"Is that so?"

Seeing Shen Gu Mirai like this, Beichuan Si didn't ask any further.

Up to now, he still thought the issue lay with Gangye Yoshiko, but at the same time... a bold idea slowly crept into his mind—

That it wasn't Gangye Yoshiko's issue at all, but rather the problem of him frequently performing exorcisms with a large hammer in front of Shen Gu Mirai and Nishijou Kurenai.

But as soon as this thought emerged, Beichuan Si naturally negated it.

There was no particular reason; he simply felt it was unlikely.

Though he felt it was unlikely, he still couldn't help but care about the matter, which was why he had just asked.

However, since he couldn't get any answers... Beichuan Si didn't intend to dwell on this matter any longer.

He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over his phone screen.

It was already eleven o'clock at night, and it seemed inappropriate to linger outside any longer.

"I'll probably need to take a leave of absence from tomorrow's classes too."

Beichuan Si touched his chin, muttering to himself.

He had Gangye Yoshiko to thank for making a call on his behalf to the principal; otherwise, with a string of leave requests like his, getting into the senior year would have been exceedingly difficult.

Perhaps by mentioning Cao Cao, Cao Cao would arrive.

Just as Beichuan Si thought of Gangye Yoshiko, her call appeared on his phone screen.

It was already eleven o'clock; why was Gangye Yoshiko in such a rush?

Beichuan Si greeted Shen Gu Mirai with a nod, signaling for her to follow him, and answered the call while walking.

"Hello? Beichuan?"

Still the familiar voice, but this time, fatigue faintly tinged Gangye Yoshiko's voice.

Beichuan Si sharply picked up on this and didn't hesitate to reply:

"It's me."

"...There's something I need to tell you... *cough cough*, this matter is very important, in fact, only I have been informed by the higher-ups..."

With that, Gangye Yoshiko said with self-mockery:

"And that too because they see that I get along with you."

Her hint was all too clear.

Beichuan Si instantly understood the meaning behind her words.

However, unlike usual, he didn't point it out, instead, he simply prompted:

"...Go on."

"Recently, strange incidents have been frequent, and a large part of them could be solved because you were active in handling them."

"You know the people above... a bunch of old foxes, naturally they aren't fools. Although I've been deliberately hiding your involvement, it's becoming harder to keep under wraps now."

Gangye Yoshiko exhaled heavily, glanced at the documents on the desk, and continued: "Beichuan, you're also aware... some bizarre cases can't be resolved with modern policing or criminal methods, hence someone brought up a new concept."

"I think I understand, the police hope I could join to specifically resolve 'strange' types of cases, right?"

"You understanding saves me a lot of trouble."

Gangye Yoshiko chuckled twice, then her voice turned solemn: "Beichuan, perhaps the words I'll say next don't quite fit my role, but I still want to tell you."

"If you don't agree, I will also vehemently oppose it to the higher-ups... After all, you're just a junior in high school."

Listening to Gangye Yoshiko's rambling talk, Beichuan Si's gaze flickered.

Although this woman was usually careless and nagged like a middle-aged uncle, during times like these, she always made things clear and stood by his side.

She was truly loyal and caring.

With this thought, Beichuan Si inquired: "Are there any requirements after joining your special department? Like regular meetings or any rules to follow?"

As soon as Beichuan Si asked this, Gangye Yoshiko was taken aback.

Did Beichuan show interest?

This was unexpected to Gangye Yoshiko; she had thought Beichuan Si would outright refuse without a second word.

After all, Beichuan Si's character was known to be stinky and stubborn.

However—

"Before I answer your questions, I still need to give you a warning... Beichuan, you don't need to join this special department out of obligation to me..."

"I was just asking casually, if you don't want to answer, it's fine."

Hmm—

Gangye Yoshiko turned bright red at Beichuan Si's casual remark.

See? This kid is always like this!

It's so...

Exhaling the frustration in her chest, Gangye Yoshiko replied, "Erm... we just ask for your help when there are special cases. There are still rules to follow... as long as you abide by the law, it won't be that troublesome to have meetings or anything when there's nothing going on."

"After all, this department is only there to deal with 'psychic, bizarre, and supernatural' events. Unlike regular departments, there are no special rules to follow in this special department, and you'll still receive your salary. For students like you who are still in school, the university can provide conveniences as well."

Listening to Gangye Yoshiko's explanation, Beichuan Si snapped his fingers and then asked, "Us? You mean there are others with talents for dealing with the supernatural inside too, right?"

"Of course! What do you think the government is, vegetarian!? Long before I knew, they had already gathered some talents specialized in the supernatural. Didn't I tell you before? If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't even know of this special department's existence."

Gangye Yoshiko's tone carried an air of naturalness.

But when you think about it, it was indeed as she said.

The nation isn't blind; if so many events had truly occurred without causing an uproar, they must have been prepared early on.

Thinking about it that way... this really wasn't a bad gig.

When there was nothing to do, Beichuan Si could just lie down and collect a paycheck.

He could also share the police's intelligence network.

He could receive a salary and gain information, not have to worry about college, and Beichuan Si wouldn't have to go to the trouble of looking for various bizarre and supernatural things all by himself.

Indeed, not bad at all.

Even if Beichuan Si joined and found out that the benefits weren't as great... so what?

He could just quit.

With Gangye Yoshiko and Shan Yuanmu Yuzi's father's help, leaving the special department shouldn't be too big of an issue.

"However, this special department is currently just a pilot in Tokyo; other prefectures don't have a corresponding department established."

After Beichuan Si had more or less digested what had been said to him, Gangye Yoshiko continued.

"I can understand."

Anything needs to be done step by step; getting fat in one bite is rare.

"Um... that's about all I had to say. What do you think, Beichuan? However you decide, I'll just reply that. Anyway, I can't persuade anyone..."

Gangye Yoshiko poured two pieces of gum into her mouth and chuckled twice.

That's just the kind of person Gangye Yoshiko was.

If it was part of her own job, she'd execute it without fail.

If it wasn't part of her job... Gangye Yoshiko could drag her feet as much as she could.

This time was probably the same; someone from above probably sent down documents and communicated with her, then she dragged her feet for a long time before telling Beichuan Si today.

Beichuan Si could imagine the pressure Gangye Yoshiko would face after he refused.

And Gangye Yoshiko had always taken care of him ever since...

The treatment in this department was also decent.

With this in mind, Beichuan Si couldn't be bothered to think further:

"If the treatment is really like what you said, Yoshiko, I don't see a problem joining."

"..." Gangye Yoshiko.

There was silence from Gangye Yoshiko for a while.

Then she finally heaved a sigh and said:

"Really?"

"Then wait till you're back in Tokyo, and I'll tell you some more detailed stuff. After that, I'll take you to meet the people from the special department."

"Okay."

Having received this response from Gangye Yoshiko, Beichuan Si politely replied and then hung up the phone, continuing his walk towards the guest house.

...

(Thanks to 'I Want to Change My Name' and 'A Moment of Leisure' for the reward! Much appreciated!)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.