Upon arriving at the Public Security Bureau headquarters, Kaya marched menacingly straight to the chief's office.
Bang!
Without even knocking, Kaya pushed the door open and strode in. In just a few steps, she was at the desk, her tone filled with displeasure.
"Chief Otonashi, I need an explanation."
I casually closed the door behind me, shutting out the curious and worried gazes from the police officers in the hallway, and sized up this "Chief Otonashi"—
Two long, slender beast ears stood tall, with pale golden hair covering her right eye. Her irises were a clear, grayish-blue.
With drooping eyelids and low-set eyebrows that made her look constantly frowning, her open mouth revealed a set of shark-like pointed teeth. Paired with her cold demeanor, you could say she had a naturally intimidating appearance.
Despite all that, she was still a beauty.
On the way here, I had taken a moment to look up her information on my phone. Otonashi Kanna, a student belonging to Valkyrie Police School, nicknamed the "Mad Dog."
Otonashi Kanna's gaze went past Kaya's slender frame, glancing at me coolly before she lowered her head again, writing something on a document as she spoke without emotion:
"An explanation? What explanation? I've already made myself very clear on MomoTalk."
"Tell me, what do you mean by 'absolutely impossible'? Otonashi Kanna, is this how you treat your superior?"
"Sigh."
Otonashi Kanna sighed, put down her pen, and retorted forcefully, "I will never accept such an unreasonable order, even if it comes directly from the Chief of the Defense Office herself. If my reply wasn't tactful enough and offended you, I can offer you my sincerest apologies."
As she spoke, Kanna propped herself up on the desk, stood up, and walked around to the front, fearlessly meeting Kaya's gaze. "But if you still delude yourself into thinking you can use your status to force me to submit, please give up now and go back to your ivory tower!"
"You!"
Kaya took half a step back, her hand pointing at Kanna trembling slightly, her voice even carrying a hint of grievance. "How dare you speak to me like that!"
"Oh, I talk to everyone like this. Sorry. What's next?"
"Your Public Security Bureau has plenty of manpower, right? What's so unreasonable about temporarily borrowing one team from you?"
"Sorry, everyone in the PSB, from top to bottom, is swamped with work."
I remembered what I saw when I first entered: in the most conspicuous area of the first-floor lobby, a dozen police officers were chatting enthusiastically, donuts in one hand and coffee in the other. When they saw people coming, they even started talking louder.
...Huh?
Kaya continued to argue her case with Kanna.
"What a joke! It's obvious to me you're all very idle! Can you call it 'busy' when you're all huddled together in the headquarters, enjoying the air conditioning and eating snacks during work hours?"
Kanna said coldly, "What do you know? This is also part of a mission."
"You disgrace of Valkyrie!"
"...If you say so, then it is."
Faced with Kanna's impervious attitude, Kaya's face flushed with anger.
"Every quarter, every single quarter, it's me who approves such large funds for you..."
As I watched their argument with great interest, I noticed that Kanna's mouth twitched slightly at the mention of "funds."
"Did I not give you enough? You use the best equipment and enjoy generous benefits, yet you can't even do your job properly. You just sit by and watch the crime rate in Kivotos rise, completely disregarding me, the Chief of the Defense Office, and even more so, your own duties!"
The more Kaya spoke, the more agitated she became. Her flat chest almost managed to puff out into a rounded curve.
In contrast, Kanna just stared at her silently, her gaze growing colder and colder.
"You, and all your subordinates, are all—"
"Are you done throwing your tantrum?"
Suddenly, a low growl, suppressed with rage, squeezed through Kanna's teeth.
"Eek!"
Kaya flinched in fright, letting out a short yelp. She quickly glanced at me, saw that I was wearing a look of indignation as she had hoped, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She swallowed the rest of her sentence and instead threw out a threat, sounding more fierce than she felt—
"Otonashi, you will regret this!"
"Shiranui, I am the Chief of the Public Security Bureau."
Kaya slammed the door and stormed out.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the show, I nodded to Kanna, who had returned to her seat, and hurried after Kaya.
It wasn't until we were out of the Public Security Bureau building that I opened the umbrella for Kaya again. She let out a long, theatrical sigh and apologized to me.
"I'm sorry, Sensei. I've let you down. As you can see, I am just an empty figurehead of a Chief, looked down upon by my own subordinates, with no real power."
...No, seriously, do you really think your acting is that good?
Seeing Kaya's apologetic look, I almost wanted to laugh. Does she think her plan is flawless, or does she think I'm an idiot she can play with at will?
Either way, it's hilarious. No, I have to hold it in.
I turned my face away, secretly pinching my thigh, trying my best to keep my expression neutral, but I couldn't stop my lips from trembling.
However, with Kaya's level of intelligence, she would surely think I was sympathizing with her, feeling deeply guilty for causing her to lose face.
"It's alright, Sensei. I'm used to it."
I sucked in a sharp breath to keep from laughing out loud.
I have to play along with Kaya for a while longer to see what this little rascal is plotting. I absolutely cannot let my cover be blown.
"I'm sorry."
"Heehee I told you it's okay You're such a strange person, Sensei~"
I think I'm a strange person too, for actually finding this clingy Kaya a little cute.
This series of clownish acts from Kaya didn't make me dislike her. On the contrary, my favorable impression of her actually increased—
This wonderfully reassuring level of intelligence!
On our way back, about halfway there, Kaya spoke up again.
"Sensei, about your matter, I will think of another way when I get back. For now, please exchange MomoTalk contacts with me."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble."
After we added each other as friends, Kaya sent me a sticker: a little goat with the word "Superman" on its head.
I asked curiously, "Do you like Superman a lot?"
Kaya smiled and nodded. "Mhm! To be precise, I want to become a superman~"
"Haha, then we're the same."
Hearing this, Kaya's perpetually squinted eyes opened again. After a brief moment of astonishment, a look of genuine joy burst forth from her seemingly always-masked face.
"Is that true? Sensei, as an adult, you also want to become a superman like the Student Council President?"
...Does the Student Council President also wear her underwear on the outside?
Before I could react, Kaya grabbed my arm, her eyes shining, and continued excitedly:
"Unlike foolish mortals, possessing the ability to solve any problem with ease, having an open mind that can unhesitatingly set aside grudges to achieve a goal, and easily convincing everyone to believe in you! And also..."
So she's just a simple chuunibyou.
And so, I listened to Kaya describe her admiration and imagination of a so-called superman until we returned to the entrance of the Sanctum Tower, where she finally let go of my arm.
"It's so wonderful that we share the same ideal, isn't it, Sensei~"
Kaya's attitude towards me had clearly become much warmer.
Finding it troublesome to bring back to Schale, I closed the umbrella and handed it to Kaya. "Then I'll give this umbrella to you. As a future superman, you can't get sunburnt just because you forgot to bring one, you know."
"Ehehe~"
Kaya squinted, hugging the umbrella.
"By the way, Sensei Before we say goodbye, I have one last question for you! Who in the current General Student Council do you think is the closest to being a superman?"
With that, Kaya puffed out her chest, full of expectation.
She must be hoping for an affirmation from me.
"I think it's Rin."
Kaya looked as if she'd been struck by lightning.
"Eh? Wait, why Nanagami... Why her of all people? Shouldn't it be me?"
"Well..."
I recalled the mountains of documents on Rin's desk, her weary face, yet her persistence in working, and smiled at Kaya.
"When you figure out the reason, you'll be one step closer to being a superman."
With that, I turned and left, no longer caring about Kaya's reaction.
—
Shiranui Kaya bit her lower lip, staring daggers at Sensei's back until he disappeared at the end of the road.
"Heh... just another mortal after all... what a pity..."
Kaya muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear. She lowered her head and realized she was still holding the long-handled umbrella that the blind Sensei had given her, a cheap thing that cost only five hundred yen at the supermarket. The thought made her even more irritated.
Compared to this mass-produced, cheap item, the exquisite folding umbrella in her handbag was far more suited to her noble status!
A thing like this... a thing like this...
I'll take it home and throw it in the trash.
Kaya took a few deep breaths, put on her usual smile, and carried this gift—no, this trash—that was completely unbefitting of her status and given by a person she disliked...
Kaya brought this piece of trash that she looked down on back to her own office and temporarily placed it on the edge of her large desk.
"Tch, perfect. No need to change my plan midway. To think I actually considered that bastard a kindred spirit for a moment."
Kicking off her boots and collapsing onto the soft sofa, Kaya muttered to herself as she opened MomoTalk and sent a message—
Kaya: You played your part well The promised funding increase proposal will be submitted at the next meeting as scheduled
Kanna: Thank you very much.
Kaya: But you know, you were actually speaking your mind back there, weren't you?
Kaya: Daring to shout at me.
Kanna: I am very sorry.
Kaya: Huhu You're not even denying it It's fine, I won't mind such trivial things.
Kaya: See This is the magnanimity of a superman
Kaya: As long as you listen to me, the Public Security Bureau can escape its powerless state!
Kanna: I understand.
Her finger swiped, changing the chat window.
Kaya: How are you considering my previous proposal?
Kaya: You still don't believe me, do you?
Kaya: How about this, I'll send Schale's Sensei over to your place.
Kaya: You can try asking him for help, you know?
Kaya: But, if even Schale's Sensei can't prevent SRT from being shut down...
Kaya: Then you'll obediently come to my side.
Kaya: As long as you listen to me, SRT can escape the fate of being shut down!
Kaya: Why are you leaving me on read?
Kaya: I'll take that as a yes then~
Kaya: I look forward to the day you serve me.
Kaya: Yukino-chan~
After sending all the messages, Kaya turned off her phone and lazily shifted to her side.
"As expected of the superman-like me~ Even a spur-of-the-moment plan is so perfect!"
"From Schale's position, it's impossible to directly intervene in the decision to abolish an academy. Once Nanado Yukino realizes that only I can do it, the FOX Platoon will be in the palm of my hand~"
"Huhu~ I really worked hard today, oof... my feet are so sore from walking just to make that bastard owe me a favor... so tired..."
Kaya curled up, a smile on her lips, her consciousness gradually fading as she drifted into a sweet dream where Sensei held her gently in his arms, repeatedly praising her as a superman.
—
I returned to Schale, took a shower, and then continued to process documents.
In the evening, a message came from Kaya.
The gist was that she could introduce me to the SRT Special Academy, which was directly under the missing President. The students there were all exceptionally capable and trustworthy, but also unruly, so I would have to figure out how to recruit them on my own.
So this was Kaya's real goal today.
Why did she want to guide me to that academy?
I need to gather more information.
Ding.
Just as I was thinking, I received another anonymous email.
The content was quite interesting.
"To the Sensei of Schale,
Shiranui Kaya is not to be trusted, and neither is the Public Security Bureau.
If you truly need assistance, perhaps you could consider this person.
She is one of the few members of Valkyrie I can see who still believes in justice and actively works for it.
Although her abilities are somewhat lacking, the passion in her heart is second to none.
Attached are her files. Please delete after reading.
Attachment.pdf"
After reading the email, I opened the attachment and read it carefully.
A member of the Life Safety Bureau... although her abilities are a bit hard to describe, she is indeed worth considering...
Nakatsukasa Kirino.
I made a note of the name.
Looking at this anonymous-but-not-at-all-anonymous email, I smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Thank you for your trust, and thank you for the warning."
"Otonashi Kanna."
-------
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