Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 23

 Chapter 23: An Agent's Recollection

――Two months ago.

“So, I’m telling you, I really saw it! That monster knocked out Yasu with just a flick of its finger in an instant!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. So then―”

In a dimly lit conference room, a large screen covered one of the walls. The footage being shown was of Kajiwara, a former middle school teacher and suspect in a student r**e attempt that occurred a year and a half ago, being interrogated by the police.

Kajiwara desperately tried to explain what he had seen and experienced, but the detective didn’t take him seriously at all. And that was only natural. From a common-sense perspective, it was impossible for a 14-year-old child to knock out a full-grown adult with just a flick to the forehead, without using any tools.

“It’s true! The door was covered in ice, and we couldn’t get out!”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand. So then―”

Next, the screen showed footage of Fujisawa Mika, the victim’s mother and an accomplice in the crime, being interrogated. Similarly, the detective paid no attention to her claims. This reaction also seemed perfectly reasonable. It was simply unrealistic for a door measuring 2.5 meters in height and 1.5 meters in width to be completely encased in ice.

As a result, it was only natural for the police to conclude that they had been drunk and hallucinating.

With that, the projector’s light faded, and the screen returned to its original blank white state.

“So, what exactly are you trying to show me with this?”

As the lights in the room came back on, a girl with glossy, straight golden hair spoke to the man in the black suit sitting across from her, her tone slightly irritated. Given her recent schedule, her annoyance was understandable.

She had just returned from a long-term special mission abroad and was suddenly summoned to watch this strange footage. It was only natural for her to feel a bit dissatisfied.

“Now, now, hear me out till the end, will you?”

The man in the black suit spoke in a soothing tone, attempting to calm the girl, before reaching into his bag and pulling out a brown envelope. He handed it to her.

The girl tore open the seal. Inside was a list of foreign agents who had been captured over the past few months, along with the mercenaries they had likely hired and the yakuza members subcontracted for their operations.

Her expression immediately turned serious as she read through the names.

"Did you carry out some kind of special operation while I was away from Japan?"

"No, we barely did anything. The most we did was some minor information manipulation and transportation."

"Then who exactly captured these people?"

Rather than answering directly, the man in the black suit restarted the projector, casting new footage onto the screen.

The video showed four foreign mercenaries armed with firearms, seemingly in the middle of an operation.

"This footage was captured by surveillance cameras about three weeks ago. These men were hired by a certain country's government agents. During their mission, they inserted fake images into the surrounding security systems, which is why it took us a while to realize what was happening."

"Quite the blunder on your part."

"I have no excuses for that. But the reason I’m showing you this isn’t just to highlight our incompetence."

"Of course not. Alright, continue the video."

At the girl’s prompting, the man resumed playback of the paused footage.

The mercenaries moved with practiced efficiency—clearly, they had seen their fair share of combat.

At that moment, the girl realized something crucial.

"I just realized—I haven't asked what their objective was. Based on their gear, they seem to be here for either an assassination or bodyguard duty, but…"

"No, it was neither. Their objective was… kidnapping."

"…Kidnapping? With that much firepower?"

"Well, you'll understand if you just watch the rest."

In the footage, the mercenaries took their positions, waiting for someone.

Soon, their target arrived—a typical Japanese middle school boy dressed in a gakuran uniform, casually swinging a supermarket plastic bag in one hand.

His physique was utterly unremarkable. Not tall, not short. Not particularly muscular, nor especially thin. An average Japanese boy in every sense.

Upon spotting him, the apparent leader of the mercenary squad gestured with a hand signal to his men in the back, signaling them to move in and secure the target.

And then—

"…!?"

The boy moved with such blinding speed that it seemed as if he had teleported, suddenly appearing behind the man before effortlessly slamming him onto the asphalt.

Witnessing this unnatural event unfold right before his eyes, one of the men positioned at the rear instinctively drew his handgun and aimed it at the boy. However, for some reason, he found himself unable to pull the trigger.

The next moment, the man collapsed to the ground. He writhed and struggled as if something was tormenting him, and before long, he lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, another man positioned at a high vantage point prepared his sniper rifle, aiming at the boy.

But just as he was about to pull the trigger, his rifle—and half of his body—was suddenly encased in ice without any warning.

Perhaps out of sheer terror from witnessing the bizarre occurrences, or maybe due to some unseen command, a young man positioned at the farthest rear attempted to flee in desperation.

However, despite his frantic efforts, he could not take a single step forward. His legs moved as though he was running, yet his body remained stuck in place.

Eventually, as if succumbing to exhaustion, he emptied his entire magazine into a nearby concrete wall before collapsing.

All the while, the boy had not moved a single step from the spot where he had first taken down the leader.

After confirming that everyone had lost consciousness, he proceeded to gather them into one location.

Then, as he raised a hand over them, all their injuries, as well as the ice, vanished without a trace—almost as if nothing had ever happened.

The boy then retrieved a rope from somewhere and tightly bound them together before walking off-screen.

That was where the footage ended.

"So, what do you think after watching this?"

"Honestly? It felt like watching a low-budget horror or action movie. But this really happened, didn’t it?"

"Exactly. That boy with supernatural abilities exists."

As he spoke, the man in the black suit rewound the footage and paused it at the moment where the boy conjured ice.

"A power unlike any known form of magic or psychic ability—something entirely unprecedented. There isn’t a single nation or organization that wouldn’t want it. But every single one that tried to capture him has failed—because of his abilities."

"Then… that list you gave me earlier…?"

"As you’ve probably guessed, every single person on that list was taken down by that boy."

The sheer absurdity of it all made the girl feel lightheaded.

She was no stranger to magic or supernatural phenomena—she had witnessed them firsthand.

But this was something else entirely.

Among those on the list were individuals with even heavier weaponry, as well as those who specialized in magic and supernatural powers.

If someone was capable of defeating them so overwhelmingly, then that person was—

"I'll ask you again. What exactly do you want me to do? You're not seriously expecting me to end up like them, are you?"

"Of course not. Do you have any idea how much Japan—how much we—have invested in training you?"

With that, the man took his pen and circled the bottom of the list, where it stated the total number: 125 people.

"Among them were small-time yakuza who had been subcontracted, as well as individuals who acted out of personal grudges and had no ties to any organization. However, despite that, a significant number of agents have been captured by us. Any nation or organization with a shred of wisdom will no longer attempt to take the boy by force. In fact, they probably won’t even be able to."

"But that doesn’t mean they’ll stop trying to take him, does it?"

"No. From now on, they’ll put all their efforts into persuading and manipulating the boy. That’s why I want you to get rid of those pesky insects."

"So you’re not planning to kill the boy?"

"That’s impossible. The 125 people on that list have already proven that much."

The girl let out a deep sigh, realizing exactly what the man in the black suit wanted her to do.

"So? What’s the scenario for approaching him?"

"You’ll transfer into the high school that the boy is set to attend. Your job is to keep an eye on him as much as possible. And if any of those pests try to get close to him, eliminate them without hesitation."

With that, the man handed her a stack of documents.

It contained the identity she would have to assume for the next three years.

"Then, I’ll be counting on you for the next three years, ‘Alicia Kamori.’"

"Yeah, I’ll do my best… ‘Hirata.’"

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