Chapter 175: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (3)

Asuka swiftly went through the reports handed to her.

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{Personal Record - Yuzuki Nozomi}

Full Name: Yuzuki Nozomi

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Occupation: Student

Current Residence: Unit 407, Kurohana Heights Apartment, Nerima Ward, Tokyo

Guardian Status: Independent Minor under Tokyo Metropolitan Welfare Monitoring Program

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{Family Information}

-Father: Kazuma Nozomi

-Occupation: Registered Awakened Hunter

-Rank: B-Rank

-Specialization: Close-Combat / Reinforcement-Type Ability User

-Kazuma Nozomi was well known within local hunter circles for his overwhelming physical reinforcement abilities and extensive frontline combat record. Despite operating independently without ties to any major guild, he regularly took part in large-scale suppression raids across the Kanto region.

[Kazuma and Haruna Nozomi officially divorced when their child was six years old.]

-Mother: Haruna Nozomi

-Occupation: Support-Type Awakened Hunter

-Rank: B-Rank

-Specialization: Healing and Barrier Magic

Haruna Nozomi currently works as a healer at an Awakened-specialized hospital responsible for treating injuries related to dungeon raids and gate-related incidents. Prior operational records described her as widely respected among both emergency response teams and awakened medical personnel.

After the divorce, Haruna became Yuzuki’s primary guardian and was largely responsible for raising him throughout his childhood.

====================

After carefully reading through the files, Asuka lowered the documents onto the table again, her expression sinking into deep contemplation.

"Hmm... so both of his parents are awakeners as well," she murmured quietly.

A faint sense of relief surfaced within her expression.

"That makes things easier. Hmm, if we contact his mother directly, there’s a good chance we can persuade him to cooperate properly instead of continuing this ridiculous escape."

She closed the file halfway before looking toward the examiner beside her.

"Get in contact with his mother immediately."

The examiner beside her awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

"About that, Inspector Asuka..." he said carefully. "I think you should read the next page first."

’Hmm?’

Asuka opened the file again.

====================

{Incident Report — Yokohama Black Tide Gate Disaster}

Date: 9 years ago

Location: Minato Mirai District, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture

Gate Classification: High B-Class Dimensional Gate

Threat Escalation: Later reassessed as bordering A-Class Threat Level

The incident later known as the "Yokohama Black Tide Gate Disaster" began with the sudden appearance of a large unstable dungeon gate near Yokohama’s waterfront commercial district during peak evening hours.

Initial estimations classified the gate as manageable by regional response teams. However, approximately thirty-seven minutes after deployment, the gate experienced a violent mana expansion event, causing a secondary rupture and releasing a significantly larger number of monsters than predicted.

The affected area expanded across several districts of Minato Mirai, resulting in over 2,000 civilian casualties and injuries, and deaths of multiple registered hunters.

Among those dispatched during the emergency response were B-Rank hunter Kazuma Nozomi and B-Rank awakened healer Haruna Nozomi.

Although Haruna primarily worked at an Awakened-specialized hospital, emergency regulations during large-scale gate disasters required nearby awakened medical personnel to be temporarily mobilized as frontline support units.

According to surviving operation logs, both Kazuma and Haruna Nozomi remained behind during the retreat order in order to assist evacuation and emergency treatment operations near Queen’s Square Yokohama after defensive lines completely collapsed.

Both individuals were officially declared deceased following the incident. Neither body was ever fully recovered.

At the time of the disaster, Yuzuki Nozomi was eight years old. Following the deaths of both parents, he was transferred under the care of his maternal grandparents in Suginami Ward, Tokyo.

Records indicate he remained there for several years while attending public school under government assistance programs designated for families affected by gate disasters.

However, after the passing of his grandfather and the hospitalization of his grandmother due to declining health conditions approximately two years ago, Yuzuki began living independently.

====================

The room gradually fell silent.

Asuka’s eyes moved slowly across the final lines of the report.

—"Neither body was ever fully recovered."

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the file. The sharpness in her eyes softened little by little as the reality of the situation settled in.

The page in her hand lowered slightly.

"...I see," she murmured quietly.

For a brief moment, her gaze remained fixed on the documents without moving.

The atmosphere in the room turned strangely heavy. Even the examiner beside her no longer knew what to say.

Then, the examiner hesitated briefly before speaking.

"I already reported this to his teacher beforehand," he said carefully.

Asuka remained silent, listening.

"She mentioned that Yuzuki has shown slight signs of discomfort toward awakeners in general. And apparently, he never showed any interest in becoming one himself."

The examiner glanced toward the report again.

"After what happened to his parents, I think it’s understandable..."

He slightly paused.

Then he spoke more cautiously.

"I think... perhaps we shouldn’t force this matter onto him—"

"Are you a fool?"

The words cut through the room instantly.

The examiner froze.

Asuka slowly closed the file in her hands. But unlike before, there was no irritation in her voice now.

"Do you even understand how valuable it is for someone to receive an evaluation of A-Rank Potential?" Asuka asked quietly as she lifted her gaze toward him.

The examiner stiffened slightly under the pressure in her eyes.

"And that’s only assuming the result truly stopped at A-Rank," she continued. "The evaluation device cannot properly measure individuals with S-Rank potential. If the mana output exceeds the system’s upper threshold, the result is automatically capped."

She tapped the closed file lightly with her finger.

"In other words, there’s a possibility that boy possesses talent beyond what the machine was even capable of reading."

The room fell silent again.

The examiner lowered his gaze slightly.

Asuka exhaled slowly before continuing, her tone calmer now, though the weight behind her words only grew heavier.

"Furthermore, are you aware of the current state of Japan’s awakened forces?"

The examiner hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"...Y-yes. We are falling behind...."

"Yes. That’s right. We are falling behind."

She sighed.

"Compared to countries like the United States, China, and South Korea, our number of high-ranking awakeners is critically low. We currently lack enough A-Rank and S-Rank individuals to stabilize large-scale gate responses on our own."

Asuka turned slightly toward the darkened office window.

"If another large-scale catastrophe occurs right now, there is no guarantee Japan can contain it without foreign assistance."

The examiner’s expression grew tense.

Asuka continued quietly.

"You’ve heard of the World Gate Response Union, haven’t you?"

"Y-yes."

"Then you should also know about their recent prediction reports."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"The WGRU predicts that within the next six to seven years, the frequency and scale of dimensional disasters will rise drastically. Cataclysm-class gates are expected to appear more often across multiple countries simultaneously."

Even the air in the room seemed heavier after those words.

"The reason the government implemented mandatory assessments for every teenager isn’t because we enjoy invading their privacy."

She quietly stopped before continuing.

"We are preparing for what’s coming."

Her gaze returned toward the file resting in her hands.

"And if someone with potential like Yuzuki Nozomi slips through our fingers, then we are gambling with the future security of this country."

The examiner quietly swallowed.

"Yes... I understand. I’m sorry."

Asuka remained silent for a brief moment before sighing softly.

Some of the tension finally left her shoulders.

"...No. I spoke too harshly."

She picked up the file once more and tucked it beneath her arm.

"Sorry, anyway."

Then she began walking toward the door.

"Don’t worry, I will handle this boy myself."

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[Chapter 175: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (3)]