a minivan-type car stops to block the two entrances to the park and men emerge from inside. The two men who were supposedly watching me earlier also seem to have joined in.

　There are 10 of them in all. There is no uniformity in their clothing, but they all seem to be somewhat shady.

　I stand up from the bench as the men approach.

“So you are the one called Kashiwagi Yuuya?”

　The man at the very front spoke to me.

“That’s right, but what about you guys?”

　I asked that, and before the man could answer, my phone alerted me to an incoming call.

　I take my phone out of my pocket and look at the screen, but the caller is from a withheld number. (TL: I’m not sure about this part)

　…… quite a feat of trickery. (TL: This Too.)

　When I look at the man’s face, he urges me to pick up the phone by motioning his chin.

　Looks like I have to stick with this charade for a while.

“Hello~?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m sorry to bother you at the moment. I’d like to have a word with you, if that’s okay?”

　I heard a calm man’s voice on the phone as I responded appropriately.

　Judging from his voice, he’s in his late 20s to early 30s. His manner is polite, but his voice has a hint of contempt in it.

“It’s not a problem. And it looks like your friend is also waiting patiently right here.”

“I’m glad you’re quick on the uptake. I just wanted to sit down with you and talk about something in a more relaxed environment. I sent them to guide you.”

“Guide, eh. So? Then you’ll say ‘If you value Akane’s body, you should accept the invitation quietly’ right?”

“I’m surprised.  I’m more and more eager to meet you. So, would you accept the invitation?”

　The man let out a sound of genuine surprise.

　However, it is an invitation from the person who I could not find their tail at all. There is no reason not to accept it.

“Yes. Of course I’ll comply. So, what about Akane?”

“Don’t worry, I’m treating her carefully. She, Kudo Akane, I believe? I’m looking forward to your arrival as well. Of course, you can rest assured that I haven’t laid a finger on her.”

“I hope so. Then I’ll be there in a minute, you can wash your neck and wait for me.”

“…… Fu, fufufu. I’m looking forward to it.”

　The man chuckled heartily at my words and hung up the phone.

　I put the phone in my pocket and turned to the men who were waiting while surrounding me.

“As you’ve heard, where are you going to take me?”

　The man who called out to me earlier, gesturing with his chin in the direction of the parked car and saying, “This way,” as he urged me to stand and walk ahead of him.

　I meekly follow him.

　A short distance before the entrance of the car, a man stops, turns around and strikes me with his fist, aimed at my solar plexus.

　I take it as it is, even though I’m already seeing it coming.

　Thud!

　There is a dull sound, and the man’s face twists into a moment of delight, but it quickly turns into one of astonishment and then pain.

　The man who punched me in the stomach has a Merikensack(Brass Knuckle) in his fist. It’s easy to see when he put it on. But it’s crushed and digging into his finger.

　Yeah, it looks really painful. I think his finger is breaking.

　All I did was just brace my abdomen and shoot it off at the moment of impact.

　The impact I felt was only like, hmmm, a light hit of a golf ball on my stomach. Of course, there was no damage. If it was a knife or something like that, I would avoid it, but considering the status difference, I wouldn’t even have to avoid it if it was a blunt weapon. I’m sure I would probably do fine even against a bladed weapon, but there is always the possibility that it might go through, and I don’t want to be in pain.

　The surrounding people are all exuding murderous intent as the man squats down while holding his hands.

　I think they wanted to strike first to make me understand my position and then take me away, but unfortunately, I’m beyond their range of comprehension.

　Also, he can’t be compared to ordinary adventurers and soldiers from other worlds if he’s already crouched down with just a broken finger.

“Bastards!  Are you trying to go against us!”

　The rest of the people get worked up.

　I considered meekly following them, but it doesn’t make a difference whether I do it sooner or later anyway, I might as well cut back on the number a bit. It would be a pain in the ass to do it later.

　I put up ‘Perception Inhibitions’ and ‘Barriers’ over the entire park to prevent people from getting close.

　I don’t want to cause a disturbance in my neighborhood. Even like this, I’m still concerned about public opinion.

　I think they sensed something unsettling from my attitude. Each of the men take out a baton, a brass knuckle, and a knife and hold them at the ready.

“So you don’t care if something happens to the woman?”

　One of the men tried to threaten me with that, but it didn’t work.

　The necklace that Akane has in her possession automatically deploys a “barrier” when the wearer is in danger, and Kagerou is not a magical beast that can be dealt with by ordinary humans. Even if you have an automatic rifle, there is no problem.

　Nevertheless, it’s better for me to go and pick up Akane as soon as possible. I’m sure Akane, who doesn’t know what’s going on, can’t help but feel uneasy.

　So let’s get this over with.

　I’m going to leave the squatting man alone and step in front of the closest guy and kick the baton in his hand. I can feel and hear the sound of a broken arm as the baton is snapped.

　The kicked man is blown up and rolled several times on the ground and moaned, but the arm that should have been broken is still intact as if nothing happened.

　Well, I’ve been thinking about it a lot myself, you know.

　Even if they were a villain, in this country governed by the rule of law, if I had caused my opponent to break their bones or rupture their internal organs, I would have been caught someday, and my attack would not necessarily be recognized as self-defense. So, if I want to beat them up, it’s okay as long as they don’t get hurt, right? So I decided to try to hit them while casting a ‘Healing’ spell at the same time.

　That way, it would heal the injury right away, and the pain and impact would clearly be inflicted.

　Even if they tried to sue me, they couldn’t do anything about it because they didn’t have a single bruise left.

　With that in mind, I’ve been experimenting with drug dealers while interrogating them.

　The results were quite good.

　I continued to hit, kick, and crush the others one after another while remembering that.

　There’s some that will come at me once again even after getting knocked down, as I’m healing their injuries right away.

　But no matter who you are, if you repeat it a few times, your heart will break first.

　It’s just that they’re healed, and the damage itself is accumulated and also painful. In addition, none of their attacks will work. Their weapons are also easily destroyed.

　In the end, with none of them escaping, in about 10 minutes they all cowereing with horrified expressions on their faces.

　The first one? I just left it there doing nothing, but he was just cowering the same way. Of course I didn’t heal his injuries either, you know? After all, that’s something that he did on his own.

　I look around again as there is no more coming at me.

　Yup, they all seem to be mentally crushed while still in good shape.

　In addition, when I took a step forward to get information about them, all the people whose eyes met mine began to crouch down and tremble with their heads held in their hands.

　…… Was that a little too much?

　This way I won’t be able to question(Interrogate) them.

　I’m not sure what to do, but in any case, I’ve discovered their location through Akane and Kagerou. I’m sure that from the tone of the man on the phone earlier, he’s the leader of the group or someone in a position close to it, so I’ll just ask him about the details.

　I release the magic that covers the park and leave after collecting my thoughts.

　The men? I’ll just leave it alone. Leave it!

　Now then, let’s go and meet the princess, shall we?

---

Translator’s Note:

Sorry for the slow release. I don’t know why, but this entire week I’ve been feeling really lazy(?)/lack motivation(?). I mean, it’s like my head doesn’t want to concentrate at all that I can’t even complete reading half a volume of LN in this entire week even though I usually can read 2 volumes in one day.

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