At the Beika Police Station dojo, every officer who was not on duty was dressed in dogi and seated in seiza, listening to Murasaki Tora explain and demonstrate the use of the "Riot Baton"...
Quite a few officers were already nodding off!
After all, "not on duty" often meant "just finished the night shift," "about to start the night shift," or "currently working but with no urgent business."
And today's pressure was even greater than usual.
Because...
Not only was Vice Chief Murasaki demonstrating at the front, but a mountain-like figure was also sitting formally at the head of the dojo!
Pfft...
Fujisato Seiko had been planning to sneak in a nap herself, but when she saw the exhausted faces of Gen and Yamada, she could not help laughing.
"Hey! Fujisato, don't take pleasure in our misery!"
"That's right, Senior Fujisato. Do you know how we feel right now?"
Gen and Yamada both began complaining.
"Don't look so miserable. Maybe... the two of you will improve! We're helping a superior move house, after all! Kawai, we just aren't perceptive enough, are we?"
"You little..."
Their whispered chatter reached Murasaki's ears.
Whoosh—
The Riot Baton suddenly pointed at them, and all three fell silent...
"What are you four muttering about?" Murasaki barked.
Kawai: ...
Kawai really wanted to say: This has nothing to do with me. I was practically asleep!
"You've got it down, right? Then you four, pair up and give me a demonstration! Everyone else, form pairs and practice as well! At this year's Metropolitan Police Department Martial Arts Competition, we... must at least make the top fifty!" Murasaki declared passionately.
Yet his goal was quite realistic. There were only 106 police stations in the metropolis, so the top fifty merely meant the upper half. Beika Police Station was one of the twenty-two major stations among them...
"Um..."
Someone beside him suddenly raised a hand. Murasaki looked over and saw that it was a veteran officer, so he softened his tone. "Chief Ohara, is there a problem?"
He was clearly the chief in charge of a police box...
"Um... can I take leave from the practical training? Last night... while playing horsey with my grandson, I twisted my back..." Ohara said awkwardly.
Murasaki: ...
Another veteran officer beside him raised his hand as well. "Vice Chief, can I sit this out too? I'm already fifty-nine. I won't be needed for the metropolitan competition anyway... If I get injured before retirement, that would just cause trouble for the organization."
Murasaki: ...
Seeing this, Fujisato Seiko shamelessly chimed in, "Vice Chief, please spare us women and children from the pain of bodily injury too!"
"She actually called herself a woman and child..." Gen muttered disdainfully, but he immediately raised his own hand too. "Vice Chief, we were on surveillance all night yesterday. This morning... we even helped people out. We don't have much strength left now either..."
Murasaki: ...
"That sounds like a fine excuse... I hope criminals will be just as understanding. That they will not attack officers who have just been on surveillance, nor attack older officers, nor attack female officers... Hmm, preferably they also will not harm other civilians in front of them, or they may be unable to stop it." Vice Chief Murasaki said sternly.
Hearing the vice chief say that, everyone understood that there was no getting out of it today...
However...
Quite a few frontline officers who considered themselves strong and fit still grumbled under their breath—presumably saying that they could restrain criminals just fine; they simply did not use so-called "Arrest Technique Training"!
But what did that matter?
A cat that caught mice was a good cat!
Shiraishi could see what they were thinking...
So-called "arrest techniques" did not refer to grappling holds or submission techniques within "fighting skills." They referred to the use of various restraining police tools, such as riot shields and Riot Batons.
Shiraishi understood their thinking, but... he did not agree with it!
"Vice Chief, let me say a few words..." Shiraishi stood up.
Although he was new, and although he was not very old, everyone's expressions immediately grew serious when they saw the new chief stand. They also sat straighter in seiza.
Whether from the "rumors" or simply from his physique, the new chief was clearly a ruthless man. He had not risen through the ranks solely because of the advantages of the Professional Group—especially not when it came to fighting!
Even if they did not believe those outrageous tales, no one doubted that Shiraishi could fight after seeing his build.
"I understand what everyone is thinking... Indeed, so long as you have plenty of stamina and are strong and healthy, you can handle fleeing suspects most of the time. But... not every time is 'most of the time'!" Shiraishi voiced everyone's thoughts right away, though naturally there was a "but."
"What we need is not officers who can arrest criminals 'under most circumstances,' but officers who, when they encounter those 'few circumstances,' either let the criminal escape or... suffer casualties themselves, is it?" Shiraishi demanded.
Then his tone softened as he said, "How about this... We'll use the real police equipment now."
As he spoke, Shiraishi took six towels and hung them from the black belt around his waist. He then said, "Everyone here... whoever can take one towel from me will get tomorrow off. Don't worry about your work; I'll stay late tomorrow and finish it for you. And after that, you will no longer need to attend the weekly Arrest Technique Training!
"Of course, you may use riot shields, Riot Batons, and such... After all, if you come at me empty-handed, you won't stand a chance."
Shiraishi stood there loosely as he spoke. "Most of the time, I don't use fighting techniques either, because most of the time, my 'body' alone is enough... But if I didn't know fighting techniques, I would probably have died many times over. In fact... if my fighting skills had been even a little worse, I would have died a month ago."
Though Shiraishi looked completely unguarded, his size and presence alone created a crushing sense of pressure as he stood there!
Shiraishi had deliberately refrained from displaying any real intimidation, and only then did someone finally find the temptation of a day off too hard to resist.
"Chief! I want to challenge you!"
A sturdy young officer with thick eyebrows, though only about five foot three, stepped forward.
"Ryo! You idiot..." Chief Ohara looked over helplessly.
The first person to step forward was Kankichi Ryotsu, the Patrol Officer on duty at the police box under Chief Ohara. (The prototype came from KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops.)
"Patrol Officer Ryotsu, right? Hmm, you've been performing well lately." Shiraishi praised him first.
Of course, in reality...
Performing well, my ass!
He caused trouble all day long.
But with Shiraishi's discerning eye for talent, he could clearly see that although Ryotsu was merely a "patrol officer" who caused trouble every day, he was... an SR-level police officer!
There was not a single SSR in the entire station. There were only four and a half SRs in total, including two vice chiefs—and also Kankichi Ryotsu, a lowly Patrol Officer.
Of course, Shiraishi did not think this counted as "being overlooked."
Because...
Ryotsu truly did not possess even a single R-level ability. He had plenty of N-level ones, though.
The reason he had an overall SR rating was because he possessed a somewhat unscientific special effect—Power of Uproar: While on duty at a police box, everyone within the precinct's jurisdiction experienced a decrease in murderous intent, and the probability of serious crimes occurring greatly decreased. The side effect was a high probability of causing other troubles and drawing complaints.
"Hehehe, it's nothing like that!" Ryotsu grinned foolishly when he saw that the new chief seemed to think so highly of him.
But Shiraishi emphasized, "But... Patrol Officer Ryotsu, what are you talking about? What challenge? Hasn't it already begun? Naturally... all of you will come at me together! Otherwise, how could you possibly stand a chance..."
Before you continue