!
'What!' Does she know something... but how?'
"Do you think that just because you're good looking, you can get away with everything?"
...
"Amanda!"
Olivia jumps up, and the focus of the brown-haired policewoman—whose name appears to be Amanda—shifts to her.
"Olivia... don't you see that you're getting nowhere? Normally, I should be doing the integrations, but you asked to do it yourself."
"That's not the issue right now... apologize to Jin!"
.
"Wow, Olivia—you still believe in the goodness of people even though you're a police officer, and on top of that, you're incredibly stubborn; if it weren't for your super-speed ability, you never would have become a cop in the first place."
Olivia shifts her gaze back to me, and her face takes on a caring expression.
"Jin, I'm sorry, but please don't take it so seriously—that's just how Amanda is."
she said softly. But as she turns back to Amanda, her expression instantly hardens again.
"Why are you here, anyway?"
"I actually just wanted to stop by because your shift ended an hour ago, but it looks like you haven't made much progress."
...
...
Olivia is a caring person who still believes I didn't do anything wrong—and I do too. But with a heavy heart, she locked the door to the room where I'll be spending the night.
I'm at the police station in a sort of cell, though it's not really a cell like in a standard prison or anything. The place has everything you need, I even have a sofa. But there are no separate rooms, the walls are an unpleasant white, and the space is generally quite small; still, I'm not complaining. It's no worse than what I had before; I have everything I need and a free place to sleep—basically everything I could have asked for. There's just one problem: the door is locked, and I don't have the key.
'I'm glad nothing came of Amanda's accusations. I don't know exactly why she suddenly confronted me, but Olivia really worked on her for a while, and I even got a sort of apology—though I have a feeling she isn't going to back down.'
It seems they didn't examine George's body thoroughly, and I hope Amanda isn't pulling any strings to make that happen. Even so, if they do and discover something, they won't have any proof.
I also have the advantage that the police aren't investigating a murder; instead, the ambulance was called because of an accident.
But one thing is certain: it's been decided that I'm not allowed to walk around freely until I've received my punishment. According to Olivia, someone who deals with juvenile offenses is supposed to work on my file tomorrow—though I don't know how long that will take. I'm hoping this person is overworked, has a burnout, and decides to take a vacation; then, hopefully, I can keep living in my private room a bit longer. I just hope I get a TV or a smartphone; otherwise, things could get boring in the long run.
But now that I'm locked in the room alone for a while, i'm lost in thought after some time.
I acted too rashly—too quickly and without a plan. I was so excited about the system that I wanted to get information fast, without preparing properly; that's why I'm locked up now. Even though the situation with George was even more spontaneous, I still believe it was the right decision.
I should have found out how strong the female employee—or women in general are, and come up with a plan before stealing it.
I feel like I underestimated women too much and thought I would win using the strength of the system.
Compared to a woman, I am definitely too weak. Looking back, the employee actually had the opportunity to hit me, yet she didn't do it.
That kick definitely caught her by surprise. But she looked more worried about me getting away than about her own injury; even though I'd kicked her in the head as hard as I could, she just got right back up—and meanwhile, my leg actually hurts a bit.
'Looks like I'm still a naive idiot in this world—thinking that just because I'm a bit stronger, everything would instantly turn out fine.'
...
'I need to get stronger.'
'I must proceed carefully, yet I will not let anyone influence me.'
...
...
The room has no windows, but it looks like it's starting to get dark again.
Olivia really talked my ear off all day; at least I have a soft bed—I didn't sleep yesterday, and I'm completely exhausted from today and Olivia's constant chatter.
...
...
...
I wake up to bright light; it looks like I fell asleep almost immediately yesterday, and the sun has been up for a long time now.
.
'I feel like I'm being watched...'
To be precise, I can see it. The only two ways light enters the room are through the lamps and the glass in the door, and the light inside is turned off. Instead, it keeps getting darker—as if someone were looking through and repeatedly blocking the light.
When I wake up, I see two young female police officers both peering through the glass with wide curious eyes, as if I were a rare species of animal.
I pretend I haven't seen them and that I've just woken up—which I have—but I'm only just starting to move and stretch.
*clink*
The two police officers walk in carrying a bowl and cutlery. They look very much alike; both are slender and a bit taller than me, and both have shoulder-length blonde hair braided into a ponytail.
.
"Um, hi, we brought you some food in case you're hungry."
One of the twins hands me the bowl slightly hesitantly, while the other stands rigidly beside her, as if she were in the military.
"we thought you might be hungry and br–."
.
"They didn't thought that... it's standard procedure that you get something to eat..."
!
A woman in a green-gray uniform enters the room, followed by Olivia and Amanda. When the twins notice her, they immediately stand at attention and salute, their nervousness and slight blushing instantly vanishing.
The woman appears to be around thirty, yet she is roughly the same height as me—which is unusual, since in this world I am usually shorter than women.
Her uniform resembles a military one, more than the grey-blue police uniform. She wears a matching cap, with blonde hair reaching down to her ears peeking out from underneath. She wears an eyepatch over her right eye, and a scar runs across the right side of her face. Although she gives a relaxed impression, her remaining blue eye is also sharp and focused.
She closes the distance between us and now stands right in front of me, still relaxed and a slight smile on her face, yet with a sharp gaze.
.
"I assume you're Jin Jaw, 16 years old, and don't go to school, right?"
I know it looks important, but I have the feeling I won't be able to stay in my private room much longer, which pisses me off.
"You know who I am, get to the point already."
I reply in an annoyed tone.
?!
When I said that, everyone looked at me in shock—as if they wanted to scream at me but couldn't.
.
She know's who I am; they have my file and can simply ask Olivia. There's no reason to ask me that other than to try make an impression. Besides, she reminded me of school again, something I have very bad memories of.
The woman with the eyepatch briefly lost her focus, but a moment later, her smile widened.
"Looks like I didn't come here for nothing."
"Well, I already know who you are, but I think it would be rude if I didn't introduce myself... My name is Sera Van Voss. I am the chief police representative and serve on the Vinosha Defense Council."
"...Normally, it would take a few days for your file to be processed, but since I'm feeling generous, I've handled it myself and determined your penalty in strict accordance with the law...You are charged with attempted theft, property damage, and minor bodily injury..."
'Property damage? danm, aparently the phone broke when I kicked her.'
...
"Now for your punishment."
As an act of atonement... you will work a total of 160 hours at the phone store. The 160 hours must be completed during your free time. You will attend school, and since you won't be paid for your work at the phone store—meaning you can't cover the rent for your uncle's apartment, you will stay at Officer Olivias place.
After the last sentence, Olivia's face lights up a little.
"After consulting others, I've decided that you could pose a danger if you were sent to a regular school... You wouldn't be much of a threat to the girls since you lack physical strength. But since you apparently have learned martial arts, you could pose a danger to male students."
"...That's why you'll be attending a school that focuses on sports activities and self-defense. The school is funded by the police and has very few male students, but don't worry, there are regular subjects and male students, too."
"...I've heard that you were a victim of bullying in the past; if you run into similar problems at this school, we will find a solution for you, so don't worry about it. The girls at the school are well-mannered, and most of them are working towards a career in the police force, so I don't think anything will happen."
"School starts for you next week; even though the term has already been underway for six months, you'll be joining the class as a transfer student. We've already handled the paperwork, so all you need to do is sign it. You'll need to complete your 160 hours over the next six months, do you have any questions?"
"Yes, Mrs. Voss, I actually have a question...what if I don't sign it?"