Chapter 41: Q&A
Kazuma, waking up, rubbed his drowsy eyes and picked up the phone he had left on his desk. When he looked at the screen, a message from the academy was displayed.
Wondering what it could possibly be, he read the message, and its shocking content blew away his sleepiness.
“Eh? A summons from the government?”
It said to come to the academy, but the last sentence clearly stated that there had been a summons from the government.
“Seriously…? Could it be that my identity has been exposed? No, if that were the case, they wouldn’t do something so roundabout. Then, why?”
Kazuma pondered, but in the end, he couldn’t figure anything out. Unfortunately, Kazuma’s brain couldn’t deduce the answer. It was sad, but if he had the kind of mind that could think that far, he would probably be able to handle things a little better.
“It’s no use. There’s no point in thinking about it. For now, I’ll tell everyone.”
Perhaps because he was a modern person, or maybe because he was a bit dim-witted, Kazuma didn’t think too deeply about it and told his friends about the summons from the government.
Hey, I got summoned by the government or something.
Huh?
What do you mean?
Did you grope someone?
No, no, I don't really get it, but I was summoned. I'm scheduled to go to my homeroom teacher's place tomorrow.
Sounds pretty serious.
Maybe it's an interrogation about the recent Ibinom attack incident?
You probably used the chaos to grope someone, didn't you!
Lay off the groping for a second! As for what I might have done... there are so many possibilities, it's a problem.
Ah, I get it...
To think the one with a criminal record wasn't Kosuke but Kazuma...
Hey!!! I'm a gentleman, so I don't commit crimes!
Well, anyway, I'm going out to play tomorrow.
Will those be your last words~?
Tell us the details later~
Tell us if there were any cute girls!
Kazuma laughed at the amusing conversation, closed the chat app, and headed for the bath.
Refreshed, Kazuma began to gather information. He browsed summary sites and forums, searching for information about the Crimson Knight, but found nothing particularly noteworthy.
In that case, Kazuma judged that the government must have investigated using its own information network.
“Haaah. Anyway, I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.”
It wasn’t something he could solve by thinking about it now. In that case, he just had to brace himself and face tomorrow.
With that thought, Kazuma ate a meal, did some light exercise, and then went to sleep.
◇◇◇◇
The next day, Kazuma, changed into his uniform, was not in the Faculty Office but in the Principal’s office. Sitting on a luxurious-looking sofa were Kazuma and, in place of his guardian, his homeroom teacher, Tanaka Kanata, who sat there with a pale face.
“Hey, Satsuki. What did you do?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know, you say! The principal received a notification from the government! Don’t you understand how bad that is?!”
“No, I really don’t. Besides, I was interrogated quite a bit during the recent Ibinom attack incident, wasn’t I?”
“That’s true, but… even so, why you?”
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time…”
After the two had been talking for a while, the principal returned, accompanied by two men.
Kazuma glanced sideways, surmising that the two men who entered after the principal were likely government officials.
When the principal told them to greet the two men, Tanaka stood up, and Kazuma followed suit, bowing his head in greeting.
Then, after confirming that the two men were seated, Kazuma and Tanaka also sat down. In front of Kazuma were a shifty-looking man smiling broadly and a stern-looking man with a frown etched between his eyebrows.
“Pleased to meet you. I am…”
“O-Oh. Thank you for your courtesy.”
The smiling man handed Tanaka a business card. Tanaka, upon receiving the card and seeing the name, widened his eyes in shock at the affiliated department.
“N-National Defense Force Thirteenth Unit…”
“Huh?”
Kazuma, listening beside him, naturally knew that name as well.
The National Defense Force has units numbered one through twelve. However, there are two other special units. Those are the Zero Unit and the Thirteenth Unit.
The existence of these two is known, but they generally do not appear in public. After all, they are the nation’s guardians and enforcers.
The Zero Unit has members stationed throughout the country, dealing with criminals and Ibinom from overseas. Therefore, considerable skill is required. Their strength is said to be among the best, both domestically and internationally.
However, as they are a clandestine organization, neither their names nor the number of their members are publicly announced.
But if they are that strong, why didn’t they rush in when the Humanoid Ibinom appeared? There are adult circumstances involved, but the biggest reason is that the ‘Samurai,’ renowned as the strongest in the country, was present.
It was judged that there would be no problem if he was there, but the result was as you see. Because of that, some people mock them, questioning what kind of guardians they are.
And the reason the Thirteenth Unit are called enforcers is simply because they specialize in anti-personnel combat. They mobilize when dealing with Gifted individuals who are otherwise unmanageable.
In other words, the Thirteenth Unit had appeared this time because they were wary of Kazuma.
“(Oi, oi, seriously?! Have they pretty much seen through my identity?!)”
Kazuma was panicking internally, but he kept his expression composed, striving to remain calm. The two men watched him intently. They stared fixedly, ready to restrain Kazuma if he made even the slightest suspicious move.
Unfortunately, their efforts would likely be meaningless. If Kazuma were to get serious, even anti-personnel specialists wouldn’t be able to hold him down. If they wanted to apprehend Kazuma, they would have no choice but to summon a Demon Lord.
Though, of course, no Demon Lord exists in this world.
Afterwards, Kazuma and Tanaka, having received a brief explanation, were taken to the National Defense Force base in the two men’s black luxury car.
◇◇◇◇
Arriving at the base, Kazuma was separated from Tanaka and guided to another room. Kazuma asked why it was necessary to separate from Tanaka, but the answer he received was noncommittal.
This time, only Kazuma had been summoned. However, since Kazuma was still a minor, a guardian’s accompaniment was necessary, which was why Tanaka had come in his stead. Tanaka, as the accompanying person, was to wait in a separate waiting room.
And Kazuma was brought to a small interrogation room. However, the entire surface was like a one-way mirror, and many people were watching.
“Hmm, he looks like an ordinary boy.”
“What are the appraisal results?”
“His Gift is displayed as Transposition.”
“Any signs of concealment?”
“We can’t tell. However, his height, weight, age, date of birth, and blood type are displayed exactly as they are in the documents.”
“Hmm, he’s almost certainly clean…”
“For now, shall we proceed with the Q&A?”
Saying so, the man used the microphone at hand to give instructions to the man near Kazuma.
“Now, please sit there.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Alright, first, could you tell me your name and date of birth?”
“Understood—”
From then on, Kazuma answered questions about his personal information. There was nothing particularly suspicious, so Kazuma answered each question seriously.
“Now, show him that footage.”
The man who received the instruction took a remote control from his pocket and showed Kazuma footage of the Ibinom attack incident.
“No abnormalities in pulse, brainwaves, heart rate, or perspiration…”
“He’s not flustered…? Ask him in detail what he was doing at that time.”
The man questioned Kazuma, who showed no signs of agitation even when confronted with what could be called decisive evidence.
“What were you doing at this time?”
“I was panicking and looking for a place to hide.”
“Hmm. Why didn’t you escape with everyone else?”
“Because I thought I’d be attacked by the Ibinom if I moved with everyone.”
“I see. Well then, shortly after you ran into the restroom, this Crimson Knight appeared. Do you know anything about that?”
“I don’t know. I was too scared and was cowering.”
Those watching began to doubt Kazuma’s composure.
“Can a mere student answer questions this calmly?”
“If I were his age, I couldn’t do it. I think I’d probably be flustered.”
“Hey, are you reading his mind?”
“Yes. I am reading it, but…”
“What is he saying?”
“I wanna go home soon~, I want a drink~, is what he’s saying…”
“Is he an idiot, or should we call him audacious…?”
They had deployed lie detectors and Mind Reading Gifted to scrutinize Kazuma, but it was all in vain.
“(Uweh~. I’m being watched so intensely. And they’re even trying to peek into my mind, how tasteless. I’m glad I learned countermeasures against mind-readers over there.)”
From the moment he entered the room, Kazuma realized he was under suspicion. Noticing that he was also being watched through the camouflaged surrounding walls, Kazuma used techniques he learned in the other world to maintain his composure.
And, realizing his mind was being read, he had also taken countermeasures, such as muttering trivial things to throw them off.
“It can’t be helped… Call him.”
“Are we bringing him in already?”
“We have no leads so far.”
“Understood.”
Of course, the National Defense Force has also prepared a trump card. It’s uncertain if that will be effective against Kazuma, though.