Not a detective

Page 132

"These are all my personal experiences."

Asakawa Riku thought for a moment, then added:

"There may be danger on the island. If a rescue ship is to be dispatched, please make sure I accompany you. If possible, it would be best to bring along professionals from the Inspection Department."

Although there is a risk that other people who go to the island may also be "brainwashed," we can't just leave those classmates alone now.

We can only gather our greatest strength for a head-on attack. In the worst-case scenario, we must bring back all the brainwashed students and see if there is any possibility of treatment.

“Rescue ships? We’d love to go to their aid immediately. The public is very concerned about the safety of those students.” To his surprise, Inspector Takahashi looked troubled. “But, Mr. Asakawa, are you referring to the coordinates in the email? We’ve received them, but as you can see…”

He pointed to the large screen in front of him. As the map zoomed in, he saw a vast ocean with nothing around him.

Asakawa Riku remembered that when he sent the warning email, he had already included the latitude and longitude at that time, which explained why the police also had this data.

So he explained:

"These are just the coordinates we had on the ship, not the coordinates of that island. I think the island shouldn't be far away. Why don't we look around?"

Actually, he didn't know the exact location of the island. After all, when he drifted to the island, he lost all his belongings, including his cell phone, so he couldn't look at a map.

But he estimated that since the ship wrecked, he had drifted to the island by noon the next day, and his body couldn't withstand any longer, so the distance should not be far.

Moreover, the "mastermind" needed to kidnap and brainwash the students in advance, transport them to the island to be disguised as villagers, and it would be difficult to accomplish if the distance was too far, so it must have been very close.

However, Inspector Takahashi said:

"No, that's what I mean. We've searched a 100-nautical-mile radius around these coordinates, and we still haven't seen any islands..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the technician framed the screen to a range of 100 nautical miles, and sure enough, it was still an unobstructed view of the blue ocean.

Asakawa Riku frowned; this was not what he had expected.

"Is 100 nautical miles too close? Should we expand it a bit more?"

"Of course, we haven't been idle these past few days either."

Inspector Takahashi nodded, his dark circles under his eyes testifying to this, indicating that the pressure from society and his superiors was probably immense: "I led my team of detectives and all the technical staff, working overtime to retrieve satellite surveillance data, expanding the search area to 1000 nautical miles... 5000 nautical miles. There are indeed islands within this range, but we must personally confirm them one by one."

"How about it?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Asakawa, we still haven't seen any trace of human activity."

Inspector Takahashi's face darkened, and he slammed his fist on the table, saying, "These islands are either completely deserted and unsuitable for human habitation, or they are completely deserted from above."

"Impossible!" Asakawa Rikuya slammed his fist on the table, his anxiety rising unnoticed. "Those classmates really have been kidnapped, and they've even formed a [village]—it's obvious at a glance!"

He remembered clearly that although there was a lot of dense jungle on the island, the village was not covered by tree canopies and was in a normal open-air state.

This means that if observed by satellite, the village and the villagers in their activities would definitely be visible.

He couldn't help but say:

"Inspector Takahashi, I don't want to say this, but could it be that you've overlooked something?"

"...Mr. Asakawa, this is the result of our subordinates' hard work over the past few days. I have also checked it repeatedly myself, and there is no mistake."

Inspector Takahashi said firmly.

Because he had been anxious, Asakawa Riku noticed that Inspector Takahashi was not as "reserved" and "respectful" as last time, but this time he was somewhat "hostile".

The most obvious evidence was that his hand was always on his holster, as if he were ready to fire at any moment; this did not escape his notice.

"...Officer, are you doubting me?"

He lowered his voice and suddenly asked.

"…!" Inspector Takahashi seemed startled by his sudden question, but quickly said, "I'm afraid we have to think this way. Mr. Asakawa, I'm willing to believe what you said about shipwrecks, deserted islands, villages, religions, and brainwashing, but the fact is, we haven't found any villages on the islands, nor can we prove those things."

He didn't draw his pistol, but his eyes were extremely aggressive:

“Mr. Asakawa, all we know is that you sent out emails that resembled a kidnapping notice in advance, and the last batch of students disappeared, but you were the only one who returned.”

"...Are you serious about what you're saying?"

Asakawa Riku laughed in anger: "You suspect me, that I kidnapped those classmates? If that's the case, what's the point of me coming back to Tokyo?"

He had no idea what was going on in these police officers' heads—was it just mush?

Was he driven mad by external pressure and had no choice but to find a scapegoat to explain to the media and the public?

But Asakawa Riku wouldn't be so easily manipulated by these guys. He suppressed his anger and tried his best to communicate with the police.

...Stay calm, Asakawa Riku, stay calm.

He internally urged himself not to repeat the mistakes of the previous cycle, not to let his emotions control him and lead him to fight, and to remain restrained.

Asakawa Riku forced a stiff smile and managed to squeeze out a few words:

"I didn't do anything. Believe me, there really is such an island with a village on it. Why don't you look around more carefully?"

Summer of the Crimson Ray: Chapter Thirty-Four - War Begins

“Mr. Asakawa, I personally want to trust you, after all, you solved that important case in Kabukicho for us before.”

Inspector Takahashi's hand remained on his holster as he stared at him seriously: "But precisely because of this, I know how powerful you are, which is why we need to be extra careful. I hope you will not resist and will cooperate with our investigation procedures. We will conduct a rigorous investigation to determine whether you are capable of committing the crime. If we can rule you out, that would be the best outcome."

"What a joke!"

The tension that Asakawa Riku had been holding in finally snapped. He couldn't take it anymore and smashed the table in front of him with one hand.

The other party's official jargon sounds nice, but once they get into their interrogation rhythm, he has no say in how things are explained.

He gritted his teeth: "So many classmates are waiting to be rescued, and you're thinking about this kind of pointless thing... It seems I was right before, there's really no need to hang out with the police."

Startled by the terrifying noise, the technicians all fled the room in panic, and none of them dared to stay.

Only Inspector Takahashi remained, still standing in place, confronting him.

"Mr. Asakawa, is this your attitude? Are you going to antagonize the police?"

“Inspector Takahashi, I respect you for your courage in not running away from your fear. I won’t cause you any trouble, but that’s all… I’m not someone to be trifled with either.”

Asakawa Riku approached step by step. He keenly observed that Inspector Takahashi was actually trying hard to remain calm, but his hands and legs were trembling slightly, completely out of control.

The policeman didn't draw his gun even when threatened, not because he was following the rules, but because he "couldn't do it."

Yes, Inspector Takahashi clearly felt the instinctive cry of "Do not draw your gun!"—that if he did, there would be serious consequences...

Extremely serious consequences.

Asakawa Riku stood calmly before him, looking down at him with his eyes lowered:

"Summon the Non-World Inspection Department here. I'll contact them. Forget about the police; they should understand what I mean."

As for why the satellite imagery failed to detect the villages on the island, his guess was simple: the influence of "supernatural abilities." After all, if the mastermind behind it all has the ability to "brainwash," then they should also be able to deceive satellite surveillance, hiding the villages off the island, or even, more extremely, perhaps not even in that area of ​​the sea.

Since the "Non-World Inspection Department" is the official organization that manages this matter, they should be more knowledgeable than ordinary police officers.

It's easier to explain and cooperate with.

But Inspector Takahashi, sweating profusely, stood before him, bracing himself against the pressure, and said:

"...If you're looking for the Department of Inspection, then it's quite a coincidence that they're already here."

“You mean…” Asakawa Riku paused for a moment, then turned his head instantly, realizing something was wrong.

and many more.

So, those police officers outside the door...

“Yes, Mr. Asakawa, the suspicion of you is not solely the decision of our police force, nor can a mere inspector like myself make any decisions. This is actually an operation led by the Inspection Department. They had already disguised themselves as police officers and laid an ambush here. This place was a trap set to capture you, and I voluntarily chose to sacrifice myself to lure you into this room. My mission is now complete.”

He wore an expression of resignation to his fate, clenching his teeth tightly, while Asakawa Riku felt like there was something wrong with his ears.

...No wonder the police stared at him from the moment they arrived. Now, the murderous intent outside the door is even more obvious. It turns out that all of this was a setup from the beginning.

Why is the Ministry of Supervision targeting him? Have they lost their minds?

Do you really believe he caused the students to go missing?

"Wait... I have evidence! I have a witness! Xingyu is right here with me, isn't she? She can testify that what I said is true, that the students have really been brainwashed!"

"Mr. Asakawa, what are you saying?"

Inspector Takahashi looked troubled as he gazed at the lone boy in the empty room.

—It was just the two of them!

"From the very beginning, it was just you alone."

"……What!!"

Asakawa Riku turned around and was shocked to find that Hoshino, who had been wearing the sunshade, had disappeared from the spot.

When did you leave? When did you disappear?

Or...were they never here from the beginning?

He suddenly remembered the terrified expression on the female tourist's face when he was performing CPR on Hoshino as he crawled out of the beach in Sendai.

I initially thought she was frightened by her own urgency in swimming and saving people... but what if he was performing these first aid actions on an empty floor?

It's understandable that she was frightened...

When they finally borrowed that sunshade, did it already fall to the ground when they draped it over Xingyu's shoulders?

Moreover, the police in Sendai, including the police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, including Inspector Takahashi, only greeted him from beginning to end and did not interact with Hoshino at all.

Since reaching the shore, Xingyu has become very quiet, and at the very beginning, she hasn't uttered a single word before disappearing without a trace...

The blonde girl was no longer there.

Asakawa Riku felt a wave of dizziness wash over him; he couldn't tell what was real and what was fake, he was completely unable to distinguish them...

It felt like a glimmer of hope for a miracle had finally appeared, only to vanish in an instant and shatter before my very eyes.

“Mr. Asakawa, my colleagues have also told me that you have been communicating with the invisible girl. It must be a hallucination in your mind. Although I am reluctant to admit it, your mental state is clearly problematic. I believe you did not intentionally harm those students, but everything will have to wait until after the interrogation and investigation to make a decision…”

Inspector Takahashi's rambling continued in his ears, but Asakawa Riku, clutching his head, could no longer hear a single word...!

"Get out of here!!"

He roared loudly as if venting his anger.

Why, why was fate so cruel to him!

After traversing three cycles of reincarnation, he finally found this "miracle route," only to be told at the end of the story that it was all an illusion, a mirage.

After finally rescuing the girl and crossing the ocean and storm to return to safe land, they are now facing suspicion, attacks, and being treated this way.

It wasn't just anger, but more so despair, that surged and echoed within him, unable to be quelled.

"Wait... I'll beat you all awake right now. I did nothing wrong... I didn't... It's all your fault!"

Hearing the words he was muttering, Inspector Takahashi was startled and quickly pressed the button on the table to send a signal to the outside world.

At the same time, a loud commanding voice rang out from outside the door:

"All operators, commence the operation—!"

"Target, originally designated as 'Nue' with a danger level of [SSS], has been upgraded to [Ex] Specific Unknown Level. Prepare for all possible responses!"

Instantly, Asakawa Riku felt a twisted, enormous energy envelop the entire room beneath his feet.

Summer of the Crimson Ray: Chapter Thirty-Five - Chizuru Who Shouldn't Have Appeared

Asakawa Riku wakes up in the jungle.

He immediately grabbed onto a large tree nearby, squatted down, and kept gagging, but nothing came out.

Only then did he realize that the blood on his chest had disappeared, and the intense pain was gone as well...

"Time has reversed... So, am I dead?"

Asakawa Riku only began to observe his surroundings much later.

He was not reborn on the beach, but in the jungle, and the sun was not directly overhead, but slightly off to the west, indicating that it was afternoon.

In other words, he returned to the island, specifically on the afternoon of June 14th, making progress even further than before.

He felt a surge of resentment.

Honestly, when Asakawa Riku faced those people from the Inspection Department, he thought he would win, or at least had a chance of winning.