The cadets were good.
It's early in the morning and there are not many police officers in the cafeteria, only a few officers in charge of guarding the cadets, and the hundreds of cadets have spontaneously divided themselves into piles according to their shifts, sitting or lying down, some not holding on to their sleep, some still holding on to their food.
Until Ichijō Mirai arrived.
One half-asleep person heard the noise and turned to the door half a beat later, and froze at the sight of Ichijō Mirai, not even able to swallow the rice in his mouth, and before his mind could turn back to it, he already stood up violently.
His face reddened as he choked and coughed violently, "Cough, cough, cough, Mirai-san!"
One after another, the voices rang out in bits and pieces, "Mirai-san!"
Various noises appeared, the sound of dishes hitting the floor, the sound of struggling to get up, the sound of rolling up from a chair, but accidentally falling down, and then rolling up even more.
All of these voices converged into a single wave, "Mirai-san!"
Like a real wave, the police cadets swarmed up, from a few piles to a crowd, and instantly surrounded Ichijō Mirai, "You're back!"
"Are you okay?"
"Did they torture you?!"
"They've gone too far!"
They were outraged, their words carried by the waves, but at least they had some sense, and even those who had rushed to the front, in the innermost circle of the circular crowd, stopped when they were only a step away from Ichijō Mirai and didn't pounce on him.
Ichijō Mirai gave them a glance.
The cadets were still speaking in anger, but without turning their heads, their bodies subconsciously stepped back, making the distance from one step to one meter.
Ichijō Mirai then follows Ichijō Mirai inside the cafeteria, looking like a bunch of kittens and puppies that surround the door when their master comes home and then follow him around, or kittens and puppies that come sprinting with bright eyes and follow him when he picks up a variety of food.
High IQ: A bunch of fluffy people.
Low IQ: A bunch of idiots.
Ichijō Mirai: "..."
He calms the fluffy group, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
The cadets spontaneously stopped their righteous indignation and stared at him, each whispering, "How can they be fine, after being locked up for so long, they must be...!"
"It's just too much!"
"Mirai-san is still speaking for them..."
"As expected of Mirai-san,"
"So kind!"
"Mirai-san is kind to us too..."
"%#*φ"
It's very true, very mindless, very perceptive.
The word is 'kind'.
If it were 'Mirai-san is also kind to us', it would be equal, but 'Mirai-san is kind to us' is subtle, and perhaps the speaker doesn't realize it himself, but he clearly thinks that Ichijō Mirai helping himself is 'kind' in the same way that a human being would help a kitten or dog on the side of the road.
...No wonder Gin's anger level seemed to spike when he was slandered for saying 'you shouldn't be too kind'.
The police cadet didn't mean to be a naturally dull white goose, Ichijō Mirai again:"..."
He paused, smiled, and repeated, "I'm fine."
"Everyone pack up and get ready to go back."
On one side, Inspector Inuo immediately said, "I've got the car ready to go."
The cadets were still gathered around Ichijō Mirai, their eyes glued to their mastermind, and could only barely find time in their busy schedules to glare at the officers who were included in the police force they were so outraged by.
Inuo was unmoved, "It's six buses."
Six buses, that could hold all the cadets, with some room to spare.
Ichijō Mirai nodded, appropriately complimenting Inspector Inuo, who was of a different breed than the cadets, "You've thought this through, thank you."
Clapping his hands again, he signaled for silence, "Inspector Inuo has prepared a bus for all of us, so we can go straight back to the academy,"
"The instructors have requested that all return to the academy by twelve noon, it's currently one o'clock in the morning,"
"Do any of you want to go home?"
The cadets hesitated, sniffing the signals uncertainly.
"For those of you who wish to go home," Ichijō Mirai's eyes traveled among the cadets, "register your home addresses and contact numbers,"
"You can call..."
He's the most impatient when it comes to kids.
So who's it going to be?
After a few rounds, Ichijō Mirai called his name, "Matsuda-san."
He smiled, "Matsuda-san, would you please register the students?"
"I know you're the most caring person and you love pets, so I don't think you'll refuse, right?"
"Please."
Matsuda Jinpei:"..."
'Caring', 'pet-loving'.
That's a threat.
There weren't many cadets going home. Out of a hundred or so, only a dozen or so decided to go home if they were close by.
Some of them decided to go home because they were pressed for time, and if they went home now, their families would already be asleep, so they could only have a quick chat and then rest, and when they woke up in the morning, they'd have to rush back to the academy, and at most, they'd only have one meal at home, which was a bit of a hassle for their families.
Part of the reason is that I don't miss my family.
This year's class of cadets was a tough one, but...for a young man in his early twenties, a life of adventure and excitement was like a stimulant.
Many of them have developed friendships with their classmates that are comparable to those they've had since high school. They came to the academy fresh out of college and are used to being separated from their families, and now that it's only been a month or so, they don't feel too homesick.
Others, because Ichijō Mirai doesn't want to go home.
Some of the students who didn't care whether they went home or not, followed Ichijō Mirai to the bus without thinking.
"Every class has a class president, right?" Ichijō Mirai really didn't want to take the kids, "We ride by class, and the class president counts them on the bus, and then again when they get off, so there's no shortage."
But they had to.
The cadets dispersed as they were told and gathered again, only looking over at Ichijō Mirai from time to time.
The cadets from Onidzuka's class lined up as quickly as possible and looked at Ichijō Mirai with bated breath.
The leader of his class...
"Line up in two lines, front and back doors at the same time," Ichijō Mirai's eyes traveled again, "and you can take roll call in both lines at the same time,"
Two lucky winners can be picked.
His gaze swept over Jinpei Matsuda and the other cadets registering not far away, then back again, noticing Hiromitsu Morofushi.
Hiromitsu Morofushi was smiling as he spoke to one of the police officers, and noticing the gaze, raised his eyes keenly and spoke before Ichijō Mirai could point himself out, "I asked this officer to call the hospital hotline to inquire about it, and the hospital side said that Sergeant Matsumoto is not resting yet, and I intend to go over to see him now,"
he joked, "to convey your orders, Commander."
Okay.
Ichijō Mirai regrets naming him, "Play nice,"
He changed his tone just in time, "Furuya-san, Wataru-san, I'd like to take your names, please."
He adds, "Sorry, Furuya-san, I just saw Matsuda-san, and I can't help but think..."
Blonde, blindfolded, bound, open.
"I'm getting in," Ichijō Mirai waved cheerfully, "remember to call the instructor, thanks."
Furuya Rei: "..."
This guy is definitely doing it on purpose.
He helped keep order, waiting for all the cadets to get on the bus before getting on at the end, and briefly told Ichijō Mirai, "By the way, Instructor Onidzuka told me to tell you that the academy cleaned up the dormitories while the cadets were away."
The reason was, "It was too dirty."
"For half a month, the complex odor in the dormitory can ferment."
"Don't you sleep in the dormitory?" Furuya Rei relayed Onidzuka Hachizo's question, "Why is the dormitory so 'unmanned'?"
There is a difference between a house that has been inhabited recently and one that has not been inhabited for a long time.
There are various traces of habitation that can be categorized as 'human smell', but Ichijō Mirai's dormitory does not have a human smell, it is clean and dusty at the same time, and it seems that few people have been in it for almost a month.
Even the dozen or so uniforms in the closet, only two or three of which were unpacked, emitted an aggravating odor when the inspectors opened the closet.
Shoes, however, are all used and waiting in line on the balcony.
"Don't you usually live in the dormitory?"
Furuya Rei had the same question, "But doesn't the dormitory have roll call?"
"Lights out after roll call, where do you go after lights out?"
Ichijō Mirai reacted, "What?"
"I'm staying at the dormitory."
If you're so tired from training during the day, why don't you sleep at night and go to the instructor's bed to stare at him?
Seriously, Ichijō Mirai could have been able to move around in [Police Academy Newcomer], sleep in [Organization Newcomer] or [FBI Newcomer] when he was sleepy, and then go back to the academy and move around in good spirits when he was physically tired by getting stuck in a bug, but at most he could have done that for a couple of days. But at best, he'd be stuck for a couple of days that weren't enough for sudden death.
His daily schedule was very much two to one, out for training, back to the dormitory and back to sleep, without touching his enemy's bed as a ghost.
"What the instructor means, it seems, is that you don't have any personal belongings in your quarters," Furuya Rei added, "only those issued by the academy."
He added uncertainly, "as if the only thing the dormitory meant to you was a place to sleep,"
"It's so tasteless."
What else is a dormitory, if not a place to sleep?
It's not like it's a public place, so it's pointless to wear a blindfold.
Ichijō Mirai asks cautiously, "Excuse me, but don't humans sleep in dormitories?"
He's ashamed, "It's my first day as a human, so I don't know, I'm sorry."
Furuya Rei: "..."
The dormitory is a place to sleep, but it's not just a place to sleep, it's a strange guy who only sleeps and doesn't have any personal belongings!
"You guys, it's like a burger made up of 'bad taste' and 'yin and yang'," he maintains a basic smile, 'A little bit of salad dressing in the middle is what makes it 'Savior'."
"No."
Ichijō Mirai corrected, "It's not 'Savior', it's 'High Moral Sense'."
He raised his hand and casually waved the wooden gosho on his wrist for Furuya Rei to see, "'High', 'Moral Sense'."
But there's not much difference, 'Savior' and 'High Moral Sense' are both things that don't exist.
The police academy has arrived.
The instructors, who had been notified in advance, were already waiting at the entrance of the school, some of them armed, some of them wearing only a simple layer of uniform, and some of them simply wearing pajamas.
Like parents picking up their children at the end of kindergarten, the instructors collected their students and headed towards the dormitory in several distinct streams that vaguely converged at a distance from each other.
Instructor Onidzuka was the heavily armed type, and looking very energetic, not as if he had been awakened by a midnight call, he approached Ichijō Mirai and said, "Is everything all right?"
"Did those guys do it?"
He was asking if the police had lynched them.
Ichijō Mirai couldn't help but look at Instructor Onidzuka a few times, respecting the Neon police who hadn't changed their lynching habits in this day and age, "No."
"That's good," Onidzuka Hachizo nodded, referring again to the incident Furuya Rei had just mentioned, "I've already checked once, there's no surveillance in the dormitory, don't worry."
"I can still protect you at the police academy."
Ichijō Mirai ignored the instructor's intent and translated: It's okay, if you want to do a no-double, you can do a no-double, kill them all, don't worry, there's no surveillance, I'll protect you in the police academy.
He was very touched, "Thank you, instructor!"
and refused, "But forget it, I'm Messiah now, don't try to tempt me to become Satan, you devil."
Onidzuka Hachizo: "??"
"???"
Onidzuka Hachizo reacts a few times, stops in front of the dormitory building, and reacts a few more times.
Matsuda Jinpei passes by, yawning, and says lazily, "He's joking, instructor."
He caught up with Ichijō Mirai, "Hey."
"The police haven't made a final decision yet, have they?"
"But you must know," Matsuda Jinpei said, walking alongside Ichijō Mirai, his voice lowered, "that there are variables that are not yet finalized, and with all the fuss we've made this time, they're going to want to appease us, not go too far in terms of punishment, but a commendation..."
"It's up to you to decide if you want to accept it or not."
He still looked sleepy, "Don't agree to the whole award just because it's nice."
"Your situation is more critical than ours, consider yourself satisfied as an individual first."
Ichijō Mirai looked over.
He sighed briefly for a few seconds: Matsuda Jinpei was afraid that he would neglect his personal interests for the good of the whole, and came to give him a special warning.
That was...
"I am truly great," he sighed to the system, "a Savior with a great sense of morality."
"That title is exactly the same as mine."
And he replied to Matsuda Jinpei with a touched, "Uh-huh!"
Matsuda Jinpei yawns and glances over, "You're being weird again."
"How can you be so weird when you only respond to one word?"
"Never mind, what are you going to do next?"
What's next?
Ichijō Mirai thought hard for a few seconds and answered solemnly, "Rest."
"It's almost lunchtime, so I'll take a break."
He walked into the dormitory, closing the door behind him, "Bye-bye."
＊
It's been a quiet weekend in Beika-cho, with only 13 emergencies today.
Nothing at the dessert store.
Suzuki Sonoko came to squat on Ichijō Mirai's refresh as usual. She was nervous, "I don't think I'll fail to squat on Mr. Mirai, just like the last wedding, do you?"
Then she thought about what to say when she got there, "Hi, Mr. Mirai, what a coincidence, are you free these days? My sister's organizing a party, a casual party with friends, do you want to go?"
"No, that's lame."
As she was talking, her eyes caught a flash of light, so she subconsciously turned her head and glanced over to see a black car passing by.
The passenger seat was occupied by a man who appeared to be male in build, but had long silver hair.
The flash of light was the reflection of the silver hair as the sun shone into the car.
"...Huh?"
For a moment, an inexplicable sense of familiarity struck her, as if she had met an acquaintance that she had rejected, but when Suzuki Sonoko thought about it seriously, that sense of rejection and hazy familiarity disappeared.
She was stunned, and subconsciously looked at the car a little more.
Mouri Ran followed, "What's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing," Suzuki Sonoko snapped back, she smiled, "I think I just saw that ramen restaurant waiter again on the corner, he's got a lot of part-time jobs."
They walked three or four steps into the dessert store.