30 minutes later, the man with the "peace symbol" s.h.i.+rt who killed the investigator Rick Fury and escaped with the fairy was found beside a large garbage can on the street 2 kilometres away from the scene.

In an already dead state, with no fairy to be found.

The body was found by a patrol leaving the area. Cause of death is exsanguination from multiple gunshot wounds and internal injuries from the bullets that was shot by Matoba. Normally the lungs would shut down and the heart would definitely stop beating within 3 minutes. There's no way anyone can run over 2 kilometres with this kind of injuries, it's definitely impossible "under this side common sense".

It doesn't take long before we identify the man with the "peace symbol" s.h.i.+rt. He moved into the city 2 years ago and was doing a retail work in the store that sells adult toy.

Nothing about him is out of ordinary, not his name, nor his job. The important thing is that the man with the "peace symbol" s.h.i.+rt was manipulated by someone to show a superhuman strength, kill Rick Fury, and escape. The only one who can do such a thing that He's aware of is a Semanian shamanMildiitar.

Even if the man was manipulated by someone and he may not be conscious, Matoba shooting is definitely a legitimate self defense. There shouldn't be any argument that can be made for a second-degree murder.

"Even then, this kind of thing never happened before"

Said Inspector Jack Roth, who has just arrived on scene. He's the boss of the Special Investigations Unit that Matoba is in, basically his direct boss.

"Never happened before......?"

Matoba took a glance at the side of Roth's exhausted face.

The bodies of Fury and another Filipino guy have already been moved elsewhere. He crouched down and leaned on the front b.u.mper of the squad car sipping his unsavourily lukewarm coffee.

The forensic unit is already done with their usual works and preparing to leave. An hour from now, this alley will probably return to its usual tranquility like nothing has happened.

"What do you mean by 'Never happened before'?"

"There has never been a case where a suspect escape from handcuffs by brute strength, kill an officer with bare hands then run away for over 2 kilometres while fatally wounded. Even if it's true that there're reports about Semanian magic doing this and that, I've never heard an incident this big before."

Inspector Roth spoke in a cold and unfeeling tone.

Jack Roth is not even 50 years old yet, he doesn't have big stature, nor is he especially muscular. But for some reason he feels like a formidable person, like a kind of guy who wouldn't budge no matter who they faces. His pale face doesn't have any trace of smile, his smoke grey eyes are the eyes of those who have seen every horrible depth of human society. And there is an atmosphere around him that feels like a weary philosopher, it's as if his black overcoat is absorbing all the heaviness in the air of this street.

He's heard that the inspector has known the recently deceased Rick Fury for a long time, since the day he was a police officer in NYPD. Almost all of the police officers in San Teresa used to be a police officer in United States or elsewhere around the world.

Roth doesn't seem to want to reprimand or interrogate Matoba in particular.

"It's a regrettable, about Fury."

"I'm sorry, boss."

"It's not your fault."

"I wonder if that was the case, I feel like I could've done better."

Matoba knows there's a Semanian magic that can manipulate people, not only does he know, he even experienced it himself before.

"I should've known"

"You couldn't have known, a minipulated victim often exhibit abnormalities in speech and behavior, but that Filipino guy didn't show any sign, did he?"

"That's probably so."

"Then I will repeat myself, this is not your fault."

"But———"

"That's enough, just leave the rest to the legal team."

Even if Roth's still speaking in his usual tone, he can still feel the slight irritation in his tone.

It's as he said, even if he meticulously describe his mistakes to his boss here, the only thing it will do is tire out both of them. Words alone cannot change anything.

"Yes, sir. But that fairy seems to be a special one"

"The suspect said so, correct?"

"He said it in Farbarnian, 'She's mine from the start' he also called me 'feeble barbariandorina·meta·baderi·na' with the word 'veryba·de·ri', I have never heard this word used elsewhere outside my Farbarnian language cla.s.s, it's not the word that's commonly used among the immigrants."

『ba·de·ri』 is the word that's corresponded to the word 『very, extremely』, but it's an archaic word and only used in formal settings, common Semanians in this city usually use 『ba·da』.

"That means our suspect is probably well educated Semanian?"

"Well, he's a shaman, he's probably very well educated, but I still don't understand why he talked to me."

"Maybe there's no reason that sounds reasonable."

"Why is that so, sir?"

"Because their culture is unreasonable."

Matoba knows that Roth didn't conclude that 'They are uncivilised barbarians', Semanian culture is different from their culture. In Semanian world, Scientific thinking is not a common way of thinking, there is no concept of human rights or democracy. Of course they still have number 0, they still have trigonometry and metallurgy, but their paradigm is fundamentally different from ours. They decide what work to do that day based on the moon phase, they arrange marriage based on fortune teller predictions, and shout their name on the battlefield.

It really is unreasonable.

But even the human on this side has those kind of practices until just a few centuries ago, sometimes talking to Semanian make me think that the current human civilisation— the 21st century civilisation is the funny one instead

"We need to find that shaman and the fairy."

Said Roth.

"I've already informed the local police station, but I don't think they will be caught in our net that easily, it'll probably be faster asking the loot house or delivery boy."

"Right, I will also start snooping around too, starting from interrogating that d.a.m.n Filipino about the place they got that fairy from."

Matoba standing up with difficulty, he then took a deep breath and move both his shoulders around. Even now his back that took impact from the wall with Fury is still sore.

"Others can do that job, you go back home and rest."

"Are you kidding me? Boss."

Matoba snorted in displeasure.

"Partner that've worked with me for 4 years just got killed. You think I can sleep with that? Even if I go back now, at most maybe I'll be in time for a rerun of 'X-Files', sadly I can't stand that show. Running that show in the city that has shamans and aliens walking in the street must be a joke. Resting? I'll pa.s.s on that."

"I don't care what channel you choose to watch, but I definitely not going to let you work"

Roth spoke firmly.

"You've worked for 30 hours since yesterday evening, pus.h.i.+ng yourself now won't do anything any good. Go back. This is an order."

"Souu......" (TLN:Dissappointed sound)

"Hand the report in within 9 AM tomorrow, then finish briefing with the homicide case investigator."

Matoba gave up on arguing with his boss.

What he's saying is also true, this case wouldn't be an easy one, pus.h.i.+ng himeself now wouldn't make things better.

"Do you want me to tell Amy the news?"

He suddenly think of Mrs.Fury that is now a widow, so he asked his boss.

"Don't worry, I will....."

Roth suddenly stop.

"....No. You tell her first that we will come pick her up from her house, I'll take care of the rest."

"Affirmative."

"Sorry, I'll leave it to you."

"No problem."

Matoba shrugged his shoulders and walked to his car.

Cooper S Model 2002. It was the first model of the new generation of Mini that BMW produced. He climbed into the driver seat and was turning the ignition key when he noticed the cup holder in front of the gear lever. The paper cup that's filled with Rick Fury's coffee is still there.

Matoba hesitated a little before he thrown the cup that still contained coffee out the car window.

He doesn't feel like going home at the moment. So Matoba aimlessly drives through the city.

He drove through the Peninsula St. that's almost right beside the crime scene to the Methuselah St., it's already 2 AM but the night district like this one is still lively. Methuselah St. is like Kabukichou[1] of j.a.pan, there are pubs, clubs, strip clubs and stores selling adult toys. On the sidewalk there are people, people and people everywhere.

It's a night city lit with neon lights like everywhere else in the world.

There are a lot of characters written on the paper with vivid colours, not only is there English, there are Russian, Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese and many other languages that Matoba can't identify, probably Thai or Vietnamese, there're even things in Arabic, but what was written on the paper, even the long time resident of this city like him doesn't know.

Even j.a.panese can be seen quite often, but it was crudely written by someone who was doing a bad job copying it from other places, maybe from pictures or j.a.panese advertis.e.m.e.nts. Like 'Adolt Tov' or 'Delicius Griil Beef'. Other languages probably also suffer from the same problems. Matoba was raise in Atsugi[2], he thought those things were funny the first time he visited the city during the war, now it's just a normal everyday thing.

What different from other normal cities is that there's also Farbarnian.

It's the commonly used language on the 'other side'.

The well known Farbarnian for the earthling is the word 『Leto·Semani』, it's the word they used to their world, it means 'The land of the human', probably the same as the word 'Earth' we used.

But the Semanian world wasn't called 'Semanian Planet'

Because Semanian world isn't even a planet.

The thing known as s.p.a.ce as Earthlings understand doesn't exist on Semanian world. We only know that there are oceans and landma.s.ses on a giant hemisphere with a diameter of about 38,000 kilometres. But the area beyond that is shrouded in a thick sea of clouds, like the ancient myth about Earth.

n.o.body knows what's beyond those clouds, teams of explorers from Earth have sent unmanned drones into the cloud time after time, but they lose communication with their drone everytime.

Even if there are sun and moon in the sky, we aren't even sure if those are stars or planets. Even the rockets that we tried to send to collect data exploded to bits at an alt.i.tude of around 80 kilometres, the reason is unclear, but the Semanian said 'That's what you get for opposing the sky'.

Even when teams of explorers from Earth did everything they could, the data collected from the lastest instruments doesn't make any sense when combined together, resulted in no particular finding. Even if there are various theories about Semanian s.p.a.ce, not even one of those can be proven correct.

People in the world of Semani all laughed at the futile effort of Earthling explorers like it's none of their business, and show no sign of interest to the concept of s.p.a.ce on this side at all.

There are many Semanians living in this city of San Teresa.

When the 'gates' appeared, they called the giant landma.s.s that appeared over the Pacific Ocean 'Kariana Island', it used to be a peninsula in Semani, but was transported to Earth. Then the Earthlings came and settled on the ancient city that used to be on the p.e.n.i.sula, that's the origin of the current San Teresa. This city is the city closest to the 'gate', you can say that it's a gateway of the worlds.

When he's on a street like this, he can see couple of Semanians in the crowd of people on the sidewalk. The word 'Semanian' itself roughly translated to the word 'Earthling' that people on that side generally use. But it seems like there're some physiological differences, so Earth's scholars wholeheartedly give the scientific name of h.o.m.o Semanika to Semanian people.

Whether it's the world mysteries or whatever, let just leave those to people who are obsessed with it. Currently, Matoba's problem as a police is that there really are people who come and go between the two sides, and within those people there are criminals among them.

He's almost out of the night district, he can't keep wandering aimlessly in the city forever.

He has things to do after this.

After he left the Methuselah St., he pulled over to the side. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and intensely stared at the screen, without doing anything.

He's not in the mood to make a call.

He doesn't know what to say to a woman who's becoming a widow.

He hesitated for around 3 minutes before somebody knocks the window on the driver's side. There are 3 young man looking at Matoba through the window.

They're Semanian.

Matoba rolled down his window and looks up at the young Semanian men with his exhausted eyes.

"Mister, we will wash your car for you."

One of the Semanian men talked.

"Is that so? I'm good, can you go away?"

"Don't be so cold, here, let me give you a complementary sevice."

One of the men spitted on his winds.h.i.+eld and rubbed it with his disgustingly dirty cloth. Where did these guys get these Earth's insults from? Matoba wondered.

"That's gonna be 300 dollars, you're paying right? Else your favourite car gonna get some scratches."

"Oioi"

Their fake business smiles are now nowhere to be found. Now there are only threatening glares on their faces. They started kicking his tires and hitting his roof, doing whatever they pleased.

"Hey! Get down! Get out of your car! You wanna die huh?"

"Stupid Earthlingdorini. Get out of the car! Fast!"

"It's only 300 dollars y'know?"

Should he get his badge from his pocket, draw his service pistol from his shoulder holster, or get his shotgun under his seat?

Matoba hesitated a little before saying no to all of those. Under this sort of mood, physical exercise is the best. So Matoba casually got out of his car and showed both his hands.

"Okay, okay, chill out."

"Quickly!"

"I'm getting my money out okay? Ah, Where was it again.....? Ah, found it! Here."

Matoba casually tossed his 25 cents coins that he has in his trousers pocket onto the ground. For a moment, the men look alternatively between Matoba and the coins on the ground, not understanding it means.

"Pick it up then, don't forget to say thanks."

The men's eyes dyed in a colour of anger. A man closest to Matoba quitely cursed under his breath and move up to Matoba, intending to grab him.

Here they come.

Matoba swiped the incoming right hand away and drive his palm into the man's chin. He then pulled the man that has lost his balance to him and kneed him in his unguarded solar plexus with great force. He heard the man cried out in pain, he then let the man collapse to the ground and turned to the other man that's lunging at him. He's taller than Matoba, his fists come flying, right, left, Matoba easily guarded them, then he counterattack by low kick him in the groin. Bachin! He landed a solid hit and the man staggered. He then landed a one-two punch like a professional boxer and finished grandly with a roundhouse kick. Matoba's overcoat fanned out like a folding fan. The second man fell to the ground lying face up with his arms and legs spread out on the street.

He quickly turns to face the last man that's charging him from behind, the man hesitates.

"What's it now? Come."

He gestured the man to come at him. The man mumbled something then shaked his head side to side.

"That's enough for you?"

"Ahh....ah"

"Even among the weak Earthlingsdorini there are also some scary onii-san you know? If you're free enough to be a deliquent like this then go to school, school, you know?"

"Y, yes"

"It's 'Yes, sir', show some respect for your senior."

"Yes, sir"

"Good, you've finished my extracurricular activity, go wherever."

After the man helped his friends on the street walk, the Semanian men quickly leave that place. Matoba fixed his disordered cloths then sighed.

If these Semanian is a little bit older than this thing definitely wouldn't end like this. These young men grown up in this San Teresa, their skill isn't that different from this side delinquents', but if they're older— That is, if they're Semanians that're as old as Matoba, things would've gone quite badly.

The world on that side was in something like a Warring States period up until recently, in the world which doesn't have firearms or artillery pieces, people rely on their own body, their own flesh and blood, to survive. They're real professional in the arts of killing, forged with experience in real wars, they're in a different league entirely when compare to Earth's fighters. If he's not using gun, even Matoba would have a hard time fighting many people at the same time.

Well, whatever the case, he got to vent his frustration and now he's feeling refreshed.

He thought to himself that maybe his mood would improve, but that doesn't seem to be the case. He got back into his driver seat and looked at his phone, now he's depressed again.

There's no getting around it.

Matoba tossed his phone to the seat beside him, started the engine and drove for about 100 metres before hitting the steering wheel and roared.

"G.o.d d.a.m.nit!"

Let just do it. He parked his car and picked his phone up then dialed the number without thinking. Toot... Toot..., the sound repeats time after time, if he wants to hang up he need to do it now, but while he's hesitating, the other side's already picked the phone up.

"h.e.l.lo?"

It was a lively voice of a woman, it's Amy Fury's voice, he heard some laughter from some show on the television in the background.

"Amy, it's me."

"Oh, Kei? What's the problem, it's already this late. If it's about Rick, he's not home yet——"

She talked and then suddenly pause, seems like she can guess what happened just from Matoba's depressing tone.

"It's about him."

"It's not true right.....?"

"I'm sorry."

Then Matoba carefully choose his words and tell the young widow the whole story, it's a torture for him.

Getting beaten up by Semanian delinquents is probably preferable to this.

By the time he got to his home in New Compton it's already 2 AM.

New Compton is the warehouse area in the port district. The place he's renting is an old warehouse that was modified to be an accommodation. Downstair is a garage and storage area, on the 2nd floor is the living area.

After he parked his Cooper S Matoba walked up the narrow and steep stair to the 2nd floor, There was a cargo lift that had been used since when it was a warehouse, but it broke down when he moved in 3 years ago and he didn't do anything about it since. He probably need to have it fix if he wants to move out, otherwise he can't move the furnitures out.

"Nown now."

Before he goes into the living room, he grabbed the dust mask that he hung on the doork.n.o.b and put it on, then took a deep breath of fresh cold air. He steps into the living room and switch the light on, there's some movement from the shadow on the sofa. It unsteadily move closer to him.

It's a black cat

But it's right hind leg seem to be injured so it moves sluggishly, when the black cat is in front of Matoba it turns around in a circle between his legs and meows at him.

"Hey don't be angry, this side is also very busy you know?"

He crouched down and pet its chin and head, the black cat purrs in respond, then it quickly notices the plastic bag from the convenience store that Matoba is holding and try to use its nose to sniff the bag. Matoba then takes a can of cat food out from the bag and opens the can with the tab on the can before handing it over to the cat.

"Here."

The black cat doesn't wait for Matoba's permission, it greedily digs into the cat food. He refills the bowl that's almost empty with water and places in beside the cat. This is the 'woman appointment' that he told Fury about.

He takes the letters that was packed full in the mailbox and lay them down on the table one by one. Maybe it's because his address isn't in a residential area, there hardly is any advertis.e.m.e.nt or flyer. There are only postcards from his friends from back when he was a soldier, statements from credit card company, and the notice from the company that manages this warehouse.

"d.a.m.n it!"

It's an invoice for an additional charge for his house. They says that if the leasee is an individual, they must pay an additional yearly fee of 1200 dollars. He's already rejected them multiple times because he never knew about that before he moved in. But it seems like the matter has already reached the court. Now whether he chooses to wave white flag and agree to pay them, or chooses to fight in the court, or chooses to move out immediately and find a new place to live, no matter what he chooses, it's going to cost him a fortune.

While he's still thinking about what to do, his phone ringed, it's a call from inspector Roth.

"About tomorrow, there's a change of plan. You go to the Coast Guard base, 0800 hours, the boat 〈Golden Heart〉 is anch.o.r.ed in dock 3"

"Haa?"

For what reason would a police like him has to board a Coast Guard s.h.i.+p?

"You know the Kingdom of Farbani's band of knights, correct?"

"A little."

Kingdom of Farbani is a large country with extensive history within the world of Semani, to the point that the most common language used is called Farbarnian. If you want to compare it to this world, Kingdom of Farbani is probably equivalent to this world Great Britain.

Over there there is no concept of police force or standing army, the closest thing to that is the royal guard called 『Knights of Mirvor』 of the Kingdom of Farbani. The Knights of Mirvor have the duty to both keep public order and protect the kingdom.

"There is going to be a n.o.ble from the Knights of Mirvor coming here. It's a VIP from the great n.o.ble lineage Exedilika, there is an order to welcome them to the best of our ability. You will be the one escorting them to the department."

"Escorting the n.o.ble? Me?"

Matoba can't believe his own ears.

"Are you joking? I'm an investigative police officer, not a diplomat, how can you send me to welcome a big VIP like that?"

"We're short on hands, and the only officer we have that can speak Farbarnian is you."

"I think I'll pa.s.s on guiding an old man sightseeing, just let me find the murderer in Rick case."

"We'll talk about that later. Just go and welcome them, that's an order."

"s.h.i.+t!"

"Make sure there is no mistake."

Roth ended the call.

He tossed his phone onto the table and cursed his fate. He then coughed violently, his throat is irritated, his breathing is wheezing from his stuffy nose.

Troubled breathing is a symptom of people with asthma.

Just taking off his mask for a minute brings him to this state. He put the mask back on and bitterly stare at the black cat, it looks satisfied after it finished its meal.

"Happy, huh"

The black cat meows carefreely.

He walks into the bedroom deeper into the living room, the bedroom is a seperate room so it's okay, he can take off his mask.

But when he open the bedroom door trying to get in, the cat stretch its hind legs and try to follow him into the room.

"You can't."

Matoba picked the black cat up and thrown it onto the sofa in the living room. The cat fell onto a pile of cus.h.i.+ons on the sofa and made a strange fu-nyaa sound.

"How many times do I have to tell you. Sorry, but we can't sleep together."

He pointed at the dejected black cat and closed the door. He presses the switch on a small vacuum cleaner hanging on the side of the wall to turn it on and uses it to carefully clean the area around the door, he then uses baby wipes to thoroughly clean his hands that have touched the cat.

This much should be enough.

He takes off his mask and undoes his necktie, then he immediately lies down on the bed without even taking off his shoes. Amy is probably receiving a 'it's most regrettable' speech from boss right about now. Rick body in the morgue is probably still warm. And the Semanian that killed Rick is also probably still smiling somewhere out there. Nevertheless, Kei Matoba is sleeping like a dead man, his fatigue drives him into deep slumber where he can't even see dream, and maybe that's a good thing.

⛌⛌⛌⚖⚔⚖⚔⚖⛌⛌⛌

↑ 1.A famous entertainment district best known for adult-oriented nightlife. Located in s.h.i.+njuku ward, Tokyo.

↑ 2.A city located in the Kanagawa Prefecture

h.e.l.lo everyone, LightSeaGreen's here. This is my first novel translation project! Well, actually it was a lot of firsts for me, this is also my first blog, in fact. Cop Craft is one of my favourite novel series and I'm really happy that it was adapted into an anime (I haven't seen the anime yet though) so to celebrate, I'm picking up this series to translate, starting from the 2nd half of the first chapter that has already been translated by Okane ga Hos.h.i.+

I'm not a native English speaker so please expect a lot of mistakes :P Feel free to correct any mistake that I made (and will make) or you can contact me directly on Discord, my discord is Frosty#3589 or join .

A lot of things are being set up at the moment, expect a fair bit of changes to the blog and Discord server soon.

I'm very new to this but I will try my best to release at least 1/4 of a chapter (a chapter is fairly long for this series) every 2 weeks, I'll keep you guys updated if I cannot meet the schedule.