Chapter 10
The suspected Gary Stu with blood from 108 different countries, Mentor Scotch, his real name was “Hiro.”
Her ability let An’an know he wasn’t lying. The girl’s eyes curved, and her smile gained an extra layer of genuine friendliness.
Exchanging names is the first step in building trust. Only at this moment had they truly, officially met.
“The apartment happens to have two bedrooms. We’ll each take one,” An’an said, planning out the rooms.
She had more or less figured out how to use her ability. Fan An could send her mentor back to the ability’s space, the [Mentor Observation Room], at any time. Without her permission, Hiromitsu Morofushi could not interact with the outside world.
But An’an wasn’t some kind of monster. The Mentor Observation Room was tiny, and living in it was like being in jail. It didn’t align with the fine moral character of the good child An’an, who respected her teachers.
“Is it okay if Hiro takes the guest room?” An’an asked, her chin resting in her hands. “Although to outsiders, it might look like we’re living out some illegal cohabitation script, heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know that we have a pure student-teacher relationship. No need to care about the judgment of the secular world!”
Hiromitsu Morofushi: “…”
He hadn’t cared before, but now that she’d said it, everything suddenly felt weird.
And thinking about how Furuya Rei was just a single wall away from them made it even weirder.
What was this? Brazenly breaking the law right under the nose of a Public Security officer? A police academy graduate knowingly violating the law?
If someone were to call the police, their response time would probably be the fastest in history.
The outstanding police academy graduate Hiromitsu Morofushi would be honored with a “caught in the act” police report. As for Suspect An, her reports already had their own dedicated volume at the Metropolitan Police Department.
An’an: I stand on invincible ground.jpg
After dinner, Hiromitsu washed the dishes in the kitchen while An’an rustled through the newspaper in the living room. She held her phone with her shoulder, making “mhm, mhm, okay, okay” sounds, while marking the newspaper with a pen.
“What are you doing?” Hiromitsu asked, drying his hands and glancing at the paper.
“Looking for part-time jobs,” An’an said, hanging up the phone and sharing the results of her job applications with her mentor. “The cost of living in the big city is too high, and the rent is so expensive. When I don’t have acting work, I need to do more part-time jobs.”
An’an, who had been working part-time for eighteen years, had always been self-reliant. Renting had wasted too much time. She didn’t want to wait a moment longer. She was going out to work right now.
“No matter how eager you are, you have to wait until tomorrow,” Hiromitsu tried to dissuade her. “It’s already midnight.”
Fan An: “But the job requires me to work after midnight.”
Hiromitsu Morofushi: “???”
Are you looking for a legitimate part-time job?
Of course it was. Fan An had found the jobs in the Beika Daily. How could they not be legitimate?
“I’ve currently got my eye on three jobs,” the girl said, holding up three fingers.
“First, simple liaison work. 30,000 yen/day. Night shift. Basic knowledge of firearms required. Preference given to those who won’t be missed if they disappear.”
“Second, standard installation work. 50,000 yen/day. Must be unbothered by bright lights and loud noises. No heart conditions. Those who don’t know the meaning of justice are most welcome.”
“Third, a relaxing stroll. 70,000 yen/day. Requires dressing up as the employer and wandering around the city. It’s best if your face is captured by a camera. Extra pay for those with acting experience.”
Fan An had already contacted them. The employers for all three jobs were very optimistic about her and were actively vying to be chosen. Who would dare say she wasn’t a part-time job genius? Praise me! Praise me now!
“Which job should I choose?” It was a sweet dilemma. “It’s so hard to decide.”
When he was first summoned, Hiromitsu didn’t understand. Why would a perfectly innocent girl with no criminal record awaken an ability called [My Respected Crime Mentor]? Was there something wrong with the matching mechanism?
Now, Hiromitsu was fully enlightened.
A match made in heaven! She and her ability were a pair as perfectly matched as a thunderbolt from a clear sky!
If anyone dared to break them up, Hiromitsu would be the first to disagree.
Fan An had only been in Beika for a short time. She didn’t understand why, when she was just going out for a part-time job, Mentor Scotch insisted on going with her, even willingly returning to the jail-like Mentor Observation Room.
“If any accident happens, summon me immediately, okay?” Hiromitsu reminded her again and again.
An’an: “Okay, Mom.”
I never thought I’d experience a mother’s love again after my parents passed away so many years ago. My good mama.
“I often see on the news about burglars breaking into houses when the owners are away. Experts say you should always carry your valuables with you.”
Before heading out for her job, Fan An prepared. She told Hiromitsu that one must listen to the experts, while stuffing the boning knife, kitchen knife, fruit knife, peeler, and nail clippers from her home into her clothes one by one.
Hiromitsu Morofushi: “…These are your valuables?”
“And you,” An’an said. “I’ve brought everything.”
The only things left for a burglar to work with were her spare clothes and the old suitcase with the perpetually broken wheels.
Fan An closed the door and stepped into the Beika night.
The night air in Beika was chilly. A wanted poster, taped to a utility pole, was torn off by the wind and swirled to the girl’s feet.
The convenience store, which would have been open 24/7 even in a small town, had its shutters tightly closed, a “Closed” sign hanging on it:
[Dear Customers, our branch in Beika Town is only open during the day. Please be advised. P.S. This is not regional discrimination. Please, spare our store manager’s life!]
“The convenience store is actually closed,” An’an said, disappointed. “I was hoping to buy some discounted bento boxes to stock up.”
Money was tight. She had to increase her income and reduce her expenses simultaneously.
Hiromitsu saw his chance and tried to persuade her, “There’s no one on the streets. Let’s go home, child. Let’s go home.”
What do you mean, no one? Is my employer not a person?
Her employer was a great philanthropist willing to pay 70,000 yen in full, provide a full costume and makeup, and only require An’an to take a relaxing stroll around the block and get a few photos taken by the cameras.
—Yes, Fan An had ultimately chosen the third part-time job. For no other reason than that money conquered all.
Fan An successfully met her employer at the designated spot. The employer handed her the full payment along with a set of casual clothes and a fake skin mask. “You wear this.”
The employer then pulled a pair of black pantyhose from his pocket, cut two holes in it, and pulled it over his head. “I’ll wear this.”
“Remember to get a frontal shot in front of the cameras,” the employer instructed carefully. “I paid a fortune for this custom-made skin mask. It would be a waste not to take a few more pictures.”
After giving his instructions, the employer climbed into a van and called out, “Let’s go, boys! You haven’t forgotten the jewelry store we cased during the day, have you? Move out!”
The van sped away, the exhaust fumes kicking up An’an’s hair.
She fell into deep thought.
“Was I just tricked into providing an alibi for a criminal?” Fan An asked her respected Mentor Scotch.
Hiromitsu: You finally figured it out?
Great, the child can still be saved. Hiromitsu was very relieved. “Call the police right now, and then we can go home, okay?”
Mentor Scotch was eager to return.
“But I’ve already accepted the full payment,” Fan An said, shaking her head. “My parents in heaven taught me from a young age that a person must have integrity. You can’t go back on your word.”
She had promised to get a few more pictures taken with the employer’s face in front of the cameras, so she had to do a good job.
Fan An unfolded the newspaper. All the jobs circled on it were for work after midnight.
“I have a sufficient understanding of Beika Town now,” she said to Hiromitsu with conviction. “I’ll make sure the employer knows that I’ve earned every bit of that 70,000 yen.”
Fan An’s employer was completely unaware of this conversation. The robbers, having successfully looted the jewelry store, returned with their haul. The leader boasted to his underlings, “A small price to pay to avoid a big disaster. See? We have an alibi now. Once we get home and take off these stockings, we’ll be upstanding, law-abiding citizens again.”
The robber got home, pulled the torn black pantyhose off his head, and fell onto his bed, snoring loudly.
The next day, the robber woke up. He was already at the police station.
“Framed you?” The police officer threw a stack of photos on the table. “See for yourself! Is the person in these photos you or not?!”
The photos, like palm-sized snowflakes, fluttered down. The robber’s two eyes weren’t enough to see them all, so the police simply played them one by one on a projector.
First photo: a person with the robber’s face, squatting next to a manhole, posing with a brightly blinking red bomb on the underside of the cover.
Second photo: in the middle of a street brawl between two gangs, the robber flashes a peace sign against a backdrop of flying flesh and blood.
Third photo… Fourth photo…
Police Officer: “We have never seen such a heinous criminal! You participated in a total of twenty-seven crimes in one night! Your sins are monstrous!”
“Not only did you participate in the crimes, but you deliberately left photos as evidence, and even maliciously called to report yourself to taunt the police! You’re looking at a life sentence, minimum!”
Robber: [blank_stare.jpg]
The police had thought the robber would confess in the face of such ironclad evidence. To their surprise, the criminal was very stubborn. When the police weren’t looking, he frantically pulled out the phone hidden in his pocket and started making calls, repeatedly asking the same question:
“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHY MY PRISON SENTENCE SUDDENLY INCREASED?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA?!”
“Hello, the number you have dialed has insufficient funds…”
Hiromitsu Morofushi: “Is it okay that your phone is out of credit?”
Fan An: “It’s fine. If someone really needs to reach me for something important, they’ll top it up for me.”
A new money-saving tip every day, got it.√
….
In order to earn her employer’s 70,000 yen with a clear conscience, An’an had run around all night. She hadn’t returned to the apartment at all.
At 3:30 AM, an unexpected visitor appeared downstairs at the Trojan Horse Apartments.
“Aniki, I’ve arrived.”
Vodka sent a message to Gin, then opened the video on his phone again.
The video titled [First Look! Director Matsuzaka’s New Work “The Evil Spirit in the Pitch Black” Trailer!] began to play.
The female lead appeared, the male lead appeared, the second female lead appeared, the second male lead appeared…
Vodka’s eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, took in all the actors’ faces. A blood-red ‘X’ was drawn over each one, exuding a deathly, ashen aura.
As the video neared its end, Vodka hit the pause button.
On the screen, the dark-haired, dark-eyed girl stared back at the audience through the lens.
Vodka counted the bullets in his gun, confirmed the number was correct, then pulled his hat down low and walked into the apartment building.
A moment later, Vodka stopped in front of a door and raised his hand to knock.
Knock, knock.