Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

"I guess so."

You really do know… Sato Miwako let out a sigh of relief, but she was even more surprised by Ren's methods.

After the Takahashi Ryoichi case, she already knew Ren had some kind of special ability, but she had never directly asked what that ability was.

But could supernatural powers really investigate things so clearly?

As an ordinary person, Sato Miwako couldn't perceive it, nor could she make a proper judgment with her own understanding.

"So, where exactly is the bomb?"

"There are six bombs planted on the central tracks of the Todou Loop Line."

"!?"

Sato Miwako was shocked again.

She already knew the bomber was a complete lunatic, but this time the incident was on a whole new scale.

"Is he… seriously insane?"

Sato Miwako tried hard to keep her voice down, or else her voice would have echoed throughout the entire office.

The Loop Line is used by so many commuters. If those bombs were to explode, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But Sato Miwako knew that if all six bombs went off, the passengers onboard would be completely wiped out.

"So, hasn't he always been a madman?"

"I've never denied he's a madman. What he's doing is his twisted idea of performing art. While I can admire someone's extreme dedication, I still despise such insanity."

Sato Miwako did her best to compose herself.

Now wasn't the time to get emotional. The bombs had to be dealt with first… She genuinely wanted to kill Moriya Teiji, but she knew what mattered most right now was solving the problem.

Supporting herself with one hand, she stood up, glanced at her colleagues in the office to confirm they were all busy on the phone, then sat down again and lowered her voice to continue asking:

"So, where are the explosives located?"

"I know the location of all six bombs. But can you persuade Inspector Megure?"

That… Sato Miwako froze for a moment. Indeed, this was the real issue right now. She couldn't explain everything to Inspector Megure, especially not something like explosives.

"The Metropolitan Police Department is already on edge. Senior officials are closely monitoring this case and have deployed large numbers of personnel. Your word alone won't be enough to sway Inspector Megure. Once you lose the initiative, the only way to convince him might be to expose me."

"I won't do that."

Sato Miwako rejected the idea without a second thought.

"Eh? Even if doing so could save many lives?"

"Even if it could save many lives. If I say something now, you might be put in danger. I don't believe those who discover your ability would ever let you go."

Sato Miwako knew she was being naive, but she still believed she was right. If the higher-ups found out that this child had such special powers, he would be forcibly controlled for sure.

"Officer Sato, if you act now, you could save a lot of people. Someone once made that choice, sacrificing a few to save the many."

"There's no such thing as 'a few' or 'the many' when it comes to lives. All lives are equal."

"Hmm, idealist, huh? Officer Sato, what you said is clearly too idealistic. This world isn't equal, and neither is life."

"But in my eyes, it is equal. When facing a bomber, I'll do everything I can to stop him, but I won't steer an uncontrollable train right into one person."

"You really are too idealistic. But I do admit, Officer Sato, that you're unique. You're not in a high enough position yet, so your heart hasn't been tainted."

Sato Miwako could hear that there was a subtle smile in the voice on the other end of the call.

"Well then, Officer Sato, how about I give you a suggestion?"

A suggestion? Sato Miwako instinctively raised her guard.

"What kind of suggestion?"

"Right now, you can't convince Inspector Megure the normal way, and you don't want to expose me. That means you'll have to take on some risk. What do you think?"

"Risk? I'm in."

"You're willing to take a risk? Alright then. It's 1:32 PM right now, just past the mark. There's still two and a half hours before the bombs activate. If Officer Sato is willing to act independently, then there's no need to convince Inspector Megure."

"Understood."

Sato Miwako immediately stood up, left her seat without saying a word to anyone, exited the Investigation Section 1 office, and took the elevator down to the underground parking lot.

She jumped into her beloved car, fastened her seatbelt quickly, and started the engine.

At that very moment, Ren, who was watching the news at home with Nagi in his arms, was casually lounging and staring at the TV.

"What a mad artist. Using such extreme means just to make the world remember his name. People in the arts really are a little off. Being too obsessed leads to ruin."

Nagi kept her eyes on the TV. The news was still broadcasting updates about the explosion in Shinjuku.

She actually agreed with Ren's assessment.

"You said it yourself, artists are paranoid by nature. They may have immense talent in one area, but they're also overly sensitive about perceived flaws. Every artist wants their reputation to be spotless."

"But using such cruel methods to leave behind an artistic legacy… that's not something any sane person would do."

Ren could see it clearly. He also understood why.

"Sanzenin originally wanted to challenge Kudo Shinichi, but he did not account for the news of Kudo Shinichi's death before executing his plan. He simply proceeded with his preparations."

"He was trapped by a change in circumstances. The Kudo Shinichi he wanted revenge on didn't even exist anymore. So he made some last-minute changes and ended up triggering the bomb too early."

"If he had just waited a little longer, his plan wouldn't have failed so easily."

(To be continued.)

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