Chương 29: Chapter 8 How Things Came to This(Part 2)

The moment I entered the conference room, roughly thirty people turned to stare at me. That alone was enough to make me hesitate. Tachibana, however, walked straight to the front and motioned for me to sit beside him. Itsuki and Miyafuji were already seated on the same side of the table. Once everyone settled down, Tachibana rose to his feet.

"We will now begin the emergency response conference." His voice immediately silenced the room.

"First, I would like to introduce Ms. Kuroe Tsukasa." He paused briefly. Apparently he'd stumbled over the question of what exactly to call me. I decided to help him."'Ms.' is fine. This body is unquestionably female."

"Thank you." He nodded.

"The materials regarding Ms. Kuroe have already been distributed. Please review them as necessary." He pressed a button, and the projector illuminated the wall.

"The topic today is the Gate and the creatures residing within it." Images appeared on the screen. The Three-Eyed monster. The interior of the Gate. The photographs I'd taken. The footage of the creature dissolving into particles. Everything we currently knew.

When the presentation ended, Tachibana continued.

"According to Ms. Kuroe, all Gates will become accessible in approximately two days. Nine days after opening, monsters will begin emerging." The room erupted into conversation. People exchanged looks. Whispered. Argued. No surprise there. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Even I still struggled to believe it myself.

"Discuss among yourselves," Tachibana said.

"If you have questions, Ms. Kuroe will answer what she can." That was easier said than done. There was still far more I didn't know than I did.

I decided to ask my own question first.

"Superintendent Tachibana, have you identified the location called Shuyougen yet?" He shook his head.

"Not yet."

"Any progress regarding the Gates?" A grim expression crossed his face.

"We've reported everything up the chain of command. The Cabinet Office has been informed as well."

"And?"

"Progress is... slow." In other words: Nothing. Bureaucracy was moving at its usual pace. Meanwhile, reality was sprinting toward disaster.

A detective near the middle of the room raised his hand.

"May I ask a question?" Tachibana nodded.

"Go ahead." The detective looked directly at me.

"Is it correct that nobody can enter a Gate until it officially opens?"

"Normally, yes." I nodded.

"At present, only I and anyone accompanying me can enter."

"And if someone enters, they undergo a transformation similar to yours?" I considered my answer carefully.

"We only have one test subject." I pointed at myself.

"So everything beyond this point is speculation." The room waited.

"When entering a Gate, a person first receives a Class." Several people began taking notes.

"You can think of it as a support system designed for operating inside the Gate."

"My circumstances were unusual, which resulted in my current appearance. Under normal conditions, a person receives several Class options based on their aptitude and chooses from them." Questions immediately followed.

"What determines aptitude?"

"No idea."

"Can anyone receive combat classes?"

"Unknown."

"Can physical abilities increase?"

"Probably."

"Can everyone use magic?"

"Unknown." I answered everything honestly. Sometimes the answer was useful. Most of the time it wasn't.

Then Itsuki raised his hand.

"Ms. Kuroe."

"Yes?"

"You mentioned defeating that monster." He pointed toward the image of the Three-Eyed creature.

"Could you show us the weapon you used?" The room immediately quieted. Tachibana looked interested as well.

"Is it in your bag?" Perfect timing. I'd wanted to demonstrate it eventually anyway.

"Before I do anything," I said, "I'd like a female officer to search me." Everyone blinked. Tachibana tilted his head.

"A search?"

"What I'm about to do isn't a magic trick." I shrugged.

"I'd rather nobody accuse me of hiding equipment afterward."

A female officer was summoned. In front of everyone, I underwent a complete search. No concealed weapons. No tools. No hidden compartments. Nothing. Once the inspection was complete, I raised my right hand. The room watched. Waiting. I focused on the ring. Thought of the weapon. And pulled. A black rod appeared instantly in my hand. The entire room froze. Several officers actually stood up.

I ignored the reaction.

"What you just witnessed is the power of this ring." I pointed to the black ring on my finger.

"It allows storage and retrieval simply through intent." I raised the rod.

"This weapon is called a Deconstruction Rod." Tachibana handed me a sheet of paper.

"Use this." I accepted it. Then lightly swept the rod downward. The moment the tip touched the paper— The upper half vanished. Not cut. Not burned. Gone. The severed portion dropped silently to the floor.

Silence. Absolute silence. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Finally, someone whispered:"... What the hell?" A fair question. I honestly felt the same way.

"This is the weapon I obtained." I lowered the rod.

"Everyone who enters a Gate should receive some kind of weapon and ring." Tachibana stared at the rod. Then at the ring. Then back at me.

"Can we examine them?"

"No." The answer came immediately. He frowned.

"May I ask why?"

"The ring appears to be unique." I tapped it.

"If I lose it, I may never get another." Then I lifted the rod.

"And if I surrender this, I lose my primary means of self-defense." That answer seemed sufficient. Reluctantly, Tachibana nodded.

Then I remembered something.

"Oh." Everyone looked up.

"I do have something you can study." From my bag, I produced the crystal that had dropped from the Three-Eyed monster. The room leaned forward. I handed it to Tachibana.

"This came from the monster after it died." He accepted it carefully.

"And one more thing." I pointed at the map.

"The location labeled Shuyougen should be approximately 1, 154. 8 kilometers from the Gate I entered." Tachibana looked surprised.

"You remember the distance that precisely?" I paused. That was true. Normally I wouldn't. Not after everything that had happened. Perhaps it was a benefit of the Sage class. If so, it was working frighteningly well.

Tachibana looked at the clock. Then back at everyone.

"We've been going for several hours." He exhaled slowly.

"We'll break for lunch." The room visibly relaxed. I checked the time. Just after 12: 30 PM. My concentration was running dry as well. As everyone began standing up, Tachibana looked at me.

"Ms. Kuroe."

"Yes?"

"Would you join me for lunch?" Something told me this wasn't just about food.