It's Common Sense for Police to Catch Criminals with Card Battles
When I returned from the restroom, a group of boys and girls who looked like a protagonist's party in every way were waiting for me.
What is this lineup? They're practically radiating youth just by standing there. My withered, old heart is getting purified.
Taeyang, who had returned just in time for our date—no, our outing—welcomed his friends. I was introduced to them and exchanged greetings.
Kang Saet-byeol, Seo Chae-rin, and Taeyang. So the three of them made up the Beyond Battle club.
Look at those names. They're so blatantly unique. Meanwhile, Chae-rin is the only one with a normal name, which practically screams that she's the heroine.
In the past, girls' names were also chosen to be easily memorable like Taeyang or Saet-byeol, but lately, the trend was to localize them to sound cute.
While I was lost in these silly thoughts, the kids explained what had happened today, and Yumi's expression stiffened.
"Are you doing something dangerous again? Last time, you almost lost Princess when you fought those guys. If something like that happens again, my heart might actually stop."
"It's the opposite, Mom! Because of what happened last time, I'm reporting it to you properly! If you react like that, even I'm going to feel hurt!"
『That's right. Besides, Auntie Yumi, you know that what happened back then wasn't Taeyang's fault, right?』
"Well, yes, but still..."
Watching the situation unfold, I chimed in and asked what was going on. Don't leave a guy out and talk amongst yourselves.
"Ah, I'm sorry! You didn't know about this, did you, Lee Baek? Well, it's about the rare card hunters I mentioned before. People who hunt other players' cards have been popping up nationwide. Some of those villains targeted Taeyang and Princess before, and these three managed to drive them off a few times. When I first heard they were doing wager battles in the middle of the night, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest."
Yumi made a big deal out of it, but to me, it sounded like a classic episode starring a protagonist and his party.
"You're Saet-byeol, right? You seem like the smartest one here. If you don't mind, could you explain the situation to me?"
"Yes. The group we faced is called Locust. They're nicknamed the 'swarm of locusts.' True to their name, once they appear, most of the rare cards in the neighborhood vanish. According to my research online, their operational units are organized in decentralized cells, making them very difficult to catch."
Good grief. What is this world coming to when an elementary schooler is talking about decentralized cells?
"Uh, what's a decentralized cell?"
"I'm with Taeyang. I've never heard that term before."
"Since it's a pain to explain to both of you, I'll just show you the wiki."
"Oh~!"
"Ah. So that's what it is."
True to his role as the brain, he bypassed the explanation perfectly. My opinion of the boy named Saet-byeol shot straight up.
"Because of what happened last time, we wanted to get some help from an adult. Auntie Yumi holds a safety license recognized by the Beyond Battle Association. She was supervising upstairs today, too."
In other words, they saw signs of a fire and proactively sought out a firefighter to report it. What admirable kids. I reached out and gave their heads a good pat.
"Yumi, instead of getting upset, you should praise them. From their perspective, they just came to report it the moment they realized something bad was happening at their elementary school."
"I suppose... you're right. Just as you said, Lee Baek, I might have been a bit too sensitive because of what happened last time."
"It's because it concerns your son."
"Whew..."
Seeing Yumi press a hand to her forehead, I reflexively placed my palm against it. She didn't have a fever. However, she didn't push my hand away, remaining still for a moment.
That sight seemed to be quite amusing to the kids in front of us... especially to Chae-rin, who, despite her young age, was still a girl.
"You two seem really close. I heard you only met a week ago, but aren't you guys way closer than expected~?"
"Hey now. Don't tease adults."
"Ehehe~."
While Taeyang stood there clueless with a question mark practically floating over his head, Yumi quickly caught on to Chae-rin's implication. She brushed my hand away, her lips twitching nervously.
"It's not like that yet, so please don't tease us too much."
"...Yet?"
"Ahem! More importantly, thank you for letting me know. I'll report this to the Association right away. They just sent out an official notice saying they're investigating recent incidents, so they should dispatch someone soon. In the meantime, you kids must be careful until we adults handle it. You absolutely must not try to catch the bad guys on your own like last time. I'm going to meet with Man-bok's mother and talk to her."
I munched on the snacks Yumi had brought out while blankly listening to her response. It was a textbook reaction. Saet-byeol seemed satisfied, as this was likely the answer he wanted, but unfortunately, Taeyang was not. He was pouting with a disgruntled expression.
"What about you, Mister?"
He tossed the ball to me. He probably figured that, unlike his mother, I was someone he could actually talk to. Reading Taeyang's mind, I voiced his thoughts for him through the mouth of an adult.
"I know you want to help since it involves a close friend in your class. And I know you're looking at me like this because you think you'll get scolded if you say that in front of your mom."
"Whoa. This guy is reading Taeyang like an open book. How did you know?"
"His personality is just that simple. I can tell what he's thinking just by looking at his face. The only one who doesn't know is probably Yumi."
"M-Me?"
"No matter how smart parents are, they tend to turn a blind eye when it comes to their own kids. Though in Yumi's case, it might be because she usually keeps her eyes half-closed."
"Don't tease me~!"
I accepted her playful, light punches as a form of affection and pondered for a moment to find a compromise.
"Saet-byeol. You just said that when Locust appears, rare cards vanish, right?"
"Yes. That's how it's been in most of the affected areas so far. Similar cases are popping up all over the world, too."
"Hmm."
As I reacted indifferently, Taeyang jumped up from his seat and yelled, "Did you figure something out?!" He was too energetic. To a lethargic older guy like me, that passion was terrifying. I felt like I'd get burned if I made the wrong move.
"Something's weird. For a decentralized organization, it's strange how they sweep through a neighborhood and disappear all at once."
"Strange?"
"If they're decentralized, their communication channels should be limited to prevent their leaders from getting caught. That's why even though several members have been arrested, and rumors have spread enough for a kid like Saet-byeol to find info, they still haven't caught the mastermind. Yet, their coordination is too clean. If they're recruiting people indiscriminately, even pulling in kids like you, problems are bound to arise."
『I'm terrible at this kind of stuff. So let me ask, what kind of problems would arise, for example?』
"Princess. Imagine you're the boss of those villains. When the job is done and you're leaving town, are you really going to take an elementary schooler like Man-bok with you?"
『Uh... no. But if you leave him behind, won't the police catch him and try to get information out of him?』
For someone who claimed to be terrible at this, she caught on immediately. Several loopholes that even Princess could notice were laid bare.
"Furthermore, if you recruit a kid like Man-bok to steal cards, and then demand he hand them over, would he just give them up easily? A fool might, but anyone who realizes they'll be discarded the moment they hand them over would hold out. Is there a way to control even those kinds of people?"
Everything about this was strange. A criminal organization using children as combatants—it really felt like a plot straight out of a children's cartoon.
『Since you've gone that far, it sounds like you already know the answer.』
"I'm talking like this precisely because I don't know."
『Still, if you have a theory, tell us. At least Taeyang and the kids believe in you.』
I pondered how to answer the little Princess's question. Honestly, I had seen this kind of cliché so many times that I practically knew the answer.
But is it okay for me to tell them? Won't this interfere with the kids' growth?
You know how it is in wuxia novels and other stories. The original protagonist's fortuitous encounters or growth arcs get completely stolen by some self-insert character, and later on, people are like, 'Why did the original protagonist get so weak?'
This episode felt exactly like that. As I hesitated to answer, Yumi grabbed my arm and pleaded politely.
"If you have any ideas, please tell us. I'm begging you."
I was incredibly weak against my benefactor—especially when she was a beautiful married woman I had slept with.
"They probably lent a strong card to a kid like Man-bok and coaxed him into sweeping up all the cards in the neighborhood. Then, at some point, they'll contact the kid and take the cards back. Once they slip away and flee the area, all the blame will fall on the kids who actually committed the acts. It confuses the investigation, and they get to reap the rewards without ever getting their hands dirty."
"Just like that?"
"This is just a rough guess. In reality, they're probably using a much smarter method. Something that ordinary people like us wouldn't even dream of. After all, even the professional police and the Association haven't been able to catch their tail, right?"
"Hmm. But why target Man-bok specifically?"
"Who knows. From what I hear, this Man-bok kid has always had an inferiority complex toward you, Taeyang. Maybe they target kids like him on purpose. If that's the case, people who are socially vulnerable and have nothing to lose might also be prime targets for Locust."
Saet-byeol reacted to my words.
"Come to think of it, I've seen similar cases. The homeless men living at the station were actually all members of Locust."
"Public safety is terrible. What are the police even doing?"
"Those guys know all the generic decks the police officers use. When the police try to arrest them, they just win a fair-and-square Beyond Battle and run away. That's why the investigation is struggling."
So even in this world, the police arrest criminals through card battles.
I hoped prison meals or bail money didn't involve trading rare cards too.
"You heard Lee Baek, right? That organization is not something kids like you should deal with, Taeyang. I'll contact the Association. The people there are all Beyond Battle professionals, so leave it to them."
"I know that. But still..."
Taeyang wasn't the type of kid to just sit still after hearing that. That was exactly why he was the protagonist.
"I know, I know. Taeyang, in that case, let me ask a favor of you."
"What is it?!"
"Keep an eye on Man-bok, and protect your friend."
"...Me?"
"If our theory is correct, someone will check on Man-bok to retrieve the cards. Even if they don't, there might be villains contacting other kids in your class. Since they've already targeted a student, your class isn't safe either. Warn your classmates about this to raise awareness. Preventing them from falling for the bad guys' temptations in the first place is the best approach."
Naturally, Yumi flinched and was about to object, but I pressed down on her shoulder to stop her.
That's dangerous too. What if Taeyang catches the villains' attention?
Yumi. Do you really not know your own son?
Me?
What do you think will happen if we don't compromise even this much? Does he look like the type of kid who would sit still after hearing our theory?
Ugh...
He's like a spring. If you press down on him and tell him not to do it, he'll just bounce back with even more force. And you know exactly where he'll fly off to once he bounces, don't you, Yumi?
Ah, I can't even deny it, even if he is my son! If we don't at least let him do that, he'll definitely go pick a fight with Locust because they messed with his friend!!
Exactly. We had to understand this protagonist mindset and utilize it.
Properly utilizing a child's independence is also a part of parenting. In Taeyang's case, it's a bit too excessive, so we need to rein it in, but that doesn't mean we should completely ignore him.
I understand. Having another adult around really opens my eyes.
Though I, the one saying this, was also unmarried.
Fortunately, Taeyang and his friends happily accepted my suggestion.