Saitama Prefecture, Iruma City.
Ponte, despite being the Police Director, had no intention of going to work at the tropolitan Police Departnt. He highly valued his own safety. He had taken on the role of Police Director solely to deal with Dio’s case, not because he truly wanted the position. Apart from Dio’s case, he delegated all other matters to his subordinates. In Japan, aside from his initial visit, he had no plans to et with anyone. Especially after Pavao’s death, Ponte was even less willing to et others. He wanted to completely conceal his whereabouts to prevent Dio from discovering his location.
Ponte didn’t rule out the possibility that Dio could have used his superpower to command others and force Pavao to reveal the truth. Even though he believed Pavao had been tad into a qualified ’stray dog,’ he didn’t think human willpower could withstand Dio’s superpower.
"It’s been a long ti since I’ve felt such a surge of blood, as if I’ve returned to the first ti I handled my father’s company affairs," Ponte said, sipping his tea, his face breaking into a reminiscent smile. His love for adventure wasn’t a pretense but a genuine passion for danger. However, he was very confident in his own abilities, believing that no matter how difficult the situation, he would ultimately overco it. The thought of being the ultimate winner transford all current crises into a form of enjoynt, much like steeping tea. He knew he would eventually sip the fragrant and sweet tea, so he wasn’t concerned about how long it needed to steep. He just had to patiently wait for it to be ready and then enjoy his drink.
"Will Dio co looking for you?" the man standing behind Ponte spoke. He was 1.85 ters tall and wore a tank top and shorts. His exposed muscles were lean and taut, not bulky like a thug’s. His features were fierce, his left face covered by a horrifying burn scar, yet his gaze and deanor were as serene as a forest lake.
Ponte glanced sideways at Armaniyaz, his strongest ’stray dog.’ "What do you an by that?"
"According to Dr. Ditch’s report, Pavao’s death occurred in an instant. Would a Superpower User with that kind of strength really care about an ant’s scheming?"
"Ant, huh?" Ponte’s face bore a mocking smile. He said leisurely, "Do you really think I am rely an ant? I, the prominent son of the Morgans Group, can et with leaders in any country and even have presidents personally greet ."
"Before a Superpower User, I’m afraid that might be the case," Armaniyaz replied calmly.
"Haha." Ponte wasn’t angered by his words. Instead, he laughed, set down his tea, crossed his legs, and said, "You seem quite unhappy about the task I gave Pavao—sending him to his death. Even though he always opposed you, disliked you, and saw you as an enemy. Armaniyaz. Don’t forget your status as a ’stray dog.’ Violence is in your genes; your inferior bloodline makes cri your nature. Read fewer books. Vast knowledge can’t change your fate."
"But knowledge can change my perception and make aware of who made this way," Armaniyaz answered impassively.
Long ago, he too had believed Ponte’s words were truth. He had believed they were a race burdened with sin, their bones carrying criminal genes, making them prone to violence, perpetual law-breaking, and disregard for family bonds. It wasn’t until he imrsed himself in books during his spare ti that he discovered a different narrative. Especially after a certain report was published, he beca more convinced that there’s no such thing as superior genes. Their environnt is the reason for their high cri rate. Anyone who grew up drinking lead-tainted tap water wouldn’t beco very intelligent and would struggle to control their temper. It’s a disease—one that capitalists inflict on the poor to cut costs. The worst part is, even if this disease is exposed, the poor can’t change their circumstances.
"Knowing this will only make you more miserable," Ponte shook his head, unafraid of Armaniyaz ’awakening.’ The man was married, with a wife and children. As long as he wanted his family to live well, he had to continue working for the Morgans Group, remaining an obedient ’stray dog.’ Whether he ’awakened’ or not made no difference. No, to be precise, this ’awakening’ did have one advantage: it added a hint of amusent to Ponte’s life. Watching Armaniyaz reluctantly carry out his assigned tasks was a truly wonderful feeling for Ponte!
Ponte said, "Tonight, have Young Dragon commit a cri in Shinjuku. Fit him with a Poison Gas Bracelet. If Dio appears, have him activate the bracelet and release the gas. That hallucinogenic poison gas is a product of a top United States biological research lab, with a potent nerve-paralyzing effect. Just one gram can immobilize a whale, and it’s colorless and odorless. I’ve prepared a kilogram for Dio; even an Angel Envoy might not withstand it."
Pavao was just an experint to see if Dio could indeed be lured out. The next steps were the main event.
Ponte stood up and walked outside. He resolved to change his residence periodically to ensure his safety and avoid being located by Dio.
Armaniyaz frowned slightly but still nodded. "All right."
As Ponte had said, Armaniyaz had no power to resist him. This was a man before whom even the devil would bow.
...
As soon as the workday ended, Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t hesitate. She quickly wrapped up her work of assigning cases to the God Detective. She boarded the train back to Ayase and sat in the won-only carriage. Leaning back in her seat, Morimoto Chiyoda fell into deep thought.
If she kept feeding the God Detective cases like this, after the Shinjuku cases were over, Shibuya would be next. Once Shibuya was done, Ikebukuro would follow, and Adachi District would co up sooner or later. A glimr of anxiety rose in Morimoto Chiyoda’s heart. She feared that feeding the Adachi District cases to the God Detective might lead to an unfavorable outco. To put it bluntly, she was worried about Aozawa’s potential involvent with Dio. Originally, she could have waited patiently for the Jade Dragon Flag results before judging Aozawa’s connection to Dio. But the current situation was clearly unfavorable. Under relentless pressure from the God Detective, Morimoto Chiyoda had to get a concrete answer as soon as possible: should she talk to Aozawa ahead of ti and have him lay his cards on the table? But what if Aozawa continued to deny it? Or what if Aozawa was actually unrelated to Dio? Her continuous doubts and mistrust would wound Aozawa deeply. A wise judge finds family affairs difficult to settle. Even soone as astute as Morimoto Chiyoda found such dostic troubles thorny. After all, Aozawa wasn’t just anyone; she had to consider his feelings and take a cautious approach.
"How annoying," Morimoto Chiyoda muttered, getting off the train at her stop.
The annoying drizzle started to fall again. The botherso rainy season would continue for so ti yet.
Morimoto Chiyoda beca increasingly irritated. She opened her umbrella and headed towards Ayase Apartnt, stopping by the supermarket on the way to buy ingredients for dinner. The weather was a bit chilly. She planned to make Kanto stew to have sothing warm, and then buy a few bottles of beer to replenish her ho stock.
As Morimoto Chiyoda reached for the alcohol, her hand paused. A thod for testing Aozawa, one that required no explanation, suddenly flashed through her mind: she would pretend to be drunk. She didn’t believe Aozawa could maintain his regular nightly run if he saw her inebriated; he would surely stay ho to care for her. If Dio didn’t appear at night for four or five consecutive days, the likelihood of Aozawa being Dio would significantly increase. With this in mind, Morimoto Chiyoda bypassed the low-alcohol beers and chose high-proof baijiu and shochu from the supermarket instead. Her excuse for drinking would be imnse work pressure. The more she pondered, the more Morimoto Chiyoda liked her idea.
She purchased a large amount of alcohol and a substantial load of ingredients, then headed ho. She put on a white apron and got busy.
...
"I feel Tetsuji and Little Sayuri are making rapid progress. They’ve already exchanged LINE IDs and even arranged to go to a jewelry store for manga research this Saturday."
"Maggie, it’s all thanks to you."
"I only did what I should have done."
"Alright, talk later. I’m at my front door."
The drizzle had stopped at so point, unnoticed by Aozawa. He continued his conversation with Phoenix Academy Maggie and the others under his umbrella until he reached the apartnt entrance, where they finally ended their chat. Only then did he realize it had stopped raining. He closed his umbrella, entered the apartnt building, and took the elevator to the sixth floor.
Aozawa unlocked his front door and called out, "I’m back, Chitose!"
A rich scent of alcohol wafted towards him. He glanced at the kitchen counter: steaming Kanto stew, several empty alcohol bottles, and various other bottles were strewn around the tall woman.
"Welco ho, Aozawa~ Co have a few drinks with ~" Morimoto Chiyoda’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes clearly showed her drunkenness. She waved him over, "Don’t just stand there~"
Hot breath escaped her red lips. Morimoto Chiyoda had eaten beforehand specifically to hide the two empty shochu bottles. Otherwise, if she drank according to what Aozawa knew of her tolerance, she wouldn’t be pretending; she’d be genuinely drunk. In that state, she wouldn’t react much even if Aozawa left the house or undressed her.
"Chitose, what happened to you?" Aozawa closed the door behind him, a flicker of surprise on his face. He rembered that Chitose always hated getting drunk, insisting that being tipsy was the proper way to enjoy alcohol. Getting drunk was just paying to suffer. Only if she wanted to suffer would she get drunk.
Morimoto Chiyoda propped her cheek with her hand, looking alluring as she said, "The workload for the special task force is just too much. Dammit, that old man and Ponte are jerks! They treat like a robot, only caring about efficiency, with no regard for human sentint."
This rant wasn’t a lie; it stemd from the depths of her heart. The previous team leader, Emily, might have been strict, but she still showed so human consideration. It’s completely different now; Ditch seems to want to turn everyone into relentless machines.
"Hurry over and have a few drinks with ."
"Okay."
Aozawa nodded. He decided to add another target: Ditch. Anyone Chitose disliked couldn’t possibly be a good person.
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