Renjiro exhaled, slipping his hands into his pockets as the heavy atmosphere settled around him. The KEB officers moved swiftly, their uniforms crisp and their presence suffocating. The crowd had already begun to disperse, their murmurs fading into the background, but the lingering eyes of those who remained locked onto him.

His gaze flickered to the girl. Amber eyes, still wide, still glued to him. She saw everything.

“Tch.” Renjiro clicked his tongue, glancing at the officers closing in. If there was one thing he had learned through lifetimes of experience, it was that authorities always reacted poorly to things they didn’t understand.

“You there.” The lead officer, a woman with short silver hair and a KEB insignia on her sleeve, stepped forward. Her sharp eyes were filled with suspicion. “Identify yourself.”

Renjiro held back a sigh. It was always the same.

“Takatsuki Renjiro,” he replied, his tone as nonchalant as ever. “Eighteen. A student at—” He lazily pulled the ID from his pocket, flashing it. “—Hoshin Academy.”

The officer didn’t take it. Instead, she folded her arms, scrutinizing him. “Explain how you neutralized that Shigen.”

There it was. The inevitable interrogation. Renjiro considered his options. Lying was pointless—too many witnesses. Running? Also a waste of effort. That left one route: playing dumb.

“I moved,” he said simply.

A twitch in the officer’s brow. “Moved?”

“You saw it yourself, right?” Renjiro shrugged. “It attacked. I stopped it.”

The silence that followed was thick with tension.

“This isn’t a game,” the officer finally said. “You dispersed its Koi energy without activating any visible technique. That isn’t normal.”

Renjiro sighed. He supposed that was an issue—most Koi users flared their energy before attacking. He didn’t. His body had been tempered across so many lives that wielding Koi was second nature, a seamless extension of himself.

Unfortunately, that just made him look more suspicious.

“You’re coming with us,” the officer decided, gesturing to her subordinates. Two of them stepped forward, their hands hovering near the batons strapped to their sides.

Renjiro tilted his head. “Really?”

The officer narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t a request.”

The girl with amber eyes suddenly took a step forward. “Wait!”

All eyes turned to her. Renjiro raised a brow. He had expected her to bolt the moment the Shigen was gone, but instead, she had stayed. That was… interesting.

The girl clenched her fists, hesitating before forcing the words out. “He saved me. If he wasn’t here, that thing would have—”

“We are aware,” the officer cut in, her voice measured. “That’s not the issue.” She turned back to Renjiro. “Come quietly.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Renjiro considered his choices. Again.

Surrender? Cause a scene?

…Or use this as an opportunity?

A slow smile curled at the edge of his lips. Let’s see how deep this rabbit hole goes.

“Alright,” he said, stepping forward. “Lead the way.”

The Koi Enforcement Bureau: Part 2

The KEB headquarters was as predictable as ever—stale, rigid, drowning in procedure. The interrogation room was the same. Dull gray walls. A single table. A two-way mirror reflecting his impassive expression.

The officer, still stiff with authority, sat across from him. A file was in her hands, but she hadn’t opened it yet. Instead, she was studying him. Measuring him.

Renjiro leaned back in his chair. “So, are we doing good cop, bad cop, or just skipping straight to the part where you label me a threat?”

The officer’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You don’t seem particularly concerned about your situation.”

“That’s because I’m not.”

A beat of silence. Then, she finally opened the file. “Takatsuki Renjiro. No prior records. A completely average student.”

She set the folder down. “And yet, today, you moved faster than any trained Koi user and eliminated a Shigen in one strike.”

Renjiro shrugged. “What can I say? Lucky day.”

“Enough.” Her voice was firm. “You clearly have experience. Who trained you?”

He met her gaze, unblinking. “No one.”

A flicker of frustration crossed her face. “Lying won’t help you.”

“And pressing for answers I don’t plan on giving won’t help you,” Renjiro shot back smoothly. “We could do this all day, Officer…?”

She exhaled sharply. “Sera. Captain Sera of the KEB.”

“Captain, huh?” Renjiro tilted his head. “Must be a pain, dealing with this stuff.”

Sera ignored his attempt at small talk. “You realize that neutralizing a Shigen without proper registration makes you a potential risk, right?”

Renjiro raised a brow. “So, saving people is a crime now?”

“That’s not—” Sera cut herself off, inhaling deeply. “That’s not the issue.”

Silence stretched between them.

Then, she leaned forward slightly. “What do you know about Shigens?”

Renjiro considered his answer carefully.

“…More than most.”

Sera’s gaze sharpened. “Elaborate.”

He closed his eyes briefly. “A Shigen is what happens when a person’s Koi energy surpasses their body’s limit. The excess Koi warps them, mutating both their mind and body. The stronger their Koi, the more humanoid they remain—but eventually, they all lose themselves.”

He opened his eyes. “They’re not just monsters. They’re failures of control.”

Sera’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of something—recognition? Interest?—in her eyes.

“Not a bad explanation,” she admitted. “But where did you learn that?”

Renjiro simply smiled. “Like I said—more than most.”

Sera exhaled. “You’re a mystery, Takatsuki.”

He leaned forward slightly, his voice quiet but firm. “And you’re not used to mysteries, are you?”

A tense pause.

Then, to his mild amusement, Sera let out a small chuckle. “No. I’m not.”

For the first time since they sat down, her posture relaxed—only slightly, but enough.

“…I can’t let you go just yet,” she said at last. “But I also can’t hold you without cause.”

Renjiro smirked. “So what now?”

Sera studied him one last time before closing the file. “…Now, you’re under observation.”

Ah. There it was.

“Well,” Renjiro mused, standing up as the door unlocked. “Guess I should be on my best behavior then.”

Sera didn’t respond.

As he stepped out of the room, the weight of new eyes on him was almost tangible. The KEB had taken notice.

And so, the pieces on the board began to shift.