Chapter 33
Amuro Toru's heartbeat quickened for an instant.
He steadied his breathing, grateful that Usuha Izuki was walking ahead and couldn't see his expression.
Otherwise, this guy could spot differences in identical vases at a glance—even if he thought his acting was perfect, it was hard to say whether he'd exposed anything.
Amuro Toru responded in a tone carrying relaxed laughter: "I'm an information broker, after all. Using your words, isn't having curiosity quite normal? But I know you're joking, so I don't have any expectations."
This response displayed the level of a professional undercover agent.
First, he explained that his interest in the Police Academy was normal, then he was slightly provoked, seeing if he could get Usuha Izuki to reveal something—what if he wasn't joking and had really gone to the Police Academy?
Usuha Izuki glanced at the system backend.
Suspicion Values from this Japanese Public Security undercover agent were frantically scrolling across the screen, clearly showing his inner turmoil.
[Almost there...]
System was confused: [Almost what?]
Usuha Izuki ignored the system and continued talking to Amuro Toru: "How do you know I'm joking? Can't I really have investigated the Police Academy situation? After all, the Police Academy trains the next generation of police officers. Our organization's recruitment is so crude—what can we compete with in terms of talent supply? We should pay more attention!"
Amuro Toru: "...Indeed."
Although what this guy said made sense, this way of speaking somehow felt like he was stepping on the organization, with contempt almost overflowing...
[Mm, about right now.]
System: [You've been saying "almost there" since earlier—what are you talking about?]
[That vase costs one-tenth the price in the system shop.] Usuha Izuki was melancholy. [The other stuff is fine, but I finally drew a +coziness vase and it's gone. I'm genuinely sad, but since it was drawn free from a lucky bag, I can't charge full price. I figured if I could farm one-tenth the original price in points today, I'd let this matter go. I can't keep dwelling on it internally.]
System was speechless: [Ah? So this is why you originally just wanted to use him as free labor to help you move boxes, but suddenly decided to farm suspicion values on a whim?]
This Japanese Public Security agent was so pitiful! Originally just being exploited for labor, now he had to serve as a point-farming tool...
Of course Usuha Izuki wouldn't admit it: [No, when I can farm suspicion values, of course I'll farm them. This has nothing to do with whether I discovered the missing vase.]
System suddenly suggested: [Actually, if you could find the vase fragments, I could help you exchange it for half price...]
[...Wait, speaking of fragments.] Usuha Izuki suddenly realized something. [Does the vase still add attributes when it's broken?]
The system fell silent.
Usuha Izuki opened the item description panel and began searching through the lengthy manual for the explanation he wanted.
Unaware that Usuha Izuki was already distracted with other things, Amuro Toru was still battling the air, trying to both conceal himself and probe: "So you really did go to the Police Academy? Did you investigate anything useful?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Usuha Izuki walking ahead suddenly stopped and raised his right hand abruptly.
Amuro Toru's heart jumped, instantly imagining several scenarios—like Usuha Izuki having discovered his identity, the previous conversation just being entertainment while watching him perform, now revealing his true intentions to pull a gun and eliminate him. This made him so nervous he almost reflexively reached for his own gun to point at the other person first.
Fortunately, his muscles had just tensed when his keen eyesight made him realize the other person had only picked up his phone.
He saw Usuha Izuki, who had just turned off his phone, quickly power it back on. Finding the startup time too slow, he turned to look at him: "Where's your phone? Let me borrow it. I need to call Vodka again—it's urgent."
Amuro Toru: "...???"
Is this what mental illness is like? We're having a serious conversation here, and you suddenly want to call someone else? Can't you respect a focused undercover agent a little?
But his phone really wasn't turned off, so Amuro Toru personally dialed Vodka's number and handed his phone to Usuha Izuki.
Vodka saw the caller ID and opened with: "Amuro, is Usuha with you..."
Usuha Izuki impatiently interrupted: "It's me."
Vodka instantly fell silent.
Honestly, his accelerated heartbeat in that instant was like watching a horror movie where the protagonist calls someone they trust in their most panicked moment, and the audience expects them to get useful help, only for the call to be answered by the ghost they're trying to escape—equally horrifying.
Usuha Izuki didn't care whether he spoke or not: "Are the fragments of my vase still there? If they are, return the fragments to me."
Vodka was shocked—he wanted even the fragments? Was that vase made of gold?
He'd already called that subordinate earlier, who swore he'd really bought the same brand and style, not understanding why everything had been discovered...
Given Usuha Izuki's attitude, that vase seemed to really have some problem. Vodka answered cautiously: "I'll help you ask, but I can't guarantee anything."
"Then ask quickly. If you can find the vase, I'll reduce my disappearance by three days."
Vodka: "What if you find everything?"
"Help me piece it back to its original state, and I'll reduce my disappearance by half a month."
Vodka: "......"
Well, better than nothing.
After hanging up, Vodka went to contact the subordinate who'd handled the matter.
Although the infiltration of Usuha Izuki's house had been several days ago, the cleaning up of fragments and buying new items to move in hadn't been long ago. The garbage disposal day for these items was tomorrow, so this pile of fragments was still at his house, not yet thrown away.
Vodka almost teared up with emotion. Usuha Izuki was too tormenting—finally there could be some explanation.
But he couldn't just give these things to Usuha Izuki directly.
Vodka decided to take this pile of fragments to the organization's research lab to see if there was something special about the materials, or some other reason why Usuha Izuki cared so much about them.
He quietly contributed a wave of suspicion values.
After hanging up, Usuha Izuki returned the phone to Amuro Toru, then seemed to remember something: "Where were we talking about?"
Amuro Toru, who'd been ignored for ages, was speechless but still responded: "...Since you value the Police Academy so much, did you investigate anything useful there?"
"Oh right, seems like we got to that." Usuha Izuki looked enlightened.
Amuro Toru silently clenched his fists.
As someone with high standards for himself and strict with subordinates, he really couldn't stand this kind of slacker, but unfortunately this guy was an organization executive, so he couldn't do anything now except endure silently.
Usuha Izuki pondered: "It's like this—I investigated the Police Academy and discovered a problem."
Amuro Toru suppressed his irritation, organizing food ingredients into the refrigerator while asking casually: "What problem?"
He pretended not to care, but his ears practically wanted to perk up. Usuha Izuki's one-second pause felt like a year.
Finally, Usuha Izuki spoke.
"I discovered that Japanese Police Academy background checks are really simple. Faking backgrounds to infiltrate seems very convenient—no wonder the organization has undercover agents in both the Metropolitan Police and National Police Agency..." As he spoke, Usuha Izuki began going off-topic for consultation: "What do you think—should I try taking the Police Academy exam?"
Amuro Toru, who'd been on edge for ages: "...You could try."
Talk more about the organization having undercover agents in the Metropolitan Police and National Police Agency! Don't mention yourself!
He decided that if Usuha Izuki tried to infiltrate the Police Academy, he'd report it directly.
Gin wouldn't suspect him—he'd only suspect Usuha Izuki was a psychopath completely unsuited for undercover work who insisted on doing it anyway. Crashing and burning would be perfectly normal.
"I think with my abilities, getting first place in the Police Academy wouldn't be a problem." Usuha Izuki began boasting shamelessly. "Generally, those with outstanding grades get good placements afterward, right? Do you know where the top graduate from two classes ago ended up?"
"Two classes ago..."
Amuro Toru paused.
The top graduate from two classes ago was him!! Why not ask about last class instead of specifically two classes ago?!
"...Not sure, haven't investigated. Looking at where last class's top graduate went should be similar. Why specifically ask about two classes ago?"
Usuha Izuki sighed: "Because two classes ago had an honor student who was actually sent back to the Police Academy as an Assistant Instructor by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. Isn't that basically a retirement job? It feels so unpromising. I want to know if that particular class was especially weak, so the so-called honor students were nothing special—just the best of a bad bunch..."
The top graduate from that supposedly "especially weak" class: "..........."
Who?! It's only been a year—how did someone get thrown into a retirement position from the front lines?! Honor student, Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit... Did Matsuda Jinpei's temper offend someone?
It couldn't be Hagiwara Kenji, right?
After starting his undercover work, he hadn't had the energy to follow his old classmates' situations, naturally assuming they were all excelling in their respective positions. Now he felt a bit uncertain...
But the good news was that Usuha Izuki apparently hadn't really done anything at the Police Academy—he probably just wasn't familiar with Japan and wanted to understand the law enforcement agencies, so he simply investigated.
After all, Usuha Izuki didn't seem like someone with strong initiative who'd work selflessly for the organization. Maybe all this was prepared for when Gin questioned him about what he'd been doing during his disappearance—when Gin doubted him for not knowing what he was up to, he could say he'd investigated the Police Academy for the organization.
Since Gin didn't come, Usuha Izuki hadn't said this, felt stifled, and found him to chat...
But he couldn't rule out that he really knew something, since the reference to "two classes ago's top graduate" was really too...
If he really knew something, wouldn't this be equivalent to tipping him off? Or did the organization also know something and was just keeping him around for a long-term operation?
Although he didn't think Usuha Izuki would be stupid enough to personally lurk around the Police Academy, just in case, he should have someone investigate the current situation at the Police Academy to see if any suspicious individuals had appeared.
Usuha Izuki unpacked the cookware packaging, holding a spatula with a smile: "How about it? This intelligence is very useful, right?"
Amuro Toru was silent for a moment: "From an information broker's perspective, this intelligence has very low value..."
The truly useful part was about the organization having undercover agents among police, but Usuha Izuki had glossed over that—could it be intentional?
"I didn't mean that." Usuha Izuki said. "I'm asking if what I told you is very useful for you personally?"
Amuro Toru's nerves tensed again.
With this phrasing, could the worst possibility actually be true—that Usuha Izuki already knew his identity—
"—I'm teaching you. You can go find Vodka later and say you know what I was doing during my disappearance, have him reimburse you for today's purchases." Usuha Izuki guided persuasively. "See? How useful."
Amuro Toru: "..........."
Life's ups and downs—Amuro Toru felt like he'd ridden a roller coaster.
So he meant useful in terms of reimbursement? Come to think of it, Usuha Izuki did seem to have said something similar at the beginning...
Say it clearly! And why are you so obsessed with making Vodka reimburse things! Can't you scam someone else?!
"Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?" Amuro Toru said tactfully. "After getting the intelligence, Vodka will feel scammed, right? After all, the only valuable part is your wanting to take the Police Academy exam, and even that's uncertain..."
Usuha Izuki's expression instantly changed, becoming emotionless: "The point is to scam him—payback for having people steal my things. Don't be afraid. Make him reimburse first, then tell him to come find me if he has complaints... Don't be stupid. When you can spend someone else's money, why spend your own?"
He patted Furuya Zero's shoulder: "Claim reimbursement when you should. Don't save money for the organization. All intelligence about me is very valuable—if you don't trust Vodka, at least trust me!"
Amuro Toru: ".................."
This attitude of not wanting the organization to prosper, plus the "all intelligence about me is very valuable" statement...
When they first met, Usuha Izuki had mentioned being forced to join the organization—could that not have been an act, but the truth?
Amuro Toru thought about it and decided to test the waters.
While alone in the kitchen, he found an opportunity to email Vodka directly with a question.
[Botanist seems to have issues with the organization. Was he really not forced to join?]