Chapter 22 - The Cop And The Assassin

It has been a couple of weeks now since Loki arrived in this new world. His once lanky body was now showing a bit of change and was becoming a little more muscular. Though the outer appearance hasn't changed that much, his overall performance had greatly improved.

His base strength, speed, and stamina had increased to a point that even his trainer Rick was dumbfounded. Not only did his physical body get stronger, but even his mana supply grew a bit larger. He was still unable to use other spells aside from [Enhancement] but now he could use that one spell at a much longer time frame.

Aside from the improvement in his fitness, there was also the improvement in his relationship with his new siblings. The more of the memories of the past owner returned, the better his relationship with Alisa went. Every now and then when he mentions things that he suddenly remembered to Alisa that was enough to make her happy, in fact, she was so happy she would cry most of the time and hug him.

On the other hand, Loki's relationship with Liam was also getting slightly better. Liam stopped calling Loki a loser, lame, and other such colorful nicknames. He returned to just calling him bro. It was a great step up. Not to mention the two of them started playing video games together every now and then.

Loki got really interested in these things called video games. There were a lot of fighting games that emulate the movements of the martial artists, well which was to be expected in a world filled with them, but there were also genres that had magic in them. Some of the games had the same spells as Loki's old world. There were even assassin games that he watched Liam play. Unfortunately, Loki wasn't really that good at video games so he wasn't able to play the single-player games that well.

Overall Loki's new life in this new world, was turning out better than he anticipated. There might be some problems here and there, but that was a normal thing for any life.

...

It was just another day as Loki was doing his usual routine. As Loki was jogging back home he noticed a woman leaning at a wall on the side. Loki was quick to notice the badge on her hip. Despite knowing she was a cop Loki's facial expression didn't change as he continued jogging, but as he got close the cop stepped forward blocking his path.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Loki Matsuda, or should I say, Mr. Assassin." The cop was none other than Matsuri. In the past days, she had spoken to the two people that she suspected but both of them had pretty good alibis, and many witnesses confirming that they had been where they say they had been during the time of the incident. Loki was the last one she needed to meet.

Matsuri showed her badge and made a gesture of pulling out her gun. Yet Loki did not react at all, she was expecting him to flinch a bit. On the other hand, Loki felt relieved by his reaction. He obviously had noticed Matsuri's gesture, but his body did not react at all. If he was in his old body that was trained to the very limits, the moment Matsuri made such a gesture his body would've reacted before he even thought about moving. That would've blown his cover if he did that, and he would be forced to kill Matsuri since he doesn't have access to the memory wiping spell. He didn't want to kill someone like Matsuri since that went against the 'ideal assassin' he was trying to be.

"What are you talking about, are you perhaps calling me an assassin?"

"Oh no, sorry that was just a joke I do every now and then. I actually came here to ask you a few questions about the case I'm handling." Matsuri quickly changed her tone, when she saw Loki's reaction.

"I see, if I can do anything to help, I will gladly answer your questions."

"Thank you for your cooperation. So how about we change locations."

The two went to a nearby coffee shop where Matsuri bought Loki and herself some coffee, once they were seated Matsuri began her questioning.

"These are just some simple questions, so no need to be nervous. During 8:32 p.m on August 14, where were you, and what were you doing?"

"I was at home reading."

"Was there anyone with you that could confirm that you were there?"

"My siblings were in the house as well."

"I see, I see... So Mr. Matsuda can you tell me why on August 13 you were at a coffee shop that was located on the other side of the city? If you wanted coffee there were a lot of other options near you, like this one. So why go so far away just to get some coffee?"

"Are you stalking me, Ms. Officer?"

"It's Detective Watanabe, also no I wasn't stalking you or anything like that. The case I'm handling at the moment is related to that coffee shop. I just found it weird that you were all the way over there. It just made me a little suspicious."

"That's a very private question, but since it might help your investigation, as well as making it clear that I'm not suspicious, I'll answer. I'm not sure if you know this but I was recently in an accident."

"Oh, the traffic accident a month ago. I was not part of that case but I am aware of that happening."

"Then were you aware that I'm suffering from memory loss?"

"Huh?"

"The reason I was in that coffee shop was because I was looking around the city. I wanted to jolt my memory by going to different places that I think I've been to. I hope that answers your questions, also thank you for the coffee. So if you would excuse me I'm heading home."

Loki stood up and was about to leave. When Matsuri saw Loki leaving her gut was telling her not to let him go. Based on everything she heard and the alibi he gave, Loki was supposed to be clearly innocent, but something within her was telling her that he had something to do with all this. She wasn't sure what Loki's relation to the case was, but he was someone her instincts were telling her not to let go. Matsuri stood up, run towards Loki, and grabbed his hand.

"Do you need something else, Detective Watanabe?"

"I just wanted to apologize for the insensitive question I made. Even if It was for an investigation asking about such things in such a way is not something any cop should do. Allow me to make it up to you by treating you to dinner."

"It's alright, you were just doing your job, there's no need for that."

"No please, I insist!"

"Due to my condition, my sister wouldn't want me to go out too late with someone I barely know."

"Then please bring your siblings as well."

"But I am busy these coming nights?"

"It doesn't need to be dinner, it could be lunch or breakfast. We can go anytime you are free. Just please allow me to treat you. I know this is selfish of me but this is something I must do."

Loki was in a rather tight spot as he saw Matsuri's sincerity. It was obvious this woman won't stop offering to treat him. If he kept on denying her without a more proper reason, she might get more suspicious of him.

'She was already suspicious of me from the get-go. Well it doesn't really matter if she treats us to a meal. She doeasn't have anything to pin on me, and for as long as I don't say anything weird, she would never know.' Loki sighed before he answered.

"Fine, how about lunch tomorrow. I'll bring my siblings, since it's a Sunday."

Once Loki came to an agreement he and Matsuri exchanged numbers. Seeing Loki off, Matsuri frowned as what she did was truly inappropriate.

'What the f*ck am I doing? He already told me his alibi, and I was already expecting this to be a dead end, so why did I force myself on him?' Matsuri sighed as she headed back to the station.