Chapter Text
Minutes passed, and silence settled over the room.
The faint sounds of paper shifting and teacups clinking were the only things breaking the stillness.
The ermine continued reviewing his documents, fully focused on his work, as if he had completely forgotten about Cale’s presence.
Maybe he was simply used to the original owner of this body…
Or perhaps he was trying to lower his guard and extract information.
Either way, Cale didn’t particularly care.
He took another sip of the bitter tea, nibbling on the walnut cookies the ermine had offered.
If Raon were here, he would probably compare this to Alberu’s office.
The atmosphere was similar.
Sitting comfortably, eating cookies, drinking tea.
Though, of course… they weren’t nearly as good.
To any outside observer, he would look calm, relaxed, and at ease.
Or at least, that was what he showed on the surface.
In reality, his mind was anything but.
“Snif… sniff…”
Crybaby hadn’t stopped crying for a while now, and it didn’t seem like he would calm down anytime soon.
“Cale… sniff… the others aren’t responding… sniff.”
He could feel it.
Only Crybaby… and his aura.
“Noonas… hyungs… sniff… they’re not responding… they’re sealed… someone sealed them… sniff.”
Just as Crybaby said, his ancient powers were completely sealed.
They didn’t respond.
He couldn’t even sense them.
Whoever was responsible for this had done it deliberately.
But who?
… A god.
Most likely.
And while it would be easy to blame the God of Death, that useless bastard had already learned his lesson.
He wouldn’t be reckless enough to send him to another world unexpectedly… knowing what his family was capable of.
So it had to be someone else responsible.
That only raised more questions.
Who?
And for what purpose?
His expression didn’t change as the thoughts kept piling up, one after another, while he took another sip of tea.
But above all, one question lingered in his mind.
What happened to the original owner of this body?
Was he dead?
Sealed, like his powers?
Or…
Was he in his body?
…
If that were the case…
Then, for that man’s sake, he could only hope Raon and the others were in a good mood.
Though that was unlikely.
Letting out a faint sigh, Cale pushed those thoughts aside.
Thinking about it wouldn’t solve anything.
What mattered now was the present.
This world.
From what little he had seen, it was advanced.
Almost futuristic.
And more importantly…
No one seemed particularly surprised by abilities like body swapping.
A world with powers?
Perhaps something like Korea after the apocalypse.
It was possible.
Ahn Roh Man had confirmed the existence of other lands.
There was no reason this couldn’t be one of them.
Which meant the person the ermine had called was likely someone capable of uncovering the truth.
Or even fixing this situation.
That made him dangerous.
He would have to be careful.
Cautious.
Then there was this body.
If it has an ability, that might explain why his ancient powers were sealed.
Possibly, his plate was unable to withstand multiple powers at once.
A safety mechanism.
A natural limitation.
But then…
What was the purpose behind all of this?
Were they involved as well...?
Bang!
A sharp sound against the desk snapped him out of his thoughts.
The ermine was looking at him, that same peculiar smile on his face.
“Cale-san, it seems our guest has finally arrived.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the large doors opened.
A man in a trench coat and hat stepped inside.
He had an average build, slightly tired features, and a polite smile.
“Good morning, Nedzu-sama… Aizawa-san. I came as soon as I received your message. What’s the emergency?”
Nedzu.
So that was his name.
“Tsukauchi-san, I’m glad you could make it so quickly. Please, have a seat. I’ll explain the situation over some tea.”
The ermine’s tone was strangely cheerful.
Too cheerful.
If anything, it only seemed to make the newcomer more uneasy as he sat down without hesitation.
Accepting the offered tea, his gaze kept drifting toward Cale.
Trying to get a sense of the situation.
Cale ignored it.
“How is the tea, Tsukauchi-san?”
“As good as always, Nedzu-san.”
“Wonderful. Then let’s get to the point.”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
“You see… someone has taken over Aizawa-san’s body. I’d like your help resolving this.”
Silence fell over the room.
A heavy silence.
“... Excuse me, Nedzu-san… are you saying he isn’t Aizawa-san?”
The disbelief was obvious.
His eyes flicked toward Cale, trying to reconcile what he was hearing with what he was seeing.
“Correct. That’s why I need your ability.”
Nedzu’s smile widened slightly.
“I’d like to bring Aizawa-san back without complications.”
Tsukauchi’s expression changed.
The warmth disappeared.
What remained was something colder.
Focused entirely on Cale.
“I understand… I’ll do everything possible to help.”
He set his teacup down and stood up, never taking his eyes off him.
“Allow me to introduce myself. Tsukauchi Naomasa, detective.”
He gave a slight bow.
"Nice to meet you, detective; you can call me Cale," he replied.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a few questions to understand the situation better.”
It wasn’t really a question.
“Go ahead.”
“Would you be okay if I recorded this conversation?” he asked as he took out a small recorder.
“I don’t mind.”
“Alright.”
The device clicked on.
"Well, today, March 20, 2xxx, at 5:45 AM, this recording will begin."
He glanced at Nedzu.
“Agreed?”
“Of course.”
Tsukauchi nodded slightly.
“Could you explain how this situation started?”
“Of course, it all began a little over half an hour ago. I had to go get some papers from the teachers’ office, and that’s where I encountered this peculiar surprise.”
“I thought I had accidentally woken Aizawa-san, but then I realized that the person in front of me was nothing more than an intruder using his skin.”
At those last words, his smile sharpened, slightly revealing his fangs.
He certainly wasn’t one of his favorite people.
“After confirming this, I called you.”
“Understood, Nedzu-sama. I will certainly do my best to find out how to get Aizawa-san back,” the detective said gently.
“Then, Cale-san, I’ll ask you a few personal questions, and then you can explain how you got into this situation.”
As expected, the interrogation began.
“What is your full name?”
“Cale Henituse.”
The detective paused, as if surprised, but continued.
“So it's not Japanese, Cale-san. Would you kindly tell me your age?”
So yes, they are Japanese.
“If I'm not Japanese and the last time I was awake I was 20 years old, now, I don't know.”
The detective didn't seem to take it seriously, but, on the contrary, Nedzu's whiskers trembled slightly as if he wanted to laugh.
It was so subtle that, had he not observed it closely, he wouldn't have noticed.
"Can you explain what happened to you before you ended up in this situation?"
Nedzu's small eyes narrowed, and his ears pricked up.
"It was a normal day with my family, and nothing significant happened."
"Could you describe your typical day?"
"I'm quite frail, so my family makes me rest. I wake up late, do some gardening, read a few novels, relax, play with the children, eat lunch, and go to sleep."
They both looked at him, somewhat surprised by his leisurely day, but how could they not be, given his well-earned, lazy life?
Nedzu glanced at the detective, who simply nodded.
Cough, cough.
The detective coughed and continued with the questions.
“Okay, just in case, do you know anyone with a Quirk that allows them to swap bodies? Any acquaintances or family members?”
Quirk?
Is that what they call abilities?
“None of my friends or family members have any ability like that.”
The detective paused and glanced at the ermine.
“No one? Maybe someone you know? Or did one of the children activate their Quirk? They mentioned interacting with them.”
So quirks are indeed their abilities, and they activate in childhood.
Interesting.
And even though gods can exchange souls, he didn't think you could call it "their quirk."
"All children possess their abilities, but none of them can do something like this?” he said, pointing to himself.
Tsukauchi nodded slowly.
Nedzu, however, frowned slightly, though his smile remained.
“But you do suspect someone, don’t you, Cale-san?”
This time, it was Nedzu who spoke.
“No sir,” Cale replied calmly. “I don’t know anyone.”
Silence.
And a shudder.
The detective shuddered.
A shudder so subtle it would easily go unnoticed.
But not by Cale.
And definitely not by Nedzu.
In that instant, his false composure vanished.
As if... he could feel it.
That he had lied.
And in that instant, he knew.
The realization came instantly.
That's his ability.
Lie detection.
…
F*ck.