Chapter 1 - Blank

It was a clear blue sky. Walking out of a solemn gothic-styled chapel, he looked up to see that

blue stretch as far as the eye could see, among the refreshing early summer wind. As if he felt

that he would end up being consumed by the vastness before him, Kaoru Ichijou narrowed his

eyes.

Ever since he was a child, the blue that spread across the transparent sky has been his favorite

color. And as of now, it was also a color that brought about bitter feelings for him.

Ever since that day…

No, let’s not delve into that subject.

Now’s not the time to reel in those memories.

Chimes of a carillon along with various vividly colored flowers, in contrast to the singular colored

blue sky, leapt into Ichijou’s view, bringing him back to reality. The celebratory flower shower

appeared to make the newlywed couple descending down the stairs radiate with brilliance. The

groom was Tsuyoshi Sakurai, and the bride was Nozomi Sasayama. 13 years ago, the two were

members of the police force sectioned in the Unidentified Lifeform Related Affairs Investigation

Headquarters, comrades that fought alongside Ichijou. It was to celebrate their departure that

Ichijou came to this wedding in Saitama.

“This place is amazing, Ichijou-san! The reception has these bread rolls that are just out of this

world! Back when I first tried them at the bridal fair I attended, I knew immediately that this is

what I wanted at my wedding!”

Sakurai, after spotting Ichijou as he arrived at the ceremonial hall early, spoke those words with

a face expressing happiness from the bottom of his heart. A man with a strong sense of justice

and an earnest heart, his notes and records had a.s.sisted greatly with many cases back in the

day. He used to be such a hot-blooded impulsive man, but surprisingly these days he’s reputed

to be one of the most composed and kind superiors in the Ikebukuro Division. Supposedly there

are many young officers that look up to him with reverence. As for the bride, after the

Investigation Headquarters disbanded, she had pa.s.sionately sought out companionship. She

drifted through many relationships before finally settling down for marriage. According to rumors,

apparently she had hidden feelings for a certain man for many years before finally giving up on

him for good.

This was back when she was around the age of 21, when she was serving as an operator for

the police force radio operations. The woman that once often scrambled about in confusion has

now reached new heights, serving as the captain of a policewoman motorcyle force. Seeing her

now, wrapped in a beautiful white wedding dress, made it hard to believe that such a delicate and

graceful looking woman has been maneuvering a near-300 kilogram motorcycle. Unable to

fathom such a gallant figure, Ichijou unconsciously returned his gaze towards the sky.

To think it’s truly already been over a decade since those days where she would relay

instructions to the patrol vehicles in the chase against the Unidentified Lifeforms…

But before he had a chance to immerse himself in those deep thoughts, something had flown in

before his eyes. Reflexively reaching out to grab it, he then realized it was a wedding bouquet. In

front of him, he laid sight to a herd of unmarried women rushing towards him. Needless to say,

the bouquet was not meant for Ichijou’s hands.

“Ah...I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen!”

As a panicked Ichijou repeatedly bowed his head in a fervent effort to appease the crowd, the

bride let out a cry.

“Ichijou-san, you’re so adorable!”

“Eh?”

Ichijou, standing still with the bouquet held in his hands and a blank look on his face, felt like he

just popped out of one of Fumiko Tanikawa’s mangas as one of those men who despite being

being in their mid-30’s, still came off as looking quite adorably charming. Ichijou actually had

repressed memories from back in his high school days where female cla.s.smates of his signed

him up for a handsome youth beauty contest without asking, and he came off as a natural to

boot, causing many people to call him “adorable”. In the midst of that calm clear sky, Ichijou’s

appearance was more than enough to get a heartwarming laugh out of everyone.

“Geez, you really are something. If that was me just now, everyone would be screaming at me.”

Following the chapel and the garden, at the reception hall next to a fancy Southern France style

mansion, Morimichi Sugita stood there rubbing his clean shaved head and laughing. He too was

a member of the Unidentified Lifeform Investigation team, a senior of mine.

“That’s not true at all. These days, I’m sure the young women would find you to be the more

charming one, Sugita-san.”

“You may be right. My daughter actually complimented my hairstyle too. She mentioned that it

was more than just being bald, it gave off a manly impression.”

“Bald, you say…”

Ichijou gave off a wry smile. Sugita was now the chief officer of the Special Crimes Investigation

4th Division. Once a young elementary school child, Sugita’s daughter Hadzuki was now a

student in college, and spends her part-time earnings on ties for her father, according to a

bashful looking Sugita.

Standing next to Sugita stood a white-haired elderly gentleman, listening to their conversation

with a smile on his face. He was once the head chief of the Joint Investigation Headquarters,

Sadao Matsukara.

“What have you been doing lately, Chief?”

“Oh come on now, you don’t have to keep calling me that, Ichijou-kun.”

“Ah….I apologize for that. It was out of habit.”

“Haha. I am already retired. I spend much of my time everyday on gardening these days. My

daughter is down in Mizunami working on pottery.”

“Ah, that’s in Gifu, right?”

“Yes. Both me and my wife have moved to Nakatsugawa.”

“Nakatsugawa, eh? That brings back memories… I went there on a field trip once back when I

was in elementary school.”

“Oh?”

“But, if I recall correctly, wasn’t it quite a ways from Mizunami?”

“Not too close and not too far. You see, our little one often gets quite moody when she’s working

on pottery, so in regards to letting her work without getting in her way, it’s the perfect distance.”

“Little one, you said? Isn’t your daughter already in her 30’s?”

Hearing Sugita’s quip, the three of them enjoyed a good laugh.

Amidst all this commotion, Ichijou slowly began to realize the changes everyone had gone

through since those harsh times they struggled through together. Within the lapse of 13 years,

everyone had moved on with their lives. Of course, this was to be expected. Regardless, Ichijou

felt that his mentality alone had been stagnating, surrounded by thick walls. No, it wasn’t

frustration at being left behind. Rather, he felt overwhelmed and helpless towards the weight of

solitude he took upon himself.

“I suppose this goes without saying, but in the end you can’t help but feel a bit lonely, you know?”

Ichijou was taken aback for a moment upon Sugita’s words. For a moment, Ichijou thought that

Sugita had seen right through what was going on in his head. But Sugita’s gaze went past Ichijou,

aimed towards the seat next to him. There were occasionally various dishes brought to that

seat, but throughout the whole reception, the seat had been left vacant.

The name inscribed on the seat’s nameplate was Yusuke G.o.dai.

It was Sakurai and Nozomi who requested that it be set up. If it weren’t for him, they may not

have been able to enjoy the happiness they were experiencing right now. Not only that, they

believed that it was because of him that the two of them were able to grow stronger. To show

their grat.i.tude, they reserved a seat for that adventurer who hasn’t been heard from for over 13

years.

“Yusuke G.o.dai…”

During the congratulatory address of the newlywed couple, Ichijou murmured those words in his

heart. When the nameplate that held that his name entered his field of vision, he was able to

vividly visualize that man’s smile.

Ichijou first met with G.o.dai during the second winter after he was transferred to the Nagano

Prefecture Security Bureau. It was the 30th of January, year 2000. That day, Ichijou went to the

Kurougatake ruins excavation site in a mountainous area in Kamiina-gun. It was for the purpose

of inspecting an accident that had occurred the previous day. Members of the Shinano

University Culture Research Team came to investigate the ruins. A total of 5 people, containing

Koukira Natsume(age 46 at the time) and various university students and research members,

were confirmed to have lost their lives due to the accident. Among them, one individual had

called the emergency line right before their death, but it was difficult to grasp any concrete details

from the call itself, so the Security Bureau decided to send someone to investigate firsthand.

There were beliefs that the accident may have been caused by lightning, but there was little

evidence to support that, causing the mystery to deepen further, along with extending the

investigation period continuously. Then, amidst all of that, despite the area being far detached

from any human habitation, the man named Yusuke popped in out of nowhere.

“I apologize for being late! I’ll get to work right away!”

He was desperately trying to pa.s.s off as an officer saluting his superior, but it did little to hide any

suspicion from Ichijou.

Ichijou quickly stopped him and probed with a question.

“Who are you?”

“I guess it was no good, huh?”

Ichijou grew annoyed by Yusuke’s smile of feigned innocence, but he quickly put it aside.

“Would you mind explaining what you’re doing here??”

Yusuke’s face suddenly became serious, as he spoke out something unexpected.

“Warning of Death”

“...?”

“That was the translation of the ancient text according to Jounan University’s Sawatari-san.”

Ichijou had heard of Jounan University. Apparently it majored in archeological studies, and

shared a research laboratory with Shinano University. He remembered hearing that they had

formed a joint operation in regards to the Kurougatake ruins investigation.

“Are you a member of the investigation team?”

“Nope, I’m just someone pa.s.sing by. This is who I am.”

Yusuke then handed out a business card with a ridiculous ill.u.s.tration on it, along with the words

“The Man Who Chases Dreams” and “Holder of 1999 Skills” written on the left and right sides

and “Yusuke G.o.dai” in the center. The messy bold font used somehow felt very obnoxious.

Ichijou then told the men under him to take Yusuke back to the police station via patrol car.

Yusuke then shouted very loudly, temporarily distracting the police members, and took the

chance to run past them into the ruins. He truly had come up with quite the daring scheme.

Regardless, Ichijou was able to read his intentions to a degree beforehand. He toppled him over

and pulled him up by his collar right before his face was about to hit the ground, hoping to had

taught him a lesson. Yusuke was however completely undeterred, responding with a thumbs-up

saying “Wow, you’re amazing, detective!” Just how far was this guy going to mess around like

this. Now that he had thought of it, Ichijou realized that the business card had given off sort of a

“Mr. Thumbs-up Guy” kind of atmosphere. Ichijou shot him an even sterner glare, as to display

that he was seriously going to arrest him if he continued, and Yusuke finally got the message.

That was their first encounter.

And Ichijou’s first impression of him was horrible.

Flipping back to that day, Ichijou pondered.

To think that a year after that, they had ended up fighting alongside each other.

Ichijou’s impression of his smile was able to change that much.

At times Ichijou felt rejuvenated by it, and other times he felt he shared the pain behind it.

By the time he realized it, Yusuke had taken a large place in his heart.

At some point, Ichijou began to admire that smile.

“Ichijou, you’re being called for.”

Turning to Sugita, Ichijou realized it was his turn to speak to everyone with a speech. He

addressed the newlywed couple with words of grat.i.tude and respect, all impressively neatly put

together. There weren’t many laughs, but his words were able to convey his feelings to

everyone’s hearts. Finally, he ended with one more thought.

“The man that was supposed to be sitting next to me isn’t here right now but, I believe that he

has b.u.mped into a small detour on his way here from across the ocean. And it was mostly

because he met someone who was feeling down, and ended up trying to make that person

smile. That’s why I believe he wasn’t able to make it to the reception on time. I apologize on his

behalf, so please don’t be too displeased with him.”

There were probably many people in the audience that had no clue about what Ichijou was

talking about. Being fully aware of that, he didn’t pursue the subject further. For those that did

know Yusuke, Ichijou was sure that he got his message across.

“Thank you for the speech, Ichijou-san!”

When the time came to see off the newlywed couple, Sakurai spoke those words with bleary

eyes. Despite bawling his eyes out during the speech, it seemed like he was still about to cry

some more. In contrast, Nozomi turned to Ichijou with a smile.

“Seeing as you got to claim the bouquet, at least try to go find your special someone, alright?”

“Did you...do that on purpose?”

“Ehehe, it was my way of taking revenge.”

“Eh?”

“I was just kidding. I’m going to be so happy!”

Ichijou simply stood there with a confused look. He’s never had any luck in understanding what

women were thinking. Pondering over it while tilting his head in the cloakroom, Sugita appeared

and patted him on the shoulders.

“We didn’t get to talk much. Let’s go out for a drink sometime soon, yeah?”

“Sure…”

“What’s with that tone? C’mon, it’s not like I’m going to force you to tag along with me on

something ridiculous like I did before. Got it? We’re hanging out, it’s a promise.”

Having finished what he wanted to say, he left in a hurry to get to an important meeting. Ichijou

scratched his head and saw him off. Sugita was a very dependable co-worker on the field, but

when it came to drinking, he often became very pushy. That was one side of him that Ichijou

didn’t handle well.

Deciding not to partic.i.p.ate in the after-party, Ichijou took his leave and took the subway heading

for Ueno. As it pa.s.sed Urawa, the inside of the train was submerged in madder red from the

setting sun. Seeing that color in the sky, Ichijou had another memory related to Yusuke

resurface. It was because it was the same color as the sky during the moment when Yusuke

first changed his form in order to fight.

The accident in the Kurougake Ruins was caused by Unidentified Lifeform No. 0. Evidence has

shown that No. 0 had stood on the top of the ancient civilization known as the Grongi. In relation

to humans, they were actually quite similar, with the main difference that they enjoyed games of

slaughter as an integral element of their society. By usage of a special 'soul stone” that they

carried within their bodies, they were able to transform into monsters with unique traits. This

state that the Grongi took was designated the term “Unidentified Lifeform”. A numbering system

was used to differentiate them, starting with No. 1, in the order they were witnessed. No. 0’s

existence was discovered later on by examining records left behind the investigation team, and

was thus t.i.tled accordingly.

The main target for the slaughter games the Grongi partook in were the Linto tribe, presumed to

be the direct ancestors of the j.a.panese. The Linto, on the brink of extinction at the hands of the

Grongi, entrusted everything to a single warrior. No, perhaps the more accurate way of

describing it would be that the one who had everything entrusted to ended up becoming a

warrior. That warrior was known as “Kuuga” to the Linto. Holding a soul stone much similar to

those of the Grongi called the Amadam within his body, he was able to transform and fight the

Grongi, eventually sealing each and every one of them within the Kuroukage Ruins.

Shinano University’s research team unwittingly undid that very seal when they came to excavate

the ruins, allowing the Grongi to revive in present time. The police department’s weapons were

completely ineffective against them, and victims continued to pile. Unable to suppress their

target, the spider-shaped Unidentified Lifeform designated as No. 1 invaded the Nagano Police

Headquarters, murdering many police officers. At that time another Grongi appeared, a white

monster with 2 horns and red eyes, designated as No. 2. And for whatever reason, it intervened

in No. 1’s killing spree. Ichijou, arriving to the scene via helicopter, ended up getting attacked by

No. 1 but was then rescued by No. 2, who for some reason gave a thumbs-up and a “See ya”

before taking its leave.

The sky at that time was the same madder red as it was right now.

The next day, Ichijou coincidentally ran into Yusuke again, and he posed him a dubious question.

“If I’m mistaken, then please pay me no mind but…aren’t you the one from last night?”

“Yes! I was the one fighting that spider-like thing!”

Ichijou was startled by the smiling Yusuke and his trademark thumbs-up. To him, it appeared that

he did not understand the gravity of the situation at all.

“So you really were Unidentified Lifeform No. 2!”

“Is that what they’re calling me? Sounds like a mouthful…”

That’s really not the issue here…

“Why were you in that form?”

“Well, how do I say this… It kind of just happened. I saw some kind of illusion back at the ruins

about putting this belt on, and when I tried it, it actually happened! It was like sheeeeen, no, more

like whoosh, no actually it was like, zoon! What do you think sounds better?”

If Ichijou was an old tokusatsu fan, he would say “Oh, like Ichirou Arishima from ‘King Kong vs

G.o.dzilla’?”, but alas, he was not privy to such knowledge.

“Why did you make such rash actions!?”

“It felt like it was asking me to use it. Like it was telling me to fight that spider thing.”

The illusion Yusuke had seen was of the Linto warrior Kuuga. Whether that was only meant to be

shown to select chosen individuals was unknown. Regardless, this led Yusuke to obtain the

ancient relic of Kuuga, the belt known as the Arcle with the Amadam embedded in it, allowing him

to transform into a state meant for fighting. However, there should have been fear in doing this.

The act involved altering the making of your body and becoming an entirely different being. Cells

would expand, nerves would be amplified, all 5 senses would be sharpened to incredible heights.

Information that would otherwise escape your notice would flood in all at once. Not to mention,

the risk of your consciousness becoming one of a monster could not be overlooked either.

Despite that, Yusuke continued on with a smile.

“Nah, I don’t think any of that would happen. That’s my gut feeling.”

“Are you insane? Just where are you getting that confidence from?”

Yusuke was bearing the responsibility of fighting those lifeforms with nothing but those flimsy

ideals he came up with on the spot. He had to be stopped. The enemies he was facing could not

be overcome by such a weak sense of justice.

“Listen, you’re free to think that you’ve obtained the strength to fight. However, you have no

obligation to fight. That’s the job of the police officers who protect the citizens. Don’t try to involve

yourself with that kind of half-baked att.i.tude!”

The incidents involving the Unidentified Lifeforms were only getting worse, and by grabbing and

lifting up Yusuke’s collar, Ichijou meant to make sure he understood his message. As expected,

even Yusuke couldn’t find the words to respond to that. Ichijou antic.i.p.ated that this would be the

end of his antics. But in fact, it might be proper to say that that was actually the beginning of

Yusuke’s battle. Yusuke had later on conveyed his resolve to Ichijou, but before that, the first

instance of those feelings were expressed at Professor Natsume’s funeral, towards a crying

young girl.

That girl was 14 year-old Mika Natsume, Professor Natsume’s one and only daughter.

Her tears represented the pain and suffering of all the victims of the Unidentified Lifeform

incidents. The sudden collapse of the everyday norm. Loved ones lost for eternity. It was the

condensation of the feelings of those who had their tranquility stolen from them by

incomprehensible violence. That’s why Yusuke gathered his resolve. Within the burning chapel,

Yusuke shouted out.

“I don’t want to see anyone shed their tears at the hands of these guys any longer! I want

everyone to continue smiling! So please, witness my...henshin!”

As he threw out a flurry of punches imbued with his feelings, his appearance changed from one

of white to the color red, as if it was his blood flowing through his body.

For Ichijou, who was heavily injured at the time, was not able to remember anything past that

point. Upon waking up, he felt the warmth of a shoulder.

The battle was over. In that red form, Yusuke had defeated an Unidentified Lifeform for the first

time. To be more precise, he used a kick that injected the energy of sealing, but since their belts

react to that energy by causing an explosion, the end result was not much different from

slaughter. If Ichijou had happened to see that sight, perhaps would have ended up looking at

Yusuke in a different light. But all Ichijou received were words free of even a hint of violence.

“Morning, Ichijou-san.”

“Why am I on your shoulder…”

“Why not?”

Ichijou was calmed by his words. Like the times his mother embraced him as a child, all of his

tension just dissipated in an instant. By just hearing Yusuke’s “Morning”, Ichijou felt as if he had

temporarily experienced tranquility again, not to mention he was letting Yusuke take care of his

body. The usual Ichijou definitely would have had the very first words that came out of his mouth

be:

“What happened with the Unidentified Lifeform…?”

But instead, the words that came out were something that wasn’t important to the matters at

hand at all, and ultimately a surprisingly honest expression. It had only been 2 days since they

met. After having been so irritated by this foolhardy man, it would normally be unthinkable for

Ichijou to have entrusted his body to his shoulder. Ichijou, a man who believed he had to stay

firm and resolute no matter what, unwittingly muttered out words that completely betrayed that

very ideal before falling back asleep.

“...This is my life’s greatest blunder.”

Our fates were decided at that very moment, thought Ichijou. From that point on, Ichijou rectified

his opinion of Yusuke to “a man that will not handle matters half-baked, rather, a man who will

properly dedicate himself”. Just as Yusuke had, Ichijou had gathered the resolve to fight

alongside him.

Yusuke then obtained the ultimate power and defeated what was considered the strongest of the

Grongi tribe, No. 0. Reaching the ultimate power meant being dominated by darkness. It was

necessary for the heart to be filled with hatred but, Yusuke managed to achieve this while

maintaining his kind soul.

Rather, perhaps it was because of that very fact, that Yusuke managed to achieve that. After all

the battles had ended, Yusuke disappeared. Everyone felt that he would come back with that

same smile on his face within a couple months time, at most maybe 1-2 years. But then 3 years

pa.s.sed, and then 5, yet there still had been no news about him coming back at all. When

Matsukara retired, a reunion was held for members of the Special Investigation Headquarters,

and there were those that a.s.sumed the worst had happened to Yusuke. It was then that for the

first time, Ichijou spoke of Yusuke’s feelings on his behalf.

For the police department as a whole, the Unidentified Lifeforms were generally seen as no

different from vermin needing extermination. Of course, there may have been some officers who

had their own feelings on the matter. However, when the orders come down from the superiors

to shoot to kill, any pangs of consciousness they would have suffered from slaughtering those

who bore forms strikingly similar to humans would be mitigated to a certain extent. But Yusuke

was different…

Yusuke was just an adventure-loving youth. He used his power for the sole purpose of carrying

out his pure desire to protect the smiles of the people. He did not intend to become a hero, nor

did he want to become one. Even though he had resolved himself, his heart would only continue

to be hurt.

“I have a feeling that he won’t come back for quite some time.”

Yusuke’s younger sister Minori spoke those words to Ichijou. Minori knew how big of a crybaby

Yusuke used to be. He was not a weakling, but he was a crybaby...that nature of his had not

changed even to this day. Instinctively realizing this, Minori was already prepared for Yusuke’s

long absence. The Yusuke who hated the sensation of his fists landing on his opponents. Just

how much did he suffer from having to repeat what he inherently despised. That is not to say that

Ichijou blamed the police department for being powerless. He only wished that they could have

understood the feelings that Yusuke concealed behind his smile. Borrowing the words of the

Linto tribe, it would be apt to say that Yusuke went on a journey to fill his heart with the sacred

well.

“That’s why I want to wait for him, however many years it may take. He will come back one day.”

Ichijou knew that Yusuke had no intentions of returning until he had completely regained his old

self. The promise the he made to Ichijou as to not handle matters “half-baked”, still stood in effect

to this day.

Not too long before the battle with No. 0, Ichijou actually received a call from Yusuke containing

very little context to go by.

“This is Ichijou. What is it?”

“Sorry, this might seem out of nowhere, but I have a good feeling.”

“A good feeling?”

“Yes. After our fight with those guys is over, the Amadam will have pretty much finished its job,

right?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t have any basis for this, the idea just came up in my head but, I was thinking that once I

cleanse my heart with the sacred well, the Amadam might just disappear.”

“...If that’s what you believe, it may very well be true.”

“I’m sure it is. Yep, I’m absolutely sure.”

And then...Yusuke was still yet to return. Even Ichijou was unable to realize just how much pain

Yusuke had gone through. Through the pa.s.sing of time, only then had Ichijou began to grasp at

just how deep his pain had went. As the years pa.s.sed, Ichijou had continued to dip further into

self-condemnation.

After pa.s.sing Akabane, the sky was sunk in a purple shade. Suddenly, a thought drifted through

Ichijou’s mind. The thought of that redder mad memory all being just a dream. How great would it

be if that smile of his was something that solely existed within my dreams.

As the train reached the final station at Ueno, Ichijou got off, leaving behind only that ridiculous

idea that he had thought up of.

A couple days later, in the morning rain that was supposedly letting up soon, Ichijou was heading

north on Kasuga-doori through Bunkyo. Turning left on the first block of Otsuka, he came across

numerous universities lined up along the streets, and Ichijou couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. As

he reached the residential area, he saw the Pore Pore Tea Cafe, looking the same as ever.

There was a sign saying that they were still getting ready to open, but the door was unlocked.

When he entered the room, he was greeted by the sound of a cowbell and the scent of oriental

curry, and for a moment, Ichijou felt as if he had jumped 13 years into the past.

“Oh, wow! It’s been so long!”

Just what exactly was so “wow” wasn’t apparent to Ichijou, but the person who threw out that

excited greeting was none other than Minori. The owner, Tamasaburo Kazari, who was behind

the counter working on preparations, immediately turned to Ichijou as well with a smile on his

face.

“What’s this? Domo, domo, Domoto Koichi.”

Seeing that he was still the same pun-loving man as always, Ichijou felt relieved.

“Sorry for having not visited in so long.”

Ichijou wasn’t too sure how he was supposed to react, so he took the safe route and simply

responded politely. Minori pretended that Tamasaburo’s pun never happened, and moved on.

“When I heard your voice on the phone, you sounded a little relaxed, but now that you’re here in

person, you really haven’t changed at all!”

“Haha, that isn’t true at all.”

“No, really! You came in with that slim ‘Mr. Handsome with a coat on’ look like always, ‘man, was

I surprised!’ by Shinsuke Minami.”

Just as Ichijou thought, it was pointless to try to react to those gags. He was at least vaguely

familiar with who Shinsuke Minami was, but there was no way he would be able to recognize all

of those ancient quips of his.

“No, it’s not like that. I’m already 39, you know. I’m at the point where I need to start going to the

gym, but more importantly, I have something for you all.”

Ichijou handed out gifts from the wedding ceremony. Minori accepted them while apologizing to

Ichijou for having gotten one for her brother as well. The owner called Ichijou over to the counter

and poured him a blend called Honduras SHG. The medium roast had just the right amount of

sourness to it, along with a hint of sweetness. The heavy feelings that had built up in Ichijou from

the all the rain the last couple days washed away just like that. Tamasaburo was a man that

properly saw things through as well. In order to protect the cafe’s establishment as a “decorative

restaurant” back in 1889, he had finely honed his skills.

“So, Mr. Handsome, I’m guessing for someone to be like you, they’d have to be something like

the cream of the crop elite of the police force, it’d be like having gone up ¾ of Ch.o.m.olamung, am

I right?”

As Tamasaburo was preparing the curry, he spoke to Ichijou straightforwardly. Ichijou was

startled at the remark, with the thought “Have I gone back?” going on in his head. 13 years ago,

Yusuke would have been there to say “It’s called Ch.o.m.olungma”. Ichijou pondered over how

Yusuke would have corrected Tamasaburo in his cla.s.sic nonchalant style if he were to be there

at that very moment, and then moved on to answer the question.

“Well, it’s true that someone in my position would be interested into become a chairman or

moving to an overseas emba.s.sy, but I don’t have any interest in those fields. I’m happy where I

am, being able to pursue what at I want at my own pace. Right now I’m involved in the Foreign

Affairs 3rd Division in the Public Security Department.”

As Tamasaburo handed back the business card, pondering over what duties that department

actually performed, Minori whispered to him.

“Hey, how about