“Hey! Is the camera running?”
“Yes! That’s magic, right?”
These two must have been dungeon adventurers. We had footage of the first-ever use of magic outside of the dungeons. What a scoop! After a few minutes, police cars and ambulances arrived at the scene.
✦ ✦ ✦
[Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters — Kinouchi Mari]
After restraining the man with the knife and healing the wounded, we were brought to the police station. The police officers said they wanted to hear about what had happened in detail, but I was allowed to call my mom first. I decided to contact Kazu-san as well, just in case. After all, I had ended up using magic.
“The special law regarding dungeon adventurer crimes clearly states that, while the use of magic above ground is strictly prohibited, exceptions are to be made when magic is used in unavoidable circumstances, such as legitimate self-defense or in order to rescue someone. Shingo and Mari had no choice but to fight and use magic to save these people. In light of this law, there should be no issues with their behavior, right?”
“O-Of course. I am aware of this. We just wanted to hear about the situation in detail and make sure this indeed was such a case. As soon as we are done with our questioning, the two of them may leave,” the policeman answered, meek.
Surprisingly, the person who had come along with my mom was Amane-san. She had immediately confronted the officers, a stone-cold expression on her face. She was so scary that I almost felt bad for the officers. As soon as she turned to face me, however, she gave me the sweetest smile and praised me.
When my questioning finally ended, the sun was already setting. My long-awaited first date had ended up being a mess. It had been fun, though. I didn’t think I would ever forget today. Shingo-kun promised to make it up to me, a remorseful expression on his face, but I shook my head.
“You were cool, you know. Next time you ask me out, do it as my boyfriend,” I said.
Shingo-kun turned all red before nodding happily. Mom joined me with perfect timing, and a policeman came to drive us home. However, one last disturbance was waiting to happen. As soon as we stepped out of the police station, we were greeted by dozens of journalists. Dang... The next few days are going to be awful.
✦ ✦ ✦
[United States of Gamerica — The Pentagon]
Saying the room was a mess would be an understatement. Books and documents lay haphazardly on the floor, which was so covered that it was impossible to tell the color of the carpet. Empty bottles and nut shells covered a desk whose massiveness seemed to indicate the importance of its owner.
A man laid a cardboard box on the desk, casually pushing things out of the way to make space. A few bottles got knocked over, leaking cola all over the documents scattered on the floor, but he paid it no mind. He carelessly crammed his belongings into the box as he hummed.
A beautiful blonde peeked through the doorway, a worried expression on her face.
“Are you truly going to give up, guildmaster?”
“I’m no guildmaster. I’m nothing more than an unemployed man now. I won’t be able to move forward with my dungeon research if I stay here. If the Democratic candidate, Wozniak, wins, our dungeons will end up being cleared by Dungeon Busters or the Crusaders. If Howard wins, we’ll just get more of the same. We’ll keep being unable to clear any dungeons, and Gamerica will be left behind as the rest of the world moves forward. There’s no point in staying here.”
“What do you plan to do next?” she asked again after a pause.
Isaac Roland, now former Command Chief, did not answer the question from his former secretary, Rebecca. Although he wasn’t sure how they had caught wind of his resignation, he had gotten offers from several places including private research labs, think tanks... Even the Vatican was trying to recruit him. However, he hadn’t heard a word from Japan’s Ministry of Defense. They were slow on the uptake, as always.
“A Ministry of Dungeons, tasked with handling every dungeon-related matter, will soon be established in Japan. I might just join their research team. Even Ms. Ishihara will surely understand the value I can bring with this,” he said, pointing at his own forehead.
Leaving the Pentagon meant leaving behind everything but his personal belongings; not a single document could make it out of the building. However, no one could be expected to leave their brain behind. The United States of Gamerica had been able to locate over six hundred dungeons, but even at the Pentagon, no one but Isaac Roland remembered the exact location of every single one of them.
“Then I shall accompany you,” Rebecca declared. “I don’t think someone as disorderly and incompetent when it comes to daily life as you will be able to work with the Japanese. They are extremely meticulous. I’ve already handed in my resignation letter.”
“Hang on! You can’t even speak Japanese. Even if you stick around, what use will you be?” asked Isaac.
“This is not an issue. As a whole, the Japanese people are indeed rather inept at English, but many bureaucrats can speak decent English. At any rate, you need someone to stop you from acting rashly and make sure your discussions with other people don’t end in disaster.”
“What do you mean rash...?”
“The only thing you’ve got going for you is your intellect. Your lifestyle is chaotic, to say the least, and you’re hopeless at bargaining and dealing with politics, aren’t you? Have you already forgotten how Ms. Ishihara cornered you until you could only stare at her, dumbfounded? You should immerse yourself in research and leave the talking to me.”
Now that they could speak as equals, Rebecca did not hesitate to throw in harsh words as she tried to convince Isaac. She was finally making up for all the frustration she had put up with as his subordinate. Isaac might have been a prodigy, but he was an extremely poor communicator and negotiator. When it came to reading someone’s feelings, he was miles behind his former secretary.
“All right. Now, let’s clean this pigsty a little. If you leave it in this state, your boss is going to hold a grudge against you, you know.”
Rebecca summoned her courage, entered the room with a garbage bag in hand, and picked up an empty bag of chips that had been lying on the floor for over a week.