Kaizer nodded. "Go ahead, I will share what I can remember."
Officer James took out a small notepad and a pen, then began writing as he asked. "Just a few typical questions to help you get in the zone. What's your name?"
"Kaizer Lunin."
"Right, what about your age?"
"18 and a half, will be 19 on the 4th of January."
"Hmm, quite young. What's your occupation, if you have any?"
"Part-time student, part-time second-generation heir."
"Ha, quite an arrogant boy." Officer James snorted as he flipped to a new page, while Kaizer still maintained a slight smile.
Officer James' eyes sharpened suddenly and his aura changed from a friendly cop to one of a piercing detective, his voice suddenly changing in depth as he asked in a low tone.
"Was it scary? Seeing your life flashing before your eyes in front of a monster?"
Both Officer Ian and Officer James looked over, their eyes focused on Kaizer's every move. Even the smallest microexpression he made would not escape them, and this was only the beginning for these two professionals.
However, Kaizer was amused internally as they had shared their entire plan with him in the seconds leading up to this questioning, of course in their heads.
Outwardly though, his face changed greatly.
"So… I wasn't hallucinating? It was all… real?" He also lowered his voice to match Officer James and said with a hint of fear.
Officer James and Ian remained silent for a few seconds, scanning him thoroughly before the former continued with a slightly lighter tone.
"That's right. Son, I will share with you some state secrets, but you must not tell anyone else, not even your parents, okay?"
Kaizer wore a serious expression as sweat formed on his brow, nodding silently. Officer James saw this and seemed to be satisfied, leaning in to reveal the big 'truth'.
"In this world, there are some weird people. Bad people. They have gained power that transcends the limit of what is known conventionally, almost like in comic books and movies. And they used their abilities to hurt people around the world."
Officer James forked a finger towards himself. "It is the job of me and my allies to catch these bad people and make sure they don't hurt anyone. What you experienced last night was one of the stronger bad people who liked eating her dates alive."
Officer James' tone was completely light, as if confiding in a friend, and he even placed his hands on Kaizer's shoulder. "She was a very evil person, and it's great that you managed to escape her clutches. Your skill in using your power is amazing, and I feel like you are destined for great things."
The grip of Officer James became harsher as his eyes became piercing once more, and Officer Ian also narrowed his eyes. For them, this moment was the true point of the entire questioning, to ascertain whether this Kaizer Lunin had awakened as an Esper and how to deal with him if so.
Any indication, any whatsoever, from Kaizer right now, would be taken by them as finality. They were trained to read body language and expression to discern truth from lies, and Officer James even placed his hands on Kaizer's body to measure his heart rate.
Kaizer, who was being scrutinized heavily, only showed a puzzled expression. "Power? Are you talking about that guy?"
Both officers were slightly thrown off by the answer, which was not something they expected. The forensics team had already ascertained that there were only two people in that alleyway, this young man and the Dark Esper who attacked him.
They did not doubt this at all because the head of the forensics team was an Esper with a powerful investigative ability. He had never been wrong before, so if he said there were two people in that alleyway that day, then there were two people.
Yet this young man was suggesting that there was another?
"Can you tell us about this guy?" Officer James remained calm and asked with a thin smile.
Kaizer nodded. "He appeared before me just when that… thing… was about to strike me down, and caught her in mid-air. She seemed to recognize him and was shocked that he would stop her, but he simply twisted her body into a pretzel and dropped her corpse."
Huh? She recognized him? A fellow Dark Esper? Or a known Esper in the rankings?
"Can you tell us what this guy looked like?" Officer James pushed after being silent for a few seconds.
"Not much. I can only tell that it was a guy because of the broad shoulders and the fact that he wore a men's brown trench coat, black boots, and a black top hat. He never turned to regard me, simply stretching his hand out backwards and saying 'sleep.' After that, I passed out and woke up here." Kaizer revealed in a hint of a daze, as if recollecting the moment intimately.
"His voice? What did it sound like?" Officer Ian couldn't help but ask hurriedly but shut up when Officer James gave him a stern look.
Kaizer didn't seem bothered by this and put a finger to his lip. "Hmm… I don't know the names for the various tones or pitches as I'm not really into that thing… but he kinda sounded like… Ironhide? You watch movies, right?"
The eyes of Officer James narrowed, while Officer Ian seemed to be lost in thought because both men just happened to lock onto a certain target in their minds. Officer James smiled and stood up, patting Kaizer on the shoulder with a hint of appreciation.
"Thank you for your help, young man. You are extraordinarily brave to remain calm after such a terrifying incident, and I believe you will make something great of yourself."
"I'm glad to help, Officer James, sir. I also hope you catch those… freaks. There's no telling who they could hurt with how they behave." Kaizer nodded with a relieved smile.
"Hmm. Mr. Lunin, Mrs. Lunin, thank you for the time. We have gained a lot of useful information and will endeavor to make sure nothing like this ever happens to your son again." Officer James moved to shake Keith's hand, to which the man responded formally.
After bidding farewell, the two left the ward and came out, their casual expressions hardening.
"Captain, do you believe what he said?" Officer Ian asked with a hint of solemnity.
Officer James was silent and looked to the ceiling with deep thoughts. "Logically… yes. It's not possible for a newly awakened Esper to defeat a seasoned one like Flesh Ripper Carla, and not so easily. Not to mention that I cannot detect a hint of Esper Energy on him when I touched him, though he could be suppressing it."
Officer James sighed as he signaled to them to move away from the door, beginning to leave the area. "As far as I can tell, without performing a formal test at the headquarters, there is no way to know for sure."
The man looked backwards towards the ward door with severity on his visage.
"But for some reason, I can't help but feel that there is something more to this than what we've seen so far…"