Stalking is a technical skill.
To avoid being discovered while not losing the target—those who master this are either professionals or seasoned perverts.
Therefore, for a good man of upright character and integrity like me, while tailing a beautiful girl... ahem, while conducting a background check on a young lady, it's inevitable to make mistakes due to lack of skill and experience.
"Officer, please let me explain. This is really just a misunderstanding."
Life is unpredictable; one must always be cautious. A misjudgment of our respective abilities and unfamiliarity with the surrounding terrain landed me in a predicament.
Specifically, after I followed her into a secluded alley, Nakatsukasa Kirino, who was supposed to be in front of me, suddenly appeared from behind and tried to arrest me.
"You still dare to argue?"
Nakatsukasa Kirino glared at me, the criminal suspect, with her clear blue eyes.
"Don't think this officer didn't notice you've been following me since the coffee shop! Fess up, what are you plotting? Were you sent by the thugs who ran away yesterday to get revenge on me?"
"I'm telling you, it's really just a misunderstanding. Besides, if I were really a bad guy..."
I squatted down in front of Kirino and picked up the handcuff key that had fallen at my feet.
Looking at Kirino, who had somehow managed to cuff herself to a utility pole and lose the key in a place she couldn't reach even by stretching her leg out as far as possible, I felt an inexplicable mix of emotions.
A slight addendum to the situation: Kirino tried to arrest me but rolled a critical failure.
How did you even manage that?
"Miss Kirino, can you calm down now? If you're willing to listen to me properly, I'll unlock them for you."
"...How do you know this officer's name? You've finally shown your true colors. Ah, could it be, are you this officer's stalker? Help! I don't want to be taken to a basement by a pervert and forced to wear frilly clothes and do weird things!"
Tears welled up in Kirino's eyes as she began to struggle violently.
"Hold on, don't shout in the middle of the street, you'll cause a misunderstanding with passersby. I know your name because I'm the Sensei from Schale. Sigh, would you just listen to me?"
Perhaps my voice wasn't loud enough, but Kirino completely ignored my words.
I could only forcefully restrain Kirino, a task that felt as difficult as wrestling with an enraged bull. With all my strength, I finally managed to unlock the handcuffs for her.
The moment the cuffs came off, Kirino used a skillful joint lock to pin me to the ground, then sat on my back, completely immobilizing me with her weight. Panting heavily, she shouted:
"Pervert caught in the act! You're under arrest! You have the right to remain silent, but... uh... what comes after that... whatever. Anyway, do you have anything else to say!"
"Haaah..." I sighed, my voice filled with helplessness and exhaustion. "I am the Sensei from Schale..."
"...Eh?"
A moment later.
"I'm so, so sorry!"
"You don't have to apologize..."
I dusted off my uniform and looked at the girl bowing at a ninety-degree angle, feeling mentally drained.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't angry at all. But I was still thinking of recruiting Kirino into Schale, and this whole incident was, at its core, my fault for stalking her in the first place. So, let's just let it go.
Besides, showing tolerance to an innocent girl would probably earn me more favorability points, right?
I haven't forgotten that my credit card-shaped "golden finger" requires me to "conquer" students to get any feedback.
So, I have to be as gentle as possible with every potential target.
The more I thought like this, the more uneasy I felt. I quickly reined in my wandering thoughts and focused on the present.
Should I really recruit Kirino into Schale? Even after reading her file and thinking I had set my expectations low enough, the reality of the situation still left me deeply concerned.
If only she were as reliable as Yuuka.
My thoughts raced as I analyzed the situation. I had intended to observe her secretly but was caught red-handed. If I tried to make excuses now, it could create future problems in our relationship if handled poorly, which would be counterproductive.
Therefore, I could only tell her my purpose truthfully.
"Kirino, I won't beat around the bush. I'm here to invite you to join Schale."
"Huh?"
"You may know that the current Schale is just an empty shell, in urgent need of excellent and capable members."
I chose to speak selectively of the truth. "I have personally witnessed you in action on the job (by being personally arrested by you), and after reading your files (sent anonymously by someone else), I believe you are a talent being wasted by the Life Safety Bureau (how have you not been fired yet?)."
At this point, I took a deep breath and extended my hand to Kirino.
"You may be lacking in ability, but that's not important. No one in this world is born with all the knowledge they need."
"What's truly important isn't talent, but heart."
"Watching your efforts from behind, I can feel your passionate heart that refuses to lose to anyone, a heart that defends justice with all its might. That is a treasure that no amount of talent can compare to."
"Kirino, I believe you possess unparalleled value."
"Join Schale. Come to my side, and I will provide you with the most suitable stage!"
"I need you."
After speaking, I kept my hand extended, waiting for Kirino's reply.
Kirino stood there stunned, staring at me blankly, a dazed look on her face. A light seemed to appear in her watery eyes.
Seeing her lack of response, I suddenly felt a little nervous. Did I paint too grand a picture? When Kirino finds out what her actual job at Schale will be, will she get angry?
I don't think I was wrong, though. This really is the most suitable stage for Kirino.
Okay, I'm a little guilty.
"Sensei..."
Finally, Kirino spoke up, blushing and fidgeting. "Were you just... confessing to this officer? Although it's not against the law for a teacher and student to date in Kivotos, this is our first time meeting, you know? It's not that I dislike you or anything, but this officer isn't mentally prepared yet."
"Huh? A confession?" I was a bit stunned. "I was just inviting you to join Schale, that's all."
"Huh? Eh? Ah! I'm sorry, this officer was being too presumptuous!"
Kirino clutched her chest, letting out a sigh of relief, and returned to her energetic girl persona.
"Thank you very much for your encouragement, Sensei. No one has ever said such things to this officer before... I can't give you a definite answer just yet. According to the Life Safety Bureau's regulations, members are not allowed to hold part-time jobs. Although Schale should be a special case, I still need to apply for my superior's approval first."
"And, even if I do join Schale, I can't just drop my work at the Life Safety Bureau. I can only spare some free time to do simple tasks... I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sensei."
Although she said she was disappointing me, the one who actually looked disappointed was Kirino herself.
Regarding the application, it was mentioned in the file Kanna had given me:
Nakatsukasa Kirino and another student named Aikiyo Fubuki were, for various reasons, a headache for the upper echelons of the Life Safety Bureau. If these two were willing to join Schale and reduce the frequency of trouble they caused on the job, the Life Safety Bureau would probably be begging for it.
So I didn't need to worry about that.
As for Kirino's other concern...
"Listen to what your job at Schale would be first, then decide—"
I described it as concisely as possible.
The main task was just to accompany me back and forth between Schale and the subway station before and after my business trips to other academies.
It might be hard to imagine, but right now, the most chaotic area in all of Kivotos is the D.U. district, directly under the GSC's jurisdiction. Valkyrie Police School's work efficiency is appallingly low.
In contrast, on the subways connecting D.U. to other academies and within the autonomous districts of the major academies, the response time of security forces during riots is very fast. Also, when I'm on a business trip, the academy in question will send dedicated personnel to liaise with me, so safety is quite guaranteed.
It feels like this is all the fault of the missing GSC President, making me worry about my own life all day.
Just like before, the coffee shop where I was staking out Kirino was also chosen because it was very close to Schale, so I dared to go there alone.
"...Is it that simple? In that case, I just need to take a little detour during my patrol!"
After hearing my explanation, Kirino said cheerfully, "Then after my morning patrol is over, I'll go submit the application! If it's approved, I'll be in your care!"
Finally, my objective was achieved.
With a student willing to escort me, I could now travel to other safe school districts to select more reliable, or more suitable, students for "conquest."
If Kirino had refused, I really would have had to contact Wakamo.
Wakamo is powerful and probably trustworthy, but her status as a fugitive made her a last resort.
Taking a step forward, I took Kirino's hand.
"I'll be in your care as well. Oh, by the way, I happen to have nothing to do this morning. How about I join you on your patrol?"
It was a spur-of-the-moment idea.
I've been in Kivotos for almost a week, but because I felt it was dangerous to go out alone, I haven't had a good look around the neighborhood. This was a perfect opportunity.
After getting Kirino's cheerful agreement, we set off side-by-side.
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