N. Chuuya X Fem! Reader: The Territory of Gravity

1.54 - The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency

"Sorry. I was plowing the field in front of my house and lost track of time. Check out the huge radishes I harvested today. You could kill a guy with one of these! Don't worry. I'll make sure everyone gets their share later!"

The lively, energetic voice belonged to a small-framed young man donning a straw hat and cotton overalls. The gloves stuffed in his pocket were soiled with fresh dirt, and to top it off, he was barefoot.

This was Miyazawa Kenji, the youngest agent at the detective agency.

"Hey, Kenji! We were waiting for you!" Dazai was all smiles as he welcomed his colleague. "You remember why I asked you here, right? Well, let me tell you, it's been one heated discussion! Come, Kenji, give us one or two of your brightest ideas!"

"I'll see what I can do!" the young detective replied cheerfully before entering. His bare feet tapped against the floor as he cut across the room to read the whiteboard. Then he turned around to face the others.

"The exam needs to test whether he's talented enough to join the agency, right?"

Kenji pondered for a few seconds before facing Dazai and raising his hand.

"Oh, I know!"

"Yes, Kenji?" Dazai pointed at Kenji, allowing him to speak.

"Get him to arm wrestle me! If he wins, he's in!" The boy suggested.

Everyone fell silent, their expressions dead serious. Even Dazai was left speechless.

It was an unattainable objective. Kenji's skill, Undefeated by the Rain, granted him superhuman strength and made his body essentially indestructible by physically knocking back whatever hit him. He could effortlessly throw a car if he wanted to. In fact, he once wrestled three seasoned sumo wrestlers and simultaneously threw them in the air. No one knows if they ever hit the ground. Everyone in the room imagined the newcomer trying to arm wrestle Kenji until his arm got torn off and left him screaming.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Tanizaki timidly spoke up, breaking the silence. His face stiff, he glanced around at the others.

But when he noticed the nearby Yosano mutter under her breath "...That could work" with a smirk, he immediately tried changing the subject.

"A-any other ideas?" Tanizaki whimpered.

"Other ideas, huh?" Kenji repeated, unbothered. He paced back and forth a few times, deep in thought as his bare feet audibly tapped the floor. "I think most detective work boils down to putting in the effort one day at a time." Kenji struck his palm with a fist before continuing. "I'm fairly certain the president would agree that it's not about jumping immediately into action, going berserk on the enemy, and having a fairy-tale ending. So how about we have him plow the field next to my house little by little, and if that leads to a good harvest come autumn, then he can join the company. Sounds wonderful, if you ask me!"

Everyone's gazes fixated on Tanizaki in silence—"Say something!" they seemed to be urging him.

"Uh... Y-yeah..." Tanizaki reluctantly gave an ambiguous reply. "We were with you during the first half, but...I think waiting until autumn might be a little too long. Right, Kunikida-San?"

"A-agreed." Kunikida seemed startled when the hot potato was suddenly thrown to him.

"Oh... If you say so..." Kenji's innocent, childlike eyes showed a hint of disappointment. "Then how about one of the more common rites of passage we use back in the countryside where I'm from?"

"Oh? What kind of ritual is that?" Tanizaki raised his eyebrows.

Kenji was from an extremely remote village deep in the mountains of the Touhoku region just past a stream that cut through the forest. Up until the day he was scouted by the president and brought to the agency two months prior, Kenji lived a simple life surrounded by cows and fields, which was why he may seem uncivilized to some.