[Nice one, System. You could've reminded me a little sooner.] If Gojo hadn't remembered in time, this crucial plot arc would have slipped right through his fingers. [What use are you! You useless heap of code!]
Usually, systems work tirelessly to push their hosts toward more plot events.
[You didn't ask,] the System replied innocently.
[...] It seemed the Tokyo police weren't the ones being useless; his System was.
The "Police Academy Five" referred to Jinpei Matsuda, Hiromitsu Morofushi, Kenji Hagiwara, Wataru Date, and Rei Furuya. They were close friends and classmates at the Metropolitan Police Academy. Sadly, except for Rei Furuya, they had all died young, leaving behind a lingering regret in the hearts of countless readers.
Although the original story didn't devote many chapters to the academy days, it fleshed out these characters so well that the original Satoru (from his previous life) had been a casual fan. To the current Gojo, who was desperately lacking "Red Faction" impression points, these five were like walking treasure chests.
It was currently seven years before the first year of the Conan timeline.
In a few months, the quintet would gather at the academy, gradually bonding and establishing their legendary ties over the course of six months.
This half-year was arguably the easiest period to farm impression points from the five—much like Gojo's strategy of grooming the young "Model Employee" Gin day and night, the difficulty was leagues lower than dealing with their adult versions.
Besides, from a fan's perspective, even without the points, getting close to characters he liked wasn't a bad deal.
Think about it: if this were a gacha game, the four members besides Rei Furuya were essentially "Limited Edition SSRs" about to go out of print. If he missed this event, there'd be no hope for a rerun.
"Pull! I have to pull for this!"
Gojo's urge to infiltrate the Police Academy was itching for release.
As everyone knows, it's perfectly normal for the "Four Heavenly Kings" to have five members.
So... if the "Police Academy Five" had six people, that wouldn't be excessive at all, right?
[However, Host, do you plan to enroll as the Head of the Gojo Clan?] The System reminded him: [If you do, Renya Karasuma will definitely notice.]
[No, no.] Gojo's lips curled into a mysterious, unfathomable arc as he answered: [Of course I'm going to create another 'Vest' (Alias).]
Protagonists these days are like onions—if you don't have three to five layers of aliases, you're too embarrassed to say hello to anyone.
Just like all these years: whatever Caesar did in the Black Organization, what did that have to do with Satoru Gojo?
When you're out and about, you give yourself whatever identity you want.
Setting aside the fact that the Boss likely had eyes in the academy, Gojo's main body would be a dead giveaway. A head of a prominent Shinto family suddenly deciding to become a cop for no reason sounded as ridiculous as the Boss suddenly bursting into tears and turning over a new leaf.
Fortunately, he had learned Disguise from Vermouth. Changing his face was a breeze, ensuring that even if the five met his real self later, they wouldn't recognize him.
[There's just one problem,] Gojo sighed. [If I stay in the academy for six months, those investments might all go south.]
Although their finances had improved, the Gojo Clan was still in the early stages of transition. The talents he had promoted weren't mature enough to stand on their own. Without him there as the head, many projects might fall apart.
Hearing this, the System acted like a "considerate little helper" for once: [Does the host want to attend the academy without affecting the family business? I might have a solution.]
[Oh? What solution?]
The System didn't reply; it seemed to have disconnected.
A moment later, it popped back up happily, its mechanical voice buzzing with static: [I'm back!]
It opened the Mall page in front of Gojo, explaining: [I spoke with the higher-ups at the Administration. As long as the host buys an 'Alias Card,' you can achieve dual-line operations!]
[Dual-line operations? You mean my main body and the alias can exist at the same time?]
[Exactly.] The System rotated a newly appeared translucent card 360 degrees. [When the host uses the alias, the main body will be temporarily managed by an Intelligent AI, mimicking your words and actions to the greatest extent... I heard other hosts using this gave it high ratings. The effect is guaranteed.]
[Note that the Alias Card only lasts for one year. After that, the alias will automatically be destroyed, leaving no trace behind.]
Perfect. For Gojo, who had originally planned to "die" out of his roles anyway, this wasn't bad news at all.
[One more question.] He voiced his doubt. [How does my Roleplay Task work? If the AI takes over my body, I won't get electrocuted for being OOC (Out of Character), will I?]
[No, the host can continue to roleplay while using the alias~]
The System explained that since his task was to play "Satoru Gojo," the personality of the alias couldn't deviate too far from the character's core.
The silver lining was that as long as the personality remained consistent, he could customize the appearance however he liked.
However, everything except the appearance—background, identity, and name—would be randomly generated by the system. This was to prevent certain hosts from "loading" themselves with perks, like making themselves the President of the United States.
Apparently, some prankster host had done that before and turned the whole world upside down.
Identity didn't matter to Gojo; he was clearly more interested in customizing the face.
Isn't this just like The Sims from his past life!
[Wait... An Alias Card costs 50,000 impression points?!] Gojo complained. [Hey, hey, it only lasts for a year! You might as well just rob me.]
Complaints aside, he knew the card was much more convenient than a manual disguise.
A mere 50,000... surely he could earn that back?
Once Gojo clicked "Purchase," the card flew automatically into his System Inventory.
[Will the host use it now?] The System reminded: [It's best to customize the alias in a private place.]
[No rush, I have one more urgent matter first.]
The moment Gojo finished speaking, he teleported to Sendai, heading straight for a familiar specialty sweets shop.
"Mmm—as expected, Kikufuku is still my favorite~"
The irreplaceable creamy texture filled his mouth; it was simply addictive.
[Actually... there's one more thing.] The System spoke up weakly. [The registration deadline for the Police Academy entrance exam is tomorrow. I suggest the host uses the card to sign up immediately.]
"Cough, cough." What a coincidence!
Gojo nearly choked on half a sweet.
[Why didn't you say so earlier!]
[You didn't ask.] The System replied innocently.
[...]
Fine, he really should have looked into it sooner.
Gojo slipped back to his room with several large bags of Kikufuku, only to find Tama sitting at the computer, typing away at work.
"Welcome back, Clan Head." The braided robot maid spoke in a flat tone. "Since you've been slacking off for the past two days, I handled part of the paperwork for you. Some specific details still require your personal review."
"Thank you, Tama!"
Shh~ He'd just pretend he didn't hear the part about slacking.
Now that Gojo was back, Tama put down the laptop and prepared to head out to make dinner.
With no time to lose, Gojo clicked to use the Alias Card.
In an instant, an easy-to-use customization panel popped up in front of him.
Head shape, facial features, body parameters, even makeup and accessories... eh?
[System, I can even set the gender?]
[Yes, theoretically you could create a female alias.]
Gojo felt a momentary spark of interest but quickly dismissed it.
If a female alias entered the police academy, she'd have to stay in the girls' dormitory. No matter how wild he was, he couldn't do that.
System: ??? Is that the only reason?
Gojo scrolled through the panel, thinking seriously.
It should look completely different from my main body...
It should be hard for people to be wary of... not too mature.
Also, the face has to be handsome. It can't be worse than my main body.
Gojo's standards were picky. He went through six or seven versions before finishing.
Looking at the final product, he nodded with satisfaction. "Let's go with this one."
[Do you wish to transfer your consciousness to the alias?]
After clicking confirm, the translucent panel vanished immediately.
There was no special sensation; in the blink of an eye, the height of the surrounding furniture seemed to shift slightly.
...Obviously, he had become shorter.
Gojo tilted his head and saw his main body lying on the tatami, eyes closed, looking as if he were dead to the world. Apparently, the Intelligent AI hadn't come online yet.
Ignoring that for now, he decided to check his new look.
Sitting next to his main body, he pulled a mirror from the System Inventory and pointed it at himself.
The mirror reflected a face that could take one's breath away.
Rather than a mature man in his twenties, he looked more like a handsome youth of seventeen or eighteen.
He had long black hair that seemed tempered by the night, with two unruly tufts of hair sticking up like cowlicks at the back. His skin was strikingly pale, making his red eyes look exceptionally vivid—like fresh cherries soaking in clear water.
The corners of his eyes tilted up slightly, and his eyelashes cast dense shadows over his eyelids. Without even making an expression, he looked incredibly proud. At the same time, the soft fullness of his cheeks gave him an air of innocence that made it hard for anyone to be on guard.
Compared to the white-haired, blue-eyed "Child of God" who looked like he pitied the world, this black-haired, red-eyed version looked more like a "Demon" with a pure heart who might unintentionally lead others to ruin.
It had to be said, Gojo's aesthetic sense was top-tier.
"Well, though there's still a tiny gap between this and my main body... it's already quite good. Doesn't seem to need any more improvements."
Since the door was slightly ajar, Tama walked straight in carrying a tray. "Clan Head, would you like some tea—? Eh?"
She saw Satoru Gojo lying motionless on the tatami, while a mysterious youth of unknown origin sat beside him. It looked exactly like a murder scene.
Without a second word, she pulled a weapon from beneath her skirt and charged.
"Wait! Tama, don't shoot—it's meeeee!"
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