Not a detective

Page 224

However, Ms. Sagawa did not get up to rummage through drawers or open any secret "four-dimensional pocket," but instead placed her hands next to her enormous head.

It seems like she's trying hard to recall and think...

Could it be that she hid the case file in her own "memory"?

Asakawa Riku was immediately disappointed. It wasn't that he didn't want to believe it, but even Shinonome Suetsuki, who had superpowers in this area, had failed. This path seemed to be a dead end.

Asu's ability inherently includes memory manipulation, so even if it's stored in her mind, it can't be hidden from her.

Just when he thought everything was going to end in disappointment, Ms. Sagawa's lips trembled slightly, and she suddenly began to speak:

"On June 2, 2023, a suspected case of psychic activity occurred in an alley near Metropolitan XXX Junior High School in XX Ward, Tokyo. Those involved: Nue, Kirisame Aoi, and an unknown person—"

"I told you, it really exists!"

Kiriyu Aoi was overjoyed and couldn't help but shout it out.

Ms. Sagawa's words were suddenly interrupted. Kirisame Aoi said "Ah, sorry" and covered her mouth, realizing her mistake.

"In 2023... in a small alley in XX ward of Tokyo, a suspected... incident occurred. The person involved: ...unknown."

Ms. Sagawa repeated herself, but for some reason, her words suddenly became vague, rambling and unclear.

Every time he gets to the end of this sentence, he gets abruptly stuck and can't continue.

Asakawa Riku glanced at Kirisame Aoi, and they both realized that this might not be the result of her interruption earlier.

"In 20... years... in Tokyo... in a side alley... a suspected... incident... ...unknown person—"

"...Year...alleyside...suspected...incident......unknown—"

"...suspected......unknown—"

"unknown."

In the quiet room, only the old woman kept repeating herself. With each repetition, some words were "swallowed" away, until almost nothing remained in the end.

The scene was very strange. In the end, the old man could only open his mouth awkwardly, but he couldn't say anything.

"That's all, thank you for your help."

Minister Morita walked over and gently patted Ms. Sagawa on the shoulder, interrupting her and bringing her back from her erratic state.

In an instant, the old lady was covered in sweat and panting heavily, as if she had just run a long race, even though it had only been a few minutes.

She sighed and said, "Ahem... the case file is still in there, but I can't recount it. If you want to confirm it, you'll probably have to go and see for yourselves."

"No need. This is enough to prove that whoever can interfere with you to this extent is no ordinary person."

Minister Morita shook his head.

His expression had become several levels more serious than when he first entered the room.

Turning to look at Asakawa Riku and Kirisame Aoi:

What you're saying must be true.

Orochi's Autumn: Chapter Ten - Demon Slayer

"So, do you have any ways to help find them?"

Having solved the proof problem, Asakawa Riku naturally turned to this.

But he had already given up hope. After all, judging from the performance just now, even the mysterious Ms. Sagawa was affected by the power of Asukai Shi.

If they can't even talk about the incident from three years ago, how can they possibly find out where that guy is?

It seems that Shimi Asukai's strength is even greater than expected.

"To explain this, we must first explain something."

Department Head Morita suddenly changed the subject, saying to Riku Asakawa, "Do you know how our Inspection Department's employees are mainly divided into several structures and levels?"

"You said."

Although I don't know why this was brought up, to be honest, Asakawa Riku was a little curious.

"The first rank is C-level [Staff]. This is the level that all new members must go through. They are mainly responsible for logistics and administration, maintaining the basic operation of the agency, including monitoring and patrolling the Tokyo area, reporting any abnormalities in a timely manner, and subsequent intelligence gathering and information cover-up."

"Then there are the B-rank [Operators]. After the six-month probationary period, employees will undergo a centralized assessment. Those who are willing to fight on the front lines will participate in the assessment. If they pass, they will be promoted. The promotion rate is about 10%, which is 10% of the elite combat personnel. This includes some superhumans and the rest are soldiers with rich combat experience. Their job is to deal with anomalies and criminals head-on. There is a certain degree of risk involved, so some people voluntarily return to D-rank. However, this rank also has higher benefits and pay."

"A-level [Executive]. This level isn't something that can be achieved through simple assessments. At this stage, 'extraordinary ability' becomes a hard requirement, and it must be a superpower that aids in combat to meet the standard. Moreover, it must be stable and controllable. Not only combat achievements but also mental state and side effects are all within the scope of the assessment. Only after passing the assessment of multiple factors can one be reported to the higher-level department to confirm their [Executive] status. At this level, they belong to the high-ranking cadres in our department and possess a series of privileges."

“For example, our Tokyo branch has a total of about 2000 employees, which are distributed in various locations in addition to this building, but there are only 8 executives.”

Minister Morita smiled: "But that's not the highest. The highest is—"

"S-rank [Demon Slayer Expert]".

Kirisame Aoi suddenly chimed in: "Take me for example. When I first joined the Inspection Department, I became an [Executor] in one year and a [Demon Exorcist] in the second year."

She smiled confidently, as if waiting for praise.

Asakawa Riku was not surprised. Although he was hearing these details for the first time, he had already heard about the demon-slaying expert.

He also had a deep impression of this cool-sounding, somewhat cheesy name.

"So... the demon-slaying expert is the best among the executives, the strongest of the strong? I've heard there are four such people. Besides Kirisame, who else is there?"

"One of them is me, and the other is Ms. Sagawa in front of me."

Minister Morita explained that this was to be expected; these two ministers were probably the strongest people in the building.

Kirisame Aoi's swordsmanship is already amazing, but I wonder what level these two can reach.

If it weren't inappropriate to bring this up now, Asakawa Riku would love to have the chance to spar with them.

"My abilities are more supportive and functional, so I am actually unworthy of this title. If it weren't for the younger generation asking me to set an example, I really couldn't refuse."

Seemingly seeing through Asakawa Riku's thoughts, Ms. Sagawa explained with a smile.

"You are humble."

Minister Morita bowed and treated her with the respect due to an elder, indicating that Ms. Sagawa indeed holds a high position here.

Those words are best taken with a grain of salt; don't take them too seriously.

"One, two, three." Asakawa Riku counted, then suddenly realized that the strongest people in Tokyo might be concentrated in this room: "Aren't there four? Where's the last one?"

"You should know the last [Demon Exorcist], Asakawa-kun."

Department Head Morita turned around and said a very familiar name: "His name is Kazamatsuri Akihisa."

"It's him...!" Asakawa Riku's eyes widened. He did recognize him, and he certainly hadn't expected this: "But isn't he an Onmyoji...? How could this be..."

How could Chizuko-senpai's father be a member of the Inspection Department?

There should be two camps here.

Minister Morita smiled and explained:

"It's a bit complicated to explain, so I won't go into the past of our old man. His identity is rather special; it would be more accurate to call him an 'honored demon-slaying expert.' He doesn't belong to any organization, nor does he take orders from me. Instead, he's essentially a temporary helper, an honorary position that can assist in handling matters in emergencies."

"So that's it..."

Asakawa Riku understood. Simply put, this must be a form of cooperation between Onmyoji and special government agencies.

"but……"

Minister Morita added, "I heard that he has now passed on the position of Shinto priest to his daughter. Judging from his abilities, he probably doesn't meet the standards anymore. On the other hand, during the last Tokyo incident, he disobeyed orders and abandoned his post, and left Tokyo at a critical moment, failing to play any role... He is also unreliable in terms of character. I am already considering kicking him out."

Judging from his tone, it didn't seem like he was dissatisfied or resentful, but rather like old friends joking around.

It seems these middle-aged men have a past together.

Asakawa Riku didn't understand what he was talking about in a roundabout way. He was only thinking that now that the position of the god had been passed on to Chizuko, could it be that his senior had inherited the magic power from her father?

While he was still thinking, Minister Morita turned to him and said:

"So, Asakawa-kun, I hope you... could you..."

"I reject."

Asakawa Riku finally realized the guy's true intentions: "I will not join you, nor will I become your so-called 'Demon Exorcist Expert'."

"Hey, young man, don't be so quick to refuse."

Minister Morita's face was full of the smile of a salesman: "Asakawa-kun is young and promising, with the ability to fully meet the requirements. His character has also been fully demonstrated through observation over the years. He has a heart full of love, hates evil as if it were his enemy, and can stand up at critical moments to save the building from collapse. He is truly a young hero. On behalf of the Inspection Department, I sincerely invite you. Your girlfriend will also be satisfied."

"Don't drag me into this." Kirisame Aoi made a face behind her back: "Although I hope to work with Asakawa, it's mainly based on his intentions."

"I'm used to being free and don't like being controlled by others."

After being a "faceless man" for so many years, how could Asakawa Riku possibly accept a government offer now?

Moreover, the "Winter of God" incident taught him a lesson: once you join an organization, you will inevitably feel constrained, and only an individual can make decisive decisions.

He simply refused: "Besides, I'm just an ordinary high school student right now. I still need to study for exams and go to university."

Orochi's Autumn: Chapter Eleven - Orochi's Trial

"It's just an honorary position. You don't have to take orders from us at all. We can't control you. You can do whatever you want, and we'll even pay you a salary..."

"If that's the case, then Brother Kazamatsuri won't be replaced, right?"

Asakawa Riku ruthlessly dismantled this high-sounding statement.

What honorary position, what the willingness to disobey orders—once you actually get the job, all sorts of responsibilities and pressures will come, and you won't have a choice anymore.

Although he had never been to the workforce, Riku Asakawa was able to see through this basic facade.

"Uh, hehehe."

Minister Morita was tactful and never embarrassed when his true intentions were exposed; he simply laughed it off.

Before the atmosphere became too tense, instead of haggling further and angering the other party, he wisely said, "Alright, then I'll come back to recruit you after you graduate from high school."

They left themselves an out; they're really shrewd.

Asakawa Riku didn't care; he'd just be rejected anyway. Let's get back to the main point:

"So, are you guys going to help or not? If not, fine, I won't bother you anymore. You're not making it a condition for helping me find someone that I have to join you, are you?"

"Of course not, Asakawa-kun, don't be anxious. This isn't a threat. As I've already said, explaining the reason for this 'Demon Exorcist' is actually a necessary premise."

Minister Morita shook his head and said:

"Because, if there's only one way left to find the 'Asukai Shi' you mentioned, it's this one—"

"That is the [Orochi Trial], which is the necessary process to become a demon-slaying expert."

Ms. Sagawa, who had been quiet to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"The Orochi Trial?"

Asakawa Riku heard the new term and turned to the old lady.

"Its name comes from the monster Yamata no Orochi in Japanese mythology, also known as Yamata no Orochi or Yamata no Orochi. It is said to be the most powerful monster in history, as well as a god of calamity. According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the Yamata no Orochi has eight heads and eight tails. Its heads are like dragons, its eyes are as red as sour sauce, its back is covered with moss and trees, its belly is festering and bleeding, and eight-colored dark clouds often float above its head. Its body is as huge as eight mountain peaks and eight valleys."

"Only the legendary warrior Susanoo can defeat it."

"Of course, there is no real Yamata no Orochi here; it is merely borrowed for its name and meaning. My ability is to excavate the 'gap' between the virtual and the real, and create a 'virtual space' from it, constructing fictional things and scenes, such as the case file from before, which can only be preserved by escaping reality."

"Based on this power, we have developed a scientific training method, which is to have the inspectors and executives of the Inspection Department train and fight in the virtual space. This way, they will not get really injured or have any accidents, and they can accumulate practical experience and acquire skills and techniques. Therefore, I am very honored to have received the honorary title of Vice Minister for this contribution."

“Building on this, we went a step further and created the ‘Orochi Trial,’ which is modeled after the deeds of Susanoo. Qualified executives enter the trial space to complete a series of challenges. If they can successfully pass the trial, they can become demon-slaying experts. People like this department head, Ms. Kirisame, and that kid Kazamatsuri have all experienced it.”

"That is to say, only legendary warriors can become demon-slaying experts."

Ms. Sagawa finished her explanation.

Asakawa Riku's eyes lit up as he listened; it was probably the first time he had shown interest since joining the Inspection Department.

"So, in that virtual space, the challenger has to defeat the Yamata no Orochi to clear the level?"

He was no longer sleepy when he talked about this.

Fighting, brawling, battling... these are all his hobbies.

"Unfortunately, none of us have ever seen what the real Yamata no Orochi looks like, so there probably won't be any of those terrifying demon gods inside."

Ms. Sagawa explained with a smile, her tone very kind: "【The Orochi Trial】is just a name; in reality, everyone sees different scenery and encounters different opponents inside. Simply put, it's about recreating 'the eight strongest opponents in your mind' based on your memories and experiences, and then engaging in battles based on that."

"The strongest opponent in my mind..."