Chapter 37
Since the Kappa-head knelt too quickly and said things that left much to the imagination, plus the "Black Screen Aura" cast a sinister filter over Usuha Izuki, the entire izakaya suddenly fell silent.
Even the drunk who had been drunkenly shouting stopped talking.
This sobering effect was faster than any hangover cure.
The person who had originally been making the deal with Kappa-head looked at Usuha Izuki in terror, then at Kappa-head, and hesitantly knelt down as well.
Young people at a nearby table seemed not to understand the situation yet. Seeing this scene and thinking it was yakuza demanding protection money, they tremblingly asked: "Do I need to kneel too?"
Everyone: "..........."
Usuha Izuki: "...You don't need to."
The owner anxiously emerged from the kitchen, forcing a smile: "Dear customer, may I ask if there was something unsatisfactory about the service..."
"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you. I have business with these two." Usuha Izuki still had some conscience and knew staying here would affect business, so he straightened up and tapped the table with his fingertips. "You two, put the drugs on the table, then come outside with me."
Kappa-head shakily placed all the drugs on the table, feeling he might be facing the most terrifying crisis of his life—how could a small-time dealer like him be so unlucky as to directly encounter this kind of big shot?
Could paying protection money get him through this... No wait, this big shot looked very high-class and might not care about his meager offerings, but he couldn't come up with more!
Wait, could it be...
He'd heard that the higher up big shots were, the stranger their tempers and the more rules they had. Generally speaking, big shots wouldn't bother with small fry like him, so he must have stepped on a landmine.
This was bad. Maybe this person was the type who didn't care about murder and arson but was particularly disgusted by drugs. Such people had more extreme, obsessive personalities and more brutal methods for dealing with people they disliked...
Thinking about his possible fate, Kappa-head's legs went so weak he couldn't walk. Only when someone helped him up did he feel blood flowing again.
Don't overthink it. There were so many witnesses here—even if they were from Deisenkai, they couldn't be so brazen as to kill and silence everyone, right? That would be asking to get caught!
Reason gradually took over, and Kappa-head felt confident again. Then he turned to thank the person who helped him, habitually wanting to say thanks.
"Thank—"
His voice stuck.
After Kappa-head started drinking, he hadn't paid attention to the people around him. Only now did he notice that this person from the neighboring table was a curly-haired young man in a suit, wearing sunglasses indoors, with a furrowed brow and somewhat fierce expression. Looking more carefully, this guy's movements didn't seem helpful either—more like he was impatiently trying to push him out.
Noticing he wasn't moving, the sunglasses man clicked his tongue: "Going or not? Don't just stand there, get out."
Kappa-head's mood plummeted again.
Was this the big shot's underling? Looked like running away wouldn't work...
Leaving the brightly lit izakaya, outside was already deep night. Aside from occasional passing cars, even pedestrians were rare. The streetlights could only illuminate small nearby areas, while corners beyond the light's reach remained claimed by darkness.
The cold night wind blew, and Kappa-head plus his trading partner felt half-chilled to the core, very much wanting to retreat to the bright izakaya.
The dark-haired, red-eyed youth looked them over as if considering how to deal with them.
The trading partner gathered courage to ask: "Where are we going next?"
As soon as he spoke, his hands were cuffed.
"The police station." The youth casually showed them his ID. "I'm a police officer."
Kappa-head and his trading partner stared hard at the ID, their faces looking worse than before.
What?! This person was actually a police officer?!
Had the police station here been taken over too?! Being brought to the station meant entering the headquarters—wouldn't killing someone there be easy to cover up?!
Kappa-head was very anxious. He had no family left, so even if he died, no one would report it. The guy next to him wasn't much better off—much more convenient to deal with than ordinary people! Plus if police killed someone, their accomplices would all be police too, so...
At this moment, the sunglasses man who had half-supported, half-dragged him out and cuffed him suddenly said: "Everyone's here, shall we go?"
What did he mean "everyone's here"? Were there others?
Kappa-head tremblingly turned his head and saw a burly man emerge from the izakaya, waving toward them.
This big guy looked like he could take on ten of him single-handedly, could stuff him in concrete and throw him in Tokyo Bay without breaking a sweat...
So much for thinking he could at least keep his life...
Matsuda Jinpei felt the guy in his grip suddenly go limp and nearly couldn't hold him up: "Whoa, what's happening?"
Hagiwara Kenji, carrying the evidence, quickly ran over from behind Date Wataru: "What's wrong?"
Matsuda Jinpei laid the man flat: "...Seems like he's drunk."
Everyone didn't think much of it and just tried to wake him up first.
A group of people surrounded Kappa-head, pinching pressure points, slapping his face, and shaking him until they finally got him conscious.
However, the first thing Kappa-head said upon waking was: "No, I won't go to the police station. I'll work like a slave for you, I'll never touch this stuff again, I was forced by Mr. Inoshita! I'll give you all the money, please spare me!"
"Huh?" Matsuda Jinpei was baffled. "What are you talking about? How could we possibly let you go? You're a..."
Kappa-head's expression was full of despair: "Please, I don't want to die yet!"
Matsuda Jinpei: "...???"
Hagiwara Kenji suddenly realized: "Wait, Matsuda, his idea of 'letting go' and your idea of 'letting go' aren't the same thing."
With that, Hagiwara Kenji looked at Usuha Izuki: "Little Shinryu, what exactly did you say?"
Usuha Izuki said righteously: "After coming out, I only said I was a police officer."
Date Wataru, who had been mistaken about Usuha Izuki earlier today, also understood. He pulled out his police ID to show Kappa-head: "I'm also a police officer, they're all police officers. Don't overthink it—we're taking you to the station as normal procedure."
Kappa-head's expression twisted: "You're all police officers?! Not fake IDs?!"
The police officers nodded simultaneously.
"...How is this possible? Which gang are you from exactly? At least let me die knowing the truth!"
Police officers: ".................."
Although there was a somewhat discordant interlude, Date Wataru made a phone call for colleagues to drive over and successfully brought both people to the station.
At the station, Hagiwara Kenji was still bothered: "I can understand Little Shinryu, Matsuda's normal too, Squad Leader got dragged into it, but what about me? Where do I look like I'm not a proper police officer?"
Matsuda Jinpei mocked him: "You were probably taken for the gang's strategist—all smiles, not looking like a good person."
The actual culprit, Usuha Izuki, consoled: "The problem is with him."
Hagiwara Kenji sighed deeply.
Having been extremely popular his whole life, this was his first time receiving such treatment... felt oddly hurt.
Date Wataru, who had gone to hand things over to station colleagues, finally emerged with some puzzlement to share intelligence.
"Even at this point, why won't he believe we're really proper police officers? He said he wanted to call his contact, but when we gave him the phone, he called the police emergency line saying our station was a gang hideout..."
Others: "..........."
"That's a bit much." Even Matsuda Jinpei couldn't laugh anymore. "If he likes calling the police so much, why break the law?"
"Sudden attack of conscience? Wants to contribute to the country before dying?" Date Wataru was also confused.
Usuha Izuki checked the time and asked with complete detachment: "It's already this late—we should leave, right?"
The others silently looked at Usuha Izuki.
Usuha Izuki: "...No? Do we need to give statements?"
Date Wataru shook his head: "My supervisor asked me to keep you here. He's coming to see what exactly happened that got our station reported..."
Usuha Izuki: "......"
Matsuda Jinpei suddenly spoke: "Although we can keep the bomb incident from Instructor Onizuka, after causing such a scene this time..." He looked at Usuha Izuki with pity. "You probably really won't be able to get leave approved anymore."
Usuha Izuki: "..........."
—No! His days of freedom!!!
Facts proved Matsuda Jinpei's guess was correct.
Kappa-head's police report had quite an impact on Usuha Izuki. The chief of Date Wataru's station directly called Instructor Onizuka to complain that his student had caused big trouble for his station.
Instructor Onizuka was completely bewildered: "A group of police officers drinking, encounter drug dealers, then get reported by the dealers for the station being full of corrupt cops...?"
"Exactly! Got a call from above in the middle of the night asking what was going on... How would I know?! Went there to find out it was your student causing trouble! Four of them! All your students! One's even your Assistant Instructor... Your teaching standards are really consistently impressive! Give me the straight story—do you particularly favor this type of student? I never noticed before."
Instructor Onizuka: "........I don't, I haven't, don't make things up."
After half an hour of listening to his old friend's 99% complaints and 1% thanks for helping catch criminals, Instructor Onizuka wearily hung up and called Hagiwara Kenji to have him bring everyone back to school for the night.
Stop letting them roam free—he didn't want any more calls like this!
Early the next morning, Instructor Onizuka called Usuha Izuki to his office.
Facing this student who brought him one shock per leave request, Instructor Onizuka looked deeply, deeply at Usuha Izuki and asked sincerely: "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
Usuha Izuki replied: "I deeply respect you, earnestly studied everything you taught, followed your instructions, and never forgot my identity even when out and about. So when I saw someone breaking the law, I stepped forward to stop them..."
Instructor Onizuka: "...Regarding this, you did absolutely right. Police officers should act this way."
Usuha Izuki continued using honorific grammar that would make even Vodka jealous: "Then what other issues do you have?"
Instructor Onizuka: "..........."
How to put it... I don't really understand either. Clearly your methods were completely fine...
—But why do they make me lose face in police circles?!