Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Penalty
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Miwako Sato of the Investigation Division 1 at the Miyagi Prefectural Police Headquarters was staring at some documents with a cigarette dangling from her lips.
[Kondo Kumoto - Attending Physician's Report]
This was the doctor's report on the injuries of the high school girl kidnapper who was currently heating up not just Miyagi Prefecture, but the entire nation.
'The wounds on his arms and legs are clearly knife marks, his face was punched, and along with the injury on the back of his head, there's amnesia.'
Whoever did it must have beaten him viciously, she thought.
Miwako skimmed through the report roughly, tossed the papers aside, leaned back in her chair, and pondered.
'First off, the reporter who called it in couldn't have done it.'
The Japanese political world wasn't just in chaos—it was completely upended right now.
And for good reason. The politicians implicated in this sexual assault scandal were revealed to have ties to the yakuza, sparking total outrage.
Sure, taking some money from the yakuza wouldn't have been a huge deal...
'But they received child sex abuse material...'
It wasn't just regular porn—they got videos of high school girls, middle school girls, and even elementary school kids. So it was no wonder things had escalated beyond chaos into a full-blown upheaval.
Not only was the political sphere in turmoil, but there was also a massive push to strengthen the anti-yakuza laws with even harsher organized crime exclusion ordinances.
"Phew~ Cigarettes taste good today."
"Oh, did you switch brands, senpai?"
"Nah. The situation's just entertaining."
"Eww."
With all eyes on that mess, interest in the reporter who started it all had actually faded away.
Of course, not everyone had lost interest.
'Who the hell are you?'
Oddballs like Miwako were far more curious about the reporter's identity than any bill or the truth of the case.
The reason Miwako was so curious about the reporter was simple.
'That PE teacher wasn't an ordinary guy.'
People who'd only seen him on the news or in papers thought of him as just a promising coach turned sexual predator, but Kumoto was no ordinary man.
Not only had he served in the Self-Defense Forces, but he'd also been deployed overseas and had a record of placing in multiple athletic competitions.
He was definitely a tough one in that regard.
And yet, someone had...
[Heh, hehehe... I, I messed up...]
Driven him halfway out of his mind. How could she not be intrigued?
'The doctor said there might be amnesia from a concussion.'
But no matter how she looked at it, Kumoto seemed like his brain had been messed with by someone.
In short, he wasn't right in the head.
'The high school girl and high school boy at the scene said they didn't know who it was...'
There had been three people at the scene.
The perp, the victim, and some high school boy for reasons unknown.
Never mind the weird combo.
'The boy really seemed clueless, but the girl... she knows something.'
Miwako mulled it over for a while before scratching her head and tossing the papers away.
She just couldn't figure out who the reporter was, no matter how hard she thought.
And she had work piling up besides...
Miwako stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and got back to her tasks.
She needed to wrap up quickly if she wanted time to investigate on her own.
The day after Haru confessed to me.
I was currently in the middle of a check-up at the hospital.
"Hmm, you're looking much better. Must be your youth—your recovery speed is impressive."
I listened to the examination from the doctor whose hair was half-gone.
"Here's your check-up sheet and prescription~"
Got my meds prescribed.
"Psycho~ Since he's my son, he can wait in the nurses' lounge and head home with me after my shift, right?"
"Of course."
Met up with Ayaka's mom, and relaxed in the lounge where only nurses were hanging out.
Huh? Why did Ayaka's mom suddenly show up?
Because she works as a nurse at this hospital.
'Specifically, some kind of assistant nurse or something?'
Ayaka's mom wasn't technically a full nurse—she was an assistant nurse.
What's the difference?
If I had to explain... honestly, I don't know the details. I just know that's her job.
I think assistant nurses are similar to nursing assistants in Korea.
And what's a nursing assistant? They assist nurses and doctors, that kind of thing.
Anyway, Ayaka's mom was working as an assistant nurse at a hospital in Miyagi Prefecture—not too small, but not exactly big either.
Why an assistant nurse? Simple reason.
She had the certification, and since she got no child support from the Mori family, she had to work.
Plus, she said she enjoyed caring for people.
As I thought that, I glanced around.
'Man, this ero-game world never changes. Look at those outfits.'
There were two nurses lounging around, and their uniforms were something else.
Tight pink fabric clinging to their bodies with super short skirts—the kind that would give real nurses a seizure if they saw it. Total moe & subculture nurse cosplay.
'Do actual nurses wear this crap?'
I wondered what they'd do if an emergency hit.
"It's nice and slow today."
"Hey, watch your mouth. Remember last time you jinxed it..."
"Oh, emergency patient."
Other nurses (the ones in practical running outfits like real nurses) rushed into the lounge and then bolted out just as fast.
Seeing that, I suddenly understood how this hospital operated.
'No way... Nurses in the ER wear comfy clothes, while the others rock these sexed-up uniforms?'
I doubted it at first, but wandering the halls a bit confirmed it.
'This place is insane.'
I wondered who the hell ran a hospital like this, but apparently, it was the owner's direct order.
The owner was some famous local pervert geezer.
If he was just a pervert, he'd have been shut down by now, but he paid well, so people let it slide.
Thank goodness Ayaka's mom, being an assistant nurse with a heavy workload, always wore practical clothes. Otherwise, I'd have lost it.
Anyway, after the check-up, I waited a bit for Ayaka's mom.
"You're Ayaka's son?"
"Yep, definitely her kid."
"Wanna meet some girls sometime?"
I was surrounded by these pretty women—big sis types or aunties, hard to tell—and turning into their cuddle toy.
My looks drew attention, and since I chatted well with adults, we hit it off quick.
Oh, and bonus.
Squish~
"Oh my, you like auntie's butt that much?"
"Auntie's butt is plump and nice."
"What about big sis?"
"Soft and squishy—love it."
I was groping these nurse big sis/auntie types under hypnosis, so time flew by.
After chilling with them a bit.
"Takuya~ Oh, hi everyone~"
Ayaka's mom showed up to pick me up after finishing her shift.
I pulled my hands off the aunties' and big sisters' butts and went to her.
Time to head home.
On the way back,
"Takuya. Mom loves you no matter what you look like. You know that, right?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah..."
Ayaka's mom suddenly said something out of left field.
I didn't get it at first, but her expression seemed dead serious, so I nodded and answered.
She patted my head fondly, like I was a good boy.
It was sudden, but I didn't mind the touch.
Two days later, that night.
Penalty application begins!
Accompanied by intense pain—proceed with caution!
"Hngh! Hngh! Grraaah!!"
I could see the warning on the screen in front of me amid the excruciating pain.
Somehow reading through the agony, I spat out curses the moment I grasped the message.
'Fuck... you bastards... warn me beforehand...'
They didn't say it'd hurt this bad.
As my mind flickered in and out from the insane pain,
"Takuya. I'm sorry."
'Wh-who... are you...'
A warm hand touched me along with an unfamiliar voice.
I had no idea why they were apologizing, but my body hurt too much, and the touch was so comforting, I couldn't push it away.
The warmth lingered until I fully passed out.
After that hellish night of pain, I woke in the morning, looked in the mirror, and...
"Who the hell is this?"
Some pretty kid stood there—boy or girl, impossible to tell.
I said that, but I knew better than anyone who the cute kid in the mirror was.
Because it was me.
'No, but why's my hair...'
For reference, getting prettier came with longer hair as a bonus.
I sighed deeply at my reflection.
Looks like I'd underestimated my appearance.
My body shrank a bit, and my face changed this much?
Life's full of surprises.