Chapter 1
A 16-Year-Old Under
Interrogation
Haa, I'm hungry. I'm so hungry I could die. When was the last time I
ate? I didn't eat yesterday, and how was it the day before that?
「Hey, are you
listening?」
My head feels fuzzy. Inside this small room, there are two middle-aged
men and me, making a total of three. The high population density makes it feel
hard to breathe. Even if it's hard to breathe, my stomach won't fill up. This
is the worst.
「I'm asking
what your name is!」
「Please
answer properly, Ojou-chan.」
My mind is completely occupied with hunger, and I have no leeway to feel
fear toward the irritated middle-aged man. But... haa, keeping quiet won't
help. My name, huh.
「Nagakura Aoi」
I'm hungry. Perhaps because I'm lacking calories, I've suddenly become
sleepy for some reason.
「Hey, don't
fall asleep. Age? Parents? Where is your house? School? Do you not have an ID
card?」
So loud, asking all at once like that. It was so annoying that my eyes
opened up a bit.
「...An ID
card? Don't people normally make one after coming of age? I don't have
something like that. While we're at it, I have no parents and no house,
unemployed, fifteen years old.」
「Well, ID
cards are like that, but don't lie about having no parents and no house. If you
don't answer properly, you won't be able to go home no matter how long it
takes.」
Like I said, I don't have a house to go home to.
「Squad Leader, is this kid going to be okay? She's skinny down to
the bone, and her appearance is a bit... As I thought, wasn't she caught up in
an incident?」
「If that's
the case, she just needs to say so. Besides, if she really is fifteen, she'll
be an adult soon. She isn't a small child, so she should at least be able to
talk.」
Saying whatever they want, it pisses me off. Indeed, when I turn my
attention to my own appearance, it's so terrible that you wouldn't think it was
the outfit of a young maiden. A slightly dirty, tacky navy blue jersey top and
bottom, along with sneakers showing obvious fraying—they were genuinely
worn-out items that completely exposed my poverty. On top of that, my bob-cut
hair is dry and unkempt, and my thin body probably looks unhealthy or scrawny.
Even so, it isn't like I'm willingly dressing like this.
「But Squad
Leader. This kid doesn't have a single piece of baggage. No matter how you
look at her, she has no energy, and don't you think it's strange?」
「Even if you
say that...」
Haa, as expected, I have no strength. Even opening my mouth takes
calories.
「She probably
has circumstances, right? She's a minor, so for now, let's check her Star
Soul Crest.」
I think the Star Soul Crest was that so-called biometric
information thing. Yeah, yeah, that thing, that thing. You can investigate it
however you like.
「Guess we
have no choice but to make an ID card for her.」
「If she
doesn't have one, she'll end up making it at some point anyway, so isn't it
fine?」
「The Section
Chief is noisy about it. Making an ID card isn't free, you know? It's
taxpayer money, you know? If we make one pointlessly, the one who gets yelled
at is me, the superior, you know? Or whatever. Gah, he's so annoying about
every little thing. Just remembering it pisses me off.」
Muttering complaints, the loud middle-aged man left the room. Or so I
thought, as he immediately returned.
「Here, place
your hand on this.」
Lacking the willpower to move, my hand was grabbed and placed on a flat
stand. A mysterious machine read the Star Soul Crest and seemed to be
outputting the results onto an ID card. If they're making an ID card for me,
it's no loss on my end. I'll need it eventually anyway.
「Let's see here. Nagakura Aoi Scarlet, Scarlet?」
Do I really have to explain every little thing for them to get it? Good
grief.
「It's a
middle name, don't you know?」
「Heeh, that's
rare. I'll cross-reference it with the resident information. Ah, here it is. Squad
Leader, this is it.」
They seem to be confirming my identity by cross-referencing the ID card
that output my Star Soul Crest with the police's resident information.
「Sixteen
years old? Ah, today is your birthday.」
So today is my birthday. I was so preoccupied that I had completely
forgotten.
「Wait, this
address is definitely that facility in the neighborhood, right? I was dragged
out to do inquiries there, so I remember it.」
「Hold on. The
place that caught fire just the other day? It completely burned down and there
were even casualties. I heard there was no foul play involved, though.」
「That's
right, that's the one. The story was that the surviving facility staff and
children were scattered about, or something along those lines.」
I feel like their previously bothersome attitude has changed to
sympathetic gazes and attitudes. They seem to have guessed my circumstances on
their own. If you feel pity for me, I want you to share some food. Better yet,
spare me some money.
「Here, this
is your ID card. Don't lose it.」
The palm-sized ID card held out to me was a hard card that looked
somewhat cool, with silver text written on a black background. Freshly made, it
only bore my full name and identification number. Surprisingly simple.
「Anyway, we
understand your circumstances. If you were a minor, we could have taken care of
you from here on out, but...」
「Whether it's
good or bad timing, you're an adult as of today, after all. Do you have
anywhere to turn to?」
If it looks like I do, these guys' eyes are completely useless. As I
silently stared back at the middle-aged man, he let out a sigh.
「Figures. In
that case, how about trying to go to a Dungeon for now? Even in the
upper layers aimed at beginners, you can earn enough money to live day by day.」
A Dungeon, huh. I see, there is that option.
「I don't
recommend a kid like you becoming a full-fledged Hunter, though. You at
least know that much, right?」
「Well,
somewhat. More importantly, can you give me some food?」
「Sorry, but
we're busy here. Hurry up and get out.」
「Sorry, we're
genuinely busy.」
Eh, eh? Where did the sympathy from just a moment ago go? Shouldn't you
extend a helping hand, even just a little, to a girl in trouble? I thought that
if I came under the care of the police, I'd be able to secure a bed and a
midnight snack for tonight. That's why I kept quiet and let myself be taken
into protective custody.
The middle-aged cops seemed to be truly busy, and quickly left the
interrogation room? It appears I'm supposed to just leave on my own, too.
Since I completely don't know my way around the police station, I
wandered around aimlessly. Then, I found a corner with a wide variety of
souvenir-like snacks. Gulp. Just in case, I decided to get permission
from the spacious floor.
「I'll be
taking these snacks and tea.」
「Help
yourself.」
Score. It never hurts to ask. I bowed to the voice that came from out of
nowhere and secured as many snacks as could fit in my pockets. I ended up
taking about half of them. That's fine, right?
Well, I managed to secure some food, but I still want to eat a proper
meal. I don't have anything else I can do, so let's try going to a Dungeon.
Time to earn some cash.
I'm still fifteen—no, I just turned sixteen. It's far too early for me to die like a dog.
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