The Strange Cat from Fuuto

A soft laugh rang out in the reception room, followed by silence.

.............

In the Kuru era, at a certain warehouse.

"puff.."

The old driver, shaking the damp sheets vigorously in the sun, stirred up a misty fog in the air, and the sunlight, refracted through the fog, created dazzling spots of light in the air.

"That's good!"

The seasoned driver, satisfied with the sheets he had just washed and hung out to dry, wiped the sweat from his brow. After being warned by an unidentified mysterious person, he encountered Miku in his Decade-esque, high-spirited state and was subsequently brutally beaten.

Although he escaped successfully, the experienced driver was cautious. After leaving Fuuto, not knowing where to go, he simply returned to Kuruma and rented a warehouse there for temporary shelter.

As for why they don't go back to Drive base, it's not that they don't want to go back, but that they can't.

"Waistband, this is our new home. How does it feel?"

"I don't really feel anything, since you're the only one living here." Zankrim's voice rang in the old driver's ears, while the old driver sat on a chair next to him and peeled a candy: "You can't say that. You and I have merged now, and you can use my body. Isn't that great?"

"But your body is still your body, and I can't use it at will."

"but..."

“Shinnosuke, I know you mean well, but this is a matter of principle.” Sankrim decisively rejected the experienced driver’s offer, then softened his tone, “I know you mean well, but I’m used to this!”

"This is fine for me!"

"Alright, but if you want to come out for some fresh air, you can always say hello to me!"

Seeing that the old driver didn't seem discouraged at all when his suggestion was rejected by belt Sanklim, belt Sanklim sighed inwardly. Actually, there was something else he didn't tell the old driver.

Because if the two share a body, it will cause ethical and moral problems in the future.

Will experienced drivers stop getting married in the future?

Doesn't he have children?

If he's still thinking about being a "veteran driver" after he gets married, then how should we account for that on their wedding night?

After a child is born, who does the child call "Dad"?

Therefore, Zankelim has been resolutely suppressing his desire to use the old driver's body. If he does use the old driver's body and neither of them takes it seriously, there will be serious problems.

"Although it is very convenient now, I still need to find a way to get myself out of Shinnosuke's body. At the very least, I should be able to block my sensory sharing with Shinnosuke at critical moments."

Zankelim pondered alone, while the veteran driver continued tidying up the warehouse, since he would be staying there for some time.

"Chirp, chirp!"

Two sharp, urgent cries came from above. The experienced driver looked up and a smile appeared on his face.

"So it's you, little guy!" The experienced driver held up a finger and made the bluebird stop on it. This time, the bluebird had a small cell phone attached to its leg.

It's no bigger than a child's palm.

"You're really amazing! You managed to fly this far with that thing!"

The experienced driver, who had taken his phone off the hook, sprinkled some bird food on the bird.

The bluebird flew down from the old driver's hand and flew to the birdseed, constantly bowing its head to peck at it.

"What's going on this time?"

The experienced driver who opened the phone found only one number. He dialed it and once again heard that eerie voice accompanied by the faint static.

"We meet again, Shinnosuke Tomari!"

"I haven't seen you even once!" The experienced driver, holding the phone in one hand and the other on his hip, circled around, scanning his surroundings for a good vantage point.

"Don't try to find me. I've said I'm a wandering spirit, roaming outside of history!" The being that saw right through the old driver's intentions spoke bluntly. After the old driver made a gesture, he chuckled and said, "You're still quite direct!"

“Toshinobu, the most important thing between us is honesty; this is the foundation of our cooperation.”

I will provide you with information, and you should stop trying to find out my identity.

"In short, this is a deal!"

"That's right!"

"So what are you planning to give me this time?" The experienced driver touched the bed sheets drying nearby, and the mysterious voice on the phone said, "I've found the hiding place of a legendary knight!"

"What?" The experienced driver paused, "You really found it?"

"That's right, but it's a very dangerous place!"

"Where is that legendary knight you mentioned?" the experienced driver asked. The mysterious being continued, "In an abandoned factory ten kilometers east of the Fuuto Sonozaki Mansion."

"However, I must tell you in advance that there is a gap leading to the Mirror World. The area around the gap has been marked as territory by a herd of antelopes. I advise you to be careful, after all, the Mirror Monsters eat people!"

"If you die, there will be no hope left for this world!"

Hearing the seriousness in the other person's tone, the experienced driver's expression also turned serious.

"Don't worry, I will absolutely not die until I find my past!"

After saying that, the call was disconnected, unilaterally disconnected by the mysterious entity.

"What do you think about this, Belt-san?" The veteran driver carefully put his phone away. Belt-san Krim said with difficulty, "If what that guy said is true, then we'll probably have to enter the so-called Mirror World to find the legendary knight he mentioned."

"But we know very little about the Mirror World. All we know is that the portal to the Mirror World is a mirror of the real world, and that the Mirror Monster can freely travel between the two worlds."

"With such scarce intelligence, we cannot act rashly!"

"So what should we do?"

The seasoned driver, chin in hand, racked his brains but couldn't come up with a solution. Finally, a startled cry from Belt-san jolted him out of his reverie.

"I see!"

"Belt-san, don't be so jumpy!"

"I know how we can break through the antelope herd's blockade and get there!"

"any solution?"

"Call the police!"

"what?"

After glancing at his identification in his inner jacket pocket, the experienced driver chuckled and said, "I am a police officer. What kind of talk is it for a police officer to call the police?"

"I'll report on myself?"

"Stop joking, Belt-san!"

“No, Shinnosuke. I’m serious!” Zanklim explained solemnly, “You think you’re still a policeman because of your sense of responsibility, but what’s the reality?”

“After we woke up, you were no longer a police officer. Your identification number could no longer be found in the police system, your personal information had completely disappeared, and you had become a transparent person in society!”

"Moreover, if we want to regain the memories of the people we know, the two of us alone are not enough. We need the help of more people. Only by finding the legendary knight and recovering the lost part of the past can we awaken our companions and escape our current predicament."

"Furthermore, the police department now has a very mature response plan for dealing with attacks by strange people in society. Calling the police for help is our best option, and the only option!"

“Uh…”

The veteran driver, rendered speechless by what Zankelim said, stood there for a long time, unsure of what to say.

After a long pause, the experienced driver spoke again, saying, "But we're practically invisible now. We don't have any identification, and there's no information about me on the form. We're basically undocumented! If we call the police directly, are you sure they won't just arrest us?"

"Don't worry about that. I submitted an anonymous letter to the police station a few minutes ago. They definitely won't be able to trace it back to us!"

“Uh…”

The veteran driver, who was once again at a loss, had no choice but to give a thumbs up.

"Belt-san, that was a really flashy move!"

Chapter 80: The Operation Begins, the Veteran Driver Approaching the Gap!

Kyuru, Special Cases Department Building.

Top floor.

"Oh!"

The door to Jun Honganji's office was violently flung open. Hearing the noise, Jun knew who it was without even looking up. It was Seijou, on the other hand, who flinched, scrambled up from his desk, and removed his blindfold.

"What happened? What happened? Did it explode?" Nishijou, who was looking around, saw the newcomer and sighed helplessly: "Oh, it's Genhachiro. Don't scare me!"

"Hey, section chief!"

"What's wrong now, Genhachiro?" Honganji Jun rubbed his temples, exasperated by Genhachiro's sudden outbursts. The heads of all the departments under his Special Investigations Division were all grown-up problem children.

Each one of them gave him a major headache.

"I just received an anonymous letter saying that someone discovered a group of mirror monsters in a factory in Fuuto, and suspected that there was a passage connecting the factory to the Mirror World."

Genhachiro slammed his hands on Honganji Jun's desk, his eyes burning with determination, and said, "So, let's get moving!"

“Genhachiro!” Honganji Izumi said while wiping his glasses, “I know what you’re thinking and I know your difficulties, but you can’t always believe everything you hear.”

"What if this is just another prank, like before?"

“But I’ve already checked, the location is real, the situation is real, it’s definitely suspicious!” Genhachiro said earnestly, “There must be something wrong there, we have to search it!”

“I really want to help you, but Fengdu is not under our jurisdiction. Fengdu is under the jurisdiction of the Fengdu Police Station.”

The section chief of Honganji Temple spoke to her with both emotion and reason, saying, "I know about your past. Those experiences would be heartbreaking for anyone, but you can't just act recklessly like this!"

"This matter is not under our jurisdiction!"

The head of the Honganji Temple, who had refused Genhachiro's request, waved his hand, indicating that Genhachiro could leave.

Now, Hachiro took two steps back and suddenly knelt down on the ground.

"Please, Section Chief!"

With a hint of pain in his voice, Genpachiro said, "I don't want to make the same mistake again. We can't let go of any interesting possibility!"

"Section Chief!"

"Gen-hachiro!"