Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

Bonus chp (1/3)

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The operator swiftly relayed the alert to all patrol teams stationed around Tokyo Tower.

"The Italian robber gang has surfaced?"

Inspector Megure Juzo, who was on patrol, was stunned by the news from headquarters.

Their leader had been arrested just yesterday, and now there was already intel on other members?

He listened carefully to the details.

When Megure heard that the three suspected gang members were tailing four children, his expression darkened.

"The kids picked up a note that marks where the gang's leader hid 15,000 Maple Leaf Gold Coins?"

"It seems the robbers were searching for the stash when the note accidentally got blown away, right into the hands of those children."

"What?!"

"And the caller also mentioned spotting what looked like a gun on one of them?"

"I understand. I'll head there immediately."

After hanging up, Megure's expression turned grim.

"Sato, contact all patrol officers in the area immediately. Tell them to turn off their sirens, we're dealing with an armed gang."

"The suspects are currently targeting a group of children. We need to take them down before they make a move."

"This operation is time-sensitive."

"The criminals are on a commercial street. We must arrest them in one swift action."

He paused for a moment.

"Tell Takagi not to come. Last time, he nearly ruined our entire operation. We can't afford any slip-ups today."

Megure wasn't opposed to giving his subordinates opportunities to grow, but this was not the time for Takagi's clumsy interference.

"Understood. I'll notify the teams right away."

Sato Miwako immediately began relaying orders to all available patrol units.

She also made sure to emphasize that Takagi should not be involved.

Takagi's reputation for being accident-prone had already become infamous within the department.

However, considering that they were dealing with armed criminals, no one laughed at his expense this time.

Everyone understood the gravity of the situation.

Except for Takagi, who sat there red-faced with embarrassment, the rest of the officers moved swiftly toward their target.

Meanwhile, Ren and Sonoko stood near the entrance of a milk tea shop, watching the street.

"Amamiya, do you think the police will arrive quickly this time?"

"There's no need to wonder. They will."

Ren was certain.

He pointed toward the bustling street.

"With this many civilians around, do you really think the Metropolitan Police Department would take their time?"

"If anything happens here, the department's higher-ups will definitely be making public apologies tomorrow."

"And if the brass have to bow to the media, you can bet that the officers below them will face a storm of consequences."

"So trust me—this time, they're moving fast."

Of course, there was another factor at play.

The Metropolitan Police Department itself was under pressure.

"Besides, Shinichi has been all over the news lately. Do you really think the police brass are happy about that?"

Sonoko smirked and shook her head.

"Those top officials must be fuming."

"I hear people say all the time that the police are just a bunch of useless bureaucrats living off taxpayer money."

"There's no way they'd ever be happy with a high schooler stealing their spotlight."

As a member of the Suzuki family, she was well aware of how frustrated those higher-ups must be.

Especially when cases that should have been their moment to shine kept getting solved by a teenager.

"The same goes for Shinichi."

"If he really just wanted to solve cases for fun, he should've let the police take the credit."

"That way, he wouldn't attract as much trouble."

"Uncle Yusaku does it the smart way."

"He helps out behind the scenes but never steps directly into the spotlight."

Ren had no problem with that kind of approach.

It was the same lesson he had learned himself.

"Suzuki, Shinichi's life has been too smooth."

"He's always been brilliant. He's always been proud. And he's always wanted to show off his skills."

"But it's only when you fall that you realize just how high up you were."

If Ren had been in Shinichi's position at sixteen, he probably would've wanted to show off too.

But life had taught him differently.

Being capable didn't mean you should lay all your cards on the table.

If you weren't in an absolute position of power, you needed to leave yourself a way out.

Of course, if you did have absolute power, then that was another matter entirely.

"Here they come."

Sonoko's eyes locked onto a car behind the three suspects.

She turned her head and saw multiple vehicles pulling up to the curb.

"Wow, that was fast."

It showed just how seriously the police were taking this situation.

If news broke tomorrow that Italian robbers had opened fire on civilians in Japan, the entire Metropolitan Police Department would become a laughingstock.

So this time, they weren't wasting any time.

The patrol officers who stepped out were all in plainclothes, perfect for blending in during surveillance operations.

And in this case, it allowed them to move in unnoticed.

Their unit consisted entirely of seasoned detectives.

The officers slowly began surrounding the suspects.

Not just from both sides of the street, there were also officers positioned in the alley, ready to close in from behind.

Then—

Bang!

The nearest officers exchanged glances.

No words were needed.

They knew exactly what to do.

Without hesitation, they acted.

They pulled out their batons, already prepared and smashed them down on the heads of the suspected robbers.

With a dull thud, one of the foreign men staggered, eyes rolling back as he collapsed to the ground.

"!?!"

The other two robbers were momentarily stunned by the sudden attack.

But before they could react—

The rest of the detectives rushed in.

"Don't move!"

Officers had already drawn their guns, surrounding the three men completely.

The other detectives moved in swiftly, securing the suspects with handcuffs before they could attempt anything.

Only when they were fully restrained did the officers begin searching them.

And just as expected—

"It's a gun."

The detective holding the weapon looked grim.

This had been dangerously close.

If the robbers had reacted even a second faster, every civilian on the street could have been in danger.

***

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