Using the MC system to pretend spiritual revival

Chapter 204 Tomie Kawakami
"This... Captain Amen? What should we do now?"

The atmosphere remained tense for a long time before a young man with a buzz cut and dark skin finally broke the silence.

With him taking the lead, the other nine young men and women also turned their curious gazes toward Amon Kotaro, who was deep in thought with his eyes down.

These people were all nobodys in their respective departments, either because they were ostracized or because they lacked initiative.

Now that there's a new team leader, the entire field team has surprisingly accepted it all without much fanfare.

This surprised even Amon, who was secretly worried, and then he smiled brightly and patted his chest.

"Let's eat first. Everyone must be hungry by now. This time it's on me, consider it a celebration of the formation of our team."

"Huh? Okay, okay!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Great!"

"... "

……

Subsequently.

Twenty minutes later.

A block away, in a sizable barbecue restaurant.

"Mmm~ It smells so good! This is so delicious!"

Yamen looked at the short girl sitting across the long table with some surprise. She had been looking timid the whole time.

At this moment, she was stuffing all kinds of grilled meat into her mouth, one in each hand, without caring about the type or type of meat.

And while she was eating, she suddenly started crying, but it didn't affect her mouth movements at all.

The other team members, who were already relatively unknown due to their personalities, also looked hesitant, unsure of what to do.

In the end, it was Amon, as the team leader, who hesitated before pulling out two tissues and handing them over.

"Um... wipe your tears first, don't rush, I ordered a lot, there's enough to eat..."

Perhaps this action had an effect, or perhaps the girl, who was immersed in her emotions, realized that she had behaved rudely.

After taking the tissue, she wiped herself haphazardly, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, no longer moving.

There's clearly more to this behavior than just being hungry.

Yamen looked at the girl sitting opposite him, with long, black hair like a waterfall, her face hidden by her head down.

After thinking about it, I realized that as the team leader, I should also take on the responsibility of caring for my teammates.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke.

"I remember when you briefly introduced yourself in the meeting room before, you said your name was Tomie, right?"

May I call you that?

At this moment, a faint sobbing sound came from under the girl's hair. Amen did not urge her, but waited patiently.

“…Okay…okay, Captain…”

After waiting a while, perhaps her emotions calmed down, the girl who had been sobbing softly stood up.

She first took the tissue with an apologetic expression, wiped her tears, and then somewhat shyly extended her hand to introduce herself.

"...Kawakami Tomie...Nice to meet you..."

Seeing how formal the other person was, Yamen also stood up and shook hands politely.

"If it's convenient, could you tell me why you were crying just now? If you're having any difficulties, as the team leader, I'll do my best to help."

His serious expression and concerned tone fully demonstrated the responsibility a captain should have and his care for his team members.

After a brief handshake, the two separated and sat down again. With the other team members deliberately keeping quiet, the girl slowly explained the reason.

“...I...I lost my parents when I was young and grew up in an orphanage.”

"I was able to attend school thanks to student loans, and through hard work, I was eventually recruited into the Metropolitan Police Department's office..."

"...But the internship salary was really low. After paying off my student loans and rent each month, I only had a small amount left..."

"...Usually...I can only eat the discounted food from convenience stores at night. It's been a long time since I've had such delicious barbecue."

"...I'm so sorry...I ruined everyone's fun. I didn't mean to...I just couldn't help it..."

For the next while, the rest of the ten-person team deliberately remained silent, listening to the girl's intermittent, slightly choked-up story.

Her voice was very low, and sometimes it was even hard to hear.

With her head bowed, she quietly recounted her simple life, from her earliest childhood memories to her university graduation.

It didn't even take ten minutes; it was so simple that there was nothing to say about it.

After she finished speaking, everyone listened patiently and then fell silent.

Although there are differences in their individual circumstances and economic conditions, the fact that they were able to get into the Metropolitan Police Department also indirectly confirms the lower limit of their economic conditions.

The way the girl calmly described her life touched everyone to some extent.

This naturally includes Amon, who is sitting closest to the throne.

However, his gaze was somewhat unfocused at this moment, his brows were slightly furrowed, and he seemed conflicted.

It wasn't for any other reason, but rather because I was thinking about how I could help this rather distressed teammate in front of me.

Despite usually considering himself the protagonist, he isn't the kind of pushover who helps everyone he meets.

But he has done quite a few small things, such as helping elderly women cross the road or picking up balls for passing students.

Moreover, these are his teammates, people he will most likely face dangers and fight alongside in the future, so there is even less reason not to help them.

As for what to do, he had some ideas, but he hesitated, unsure if the other party would feel offended.

I remember watching an interview program once that said people who lose their parents and grow up alone have very strong self-esteem and don't easily accept help from others...

After much deliberation, he ultimately said nothing, only offering a few words of comfort along with the other team members.

Subsequently, under the deliberate guidance of Gang-tae and others, the atmosphere gradually improved, and the entire barbecue table became lively once again.

Perhaps influenced by emotions, Tomie, the short girl who had just been hanging her head and looking somewhat dejected, was now...

They also joined the discussion, occasionally chiming in with a few words, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

The celebratory dinner lasted for several hours.

The table was a mess, piled high with empty cups and saucers. Everyone slumped back in their seats, clutching their bellies, with satisfied expressions.

The same applies to Amen, who is hosting the guests.

However, unlike the others who were too full to move, he still managed to sit up after resting for a while.

He took out a thick stack of paper documents from his backpack, found a relatively clean tabletop, and placed them on it.

He smiled and explained as he met the questioning looks from his companions.

"Here~ This is the information I retrieved from the Information Department before I left, using my action team leader privileges. It's the same information that was on the table during our previous meeting, only more detailed."

"Moreover, I have made another potentially very useful discovery!"

Upon hearing this, many of his companions, who were already reclining in their seats, immediately sat up, looking surprised.

The athletic young man with a buzz cut and wheat-colored skin who was standing closer to me had introduced himself as Gang Tai.

He even leaned his whole head over and stared intently at the thick stack of documents on the table.

His tone was full of admiration.

"As expected of the captain! He found the direction so quickly! I thought we'd have to run around investigating like before!"

As soon as he finished speaking, although the other team members didn't react as dramatically as he did, they all had similar thoughts.

They all looked at the young captain in the center with admiration.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by the stare, Yamen coughed twice, then propped himself up from his seat.
"Cough cough~"

"It's not that exaggerated. It's just that when I first read those brief reports, I felt something was off, so I made a point of retrieving the detailed files."

"After comparing the results, there are indeed some problems. However, the kind of field visits and investigations you just mentioned are definitely necessary, but having specific targets can save a lot of trouble."

By this time, as he was talking, everyone had finished eating a while ago. When he stood up, the others followed suit.

It was Gangtai, the most outgoing and athletic young man, who spoke first:

"Captain, what do we need to do now?"

"Should we go and do some more research before it gets dark?"

"I remember the contract saying that if the end-of-month summary was too poor, there would be a penalty or something like that..."

Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.

However, in the end, their attention turned to Yamon, who had quickly established his authority among a group of unknowns.

We await the captain's instructions.

Amen seemed to have anticipated this, and simply smiled and waved his hand. "Of course, we need to settle on a base first! Come with me, I actually know a good place..."

……

Ten minutes later.

Located in the nearby suburbs.

Near Xiaotian Street.

In front of a small building that was somewhat dilapidated, but still showed signs of its former glory.

"Bang—~"

As the car doors closed, and the sky began to darken, the group of ten people disembarked.

Standing on the side of the street, looking up at the four-story building in front of me, I was somewhat surprised.

"Captain... this is the temporary office you mentioned we'll be using? This whole building? Did that miser Yokota approve this much funding for the operation?"

Gangtae, who had been looking up with his mouth agape in surprise, quickly realized something and turned to look at the smiling captain beside him with a puzzled expression.

"The funds... haven't arrived here yet, I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"There aren't many, but don't worry. This building is big, but it's not as expensive as you think."

As Yamen spoke, he raised his hand and patted the gatepost of the building attached to the courtyard, stirring up a flurry of dust.

Galaxy Media Culture Development and Promotion Company

"This place opened six months ago when I was in school, but it went out of business. Back then, I used to come here with my friends to explore."

"Although it has a large area, it has been difficult to rent out after it was taken over by the local street administration, and the rent has been decreasing year by year."

"Many people were scammed when the economic zone was relocated here, but the plan was later shelved, and the municipal construction didn't keep up. Nobody comes to rent here anymore, and the price is about the same as renting an office."

As he spoke, Yamen took out the key he had gotten on the way under the pretense of looking at the house from his pocket and unlocked the rusty, old iron gate.

"Crench--!"

With a slightly harsh metallic creaking sound, the old, rusty iron gate was pushed open.

"Ahem—!"

"The only problem is getting around; it's a two- or three-kilometer walk to the subway station. But we have police cars that we can use for transportation, so that's not a concern."

The accumulated dust over the years caused Yamen, who was opening the door, to cover his mouth and cough lightly.

He waited for the dust kicked up by opening the door to settle before continuing to introduce the place to the people behind him, much like a tour guide.

"This place has four floors in total. The basic furniture and such are still there. After cleaning it up, it can be used as our temporary office."

"There are a few parking spaces in this small courtyard. When we were told that we had to find a temporary office ourselves, this place immediately came to mind..."

As Yamen strode into the courtyard first, the others followed him in, looking around curiously.

As the other party had just said, the yard wasn't very big, but there were some parking spaces and some overgrown greenery on the ground.

As you get closer, you realize that the building actually looks pretty good overall, not as dilapidated as it appeared from a distance.

Although the windows and walls were covered in dust, there was no serious damage.

Once the glass doors of the main entrance were opened, the interior view came into view.

"Click—~"

The room was somewhat dimly lit, but as Yamen fumbled for the switch, a bright white light shone from above, instantly illuminating the room.

In the lobby on the first floor, some tables and chairs were scattered haphazardly.

Surprisingly, this place doesn't have that dilapidated feeling of being covered in cobwebs and dust.

Although it looks a bit dirty and messy, it doesn't look like it's been abandoned for years at all.

"Things are better than we thought, right?"

Noticing the surprised look in his companion's eyes, Amen smiled and continued to explain.

"But that's normal. After all, this place was thoroughly cleaned last year so that it would be easier to rent to outside businessmen."

"The water and electricity have always been connected; it will be usable after a little cleaning."

As he spoke, Amen, who had led the group in, bent down, picked up a bench that had fallen to the ground, stepped over the debris, and continued walking deeper into the area.

"There's an elevator over there. The first floor is the reception area and office area, the second and third floors are the archives and workstations respectively, and I remember there are several lounges and a large conference room on the fourth floor."

"Perfect timing, there's still some time before dark, we can go and clean up that area first, and then gradually fill in and tidy up the rest."

"It won't take long for us to have a nice temporary office building, which is much better than being assigned a cubicle at the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters..."

As he recounted his experiences with great familiarity, the other nine team members, who had been curiously observing him, gradually became more interested.

The place is indeed as he described; it's large and has very complete infrastructure.

The only downside is that it's far from the city center, but considering what the team has to do, it doesn't really matter.

Young men and women alike couldn't help but show excitement in their eyes.

However, since the elevator hadn't been maintained for a while, at the suggestion of several people, everyone went up the stairs to the fourth floor.

Upon inspection, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the ventilation system was still intact.

As the machine is turned on, amidst a somewhat piercing buzzing sound, the stale air and dust that have been trapped in the room for a long time are quickly cleared away.

The group of ten people burst forth with boundless enthusiasm, and the discarded and unusable tables and chairs were temporarily piled up on the third floor.

Those items that were still usable were put back in their original places, and people began to tally up the missing items in preparation for purchasing them.

that's it.

Less than four hours.

The entire fourth floor, consisting of seven or eight rooms, was completely cleared out.

Although there are still some traces of corrosion in some places, they are completely negligible.

After their busy work, the group regrouped in the center of the floor, in what appeared to be a rest area.

They brought in tables and chairs, and sat around the central table. They were all panting heavily and slumped in their chairs, but they were all very excited.

After resting for a while, Yamen regained some of his strength.

First, he turned his gaze to a timid girl named Tomie who was small in stature not far away.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.

"Ms. Tomie, I heard you say before that you are still repaying your student loans, and it will be a while before the Metropolitan Police Department pays your salary this month."

"Actually, if you'd like, you can stay here temporarily and save on rent."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yamen saw the other person look up at him in a daze.

Worried that there might be some resistance, he quickly continued to explain.

“This is on the fourth floor, and there are six lounges in total. I plan to convert half of them into dormitories.”

"This way, whether any of us stay here overnight or are too tired from work, it can serve as a place to rest."

"And Miss Tomie, you don't need to worry about anyone feeling unbalanced. After all, the dormitory needs to be occupied."

“This place is so big, and our team only has ten people right now. Anyone who lives too far away or doesn’t mind the conditions here can move here.”

"It's good for work and saves a lot of trouble, isn't it?"

After he finished speaking, the rest of the team members, who had shared a meal and worked together for so long, also established a basic friendship based on his arrangements.

Furthermore, since there were no problems with the arrangements, they all nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I live quite far away. I plan to move here when my lease expires this month!"

"This place is so nice and spacious! I can even see a park and forest from the back window. The scenery is much better than in the city center!"

Gang Tai was the first to raise his watch in agreement, and then the others chimed in to echo his sentiments.

"That's right, Tomie, you can move in here."

"That apartment you mentioned is perfect. It's quite close to where I live. How about we go move together after get off work today?"

"Yeah yeah."

"..."

And in this area, amidst words of concern.

Her head was slightly lowered, and her thick, smooth, black hair swayed gently with the noise of the ventilation system.

She raised her head, and on her delicate, fair face, a black mole at the corner of her eye looked somewhat eerie.

However, it was quickly aroused by a smile and crescent-shaped eyes.

"...Well...thank you everyone, but it's no trouble at all. I can carry it myself. There's not much stuff. Thank you all for your concern..."

"...Thank you, Captain..."

(End of this chapter)