Being stared at by Makima's ringed eyes, Yusaku's forehead was soon beaded with cold sweat after just a few seconds.
"M-Makima-san, I..."
Before he could finish, Makima had already turned back to Makoto. "If Mr. Nishikawa has other requests, I can apply to my superiors."
Makoto mimicked Yusaku's classic chin-stroking gesture, looking Makima up and down. After a moment, he chuckled.
"I suddenly realize, Makima-san is quite beautiful."
Hearing this, all the public security personnel, including Yusaku, changed expressions dramatically.
'The kid earlier was just audacious, but this guy was truly outrageously bold.'
Makima was stunned for half a second, then smiled faintly. "Is that so? Thank you for the compliment."
Makoto continued, "If Makima-san is willing to date me, I might consider joining."
Yusaku and the others' pupils contracted violently. All they could think was:
'My God, he actually dared to say that!'
Makima's appearance was obvious to everyone within the organization, but no one had ever dared to harbor any desire for her.
Even meeting her for the first time, anyone could clearly sense this woman's strangeness and terror.
She seemed like a stunning beauty on the surface, but inside, she was something unknown, beyond description.
Yusaku already knew about Makoto's flirtatious nature, but seeing him make such a demand, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: 'What a womanizer.'
Makima tilted her head, thinking.
The gesture had a hint of girlish innocence, but to those watching, it seemed indescribably strange.
"Hmm... Alright. I've never dated anyone before. I look forward to working with you, Nishikawa-kun."
Makoto's smile widened. "Since we're dating now, just call me by my first name, Makima-chan~"
Hearing the intimate '-chan' suffix, Makima's subordinates shivered involuntarily.
They never dreamed anyone would dare speak to Makima in such a tone.
"Heh heh heh—"
Makima's lips curled slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Yusaku's phone suddenly rang urgently.
"Excuse me."
Yusaku turned to answer the phone, lowering his voice. "Hello, Kudo Yusaku speaking."
"Mr. Yusaku, it's bad! A serious case of violent assault has occurred at 208, XX Block!"
Yusaku frowned. "Shouldn't cases like this be handled by the Investigative Division?"
He was assigned to the Special Division, responsible for Devil-related cases. Human assaults shouldn't have come to him.
"It's not about solving the case. It's because you're a family member of the victim!"
"Family member of the victim?"
These five words made Yusaku's heart clench. His mind immediately went to his beautiful wife, almost causing him to stop breathing.
Fortunately, the voice on the phone continued: "Your son, Kudo Shinichi, was attacked!"
Yusaku's pupils contracted sharply.
The voice on the phone was loud enough that even without speakerphone, Makima and the others could hear clearly.
"It seems something serious has happened, Kudo-san. You should go check it out first." Makima's tone was gentle, with a hint of deliberately imitated concern.
"No need. Let's go together."
Makoto stood up and turned to Yu. "Ishigami, what about you?"
"I'll join the Public Security Bureau too." Yu made up his mind immediately.
The Bureau had invited him several times before, and he had hesitated. Now that Makoto had agreed, he had no reason to refuse.
Besides, he really wanted to go and see what the fuss was about.
'Kudo Shinichi was assaulted?'
…
XX Block.
Half the street had been cordoned off by the Tokyo Public Security Bureau. This was an employee dormitory area for public security personnel, where family members could also reside. The Kudo Family had been living here for years.
The entrance to the side alley was crowded with onlookers, and the police had already set up a barrier.
When Yusaku and his group arrived, the officers on duty saluted and let them through.
"Shinichi!"
Yusaku rushed ahead, leading the charge.
Makoto and Yu followed closely. Makima was puzzled: 'What was there to see?'
Clearly, Makima didn't understand the human habit of watching drama.
Her earlier girlish response to Makoto's dating invitation and her display of concern for Yusaku were all imitations of human behavior, which was why her every move seemed so strange.
In Makoto's previous life's terms, she was a pseudo-human.
Soon, they saw a figure lying on the ground… a young man without legs, lying on his side, exposing only his back and buttocks.
His clothes were torn and damaged, the scene unsightly.
"Click! Click! Click!"
Just as Yusaku was about to help his son up, a rapid succession of shutter sounds came from behind him.
He turned back to see Makoto and Yu, cameras somehow in hand, frantically taking pictures of Shinichi.
Makima blinked, 'So that's why Nishikawa Makoto had me ask the Bureau to bring cameras on the way.'
Yusaku trembled with rage but was more worried about his son's condition. He suppressed his anger and quickly stepped forward to help him up.
"Shinichi, Shinichi, how are you?!"
"Da, Dad..."
Shinichi slowly opened his eyes and saw his father's worried face. As soon as he spoke, he felt a searing pain from his rear.
"Dad, I, I... Waaaaah!!!"
The savior of the Japanese police couldn't help but shed tears of anguish.
If he'd known going home alone would result in this...
Soon after, Shinichi was taken to University of Tokyo Hospital.
By a coincidence, he had come to check his leg injury in the morning and was now being treated for a different injury in the afternoon.
Yusaku waited anxiously outside the examination room. Makima looked at Makoto. "There's nothing more for us to do here. Let's head back to the Bureau, Makoto-kun. I still need to process your employment paperwork."
"Hold on. I want to watch a little longer." Makoto's smile didn't fade.
He then looked at the Nikon camera in his hand with a hint of regret. "Too bad cameras in this era can't display pictures instantly. I'll have to get them developed."
"Leave it to me, Senpai!" Yu immediately responded.
"Yeah, after they're developed, I'll take them to the Metropolitan Police Department so they can see their savior."
Yu chuckled.
Makima looked confused. "What's the point of giving them to the Metropolitan Police Department?"
She couldn't know that the Metropolitan Police Department Makoto and Yu were referring to wasn't the one in this world.
Yusaku was trembling with anger at their conversation but felt utterly helpless.
Just then, the crisp sound of high heels approached.
Everyone turned to see a mature yet playfully girlish woman with curly brown hair walking quickly toward them. It was Kudo Yukiko.
Noticing Makoto sitting nearby, Yukiko paused briefly, then hurried over to Yusaku. Her face showed her anxiety.
"Yukiko, let me explain..."
Slap!
Before Yusaku could finish, he received a solid slap to the face.
"How could you let Shinichi come home alone?!"
Facing his wife's wrath, Yusaku was speechless and could only bow his head and endure.
After Yukiko had been scolding him for a while, the examination room door opened, and the doctor appeared. "Please keep quiet in the hospital."
Yukiko quickly apologized and then asked urgently, "Doctor, how is Shinichi?"
The middle-aged doctor adjusted his glasses, his expression serious. "Rectal perforation, peritoneal bleeding, intestinal contents have entered the abdominal cavity, causing severe peritonitis. Additionally..."
The doctor paused, his expression somewhat hard to describe. He continued, "The foreign matter we extracted from his body has been confirmed not to be of human origin."
"N-Not human? What do you mean?"
Yusaku and Yukiko were stunned for a few seconds, then it dawned on them.
'Could it be that what did this to Shinichi was...'
"Hahahaha!!!"
Behind them, Makoto and Yu couldn't hold it in anymore. They slapped the chairs and burst into laughter, doubling over and rocking back and forth.
Makima looked at the two in confusion. After a few seconds, she let out a "Ha ha" herself.