Chương 105: Interlude5-2:Those Given the Burden(Part 2)

"Akamine-kun, do you have a moment?"

"That's unusual, Police Superintendent Tachibana. Coming all the way to the dojo when you're this busy." The sweat pouring down my forehead was practically a waterfall in the early summer heat, and my dogi, heavy with absorbed sweat, clung unpleasantly to my skin. I picked up the towel and water I'd left nearby and headed toward Tachibana-san, who was standing at the entrance to the dojo. It's strange how things turn out.

Ever since I entered the Gate, I—who used to be a patrol officer in the countryside—had somehow become a detective with the Metropolitan Police Department, even training some of the elite.

"I have a favor to ask of you... though it's not really that big of a favor. I'd like you to participate in this." I carefully examined the document he handed me. The contents were fine, but was I really the right person for this? A government-sponsored training camp? Surely there were more suitable people for something like this...

"Are you sure I'm the right person?"

"Under normal circumstances, I think I would be the more suitable choice, but I'm busy, and having reached the Intermediate rank has made me even less able to move around freely.... She'll be attending this training camp as well. You already know her, and more importantly, you've received advice from her. The higher-ups believe you may be capable of reaching the Intermediate rank too."

"Me? Well, if I can become stronger, then of course I want to." I've talked with her, and she's even given me training. Using a Class is a matter of sensation. If you believe you can do something, you can even float. My fingers may have been ruined, but I was able to grab a beam and crush it. After that, I even tried playing fighting games, something I'd never done before. I couldn't exactly fire a Kamehameha, but I'd learned to produce pressure with my fists.

I'd even managed to perform an air throw without touching my opponent—the very thing I'd always thought was too ridiculous to be real. If that's the case, then participating in this would definitely make me stronger. I'd asked Miyafuji about it before, and apparently magic Classes are even more dependent on sensation than physical Classes. If so, I'd have even more sensations to build upon.

"Understood. I'll devote myself to reaching the Intermediate rank."

"Let me correct you. You don't 'become' Intermediate. You 'attain' it."

"Is there really a difference?" To me, becoming something and attaining it didn't feel all that different. Was it really something worth correcting? Tachibana-san had a serious expression on his face, but if someone who had already attained it was telling me there was a difference, then maybe there really was.

"There's also a matter of nuance, but there is a difference in meaning between becoming something and attaining it. If Classes are built upon imagery, then you have to be careful with your words. To 'become' something implies an end point. To 'attain' it implies a journey." Nuance, huh... For someone like me, who relied on sensation, it still didn't feel like much of a difference. But a journey... If Intermediate was only one step, then Advanced still lay ahead.

So perhaps it was called "attaining" because you were walking along a road toward it. I see. Apparently, you weren't allowed to stop until you reached the final destination.

"Hah, understood. I'll do my best to attain the Intermediate rank. Is that all?"

"Yeah. There are also a few police officers trying to bring her over to our side, but you don't need to worry about that. That's an issue for the higher-ups, and she probably won't fall for it anyway. You should simply do what you need to do." Tachibana-san said it with a smile, but whether he realized it or not, that way of putting things sounded a lot like her. Hmm... If I kept moving forward, would I eventually start thinking like her?

"Police Superintendent Tachibana, the way you put that sounds just like her." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Eh? I've only met her recently. Did she put some strange magic on me...?" Leaving the troubled Tachibana-san behind, I decided to devote myself to attaining it. It's not exactly something out of a manga, but with a single fist... With this, I'll punch monsters to death!

"Mochida-kun. I heard from Chloe that you became a Sweeper and took an S Class."

"Yes, that's correct, Chiyoda-san. I'm an S-Sakimori." The person speaking to me was Chiyoda-san. Our departments were different, and he was originally with Public Security, so we hardly had any contact. Chiyoda... probably Chiyoda, as in the name used for the people behind the scenes. From what Tsukasa had told me, he was someone fairly high-ranking. Even now, he'd left after seeing Tsukasa off, but this time it seemed he had something to discuss with me directly. Tsukasa was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe she was smoking?

"... Hah. As far as the country is concerned, you are now a protected person—in other words, a VIP."

"Huh?"

"Due to the circumstances, people with S Classes are considered valuable human resources by the nation. Under normal circumstances, you too would become a protected person."

"Er... does that mean I'm being relieved of my duties?" I had gotten to know Tsukasa after the Gate stream. My first impression of her hadn't been particularly good. She'd produced a fireball in the interrogation room and smoked like a chimney. She could eat an astonishing amount of food, too—enough to make me wonder where she put it all. Just when I thought she was calmer than she appeared on stream, she would suddenly announce that she was going to fly. An uncontrollable, unruly brat of a girl.

According to her profile, she had originally been a man, had a wife and children, and was only a little younger than my father. She couldn't have seemed more suspicious. And yet, Tsukasa, who had gone from being "him" to "her," had a certain defenselessness around me, while still being incredibly quick-witted. No. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she simply never lost sight of her objective. And I didn't dislike seeing that side of her. If anything, I liked it.

"Normally, yes. But in your case, you'll continue serving as Chloe's dedicated guard."

"Really? I thought this was going to be about handing over my duties. Especially after that abduction the other day..." Tsukasa had been abducted while visiting the Self-Defense Forces hospital. I had never hated myself more than when I received that report. At the time, I had been accompanying Rina-san, but my actual protection assignment was Tsukasa, first and foremost. After taking Rina-san back to the hotel, I went to the Metropolitan Police Department's Security Bureau, Guard Division, where I was reprimanded.

I had been painfully afraid that I would be removed from the assignment because of the question of responsibility. But when everything came to light, a gag order had been placed on the incident. Had Tsukasa done something? The matter was handled internally, and along with the resignation of the government officials involved, the whole thing was quietly swept under the rug. And then she came back as usual. The next morning, she greeted me at the hotel while smoking a cigarette.

It was as though there had never been an abduction at all, as though we were simply welcoming an ordinary morning.

"That was our failure. In addition, as of today, you will be transferred. Please refer to the documents for the details. In terms of your position, you will be my direct subordinate." The document I was handed stated that I was to become a member of the Cabinet Office's directly controlled protective detail. Was this what Tsukasa sometimes talked about when she said she'd somehow gotten promoted without realizing it...?

My duties would put me under Chiyoda-san, and since I'd still be guarding Tsukasa, I wouldn't have to leave her side. That was fine with me.

"Um, is anything actually going to change from before?"

"If I say nothing will change, that's true. But if I say things will change, that's also true."

"...?"

"To put it simply, both you and I are expected to maintain a good relationship with Chloe. The nation does not fear foreign countries. But it does fear her as an individual. People worry about when she might lose control..."

"What?! You're treating her like some kind of monster!"

"Quiet. She is a rational person. I can guarantee that, having spoken with her like this every time. And you know that yourself. However, it is also a fact that there are a certain number of people who are afraid of her simply because they've never actually spoken with her." His words made me think about it. Tsukasa really was powerful. She could fly through the sky, make buildings disappear, and return from Akihabara without a scratch, even though she had come back without a stitch of clothing.

Looking only at those things, I could understand why someone might feel that way. But she herself was an utterly ordinary person. Rina-san had told me that she was always doing someone else's work. In other words, she was someone who could work for the sake of another person. That must have been why I was drawn to her, too. She was beautiful, after all. She had gone through the unimaginable ordeal of having even her appearance changed, yet she never showed how difficult it must have been.

Instead, she simply kept looking ahead and moving forward. Wait... I'm supposed to be straight.

"I just need to protect her from malicious intent, right?"

"Yes, essentially. And if possible, we'd appreciate it if you could keep her from belonging to any particular organization and instead have her become someone directly under the government's authority. For better or worse, she attracts far too much attention."

"... Well, with that kind of beauty and power, I suppose it can't be helped." When I lifted her up, she was lighter than I'd expected. I still had no idea where that kind of strength came from. But there were things I'd come to understand after acquiring a Class. Taking on a Class and accomplishing something with it was the power of one's will. If that was true, then there was probably no one I couldn't beat except her.

"At the government-planned study session that will be held next time, I'd like you to attend as her guard as well. Tachibana-san spent time with her and attained the Intermediate rank. If we consider only the amount of time involved, then you may have the same possibility."

"Understood. I'm her guard. I'll protect her. So, where is she now?" This was a long time for a smoke break. And as for the bathroom, I'd never even seen her go. So where on earth was Tsukasa? If I was going to be Chiyoda-san's subordinate, then I'd be able to stay with her during meetings from now on. Rina-san had even told me that a hug was fine. So where was that woman?

"If you're looking for Chloe, she said she was going on a picnic and literally flew off by herself." Chiyoda-san shrugged, his face turning red. I had no idea what had happened, but the person I was supposed to protect had simply announced that she was going on a "picnic" and had probably headed straight for a Gate. The Gate—a mysterious place that wouldn't let you emerge at the same place even if you followed someone inside.

I had no idea what she was doing in there, but she could at least spare a thought for the person left behind waiting for her!

"That woman! Honestly!"