Chapter 397: Department Chief |
In the dim conference room, the bright projection on the wall provided the only source of light.
The projection displayed a map of Japan covered in red markers, surrounded by lists of data corresponding to each region.
The main speaker of the meeting was a balding middle-aged man. Typically, such an appearance would give the stereotypical impression of a subservient corporate slave, but this man was enveloped in an imposing aura of natural authority.
When he spoke, his robust and resonant voice unconsciously drew everyone in the conference room to focus entirely on his words.
"This shows the rising death toll from supernatural incidents and crimes committed by transcendents across the entire country over the past five years," he announced.
The projection screen timely switched to a line graph.
2019 — 87,000.
2020 — 108,000.
2021 — 137,000.
2023 — 346,000.
The middle-aged man walked up to the projection and tapped the data for 2023. "This is the current data up to September. There are still three months left in the year."
For a moment, the conference room was so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard. This was a terrifying statistic, and an even more horrifying rate of increase. It could no longer be described as a substantial annual growth; it was an explosive surge!
Especially this year, with only nine months accounted for, the death toll was already nearly double that of last year.
Had supernatural disasters truly become this severe without anyone noticing?
"I will not say much else. The situation is laid out right here before you," he stated.
"The establishment of the Countermeasures Department is imminent."
"Senior Commissioner Shimizu, here are your transfer orders and official appointment."
......
Inside a packed barbecue restaurant.
Across the dining table, Sasaki Ayane was helping Monica mix her dipping sauce, while Hoshino Gen was transferring slices of raw meat from a plate onto the oiled grilling pan.
Right then, his mobile phone resting on the edge of the table buzzed, emitting a notification chime.
Hoshino Gen glanced at the screen. A message pop-up appeared on the lock screen; the text was from Kiryu Wakaba.
The content was incredibly concise.
"Senior student, quickly look at the news!"
Hoshino Gen calmly continued to move all the raw barbecue meat from the plate onto the grilling pan before finally picking up his phone to unlock it.
There was no need to deliberately search for it. The application's push notification immediately popped up a news article that left even Hoshino Gen somewhat surprised.
"A Mysterious Department About to be Established? What Exactly is the 'Countermeasures Department' Formed by Elites Drafted from the Military, Police, and Government? Former Senior Commissioner Shimizu Yuuji Confirmed as the Department Chief!"
Hoshino Gen subconsciously tapped to view the news content, but it was different from what he expected. The entire article was mostly filled with seemingly true but actually false speculations, and quite a few paragraphs were dedicated to introducing Shimizu Yuuji's political career.
It made it seem as though this news piece was nothing more than clickbait mixed with someone chasing the wind and grasping at shadows.
However, as an insider who knew some of the hidden details, Hoshino Gen found this highly unusual.
He had heard Asaba Shinichi talk about the responsibilities of this Countermeasures Department. Given its importance, if the higher-ups truly did not want to expose it to the public eye, there was absolutely no way this news would have been published.
'Is this... testing the waters?'
Hoshino Gen immediately thought of this possibility.
In other words, those people wanted to use this ambiguous approach to reveal the mystic side through the guise of folklore and urban legends, tying it all to the mysterious department, the Special Affairs Group.
Those who had never truly encountered anything extraordinary would likely assume this was just a boring rumor or an urban legend. But those who had actually experienced a supernatural incident might remember that there was a department out there that could potentially save them.
The transfer of Shimizu Yuuji, who originally served as a Senior Commissioner, to this new department perfectly allowed observant people to equate the so-called Countermeasures Department with the police force. This would dispel the stereotype among victims of bizarre incidents that calling the police would be entirely useless.
If this was truly the case, it was a rather brilliant move. Not only did it avoid causing worldwide panic by abruptly exposing the mystic side world, but it also offered a sliver of hope to those who had genuinely encountered supernatural events.
Having reached this conclusion, Hoshino Gen turned off his mobile phone, placed it back on the table, and began flipping the barbecue meat on the grilling pan.
'Why overthink it? It has nothing to do with me anyway.'
'However, that idiot's family is certainly growing more powerful.'
'Especially at a crucial time like this. The Department Chief of the Countermeasures Department... Tsk, tsk. That truly deserves to be called possessing overwhelming power and influence.'
......
Iwate Prefecture, Morioka City.
The orange-red beams of dusk pierced diagonally through the glass and skylights into the spacious and empty dojo.
The stage and seating for the concert had already been fully constructed and arranged.
Accompanied by a few staff members, the members of TKY02 swarmed in through the already closed side door of the dojo.
This was merely an early visit to adapt to the venue. Tomorrow would be the on-site rehearsal, and the day after would be the official concert.
"The venue is pretty nice! I thought the conditions over here in Iwate would be really tough," Hayakawa Yukina could not help but exclaim as she looked around.
Immediately after, another member giggled and joked, "Don't even mention it. When they first announced we were holding a disaster relief concert, I honestly thought we'd be singing on top of ruins in the disaster zone!"
After a burst of laughter from the group, they scattered into several small cliques of twos and threes and wandered off.
Hoshino Rin strolled down the aisles of the spectator seating with her hands clasped behind her back, occasionally picking a random seat to sit in and gaze out at the stage.
Asahina Kaoru walked up behind her, leaning over to press her hands on her shoulders. "What are you doing?"
Hoshino Rin looked back at her friend with a beaming smile. "I'm putting myself in the audience's perspective. Before TKY02 was formed, I watched a concert right from the audience seating, and that was when the thought of becoming an idol was born."
"Thinking back on it now, it really makes me nostalgic."
Human emotions are not entirely universal. Asahina Kaoru could not perfectly understand what Hoshino Rin was feeling at this moment, but she smiled and kept the conversation going. "So, if TKY02 had never been formed, and you never had the desire to become an idol, what do you think you would be doing right now, Rin-chan?"
"Hmm?" Hoshino Rin blinked her eyes at the question. She had truly never given much thought to it before.
She tapped her exquisite chin with a finger, pondering for a moment before saying in a daze, "If I hadn't become an idol... I would probably just be going to school normally, right?"
Saying that, she gently shook her small head and threw the question back at her friend. "What about you, Kaoru-chan? If you hadn't joined TKY02, what would you be doing?"
"There's basically no suspense to that one." Asahina Kaoru found it a bit amusing. "If even you would be attending school normally, Rin-chan, how could I be any exception? But if we're talking about a future career vision, I actually would want to become a manga artist..."
"A manga artist?" Hoshino Rin was quite surprised. "So you actually like manga, Kaoru-chan..."
Before she could finish speaking, a piercing blast of electrical static suddenly erupted from the stage, instantly drawing the gaze of everyone inside the venue.
But the stage was completely empty.
As a result, no one paid it any further attention. Everyone resumed what they were doing earlier—those chatting continued their conversations, and those exploring kept on browsing.
Even Hoshino Rin went back to finishing her previous sentence. "I always thought you were completely isolated from the 2D world..."