Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 100

Chapter 100: Malicious Contact

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The filming of Mimimi’s video and the dungeon conquest both ended without issue. Misa, who had come to pick us up, seemed to be in a very good mood.

“I’ll introduce you to the best okonomiyaki restaurant!”

So, we left the island and moved to the mainland. After a celebratory meal at the okonomiyaki place she recommended, we returned to the hotel where we had first met and disbanded from there. The ride to the hotel was by taxi. We split into two cabs.

I rode with Shin and he passionately spoke about his interest in skill development. He must have been really happy because he managed to summon the Salamander.

If an S-rank Awakener discovered a powerful skill and showcased a more flexible combat style, and it spread through videos, it could serve as motivation for other Awakeners. There was no escaping dungeons anymore. Since I was on humanity’s side, I wanted to ensure we had the advantage.

That was about all I hoped for at this point. Besides, I got a product idea out of it: return items. Eventually, space-travel-type skills like 【Return】would become widely known, but it would still take time for them to be commonplace. Until then, I intended to profit.

“Um…”

Just as I was about to enter the hotel after seeing Shin and Misa off in their taxi, Mimimi called out to me. Well, the filming was over, and no one else was around, so I could just call her Mio.

“What is it, Mio?”

“Misa-san told me about a really cool place. Do you want to go check it out?”

“Sounds good.”

Since I wasn’t particularly tired, I agreed. The two of us used a map app and headed there. It was a plaza, less than five minutes away on foot. There were quite a few people around. But the main attraction was flying right above us.

Fish.

I didn’t know the species, but large fish with shimmering silver scales swam right past us. In the center, schools of small fish formed a vortex. It was the famous sardine whirlpool. There were also floating jellyfish, and larger creatures like rays and whale sharks swimming around. Occasionally, fish came close enough to reach out and touch.

They slipped right through our hands. It was all an illusion. A nighttime-only fantasy aquarium created by an Awakener skilled in producing magical tools, using a holographic projection device.

Apparently, the creator was local, and this was its first unveiling. A great white shark passed from right to left with its mouth wide open, prompting roller-coaster-like screams from the crowd.

“Oh, this is impressive.”

“Right? It’s beautiful!”

“Yes, it is.”

“Totally!”

Looking more closely, there were crabs at our feet, a fish resembling a flatfish buried in illusionary sand, and even an octopus camouflaged against the ground’s pattern. The attention to detail was impressive.

“…Now I want sashimi.”

“Me too.”

But our sense of wonder didn’t last long, and we ended up looking for an izakaya with lots of seafood on the menu. The two men waited until we left the restaurant, so in a way, they were polite with us.

“You’re Jiro Hasegawa-san, correct?”

The ones who approached us were a pair of men.

“We’re with the prefectural police. We’d like to ask you a few questions. Would you mind coming with us?”

They showed their police badges as they spoke.

“Is this voluntary?”

“Yes, but if you refuse, we’ll have to come back with a warrant.”

“I see.”

Immediately, the man who had approached me on the highway bus came to mind.

“Understood. She’s not involved, right?”

“Correct.”

“Then, Mio. Sorry, but please return to the hotel on your own.”

“J-Jiro-san!”

“It’ll be fine. But if you can’t reach me tomorrow, go back to Tokyo by yourself, okay?”

“No way!”

“It’ll be fine.”

After reassuring her, I went with the plainclothes officers. As I was being placed in the police car, I felt many eyes on me. Some were holding up cameras or smartphones, so I released a small electric shock to disable the devices.

Normally, I wouldn’t go that far, but I had a bad feeling this time. Especially about the cameras. Well, even if this turned into a scandal in the tabloids or on the news, it wouldn’t particularly hurt me.

Awakeners weren’t celebrities. Public favor and popularity had nothing to do with an Awakener’s value as a product. If anything, I would’ve preferred to skip the trip to the police station and be taken to some deserted building. But unfortunately, the patrol car stopped at the prefectural police headquarters, and I was taken to an interrogation room.

Now then, how would this play out?

“Jiro Hasegawa, you are under suspicion of theft.”

“Huh, theft, is it?”

“The two individuals you assisted in arresting the other day are claiming that you stole stolen goods from them.”

“Is that so?”

“Do you recall anything about that?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Mr. Hasegawa, please don’t lie.”

“I did ask them what they had stolen to pass the time during the transfer. Was it a statue made by a famous person?”

“Exactly.”

“That’s as much as I know.”

“Hasegawa-san, please don’t lie.”

The plainclothes officer sitting in front of me repeated the same line. No, in this case, he would be a detective? Or an investigator?

“By the way, is this considered a criminal investigation?”

“Yes.”

“Then you are detectives?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I see.”

I felt a bit clearer now. In contrast, irritation began to show on the faces of the detective sitting across from me and the one standing nearby.

“Hasegawa-san, this attitude is not appreciated.”

“Is that so? Still, I have nothing to hide and no memory of what you’re talking about. Even if I wanted to help, it would be difficult.”

“Actually, there is something you can help with.”

“And what would that be?”

“We want to inspect your Item Box.”

“How, exactly?”

No one could look inside someone else’s Item Box. Even if asked to show it, I could just take out some harmless items and say that was everything in it, but would they really accept that?

“This way.”

With suggestive smiles, the two detectives led me from the interrogation room to another location. It was a makeshift room set up in a corner of the underground parking lot, filled with styrofoam boxes. All square-shaped. Stacked high.

Ah, I see.

“We want you to try storing all of these in your Item Box.”

So, they intended to saturate my Item Box. The Item Box was a special space that existed depending on the ability of the skill holder. Therefore, its size varies greatly between individuals.

Still, there was a theoretical maximum capacity. They had estimated that the total volume of these styrofoam boxes would reach that limit. Moreover, when the capacity was exceeded, the Item Box automatically expelled older items to adjust space. They aimed to use that overflow phenomenon to force the contents out.

Clever.

They had done their homework. That must be the reason why that suited man had been so confident.

“Understood.”

I complied and stored about half the boxes into my Item Box. At the same time, a Boston bag filled with clothes and a few boxes fell to the ground. The system judged the Item Box to be full. One of the detectives picked up the Boston bag.

“What’s this?”

“A bag with a change of clothes.”

“Mind if we check inside?”

“Go ahead.”

As I said, it only contained a change of clothes. Having two middle-aged detectives go through a middle-aged man’s used underwear might be part of the job, but I still felt bad they had to do that. Then again, having your underwear rummaged through by two middle-aged men is just as pitiable.

Of course, what they were looking for wasn’t in that bag.

Now then, what are they going to do next?

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