A 30 Year Old Virgin (One Who Haven’t Even Interacted with Women) Took an Exam to Become a Wizard.

Volume 3- Chapter 08: Kidnapping Incident

The karaoke room meeting ended with me having the upper hand, but it was inconclusive.

Mutsumi concluded that I was guilty of pre-bribery. She might be assigned to the Cybercrime Countermeasures Division in the future. I sent her panties to gain her favor and have her overlook mu shady online business.

That’s her logic, but it’s ridiculous.

I decided to test her.

“Saitou-san, have you ever created a website?”

“No, but I plan to learn.”

So, she doesn’t have any experience. I see.

“HTML, CSS, JavaScript, WordPress, and a custom domain.”

“What kind of spell is that?”

So, her knowledge is limited to asking about these things. She knows much less than me, who isn’t very knowledgeable either.

Her partner, Fukazawa Tatsuki, was covering his mouth to suppress his laughter. I’ve won.

“These are the minimum knowledge required to create a website. For hacking, you also need specialized knowledge about brute force attacks, SQL injection, and more. There’s no such thing as a white hat hacker qualification, but something similar is the Information Processing Security Support Specialist. It takes about 500 hours of study to pass the exam. That’s how long it takes for someone with security knowledge.”

“So, what does that mean? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“To be assigned to the Cybercrime Countermeasures Division, you need advanced specialized knowledge, which takes time to acquire.”

“Oh…”

She finally understood. For Saitou Mutsumi, who just graduated from the police academy, it would take a lot of effort to be assigned there.

No matter how much of a civil servant she is, they won’t spend taxpayer money and time to teach a complete novice specialized knowledge. Mutsumi will likely be assigned to a different department.

If she really wants to go to the Cybercrime Countermeasures Division, she’ll have to study on her own and prove that she has knowledge equivalent to the Information Processing Security Support Specialist qualification.

Not just for police officers, but for all newcomers, there’s a lot to learn. They’re busy just trying to keep up with their daily duties, so how can they learn about a completely different dimension of knowledge that they’ve never seen before?

It’s impossible for me.

“At least three years. In my estimation, it will take that long. After graduating from the police academy, Officer Saitou will have to study hard, and it will probably be four years before she’s assigned to the Cybercrime Countermeasures Division.”

After the Olympics, the next one will begin.

“At this stage, the meaning of my pre-bribery is almost zero.”

“Ugh… You be trying to confuse me with those lil ‘ol smarty words!”

“Huh?”

What language is that? Is it even a language?

Clap, clap, clap, Fukazawa slowly clapped his hands.

“For a layman of the law, I’d say you did well. Saitou, you lost. She speaks in a suspicious Tosa dialect when she’s at a loss for words.”

“Tosa dialect. Ah, because she’s from Kochi.”

The birthplace of Sakamoto Ryoma. I heard it for the first time.

“Thank you, Morishita-san. I appreciate the experience.”

“No, was it okay?”

“She lost to forceful knowledge-pushing. Well, Saitou’s assignment to the Cybercrime Countermeasures Division is not a must for you to fulfill your aim, right?”

That’s right. If I were to do her a favor, I could also reach him through Mutsumi for my investment to pay off. My victory was simply due to her lack of knowledge.

Mutsumi is looking down with teary eyes. I was being childish. I started to feel sorry for her.

Fukazawa put his arm around Mutsumi’s shoulder and tried to leave the room, but I still had unfinished business. I couldn’t let her get away.

“Saitou-san, if you don’t mind, would you exchange contact information with me? My knowledge might be useful to you.”

She tried to refuse, but with Fukazawa’s recommendation, she reluctantly agreed. I got her address, email, and phone number. Yes! I know where she lives. This is a big step forward.

How should I conquer her? As I was racking my brains, an incident occurred that was so serious I couldn’t even think about it.

It was from the mother of Sugumi’s friend, Honoka, who had even bathed with me. She called me in the middle of the night, asking if Honoka came over.

Honoka had gone missing.

☆☆☆

Two days after she went missing, Honoka was found. A man walking his dog discovered her under a bridge by the river. She had no noticeable injuries and was not in critical condition, but she had suffered a deep emotional wound and was unable to speak.

It was an incident involving someone else’s child, so I could have brushed it off, but it cast a dark shadow over the Morishita family.

“Honoka-chan can’t play… and she hasn’t been coming to school.”

Sugumi, who was close friends with Honoka, was deeply disappointed. The usually bright 100-watt light had dimmed to 5 watts, and the house became gloomy.

“Sugumi, want me to join you in the bath?”

“I don’t need it. I’ll go by myself.”

She said and went to the bathroom alone.

“Huh?”

“Sugumi.”

Mari and her husband were stunned. I was surprised too, but they were even more so. Her husband looked like a character from a Showa-era gag manga, with his jaw almost touching the floor. The couple glared at me.

“Do something, Akira!”

“Akira, please do something!”

“Isn’t that the parent’s job?”

I don’t want to see my sister shut herself in either. I want to help her, but what’s done is done. All I can do is be careful about Sugumi’s safety.

“You should be able to do something!”

“How? Do you think I have cheat abilities?”

I do have such abilities, but I can’t control them myself.

☆☆☆

A few days later, two men came to visit. They were detectives investigating Honoka’s case, and they showed their IDs. One was a tough-looking middle-aged man, and the other was a young man with a weak presence. They seemed to be a rookie and veteran buddy.

They came to the Morishita family, who were close to Honoka’s family, to ask about her. At least, that’s what I thought.

“The other day, Officer Saitou Mutsumi came to visit you. What did you talk about? Please tell us.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

We had a very intense conversation. It was about whether the panties I sent could be considered a bribe. But with Mari and Sugumi present, it was difficult to talk about that.

I really wanted them to leave, but it was impossible to chase them away. I wanted to avoid any suspicious behavior.

Since it was going to be a long conversation, I led the detectives into the living room, and Mari made iced coffee for us. The older detective was captivated by Mari, while the younger one reacted to Sugumi. These guys have divided their focus between their subjects of observation. Even while watching Mari, they didn’t take their eyes off me.

The two detectives took a sip of the cold coffee and sighed with pleasure. The atmosphere relaxed, and I conveyed what I needed to say.

“Saitou-san is one of the customers randomly selected by the computer. She has a unique fashion sense, so I asked for her personal opinion on the online store I’m planning to open.”

I wasn’t lying.

It’s true that we exchanged opinions. The content was about bribery, though. The sense of fashion is also a fact. Mutsumi’s words, while not always valuable, can occasionally offer important insights. After all, you won’t find an active-duty Black police officer in a U.S. uniform anywhere in Japan.

But why Mutsumi? Honoka is the victim.

I probably had a question mark on my face. The detective stared at me as if to gauge the truth, then remained silent for a moment before revealing something.

“It’s not yet certain, but Officer Saitou is a suspect. A strong one.”

“Huh? What? Why?”

A suspect… I guess that means a person under surveillance. A teenage girl like her, who gets flustered over her own issues, kidnapping a girl and doing something obscene… I can’t even imagine it. What will happen if Mutsumi is caught? She hasn’t even worn the panties yet.

“The Honoka-chan incident the other day… It’s the same method as a series of crimes that have been occurring across multiple prefectures for the past six months. We’ve set up a special task force to investigate, but embarrassingly, we haven’t found any clues, let alone a suspect. We’ve been investigating anyone with even the slightest possibility, and you were actually one of them.”

I knew about that series of crimes. They occurred across multiple prefectures, and the neighborhood and school have been warning everyone to be careful. Mari and I looked at each other. We were suspects in a criminal case.

“And just now, we received a tip that Officer Mutsumi is suspicious, so we’re currently searching her home.”

So, tips like that really exist. It must have been a phone call or an email. Either way, only someone who knows about the special task force would report it. Oh, maybe even the local police box?

“She’s known for being serious at the police academy and her workplace, but no one knows what’s inside her mind. Officer Mutsumi is a second-generation Japanese-American, born to a Japanese father and an American mother. Her parents divorced due to her mother’s infidelity, and she moved to her father’s hometown of Kochi at the age of nine. It’s easy to imagine that she suffered from prejudice and discrimination there, which may have distorted her mind, leading her to target children like herself at the time… I’ve said too much.”

“Eh? I actually even told Honoka-chan about that Cosplaying Onee-chan.”

Sugumi had tears in her eyes. She was surprised by Mutumi, but she saw her as a funny Onee-chan.

“Little girl, you’re Honoka-chan’s friend, right? When was the last time you played together?”

The detective asked, not forgetting to gather information about Honoka.

“Um… a few days ago, she came to stay over.”

“Was there anything unusual at that time? Did she have a meeting with someone or was she being threatened?”

“No. I had fun bathing with her. Onii-chan helped washed her.”

“Huh?”

It was clear who her brother was. Sugumi looked anxious and hugged me. No, that story is bad, especially now. Just having photos of children being with me is already a crime.

“You bathed with someone else’s child?”

The detective glared at me sharply.

“Well, I always bathe Sugumi, so I thought I’d do the same for her…”

“Always? It seems you have a penchant for admiring young girls. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to search your room. It’s voluntary, so you can refuse, but…”

The detective spoke in a language beyond language. If I refuse, I’ll probably be apprehended. Something terrible is waiting for me. His posture, as he slowly moved closer, suggested as much. It was voluntary but forced. This must be the rumored violence of state power.

~♪

“Yes?”

The theme song of a popular idol anime rang out. The detective with the weak presence took out his phone from his pocket.

“It’s from headquarters. They found some clothing that the kidnapped girls were wearing in Officer Mutsumi’s room.”

“I see. Let’s go. I’ll visit again, Morishita-san.”

The detective left, and the living room became quiet. Sugumi must have been scared, as she didn’t want to leave my side. I gently stroked her head, and she started crying.

The situation was at its worst. Honoka was emotionally scarred, and Sugumi had lost her energy. I wanted to encourage them, but the target, Mutsumi, was about to be arrested. Where will a suspect or accused person be detained? At the police station or the prosecutor’s office? What happened to the panties she had? I need her to wear them, but they’ve probably been confiscated as evidence.

How long will it take for her to be cleared of suspicion? If it goes to trial, it will take several years.

If possible, I want to pass this trial. I know that running away is against the rules of humanity, but my soul is more important. I know it’s a hopeless wish.

“The hurdle of just putting on the panties just seems getting higher and higher.”

Being at a loss is probably what this situation is like.

As I stroked Sugumi to calm her down, I opened the status screen that only I could see. I casually tapped on Saitou Mutsumi.

・――――――――――――――――――・

291 days 08:07

【Panties Photo】

【Bra Photo】

Saitou Mutsumi

Age: 19

Address: XX Prefecture

・――――――――――――――――――・

“Huh? What’s this?”