"Full name."
Picking up some papers and a pen, the burly man began the interrogation.
"Jun."
Continuing with an annoyed face, Jun gave his answer.
Looking up from the papers on the table, the man looked at Jun.
"I said full name."
Jun shrugged his shoulders.
"Just Jun."
Putting a smile on his face, the man turned to the woman with the horn.
"Hey, just like you."
The woman averted her eyes from Jun and only gave the man an annoyed look.
Refocusing his gaze back to the papers, the man continued.
"What exactly happened in that place."
Making a complex face, Jun didn't know how to answer.
"I don't know... that grotesque mass just started attacking me and I defended myself as best I could."
Writing on the papers, the man voiced another question.
"We saw that you gave it a good whack... And how did you get there?"
Irritated, Jun spat.
"Look, I have no idea what happened, I was just going about my business and suddenly I was dragged from one place to another through a black space and ended up in that place. I had nothing to do with it..."
Jun was confused, but he didn't let it show on his face.
'Wait, I'm sure something happened before that...'
Before Jun continued his thought, the man sighed as he massaged his temples.
"I know where this is going... Elei, prepare the papers."
The woman with the horn stared at the burly man with a blank face for a few seconds, then left the room.
Meanwhile, the man switched to another piece of paper he had on the table and started writing some things down.
"Can you tell us where you're from?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Jun replied with a bored face.
"I don't know, I just go from one place to another."
Saying that, Jun felt pain, but ignored it.
Raising an eyebrow, the man shot him a glance, but seeing that Jun didn't say anything else, he looked back down at the papers.
"Ok... now I'll just ask you a few routine questions."
Switching back to the paper, the man asked.
"Have you had another contact with abnormalities?"
With an incredulous face, Jun replied.
"No...?"
Continuing to write, the man continued.
"Do you know about runes?"
Jun made a doubtful face.
"No... besides, what's this about runes and that thing that was in the apartment?"
The man paused for a moment, then only shrugged as he continued writing.
"It's best if you don't know... Any acquaintances we can contact?"
Jun let out a small laugh.
"Haha... no."
Seemingly finishing what he was writing, the man looked at Jun.
"Ok... if everything you told us is true, you're in the clear. I don't think I need to ask the rest considering your situation..."
Arranging the papers, the man looked at Jun with a laughing smile.
"Alright, now out of the interrogation, I'd like to propose an offer to you, not as your interrogator, but as the captain of the 6th public security division."
Jun made a curious face.
"What kind of offer?"
The man shook his hands.
"The truth is, we've been a little short-staffed... A lot of abnormalities have been happening quite frequently recently, and there aren't enough of us in the sixth division to solve them all..."
Jun pressed.
"So?"
The man replied with a smile.
"That you're just the kind of person we're looking for, someone who doesn't panic in the face of abnormalities, who thinks rationally to find the optimal solution, and who can take a good swipe at any beast he encounters."
Taking mental notes, Jun asked.
"What other options do I have?"
The man shifted a little uncomfortable.
"Well... due to the increase of people being transported to a completely random location, the government has created a subsidy that will give you a place to stay and a pension for a month or two. But after the term is up, you'll be completely on your own."
Jun felt engrossed.
"...Are there more people like me?"
Settling back into his seat, the man replied.
"Hm? A yes, apparently you don't have much knowledge about the imaginary, good for you...well yes, you are neither the first nor will you be the last person to suffer the anomaly of being transported from one place to another."
Jun made a doubtful face.
"Ok... and what do I get by joining this sixth division?"
The man put a smile back on his face.
"Aside from susidio from the government due to having to deal with amoralities, you will also be provided with a permanent place where you can stay. And if you perform your job well, you will be able to access certain privileged information that is not available to the entire public..."
Jun raised an eyebrow.
"What else?"
The man scratched his head.
"Well... you can also be provided with tools imbued with runes that will make it easier for you to do your job."
Jun made a blank face, he had no idea what he was supposed to be talking about.
"The same things that were in that apartment?"
The man nodded.
"Yes, those same ones, but don't worry, these are made by people who do know what they're doing."
'Mmm...'
Jun hesitated.
He didn't know exactly what the burly man was talking about when he referred to abnormalities or imaginary power.
But if he understood correctly, it was apparently those supposed drawings located on the floor of that apartment that had made him end up in that place. In addition, there was the fact that before ending up in the apartment, he had been in that field of flowers and had come across...
'¿...?'
The burly man approached Jun.
"You don't have to worry about your background, if I pull a few strings I can get you accepted into the sixth division so..."
And flashed him a knowing smile.
"What do you say, will you join public security to take down some abnormalities and make a name for yourself in this chaotic world?"
Jun flashed the same accomplice smile, and gave the answer anyone would give in this situation.
"No."
***
Climbing the stairs of an apartment, Jun headed towards his new temporary residence.
The truth was that he had been tempted to agree to join public security because of that insider information mentioned by the burly man.
So many weird things had been happening one after another, and it was beginning to bother him how naturally they mentioned those runes or abnormalities.
It almost seemed like he was the weird one.
So maybe that privileged data could help him understand what exactly was going on.
But the reason he didn't accept in the end was that he didn't want to have to deal with those strange things again.
'They were very wrong if they thought I was going to put myself in danger again for stupid things like recognition or honor!.... Besides... didn't they let me off too easily?'
It had been weird the way they let him go after the interrogation was over... It was as if they were sure he wasn't the culprit.
'... I guess it'll be a problem for later.'
Shrugging his shoulders, Jun downplayed the matter.
Looking ahead, he saw the strange woman with the horn.
"We're almost there."
Since he didn't know how to get to his new apartment, she was currently serving as his guide.
He had to wait for quite some time in the reception room after he was taken out of the interrogation room. Apparently they had to get some things ready so they could give him his allowance.
It was going to be comfortable to be able to stay in a place with a roof over his head for a while, but then he would have to see what he was going to do, since he had been told that it would only be 5 weeks that he would get free allowance, then he would have to fend for himself.
But he was fine with that, it's not like it was the first time he'd been thrown out on the street.
'Still... I'm sure they spent many hours in that police station, why is the sky still the same?'
Looking up at the whitish sky, he saw that it was exactly the same as when he was first captured. Plus the haze hadn't lifted one bit either.
'Mmm... strange.'
Before he could continue thinking about the strangeness of the weather, he was interrupted by the woman with the horn.
"It was a good choice to reject the captain's proposal."
Jun raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah? I thought they were understaffed."
The woman with the horn sighed as she shook her head.
"That's true... but still, it's too dangerous an occupation for an inexperienced civilian to suddenly enter."
Stopping at a doorway, the woman with the horn reached into her pocket for a few things.
"Besides it's not as simple as the captain made it sound... Certain procedures have to be followed, and he doesn't have the authority to skip them."
Opening the door to the apartment, the woman was handing several things to Jun.
"Here you go, these are the keys to the apartment, it's stocked with a few supplies, the rest you'll have to get for yourself..."
Then she handed him a black card with white designs on it.
"... And this is a card that currently has 150 credits on it. The key is 3527. You will be provided with an additional 100 credits per week until the subsidy ends. After that, you will have to vacate the place. In addition, you can also use it as identity verification while you renew your documents."
Jun received the keys along with the card, and put them in a pocket of his jacket.
The woman with the horn nodded.
"Good... by the way, if you don't plan on returning to where you came from, I recommend you manage the 5 weeks of the allowance well. I've seen people like you end up on the streets after they were evicted."
Jun smiled.
"Yeah, don't worry."
Turning around, the woman with the horn prepared to leave.
"If you find any problems, feel free to contact us."
Jun waved goodbye.
"Okay."
Watching the woman with the horn start down the stairs, Jun entered his new living quarters.
It was a studio apartment. It had a bed, a closet, a kitchen, a table, a bathroom, and a desk. All neatly arranged in a comfortable manner.
Jun sat in the desk chair and appreciated the place he would be staying for the next 5 weeks.
Jun scoffed at the situation.
"And I just had to be dragged around like a dog and treated like a ball."
He got up and took off his jacket to go lie down on the bed and take a rest.
It had been a long day.