Chapter 29: Chapter 28 - Investigation
------
Read 10 Chapters ahead on Pat
Patreøn*com/Hunchovroy1
------
"We found him here in the alleyway laying down on his own blood and that's when we reached out for you." Silva added.
"That explains the situation." The other officer took note of it as Silva explained once more.
"No, If he was shot by someone with a gun quirk then we should've been able to hear the sound of the gunshot but unfortunately there wasn't any sound." When he saw Hinata contemplating the same thing he had when he had examined the body, Crust mumbled.
"Was it an assasination?" Another officer asked.
"It might be, and if not, someone may have used his or her quirk against him. Since it is illegal for citizens who are not heroes to employ quirks, this indicates that a fellow criminal or a civilian attacked him." Hinata concluded since there were no other traces.
"A civilian?" Crust was shocked by the word.
"Yes. You might say for instance, the civilian or the fellow criminal fought for his life when he noticed that the robber would attack." Hinata confirmed.
'Does the civilian have a gun quirk? If that's the case it'll be troublesome for us.' "Let's move out and continue investigating for any traces of the suspect," Silva contributed, "I'll contact you, Hinata, if we find any evidence."
"Alright."
The police car hummed as the sirens echoed throughout the area steadily as it navigated the dimly lit streets, carrying the wounded robber. In the backseat was the wounded robber. Dried blood stuck to both shoulders, and his face was swollen from his confrontation with the one who had injured him. Officer Rina's demeanor was unclear when she looked at him through the rear mirror.
"Shigeru Kato," she murmured to Haruto, seated beside her. "Wanted for three armed robberies this month. Guess he got what was coming."
Haruto nodded, his eyes scanning the horizon.
…Police HQ
"So are you saying a civilian or a fellow criminal with a gun-type quirk is the suspect?"
At the heart of the bustling city, the police headquarters was alive with the hum of activity. Officers moved back and forth, their faces a mix of determination and exhaustion. In one of the main briefing rooms, Detective Haruto Tanaka sat at his desk, staring at the preliminary report of the incident from the previous night. The file was thin, the details sparse, but one thing was clear: a civilian had taken down a robber, and the method used was far from ordinary.
The suspect, Shigeru Kato, was a small-time criminal with a penchant for robbing convenience stores. He had been found unconscious outside an alleyway, bound by thick cords of compacted sand. The unusual detail caught Haruto's attention immediately. Sand? This wasn't just the handiwork of a random do-gooder; this civilian had a Quirk. That fact alone made the case a priority. Using quirk was illegal if you're not a hero, their actions skating a thin line between justice and chaos.
Haruto adjusted his tie, grabbed his black coat, and motioned for his partner, Officer Rina Saito, to follow. Together, they headed to the holding cells where Kato or the robber was being kept.
"Has he said anything?" Haruto asked as they approached the cell.
Rina shook her head. "He's awake but uncooperative. Claims he doesn't remember much."
Haruto nodded, pushing the door open. Inside, Kato sat on a metal bench, his wrists cuffed to a ring in the wall. His face was bruised, and he looked every bit the part of a man who had been thoroughly beaten—not by brute force, but by something far more calculated.
"Kato," Haruto began, his voice calm but firm, "you're going to tell us exactly what happened last night."
The robber sneered but winced immediately as pain shot through his shoulders. " I don't know who or what it was, okay? One minute I was running with the cash, the next I'm face-first in the dirt. It was some punk! The bastard shot me with some stupid sand quirk."
Rina raised an eyebrow. "A kid? A projectile built out of sand? In the centre of the alleyway you were on?"
Kato nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. It moved so fast, wrapping me up and pinning me down. The jerk never said anything until I asked who he was. He just stared at me with red eyes before knocking me out.
Haruto held back from laughing when he figured that the robber was taken down by a young boy. He glanced at Rina. "Red eyes and sand quirk." He whispered, this wasn't just any villain case; they were dealing with. It was someone, a civilian with a sand quirk, enabling him to launch sand-shaped bullet missiles from his fingers.
After leaving the cell, Haruto ordered a team to revisit the crime scene. Within an hour, the alley was cordoned off, and forensic officers combed the area for clues. Haruto and Rina stood at the edge, watching as the team collected samples of the sand that still lingered on the pavement.
"This isn't ordinary sand," one of the forensic officers reported, holding up a sample bag. "It's denser, almost like concrete in texture. Definitely Quirk-generated."
Rina folded her arms. "Any leads on who it might be?"
Haruto shook his head. "Thus, for now we don't have any lead or whereabouts about this civilian "
"I'll say he's very careful," Rina observed, leaning against the doorframe. "Whoever this individual is, he is quite skilled at controlling his quirk, and it's a clean takedown with no damage to property.."
"If he has talents and has total control over his quirk, why doesn't he choose to become a hero??" Another officer stated.
Haruto rubbed his temples. "It's not just about their skill. It's their motive. Why get involved? If he wanted to be a hero, this person would've enrolled into ant hero school."
As the day stretched on, new details trickled in. The forensics team had found traces of sand leading away from the alley, suggesting the civilian had left on foot rather than using a vehicle. Surveillance footage from nearby cameras showed fleeting glimpses of a figure in a hooded cloak, but their face was obscured, and their movements were deliberate, evading most of the cameras in the area.
"It's like they knew exactly where the cameras were," Rina said, studying the footage. "This isn't someone new to this."
"Agreed," Hinata replied as he lit up his cigarette. "He's experienced, but If we could find someone with that trait, we'll have our suspect."
As night fell, the team prepared to stake out areas where similar crimes had occurred. Haruto suspected the civilians might strike again; people with a strong sense of justice often couldn't resist the pull of action. Sure enough, their patience paid off. Just past midnight, a distress call came in from a convenience store on the other side of town.
Haruto and Rina arrived on the scene moments after the responding officers. The situation mirrored the previous one: a robber incapacitated, this time encased in a cocoon of sand. Witnesses claimed to have seen a shadowy figure vanish into the night shortly before the police arrived.
"This is getting out of hand," Rina muttered. "If they keep this up, they'll be a bigger problem than the criminals they're stopping."
Haruto wasn't so sure. The civilian's actions, while technically illegal, were precise and effective. There was no collateral damage, no innocent lives at risk. Whoever they were, they operated with a level of restraint that was unusual for just a random civilian.
Back at headquarters, Haruto and Hinata reviewed the new evidence. The sand samples were identical to those from the first scene, confirming it was the same person. The surveillance footage was clearer this time, capturing the civilian silhouette against the dim glow of a streetlamp. The figure was tall and lean, their movements fluid and deliberate. Haruto paused the footage, studying the faint glimmer of light where the civilian eyes should be.
"This isn't just about stopping criminals," he said aloud.
"We need to find out who this person is before they get in over their head. The line between hero and vigilante is thin, and if they cross it, there's no going back."
As the investigation deepened, Haruto and Hinata couldn't shake the feeling that the civilian wasn't just some rogue with a quirk. There was a purpose behind his actions, a drive that went beyond the thrill of taking down bad guys. Whoever they were, they had a story, and Haruto was determined to uncover it sooner or later..
-----
Need more chapters? Visit my Patreon👇
Patreøn*com/Hunchovroy1
------