Chapter 114. [Past Live’s Collection]
<<Iroha-san, on the day the nuclear bomb was dropped and the attempted kidnapping occurred, why didn’t you report finding the dead body to the police?>>
I got questioned by Angguogu’s mother on the phone.
I was being interrogated over the phone by Angu Ogu’s mother.
I felt blood draining from my head.
Why would she bring that up?
I twisted the words I had used when I left.
<<What are you talking about?>>
<<There’s no use playing dumb. At that time, you were wearing a very lovely outfit, weren’t you? Eyewitness accounts quickly gathered I heard.>>
Gyaa~! That’s right!
At that time, I was made to wear the “Translator Girl Iroha” costume by Ah-nee!
Even though there weren’t many people around, there was no way no one saw me. I completely messed up!
It was normal to report it at that scene.
Various things were happening, and my mind wasn’t working that well.
<<Even after waking up, there was a time to report it, right? Or at least consult someone around you. Why didn’t you tell anyone?>>
<<Th-that’s… I, um…>>
<<Did you forget? Or maybe you didn’t want to get involved in trouble?>>
<<Y-yes! It was… chaotic.>>
<<Oh, by the way. From the traces left at the scene. It confirmed that the person who killed the man there and the person who tried to kidnap my child were the same.>>
<<Huh?! N-no, that…>>
<<Were you coincidentally present at both scenes? What a remarkable coincidence.>>
<<Uh…>>
Now, at this late hour, I remembered the news I saw on the plane during my return home.
It was an article about my past life’s death, but some of the information had been tampered with.
The fact that I got restrained had disappeared.
They made that I was involved in a riot.
In other words, the investigation must have progressed to the point where tampering was deemed necessary.
I see, so that’s what it meant by “wanting to talk alone.”
No wonder it seemed so ominous!
I had thought I would be appreciated, but this is the opposite!
<<Iroha-san, did you know there was a dead body, or the man present? And were you visiting that abandoned warehouse?>>
Finally, I ran out of words to say.
How am I supposed to come up with an excuse for this?
I held my head, looked up at the sky, and wore many different expressions…
<<Fufu.>>
Suddenly, Angu Ogu’s mother laughed.
Then she said mischievously.
<<Just kidding, of course.>>
<<Huh… Huh?!>>
<<I never thought a child like you would be involved in such a crime. Besides, even if you didn’t report it, there’s no legal obligation for an ordinary person to report a crime or any penalties for not reporting it.>>
<<I see…>>
<<But it’s still better to report it, though.>>
I was drenched in cold sweat.
It’s too much for my heart! Thank goodness I’m just a kid!
<<Yes. And it seems you weren’t targeted because you were a friend of that child, nor were you coerced into cooperation by holding someone you know hostage. There was no direct connection between the deceased man and you, either in the past or in the future, that we could verify.>>
…Phew! That was close.
I have almost fully regained my memories from my past life.
In other words, I was in a situation where I could have retrieved accounts and collections whenever I wanted.
I was about to do so.
Huh? Would there be trouble if the deceased person’s account started moving?
Who cares about that?
Compared to wasting precious goods and, above all, succumbing to greed, it’s such a trivial issue!
I had no hesitation!
But it was when I received a help call from Angu Ogu.
I put it on hold.
I never expected it to come back to haunt me like this.
Wait a minute, though.
Could it be retrieving my past collections has become incredibly difficult?
Gyaaaaaaah!
Damn it! Once the world situation settles down, I’ll do whatever it takes to retrieve them!
<<A-anyway! Does that mean… I can consider myself trusted now?>>
<<Of course. Although it’s only now that I can be certain that you’re not our enemy.>>
Angu Ogu’s mother concluded.
<<After all, there’s no reason my enemies cooperate with me to this extent.>>
My face must be contorted right now.
Could it be getting invited to Angu Ogu’s home also included surveillance on me?
Wow, this is scary!
<<That’s why you don’t need to worry. You have no relation to that Japanese man from that day, and we don’t know that your internet usage patterns and preferences match so eerily, nor do we believe that some special power or sympathy brought the two of you together. We understand that perfectly well.>>
!?!?!? Whew, I hope I haven’t been exposed!
Thank goodness decisive words like ‘reincarnation’ or ‘rebirth’ haven’t been mentioned. I want to believe I’m safe!
At this moment, I wholeheartedly agreed with Angu Ogu’s fear of his mother.
Anyone would want to run away from this!
Or perhaps this is the minimum requirement to become a president?
Well, at least with this, the matter seems to be settled.
<<That’s why… it’s truly regrettable.>>
<<…Huh?>>
<<You’ve done well. However, we fell short. We wasted it.>>
<<What do you mean?>>
Angu Ogu’s mother said.
Finally, I learned the main topic for which she called me.
<<Nuclear weapons have been scattered across small and medium-sized countries around the world.>>
