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THE PUSHY INVESTIGATOR

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*****

Rob had never seen a ghost before he was reincarnated. He’d encountered skeletons and zombies in this life, but he still hadn't seen a ghost.

Now, those ghosts were boarding the Interworld Train one after another. They looked blurry, like out-of-focus photos, but they were definitely there. They were buzzing with activity, restless like students heading off on a school field trip.

「――Right, let's begin the interviews. We'll start with the first person.」

Arcelia was more fired up than usual, burning with a sense of duty.

Beside her, the Mecha-Platypus, Pashe, was clacking its bill at the ghosts.

Rob, who had returned from the lounge in the morning and woken up late in the day, had been nursing a hangover and watching the inexplicable scene with a sense of detachment—or so he had intended.

「――Rob, please help out too.」

「Eh? ――Guh.」

By some cruel twist of fate, the moment he tried to answer, nausea surged, and he had to scramble to the toilet as if tumbling from his bed.

***

The "Interworld Train Hijacking Incident" in that ruined world never went public, and the train departed for the next world as if nothing had happened. It continued to visit stations smoothly, albeit with minor delays.

However, suddenly, past the fifth station, the train veered significantly off its scheduled course.

「――What is the...」

Cubas, the conductor, who had been synchronizing a portion of his consciousness with the train, rushed to the driver's cabin. He activated the main panel, made of white crystal and blue metal, and various virtual panels of different sizes materialized around him.

「Automatic error detection: no response. Engine room: normal. Cabin environment: normal. Inter-car connection: normal. Magical circuit...」

Checking orally in a rapid-fire pace, he inspected the train's operating system with both his thoughts and his fingertips. As if to reflect Cubas's emotions, countless bubbles forming within his body rose violently and vanished.

「...All systems, including the magic drive, are normal.」

Yet, no abnormality was detected. The Interworld Train was still moving off-course, heading toward a certain world.

「This is... the 877th World. But this place should have already perished... No, wait, perhaps...」

As if drawn by something, the Interworld Train crossed the world boundary without much fuss.

***

Beyond the boundary, it was drizzling. Below lay a colossal castle and a castle town. However, the stone structures were all decaying, overgrown with plants everywhere. There was no sign of human life.

This was a world that had once repeatedly summoned people indiscriminately until its civilization finally collapsed. When the Alliance first made contact, it was already in its terminal stage, but it refused to join the Alliance—and then it self-destructed.

「I would have liked an explanation from the local investigator, but...」

Cubas, who had been checking outside from the driver's cabin, shuddered. Red-black fog was rising from the colossal castle below, spreading out broadly in front of the train. Small pillars of black smoke were rising one after another from the castle town like signal fires, and in the blink of an eye, they were surrounded.

But Cubas, who had anticipated this situation, began broadcasting an announcement inside the train while tapping the main panel, live-streaming the exterior footage to every passenger car.

『――This train has deviated from its scheduled route and arrived in the 814th World. We are currently surrounded by vengeful spirits, but I have determined that this train's armaments are capable of repelling them. Initiating interception.』

More black smoke and vengeful spirits gathered around the train.

「――Magical armament, activate. ...Anti-spiritual barrier confirmed. All armaments: prepared for launch.」

The black characters inscribed on the exterior of the train glowed intensely, and countless beams of red light spiraled around it. The shield-like armor on both sides of the lead car opened backward, and the outer hulls of each car deployed their respective armaments.

『――Please, observe.』

Countless silver beams, thin as thread, were released from the train. They pierced the surrounding vengeful spirits, fired from the opened armor and the weapons of each car. It was over in an instant, but the spirits kept increasing, and the train pursued and annihilated them.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR.*

A giant vengeful spirit blocking the front scattered its resentment. Dozens of silver beams pierced it, but it didn't seem to care.

『We will be jolting shortly, so please be careful.』

The Interworld Train, wrapped in a spiral of red light, accelerated rapidly. And just like that, it pierced through the giant spirit.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR.*

The giant spirit tried to cling to the train, but the train-shaped red light left in the wake of the piercing explosion detonated. After a momentary flash, nothing remained.

***

The Interworld Train stopped on a plain a short distance from the castle town and formed a white-grounded station sign and platform. After a while, a woman appeared, knelt, and began to cry.

「――Waaaaaah. I'm soooooo sorrrry.」

Without caring about getting soaked in the rain, she apologized. Around her, ghosts shimmered like heat haze; they gathered and joined in the apology or tried to comfort her.

Cubas approached the woman with two guards in tow.

「You must be Investigator Pamela Roffi.」

Pamela flinched at Cubas's words, but seeing the gentle demeanor of Cubas—who held out an umbrella—and the encouragement of the ghosts around her, she pulled herself up. Her round eyes were welling with tears, and her wolf ears were drooping dejectedly. Her small frame was swallowed up by her white investigator's uniform, and the fluffy tail sticking out was soaked and limp.

「Why did it come to this?」

「Um, well, that is...」

She couldn't handle the suddenly emerging vengeful spirits, got scared, and burst into tears. She had lost control of her unique ability (E-no) and drawn the Interworld Train to her. And then...

「――I want to send everyone back to their home worlds.」

Looking at the multitude of ghosts behind her, Pamela implored Cubas.

This world had once performed indiscriminate summoning and somehow managed to defeat the Demon King. But the nations of this world, having acquired a taste for it, repeated the summons and used them for inter-state wars. The summoned warriors waged bloody battles while rapidly advancing their civilization, and then, at a certain point, they began their march toward extinction.

"Everyone" meant the summoned warriors who had been forced to fight, died, and become ghosts.

「...Regardless of the train's flight interference, I cannot decide that on my own. It could infringe upon the jurisdiction of the Investigation Department, and above all, I must ensure the safety of our passengers.」

The Alliance defined ghosts as entities of life forms that had physically died but remained in the present world due to lingering attachments, and vengeful spirits as ghosts that had become distorted and violent due to some factor. Basically, ghosts lacked the power to run wild, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't become vengeful spirits.

Pamela pleaded, tears in her eyes.

「The ghosts are good people, and if something happens, I can use my ability to...」

But she realized she was in no position to say that after having lost control of her ability, and her voice trailed off.

「But why go to such lengths? You will certainly be punished for this.」

「It's my fault for being incompetent at my job.」

Pamela laughed at herself, but the problem was something else entirely.

Exorcising vengeful spirits and rescuing ghosts. It was work that paid absolutely nothing, and the subjects weren't living beings. As records, the biased memories of old ghosts were a bit unreliable; the verification work was cumbersome, and their academic priority was low. Furthermore, since civilization had collapsed and no intelligent life existed, there was no prospect of compensation. The budget was absolutely insufficient.

「But... it's just too sad that these ghosts, who fought so hard, would become vengeful spirits without any reward. So, at the very least, I want to send them home.」

At Pamela's cry, the surrounding ghosts comforted her, saying that her feelings alone were enough.

『――We will cooperate.』

At Arcelia's voice echoing from the train, Pamela snapped her head up and looked around.

『Well, purifying ghosts isn't that difficult. I don't mind.』

『Anyone who wants to drink, come to the lounge. I'll let you drink until you drown.』

『Since there are children, if they are similar children or gentle souls...』

The voices of the passengers reached the outside one after another.

In fact, the live broadcast by Cubas had been continuing all this time. The passengers, having seen every word of Pamela's plea along with the footage, sympathized with the summoned victims and agreed to help.

A rich person's indulgence—the Interworld Train certainly had that side to it—but precisely because it was an indulgence, it could respond to Pamela’s feelings.

「Thank you. Thank you so much.」

Pamela said it over and over again. While there was no outward expression on Cubas's mannequin-like face, it seemed to be smiling, if only slightly.

Once decided, they didn't waste time, and the ghosts began boarding the train one after another. At that moment, Pamela made one request to the passengers.

「I’ve already finished the interviews, but if others conduct them, we can cross-reference the information. Besides, the ghosts love to talk, so if you could let them talk one last time...」

The passengers smiled wryly at Pamela’s surprisingly brazen request.

*****

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