第４１０堀：新しい風たち (Part1)
### Chapter 410: New Winds
**Side: Tori**
"I look forward to working with you from here on out."
"Y-y-yes! I look forward to working with you too!!"
The one stammering through her greeting like that is Poni, the current Weed Police Chief. Even though quite some time has passed since she took on the role of representative, she’s still like this.
"For someone like that, it’s amazing she managed the greeting when she became representative, and that she’s holding down the chief position now."
"She seems to be the type who gets nervous easily."
"...Though I feel like she’s going to die from excessive nervousness one of these days."
"She’s incredible when it comes to work, though."
"Ah, so she’s that type. Come to think of it, she wasn't like this during her inauguration speech."
Ratz and I are watching Chief Poni, who is still struggling with her words.
"But isn't this also part of the job?"
"Probably. I think it’s because she said it was a personal request."
"Ah. Well, true, this greeting feels less like a meeting between representatives and more like a personal favor."
Exactly. Today, we came to ask the new Commercial District Representative—Ratz’s successor—to ensure we can get prompt cooperation whenever something happens. Ratz and I share a solid friendship, so there’s no issue there, but these two barely know each other. Meeting only for work tends to breed misunderstandings and makes it hard to truly grasp the other person’s character.
It’s not enough to just do the assigned tasks. I believe that to always aim higher, you need to deepen your personal connections, which is why I’m making these rounds.
"I had a much more rigid image of the Chief. She’s actually quite cute, isn't she?"
"Oh, yes. I’m sorry..."
"I’m sorry. I didn't mean it in a bad way. She isn't as aggressive as Ratz-senpai, which I’m actually happy about."
...Well, Ratz is quite strict when it comes to store management, after all.
"Hey, you. Representative, shall we have a little talk over there?"
"Eh!? Ah, no, that’s not it!? Senpai, look, it was just a figure of speech..."
"Well then, Tori. Please excuse me, I’ve suddenly found myself with a little errand to run."
"Ah, sure. Take it easy, okay?"
"Eh? Eh?"
"Chief, please get along with this idiot if you can. See you later!"
"Kyaa!? Poni, help me!? This is a case of kidnapping in progress!?"
"You’re noisy. What is it? You wanted to set the budget for the summer festival today?"
As Ratz muttered that, the other representative went completely quiet.
"Ah, Poni-san, Tori-san, please take care on your way back."
She said that with a bright smile while being dragged away. Yeah, she really is worthy of being Ratz’s successor. I’m convinced.
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
"Sorry for the intrusion."
Well, the purpose of the visit was fulfilled, so that’s fine. I had hoped they might talk a bit more, but that’s not on me—it’s something Poni needs to work on for it to mean anything. She’s sharp when it comes to work, which is good, but it’s worrying how weak she is in her personal life. Personally, I think she’d be a great chief if she could just fix that.
Well, it’s a work in progress. Thinking about that, I walked back to the police station under the hot sun. Come to think of it, I asked Deryu to handle the paperwork in Riel’s place; I wonder if that’s going okay? Both of them have the deep trust of their subordinates, but they are definitely "field-first" types. I wouldn't say that’s bad, but I really wish they’d do their own share of the paperwork. In that sense, Riel stepping down as Vice Chief was for the best—if she were supporting Poni, she’d surely die in a hell of paperwork.
"Chief, Vice Chief. Thank you for your hard work!!"
"Yes, thank you."
"Good work. It’s hot out, so make sure to stay hydrated."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Stepping inside the police station, the air conditioning was cool and refreshing. Ah, I feel like I’m coming back to life.
"Let’s hurry back to the Chief’s office and have some cold tea."
"Yes, let’s."
Also, I need to check immediately if the work is being done properly. When we returned to the office...
"...That’s about the situation."
"Yeah, seems so."
"There isn't much difference from the Guild’s side, is there?"
"Honestly, since they have bases outside the country, they are overwhelmingly superior in terms of mutual verification."
"All we can do is handle things within Weed, after all."
"That goes without saying."
For some reason, Yuki-san and the others were there.
"Oh? You’re back."
"Ah, welcome back. Tori, Poni."
"Yeah, we’re back."
"Yes!! We have returned!!"
For some reason, Poni, the highest-ranking person in this station, was saluting with the most tension.
"Ah, you don't have to be that stiff."
"I cannot do that. I cannot show a disrespectful attitude toward our seniors, the military advisors who guard this country, and Yuki-sama, the consort of Queen Seraria."
Ah, so Yuki-san is the main reason. Come to think of it, he is the second most important person in Weed. He never acts like it, and since he’s a husband to us, I hadn't really been conscious of it. He’s quite frank with the people of Weed, too.
"So, since you are here, was there some sort of problem?"
"Ah, well, I had a few things I wanted to ask, and since the Chief and Tori were out, I was talking to Deryu and Riel."
"I see. If you don't mind, could you tell us once more what you wanted to ask?"
...Yeah. She really is amazing when it comes to work. She had already tidied up the papers Deryu had scattered and cleared the desk. Moreover, she had neatly separated the pending documents from the approved ones.
"Sure. Since these were things I originally wanted to ask the Chief and Vice Chief anyway. Actually..."
With that, Yuki-san began to explain why he had visited the police station. It was about a full-scale investigation into the countries that have been meddling with Weed. I recall that while things were blatant up until about half a year ago, lately they’ve been using more underhanded methods? While we were busy on the new continent, Weed had its own new problems emerging, and he said we’d be focusing our efforts on that from now on.
"I see. And what did Special Duty Deryu and Special Duty Riel say?"
"They said it hasn't reached the level where we can punish them, and even if we tried to gather evidence, we aren't in a situation where we can move carelessly."
"I understand... I apologize. I wish I had some new information, but I have the same amount as the Special Duty officers."
"That can't be helped. Even without trying to stir things up, other countries are involved behind the scenes, so there are places the police just can't reach. Even if we detain them within Weed, we’ll just face pressure from the outside, or they’ll just play dumb and that’ll be the end of it."
"As you say. Therefore, I intend to create a specialized department for those areas that haven't yet reached the level of confirmed rumors."
"For rumors?"