Chapter 326: Chapter 324: The Intelligence of the Defense Barrier_1
DING-DONG.
The pleasant ringing of the bell signaled the end of class, and the teacher left the classroom.
The rain outside had stopped, and gentle sunlight sprinkled over the courtyard.
Aozawa stuffed his textbook back into the drawer. The blonde girl sitting in front of him swiftly turned around. Without a hint of politeness, she took over most of his desk space, even pushing his pencil case to the corner.
"Aozawa, Ponte and his team were all taken out by Dio last night."
"Huh? Wasn’t Ponte appointed Police Director just a couple of days ago? He died in the line of duty already?"
"Exactly. He now holds the record for the shortest-serving Police Director in the Metropolitan Police Department’s history. He didn’t even last two days before being killed."
Phoenix Academy Maggie paused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She chuckled and said, "What do you think? How did Dio find out his whereabouts?
"Ponte was well-known in the business world, but he rarely made public appearances.
"No major news outlet had ever published a photo of him; most were of his father.
"Even I didn’t know what Ponte looked like before I met him.
"So tell me, how did Dio manage to accurately identify Ponte’s appearance?"
Phoenix Academy Maggie was brimming with curiosity, her bright eyes fixed on Aozawa, not wanting to miss any change in his expression.
"So~ what do you think the reason could be?"
She urged him, her smile revealing a trace of triumph, like a little girl who had just savored some candy.
Aozawa spread his hands. "How could I possibly know about matters involving Superpower Users."
"EHH~~" Phoenix Academy Maggie drew out the sound. Instead of crossing her arms, her right hand shot out, landing several precise punches on Aozawa’s shoulder.
"Ouch! Why’d you suddenly hit me?"
Aozawa rubbed his shoulder.
Phoenix Academy Maggie said seriously, "I wanted to see if you’d glow."
"What are you talking about?"
Aozawa rolled his eyes.
He was indeed using a Defense Barrier at that moment, but its defense was intelligent. Meaning, the Defense Barrier could distinguish between a playful tap and a genuinely lethal attack. According to Aozawa’s tests, activities like Sword Dao training wouldn’t trigger the Defense Barrier’s counter-attack; only attacks that truly threatened his life would. Otherwise, he usually had to rely on his own judgment. If he wasn’t paying attention, a baseball suddenly flying his way could hit him accurately. Unless that baseball had enough force to shatter his skull with a single hit, the Defense Barrier wouldn’t automatically activate. Furthermore, the Defense Barrier could remain active for a very long time, likely indefinitely. Even the Defense Barriers he granted to others could remain active indefinitely. Katerina’s Defense Barrier had been active since noon yesterday without interruption, as had the one he’d given to Morimoto Chiyoda last night. This morning, he had granted Defense Barriers to Ayatsuki Ayaka, Phoenix Academy Maggie, the class representative, and Hojo Shouko. As for Hojo Tetsuji, Aozawa felt he had reached his limit; he couldn’t grant another without deactivating Katerina’s. But if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to determine how much force Katerina’s Defense Barrier could withstand.
Emily was still gathering evidence of Yakuza crimes, likely planning to target a Yakuza Organization they could catch red-handed. This approach was typical for a detective. Even when they knew who the culprit was, they still had to find evidence to prove the crime.
"TSK."
Phoenix Academy Maggie muttered, thinking he was incredibly tight-lipped. She withdrew her hand and crossed her arms. "By the way, before class, I was chatting with Makoto.
"She was complaining that the sudden clap of thunder last night had scared her so much she slipped in the bathroom and landed hard on the floor. Her tailbone hurt so badly she thought it had cracked.
"That reminded me of something. When you had that episode, you completely tackled me, didn’t you?
"I didn’t feel any pain at all back then. Isn’t that amazing?
"I clearly fell, but my head and butt didn’t hurt at all. Do you think it’s some kind of Superpower?"
"Did something like that happen?"
Aozawa feigned a bewildered expression.
Phoenix Academy Maggie stared at him, saying nothing.
He shrugged. "I don’t remember very clearly. Maybe it was too exciting at the time. How about we try it again?
"We can find a private spot, I’ll tackle you, and we’ll see if it hurts."
"In your dreams."
Phoenix Academy Maggie swatted his arm and rolled her eyes at him.
She didn’t press the issue. She had been too shocked at the time and genuinely couldn’t recall if she’d felt any pain. Afterward, all she could remember was the sensation on her chest; she couldn’t recall if the back of her head had hurt at all.
Aozawa chuckled, then stood up and patted Hojo Tetsuji’s shoulder. "Tetsuji, wake up. Let’s go to the bathroom."
"AH?!"
Hojo Tetsuji shot up, sweat beading on his forehead.
Aozawa, startled by the outburst, said, "Do you have to be so dramatic?"
"I just dreamt I was on deadline, couldn’t finish my manga manuscript, and my editor turned into a giant monster trying to eat me!"
Hojo Tetsuji wiped the sweat from his forehead. The dream was over, but he still felt a faint palpitation. This was a kind of pressure he’d never experienced before. But ever since he started drawing manga, Hojo Tetsuji had gradually come to understand how hard his parents, who came home late every day, worked. The job was exhausting, but the fear of losing it was immense. Hojo Tetsuji was terrified that one careless mistake could lead to his manga being canceled, costing him the chance to go out for research with Yoshikawa Sayuri. Having now tasted the joys of manga research, Hojo Tetsuji definitely didn’t want to lose his job as a manga artist.
"Calm down. Dreams are often the opposite of reality. Let’s go to the bathroom."
Hojo Tetsuji, enlightened, was no longer anxious and walked out of the classroom.
Phoenix Academy Maggie also left her seat and went over to Nomura and the others.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
The sky outside the school building had turned gloomy again, looking like it was about to pour.
As Aozawa headed towards the club building, his phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him to a new message.
He unlocked it and saw it was from Morimoto Chiyoda.
"After school today, don’t go back to Ayase Apartment. Come to our new house at this address."
After the message registered as ’read,’ Morimoto Chiyoda quickly sent an address: "Ayase San-Chome 23-3, Adachi District, Tokyo."
Looking at the address, Aozawa was slightly surprised. If he remembered correctly, that area was considered a wealthy part of Adachi District. It was just across the street from their own upscale apartment building, an area with mostly two or three-story houses.
"Why are we suddenly moving?"
Aozawa sent a message asking. It quickly showed as ’read,’ and was swiftly followed by a photo.
It was a light blue, sleek sports car—the kind ordinary people wouldn’t dare touch, as even a minor repair would cost a fortune. Even Aozawa, who knew little about cars, could tell this one was extremely expensive.
"Did you win the lottery?"
"Of course not. As of today, I’ve been promoted—rocketed all the way up to Police Director!
"You should be able to find videos about it this afternoon, like ’Beauty of a Generation Appointed Police Director’ or ’Youngest Female Police Director in History.’
"Ignoring Precedent, Prioritizing Ability: Yasuda Cabinet’s Unconventional Promotion of Top Female Superintendent!"
Since the message was too long, Morimoto Chiyoda sent a voice note explaining instead of typing.
Aozawa was a bit baffled. He couldn’t imagine what kind of discussions among the higher-ups could have led to Morimoto Chiyoda becoming Police Director.
Could it be the higher-ups already know that he is Dio?
The doubt flashed through Aozawa’s mind but was quickly dismissed.
The higher-ups were probably terrified by Ponte’s death and didn’t dare take the Police Director position themselves. They likely kept passing the buck until it landed on Morimoto Chiyoda.
Aozawa replied with a laughing emoji: "Congratulations on the promotion."
"Your reaction is too bland! Hurry up and respectfully address me as Police Director Morimoto!"
Morimoto Chiyoda sent this voice message, though her expression wasn’t as cheerful as her tone.
She wasn’t foolish. The fact that the higher-ups agreed to such an outlandish request made it clear to her that they didn’t consider being Police Director a good thing at all; that’s why they’d pushed her forward as a figurehead. This 370-square-meter villa, the Lamborghini, the Police Director’s salary, and the retirement benefits—they were all payment for her life. Of course, she wouldn’t be as foolish as Ponte and try to provoke Dio. She planned to adopt the task force’s original strategy: a battle of wits, not brute force. Her first act upon taking office would be to abolish the God Detective APP. The reasoning was simple: the workload was too immense and didn’t align with her strategy of slacking off. She wouldn’t report this truthfully to her superiors. Instead, she would completely reject Ditch’s proposals, arguing that he didn’t understand Dio at all. Dio was an Angel Envoy; using Ditch’s methods would only waste their time. It would be better to focus on researching how *they* could ascend to Paradise before Dio did.
This excuse clearly resonated with the higher-ups; they also wanted to reach Paradise before Dio.
"Alright, Police Director Morimoto. Remember to wear your uniform while you cook dinner for me tonight."
After sending this, Aozawa added a lecherous-looking emoji. An old man’s Police Director uniform was nothing special, but Morimoto Chiyoda in a Police Director’s uniform? That would be quite a sight.
"Hmm, I’ll consider it~"
Morimoto Chiyoda sent this voice message, adding, "Can’t chat anymore, I have things to do. I’ll make you a feast tonight."
After sending the message, Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t exit the chat, waiting until Aozawa sent an ’OK’ emoji.
Only then did she close the chat app. She looked up at the house with a yard in front of her and raised her hand to ring the doorbell.
BRRING~ The bell rang out.
Soon, a familiar voice came from above.
"What is it? Oh, it’s Morimoto. What do you need?"
A flash of joy crossed Emily’s eyes, but she quickly composed her expression and said seriously, "Be careful, or Ditch will reprimand you."
"Actually, I’ve resigned. I couldn’t stand being on the task force for a second longer without your leadership."
Morimoto Chiyoda stood before the video doorbell, her expression full of sincere devotion.
"HUH?!"
Emily was dumbfounded and retorted, "Are you a child? Resigning so casually!"
Morimoto Chiyoda said earnestly, "I’ve come to you because I believe in your abilities. I hope to join you as a detective."
"You’re kidding, right? Anyway, come in if you have something to say."