chapter02 · 050-ep50
Episode 50: Charging into Police HQ Downtown!
【Runaway Express!】The Thread for Folding Paper Cranes and Praying for Japan's Peace, Part 20【Ojou-sama!】
509 Passing-by Anon
Hey, turn on your TVs!
510 Passing-by Anon
What the hell is this!?
511 Passing-by Anon
Thought an emergency police press conference this early in the morning was bad news, then spat out my coffee lmao
512 Passing-by Anon
The Anti-Dungeon Division's recruiting <Divine Artisan> users SPECIFICALLY? No way lmao
513 Passing-by Anon
'Our longstanding plan to address staff shortages' is such a lie lol
514 Passing-by Anon
They decided to recruit users of <Divine Artisan>, 'a unique skill whose potential experts (Karin ojou-sama) have previously (yesterday) brought to our attention (by telling us on a stream nobody asked for)'! Not a lie, desu wa~!!
515 Passing-by Anon
That's stretching the truth beyond its breaking point lmao
516 Passing-by Anon
Technically not ONE WORD of it was false, which makes it worse lol
517 Passing-by Anon
But damn, the police moved fast lmao
518 Passing-by Anon
As fast as setting up a disaster response HQ
519 Passing-by Anon
Well, we were on the verge of a disaster...
520 Passing-by Anon
When she said gathering <Divine Artisan> users might let them make item boxes other people can use, I nearly had a heart attack! No joke!
521 Passing-by Anon
From any other country or organization it'd be idle talk, but with Karin ojou-sama leading them...
522 Passing-by Anon
No wonder the authorities actually got off their asses for once!
523 Passing-by Anon
Anyway, good job, police!
524 Passing-by Anon
And if you can't trust the Anti-Dungeon Division, who CAN you trust? If <Divine Artisan> users all join a public-safety unit, it won't favor any clan. Honestly, this might be the best solution...?
525 Passing-by Anon
That neglected <Divine Artisan> user 980 from the forum might finally catch a break too!
526 Passing-by Anon
Now we just have to see whether Honoka-sama's hiring goes through!
527 Passing-by Anon
Can't wait to hear what Karin ojou-sama reports!
528 Passing-by Anon
Thank god the authorities actually come through when it counts, even if they're useless sometimes...
●
"S-so this is police headquarters..."
"I-I've never been to Kasumigaseki before..."
After the news that had shocked them awake, Karin and Honoka had changed into their school uniforms and come to the Metropolitan Police Department. The building they'd only ever seen in TV dramas intimidated them thoroughly.
The neighborhood had the air of a 'city of elites,' full of adults striding around in suits. The girls in uniforms stood out. Even though they'd made an appointment with the Anti-Dungeon Division, they were wondering if they could really go inside when—
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
Mafuyu strode ahead like she knew the place and pulled them into police headquarters.
In a reception room at the Metropolitan Police Department, Karin fidgeted.
"I've never quite liked the police. I haven't done anything wrong, but whenever I see an officer, I feel as though I have."
Hurried footsteps approached down the hall. A young man in a rumpled shirt opened the door, carrying tea for the guests.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Yoichi Fukusa, a detective with the Anti-Dungeon Division. I'll explain our <Divine Artisan> recruitment today—whoa!?"
The instant Detective Fukusa looked at Karin, he let out a startled noise.
"Huh? Is something wrong? You sounded as though you'd seen a monster..."
"Ah, no, it's just... the hero who saved Shibuya really came to our office. I was so nervous I made a strange noise. Excuse me. H-haha."
"Oh, please, I'm hardly a hero. I happened to be there, that's all!"
Karin blushed at hearing the compliment in person rather than through the hyperbolic internet. Detective Fukusa, however, looked deathly pale.
"No way... Even in person, let alone through a screen, I can't read her level? How far apart ARE we...? I've never had this problem, not even with the aces of top clans... Poison Spider, you kept a monster like this from Public Security for YEARS? You've got some serious nerve in more ways than one..."
He mumbled to himself, eyeing Mafuyu in horror as she calmly sipped her tea.
"U-um...!"
Honoka spoke up, quietly but clearly.
"Is it really, really true that the Anti-Dungeon Division is looking for <Divine Artisan> users?"
"Ah. Yes, of course."
At the earnestness in her voice, Fukusa seemed to remember what he was here for and refocused at once.
"As you know, the police are perpetually short-staffed, and the Anti-Dungeon Division, which needs considerable combat strength, is especially so. If we aren't overwhelmingly stronger than the criminals we're arresting, taking them into custody takes longer and puts bystanders at risk. People that strong are hard to find."
He carefully explained the emergency recruitment to Honoka.
"We can't afford to let promising unique skills go neglected or be trained the wrong way. I understand why terms this favorable seem too good to be true. Really, though, we should have been doing this from the start. ...Honestly, if this massive incident hadn't happened, the people upstairs would've wanted more dungeon materials collected and would never have approved a plan that concentrated strong explorers in the police. I'm seriously grateful..."
"You really value <Divine Artisan> that highly..."
Honoka missed the last tiny, grumbling whisper. She was weighing everything the detective had told her. Karin and Mafuyu didn't interrupt. Honoka was the one whose future was at stake; they'd only helped create the opportunity. All three understood, without saying so, that she needed to evaluate and choose for herself.
"I saw it in Dungeon Alive, but I suppose the truly powerful don't often join the side that keeps them in check," Karin murmured.
Honoka asked more questions. They were hesitant and a little naive, but she was determined to examine both the job description and the people offering it, instead of choosing a path just because someone had recommended it. Detective Fukusa answered sincerely.
To train <Divine Artisan> users, who could only work with lower-layer or deeper materials, the division would seek help from several trustworthy top clans it regularly worked with when arresting criminals. That would avoid concentrating the connection to Honoka—and thus Karin—in any single clan and causing resentment.
Training counted as work, so she'd be paid even while training. During that period, she could return to high school if she wanted. Honoka checked every detail that troubled or worried her.
Then—
"Of course, this isn't charity. Once you're strong enough, we'll expect work that matches the benefits. This emergency recruitment may ease things, but to be honest, the workload is heavy. Even our two days off a week go out the window when a case comes up... Sometimes we may send you to scenes even harder than the ones you faced in Black Shell, which we failed to stop because we weren't up to the job. That's the Anti-Dungeon Division."
"...!"
"But if you're still willing, we'd very much like to recruit all of you with <Divine Artisan>—and you in particular, after the remarkable promise you've shown."
Fukusa finished with a serious look.
"..."
He'd explained the unpleasant parts too, the things an employer might prefer to hide. Honoka fell silent, reconsidering both the terms and her feelings. Then she looked at Karin with determination. They nodded to each other.
"...If you really want someone like me... I'd be glad to accept your offer."
"...! Really?"
"Yes. I look forward to working with you...!"
Fukusa looked up sharply and leaned forward. Honoka bowed again.
It was the moment an overworked girl from a rotten clan finally reached the starting line of her dream. And it was the moment a future detective was born: the absolute vanguard known to criminals as <Black Flash Demon> of the Anti-Dungeon Division's special unit, which would later be called the 'Ojou-sama Squad' behind the scenes because of how it came to be.
"Phew. I was worried for a while there, but it looks like things have worked out! I don't understand all these complicated matters, so to be honest, I wasn't sure I could help Honoka-sama reach the best possible outcome."
Honoka had gone to another room to discuss the paperwork and procedures for formal employment, the final consultation with her mother, and the various matters involving Black Shell. Karin sank back against the sofa with a relieved sigh.
"But if the police will take her, there is nothing to worry about. I'm not particularly fond of the police myself, but they seem a good match for Honoka-sama. We can finally put this behind us!"
"Well... I wouldn't be so sure," Mafuyu said.
"Huh?"
"Hang in there. I think you've still got work to do."
Karin tilted her head at Mafuyu's cryptic words. What else could she do? She'd keep helping Honoka train if Honoka wanted, but that hardly counted as work.
"Oh, right! There's something I wanted to ask Karin ojou-sama!"
Fukusa hurried back, as though he'd just remembered, after escorting Honoka away.
"Our emergency recruitment sounds pretty far-fetched, doesn't it? You two came to hear about it in person, and I'm sure plenty of people are skeptical. There's only so much detail we can give in a press conference, and a single announcement might not even reach some <Divine Artisan> users. Others might be unhappy that we police have jumped in ahead of them... So there's a favor I'd love to ask. Karin ojou-sama, are you interested in one of those collab streams?"
"Hweh?"
And that night—
"An announcemen' for all my viewers. Tomorrow's stream will be the first collab (?) on my channelll! My partner is... the Metropolitan Police Department-sama, desu waaan!"
【Huh?】
【Huh?】
【Lmao】
Karin's sudden Twiitter post, riddled with typos from agitation, set the internet abuzz for an entirely different reason than it had that morning.