SCIAW: Chapter 165/166

Chapter 165: Hair-Drying Encounter Turns into a Supermarket Robbery
After reaching an agreement, the slightly stiff atmosphere between them dissipated.

Dressed in animal pajamas, the two walked hand in hand through the quiet night streets, looking like a pair of silly lovebirds out for a nighttime stroll.

Although they drew some attention, most people chose to ignore them.

As they reached a business district where the surrounding shops and supermarkets had already closed, they came to a stop.

"Hah… So many people were staring at us just now."

Yoko shivered slightly, feeling uneasy.

"…"

Ren was speechless at her reaction.

This woman… she really doesn't think before acting.

For someone like him, a textbook case of social anxiety—not to be confused with a social recluse—this kind of situation was the last thing he wanted to experience.

Just as he was about to sigh, a strong sense of intuition prompted him to look up.

Ren turned his head to the right, spotting a supermarket that had already ceased operations for the day.

The lights inside were completely off, making it difficult to see anything through the glass.

However, white graffiti was visible on the three upper windows of the supermarket.

A pale white curtain hung behind the graffiti, making it even harder to make out the markings clearly.

Ren then turned to look at the office building on the left, which was still brightly lit.

Due to the strong illumination from that side, the white light reflected off the supermarket's glass, making the graffiti even less noticeable.

But he could still see it.

"SOS."

"Huh?"

Yoko turned toward Ren, puzzled.

Noticing his gaze, she followed his line of sight and looked in the same direction.

However, with the night's darkness acting as a curtain, the supermarket's interior appearing pitch black, and the glass reflecting light, she couldn't see the supposed SOS at all.

"Where? Where do you see 'SOS'?"

Yoko squinted, trying to find it but to no avail.

"The reflection makes it hard to see. It's normal that you can't spot it."

As he spoke, Ren took out his phone from Sefirah Castle. Instead of dialing the emergency line, he called a certain police officer he was familiar with.

After a few moments, the call connected.

With his keen hearing, Ren immediately picked up on the background noise—it was far from quiet. He could hear several people talking.

It seemed like she was working overtime.

"Good evening, Officer Sato."

"…Oh, it's you."

Recognizing the voice, Sato Miwako immediately knew who was calling.

That strange, mature-sounding boy she had met on Tsukikage Island.

"Why are you calling me so late? Did something happen again?"

Miwako joked, half-expecting him to say no.

"Yes, actually. Just as you said."

"…"

She had only been joking, but the moment she realized he was serious, Miwako's demeanor changed.

"Are you in trouble again?"

"No, nothing like that. I was just out for a walk with my neighbor to get some fresh air, and I noticed an SOS sign written on the glass of a closed supermarket."

"Also, the curtains on the three windows with the SOS markings have been drawn."

Miwako's breath hitched.

An SOS sign written on the supermarket's glass…

Something so obvious should have been noticed sooner.

If no one had seen it before, that would mean someone wrote it after the supermarket closed.

And if the windows with SOS had curtains drawn over them… it was clear that someone was trying to conceal the message.

Which meant, something was happening inside that supermarket.

A bad feeling crept up her spine.

Because she suddenly recalled—

Recently, there had been a series of supermarket robberies targeting high-value items like gems and jewelry.

Feeling the shift in her tone, Ren's curiosity was piqued.

"Has something similar happened before?"

"…Yeah, you could say that."

Miwako hesitated for a moment but didn't deny it.

"Recently, a gang of robbers has been targeting supermarkets.

"They operate with careful planning, disguising themselves as cleaning or event staff before attacking the security guards after closing time.

"They then steal valuable gems and jewelry from the supermarket's counters.

"They disable the security system beforehand, ensuring that no alarms are triggered.

"In other words, they're a well-prepared and highly organized criminal group."

"After the recent incident on Tsukikage Island, this new wave of robberies has put pressure on Inspector Megure—his superiors want the case solved as soon as possible."

Miwako sighed.

"But the problem is, I don't know if this SOS is a real distress signal or just some prank."

"If I had concrete proof, I could convince Inspector Megure to mobilize a large police force for an arrest operation."

"But without solid confirmation, I'd only be able to bring a few colleagues along to check it out."

"Are you sure about what you saw?"

Ren smirked slightly, then turned on the speaker function and handed the phone to Yoko.

Yoko immediately understood his intention and took the phone with her free hand.

There was an easy way to confirm if this was the work of the robbers.

For most people, they would need to enter the supermarket to verify the situation firsthand.

But for a Seer, no secret could remain hidden.

Ren took out the maple leaf gold coin from his pocket, raised it slightly, and flipped it.

The coin landed with the letter side facing up.

A clear answer.

"I can confirm—it's the robbers."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

The next moment, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps on the other end of the phone.

It seemed like they had sprung into action immediately.

"The location is Kaminari Supermarket, on Akasaka Road."

"Got it!"

Amamiya Ren hesitated for a moment before posing another question in his mind.

—Do the robbers have guns?

He flipped the gold coin again.

Once more, the letter side faced up.

"Officer Sato, be careful. The robbers are armed."

"…As expected."

Miwako wasn't too surprised.

In previous cases, security guards had reported feeling something cold and metallic pressed against their backs.

However, since they had been blindfolded at the time, they couldn't confirm whether it was a real firearm or just a replica.

"You're still outside the supermarket?"

"Yes."

"Take your neighbor and leave immediately. That place is dangerous."

"Understood. Good luck with your work."

With that, Ren ended the call and tucked the gold coin back into Sefirah Castle.

He took his phone and stopped paying attention to the supermarket.

Instead, he simply led Yoko away.

"We'll leave this to the police."

Yoko, still slightly dazed, didn't resist.

She cast one last glance at the supermarket but said nothing.

Instead, she quietly followed Ren as they left.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 166: Opportunities for the Non-Professional Group

At that moment, Miwako rushed into Superintendent Matsumoto's office.

Bang!

"Inspector Megure! Superintendent Matsumoto! The supermarket robbers have made their move again!"

"I just received information that an SOS distress signal has appeared on the glass of Kaminari Supermarket on Akasaka Street."

"Additionally, I have confirmed that the robbers are armed."

"!?"

Both Megure Juzo and Matsumoto Kiyonaga immediately stood up.

They had been struggling to deal with this group of robbers for a while.

These criminals were extremely cunning, planning their actions meticulously each time. Their reconnaissance was precise, allowing them to fully grasp the security conditions of their target supermarkets—even disabling the security systems before striking.

With so few leads, tracking them down had proven incredibly difficult.

If they had more time, they might be able to gather additional clues, but time was something they didn't have.

After the incident on Tsukikage Island, most of their manpower had been deployed to pursue those damn drug traffickers.

Since that was a high-priority case, a large number of officers from various departments had been reassigned, leaving the rest of the force stretched thin.

Otherwise, if they had more personnel available to investigate, they wouldn't have gone several days without finding a single lead.

Now, with increasing pressure from the higher-ups, both Megure Juzo and Matsumoto Kiyonaga had been racking their brains for a breakthrough.

So when they suddenly heard what Miwako said, how could they not be pleased?

"Officer Sato, where did this information come from?"

Megure Juzo asked instinctively, but he quickly noticed that Sato Miwako was avoiding his gaze.

Cough!

Matsumoto Kiyonaga cleared his throat, steering the conversation back on track.

"Officer Sato, can you guarantee the accuracy of this information?"

"…Yes, I can."

Miwako hesitated briefly before revealing her source.

"I can confirm that the information is accurate."

"But I promised my informant that he would not be disturbed."

"That's understandable."

Matsumoto Kiyonaga nodded in agreement. Providing intelligence to the police was no simple matter.

If an informant's identity were to be exposed, it could cause them significant trouble.

He himself had several informants who assisted in investigations and intelligence gathering, so he understood the concern well.

"Officer Sato, you don't need to disclose your informant's identity, but are you willing to take full responsibility for the credibility of the information?"

"I am!"

"Good."

Matsumoto Kiyonaga gave a small nod. He didn't need to dig deeper into the source, but whoever provided the intelligence had to be reliable.

"You've given a definite answer, which means you trust this informant."

"That's enough confirmation for me."

Then, Matsumoto Kiyonaga turned to Megure Juzo, who still seemed uncertain.

"Megure, you need to stop treating Officer Sato like a child."

"She needs room to grow and improve."

"Not everything should be decided for her."

"Besides, you should have more faith in her abilities."

Matsumoto Kiyonaga gave Megure Juzo a meaningful glance.

Though Megure Juzo wasn't entirely convinced, he nodded slightly.

"Officer Sato, you will personally take charge of this case."

"Your promotion file has just been submitted. If you handle this well, I believe your evaluation will be finalized soon."

"Eh?"

Miwako's eyes widened in surprise.

She had known that she met the requirements for a promotion, but becoming an Inspector required more than just qualifications—it required seniority.

She had assumed that her turn hadn't come yet.

But who would have thought that Superintendent Matsumoto would give her such an unexpected opportunity?

"What, do you not want it?"

Inspector Megure reminded her with a slight smirk.

Realizing her hesitation, she quickly responded.

"Yes!"

"Then get moving."

"The robbers are armed and have taken some security guards hostage. How you handle this is up to you."

"Yes! I'll arrange the operation immediately!"

Brimming with determination, Miwako left to make preparations.

Meanwhile, Megure Juzo remained in the office, looking at Superintendent Matsumoto with a hint of confusion.

"Superintendent Matsumoto, isn't this against protocol?"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga loosened his tie and sat back in his chair.

"Megure, you're aware that her final rank will be Police Inspector, aren't you?"

Megure Juzo hadn't expected that statement, but he nodded slightly.

"You know how dangerous our job on the front lines is."

"…But that doesn't mean—"

"Megure, has Sato ever had an informant before?"

Megure Juzo froze for a moment, then shook his head.

"No… When did she acquire one?"

He thought back carefully, then it hit him.

"After she returned from Tsukikage Island."

"Exactly."

Matsumoto Kiyonaga nodded slightly.

"She was only supposed to protect those young ladies on Tsukikage Island."

"So tell me, who do you think her informants are?"

"The people around those young ladies."

Seeing Megure Juzo's realization finally dawn, Matsumoto Kiyonaga nodded again.

"That girl isn't part of the professional track, her situation is different from Shiratori's."

"So she's going to stay on the front lines for a long time."

"…And her final rank will likely only be Police Inspector."

Megure Juzo's expression grew complicated.

As someone who had held the Police Inspector rank for decades, he understood all too well what Matsumoto Kiyonaga was implying.

Miwako didn't have any special connections or background. She was a traditional criminal investigator—a member of the non-professional track.

That meant her career path was predetermined: she would gain experience, serve for a certain number of years, and maybe get promoted—eventually.

This system was undoubtedly unfair to a capable female officer like her, but the world itself was unfair.

Yes, there were women in high-ranking positions within the police force, but the majority of them were merely Police Inspectors and most were nearing retirement age.

Every one of them had earned their position through years of experience.

Sato Miwako was no exception.

Her future was set, she would continue gathering experience, and that was it.

"…But now, she has an opportunity."

"By connecting with those young ladies, she has created a valuable network for herself."

"This is an undeniable advantage."

"With this, she will have a special background moving forward."

"And that background has ties to both politics and business."

"This is not a bad thing. Do you understand?"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga's voice carried a rare sense of patience.

"I know you've always looked after Sato out of concern for justice and you even see her as a daughter."

"But precisely because of that, I believe this is the best thing for her."

"At least now, she has a real opportunity, one that will allow her to move forward without being stuck in the endless cycle of 'gaining experience.'"

Megure Juzo was silent for a moment.

Then, after considering it carefully, he nodded.

He had to admit—Matsumoto Kiyonaga was right.

(To be continued.)