A supporting character in a romance anime? I became a god using a rat talisman.

"No. We checked the security cameras at the main gate and the underground parking garage. We checked almost all the exit cameras, but so far, we haven't seen any footage of her leaving."

"What about the surveillance cameras in the tenth-floor corridor?" Kazama Chiba suddenly interjected.

"that……"

The technician's voice sounded a little awkward.

"The property management company said that the security camera in the 10th-floor corridor... happened to break yesterday. They said the wiring was old and they haven't had time to fix it yet. You know how property management companies are these days; they're very proactive when collecting fees, but when it comes to getting things done, they're full of excuses."

broken.

It's that familiar, all-purpose reason again.

In horror movies or mystery dramas, whenever a plot point like "the surveillance cameras are broken" appears, it basically means there's definitely a problem there.

In other words...

Kazama Chiba stared at the frozen figure at the elevator entrance.

"She went up to the tenth floor. She walked into a blind spot of the surveillance cameras. And then she vanished from that floor."

"That seems to be the case at the moment."

The officer turned off the screen, appearing somewhat agitated.

"Since they went upstairs voluntarily and didn't photograph any suspicious people, then it has nothing to do with that dismemberment maniac. It's probably in one of the residents' homes on that floor. This is a civil matter, and we can't just search every household arbitrarily."

He waved his hand, indicating that the guests should see them out.

"Go ask around in that neighborhood yourselves. Unless it's a kidnapping, we can't really get involved."

This is clearly an excuse.

But Kazama Chiba wasn't angry, nor did she ask for anything more.

Because he had already obtained the most crucial intelligence.

that's enough.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

Kazama Chiba nodded politely, pulled up Rikka, who still wanted to try again, and turned to leave.

"Huh? But...they haven't found my sister yet!" Rikka stumbled as she was pulled along. "Allies! We can't just leave like this! That's just the Bureau's stalling tactic!"

"Shut up."

"If the police don't file a case, there's no use in you staying here."

Chapter 17 Interrogation

Kazama Chiba didn't turn around and pushed open the police station door.

The streets were rather deserted at night.

After leaving the police station, Rikka walked ahead angrily, muttering accusations against the "Management Bureau's lackeys."

"These lackeys who can't see the boundary lines! How dare they be so negligent! My sister is clearly trapped in another dimension, yet they still say 'going to a friend's house'!"

She turned around abruptly and glared at Kazama Chihiro.

"Allies! Now that we know the location, let's go! Whether it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, as long as we join forces, we can definitely break that barrier!"

She couldn't wait to rush into that so-called luxury apartment.

"Don't go."

Kazama Chiba answered crisply and decisively.

"Huh? W-why?" Rikka was stunned. "Didn't you want the figure? And it's not far from here!"

"Legally speaking, the police did nothing wrong."

Kazama Chiba said casually.

“Your sister is an adult. She went into that building voluntarily, without being coerced. This means she is most likely safe, or at least it was voluntary. In this situation, if you rush in to search without regard for the consequences, that would be trespassing and would result in a lawsuit.”

Rikka asked again, "Then what should we do? Are we just going to leave it like this?"

Kazama Chiba shook her head.

"I didn't say I wouldn't care, I just need to see how it goes. I'll go back to sleep tonight."

"And if your sister is really okay, just that her phone is broken, and we break in in the middle of the night and kick the door down... guess what that 'Holy Healer' will do to you?"

This statement clearly struck at Rikka's weak spot.

She shrank back, the image of her terrifying older sister who could easily knock her head open with a soup spoon flashing through her mind.

If it was a false alarm...

The consequences would be far more terrifying than facing a demon king.

She asked cautiously.

"Then...tomorrow?"

Kazama Chiba nodded.

"Okay, I'll go check that place out after school tomorrow."

"Oh, right."

He seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to look at Rikka.

"That figurine. You should take it out and clean it first. I don't like it having dust on it."

Rikka paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, striking a resolute pose.

"Yes, sir! My dark ally!"

Watching the revitalized, chuunibyou-esque figure from behind, Kazama Chiba gently touched Kero under her collar.

"I'll be busy tomorrow."

Xiao Ke rolled over and yawned.

“If it’s a ‘mystery’ card, we might need to bring some signposts. If it’s a ‘jump’ card, you better pray that the girl doesn’t get blown away by the wind.”

"As long as it's not a 'disappeared' sign, it's fine. Otherwise, when we go there, we probably won't even be able to find a trace of her sister."

the next day.

During lunch break, the corridors of Sakigawa High School are as noisy as a boiling cauldron.

The students gathered in twos and threes, talking about the TV series they watched last night, the new games, or gossip about who in the next class was dating whom.

Kazama Chiba walked quickly through the crowd, without any music playing in her headphones, purely to block out external noise—and the sound of the tagalong behind her.

"Hey ally! Wait for me!"

Rikka Takanashi, wearing roller skates that were tacitly permitted by the school, traced a strange "S" shaped trajectory through the crowded flow of people, relentlessly chasing after Chiba Kazama, three meters behind.

"How long are you going to follow me?"

Kazama Chiba stopped and turned around.

"From the moment I entered the school gate, you've been following me everywhere. You wait outside when I go to the toilet, and you watch me when I buy drinks. What, are you some kind of ghost haunting me?"

Rikka was not intimidated by this tone.

Instead, she slid forward a step, stopping at what could be described as an "intimate distance," then looked up, her ahoge (cowlick) curving into an arc like a question mark.

"Because we are in a state of combat readiness!"

"Now that we've decided to raid that 'Misaki Morita Fortress' after school, as the vanguard officer, I naturally have to stay by the Commander-in-Chief's side at all times, ready to receive combat orders! Besides, my sister hasn't contacted me today! She must be locked up in the dimensional prison! When are we going to break her out?"

Kazama Chiba sighed.

It was like punching cotton.

Faced with such a genuinely naive person, even someone like him, one can sometimes feel a sense of helplessness.

"I said I'd go after school."

Kazama Chiba rubbed her temples, suppressing the urge to turn around and leave.

"It's only noon. Even if you stare at me until I'm dizzy, I can't conjure up the sister you want. Instead of wasting time here, you might as well go back to your classroom and take a nap."

"But we're partners!"

Rikka stared wide-eyed, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

"Shouldn't partners always be together? To build an absolute defense called 'bond'!"

"That's your setting, not mine."

Kazama Chiba refused.

“Listen up, Takanashi. Our relationship is simply one of employer and employee. I help you find people, and you pay me. That’s all.”

"besides."

Kazama Chiba pointed to the crowd of onlookers.

"Haven't you noticed? Being with me seems to make you look like an oddball."

Rikka interrupted him.

Why should you care about what other people think?

She turned around, but instead of lowering her head in shame and indignation or running away like most girls would.

in contrast.

She raised her chin, pressed her hand against the blindfold, and surveyed the crowd of people who were pointing and whispering with an air of supreme authority.

"Hmph. Only vulgar mortals are afraid of being different! Only those bound by the false rules of this world care about those gazes!"

Kazama Chiba was stunned.

For a moment, he was speechless.

This person is beyond saving.

This absolute defense, which cannot even be penetrated by social death, is so thick that it can automatically turn such social attacks into buffs.