In this Second Chance at Life, where I can see skills as clear as day, everything feels like a breeze. And to make it even better, I’m spending my days joyfully with my First Love. - Chapter 35

The title “Commissioner General” has been corrected from “Superintendent General.”

A man in a navy-blue uniform resembling a military officer’s attire. His hair was completely white, yet his posture was impeccably straight, and his body showed signs of moderate training. Despite that, he had a kind smile on his face.

Kazuma Sumida, who introduced himself as the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, sat on the sofa in my living room and began asking questions.

“So, could you tell me what you know about the dungeons that have appeared worldwide and the ‘Trial of the Gods’?”

“Sure. I don’t know the exact scale of the dungeons appearing globally, but inside, there are creatures called monsters—what I saw were skeleton-like beings called Skeletons, ghost-like beings called Wraiths, and zombie-like creatures.

Defeating them usually gives you a 10–20% chance of obtaining some kind of item. Also, when you reach a certain floor, you encounter a door with a depiction of a monster on it. Beyond that door lies what’s referred to as a ‘boss’—a significantly stronger monster.”

“A boss? I see. That’s intriguing. What happens when you defeat it?”

“Well, defeating it grants benefits, such as an increase in stats or new skills. At least in our case, once the boss was defeated, the monsters stopped appearing from that dungeon.”

“Interesting… By the way, what’s your name?”

“My name is Ichika Kobayashi.”

Sumida glanced at me with an indifferent expression.

Ichika-chan sat on the sofa across from the Commissioner General, while I stood behind her, keeping my gaze mostly on her while catching glimpses of Sumida in my peripheral vision.

“Yasushi Sajima. Why aren’t you looking at me while we’re talking? I came here to hear from you, after all.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Wait, hold on, Sumida-san. There’s a reason Yasushi-kun isn’t talking to you directly,” Ichika-chan intervened before I could make eye contact with Sumida out of defiance.

Sumida narrowed his eyes. Was it caution, or had I irritated him?

“Does it have anything to do with why you knocked out Sugata and my other subordinates earlier today?”

To immediately link it to that incident—his sharpness as the head of the police was undeniable.

Sensing the shift, Ichika-chan became slightly more guarded in her response.

“It does. It’s a bit hard to explain, but Yasushi-kun has a skill called ‘Intimidation.’ Do you know what skills are?”

“More or less. I supposedly have a few myself.”

“Yasushi-kun’s ‘Intimidation’ skill has the effect of frightening others through his gaze or demeanor, and in some cases, it can even cause them to faint. However, his control over it isn’t perfect yet…”

“I see. So that’s why my subordinates were knocked out. But if he can’t fully control it, doesn’t that pose a danger to civilians?”

“It’s not dangerous! Yasushi-kun is a kind person, and he wouldn’t intentionally use his skill to intimidate others unless it was absolutely necessary!

Besides, anyone would feel anxious if they were suddenly surrounded by armed police officers. It’s understandable if his control slipped under such circumstances!”

Ichika-chan glared at Sumida, clearly upset. While I appreciated her standing up for me, I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

At the same time, I stayed silent, trying to read between the lines of Sumida’s words.

“Hmm. Well, you have a point. We’re the ones asking for cooperation, and yet we approached in an intimidating manner with a large group. I’ll let the incident with the officers slide.

So, you say he had control before—when exactly did he first gain this skill?”

“That’s…”

It was around fourth grade. Ichika-chan knew this, and she glanced at me, silently asking if I wanted to answer honestly.

I didn’t see much reason to hide it, so I signaled her to go ahead.

“…Yasushi-kun’s skills and when he gained them—those questions seem to deviate from the original topic.

To answer your initial question, I’ve already shared most of what I know about the dungeons. As for the ‘Trial of the Gods,’ I don’t know anything beyond what was announced.”

The truth was, there were plenty of details I hadn’t mentioned: like how the dungeons had been around for four years, or how defeating the giant lizard in the labyrinth hidden in my closet seemed to trigger the ‘Trial of the Gods.’ Not to mention the existence of extra bosses and other secrets.

But considering they had come here armed and in force, it didn’t seem wise to reveal everything.

Back in my previous life, during my university years, I was once questioned as a witness to a minor incident. They interrogated me for nearly six hours—so long that I missed the last train home. And after all that, they made me walk back to my rental apartment from the police station, which was three stations away—a distance of around 7 kilometers.

They wouldn’t reimburse me for a taxi, and even though I asked, they refused to drop me off in a patrol car. So there I was, trudging back home on a freezing winter night, shivering all the way.

That experience left me fuming, vowing that I would never cooperate with them again if anything like that happened in the future.

So yeah, with that history in mind, I wasn’t exactly feeling enthusiastic about helping them now.

On top of that, I’d already shared all the critical information they needed to maintain public safety—details about dungeons, the monsters inside them, and how they occasionally dropped items. I genuinely didn’t know anything about the “Trial of the Gods” beyond what was announced.

So, agreeing with Ichika-chan, I told Sumida:

“I don’t think there’s anything more we can share.”

Honestly, I didn’t trust Sumida much. I didn’t see any good coming from revealing details about my absurdly high stats or ridiculously overpowered skills. Just having my name announced had already caused enough trouble, and I had no desire to attract any more attention.

Sumida seemed to realize that he wasn’t going to get any more useful information. After a brief pause, he closed his eyes slightly and said:

“Thank you. I appreciate the helpful information you’ve provided. By the way, do people your age read manga?”

“Huh?”

I was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. In my previous life, especially during my university years, I used to read manga casually. But in this life, I’d been too focused on training to really get into it.

“Well, never mind. Anyway, this is still in the planning stages, but you’re aware of the ‘professions’ that were assigned after the recent events, right? Most people got ‘Villager,’ but for those with standout professions like ‘Warrior’ or ‘Mage,’ we’re planning to establish a school specifically for them.”

“You’re telling us to enroll there, right?”

“Well, the freedom to choose where you study is guaranteed by the constitution, so it’s not mandatory. But let’s be honest—you’re not ‘Villagers,’ are you?”

I didn’t respond to Sumida’s words, choosing silence as my answer.

“Well, I’ll have the necessary paperwork sent over later. Just keep it in the back of your mind. Anyway, I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, Sumida left.

“…Thank you, Ichika-chan.”

“Of course. If something like today happens again, just rely on me.”

Saying that, Ichika-chan motioned for me to sit next to her on the sofa. When I did, she laid her head on my lap.

A lap pillow. Sure, being on the receiving end was great, but being the one giving it? That felt pretty amazing too!

“Um, so… I want to keep relying on you, Ichika-chan. And, uh… I’d be really happy if we could stay together from now on.”

I wasn’t used to saying things like this, so I stumbled over my words a little. No, scratch that—I completely botched the delivery of such an important line! I probably looked like a blushing mess, my face burning with embarrassment.

I wish I could just casually say something cool and straightforward like “I like you.” Why doesn’t my mental fortitude kick in at times like this? Or better yet, where’s my “Articulation” skill when I need it?!

But whether it was because of her insight, or the time we’d spent together, Ichika-chan seemed to see right through me. With a gentle smile, she replied, even though I’d stammered awkwardly:

“Of course. We’ll always be together.”

Ichika-chan had accepted my feelings.