Episode 175: Interview Room
Yuma spent his days in a monotonous daze inside a cage surrounded by the inorganic walls and ceiling of a room of about twenty tatami mats.
It had been quite some time since he had woken up in this room, but there was still no sign of him being released.
He lay on his back on the bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
How long would he have to stay like this? He tilted his head and casually looked at the pillow and sheets, frowning at the clean, white bedding.
Yuma had not stepped outside this room even once.
Despite this, the pillow, sheets, and futon seemed to have been changed. When on earth? While he was sleeping?
He would ask “Fujinami” about his questions, but he would evade them with vague answers and not give him a straight answer.
Yuma listlessly sat up and lowered his legs from the bed.
The moment he stood up to go to the toilet, his vision swayed and he stumbled. It was a dizzy spell.
He grabbed the bed frame and waited for a while.
Recently, he had been experiencing dizziness like this more often. Was he feeling unwell?
Yuma pressed his hand to his head and slowly headed to the toilet.
◇◇◇
“Observation, day five… it seems to be having an effect after all.”
A man’s voice, his eyes fixed on a small screen.
In the monitor room were two researchers, a man and a woman. The man, “Fujinami,” was typing on the keyboard to compile a report on Yuma’s condition.
For the past five days, they had been mixing a small amount of cyanide poison into his meals.
As far as they could observe, he seemed to be gradually weakening. If it didn’t work, they were planning to try a nerve agent, but it seemed unnecessary.
“What does the higher-ups say? It’s certain we can poison him to death, so why don’t we just do it already?”
The female researcher, after chugging down a canned coffee, muttered with a fed-up expression.
“The government still seems to be undecided. There are many people who oppose it, so the talk of poisoning him might be called off.”
“What’s that! If he goes on a rampage, we’re the ones closest to him who’ll be in danger! They’re doing whatever they want without considering our feelings…”
The woman scratched her hair in frustration.
She had been working in this monitor room for over two weeks. Although it was a shift system, observing him for twenty-four hours straight was tough.
While sympathizing with the woman’s complaints, “Fujinami” looked at the empty bed on the monitor.
There were no orders yet to kill Black Armor. But he believed that the order would eventually come down.
He had heard enough about the horror of Black Armor.
But the method to kill that monster was clear. The government would not miss this opportunity.
The man playing Fujinami shifted his gaze to the chemical room next to the monitor room. There, a large amount of poisons and deleterious substances, for which the country had granted permission for handling, were placed.
◇◇◇
Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters—
Maika was in the interview room of the detention center. She sat on a pipe chair placed alone in the narrow room, staring at the acrylic panel in front of her.
After a while, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching with large strides.
The door on the other side of the acrylic panel opened, and a large man entered.
“Oh, Maika. Sorry about this.”
“Dad!”
Maika stood up and looked at her father, who was being led by a police officer.
His hair was disheveled, and his beard was overgrown. His already menacing face looked even worse. Kanzaki sat down in the chair opposite her and grinned at Maika.
“Well, it’s my first time being detained. It’s not a bad place. The amount of food is small, but it’s not bad.”
“Oh, Dad…”
While making a dumbfounded face, Maika also took a seat.
“You can shave your beard even in the detention center, right?”
“Well, yeah. But I thought I’d take this opportunity to grow it out. So, what happened to Yuma?”
Kanzaki leaned forward and asked Maika. Maika lowered her gaze and shook her head.
“No… I don’t know where Yuma-kun went after that, and he hasn’t been released either. I hope he’s safe.”
“I see…”
Kanzaki leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms with a grim face.
While looking at her father in distress, Maika also bit her lip. As far as she had heard, Yuma-kun had only been helping people.
It was too much for him to be detained when he had done nothing wrong.
Maika was indignant at the unreasonable reality, but she was frustrated with herself for not being able to do anything. Seeing Maika’s state, Kanzaki called out to her.
“Anyway, what we can do right now is limited. First, explain the situation to Yuma’s parents. I should be the one doing it, but I’m in this state.”
Kanzaki laughed and scratched his nose.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
They had been too caught up in the chaos, and they hadn’t done the most important thing. More than themselves, his parents must be worried about Yuma-kun.
Maika stood up with a clatter and looked at her father.
“Leave the company to me. Get out of this place as soon as possible, Dad!”
“Yeah, I know.”
After finishing the interview, Maika left the room and walked down the corridor. She greeted the guard and passed through the door of the detention center.
As if replacing Maika as she returned, a man visited the detention center.
The man who got out of the car wore a crisp suit and smoothed his neatly styled hair. He stared straight at the front entrance of the detention center and started walking.
Honda from Elceed Corporation passed through the gate with a slightly nervous expression.
The person she was about to meet was a scientist with a terrible reputation. Some even called her a mad scientist.
Honda, who had passed through the door, was led by a guard and headed to the interview room.
She had to ask her many things. The person who knew the most details about Mitaka Yuma. Aisha Kisaragi-sama.
◇◇◇
“What business does an Elceed bigwig have with me?”
On the other side of the acrylic panel, Aisha rested her cheek on her hand listlessly.
Honda straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and opened her mouth.
“I don’t think you know this yet, Doctor, but four Unique Monsters, the strongest of which are called “Kings,” have appeared in various parts of the world.”
Aisha raised her eyebrows slightly and showed interest, saying, “Oh?”
“Moreover, one of them, the 【Red King】, is heading to Japan. It is likely that he is aiming for the “Red Dungeon” in Ibaraki, but there are no countermeasures. It is truly a national crisis, a state of emergency.”
“So? How does that national crisis relate to me?”
“Doctor, what I want to ask you about is Mitaka Yuma. I believe that Mitaka Yuma, who possesses overwhelming power as “Black Armor,” holds the key to breaking the current situation. I heard that you knew he was Black Armor. Could you tell me more about it?”
“What will you do if I tell you? The government will decide his fate, Honda-san. You shouldn’t be able to do anything.”
Aisha snorted and looked away. She had heard that she was an eccentric person, but it seemed that she would not answer easily.
But Mitaka Yuma must be a special existence for her. If she used that—
“Doctor, I have connections with ruling party lawmakers and some researchers who attend expert meetings. If it becomes clear that Mitaka Yuma is not dangerous, but rather beneficial to the country, I can lobby the government to set him free.”
Aisha said nothing and silently looked at Honda.
Honda felt a cold sweat as she was stared at with a gaze that seemed to be confirming the truth of her words. After a while, Aisha opened her mouth.
“I see… so you thought of trying to win me over by presenting benefits. The calculation is transparent, but it’s also effective.”
Aisha smiled slyly.
“Then—”
In response to Honda, who leaned forward slightly, Aisha nodded slightly.
“Alright. I’ll play along with your sweet talk. So, what do you want to know?”
Honda relaxed her mouth and straightened her posture again.
“What I want to know is his… Mitaka Yuma’s secret. You seem to be claiming that he defeated a changed monster in the “Black Dungeon” and swallowed a Demon Ore to become “Black Armor,” but I don’t think that’s true.”
Honda looked at Aisha with a serious expression.
“How did he obtain such power? A transformation of the body that no one in the world has ever seen. Abnormal combat strength that allows him to fight on par with eighty of the strongest Seekers. Everything about him is beyond the norm. Please, tell me the truth!”
Silence descended upon the narrow interview room. Honda swallowed hard, facing Aisha, who remained silent, propping her cheek with her hand.
After a short pause, Aisha raised her head and stared at Honda across from her.
“If you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you. About the Black King, everything I know.”