Chapter 48: Interrogation

—–Perspective of the Pure Clone—–

Sakai First High School, Year 2, Class 6.

"Our nation of Fuku is situated to the east of the Binu Continent, flanked on either side by the Lyre Sea and the Waya Sea. To our south lies the Izumo Gulf, the largest in the world, while to our north are the Gana Freedom Alliance and the Reatis Empire... You must all remember these basic geographical facts and not forget them for the final exams."

On the podium, a middle-aged female teacher with a rather out-of-shape figure droned on indifferently.

She was the school's geography teacher, named Yuko Uchida.

Sitting by the window, Wakaba covertly pulled out her smartphone to browse the internet.

Today was June 30th, exactly four days since the last raid on the Anson Corporation.

Although these past four days had been calm and peaceful, she still harbored some anxiety over whether her role in obliterating the Anson Corporation had been exposed.

'It shouldn't have been exposed. I was wearing the black camouflage suit, and the manual stated that the outfit is completely invisible to electronic surveillance... Furthermore, the final explosion triggered a massive fire. Given the detection technology of this era, even if someone is burned to ashes, genetic information can still be extracted from the remains. However, the traces of my actual combat should have been utterly and completely erased...'

With these thoughts in mind, she familiarly opened a web browser and checked the day's Shibukawa local news.

"The Public Security Bureau has issued the latest bulletin: The cause of the fire that broke out at the Anson Pharmaceuticals industrial park in Santrio-cho in the early hours of June 26 has been determined. The primary culprit behind the blaze was an on-duty security guard who violated regulations by smoking during patrol and carelessly tossing a cigarette butt, ultimately igniting the inferno... The Public Security Bureau once again appeals to all citizens to be vigilant against fire hazards..."

"Tossing a cigarette butt?" Wakaba was left speechless in her heart.

She also noticed a trending broadcast link beneath the news article: a live-streamed program featuring an elderly expert invited by the Public Security Bureau to provide a detailed, step-by-step explanation of the Anson Corporation fire from its inception to its escalation and eventual uncontrollability. It was full of logical reasoning and heavy professional terminology, making it sound entirely convincing.

After watching it, Wakaba couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't actually raided the Anson Corporation after all, and the disaster truly was caused by a security guard's stray cigarette butt...

"Could it be that the Public Security Bureau simply couldn't find the perpetrator of the attack and casually made up an excuse to close the case?!" Wakaba thought to herself.

"Tokushima Ham exposed for mixing rotten pork into raw materials..."

Her attention was drawn to another trending search topic below. This ham brand was quite famous locally, and she had often eaten it with instant noodles.

Scrolling further down, she discovered a news item from a few days earlier stating that an employee of the Shibukawa Evening News had been arrested by the Public Security Bureau for embezzling public funds and leaking state secrets...

"This must be that reporter from that night..." The image of the female reporter at the Hoshino Hotel flashed through Wakaba's mind.

Thump, thump, thump~~!

Suddenly, a knock echoed from the classroom door.

The students in the class instantly perked up, turning their gazes toward the entrance. They saw a short, bald, middle-aged man wearing glasses standing at the door, followed by a male and a female public security patrol officer.

"Excuse the interruption, Teacher Uchida. These two law enforcement officers have some matters to discuss with Shiratori Jun from your class," said the head of student affairs, Akio Kojima.

***

Yuko Uchida turned her gaze toward the class upon hearing this: "Who is Shiratori Jun?"

Swish, swish!

Every head in the classroom immediately turned toward Wakaba, their eyes filled with intense curiosity.

Wakaba stood up speechlessly: "I am."

"Step outside and fully cooperate with the officers," Teacher Uchida instructed.

Wakaba left her seat and walked over to the classroom entrance.

"You are Shiratori Jun. Come with us, we have a few questions for you," the female officer said, scanning Wakaba up and down.

Wakaba sized her up in return. She was around one meter sixty centimeters tall, of average build, unremarkably attractive, with slightly dark skin, somewhat thick lips, a face shaped like a rice dumpling—narrower at the top and broader at the bottom—and sported a buzz cut.

"What is this about?" Wakaba asked.

The female officer offered no explanation, turning to lead the way down the corridor, closely followed by the male officer and the head of student affairs.

Wakaba had no choice but to follow in their footsteps, disappearing past the classroom door.

As soon as she left, the classroom erupted into a frenzy of noisy chatter and discussions.

"What on earth did Shiratori Jun do to be taken away by public security officers?"

"It has to be something major. I'm guessing murder."

"Are you all idiots? This is obviously related to the case of Hata's disappearance..."

At these words, the surrounding students quieted down for a moment, finding the hypothesis quite plausible.

Rie Hata had been missing for three days now—or perhaps even longer in reality, but counting from the official report, it had been three days.

Opinions within the school were varied. After all, Rie Hata was a prominent figure on campus; not only was she beautiful, but her academic excellence also promised a limitless future.

The disappearance of such a gifted young girl naturally set people's imaginations running wild.

"That's right, Rie Hata used to chase relentlessly after Shiratori Jun. Could he be connected to her disappearance?"

"I said all along that Rie Hata's disappearance must have been Shiratori Jun's doing!"

Thump! Thump!

"Everyone quiet down!" Yuko Uchida struck the podium heavily a few times and shouted loudly.

***

Once the room settled down, she resumed her lecture.

On the fifth floor of the teaching building.

The office of the head of student affairs was modest in size, roughly thirty square meters, furnished with a desk, two bookcases... and an old-fashioned air conditioner humming softly in the corner, gently blowing cool air.

The female officer stood right in the path of the air conditioner's vent, looking straight at Wakaba, and got straight to the point: "Where did you hide Rie Hata?"

Upon hearing this, Wakaba's heart tightened instantly.

To ordinary people outside, Rie Hata was merely missing.

However, it was impossible for the Public Security Bureau not to know that Rie Hata had died alongside Kenji Yanagimura at the Ting-shang Hotel.

Connecting this to the eradication of Yoshiyuki Yanagimura and the Anson Corporation, anyone possessing even the slightest competence could deduce that Rie Hata had been killed by the same perpetrators who assaulted Anson Pharmaceuticals.

"The other side definitely possesses this information as well, but... why are they asking it this way?"

With the wisdom granted by her five-fold consciousness elevation, Wakaba instantly deduced the reason.

"...I underestimated the Public Security Bureau of this world. They've noticed me far too quickly. So their visit today is... a test!"

"That's right, it's definitely a test..."

Though Wakaba figured everything out in her mind, she kept her expression entirely composed.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Wakaba argued with a flustered expression. "I have nothing to do with Rie Hata's disappearance. Last Saturday..."

The female officer listened quietly to the end: "...You're saying that after having dinner with her at the Hoshino Hotel last Saturday, you went straight home and never saw her again?"

"Yes," Wakaba replied.

The female officer pressed with a few more follow-up questions, but Wakaba stubbornly insisted that she had only dined with Rie Hata on Saturday and knew nothing else.

"One final question: we learned from other students that Rie Hata was passionately pursuing you before she vanished?" The female officer stared directly into Wakaba's eyes.

"Yes, so what?" Wakaba countered.

"So what? Rie Hata is such a gorgeous girl; why would she relentlessly chase after you?" The female officer's eyes narrowed slightly, her tone turning sharp. "Speak, are you hiding something?"

"Naturally, it's because I am exceptionally outstanding!" Wakaba shed her previous panic, puffed out her chest, and replied with an air of complete and utter confidence.