Chapter 30
Although he said he would have someone pass along a message, the Police Academy was currently in closed training, making it nearly impossible to leave campus easily. Whether this person would actually pass along the message depended entirely on his memory and whether he took Usuha Izuki's request to heart.
[He will pass along the message.] Usuha Izuki was very certain. [That guy who got expelled used to engage in school bullying, and this person was the one who told others about it. He probably has issues with that guy and wouldn't pass up this opportunity... Plus he really admires Samukawa Shinryu.]
The system was stunned: [You actually pay attention to this kind of gossip?]
[Just collecting intelligence. I exchanged so many skills for Samukawa Shinryu, might as well make good use of them without being wasteful.] Usuha Izuki pondered. [After all, sometimes when farming suspicion values, you need targeted approaches. Before I was always using broad attacks and didn't really utilize this, but now it's finally coming in handy.]
System: [...I suggest you think carefully before acting. The person already dropped out, why are you still provoking him? And you said it's not for your friend.]
[Honestly, I was going to ask earlier—I didn't even get an apology, and the school seemed afraid I'd do something to him, didn't even let me see him. I'm just having someone pass along a message asking for an apology. Isn't this a very normal and polite thing? What do you think I'm planning to do?]
The system was dumbfounded. Had it really been overthinking? It could only make excuses: [...Sorry, I think I was also affected by the "Black Screen Aura."]
[It's fine, I do indeed want to do something to that guy.]
System: [........]
Hey! You little brat!!!
Usuha Izuki continued nonchalantly: [He got expelled because he made a mistake this time, but he didn't get punished when he was bullying people before. This kind of scum—can't an upright person like me who can't stand watching it want to act on behalf of heaven?]
He propped up his face, aimlessly looking out the window: [I'm doing this for myself. Don't get it wrong.]
[Alright, alright...]
The system was speechless after being played.
When Usuha Izuki had previously refused to exchange for body doubles, claiming "Furuya Rei can handle being in two places at once, too lazy to even disguise himself and no one noticed, so I can too," the system had already suspected that Usuha Izuki had a strangely strong sense of defiance in odd places.
When it reminded Usuha Izuki not to focus on making friends and affect work efficiency, Usuha Izuki had originally been hesitating, but just to oppose it, he instantly acknowledged Hagiwara Kenji's words.
Now that it had a moment of conscience and felt it should support the kid making his first friend, this stubborn child refused to admit it again... Was it because he had been too obvious about standing up for Hagiwara Kenji earlier and felt embarrassed?
Or was it just rebellious phase?
The system didn't really understand human hearts. It could only grumble internally while reluctantly continuing to assist Usuha Izuki.
[Reminder: Vodka called you again.]
[Not answering.]
System: [You couldn't answer even if you wanted to—the organization phone is turned off. But he's been calling you for several days and you've been off every time. Wouldn't that be a bit problematic...]
Speaking of this, the system showed its true colors again.
[Want to buy body double dolls? That way you could attend Police Academy while also going out to farm suspicion values with the organization! I can give you a 5% discount—this really is rock bottom pricing, and you can get a loan!]
Usuha Izuki was very surprised: [Why would I want to be that busy? I'm just staying at the Police Academy. If the organization can't contact me, isn't that perfect for farming suspicion values? It's not like we have to meet in person to farm them.]
The system, with sales on its mind: [...???]
That actually made some sense.
Although the system vaguely felt this was courting death, seeing the constantly rising suspicion values from Vodka, Gin, and even the Boss, it was indeed very tempting.
After thinking it over, the system decided to trust Usuha Izuki's judgment! After all, Usuha Izuki wouldn't want to die casually, right?
Just like that, Usuha Izuki stubbornly left the organization hanging for several more days before finally turning on the organization contact phone.
There were several emails from Vodka in the inbox. Usuha Izuki roughly looked through them and could feel Vodka's tone becoming increasingly cautious. The last one was even sent by Gin—just one short sentence.
[Reply.]
Usuha Izuki calmly sent back one email: [We ordinary people don't answer calls after work hours. Also, you guys attacked my fashion sense last time, I'm holding a grudge, don't bother me until I'm over it.]
After sending it, he decisively turned off the phone again.
What could the organization possibly want with him? It definitely wasn't anything major—the organization could function just fine without him.
—There's nothing that Gin working overtime can't solve, and if it can't be solved, then make the undercover agents work overtime too.
After many days, Gin finally received contact from Usuha Izuki. Opening the email, his killing intent immediately erupted.
Vodka, who was sitting next to him checking a map, shivered: "Boss? What happened?"
Gin didn't answer, raised his hand to call Usuha Izuki, then heard the familiar notification that the other party had turned off their phone.
"........"
Gin's face was grim: "Still haven't found where that little bastard is?"
Without any specificity in the pronoun, Vodka instantly understood who Gin was talking about.
Someone who could make Boss this angry while being unfindable—aside from traitors, it could only be Usuha Izuki!
"Uh, yes. Although we found the house he bought, according to our people's observations, no one has returned there recently..."
Phone calls going to voicemail, emails not replied to, and the person nowhere to be found—Vodka was starting to suspect Usuha Izuki had run away.
But there was no reason! The organization hadn't wronged him! Could Usuha Izuki really find a more pushover company than the organization out there?!
Besides the organization, where else would pamper someone as difficult as Usuha Izuki!!!
Vodka asked carefully: "Has he been using the Boss's bank card recently? Maybe we could investigate from that angle."
Gin: "...Think of something else."
At the time, Gin had given Usuha Izuki his bank card as a precaution, but the card was linked to his own phone number, so Gin would receive notifications whenever Usuha Izuki made purchases.
Originally Gin hadn't thought much of it, even considering it a convenient monitoring method for dealing with such an unstable person—he could see at which stores Usuha Izuki was spending.
Until one time when Gin was abroad dealing with time zones, Usuha Izuki went on a spending spree in Japan, and Gin was literally vibrated awake by his phone buzzing over ten times in a row. When he checked, he found that over 10,000 yen worth of purchases from the same store had somehow been split into over ten separate transactions. Suspecting Usuha Izuki was deliberately causing trouble, he disconnected the notification function from his phone...
Vodka roughly guessed what had happened and suggested: "Boss, why don't you report the bank card as lost? He'll contact us when he gets angry."
Gin closed his eyes: "Use your brain."
What kind of terrible idea was that? When Usuha Izuki threw tantrums, would it really be that simple?
Although the person had disappeared, the Middle East operations were still running fine. If they really reported his salary card as lost, given Usuha Izuki's personality, he definitely wouldn't let it slide.
"Pft."
The person sitting across from them couldn't help but laugh: "Sorry, I couldn't help imagining Gin going to the bank to report a lost card."
Gin frowned at him: "Amuro..."
Vodka was very displeased: "Watch your attitude, rookie."
Amuro Toru smiled and nodded.
Vodka sensed a familiar difficult vibe from this guy.
Although this guy was a rookie, because he'd been performing too well recently, the organization's second-in-command Rum was very impressed with him. So even though he didn't have a codename yet, his status was different from ordinary rookies, and he might get a codename much sooner than others.
The smuggling operation in Hakata that was supposed to be Boss's responsibility had somehow ended up being Rum's responsibility instead.
Meanwhile, Amuro Toru not only received attention from the second-in-command, but was now even representing Rum in work handovers with Gin, making his status seem almost equivalent to an executive.
"Regarding finding Usuha-kun, I have a suggestion." Amuro Toru said. "I could email him saying I want to return that music box to him."
Vodka was uninterested: "The timing is too coincidental. Usuha would definitely guess you're helping and wouldn't agree to come out."
Amuro Toru wasn't upset about being shot down: "Then I have another suggestion—doesn't Usuha-kun care a lot about not having a codename? You could tell him his codename is ready. He might be curious enough to contact you."
"........"
Vodka fell silent.
Although it sounded like a joke, this childish reason somehow made him feel like Usuha Izuki might actually take the bait.
Vodka looked at Gin and found that Gin had actually acquiesced, so he took out his phone and silently began editing an email.
"Speaking of which, is Usuha-kun's codename really ready? What is it?"
Vodka answered casually: "Botanist Gin."
"...Botanist Gin?" Amuro Toru, who knew something about alcohol, said "A gin that uses 9 original spices needed for gin distillation plus a full 22 native spices from Islay... an extremely flamboyant mint-flavored gin that really suits Usuha-kun."
Hearing Amuro Toru's emphasis on "flamboyant," Vodka deeply agreed.
To actually find an alcohol that so perfectly matched Usuha Izuki's temperament...
He felt the Boss must have been deeply impressed by Usuha Izuki's eye-searing photos, which is why he carefully found this particular gin. Serious spirits generally weren't this flamboyant.
It was just a shame about his Boss's reputation! Why did that little bastard Usuha also get to be part of the gin series?!
Although Usuha Izuki was still in airplane mode, with the system tipping him off, he quickly learned about the email's contents.
[Codename?] Usuha Izuki was interested. [Although this is bait... Fine, I'll bite. Let's go see them this weekend. It's not good to keep the organization hanging forever—we need sustainable wool-gathering.]
So when he could request leave, Usuha Izuki wrote up an application form and went to find Instructor Onizuka again.
Instructor Onizuka held his application form: "...Do you think I should or shouldn't approve your leave?"
Usuha Izuki naturally answered: "Should."
"You won't make someone go to the police station looking for you again, right? Swear it!"
Usuha Izuki's expression was like he was looking at an idiot, but he still responded: "I swear."
Instructor Onizuka knew his behavior was a bit... well, but he really had some psychological trauma. Just seeing Samukawa Shinryu request leave to go off campus brought back memories of the previous suffocating experience.
Hearing the oath, even if it was just psychological comfort, made him feel a bit better.
Hagiwara Kenji, watching the show from the side, patted Usuha Izuki's shoulder: "If anything comes up, call me. Stop putting pressure on the instructor—his hair loss has gotten even worse lately... Come on, I'll see you off."
That neighbor classmate also came to submit an off-campus application. When he encountered Usuha Izuki in the hallway, his eyes lit up as he came over and whispered: "I'm going home today to pass along your message."
Usuha Izuki thanked him.
[My Police Academy life is so fulfilling, I'm really looking forward to what happens next here. I'm getting less interested in dealing with the organization side.]
System: [...You already requested leave, so go anyway. Things won't develop that quickly here! Plus he's just passing along a message—things might not develop the way you want... What if after he passes along the message, that guy gets scared and commits suicide?]
[He won't. What kind of misconception do you have about people who engage in school bullying? I've analyzed his personality—rather than self-destructive internal struggle, he'll choose to harm others, even mutual destruction. He definitely won't take a loss...]
Usuha Izuki: [Just wait. Within a month at most, he'll come looking for me to settle accounts—I'm not some "revenge for friends" Samukawa Shinryu, please call me "hate evil like poison" Usuha Izuki.]
System: [........]
—I didn't even mention Hagiwara Kenji! Why are you getting defensive!