Cooperation assistance was an important part of the P5 system. Marked by Major Arcana Tarot cards, it was connected to the protagonist's adventures. Some were tied to the main storyline, while others were optional side quests. As the protagonist grew closer to their assistants, their related abilities would also improve.
Although Tangze had anticipated that key figures might be connected to this, he was still pleasantly surprised that it had been triggered so quickly and effectively.
But... the first thing he learned was actually Free Fighting?
After wiping his face, Tangze tossed aside the towel and gave Tooru Amuro a strange look.
Was it because his contract role was guardian, so he had to teach people how to protect themselves first? No matter how he thought about it, Tooru Amuro's most memorable outstanding skill was driving, wasn't it?
After all, it was driving skill so outrageous that Newton would have fainted at the sight of it—driving that could scale walls and leap across rooftops.
Tooru Amuro looked amusedly at the red marks the towel had left on Tangze's face and pushed the plate closer to him. "Hurry up and eat. If a child starts crying after only taking two or three bites, people will think my cooking is inedible."
With his reddened eyes and nose, Tangze looked even younger. Though Tooru Amuro knew he was already eighteen, he could not help describing him as a "child."
Tangze pursed his lips, about to argue, but after glancing at the pasta, he picked up his chopsticks again.
You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you. Better not talk back for now—and besides, Tooru Amuro's cooking was pretty good.
Sensing Tangze gradually relaxing, Tooru Amuro, completely unaware that he was being taken advantage of, thought his strategy had worked. He pressed on, "When the boss told me I'd be taking in a juvenile offender, I thought some difficult delinquent would be coming. You don't look like someone who would commit a crime at all. What exactly happened? Serious assault is a severe conviction. Was it accidental injury?"
It was a somewhat leading question. It laid out a specific assumption for the respondent and subtly conveyed the stance that even if Tangze had truly done something wrong, it was not an unforgivable mistake. It was the sort of question that easily earned trust.
Silently rating Tooru Amuro's interrogation skills, Tangze shifted his gaze slightly and put on a recollecting expression as he briefly described the entire case.
The case was absurd, its details were absurd, and the outcome was even more absurd.
Leaving aside the fact that the victim had been dead drunk, making it difficult to determine whether Tang Ze Zhao had caused his bleeding head wound or whether he had simply fallen because he could not stand steadily, even if it really had been a fight, the fact that Tang Ze Zhao had been detained immediately after giving his statement was shocking enough to haunt Tangze for a year.
Then there was the fact that the thugs had been locked up in the same cell as him. Because of that, Tang Ze Zhao had been repeatedly beaten and abused in detention.
The trial itself was even more outrageous. The victim had not even appeared in court. When Tang Ze Zhao refused to plead guilty, he was repeatedly warned and pressured. They said that if he confessed now, he could receive a lighter sentence and probationary supervision, then return to school. If he refused, he could only be sent to a juvenile reformatory.
After two grueling months, Tang Ze Zhao finally broke and wrote a confession of guilt.
With pity for the original owner of the body, Tangze calmly recounted it all from an observer's perspective, polishing off a plate of pasta as he spoke.
Tooru Amuro was far more agitated. As he listened, he clenched his fists. "...What they did was against the rules and the law! Where were your parents? Didn't you report them to anyone else?"
Yes, that was the reaction he wanted. Much better. He couldn't be the only one getting angry. Tangze looked with satisfaction at Tooru Amuro's clenched hand and reminded him, "My parents are abroad. As for anyone else... trials involving juvenile crimes are completely closed to the public."
There was no need to spell out the implication. Tooru Amuro understood.
Once the verdict came down, information about the case—which should have remained private—was leaked. Tangze had no evidence in hand, and he had signed a confession. His reputation had also hit rock bottom. No one would listen to him anymore.
Having said his piece, Tangze picked up his cup and sipped his hot cocoa. Watching Tooru Amuro's eye twitch across from him, he found the sight of the man nearly being angered unconscious by his peers rather appetizing.
Tooru Amuro was genuinely furious—not only over what Tangze had suffered, but also because of those colleagues who had seriously neglected their duties. Yet he could not speak from Furuya Rei's position right now, and could only hiss, "Scum! What a bunch of useless thieves living off taxpayers' money!"
Good, excellent. Curse louder! Tangze, never one to fear fanning the flames while watching a spectacle, added, "Maybe that drunk uncle was some important figure, the kind the police could only obey... I really can't find any other explanation."
Tooru Amuro was indeed even angrier.
Wouldn't that be even worse? The organization wouldn't even need to infiltrate the police. As long as it infiltrated a few high-ranking politicians, the police would become private armed security at their disposal!
Damn it. He had to tell Kazami. This needed to be thoroughly investigated!
The pleasant conversation between the two entered someone's field of vision through a scope.
At the edge of a rooftop several hundred meters away, a long-haired man in a knit cap moved his eye away from the sniper rifle's scope.
He took out his vibrating phone, glanced at the caller ID, and tapped his earpiece to answer.
"Shu, how is the situation?"
"Everything is normal for now. 'Bourbon' is making contact with the target."
"What about us? Do we need to approach him?"
Shuichi Akai pressed his eye to the scope again, watching the boy in the crosshairs as he bit on a straw and spoke to Tooru Amuro.
"Not yet. We can't alert them." Shuichi Akai replied, "The Tang Ze couple have been missing for two months. They were likely already killed. The organization expended manpower and resources to take the target away; they will not make a move now. He is safe for the time being."
"About that plan to arrest Gin..."
"Delay it again. Because the Tang Ze couple left the country, I may have already made Gin suspicious. He will not take the bait easily. The immediate priority is the safety of Tang Ze Zhao and the Miyano sisters."
"The facility where the Miyano sisters are being held has extremely tight security. Cameron has gained nothing so far. Shu, we don't have much time left. They cannot keep holding out for long. At this rate, we won't be able to save anyone. Compared with the Miyano sisters, the target is easier to approach."
Shuichi Akai remained silent.
The person on the other end of the call did not speak again either. Silence filled the line.
They both knew what this choice meant.
The FBI had limited influence within Japan, and the operations they could organize were severely restricted. Between the Miyano sisters and Tang Ze Zhao, they could only choose one side to rescue. Whether they succeeded or failed, the now-alert organization would not give them a second chance.
Choosing one meant abandoning the other.
"Shu..." came her sigh through the earpiece. "We have no other choice..."
She knew that both the Tang Ze family and the Miyano family meant a great deal to Shuichi Akai.
The railway switch was in his hands, and the speeding trolley was about to reach the junction. He had to make a choice and pull the lever toward one side.
"Have Cameron return," Shuichi Akai said. His hand holding the sniper rifle was steady, and no hint of hesitation could be heard in his voice. He remained as calm as a sniper at rest. "I'll find an opportunity to contact Tang Ze Zhao. 'Rye' will act according to the organization's mission. That gives me a more legitimate reason."
"Shouldn't we have him wait a little longer? Maybe we—"
"Once we've made a decision, don't keep looking back. Have him return. We need to formulate an operation to relocate Tang Ze Zhao."
"...Understood."
With a crisp click, the communication ended.
Shuichi Akai remained where he was, lying prone as he took out his phone with one hand and typed.
The target's contact with Bourbon is proceeding smoothly. No other suspicious individuals have been spotted nearby.
A few seconds later, the notification tone for a reply sounded.
Maintain vigilance. If the target displays any abnormal behavior, you are authorized to load tranquilizer rounds and incapacitate him directly.
After clearing his inbox, he closed his eyes briefly, then looked through the scope again at Tangze, who was smiling at Tooru Amuro.
Several faces flashed through his mind, but the muzzle did not tremble in the slightest.
They had already lost the Tang Ze couple.
There was no room for any more hesitation.
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